The Set List has been out on 20 Under 30 photo shoots all day. All. Day. And we're tired. So, with 100 percent grade-A stuff to do, and absolutly no filler, we present this weekend's rundown of excellent activities.

Read more, after the jump.

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David Hill is a senior at the University of Georgia. Beginning Monday, he'll be touring the eastern half of the United States playing sidewalk music shows in what he dubs the Imagine Something tour. The tour appears to be one part post-collegiate rambling, one part awareness campaign for clinical depression and suicide prevention—both noble causes. Hill will donate five cents for every mile completed to Nuci's Space, a retreat for clinically depressed musicians in Athens, Georgia.

The tour will bring David through Springfield on Tuesday, May 13 (see his entire schedule here). It's his first stop of the day, which also includes guerrila gigs in Kansas City, Omaha, and Des Moines, so we doubt he'll be staying long, and will probably hit the streets pretty early. We're working on finding out just where David will be playing in Springfield—till then, keep your eyes open

We'd make some joke about Springfied's bounty of talented, morose musicians, but it's not in us. David's website is pretty inspiring, actually. We wish him well in his mission.

David's full press release follows after the jump.

Matt Lemmon, editor 

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We usually run The Set List on Friday afternoons (and we will tomorrow) but tonight is a jam-packed night, and we thought you ought to know about the things on our radar:

First, it's the Trends With Benefits fashion show at Parlor 88. Details Salon is doing hair, Ashby's and Blackwell's are providing the fashions, Parlor is doing drinks. All proceeds (it's $10 at the door) benefit the Rivendale Institute of Learning. Make this your happy hour stop.

Another good chioce would be the Blackout Sketch Comedy Show at Springfield's 2nd Stage. The SNL-style sketch comedy will focus completely on the word "dead," which as we know has endless humorous possibilities. Not for the faint of heart, not for virgin ears.

Your final stop should be The Outland, where you'll bid adieu to Springfield comic Matt Allen, and wish him well in Boston, where the 2006 Deadpan Comedy Festival winner is moving to further his comedy career. The Dirty Blondes and Angry Panda will also play. Outland doors open at 9 p.m. Cover was TBA at press time.

You all be safe!

Matt Lemmon, editor

Churchill Coffee Estates, the locally owned coffee shop on East Republic Road (in the same shopping center as Touch), has announced that it is closing up its last retail coffeehop, according to the Springfield Business Journal. The owners, whose brand you can buy locally at most local grocery chains, including Wal-Mart and Price Cutter, is apparently going to focus on its burgeoning wholesale business. That means you're still going to get your Sinless Pasty, you're just going to have to drink it at home.

The local coffee scene is interesting to say the least. Ten years ago, if you didn't drink cappucino at Churchill, Panera Brad or the Walnut Street Grind (remember that place?), it meant you were getting your coffee from a gas station or Village Inn. Now, of course, we have a Starbucks everywhere you turn, Kaldi's, and a slew of excellent local shops like Cassil's, Rendezvous, Coffee Ethic, Big Momma's and, of course, MudHouse.

Turns out the jittery economy is just fine—just overcaffinated. 

Matt Lemmon, editor 

If you’re like many of us, you’ve been itching to bust out some cute spring clothes & shoes. But the cold, rainy weather hasn’t really inspired you to shop for warmer weather. 

Well you’re in luck this week. GO is sponsoring the Trends with Benefits Spring Hair and Fashion Show at Parlor 88. Details Salon is styling the hair for models dressed in the cutest spring and summer fashions from Ashby’s and the hottest men’s fashion from Mr. Blackwell’s. The show is this Thursday, May 8 with seating beginning at 6:30 and the show starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 and all proceeds benefit Rivendale Institute of Learning.
 
They say there are plenty of fish in the sea, so why not plan a hot fishing date for you and that special catch? If you’ve never considered fishing a "hot date" option, then you’re thinking about it all wrong—all you really need is some great gear. GO Magazine and Bass Pro Shops are hooking you up with everything you need by giving away a fishing package to one lucky winner. The girls will love the cute pink shirt and pink fishing rod, while the guys will go crazy over the wheeled tackle bag. Click here to see all the goods and enter to win.

