Hickory Ridge Concerts

10/14/2026

Forgottonia is coming to the Sandwich Opera House in Sandwich, IL on Sunday, November the 1st at 3:00 pm

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Email from Gin Ridge Music Amazing Historic Theater Greetings! On Sunday, November the 1st, Forgottonia is coming to one of the venues I've wanted to play for years; The Sandwich Opera House in Sandwi

10/14/2026

Lil Rev, Ukulele master at Hickory Ridge Concerts, Saturday, October the 17th at 7:00 pm at the historic Ellisville Opera House in Ellisville, IL. Details in the link below.

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Email from Gin Ridge Music Ukelele Master at Hickory Ridge Greetings! If you missed last months show, I was the headline performer due to a last minute cancellation by Barak Hill because of a very bad

10/10/2026

https://youtu.be/DfOJSZGeA24
I'm heading up to the historic Sandwich Opera House in Sandwich IL for a matinee performance of my show Forgottonia. I'll be joined by Don Stiernberg on Mandolin and Marc Edelstein on Bass as I share the stories of "unmetroplitan" America. I've played the Sandwich Fair for the past 20 years and have wanted to perform in this historic theater for years. Come out and join us! Tickerts at this link: https://www.sandwichoperahouse.org/forgottonia

10/06/2026

Lil Rev Returns to Hickory Ridge!

https://conta.cc/4zhedN1

Email from Gin Ridge Music Ukelele Master at Hickory Ridge Hi Res J-peg HERE Word Doc HERE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE KILL DATE 10/17/26 UKELELE MASTER AT HICKORY RIDGE The Hickory Ridge Concert Series wel

10/01/2026

I'll be performing a school version of "Forgottonia" at the Legacy Theater in Carthage, IL on Friday, October 2nd at 1:00 PM. PLEASE NOTE: If you were interested in coming to the show that evening for the public, that show has been cancelled due to a grant they had written to cover that cost being turned down. I WELL be performing the adult version at the new Goldfarb Center for the Arts at Western Illinois University in Macomb on February 6th. Get tickets for THAT show at this link: https://www.facebook.com/share/19eAmfrUhL/

Taking you on a musical journey through the people and places of rural Illinois, Chris Vallillo combines storytelling and live music with images from award-winning rural photographer Tim Schroll,...

09/19/2026

I just got a call from this month's headliner, Barak Hill, who let me know that he has to cancel due to laryngitis! I am so sorry to hear this because he is a fine performer and an excellent writer.

Due to the last minute nature of the situation, we will go to our fallback position. I'll take over the slot as headliner for tomorrow's show. I just finished a 5 day run at the Sandwich Fair and will perform a variety of material I rarely do at Hickory Ridge, the Carter Family, Jimmy Rogers etc, and I will bring out all the toys... the skinhead banjo, the hammer dulcimer, the resonator guitars and anything else that strikes my fancy. I'll also perform things I don't normally do at Hickory Ridge. It will be a fun night!

09/16/2026

I'll be playing in Barry IL on Thursday, Sept 17th at 7:00 pm for the 190th anniversary celebration of New Philadelphia. Come on out!
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Email from Gin Ridge Music Performance in Barry IL Greetings! It's been a busy summer and it's not over yet. I'll be performing my show Songs of the Illinois Freedom Road for the 190th Anniversary of

09/05/2026

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Saturdays at 8:00 pm Put yourself in the room where live folk music thrives Folkstage is a one-hour concert series featuring the finest traditional and singer-songwriter talent in folk music. Each year, some two dozen concerts come to you live from local venues or WFMT's studio. Previous live perfor...

09/02/2026

The new Performing Arts Center at Western Illinois opens up on September the 16th with Chicken Wire Empire, a truly exceptional bluegrass band. I co-produced the showcase room at the Midwest Arts Expo where these folks were first seen by the Goldfarb staff. THEY ARE INCREDIBLE! Not only are they excellent musicians, they are also outstanding entertainers as well. This will be a great way to kick off the new Goldfarb Center for the Arts. Don't miss this one! It will be special.

08/27/2026

I'll be performing my show Abraham Lincoln In Song for the Throwback Thursday noon concert at the Opera House Plaza in Canton. This is the show that started it all for me. I created this show to celebrate the Lincoln Bicentennial and the show received the endorsement of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission and the Cd of music from the show charted at #10 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts! I still perform it from time to time and am excited to be able to share with folks in Canton and the surrounding area!

The show combines Lincoln's own words, stories he told and music directly associated with him to tell the story of his life and times. We re-scheduled this from earlier in the summer due to rain, but things look good for tomorrow's performance! Bring a sack lunch and join us. the weather should be beautiful!

Email from Gin Ridge Music Noon Concert, Opera House Plaza Lincoln In Song At Canton, IL Friday At Noon Greetings! I'll be performing my show Abraham Lincoln In Song for the Throwback Thursday noon co