As our summer season rolls into the last weekend of July, there are gaggles of regular gigs in outdoor venues and indoor establishments around the area and giglets galore in many a winery, brewery, restaurant and bar. It's up to you to get out there and enjoy the fun before it's done.
The last weekend in July means its Downhome time as the popular festival showcasing local, original music bands once again sets up with two outdoor stages, plus an indoor live music area (mostly acoustic-based) inside the recently remodeled Brewhaus Pub. With the two-stage concept, one each on Adams and Washington streets with Seventh Street as the connecting avenue, you can concentrate on a single band at a time. The crowd just moves down the street as one group ends and the other begins. The good news here is that the craft beer vendors are strategically located in the middle so on your way back and forth between the stages you can fulfill your libation needs by filling your cup while heading to the next band.
Also remember that the money you pay to get in (after deducting the costs of presenting the festival) is evenly distributed between all the bands thereby creating the situation of a much-too-rare occurrence where original music actually pays off. There's also an area for bands to sell merchandise, and that's very cool and supportive, too. The more possibilities there are for original music to be performed, the more it gives artists a good reason to make more of it, something I highly encourage, approve, desire and cheer on at every opportunity. The Downhome Music Fest features more than 25 acts, runs from 5 p.m. to midnight this Friday and 2:45 p.m. to midnight this Saturday (see p.15 for the full schedule). Tickets are available from performing band members in advance and always at the gates.
Meantime, Thursdays keep kicking down the door with a variety of music all over the place. Let's keep leading with the Levitt AMP concert series since we have only one more week to go after headliners Cactus Blossoms and Chicago-based openers Dogs at Large cover the goods this week (with the Copper Coin Ballet Company doing the dance intermission), at that downtown space north of the Governor's Mansion.
Also on Thursday, catch Dave Littrell at Curate, Not Petty on the Lincoln Stage at the Illinois Products Market on the state fairgrounds, Jason McKenzie at Casey's Pub on the patio, Hipbone and the Joints at the Curve Inn and the Silver Creek Bluegrass Band on the square at Douglas Park in Winchester.
Friday runs the gamut of genres clothed in similar circumstances, such as acoustic duo Niko & Elijah at VFW Post 755 and cover rock band Branded at Weebles, acoustic duo The Tangents at El Taco Guapo, cover rock band Jameson Freeway at Longbridge Golf Course, plus the diverse sounds of the Samba Llamas at Boone's, Mattison Avenue at Harvest Market and Illinois Symphony Orchestra Flute and Marimba Duo at Danenberger Family Vineyards.
Saturday gives us a pump and a jump with Joel Honey, After School Special and Brandy Kristin Band at Coz's Pizza Parking Lot Party, The Cocktails at Goodfellas and James Herr at the Railyard.
Sunday sees another wide array of live music, especially in the small towns around the capital city, including Wolf Crick Boys at Mama Lee's Sandbar near Mechanicsburg, Al Kitchen at Trail's End in Curran, Antone & Wick at Hill Prairie Winery near Oakford and John Drake at Slauterhouse Brewing in Auburn.
Yes, there's plenty more where that comes from, all listed in our music listings.
