The Debut show for Huey & The News tribute. This is a really fun show with a great line up of musicians that know their craft and are ready to put it out there for people to enjoy one of their favorite bands. The Lyric Theater is a great place to see a show with a tiered floor and great acoustics. We’ll be ‘Happy to be Stuck with You’!

Get your tickets here!

Come to MSO for the first gig of the day. We have another one right after this at a private party.

Come out and hang with Kevin Purcell & the Nightburners for another great evening of music and celebration of another trip around the sun for Kevin. Always a great time for the audience and band members!

For more information: https://nightburners.com/

Mitch The Lip & Side Hustle will be back at Two Hound Red Brewery for the Oktoberfest celebration playing with Slackers Unite Band. This will be a night of fun music with two great bands playing different music of originals and covers. Music starts at 7 PM!

Two Hound Red Brewing Co. 486 Pennsylvania Ave, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Wish I could share more details, but I’m starting to play some gigs with HDBB aka as Hot & Dirty Brass Band based out of Milwaukee, WI. You will see a lot more from them in 2026! Stay tuned or in tune!

We’re back for our annual hit at GTOTR aka Green Town On The Rocks at Waukegan Harbor in IL. This will be a fun show with all the usual suspects from Side Hustle and Chris Forte as the guest guitar funk slinger for the night. Come on out and join the party. Bring your dancing shoes! No cover and a food truck for some dancing fuel. And a full bar to help with inhibitions.

GTOTR is located at Waukegan Township, IL 60085. I just type it into Google Maps and this is what comes up, and it will take you to the correct location.

The Backburners are back with Kevin Purcell & The Nightburners at Hutchins Athletic Fields in Gurnee, IL. Come catch the band with Fireworks during the set break after dark.

36753 N Hutchins Road, Gurnee, IL 60031

Hanging with my friends in The Black Diamond Sessions for Nashwood in Highwood, IL. We are the middle band

Liam Sheridan 5-6 PM

The Black Diamond Sessions from 6-8 PM

Davidson County Band 8-11 PM

Come out and enjoy the live music with a bunch of our friends that happen to be great musicians!

Friday 29AUG2025 at

Nite N’ Gale Restaurant

346 Sheridan Road

Highwood, IL

If you haven’t heard The Nightburners lately, the band has been on fire for the past few gigs with new talent, some new songs, and Kevin stirring the crowds into a frenzy of drinking and dancing. He’s been known to have after parties at his house, but the Backburner horns aren’t invited. He’s trying to keep the level a bit higher…

This show is at Lindenfest in Lindenhurst, IL starting at 7 PM.

For more info, hit Nightburners.com

Join Rob Calabro and I with Road Bill and Kevin Purcell for a couple hours of fun, history, laughs, jokes, and other discussions about the Backburner Horns! Rob Calabro and I have been playing music together for coming up on 25 years. Find out how we have made it this long….

Join us for The Woodstock Era—a powerful tribute concert celebrating the spirit of peace, love, and music on the anniversary of Woodstock. Eleven of Chicago’s top musicians come together to honor the groundbreaking artists and timeless songs of 1969. From rock and folk to soul, jazz, Latin, blues, and psychedelia, this concert is a moving journey through the sounds that shaped a generation.

Recommended: 12+

For more info and to get your tickets, Click Here

It’s the benchmark of all music festivals – Woodstock. We’re celebrating the music and concept to peace and harmony with the Soundtracks of a Generation Band. There's tributes to Santana, Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, CCR, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Janis Joplin and more.

For more info and to get your tickets, click here: The Lyric Theater

I’ll be participating in a Live Stream Jam/Improv with Jesse and his crew on Tuesday, 12AUG2025 at 7:30 PM. Playing trumpet and who knows what else will come up?!?! This is going to be something new for me and you’re welcome to join us on Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/boss_of_nova/?hl=en. In the words of my friend John Griffin, ‘just don’t suck’!

