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 Performing will be a scaled-back version of Danny
Tackett’s Chicken Pickin’ Orchestra; Twang, a duo from Bloomington;
finger-picking guitarist Dave Berchtold from Minier with musical pal
Brian Stear; and stellar bass player Bradford Walsh from Mount
Pulaski with some musician friends from his days at Mount Pulaski
High School and Lincoln College.
Tackett and friends, Polly Sampson and Jimmy Birkey,
will perform from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday and again from 2 to 4 p.m.
Saturday. The three other groups will be featured in various spots
around the square from 2 t 4 p.m. Saturday.
The Chicken Pickers rely on bluegrass, traditional
country and a few pop standards from the past. The group appears
monthly to sell-out crowds at The Palms Grill in Atlanta.
Twang includes Tom Ricker on guitar, ukulele and
harmonica and Bruce Bergethon on fiddle and mandolin. They perform
a wide range of styles, reflecting on their long history with
central Illinois bands. Ricker’s credentials include long stints
with two popular groups, Kool Ray and the Polaroidz and later the
X-Ray Men. Bergethon spent many years as a founding member of the
Old Men Boys, a crowd favorite throughout the area.
Berchtold and Stear also rely on a variety of
material for their repertoire. Piedmont-style fingerpicking is
Berchtold’s specialty, which he incorporates into folk, rock and
blues. He also writes much of his own material. Stear, his picking
pal, is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in Los Angeles. He
plays guitar, mandolin and harmonica during the duo’s shows.
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Twang
Walsh’s talents on bass belie his youthfulness. He
also plays a variety of music, including jazz, rock, country and
pop. He’s performed for years with fellow musicians, first at Mount
Pulaski High School and later at Lincoln College. He’s finishing
his first full year at Illinois State University.
[pictures and story provided by Danny Tackett]
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