Trail Mix Concert Series, a yearlong series of acoustic concerts organized by the Homewood-based nonprofit organization Trail Mix Productions, is returning to Cooper’s Hall at Thornton Distilling Co. on Saturday, April 4 at 7 p.m. The event will feature live performances from Nathan Graham, a nationally renowned blues musician from Chicago, and Falling Stars, a four-piece local band.
Nathan Graham will perform at Cooper’s Hall at Thornton
Distilling Co. in Thornton on Saturday, April 4, as a part
of the Trail Mix Concert Series. (Provided photo)
Graham is a singer-songwriter and guitarist who meshes Chicago South Side Blues with Nashville Americana. According to Graham’s website, he writes songs about “the human condition” that are “both painful and comforting,” often reflecting feelings of heartbreak and regret.
“He’s played on lots and lots of blues artists’ albums,” Trail Mix Productions director Steve Ploum said of Graham. “He’s probably worked with all the top blues artists in Chicagoland. And he’s branched out and done his own album.”
Members of Falling Stars have performed for Trail Mix before, but not all four simultaneously, Ploum said.
“A couple of the members are from Homewood,” Ploum said. “They’re quite good too. Lots of really tight harmonies and really great musicianship.”
While Trail Mix is known for acoustic music, Ploum said the April 4 show might “push that envelope a little bit” as Graham sometimes incorporates the electric guitar into his music.
“I fully anticipate some electric guitar being played that evening,” Ploum said. “But I think he’s going to match our vibe quite well.
Ploum described the Trail Mix vibe as “music that people want to sit and listen to,” adding that “it’s not going to be that loud, thunderous rock that you hear in a loud bar.”
Trail Mix began in 2016 as a daylong music festival before converting to a yearlong concert series in the summer of 2021. It received its designation as a nonprofit organization in early 2023. Since July 2024, the organization has sponsored Trail Mix Presents shows that are bimonthly at both Bergstein’s Deli in Homewood and Flossmoor Station in Flossmoor.
The Nathan Graham concert is the second Trail Mix show in 2025, following an event featuring four local acts on March 8 at Senior’s Hall at Izaak Walton Preserve in Homewood. In addition to Graham, two more headlining artists have been booked for 2025, adding up to at least four Trail Mix shows this year.
“We’re continuing to bring artists that otherwise people would have to go up to the city or north of the city to see,” Ploum said. “We have a show set for June 13 with a duo called The Lowest Pair and then in August, we have The Hackensaw Boys. And those are both going to be outdoors at Homewood Izaak Walton.”
Tickets for the April 4 concert can be preordered at TrailMix.org. If a concertgoer wants to attend the following two Trail Mix shows in 2025, Ploum said regular tickets can be upgraded to Season Passes at Will Call, which is cheaper than buying the tickets individually.
