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The musical portion of our first Bell & Field appearance at Kewanee Hog Days involved guitar, piano, sax, two speaker towers and no feedback problems. The post-show portion involved three grown musicians packed into a carnival rocket ship while Tom stared intensely at a tuft of hair on the back of Greg’s head.

One of those situations required considerably more nerve than the other.

A Breeze After the Scorcher

Sunday arrived with nearly ideal weather, especially after the incredible heat the day before. A breeze moved through the Chop Tent, the temperature stayed comfortable, and our little corner had just enough room for the three of us and our gear.

When we arrived, our friend Chris Stevenson was playing. Greg had not seen him in a long time, going back to his days working at Highlands in Bradford, so we sat down and enjoyed Chris’s guitar work before beginning our setup.

We used two speaker towers in a slightly unusual arrangement. One pointed away from the tent toward the larger carnival area, while the other stayed inside. Neither tower sat behind us, which meant we avoided the feedback problems that can turn a pleasant festival afternoon into three musicians quietly negotiating with an angry electronic goose.

Tom’s family joined us, and Greg’s mother made the trip down from Lake Barrington, also joined by Greg’s family and dog, Leo. Nearby, hamburgers and pork chops were being made, supplying both excellent food and a very appropriate soundtrack-adjacent aroma for Hog Days.

With guitar, piano and sax tucked into the corner, we worked our way through the set, including Be-Bop-A-Lula and Sweet Home Chicago. It was Bell & Field’s first time performing at Hog Days, and having Paul there let us approach the afternoon as a trio.

Twelve Tickets, Sold in Multiples of Fifteen

After the show, Greg proposed a carnival ride. Paul was in. Greg was in. Tom was very much not a carnival-ride person, but peer pressure remains a surprisingly effective management tool within this group.

The ride required twelve tickets for the three of us. Greg could only buy fifteen, leaving us with three bonus tickets and no intention of going on anything else. An attempt to give those extras to the group ahead of us did not go especially smoothly: they left the line, then eventually returned at the end.  Clearly something had offended them, or they just enjoyed the unnecessary drama.

At least the mathematics had been sound.

The ride was the Hurricane, a rocket-shaped contraption that travels in a circle while also moving up and down. As we took our seats, we were all smiles, waves and thumbs-up for Tom’s family watching from the side. This was the cheerful part, before the tremendous G-force began rearranging everyone’s priorities and faces.

Greg immediately slid against the side of the rocket and received a rapid reminder that it had been a long time since his last ride of this sort. He felt a little sick but made it through fine. Paul, a Navy veteran, handled the whole thing without trouble.

Tom had remembered the standard nausea-avoidance strategy: choose one fixed object and stare at it. The available fixed object was the back of Greg’s head. More specifically, one tuft of hair on the back of Greg’s head.

So while the Hurricane spun, climbed and dropped, Tom ignored the carnival, the horizon and every other visual option. Greg’s hair became his entire navigational system. The strategy mostly worked, which is about the highest rating any carnival-ride strategy should reasonably receive.

The Emergency Corndog Protocol

Once we were back on solid ground, Tom required a Snazzy’s lemon shake-up and a corndog to get going again. This appears to be the proper recovery meal after using another musician’s haircut as a meditative focal point.

The photos from the ride captured the moment in all its dignity. We had gone to Hog Days to play music with Paul, spend time with family and friends, eat pork chops and make our first appearance at the festival. We left with all of that, plus a useful lesson: when Greg suggests a ride after a show, Tom should either resist peer pressure or make sure Greg has a dependable hairstyle.

If you’re considering some live music for your own gathering—carnival ride strictly optional—you can take a look at booking Bell & Field here.

Before we left for this private party, we ran through A Horse with No Name one more time.

Not because it is especially complicated. Quite the opposite: it has two chords. But we had attempted it once before by request and somehow managed to play different chords from each other. Two musicians who have worked together for years, defeated by a song with roughly the harmonic complexity of a doorbell.

So we did our homework. We worked out the harmonies, the solo, the bass line, the guitar and piano parts, then gave it one last check before heading out. This time it became a little two-chord redemption story—and a reminder that even the simple songs deserve more than a hack version.

A Trailer, Some Dogs and New Technology

We set up outdoors on a trailer, with several dogs nearby enjoying the nice weather. The booking gave us four hours to stretch out, with two short breaks and background music keeping things moving while we stepped away.

It was also our first show using the new interactive request technology Greg has been building into the website. Plenty of requests came through, which meant Greg got a real-world look at where the system needed adjustments. Nothing tests new technology quite like taking it out to a party and asking it to behave while you are also playing guitar, piano and everything else within reach.

