A Taste of Heritage Prairie Farm

It's here! It's here! Wedding season 2014 is in full swing, and we had a blast kicking things off at Heritage Prairie Farm's Tasting Event. While guests dined, Gussied provided a musical sampling.

We love playing this venue, and think you should know about it, so here's a list of of our favorite things about Heritage Prairie!

1. THE FOOD.  Quite literally farm to table, the menu at HP features sustainable and locally sourced ingredients. Beer braised pulled pork, creamy polenta and a variety of heirloom veggies were just some of the yumminess we were able to  enjoy. Pass the hors d'oeuvres please!  

This chef is a rockstar. 

Place setting: Wallflower Design

2. DRINKS. Custom cocktails enhanced with Heritage Prairie Honey, craft brews and mason jars. Check out this cute honey pot favor! 

Heritage Prairie Honey

3. ATMOSPHERE. Looking for a rustic, outdoor setting? You don't need to haul your party too far from Chicago! Elburn, IL is just 40 mins outside of the city. 

4. THE DETAILS. A bridal parlor outfitted with an antique settee and vanity is perfect for a pre-wedding photo op. The wide open spaces, bonfire, and animal residents of the farm are a sweet addition. 

5. PEOPLE. The staff at Heritage Prairie are there to make sure your day goes off with out a hitch. They don't disappoint! Also, we were delighted to be working along such fantastic vendors for this event. Heritage Prairie has a fantastic list of preferred vendors to choose from!

Wallflower Design

Confections: Noble Pie

Vintage Rental: Pedal Play | Floral Design: Violet and Pearl 

All photos by Esenam Photography.

Cakeopoly - Gussied performs at the Cake & Whiskey party

Cake. Whiskey.  There aren't many things that could make a person happier.  The Den Theater was hopping as Gussied provided the evening's music at the Cake and Whiskey club's "Cakeopoly" party. Throwing down on bluegrass versions of Michael Jackson, AC/DC, and The Alabama Shakes, people danced to 6 different cake tasting rooms along with whiskey from Koval, Few Spirits, Maker's Mark, Knob Creek, 2 Gingers and Laphroaig.  The end of the night turned into a massive dance party and Gussied was very happy to support the numerous charities that this even benefitted.  

The wonderful world of Gussied

Hey all,

Lots of things have been moving fast in the world of Gussied!  We've been very busy with playing lots of events over this summer and fall, rehearsing new interpretations of some amazing songs that you're gonna get down to, as well as getting ready for a large number of upcoming weddings set for this spring and summer.  

Last week we shot a new music video with Mike Hendzel of Hendzel Productions, assisted by Mikel Pickett of Rooftop Sessions Chicago.  We've got a couple of tricks up our sleeve for this video, so stay tuned to our Facebook page to see the video go live.  In the meantime, check out more of our videos here.  

In other wonderful news, our banjo-mandolin-fiddle-multi-instrumentalist-total-secret-weapon-will-play-anything-extremely-well member of the band, Mr. Randy Mollner, welcomed his new daughter, Roberta, into the world on December 15th!  She is unbelievably adorable and we're all extremely excited for him!

Next Sunday, January 26th, we'll be performing at City Winery Chicago for their Bubbly Brunch from 11:30 to 2:30.  Admission gets you a glass of champagne and they have a wonderful brunch menu.  The weekend following, on Sunday, February 1st, Gussied will be a part of the Indie Wed wedding expo at the Ravenswood Event Center.  We'll have a booth where we'll be able to answer any questions you have regarding the band, and later in the day we'll be doing a live performance for the attendees!  Finally, a band for lovers wouldn't be complete without a show for lovers, so on Valentine's Day, February 14th, we'll be performing at The Wire in Berwyn.  The "Pick Banjos, Not Fights!" show will be alongside Liza Day and Hayward.  

We're a bunch of busy Gussieds, but we're having fun while we're at it!  See you soon!

Gussied helps to benefit the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project

Wearing winter coats, scarves and gloves, Gussied performs bluegrass-tinged pop songs for a harvest dinner at Logan Square's Bang! Bang! Pie Shop to benefit the Chicago Rarities Orchard Project.  CROP is a non-profit organization founded to establish community rare-fruit orchards in Chicago. These orchards, designed for reclaimed spaces, are dedicated to preserving a few of the thousands of varieties of tree fruit that aren't commonly commercially grown, while providing open space and educational opportunities to Chicagoans. 

Laura and Matt's wedding - Galena, IL

Gussied had a fun night at this wedding.  A really fun night.  Laura and Matt got married at the Eagle Ridge Resort and Spa in Galena, IL in late September.  We loaded up at around 5am, grabbed a pot of coffee and made the 160 mile drive off to the little town on the Eastern side of the Mississippi.  

Griff here: This is what it looked like on my roof at 5 am.  No, I'm not complaining.

We arrived at the resort, loaded in all of our equipment and got ready for what was soon to be an amazing evening.  As we do with all of our brides and grooms, we had the requests that they wanted us to learn and "Gussied" them up with our bluegrass feel.  

photo from StudioNoveau.com

The bride, Laura, was from Wisconsin, and the groom, Matt, was was from the UK. Two families from opposite sides of the globe came together with crazy dance moves and lots of energy! The end of the night turned into a sing-a-long as Matt yelled out that he wanted to hear some Oasis. After pulling out an acoustic guitar and a melodica, we were happy to oblige. Matt grabbed the mic and closed out the party with a memorable rendition of "Wonder Wall" by Oasis.  Such fun beautiful evening.  Congrats Laura and Matt!

Indie Wed Bridal Show - Summer 2013

Gussied was lucky enough to be a part of the Summer 2013 Indie Wed bridal show held in the Bridgeport area of downtown Chicago.  While guests waited in line for the doors to open to this extremely fun event, Kevin (guitar) and Randy (fiddle) entertained the brides and grooms to be as they were led into the expo.  With our kissing booth set up and pictures being posted to our Instagram account, dozens of couples came by to talk with us, eager to see our music videos and to watch the band perform later that afternoon.  We had a great time at the beautiful Zhou B Arts Center and a blast playing for everyone!