BLACK SHEEP AND ERROR RECORDS BRINGING DUMB RECORDS TO SOUTH TOWN

Posted on November 17, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

We are very excited to announce that some of us involved behind the scenes at Black Sheep are teaming up with some of those at Error Records in Champaign to bring you DUMB RECORDS – a brand new record store in Springfield opening early next year.

Everybody here around Black Sheep Land are very excited! We are pleased to announce a partnership between people from our local BXS community and Error Records in Champaign, IL to produce our very own record store here in South Town called DUMB RECORDS! We know this will be a tremendous boom for the neighborhood, having a one stop shop for all things music. Now not only can you see cool shows at Black Sheep but now you can buy cool records and hang out in the new shop! We will be offering records, CDs, tapes, and all sorts of cool schmoz! Be sure to come down! We will announce the grand opening in the near future. In the meantime we are looking for any used music items for the shop, so if you want to help us do this thing we will have a drop off box at the sheep. We appreciate it! We are stoked to say the least! We are excited about the future of South Town and our underground music scene here in Springfield!
-Kevin Bradford

We know that with this huge and exciting news brings up a lot of questions about the record store and about Black Sheep. Before going any further we thought we would answer some of the questions that you probably have.

What is Dumb Records?
Dumb Records is a new record store that will be opening early next year in the South Town neighborhood. It will be ran by people involved with Black Sheep and Error Records, but it will also be a separate entity. We will be selling new and used records, CDs, cassettes, and other band merchandise. There will be a focus on local music and bands that have played Black Sheep, but we will also feature music of all sorts of genres and eras.

Is Dumb Records a record label?
No. However, we will be carrying a lot of local and Midwest releases inside of Dumb Records. We will be working closely with local and Central Illinois labels such as Patch Records and Error Records to make music easily accessible to anyone visiting South Town.

Where is Dumb Records?
Dumb Records will be located at 1107 South Grand Avenue in Springfield. This is the space that once was the Artifacts Art Gallery.

When will Dumb Records be open?
There is still some work that needs to be done to the space and we are currently working on collecting stock. Right now we are shooting for a grand opening sometime in early 2014. You can expect another announcement with a more definite opening date sometime before the end of the year. Once Dumb Records is up and operating, we plan on having limited hours during shows and on weekends. A more definite schedule will be announced later this year.

How will this affect Black Sheep?
Black Sheep will not be going anywhere any time soon. Shows will continue at our normal pace. The record store will be ran separately from Black Sheep, but the two will be working together so that Dumb Records is always open during shows. You might also see Dumb Records become tied in with Black Sheep special events such as art shows and summer festivals. Dumb Records will help our neighborhood become even more of a hub for local and touring bands and musicians.

It is 2013. Why are you opening a record store?
Because we are dumb. Other than that we are doing this because we believe it will be something that will benefit our local music community in Springfield. Aside from selling records and other stock, we intend for this new store to be a safe and fun hangout spot during the day.

What can I do to get involved?
We will be taking donations of used records, CDs, cassettes, and band merchandise at Black Sheep during shows. We will have a bin set aside for these donations. You can also check out our get involved page to find a more detailed list of what you can do to get involved around the Black Sheep community. Also on the page we will be details on our upcoming meetings regarding Black Sheep and Dumb Records.

Again, those of us at Black Sheep would like to thank all of you who have been supportive of what we have been doing over the past eight years. We would have not made it this far if it were not for the tremendous amount of support that we have received from the community here in Springfield. We will take on this new and exciting project with a positive attitude just like we have with other new things that have come up at Black Sheep and South Town over the years.

Big Dumb Black Sheep Announcement Tomorrow

Posted on November 16, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

That’s Kevin Bradford, owner of The Black Sheep Cafe. Today we are giving you all a heads up that Kevin and the rest of the Black Sheep will be making a very big and very special dumb announcement tomorrow (Sunday) at 3:00 pm. We will be making this announcement through blacksheepspringfield.com so make sure to check back then!

Tonight At Black Sheep: Montagh/Unraveler Split Release Show with Montagh, Unraveler, Sam Rockwell Machete Champ, Naughtalus, and Mystery Gift!

Posted on November 16, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Tonight’s the night, folks! The BRAND NEW Montagh and Unraveler Split EP is finally out and tonight is the night that you purchase one all for yourself!! We’re even having a show to celebrate it’s release!! Opening things up tonight, we have the new emo/grunge-y group Mystery Gift featuring members of Meredosia and Mildred. After them, we have Naughtalus, an experimentally-rockin’ good time! Then we have Sam Rockwell, Machete Champion, a folk-y solo act from Ohio. After that, we have Unraveler, who is a solo act from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is best described as emo folk. You can check out both acts down below! Then, closing things for the night, we have Montagh, the beloved Goth-Folk quartet.

This show costs 5 bucks and starts at 7pm! Definitely come an hour early if you want to get in on our Black Sheep Thanksgiving Feast. We have alot to be thankful for so why not celebrate it in one of the raddest places in town with super cool folks and great music? If you come, try and bring some food to share! If you don’t come you should still get to this show early cause you’re not going to want to miss a single second of it! You can check out the Facebook event for this show here, and be sure to check out all the other shows going on this fall/winter here!!

