Illinois Times: Best Of Springfield 2014

Posted on November 2, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

This past Thursday Springfield weekly publication The Illinois Times posted the results to their annual “Best of Springfield” polls, in which votes were collected earlier this fall. The poll covers a wide range of categories including local food, places, shopping, bars, and music. Check out the full Best of Springfield feature right here. You can also find the music and entertainment section right here. This year the best small venue category went to Springfield venue Boondocks. Last year Black Sheep was awarded “Best All Ages Venue” which was not listed as a category this year. NIL8 once again took the award for best punk and best hardcore band. Find the rest of the results for music and entertainment right here.

Don’t forget that blacksheepspringfield.com will also be doing our own best of 2014 poll before the end of this year on our website. To see the results from our 2013 poll, go here.

November 17th at Black Sheep: The Holidays, The Stasi, King Worm, SAP

Posted on November 1, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

Looks like on Monday, November 17th we have this very slam-worthy punk show happening at Black Sheep. This show will featuring a couple of touring punk bands from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On that lineup is the one-man punk project The Holidays. The Holidays performed at Black Sheep back in June as a part of Dumb Fest 2. It was a fun time. Stream some of The Holiday’s music on the player below. The Holidays will be out and about on tour with other Philadelphia punk band, The Stasi. Then also on this show we have a performance by Springfield hardcore punk band King Worm. One more late addition is SAP– the band formerly known as “JAG” who changed their name recently.

The show will start at 7:00 pm and admission will be $5. You can find a facebook event for the show right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a complete look at everything coming to Black Sheep and South Town.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Acid Kat Showcase Show

Posted on November 1, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

Happy Saturday and first of November to all of you, tonight we have something special lined up at Black Sheep. You all might be scratching your heads as to what an “Acid Kat Showcase Show” means. Well, Acid Kat is a label and zine based out of St. Louis. The show tonight will feature four acts from the label, as well as two bands local to Springfield. Playing the show tonight is Springfield heavy-hitting hardcore band Asthma. Then from the Acid Kat/St. Louis group we have the return of the wild and wacky band Animal Teeth. Stream some of their music at the very bottom of this post. Up next from St. Louis is Shitstorm– they will be replacing the previously announced band Dad Jr., who can no longer make it to the show due to a skateboarding injury. Going on down the lineup of Acid Kat bands is Willis– the female three-piece rock group. Mixing things up we have another Acid Kat act called Tubby Tom, who will be performing some sort of hip hop. The other Springfield band on this show is the newly re-named band, SAP who formerly went by the name of JAG.

The show tonight kicks off at 6:30 pm (don’t be late!) and admission is $7. You can find a facebook event for the show right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page where you can find a complete look at everything coming up in South Town.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Terror In The Field Halloween Bash

Posted on October 31, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

On this Night of All Hallows Eve, the Black Sheep Cafe will be hosting this hip hop show with shenanigans galore. It will feature acts such as MPress, RJC, MP5 and of course the impressive HISO. There will be a costume contest with cash and other prizes, so if you want to participate in that, the categories are: who is wearing the scariest costume, the most creative costume, the most celebrity costume and the most smokin hot costume. Smokin hot probably means a costume in which you aren’t degraded by a person based on looks, but something that creates warmth- such as the sun- so please try not to burn the place down with any actual heat elements.

Party starts at 7pm, as well as the registration for costume contest (which will end at 8pm). Prizes include cash as well as other tricks and treats, so come in a costume! The show will be $6, or $5 for people in costume and $4 for people in groups of 5 or more. If you are looking to go Halloween hopping, there will also be an all ages Hobgoblinspookadelic happening at Donnie’s Homespun tonight. There’s an event page for that right here. Also, for all you outta towners, there’s an event happening at Error Records in Champaign, IL featuring some spooky bands from near and far (find that event page here). There you have it! It seems there is something to do for everyone tonight, so have a blast. See you on the other side 😉

Masked Intruder, The Timmys added to Show on November 15th

Posted on October 30, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

November 15th is sure to be a very busy Saturday in South Town. We already have our very first South Town Record Fair happening from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm, and there will be a show on the ramp of Skank Skates happening during that. There was also a show announced to happen in the evening at Black Sheep that night starting at 7:00 pm with bands Inner Outlines, Built In A Day, and Flamingo.

That show will still be happening, but today we have some additions to that show. Masked Intruder from Madison, Wisconsin and also Springfield’s The Timmys will be added to the show to make it five bands. Many of you might remember the double header show we had this past spring where Masked Intruder played on the ramp of Skank Skates. We are excited to have Masked Intruder come back to play at Black Sheep next month. Stream some of their music on the player below.

The evening show will still be starting right at 7:00 pm and the admission price is now $8. You can find an updated facebook event very soon. Be sure to check out our shows page in the meantime to check out a complete list of what’s coming up in South Town.

