late – Bell & Field Music

Shadow Lake Wedding – September 12, 2026

Greg Percifield — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 15:42:37 +0000

If you’re spending a late-summer Saturday catching up with friends and family, this one fits right into that kind of day. It’s the sort of afternoon where people are still finishing coffee, getting dressed, helping set out centerpieces, and suddenly it’s time to walk down an aisle and celebrate love and family. On Saturday, September 12, we’ll be out at Shadow Lake in Geneseo for a private wedding. It’s a 3pm start for the ceremony followed by cocktail hour, which usually means we’re in that in-between light: too early for sunset, but late enough that people are settling in and ready to stop running around for a moment. This is our first time playing at Shadow Lake, but we’ve heard about it from other musicians and a couple of photographers who’ve worked there. The big things they all mentioned were how beautiful it is. From a practical standpoint, that usually means we’re paying attention to wind on the mics and where the sun is hitting the keys and guitar.

Show Details

When: Saturday, September 12, 2026 – 3:00pm
Where: Private wedding at Shadow Lake, Geneseo, IL
Who: Bell & Field (piano & guitar duo)
What to expect: Live music for the ceremony and reception, including the couple’s chosen processional and first-dance songs, softer instrumentals while guests arrive, and a mix of piano-led ballads and acoustic covers as the afternoon turns into evening.

About Bell & Field

We’re a piano-and-guitar duo that spends a lot of weekends doing exactly this: learning a couple’s key songs, showing up early enough to sort out cables and soundchecks, and then adjusting the set in real time based on who’s actually in the room (or in this case, by the lake). Some moments call for just piano under a quiet conversation, others call for everyone singing the chorus whether they planned to or not.

About the Venue

Shadow Lake used to be a campground, and a group of local couples put in the work to turn it into a wedding spot. It sits just north of Geneseo, with a big lake and a lot of trees around it, and they’ve built out a large tented area for gatherings. From our side of things, that means we’ll likely be setting up with the lake in our sightline, keeping an eye on the weather and making sure the sound carries evenly without getting swallowed up by all that open space. We’re looking forward to meeting the families, playing the songs that matter to this couple, and doing our small part to keep the day moving smoothly from ceremony to the first round of toasts.

Back in David Guzzardo’s Yard – September 5, 2026

Greg Percifield — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 21:48:53 +0000

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.

Sun-Kissed Melodies: Bell & Field’s Enchanting Hog Days Prelude

Greg Percifield — Sun, 31 Aug 2025 17:10:46 +0000

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. [embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2J47RKZ4aY[/embedyt]