Lineup

The core group, Justin Ploof, Jason Ploof and Dan Ploof have a multitude of years of professional music experience and have shared the stage with the likes of Soul Asylum, Bobby Vee, Joan Jett and the list goes on! Their incredible attention to detail and quality of musicianship will wow you from the first chord right on through to the rousing end. As they work to emulate the songs you love, you will be pleased to hear them the way the artists meant for them to be performed. Guest appearances will enhance the shows to the ultimate level of entertainment!

The band is lead by Dave Lumley who also performs regularly as a Solo Acoustic Artist. Besides Radio Nation the band members also perform a Tribute show devoted to the music of the Cars & Steve Miller that has played at various theaters including Pioneer Place & Le Musique Room. You won’t want to miss this must-see band!

Through song and imagery this concert examines the tumultuous time period, but concludes on a note of hope and inspiration for a better tomorrow. As one Vietnam Veteran narrates during the show, “When we think of our divisions today, they pale in comparison to how badly we were divided back then”. A must-see Fabulous Armadillos production!

The idea of the Fabulous Armadillos started with a diverse group of musicians who came together to perform “themed” concerts at the Pioneer Place On Fifth Theater in St. Cloud, MN. Themes like “One Hit Wonders”, “Woodstock”, “Motown”, “Singer/Songwriters”, “Stadium Rock” and more. They have now played over 100’s of themes at that theater as well as many regional venues in the Midwest and even in Mexico! Each show gaining them new fans and enjoying their brand of fun and entertaining, yet musically spot on performances. They have brought hundreds of special guests in for their theme shows comprising of local and national talent. The FABULOUS ARMADILLOS PARTY BAND features musicians with a deep history with some great regional and national bands from their past including Greg “Gary D.” Armstrong on keys (GB Leighton, Bobby Vee and The Vees, Heartbeat), Paul “Stretch” Diethelm on guitar (Jonny Lang, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers), Chris Hawkey (Chris Hawkey Band, KFAN Morning Show Host) on vocals , Pamela Helmer McNeill on vocals (Pamela McNeill Band, Rumours and Dreams, Lamont Cranston) Mike Zeleny on bass (Airtight, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers). Jay O’Donnell on drums (The Britton Brothers, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers). Their 8 piece band also features a horn section with Pat Thorn on trumpet and Mike Krietzer on saxophone. COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL and see what everybody has been talking about!

Bill and Al have been playing together for over 20 years. Unlike many bands who audition and hire musicians, The Rockin’ Rolliewoods is a group of friends who love being together even when they are not making music. But making music is what they do best. Each musician is an expert at their craft and the musical interaction between friends is what makes “The Rolliewoods” so unique. The Rockin’ Rolliewoods can be seen every Thursday night at Rollie’s in Sauk Rapids.

“This is not a tribute show,” says Tommy Vee. “This is a celebration of an amazing musical icon, one we all love and respect. We have been fans since we were in grade school and first learning our respective instruments and played many of these tunes over the years in various bands. We have recruited an incredible group of singers and players and have gone back to the original records,” he explains, “it is all about the vocals and Matt nails it. It’s a Rockin’ show!”
Joining The Killer Vees will be Matt’s wife Julie Velline on vocals, veteran Minnesota musicians Mark Levandowski, Kurt Rodman, Boyd Lee, Dennis Kennedy and Dr. Frank Plachecki, as well as a very special surprise featuring local talent for the finale.

Members of The Killer Vees have recorded or performed with: Bobby Vee, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Tim Rice, Ronnie Wood, Mick Taylor, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Frankie Avalon, Fabian, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Shirelles, Bill Medley, Chris Montez, Brian Hyland, Johnny Tillotson, Matthew & Gunnar Nelson, Peter Noone, Bill Medley, The Johnny Holm Band and MANY others.

Founding member Dean Rosenberg plays lead guitar and has longest been aside Charlie Erickson on bass guitar on the stage. Tab Dornbusch, the band’s drummer and vocalist Scott Roop have also seen this group through several years of shows. Which then brings us to the most recent additions of vocalist Kim Brown and guitarist Bruce Wuollet.

The combined mileage and talent these six individuals share bring what we feel the best this band has to offer to date!