While you’re on the GO Contests page, enter to win a $50 gift card to Shae Belle or tickets to Tick, Tick…Boom! at Landers Theatre.
 
And don’t forget to get on "The List" for our 20 Under 30 Party. You’ll save $5 by committing early. Once you’re there, we’ll hook you up with free Miller Brewing Co. beer and Missouri wines!

Logan Aguirre, associate publisher 

Hey all: Just a quick reminder that yours truly will be spending an hour on Power 96.5 with Fotsch and McClain tomorrow morning from 7 to 8 p.m. Listen in—we'll be talking about The Dating Issue, Fotsch's feet, and whatever else might come up.

Matt Lemmon, editor 

We hope you didn't overdo it on the margaritas. We know we did(n't). And also, is it bad that we couldn't eat tortilla chips out of a oversized sombrero without feeling a little guilty that we was ripping off the Skinny Improv's schtick? No? Whew.

Anyway, this landed in our inbox this morning, and we thought we'd let you know: Flame and Bubbles, the fancy downtown establishments run by the Jalili family, will host a wine tasting tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. The fun begins at 6 p.m. at Flame, where there will be wine tasting from Melville and Brewer Clifton Vineyards, plus Flame's divine food. Then the party heads to Bubbles, the new champagne lounge on Patton Avenue, for dessert, sparkling wines and Champagne. 

Admission is $30 for ladies, $35 for men. If you're going to be out of town for the weekend, this might be the perfect early Mother's Day present for the woman who raised you (and, hence, really really loves her wine).

Call Touch (417-823-8383) to make reservations. The first 25 ladies will receive a free gift bag full of spa treatments and other feel-good stuff.

Matt Lemmon, editor 

 

 

What to read while slowly adjusting to the fact that, yes, it was a perfect weekend for ArtsFest.

• The Marmot: Coining the phrase "squick me out". The Snarling Marmot

• This blog makes us happy. Skippy the Bush Kangaroo 

• Read Brad Haller's two most recent posts, one funny, one not. Haller.4.Me

Matt Lemmon, editor 

With a nice-weather Art Walk, the Cardinals in town, some excellent live theatre and... oh yeah, friggin' ArtsFest going on this weekend, we're definitely at the high point so far for 2008 as far as stuff to do. We usually make pithy comments here, or highlight some theme, but we're not going to today. The sky is blue and there's a weekend to be lived. Adiós! (More)

This is a little more than two weeks away, but we thought we'd give you a heads up now. Q102, the most alternative of Springfield's rock stations (and the most local-music friendly) is throwing an invite-only party at the Outland Ballroom on May 17 to celebrate its sixth birthday. The concert will feature music from Nigel and the Ghost, As of Now and The Whitest Light.

The kicker: You can't just walk up and pay to get in. You've got to listen and enter to win tickets on Q, either by calling or texting (apparently they do text campaigns now that are pretty freakin' hilarious).

The party starts at 8 p.m., so get those tickets, and we'll see you there (we're helping host, because we know a good party when we see it).

Matt Lemmon, editor 

We've never really covered this properly, which is a shame, so it's high time we give some blog-lovin' to Well Fed Head's poetry slam series. Everyone is invited, but Springfield has its own team, one that has fared quite well in competition. The team includes ex-News-Leader assistant editorial page editor Brian Lewis, and will compete in the national Slam this August in Madison, Wisconsin (where else?).

More immediately, Well Fed Head is about to to begin its 2008 summer season of slamming (schedule of summer events after the jump). The kickoff event is tomorrow night, May 2, at 9 p.m. at Well Fed Head. The theme: Venus vs. Mars, which we presume means Male vs. Female.

When it comes to poetry slams, we can't help but think of what Stephen King wrote in his memoirs, On Writing, about good writing; or, more accurately, bad writers.

"Others hold forth at open-mike poetry slams, wearing black turtlenecks and wrinkled khaki pants; they spout doggerel about “my angry lesbian breasts” and “the tilted alley where I cried my mother’s name.”

