Paper Route

Queen City Productions announced that Universal Motown (Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Nelly, et al) artist Paper Route will play SGF’s Outland Ballroom Friday, June 29. Cloud City is also on the bill with local acts to be announced. Tickets will be available at the door for $10.

Platinum-selling Theory of a Deadmand will play Gillioz Theatre on Tuesday, May 29 at 7:30 p.m. The Canadian rock band had a pair of No. 1 hits — “Bad Girlfriend” (2008), “Lowlife” (2011). Tickets ($20 advance) go on sale Friday, April 13, at 10 a.m. at the Gillioz Box Office, by phone (417-863-9491) or online.

REO Speedwagon, STYX & Ted Nugent — otherwise known as the Midwest Rock ‘n Roll Express Tour — will perform at the O’Reilly Family Event Center on Tuesday, May 15.

Tickets go on sale Friday, April 6 at 10 a.m. at the O’Reilly Center box office, online at www.drurytickets.com or by calling 417.873.6389.  All seats are reserved starting at $44 with Gold Circle tickets at $79. Doors at the O’Reilly Center will open at 6pm on May 15. A local acoustic artist yet to be named will open the show at 6:45 with Nugent kicking off four hours of classic hits starting at 7pm.

The show is being promoted by Dwight Glenn Productions (Ozark Mountain Daredevils, Colbie Caillat, The Avett Brothers, Kelly Clarkson) and GMS.Group (Sir Elton John, Moody Blues, Bon Jovi, Slash). OFEC is the smallest venue on their tour.

It’s just a few days until downtown SGF feels the Rumble. The positions for Friday’s TAG Rumble for Rock’n Ribs, presented by Guitar Center, were drawn live on SGF Local Live. The Rumble is March 23 on both stages of the Outland Complex (326 South Ave. — The Outland downstairs, and Outland Ballroom upstairs). Eight bands battle to benefit the children’s charities of the Springfield Rotary Clubs. Your entry fee includes entry to both venues and your first vote. Additional votes may be purchased for $2. I suggest you bring an extra $16 and vote for every band once, just a thought — it’s for the kids. The top four bands will win prize packages and slots at the Rock’n Ribs main event (April 20-21 at the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.

The Lineup

The Outland (downstairs)
9 p.m. — Canto 17
10 p.m. — EWag3
11 p.m. — The Endless Summer
Midnight — The Give Up

Outland Ballroom (upstairs)
9:15 p.m. — Cole Porter Band
10:15 p.m. — Honky Suckle
11:15 p.m. — Black Bonnet Ballyhoo
12:15 a.m. — Call Me Beta

Godsmack will play SGF on May 5 at the Shrine Mosque.

Tickets ($35 GA, $40 at the door, $45 reserved) go on sale Friday, March 16 at 10 a.m. and will be available at the Shrine box office, Kaleidoscope, Stick It In Your Ear and online.

The “swamp blues” muddied Gillioz Theatre back in August (“muddied” in a good way) and are ready to do it again. JJ Grey & Mofro return to Gillioz, Wednesday April 18. SGF’s Speakeasy will once again warm it up. This same billing carried a ton of hype last summer and left with a ton of buzz. It’s safe to say you might want to grab tickets early if you want to stomp around in a few weeks. Tickets ($20) go on sale Friday (March 9) at noon. As TAG’s Editor Emeritus Chris DeRosier said of Grey in August, “Man can sang.”

See for yourself.

Iconic bassist and frontman Les Claypool leads Grammy-winning Primus to SGF’s Gillioz Theatre Friday, June 1, confirmed by Michael Owens, managing director of the Gillioz. Tickets go on sale this Friday (March 9) at 10 a.m. and are listed at $39.50. Primus has nine full-length releases, including 2011′s Green Naugahyde which came 12 years after its prior release Antipop. The band which can be defined by no genre is led by the quirky (and genius) Claypool, whose name enters starts most “greatest bass player” conversations. Primus found wild popularity with back-to-back platinum-selling albums in the early 1990s — Sailing the Seas of Cheese and Pork Soda, released in 1991 and 1993, respectively, and won a Grammy in 1994.