Today on Black Sheep Radio: Colin Eigenmann (Boof City, Skank Skates)

Posted on November 15, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Today is another episode of The Black Sheep Radio Show! Today marks episode number 45 for our radio program. Woohoo! Today we will be gearing up for and talking about Skank Skates’s 25th anniversary which we will also be celebrating tonight at Black Sheep and Skank Skates. In honor of all of that we have Colin Eigenmann coming in as our guest. Colin has been a part of Sank Skates and also runs the Boof City Skate Zine and he will be talking to us about those things. Don’t forget the Skank Skates 25th Anniversary kicks off tonight at Skanks (right next door to Black Sheep) at 6:00 pm. Black Sheep will also be having a show with The Timmys, The Haddonfields, Guy Morgan, and The Rackatees which starts at 7:00 pm.

The Black Sheep Radio Show airs today from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on 88.3 WQNA fm. You can listen then or online at the same time at wqna.org. You can also check out our radio tab which has links to all of the downloadable episodes that we have previously recorded.

Tonight at Black Sheep: The Timmys, The Haddonfields, Guy Morgan and the FT Crew, The Rackatees

Posted on November 15, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

We’re going to have a rad show tonight, check out who we’ve got playing! The Timmys will be giving us a good set as always, as they have been since the ’97, so come check them out! They’ll be playing with The Haddonfields from St. Louis, who will give us some upbeat punk tunes. Guy Morgan and the FT Crew have some rad feel-good punk to rile us up, and The Rackatees will echo that note by giving us an energetic punk-rock set. It’s sure to be enjoyable so come out to hear the good show.

Something else special is going on tonight because Skanks Skates turns 25 years old today! This place is so rad and has really played a big role in the skating and music community, so if you’re a skater come out to Skanks tonight and shred it up with BoofCity SkateZine because it’s sure to be quite an extravaganza.

Skaters, you can hit up the ramps at 6 pm. Show goers, this one starts at 7pm and will cost $5. The facebook event will tell you anything more you need to know, and check out our shows page to find out information about other upcoming shows. Your support is rad!

December 9th at Black Sheep: Brick Mower, Big Storm, War Magic

Posted on November 14, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Today we have another December show announcement that will be sure to tickle your socks. This show is happening on Monday, December 9th. You probably all have work or school or something that day, but after that is done your assignment is to go to this show. This show features Don Giovanni Records band Brick Mower from New Jersey. They play a catchy indie/punk and you can check out some songs off of their new album on the player below. Next up on the lineup for this show we have local feel-good rockers Big Storm. And if that isn’t enough for you we have Springfield’s best dream folk two-piece War Magic on the bill. That’s it! Right now we are keeping this three-band show short and sweet.

This show will start at 7:00 pm and admission is $5. You can find a facebook event for the show right here. Check out our shows page to see what other shows are coming up at Black Sheep.

Wir Können: “Glow/Mani Pedi”

Posted on November 13, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Today we are bringing you a stream of the two new songs by one of Springfield’s newest bands- Wir Können. Wir Können are a new three piece emo band featuring members of Looming, Lovecow, and Montagh. Their new cassette was released by Springfield label Patch Records earlier this month and it features two songs. You can check out the songs “Glow” and “Mani Pedi” on the player embedded below.

The songs are also available here on the band’s bandcamp for a pay-what-you-want price. If you would like a physical copy of the tape, you can buy one here online, or at the next Wir Können show.

Call for Artists and Spoken Word For January 11th Art Show

Posted on November 12, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Remember the last art show that happened at Black Sheep? It was a lot of fun and a great introduction for a lot of new artists and faces into our community. It is time to start talking about the next art show at Black Sheep! We want to make this one ever bigger and better than the past art shows we have hosted! This art show will be happening on Saturday, January 11th. Right now we are looking for artists and spoken word acts that would be interested in participating in the show. We are looking for all types of art and artists off all different ages and skill levels so don’t be shy! If you are interested shoot us an email at blacksheepspringfield@gmail.com. We will be announcing the complete list of artists and spoken word acts participating later on before the end of the year.

There also might be a little twist to this art show that we can’t tell you about yet! Us over at Black Sheep headquarters have a very huge announcement coming within the next week that we are itching to tell you about.

12/8 at Black Sheep: Brandon Carnes, Michael Tietjen (Family Lumber), Jess Knight, Austin Connelly

Posted on November 12, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

This December it looks like we’ve got some fine, heartwarming shows to distract us from the blustery midwestern winds. On Sunday the 8th, we’ll be featuring some rad folks. Brandon Carnes is a local character (also featured in The Timmys and Looming) that will be playing some mighty fine, backwoods, 666 Satan worshiping tunes. Michael Tietjen from the band Family Lumber will be playing as well and is going to be travelling solo. He’s all the way from New York and is sure to give us some swell acoustic tunes, so come check him out and give him some support. Jess Knight (also featured in Looming and Mother Leopard) will also be singing an acoustic set that is sure to be lovely as always. Austin Connelly (also featured in Wir Konnen and Montagh) is going to tell us jokes and sing us sad kid songs, so make sure to check him out as well as all of these other folks at this show!

This will be at 7 pm for $5 at the door. If you come, you’re sure to leave with a full heart so coming to this show is sure to be worth it. The facebook event can be found right here. Make sure to come out other upcoming shows we have at Black Sheep if you can make it!

Table Drama: “Heel EP”

Posted on November 11, 2013 by blacksheepspringfield

Today we are bringing you a stream of the new EP from Springfield’s newest villains Table Drama. The new EP, which can be bought at shows, is being released by Springfield label Patch Records on CD. It is also available for download for $5 off of the band’s bandcamp page. You can stream the entire seven-song EP on the player embedded below.

Table Drama are a new band that arose from the ashes of old Springfield wrestling villains Scott Blacula. Keep your eyes and ears out for any upcoming Table Drama shows or battle sets coming to Black Sheep.