​Vallillo’s work has long been compared to that of Sandburg.  He has been described as “Illinois’ pre-eminent prairie-poet singer-songwriter” and is well known for incorporating original and traditional material to make the people and places of “unmetropolitan” America come to life.   Much as Sandburg himself, Vallillo spent several years collecting and documenting the music of rural Illinois, much of which influenced his own work.

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Vallillo’s performance will pair his original music and traditional songs Sandburg collected with poems Sandburg wrote.  

“For years people have been telling me my work reminded them of Sandburg’s poetry. When I began to explore the possibilities, I was struck by just how powerful the combination was.”