After years of playing music in cover bands (including the crazy-popular rockabilly group Meerkat Mobsters), Mark Mills decided to do it “his way” and proceeded to knock out a collection of classy, original songs fit for an Americana king. Recorded during the winter of 2015-16 in Nashville under the tutelage of producer Spike Jones and […]
Pub Crawl
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Fun DMC
Take the cover band concept of playing popular songs and combine it with a DJ-style song mashup to make an “oddly entertaining blend of musical alchemy”, and there you have the design behind Fun DMC. Combined artists include Journey and Metallica, Nelly and The Bee Gees, Run-D.M.C. and Avril Lavigne, Usher and Michael Jackson, LMFAO […]
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Old Smoke Band with Trina Madonia
Coming from nearby Bloomington to celebrate Old Abe’s birthday, Old Smoke Band invited Springfield’s own Trina Madonia to sing some lead and background vocals for the occasion. Starting out in 2013 as a duo called The Armadillo Brothers, the two soon grew into the Americana fivesome of Adam Humphreys (guitar, vocals), Jeremy Myers (guitar, vocals), […]
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Angela Perley & the Howlin Moons
Hailing from Columbus, Ohio and hitting towns all over the Midwest since 2009 with the sound and the fury of a modern American rock and roll band on a mission, Angela Perley (vocals, electric guitar, musical saw), Chris Connor (lead electric guitar), Billy Zehnal (electric bass) and various drummers including Maxwell Button, Adam White and […]
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Christmas music
James Armstrong plays his blues at the Alamo on Monday, Dec.28. Here we are full of holiday spirit, and hopefully spirits too, ready to finish off the holiday season with Christmas and next week’s New Year’s Eve. This year our weekend is a bit off as the big day occurs on a Friday, but there […]
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Lowder & Manning
Considered by many as one of our area’s music-making treasures, Jaigh Lowder and Jill Manning play original songs at an exceptional level of composition and performance. Jaigh’s guitar prowess is nothing short of masterful and Jill’s voice reaches into your chest and touches the heart. That combined with a keen sense of the human spirit […]
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Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters
Winners of the Rock Band award in our “Best of Springfield” poll for 2015, this band has steadily won a “Best of” category in music for the last several years. Considered the go-to popular band in central Illinois, there’s no doubt that bandmates J Bird Geech (drums, vocals), Peter Geech (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Majeeda […]
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Music matters most
Mary and the Immaculate Rejections play a CD release show at Black Sheep Cafe on Sat., Nov. 14. Ah, November comes and I feel the sadness and sorrow in my bones, even with these wonderful, extra sunny days. That normal slowing down of fall combined with the time change just knocked me for a loop. […]
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Enamel
With Kevin Wasmer (vocals, guitar) and Sam Ganci (drums) as the core of the band’s hard-hitting, melodic sound for several years, the recently recharged Enamel added Nick Beal (bass) and Tyler Landess (lead guitar, vocals) for a first show on Halloween after only five weeks of heavy-duty rehearsals. Nick and Sam are longtime members of […]
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Happy Halloweeners
The Screamin Vatos play their final gig with a reunion celebration at the Curve Inn on Friday, Oct. 30, 6 to 10 p.m. Always a big night for music, Halloween weekend 2015 seems extra special as All Hallow’s Eve lands on a Saturday. There will be plenty of parties, costumes, prizes, music and merrymaking in […]
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Octobering for music
Chris Miller, along with Joe Dawkins and Mike Burnett, plays Trail’s End Saloon in Curran on Fri, Oct. 23. I don’t know why, but this weekend shows up like a who’s who of what’s happening here, there and everywhere. Tough choices lie on the entertainment table. Let’s start when Chris Miller, the extraordinary guitarist, singer […]
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Mid-October music
Governor Street jams out at Brewhaus on Sat. Oct. 17, 10 p.m. PHOTO BY LAURA COFFEY Welcome all to the Ides of October and beyond. We have a few lingering festivals, plenty of diverse performers and a bushel basket full of local regulars playing the scene. By now the Cubs/Cards first-ever postseason series is over. […]
