Local bands perform at mall

When Caribou Coffee employees sought local bands to perform at Spring Hill Mall, they didn't have to look far.

The three bands that played this month in the mall's center court all had connections to area Caribou Coffee locations -- either directly or through family members or friends.

The mall's Caribou wanted to do something for the community and to increase mall traffic on a Friday night, said manager Nikki Antongiovanni.

"We had a great time," she said. "It was very successful for us."

The bands were:

•Wherewithals from Algonquin, who play a blend of rock, indie and pop with vocalists Chase Shedor on guitar; Geon Tillinghast on drums; and Joel Nadal on bass.

•The Hatters Mad, a smooth funk/jazz band from Carpentersville. The band features Zach Golden on drums; Cason Trager on bass; Matt Bruner on treble guitar; Keith Pitner on trombone; Declan Coughlan on keyboard; and Frand Laipert on trumpet.

•Ghost of a Hero, a five-piece band from Elgin playing indie, acoustic and rock, includes singer Adrian Medriano, Eric Sherman on lead guitar, Kyle Mulholland on rhythm guitar, Justin Lyons on bass and Kristine Medriano on drums.

Antongiovanni would like to have more attractions at the mall location -- possibly another band concert or a poetry reading. If you have any ideas for possible shows, stop by, she said.