Kewanee has quietly become part of our late-summer routine, mostly because of one backyard on West Central where David Guzzardo keeps inviting us back. This will be our third time setting up in his yard before the parade rolls through, and at this point it feels less like a “gig” and more like dropping back into a tradition he’s built with his friends.
We’re playing midday again, two hours before the parade starts. It’s that window where people are drifting in with lawn chairs, someone’s checking the time for the parade lineup, and the excitement is brewing all through the neighborhood. By the time the sirens and marching bands kick in, we’re usually packing up cables and finishing the last bit of coffee or whatever’s in our cups by then.
One thing that always stands out about David’s place is how thought-through he is as a host. The first few years he surprised us with a bottles of wine. This year he mentioned he’s got a shade canopy ready for us, which tells you he understands what it’s like to play two hours in the September sun. Hopefully the weather will be great that day!
Musically, these yard shows always tend to be a blast. A bunch of friends together enjoying each others company, good weather and the parade. It never feels like we need to “put on a big show”; it’s more about keeping the afternoon moving and giving everyone a soundtrack while they get ready for the rest of the day.
The Basics
- When: Saturday, September 5, 2026, from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
- Where: Private event at David Guzzardo’s place in Kewanee, IL
- Who: Bell & Field (piano, guitar, and two voices)
- What to expect: A two-hour backyard set before the parade, with a mix of familiar covers and Bell & Field originals, shaded under David’s new canopy and folded into his annual gathering of friends.
About Bell & Field
We’re a piano-and-guitar duo that builds each set around the room we’re in, or in this case, the yard we’re in. For David’s party, that usually means keeping things tuneful and easy to follow: some classic songs people know the words to, some newer ones people recognize from the radio, and a handful of our own that fit that same lane. If the group leans in and starts calling out requests, we’ll chase those down too, as long as they’re somewhere in our mental songbook.
The Room & The Neighborhood
David’s yard sits right along the path of the Kewanee parade, which gives the afternoon a built-in timeline. When we start, the street is usually already filled up with people finding spots along the curb. The yard itself has become familiar to us: same patch of grass for the speakers, usually the same group of friends who remember at least one song from last year, and now a new shade canopy that should make the midday stretch a little easier on everyone.
It’s always good to be invited back to the same yard. We’ll do our part to make these two hours before the parade feel easy, tuneful, and worth showing up a little early for.