All about Big Bluestem
Big Bluestem is a six-member acoustic ensemble featuring Kathleen Everingham on fiddle, Jose Agusti on guitar, Randy Cordle on banjo, Rebecca Grosser on guitar, Drew Phillips on mandolin and Todd Kinney on bass.
Our newest member, Randy Cordle, has played in various bands for his entire time in CU. He recently fell in with Big Bluestem after hearing us perform locally and following up on the fortuitous vacancy left when Tom Devello found it necessary to relocate. Randy can also be heard pickin’ on the mando and is a talented composer of tunes and songs – some of which have already been incorporated into the BBSB repertoire.
BBSB performs an eclectic mix of fiddle tunes, old-time string band music, bluegrass and historic tunes, with an occasional sprinkling of swing and the blues.
Upcoming Performances
WEFT Bluegrass Roots Extravaganza
Sundat, January 29
5:00–9:00 p.m.
The Iron Post
Urbana, Illinois
$10 Donation to benefit WEFT.
Dust off your dancin’ shoes and come out to support WEFT with Bluegrass, Old Time, Honky Tonk and more
The Iron Post
Saturday, March 17
6:00–9:00 p.m.
Urbana
$3 cover.
Join BBSB for their annual St. Paddy’s Day Panick!
Urbana Park District Strawberry Jam
Saturday, June 16
4:00 p.m.–dusk
Meadowbrook Park
Urbana
No cover.
Bring a picnic supper and enjoy some great music! Free strawberries with ice cream courtesy of the Urbana Park District.
Want to be notified about upcoming gigs? Send a request to be added to our email list to bigbluestem@bigbluestemstringband.com.
Available now! Under the Prairie Moon
The disc features 15 tunes from the band’s eclectic repertoire. Be sure to pick one up at our next show!
Why “Big Bluestem”?
Our name pays homage to our prairie heritage. Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) once dominated the tall-grass prairies of North America, forming rippling waves of amber taller than a man on horseback from the Rocky Mountains to the eastern forests. The prairies are largely gone, but big bluestem is still an important forage grass in parts of the Mississippi valley and a dominant component in prairie hay. The “King of Grasses” produces better quality and greater amounts of forage than any other native American prairie grass. Cows and bison love it. Big bluestem is the official Illinois prairie grass.
Booking Information
Contact Kathleen Everingham at 217/384-0903, or any other band member, to book Big Bluestem for your next event. You can email us at bigbluestem@bigbluestemstringband.com.
Last update: 10/21/10
It’s just lil’ ol’ me dying for info about the Brenda and Drew Family. Drew, please email us at smanning@epix.net. Will is in Paris for 2+weeks, spending his dad’s money and flirting with the girls; Bruce is waiting for college replies, and recooping from having his wisdom teef yanked out; Chris is getting ready to graft more apple trees; and I’m avoiding my calculus homework, since I need that for a teaching certification. Geez.
Glad to see you making music. We do some of that here, too.
There is still a welcoming hug for you and yours here in PA.