As the echoes of summer fade, autumn brings its own tune. There’s plenty of excellent live music in Springfield this time of year, from thrilling a cappella to the soulful oldies. Here’s the skinny on shows at some of Springfield’s biggest and most unique venues.

The Classic Nashville Roadshow brings all the twang of Johnny and June, Dolly, Hank, Loretta, Patsy and more to the Hoogland Center for the Arts at 3 p.m. on Sept. 11. (If you knew all of those performers without needing their last names, this show is for you.) Featuring the talented duo of Katie Deal and Jason Petty, the show will cover country classics and old gospel favorites from some of Nashville’s most acclaimed artists of yesteryear. Find more info at www.hcfta.org.

While all modern music is based on the songs of the past to some extent, folk music has a way of making the past present. To that end, check out Friction Farm at 3 p.m. on Sept. 1 at Lincoln Library. This modern folk duo of guitarist/vocalist Aidan Quinn and bassist/vocalist Christine Stay will sweep you away with warm harmonies and smart lyrics. A library may seem like an odd venue for a concert, but it’s apropos considering that Quinn and Stay are voracious readers who named their new album “I Read Your Book.” More details are at www. lincolnlibrary.info.

For a different flavor of folk, check out the modern-traditional group The Havana Cuba All-Stars. Using the energetic music of their home nation as a launchpad, the band expands on tradition with an infectious modern twist, and they seem to have a lot of fun doing it. They play at 8 p.m. Oct. 29 at Sangamon Auditorium. For more info, visit www.sangamonauditorium.org.

Also at Sangamon Auditorium are David Krakauer and Kathleen Tagg, who draw from folk to create a truly dynamic sound that defies genre. (The best we’ve come up with is “post-traditional hyperjazz.” We’ll workshop that one.) Their collaboration “Breath and Hammer” refers to Krakauer’s clarinet and Tagg’s piano – neither of which are played in a conventional manner. They take the stage at the auditorium at 8 p.m. on Nov. 11.

Shifting gears to a different form of folk, Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite play the blues like their dogs just left and their wives just died. When Musselwhite talks about the blues, he describes it as “real people makin’ real music.” Both men are Hall of Fame inductees – Bishop to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Musselwhite to the Blues Music Hall of Fame. They’re blues masters through and through, and it shows in their music. They play Sangamon Auditorium at 8 p.m. Oct. 21.

If you like the classics but not quite as classic as the blues, Rick Springfield and Loverboy are probably more your style. Springfield is best known for his 1981 hit “Jessie’s Girl,” but his music career actually started more than a decade before that, and he has produced quite a catalog since then. He’ll hit the Prairie Capital Convention Center with Loverboy at 7 p.m. Oct. 14. Loverboy’s hit “Working For The Weekend” came out the same year as Springfield’s biggest hit and is a staple of classic rock stations and movie soundtracks. Get ticket info at www.springfieldpc3.com.

Slick guitar riffs are great, but some people prefer a simpler sound: the human voice. A cappella (Italian for “according to the chapel”) derives from religious worship, but its modern incarnation takes many forms. Springfield’s own Sound Celebration Chorus puts on one heck of a show, blending more than 30 women’s voices into jaunty show tunes, jazz, rock, patriotic numbers and ballads. They grace the Hoogland Center for the Arts Oct. 1 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Find more info at www.soundcelebrationchorus. org.

Their male counterpart is the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus, which puts on an equally impressive and fun show. (When both groups sing together, it’s a spectacular sound.) The Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus sings at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 26 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. Get details at www.landoflincolnchorus.org.

Vocalosity is an a cappella group of young, talented and diverse singers led by Deke Sharon, the singer, composer and teacher who served as music director for the 2012 hit film Pitch Perfect. The group’s contemporary take on a cappella adds some flair and movement, meaning you have to actually see them to fully experience them. Vocalosity storms Sangamon Auditorium at 7:30 on Oct. 19.

If underground music is more your speed, the Black Sheep Café is the spot. This all-ages venue is about as fresh as they come, featuring indy bands from Springfield and all over country, plus some from other countries. On Aug. 26, there’s Spooky Poo, Gadget, Bring On The Fall and Skunkworks. (We’d go just for the band names.) Next up is Pryss, Prom Nite, Stye, Say Something and Statues of the Dead on Aug. 31. Then there’s the Sept. 6 show with Kevin Seconds, Jeff Williams, Austin Connelly and Spooky Poo. On Sept. 18, the Black Sheep features Parsheika Robinson, Kiki Walker, Mario Cannamela, Austin Connelly and Nick Demarco. All shows start at 7 p.m. Details are at www.blacksheepspringfield.com.

There are many more shows and venues in Springfield and the surrounding area. Find info on these shows and dozens more online at www.events.illinoistimes.com.

Contact Patrick Yeagle at [email protected].