This showcase event features original music all evening - performed by some of the best songwriters in the area.
I’ll start out at 6:00 with a set of my songs.
Then we will hear from our featured songwriters:
Barry Sperti
Barry is an esteemed performer and a local treasure. He has performed internationally with several well-known groups and is a recording artist in his own right.
Mr. Sperti is currently band leader, lead vocalists and saxophonist for two of the area’s prominent bands - both bands with decades of performance history in the region – “The Matteson Allstars” and “The Saxophones”. Both of these local acts perform his original music as part of their regular show. Barry is also a member of The Big Squeeze Band and continues his freelance work as saxophonist and vocalist with several regional society bands.
For this event, Barry will be presenting songs from his extensive songbook to be performed in this intimate setting. Barry’s music is timely and covers many subjects from love songs and nostalgia to political and social statements.
Billy Klein and Ted Spaniak - A.K.A. Loretto Lane
These prolific songwriters are great performers and have a wide variety of original music to play for you. Both Billy and Ted are stylistic singers and write songs in multi-genre style. They also perform frequently at songwriter events.
Ted is a top-notch piano and guitar player and multi-styled songwriter. He performs frequently with the well-known rock band Strung Out all throughout the Chicagoland area.
Billy has a wonderful voice and acoustic guitar style with many songs written for our veterans and touching songs of life and love. Together they provide an energetic mix of upbeat songs and heart-felt ballads ranging from slick humor to deadly serious.
There is a wonderful full album of recordings under the Loretto Lane band name. Please talk to Billy or Ted about how to obtain a copy of their CD “Love and Trouble”.
Eric Lambert
Eric Lambert is a three-time Chicago Music Award winner, a Strings and Sol Festival (Mexico) Guitar Champion and Rocky Grass (Colorado) new band winner as a member of the Henhouse Prowlers.
He has played the guitar, educated, recorded and toured internationally with artists as diverse as the Henhouse Prowlers, Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike, Heartsfield, Tim Grimm, Katheryn Rondeau and Big Shoulders in a career that has spanned over fifty years.
One of Eric’s earlier recordings, “Beating The Odds”, peaked at #8 on the Folk Alliance International DJ Chart in 2021 and was named one of the top releases of 2021 along with Bela Fleck, Norman Blake, Billy Strings and others by the “Back Porch” radio show on WVPE Public Radio. The 2021 release was also named the Best Regional Release of the year by Tom Lounges.
The Times of City and “House of the Rising Sun” (with Katheryn Rondeau) at FAI in Montreal can be found in the American Folklife collection at the U.S Library of Congress.
His video instructional courses “123 Bluegrass” and “Flatpicking with Eric Lambert” can be found in the course offerings of the prestigious online guitar instruction giant Truefire.
Look for Eric’s latest release here in 2025 - “It Don’t Matter Who You Love” - can be heard on all streaming platforms.
Eric currently performs regularly with several area bands: “Southtown Soul and Groove”
“Chicago Bob and the New Homewreckers” – “The Revolving Doors” – look for the new group “Brothers and Sisters” as well as duo work with Jeff Massey and others.
TJ Aubuchon
T.J. Aubuchon, a dynamic singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist making waves in the music scene. With his debut album "Edge of Night" released in October 2023, T.J. has already made a significant impact, earning a Top 10 Regional Albums of 2023 nod from Tom Lounges of Midwest BEAT.
T.J.'s music is a fusion of his powerful voice, dramatic stage presence, and eclectic influences from his background in theatre and acting. His discography includes three captivating singles from his debut album - The title track, "Edge of Night", "Dancing in the Sun", and "Her Castle" - with a forthcoming single slated for October.
A seasoned performer, T.J. has opened for notable bands and artists such as Scott Stapp of Creed, Puddle of Mudd, Hawthorne Heights, and Drake Bell, honing his craft in the vibrant Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana music circuits. T.J.’s music and performance schedule can be found at:
Facebook.com/tjaubuchonperformer - Instagram/tj_aubuchon_music
TikTok/tj_music93 - YouTube/tjaubuchonvevo7705 - Spotify/ T.J. Aubuchon - Apple Music/T.J. Aubuchon
Will Klein and Tom Brickler (The Brickler-Klein Project)
Tom and Will play together regularly and make recordings under the group name Indinois. Will is a wonderful flutist and vocalist. We will hear a taste of both as he presents his compositions in a modern folk/county style. He is joined by Tom Brickler. (a.k.a. The Wabash Kid) Tom plays guitars, lap slide guitar and harmonica. We get a great variety of songwriting and tonal colours when these two team up.
To get a preview of their music you can search Spotify, Soundcloud and Youtube for music by The Wabash Kid. There are also group recordings of Will and Tom together on Bandcamp. Look for the group Indinois on Bandcamp. Will Klein also has a new release on Bandcamp under the name Will Klein and Friends titled “Likely Stories”. Tom's most recent recording project, “Negative Space”, has just been completed and pressed. CD copies of the project will be available to the public at this live performances.
Also check out other Music events in Crete, Entertainment events in Crete, Arts events in Crete.
