Co-founder of local band performing at big weekend music festival hand picks replacement

It has been a season of change for local band Subterranean, performing at Hookahville at Zane Shawnee Caverns in Bellefontaine on Friday, May 18. Co-founder Danny Sauers (saxophone, harmonica, vocals) left the local progressive rock band in October. Remaining members Chris Coalt (vocals, guitar), Chuckie Love (bass, vocals) and Rob Brockman (drums, vocals) carried on with Stephen Buttree (keyboards, saxophone, flute, vocals), Sauers' hand-picked replacement.

Coalt: "When Danny told us he was going to have to step away, we totally understood. But this band jokes about everything, and there aren't a lot of people that play horns and keyboards, so I immediately said, 'Hopefully Stephen Buttree will join the band.' That was a joke but a few weeks later Danny ran into Stephen."

Buttree: "The seed got planted that night. Then everything lined up to make this happen, which is kind of phenomenal. This isn't a slam on reggae but, musically, this is a breath of fresh air for me. I'm able to get more into the improvisational element, which I cut my teeth on a million years ago."

Love: "It's going great. We have so many tunes so we've been spending time getting them all down with Stephen. We've also been working on some new covers just for fun."

Hookahville, which runs through May 19, features four sets from host band Ekoostik Hookah with performances on two stages by Electric Orange Peel, Keller Williams, Mike Perkins, Blue Moon Soup, Zach Deputy and others. Music begins at 5 p.m. Friday and 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Subterranean opens the main stage at 6 p.m. Friday.

Brockman: "This is the fifth time we've done Hookahville in seven years. They do the festival in the spring and the fall, and we've switched back and forth between one or the other. Last year, we did the fall and this year it's spring."

Coalt: "Ekoostik Hookah has been good to us over the years. We've played shows with them and they continue to invite us to the festival."

Subterranean opened the festival season with Halfway to Harvestfest in Toledo on April 28, followed by May Days at Hannon’s Camp America in College Corner on May 4 and Phase Four: Gathering of the Moon Bloomers Festival in Spencer, Ind. on May 12. Upcoming appearances include the Backyard Boogie at Adventures on the Great Miami in Tipp City on June 1, Food For Folks at Coyote Grove in Bellevue on June 21, Festival of Fire at Zane Shawnee Caverns in Bellefontaine on June 29 and Discofest at Hannon’s Camp America on July 28.


WANT TO GO?

What: Hookahville with Ekoostik Hookah, Subterranean, Keller Williams, Zach Deputy and others

Where: Zane Shawnee Caverns, 7092 State Route 540, Bellefontaine

When: 5 p.m. Friday and 12:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 and 19

Cost: $60-$80 in advance, $90 at the gate. VIP tickets $135-$155 in advance, $165 at the gate

More info: www.hookahville.com

Artist info: www.facebook.com/subtmusic

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