Primus at Gillioz Theatre, Friday, June 1, 8 p.m.
Tickets on sale: Friday, March 9 at 10 a.m. at Gillioz Box Office or by calling 863-9491 or online

Eight bands enter, some will land slots on the bill for one of SGF’s largest annual stages, and one will be crowned champion. The TAG Rumble for Rock’n Ribs presented by Guitar Center is Friday March 23 at The Outland and Outland Ballroom. Your vote(s) will decide who wins $1,000s in prize packages from Guitar Center, TAG, BakedFreshDaily.com and more. One cover charge gets you access to both stages at 326 South Ave. All proceeds go to Rotary children’s charities. Band order for the Rumble will be decided by blind draw on SGF Local Live Sunday, March 11. Rock’n Ribs is April 20-21 at the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks.

Stay tuned as more details are released.

The Bands:
Black Bonnet Ballyhoo
Call Me Beta
Canto17
Cole Porter Band
The Endless Summer
Ewag3
The Give Up
Honky Suckle

Missouri State University announced that Atlantic Records artist Wiz Khalifa will play JQH Arena Thursday, April 12. Wiz found prominence with his Billboard No. 1 single “Black and Yellow” which was nominated for two Grammy’s in 2011 (Best Rap Song & Best Rap Performance. Wiz won Best New Artist from American Music Awards and BET. Khalifa has three full-length albums with the fourth, O.N.I.F.C., due out this year. His last album debuted at No. 2 on Billboard with nearly 200,000 copies stateside in the first week. His new single with Snoop Dogg, “Young, Wild and Free”, already has more than 42 million views and is dominating the pop radio airwaves (currently No. 8 on Billboard).

It continues what has been a strong couple of months for SGF hip hop fans. First, Wu Tang‘s Cappadonna was announced (March 6 at Outland Ballroom). Then Grammy nominee J Cole was announced (April 23 at Drury’s O’Reilly Family Event Center). Details as to who will be coming with Khalifa to the Q haven’t been released. He is currently touring with Big Sean and went on the road with Snoop Dogg last year, but expect a light opener with a name like Khalifa (read: don’t get greedy).

Tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. (Wednesday, Feb. 29) and run $37 ($25 for MSU students) and will be available at the JQH box office, by phone (836-7678 or 1-888-476-7849), or online.

You probably shouldn’t watch Wiz Khalifa videos at work

The secret is out for Saturday night’s show at Big Momma’s. The Collective announced this morning on Facebook that “Sic Amor” is actually Chris Drew, or Never Shout Never. It’s short notice for a small venue (capacity is 102) for Joplin’s viral sensation, especially considering tickets are only available at the door (and only $7).

Hellyeah

It’s not often that two rock bands of the magnitude of Clutch and Hellyeah will team up to co-headline a tour, but that’s what’s going on at the Gillioz Theatre on May 1. Tickets go on sale Friday and are $27.

According to reports, Clutch will play first and Hellyeah will play last, but both will act like headliners, “playing headliner sets” according to a press release. The bottom line is that metal and rock fans should be thrilled. Clutch’s sound is described as “Early salvos focused on sludgy, hardcore-fueled ferocity, but the band’s sound has evolved to embrace psych, blues, gritty funk, and Southern-rock swagger.” The band re-released Blast Tyrant in May of 2011 and it debuted at #26 on the Billboard Hard Rock Top 100, more than 7 years after the original version debuted at #15.

After originally starting as a side project by members of Mudvayne, Nothingface and Pantera, Hellyeah has turned into a consistent and popular force. It’s self-titled 2007 debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 9 and never looked back. The group is touring to supports its third studio album, Band of Brothers.

Incubus will play SGF in May.

The band still has most of its original pieces with vocalist Brandon Boyd, lead guitarist Mike Elzinger and drummer Jose Pasillas. Ben Kenney replaced Alex Katunich on bass, and DJ Kilmore replaced DJ Lyfe.

Tickets start at $26 and will be available at the O’Reilly Center Box Office, by phone — (417) 873-6389, or online.

Switchfoot is coming back to SGF.

The Grammy Award-winning San Diego band will return to SGF for a show on May 4. Tickets go on sale Friday, Feb. 17 and will range for between $22.50 and $24.50.

The last time Switchfoot was here in SGF, they headlined a back-to-school bash at the Gillioz. This time, they’re out promoting the band’s recent record, Vice Verses, which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 200 charts and was led by the lead single “Dark Horses.”

Switchfoot has been releasing records and touring since 2003, but its 2008 record Hello Hurricane won a Grammy for Best Rock Gospel Album. Switchfoot has never denied its Christian background, but isn’t satisfied by the limitations of a “Christian band” label.

“For us, it’s a faith, not a genre,” says lead vocalist Jon Foreman. “We’ve always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us ‘Christian rock’ tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them, and that’s not what we’re trying to do. Music has always opened my mind—and that’s what we want.”

