It’s the 60th anniversary of the Oak Brook Park District and they are marking it in style by dedicating their annual Summer Concert Series to Celebrating the ’60s. Performances are Thursdays from June 30 to July 28 at the Performing Arts Pavilion in Central Park West.
The five-concert series opens on June 30 with Second Hand Soul Band, sharing Motown, funk, and soul sounds.
Kathy Fern and Lyle Miller share lead vocals with the Second Hand Soul Band. Fern has been with the group since it was founded 19 years ago; Miller joined about seven years ago.
The other band members are Dave Drower (sax), Glenn Jacobsen (guitar), Josh Hylland (bass), Dartanian Gunn (drums), and Alec Keys (keyboard).
Miller explained the band’s name by noting, “It’s the second iteration of the music. It was originally done by The Temptations or by Aretha Franklin, and this is our version. It’s second hand but it’s still soul. It’s still the same fire and the same energy and sweat.”
Fern said that the seven members of the group blend well together because, “Everybody is bringing their A Game every time. It feels so good to be working with a group of people that are always pushing forward at the same pace. We end up delivering a show that’s full of energy and we have so much fun.”
Miller summed up the sound of the band in one word — authentic. “Everyone who plays in the band understands soul music and the essence of soul music — that it’s about honesty, it’s about reaching the soul,” he said.
Oak Brook audiences will hear songs from Earth, Wind & Fire; James Brown; Gladys Knight; Aretha Franklin; Marvin Gaye; Kool and the Gang; Wild Cherry; Commodores; and Al Green, among others.
“I’ve been an entertainer for over 30 years,” Miller said. “What’s great about being in this band is playing my favorite kind of music.”
Fern concluded, “We pick songs that entertain us and delight us and it delights the audience.”
The second concert in the series, on July 7, will feature The Wayouts, four friends who decided to share their love of 1960s garage rock by starting the band in 2017.
Band members are Brian McDonnell of Batavia (guitar and vocals), Steve Cimino of Oak Park (drums), Eric Korte of Elk Grove Village (bass and vocals), and Jeff Palac of Lombard (guitar and vocals).
The band took their name from a “Flintstones” cartoon episode, McDonnell reported. “The Wayouts were kind of a Beatles knockoff,” he explained. “It tied in well with what we were going for with the ’60s theme and it sounded like a ’60s name.”
McDonnell said that what makes The Wayouts distinctive is that “these songs are older than us. What our audience enjoys is to hear a really deep selection of a specific genre. There’s so much good music out of the ’60s that gets overlooked. We don’t do it like an oldies act. We do it like rock ‘n’ roll — like it was originally written.”
McDonnell noted that The Wayouts attracts a cross-section of ages.
They primarily perform in the Chicago area, appearing at many festivals. “We do a lot of family-friendly summer evenings — people in lawn chairs and blankets,” McDonnell said. The series continues with Rosie & The Rivets, performing danceable music of the 1950s and ’60s on July 14; Kaleidoscope Eyes, an acoustic Beatles tribute band on July 21; and rock and roll music with the Neverly Brothers on July 28.
Summer Concert Series, Celebrating the ’60s
When: 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursdays June 30-July 28
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Where: Performing Arts Pavilion, Central Park West, 1500 Forest Gate Road, Oak Brook
Tickets: Free admission
Information: 630-990-4233; obparks.org/special-events
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.