Posted inArts & Culture

Talking to Ry

The Sangamon Auditorium at UIS presents An Evening with Ry Cooder, Sharon White and Ricky Skaggs on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 7 p.m. Off we dash through the end of January, heading pell-mell into February like nobody’s business. Look out world; here comes the music, and there’s not a thing you need to do but […]

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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. […]

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Blues, BBQ and other news

Blues Expressions plays the Old Capitol Blues & BBQ Festival in downtown Springfield on Sat., Oct. 3, 8:30 p.m. PHOTO BY PERFECT CONCEPT PHOTOGRAPHY Let’s enjoy our lovely October while we can, shall we? After last year’s blistering heat fest during the end of August, the Downtown Springfield, Inc. folks decided to bring the Old […]

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Jeff Cordes

Jeff Cordes With a winning smile and a pocketful of songs, Springfield-based singer-songwriter-entertainer Jeff Cordes brings on the music. Born in the capital city, raised in Lincoln and a graduate of Illinois College with a degree in philosophy, the introspective songsmith spent plenty of time elsewhere traveling and learning, but credits a mysterious “small town […]

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