With a back story like a Hollywood movie, Josh, “The Reverend” Peyton was told he’d never play guitar again, met his wife and band mate “Washboard” Breezy while recovering from hand surgery and now plays around 250 shows annually. Toss in distant cousin Aaron “Cuz” Persinger on the drum kit (with a five-gallon plastic bucket […]
Tom Irwin
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Lionel Young Band
Raised in Rochester, N.Y. and trained as a classical violinist, Lionel Young is not your typical blues performer. The young Young found his way to the blues and using his “distinctive electric violin” forged a new sound to the old art form. Young, also a guitarist, songwriter and singer, is the only double winner at […]
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Hard Road Blues Band
When Bruce Baise (guitar, vocals), Dave Marr (guitar, vocals), Craig Wood (bass, vocals), Mark “Doc” Janis (drums), Steve Jackson (saxophone, clarinet, flute) and “Bad” Bill Robinson (harmonica, limericks) join together to create music, they bring decades of experience to the stage. Hot Property, Picture This, Wabash Run, Porkpie & The Northend Allstars, Rock of Ages, […]
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A sweetheart of a time
I’m telling you what – I had a whale of a time last Saturday night right here in lovely, downtown Springfield. From first being one of “those guys” not wanting to leave the house, I hit the Paul Collins Beat Bedrock 66 show, had a visit with the Blue G’s at Norb Andy’s and made […]
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Dwayne Dopsie and the Zydeco Hellraisers
Son of the legendary accordion player and Zydeco master Rockin’ Dopsie, Sr., Dwayne “Dopsie” Rubin comes into his heritage honestly and avidly. Always a party when he comes to town with the New Orleans and swampy Louisiana sound, this Saturday’s show infuses the excitement of Carnival and the upcoming Mardi Gras celebrations to make for […]
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February already
After this odd week of weather contortions, I’m not sure if we are thawing out, warming up or freezing in, but I can assure you, no matter the fluctuating conditions of the climate, there is a steady run of good music in the forecast. To add onto last week’s Marina V update, Nick Baker and […]
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Old School Dropouts
Look out world, here come the Old School Dropouts, a new band formed by Springfield music scene veterans to play “old school” rock. First imagined as a rock power trio in 2011 with Dan Luparell (guitar), Jim Engel (drums) and Mike Paoni (bass), the three-man OSD covered a range of popular rock, punk and blues […]
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Hot music for cold times
With these cold days upon us, what could be more appealing than checking out some hot music tunes for a thaw from this week of chilling weather? I recently received a warming message from Marina V, our ever-moving and ever-loving music friend, that began with, “Hello from Moscow!” Current temps in the Russian capital are […]
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Deep Lunar Blue
Original and classic rock jam band Deep Lunar Blue commemorates 120 shows as a band with a four year anniversary celebration this weekend. The rollicking band of Shane Quigley (guitar, vocals), Casey Cantrall (guitar, vocals), J.J. Moffat (drums) and Jay Bohn (bass) plays around town on a regular basis, as well as at area clubs […]
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Fun with Greg Fundis
Most frequently in this column, the musicians I interview are either in Springfield or from another place. This week I was very fortunate to speak with drummer Greg Fundis, a hometown hero now residing in Chicago, working on a very successful and balanced career in the business of making music. Greg grew up in Springfield […]
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Re-solutions recommended
Certain commitments known as New Year’s resolutions are commonly concocted around the beginning of a calendar year and generally concern a makeover of the self, often dealing with all kinds of ways to feel, act, look and be better. The word resolution, broken down, says to me, “re-solution,” as in finding a solution again or […]
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Bossa Azul
Combining jazz guitar with Brazilian leanings, percussion beats of a universal nature and American blues harmonica with vocals in the original Portuguese of classic samba and bossa music, Bossa Azul invents a sound both “playful and sophisticated,” creating an acoustic/electric blend of inter-hemispheric influences that comes across as simultaneously familiar and distinctive. Translated from Brazilian, […]