Through more than a decade and eleven studio albums, Leighton and his six piece band have been tearing up rock clubs, festivals and even a few fan’s living rooms with a slew of songs that connect with the heart and couples singing along out on the dance floor. “A man of the people” is a phrase usually reserved for statesmen and politicians, but for Leighton, it’s a fitting description when you see him in action working a crowd.

Where have we seen this phenomena before? Springsteen in Asbury Park before he lit out for New York and the wider world; Mellencamp back in those anonymous Indiana bars; Hootie and the Blowfish lightin’ up the southern circuit…Leighton delivers that same inescapable rock ‘n’ roll spirit night after night. “If I hadn’t heard a bunch of Bruce’s bootlegs or seen the videos I’d be a much different musician,” he says today. “He’s always been a great songwriter and performer, like a preacher almost who commands an audience. That’s the place I’m coming from. But at the end of the day, I’m just a common guy, a working class kid from a Twin Cities suburb who loves to put on a good show and hopefully write some good songs in between.”

When approached to have a first-class, high-tech nightclub – not far from his house in New Brighton – named after a song his first album, “Pickle Park”, Leighton was in. Not since Prince opened Glam Slam in downtown Minneapolis has any Minnesota musician opened a club where fans can expect to see a hometown rocker and his band play live and hang out “to catch a Vike’s game or just kick back”. He adds, “It’s another way to keep fans happy and to share a space with them. It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time and when club owners Tom Tomaro and Mike Tupa approached me about the idea, I was all over it.”

Leighton makes his national country debut with “Get Up”, his eleventh album. For Leighton, who was also recently honored by Billboard.com as a Top 10 Country Artist to Watch in 2014 as well, this project is something his fans of all ages and interests can enjoy. Leighton’s music has clearly left a lasting impression in the Midwest as fans have inked themselves with his lyrics.

“This is the only thing I ever wanted to do. I don’t see stopping or changing it up no matter where it takes me and the band.”

Pandemic has played many local venues, have played several outdoor events and played events with many national acts (Aultimate Ozzy, Steelheart, Firehouse, Warrant, Tesla, BulletBoys, LA Guns, Ratt, Loverboy, Etc.) 

Transit Authority has assembled some amazingly talented musicians who meticulously capture all the nuances of the original recordings and will honestly make you believe you are witnessing the real thing. Performing mega-hits such as, “Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”, “Hard Habit to Break”, “Make Me Smile”, “Old Days”, “Just You ‘n Me”, “Beginnings”, “Wake Up Sunshine”, and many more.

Their music is both powerful and intimate, free-fall diving into the hard-won depths of loss and grief, and emerging with a celebratory sense of hope and purpose.

After spending all of the ’00’s in hard-working, hard-rocking band Down And Above, lead singer / multi-instrumentalist David Young set out on a new musical path when he and his wife found themselves grappling with grief in the wake of a tragic and devastating family loss.
What started as a detour turned into a full-on road trip. David turned to drummer and DNA-alum Zach Young to help bring a new collection of songs to life, and Going To The Sun was born. The release of their self-titled debut album resonated with fans and critics alike, hailed by The Current (89.3) as one of the top local releases of 2014.

Joined by Ben Kelly, Charlie Peterson, Justin Rieken, and Stefan Van Voorst, the band soon found itself honing its sound with shows ranging from acoustic-duo to full-band arrangements, while sharing the stage with acts such as Cloud Cult, Chris Koza, Lukas Graham, Hey Rosetta, and Ingrid Michaelson. 2020-21 sees Going To The Sun weathering the storm by releasing new music. Their newest full-length album “Love Letters From The Western Gate” is filled with memorable melodies, yearning heartache, and anthemic resilience.

Featuring classic hits like “Rhiannon”, “The Chain”, “Don’t Stop”, “Go Your Own Way” and “Gypsy”, this is the concert event that will make you want to sing along, stand up and cheer and maybe even shed a tear.

What people think of the show

“As a lifetime fan of Fleetwood Mac, I waited several years for the right tribute show to come along – and I’m so glad we did! “Rumours and Dreams” is a phenomenal musical journey fronted by three of Minnesota’s greatest vocalists! Eleven sold out shows so far in our theatre and we want more!!!

