Last weekend was a phenomenal showing of our music scene, but you ain't seen nothing yet as there's the Morgan County Fair in Jacksonville this weekend, the Menard County Fair in Petersburg and Chatham's Jaycees Sweet Corn Festival the next weekend, then the Downhome Music Festival in downtown Springfield on July 26-27. And after that, we get a weekend off before the Illinois State Fair kicks in in mid-August. So lock in and let's take off.
Amid the good news of plentiful festival music, we received the sad news that the long-running Old Capitol Blues & BBQ is not happening for 2024. The area's most popular festival for years in our Illinois Times Best of Springfield readers' poll is on hiatus according to festival owner/operator Barry Friedman. He also owns the popular downtown bar the Alamo, home for decades to the Illinois Central Blues Club Blue Monday gig and says there's a possibility of the festival returning in 2025.
Meanwhile, the Alamo celebrates 30 years on Aug. 24 with a show by Mark Hummel, stellar vocalist and harmonica player and longtime bandleader of the Blues Survivors, joined by blues guitarist, producer and bandleader of the Rockets, Anson Funderburgh. Congratulations to Barry and the crew at the Alamo for keeping things rolling for three decades and for all the years of supporting the OCB & BBQ. Blues on, my friends.
Thursdays continue to rock this summer with 16 listings, including Reggie Britton with his long-running Black Magic Johnson blues band at Casey's Pub patio and Johnnie Owens and Silk at the Curve Inn Tiki Bar. Thursday Night Live happens at Motorheads, showcasing a long list of local performers such as Aley Alvey, Jeff Massie, Joe Kath, Erica Bunch, Tim Copp, Scott Mundstock, Dan Luparell, Ryan King, Heavy Gun (Joe Cooke, Pat Rolens, Joe Phegley, Jim Engl and Ed McCann) and Star 6 Nine (Joe Calandrino, Albert Capati, Chris Warren, Jim Crowley and Troy Cunningham).
Another showcase occurs at Coonrod's when Mark "Big Guy" Bott sets up his Digital Sound Experience featuring himself along with local vocalists singing to specifically chosen music tracks on a killer sound system.
Week seven of the Levitt AMP music series delivers us local openers Go! Tsunami, a masked surf-rock band, a Bollywood-inspired dance display during band intermission and headliners OKAN, a Cuban music duo.
Friday has nearly 40 events including Bustin' Loose at Pam's Jailhouse, Misery Garden with Sonic Sunday and Master Bastard at the Blue Grouch, Broken Stone at Weebles and The Guilty Boys at Jamie's Route 66 in Southern View.
Saturday clocks in at over 30 shows including Springfield Uketopians at Stella Coffee & Tea (noon-2 p.m.), Dustin Arbuckle & The Damnations (roots rock from Wichita, Kansas) at Brookhills Golf Club (3-6 p.m.), Joel Honey, Borderline, Jeff Young and the Bad Grandpas at the second annual Divy Block Party on the square in Divernon (1-11 p.m.) and Heartless and Big Love (tributes to Heart and Fleetwood Mac) as part of Live at the Amp Summer Tribute Concert Series in Sherman.
Sunday has some 16 events with a return to the Brewhaus for live music on Sundays included in the bunch. I played (almost) every Sunday from 1994 to 2014 in various incarnations, and now we're back. The new version of "church" runs every other Sunday evening from 4 to 7 p.m., not 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. (or sometimes later...) as in the days of old. Please come check out the newly remodeled space (restrooms are a delight) that kept the old vibe intact.
Be sure to visit our complete music listings for all the other terrific goings on.