The requests took us into songs we rarely play—and some we had never played at all. Pancho & Lefty was a particular treat. Then came Rhinestone Cowboy, a song we had never received as a request before. We both love Glen Campbell, and Greg was more than ready to play it.

The Lights Had Their Own Set List

Once the sun was out of the way, the lighting setup got to do its part. Greg does not simply run one sound-synced program and hope for the best. He has different scenes arranged for different kinds of music, so he rotated the lights throughout the night.

We also got to catch up with friends we had not seen in a while. By load-out, Tom may have had more energy than when we started—which is a useful trait when the instruments, stands, cables and lights all have to find their way back into the vehicle.

The Glamorous Road Diet

Of course, no short Bell & Field road trip is complete without carefully planned culinary support. Greg stopped at McDonald’s on the way there. The party was far enough into the country that Taco Bell was not waiting conveniently on the route home, but after dropping Tom off, Greg corrected that problem with his usual bean burrito and steak quesadilla.

And there it was: outdoor trailer stage, dogs, shifting light scenes, unusual requests, one successfully redeemed two-chord song and fast food on both ends of the trip. The working-musician life, at least the version where nobody is handing you a catered dinner.

If that sounds like the right kind of music for your own gathering, you can take a look at booking Bell & Field. We’ll bring the songs—and we promise to agree on the chords.

Audience Gallery

Audience photos from the show.

On November 22, we get to disappear behind an unmarked door for two hours and play in one of our favorite kinds of rooms: low light, close tables, and just enough space between songs for real conversations.

It’s the kind of night where we can actually see people’s faces, catch the side comments and laughter between tunes, and feel the room lean in when a song lands a certain way.

What’s Happening on November 22

• When: Saturday, November 22, 6:30–8:30 PM
• Where: A Private Speakeasy Event at a secret location
• Who: Bell & Field with guest saxophonist Paul Weddle
• What to Expect: Two sets of live acoustic music—piano, guitar, vocals, and sax—played in a room that’s built for lingering conversation, slow drinks, and people who like to actually hear the band. We’ll move from familiar classics to newer favorites, keeping the volume in that sweet spot where you can talk and still follow every note if you want to.
• Website: Contact us directly for information and bookings.

This time we’re not going in as just a duo—saxophonist Paul Weddle is joining us, which means our usual piano-and-guitar setup gets a smoky, melodic third voice threading in and out of the set.

The Room Behind the Unmarked Door

Because it’s a private speakeasy, we can’t post the address—but that’s half the fun. You step off an ordinary street, push through a door that doesn’t look like much, and suddenly you’re in a dim bar where the glasses catch the light and the rest of the world gets a little quieter.

In this space, the music doesn’t have to fight with TVs or shouting. Conversations drop to a murmur, chairs scrape the floor now and then, and you can actually hear the way a note hangs in the air.

The room has that “if these walls could talk” feeling: worn bar tops, low lighting, and just enough distance between tables that you can lean in close and get pulled into a story or a song without feeling rushed to move on to the next thing.

Who We Are When We’re Off the Main Stage

We’re Bell & Field, an acoustic duo that lives somewhere between the warmth of old standards and the pull of songs you might’ve heard on the radio last week.

With piano, guitar, and two voices, we like taking familiar tunes and turning them just a little—changing the feel, stripping them back, or stretching out a moment—so they feel more like a conversation than background noise.

We’ve spent a lot of nights in rooms like this, learning how to read what people actually want. If the crowd is talking, laughing, and catching up, we’ll loosen up the setlist and leave extra space between songs. If the room suddenly goes still, we don’t rush past it—we stay there and let the quiet work with us.

How the Night Will Unfold

From 6:30 to 8:30 PM, we’ll build the evening in layers. We’ll start with a few instrumentals so people can settle in with their first drink, find their seat, and get used to the sound of the room. Then we’ll move into vocal tunes—some that might nudge a few under-the-breath sing-alongs and some newer songs for the guests who like to catch every lyric.

With Paul on sax, the set will have more room to stretch. If we feel the room perk up during a solo, we might let it run a little longer. When things get quieter, the horn will sit just on top of the piano and guitar, barely above a whisper, so people at the tables can still talk without feeling like they’re interrupting anything.

And yes, there will be the occasional clink of a glass, a chair that squeaks at the wrong time, or a door that doesn’t quite close softly—but we honestly love that. It’s proof the music is happening right there with real people, not in a studio where everything is polished and edited.

