The Duke Band falls back into love of music

Sugar Grove resident Terry Lindsay is a structural engineer who owns and operates his own business, Lindsay & Associates, in Aurora. His friend Matt Dutkanych owns Unique Insurance Company in Niles.

Both are successful businessmen with families and a lot of responsibilities. But when they get together to perform as The Duke Band, they leave all that responsibility and stress behind, and simply rock out.

Lindsay and "Duke" Dutkanych – the inspiration for the name of the band – started playing together when they were in high school on the south side of Chicago, and continued through their college years. Lindsay was the drummer, and Dutkanych played the rhythm guitar, playing songs by Jimmy Hendrix, The Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton, among others.

One by one, the band members married, started their careers and began raising families. Playing in the band went by the wayside.

About eight to 10 years ago, one of their friends died of complications from diabetes. They were planning a fundraiser for their friend’s family, and some of their friends asked if they would perform at the event.

They hadn’t played together in 25 years, but they decided to give it a try. They’ve been playing again together ever since.

“We did it sort of jokingly at first,” Dutkanych said.

They didn’t have to look far for a bass player. It turned out Dave Pawelski, a reinsurance broker who works with Dutkanych, fit the bill.

Chuck Desmond joined the group as their lead guitarist, and Dave Mickiewicz became the lead singer and guitarist.

In addition to playing the drums, Lindsay is the back-up singer.

Word spread, and soon the band was playing gigs all around the Chicago area. A few people from Sugar Grove saw them play together, and soon they were playing the Sugar Grove Corn Boil every two or three years.

“I love it when they play locally,” Sugar Grove resident Pat Graceffa said. “They play some wonderful music that makes us feel young again. I thoroughly enjoy them.”

In addition to the Corn Boil, they play at bars, festivals and other events, such as Chicago RidgeFest.

With some advice from their children, they have added some new music to their playlist, such as The Black Keys and Kings of Leon.

“We mix it up to keep everyone’s interest,” Lindsay said. “It’s been pretty successful.”

A few days before the Corn Boil, they played a two-hour lunchtime concert at Dutkanych's company in Niles. There had been a lot of anticipation and curiosity. This was, after all, "the boss" in a new light.

"They ([he employees] had a great time," Lindsay said. "They were dancing and everything. They were kind of surprised."

"For 10 years, I've been creating an image (as the owner of this company) and I've just destroyed it in an hour," Dutkanych said with a laugh.

The Duke Band will perform from 7 to 9 p.m. Aug. 6 at EvenFlow Music & Spirits in Geneva, 302 W. State Street.

Dutkanych lives in Chicago, two of the members live far south, in Frankfort and Mokena, and one lives in Carol Stream. All five of them have busy schedules, so getting together for practice can sometimes be challenging, they said.

One Saturday afternoon, the band was rehearsing loudly at Lindsay’s home in the Black Walnut Trails subdivision of Sugar Grove. They were in Lindsay’s walkout basement with all the windows open when his 15-year-old son came downstairs with a smile on his face.

“Dad, there’s a cop upstairs that wants to talk to you,” he said.

Lindsay said the band is a great outlet for all of them.

“It gives us a chance to socialize and to relieve some of our stress,” he said. “We have a lot of fun with it, but we do work hard and I think we’re pretty good.”