2018 Entertainment
Live entertainment has become a tradition at The Market and this season is packed full of an eclectic mix of local musicians, jugglers, salsa dancers, belly dancers and more. Find a complete list of entertainers in the list below.
Stay tuned for the 2019 entertainment lineup — coming soon!
2018 Grapevine Tunes
Come hear it through the grapevine! Experience local musician, ages 5 – 18, showcasing their talent near Third Street and Court Avenue. On site at The Market May 12, July 14 and Sept. 18.
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I -J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
Aaron Earl Short
Since a young age, Aaron Earl Short has had a great passion for performing live and entertaining audiences as a solo singer-songwriter. He is known for playing a wide variety of genres such as Americana, blues and folk n' roll. During performances, Aaron can be seen playing instruments such as the electric and resonator guitar, harmonica, stomp box and lastly, his voice.
Dates: June 23, Aug. 18
Ace Jones
Ace Jones is a singer-songwriter from Marion. He plays acoustic, folk, rock, pop and easy listening music. He sings a variety of original songs and covers, self-accompanied by his guitar.
Dates: May 19, July 7, Sept. 15, Oct. 27
Alex Gordon Hi-Fi
Alex Gordon performs solo instrumental music on a baritone guitar, allowing him to simultaneously play bass lines, chords and melody. This technique gives the impression that more than one person is performing this easy listening music.
Date: July 21
Andrew Hoyt Music
Andrew Hoyt is a solo musician who enjoys playing jazz, modern and pop music with his ukulele and voice.
Dates: May 12, July 14, Aug. 18, Sept. 22
B. John Burns is a Greater Des Moines (DSM) songwriter who celebrated his 40th year on stage in 2016. He performs his songs on piano and guitar and covers a wide spectrum of musical styles, including folk, pop, blues, rock and country.
Dates: June 6, Aug. 4, Sept. 22, Oct. 27
Bad Friends
Bad Friends is a DSM-based cover band that specializes in a wide variety of classic and alternative rock hits, including songs by Red Hot Chili Peppers, Radiohead, Jimmy Eat World, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Rush and The Beatles.
Dates: July 21, Sept. 29
Bakers Dozen Mime Troupe
Bakers Dozen has been around for almost 50 years entertaining audiences of all ages around DSM by miming and improvisation.
Dates: June 9, June 23, July 14, July 28, Aug. 11
Beaver Creek Jazz Ensemble
Beaver Creek Jazz Ensemble is a group of volunteer musicians who play a mix of big band, swing, light jazz dance music and a few rock and roll numbers. The group consists of a director, five saxophones, two trombones, three trumpets, electric guitar, electric bass guitar, electric piano and drums.
Dates: July 7, Sept. 29, Oct. 20
Bethany Joy Johnson
Bethany has been singing her whole life and began playing guitar at the age of 11. Bethany writes her own lyrics rather than singing other people's songs. Bethany is classically trained and has worked with a vocal performance professor at Drake University.
Date: Oct. 20
Bobby Bruce Schlagel
Bobby Bruce Schlagel, a former college football player, shares his talent as a singer-songwriter who plays country, country rock, pop and rock classics dating from the '50s to present-day cover tunes.
Dates: June 2, Sept. 1
Brazilian 2wins
The Brazilian 2wins (twins) offer a unique experience unlike any other. As a fun, high-energy live band that injects influences from pop, hip-hop, reggae, funk, rock, jam fusion and improv, Brazilian 2wins will send your ears on an exotic vacation. The band infuses electric violin, vocals, cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele), bass and drums.
Dates: May 5, June 23, Aug.4
Daniel Poe from Creations With A Twist has been in business for nine years and has provided amazing balloon art at a wide variety of events. People of all ages enjoy watching him twist colorful balloons into recognizable characters, incredible wearables and comical sculptures!
Dates: May 19, July 7, Sept. 22
Cucho Madero
Born in the coastal city of Paramonga, Peru, Cucho formed a band and toured Peru before emigrating to the U.S. in 1990. He performs Latin and international music on the Romanian-style pan flute.
Dates: May 5, July 14, Sept. 8
Dan Trilk began his career at the age of 9 and is now known as a solo musician and private music instructor in DSM. Trilk performs his own original songs as well as unique covers that are a mix of folk, blues and country.