-Dan Barth, Co-Founder of Pioneer Place on Fifth Theatre

The band features Glen Tamm on keys and lead vocals, Angie Crandall on fiddle, guitars, keys and vocals, Dean Dirkes on bass guitar and vocals, Kris Crandall on lead guitar and vocals and Al Stumpf on drums. Stone Road engages their crowds with high energy and fun dance music performed by class act musicians since 2015!

In 2008 Jeff & Tommy joined forces with their cousin Matt Vee and his talented wife Julie Velline to form “The Killer Vees.” Matt, an accomplished performer in his own right also toured nationally and internationally with Bobby Vee and others from the ‘50s & ‘60s era as well as 13 years as guitarist and vocalist for Midwest favorite Johnny Holm. Matt is also a frequent guest performer with “The Fabulous Armadillos.”

Together they have produced hit regional touring shows such as, “I Am He Said – A Celebration Of The Music Of Neil Diamond,” “Remembering Bobby Vee” and, “The Killer Vees – Killer Country – A Celebration of the Golden Age of Country Music.”

The Vees grew up on the road and in the business and have spent the better part of the last 40 years wowing audiences across the world! In addition, they continue to tour nationally as the backing band for the critically acclaimed show “The Original Stars of American Bandstand” featuring Fabian, The Shirelles, Brian Hyland, Chris Montez, The Chiffons and Merrillee Rush.

We are VERY proud to announce that Tommy’s 17-year-old son Bennett Vee will be joining the Killer Vees playing lead guitar. Bennett is the grandson of the late Bobby Vee and the 3rd generation of the Vee family to take the stage!

The Killer Country band is rounded out by Brian C. Peters from the Mary Jane Alm band on pedal steel and other assorted guitars along with Kale Reed of Johnny Holm Band fame on fiddle, mandolin and vocals and Alexandra Green sharing female lead vocal responsibilities.

He loves playing just about everything with influences in Rock/Country/Pop as the Gear Daddies, Goo Goo Dolls, Neil Young, Mellencamp being just some of his favorites, but he LOVES playing it all.  He never has a setlist and just plays by feel and requests.  With 2020 behind us he can’t wait to get back out to the crowds and live music! 

Through the years, the band has performed not only their own music, but expanded into a new genre: album shows. Starting in 2005 with performing The Beatles “Abbey Road” from first track to last (Come Together to Her Majesty), with special guest and semi-band member, Stacy Bauer, they jumped into one of their most ambitious projects, The Beach Boys “Pet Sounds”.
That album took an ensemble of over 15 musicians playing an astounding array of instruments from Theramin to timpani, and included The Vees and The Half Steps. Other album projects have included Simon & Garfunkel “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young “Deja Vu”, and The Band “The Last Waltz”.
If that wasn’t enough, the group teamed up with The Fabulous Armadillos in 2010 to create a veritable “super group” and have been performing “Takin’ It To The Limit: A Tribute To Eagles”, and “Takin’ It To The Streets: A Tribute To The Doobie Brothers” ever since.
And if even that wasn’t enough, members of Collective Unconscious have taken part in groups paying tribute to Paul McCartney and Wings, The Guess Who, The Traveling Wilburys, George Harrison, The Blues Brothers, and John Lennon, as well as performing in plays, pit bands, jazz ensembles, jug bands, and this thing we do each February.

After losing his Father to an autoimmune disease when Shynes was 25, he decided to honor his Dad’s legacy by chasing the ambitions he had been putting off. At that time he was working at a residential treatment center for teens, and playing the occasional show on the weekend. “It was important work, and shaped who I am today in a lot of ways. But the stark reality of realizing how quickly life can change, made me realize how I wanted to spend my time here.”

This was also at a time when he was falling in love, adopting a daughter, and trying to build a home. “I think it benefited me in a lot of ways as there were no excuses. I had mouths to feed. What crippled me when music was a journey strictly for myself, was the idea the there had to be some deep meaning in everything. Once it was simply about  providing for my family, that’s when I was able to see everything through the lens of simply building our lives together.”

