As winter approaches–nay, is already here–many people are spending more time inside. The same goes for many local musicians, who are planning their winters to be spent inside a recording studio. We’ve compiled a quick roundup of which groups are up to what, as well as a notion of when to look for the finished recording. This list is by no means comprehensive, however; in fact, if bands read this and think to themselves, “Dammit, DeRosh skipped us,” feel free to give your own update in the comments. For everyone else, read on after the break and see what some well-known local names are up to in the coming months.
In the Studio…
November 20, 2008 by thederoshThe Cropdusters (officially) add a new member: Eric Weiler!
November 20, 2008 by thederoshWho knew the Cropdusters were looking for a keyboard player? Certainly not us; it’s hard to picture keys in country songs, but then, that could be an opportunity to move the genre forward. Well, the local on-the-rise country group has done just that, adding a keyboardist from its own Outland family to round out the lineup: Eric Weiler, of, naturally, the Eric Weiler Band. Weiler played the last couple of shows with the band, so singer/songwriter Jeb Venable says adding him in officially was really just a formality. “He’s really filled out our sound really well,” Venable says.
As if the Cropdusters wasn’t already an all-star lineup of performers–Venable hails from the Ryan Bingham Band, Brian Azevedo plays in more bands than we can count, and the group also counts Jimmy Rea of Arkamo Rangers among its regular contributors–so the addition of Weiler comes as little surprise. What it does do, however, is further enhance an already formidable lineup for a band to remember in the local country scene. At least we think so, anyway. Still gotta get used to keys in country songs…
If you’ve got the urge, Steve Ewing is back to fill it
November 19, 2008 by thederosh
DeRosh, that's your cheesiest headline ever...
Nah. A better one was “Tree Falls On Lumberjack, Claims Self-Defense,” but that’s a story for another time. More important things: Steve Ewing, the former singer for the St. Louis-based ska-metal beast known as the Urge, returns to Springfield December 29 with the Steve Ewing Band with a little help from the Queen City Saints, Brutally Frank, KTP and the Dead Aheads. This meeting of Zero-Youth-Records-openers-meets-local-legend-headliner is playfully referred to as “a very zombie punk-rock Christmas.” This puts pictures in our heads of Santa eating his cookies and milk with a side of brains, which we’ll now spend the rest of the day trying to purge. If you need to feed your Urge right now (wink), we’ve got you covered after the jump.
Big Smith Returns: November 28 at the Outland Ballroom with Shotgun Brothers Band
November 19, 2008 by thederosh
When it comes to local folk music, there is one name with constant and undeniable cred: Big Smith. The Bilyeu family band doesn’t book a lot of shows in Springfield these days–it doesn’t need to, either, given the rampant success of the ones it does–so when the city’s best-known folk/country powerhouse gets back onstage it’s an event.
It’s happening again in a little more than a week. Big Smith will team up with opening act the Shotgun Brothers Band for a jam-till-you-drop spectacular on Friday, November 28. (Which, by the way, is the night after Thanksgiving, if that gives you a reference point.) $10 is the charge at the door, which opens at 9 p.m.
On a related note, if you want a second dose of Big Smith in the Ozarks, or are just intrigued by the idea of hearing your drinking music in different confines, how about Big Smith at Waxy O’Shea’s on Branson Landing on December 20? Road trip, anyone?
Unearth! One of many exciting shows from Forever Endeavor Productions in ‘09
November 19, 2008 by Scott P.
You heard right, Forever Endeavor Productions recently announced that Unearth is coming to Springfield in early 2009. Not only this but this is one of many exciting shows Dan Magnum is hard at work on.
Rock’n'Roll Marathon
November 18, 2008 by kurtzenderThis past weekend marked the beginning of our blessed little blog’s journey outside of cyberspace. The results have been tabulated and the winner is our music scene. But, like any massive endeavor (9 venues and more than 40 bands) a letdown is to be expected afterward. This is proven by the response to a post about band etiquette on morawk.com, the cerebellum of musical thought for our scene.
Farther south, yours truly was participating in another sort of massive endeavor: The Inaugural San Antonio Rock’n'Roll Marathon. It was 26.2 miles of craziness that is a marathon, but the twist was the local bands playing along the course. More than 50 local bands kept every runner juiced on the incarnate iPod that is live music.
If you’re playing/at a show, handle your f***ing bizz-nass
November 18, 2008 by thederosh
If this is you at a local show, you're an idiot. Not even open for discussion. (Note: This was not taken at a local show.)
To say we’re excited about this rant is an understatement. Our special guest ranter today: The entire MoRawk community. Not only has the gang there produced the longest snark-free, constructive discussion any of us can remember, they’ve produced a true must-read for anyone who cares about local music on any level. Whether you’re new to attending shows or a seasoned vet of some years, there are unspoken guidelines–understandings, if you will–that go along with being a band or an audience member. However, since they’ve been unspoken for so long, they’ve also gone (to varying degrees, depending on whom you ask) without being paid attention to.
Until now.
