Very, very January
NOW PLAYING | Tom Irwin
Hip, hip hooray, it’s now January and that means we’ve made it to another year. Let’s wish, believe and know that 2015 will be full of great shows with something new, old and everything in between in store for the Springfield music scene.
Today I get to wish a happy birthday to two of my favorite people. First and foremost, my bestest friend of some 45 years (can it be?), Tom Woolsey, better known to one and all as “Dooley.” Happy birthday, good pal. He happens to share a birthday with another long time acquaintance who has been there with me through thick and thin. Yes, Elvis Presley was born on Jan. 8 and would be 80 years old in 2015. Some friends had a good laugh thinking about what an octogenarian Elvis would be and ended up not wanting to ever think about such a thing again. Somewhere between white-gray sideburns surrounding a sneer and pulling off the pelvic push in a walker, someone mentioned Depends in a jumpsuit and the whole thing just went sour and south in a hurry.
On Saturday, our eminent Elvis Presley tribute artist, Rick Dunham, presents a show at the Hoogland to commemorate EP’s birthday. The 35-song extravaganza covers the spectrum of the King’s career from Sun Records beginnings to Las Vegas endings. Rumor has it Rick will be sporting a new jumpsuit for the occasion. I’ll be on bass with Dooley on guitar, Gene Acree on drums and Steve Emmons on keyboards, plus more guests singing and dancing at a birthday celebration fit for a king. The King is dead. Long live the King.
Donnie’s Homespun hosts The Randy Dandies Burlesque Troupe on Saturday night along with DJ Annatomic Holliday and Hoopio. Up from St. Louis, the show is certainly something different and a refreshing take on entertainment as we think it might have been done sometime in the past. The Tassels and Tunes show “aims to tease” featuring “five fanny shakers” including Miss Pinny Yearned, Miss Greta Garter, Miss Roxy Red Rockets, Mr. Ricky Phoenix and your “hostess with the mostest” Miss Mimi Le Yu (say it slowly) on ukulele. Here’s your chance to see something not only pretty funny, but funny and pretty as well, if you get my gist. (If you did get my gist, please return it as soon as possible.)
The blues news keeps happening as local contestants gear up for a visit to Memphis in a few weeks for the International Blues Challenge competition. Blues Expressions, a contender in the band category from our Illinois Central Blues Club, performs at the Alamo this Monday for Blue Monday and next Thursday as guests at James Armstrong Presents to warm up for the Memphis experience. The group scored two semifinal showings in previous appearances and members Archer Logan, Charles Davis, John Virgin, Marcus Taylor, Tony Young and Adrian Muex, Sr. intend to return to Springfield with a big win in 2015. Perennial favorite and IBC attendee Robert Sampson, who reached the finals and semi-finals in previous visits, represents the ICBC in the solo/duo category. He hosts a send-off party and fundraiser at Third Base Sports Bar on Jan. 18 from 3 to 7 p.m. with performances by area blues musicians and more. Local musicians Monica Morris and Josie Lowder are also attending as IBC contestants by representing the Prairie Crossroads Blues Society based in Champaign-Urbana. Look for more here in a few weeks on the results of our fine folks heading south to compete in this world-wide, very influential meeting of the blues minds. Good luck to all.
Off we go into the fairly new year.
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
