The ULTIMATE Party Band…
…Feel Good Rock and Soul!
Press Kit
www.dupageband.com
… is an experienced, professional cover band dedicated to pure entertainment. From the timeless,
soulful sounds of Motown to today's most popular adult contemporary and alternative hits,
dupage plays songs that draw audiences of all ages at festivals, clubs and private parties. The
band's mission is "everyone get up and dance," so the sets are arranged to get the audience to do
just that and are filled with songs that make everyone want to turn up the volume and rock out!
.
IS...
Darryl Armistead
Vocals, Keyboard
John Gawle
Vocals, Lead Guitar
Ron Rysell
Vocals, Drums, Percussion
Bob Kuntz
Vocals, Sax, Percussion
Tom Hull
Bass Guitar
…a tight-knit five-piece group of experienced musicians
united with a common love of music. Combining the talent of
four lead vocalists with the usual line up of instruments,
dupage weaves in keyboards and saxophone, and, when a
song begs for full horn riffs, dupage delivers.
WILL ROCK YOUR EVENT …
...with extensive festival, concert, club, and private party experience. You want a successful
event without a lot of stress. dupage will work with you to meet the goals of your particular
event. The audience wants a good time. dupage presents a mix of old and new songs that aren’t
too soft and aren’t too hard—perfect for today's club and festival scene. dupage encourages
dancing and gets the crowd involved: whether it’s playing “air guitars,” tossing beads or
auditioning the next dupage “Idol”. Let’s get your party started…
CONTACT:
Website: www.dupageband.com
Ph: 847-259-7255
Bob Kuntz
Email: [email protected]
Cell: 847-962-8645
FESTIVALS, CLUBS, & PRIVATE PARTIES
2010 Festivals and Concerts
Arlington Park Racetrack
Arlington Heights Park District
Des Plaines Historical Society
Prospect Heights Park District
Roselle Park District
Winfield Community Bank
Clubs
Bannerman’s
Bungalow Joes
Chicago Loop
Claddaugh
Diamond Lil’s
The Eskape
Gino's East
Hawthorne's Backyard
Moretti's Pizza
Official’s Time Out
Pheasant Run Resort
Q Billiards
Real Time Sports
Shark City
Private Parties
Various
www.dupageband.com
COVERS THESE BANDS
Al Green
Barenaked Ladies
Beastie Boys
Bee Gees
Billy Joel
Billy Ray Cyrus
Black Eyed Peas
Blues Brothers
Bon Jovi
Bruce Springsteen
Bryan Adams
Cake
Chic
Chuck Berry
Collective Soul
Commodores
David Bowie
Doobie Brothers
Dr. John
Earth Wind and Fire
Fastball
Fountains of Wayne
Glenn Frey
Goo Goo Dolls
Greg Allman
Hootie and the Blowfish
Huey Lewis
Jimmy Buffet
Jimmy Eat World
John Mellencamp
Jr. Walker
KC & The Sunshine Band
Kiss
Kool & the Gang
Lipps Inc.
Loverboy
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Matchbox Twenty
McFadden & Whitehead
Michael Franti
Michael Jackson
Michael McDonald
Neil Diamond
Ohio Players
Pink
Prince
Rare Earth
Rick James
Rick Springfield
Ricky Martin
Romantics
Rose Royce
Sam & Dave
Sammy Hagar
Santana
Smashmouth
Spin Doctors
Sugarhill Gang
Temptations
Third Eye Blind
The Trammps
Tom Petty
Tommy Tutone
Warren Zevon
Weezer
Wild Cherry
Wilson Pickett
ZZ Top
www.dupageband.com
MEMBER BIOS
JOHN GAWLE - Guitar, backup vocals
Instruments: Gibson, Hamer, Fender and Mesa Boogie guitars.
Musical influences: Santana, Doobies, Motown, Latin
Bio: The opening guitar riffs on “I Wanna Hold your Hand” drove John to start guitar
lessons at age 9. He honed his rock licks by spinning Santana, Black Sabbath and Bad
Company LPs. John formed his first band, Cold Rolled Steel, in high school, gigged with
Bob and Ron in Horizon, and continues to play – sometimes for nothing other than pure
pleasure - to this day.
Favorite saying: "Peace!"
TOM HULL - Bass Guitar
Instruments: Zon 5-string; Ibanez Soundgear 4-string.
Musical influences: Motown, James Jamerson, Herbie Flowers
Bio: Tom originally played keyboards before discovering his true passion for bass 17
years ago. Since then, he has played with several bands and enjoys groovin’ with
covers from the 60’s to today. He is the band webmaster and a technical geek.
Tom (a.k.a. “The Doc”) is actually a doctor of nothing!
Favorite saying: “Life is Good”
BOB "THE SAXMAN" KUNTZ - Sax and Vocals
Instruments: ’63 Selmer Mark VI tenor, ’63 Martin Low A Bari
Musical influences: Clarence Clemens, Chicago, Tower of Power, Traffic, Steely Dan
Bio: Bob picked up his first sax at age 10, and has been playing in rock and jazz
bands ever since. He met up with Tom in a band called Hidden Agenda. If he's not
jammin' with the boys, you might find him tuning up his '68 Olds or figuring how to
bug out for another Colorado ski trip.
Favorite Saying: "A week playing sax seems like a day; a day at work seems like a
week…that’s relativity".
DARRYL ARMISTEAD - Keyboards and Vocals
Instruments: Roland RD-700 SX Stage Piano, Roland SP-404 Sampler
Musical influences: Herbie Hancock, Cameo, Temptations, Earth Wind & Fire,
Chicago
Bio: Darryl started piano lessons at age 4 and began playing professionally at age
12. Darryl has been a bandleader for a variety of bands in the Midwest for the past
35 years. He also worked as a theatre musical director for many years in
Indianapolis. If he’s not jamming with the band, you might find him running
marathons around the country.
Favorite Saying: “What time is band rehearsal over?”
RON RYSELL - Drums, Congas, Percussion, vocals
Instruments: Yamaha Drums, Zildjian and Sabian Cymbals, Yamaha and Drum
Workshop hardware, Vic Firth Sticks, and LP percussion instruments
Musical influences: Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and Doobie Brothers
Bio: Ron began playing drums in high school, and has played drums and percussion
with various bands since then. He enjoys nearly all types of music, and started
collecting LPs as a young lad, which evolved into CDs, and now an extensive iTunes
collection.
Favorite saying: “Carpe Diem - Seize the day!”
www.dupageband.com
REFERENCES
June 14, 2010
The dupage band headlined our fundraising event on May 21, 2010. The event was held in a
tent that accommodated about 400 guests. The band provided excellent entertainment for
our audience; the age range of attendees varied widely, and dupage played a huge variety of
songs that appealed to everyone. It was clear that the band members truly enjoy what they
do, and it showed in their energetic performance.
I liked the props the band brought along to keep the audience engaged: Mardi Gras beads,
plastic blow-up saxophones, and maracas. The photos from the event show guests having a
great time playing with the items the band brought with them.
Besides their performance, I couldn’t be more pleased with the band’s preparation before
the event. We spoke several times on the phone to plan out logistical details, and this made
all the difference the day of the event. The band members arrived on time, worked well
with our other volunteers as they set up, and were generally really nice people to deal with.
I would highly recommend the dupage band for anyone planning an event with music that
requires “something for everyone.” Not only does dupage band provide variety, but they do
it with great stage presence and a truly unique style of engaging with the audience.
Susan Golland
Des Plaines’ 175th Anniversary Party co-chair
847-391-5399
[email protected]
www.dupageband.com