No gauntlet has been thrown at anyone; instead, many people have chimed in with their two cents from a wide range of perspectives for the benefit of the whole. If you want to give and receive respect as a member of Springfield’s music family, this is a good instruction manual. Follow the link and soak it in. It can only do good.
Members of A Day Away’s new band, Can’t Be Too Jumpy (new music!)
November 18, 2008 by Scott P.
A Day Away is taking a break. That doesn’t mean they’re not making music. In the meantime, members of A Day Away (guitarist/vocalist Kevin and drummer Tommy) have started a new project called Can’t Be Too Jumpy. They’ve got new music up and its hella fun (yes, hella) and worth a listen.
Things We Learned Over Sushi With Shiny Toy Guns’ Jeremy Dawson
November 18, 2008 by thederosh
We got an email out of the blue last Thursday, asking if we would be interested in an interview with Shiny Toy Guns. Our immediate answer: F*** yes. So by 7 o’clock the next night, we were sitting at a table inside Izumi Hatake on Walnut Street, slamming a Sapporo and swiping a nibble of sushi here are there from the plate of STG bassist Jeremy Dawson. We caught a light buzz, enjoyed some much-milder-than-advertised sushi rolls and kicked it with a band that has successfully straddled the progressive/mainstream line better than any to come through Springfield in a long time. We made some interesting discoveries along the way, some of which have to do with our city, too. Read on to see what we mean.
This week’s Rock Talk on 106.7 — FourFourFest recap
November 17, 2008 by Scott P.
This week, as always, 106.7 support local music for an entire hour. And just to show ya how nice they are, they let us tag along for some reason. Well we love it!
This week, we recap and discuss the first ever local music festival, the FourFourFest. Listen in to find out how it went, what impressed us the most and hear acts that performed at the festival. Tell everyone you know.
Local label, Monoamericano Records, has a new website
November 17, 2008 by Scott P.
Timmy Miano, who performs as Angry Panda (a Warped Tour and FourFourFest vet) is on the go again. This time, his local label, Mono Americano Records, has a new website. Americano Records is also host to local favorites, The Dirty Blondes and The Disappointments. The new website offers news and info as well as free music. More on the flipside.
Ground Xero and Springfield Recording Studio want to make you the next Peter Frampton… you know, without the lameness
November 17, 2008 by thederosh
Frampton Comes Alive III: The Ground Xero Session... Better yet, you record there instead.
(Insert Your Band Name Here) Comes Alive! We wouldn’t actually go that route when it comes to naming your live album, but thanks to Ground Xero on Commercial Street and Springfield Recording Studio, you can have your own live album to name. If you’re ready for your live-music closeup, click the link below and get the details.
Want a cool gig? Come rock out the library! No, seriously.
November 14, 2008 by thederosh
Dude! I love the library! I was a roadie for David Allen Coe for a while, you know, until I squirted ink in some dude's face, but now I'm working on my Fishbone covers and... hello? Hello?!
The library: It’s not just for the bifocaled and the overachieving anymore. Indeed, with the opening of the Park Central Branch last spring, going to the library became a hip thing to do. There you can find as many ways to avoid studying as you can ways to study. Add in the coffee shop next door, free wifi, a noticeable lack of books on shelves and a floor plan seemingly lifted from the IKEA catalog and you have the coolest library since Giles’s setup in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and without having to deal with stuffy British guys who make you think of coffee commercials.
Here’s an added twist: The Park Central Branch is booking live local music in its confines… and it has dates free. Click the link to see a list of openings and more details on the library’s not-so-quiet time.
Starrfadu Hearts PBS, Life
November 13, 2008 by thederosh
What an extremely turbulent time of late for Austin Hartley and his band, Starrfadu. The band is basking in the glow of television love, with two songs already featured in the PBS series Roadtrip Nation and a third, “A Dispute Between Two Neighboring Towns,” will be featured in this season’s sixth episode.
That’s just the good news.
Springfield: The Final Frontier
November 12, 2008 by thederosh
We've got your shiny toy guns right here, pal. Step up for a beatdown.
Kirk: “Green jelly, eagles, white lights, toy guns, four fours… I don’t… under… stand. Spock, tell me what it means!”
Spock: (…)
Kirk: “My God, he’s melded his own mind for answers and now he’s a vegetable. Damn you, Khan! Bones, what do you know?”
Bones: “Damn it, Jim, I’m a doctor, not Miss Cleo! What the %@*# am I supposed to know about that *^#@?! I mean, seriously, $&^@#^$@*@$%*&@!!!!”
Kirk: “Um, okay.”
Scotty: “Khaptan, tha ‘Check Engine’ lyte es on! Wot das thaht meen?”
It means Springfield is about to go where no man has gone before. Its four-day mission: To seek out rock in all its many forms, to discover new fans and newly opened music venues with little-used-letter nicknames, to boldly go where…
You know what? I’m done with the Star Trek metaphor. Springfield is going on a four-day odyssey with big-ticket music ranging from the bizarre to the legendary to the sublime… and rounding out with its own talent onstage to close the weekend. Your journey begins tonight. Read on after the break.
thederosh
Scott P.
kurtzender