Dates: May 5, July 14, Sept. 8, Oct. 13
David Kav
David Kav is professional musician who has been playing acoustic guitar and singing for the last two decades. During his career, he has had the opportunity to collaborate with many artists and even had the privilege to play the National Anthem at Wrigley Field with his former band. Kav specializes in acoustic folk rock, classic rock and original songs that come from his self-produced album.
Dates: May 5, June 23, Aug. 18
David Watson
David Watson is a solo acoustic performer covering bands from Johnny Cash to Journey.
Dates: June 16, Aug. 4, Oct. 20
Denise Forney
Denise Forney is a singer-songwriter hailing from West Des Moines. She composes original music and performs with her family regularly in the community. Forney likes to play contemporary music using an acoustic guitar and vocals.
Date: May 26
Don Brown/Brownian Motion
Don C. Brown of DSM is a flutist and saxophonist who gained his initial musical experience from his parents who were both saxophonists. Brown plays several genres of music including jazz, Latin jazz, American popular standards, rhythm & blues, blues and gospel.
Dates: July 7, Aug. 25, Oct. 6, Oct. 27
DSM Dueling Fiddles
In the style of "dueling pianos," Des Moines Symphony violinists Genevieve Salamone and Hanna Wolle form the DSM Dueling Fiddles duo. With a repertoire consisting of world fiddle music, gypsy, Celtic, pop, rock, Latin, Klezmer, Irish, bluegrass and classical selections, this duo can entertain crowds of all ages!
Dates: May 26, July 14, Aug. 18
Eddie Arndorfer plays acoustic guitar and piano covers of a wide variety of music, ranging from Frank Sinatra to Jack Johnson. Arndorfer also plays ukelele and the harmonica, with a repertoire consisting on country, acoustic, pop, jazz and classic rock.
Dates: Aug. 25, Oct. 6
Equal Parts
Equal Parts is an alternative rock/indie rock group from Iowa. Consisting of two main performers, Equal Parts utilizes guitar, bass, violin, drums and more.
Dates: May 26, Sept. 29
Abe Goldstein is a solo accordion player specializing in standards, ethnic music and kids' tunes.
Dates: May 5, June 30, Aug. 11, Sept. 29
The group is an instrumental quartet which also includes a singer. Their ensemble includes piano, bass, drums, saxophone and some vocals. They play jazz standards as well as pop standards covering the 1940s to the 1970s.
Date: June 9
Hawk McIntyre
Hawk McIntyre is a 16-year-old musician from Boone. He plays blues, country, classic rock and modern music. He sings and plays acoustic guitar.
Dates: June 16, Aug. 4, Aug. 25, Oct. 6
Heartland Mini-Railroad Express
Kids are invited to come take a ride on the Mini Railroad! Located on 2nd Street, South of Court Ave. the Heartland Mini Railroad provides young visitors a fun and unique experience while shopping The Market.
Dates: May 5, May 12, May 19, May 26, June 9, June 30, July 7, July 14, July 21, July 28, Aug. 4, Aug. 18, Sept. 8, Sept. 15, Sept. 29, Oct. 6, Oct. 20
Hudson Road
Hudson Road is a band consisting of a female vocalist accompanied by piano or guitar. Hudson Road covers multiple genres ranging from country and pop to classic rock.
Date: July 7
The Iowa Playboys was created by a group of talented musicians with 140+ years of experience. They entertain audiences by playing traditional country and Western swing music.
Date: Aug. 18
Jake Schrodt has been playing guitar since he was around the age of 13 and continues to create music to this day. After releasing an album with his old band, Schrodt became a solo artist and now performs alternative rock, Americana and country music.
Dates: May 12, Aug. 25, Oct. 6, Oct. 27
Jolie Seitz
Jolie Seitz is a local singer-songwriter and musician who has been a part of the live music scene in DSM since she was 12 years old. She is a DSM native and junior at Roosevelt High School working towards a career in music production and as a professional musician. Seitz performs both covers and original compositions.
Dates: May 19, Aug. 11, Sept. 29
Jon Marko and Jeff Livengood
This singer-songwriter duo performs blues, alternative, folk and indie music with violin and guitar.
Dates: July 21, Sept. 1
Jonathan May – Mr. Magic Productions
Family and corporate magician Jonathan May specializes in making fun and fast balloon animals for the children of the Downtown Farmers' Market. He is known for his minimum wait time and maximum entertainment value!
