Meet the Bands
Katie & the Honky Tonks
Hailing from Waterloo, Iowa, Katie and the Honky Tonks are a four-piece original honky tonk band owing its sound to 1960s Nashville. Their songs lean heavy on real stories, catchy hooks, and rhythms built for crowded dance floors. Fronted by Katie Sires on vocals and rhythm guitar, with Jesse Cotton on lead guitar, Johnny Love on bass, and Luke Sires on drums, they were named 2025 Iowa Music Awards Country Artist of the Year, and were considered for a Grammy after releasing their debut album, Ain’t No Shame. Proof that honky tonk is still here and very much alive.
Their debut album, Ain’t No Shame, OUT NOW builds on the success of their 2024 EP, Two-Steppin’ in the Shower, which solidified their place in the Midwest country music scene. The EP earned widespread recognition, with Iowa Public Radio saying, “The EP sounds more like Nashville 1964, not Nashville 2024.” Lonesome Highway, in a review of "Ain't No Shame' says, "Katie and the Honky Tonks join the ever-growing canon of women like Summer Dean, Emily Nenni, Sarah Gayle Meech and Kimmi Bitter, to name but a few, that are representing genuine honky tonk music."
Casual Disasters
Returning this year from rockin' our dock in 2025, super cool three-piece from Iowa City, rockin’ our way to eternal glory or something. A rock band with dreampop, alt, indie, and shoegaze influences.
Merrill Crawford & Lon Simpson
Merrill & Lon have been entertaining a wide demographic of listeners for over 50 years, blending the history of traditional folk songs with interpretations of modern classics, creating a whimsical soundscape that is captivating.
Merrill cut his teeth performing with the University of Iowa pep band and has been a staple at the Log Village at Old Threshers Reunion performing period pieces on the porch.
Merrill & Lon will be stepping out of their better-known 1850's Log Village home, with some sea shanties, old and more recent folk tunes, and a few special songs that defy description.
DJ Doug Roberson
Guitarist/songwriter for The Diplomats of Solid Sound, soul 45 DJ, record collector, barista, club promoter, bullshit artist.
Doug has been DJing for Soul Shake at Gabe's Iowa City for what seems like forever. He'll be spinning classic soul 45s on the water.
Lady Igraine
Lady Igraine is a genre-bending whirling dervish of progressive rock from the muddy banks of Davenport, Iowa. Dueling guitarmonies and fusion funk backbeats carry this four-man guild into battle. Join us at the roundtable as we quest for the Holy Grail of rock.
“...a cosmic kaleidoscope of sound.”- Elizabeth Oster (Little Village Magazine)
past Performers
DJ SidePony
Strumdrum with Blake Shaw & Chris Jensen
Casual Disasters
Fishbait
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