New Band Pages: Fill In The Blank, ingot, The Wide Awakes, Tabula Rasa, Enamel

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We have a few band pages up for some past and current bands in Springfield.  First is Fill In The Blank, a younger band with strong pop punk influences.  Then we have Enamel, a band that was around from 2001 to 2010 but recently came back from the dead.

Special thanks to Ben S. Jacob and Fred Nephron for getting us information on some of Springfield’s important past bands.  Ben used to play in the band ingot, which was around in Springfield from 1993 to 1995.  Fred was kind enough to help set up pages for two of his old bands, The Wide Awakes and Tabula Rasa, as well as set up new bandcamp players for them.

If you play in a band or have played in one in the past and would like to help us get a band page set up for you, please email us at blacksheepspringfield@gmail.com!

 

“Magic: The Gathering” Tournament To Be Held At Black Sheep

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At the Black Sheep roundtable meetings a number of us discussed the need for more game nights and hang outs at Black Sheep.  Expanding off of our “game nights,” we will now be hosting a Magic: The Gathering tournament on October 7th at 2:00 pm.  Admission to participate in the tournament is $5.  Those not wanting to play can probably come hang out and cheer on their favorite Magic players.  A facebook event for the tournament with a better explanation of what is happening can be found here.

For those unfamiliar with what Magic is, it was the card game being played in the middle of the circle pit during Emperor Norton‘s set at Black Sheep Fest.  If you weren’t at Black Sheep Fest, try heading here to get a better understanding.

 

Photos: Black Sheep in 2005

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If you enjoyed looking at the old South Town photos from the early 1900s, then some of you may really enjoy catching a glimpse of what Black Sheep as a music venue was like at the very beginning.  Our team of archeologists and paleontologists have uncovered even more photos, and this time they are from the ancient year of 2005, the year Black Sheep started.

A few more of these pictures can be seen in our Black Sheep flickr set.

9/2 Roundtable Meeting RECAP! + “Deep Clean” on Wednesday

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After a very productive second Black Sheep roundtable meeting last night, we have some big things in store for the inside of Black Sheep.  Together we laid out some plans for a new and better stage to come later this fall.  We also listed some things we would like to happen along with the building of the new stage.
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On Wednesday we plan on having a “Deep Clean” where we will sweep, vacuum, and clean EVERYTHING inside of Black Sheep.  The cleaning will start at 5:30.  Everyone is invited.  Expect some changes to come to the inside of the venue along with the cleaning.
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Anyone interested in joining in on the roundtable discussions can go to our forum.  We have a thread dedicated to a giant to-do list we came up with at the first roundtable meeting.  We also plan on holding our next roundtable meeting on Sunday, September 16th at 3:00 pm.
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More Old Southtown Photos

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Some of our very skilled archeologists continue to uncover more old photos from Southtown and Black Sheep’s distant past.  This time we have a photo of Bourbon Street bar from 1948 and also a photo of the construction of the bridge going under the railroad on South Grand in 1930.

In the photo from 1902 that includes a house standing where Black Sheep is today, we forgot to include a before and after picture.  You can see the original photo below, and then how Southtown looks today, 110 years later.

You can also check out a few more of these old photos along with plenty of new ones on our Black Sheep flickr album.

 

 

David Liebe Hart interviewed on WMAY!

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We were informed recently that Greg Bishop interviewed David Liebe Hart on Saturday Session. Bishop has a weekly podcast where he discusses an assortment of Springfield related topics. Bishop interviewed Liebe Hart earlier this week This is the first part of a multi-interview series. They discuss his beginnings in acting, and his take on music.

The first part is located HERE. Be sure to tune in next week on 970 AM between 3pm and 7pm to hear the second part.

Greg Bishop interviewed David Liebe Hart to help promote Liebe Hart’s show at Black Sheep on September 28th. The show features David Liebe Hart fronting a punk band with Adam Papagan, with solo puppet set. Obi-Wan Kanblo Mi and Dino Bravo are playing as well.