Dates: May 5, June 30, Aug. 18, Sept. 8, Oct. 20
Jordan Beem
Jordan Beem is an acoustic performer who has performed in various venues, from large to small bars, restaurants, festivals and more. Beem focuses on playing music that is upbeat and fun, while also very organic. If you want to hear music from Johnny Cash, Lynyrd Skynyrd, John Mayer and Mumford and Sons, come check Beem out!
Date: May 19
Josh Cohen
Josh Cohen's solo six-string electric bass performances use extended techniques to create the sound of an entire band with only one instrument and without the aid of loop pedals. Everything he performs, from jazz to blues to pop, is being created by one person in real-time.
Date: June 30
This acoustic rock cover musician is always willing to try new performance opportunities. Having opened for a number of bands over the years, he is able to play a great show for any crowd.
Date: Aug. 11
Kirk Sloan Classical Guitar
Kirk Sloan is an instrumental soloist on classical guitar who has performed at venues around DSM. His classical guitar arrangements include both classical music and popular tunes.
Dates: June 2, July 28, Sept. 15
Larry Berenguel, Jr. was born in Manila, Philippines, and immigrated with his family to DSM at age 14. Berenguel has studied and performed folk guitar and has performed with several different bands. His music can be described as folk, rock, pop, reggae and jazz with acoustic guitar, synth guitar and occasional rhythm tracks.
Dates: June 23, Aug. 18
Lily DeTaeye
Lily is a singer-songwriter who has previously participated in The Market's Grapevine Tunes program for young performers. She plays acoustic music on the guitar, harmonica and ukulele. Her style of music is folk and indie rock. DeTaeye performs a balance of covers and original tunes.
Date: June 2
Living Statue
Katelyn McBurney's Living Statue act is derived from classical marble statue form. McBurney has been performing around the region for the last four years, maintaining a held position until interacted with, upon which time she turns into a "living" statue character.
Dates: May 26, June 2, July 21, Aug. 11
Luther Bangert
Luther is an Iowa City native. His crazy stunts will amaze any audience. He has been training for high energy technical juggling for 10 years, performing publicly for the last four. His juggling will be accompanied by other balancing acts, and at times, sword swallowing!
Dates: June 23, Oct. 6
Music Gone Mad is a street-performing horn band consisting of 15 performers. Performing both old and new rock and roll, Music Gone Mad utilizes trumpets, trombones, tapset, electric guitar and bass.
Dates: June 30, Aug. 25
Maninoa Courtright
An Iowa transplant, Maninoa Le'au Courtright was born in Las Vegas where she began singing and performing at a young age. Courtright plays piano, guitar and ukelele covers of popular tunes from a wide variety of genres.
Dates: June 9, Sept. 22, Oct. 27
Mennonite Singers
The Mennonite Singers are a group that performs gospel music in beautiful four-part harmonies.
Dates: May 19, Aug. 25
Meredith Drive Reformed Church Kids Ministry
This group consists of church members, including both kids and adults, performing family-friendly music, as well as children ministry church songs. They will bring an acoustic guitar, keyboard, small drums and tambourines to get listeners as energized as they are! Puppet shows, balloons and face painting are some fun activities this group will share with the community.
Date: May 19
Metro Brass Quintet
The Metro Brass Quintet is a five-piece brass ensemble that performs a wide variety of music from pop to polka to classical. They typically play in a formation using brass instruments and can be heard from a good distance.
Dates: July 28, Sept. 1
Mississippi Jake
With acoustic guitar and gravel in his voice, Mississippi Jake brings folklore from the hills of the Ozarks to the streets of DSM.
Dates: June 30, Sept. 1
Morgan Wolfe
Morgan Wolfe is a 16-year-old singer from Johnston, Iowa. She plays piano, guitar and flute, and her performances range from pop to R&B to jazz as she expresses herself through her love for music.
Dates: July 7, Sept. 1, Oct. 13
Nancita Wernett is a singer-songwriter who comes performing a solo act full of original songs. She comes with a mix of folk blues, guitar, flutes and percussion.
Date: June 23
Opus Taylor is a group of Iowa musicians that have been performing together for nearly six years. They perform classic rock and blues covers as well as original compositions.
