Check Out The Big Picture Peoria Acoustic Originals Showdown
We have 16 local artists competing in our first ever Acoustic Originals Showdown and we want to give you the chance to get to know some of the artists who will be performing on Saturday morning during the Big Picture Peoria Arts Festival, taking place in the warehouse district from 10am-4pm!
You can show your support by merely showing up, but you can also do something to help your favorite artist win this competition. The artist/duo with the most tickets when the voting wraps up around 2:15 will win a cash prize and a medal that was poured at the Big Picture Peoria Festival that day!
Tickets are $1 each OR 6 for $5.
Winners announced at 4pm!
And here are the artists from our upcoming show along with their time slots…
10:00AM Alec Bochar
Alec Bochar is a solo artist from Lacon, Illinois.
John Wahl - 10:15AM
John Wahl definitely plays in Peoria! He also plays in a lot of other places, performing 50-70 shows a year throughout all of Central Illinois. Singing and playing songs from influences like Nathaniel Rateliff and Iron & Wine has led John to craft a handful of his own singer-songwriter gems over the years. Join the many audiences that have found themselves taken on a soulful journey with this huge bass voice. You'll be glad you did!
The Holdouts - 10:45AM
The Holdouts are an Outlaw Country/Southern Rock/Blues group formed around the idea of putting “Country” back into Country Music. They use a raw and gritty sound mixed with beautiful harmonies and melodic choruses to convey their message.
Michael Walters - 11:00 AM
Lifetime West Peoria resident Michael Walters is a multi-instrumentalist who writes and records all original music. Michael performs alternate tuning guitar instrumentals that are deeply personal, emotional and thought provoking. 30 years ago, Michael retuned his guitar to a scale that was and still is unknown to him, forcing him to learn how to play all over again. The results have been a creative liberating style devoid of limitations.
Sophie Dennison - 11:15AM
Sophie is a 16 year old singer-songwriter from Morton, Illinois. She loves playing piano, guitar, and singing in her free time. She has a song on SoundCloud called “Butterfly” produced by Unspoken, written by Sophie Dennison.
11:30 AM Megan Maroney Music
Megan Maroney is a 16 year old musician/activist born and raised in central Illinois and based out of the Greater Peoria area. Known for her Silvery voice, lighthearted ukulele style, and easy-going stage presence, Megan is often described as "young but powerful."
Austin Smith 12:00PM
Austin Smith is a growing artist of many mediums. A rock n roll frontman for upcoming local buzz band Cole Hollow by day and a music producer at night. Failure has never been an option for Austin and hard work he plans to bring his music to a national audience touching upon serious issues such as mental health awareness, recovery from drug abuse, and trauma giving people an outlet for their pain through music
Ryan Smith 12:15
Ryan Smith, father of three, song writer & performer from Kewanee. Plays many instruments including the banjo with the Folk/Grass band Blubilly.
Kirk Wessler - 12:30PM
Kirk Wessler is a refugee from the newspaper business. He plays guitar and began writing his own songs earlier this year. So far, he’s having a blast.
John Taylor - 1:00PM
John Taylor if a musician from Fulton County who plays a verity of different music from Country, Rock, Blues to Jazz on acoustic guitar.
JD Greving - 1:30PM
JD Greving is a singer-songwriter from Central IL, he has written over 300 songs and has released 7 albums under the pseudonym Memorial For a Dove. Greving’s lyrics are sharp and witty ranging from simpler concepts of love and politics, to deeper concepts of loss and acceptance. You can be laughing at one line and have your reality shattered in the next. Bottom line, Greving’s aim is a little more focused on changing who his listeners are and their perceptions of who they can be, and refuses to enable stagnation.
1:30 PM GAVRA
Gavra Lynn is an artist, singer-songwriter, twenty-three years steeped in America's South, and returned home to Peoria, Illinois. Strumming an acoustic guitar, a bit raw, a bit pretty, her lyrically driven song-poems weave with her sultry, sometimes haunting voice. The whiskey-soaked sound, not masking all the sweetness, has a tinge of country and Indie Folk, and a slew of adventures seen.
1:45 PM Cordell Bentzinger
Born and raised in Macomb IL, Cordell Bentzinger blends the grit and edge of rock music with intimate, honest storytelling that harkens back to the folk singers of yesteryear.
2:00 PM Jeremy McConaughey
Hailing from the barren plains of Central Illinois Singer/ Songwriter Jeremy T McConaughey has found a place to pursue his creative endeavors. After many years of performing with numerous nationally known acts as a drummer Jeremy decided to step out from behind the drums, apply his hatchet to the wood and carved out what has developed into the embodiment of the Conversations EP. Recorded in April of 2015 at Paper Mill Studios in Nashville, TN after what seemed to be the turning point in getting his songs into the right producers hands, in those of Mike Marsh.(drummer-The Avett Bros.,Dashboard Confessional).