Photos and Music From The Taste Of Elmwood Park
By Kevin Gosztola, Editor
Thousands of Elmwood Park residents once again packed into Central Park for the 41st annual Taste of Elmwood Park.
When you looked at Central Park on Saturday evening, you could barely find a patch of grass to sit down and enjoy the evening music. So many people were there for the R-Gang and to eat food from the local vendors.
I collected videos from performances by three of the bands that I expected to put on exceptional shows. These bands were also not a part of the lineup in 2024 or 2025.
But first Seth Greenberg, the newsletter’s photographer for the summer, took these photos.
On Thursday, The PriSSillas kicked off the weekend’s lineup of music with a setlist that was filled with “classy rock” versions of several well-known tunes, including Blondie’s “Call Me,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth,” and Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On.”
But with the death of Bonnie Tyler on July 8, it was this all-female group’s medley—Tyler’s “It’s A Heartache” and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Have You Ever Seen The Rain?”—that stuck with me.
As a fan of EZFM, which performed at 2024’s Taste, I was immediately interested in The Yacht Rock-ettes, and they put on a fantastic show on Friday.
Dina DiCostanzo and Keely Vasquez took turns on lead vocals. Here they are performing their version of the Doobie Brothers’ “Takin’ It To the Streets.”
With keyboardist Greg Woods taking a turn on lead vocals, they absolutely nailed this version of “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” by Looking Glass.
Though all of those tunes made my smooth-sailing yacht rock voyage enjoyable, I was most impressed by their version of Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re No Good.” It is, as they said, yacht rock-adjacent. Still, with that tenor saxophone solo and the vocals from DiCostanzo and Vazquez, it was fabulous.
And then, on Saturday, the R-Gang returned to the Taste. This is a band with outstanding musicians—Robert Davis, Bill Syniar, Anthony Owens, Anthony Napolitano, Mike Delvalle, and Will Crosby.
The band opened with their versions of the O’Jays’ “I Love Music” and “Love Train.” By the time they performed their version of the Gap Band’s R&B and funk classic “Early In the Morning,” the area in front of the stage was filled with people dancing.
Crosby is clearly a versatile musician. He performed with Chicago blues legends like Otis Clay, Willie Clayton, and Mighty Joe Young, as well as with the Staple Singers. Which is why I really enjoyed their version of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September.” It was one of several songs that showcased him.
I moved closer about halfway through the R-Gang’s set. Their version of Michael Jackson’s “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” was another smokin’ demonstration of how this band can jam.
With the R-Gang’s night coming to an end, the band hit Elmwood Park with a bit of the Clarence Carter soul classic, “Strokin,” and Crosby stepped to the front of the stage for an absolutely killer guitar solo.
I look forward every year to the Chicagoland area cover bands that I will be introduced to thanks to the Taste of Elmwood Park. In fact, R-Gang is playing at the Taste of Melrose Park in September. I probably will see if some of my family want to go hear them lay down some funk.
But in my opinion the music lineup could feature more genres. I would like to see a group booked that performed reggaeton or any type of Latin music, given the significant Hispanic population in the village. A blues band should be part of the lineup every year, and I also think the planners should book an act that performs hip hop from the 1970s and 1980s.
I would like to see the village take a chance on a band or two that mostly performed their own original music. The planners do not need to solely rely on acts that typically perform covers at weddings or business retreats when there are so many bands from the area that could be booked.