Switchfoot’s roots can be traced back to the beaches of San Diego in the mid-’90s, when they connected as surfers. They decided to form a band and chose the name Switchfoot, a surfing term. After putting themselves through months of sweaty garage band workouts, they hit the road. After just 20 gigs, they signed a deal and released Legend of Chin in 1997, then released three more albums before making their major label debut in 2003.

With its play on words, Vice Verses, the title of Switchfoot’s newest album, coherently suggests the album’s theme: everything has two sides. “Every blessing comes with a set of curses,” singer-guitarist Jon Foreman sings on the title track, all the while wondering if “there’s a meaning to it all.” That theme runs through the album’s 12 songs and is even reflected in the album’s black and white cover.

In the line of major concert news this week, Drury University announced that Grammy nominee emcee J Cole will bring the Campus Consciousness Tour to O’Reilly Family Event Center on April 23. J Cole made a name for himself in the mixtape circuits and bust onto the viral radar with Friday Night Lights, then became the first artist signed to Jay Z’s Roc Nation. His first album Cole World: The Sideline Story debuted at No. 1 last fall on Billboard and landed him a nomination for the Grammy of Best New Artist. Other artists on the bill haven’t been confirmed by Drury yet, but a video promoting the tour announced rapper Big K.R.I.T. would be the opener for the tour. Tickets will be available mid-February. Additional details to come.

Fire, Rain and SGF?

JQH Arena has done it again, bringing in another Grammy-winning act, announcing James Taylor will play on Missouri State’s campus July 17. Taylor is a world-renowned singer/songwriter who has sold more than 50 million albums, earned 40 gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy awards.

Tickets go on sale Feb. 10 through MissouriStateTix.com. Charge by phone at (417) 836-7678, 888-476-7849. Ticket Prices are $79.50 and $49.50 plus handling fees.

Songs you might (probably) know: “Fire and Rain,” “Country Road,” “Something in the Way She Moves,” “Mexico,” “Shower the People,” “Your Smiling Face,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “You Can Close Your Eyes,” “Walking Man,” “Never Die Young,” “Shed a Little Light,”
“Copperline,” among others.

The Black Cloud Tour

The second listing on the bill is Pennsylvania’s underground lyrical heavyweight King Magnetic. King Mag’s 2011 single release “Watch Out” spent time near the top of the college charts, and his next full-length album, EAG III, drops a week after the SGF show.

It doesn’t end there, Brooklyn’s Block McCloud is also on the bill, whom you may know from appearances with Method Man, Kurupt, Jedi Mind Tricks, Immortal Technique and Jean Grae among others.

SGF will get its shine too, as local hip hop will warm up the stage. Mask & Glove (Brief and Nick Fury), DJ Platinum, Sylabol7 and Loogey are on the bill. Ticket details and more as the information comes. Until then, debrief yourself on the prime YouTube selections below.

Outland Ballroom (3/6/12)
Lineup:
Cappadonna
King Magnetic
Block McCloud
Mask & Glove
DJ Platinum
Sylabol7
Loogey

Earmuffs! Songs below are NSFW (or children)

Cappadonna, “’97 Mentality”

Cappadonna, “Milk The Cow”

Cappadonna, “Oh Donna”

Cappadonna, “Run”

Cappadonna, “Slang Editorial”

King Magnetic, “I Don’t Know You”

King Magnetic, “Watch Out

Block McCloud, “Crazy Man”

Mask & Glove

Sylabol7, “I Wanna”

Thomas (left) and Big Smith at the Show-Me Music Festival. Photo by Alex Stocksdale.

Announced performers:
Barak N Hill
Dallas Jones
Kasey Rausch
Brandon Moore
Cindy Woolf & The Foxxes
Mike Stevens
Brother Wiley
Members of Big Smith, Speakeasy, the Cropdusters and the Bootheel

Chevelle

Per TAG Editor Emeritus Chris DeRosier:

DOOD. Chevelle is awesome live. Middle Class Rut is pretty good on record, too.

Steven Curtis Chapman and Sparrow Records mates Andrew Peterson, Josh Wilson will perform at Gillioz March 4.

