Trippin Billies

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 November 1999 00:00 Wednesday, 03 March 2010 22:18

Trippin Billies

By: Courtenay Stewart

 

Long ago an acoustic duo started playing in a small Irish

pub in Chicago. Who would ever know that it would turn

into one of the largest nationally touring tribute bands in

the United States. Their talent coupled with their love of

performance has moved them above the bar band circuit

and into concert settings. This is not just another Dave

Matthews cover band. This is THE tribute band. If you

enjoy Dave Matthews, this is the band for you. As close

as you can get to the real thing, but at a more reasonable

price and much closer to home.

Trippin Billies started in the mid nineties doing their first

gig at an Irish pub in Chicago, Illinois called Durkin’s. It

was a pretty small bar that would have acoustic acts

perform during the week. They started as a duo and were

playing about fifty percent Dave Matthews, but the crowd

started growing larger every week and the patrons wanted

more. The band loved Dave Matthews because it was a

great fit for them. It was the music they loved, therefore

they loved playing it, and of course the fans loved every

minute of it. Bill Denny (guitarist for the band), stated

“It’s nice to emulate an artist that like minded people can

get behind, you know, actually play music you enjoy in

nice places in front of a lot of people. It makes it good

times had by all.” When they started adding people to the

band to be able to fill out the Dave sound, the whole band

would be packed in this tiny corner with no stage. The

guys would actually have to get on the bar during their

solos to be seen.

Trippin Billies consists of six members. The singer or

“Our Dave” as they like to call it is Chris Grant, Jason

Vinluan is the violinist, Kelsey Tarver on drums, Marvin

Little on bass, Steve Schnall on sax and keyboards, and

Bill Denny on lead guitar and keyboards.

I asked the band, how they came up with Trippin Billies,

especially since Dave Matthews has so many incredible

songs. It actually was a pretty easy choice although

it didn’t come without a bit of contention. When they

became more popular, they decided to get a website,

however were contacted by another band with the same

name out of New York. They eventually were able to

keep the name, but the funniest thing is, it wasn’t because

of the song, it was because original member Bill Denny is

called Billy.

The band has become so popular because of their

authenticity to Dave Matthews. They try extremely hard

to emulate him and give the fans the show that they came

to see. It also helps that they do their own booking, so it

is not a super aggressive approach and they are able to

go where there is demand. Their packed shows have led

to word of mouth spreading from one town to the next. It

also helps when you can pack large venues, such as the

House of Blues.

The band has had many accomplishments and many

firsts. They have played from coast to coast and feel

very accomplished when they are able to sell out a

large venue in a new city. They also enjoy being able to

rejuvenate markets that have fallen off a bit by reinventing

themselves and pushing the envelope. They were

featured in the national music publication Relix in an

article about the nation’s top tribute bands and they were

featured with some pretty massive bands.

One of their major accomplishments was that they were

asked to play on the infamous boat on the Chicago River

in a promotion to alleviate some of the tension. Dave

Matthews was about to play in Chicago for the first time

after the “tour bus river boat incident.” It was broadcasted

live on a popular radio station and was covered by every

major affiliate from NBC to CBS and got picked up as a

snippet on the national news. This concert was at 8am

in the morning, so imagine everyone walking to work in

the loop stopping to watch a hundred people dancing on

top of a boat drinking margaritas. They have been in a

couple books about the Dave Matthews band. However,

their biggest accomplishment by far is simply the

longevity of the band. There are so many other tributes

out there and so many just to the Dave Matthews Band,

that the band takes great pride when a venue calls and

says, “Oops, I hired the wrong one, how soon can you get

here.”

Whether you are seeing Trippin Billies at a packed show

at the House of Blues or at a packed show at your smaller

neighborhood bar, their show is as great as the real

thing. For those of you who missed their last local show

or prefer something a bit more intimate than a sold out

theatre or the street festivals that are about to begin, the

guys will be playing at the Tequila Roadhouse in Alsip,

Illinois on Saturday March 6 and Northwood’s in St. John,

Indiana on Saturday March 13. For more information

about the band, check out www.trippinbillies.com.