An Illinois bluegrass band will play on Saturday at Macs’ Uptowner., located at 623 Monroe Ave. The show starts at 9:30 p.m.. Cover is $2 and patrons must be at least 21 years old to enter.

Miles Over Mountains has a lot to celebrate. In just their first year together, they’ve played coveted venues, finished their debut CD, and spread their high-energy bluegrass sound from Minnesota to Arkansas. 

Mandolin player Sean Shiel called Miles Over Mountains his “most mature and fruitful musical endeavor.”

He talked about the comradery among band members Steve Hansen (upright bass), A.J. Knaack (banjo), and Caleb Peters (guitar).

“We like hanging out, spending hours together touring in the van,” Shiel said. “We’ve become better songwriters, and it’s tough to write a good song. We’re really proud of Miles Over Mountains.”

Recently, Miles Over Mountains performed on Blue Plate Special, a nationally syndicated ratio show based in Knoxville, Tenn.

“We were super honored to be a part of it. Some of the greats play on Blue Plate,” Shiel said. Other notable bluegrass acts to share that stage include Trampled by Turtles and Carolina Chocolate Drops.

“The name Miles Over Mountains is semi-descriptive of our music. The implications of travel and the visualization of mountains really jive with bluegrass and Americana music,” Shiel said.

Fans are in for a treat because the band’s debut album “Five Star Heart Breaker” will be available for sale at Saturday’s show ahead of the official CD release.

“Technically, our CD release date is March 20,” Shiel said. “But we’re offering the CD in Charleston because we won’t be back for a while.” Miles Over Mountains posters, stickers and beer coozies will also be available.

Miles Over Mountain is celebrating its debut album release at Mackey’s Hideout in McHenry, Ill., where the band is from. The CD release party will also mark their 100^th show.

At Saturday’s show, Miles Over Mountains will play a “steady mix of original and cover material,” Shiel said. “We like to write high-energy songs, but we like to bring it down, too. This makes for a dynamic show. We like to flow, to connect with everyone.”

“The main goal is to have a good time. The audience can’t have fun if we’re not, so we try to have a blast ourselves,” Shiel said.

Shiel said they stay away from covering bluegrass songs. “We cover other styles and make it bluegrass,” he said. “Lately, we’ve been doing classic rock—like “Baba O’Riley” by The Who—but redone in bluegrass.”

In November, Miles Over Mountains played a Green Day tribute set, with each song redone in their  bluegrass style. Miles Over Mountains has this and nine other live sets available for download at archive.org. Two of these recordings are from their appearances at Illinois music festivals Down on the Farm and Shoe Fest.

With band permission, Lonnie Fitzgerald, sound engineer for Macs’ Uptowner, will upload Saturday’s show to archive.org.

“This is the only bluegrass show of the school year,” Fitzgerald said, who also books shows for Macs’ Uptowner.

“Sean Shiel has been playing Charleston since 2007 as a solo act, but he’ll be putting down his guitar for his mandolin for Miles Over Mountains’s first Uptowner performance,” he said.

Future Macs’ Uptowner shows include a St. Patrick’s Day show on March 17, Overserved Gentlemen on March 28, Copecetic with Todd Hazelrigg on April 4 and Thinner Teed on April 11.

Kara Baker can be reached at 217-581-2812 or [email protected].