Voted #2 in the Top 5 Bands of Milwaukee

1st Runner-up
WISN A-List Online Poll

WOW!  We would like to thank all our fans that voted for us in the 2013 WISN A-List online poll!  We ended up as the 1st Runner-up, second only to Chasin' Mason!  We were up against some stiff competition and finished ahead of other top 5 bands, The Itch, Higbee Higbee Band, and The Screamin' Cucumbers.  This is the best we've done so far!

This year, 2014, is looking to be tons of fun!  We've got some new venues to play and some great things on tap for summer time!  Hope to see all of our fans and frynds soon!  Check out our website, www.NorthernBredSouthernRock.com for up-to-date schedule and visit us at our Facebook page for daily fun!  See you all at the show!!

Merry Christmas, Y'All!

It seems like I say the same things at this time of the year.  Where did this year go?!?  Looking back, I can see why.  We had some great gigs this year!  We played the Waukesha Co. Fair, Thiensville Lions Day, and Summerfest.  In addition, we rocked 6 shows in 4 days for the Harley Davidson 110th Reunion, playing at Wisconsin Harley Davidson, Hal's Harley Davidson, the Miller Stage at the Summerfest grounds, and Romey's Pub down at St. Martin's Street Day.

We've lost a couple of our regular venues that we perform.  No more Willie's Dugout in Lannon, for one.  But that's what happens in this business, bars come and go.  The only thing we can do, is move on!  And that is what we have done!  This coming year we're booked at 4Keeps in Pewaukee.  This is a great little bar in the center of town and we're looking forward to returning.  Our first show was a blast and the house was packed!  Another new bar, or should I say, a bar we are returning to, is Rookies out in Okauchee.  Its been a few years since we've been there but they have reopened recently and are happy to return.  The Hiawatha in

Sturtevant is a completely new place for us.  They have a great stage there and from what I've seen, great people.  We've got a couple dates at Hawg Heaven in Salem and we've always had great success there.  Finally, Uncle Johnny's in Colgate has become a home away from home.  Johnny always takes care of us and he'll take care of you, too!

I invite everyone to check out the newly redesigned website, at www.NorthernBredSouthernRock.com.  I polished it up and updated the look.  I hope everyone likes it!    Our Facebook page at Facebook.com/lukynskywyrd, has topped 2000 likes!  Thank you, fans!  I'm contemplating creating a new Facebook group which is a little easier to interact with people, both band members and fans alike.  I'll let you know as soon as that happens.

Well, we are in the running for best band of Milwaukee on the WISN A-List.  We were in second place behind Chasin' Mason a week before the final vote.  At that time, they turned off the standings and from there, we were running blind!  I could tell when more people were voting but I was not allowed to see totals.  The vote ended last Sunday and the winners will be informed on December 27th.  Wish us luck!

Finally, the band and I would like to wish all of our frynds, fans, and family a wonderful Christmas and happy holidays!  May your new year be filled with joy and prosperity!  Remember why we celebrate at this time and pass it on!  We'll see you at the show!

Merry Christmas!!

Fly on Freebird - R.I.P. Emac

To describe one man, words never come close.  I was one of the lucky people to cross paths with Eric McDonald, a.k.a. Emac.  We shared our love of Southern rock, Jack Daniels, ATV's, the North Woods, and good times.  I got to stand next to him on stage a few times and I will always cherish those memories.  Emac was a force of nature and looked at the world a way I wish more people did.  The last minutes of a sunrise, the embers of a campfire drifting up through the pines, or the overlook on a hill will all be life lessons that I was taught by the master seer himself.  He preached a different perspective, and now I will forever look at life differently.  They say the brighter the star, the faster it dies out.  Well, Emac certainly shone bright!

It is difficult to wrap up a life in a couple of paragraphs.  That is not what this forum is about.  But, if you have a couple of hours, I'd be happy to take you to the end of the trail by Little Star Lake, pour a couple of straight shots of sippin' Jack, and remember the life and lessons of Eric McDonald.  Many people have different stories and memories of Emac but mine will always be the fact that he was my brother of the road and my friend.  I miss him.  R.I.P.

Southern Rock Keeps Rawkin' On

I just looked at the last date I composed a blog and said to myself, "Self?  Where did that year go?!"  We played Country USA, Wisconsin State Fair, the BMW Bike Nationals, and whole bunch of cool shows, meeting lots of new people and fans along the way!  Looks like this year is gonna be just as fun!

We are already confirmed for Country USA where we will be opening up for Jerrod Niemann, Phil Vasser, and Sugarland! That all happens on Thursday, June 21st.  Gates open at 3:00pm and we're scheduled for 4:30pm.  For more info, head over to http://CountryUSAOshkosh.com  The next day, on Friday, June 22nd, we'll be in Eagle for Kettle Moraine days at 7:00pm. Finishing our three day in-a-row super gig, we'll be helping Willie again at Willie's Dugout for Make-A-Wish on Saturday June 23rd. We've got other things coming so always check http://www.NorthernBredSouthernRock.com for your up-to-date schedule!

LUKYN SKYWYRD returns on internet radio!  That's right, All Southern Rock had been rebooted and is on the air better than ever!  ASR is now playing more mainstream Southern rock classics and all of the independent Southern bands are still included!  I am still manning the DJ booth and I'll be premiering our new songs:  "Old Number Seven", "Memphis", and "When the Dreaming is Over", from our newest EP. The new support website should be up soon but you can still go to http://www.AllSouthernRock.com and listen to the best internet Southern rock station on the web!!

