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ALTON - The Gus Kodros Tribute Rock Show coming up in Alton on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, at 5 p.m. will see the reunion of several Alton and St. Louis area bands team up for a night of music at The Lodge at The Lovejoy, located at 401 Piasa St. in Alton. The show is held in memory of Gus Kodros, former drummer for the band The Bishops, and benefits the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Fritz Beer, vocalist and guitarist for The Bishops, said the band played for about 10 years. Kodros played drums for five of those years, followed by Eric Harnetiaux. Years ago, the band started doing “reunion shows” with both drummers, who would play the songs from their respective era in the band. These shows became an annual occurrence until Gus took his own life before the pandemic.
“They’re fun reunions, it’s like a party reunion show for friends and everything too,” Beer said. “We were like, ‘Let's just do one of these a year,’ … but then Gus took his own life, and then COVID came along, and just a lot of things got in the way. We haven’t had a chance to do it, we really wanted to do a tribute. We still wanted to do these reunion shows, and we want this first one back to be a tribute to Gus.”
The Bishops won’t be the only band reuniting that night, as Beer said one of the first bands he was ever in, The Avon Ladies, will also be reuniting for the Gus Kodros Tribute Rock Show. Other musicians at the event will include Matt Taul of Stubblefield, Doug Raffety and Flea of Judge Nothing, Gigi Darr, Todd Keith of Autumn Clock, Bob Monroe of Breakmouth Annie, and the American Professionals.
“It’s a fantastic show, and we thought, ‘If we’re doing this, let’s get a suicide crisis charity involved to help bring some awareness to this," Beer said, adding that the event’s proceeds will benefit the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Tickets to the show are available here for $15 each, or at the door the day of the show, though attendees should note The Lodge at the Lovejoy is a cash-only venue. Tickets include admission to the show, a donation to the 988 lifeline, and two double-album CDs: CrownVic's "She's Got Demons" and The Bishops’ "Live at Elijah P's," which was Kodros’s last recording.
For more information or to purchase tickets to the show, visit fritzbeermusic.com. The full Our Daily Show! interview with Beer can be watched at the top of this story or on RiverBender.com/video.
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