The City of Bloomington is excited to announce the return of free concerts to downtown. This years lineup includes Hairbanger’s Ball on June 10th, Dan Hubbard on July 15th, Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress on August 5th and Chicago Farmer and the Fieldnotes on August 26th.
“Concerts on the square bring a vibrancy to downtown that the community has come to recognize and enjoy,” City Manager Tim Gleason said.
Hairbanger’s Ball is the region’s 80’s cover band. They were established in Chicago in 2001. Hairbanger’s Ball is one of the most sought after “80’s Hair Rock Tribute Bands” in the United States performing over 150 shows a year for 15 years.
Here is Headbanger’s Ball’s Promo Video.
And here is a video from their appearance at The Castle last month.
Dan Hubbard is an Americana artist from Bloomington. On July 15th his special guest will be Kayla Brown.
In a nearly 15-year career as a singer-songwriter Hubbard has released 7 studio albums and toured extensively throughout the United States. Influenced by the likes of Tom Petty, Hubbard’s music has been acclaimed as “beautiful, powerful, and often seemingly effortless.” (Independent Clauses)
After graduating from Illinois State University, Hubbard knew he wanted to pursue music, and he’s been honing his craft ever since.
From 2008-14, Hubbard played with his band the Humadors, and their 2011 release, The Love Show, hit the Roots Rock chart’s Top 50.
One of Hubbard’s most popular songs is Run To The River.
In 2021 Hubbard released a 5-song EP, Fall in Love Again (Quarantine Lullabies), as well as a single, See You Again (Live).
Hubbbard performed See You Again live at The Castle in November 2017.
Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress take us back to the day when men wore baseball shirts, gym shorts and tube socks as a fashion statement.
Rod Tuffcurls and The Bench Press describe themselves as a peak experience band from Chicago, IL. with a focus on bone-crushing 3 part harmonies, laser-sharp musicianship, and a top tier light show. They claim to be a live performance powerhouse that carefully curates each show from a truly eclectic and massive repertoire.
One of the groups most popular covers is I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston.
Tuffcurls and the Benchpress even take on Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Chicago Farmer is actually Cody Diekhoff. Farmer grew up in Delavan, Illinois, with a population less than 2,000. His grandparents were farmers. Farmer is a folk musician who was inspired by Hank Williams, John Prine and Woody Guthrie. Farmer’s roots provide the background for his songs.
The Twenty Dollar Bill is one of Farmer’s most popular songs.
Last year Farmer performed Farm and Factories at the Castle.