Sunday afternoon shows are starting to grow on us. There’s something about loading out while there’s still daylight that feels like we’re getting away with something.
Driving down the long driveway into Tres Rojas Winery, flanked by rows of vines on both sides, we could feel the week start to fall off our shoulders. By the time we parked near the south side of the building, the patio was already dotted with tables, umbrellas, and people settling in for the afternoon. Owner Lisa met us inside, walked us through the indoor space, and then showed us our spot at the shaded end of the building, looking out over the patio.
Getting There (Featuring Vince Gill and a Missing Wallet)
Before we even made it to Washington, the day had already given us a couple of stories.
On the drive over, Greg stopped at Scooter’s for a quick bite. There was someone outside taking drive-through orders, and Tom leaned over and said, “He kind of looks like Benson Boone, right?” That turned into a whole conversation about pop singers, which was briefly interrupted by Greg realizing he didn’t have his wallet.
There was a short moment of panic before we remembered phones can pay for almost everything now. The handheld device wasn’t working, but the staff waved us through to pay at the window, and it all worked out. The same thing happened with gas later—no wallet, just a phone and a little faith in technology. The punchline, discovered that night: the wallet had been with Greg the whole time.
The soundtrack for the drive was fittingly sentimental. On the way to pick up Tom and Malissa, Vince Gill’s “Go Rest High on That Mountain” came on. Greg made a mental note to play it for them once they were all in the car. They loved it, and it led to talking about Lyle Lovett’s “God Will” and a whole thread about songs that hit you a little deeper as you get older. Those shared songs and conversations between shows are a big part of why these trips don’t just feel like work.
First Impressions of Tres Rojas
When we arrived, Lisa welcomed us, recorded a quick pre-show welcome video (Tom handled the talking; Greg did his usual “stand there and try not to look awkward” routine), and showed us where to pull the cars around back so we could unload right next to the performance area. We will never stop appreciating an easy load-in.
Inside, Tres Rojas has a spacious bar and event room; outside, the patio stretches out with plenty of seating. By the time we started, the patio was full and stayed that way. Tom tried some of the wine and really enjoyed it. Greg, still convinced he was wallet-less, skipped it entirely and later realized he could have just asked Tom to spot him a glass.
We also spotted some familiar faces: the Vogels, longtime friends from Tom’s Bishop Hill bakery and restaurant days, had made the trip from Bloomington, and Tom’s parents, his son James, and a friend were there too. Playing a new place feels a lot less “new” when you can look out and see people you know.
Singing on Fumes, Then Finding the Voice Again
We’d played the night before, and Greg’s voice had already taken a beating. He’d slept badly, got up around 7:00 a.m., and by the first song at Tres Rojas, it was clear his voice was mostly air.
So he backed way off, sang as lightly as possible, and leaned on Tom’s harmonizer pedal to help fill out the sound. Thankfully, Tom was locked in and feeling strong—he seems to handle back-to-back shows better, as long as there’s no spicy food involved.
Somewhere around the halfway mark, Greg’s voice finally started to come back. A few songs later, it felt not just usable but solid. The real test was “New York State of Mind.” That’s a song Greg usually saves for days when he trusts his voice. Hitting those lines cleanly felt like a small personal victory in the middle of a sunny Sunday gig.
We closed the afternoon with a run of upbeat tunes—“Wild Night,” “American Girl,” and “Piano Man.” By that point, the patio crowd was fully with us, singing along and hanging on through the last chorus.
Requests, Originals, and a Reese’s Wrapper
One of the surprises of the day was a request for Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart.” We hadn’t played it in a while, but we decided to go for it. It came together better than expected, and it felt good to dust it off and watch people perk up when they recognized the opening.
Tom also took a few solo turns, including “Heart of Gold” and an original called “Our Time,” which Greg hadn’t heard him play in ages. There’s a different kind of focus in the air when we play an original. Covers tend to trigger shared memories; originals ask everyone to lean in and listen to a story they’re hearing for the first time.
