Update Billy Grant Tribute

If you missed the Billy Grant Tribute at Bourbon Street you missed a great event! With several bands performing throughout the day and the enormous amounts of food, it was a wonderful time. The K. Michaels Band hit the stage at 4:00pm and was greeted by the crowd with much appreciation. The incredible amount of people who supported this event was mind blowing! A reported 6,000 people attended this event. Billy Grant died in the line of duty March 2007. It was a pleasure and honor to participate in memory of Chicago Firefighter Billy Grant.

March & April Performances

Sunday, March 30th The K. Michaels Band (Jim's Band) will be sharing the bill with several other well know bands to honor Chicago Firefighter Billy Grant. On March 23, 2007 Billy Grant a decorated, second-generation Chicago Firefighter lost his life in the line of duty. Billy left behind his young wife, Sharon (nee Nair) and their children ages 3, 5, and 7. His death was a tremendous loss to all who knew him; therefore, the benefit will be held to help his family as they face these difficult times. Show time 2:00p-7:00p See the schedule page for more details

Breakin' Strings will be returning to Morris, IL on April 18th to Chapin's Restaurant. We're looking forward to returning and seeing many of our wonderful friends. Show time will be 8:00p-12:00a. Check our schedule page for more details.

Cirque Du Soleil

As we all wait for Spring to arrive here is a little something about what we've been up to. My wife Lisa and I have finally got around to taking a little vacation time. We decided to visit Vegas for a long weekend. Although it was not our kind of thing because we don't gamble, we still had one big reason why we wanted to go. This reason was to catch the The Beatles Cirque Du Soleil show at the Mirage Hotel. It was definitely the highlight of our visit. Well worth the trip! If your planning on visiting Las Vegas don't miss this show.

Breakin' Strings has locked in a new place to play located in Delavan, Wisconsin. It's the Look Out Bar at the Lake Lawn Resort. Check out the schedule page for more info.

My other project is a new band called The K. Michaels Band. The band line-up consist of seven uniquely talented musicians, each with over 25 years experience in the music business. The majority of members which include two Chicago firefighters, two Chicago police officers are longtime friends and former band mates. I will be listing gigs on the schedule page but also check out The K. Michaels Band web page for up to date info and music snippets by clicking the link on the right side menu

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I just want to give you all a run down of the past month.
December 7th we made our trek to Neenah, WI to perform for the Theda Care Holiday Party, and although I was feeling pretty bad with a cold we still had a great time seeing many of our friends. Upon returning from Wisconsin that weekend my cold went from bad to worst. I was laid up for the next couple of weeks. Luckily I was feeling much better just before New Years Eve. My wife Lisa and I had made plans to return to Wisconsin to spend New Years with my family. My brother Frank and his band "Uncommon Peace" performed at the Stone Toad in Menasha. We had a great time with family and friends ringing in the New Year.

One last note, Lisa and I will be supporting this years Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Lisa will participate in this two day walk in Chicago on May 31 and June 1. Our goal is to raise $2,000. You can support our efforts or find more info by clicking the link and donating to this event. Thank You.

Illinois Entertainer Reviews Mother's Sunshine

A few months ago we submitted our 2nd release "Mother's Sunshine" to the Illinois Entertainer for review. The review is in and here is what they had to say......

"Breakin’ Strings are a sweet and melodic acoustic duo who specialize in vocal harmony. Their sound recalls Lowen & Navarro with the occasional Beatles influence thrown in. Their second CD, Mother’s Sunshine, shows guitarists/vocalists Jose Berrios and Jim Gutierrez in fine form, and their gentle, poppy songwriting shines on tracks like “One For All” and “Until I’m Over You.”
– Mike O’Cull Illinois Entertainer Review August 07

We were pleasantly surprised by the review as IE seems to have very high standards in their reviewing process. To view the original article look for the link in sidebar.

Thank You IE!

Online CD Ordering/ Speak Easy Bar

We now have our new release "Mother's Sunshine" available online through CD Baby.com. CD Baby is a online record store that sells CD's by independent musicians. We hope by offering our CD via online we can reach a broader audience. You can also browse CD Baby's online store for other independent artist. Look for the CD Baby link in the sidebar to order "Mother's Sunshine". There is also a section on our CD Baby website where you can submit your own review of our CD. We encourge you to do so.

We like to thank everyone for coming out the the Speak Easy Bar in Appleton, WI on July 3rd. Although it was a rainy night it was good to see so many of our fans who helped make it a fun night. Special thanks to our good friends Steve and Susan Knaus for making it happen. We hope we get the chance to return soon.

RETURNING TO WISCONSIN

It's been a few years since our last public appearance in the Fox Valley area, although we have been there on a few private occasions we are looking forward to seeing all of our friends who have been patiently waiting for our return. We will be coming to Appleton's The Speakeasy Bar on Tuesday, July 3rd. This will be a great opportunity for many of you have requested to purchase our new CD to pick one up at this show. We will have plenty on hand. We would like to thank longtime friends and fans the Knaus Family for making this show happen. Also thank you to the Speakeasy owners Greg and Jamie for giving us the opportunity to play again for you all. I'm sure it will be a fun time so please mark your calendars for this likely one time summer show. We would love to see you all again.