Get Your Kicks On Route 66 This Weekend in Springfield, Illinois!

Live Music from the 50's, 60's, and 70's Keeps the 10th Anniversary International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Car Show Rockin' This Weekend in Downtown Springfield, Illinois!

Over a thousand beautiful classic and performance cars, trucks and motorcycles are not the only reason to spend the weekend of September 23-25 in Downtown Springfield, Illinois at the International Route 66 Mother Road Festival and Car Show.  This Festival is also a great live music venue that spectators can take in for free.  Tunes from the 50's, 60's, and 70's fit perfectly with the tenth anniversary "Reunion on the Road" Festival theme for 2011.

The Hot Rod Stage at the corner of 6^th and Washington will begin to rock on Friday evening from 7:30 until 10:00pm when The Neverly Brothers from Chicago travel down Route 66 full of fiery energy and a unique presentation concept.  The Neverly Brothers, featuring Kevin Giragosian on guitar and vocals, Kegham Giragosian on drums and vocals, and Craig Gigstad on bass and vocals, get their audiences on their feet with joyful retro-sonic sounds.  Bridging the gap between 50's rockabilly and the early 60's British invasion, the Neverly Brothers have proven to be a crowd favorite at previous appearances at the Route 66 Festival.  Most of all, the guys in the Neverly Brothers know how to entertain.  Their stage show gets people up and dancing (or at least tapping their toes) from start to finish.  They trace with song selection and accompanying narrative how American Rockabilly influenced the bands that made up the British Invasion in the early 1960's. These are the songs and the attitude that poured forth from the AM radios in cars traveling on Route 66 creating the timeless soundtrack for the carefree road-trips that the Festival celebrates.

Mark Cross is a talented musician and songwriter with a band and an idea.  He's on a mission to perform live at 20 "Main Street USA" towns between Chicago and Santa Monica along the historic Route 66 sharing original tunes composed in tribute to the legendary highway and presenting an entertaining, upbeat show.  The "Mark Cross- Route 66 Music Tour" takes to the Hot Rod Stage from noon to 1:15pm.  MARK CROSS BAND'S "sound and style" can best be described as Alternative Soft Rock, which, of course, is very popular and quite inspiring music for audiences of all ages.  The Band has recorded 4 albums, during the past 4 months.  After the MARK CROSS BAND'S concert on the Festival's Hot Rod Stage the Band will continue to perform in "west bound towns," along Route 66 for several weeks, before completing tour performances in the Los Angeles area, during the month of October. The ROUTE 66 MUSIC TOUR will cover over 2400 miles through eight states.  While on the Tour, the MARK CROSS BAND will perform over 25 concerts, in 25 towns.

A hometown Springfield band with over 200 years of professional musical experience will kick off a set of radio hits from the 60's and 70's at 3:30pm on the Hot Rod Stage.  Rewind, comprised of Bob Smith, Dave Lazarides, Steve Fowler, Dave Pruitt, and Kent Hill, have performed in varying lineups and formats since 1984.  The current Rewind band lineup first appeared on the Springfield scene in 2006.  Rewind specializes in incredible, tightly- harmonized vocals. The Rewind show will continue until 6:00pm.

Right after the 6:30pm Quaker Steak & Lube Wing Eating Contest on the Hot Rod Stage, all the sauce will be mopped up and the band Captain Rat & The Blind Rivets will perform from 7:30 to 10:00pm.  Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets, from Champaign, Illinois put on a high energy 50's and 60's rock n' roll show filled with humor, satire, outrageous costumes; and most of all good times.  The band, one of the  most popular in the region, has been performing since 1980 and has put on spectacular family-oriented shows to more than a million people.  The five musicians in the group include Jeff Evans, a/k/a "Buster B. Dordaun" on drums and vocals; Roger Prillaman, a/k/a "Todd Modern" on keyboards, trumpet and vocals; Tim Vear, a/k/a "Timmy Ray" on vocals and guitar; "Mark B. Rubel" on bass and vocals; and Tary Powers, a/k/a "Bart Bartonia" on saxophone and vocals.  The band members keep their tight sound energetic and crowd-involving and the band members frequently move into the crowd using wireless transmitters and switching instruments.  This band was so well received in its past Route 66 Festival appearance, that it was a cinch they should become part of the special 10^th anniversary edition.

Register for the 10^th Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival on site for $50 beginning on Thursday Sept. 22nd 2:00 pm - 7:00 pm (630 South 6th Street, Ansar Shrine Temple). All years, makes and models are accepted. Free T�]shirt with entry!  Registration includes weekend admission for the vehicle.  More info at