Billy and Tim Ebeling

Billy Ebeling is no James Brown, but he is one of the area's hardest-working musicians: The Lawrence-based singer, songwriter and guitarist performs at under-the-radar venues nearly every night of the week, both as a solo artist and fronting his Late for Dinner Band. With his smoke-flavored vocals, world-weary humor and blues-drenched guitar phrases, Ebeling adds a voice of authenticity that stands head and shoulders above the region's white-belted wanna-bes, pseudo gangstas and unoriginal pranksters. Ebeling's recording catalog boasts a dozen albums that skip from swinging zydeco to offbeat folk and even offers a couple for the kiddies. So it makes perfect sense that Ebeling is now launching his very own reunion tour. Well, not a tour exactly, but a round of area shows that realigns him with brother Tim, who's just returned from adventures in the New Zealand outback.