Steven Curtis Chapman, “Do Everything”

Andrew Peterson, “Dancing in the Minefields

Josh Wilson, “I Refuse”

Blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa was once called “the future of blues,” but is now widely recognized as one of the world’s best. He wasHis new album, Dust Bowl, has been nominated for Blues Music Awards. He’s made trips to SGF for cozy shows in the likes of blues bar Nathan P Murphy’s, but will make his return at Juanita K Hammons Hall. The show is slated for Tuesday, May 1. Tickets are already available through the JFHH site and range from $49-$79. The tour is in support of his ninth studio album, Dust Bowl. Download the single for free on his website. And if you still don’t know about Joe Bonamassa, check out the video below from the Royal Albert Hall in London. A. Maz. Ing. Get on the tickets quick before people within a day’s drive beat you to them.

Joe Bonamassa at Royal Albert Hall, “Sloe Gin”

Ask around among the musicians and fans of the SGF folk, Americana and singer-songwriter communities whom they’ve listened to most lately and there’s a better-than-good chance you’ll hear the name The Avett Brothers come up a few times. They group, helmed by brothers Seth and Scott Avett, has steadily gained a devout following since emerging from the ashes of North Carolina band Nemo in the early ’00s. The group shot into the stratosphere of attention, though, with the release of its major-label debut, I and Love and You, on Rick Rubin‘s American Recordings label in 2009. Not only has the band appeared on network TV as the musical guest all over the late-night circuit since then, but the group also held down its own episode of Austin City Limits and performed a Bob Dylan classic at the Grammy Awards last year together with Mumford & Sons and the man himself:

Why am I telling you all of this? Because the group is coming to SGF, as comfortable a fit of artist and city as I can think of having here in a while. The show was officially announced this afternoon at Drury University’s O’Reilly Family Event Center on Saturday, March 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale January 20 (Friday) at 10 a.m. through the OFEC box office for $29.75 for reserved seating and $39.75 for general admission/floor seats. You can get your tickets by calling 417-873-6389 or going to the Drury ticketing website (registration required). This is not a show to pass up, as the opportunity to get a red-hot act with real below-the-radio’s-radar cred such as this may not come again for a long time.

You read that right: Dubstep is coming to Gillioz Theatre. Rusko, the English dubstep phenom (real name Chris Mercer) whose career took off with the song “SNES Dub” in 2006 and hasn’t looked back since, comes to SGF Tuesday, February 28 for a stop on his tour of college markets across the United States. The show carries a local opener, too: DJ Johan, the co-founder of local monthly dubstep powerhouse DubfixX. Tickets go on sale this Friday (December 16) and you can purchase them by clicking here.

Rusko’s popularity surged with the help of working with mainstream artists such as M.I.A., Britney Spears and T.I. and it’s no wonder. His point of distinction in the world of dubstep is his playful touch, and it’s well exemplified in his biggest song to date, “Cockney Thug:”

This is gonna be fun.

It’s official: As was just announced on KTTS radio, Big Smith‘s farewell concert will actually be two concerts at Gillioz Theatre, both scheduled to take place over Cinco de Mayo weekend on May 5 and 6. Saturday night’s concert will get started at 7 p.m., while Sunday’s matinee show will begin at 3 p.m. Tickets for each are ready to sell for $18.50, $22.50 and $24.50, depending on seating, and you can get them here beginning this Friday (December 16) at noon.

The Dwight Glenn Productions shows are officially carry the title “Goodbye, Farewell & Amen: Big Smith Says Sayonara to Springfield,” a name older SGFers might realize they’ve heard before. In this case, though, “goodbye” comes with the promise of numerous as-yet-unannounced special guest musicians (and will they be announced?) and some charitable tie-ins, as concert posters will be available with a $1 donation to Ozarks Food Harvest, an amount People’s Bank of the Ozarks has announced it will meet up to a $1,000 limit.

So why two concerts, effectively rendering Saturday’s show more “farewell” than farewell? Simple: to give as many people as possible the chance to fill the 1,200-ish-seat theatre for one more chance to see and hear as influential a group as SGF has produced in the last two decades. It’s also a chance for two shows with different personalities: Saturday’s show can be the usual nightlong hillbilly party longtime fans are used to, while Sunday’s afternooner concentrates on a more family-friendly atmosphere and cleaner song presentation. In other words, depending on your tastes and time, Big Smith is looking to satisfy whichever experience will make the memory last longest. Isn’t that what goodbye is all about?

Straight from left field comes the latest concert announcement from Gillioz Theatre: Blue October, the modern-rock group that exploded into the mainstream consciousness in 2006—eight years into its career—with this song:

The band has been on a roll ever since, taking its latest album, Any Man In America, to number one on the Billboard Alternative and Rock charts with the help of songs such as “The Chills:”

This is yet another case of SGF getting a band in town in full career upswing, another nice notch in the city’s belt of cred and a boon for mainstream rock fans. Because of that, when tickets go on sale this Friday (December 16) for the band’s April 15 performance you had better move fast. Ticket prices haven’t been formally announced yet will be $27.50 in advance or $30 the day of the show, but be ready to call the Gillioz box office at 417-863-9491 or click here to get them. We’ll have more details when they’re available.

