Chris Vallillo continues his musical journey this weekend at the intimate 80-seat 1700 Theater located within Steppenwolf Theatre. Accompanying him are talented musicians Don Stiernberg on mandolin and Marc Edelstein on bass. Tim Schroll’s striking black-and-white photographs will enhance the performance. The show is titled Forgottonia.
Vallillo describes this work as a blend of Bruce Springsteen and Prairie Home Companion. He shared these thoughts during a phone conversation as he traveled from Baldwin, Michigan to Downers Grove for another performance. Travel is familiar to Vallillo, whose upbringing involved frequent moves due to his father’s civil engineering career. Born in Hammond, Indiana, he developed an early interest in music during his time in New Castle, Pennsylvania. Drawn to the guitar, Vallillo said, “I can never remember a time when I wasn’t drawn to the guitar,” and eventually his parents allowed him to pursue it in sixth grade.
Teaching himself to play, he grew serious about music with like-minded college roommates. By the time he graduated with an archaeology degree from Beloit College, Vallillo had decided that teaching in classrooms was not for him. Instead, he channeled his passion for fieldwork and music, combining storytelling with song. His guitar abilities earn praise, including from FolkWax magazine editor Arthur Wood who observed, “Vallillo’s guitar playing flows like warm honey.”
His past works include Abraham Lincoln in Song, a 2007 album endorsed by the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, and Oh Freedom! Songs of the Civil Rights Movement from 2015. Vallillo said freedom songs fostered inspiration and solidarity during the civil rights movement.
The origin of Forgottonia traces back to an archaeological field trip in 1976, where Vallillo discovered a self-proclaimed “independent nation” from the late 1960s. Residents of 16 western Illinois counties devised this concept in frustration over inadequate state and federal support for transportation projects. Their plan to secede, declare war, surrender, and apply for foreign aid drew attention and inspired funding.
Years later, Vallillo reflected on his 1976 experience: “It was like stepping back 40 years in time.” Conversations with community members and exposure to their music awakened his understanding of the stories behind songs. These experiences influenced his album and gained radio airplay, with Marilyn Rea Beyer of WFMT-FM’s “The Midnight Special” calling it “a memorable set of sprightly tunes.”
Critics praised Forgottonia for capturing the essence of time and place. Presentations at venues like Western Illinois University and the Orpheum Theatre welcomed the mix of narrative and music. Kevin Maynard, former executive director of the Quad Cities Arts council, described the show as a reflection of rural America through stories and music.
Vallillo, now living in west-central Macomb with his wife Dorie and their daughter Maggie, had always intended to present this project in a large city. His persistence led the show to Steppenwolf and its LookOut Series. Vallillo expressed enthusiasm, “Eager to see how an urban audience will react to a rural show. I am confident.” He holds that folk music is dynamic: “It is a living, breathing thing.”
If you go
“Forgottonia” will take place at 7:30 p.m. on August 8 and 3 p.m. on August 9 as part of the LookOut Series in Steppenwolf’s 1700 Theater, located at 1700 N. Halsted St. Tickets and additional information are available at www.steppenwolf.org.