I wish to thank everyone who came out the last couple shows and especially last week for Cindy Menzel's birthday celebration at Willie's Dugout in Lannon, WI!  We met lots of new people and from what I hear, lots of new fans!  It was especially cool because that's where she and I met!  

Our next gig is going to be at a new bar called Uncle Johnny's in Colgate, WI on Saturday, March 10th.  We expect all our new frynds to come check it out!  See you at the Show!!

New Music On The Way!

Last year, Lukyn Skywyrd won the 2010 Milwaukee Country Rock Battle of the Bands at Kelly's Bleachers II. As a part of our prize package, we won 10 free hours at Trax 52 recording studio in Mequon. For the past weekend, we've been busy laying down three brand new tracks to unleash on our demanding fans. Its been nine long years since the original album, and I'll say this, its about damn time!

We started late

on Thursday with Randall Gunter, our sound engineer, dialing up the proper microphone placement and levels

on the drums and bass. We also recorded the rhythm guitars and keys but weren't sure if we were going to use those tracks. That night we laid down the bed tracks to our three new songs: "Memphis", "Old Number Seven", and "Dreamin's Over (Love Remains)." The bed tracks on each were done in less than three takes, with "Memphis" done in one take!

On Friday, Jason and Keith added a couple of rhythm overdubbs and completed guitar solos. Bill

overdubbed a spot or two and Tony rerecorded his keys and organ parts. After all the instruments were recorded, Tony and Keith added final lead vocal tracks to which Bill and Tony sang backup vocals. As an incredible side note, the microphone that was used to record the vocals is the actual mike that Elvis used during his Sun Studio sessions. Not the same type, but the actual microphone! Songs like "That's Alright, Mama" and "Mystery Train" were captured through that mike!! Its still hard to wrap my head around that fact.

Saturday morning arrived and we welcomed our guest vocalist and fellow brother of the road, Eric McDonald from Standard Eagle, to round out our backup vocal section. Jason and Keith completed some acoustic work and began to mixdown.

Finally on Monday, Tony, Keith and Randall returned to complete

mixing the songs. After a long night of repeated listening, you can't believe how many times you get to listen to these tunes, we thought we had a

completed mix. After listening to it at home, we realized we didn't. Extra work is needed and a final session is scheduled for early next week. We are so close but we don't want to release quite yet! Just a little more time....

As far as the live show update, we'll be heading over to Mustang Shelly's

on Saturday April 2nd. This was a great show last time and we hope to see everyone return! We were asked to return to Jerzee's in East Troy and April is our chance. The band returns to Jerzee's on Saturday April 16th and Willie's Dugout, one of our favs, on Saturday April 23rd.

Help the band celebrate its 20th year by coming out

and rockin' to all of your Southern rock hits! Keep checking out www.NorthernBredSouthernRock.com for all your Lukyn Skywyrd information!! See you at the show!!

What A Summer!

Thanks to everyone who came out and made our summer a super success! Country USA, Summerfest, ABATE Summer Hummer, Vetro Winery, Wisconsin State Fair......what a blast! It seems like things just shot into overdrive after our 2010 Milwaukee Battle of the Bands win back in June and we never looked back. Its hard to believe we're in the middle of August already! Check some of the great photos from those shows on www.facebook.com/lukynskywyrd!

But it ain't over!! We've got Pullin' for a Cure in Jefferson, the Great American Bike Rally at Kettle Moraine Ranch in Eagle, House of Harley Davidson, and St. Martin's Street Fair comin' up! Oh, yeah, and Tomahawk Bike Rally in September!! Keep watching the websites for dates and times! Thanks again, everybody!!

Also, please vote for us in the WISN A-List Best Local Band contest. Just go to http://wisn.cityvoter.com/lukyn-skywyrd/biz/578236 and sign up! That's all you got to do!

See you at the show!

2010 Country Rock Battle of the Bands Winner!

It is official! LUKYN SKYWYRD is the Milwaukee's 2010 Country Rock Battle of the Bands Winner!! Last weekend at Kelly's Bleachers in Wind Lake, WI, Lukyn Skywyrd took home the title and beat three other bands hands down. This was a fan-based voting event and the competition was fierce. Southern Impact, another fine Southern rock band, came in second, Folkswagen, an original folk/country act, was in third, and Twang, a solid country group, finished last. All bands are incredibly strong and contain great and talented people.

By winning this contest, Lukyn Skywyrd has won a spot on the M&I Classic Rock Stage at Summerfest on Sunday, June 27th. Just two days before the finals, the band was informed that it would not be included in this years Summerfest lineup. Pulling out all stops, the band rallied fans, friends, and family alike and brought the numbers to get a solid win.

In addition, the band won a spot in Oshkosh at Country USA on Thursday, June 24th. This will be the band's first appearance at Country USA. Also, the band has won studio recording time at Trax52 and a cash prize from Cream City Music.

The band would like to thank all of our fans, friends, and family for coming out and supporting us to help take this victory. Thanks Carl Stessl for filling in for Bill and thanks Julie "Jewlz" Schroeder for the awesome backup vocals! The stage is always open! Thanks Tim Castle and Young Southern for coming out and supporting us. Tim Castle RAWKS! Thanks Jeremy "Zue" Zuleger for organizing this battle. Thanks Dee and Rooster from Almost Famous Booking. We almost didn't even get into this contest but thanks to you, we made it! Thanks, Emac, Shain, Tom, Ricky, Jamie, Nick, and everybody else that made it out!! You are the reason we won and we thank each and every fan that came out to vote.

See you at Country USA and Summerfest! Rock on!!