Kewanee has one of those downtowns where you can still picture what it looked like a few decades ago just by walking a block or two. The Historical Society sits right in the middle of that, with the murals and old storefronts close by and the museum quietly holding all the details the sidewalks don’t show anymore.
We’re playing there on Saturday, June 27, from 5:00–7:00 PM, and this one feels a little different from a usual show. Playing in a place that’s literally built to keep stories and photos and old documents safe makes you think a bit more about what you choose to sing.
The museum is usually open earlier in the afternoon, so if you’re the type who actually reads the plaques and stares at old photos for too long, this is a good excuse to come downtown a little early. Then we’ll plug in among all that history and do our best not to knock anything over with the guitar case.
We’re planning on a mix of familiar covers, a few originals, and probably a couple of songs we don’t pull out as often—things that lean a little more storytelling than “sing-along chorus.” It just feels like the right setting for that.
If You Are Planning To Come Out
- When: Saturday, June 27, 2026, 5:00–7:00 PM
- Where: Kewanee Historical Society, 125 N Tremont St, Kewanee, Illinois 61443
- Who: Bell & Field (piano, guitar, and two voices)
- What to expect: A two-hour set with a mix of piano-driven songs, guitar tunes, and harmonies—some newer Bell & Field originals, some reworked versions of songs you probably know, and a few picks that fit a museum setting a little more than a bar setting.
- Venue website: kewanee-history.com
About Bell & Field
We’re a piano–guitar duo that likes to keep things pretty simple: one of us at the keys, one on acoustic, both of us singing. For a place like the Historical Society, we’ll probably start a bit quieter, feel out who’s there, and then decide how far to lean into the sing-along covers versus the slower, story-heavy songs.
About The Venue
The Kewanee Historical Society is a volunteer-run museum on North Tremont that keeps track of the town’s past—photos, documents, old news clippings, and the kind of local stories you don’t find anywhere else. They’re usually open on Thursdays and Saturdays in the warmer months, so this show falls right in their regular season. If you haven’t been in before, this is a pretty low-pressure way to finally see the inside instead of just walking past the sign.
If you’re around Kewanee that Saturday and feel like pairing some local history with live music, this is your night. We’ll bring the piano, the guitar, and a stack of songs that fit the room.
Some Saturday nights are for squeezing into a crowded room and shouting over the music. This one at Tiny Acres is the opposite. It’s a work thing, a corporate night out, where people will probably be trying to finish a conversation they started in a meeting three months ago.
The drive over set the tone. The forecast was calling for heavy rain and possible storms, so we were half-joking, half-serious about whether this was going to turn into an “adventure gig.” Somewhere along I-80, we passed a red pickup that Tom thought might be his parents. They took an off-ramp, we kept going, and we didn’t think much of it.
About half an hour in, the skies just opened up. It poured for what felt like an hour. You could see sheets of rain pounding the patio and, in a few spots, water started sneaking into the room. The Cedar Ridge staff hustled with squeegees and towels, pushing water back out the doors and toward the drains while we kept playing.
Tom’s parents made it to the show, along with his mom’s cousin and cousin’s husband from Cedar Rapids. It had been a long time since Tom had seen them, so having them in the crowd added another layer to the day. After the set, we caught up, and that’s when the full “red pickup / side-of-the-road pee / mystery honk” story came out. That spiraled into Greg telling the story about making his wife, Noriko, stop at every floor in a Japanese elevator years ago when she really needed a bathroom. “She did not think it was funny then,” Greg said, “but 20 years later it’s… kind of funny. Maybe.”
Paul and the crew had us dialed in before we even opened a case. They’d set up a big canopy over the patio “stage” area, plus the camera feed that sends our set inside the bar. From a musician’s point of view, that setup is gold — you feel like you’re playing to two rooms at once.
One of our favorite parts of the afternoon was a couple who drifted over to this little corner lounge area just off to our side and a bit behind us. From the stage, that spot almost feels like backstage seating. They were grooving, hanging out, and applauding between songs.
Edison’s was packed on the patio from the first song, and it looked just as busy through the windows inside. A lot of folks stayed with us the whole three hours, which we don’t take for granted. Between sets and song changes we had a steady stream of conversations, requests, and people just coming up to say hi.
We’d been talking about this one for a while. The Kewanee Farmers Market decided to gamble on an evening version of their Wednesday market, and we got to help kick off the season. No fee, just us under a big shade tree, some lights, food trucks, and a whole lot of “let’s see if this actually works.”
Earlier in the week, we’d asked on social media if anyone had song requests. You all delivered. We had people specifically come up and ask, “Did you play ‘Garden Party’ yet?” Ricky Nelson’s “Garden Party” and Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” both landed right where we hoped they would—recognizable from halfway across the street, but still quiet enough that you could hear someone next to you talk about which tomatoes looked best.
One of the best parts of nights like this is who you bump into. We got to talk with friends we’ve known for years and meet new folks who just happened to be walking through the market. Greg met Steve for the first time—a committee member for Hog Days—who had already hired us to play later this year. It was good to finally put a face to the emails and meet his wife as well.
Tuggers has snuck up on us and turned into one of our favorite places to play. Kicking off their Pon-Tunes series on the patio, with the Mississippi right there and that late-May weather in the sweet spot (warm, but not swampy) felt like exactly where a piano-guitar duo should be on a Saturday night.
Some shows feel like gigs, and some feel like you just plugged in the PA at a family reunion. Tom’s parents’ 52nd anniversary at Cerno’s definitely landed in that second category.
We’re playing the Kewanee Farmers Market on Wednesday, June 3 from 6–8 p.m. in downtown Kewanee, right at W 3rd St & N Tremont St.
We were really glad to be going back to Doug’s for another Derby party. We’d played there a few years ago, but this time his “garage” had fully evolved into what can only be called a party house. Epoxied floor, finished drywall, an actual bathroom – if a car ever goes in there, it’s definitely the guest, not the main act.
In the days leading up to the show, we’d actually spent time working up some horse-themed tunes for Derby night – “Run for the Roses” and “Wildfire.” We’ve played “Wildfire” a bunch, but “Run for the Roses” was new for us. The first run-through in practice went better than expected, and I remember thinking, “OK, this might actually work in front of people.”
All in all, Doug’s Derby party once again proved to be a great night. Golden Tempo’s wild Derby win, the dancing during “Old Time Rock and Roll,” catching up with friends like Donnie, and the mix of students, longtime buddies, and neighbors made it feel like we were dropped into a tight-knit little world for the night.
