28 Days

The cover band 28 Days finds pleasure in relating to audience members.

“What is satisfying for us is connecting with our audience,” said Paul Shamoun, lead vocalist and one of the founders of 28 Days. “From the first or second song they are focusing on what we’re doing and by the end of the night they are really into us and connected to us.

“We get the audience involved,” he continued. “We have audience sing-a-longs and we banter with them. We also have people come up on stage. Maybe it is someone’s birthday, so we have them up on stage for that. We make them the rock stars for a day, not us.”

Audience members will get a chance to interact with 28 Days when the band performs on Aug. 12 at Rock on the Fox night in downtown Aurora. The band will open for 7th Heaven. Rock on the Fox is part of the City of Aurora’s Downtown Alive! festival series.

The band plays a wide variety of musical styles including pop, rock, funk, country, rap and rhythm and blues, among others.

“We do a little bit of every genre of music; a little bit of every era,” said Shamoun. “We go after each era and each song as authentically as possible. With a song like ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond we capture the heart of the song and the tone of his voice.”

Shamoun and co-founder Kevin Triplett (bass) started the band five years ago, in August 2006. Several personnel changes occurred over the years until about one year ago when Joe Maxwell (guitar) joined 28 Days. P.J. Howard (drums) joined the group about three months ago.

The band name, 28 Days, refers to the amount of days it takes to change one’s behavior or habits. Many therapists believe that after the 28-day mark, real change begins to take shape.

“We wanted to change the way people thought about cover bands,” Shamoun said. “We wanted to elevate the status of covers bands.”

Shamoun believes the band’s appeal is the way the band approaches its work.

“A lot of bands like to play as a hobby,” he said. “The foundation for us is to treat it as a full-time job. We are all taking it very seriously.”

Shamoun also thinks the band’s appeal is because they turn out a good product.

“No matter where we play, it is us bringing value, especially in tough economic times,” he said. “The band 28 Days is a good value; it generates a buzz; and it is a first-class show.”
- The Beacon News/Chicago Sun times

The cover band 28 Days finds pleasure in relating to audience members.

“What is satisfying for us is connecting with our audience,” said Paul Shamoun, lead vocalist and one of the founders of 28 Days. “From the first or second song they are focusing on what we’re doing and by the end of the night they are really into us and connected to us.

“We get the audience involved,” he continued. “We have audience sing-a-longs and we banter with them. We also have people come up on stage. Maybe it is someone’s birthday, so we have them up on stage for that. We make them the rock stars for a day, not us.”

Audience members will get a chance to interact with 28 Days when the band performs on Aug. 12 at Rock on the Fox night in downtown Aurora. The band will open for 7th Heaven. Rock on the Fox is part of the City of Aurora’s Downtown Alive! festival series.

The band plays a wide variety of musical styles including pop, rock, funk, country, rap and rhythm and blues, among others.

“We do a little bit of every genre of music; a little bit of every era,” said Shamoun. “We go after each era and each song as authentically as possible. With a song like ‘Sweet Caroline’ by Neil Diamond we capture the heart of the song and the tone of his voice.”

Shamoun and co-founder Kevin Triplett (bass) started the band five years ago, in August 2006. Several personnel changes occurred over the years until about one year ago when Joe Maxwell (guitar) joined 28 Days. P.J. Howard (drums) joined the group about three months ago.

The band name, 28 Days, refers to the amount of days it takes to change one’s behavior or habits. Many therapists believe that after the 28-day mark, real change begins to take shape.

“We wanted to change the way people thought about cover bands,” Shamoun said. “We wanted to elevate the status of covers bands.”

Shamoun believes the band’s appeal is the way the band approaches its work.

“A lot of bands like to play as a hobby,” he said. “The foundation for us is to treat it as a full-time job. We are all taking it very seriously.”

Shamoun also thinks the band’s appeal is because they turn out a good product.

“No matter where we play, it is us bringing value, especially in tough economic times,” he said. “The band 28 Days is a good value; it generates a buzz; and it is a first-class show.”
- The Beacon News/Chicago Sun times

July 23, 2010

By RANDALL G. MIELKE For Sun-Times Media
When the four-man cover band 28 Days entered the Battle of the Ballybands, a contest sponsored by Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant and The River 95.9 (WERV) radio station, the members of group did not think they had much of a chance of winning.

"It was kind of goofy," said Paul Shamoun, lead vocalist and one of the founders of 28 Days, which is made up of two musicians in their 30s and two others in their 40s. "We thought people would laugh at us. Usually a Battle of the Bands is teenagers battling with their buddies. But our families and friends came out to support us the first night and we won that night."

28 Days
When: 6:15 p.m. on Friday, July 23

Where: Fan Favorites - downtown Aurora on Galena Boulevard

How Much: Free

Contact: Call 630 844-4731 or visit the web site at www.downtownaliveaurora.com

Additional information: Bring a lawn chair; No coolers or recording devices are allowed.

Weekly, monthly, semi-final and final winners in the Battle of the Ballybands contest were selected by various combinations of audience voting and judges' decisions. Twenty-eight Days continued to win head-to-head battles with other bands and eventually won the competition. That netted the band a spot in the line-up of Fan Favorites in downtown Aurora on Friday, July 23. Fan Favorites is part of the City of Aurora's Downtown Alive! series.

"It was about a three-month process," Shamoun said. "Then, after some bands were eliminated, they would come out to see us. We won show after show."

The weekly, monthly and semi-final battles were held separately at three Ballydoyle locations: Aurora, Bloomingdale and Downers Grove. Then the three winners at the weekly and monthly contests (one from each location) battled it out in the finals, which were held at Ballydoyle in Aurora.

"The contest ran from March to June, pretty much every week," Shamoun said. "There was some pressure because you never knew who you would be up against. With the three Ballydoyle locations, we figured we must have beat out about 200 different acts. It was a great affirmation of what we do and that we are good."

Shamoun believes that part of the band's appeal is that it plays a wide variety of music.

"I grew up in the heyday of Kansas and Journey," Shamoun said, "but we also do Sinatra and Rat Pack tunes. And we do songs by Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley and 1960s 'Flower Power' music. Our audiences are very diverse, and we have something for everyone."

Shamoun and co-founder Kevin Triplett (bass) started the band four years ago, in August 2006. Several personnel changes occurred over the years until about one year ago when Tom Elger (drums) and Tom Maxwell (guitar) joined 28 Days.

The band name, 28 Days, refers to the amount of days it takes to change one's behavior or habits. Many therapists believe that after the 28-day mark, real change begins to take shape.

"We wanted to change the way people thought about cover bands," Shamoun said. "We wanted to elevate the status of covers bands.

"Our goal has always been to be the premiere band in the Midwest," he continued. "We have the talent, the determination and the work ethic to do it."


- The Beacon News