In the three and a half decades since Peter Frampton‘s landmark live album Frampton Comes Alive was released the record, made by an artist previously best known as the guitarist for Humble Pie, catapulted the man into mega-star status in 1976 and movie roles, guest spots and more for years to come. Though the album’s commercial success proved impossible for Frampton to duplicate , its place in American music culture is forever secure. Now the man himself is bringing it back to life on stages across America, and one of those will be in SGF.

Frampton is bringing the Frampton Comes Alive 35 Tour to Gillioz Theatre Monday, February 27 at 7 p.m. The tour is a front-to-back revival of Frampton Comes Alive together with performances from other works (you can bet his Grammy-winning Fingerprints instrumental record will feature prominently) for a total of three hours of music. That’s a motherlode of songs coming from what is still one of the more respected guitar players in rock ‘n’ roll today. Tickets go on sale this Friday (December 9) at noon starting at $46. When the time comes you’ll find them here and through the box office at 417-863-9491.

A little more than three years after Hinder‘s last appearance in SGF, the band was announced today as the latest concert booking at Gillioz Theatre. The new show is scheduled for Monday, December 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (11/19) at noon, at which time you can pick them up for $19 (general admission) by clicking here.

It’s hard to believe more than three years have passed since we last saw Hinder onstage here, but, you know, they’ve been busy. Since headlining at The Shrine Mosque in ’08 the band went on the road as an opening act for Mötley Crüe and again for Nickelback before heading back into the studio last year to record what became the band’s latest album, All American Nightmare, an album both harder in sound and more mature in content (the growing-up kind of mature) than anything the band has done before. See for yourself:

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony comes to Springfield, MO November 18.

At least there’s a little more notice than last time. Remmingtons Downtown, the multi-purpose venue located at the corner of Campbell Avenue and College Street, announced Bone Thugs-n-Harmony as coming to the venue Friday, November 18. Included on the bill are Ta Smallz and former Los Angeles Lakers forward Joe Smith (he’s signed to member Layzie Bone‘s record label) among others. There’s room reserved on the lineup for two local openers to be decided by a battle of the bands Saturday, November 12 at Remmingtons as well. We’ll have the lineup for that show for you when it’s ready. The lineup is apparently set to include (in alphabetical order) Far From It, J-None, Laddie Lexxlou, State of Mizzouri and Trak Masta Tom. Tickets are expected to go on sale for $25 through Ticketmaster’s website and outlets such as Kaleidoscope and Stick It In Your Ear, though they were not available yet at press time. It’s a safe bet you’ll be able to purchase them at the door, too.

The big question on a lot of minds, of course, is which Bones will take the stage when it’s headliner time. The last time a “Bone Thugs” concert came to SGF it was actually just Bizzy Bone in front of a lot of frustrated fans. Following the ups and downs of the Bone family can be a dizzying saga, but this show promises to be significantly better than the last one, though it’s still not the Bone Thugs lineup you might remember from, say, 1995. Remmingtons honcho Jeff Bear says the present-day lineup—Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone—will be in attendance, which is down from the quintet Los Angeles rapper Eazy-E put together in 1991 but a more than sufficient facsimile to have a good time hearing the classics. So I guess in two weeks we’ll see you at the… well, you know.

In the span of a week SGF has gone from having no American Idol winners on its concert schedule to two. First came Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery‘s impending arrival as the opening act for Brad Paisley next year. Now we have a second: David Cook, winner of Season 7, is coming to Gillioz Theatre Monday, November 28 with opening act Carolina Liar. Tickets are scheduled to go on sale Friday, November 4 at noon and will cost between $19 and $49, depending on seating location.

Since winning Idol in 2008 Cook released two full-length albums: His self-titled record, which peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart and at #2 on its Top Rock Albums chart; and This Loud Morning, released earlier this year, which reached #7 on the Billboard 200 and topped the magazine’s Top Internet Albums chart. (The latter record sports an impressive list of songwriting collaborators, by the way, including Johnny Rzeznik of The Goo Goo Dolls and hit-making machine Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic.) Carolina Liar, meanwhile, has visited the U.S. before with appearances on various talk shows, and has even become something of a darling of The CW‘s nighttime programs, getting songs onto The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl, 90210 and One Tree Hill. Television runs strong in this lineup, to be sure. Be sure and jump on the tickets when they become available, though, because this concert will definitely not be televised.

