Author Archives: blacksheepspringfield

Kate Laine: Recurring Dream

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Tonight we bring you a stream of the brand new Kate Laine CD called Recurring Dream. How nice! This is seven tracks recently recorded at Southtown Sound right behind Black Sheep and Dumb Records. It is available on CD now at Dumb Records as well, in the shop’s local section. Stream the release on the player below. You can also purchase the mp3 versions of the songs on Kate’s bandcamp page.

Kate will next be performing at Black Sheep in ten days for the show on November 22nd, which we announced on our site earlier today.

November 18th at Radon Lounge: Shiny Shiny Black, Dietrich Jon, Tom Irwin, Peaches & Bacon

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This upcoming Saturday, November 18th we do have your annual Black Sheep Band Lotto show taking place, but there is another show taking place at The Radon Lounge as well that we feel the need to tell you about. Just so you know all of your options for that night, you know? This one features a real good indie rock band from Goshen, Indiana called “Shiny Shiny Black.” Check out their music on the player below. They will be coming on tour with another Indiana project called Dietrich Jon. Then there are a few local favorites – including our good friend and local legendary musician Tom Irwin. Hi Tom! Opening things up is the bluegrass duo Peaches & Bacon.

This show kicks off Saturday over at The Radon Lounge at 7:00 pm. Admission is $5. Not sure on where the Radon Lounge is? Go inquire over at their website. Find a facebook event for this one right here. Also check out our Springfield shows page for a list of shows going on in Springfield outside of Black Sheep (sometimes).

 

November 22nd at Black Sheep: Bottom Bracket, Charmer, Rockford, Telephone Junkies, Kate Laine

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Hello and happy Sunday to you all. Today we have a show announcement for a show happening in exactly ten days on Wednesday, November 22nd. We have a classic B.J. Pearce designed flier up there with a lineup that’s slightly changed so we will break it down for you. Everyone knows hometown emo rock group, Bottom Bracket, right? They will be playing this show. The touring band on this bill is Charmer from Marquette, Michigan. You can stream their newest release on the player below to hear what they are all about. Up before them is one of the winners of our Black Sheep Battle of the Bands last month and based out of Springfield High School – Rockford. We also have a newer and younger group called Telephone Junkies that made their Black Sheep debut about a week ago. Opening things up for this one is Kate Laine.

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $7. Check out a facebook event for this one right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a good look at what else is coming up at Black Sheep this fall and winter.

Drag Ball Tonight at Black Sheep

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Hey! It’s a little late in the day and we are late on letting you all know about this – but there is an event happening in our space tonight. It’s not a traditional show, instead it’s a “Drag Ball,” or a dance party of sorts. Last time we did something like this was close to two years ago, and featured the first Black Sheep event with our very own runway.

We encourage anyone who wants to come out and be themselves! Feel free to come out and dance, bring some songs to play on our PA, or hang out. Things will start tonight between 7:00 and 8:00 pm – admission is $3, or just $1 if you come real serious about walking on the runway. Find a facebook event for this one right here. Also check out our shows page for a look at what else is coming up at Black Sheep this winter.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Stick People, Casual Friday, Iris Jupiter, Bottom Bracket

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Happy Wednesday everyone, we DO have a show happening at Black Sheep tonight (even though this is one we hadn’t announced earlier on our site, sorry!) Tonight we have a couple of touring acts from California! At the top of the bill is Taylorville band Stick People, who released their hit CD, Lips, earlier this fall. Then one of the touring bands from Corona, California is “Casual Friday.” Stream their music on the player below to find out what they’re all about. Casual Friday is on tour with fuzzy pop band Iris Jupiter who will be performing tonight as well. Opening things up we believe is Bottom Bracket from right here in Springfield.

The show tonight starts at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. You can find a facebook event for this one right here. Be sure to also check out our shows page for a look at what else we have coming up at Black Sheep in the coming months.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Open Mic + FLQ (Canada)

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Welcome to a rainy glooming Sunday – tonight we are hosting an open mic at Black Sheep, as well as having a band from across the Canadian border come play. It’s the only event we have had lined up this weekend so be sure to come out! There are plenty of open slots for the open mic as well. Here is what we are looking at:

10:15-10:30 – (open)
10:00-10:15 – (open)
9:45-10:00 – (open)
9:30-9:45 – (open)
8:45-9:30 – *FLQ*
8:30-8:45 – Hannah Songer
8:15-8:30 – (open)
8:00-8:15 – Kate Ridge
7:45-8:00 – Angie Tonucci
7:30-7:45 – Kristin Walker
7:15-7:30 – (open)
7:00-7:15 – (open)

Check out FLQ from Toronto’s music streaming on the player below (playing tonight right at 8:45). If you would like to claim one of the 15 minute open slots, post in the facebook event or just come out to the open mic! Things will start at 7:00 and go until 10:30 tonight.