For the Ones “In the Know”

If you’re on the list for this Private Speakeasy Event, bring your curiosity, your usual drink order (or something you’ve been meaning to try), and maybe the name of a song you’re quietly hoping we’ll play.

We can’t promise we’ll hit every request, but we do our best to weave in what people are actually craving in the moment—whether that’s a standard you grew up with or a song you heard on the way over.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “I’d love something like this for my own gathering,” that’s exactly the kind of night we like to build. Reach out to us directly to talk about putting together a similar acoustic set—piano, guitar, vocals, and (if you’d like) sax—for your event.

What would you be sipping while we play—something classic, or something a bit mysterious? Tell us your pick below.

Here’s to a November evening of music, low light, and the kind of conversations that only seem to happen once the door closes behind you.

This past Saturday, I (Tom) loaded up my guitar and drove over to the Midland Golf Club in Kewanee, IL, where the Kewanee High School Class of 1975 was gathering for their 50th reunion. By the time I walked in, people were already calling out names across the room and finishing stories that clearly started a long time ago.

50 Years of Stories, 3 Hours of Songs

From 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM, I played solo acoustic guitar and sang while classmates caught up, swapped old stories, and passed phones around with grandkid photos. I set up off to the side of the room—close enough to be heard, but far enough that people didn’t have to shout over the music.

I told a few folks that I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better way to spend a Saturday night. Watching friendships that have stretched over 50 years fall right back into place is pretty grounding. Between songs, the room was loud with laughter and “Do you remember when…?”—exactly what you hope for at a reunion.

Songs That Took the Class of ’75 Back

We leaned hard into the music this class grew up with—the 1960s and 1970s songs that were probably on their car radios and record players back then. A few that clearly hit a nerve:

• “We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” by Seals and Crofts
• “Sunshine” by Jonathan Edwards
• “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King
• Encore: “I Saw Her Standing There” by The Beatles

“We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” felt almost too on-the-nose for a 50th reunion, but in the best way. I could see people quietly mouthing the words at their tables, some staring off for a second before snapping back into conversation.

By the time I got to “Stand By Me,” a few couples had decided that sitting down was overrated and made their way to the dance floor. It wasn’t a huge crowd out there, but the ones who danced really leaned into it.

The surprise of the night came at the very end. The room called out for “I Saw Her Standing There” as an encore, and that turned into a full-on dance break. About 20 determined classmates stayed on their feet, dancing and singing like it was the KHS gym floor back in the 70s instead of a golf club in 2025.

How Midland Golf Club Fit the Reunion

Midland Golf Club turned out to be a solid home base for this kind of gathering. There was enough space for people to wander from table to table, give long overdue hugs, and still carve out a little dance floor when the songs called for it.

From my spot with the guitar, I could see clusters of classmates all over the room—people leaning in, pointing across the way, and laughing at something only the KHS Class of ’75 would really understand. The staff kept things quietly on track in the background so everyone could stay focused on catching up instead of worrying about logistics.

Closing Out With the Class of 1975

At the end of the night, I told them, “Hats off to the KHS Class of 1975!” and I meant it. It was a genuine pleasure being the background (and every now and then the foreground) soundtrack for a group that still clearly loves its classic rock and pop.

Those three hours went by quickly: familiar songs, old friends reconnecting, and a handful of brave dancers who refused to let the night end quietly.

Need Live Acoustic Music for Your Reunion or Event?

If you’re planning a reunion, wedding, or any kind of celebration and you’d like live acoustic music—guitar, piano, and vocals—my duo partner Greg and I would be glad to be part of it. You can find details here: Book us for your next event.

Whether you want us tucked into the background while people catch up, or leading a singalong at the end of the night, we’re all in on helping your group reconnect over the songs they know by heart.

Life, in its most fundamental rhythm, is a sequence of repetitions. There is a deep, primal satisfaction in this—the familiar cycle of the sun, the comfort of a routine, the predictable rhythm of an average day. This sense of knowing, of grounding, often acts as a necessary anchor in a chaotic world. Yet, as our modern culture has ramped up the gears of mass-production, that fine line between the familiar and the monotonous has all but dissolved. We are inundated with a sea of cheap sameness: products, services, ideas—all delivered to us at a relentless pace. In the wake of this cultural shift, and with the rapid, pervasive rise of artificial intelligence across all forms of media, the task of discerning the authentic from the algorithmic, the real from the fake, has become an exhausting, daily chore.

