Caught Off Guards will perform at free outdoor concert
(Lurrie Bell was scheduled to sit in with the band, but he is no longer able to attend the concert)
The Caught Off Guards will perform from 5 – 7 p.m. Friday, May 26, 2023, at the first outdoor concert of the year at the Oak Park Arms Senior Living, 408 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park. The public is warmly welcome to attend the outdoor concert. Please bring a canned food donation for Oak Park Community Fridge, a sharing initiative aiming to reduce food insecurity and food waste, while building a stronger community.
“The first outdoor concert of the season is always exciting,” said Renee Steingard, director of resident engagement at the Oak Park Arms. “We have always enjoyed the Caught Off Guards.”
Members of the Caught Off Guards first met at an open-mic event at the NAMI drop-in center in Oak Park. Each musician has a love of Funk, R&B, Soul, Blues, and Jazz. They began as a backing band or live karaoke band for other performers, and in the process of mutual support, the Caught Off Guards emerged as a main act for community events.
Healing through the arts is the reason The Caught off Guards perform. They have performed at the Open-Door Theatre, Unity Temple, the Nineteenth Century Club, Cheney Mansion, and Oak Park’s Thursday Night Out. Band members include Charles Torpe, Carla Taylor, Gary Barkov. Kevin McDermott, Steve Coppola, Sylvester Czaijkowski, Carl Mugavero, and Francesco Forte.
The Oak Park Arms is a rental retirement community which provides senior housing in the form of senior independent living and assisted living apartments. Additional services include respite care and an award-winning adult day care program. Furnished apartments are also available for a short-term stay – a weekend, a week, a month or longer.
The outdoor concert is open to the public and a canned food donation for Oak Park Community Fridge is encouraged. For more information about the concert or the Oak Park Arms call 708-386-4040.
