
Labor Day weekend always feels a little sideways. Half of you is still in summer, half of you is already thinking about school, football, and whether you need to find where you left your jacket last March. A Sunday afternoon set in the middle of all that feels like a pretty good place for us to land.
We’ll be at the Chop Tent for Kewanee Hog Days on Sunday, September 6, playing as the trio from 3–6 PM. This is one of those festivals we’ve circled on the calendar for a while, so getting the invite this year is a big deal for us.
Tom has some history with Hog Days from back when he played here with his band, the Incredible 45’s. He’s told enough stories about the weekend over the years that it already feels familiar: music going all afternoon, people wandering in and out between food runs, and the constant smell of something fried nearby.
We’re planning a set that leans into that feel—plenty of songs that work in broad daylight with people walking past with lemonade shakeups and, let’s be honest, us eyeing the funnel cake stand between tunes. It’ll be a mix of piano-and-guitar takes on songs you know, a few quieter curveballs if the moment allows, and some things we can stretch a bit with the trio.
Show Details
- When: Sunday, September 6, 2026, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM
- Where: Chop Tent, Hog Days, 306 N Main St, Kewanee, IL 61443
- Who: Bell & Field Trio
- What to expect: An afternoon trio set built for a festival crowd—piano, guitar, and a third player filling things out with grooves and harmony. We’ll lean on familiar tunes with our own twist, keep things upbeat enough for a busy Sunday, and leave a little room for requests and detours if the moment calls for it. There will almost certainly be powdered sugar on at least one of our cases by the end of the day.
- More info: Kewanee Hog Days website

About Bell & Field
We’re a piano-and-guitar duo that builds sets one room at a time. For Hog Days we’re bringing the trio, which lets us open things up rhythmically and stretch some arrangements without losing the song underneath. Expect a mix of classic covers, newer tunes we’ve reworked for our setup, and a few quieter moments if the crowd settles in for them.
About the Venue
Hog Days pretty much takes over Kewanee for the weekend—streets full of food stands, rides, and a lot of people making the most of the last summer holiday. The Chop Tent is a big part of that flow, so music there tends to be part concert, part soundtrack for everyone grabbing pork chops, lemonade, and whatever fried thing they’ve committed to that day. It’s the kind of spot where you see the same faces a few different times as they loop back through.
If you’re doing the Hog Days rounds on Sunday, swing by the Chop Tent for a bit between 3 and 6. We’ll be the ones trying to keep the groove steady while thinking about which stand to hit on our break.


We’re excited to be part of a special summer evening at Valley View Club in Cambridge on July 3.
It was one of those blustery Saturday drives up to Port Byron where the wind keeps nudging the car and the Mississippi suddenly appears and makes everything feel familiar again. For Tom, it really is familiar – he spent his first eleven years just outside of town – so every time we roll past the river and into Main Street, the nostalgia dial jumps a few notches.
We’d been rehearsing a few tunes more heavily leading up to this one, and those ended up being the highlights for us. The big experiment of the night was debuting “Borderline.” It’s a Reggie Lucas–penned hit for Madonna that has always stuck with Tom, but not exactly the kind of song people expect from a piano–guitar acoustic duo performance in a river bar.
The rest of the night, the crowd kept us on our toes with requests. We got a run of Simon & Garfunkel – enough that it turned into a mini-set inside the set – plus some Jimmy Buffett. There was one Buffett song Greg didn’t know, but Tom did, so we just went for it. Not flawless, but that’s half the fun.


Opening Weekend with Ron, Paul, and a Room Full of Requests
Taking Songs Further Than the Rehearsal Room
Cabins, Chicago Roots, and a Late Drive Home


Sunday we pointed the car toward Galesburg and wound our way out to Hidden Hills Vineyard & Winery for a rare Sunday afternoon show. The sky was that flat early-March gray, but as soon as we pulled up and saw the building tucked into the hillside and the edge of the woods, it already felt like we’d stepped out of town for a bit.
With a smaller crowd and a relaxed pace, we had room to stretch a little. We ended up wandering through the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and even a few ’90s tunes. A lot of what we pulled out lined up with what Dave loves, which made it fun – every so often we’d see him look up from behind the bar with that “oh, this one” expression.
Hey folks, we’re looking forward to playing at Crescent City Tap in Galva on April 3, 2026. We’ll be there from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and it’s always great to see familiar faces while sharing some music.
Galva had its priorities straight on Friday night: the high school boys were playing the regional championship game, and the Wildcats were in it. That was great news for the town… and it meant the first two hours of our show at Crescent City Tap felt more like a private concert than a typical Friday night.

We’re excited to invite you to join us at Rams Riverhouse in Port Byron on Friday, June 12, 2026, from 7 to 10 PM. We always enjoy playing in places like this, where the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming.