Trail Mix Concert Series, a yearlong series of concerts organized by the Homewood-based nonprofit organization Trail Mix Productions, is returning to Senior Hall at Izaak Walton Preserve in Homewood on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. The event will feature live performances from four local acts; Salus & Ploum, Ben Salus, Bugs Still Fly and Jess & Dave.
Trail Mix is promoting and titling the show, “Home Grown.” Entrance is free but a donation to Izaak Walton is suggested. Trail Mix Productions Director Steve Ploum said that while not all Trail Mix shows are at Izaak Walton, supporting Izaak Walton is an important part of their mission.
Ploum said Trail Mix music isn’t background or dancing music but rather “music that you lean into.” He said most Trail Mix music is acoustic, “but sometimes we push that a little bit.”
show that will feature four local performing acts at Izaak Walton
Preserve’s Senior Hall in Homewood on Saturday, March 8,
at 7 p.m. (Provided photo)
Most Trail Mix shows feature headlining performances from national or international musicians but Ploum said they plan on hosting a show once a year that exclusively features a group of local and semi-local acts. None of the four acts performing at the March 8 show has performed for Trail Mix before, Ploum said.
“I cheat a little bit when I say that in that my band, Butterfield Creek, has played this event. But this time on March 8, I have another thing that I do with a duo that I play with called Salus and Ploum,” Ploum said. “So, I have played a Trail Mix event but I’ve not played a Trail Mix event in this capacity.”
The other half of Salus & Ploum, Meg Salus, is married to Ben Salus who also will perform.
Ben Salus, a Homewood resident and Art Teacher at Jesse White Learning Academy in Hazel Crest, is more known for his visual art but said he’s excited to perform music again.
“I used to be a street performer in the city. I kept playing and writing but haven’t performed in a long time,” Salus said. “I must have a hundred songs that I like and I think are quality. And the people who I know and respect share that opinion. And I feel like you can only live so long having things like that sit on the shelf.”
Salus said his music can be a mix of folk, blues and soul, but he’s hesitant to classify himself as anything other than a singer-songwriter. He described his lyrics as “philosophical and autobiographical,” adding that he writes songs about everything from the ups and downs of his marriage to the process of aging to the criminal justice system and political turmoil in the United States.
Bugs Still Fly is a duo of Homewood-Flossmoor High School students. Ploum said Bugs Still Fly are “great singers” who “bring some great harmonies,” adding that they’ve performed at Bergstein’s NY Deli & Sandwich, Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery and The Rock Shop.
Trail Mix will host a performance by blues singer-songwriter and guitarist Nathan Graham at Thornton Distilling Co. on Tuesday, April 8. While tickets for Nathan Graham are available on TrailMix.org, Ploum said concertgoers can pre-order tickets at the Home Grown show without paying an online processing fee.