Timothy Donavan Russell: “Slower Than Your Heartbeat”

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It’s great to once again have some Halloween music and sounds coming from local musicians once again for this season! Some of you may remember The Suction Cups releasing their Lost Tapes around this time last year. This year we are gifted with yet another release from solo ambient musician, Timothy Donovan Russell in time for the holidays. This is Slower Than Your Heartbeat – 12 tracks of horror music and special sound effects. Go ahead and blast that music for all of your neighbors to hear! Stream the release below. From the bandcamp page:

Horror music composed and recorded in dim red light. It’s alive but has no shadow. Beyond there are empty cages and pools of clear water in a cave where bats are waking, flying through walls, and crushing the ghosts flat against the spider world. At the dead end you wait for the demon.

This is one of nine releases that Timothy has put out this year alone. We are trying to keep track of Timothy’s releases and everything else to come out this year in our fine city on our local music archive page. We will be hosting another year-end poll this year as well!

November 5th at Black Sheep: Open Mic + FLQ (Canada)

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It is time for the next open mic night at Black Sheep – we are planning our next one exactly one week from today on Sunday, November 5th. This open mic will be a little bit different as well because we have a touring act on board and that is the band FLQ from Toronto. Stream some of their music on the player below to find out what they are all about. FLQ will go on right in the middle of the open mic. We have a few slots taken, and plenty left open. Here is what the schedule is looking like as of right now:

10:15-10:30 – (open)
10:00-10:15 – (open)
9:45-10:00 – (open)
9:30-9:45 – (open)
8:45-9:30 – *FLQ*
8:30-8:45 – Hannah Songer
8:15-8:30 – (open)
8:00-8:15 – Kate Ridge
7:45-8:00 – (open)
7:30-7:45 – Kristin Walker
7:15-7:30 – Whitney Devine
7:00-7:15 – (open)
If you would like to claim a 15 minute slot, go ahead and post in the facebook event or send us an email to blacksheepspringfield@gmail.com! Admission for this show is sliding scale $1-5. Also check out our shows page for a look at what else is coming up at Black Sheep in the next few months.

The Illinois Times: Best of Springfield 2017 (Results)

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On Thursday The Illinois Times released the results for their annual “Best Of Springfield” poll, highlighting local businesses, food, musicians, and people.

This year Black Sheep was in the running for Best Small Music Venue, which we unfortunately did not win. However Southtown did get a mention in the staff picks this year as “Best Tenacious Upstarts.” From that section:

At the corner of 11th Street and S. Grand stands a veritable Mecca of youthful D.I.Y. culture, including all-ages music venue Black Sheep, Dumb Records, Southtown Sound Recording Studio, Boof City Skate Shop and a skateboard ramp. That ramp, Skank Skates, is now celebrating its 30th year and remains the cornerstone of a group of like-minded businesses which have put Springfield on the map nationally and internationally, with independent musicians from all over traveling to play the Black Sheep’s stage and then marveling at the surrounding environs. Ironically, waxing and waning local support can make daily survival a perpetual struggle but that makes the dogged dedication of the young owners and operators of these businesses even more heroic.

Thank you to the staff of Illinois Times for giving us that mention! Check out the rest of the results on the Illinois Times website, or pick up a copy of this week’s issue at various local businesses around town. We used to get the magazine inside Dumb Records but they stopped delivering it to us for some reason.

October 31st at Black Sheep: Starlorde, Nectar, Eric Marvel, Felix

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We are terrible for not officially announcing our Halloween show this year until now. Yes, of course there will be a lot of Halloween-y things going on in town tonight including Dumb Records participating in the Halloween parade downtown and also Hobgob at Bar None. The 31st this year falls on Tuesday night, and we are having a nice Halloween show for all of you who are looking for something to do the night of Halloween! Apparently this will be the last ever Starlorde show or something – stream their music one last time on the player below before it is lost in time. We also have the hit pop group Nectar coming from across the pond in Champaign-Urbana. Then before that is the new-wave electro-tunes from Eric Marvel. Opening things up is “Felix”?

This show will start at 7:00 pm. Admission is $5 or $3 if you are wearing a costume. Check out a facebook event for this one right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a look at what else is coming up at Black Sheep in the coming months (we are working on it)!