About the Band

Souvenir Magnets

Suzanne and Joe have been friends since college. Though they’ve both made music their whole lives, this is the first time they’ve gotten the opportunity to work together as a duo. They put this project together initially for a one-off performance at a local festival. It went so well, they decided to book some more gigs and bring their quirky take on some of your favorite hits and some songs you’ve forgotten you liked.

Meet the Duo

Suzanne Magnuson – (Bass/Lead and Harmony vocals)

Suzanne’s been singing for her entire life and began playing guitar (for real) at 8 and then piano at 11, after teaching herself to read music from some books found at her best friend’s house. After some formal piano lessons, she accompanied herself and others for some years in school and in her high school band Andromeda. In college, she stepped back from music to focus on her double major, but took a few singing gigs here and there.

Today, Suzanne is the bass player and one of the three vocalists for The Messengers. You’ll see her on stages around Chicagoland, Southern Wisconsin and Michigan.

Joe Griffin (Guitar/Lead and Harmony vocals)

Joe started playing guitar at age six and was singing professionally at nine, touring the suburbs of Chicago singing folk songs at summer festivals. He’s played in cover and original bands since junior high school and spent much of the late 1980s and early 1990s on Michigan’s bar and fraternity-party circuits as lead guitarist and vocalist for The Others.

Since then, he has performed as a solo artist, as lead guitarist for The Smoking Section, music director/lead guitarist for The Deathscribe Orchestra, and live/studio guitarist with Chicago bands The Radio Hour, OK Boomer, and The Pawns. He’s released three full-length solo albums, four EPs and a handful of singles, plus six soundtrack albums for theatre productions.

Reviews

A close-up of a glossy black refrigerator door completely covered in eclectic souvenir magnets shaped like classic rock album covers, neon city skylines, country guitars, and quirky Chicago landmarks. Each magnet has a different texture, from raised enamel to brushed metal, catching the light in unique ways. The surrounding kitchen is softly blurred, with hints of stainless steel appliances and warm wooden cabinets. Warm overhead lighting creates gentle reflections on the magnet surfaces and subtle shadows in the gaps between them. Shot straight on with a shallow depth of field, the composition feels playful and colorful, evoking the band name while communicating variety in musical styles. The overall aesthetic is bold, modern, and slightly nostalgic, perfect for a fun, approachable cover duo.

Stu Thompson, audience member

“It was great hearing your interpretation of these songs.”

A night-time outdoor city scene along the Chicago River, where a compact, portable stage is set up on a small riverside terrace. Two guitar stands, a sleek digital drum pad, and a minimal PA system sit under a truss with colored LED wash lights casting blues and magentas across the gear. In the background, iconic Chicago skyscrapers reflect off the water, softly blurred to keep focus on the instruments. The cool ambient city glow mixes with the vibrant stage lighting, creating a dynamic contrast of colors. Captured from a slightly elevated three-quarter angle, the composition emphasizes the duo-sized stage against the expansive urban backdrop. The mood is energetic, urban, and polished, rendered in crisp, modern photographic realism to promote local bookings.

Daniel Capone, audience member

“I could listen to you play all day! That was fantastic!”

An early collaboration.