Before there was Local Favorite, there was Frank Whiting. Playing his solo gig in the bars and restaurants of the western suburbs  He attracted a strong following of fans who loved his huge list of songs and encyclopedic knowledge of lyrics. Frank has the odd gift of being able to remember all kinds of songs and lyrics.  Some he's never even played before. But that doesn’t stop him from taking a crack at a new song, right there on the spot. Ah, but don't give Frankie a cocktail, or his encyclopedic brain freezes up faster than an old DOS machine trying to run Photoshop. When he’s not making music, Frank is a headhunter in the action/sports industry. He's no stranger to a cold call, which serves him well in booking the Local Favorite Band.

Michael met Frank at a campout in Michigan singing songs around the campfire. Frank got up to take a leak and handed Michael his guitar . When he came back, Michael was wailing away, and Frank said, " wow, you play guitar? We should start a band." So Local Favorite began as a duo, playing smokey bars, and pool halls of the western suburbs. Michael's 20 plus years as a recording engineer has helped shape the sound of Local Favorite, and his own playing. "I've been fortunate to record some really amazing studio players over the years. One thing they all have in common is knowing how to edit their playing. It's not so much what you play, it's what you DON'T play that makes the difference."

Sweet, sultry, cool, and a voice like a dang song bird. That's our Sara. Sara spent a summer as the nanny for the Mason family. Frank and Michael were practing and asked her to try singing a few songs in a style she had never tried before - pure twang. The following week she sat in with Frank and Michael at a local bar and brought the house down. "She has a voice that people shut up and listen to" says Michael. She is an amazing talent, still just blossoming. This is Sara's first real band, but certainly not her first time onstage. She has been in so many choirs, operas, and musicals she's lost count. Her training is classical, but her sound is all soul. Musical influences like Regina Spektor, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, and Alicia Keys. Sara has a degree in music education and teaches music at a private school in Wheaton. She is also a very talented sing/songwriter on her own. To find out more about Sara and her music visit www.SaraMasterson.com.

Steve discovered his love for music at fourteen when he heard the band Phish in concert. They pretty much blew his mind. After that, Steve immersed himself in the music of Phish, String Cheese Incident, Modeski Martin and Wood, Madonna and Jamiroquai. But don't mistake Steve for a tie dyed T-shirt wearing hippie. Steve is the sharpest knife in the LFB drawer, with a music degree in vocal performance, and a masters degree in Practical Theology. Steve rocks the LFB keys, mando, banjo and acoustic guitar and by day is a Director of Worship at a church in Napverville.

Frank met Bob on the little league baseball fields of Glen Ellyn. Their kids played on a team Bob was coaching and sidelines talk turned into a few jam sessions. Frank wasn't ready to start a full band yet, but he kept Bob's number. Bob played with many different southern rock bands in the 80's and 90's, but by 2001 had taken a new direction. He went legit! Bought a tux, an upright bass, and stashed his big amps in the far reaches of his basement. He started playing in jazz trios, and after watching his kids orchestra, decided to join the West Suburban Symphony. Bob can do it all, Jazz, Classical, whatever.  He thought his Rock 'n' Roll days were behind him. Then Local Favorite called .....

How do you get the best drummer you or anyone else knows to join your band? You put all the other players together, practice, practice, practice, book a gig, and THEN ask if he wants to join. That's pretty much how we got Nathaniel. We booked a gig, rehearsed with him once or twice and played our first gig to a packed rowdy crowd. From there it just kept getting better. 'Than' is the bedrock of the band, equally adept at brushes, hot rods, or sticks, he knows how to lead the band no matter what the style. Music has been a huge part of his life since age 8 and he has played in many genres of bands including rock, pop, blues, jazz and folk. Lately he listens to the musical nuances of drummer Dave Weckl, the vocal stylings of John Mayer and the music of French impressionists.