Wow, that didn’t take long, did it? Right on the heels of our telling you Brad Paisley had circled SGF on his calendar in red ink we learn that not only is the country music superstar coming to SGF but every piece in the lineup of his 2012 mega-tour is coming along with him. JQH Arena confirmed this morning that Paisley, The Band Perry and American Idol Season 10 winner Scotty McCreery are bringing their Camobunga! Tour for a concert on Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 4 at 10 a.m. through the Missouri State tickets site for $25 to $59.75, depending on where you choose to sit.

Paisley’s reputation as one of the most bankable performers (and best guitarists) in country music is secure; his nine albums and 48 total career awards make for an enviable résumé even to the genre’s best-known names. What might impress most about the tour as a whole, though, is the star power coming on even before he takes the stage. The Band Perry is one of country’s most buzzed-about groups of the moment, with all four singles from its self-titled debut album hitting the charts plus four awards already in pocket, two each from the Academy of Country Music and from Country Music Television. Then there’s McCreery, who not only made a name for himself in the TV realm courtesy of Idol but is currently topping the Billboard Country Albums chart with his debut album, Clear As Day. Here’s where it gets good: McCreery, age 18, is the first country artist to ever enter the Country Albums chart at #1 upon the debut of his first album. That’s right: A certain other JQH Arena performer and Idol alum never did that. I can’t… but, I have to… Maybe next time she’ll think before she charts. There, I said it. Pun quota for the day: met.

Given the roll that country shows are on in SGF it’s not wise to sleep on the first opportunity to get tickets for this show. The combination of artists is as deep as any the Q has brought into its confines. It’s early to say, but it’s a safe bet that this will be one of 2012′s biggest concerts of the year, as well.

Gregory Keltgen, aka DJ Abilities

SGF is in for a whole other kind of big show Wednesday, October 26 when Minnesota-based DJ Abilities comes to The High Life Live Martini Lounge. The city has hosted shows by well-known underground hip hop artists, and it has similarly welcomed performances by touring DJs, but a well-known touring underground hip hop DJ is quite the unusual combo of circumstances in this city and not something to be missed. Abilities, part of the Minneapolis Rhymesayers Entertainment label of rappers and DJs, is currently in the middle of the Laborhood Tour with label mate and fellow DJ One Be Lo, and both will spin records, scratch and fade at the High Life along with an opening performance by DJ Platinum (the man who usually holds down Wednesday nights at the High Life) with special guest The Artist Formerly Known As SincerelyYours Brief (the local rapper formerly known as SincerelyYours). (The new rap name is still a work in progress.)

As with a lot of hip hop DJs, Abilities catapulted to notoriety in the underground (“fame” is a tricky word to apply in that subgenre) as part of a rap group together with the late MC Eyedea as Eyedea & Abilities, but the man’s merits as a record spinner stand on their own. I can tell you about his victories as a battle DJ at DMC‘s regional championships and more, but I can’t think of a better explanation than fellow TAG staffer Brett Johnston‘s coffee-fueled passion in a G-Chat earlier today:

“Abilities is f***ing ridiculous”

“watched him wreck the Scribble Jam turntablist competition in ’04, blew my mind”

The geeked-ness is not the coffee talking, and it’s not likely to be just isolated to Brett, either. One of the more respected names in his field is coming to Springfield to do his thing, and you can bet the turnout will reflect it. The 18-and-up (What? At the High Life?! Yes) show will be $6 for those age 21 and older and $9 for minors. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Fiver Finger Death Punch comes to SGF December 11 at Shrine Mosque.

***UPDATE 6:08 P.M.: We finally received information on ticket cost and availability and added it to the post. You’ll find it at the bottom of the second paragraph.***

We knew Q102 would go big with its concert announcement today–it’s about time to drop info for its annual Rock B4 Xmas show, after all–but we didn’t imagine this. Kristen confirmed on the air what is, in fact, this year’s annual holiday concert, and the lineup is monster: Five Finger Death Punch, Hatebreed and All That Remains are coming to The Shrine Mosque Sunday, December 11. Doors for the all-ages show open at 6:30 p.m., and tickets go on sale this Saturday at MetroTix outlets (Kaleidoscope, Stick It In Your Ear and the Shrine Box Office locally, MetroTix’s website on The Internets), though a sale price isn’t announced yet. We’ll have that for you as soon as we can get it. and they’ll cost $29.99 in advance for general admission seating or $35 the day of the show.

