River City Eagles

Dave Ozuna (rhythm guitar and vocals) started out playing acoustic guitar in his church choir for all four years of high school. Dave bought his first electric guitar in 1997. For the next ten years, Dave regularly attended numerous open stage events in the Peoria area. That's when Dave found his passion for singing. Not long after that time, Dave returned to his acoustic roots and began hosting acoustic, open-mic events for about 10 years at over 20 local bars and restaurants. During this time, he formed an acoustic duo called "Sibling Revelry" with his sister. In recent years, Dave has been part of the band "Cosmic Dice." The Eagles have always been one of Dave's favorite bands. Dave is excited to be part of the River City Eagles and we are so excited to have him. He brings excellent vocals with soothing rhythm guitar to bring the bands sound full circle.

Mike Lonergan is a guitarist and vocalist hailing from Jacksonville Illinois! He learned to play guitar watching Hee Haw in the late 60s. He started out in a band in high school called Southern Knights. He later joined Top Secret. Mike went to college at the University of Illinois and played lead guitar for the Highriders through the week and bass with the Ridgrunners on the weekends. He got both of these gigs as a result of a conversation with Dyke Corson at the music store. After college, he came home and joined Austin City Limits Band (later shortened to City Limits) and in 1992 performed on the “Be A Star” show where they lost by 1 point. This band opened for multiple Nashville Artists in the seven years they played together. He has also played at multiple opry shows throughout Central Illinois. All of the original members of City Limits got back together and played for a few years in the early 2000’s. He was also a member of Poor Farm Road and the Elderly Brothers. Over the years, he has had the privilege of filling in with several other bands and playing with some awesome musicians. Mike has been an Agricultural Lending Officer for Farm Credit for 38 years and just became a grandpa! We are so happy to have Mike in our band. One heck of a great guitar player, singer, and one of the most down to earth guys you’ll ever meet! Welcome Mike!

Russ has been playing guitar since he was 8 years old, falling in love with the bass guitar around age 14. In early high school, he and his brothers and a friend formed a band, Skyword. He was hooked! They played originals but also covered bands like The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Creedence, The Allman Brothers Band, Deep Purple (“Smoke on the Water”, of course!) and others. There have been many groups since then. Most memorable and closest to his heart was a bluegrass band, “A Little Grass”. He was in that band from 1976 through 1979, playing locally and at bluegrass festivals in Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas, and Illinois. Then there was The Jim Davis Band from 1979 – 80, various country bands, a solo act, and a theater production. Russ had his own Christian rock band a few years ago called House Blend, playing in churches as a worship team and, in the last performance, played all original songs at Washington’s Good Neighbor Days. Russ was in Tight Times in the early 1980’s for a few years, covering all the popular bands of the time: Journey, Boston, Rush, Pat Benatar, Sammy Hagar, Doobie Brothers, David Bowie, and more. They won WWCT’s 1982 Basement Tapes Contest with an original, “Don’t Treat Me Wrong” and got to play on the riverfront downtown Peoria for an audience of 1,000 people, the largest audience he's ever played before. Russ says, “Ahh, to experience that again…!” In late 2020 Russ joined Vinyl Tap as their bassist. Russ' favorite live album of all time is Ten Years After Recorded Live, released in 1973. It’s a wonderful collection of superb blues-rock musicianship in a live setting and Russ aspires to be that good. Playing music is fun, especially playing it well! He loves to see the smiles on people’s faces, knowing that they’re having fun, too. He performs to bring some joy to the listeners, to his band mates, and to himself; to be creative, and to share that creativity. He believes it is paramount to keep the great music alive; to replay the older songs for the generations, to preserve them and keep them from being forgotten. What he gets out of it in the end is the simultaneous experience of receiving AND giving of joy. He simply cannot keep that to himself, so he shares it. It’s good stuff and everyone deserves some joy! Russ retired May 1, 2025 from ATS as an electronics engineer. He couldn't be much happier! He can now spend even MORE time playing music, as well as pursuing his other hobby, model railroading, and spending time with his wife and family, which will grow from four grandchildren to six next May! Life is good! We are so excited to have Russell in our band!

Douglas Carr is a local singer-keyboardist, who has been playing in local bands since 1972. Born in 1956, he grew up in the Peoria area and began his career by playing in bands such as Lonesome Soul in 1972 & Genesis Rock in 1974. After graduating in electrical engineering and starting at Caterpillar, he performed in the local band Four Wheel Drive in 1985. Over the next few decades, he also played and sang Christian music in various religious venues. After retiring from Caterpillar as an electrical engineer, he started playing in bands such as Peoria Rhythm Kings, Sideline, and Blue Stew. The Eagles have always been a favorite band to him. We are excited to have Doug in our group. What a wonderful, talented musician!

James Mangis is a drummer and vocalist from Tremont, Illinois. His music background dates back to his childhood. His father was a full-time musician playing guitar and keyboards. After his passing, James picked up the love for music which started out as a tribute to his memory, but it turned into so much more. James has been playing in bands since he was 16 years old. James does all the bookings for the band and has an entertainment booking service called Mangis Entertainment.  His past band experience includes Flatlands Band, Tennessee Borderline, Diversion, and Stereo Typical. James has been fortunate to have filled in with many great local musicians in various bands. The Eagles have always been his favorite group, and he is thankful to be able to honor a tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time. We are happy to have James in our group!