December 12th at Black Sheep: Firestarter, Alone At Heart, Undeserving, Lavender

Posted on November 19, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

The December show announcements are starting to roll in hard! Today we have an announcement for a show happening on Saturday, December 12th. This one will feature the touring band Firestarter from Albany, New York (pictured above). You can check out some of their music streaming on the player below. We also have another out of town band- Alone At Heart coming from Chicago. They play a type of melodic hardcore. Then we have two bands from the area on this show. We have Undeserving, who just released a few songs they recorded right next door at South Town Studio! Opening things up will be a performance by Lavender– the shoegaze band from the Springfield/St. Louis area.

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is a range of $5-7 whatever you feel is best! You can find a facebook event for this one right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a more complete list of everything coming up in Southtown in the next few months.

Black Sheep Holiday Show December 18th with Hospital Job (LP Release), The Locals, SAP, The Suction Cups

Posted on November 18, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

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We are approaching December here pretty quick, so it is time to announce the Black Sheep Holiday show happening on Friday, December 18th this year! This winter we are going to never get cold, because we will have Hospital Job‘s new LP, Never Get Cold to keep us warm and rockin’. The Black Sheep Holiday show this year will be the LP release show for HOJO’s newest and third album, being released on It’s Alive Records. Stream the band’s previous album, The Believer below. Also playing this show are The Locals, who were recently voted Springfield’s best “underage band” in the Illinois Times. Also playing is SAP who just released a split cassette less than a week ago. Opening things up is a newer Springfield band called The Suction Cups, who will be here to bring some spooky holiday chills.

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. For those of you who like holidays and special event shows at Black Sheep, don’t forget there is the Black Friday RSD at Dumb Records and show at Black Sheep a week from Friday on November 27th. Check out our Black Sheep shows page for a good look at a list of every show we have coming up.

November 22nd at Black Sheep (Last Minute!): Mothersound, Set Fire To Salem, Vacant Skies

Posted on November 18, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

We have a little bit of a last minute three band metal show at Black Sheep we are announcing today! This one is less than a week away, happening this Sunday, November 22nd. For this show we have the Los Angeles-based metal band on tour called Mothersound. Check out one of the band’s music videos right here. Also on this show is the Springfield metal band Set Fire To Salem. Opening things up we have the three-piece metal project called Vacant Skies, also from Springfield.

The show will begin at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. Come out even thought the show is last minute to show support for the touring band. Also check out our shows page for a good look at everything else we have coming up at Black Sheep in the coming months.

November 29th at Black Sheep: Dry Heave, The Suction Cups, Copper Blue

Posted on November 17, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

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On Sunday, November 29th coming up here at Black Sheep real quick we are going to be having a three-band show featuring all bands that have all formed this fall. Some of those bands are based out of Champaign-Urbana including Dry Heave, who will be doing a little weekend tour. Dry Heave features members of Toad Omen and Soap Scum. You can stream their new demo below. We also have the new Springfield band The Suction Cups featuring members of Bad Banshee, Ragna Rye, and Fel Fae. Opening things up is a new band also from Champaign-Urbana called Copper Blue.

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. You can find a facebook event for this right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a good look at everything else coming up at Black Sheep in the near future.

New Arrivals This Week At Dumb Records

Posted on November 17, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

It’s another week at Southtown record store Dumb Records! There is a lot of exciting stuff happening in the store as they are gearing up for Black Friday Record Store Day happening a week from this Saturday. You can find more info on that right here– for that day you can expect free giveaways, sales, and plenty of exclusive titles on the shelves. There is also a show happening in Black Sheep that night to go along with the big event. This week at Dumb Records there are a few new LPs on the shelves. We’ll take a look at those and also go over Dumb’s operating hours for the week:

Tuesday (today): 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Thursday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday (show): 12:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Sunday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday: 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm

New LPs
Against Me! – Total Clarity
Alkaline Trio – Alkaline Trio
All Dogs – Kicking Every Day
Death Cab For Cutie – Plans
Joyce Manor – Never Hungover Again
Marked Men – Ghosts
Pixies – Surfer Rosa

Black Sheep Open Mic Tonight

Posted on November 15, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

Tonight is our monthly Black Sheep Open Mic! How could you possibly not go seeing that happy black sheep standing on top of that hill with that smile? There are more open slots on this open mic than usual, so we need help with people coming out and claiming those slots! Here is the schedule for tonight so far:

