Bud Summers

Local Guitarist heating up music locales.
By Jill Moon
24 Seven
Alton- Classically-trained local musician Bud Summers gets jazzy with original and cover music.
Summers plays guitar and sings in a solo act that can be caught at a number of places around town. Summers performs from 5 to 8 pm Friday Jan 12 at Stagger Inn in Edwardsville.
"Now I'm playing a Godin, which is an acoustic/electric guitar capable of running a guitar synthesizer," Summers explained. "This puts the synthesizer in the guitar player's hands and I can make it sound like a sax or organ." Summers plays a lot of blues, jazz, rock and pop in a combination of covers and original songs. He is currently working on a CD that he plans to release in June. Summers has also done a substantial amount of studio work on guitar for other musicians.
Some covers he performs are "Key to the Highway" "High Heeled Sneakers" "Sweet Home Chicago" and "Messin' With the Kid" an old blues song that was heard in the "Blues Brothers" film.
"I'm kind of laid back and I think my music reflects that," Summers said.
Summers is a long=time guitar player with a bachelor's in music performance from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. His focus was classical guitar. He also played with the college's jazz band.
The Alton native graduated form Alton High School and has played in several bands and as a soloist.
He plays regularly at Chez Marilyn Downtown and the Sunset Grill on Delmar Avenue. - 24 Seven for The Telegraph

Guitarist-vocalist Bud Summers will play blues, jazz and rock starting at 7:30 pm Friday at The Galaxy Restaurant 305 East Main Street Alhambra, IL.
Summers uses a guitar synthesizer, digital looper and percussion processor for a full sound. - St Louis Post-Dispatch

Find out where your favorite artist is performing this month.
Bud Summers B/J/R
www.budsummers.com
www.myspace.com/musicbudsummers

8/1 Mosaics on Main, Belleville, IL 7-10
8/2, 23 The Jury Room, Edwardsville, IL 7-10
8/3 Piasa Winery, Grafton, IL 2-6
8/7, 21 Park West Grille 9-12
8/8 Vintage Vinyl (in store) 8pm
8/9 The Rotten Apple Grafton, IL 6-10
Bud Summers (continued) B/J/R
8/15 DJ’s Bar & Grill Alton, IL 8-12
8/16 Creve Coeur Lakehouse, Maryland Heights 7-10
8/17 Hidden Lake Winery, Aviston, IL 1-5 - St Louis Sound Scene Magazine

« Return to Article Click to Print Summers’ time: Local musician releases second CDBy JILL MOON
2010-02-25 21:30:39

ALTON — Bud Summers made great strides as a soloist in the last four years and anticipates the release of his second CD, "Eons."

The Alton native and 1977 Alton High School graduate started his own thing in 2006, after always playing with bands, and created quite a name for himself playing regularly and at regular gigs. He will release "Eons" on Saturday, March 6, at Mac’s Time Out in Downtown Alton. The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the music starts at 7:30 p.m.

Summers’ latest 10-song CD features a bit of blues, jazz and contemporary rock. He described the CD as somewhat adult contemporary but varied in its musical style, just as he is.

"I’m trying to build a bigger fan base, one album at a time," said Summers, who released "Golden" in 2008.

Last summer, the singer/songwriter finished second in a Clinton County songwriting contest and won studio time at Elevation Recording Studio in Collinsville, where he is going to use the prized time for his third album. He already wrote 11 songs for a third CD that he plans to start this summer. He also plays guitar.

Summers inherited his parents’ penchant for music. His father played upright bass and had his own eight-piece orchestra that performed swing, jazz and pop standards. Like father, like son, Summers also likes to mix it up.

Summers’ mother was a music educator and instilled in her children an appreciation for opera and musicals, as well as classics by the masters, Summers explained. Summers’ formal music education began with violin lessons at age 5, piano at age 7, and he started on guitar by age 14. Soon, he played in clubs with his father, accompanied singing at church and played gigs at block parties and the like with a rock band.

Summers received his bachelor’s degree in classical guitar from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and played in the Lewis and Clark Community College jazz band during college. Since then, he has been out there playing in bands and, now, as a soloist.

In the 1990s, Summers played in the Stingers, which played every Sunday at Mac’s Time Out, he recalled. In the 1980s, Summers played in Tizzy and Shotdown, which released an album and traveled for shows. Since taking his act solo, Summers also travels for gigs. He has played in Indianapolis, Davenport, Iowa, and Paducah, Ky. Every summer, he takes a combo mini-tour and vacation to Michigan’s Lake Michigan shoreline and plays.

"That’s one of the cool things about doing a single act — I can go where I want, with a nice, smaller setup," said Summers, who went solo for more creative freedom. "It makes it much more convenient to travel."

He also has performed in Chicago and has an upcoming Windy City gig March 29 at the Elbo Room.

Closer to home, Summers plays at 9 p.m., the second Monday of the month, at Houlihan’s in Fairview Heights; each summer at the Piasa Winery in Grafton; and Hidden Lake Winery in Aviston, Ill., in Clinton County.

In St. Louis, Summers plays at The Shanty in Soulard, and Candicci’s Restaurant and Bar in Ballwin, Mo. He also plays Chandler Hill Vineyards in Defiance, Mo.

"So much experience comes from just being out there, playing," Summers said.

Several local musicians will play the lineup at the CD release party, including soloist Steve Reeb of Belleville; soloist Cory Knapp of Breese; duo Everhart and Light; and then the Floyd Duncan Orchestra, made up of Summers, Gary Will, Marc Waters, Mike Waters and Jason McAtee.

"They all play in different bands, but we’ve been friends for a long time," Summers said. "We formed (Floyd Duncan Orchestra) for the occasion, but we’re all having so much fun, we may do it for some other situations, too."

Tickets for Summers’ CD release party cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets are available at www.budsummers.com or at Halpin Music Co. at 2375 Homer M. Adams Parkway, Mac’s Time Out at 315 Belle St. and Pony Espresso at 2355 State St.

jmoon@thetelegraph

© Copyright 2010 Freedom Communications. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Site Map - The Telegraph