Shynes would often get noticed as a strong local candidate to open up for National acts as they came through town, and even ended up on a tour with Platinum Recording Artist Howie Day. “That was transformative as I was playing for theaters full of people who had no obligation to buy into what I was selling on stage. But I realized I could hold their attention with just the stories and the songs. That was a landmark experience.”

Now Shynes has worked to become one of the most sought-after performers in the Midwest. Recently selling out his first theater shows, and building a fully immersive live performance concept that includes up to a nine-piece band paired with a video and light show. Blending shades of multiple genres over an acoustic and full band landscape, his songs are ripe with a lyrical depth rarely paired with such mainstream appeal. The thing that seems to separate Shynes is unquestionably his vocal stylings. With a range and falsetto that is nothing short of captivating, his acoustic finger-picking style acts as the perfect bed of warmth on which his soulful lyrics can rest.

Jake Larson plays the bass, sings and can play anything, he has the best musical ears in the group, he keeps it honest. Steve Shifsky plays the drums for the group and holds everything together. Leon adds vocals and guitar for the group. Their music is centered around Leon Laudenbach’s original music.

The Fabulous Armadillos came out of their shell in 2006 and have since established a large and loyal following in Central Minnesota with their spot on recreations of songs from many genres of music from Country to Motown to Heavy Metal to 70’s Soft Rock and do them just like you remember. Close your eyes and you are listening to all those vinyl records again or your AM/FM radio. “What’s Going On: Songs From The Vietnam War Era” is a moving concert experience that incorporates live music, live narration and video to provide the audience a multi-media deep dive into the 60’s and early 70’s and of course, the Vietnam War.

Through song and imagery this concert examines the tumultuous time period, but concludes on a note of hope and inspiration for a better tomorrow. As one Vietnam Veteran narrates during the show, “When we think of our divisions today, they pale in comparison to how badly we were divided back then”. A must-see Fabulous Armadillos production!

The idea of the Fabulous Armadillos started with a diverse group of musicians who came together to perform “themed” concerts at the Pioneer Place On Fifth Theater in St. Cloud, MN. Themes like “One Hit Wonders”, “Woodstock”, “Motown”, “Singer/Songwriters”, “Stadium Rock” and more. They have now played over 100’s of themes at that theater as well as many regional venues in the Midwest and even in Mexico! Each show gaining them new fans and enjoying their brand of fun and entertaining, yet musically spot on performances. They have brought hundreds of special guests in for their theme shows comprising of local and national talent. The FABULOUS ARMADILLOS PARTY BAND features musicians with a deep history with some great regional and national bands from their past including Greg “Gary D.” Armstrong on keys (GB Leighton, Bobby Vee and The Vees, Heartbeat), Paul “Stretch” Diethelm on guitar (Jonny Lang, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers), Chris Hawkey (Chris Hawkey Band, KFAN Morning Show Host) on vocals , Pamela Helmer McNeill on vocals (Pamela McNeill Band, Rumours and Dreams, Lamont Cranston) Mike Zeleny on bass (Airtight, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers). Jay O’Donnell on drums (The Britton Brothers, Slip Twister, Greystone Rockers). Their 8 piece band also features a horn section with Pat Thorn on trumpet and Mike Krietzer on saxophone. COME OUT OF YOUR SHELL and see what everybody has been talking about!

The core group, Justin Ploof, Jason Ploof and Dan Ploof have a multitude of years of professional music experience and have shared the stage with the likes of Soul Asylum, Bobby Vee, Joan Jett and the list goes on! Their incredible attention to detail and quality of musicianship will wow you from the first chord right on through to the rousing end. As they work to emulate the songs you love, you will be pleased to hear them the way the artists meant for them to be performed. Guest appearances will enhance the shows to the ultimate level of entertainment!

After taking second place at the 2019 Minnesota State Fair Americana/Roots Contest, Harper’s Chord has been selling out venues near and far. Their music has been heavily influenced by such artists as Brandi Carlile, Dolly Parton, Sarah Jarosz, Little Big Town, Emmylou Harris and The Duhks.

The music of Harper’s Chord has a grass-roots, back porch, organic feel, offering an eclectic mix of originals and cover songs that tell stories of personal journeys and allow these diverse musicians the opportunity to showcase their formidable talents.