This is Real

This cultural backdrop is precisely what makes the arrival of “Tired” by Lewis Knudsen and Lainey Jean so impactful. Dropped quietly at the end of September, it is a distinctly REAL piece of music that cuts through the noise. It doesn’t scream for attention with flashy production or rely on viral trends; instead, it offers a moment of genuine, empathetic resonance.

Lewis Knudsen, a respected musician from the Illinois Quad Cities, has been honing his craft for years. His songwriting is consistently rooted in his own sincere life experiences, a biographical honesty that elevates his work beyond mere pop craft. While the material is deeply personal, he has a gift for crafting songs in a way that allows listeners to instantly find themselves within the lyrics, nodding their head in recognition of universal truths. It’s the kind of music that feels less like performance and more like shared conversation.

Partnering with him on this track is Lainey Jean, a relative newcomer from Rock Island, Illinois, whose passion for music deepened during the quiet, isolating moments of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has been actively performing and releasing music since 2024, and this collaboration proves she is an artist with a promising trajectory.

Cutting Through the Noise

The song “Tired” is, oddly enough, profoundly comforting. The title speaks directly to a collective fatigue. We are all worn down by the perpetual white noise of modern existence: the endless scroll of social media, the aggressive push of digital marketing, the dizzying, corrosive churn of pop culture and political vitriol. It’s an exhaustion that seeps into every facet of life. Sometimes, the weariness is the sheer volume of products relentlessly hawked to us; other times, it’s the superficiality of fake or forced interactions with people we see every day. The song captures this feeling of being constantly “on” and utterly drained by the effort.

Knudsen and Jean bring a beautiful, complementary contrast to the track. They both possess distinct voices—Knudsen’s perhaps offering a grounded, seasoned weariness, and Jean’s providing a brighter, more hopeful texture. Their vocal blend is superb, creating a soundscape where hope is delicately wrapped in the honest acknowledgment of everyday exhaustion. It’s not a song about giving up; it’s a song that says, “I see you, and it’s okay to feel this way.”

Like a Silent Prayer

Musically, the song is subtly arresting. Knudsen’s production choices are masterful in their restraint. I am particularly taken by how the repetitive, grounded verses—which musically mirror the monotony they describe—are broken by a stunning, cathartic flourish. The end of the verses is punctuated by a string of cello-like ascending notes. It’s a sonic signature that acts like a gasp of air or a moment of release, an aural representation of birds being set free to the sky, like a brief, silent prayer. This subtle musical detail provides the emotional climax of the song, transforming the simple word “tired” into a moment of graceful surrender and renewal.

In a media landscape increasingly populated by the synthesized and the superficial, “Tired” is a necessary act of musical resistance. It is a genuine, human connection presented as a beautifully arranged duet. Let’s sincerely hope this is far from the last collaboration between Lewis Knudsen and Lainey Jean. They have found a powerful synergy, and their voices are precisely what is needed to cut through the din of our increasingly automated world.

What other artists do you think successfully capture this feeling of modern digital fatigue in their music?

https://lewisknudsen.com

https://linktr.ee/laineyjean

On Saturday, December 6, we’re loading up the guitar and piano and heading into downtown Lincoln for a three-hour acoustic hang at Copper & Oak Bourbon and Craft Beer Bar. If your idea of a solid Saturday is live music, good people, and a serious bourbon and craft beer lineup, this one’s for you.

We’ll be playing as Bell & Field from 5:00-8:00 PM while you explore their bourbons, whiskeys, and rotating craft beers. Expect classic songs from the ’60s through the ’90s, stripped down to guitar, piano, and two voices, in a bar that clearly cares about what’s in your glass.

When, Where, and What We’re Doing

• When: Saturday, December 6, 5:00-8:00 PM
• Where: Copper & Oak Bourbon and Craft Beer Bar – 227 N Kickapoo St, Lincoln, IL 62656 (right in the heart of historic downtown and the Route 66 Plaza)
• Who: Live acoustic set by Bell & Field
• What to Expect: Classic melodies from the ’60s-’90s, a deep bourbon and whiskey list, and plenty of distinctive craft beers to ease you into the weekend.
• Website: Copper & Oak Bourbon and Craft Beer Bar

What Bell & Field Sounds Like in a Room Like This

We’re an acoustic duo that plays the songs we grew up on: ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s favorites that people actually know the words to. We keep the setup simple-guitar, piano, and two voices-and let the songs carry the weight.

Our sets are built for spots like Copper & Oak. You can still hear the lyrics, you don’t have to shout across the table, and when your favorite chorus hits, you’ll feel it even if you’re mid-conversation. We like to read the room as we go: easing in with slower tunes while everyone gets their first drink, then nudging the tempo up as the night rolls on and the bar fills out.