Somewhere in the middle of all that, a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup wrapper kept swirling around in front of us, carried by the breeze. Since Reese’s is one of Tom’s favorite sweet treats, it was a little distracting—and a little tempting. It kept blowing back and forth just enough that Tom finally snapped a picture of it after the set.
Trying Out Our New Photo Upload Feature
This show was also our second chance to test a new website feature Greg built. When people scan the QR code on our piano shell during a live acoustic duo performance, it takes them to our homepage, where they can upload photos and join our newsletter.
We invited Tom’s parents to try it, and they uploaded some photos from the patio. Someone else in the crowd joined in too. Seeing real people use something that started as a “what if we…” idea on Greg’s laptop was pretty thrilling. Some of those photos are now part of the Audience Gallery below and will likely show up on social media as well.
Post-Show Pizza and Big Feelings
After we packed up (still in daylight, which felt luxurious), we headed out with Tom’s family for dinner. The first restaurant we tried was already booked, so we ended up at Pizza 150 in Edwards. Greg had driven past it many times and always wondered if it was any good. Now we know: yes, it is. Tom’s parents very kindly picked up Greg’s tab, which he really appreciated.
We talked nonstop over dinner and probably covered just about every corner of the emotional map. Tom’s family has a way of making Greg feel like he’s not just “the guy Tom plays with” but part of the family.
By the time Greg got home around 9:00 p.m., the day had turned into a full trip: a full workweek, a Saturday night show, an early Sunday winery gig in the sun (with a bit of sunburn as a souvenir), and then dinner with family. Exhausting, yes—but the good kind of exhausted.
On the drive home, Greg found himself thinking about how we often look back at certain stretches of life and call them “the good old days.” Lately, it’s becoming clearer that we’re living some of those days right now—road trips, music, tired voices, shared meals, and the people we love. And somewhere in that reflection, is when he finally realized the wallet had been with him the whole time.
Huge thanks to Lisa and the team at Tres Rojas for having us out and for already inviting us back for 2027. That’s the kind of feedback that keeps us going.
Thinking About Live Music for Your Own Gathering?
If you’re planning something—at a winery, a backyard, or anywhere people might want to relax with live music in Washington or the surrounding area—and this kind of acoustic set sounds like a fit, you can reach out to us here: bellandfieldmusic.com/book-acoustic-duo/.
Audience Gallery
Photos shared by people who joined us for the show.
We’d heard about Tiny Acres out near Monmouth, but driving down that long country road for the first time felt a little like we’d taken a wrong turn into someone’s private farm lane. Then the trees opened up, the pond came into view, and suddenly there was this whole little event world laid out in front of us.
The place itself is impressive. There’s the 1850s ceremony barn up on the hill, looking over the pond, with rows of chairs set up like it’s permanently five minutes before a wedding. There’s an overnight cabin, outdoor spaces with grills and picnic tables, and the main event building where we played. You can tell somebody actually thought about how people move through this place.
Once we got set up and sound‑checked, we realized this room was built with sound in mind. No weird slapback echo, no dead zone at the far end. People could be standing at the bar and still hear the music clearly, but we never felt like we were blasting anyone out of their chairs. It’s rare that a long, rectangular room feels that balanced, and this one did.
Somewhere later in the night, someone tossed out a request for “Gin and Juice.” Not exactly in the Bell & Field standard catalog. I gave it a shot anyway—one verse, acoustic, very tongue‑in‑cheek—then stopped, laughed, and admitted that was probably as far as I could responsibly take it. That one verse got a bigger reaction than some full songs, and it reminded me how sometimes you don’t have to nail a request to make it fun; you just have to meet people halfway.
We packed up through that magic load‑in door, said our goodbyes, and headed back down the long road to Monmouth. On the way out of town, we hit Taco Bell, debriefed the night, and started game‑planning our show at Tres Rojas Winery the next day. It’s hard not to feel lucky when your “work meeting” is about playing songs you love and eating bean burritos and tacos.
Late November in Iowa usually means coats in the car, short days, and people deciding whether they’re ready for winter yet. A Friday night at a winery and distillery sounds like a pretty solid way to delay that decision for a few hours.
