Entertainment planned all day at Charles City RAGBRAI stop

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Entertainment options are often one of the things RAGBRAI participants look at when judging the success of an overnight stay in a community, and Charles City is offering a range of musical groups topped off with what’s billed as a “fearless wrecking ball” of a band when Viva Knievel takes to the stage as the evening’s headliner act downtown.

Included in the all-free entertainment will also be acoustical music at the riverfront amphitheater in the morning and early afternoon, with Kris Karr and Brian Herrin performing against the backdrop of the whitewater course.

Here is the entertainment lineup for Thursday:

AMPHITHEATER

• 9 to 11 a.m. – Kris Karr – A singer-songwriter who performs solo and with the Kris Karr Band. “I work hard to connect with the audience and get them singing. I try and make sure they’ve had a good time so that when the show is over that they leave with a smile on their faces,” Karr said. The shows are a mix of originals, light comedy, and centered on the 1970s.
• 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. – Brian Herrin – A classically trained singer-songwriter now living in Iowa. Originally from Illinois, he has shared the stage with such acts as The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Vertical Horizon, Tonic, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sister Hazel and CLOVERTON. In 2008, he co-founded the band Decoy. Currently he is performing throughout the Midwest and is set to release a new solo album this year.

MAIN STAGE, CENTRAL PARK (corner of Jackson and Kelly streets)

• 1 to 2 p.m. – Brad & Kate – A pop-folk group lead by husband and wife duo, Kate Myers and Brad Myers. “Charming and dynamic, the duo have grown an organic following around Iowa and the Midwest in a few short years,” according to information from the Charles City RAGBRAI Committee.
• 2:30 to 4 p.m. – Blame Not the Bard – “Iowa raised, Ireland rooted,” the group is on a mission to bring the stories of Ireland alive. The group is described as “a high-energy trio determined to get your feet moving and hands clapping, armed with Irish song, stories and fiddling.”
• 4:30 to 6 p.m. – Levi Smith & The Bad Landings featuring special guest Juni West – The band hails from north Iowa and is currently touring to support an upcoming album of original music. The band has combined a wide variety of musical influences to develop a sound all its own. Juni West is a singer and songwriter, also from north Iowa, who has “a unique sound that incorporates a diverse mixture of styles with heartfelt lyrics and emotionally charged vocals.”
• 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. – WheelHouse – A nationally touring Americana and bluegrass band from Madison, Wisconsin, featuring three- and four-part harmonies, fiddle and guitar leads and driving rhythms.
• 9 to 11 p.m. – Viva Knievel – The headline band “defies gravity, with no fear of broken bones,” it says. Billed as an 8-to-100 piece band with a full horn section, Viva Knievel boasts “chaotic stage shows, salute-inducing patriotism, face-melting guitar solos and earth-rumbling renditions of favorite songs.”