March 29, 2024

Heartland sound

The Nadas to perform at Lakeside Casino

The Nadas have unofficially played at Lakeside Casino once before.

The band played when the casino’s amphitheatre first opened as a dry run for staff to make sure all of the systems were in place and ready to go.

Now, The Nadas will do their first official show at Lakeside 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 26, and band member Mike Butterworth is looking forward to returning to Osceola.

“I actually enjoy casino shows,” Butterworth said in a phone interview Friday, June 13. “Theres’s not a whole lot of pressure. People that go to the show are there anyway to enjoy gambling or spend the weekend at the hotel with their family. It’s just kind of a little bonus for them.”

General admission is $10 and tiered seating is $20 for the event.

Band background

The Nadas are a band from Des Moines and Butterworth said they are now in their 20th year of playing.

According to Butterworth, their musical sound is a mix of good songwriting, Midwestern rock and roll, alternative and country. It could be classified as “Heartland” music.

“It’s kind of something for everybody,” he said.

Butterworth, co-lead singer and guitarist, and his musical partner Jason Walsmith are the band’s two original members.

In 1995, The Nadas released its debut album, “Not a Sound.” They now have their 11th release overall with the “Lovejoy Revival” album, which was released in February 2013.

Playboy recognition

In 2001, Playboy Magazine featured The Nadas in an article called “The Best College Band You’ve Never Heard Of.”

Butterworth said it was a “pretty great honor” and a “big deal for us at the time.”

It did great things for the band nationally and opened them to a lot more public exposure, he added.

“The college part we’re kind of over. College kids don’t want to see guys in their 40s rocking out,” Butterworth said with a laugh.

Butterworth said it was a great honor for the band to have 20 years of longevity in the music business.

“It is all attributed to our fans. If they didn’t come out, we wouldn’t be able to do it,” he said. “It’s always been about the fans for us, but after 20 years, it’s even more so.”