Vol.1, No.19, December 19, 2025
|
|
|
People. Places. Things To Do. |
|
| | Hello friends, and welcome to our last newsletter of 2025. This project has been an incredible undertaking for our small but mighty team at Ozarks Public Broadcasting. I love meaningful work, especially when it lifts up the local arts community.
Although we officially launched in August, we have been dreaming, meeting, and collaborating on this newsletter all year long. Watching it grow, shift, and settle into what we now share each week feels familiar to anyone involved in the arts. A song revised over time or a sculpture slowly taking shape before it is finally ready to be shared. We do this for you and for this community.
In the spirit of the season, consider inviting a friend to join us in The Green Room. Think of the person you always text about a new band or tag when a concert announcement drops. Signing up is easy on the website, or you can simply forward this email along. There is always room for more arts enthusiasts in The Green Room.
Christmas music is everywhere right now, and much of it is coming straight from our own community. Local musicians are leaning into the season with everything from tongue-in-cheek holiday songwriting to jazzed up standards and family-friendly classics, filling venues, radios, and playlists with sounds that feel both familiar and personal.
This week we spotlight some of those performances and the artists behind them, including a swinging holiday concert from Ozarks Lyric Opera at the Gillioz, seasonal traditions on local stages, and other arts events helping set the tone for December. Whether you are looking for nostalgia, laughter, or something a little unexpected, there is no shortage of ways to celebrate the season through the arts.
We will be taking a short break from the newsletter for the next couple of weeks. For now, grab a candy cane and join me in The Green Room.
|
|
|
| Jimmy Rea
Host, Arts News
KSMU 91.1 - FM
Ozarks Public Broadcasting
|
|
|
The Green Room Arts News Letter is presented by
|
| |
|
This one night only concert Friday, Dec. 19, at the Gillioz Theatre features Sir Michael Spyres, the Spyres family, and the Missouri Jazz Orchestra. Inspired by classic TV holiday specials, the show blends swing-era Christmas favorites with family flair and surprise moments...read more.
|
|
|
A longtime Springfield music scene pillar now based in Austin, Texas, Top blends humor and musicianship, including on his holiday album track “Work Related Christmas Party"...read more.
| |
|
|
Arts News on KSMU is your long-standing source for what's happening in the Ozarks arts scene spotlighting local creators, performances, and cultural events every week. Tune in Fridays at 10 a.m. on 91.1-FM or stream at KSMU.org
|
|
|
👉Got a story, event, or artist I should know about? Share your arts and music tips with The Green Room, and help us shine a spotlight on the creative pulse of the Ozarks! You can email them to me at JRea@MissouriState.edu.
|
|
|
🎶Friends don't leave friends out of the music and arts scene - they share all the local arts and music happenings. Just forward this email to friends!
|
|
|
You know what frequently gets in the way of a perfectly good band?
The singer.
Even in the best bands a singer can be quite divisive, driving people away from musicians they would otherwise adore. Sometimes in a band they already love.
In 1985 Van Halen and lead singer David Lee Roth parted ways. They recruited rising star Sammy Hagar to front the band and produced the first #1 selling album of their career, however any number of fans refused to engage with what they now referred to as “Van Hagar.” Their favorite band still existed, but the person singing was a bridge too far. Then, (seemingly just to make this rhetorical argument work) they split with Hagar, hired a third lead singer, and pretty much lost everybody.
Van Halen was still there. The songs were still there. The singer simply got in the way.
The men of The Sideburns have decided to unburden themselves of all of this. Four musicians, all talented, no singer.
Coming together as the musical heart of JM Buttermilk’s Hot Buttered Soul ‘n’ R&B Revue, they found a deep musical connection, even amidst the chaos of such a large group. They decided to strike out on their own, sans the extra personnel and, most importantly, sans the singer, to give this town something we simply didn’t have: instrumental soul music a la The Meters, The Mar Keys, and Booker T. & The M.G.’s. Turns out, it was a brilliant move.
Freed of these trappings, the audience gets to appreciate how truly talented each of these four individuals are. Not just for a solo, or a song, but for the whole show. Come out and enjoy them, tonight at Tie & Timber! They’ll have an entire evening of Christmas and Soul classics, all without the cumbersome interference of someone standing in front of them. Meanwhile, enjoy Christmastime is Here, and we’ll see you next week!
|
|
|
Local Radar with Ran Cummings is a weekly music and conversation radio show on KSMU featuring bands and performances from in and around the Ozarks every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. on 91.1 - FM or stream at KSMU.org.
|
|
|
Studio Live with Melissa Rea and Jess Balisle airs the 2nd Friday of every month on KSMU. Tune in at 12:00 p.m. for an hour of live music and conversation with talented artists. Later that evening, experience the music in person at a FREE performance from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Springfield Brewing Company.
|
|
|
| January 9 - Uncle Knuckle
February 13 - Joe Dillstrom
March 13 - PomFret
April 10 - The Shandies
|
|
|
In the mood to stay in? Queue up one of these videos handpicked by our staff at Ozarks Public Broadcasting, perfect for a night in when you're skipping the scene but still craving culture.
|
| |
These favorites from KSMU and OPT are just the beginning—there’s a whole world of storytelling, music, documentaries, and local gems waiting on you to dive in and discover at your local public broadcasting station.
|
|
|
Was this email sent to you by a friend? If you'd love fresh takes, local gems, and behind-the-scenes artsy goodness in your inbox every week subscribe to The Green Room Arts News letter.
|
|
|
|
The Green Room: A Weekly Arts News Letter is a production of Ozarks Public Broadcasting. For more information about our programs and services please visit our website.
|
|
|
Mailing Address:
901 South National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897
|
| Telephone:
Ozarks Public Television 417-836-3500
KSMU Radio 417-836-5878
|
| |
|
Manage your preferences | Opt Out using TrueRemove™
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.
|
901 S National Ave | Springfield, MO 65897 US
|
|
|
This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.
|
| |
|
|