News Channel 20: Grant Money To Fund Economic Development In Springfield

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News Channel 20 – Grant Money To Fund Economic Development In Springfield

The link above is a News Channel 20 story featured on the news this past Wednesday.  The City of Springfield has been rewarded a certain amount of money ($1.5 million a year for a few years) to go towards economic development in Springfield.  Where the money will go is unknown right now, but the South Town Neighborhood Association is a candidate. The South Town Neighborhood Association currently includes Skank Skates, Artifacts, Clay’s Popeye’s Barbeque, and the Black Sheep.  From News Channel 20:

The amount Springfield receives is based on a formula.

“Population, poverty, unemployment determines our annual funding,” Farmer said. “It’s been trending down the last few years. But we try to get the biggest bang for our administration’s dollars to help those in need.”

Farmer prioritizes the parts of the city that need the money the most.

“Typically those funds are used for emergency home repair, assistance for the disabled,” he said.

The money is awarded for a number of other uses, including demolition of boarded-up buildings and economic development.

The city also awards the funding for the creation of affordable housing.

People can come forward and apply for the money. The city will evaluate who’s eligible.

City council is scheduled to vote next week to officially accept the $1.5 million in grant money from the federal government.

We will keep you all updated on where the grant money is going and wether or not South Town is affected once we know more.

Updates on David Liebe Hart Show

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Wow!  Michael Reisinger aka Mike Tirehaus has came up with an awesome poster/flier for the David Liebe Hart show happening September 28th along with bands Dino Bravo and Obi-Wan Kanblo Mi at Black Sheep.  Feel free to print that out and hand it to your friends. We also thought we would remind you all that this show is happening in SEPTEMBER and not August.

We have also been informed that David Leibe Hart has been interviewed about his upcoming show in Springfield.  Greg Bishop:

I just got off the phone with David Liebe Hart (Official). We talked about the difference between panhandlers and street performers, racism in organized religion, his time in Illinois and his music! You can see David Liebe Hart and Adam Papagan perform live at Black Sheep Cafe … and yes, David said he will have some of his puppets at the show!

The interview will air TODAY at 6:30 here: www.wmay.com/listen.  Sometime after today the interview will also be available via podcast.  A facebook event for the show has also been created, and you can find that here.  Don’t forget to check out what other shows we have coming up over at Black Sheep on our shows page.

Black Sheep Tonight: Battalion, Vengeance, Elyse

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Today marks the first day of our busy month of September and there sure is a lot going on!  First is the southtown art bazaar, which starts at 2:00 pm and goes until 11:00 pm.  Come out to that to catch some art, music and more.  Then we have a metal show at 7:00 pm featuring Battalion, Vengeance, and Elyse.  Intricate Collapse had to drop the show due to a family emergency.  The art bazaar is free to attend, and the Black Sheep show is $5.  Also happening tonight is a basement show featuring other Springfield local bands including Hospital Job, Our Lady, boon, and Nephrons.  What a busy night!  You can check out other upcoming shows on our shows page.

Tomorrow night we also have another roundtable meeting at 7:00 pm.  This meeting with be specifically about plans for a new stage inside our venue.  Everyone is encouraged to come.

Jeff Williams of NIL8 featured in Illinois Times

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A lot of you may have noticed that Jeff Williams of the long running Springfield punk band NIL8 was featured on the cover of last week’s issue of The Illinois Times.  If you missed the article or didn’t get to pick up an issue last week, the article is still available online.  The well written and lengthy article talks about NIL8’s journey as a band as well as Jeff’s hobbies of bicycling and painting.  From The Illinois Times:

Rock musician. Fine artist. Cycling champion. If lifelong Springfield resident Jeff Williams does not qualify as a genuine renaissance man, he’ll have to do until one comes along. In addition, these disparate areas of interest have built on each other throughout a 30-year career, in often unexpected ways. Williams and his band, NIL8, have come into contact with an extended parade of leading national and international alternative music acts. More recently, a crossover between a love of both bicycling and painting uncovered an undreamed-of niche market, landing his canvases in numerous galleries as well as on the cover of a national magazine.

You can find the rest of the article here.  If you are at least 21 years of age you can also see NIL8 perform later tonight at Bar None on 5th and Monroe.  If you are under 21 or any age at all and can’t make it to see NIL8 tonight then keep a close eye out on the site for big news involving an upcoming all ages NIL8 performance later this fall.