9:45-10:00 – (open)
9:30-9:45 – (open)
9:15-9:30 – (open)
9:00-9:15 – Airen Merrifield
8:45-9:00 – D.B. Cooper
8:30-8:45 – Pureheart
8:15-8:30 – Ian Winterbauer
8:00-8:15 – Matthew Brewes
7:45-8:00 – Ethereal Dweller
7:30-7:45 – Lucky
7:15-7:30 – (open)
7:00-7:15 – (open)

If you want to claim a spot, just show up to the show and we will have a poster of the schedule inside with the open spots mapped out. The open mic tonight starts at 7:00 and will end at 10:00 if all of the slots get filled. We will be asking for donations of $1-5 at the door for Black Sheep. There will also be a 15% off sale for everything at Dumb Records next door during the show! You can find a facebook event for this right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a good look at everything else coming up in Southtown this fall and winter.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Mary & The Immaculate Rejections, SAP, Los Injectors, Rotten Monster

Posted on November 14, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

It’s the weekend! We have one show happening this weekend tonight along with an open mic tomorrow night at Black Sheep. Tonight will be a release show for not one, but TWO bands! Tonight is the EP release show for the band Mary & The Immaculate Rejections based out of Downers Grove, Illinois. This will also be a release show for the local band SAP, who will be releasing a split cassette with the band Person based out of Chicago. Also playing the show is long-running Springfield rockabilly/punk band Los Injectors. Stream one of their tracks on the player embedded below. Opening things up is a performance by a hard rock band called Rotten Monster based out of Springfield and Havana. Should be a fun time!

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. You can find a facebook event for the show right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a good look at everything else coming up at Black Sheep in the near future.

Project Southtown Update 2.1!

Posted on November 12, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

It’s been a minute since we have been able to report with any updates for Project Southtown, the newest effort to revitalize and better the historic Southtown nieghborhood that houses Black Sheep, Skank Skates, Dumb Records, South Town Studio, and Boof City. Thanks to the support we’ve received so far, we’ve had the fortune of being able to use the donations we gained from the kickstarter campaign for much needed projects and updates. As you can see in the picture above, Dumb Records is now graced with a new sign, built and hung by Project Southtown volunteers! This addition to the Dumb Records store front has already started increasing foot traffic in the store and will hopefully increase business overall. A new sign is only one of the many positive upgrades that our awesome volunteers have been putting time and energy into!

Since June, we’ve been able to give some special attention to the property and businesses that reside within it. This includes being able to renew fire extinguishers, obtain dehumidifiers as well as cigarette receptacles for the parking lot. Black Sheep Cafe now has new speakers, which has made the show going experience that much better for listeners! When the kickstarter campaign was finalized, we were able to give back to donors by purchasing Project Southtown t-shirts and jars for gifting honey from our bee hives in return for gaining their support! We’ve recently prepared a wall of fame stating all of the names of people who donated. Keep your eyes peeled because that will be hung in a prominent spot on the property soon! We also now have new, hand built fences guarding our pollination garden next to dumb records and our back parking lot entrance, which are both wonderful additions to the space. Other things we’ve been working on is preparing the wall on the side of Dumb Records for a new mural, which you may remember reading about in the preliminary Project Southtown update post we made back in June. After gaining the ability to purchase primer and paint, the wall is ready to go and we already have local artist Bill Crook drawing up preliminary sketches! What a treat!

This mural we are planning on is not the only large scale achievement we’ve gained from the kickstarter donations. We were able to use the funds to file for official state and federal non-profit status, which are almost finalized, as well as to catch up with the rising rate of city property taxes. We now have options to make plans for the future so make sure to watch for more developments. Also, keep your eyes peeled for membership letters that will be coming out this December! In their contents you’ll be able to learn more about being a member of Project Southtown, what that means, the benefits you’ll receive by doing so and what you can to do contribute! Everyone is welcome to become a member and we are excited to delve into the future of Southtown as a community! If you are interested in getting involved more with Project Southtown, email George Sinclair at georgeid2@yahoo.com and we would be happy to welcome you. Otherwise, stay tuned for more Project Southtown updates!

