Along with seven other bands Black Stone Cherry will be tearing up the stage at Rockford's 13th Annual Wing Ding. The event will be held at The Rockford Speedway on the 28th of May, and it should be a great time. It's seems certain that this Edmonton, Kentucky group will be one of the highlights of the day's entertainment.

Their press release does a great job of introducing the act, so it seems like a great place to start to let those words speak for themselves here. "More than anything, the South is known for its music and its strong family ties. Both are highlighted with Black Stone Cherry, a Kentucky band that redefines southern rock for a modern audience. By any standard, BSC is unconventional: they take the larger-than-life mystique of classic rock and modernize it with a driving attack that is equal parts roots and modern hard rock. Few bands this young - none of the four members is older than 23, the youngest is 20 - sound this powerful or versatile. They're hard and heavy, but Black Stone Cherry is southern to the core, and they come by their love of music in genuine way: it's in their blood, and it's in their home."

As strong as the following for Southern Rock is in the Rockford area, it seems a given that the audience will eat these guys up. But as you read above, that is just one element of their sound. Add in some serious helpings of Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Soundgarden and AC/DC and you are closer to hearing what the band sounds like. The group has been together officially since 2001 and have inherited the same practice space that was used by the Kentucky Headhunters - the father of  John Fred Young (drums and backing vocals) was a founding member of that legendary outfit. Chris Robertson (lead vocals and guitar), Jon Lawhon (bass and backing vocals) and Ben Wells (guitars and backing vocals) round out the lineup of Black Stone Cherry.

The group has their debut album ready to launch, so this will be a great opportunity for the people of Rockford to catch an up and coming act before they become a mainstay of the hard rock scene. They've been invigorating audiences in their home state for a long time now. It's the Forest City's big chance to catch some of that excitement.