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THE BAND LUKYN SKYWYRD pulls no punches, delivering the best music from the Southern rock era. Music from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, ZZ Top, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, Outlaws, and Blackfoot are all part of the LUKYN SKYWYRD song list. Evolving over these many years, the band has now begun to include country hits by the likes of Toby Keith, Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Montgomery Gentry, and others. Over the past twenty years, LUKYN SKYWYRD has played many exciting venues and events. The band has played locals bars from Manitowoc to Racine, Milwaukee to Madison, and all points in-between. It has outlasted many of those bars, has seen many go out of business, and has played one in particular that has changed ownership and names four times! The band looks forward to playing some new watering holes and some old favorites. Throughout its tenure, LUKYN SKYWYRD has played some incredible gigs including: opening up for Bachman-Turner Overdrive at Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, St. Gregory's Fair, St. Roman's Fair, St. Francis Days, St. Rita's Fair, St. Stephen's Fair, Harvest Fair, Butler Cyclefest, Summerfest on the Roadhouse Stage, Summerfest on the Sprecher Stage, 95th Harley-Davidson Reunion, West Allis 95th Reunion Welcome Roast, Butler Spring Jam, Vintage Classic Cycle Works Summer Bash, Tomahawk Bike Rally. The band has opened for Edgar Winter and Foghat at the annual ABATE of WI Summer Hummer motorcycle rally and opened for the Marshall Tucker Band at the Milwaukee Rally. Also, the band played many events for the 100th Harley-Davidson Reunion, including three days at Club Hog XX, Rally End in Racine, the Shriners Temple Rally, Water Street Block Party, and opened for Molly Hatchet and Paul Rodgers of Bad Company at the Milwaukee Mile. Over the years, the band has become a favorite at private parties and organizations like the Sud City Vanner's Club and the Veterans of American Motorcycle Club. LUKYN SKYWYRD has opened for the following bands:
THE PLAYERS To be honest, I did not know when this band would return. No matter to what show or concert I would go, someone would eventually come up to me and ask, "Hey, what's up with LUKYN SKYWYRD? Are you guys ever gonna get back together?" "Well," I would say, "we'll see what happens. I'll only do it if the right people come together at the right time." Well, guess what? While working at a new home construction site, a chance encounter resulted in my meeting Jason Miller. Working in close quarters, small talk quickly turned to music. After learning we shared the same musical tastes, I discovered he was a frustrated guitar player just waiting for a shot to play in a real band. I suggested we get together and jam. After a successful jam session, Jason was excited to put the band back together. I was still reserved, knowing that the process can have a lot of bumps along the way. I said if he can find some players, I would check it out. Long story short, he found a couple of guys that didn't work out. I said to keep practicing and keep me posted if you find anybody else. Fast forward nine months later and I get a call. "I think I got some people," he says. We give them a short list of songs and get together to play. Halfway through playing, I feel it. There is just a certain feeling you get when you play with certain people. It is hard to describe but you know it when you feel it. Here we go again, just when I thought I was out, they just pull me back in...
Complementing
Bill's solid bass, Matt Liesman and his drums were just what the band
needed to get back into the music scene. He was the perfect guy at
the time and for a year, helped get the chops up for the rest of us
members. Unfortunately, due to mounting work and family pressures,
Matt was unable to stay with the band.
He did make a brief return for a
couple months until we were able to replace
That leads us to Mike O'Krongly, our hard kickin', Thunderfoot behind the drum kit. Mike came to us just at the right time, looking for a home after bouncing between a bunch of bands that included Crossfire and Liquid Crush. A solid staple on the Milwaukee music scene, Mike has been playing for ...., well, never mind, lets just say, he's a seasoned veteran! When Mike heard that Lukyn Skywyrd needed a drummer, he replied, "I'm the man." He was right, and he will be for long time to come! In what can only be
described as fate, Tony Vohs appeared at our doorstep.
At the exact same time, the 48th Street Rockers were coming to an end. Don Mueller, leader of the Rockers, asked me at their final Halloween party, if I would like to help put together a new project, Southern Spirit. How could I say no?!? Although not the perfect band, it gave me much experience. For the first time, I got to play Summerfest, Steny's Block Party, and Butler Cyclefest. I also made many contacts and learned the many aspects of behind the scenes like promotion, a well-maintained mailing list, and everything it takes to put together a decent product. After two years, Southern Spirit ran its course. In late 1995, LUKYN SKYWYRD returned. For ten years, LUKYN SKYWYRD played some phenomenal gigs. Personnel changes happened but always for the better. By the end of that run, the band was getting better gigs and notoriety but there was a dark undercurrent that I didn't see coming. I was blindsided after a gig one night and the band said they were planning on going a different direction that didn't include me. I cancelled the remaining gigs, hung up my guitar, and didn't pick it up for a year and a half. I really couldn't even look at it. And so, we fast-forward to the present. LUKYN SKYWYRD rises again for a third time like the phoenix rises from the ashes. On this never-ending highway, many people have entered and exited through the swinging door. So many, I've lost count! But, I guess that's the only way we can end up from there to here. The fire's burning again. Hang on, its gonna be one helleva ride!! -Keith Stefanec |
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In memorandum: Every time I set foot on the stage, you are
remembered. Fly on Freebirds, you are free at last!
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So, just who is this Jason Miller
guy? Jason has dabbled on and off with
guitar for the last 20 years. He played trumpet for seven years
and even played with the high school jazz
band. For the last 15 years, Jason's goal has been to be on stage
with a real band by his 40th birthday. After three years of false
starts, it looks like he's made it. Jason cites Stevie Ray
Vaughan, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Molly Hatchet, and .38 Special as major
influences on his playing. Between playing in the band and
spending time with his three daughters, Hannah, Maddie, and Ella, Jason
says he's having the time of his life.
Now,
what about those guys Jason brought into the fold? Bill Burki had
been out of the music scene for 15 years. He and his wife, Pam,
were busy raising their three boys, Billy, Mitch, and Ben. Back in
the early 80's, Bill played guitar in the Top 40 band, Mischief, and
then switched to bass guitar when he joined the blues band, Lights Out.
Now that his oldest is starting his first year in college, Bill knew it
was now time to return to music. Discovering the band was in need
of a bass player, Bill jumped at the chance.
our
next drummer, Chad Stein. 
An email containing available local musicians ended up in my email
mailbox and I almost didn't open it. At the top of the list was
Tony looking for a band doing classic/Southern rock. I took the
chance and signed up for the service so I could get in contact with him.
Well, it turns out, that was his first day signing up and really hadn't
had much response yet! What an incredible find! We got him
down to practice, heard him play two songs, and asked if he wanted the
job. Two weeks later, he was playing his first gig with us.
Wow! 
Finally, there's me, Keith
Stefanec, band architect, benevolent dictator, lead
singer, lead guitar player, keeper of the flame, song-writer, and
survivor. This whole thing started long ago but seems like
yesterday. After seeing bands like the 48th Street Rockers and
D.S. Jukin, I knew what kind of band I wanted. LUKYN SKYWYRD
started out in the late 80's as a rag-tag bunch of guys who really
didn't know what kind of band they were in. But there was always
the vision of what it could be. Numerous personnel changes
happened but none really made the difference. After a couple of
different line-ups, I put the name on hold and tried playing with a more
established band, the Automatix. It lasted one gig.