How big is this show? There may be no bigger name in modern rock right now than FFDP, and combining their set with one by as respected an act as Hatebreed takes it straight through the stratosphere. You’ll want to jump on tickets to this show early, as they may not last.

I love it when good news comes in two parts. This is one of those times. Start with the big one: Punk rock legends The Queers are coming back to SGF for a concert at Lindberg’s on Wednesday, November 30 courtesy of the always hard-working Zero Youth Productions, the concert-hosting branch of Zero Youth Records. The band celebrates the 30th anniversary of its creation this year (Joe King, aka Joe Queer, formed the band in New Hampshire in 1981 and is the band’s only original member) and makes its first appearance in Springfield in years. The concert lineup rounds out with Knock Out, Reno Divorce and open slots for two locals. Tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door the night of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m.

The second piece of good news has to do with those to local-opener spots: You’ll get to determine them. Zero Youth is arranging a battle of the bands among 10 SGF punk bands for the two sets at Lindberg’s on Thursday, October 27 starting at 7 p.m., with BadminxX, Dead American Radio, The Drunk Handsome Bastards, Glory Bones, Godswork, Mr. Bucket, the sort-of reunited Molotov Latte, Portrait of Authority, The Results and The Sunshine Kings set to contend for them. According to Zero Youth honcho Matt Oldenburg, the bands can win the battle two ways: by selling the most tickets to the battle or by getting the most fan votes at the show. That means you either have to go or buy your way in as if you’re going in order to help a band win, so you’ll want to know the battle costs $5 at the door–a small price to pay to help provide a serious boost to a couple of local punk groups’ résumés and turn your good news into theirs, too.

And we thought today was a good day for concert announcements after this morning. Now, just a few hours later, Forever Endeavor Productions has raised the ante with two of its biggest show announcements of the year, both of them involving touring bands familiar to SGFers who have gone to FEP concerts in the past.

First up is the return of Murder By Death on Saturday, November 12 at The Outland Ballroom with Red City Radio, MBD’s first visit to the city in more than a year after playing to a packed room last holiday season. Not unlike Kansas City rapper Mac Lethal, MBD seems to make a point of coming through the city about once per calendar year; they’ve made no secret of enjoying their trips here, that’s for sure. There’s also one “TBD” slot listed for the show, which means there is likely to be at least one local band added to the bill; stay tuned for details on that as they come. Doors open at 7 p.m. with music beginning about 8. Tickets will be $12 in advance and $13 at the door.

The second announcement is Forever Endeavor’s Thanksgiving-time rock party, highlighted by the return of mathcore/metalcore group The Chariot to The Outland Ballroom together with Vanna, The Crimson Armada, Former Thieves and popular touring spoken-word-meets-rock show Listener on Wednesday, November 23. The Chariot is still on tour behind its fourth full-length, last year’s Long Live, and makes its second visit to SGF after a killer set at Remmingtons Downtown in January. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance or $14 at the door.

Gillioz is at it again with another surprising concert announcement for SGF. This time it’s a man who came as a bit of a surprise to his own genre when he arrived: Matthew Paul Miller, better known by the stage name Matisyahu, is coming to the historic theatre for an unplugged set on Wednesday, November 16 at 7 p.m. Matisyahu, a Hasidic Jewish reggae performer, came on the scene in the mid-’00s with his debut album Shake Off the Dust… Rise but exploded into the mainstream consciousness with Live at Stubbs in 2006, the album that produced the breakthrough single “King Without a Crown:”

He has released four more successful records since then, too–Youth, Light and two live albums, the most recent being Live at Stubbs Vol. II earlier this year. His song “One Day” was also chosen as the official song of the 2010 Olympic Games.

Here’s where it gets interesting: This won’t be your typical night of reggae, rap and beatbox. Matisyahu’s set is scheduled to be not only unplugged but, in part, a speaking engagement, which makes sense since Hasidism’s modus operandi is to send its followers out into the world to connect people to their inner light. So a reggae artist who happens to belong to one of the more interesting branches of Judaism is going to talk about his life as a spiritual man in the music biz, interspersed with reggae, rap and beatbox? Sign us up. Tickets go on sale Friday (October 7) at 12 p.m. Their cost isn’t announced yet, but I’ll follow up with that detail shortly. Tickets will go for $24 or $29, depending on seating location. You can purchase them through the box office (417-863-9491) or online at the Gillioz ticket site.

