BAND SPOTLIGHT

Touch of Grey

Taking their name and their cue from the Grateful Dead hit from the 1980s, local blues and rock band Touch of Grey will not only “get by” they “will survive.” Several wonderfully talented area musicians came together to make the band, starting with harmonica man, Doc Glatz. As founding member of the Last Chance Blues Band, Glatz carried over other members from the popular central Illinois group from around the turn of the last century, including Gary Halford on rhythm guitar, Larry Harness on drums and percussion, and Joe Mucciante on sax, flute and vocals. Rod VanSandt on lead guitar, Leslie Hardy on bass and backup vocals, and Steve Harris on lead vocals fill out the seven-piece combo. A typical set list might include a standard blues song like “The Thrill is Gone,” then the Beatles’ classic “Ticket to Ride,” and a more contemporary rock number such as “Last Dance with Mary Jane.”