Author Archives: blacksheepspringfield

NPR Illinois: “A Glimpse Into The Underground” Art Exhibition, Opening September 26th

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Rachel Otwell and NPR Illinois / WUIS continue their streak of being awesome and incredibly supportive of everything on in Southtown and Springfield’s punk scene by this time organizing a new art exhibition to run the entire month of October called “A Glimpse Into The Undeground.” The exhibition features works of 3 artists – Brian Galecki (Black Sheep, Dumb Records), Kamila Glowacki (Kowabunga! Kid, Nectar, etc.) and Veronica Mullen (Ghoul Jr., Dumb Fest official photographer).

The opening for this exhibition will be taking place on Tuesday, September 26th at the WUIS building at One University Plaza, WUIS-130, Springfield, Illinois 62703 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. After that the gallery will still be up and open to the public throughout the entire month of October and up through November 3rd. Check out a facebook event for this right here.

Black Sheep 12 Year Anniversary Show Tonight

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Wow, can you believe it!? On this very date in Springfield twelve years ago we hosted our very first ever show at Black Sheep in 2005. You can find that old flier and lineup on our Black Sheep history page along with a few other notable dates and events that have occurred along the way. Tonight is our big celebration of that- with four bands all from here in town of different genres, two of which are playing CD release shows. Stick People from Taylorville, Illinois is one of those bands. They will be releasing their five-track CD, Lips. Bottom Bracket is the other one, the punk/emo/indie band that has been making a splash as of late. Stream their new EP below officially being released tonight. Other than that we have solo acoustic performer Kate Ridge on board. Also the rowdy punk band Prowess opening things up.

The show tonight will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $5, going to keep Black Sheep going. Check out a facebook event for the show right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a look at what else is coming up at Black Sheep this fall.

Bottom Bracket: “Dreamland”

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Even though the official release is not until tomorrow, Springfield band Bottom Bracket couldn’t hold their horses any longer and decided to let their hot new EP slip onto the internet today in its entirety. You can stream that five track Dreamland EP on the player below. This release was recorded in our brand new recording studio Southtown Sound right next to Black Sheep. Head on over to the Bottom Bracket bandcamp page where you can purchase the digital download or pre-order the cassette of the album.

Bottom Bracket of course will be playing tomorrow at the Black Sheep 12 Year Anniversary Show. It will also be a release show for Stick People with their new CD, Lips.

NPR Illinois: Black Sheep Update & Show Announcements

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Recently Rachel Otwell of NPR Illinois / WUIS sat down with Black Sheep owner Clare Frachey to discuss how things have been going for us since our call for help last month as well as some big events that we have coming up this fall. You can listen to that six minute long clip on the WUIS site right here. From the article:

While the long term future is unclear, it’s bright for now. Frachey says a serious concern is interest will peak over the next few months but then drop off again. “Our purpose in reaching out to the community was really to create long term results where people buy in, they have ideas, they contribute – and it’s something they want to invest in,” she says.

Tomorrow of course is the Black Sheep 12 Year Anniversary Show taking place at Black Sheep at 7:00 pm. It will also be a special event because at the end of the show names will be drawn for our annual Black Sheep Band Lotto.

Today on Black Sheep Radio: Stick People

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Today is Friday, so that means there is another episode of The Black Sheep Radio on the airwaves from 4:00 – 6:00 pm. Today our special guests on the show are the band Stick People. Stick People will be playing the release show for their new CD Lips tomorrow at the Black Sheep 12 Year Anniversary Show. We will be talking to them and playing at least one track off of that release.

There are no shows going on at Black Sheep tonight, but there is a poetry open mic going on at William Vans downtown from 5:30 to 7:00 pm and also a show happening later at The Barrel Head!

You can tune in to the Black Sheep Radio Show from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on 88.3 WQNA fm. Also stream it online at the same time at WQNA.net. For a list of a few of our downloadable episodes of the past, head over to our radio page.

Illinois Times: Best of Springfield 2017 Finalist Voting

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Today The Illinois Times have released their official ballot for this year’s 2017 Best of Springfield poll. The finalists were generated from nominees that were chosen from nominee voting that was open to the public a few weeks prior to this. You can vote for your favorite bands, musicians, artists, places, people, and events on the ballot. Find the voting for that online right here. Here are a few notable finalists that you can vote for!

The Black Sheep for Best Small Live Music Venue
The Black Sheep for Best Open Mic
Dumb Fest for Best Music Festival

We support all bands and people doing anything in this whole city and don’t like choosing favorite bands – but some of you might want to check out categories of “Best Hip Hop Performer”, “Best Original Music Band” or “Best Punk Band” to see a few names that regularly play Black Sheep.

The results for the Best Of’s will be released in The Illinois Times on Thursday, October 26th. We will once again launch our Best of Springfield Music poll on our site at the very end of the year.

The Buzz: “Bottom Bracket Goes Behind The Scenes Of Their New EP”

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Springfield twinkly twankle emo band Bottom Bracket were recently featured in Champaign-Urbana online publication Read Buzz. From the article:

Fresh from the Springfield punk scene, Bottom Bracket boasts a complex sound that falls into the crossover of emo and math rock subgenre. Comprised of Mario Cannamela, Carter Bibb and B.J. Pearce, Bottom Bracket will be self-releasing their first EP, “Dreamland,” on Sept. 16.

