Lonesome Road will be headlining the Sauerkraut Days stage Friday, Aug. 6, performing for Friday evening’s street dance.
“We’re looking forward to performing to the large crowd of music enthusiasts that we’ve come to expect and enjoy at Lisbon Sauerkraut Days,” said Charlie Chapman, band manager of Lonesome Road. “Lisbon likes to get rowdy!”
Chapman said that he felt the year off due to the pandemic has definitely rejuvenated the live music scene.
“People really realized how much they enjoy and need live music,” Chapman said. “It was evident with the popularity of some of the live streams we saw during the pandemic and now we’re seeing crowds that are even greater than pre-pandemic attendance. The appreciation of our music even seems greater. Folks attending our shows have just been very gracious to us.”
Chapman said the last time the band played Sauerkraut Days festival, they had a fill-in player on the keyboards. This year, the regular line-up for the band will be on the stage, including Michael Hartz on steel guitar.
Chapman notes that the band’s musical influences are what makes them unique. The members have all come from family bands, raised on classic country music.
“We’ve branched out through the years, performing with top 40 country and classic rock bands,” Chapman said. “That’s evident in our setlists. At a Lonesome Road show you can expect to hear everything from Jason Aldean, Garth Brooks and Luke Bryan to Bon Jovi, Foreigner and Journey.”
Lonesome Road as a band was established in 2010, and there have been a few line-up changes over the years. The current band members have been playing together for more than eight years now, however.
“What’s most enjoyable about our concerts is meeting up with our best friends each week to make music that brings people together and helps make memorable moments for others,” Chapman said “Every time we get together we are joking and having fun. And it’s always great when someone from the crowd comes up and mentions a fond moment that they remember from one of our shows.”
Chapman said the band is fortunate to have such a busy schedule this year.
“We’ve played all over northeast Iowa already this year, and we’ve got a lot of road to cover yet,” Chapman said. “It’s always a great feeling when we are asked back to perform again. The folks of Lisbon have always been very gracious to us and we are very much looking forward to seeing those familiar faces again and hopefully meeting many more new ones.”