The Black Sheep Cafe

The Black Sheep Cafe is an all ages music venue in Springfield, Illinois. The Black Sheep opened for its first shows in September 2005, and since then has become a notable venue in the Springfield, Illinois music scene.[1] The venue is a drug and alcohol free space and is also entirely volunteer-ran. The Black Sheep hosts many shows each month, and a few big annual events including Black Sheep Fest and Dumb Fest in the summer.

The Black Sheep Cafe
"BXS", "The Sheep", "Black Sheep"
Address1320 South 11th Street, Springfield, Illinois, 62703
LocationSpringfield, Illinois
OwnerBrian Galecki
TypeMusic Venue / Art Space
Genre(s)Punk rock, Indie rock, Various
OpenedSeptember 17, 2005
Website
blacksheepspringfield.com
The Black Sheep 10 Year Anniversary Show

Founding

The Black Sheep Cafe was founded in 2005 under four owners, in aim of creating an all-ages music space in Springfield. By 2006 the venue had lost all but one of its owners, Kevin Bradford and fell back on "DIY ethics" to keep it afloat.[2] Kevin Bradford remained owner of the venue for the first ten years until announcing his departure in 2015.

Shows

The Black Sheep hosts many shows every month at the venue. The venue is open to shows of all genres including rock, noise, acoustic/indie, hip hop and R&B, most shows however are known for being predominantly hardcore and punk.[3] The venue is also home to a few local music festivals including "Dumb Fest" in June[2] and its namesake festival "Black Sheep Fest" in July. Black Sheep Fest has been an annual festival at the venue since 2008, as it had Black Sheep Fest 7 in 2015.[4]

Expansion

The Black Sheep Cafe has caused a number of other related businesses and projects to start in the Southtown neighborhood of Springfield. In late 2013 the Black Sheep announced that it would be teaming up with Error Records in Champaign, Illinois to open up Dumb Records- a new record store in the Southtown neighborhood.[5] Also in December 2013 Brandon Carnes opened up South Town Studio directly behind The Black Sheep.[6] Later on in 2014, Empire Board Shop (a skate shop) moved in above Dumb Records, and later became Boof City Skate Shop.[7] In 2015 the group of businesses making up the Southtown neighborhood launched a new "Project Southtown" to form a new non-for-profit group to focus on neighborhood cleanup and restoration.[8]

References
  1. "About The Black Sheep | The Black Sheep Cafe". Blacksheepspringfield.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  2. A. Marie Ball. "Inside Springfield's punk scene". Sj-r.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  3. "FAQ | The Black Sheep Cafe". Blacksheepspringfield.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  4. "Events". Illinoistimes.com. 2013-07-27. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
  5. "Black Sheep History". The Black Sheep Cafe. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  6. "Recording Studio". The Black Sheep Cafe. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  7. "Empire Board Shop Moving To South Town". The Black Sheep Cafe. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  8. "PROJECT SOUTHTOWN". The Black Sheep Cafe. Retrieved 2015-11-08.

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