As if self-releasing their first record isn’t already impressive, Bottom Bracket’s members are multi-talented with strong ties to Springfield’s very own DIY scene — recording and releasing their first EP in true DIY fashion. Buzz caught up with Cannamela, Bibb and Pearce the night before their show in Champaign at Blips and Chitz to talk about “Dreamland.”

Check out that full article on readbuzz.com right here. Of course Bottom Bracket will be playing their release show for their new EP Dreamland at The Black Sheep 12 Year Anniversary show coming up this Saturday which will be made available online after that. Stick People will also be releasing their CD Lips, both of which were recorded right here at Southtown Sound. You can already listen to one of the Bottom Bracket tracks- “No Pressure” via New Noise Magazine right here.

Eric Marvel: “What A Disappointment” EP

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Today we bring you some more new Springfield music yet again, this time from solo electronic pop project Eric Marvel. Last week Eric released a new 7-song EP called What A Disappointment. Is this release truly a disappointment? Or is it a blessing? How about you have a listen on the player below so you can decide? Head over to Eric Marvel’s bandcamp page where you can pay to download the EP or check out more of Eric’s music.

Eric Marvel will be performing on Saturday, September 23rd at The Pharmacy along with boon, Jeff Williams, and Timothy Donavan Russell.

New Arrivals This Week At Dumb Records

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It’s a new week at Springfield record store Dumb Records and we have a few new items coming in hot! We picked up some new items from Oakland, California- based punk label Digital Regress Records. Don’t forget the store also has tickets to Looming / Screaming Females on October 2nd at Black Sheep, better grab one while you still can! And put your name in that Band Lotto box while you are at it! Let’s take a look at the store’s operating hours for the week and then dive into what’s new:

Tuesday (today): noon – 8:00 pm
Wednesday: noon – 8:00 pm
Thursday: noon – 8:00 pm
Friday: noon – 8:00 pm
Saturday (show): 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Monday: noon – 8:00 pm

New LPs
Alpha Female – Mane
Cough Syrup Kids
Turquoiz Noiz – Sweat Lodge
Violence Creeps – The Gift Of Music

Used LPs
Al Hirt – Plays Bert Kaempfert
Billy May – Sorta-Dixie!
Billy Vaughnn & His Orchestra – More Billy Vaughnn
Eddy Arnold – Somebody Like Me
George Shearing Quintet – When Lights Are Low
Jackie Gleason – Music, Martinis, and Memories
Johnny Hamiln Quintet – Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Kimberly – You And Me Jesus
Knocky Parker – Piano Artistry
Lawrence Welk – Apples & Bananas
Lennon Sisters – What The World Needs Now Is Love
Living Strings – Play Country Favorites
Louis Armstrong – Ambassador Satch
Paul Smith – Cascades: New Liquid Sounds
Perry Como – Dreamer’s Holiday
Peter & Gordon – Lady Godiva
Roger Williams – Golden Hits (Volume II)
Side Ramin – Love Without Tears
Sounds of Hawaii – Red Sails In The Sunset
Tony Parenti’s All-Stars

New 7”s
Beta Boys – Worldwide Rock Group EP
Marbled Eye – Marbled Eye
Preening – Beeters
RUT – Attraction

Used 7”s
The Brokedowns – Sass Dragons
The Champs – Second 7”
Dad Punchers – These Times Weren’t Made For You
Daisycutter – Invertebrate
Daylight Robbery – Daylight Robbery
Dirty Marquee – Dirty Marquee
Little Big Leasue – Little Big Leasue
Population – Population
New Edition – If It Isn’t Love
REO Speedwagon – Here With Me
Steve Winwood – Back In The High Life Again
Stockpile – Stockpile
Xui Xui – Dear Science

Used Cassettes
The Association / Turtles – Greatest Hits Collection
Carpenters – A Kind of Hush
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – So Far
Eagles – The Long Run
George Strait – Livin’ It Up
Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion
John Berry – Saddle The Wind
John Berry – Things Are Not The Same
Judas Priest – Painkiller
Judas Priest – Jugulator
Linda Ronstadt – Greatest Hits
Mac Davis – Stop And Smell The Roses
Rolling Stones – Emotional Rescue
Rolling Stones – Steel Wings
Simon And Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water
Three Dog Night – The Best Of
WASP – Inside The Electric Circus
Whitney Houston – I’m Your Baby Tonight

Timothy Donavan Russell: “Windows”

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Hi what’s up, we do have that hot new Springfield music coming at you fresh tonight. Here’s a new release from the music-making ambient machine Timothy Donavan Russell. This release is called Windows which features ten tracks of “the history of Windows system sounds all on one album.” Take a listen on the player below if you don’t believe that description. Also head over to Timothy’s bandcamp page right here where you can download the album and also listen to his other many, many albums. Timothy will be performing live next at The Pharmacy here in town on September 23rd.

So much music coming out of Springfield this year we are having a hard time keeping up! We are trying to keep track on our Springfield album archive, go check that out!