Bill Hurley and Mike Daley grew up together in the 1960s and 1970s, so it’s only natural that 50-some years later, their music would reflect that era.
“We sing along with our two acoustic guitars and a drum machine,” Daley said. “People can dance to us. We play a lot of Everly Brothers, Beatles, Eagles, Elvis, Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Diamond.”
Hurley and Daley will perform from 6-8 p.m. July 9 at the Art Park in Wittenberg. They are part of the summer concert series.
The Wittenberg show will include free ice cream with other food for sale by Redeemer Church. Concert goers are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs. In case of rain, the show will be moved inside the adjacent WOWSPACE, 114 Vinal St.
Hurley and Daley really started to play together on a regular basis around 2010.
“In 2021, we started to take it more seriously,” Daley said. “Now, we have monthly gigs at Stubborn Brothers Brewery and Primal Eats. We pick up another show here or there; in the summer, we’ll play three shows a month.”
In 2021, both men worked at Seagrave Fire Apparatus in Clintonville. Daley said he received a call from Caroline Implement (now Riesterer and Schnell) asking if he could play for a 75th customer appreciation party. He said he wasn’t in a band, but he knew someone (Hurley), and the two could certainly put together a show.
The two men were eating at Stubborn Brothers Brewery one evening when they were approached about performing on a regular basis at the restaurant. They started in July of that year.
“The guys at Primal Eats heard about it and asked us to do the same thing there,” Daley said. “We started there in October.”
Both members of the duo sing and play.
“We’re very harmony-based,” Daley said. “Our vocals are strong.”
Before joining as a duo, Hurley and Daley played separately with a variety of bands over the years, while each held other full-time jobs.
Daley eventually played music full time. A band he was in opened for groups like the Grass Roots, Tommy James and The Shondells, and the Monkees.
“I got to know the guys in the Grass Roots and became their drummer in 1981-82,” Daley said. “I guess that’s my five minutes of fame.”
Both men are now retired.
They get together once a week to practice and continue to add songs to their sets.
“When we play, we play for three hours straight with no breaks,” Daley said. “There are a lot of favorites in those sets. We move songs around, add new ones, all without a break.”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
Hurley, Daley to perform at Art Park on July 9
