Chris Vallillo will bring his Hickory Ridge Concert Series to Macomb, Illinois June 20 at 7 pm at the Vallillo/Holtz performance space at WIUM FM in Macomb.
“Our usual venue, the Ellisville Opera House, accidentally booked our show date for a play rehearsal and we needed to find an alternative space” said Vallillo. “WIUM has been out media partner for years so they were the first place that came to mind.” The show will feature Lyal Strickland, an Americana singer-songwriter, whose music is as authentic as the Ozark hills from which it hails. With a background deeply embedded in the rural landscapes of Missouri, his lyrics resonate with the experiences of small-town life, weaving tales of struggle, resilience, and the unyielding human spirit.
Strickland is a singer, songwriter, and farmer whose songs are a reflection of his upbringing in a small town, where the values and hardships of rural life imbue every note and word. “An old house and barn/ Some good solid oak/ A roof clad with tin/ Blowin’ in the wind/ On some old Missouri backroad/ Is where I call my home…” Strickland's journey is not just about music. It's about conveying a way of life that honors tradition while embracing the challenges of the present. With each performance Strickland champions a sound that is both timeless and refreshingly genuine.
Growing up, Lyal always planned to pursue his music after college while devoting time to help his Grandfather oversee the 800-plus-acre cattle farm. Someday it would be his. But 10 days before college graduation, his grandfather died. Strickland took over running the farm, lived in the farmhouse, and in the following months he took university extension classes while juggling a growing show schedule. “It was a blessing,” he says. “I knew I had a roof over my head. I had beef in the freezer. And that allowed me a lot of freedom to take crappy gigs and not have to make anything. As long as I could not lose money, I’d be fine.”
The Hickory Ridge Concert Series is hosted by singer-songwriter Chris Vallillo. Concerts are usually (but not always) held on the 3rd Saturday of the month and begin at 7 p.m. with the doors opening at 6 p.m. The Ellisville Opera House is a second story venue however they do now have an elevator and is air conditioned. Coffee, drinks, and a variety of desserts are available during intermission. There is an admission charge of $10 per adult with children under 12 free. Hickory Ridge Concerts is supported in part by WIUM 91.3 FM, your source for NPR programming, local news and a variety of music, the Two Rivers Arts Council, and the Doris and Ken Kolb Foundation. Follow Hickory Ridge Concerts on facebook, or on the website, www.hickoryridgeconcerts.com.
