The BoDeans are the second major headliner to be announced for the 2014 Naperville Exchange Club Ribfest at Knoch Park and will take the stage Thursday, July 3 at 8PM.
“I’ve always thought of the BoDeans as a truly American band,” said Kurt Neumann, the founder and front man of the veteran Milwaukee-based group. “We were blue-collar kids straight out of the heartland-how could we be anything else? ‘Roots rock’ was a label I fought when I was younger, but I came to realize that if by ‘roots’ you meant blues, rock, country and soul all slammed together into one sound, then I’d say yes-that is the sound of American-made music.”
Thanks to Neumann’s renewed passion and determination, the BoDeans are still going strong a quarter century after their debut album led them to win a Rolling Stone readers’ poll as “Best New American Band,” and nearly 20 years after their “Closer to Free” became a massive hit and the theme song of the television sitcom Party of Five. BoDeans continue to tour the U.S. year-round, exposing the kids of their longtime steadfast fans to heartfelt, trend-free, American-made music. Their hits include “Stay” “Fadeaway”, “Closer to Free”, “Still the Night”, “You Don’t Get Much”, as well as their 2010 album “Mr. Sad Clown” and most recently, “American Made”
“We are excited to bring a band of this caliber to Ribfest and the Naperville area,” said 2014 Ribfest Chair Dan Deboo. “The BoDeans have produced so many great rock songs that have become standards. We are looking forward to an evening of all American rock music.”
Did You Know: The 27th Naperville Ribfest will be held July 3 – 6, 2014, in Knoch Park in central Naperville. Ribfest consists of family activities, award-winning rib vendors from across the country, carnival rides, and crowd-pleasing musical entertainment. Ribfest is run by the 140+ members of the Exchange Club in cooperation with its partners including the City of Naperville and the Naperville Park District. More than 4,000 volunteers and hundreds of sponsors support the event with 100% of the proceeds from Ribfest going to support the elimination of child abuse and domestic violence.
