Sunset Sessions inaugural event will offer unique live music experience September 14 at Red Barn Campground and Restaurant in Lansing

Award-winning singers/songwriters, young and local musicians all scheduled to perform

by Brianne Grimstad

Music lovers will be in for a unique treat Saturday, September 14 as the Red Barn Campground and Restaurant in Lansing hosts its first-ever Sunset Sessions. Award-winning songwriters and musicians Kevin Burt, Frank Martin Busch and Jeni Grouws, along with local area musicians, will be settling in at the Red Barn in Lansing for an afternoon and evening of music and storytelling.

In addition to being one of the featured singer/songwriters, Grouws is also helping to produce the event. “Songwriters are weird people,” she said with a laugh. “They find humor in strange things and sometimes the song is funny, or seems irreverent, but it’s always about what we see in the world, the good, the bad and the ridiculous.”

She added, “Usually, you have to go to someplace like Nashville to see something like this,” and noted that if anyone has been to places like the Bluebird Café in Nashville, TN, they know people are usually lined up around the block for the songwriters in the round sessions. Red Barn Campground and Restaurant owners Jennetta and Terry Ely came up with the idea for Sunset Sessions. “We just love live music,” Jennetta said, “and want to support as many people as we can. One of our goals with the campground is to bring people together and build a strong community. We are happy when we see other people happy - that, to us, is success!”

Terry and Jennetta want to try and bring something different and fun to the area. The hope is that the Sunset Sessions will become an annual event featuring different artists and musical styles each year. It could possibly even grow to include a songwriting retreat and workshop.

FOR LOVE OF MUSIC
Grouws first met Terry and Jennetta while performing at The Other Place (also known as The OP) in Lansing with the Avey Grouws Band. Over the years, the band’s success has led to them performing in larger venues, but they do make it a point to play at The OP a few times a year, as it is always a very fun and vibrant atmosphere for them.

“Lansing is special. A small river town that loves music! Terry and Jennetta fit right in!” Grouws noted.

Grouws sat on the board for Winneshiek County Development and Tourism and understands how beneficial events like this can be for a town, city or county. As the event grows, it is hoped that this event could potentially be a big draw for Allamakee County and the Lansing area. Instead of having to travel further away to someplace like Nashville for the experience, local music enthusiasts can enjoy it in their own backyard of northeast Iowa.

“The support for this first event will mean a lot in terms of what will happen in the future,” Grouws reflected.

EVENT DETAILS
The atmosphere is very relaxed, and can be attractive to those who might enjoy live music but are not so enamored by a loud bar atmosphere. This is a family event and dogs are welcome also, as long as they are well-behaved and supervised. Attendees should bring lawn chairs and/or blankets to sit on and enjoy the songs, stories and beautiful scenery provided by the hills and bluff around Lansing.

“I think Allamakee County is one of - if not - the most beautiful county in the state, maybe even the Midwest,” Grouws said.

She’s hopeful that the Sunset Sessions will enhance the music and arts tourism that continues to introduce more people to Lansing and Allamakee County. No outside food or drink will be allowed in, and there will be food and beverages (water, non-alcoholic and alcoholic drinks) for sale on the grounds. Camping is also available for an additional fee.

LOCAL MUSICIANS
Starting at 3 p.m., up-and-coming music artists will take the stage, featuring 17-year-old Annie Ellingson from Waukon, 18-year-old Elayna Hook from Decorah, and 13-year-old Hudson Thirtyacre from Solon. Burt, Martin Busch and Grouws will take over  from 4-6 p.m.

Grouws explained that when doing an “In the Round” event, one artist will kick things off with a song, followed by the next artist and then the next. There’s often lots of humor and laughter, but there are also heartfelt and beautiful moments too.

“There will be the entire realm of human emotions,” Grouws said, adding that they play off of each other and will improv. Grouws did a similar event in Des Moines with Kevin Burt and they wrote a song on stage about a pickle.

“It was meant to be funny,” she explained. “People wanted to make t-shirts about it and I have heard many times that folks who missed that show really missed something special.”

Grouws noted that hearing the music in a format that is more in a raw form, as opposed to being produced and perfect, also adds a unique element to the experience. At 7 p.m., local musician JR Brink of Waukon will lead campfire songs. The line-up includes several styles of music that are different, but also complementary to each other.

FEATURED PERFORMERS
Kevin Burt is an Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member and International Blues Challenge winner. In 2018, he became the first person to win the top award in three categories at the International Blues Challenge, taking top honors in Solo/Duo, Solo/Duo Guitar and Harmonica. He released his first album, “Heartland and Soul”, in 2018 with the Little Village Foundation. He signed with Gulf Coast Records in 2020, releasing his second album, “Thank You Brother”, in January of this year.

Frank Martin Busch, of Frank Martin Busch & The Names, has developed his own brand of country music that Grouws described as alt-country. Martin Busch is the Isthmus Magazine’s “Fave Singer/Songwriter” two years running. He has been inspired by musicians including the Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

Jeni Grouws rounds out the trio of featured singers/songwriters for the evening. In 2008, she released her first solo EP, “Scenic Route.” In 2017, she co-founded the Avey Grouws Band and they won the Iowa Blues Challenge in 2018 and 2020, both times advancing to the semifinals at the International Blues Challenge. They landed at #10 and #7 in 2020 and 2021 with their two full-length albums “The Devil May Care” and “Tell Tale Heart”. She continues to write while touring with the Avey Grouws Band, taking its music nationwide.

This summer, she accepted a residency in Omaha, NE. From September 2024 to May 2025, Grouws will be living and working on her writing and solo project in Omaha.

TICKETS AVAILABLE
Sunset Sessions is something new for the area. Terry and Jennetta Ely at the Red Barn are  hoping that people come out and support this event.

“This will be an opportunity to experience live music in a way that hasn’t necessarily been done in Lansing before,” Grouws said.

Tickets are available now on Eventbrite (sunsetsessionslansing.eventbrite.com), the Red Barn Campground and Restaurant’s website (redbarncampgroundandrestaurant.com) or can be purchased at the gate the day of the event. For more information, watch for upcoming advertising in a future edition of The Standard newspaper, visit the Red Barn Campground and Restaurant web page, the Eventbrite page, or check out their Facebook event page, Sunset Sessions w/Jeni Grouws, Frank Martin, and Kevin Burt.