King goes on to say that (and we're paraphrasing), while lesbains may be angry, their breasts certainly never will be. 

The passage always makes us chuckle, but we're sure King would be impressed by Well Fed Head's slams. Either way, this is the most entertaining way to support original writing in Springfield, so we hope you'll check it out.

Poetry Slam summer schedule, courtesy of Well Fed Head's e-newsletter, after the jump.

Matt Lemmon, editor 

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Remember last March, when we somewhat breathlessly told you about the truck we followed down Sunshine Street that had a pair of stainless steel cow testicles hanging from its bumper? No? Click here to refresh yourself.

Done? Good.

Well, GO's west coast correspondant and former resident troublemaker Evan Fisk sent an important update on the trend of metallic gonads on automobiles. Apparently some in the state of Florida are trying to ban them.

We feel its our duty to keep you updated on this very important Sunshine State legislation. And Evan: Thanks, brah! You can get back on your surfboard now, or sit in traffic, or whatever it is you do in Calfornia.

• On an equally random note, we feel it's our duty, no matter what, to tell you about cheap ice cream and when and where you can get it. Ergo, tonight from 5 to 10 p.m. you can get a 31-cent scoop of ice cream at the Baskin Robbins at the IMAX Entertainment Complex in Branson (3562 Shepherd of the Hills Pkwy). Remember when 31 flavors of ice cream seemed like the absolute maximum amount of variety that could possibly exist in one place at one time? Heady days, indeed.

Matt Lemmon, editor 

It's a busy weekend for the GO Team: 

Thursday night we’ll be at the preview performance of Tick, Tick… Boom! at Landers Theatre. Jonathan Larson, who wrote RENT, also wrote this show. Since RENT is one of our faves, we don’t see how we can miss this one. Tick, Tick…Boom! runs for the next two weekends at Landers, with shows at 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Disturbed (Editor: Which, incidentally, was the very first Calendar Spotlight we ever wrote, way back in our inaugural issue in August 2005) is in concert Friday night with Five Finger Death Punch at The Shrine Mosque.  If you hurry, you could still enter to win tickets.  We’re taking entries until noon.
 
See if you can follow this. We’ll be celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Tres de Mayo at dos fiestas. Qdoba has had the best Cinco de Mayo party in town the past few years. They set up a huge tent at their East Sunshine location, and the fun flows like tequila. This year's party features food and drink specials, a burrito eating contest and music by Hot Switch (formerly What’s Next). If you’re looking for something a little more rowdy, then join us later in the evening at Electric Cowboy and see how cowboys do Cinco de Mayo.

We (well, some dudes in California) are working on some changes/improvements to the GO Blog, so the link-through is intermittantly down. Deepest apologies.

For your Tuesday morning money-saving special, we call your attention to Moxie Cinema. We've long loved the Moxie becasue it's everything most theaters are not: Quirky lines, artsy folks, quality films over blockbusters, etc. The only thing that was similar to multiplexes was the ticket pricing. At 70-some-odd seats it's an economic necessity, to be sure, and well worth it, but it still makes a $2.50 special at the Palace seem pretty good if all you want to do is sit in the dark for two hours.

But with the economy in the tank (at least according to Glenn Beck), the Moxie is weekly $2.50 shows. From Dan Chilton in the Moxie's newsletter:

Now, about our special "we're not in a recession!" celebration promotion—seeing as how our economy has fallen on rough times, and more and more people are having difficulty making ends meet, we thought we'd do our part to stimulate the economy by offering a few deeply discounted screenings of our new movies. Every 7pm Wednesday showing throughout the month of May will be $2.50 per person, and popcorn will only be $1.00! You can come see FOUR new movies, and eat a bag of popcorn on each trip, for the unheard of price of $14 TOTAL! That's only 2.3% of your economic stimulus refund check! Woo hoo!!! Where better to stimulate the economy than at your local independent movie theater?!

Let's go to a movie!

Matt Lemmon, editor