Bourbon Shelves, Craft Taps, and Route 66

Copper & Oak sits in the new Route 66 Plaza in historic downtown Lincoln, and it feels like it was put together by people who really care about what they pour. There are shelves of bourbon and whiskey behind the bar, over 21 craft beers on tap, and a speakeasy-style room that makes you want to stay for “just one more.”

It’s the kind of place where one table might be comparing tasting notes on a new whiskey flight while the next is just clocking out from the week with a cold craft beer. We’ll be playing to both: songs you can tap your foot to while you talk, and a few that might make you stop mid-sip because you haven’t heard them in a while.

Come Spend a Saturday With Us in Lincoln

If you’ve seen Bell & Field before, come check us out in a new room. If you haven’t caught a show yet, this is an easy first time-no tickets, no big production, just live music, good drinks, and a Saturday evening in downtown Lincoln.

If hearing us at Copper & Oak gets you thinking about live music for your own thing-a small wedding, a private party, or a night at your bar-you can find details about booking us here: https://www.bellandfieldmusic.com/book-acoustic-duo/.

Planning to come out to Copper & Oak? Drop a comment and let us know: which classic track are you hoping we sneak into the set, and which bourbon, whiskey, or craft beer are you starting with?

This past Saturday we hauled the piano, guitar, and sax down to Central Blvd in Kewanee, IL, for a Hog Days Pre-Parade Celebration at a private home right on the route. It was one of those late-summer afternoons where the sun is warm but not punishing, and you can hear the buzz of the parade crowd starting to build in the distance.

Hog Days from the Front Yard

The house sat just off the street, so we were basically playing from someone’s yard straight out to the parade crowd. Once the clouds finally moved out, we had a clear blue sky, kids running around, lawn chairs lined up, and people drifting in and out to listen between parade prep.

We kicked things off with some familiar tunes to pull people in. Starting with “Mrs. Robinson” and “I Feel Fine” felt just right for a sunny afternoon in Kewanee. With Paul Weddle on sax, the trio sound came together quickly—he has a way of sliding into a song like he’s been in the band for years.

What We Played While the Parade Got Closer

We mixed in a bunch of songs that fit the weather and the mood—some lighter, some a little more driving as the street got busier:

• Setlist highlights:
• Mrs. Robinson
• I Feel Fine
• Summer Breeze
• My Life
• Baker Street
• Spooky
• Piano Man
• American Girl

“Baker Street” with Paul on sax was an obvious crowd-pleaser—any time that riff shows up, heads turn. “Piano Man” had a few people quietly singing along from their lawn chairs, and “American Girl” gave us a nice little push of energy as the parade time got closer.

Guest Vocals, Cabernet, and a Sting Tune

One of the best surprises of the day was when local musician Marshall Jones jumped in with us. He came up to sing “It’s Probably Me” by Sting, and it instantly felt like we’d rehearsed it, even though we absolutely hadn’t. That’s the fun part of these neighborhood-style shows—someone you know from around town steps up and suddenly you’ve got a new version of the band for a song.

As the sun climbed and the shade started to disappear, our host, David Guzzardo, kept us in good spirits with a couple of bottles of Cabernet. Not exactly traditional “hydration,” but it definitely helped keep the mood loose and the between-song banter honest.

Hog Days, Home Turf, and Familiar Faces

Hog Days is a big deal in Kewanee, and even though this was technically a private party, it felt very much like being in the middle of the whole thing. The parade route was just a few steps away, and you could feel the build-up as floats and groups started lining up down the street.

For Tom, who lives just a block away, playing this show is basically like hosting a backyard jam for the whole town—only with more people walking by and more pork-related decorations.

Having family around made it even better. Greg’s daughter came by with her boyfriend, Jake, and Greg’s wife showed up too, along with their high-energy dog, Leo, who did laps around the yard like he’d been hired as our unofficial hype man. It’s always easier to relax into a set when you can look out and see people you know mixed in with the crowd.

As the Parade Turned the Corner

Eventually the parade made its way to our stretch of Central Blvd, and we paused the music so everyone could watch. The sound of drums, engines, and cheering rolled past, and just like that, our little front-yard stage became part of the background of Hog Days instead of the main event.

We wrapped up with that nice, tired-but-happy feeling you get after playing outside all afternoon. If you’d like this kind of live acoustic duo setup—piano, guitar, harmonies, and the occasional guest sax—for your own gathering, you can book Bell & Field for your next event.