Hello friends out there somewhere. Thank you for being a reader and taking the time to digest these few words for whatever purpose you choose. And with that let me also congratulate myself for startin]]> What separates the dreamers and schemers of the world from the believers and achievers? Some say hard work and some say circumstance, but most would think it’s a fair amount of both that make th]]> Listen up you high-enders. The time has come for the low frequency players to rise up and proclaim the often-overlooked work of the bassist as a necessary and worthwhile part of music instrument combo]]> Now, now my frantic friends, let this week bring out the inner Halloweener in you. But first, we have some sad and serious news to report in a joyous way.This Sunday, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Robbie’]]> Where did the summer go? Hopefully in fun-filled batches of joy and frolic with a wee bit of havoc and distress tossed in to balance out the bliss. But face up to facts, folks, the summer of 2003 is a]]> di·vul·sion n. 1. The removal of a part by tearing. (The American Heritage Stedman’s Medical Dictionary, 2nd edition. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin ]]> It’s been over three years since we last checked in with the Midnight Swinger, when the brash and blonde comedian headlined the sixth anniversary of Springfield’s Funny Bone Co]]> Here we go again into the summer months with a load of good live music going on out of doors and hopefully some inside when the heat and humidity rises to usual unbearable levels and thunderstorms and]]> 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 s]]> I’m not really sure why, but let’s say the nearness of the dates drew me to attempt to vaguely tie the holidays of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday and St. Valentine’s Day together. ]]> Untitled Document It is my great pleasure to announce the inaugural show of the Bedrock 66 Live! music series, sponsored in part by WUIS (91.9 FM), the public radio ]]> Try tossing out the name Hurricane Ruth in a conversation about area music and see what happens. Most folks from back in the day are likely to have a story about a particularly stupendous performance ]]> I got started on one thing and that led to another and, before you know it, so many cool things were going on now and through the next week I just had to write about as many as I could. Let’s ch]]> With the holiday landing on Saturday this year, Halloween parties at the bars abound, with private parties happening too. ]]> Hey there you cool cats, when was the last time an honest-to-goodness, classic looking, real sounding, nationally touring, rockabilly band rocked your world? Back in the heyday of local m]]> No themes this week, just several items worth mentioning to our illustrious readers as March moves on and April comes to pass.Kick off your party week with a visit to the Trading Post on Thursday to h]]> John Michael Presney spent the better part of the last two years on the road in the first national touring production of the Tony award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet portraying the “fat]]> Untitled Document I once heard that mean old talk-show host Dr. Laura say, “Hope is not a good strategy.” I’ve never given much credence to anything]]> My best buddy and music mate left this world at about 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 12, 2010. Raoul took the great gig in the sky where the whiskey never stops flowing and smoking bans don’t exist, in that]]> Back in 2010 for the debut of Drum Fest, I started out with a few typical drummer jokes such as “What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer.” And a beauty like thi]]>