Johnnie, Johns, Jerry
NOW PLAYING | Tom Irwin
Saddle up for a September romp through the wilds of Springfield’s music entertainment scene. Never a dull moment here, but plenty of sharp sounding shows, for sure.
Johnnie Owens, designated in this column a few weeks ago as Springfield’s finest jazz ballad singer, can knock out the blues, soul and rock ’n’ roll, too. Experience the talent of this gifted singer and performer on Friday at the Club Room in the Hoogland Center for the Arts at 8 p.m. Joined by many of our finest jazz cats, Johnnie swings with the likes of Frank Parker, Ben Taylor, Jaro House and George Turner. A past recipient of the Mayor’s Award for the Arts, the fabulous Mr. Owens plans to perform songs from his 2013 CD, Butter, along with a tribute to Ray Charles and Fats Domino.
Ivas Johns, a young and talented blues guitarist, singer and songwriter plays the Walnut Street Winery on Friday. Johns, a Chicago native and first generation Lithuanian American, made his musical splash in Southern Illinois and the St. Louis area a few years ago. He now resides in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, and plays all over the region, winning respect and admiration for his style of blues-rooted music. Don’t expect just straight up blues, though you’ll hear plenty. Ivas moves beyond the basic genre reaching into other roots music forms, as do many of his heroes such as Van Morrison, Robert Cray, Ry Cooder and Delbert McClinton. With several CDs already under his guitar strap (currently he has a song in the top 50 on the Roots Music Report blues chart), Johns plans on recording soon with Gary Gordon down at Inside Out Studio in Sparta, Illinois.
Our friends at Penny Lane hold their annual tribute to Jerry Garcia at Douglas Park on Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m., with a long list of local musicians set to perform at the bandshell in Douglas Park near Jefferson and MacArthur. Penny Lane, Springfield’s original head shop (I got my first black light poster there in the 70s), is a wild and wonderful gift store and more, now serving the area for over 40 years. They hold this event to honor patrons of the store and Jerry Garcia, and now, since the passing of owner Joe Utterback, they’ve added another honoree and retitled the event the “Joe and Jerry Tribute Party.” Bring your blankets, hacky sacks, tie-dyes and come get your “peace out” on.
Perfunctory This Band, Springfield’s own Grateful Dead interpreters, long the hosts for the Penny Lane fest (who else?), celebrates this year with a coming home of the founding four members. Carl Akers, Jeff “Smeg” Williams, Dave Dick and Brad Benecke play the Butternut Hut on Friday (until 3 a.m.), as the original band mates come together for the first time in over a decade, with Halloween in 1987 at Ted and Grant Ward’s “commune” noted as their first ever performance. On Saturday, the current PTB plays, joined by Dave and many others in a general jam of Dead-ishness proportions. The proceeds from the Hut shows help pay for a sound system on Sunday when they do it all again.
Blackberry Smoke, one of the hottest live bands on the kinda-country market today rolls into Boondocks on Friday. Opening the show are up and comers from the Effingham- Southern Illinois area, Matt Poss Band. All reports say both groups are spectacular, concert seasoned bands, ready to lay it on the line for your entertainment pleasure.
The LLCC Recital Series opens on Sun. at 4 p.m. with “classical guitar music from Europe, South America and Japan” by the brazen and brilliant Russel Brazzel.
Other than that, you are on your own.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
