(East Alton) A Bluegrass music concert featuring Thomas Sitze and Friends will be held Sat., July 24 at 6:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of East Alton, Third and Kent streets. The concert of gospel and secular music will feature Thomas Sitze on banjo, Matt Strong as lead singer and guitarist, Joey Wieneman on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, Bill Wisely on bass, and Stephen Schiber on guitar. There will be no admission fee, but a free will offering will be collected…
Church Contact: First United Methodist of East Alton (618) 259-1306
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Musicians Contact: Thomas Sitze (618) 973-8277
Background Information
- A senior at SIUE majoring in electrical engineering Thomas Sitze bought his first banjo with money earned from a summer custodial job for East Alton School District 13. Thomas is a member of Mona Jones and the Bluegrass Travelers, a group that performs at festivals throughout the Midwest.
- Matt Strong serves as lead singer and guitarist for Mona Jones and the Bluegrass Travelers. A veteran Bluegrass musician, Matt has performed at hundreds of festivals.
- Joey Wieneman of Ozark, Mo., is a multi-talented musician who has accompanied such Bluegrass greats at Rhonda Vincent and Rage. A Bluegrass vocalist Joey plays the fiddle, mandolin and guitar.
- A Bluegrass performer for 30 years Bill Wisely plays the upright bass, guitar and mandolin. He is a resident of St. Louis.
- Stephen Schiber is a recent graduate of SIUE and a 2006 graduate of East Alton-Wood River Community High School. He resides in Hartford.
