Where rock meets country—high-energy, soulful, and ready to hit the stage!
Whiskey Road started as a one-off recording project at the 35th Street Studios in Chicago with Mike Lavery, Jay Strezo, Charlie Long, Rich Stewart, Eric Perina, and Richie Pawlak. After laying down tracks for a few songs, founding members Mike and Jay decided that a full-on band was needed to showcase their original material live. After working with various musicians, the duo put together an audition practice at 35th Street with guitarist Jimmy DeGroot, bassist Darren Thompson, and drummer Pat Lavery. Three hours in, the quintet had written two new songs and was in agreement that the chemistry was definitely electric. By late 1999, WR was in full creative swing, having written 15 songs and putting their own spin on a dozen covers, the group was performing two-and-a-half-hour sets on the local scene.
While playing just about every weekend, WR’s weekday nights were filled with studio time recording 11 songs for their first demo disc, Just A Little Game, with engineer Tom Vandermolen at Speed Of Sound in Oak Lawn. During recording, vocalist Wendy Sherbondy was tapped to fill out some of the background vocals on the CD. After hearing the finished product, Wendy was asked to join the band full-time. Over the next few years, WR continued gigging, all the while adding new originals and reworked covers to their ever-changing set. In 2001, bassist Richie Pawlak replaced the departing Darren Thompson. In 2003, after laying down tracks for their new CD, On The Wagon, Jimmy DeGroot left the band and was replaced by guitarist Rich Stewart. With the new lineup working out, new songs were written and added to the five tracks already finished in the studio. This incarnation of WR played its last show in July of 2004.
In 2010, after a few unsuccessful attempts to get the original lineup back together, founding member Mike Lavery began working with some new musicians in the hopes of getting the act back out on the circuit. After working with several committed and talented musicians, the new lineup has fallen into place and is doing some fantastic work together.
Whiskey Road is back and ready to bring their unique brand of “Whiskey Rock” back to the masses.
