Rocktoberfest 2013 to Feature 'Wedding Banned,' LT Musicians

La Grange's Gordon Park will be hoppin' this weekend with live music at the fifth annual Rocktoberfest, presented by the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Community Nurse Health Center. 

Rocktoberfest, which kicks off at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, features three local talents, including Josie Dunne, Teknikal Diffikulties and Far-Sighted, who will kick-start Rocktoberfest.

According to a news release from the Woman's Auxiliary, Josie Dunne, a Junior at Lyons Township High School, "is as down to earth and organically real as you get."

Dunne plays ukulele, piano, guitar, sings and writes. While her peers are listening to Justin Bieber and “One Direction,” Josie has Sarah Vaughn, Sam Cook, Bill Withers and Stevie Wonder in her iPhone.  

"Josie has that rare gift, having nothing to do with music, of absolutely lighting up a room, lighting up a stage. She’s natural, uninhibited, funny, and amazingly likable."

Teknikal Diffikulties have been rocking the Chicagoland area recently and are appearing for the first time on the Rocktoberfest stage.  The band is comprised of Ken “the Lithuanian Sensation” Valskis on guitar and vocals, Ryan “The Jackhammer” Williamson – guitar,  Bill “El Pistola” Ritchie – bass,  Mitch “The Ice Cream Man” Mazzone – drums and Steve “Capt Serious” Jasinski - lead vocals.  

Teknikal Diffikulties plays rock and punk music from the 70s and 90s and while they remember the 80s, they choose to ignore them, according to the release. Their set list includes Sublime, Johnny Cash, Green Day, Metallica, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and more.

La Grange band Far-Sighted is back for its second year at Rocktoberfest. The band is comprised of Lyons Township High School students Christian Noval, Mitch Galgan and Nathan Zaworski. The guys of Far-Sighted have been together as a band for over 2 years and their unified love of classic rock music and blues brought them together, according to the release.  Noval, on guitar and vocals, Galgan, on bass and vocals, and drummer Zaworski are all classically trained musicians and play in the high school orchestra. 

"Despite their young age, Far-Sighted has been able to capture the vibe of classic rock gods like Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Beatles."

Headlining the evening is the popular Wedding Banned. Wedding Banned formed in Gas City, IN, and got their first break when they landed a Thursday night gig at The Cubby Bear in Chicago, which turned into a seven-month run, according to the release.

“Community Nurse is pleased to host a night of fun for our communities in the Western Suburbs”, Angela Curran, CEO of Community Nurse said in a statement. “Rocktoberfest has become an opportunity for friends and families to come together for a night out before we head into the winter and the holiday season.  We are looking forward to seeing everyone again on September 21.” 

Food at Rocktoberfest will be provided by Devries, La Cabanita, Armand’s Pizza, and Tates.

Pre-event tickets will be sold at Devries Market (806 W. Arlington, La Grange), Carousel Shop (23 Calendar Avenue, La Grange) and the Corner Shop (27 Calendar Avenue, La Grange) or online until Friday, September 20. 

Tickets to Rocktoberfest are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. For more information on Rocktoberfest, the bands and to buy tickets go to www.therocktoberfest.com. 

Information courtesy of a news release from the Woman’s Auxiliary of the Community Nurse Health Center.

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