Full Throttle is ready to get Mahomet residents dancing as they open up Uncle Buck’s Sports Bar holiday entertainment on Sat. from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
After 12 years together, Full Throttle comes into every gig with over 100 cover songs from Eric Clapton, CCR, BB King, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, Elvis, Radiohead, Phillip Phillips, 3 Doors Down, Jason Aldean and Tim McGraw, among others.
“Over the years we’ve learned you’re not playing to entertain yourself,” guitarist Dan Koester said. “You’re being paid to entertain other people. We can walk into a bar and meet the needs of a crowd.”
Full Throttle began playing classic and southern rock covers with some originals. They’ve added blues, country and new rock to their show within recent years.
A regular in Champaign and surrounding towns, Full Throttle also enjoys Uncle Bucks for the high-energy atmosphere.
“It’s just a nice bar, and they are really friendly,” Koester said. “Every time we’ve played there, we’ve had a really good crowd, and we like that people will get up and dance. Almost every one of the songs we play is a dance song.”
Koester who started playing guitar in 2000, practiced with the band in Tolono until he was ready to perform with them in 2001. During their first show at Radamakers in Dec. 2001, their base player passed away after a heart attack while dancing in the crowd.
Over the years, band members have come and gone. Full Throttle even broke up for a year in 2007 when the stress of performing every weekend wore on a few of the band members.
Lead guitarist, and Full Throttle founder, Mark Millsap and Koester continued to play with a new band they formed during that time. Koester realized he could perform as the lead vocalist, which helped the group when Full Throttle reunited.
Koester, who also sings backup vocals, can take the lead on some country songs. Bart Marcum now takes the lead on most songs, with Tom Cullop on drums and newcomer Gary Foreman on the bass.
Not wanting to get burned out again, and to balance their performances with family, Full Throttle can be found in Central Illinois at least one to two times a month. Millsap, Koester and Marcum also perform in other bands and have an acoustic set they take to small bars.
“It’s so fun when you take instruments and intertwine them together, and it really fills out the songs,” Koester said. “I’ve got a slew of guitars, and I’ll sit and play them in the house, but it’s not the same as getting together and playing in front of people. You just feed off the energy of the people out there watching you.”
Whether it’s sitting around in Koester’s garage after practice or taking a trip to Nashville to watch bands perform in bars, Full Throttle always takes notes on how to improve their show.
Full Throttle also performs in two to four benefit concerts every year. Each Nov. they participate in the Thomasboro benefit for Veterans. They’ve also supported recently supported families in Charleston, Sadorus and Mahomet.
“I think it’s a privilege when people ask us to play at benefits,” Koester said. “If there are people in need, we just want to help.”
Full Throttle will also be at Memphis on Main in Champaign on Jan. 10. Nickel and Dimes will perform at Uncle Buck’s on New Year’s Eve.
