Saturday, August 8-7p

PRESERVATION PLAZA - ARNOLDS PARK, IA

7P

THE NADAS

Celebrated folk-Americana act The Nadas have amassed a loyal and dedicated following over the past three decades for their engaging live shows and distinctive 70s-meets-90s sound. Blending twangy, Stones-era “country honk” with raw, alt-rock energy and wistful, folk-leaning melodies, their music is as alive as it is authentic. Over 30 years of making music together, The Nadas have shared the stage with The Beach Boys, Bon Jovi, Big Head Todd and Barenaked Ladies, been inducted into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, sold over 300,000 albums (even in a time when you can’t buy a CD player), earned praise from a wide range of major publications (including Playboy), and written the theme song for their hometown—twice. They’ve also developed a laid-back, narrative approach to songwriting, drawing inspiration from acts like The Head and the Heart, Avett Brothers, Indigo Girls, and Tom Petty, to explore the everyday joys and heartaches that make up a life. 

Old friends and music industry veterans Mike Butterworth and Jason Walsmith founded The Nadas in the early 90s, bonding over a shared mixtape while students at Iowa State University. Initially playing the folk circuit as an acoustic duo, they added drums and bass as the band moved toward a grittier alt-rock sound. By the mid-2000s, their songwriting began to embrace more radio-friendly, pop-leaning territory, laced with anthemic choruses, compelling guitar riffs, and a refreshing sense of humor. With the addition of bassist Brian Duffey, drummer Brandon Stone, and Perry Ross on keys, guitar, and percussion, the Nadas have grown into a lively and idiosyncratic band that emphasizes sound and mood over genre. “We’re embracing it all, not sticking ourselves into one specific category,” says Walsmith, adding that perhaps this flexibility and a strong dedication to their families, friends and fans have helped the band stand the test of time. For Butterworth, it’s about connecting with people: “We’ve always written songs from the heart, and our fans have grown up along with us, learning as we learn, going through similar experiences and facing the same hardships. We’ve been able to evolve and experiment with our sound over the years, as the circumstances of our lives change.” 

830P

BETTER THAN EZRA

For over 35 years, alt-rock icons Better Than Ezra have maintained a direct line to the unbridled joy of making music, endlessly dreaming up songs with an uncanny power to linger forever in the listener’s heart. Since the arrival of their breakthrough album Deluxe—a platinum-selling LP featuring their era-defining smash hit “Good”—the New Orleans-bred band’s bittersweet but quick-witted songwriting and supremely catchy sound have led to triumphs like landing on Billboard’s “100 Greatest Alternative Artists of All Time” and “100 Greatest Alternative Songs of All Time” lists, building an adoring following who call themselves Ezralites, and achieving major pop-culture milestones like getting name-checked in a classic skit on Saturday Night Live. Their first album in a decade, Super Magick ultimately sets Better Than Ezra apart from legions of legacy acts and reveals a band more enchanted than ever with the sublime alchemy of truly heartfelt rock-and-roll.

“In many ways music is one of the closest things to magic, in terms of how it can affect and transport you,” says singer/guitarist Kevin Griffin. “Now more than ever, we’re aware that we’re creating songs that could become part of the fabric of other people’s lives, and it’s something we appreciate in a much deeper way than we first started out.” “Because we’ve been together for so long, we know what needs to be done from a songwriting and production standpoint,” adds bassist Tom Drummond. “But at the end of the day, what matters most is those moments when the melody and music combine in a way that gives you goosebumps. It’s something you can’t plan for or even explain, but it’s the main thing we reach for in everything we do.”