Retro is as retro does … and sings … and drinks … throughout the tri-state area:
– Who knows, they may be the hottest act to come out of Iowa since Slipknot, although the genre is definitely different, and they get their name from a classic tractor built much nearer to Burkhardt, where they play the Willow River Saloon on Saturday night, April 30. The Minneapolis Molines are made up of various ages but say they are definitely retro country, playing songs from the 1980s and ’90s, the latter being their key influence. They hail from eastern Iowa and were formed, their online site says, in year “201.” Now that’s old enough to be way beyond retro, although they describe themselves as the hottest such quintet “in the tri-state area,” with four different people on vocals. Members include Todd Ellis on guitar and vocals, Joel Thielen on drums, Mark McGranahan on lead guitar and vocals, Bill George on fiddle, guitar and vocals, and Jimmy Welty on bass and vocals.
– The retro theme prevails with one of the liquor choices advertised at Dick’s Bar and Grill, the Lagunitas IPA that shows a retro-or-even-earlier dressed woman with jean shorts sitting on the hood of a classic car.
– The subtle haromonies of The Way Out will take over Dick’s Bar and Grill on Friday evening. An example given by listener Kim from their last gig here was a cover of Very Superstitious, where there obviously was no horn section, but it was replaced by funky guitar chords here and there. In the reverse of many groups, their sound got rockier in the later sets. There also was a keyboardist-guitarist who took over on bongos on occasion to provide percussion and some flourishes at the end of songs.