The MD’s will be playing at the new Gurnee, IL hotel named The Ten Gurnee on Grand, Ave across from the mall, just West of I-94. We start at 6 PM and likely go until 9 PM. We will be in Twylas Lounge just left of the main entrance. Come grab some food and a drink, while listening to the musings of The MD’s, aka the Music Doctors!

Big Ed’s BBQ in Waukegan, IL. I’m late posting this, but we had a great night at Big Ed’s! Band was smokin’ and the food was smackin’~!

This is all new. New venue, new music, new duo (sort of) with Derrick Procell and Mitch The Lip doing anything we can to entertain you. Mostly covers and some originals to spice up your dinner and drinks. Come join us. We’re not sure what the MD’s stands for - Music Doctors, Music Duo, Mitch & Derrick… Whatever it is, it will be fun. Derrick plays keyboards, harmonica, and sings. I’ll play guitar, trumpet, sing and some hand percussion.

Click here for more info about Derrick Procell

Click here for more info about Pop’s Uptown Supper Club

I’ll be playing trumpet and singing with some of my oldest friends in the music biz. We play, Ska, Reggae, Funk and some jazz for good measure. People are happy when they hear Ska music. Then they get happy feet and start dancing. It’s always a warm fun time!

Come out and catch Lake Effect in a restaurant/bar setting in Wood Dale, IL at Local Bar & Grill. I’ll be slinging and singing the songs that night!

Spring Road Summer Events on Spring Road in Elmhurst, IL

Not much details to share yet. The gig date, time and location of Tower Lakes, IL is all I know so far.

I’ll be a guest on The Bus Stop Blues show and podcast with Road Bill and Kevin ‘Shoe Shine’ Purcell. Except Kevin gracefully bowed out that day, so our friend and keyboard player Bill LeClaire is taking over host duties. Join us live or pick this up from your favorite podcast station. For additional information about the show click here. I promise you will learn at least one new thing, and will laugh out loud at least once.

Subbing with my friends in Lake Effect on Trumpet at The Racine Yacht Club.

Playing trumpet, guitar, and backing vocals, at a private party, on a lake in WI near Oconomowoc. This will be a fun gig!

Playing trumpet and maybe some backing vocals with BB & The Honey at Baconfest, located at Walworth County Fairground from 1 PM - 4 PM. For additional information, click here.

The Backburner Horns are back with Kevin Purcell & The Nightburners for some gigs this summer. We played a private party a couple weeks back and have this gig coming up that’s public.

Fox Lake Friday Night Live @ , Lake Front Park - 10 River View Ave, Fox Lake

For more info: Click Here

I won’t be there this month. Go see them anyway! My friend Mitch Warren will be taking over my duties for a while, and Sal Canzone is back on drums this month! My opinion below doesn’t change.

This is the coolest place to be the first Tuesday of every Month for the VOC monthly residency. Great musicians playing challenging music with special guests every month. Ari Mintz hosts this night of music and it’s always fun.

The Arcada Theater presents the Mad Dogs and Englishmen Tribute to Leon Russel and Joe Cocker. This show brings an all star group of musicians playing some fun and interesting music that you don’t get to hear live like this. Come join us for an early Sunday evening show. Grab late lunch or early dinner near the theater at one of the local restaurants. Tickets are available here.

Mitch The Lip & Side Hustle will be bringing the Friday Funk to the patio at Toadstool Pub in Highwood, IL. Come out and hear some new music and likely some guests that will join us and surprise you with a variety of music that you will find something in there you will nod your head to. Contact us if you need any further information and see you on 30MAY2025. Click Side Hustle Band for additional information about the band, or Toadstool Pub

This is a private event in Dundee and the Backburner horns will be on the gig. Robb Calabro and I will be bringing some horns to the musical fire that Kevin likes to light and burn all night! You can find out more about Kevin at Nightburners.com

I’ll be joining the Hog Pod Chicago music scene podcast for an hour of fun. Thanks in advance to Pete, Bongo Mike, the other Mike, Mike D. and Beth. We are live from 5:30-6:30ish and then all episodes are available for streaming. Link here for additional information.