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Fine Midwestern Folk

Chris Vallillo's songwriting has often been compared to the poems of Edgar Lee Masters, whose famous "Spoon River Anthology" depicted the complex struggles of Midwestern life in simple verse.

A singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with an affinity for American roots music, Vallillo is a skilled six-string and bottleneck slide guitarist who incorporates original and traditional material to form a musical portrait of the Midwestern way of life.

Perhaps the archaeology degree Vallillo earned at Beloit College helped him see the important little details of life which imbue his songs with a sense of history. Just as likely, Vallillo was gripped by the very same passion for music that prompted Master's "Fiddler Jones" to say that "if the people find you can fiddle, why, fiddle you must, for all your life." Photos on this page by Bill Richert.

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Why not stop over and meet Chris' 2006 co-host from Arts Across Illinois: CenterStage, Natya Dance Theatre's Krithika Rajagopalan?

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Chris performing "Steel Guitar Rag."

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Chris and co-host Krithika Rajagopalan from Arts Across Illinois: CenterStage 2006.

 

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