BAND SPOTLIGHT | The Whistle Pigs

Named after a large rodent otherwise known as a groundhog or sometimes as a woodchuck, these fellers are a trio of dyed-in-the-wool, hillbilly honky-tonkers out to have fun and make music.

Hailing from the hill country of Southern Illinois near Carbondale, they claim to be “one of the Midwest’s friendliest and most talented musical trios” and who would argue with that? The three-piece combo uses banjo, accordion and upright bass, plus lots of vocal harmonies, along with considerable hooting and hollering, to make a live show filled with energy and interaction. With songs like, “I’m Broke” and “Alcohol” and “Keep On Dreaming,” along with the title song from the last record that makes the hilarious claim of being a ramblin’ man with a “Long Term Plan,” the Pigs give us what they got. And that’s a lot. They regularly log in over 50,000 miles on the road, while knocking out some 200 shows annually playing big, little and in-between festivals, dive bars, nightclubs, daybreaks and anywhere they can burrow into some beer and music.