Dumb Records November Hour Changes

Posted on October 30, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

South Town record store Dumb Records (1107 South Grand East) will be changing it’s store hours going into the month of November. The store will now be open more days and have a hours that are (hopefully) easier for you all to remember. The new hours will start this Sunday.

Monday (closed)
Tuesday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Thursday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Friday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Saturday 10:00 am – 8:00 pm
Sunday 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm
*Nights there are shows open until 9:00 pm

If you are wanting to volunteer at Dumb Records or at Black Sheep, feel free to shoot an email to dumbrecs@gmail.com. More days of Dumb Records being open means more records of the night and more fun. Don’t forget that Dumb Records will also be putting on the first ever South Town Record Fair on November 15th from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm.

New Arrivals This Week at Dumb Records

Posted on October 28, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

Did you know that we have a record store right here in South Town next to Black Sheep? Well, we do and it’s called Dumb Records and we have a few new items in stock this week that are worth noting. This includes the new split 7″ from midwest bands Our Lady and Estates, and all four cassettes from the recently released Rat King Records Cassingle Series. We also have our very first new record player for sale inside of Dumb Records, which is a Ion brand duo deck player (pictured below).

Let’s also look over Dumb Records’s operating hours this week. Did you also know that there is a show happening inside of Dumb Records tonight?

Tuesday (today): 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Friday: 3:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Sunday: 3:00 pm – 8:00 pm

New LPs
Body Count – Body Count
Slayer – Christ Illusion

New 7”s
Our Lady/Estates – Split 7”

New CDs
Bad Banshee – Skitter/Skitter
Boss Jamaican Sounds – Live At Mayne Stage
Various – Jump The Jamaica Way

Cassettes
Cal & The Calories – Rat King Records Cassingle Series
Easter – Rat King Records Cassingle Series
Nnamdi Ogbonnaya – Rat King Records Cassingle Series
Saturday Looks Good To Me – Rat King Records Cassingle Series

Tonight at Dumb Records: Ragna Rye, Lorin Devine, Bernie Flesch, The Phoenix Sons

Posted on October 28, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

You may have forgotten that tonight is the fourth and final show inside of Dumb Records as a part of their October show series. Tonight is going to be a real treat inside of Dumb Records (located at 1107 South Grand East) with this great acoustic show happening. For this show we have the Springfield folky-blues type act, Ragna Rye who have not yet made an appearance on a Black Sheep show. Also lined up is female acoustic singer/songwriter Lorin Devine formerly of The Old Fashions. Up before her is another acoustic singer/songwriter, Bernie Flesch of Jukebox Casanova. To top that all off we have an acoustic performance by the indie rock band The Phoenix Sons opening things up for us.

The show tonight kicks off at 7:00 pm inside Dumb Records. We are asking for donations for the show. You can find a facebook event for this show right here. Also be sure to check out our shows page for a complete look at everything coming to Black Sheep and Dumb Records.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Don’t Mess With Winkie (Reunion), Los Injectors, Bad Banshee, King Worm

Posted on October 24, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

Tonight at Black Sheep is our big Halloween Show, and this will be one that you will not want to miss. Tonight is the night that all of the ghouls and goblins will come out to see bands and dance. The big deal on tonight’s bill is a Don’t Mess With Winkie reunion show. Don’t Mess With Winkie was a ska band in Springfield from 2006 to 2012. If you never got the chance to see them, make sure to catch them at the show tonight (you can also stream their music on the player below). Also playing this show is another recently re-united Springfield band, Los Injectors. Los Injectors have never played at Black Sheep before but they have played Skank Skates a number of times in the past. Also on the bill is the newer hectic ska band, Bad Banshee. Things will open up tonight with a bang with hardcore punk band King Worm.

The show tonight starts at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. Make sure you wear a costume, even if it’s stupid! Find a facebook event for tonight’s show right here. Also be sure to check our shows page for a look at everything coming up at Black Sheep and Dumb Records.

Tonight at Black Sheep: Our Lady, Alaska, Twin Cities, Loses The Mighty

Posted on October 23, 2014 by blacksheepspringfield

It’s Thursday and we are so excited for this weekend here at Black Sheep headquarters that we are going to say that the weekend pretty much starts now. It’s a Thursday night and there is a great show going on tonight. Tonight features a performance by Springfield emo/hardcore band Our Lady. We also have the touring band Alaska coming to Illinois. Alaska is from Nevada and you can stream their music below. They will be coming on tour with a band called Twin Cities, also from Nevada. Come to the show early to make sure you catch Springfield/Central Illinois melodic hardcore band Loses The Mighty.

The show tonight starts at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. You can find a facebook event for the show right here. Also be sure to check our shows page for a look at everything coming up at Black Sheep.