Local Band Comes Home For Free Concert At Mt. Greenwood Park

CHICAGO, IL - A band with roots in Beverly and Mount Greenwood will return home Thursday night to perform a free concert at Mount Greenwood Park. The event, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the park located at 3721 W. 111th St., is part of the 19th Ward's free outdoor concert series.

Performing Thursday night, Aug. 2, will be Coyote Riot. Coyote Riot is made up of seven band members who are all from the Southwest Side of Chicago, including the core four who all graduated from either Brother Rice or Marist high schools.

The band will perform a mix of folk, bluegrass and rockabilly music, Quin Cunningham, the band's banjo player and booking manager, said.

"It will be upbeat, fast-paced music," he said. "Something you can either dance to or just sit down and listen to some good old-fashioned music."

Coyote Riot has been together for about eight years, with Cunningham, Matt Grant, Dan Kane and Bob Barry as the core members. The group of musicians grew up together in the neighborhood and formed the band after previously performing with separate groups.

Their return to the neighborhood Thursday night will bring some local music lovers back to the days the band originated, when they would play at local bars like Mackell's Inn, Lanigan's and Blackthorn. Since then, they have played at various Chicago venues like City Winery and Double Door, as well as festivals like the Frankfort Bluegrass Festival and Shoe Fest in Manteno.

The band has also performed at several weddings.

"Pack a blanket, chair, and bug spray, and bring the family to a great night of outdoor music with friends and neighbors," 19th Ward Ald. Matt O'Shea said in an email to residents.

The 19th Ward concert series is sponsored by the 19th Ward Youth Foundation, Senator Bill Cunningham, Representative Fran Hurley, the Chicago Park District, Little Company of Mary Hospital, Peoples Gas and the Beverly Review.

Most recently as part of the series, Over the Side, another local band, performed for an audience at Crescent Park in Beverly.

Photo courtesy of Coyote Riot