If you read this space regularly this won’t come as a surprise, but JQH Arena today confirmed on its end the upcoming concert by Lady Antebellum with Josh Kelley and Edens Edge December 10. What we know now that we were in the dark about when the band announced the show on its website a few weeks ago is ticket information. Tickets go on sale next Friday (September 30) at 10 a.m. at a $38.75 cost for General Admission seating and $58.75 for Inner Circle seats closest to the stage. Missouri State University students can get a $5 discount with a valid student ID. You can purchase tickets at the arena box office, by calling 417-836-7678 or by clicking here.

A few weeks ago JQH Arena was on a roll, announcing one concert after another for what promises to be a busy season ahead. Now it’s the O’Reilly Family Event Center’s turn. Having already locked in Colbie Caillat and The Ozark Mountain Daredevils/The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band/Big Smith, the facility announced this morning a concert from The Charlie Daniels Band on Thrusday, November 17 courtesy of the active-again Nottingham Productions. It will mark Daniels’s first trip to SGF since his appearance at the Ozark Empire Fair in 2003.

That’s the guy that did “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” right, DeRosh? What the #&%$ else did he do?! I can’t go to a concert for one song! Charlie Daniels was a hit-making force during the ’70s, actually, and far from a one-hit wonder. He penned several post-hippie generation country favorites, including the backwoods slacker anthem “Long Haired Country Boy:”

the hilarious pseudo-spoken-word story song (very similar in style to Johnny Cash‘s “Boy Named Sue”) “Uneasy Rider:”

and even the titular song to the soundtrack for the Burt Reynolds NASCAR homage Stroker Ace:

and yes, he can still play one hell of a mean fiddle. Tickets go on sale Friday, September 23 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased through the OFEC box office (417-873-6389) or online through the Drury tickets website (FYI, you’ll need to register with it before gaining access to the purchase page). Ticket prices range from $29.50 to $59.50, depending on seating location.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Photo by Jason Moore.

Many in SGF were surprised and elated last year when Trans-Siberian Orchestra, the grandiose rock-orchestra show that is an especially large draw during the holidays, came to the city for a winter show. Now SGF fans can just be elated, as the group is confirmed for a return performance at JQH Arena Saturday, November 12. Tickets go on sale this Saturday (September 10) at 10 a.m. and will cost $29 to $58.50, depending on seat location.

The show comes just about the time people start getting into holiday mode (Let’s face it: Retail stores don’t wait until after Thanksgiving anymore), which is perfect for a group that first rose to fame doing Christmas-themed rock operas in the mid- and late-’90s. Perhaps no band brings its “A” game more during the season, and the results are breathtaking (skip to 2:30, where things get good):

When tickets go on sale Saturday you can buy them by clicking here.

Now we know. Drury University and Dwight Glenn Productions announced at a press conference this morning that The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Big Smith are scheduled to perform at O’Reilly Family Event Center on Friday, November 11. Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday (September 9) at 10 a.m. for $29 to $49, depending on seating location.

Significance abounds with that choice of bands and date. Not only is it 11/11/11, which is a palindrome date and yet another way for Hollywood to scare people, but, more importantly, it’s also Veterans Day. What’s more, as was explained at the press conference, this year marks the 40th anniversary of the Daredevils, the 45th year for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, the 15th year for Big Smith and the start of the second year for OFEC, which celebrates its first birthday in October. Because it’s Veterans Day, the concert will benefit Ozarks Honor Flight, the local organization dedicated to flying WWII veterans to see their memorial in Washington, D.C. People’s Bank of the Ozarks donated $2,500 as an event sponsor at this press conference with 10% of merchandise sales going to the same cause and potentially more. And there will be merchandise to sell; not only does Big Smith have copies of new album Kin available, but the Daredevils are releasing a live recording titled Alive & Wild that will be for sale at the show as well.

Considering that OMD and NGDB are friends going back almost as long as the bands have existed and that Big Smith carries on the local roots-music lineage the Daredevils were themselves a part of (promoter Dwight Glenn even points out Big Smith and the Daredevils are two of the only bands to have used a mouth bow in a song on record), the show has a synergy few concerts of its kind can offer. Here’s hoping it feels the same way on show night. It should be noted, too, that the Daredevils lineup you’ll see onstage will be the same that performed at last year’s Gillioz show–in other words, not the original group, but a mixture of original members (namely Steve Cash, John Dillon and Michael “Supe” Granda) and members such as Ruell Chappell who joined later. You can purchase your tickets beginning Friday morning by clicking here.