As we mentioned earlier in the week, Nephrons will be playing “Mates Fest” in Bloomington on Friday (tomorrow). To go along with “Mates Fest,” the Bloomington-Normal publication The B-N Groove have interviewed Nephrons and other bands playing Mates Fest. Fred and Andy talk to the B-N Groove about how the band started, and their plans for a new album to come out later this year. You can check out the full interview along with other band interviews related to Mates Fest here. Also be sure to check out the B-N Groove website here. And for those of you interested in heading to Peoria to catch the fest, the facebook event is right here.
The past Black Sheep roundtable meeting on Sunday turned out to be a productive one. We discussed a few things and also ended up putting some mix CDs and compilations together to help promote some upcoming shows (pictured above). As far as things discussed, be on the lookout for some big things at Black Sheep in the near future. Here are some of the things that were brought up:
– The current progress on the old South Town redevelopment project
– Plans of attack for possible big shows at Black Sheep in the near future
– Plans of attack and promotion for the 3-11 Teenage Bottlerocket/Off With Their Heads show
– Ideas for events and shows to take place this summer
We plan on continuing our Sunday night bi-weekly meetings at the Harm House. It is important to mention that everyone is free to come to these meetings. We are not a closed group of people at all. Keep checking back on the site for info on the next meeting!
Today we bring you some photos from the Black Sheep show that happened this past weekend. The photos are of bands Obi-Wan Kanblo Mi and Pound For Pound, but we should also mention that Up In Arms played the show (but are too mysterious for the camera). You can check out a few of those photos below or head over to our flickr page and click on the set “1-26-13 at Black Sheep” to see more. We would also like to thank our lovely photographer Claire Smith for the photos!
Do you have any pictures from any Springfield shows that you would like to see featured on the site? Send us an email at blacksheepspringfield@gmail.com!
Today we bring you very very big news for the music scene in our sister city of Champaign Illinois. The record label Error Records along with the help of a few others are launching a brand new all ages music venue. If the launch of the venue is successful, this could mean very big and exciting things for Champaign and also the Central Illinois music scene as a whole. It is important for all of us in Springfield that call Black Sheep our home to support this new venue in one of our neighboring cities. Nathan Landolt of Error Records has this to say:
Since moving to Champaign-Urbana about 7 years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what the local music community has to offer. Not only great new music, but genuine hard working and inspiring people. Making friends through a strong and diverse artistic community has little to no comparison in my opinion. No matter what age you are, or stage in your life you’re at, you take all of these experiences and friendships with you for the rest of your life.
It doesn’t come with some risks, though. Putting on house shows where the cops could show up any minute and shut you down is no worry any music lover wants to carry. Not being able to pay a traveling band gas money because you had to pay X amount of dollars an hour to rent the space you’re throwing the show at also sucks. It’s also discouraging to have to host a show at a bar with an age limit when you know a lot more people could be enjoying the show.
If I wouldn’t have been able to get into some of the all-ages venues in St. Louis, that I did as a 15 year old, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I hope to provide those same opportunities to the younger generation of today. This is why Champaign-Urbana needs an all-ages music venue with an honest business model that doesn’t discourage any person from putting together an event, or to see one.
I look forward to bringing the underground music and art scenes together. For all of the support I have already received from the community, I am forever grateful. I hope that support and desire continues to take us places we never imagined possible.
You can find more about the project here on Indiegogo. You can also watch a youtube video about the project above and also donate to the project on the indiegogo page. The overall goal for the venue is $3000 which has to be raised in 30 days. Along with donating there are a list of incentives including a hand printed screen printed poster designed by Springfield’s Brian Galecki, and also some records from the Error catalogue. We plan on keeping you all updated on the launch of the new music venue, which will likely be opened towards the end of March or the beginning of April. And now a message from Kevin:
This is an amazing thing for Champaign/Urbana. As we all know, all ages venues are rare and extremely hard to keep afloat. I encourage you all to support our friends out there and support this cause. Without our community here in Springfield and Central Illinois it would have been impossible for us to open and stay that way. All of us in the Black Sheep family know the struggle. Good luck to Nathan and crew I am excited to have a sister all ages venue out there.
– Kevin Bradford
St. Louis based project Cave of Swords have recently released an album of remixes featuring various artists including Springfield’s very own Luzhin Defense. You can stream the entire album here on Cave of Sword’s bandcamp with a name-your-price download or check it out below. The Luzhin Defense are also playing Springfield next on February 11th at The Radon Lounge along with Mr Nasti, Runaway, Like… With Jetpacks, and Hushpad.
St. Louis / Springfield related metal band Battalion have just released a new song entitled “Resilience.” The new song comes from the band’s upcoming release also called “Resilience” which is now due out on February 12th, 2013. You can check out a prieview of the album artwork above, and you can also stream the song “Resilience” below. Keep checking back for any updates on Battalion shows in Springfield. You can also keep up with the band and all the excitement at the Battalion facebook page.
Blah. On Sunday, February 24th we have this pretty scummy and grim looking show for you all. Things are sure to get loud, fast, and heavy. First up we have Soap Scum which we have been told is a new punk band in town featuring ex members of Kick To Tha Head, Intricate Collapse, and Bastognes Best. Then we have Earth Witch from Champaign featuring members of Rvins and Dino Bravo. And finally we have Say Something, the new punk band of ex members of the legendary Springfield ska band Don’t Mess With Winkie. Also be on the lookout for some bands to be added to this show later!
The show is $5 and will start at 7:00 pm. You can expect a facebook event to pop up very soon. For show info on this and other upcoming shows you can check out our shows page.
Usually festivals are big in the summer time but today we bring you news of a winter fest featuring a lot of cool bands happening at the beginning of this February. Friday and Saturday of next weekend (February 1st and 2nd) there will be a festival in Peoria called “Mates Fest” featuring plenty of bands from Peoria, and also some more! Springfield’s very own Jawbreaker influenced punk band Nephrons will be playing Friday night, and Lincoln’s own shoegaze project Hushpad will be playing Saturday night.
The festival itself is a benefit for the organization Camp Big Sky. “The mission of Camp Big Sky is to provide accessible fishing, camping, boating and other related outdoor opportunities to children and adults with disabilities.” For more info on the organization you can head here. For more info on the festival itself, you can go to the facebook event here. Both nights start at 6:00 pm and are $5 entry, or you can get in to both nights for $8!
Tomorrow night at 5:00 pm at the Harm House we will be holding a roundtable meeting to discuss upcoming shows and events at the Black Sheep and other things. We have some big things coming up and we need to talk about them! We plan on also using this time to discuss important street team goals of upcoming shows and also brainstorm ideas of how we can promote our bigger shows. We also plan on bringing up any ideas for summer shows and events. Anyone is welcome to come to the meeting. Even if you just want to sit and listen, come out!
The meeting tomorrow will be held at 5:00 pm at the Harm House. If you need the address, shoot us an email at blacksheepspringfield@gmail.com. See you there!
As we mentioned earlier in the week, Nephrons will be playing “Mates Fest” in Bloomington on Friday (tomorrow). To go along with “Mates Fest,” the Bloomington-Normal publication The B-N Groove have interviewed Nephrons and other bands playing Mates Fest. Fred and Andy talk to the B-N Groove about how the band started, and their plans for a new album to come out later this year. You can check out the full interview along with other band interviews related to Mates Fest here. Also be sure to check out the B-N Groove website here. And for those of you interested in heading to Peoria to catch the fest, the facebook event is right here.
Dumb Records 