Could the worst of the winter weather be done, allowing us to resume proper attendance of live music shows? Let’s hope so, because we’re all counting on it.
The frigid temps last Sunday (yes, it was “f-ing” cold out, and, ahem, that stands for “freezing”) did not cool down the warm reception given to the WhirlWind 2018 event organized to raise funds for the victims of the tornado damage done in Taylorville this past December. On a Facebook post made Monday by Mandy Rose, the spark plug driving the charity engine, she said this: “Drum roll! The numbers are in: We raised $10,040 at the WhirlWind yesterday!!!” And that, my friends, is an amazing thing to do. A hearty thanks to all who participated in whatever way and here’s to those dollars doing some real good to those really in need.
If you’re looking for something a little different, or quite a bit different than the usual band-in-a bar doings, check out the Museum After Hours event happening this Friday (and every fourth Friday through May) at the Illinois State Museum on Spring and Edwards. So the story goes that while dwelling upon the upcoming closing of the Bicentennial and Beyond exhibit on Feb. 3, folks at the museum (yeah, the one that sorry sack of a former gov closed to teach us a budget lesson through bad business tactics) decided to host a party night of live music, drinks, food and fun. They lined up Jazz by Footprints with Virgil Rhodes for music with beer from Obed and Isaac’s Microbrewery and wine from Danenberger Family Vineyards, plus non-alcoholic beverages too, along with Cooper’s StrEATside Bistro supplying the food. Tickets are available at the door or online at the museum’s website. And the best news of all – the proceeds support educational programs at the museum. Now that’s the way to help a museum – by opening up to the community, not closing down.
In a different type of event, Danenberger Family Vineyards holds a fundraiser called Project Runway on Saturday from noon to 5 p.m. featuring music acts ReMix, Mike Burnett, Dallas Lee Whittaker and Rowdy Jones Band (acoustic version), in that particular order. Winemaker and co-owner of DFV, Susan Danenberger, is a breast cancer survivor chosen to “walk the runway in New York City for AnaOno, a designer who creates undergarments for breast cancer patients,” as explained on Susan’s GoFundMe site, hosted by Nicole Florence. All funds raised go to cover expenses for Susan and representatives of the SIU plastic surgery department to attend this “celebration of survivorship” on Feb. 10 in NYC, with any excess donated directly to metastatic breast cancer research.
On Saturday night, we have our usual supply of more unusual live music happenings. George Rank’s hosts their Hillbilly Hoedown featuring those wonderfully wily Wolf Crick Boys and the cool country of the Kyle Gass Band with expected hootin’ and hollerin’ and heaven knows what the heck else. Out at the Curve Inn, Rockhouse, the longtime standard bearers of local real rock and Phantom of the Lordz, a Metallica tribute band only covering songs from the band’s first three albums, features a crossover of band mates to pull off this daring double bill. The Radon Lounge (on Facebook) returns with a blistering lineup of the Hollow Ends, Dandelion Pickers, Andrew Ryan and Phoenix Rise with artwork for exhibition and sale by Christy!, sure to defrost whatever winter weather comes our way.
Well, that about covers that. See more listings in our Live Music section of IT.
