Well, well, we are done with March and moving on to April. Soon all the outdoor events will be here. But in the meantime, there’s plenty going on, including a few April Fool-ery events.
Some years ago when April Fools’ Day fell on a Thursday, I had me some fun making up a few things for fooling. This year should have been a return to an April-first Thursday, but that sneaky leap year day of Feb. 29 jumped us up a day. So, instead of waiting for the calendar to roll around again (heaven knows where we all will be), I’m going to go with April Fools’ Day pranks now and beg your understanding, if not forgiveness. Let’s see if we can have a hoot and a holler here without too much of a fuss.
With help from the Sangamon County Historical Society, the Springfield Historic Sites Commission and a citizens’ coalition of late-night party people, plans are in motion to demolish the McDonald’s on South Sixth Street and replace it with an exact replica of the Aloha on the ground on which the club once stood. The extinct nightclub from last century stayed open until 3 a.m., presented patrons with Miles Reese III on guitar and vocals, plus a piano bar singalong with the sisters, and drinks such as the Suffering Bastard. Look forward to a tunnel connecting the reformed and rebuilt Aloha with the outside beer-and-music garden at The Curve Inn. It should be a great day for our South-end music scene and a bad day for McDonald’s.
Bob Vaughn and the crew at Sangamon Auditorium have promised to book really cool music acts like Del McCoury, Arlo Guthrie, The Chieftains, Ry Cooder and maybe even somebody as world famous and wildly popular as John Mellencamp. What’s that? This is not an April Fools’ prank? They’ve actually done this stuff? Why, then, congratulations are in order, and that’s no joke!
In a surprising move, Recycled Records and Abe’s Old Hat joined forces to take over the space formerly inhabited by Abercrombie & Fitch at White Oaks Mall. In a joint statement, Mike and Mark both said it was time to desert downtown and head west to the mall like the rest of downtown did more than three decades ago. Possible store names include Old and Older Stuff, Recycled Abe’s and a toss up between What’s a Record and What’s a Hat. Parking will not be a problem, and with each purchase you might receive a free coupon to stand in line at Chick-a- Fil – until you realize the ridiculousness of standing in line at Chick-a-Fil.
Illinois State Fair officials announce that all the musicians who played in good faith for the fair in 2015 will now (finally) be paid. Gov. Rauner agreed to use a tiny portion of the millions he made yesterday before lunch from his other job to pay the hardworking (and possibly starving) artists who worked so hard to make the fair a success. He also agreed to use the fortune he made after lunch to graciously fund the music for the next few years so that we don’t need to suffer for his ideological motives. All the musicians left in the Musicians Union heartily applaud this magnanimous gesture and offer to play for free forever from now on.
NIL8, the wildly popular, intergenerational, punk-funk-rock-rap band of Springfield origins sadly announce that their Bar None appearance on April 1 with The Timmys, The Bollweevils and Nervous Passenger will be the band’s last show until the next one. Hmmmm.
I hope you’ve enjoyed the leap yearrequired, April Fools’ edition of “Now Playing.”
Contact Tom Irwin at [email protected].