Going into this one at Coal Creek Brewing in Princeton, we honestly weren’t sure what we were walking into. A Tuesday, 5–7 PM, a private group Jim was hosting, and a room we’d never played before. We didn’t know where we’d set up, how loud we should be, or if people would be listening closely or just chatting over us.
One of those musicians was Payton Schott, who owns West Main Coffee & Books in Toulon. I used to play music with her a few years back. Our side project never totally found its lane, but it ended on good terms, and I’ve always thought the world of her as a person and as a musician. She’s also the one who helped connect us with Jim for this Coal Creek date, so this gig was kind of the Toulon–Galva–Princeton triangle closing a loop.
Between sets and after we wrapped, we worked through that beer flight Tom had ordered, comparing notes like we actually knew what we were talking about. Tom eventually settled on a full 16 oz of a blueberry/blackberry wheat draft called “Plot Twist,” which pretty much nailed the whole night in one phrase. Neither of us expected a Tuesday at Coal Creek to turn into one of our favorite recent gigs, but there we were.
Sometimes you pull into a town, start unloading gear, and you can just tell it’s going to be a good one. That’s how it felt rolling into Monmouth for our Market Alley Wines show on July 11.
Once we kicked off the first set, it felt like the whole alley kind of clicked into place. There was that low hum of conversation, glasses clinking, and then this slow shift as people started actually listening. By the time we hit “I Feel Fine,” Greg was sneaking in some extra piano runs and Tom just looked over and grinned. Those are the little moments that make a live acoustic duo performance fun for us.
We wrapped up, packed the gear, and then hung out a bit with Sarah and Jeff to catch up. They’re the kind of venue owners that make Market Alley Wines entertainment feel like a collaboration instead of just a booking. Monmouth’s got a good thing going with them anchoring that alley.
If you’re the kind of person who likes a low-key Saturday night where you can have dinner, catch up with friends, and still hear the words to the songs, this one is right in that lane.
Outdoor gigs in July are always a bit of a gamble. Heat, humidity, storms – usually at least one shows up. Our live acoustic duo performance for Valley View Club’s 60th anniversary in Cambridge managed to flirt with all three and still let us get through the show.
his whole night was about anniversaries – 250 years of America and 60 years of Valley View Club. The course has been there for about one-fifth of the country’s history, which is kind of wild when you think about it.
We wrapped the main part of the night with “Wild Night,” which is always a fun one to end on, and then closed things out with “America the Beautiful” on the eve of the 4th. Greg and Paul leaned into a version that stays close to the Ray Charles arrangement – soulful, patient, and not rushed. It felt like the right way to nod to both the country’s birthday and Valley View’s 60 years.
We don’t play a lot of museums, so getting asked to be part of the Kewanee Historical Society’s 50th birthday party already felt a little different in the best way. Instead of a stage or a corner of a bar, we were set up on the mezzanine, looking down over the main floor while people came in, grabbed food, and found old friends.
The star of our setup area, though, was this bright orange vintage sofa under a painting of a Hawaiian woman who is… let’s just say, not overdressed. The painting used to hang at the old Waunee Farms restaurant, and once we saw it, we knew there was no way we were getting through the night without a photo or two.
Our second Father’s Day at Tuggers in Port Byron looked pretty different from the first one. Last year it was all sunshine on the patio and people hanging out by the river. This year: nonstop rain, temps in the upper 50s, and us hauling gear inside instead of out to the deck. Still, by the time we finished playing, it felt like exactly the kind of Father’s Day we both needed.
This show had an extra layer for Tom: his whole family was there—parents, kids, significant others, Malissa—taking over a couple of tables and making it very clearly a Father’s Day thing. Somewhere in the middle of the set, Tom took a short break to open his gifts. From Greg’s vantage point, it looked like a mini living room scene right there in the bar, which fit the mood of the day perfectly.
This was Tom’s first gig since turning fifty the week before, and that milestone was definitely in the back of his mind, as he reflected on his appreciation for family, life, and music.
We’ll be at Coal Creek Brewing Company in Princeton on Tuesday, July 21, from 5–7 PM.
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