Tonight at South Town Studio: Secret Tombs, No Brainer, The Suction Cups

Posted on November 11, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

You think you are in for an average Wednesday night at home tonight? Think again! There is a show happening tonight at South Town Studio and it’s going to be a wild one. We have the band Secret Tombs returning to Springfield from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. They played at Black Sheep a year ago last fall. Stream some of Secret Tombs’s music below if you are unfamiliar with their secret-rock sound. Also on this show and on tour is a band called No Brainer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are heavy. And then opening things up we have a brand shiny new Springfield band called The Suction Cups- featuring members of bands Bad Banshee and Ragna Rye.

The show tonight in the studio kicks off at 7:00 pm and they will be asking for $5 for the touring bands. Find a facebook event right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a good list of everything coming up in Southtown.

New Arrivals This Week At Dumb Records

Posted on November 10, 2015 by blacksheepspringfield

It’s a new week at Southtown record store Dumb Records (located at 1107 South Grand Ave. East) and things are more exciting than ever now that we have a new sign up in front of our store! We have plenty of new arrivals in this week including new and used LPs, 7″s, CDs, cassettes, and a good stack of zines/books. Don’t forget that Dumb Records carries a good amount of zines for you to stock up while the weather is getting colder and you need some good reading material. Black Friday Record Store Day is also coming up at Dumb Records in just a little over two weeks, you can find more info on that event right here. Let’s take a look at Dumb Records’s operating hours this week and then jump into the new arrivals:

New LPs
Cowards – Shooting Blanks & Pills

Used LPs
Guns N’ Roses – Appetite For Destruction
Iron Maiden – Can I Play With Madness?
Iron Maiden – Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden – Killers
Iron Maiden – Live After Death
Iron Maiden – The Number Of The Beast
Iron Maiden – Somewhere In Time
John Lennon – The John Lennon Collection
John Lennon – Mind Games
Judas Priest – Defenders Of The Faith
Megadeath – Anarchy In The U.K. (single)
Motorhead – No Sleep ‘Til Hammersmith
Motorhead – Recorded Live
Queen – Jazz

New 7”s
Gillian Carter – Songs For Splits

Used 7”s
Moon Bandits / IGAF – Split

Used CDs
Bob Marley & The Wailers – Live!
Jimmy Cliff – Reggae Greats
Joseph Israel – Gone Are The Days
Lionel Richie – Icon
Steve Arrington – Way Out 80-84

New CDs
Animalore – Via Audio
Ashland – Hope For The Hopeless
Avery Strange – Too Strange, Won
Badge 212 – Revenge Of The Style
Centro-Matic – Candidate Waltz
Church Booty – Church Booty
Emotional Rec Club – Emotional Rec Club
FFiner – My Heart Is Bold
Gaph – Heat Could Something…
Headphones – Headphones
Heavy Snake – Woodroom
Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts – Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts
Jake Simmons & The Little Ghosts – Them & Them & US
Johnny And The Instruments – Johnny And The Instruments
Johnny Ride – The Guilt & The Ambiguity
The Kings Of Olde – Chameleons
The Martyrs – The Martyrs
Men Of Fortune – Men Of Fortune
Old Fox Road – I’ll Get Over It
Outgrown – Chasing Your Ghost
Outgrown – Cold Hands
Red:Cent – Strange:Machine
Red Light Compliance – The Write Off
Rocky Votolato – True Devotion
Shadows On A River – Shadows On A River
Spool – Saves The World
Table Drama – Heel
This Is My First – A History Of Rats
Victim Of The Bermuda – Mass Commmmmm

Books / Zines
Archives: Vol 1 Bop Prosody
Archives: Vol 2 Hunger
As Boredom Sets In: Winter 2015
Bubblybubbly: #1
Collide: A Zine On Physical & Mental Illness #1
Collide: A Zine On Physical & Mental Illness #2
Cometbus: A Bestiary Of Booksellers
Conscious Consumers: Issue #2
Forever Gold: Volume Two
Geek Like Me: Issue #3
Man Up
Mechanical Yammering 2: The Sound And The Fury Of Lists
Mo’ Bows: Rx #491811…
Negative Noise: Issue I
Negative Noise: Issue II
Nothing Rhymes: #3
OCD Throws Bows
Poop Matters: July 2013
Shira Mario: March 2014
Shira Mario: #3
Stickley: Optical Family
Tributaries: #4 An Intro To Arthritis In Youth
Unadulterated Shark Repellent
Work Community Politics War

New Cassettes
Cousins – Bathhouse
DTCV – Uptime
Hundred Heads / In The East – Sweeter Light
Sweet Talk – Ice Age Records Cassingles Vol II
Video – The Entertainers