Armchair Boogie:
Starting in 2015 from a front porch in the college town of Stevens Point, Wisconsin. Armchair Boogie can be defined by their fast pickin’ skills and infectious grooves. Augie Dougherty (banjo, vocals) and Ben Majeska (guitar, vocals) began playing under the name before welcoming two members to complete the band.The addition of Eli Frieders (bass) and Denzel Connor (drums) as the driving rhythm section allowed Armchair Boogie to become a bluegrass, up-tempo, jammin-funkgrass outfit.
In the spring of 2018 Armchair Boogie moved to Madison, WI where they released their first self-titled album. During this time they began touring around Wisconsin, the Midwest, and across America to share their tunes and contagiously playful personalities. Their journeys on the road have led them to stages such as Blue Ox, Northwest String Summit, John Hartford Memorial Festival, Summer Camp, and Merlefest. They’ve had the honor to share the spotlight with The Infamous Stringdusters, Yonder Mountain Stringband, Kitchen Dwellers, Pert Near Sandstone, and jammed with many more.
The Lutz Brothers Band:
As their name would imply, The Lutz Brothers Band from Central Illinois (Peoria, IL) have a brother duo within the group. Greg Lutz is leading the charge on guitars and vocals. His younger brother Brad Lutz is holding down the beats with his larger-than-life drum kit. Add Scott Tillison to the low end and you’ve got a rock trio ready to hit the scene. The Lutz Brothers Band formed in 2020 after reconnecting from a previous 2018 attempt to form a band. Now, after two years and a pandemic later, they are ready to share their music with the world. Their sound is a cross-section of musical tastes spanning Ween to Phish (and everywhere in-between). They add just the right amount of rock to extrapolated improvisational movements to keep the dance floor poppin’. Sprinkle in a dash of blues, R&B, and funk and you’ve arrived at the cross-roads of their sound. In January 2023, the band expanded their sound to include Brian Railey on percussion and Megan Brienen on backing vocals.