5 Guys Wide had a stellar year... we played some great shows and have really solidified as a group. With the end of 2011 coming up we will be slowing down, spending time with our families and getting prepped for 2012. We want to take this moment to thank all of our friends and supporters who have been there for us throuough this past year. Our loving families who are always there for us and keep us humble. To the people we have performed for and the organizations that have hired us, a simple thank you does not do justice to our heartfelt thanks we extend to you. But most of all we want to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is our rock and foundation and the heart of the reason we do (and can do) what we do. His love, mercy and grace never ceases to amaze us and it is a priveledge to be able to go out and proclaim His name wherever we go. 2012 is going to be a fantastic year. We are going to have a beefed up song list and hopefully will be able to play at some new and exciting places ...

We were priveleged to be interviewed by Nick & Bootsy of the radio station KKID 92.9FM "Basement Tapes Show" this past Sunday evening. Unfortunately we were only "4 Guys Wide" as Fan Hogger couldn't make the interview, but we had fun using his absence as an excuse for some good natured ribbing at his expense!! The band was interviewed about the band name, how they got together, what kind of influences they have, upcoming shows and plans for recording. The three demos that we have were also played and a little history given on each. Initially we were going to perform live, however the size of the studio prevented us from bringing equipment in and we didn't want to represent ourselves contrary to how we really sound. We could could have played songs acoustically, but that wouldn't have been us! The Basement Tapes is a great program, spotlighting and focusing on local talent. You don't get that opportunity in too many big cities and Nick & Bootsy have a real passion for supporting local talent. We're hoping to be on their show again in the future. Unfortunately they do not have podcasting setup as of yet, so if you missed the show, ...

We kicked off August with a great afternoon of music at Belmont Winery in Leasburg to support our friend Jesse Jackson and his battle with cancer. It was dubbed "Benefit, BBQ & Blues" and was all of the above! We started the day out and had a great crowd and great response. Jesse sat in with us on "Long Train Runnin" and helped us close our set. The rest of the day was followed up with The Paul Cockrum Trio, Kingdom Brothers and then Macks Creek Band. It was wa great day and we appreciate everyone who came out in support. We may be at the Belmont Winery again sometime in October, details are still in the works. We have recently hooked up with Nick and Bootsy from the "Basement Tapes" show on 92.9FM KKID out of Rolla. They have a great program supporting local music and played some of our demo on their program last night. We are scheduled to do a "live" performance in their studio and on the air along with an interview next Sunday August 14th, so we hope you tune into the broadcast. The Basement Tapes program airs on Sunday from 7pm until "it's over", be sure to tune ...

June and July were good months for 5GW! Crossroad Riders Bike Show was awesome as always. EAST2WEST opened up for us and did a fantastic job. There were some outstanding bikes there this year and it was extra special as longtime coordinator of the event, Phil Tolliver, went to be Jesus prior to this years show. Janet Stallman did an outstanding job of filling some very big shoes (not just in size either). We're looking forward t next years event. We also played the 4th of July festival (Blues Under the Pavilion) in Leasburg. Another hot day but the fireworks after our set were awesome. They went all out. Many thanks to those who put on the event and invited us to play. We hope we can do it again next year! Next up is the Benefit Blues Bash & BBQ at Belmont Vineyards in Leasburg to raise money to help ease the costs for cancer victim Jesse Jackson. The event will feature: The Paul Cockrum Trio; The Macks Creek Band, The Kingdom Brothers and of course 5 Guys Wide. Raising money for a good cause and BBQ and Blues... can't go wrong there! And finally we are playing at the Homecoming Rally in ...

June has been a pretty busy month for us. It started with a Joplin benefit concert with 4 other bands (Tattooed Prophet, Redemption Story and Out Of The Box) early in the month. It was unbearably hot, but for a great cause. The benefit raised almost $1,500 for the tornado victims in Joplin Missouri. Next up was the Ozark Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair at Onondaga State Park in Leasburg, MO. The weather was perfect, we have a great stage to play on, and a decent crowd. Next up for us is the Cross Road Riders 8th Annual Ride-In Bike Show in Union, Mo. on June 26th. This event draws hundreds of bikers and their bikes, has free food and drinks, a bike blessings, raffles and give-away's. And Live music by 5GW! It's a great event, family friendly and ALWAYS a good time. I have been to it every year except one and have never had a bad time. We have a gig on the 4th of July in Leasburg, MO. and will be doing "Blues In The Pavilion". We will be playing just before dark before the fireworks. Another great, family friendly event that we hope everyone comes out to! We have ...

We hit the studio a couple weeks ago to cut a three song demo to be used for promotional and booking purposes only. We met at Victory Studios in Rolla, MO and in about four hours cut the three songs. What you get is a good sample of our music style: swinging, jump blues - some very funky blues - and of couse some slow cookin' blues! Special thanks to Bob for covering the drum tracks for us (you were awesome) and to Brad and Barry for making us at home in the studio and working with us to get a product that represents us. The songs are on the music page, so why not take a listen and let us know what you think!!

Well, we hit the studio last night and got all three demo songs completed in about 4 hours. That's pretty quick!  Big thanks to Bob who filled in magnificently on drums for the demo... with no rehearsals... just laid the tracks down!  Also, thanks to Brad and Barry for their time and efforts. We'll be going back near the end of the week to go over the mix and finalize the business aspects of the session and will have the tracks online here before much longer. Be sure to look for them and let us know what you think! The goal of the demo is to secure gigs for the coming summer and next year. Speaking of next year, we are most certainly available for bookings. So if you know of a festival, event or other activity that books in advance, please let us know or pass our information on to the appropriate person. Thanks for the support of our families and most of all for the unselfish act of love our Lord displayed for us all on Calvary!

We are going into the studio in Rolla, MO. on March 25th to record a three song demo to be used to promote the band. The songs unfortunately will not be available for download or on CD as the songs are not our original songs. Somewhere in the future we will ahve a CD of our own material, right now we are focused on getting the band booked and getting out on the road! We are very excited and most of all very blessed to have friends who are willing to not only use their talents and resources to help out friends and musicians but to use that as a ministry so that these bands and artists can boldly go out and spread the Good News. It's humbling. Thanks to Brad and Barry and everyone else associated with your ministry!

We are currently preparing to record some demo tracks at the studio of our friends Brad Hayes and Barry Mankin in Rolla Missouri. More news on that as it becomes available. The band is scheduling gigs for this summer. We have a couple setup and a few that are tentative at the moment. Hoping that we can fill up the summer once the demo is completed. We are scheduled to play at a private party in Sullivan, MO. on Saturday, March 12th, The Ozark Renewable Energy and Sustainable Living Fair on Saturday, June 18th, The Cross Road Riders Ride-In Bike Show in Union, MO. on Sunday June 26th, and then the Homecoming Rally in Buckhorn, MO. on Sunday morning September 4th.