Happy Tuesday everyone! Did you know that today is Black Sheep’s birthday? Today marks exactly eight years from when Black Sheep had our very first show in September of 2005. There are kids that are that old that are walking around and talking and going to school! In honor of today being Black Sheep’s eighth year as an all ages music venue in Springfield, we have a special message from owner Kevin Bradford.

As you may know this little piece is about Black Sheep turning eight years old as of today. As most of you also know, saying this feat is a type of miracle is no exaggeration. I think nobody including myself thought it would last this long or mean this much to people over the years. If anybody thought we had an A-class business plan or a secret patron they would be wrong. We’re here because despite our flaws and imperfections, people believed in the message and mission of this place. We never had the best sound, lighting, or (insert other notable music venue kitsch) at our disposal. We have been and still are a DIY venue in the purest sense of the term.

Eight years ago a group of people in a few small local bands with absolutely no business knowledge on music venues other than the idealized passions of youth, started a music venue in the shell of a former jewelry store, sand blasting shop, and whatever else it was, next to Skanks Skates. With little more than paint, rollers, and some new carpet (thanks Marty!) we set about fixing the building up that for the next eight years would be affectionately know as, “The Sheep”. None of us had a long term plan we just knew we had to do it, to me personally it felt like fire in the guts, (y’know like that burning passion stuff people talk about), I can’t really speak for everybody else though, maybe they just had heartburn? Either way we did it and miracle after miracle occurred that first year that enabled us to do it (I know our jaded post modern culture scoffs at a term like “miracle” but whatever dude). It was hard at first to even get people to come down to South Town to even see a show. The neighborhood had a bad rap (which I still view as greatly unjustified) and the only vestige of music culture was Skanks at that point (which wasn’t having a great deal of shows at the moment), so as you can see we had our work cut out for us. By the end of the first year all original four owners (besides myself) had quit for various reasons. We had a steady base of show goers and bands that played here, without which of course there can be no music scene (come to shows kids!). Therefore the bones of what grew into the modern Black Sheep were beginning to take shape.

One of the first things I did when everybody else quit was to simplify (no more shows everyday kind of thing), and realized that even if we lack all of the extra stuff most traditional music venues have we can embellish and accentuate the stuff we do have. Putting an emphasis on community and making Black Sheep a safe gathering place for people became the emphasis. Really, that can never be a placard on a wall or a mission statement, that’s something you just do. It is in fact that “doing” that became our motto. Instead of talking about this or that idea, just do it. We lack this or that, so what? We just will “keep on keeping’ on”, and I guess it worked because we’re still here.

So looking back on then and now is a trip for me. From the days of a smelly grey carpet (the cheapest we could find) to the present smelly stage (I’m convinced it’s the punk rock stink in the air), we have indeed come far! Every good thing we have has been given to us: the amazing people who help, the bands, and the people who have come out here over the years have been the oil in the gears that keep us turning. Black Sheep was an experiment for me and I always kept at it with support from so many (George being a big one). All of the characters that make up our local scene and the stories concerning them (you can’t even make some of this stuff up) are what makes things like this work.

It isn’t a business that we do, for all intents and purposes we are more like an anti-business. There are some tremendously talented people that help out here and do so much for Black Sheep that I am eternally grateful and extremely humbled by it. There are people who help me that could move away and make a decent career but care about Springfield and Black Sheep and stay here. I am absolutely convinced you can make your town better if you really try. Springfield doesn’t have to suck. Long live South Town.

Grace and Peace, Kevin

To read a little more on what Black Sheep is about and what our story is, you can check out our about us page. Want to find out what else you can do to get involved in making our space what it is? Check out our get involved page!