Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture
Illinois Times, the capital city's weekly source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture
Audio By Carbonatix
Look out folks, we’ve got a bunch of stuff happening this week, but then again, we seem to find a ton or two of things to do every time we look for live music in Springfield and the surrounding area. Let’s see what we can find to hear out there in this week’s search.
Thursdays refuse to slow down this season, and it’s a sure sign of a very healthy and robust scene when more than just the typical Friday and Saturday nights are busy. We start with the Thursday Night Live show at Motorheads showcasing different local talent every second Thursday monthly. This time around, it’s Hippies of the Heartland (Rickey and Fran Meredith), Katie Nicole Johnson, Niko Boeker, Steve Gragert and Brandt Sitze on the big Motordome stage.
Danenberger Family Vineyards and WQLZ present a Rock the Pink concert Thursday to benefit the American Cancer Society with bands Velvet Chains, Dead Sugar and The Haunt as the scheduled lineup for your $10 suggested donation to this worthy cause.
Mother Road Diner on Route 66 continues to bring in the live music with Afternoon Delight acoustic duo on the evening bill, while Frank Parker sports his signature trumpet hosting jazz jams at The Pharmacy Gallery downtown as Dumb Records, just a couple of blocks away, delivers an all-ages, hardcore punk show with Wielded Steel, Surfaced, Severance and Nullify.
One more Thursday show happens when New Orleans-based, hard blues trio Heartbreak Hill plays Casey’s Pub (after the raffle). The restaurant bar in the west side Knights of Columbus Hall also has a Friday gig by blues rock guitarist Shawn Kellerman coming all the way from Toronto.
And that gets us very nicely into our Friday night shenanigans, including another Dumb Records concert, this one featuring the one and only NIL8 with Acid Fog and Evan vs Michael. And while you’re hanging around downtown, drop by Buzz Bomb for the blues duo of Chris Camp & John Drake or stop into The Alamo for a variety of tunes from Joel Honey.
Before we get hung up on all of the Friday hoopla, let’s dance on over to Saturday and see what’s shaking, shall we? Start your day right with the timeless Native American flute sounds of David Tell joined by the acoustic guitar of Tim Henebry at Stella Coffee and Tea (10 a.m.-noon), then mosey on over to Bloom Wine Bar and Florals to celebrate its second anniversary with original music from Zuh-Cari and David Alexander (2-4 p.m.) while Jason McKenzie keeps the party going on into the night (6-8 p.m.). The band Rezzin8, doing current pop dance music by the likes of Dua Lipa, Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and more makes its Curve Inn debut, while Weebles hosts a Food Drive Concert to benefit the Salvation Army of Springfield presenting Backhand Blue with special guests The A.D.A.M. Music Project and Dysfunctional Family for your musical entertainment. George Rank’s says come experience SERA MONSTERA rockin’ in the round bar, while Noize Complaint takes it to the limit at DH Browns and Devil’s Daughter gets gone at Goodfellas.
Now off we go to Sunday with 14 different music choices to make including Nick Park (of Fireside Relics) and Dr. Dave (music professor from Decatur’s Millikin University) at Buckhart Tavern and 3rd Street Strays duo at Trails End in Curran for an east and west small-town tour, while Johnnie Owens and Butter melt down downtown at Brewhaus Pub.
There’s plenty more where that came from so please check our extensive listings for all the music that’s fit to print. See ya.
This article appears in November 13-19, 2025.
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Tom Irwin, a sixth-generation Sangamon County resident, has played his songs and music for nearly 40 years in the central Illinois area with occasional forays across the country. He's contributed to Illinois… More by Tom Irwin
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