Following the success of nine 605 Summer Classic Beer & Music Festivals held annually in Sioux Falls, 605 is gearing up to host its inaugural 605 Black Hills Classic Beer & Music Festival in Lead.

The first festival of its kind in the Black Hills will be held Saturday, September 8 at an outdoor stage nestled up against a natural berm surrounded by pine trees outside of The Sled Haus (a German restaurant fused with New York inspiration).

The all-South Dakota beer tasting runs 2-5 p.m. and features a mellow acoustic musical vibe while patrons try more than a dozen South Dakota breweries.

Delta Rae, an Americana folk rock band, is set to headline. Hailing from Durham, N.C., this family band brings together the Holljes siblings with vocalist Brittany and multi-instrumentalists Eric and Ian, along with friend and vocalist Liz Hopkins, drummer Mike McKee and bassist Grant Emerson. They formed as a band when they were all coming out of college during the most recent recession.

“Not many jobs were available at that time, so we just said, ‘Let’s start a band,’” said Brittany.

Brittany says the band is excited to play in South Dakota for the first time. She isn’t a fan of labeling the band’s epic, crowd-pleasing music with genres, but says they draw their influence from artists like Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Cash, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and The Eagles, along with other artists she and her siblings grew up listening to.

“We’re Southern storytellers, so that really defines our sound,” said Brittany. “A protest song isn’t that far off from what we grew up listening to. We come from a love of the stories we heard growing up and of the Southern books we read as kids, and our own family sagas inspire our music and the beautiful settings of the South.”

She continued, “There was never a quiet moment in our house. Music was always blasting. We really indulged in and grew up to everything.”

What:
605 Black Hills Classic

Where:
209 Glendale Ave., Lead

When:
September 8
2 p.m. – 12 a.m.

Price:
$10 day pass
(includes 4 beer tastings)*

$30 gold pass
(includes unlimited beer tastings)*

*during all-SD beer tasting 2-5 p.m.

“The 605 team are friends of mine, and we’ve always been part of each other’s groups. I know what it means in terms of expansion for 605, but it also means bursting out and changing the conversation about what is South Dakota and what is ‘the 605.’”

— Vaney Hariri

V the Noble One, a hip hop artist from Sioux Falls also known as Vaney Hariri, is excited to be involved in his ninth 605 Classic (he has performed in several and is the 605 Classic emcee). He will be joined by his full band, The Knights Tempo. Hariri says he hopes bringing the festival west will help unite the state even more.

“Moving to the west side of the state is big,” he said. “I want it to be accessible for people. This generation is super willing to be done with the east river vs. west river nonsense. It’s a great opportunity to put an end to that and unify.”

Andrew R. Jandt is Trap Kit, an ambient indie folk project from Rapid City. He’s predominantly an acoustic artist, but has an electric guitar in performances as well as a pedal steel.

Jandt says although he spent several years in Los Angeles, he strives for his music to be a voice of the northern plains.

“My voice is more of an anonymous voice of the northern plains and the life here in South Dakota,” said Jandt. “There’s something about the people and the stories in this place, it’s like the last bit of America mixed with the ‘Wild West.’”

Park States, a Rapid City-based project led by Jason Ward (formerly of Mystery Pills), will return as a three-piece with Benjamin Lemay (bass) and Luke Gorder (drums).

Ward says he’s looking forward to playing in Lead and playing an outdoor festival.

“A lot of it started out with this solo project, which is keyboard-y and drum machine-y,” said Ward. “Now since we’ve been working together a little bit more, those songs were the core of the idea… the Mystery Pills songs are where it started for us.”

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THE TALENT

Delta Rae
Durham, North Carolina
10:40 PM  – 12 AM

V the Noble One & the Knights Tempo
Sioux Falls, South Dakota
9:10 – 10:20 PM

Trap Kit
Rapid City, South Dakota
8:00 – 8:50 PM

Park States
Rapid City, South Dakota
6:50 – 7:40 PM

Corduroy Vinyl
Spearfish, South Dakota
5:55 – 6:30 PM

Barrett Hemmings
Rapid City, South Dakota
5:00 – 5:35 PM

Heath Johnson
Spearfish, South Dakota
2:00 – 5:00 PM

“We’re excited to bring a fresh, new take on local brews and music while keeping up our professional reputation for putting on quality outdoor events. This is our first chance to show what we can do in the Black Hills”

— John Snyder
605’s Director of Sales & Marketing

Corduroy Vinyl began as an acoustic duo with Max Carlson and Mike Palmer 20 years ago in Spearfish, and have evolved lineups through the years to create a fuller folk rock sound.

“We met in photography class at Black Hills State [University],” said Carlson. “We’re not too picky with where we play. Any events in the community, we like to play those places. I’m excited to be part of this first one, and all the breweries and local microbreweries that will be there.”

Barrett Hemmings, a Rapid City singer-songwriter and worship leader at Fountain Springs Church, says he’s been playing music for his whole life and draws his inspiration from life circumstances and his wife, Allison.

“For the most part I’m solo. I’ve had musicians play with me here and there, but for the most part it’s been solos,” he said. “I write a lot of my own stuff. It’s more storytelling through the songs that I play about growing up.”

Heath Johnson, a singer-songwriter from Spearfish, said he’s something of a solo acoustic Americana folk artist.

“Most of the time you can find us around the Deadwood and Spearfish area,” said Johnson of his performances with fellow guitarists. “I’m definitely looking forward to meeting and seeing some of the other artists at the Black Hills Classic. There’s some cool names on the bill that I haven’t gotten to see live yet.”

Day passes are available for $10 and include four tasting tickets for the all-SD beer tasting. Or attendees can purchase a gold pass for $30, which includes an unlimited beer tasting wristband (2-5 p.m.). Both come with a commemorative 605 Black Hills Classic glass.

For more information or to buy tickets in advance, visit 605blackhillsclassic.com.

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