Dates: June 2, Sept. 15
Ortonville Circus
The Ortonville Circus is a four-piece band influenced by folk, blues and alternative country acts. Their repertoire includes songs written and performed from the 1920s into this century. Some original tunes written by band members are mixed throughout the set lists.
Date: Aug. 11
This local group of eight musicians has been entertaining at The Market for several years. They sing a capella in styles including jazz, folk and contemporary.
Dates: May 19, July 14, Sept. 15
Piano Man Richard Spierenburg
Starting piano at a young age of 6, Richard Spierenburg is a professional piano bar musician. He has 150 songs memorized, and for the requests that he doesn't know, as long as he's heard the song, he can look up the chords and play it. He sings as well as plays the piano, so have your requests ready!
Dates: Sept. 15, Oct. 27
Professor Von Air, Balloon Artist Extraordinaire
Professor Von Air has been performing since 1996 at events all over Iowa, the Midwest and overseas. In addition, he has taught balloon art and clowning. He specializes in balloon art, silly magic and games.
Dates: June 9, Aug. 4, Sept. 1, Sept. 15, Oct. 27
Reggie Greenlaw is a singer-songwriter-musician living in Ames, Iowa. Using guitar, hammered dulcimer and mandolin, Greenlaw performs music from a wide variety of genres such as folk, Americana, alt-country and bluegrass.
Dates: June 16, Sept. 8
Reid Miller Folk Music, Storytelling & Puppetry
Reid Miller Storytelling Puppet Theater is folk and family entertainment. His puppet shows are based on classic folktales and original fiction taken from the events of the day. Songs range from folk to blues to ballads to bodacious comedy with appeal for all generations.
Dates: May 26, Aug. 4, Oct. 20
Ron Burchett
Ron Burchett is a local musician, singer, guitarist and songwriter with more than 30 years of experience. He first started performing on stage as a teenager and later became part of the Iowa Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame-recognized band, Con Brio, which was popular in DSM in the late 1970s. Since then, Burchett has performed solo acoustic gigs throughout Iowa.
Date: Sept. 22
Ronny Johnson
This veteran Market Entertainer will captivate and inspire you to enjoy your day with balloon creations ranging from guitars and dolphins to motorcycles and Angry Birds.
Dates: May 12, July 14, Oct. 13
Royce Johns
Royce Johns has been playing music his whole life, from piano at age 8 and guitar at 14. He was raised on a variety of music including from country, classic rock, alternative and blues. At age 19, Johns was featured in the Des Moines Register's Iowa Life front page alongside his band mates in Lincoln Rockhouse. Still playing with Lincoln Rockhouse weekly, as an active performer he has started to branch out with more solo work as a full-time musician.
Dates: May 5, Sept. 29
Ryan O'Rien
Ryan O'Rien draws inspiration from roots in Irish and English heritage, along with a deep appreciation of the open ocean and common human rights and freedoms. From that inspiration, he translates traditional Celtic tunes, old Atlantic sea songs and original content inspired by modern news headlines into highly rhythmic, catchy folk n’roll.
Dates: June 2, Aug. 4, Oct. 20
Salsa Des Moines is a nonprofit organization that aims to teach the art of salsa dance and foster awareness and interest for all forms of Latin street dance within DSM. At The Market, they will perform and teach dances that include: salsa, merengue, cha cha, tango, bachata and more.
Date: Sept. 1
Samantha White
With over a decade of experience, Samantha White is a solo violinist with a large repertoire of bluegrass, Celtic and folk songs.
Dates: June 2, July 7, Sept. 22
Sinners and Saints
Sinners and Saints brings outstanding vocals and percussion, giving a facelift to old folk songs and making them new again. Their set list includes an eclectic blend of hits from Ray Charles, Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, John Prine, Johnny Cash, Janis Joplin and many others. They dare you not to sing along!
Dates: May 26, July 7, Sept. 8.
Spencer Meyer
Playing acoustic guitar and singing, Spencer Meyer performs folk, blues and jazz covers.
Dates: June 9, Sept. 1, Oct. 13
Steve E. George & The Groove
Steve E. George & the Groove debuts as a new band in DSM, yet this band’s players are by no means new to the city’s music scene with band members who have been playing for over 40 years. With Steve George as the lead vocalist, this blues/R&B group is energetic and always ready to entertain.
Date: June 16
Streetside
Streetside is a music ensemble consisting of keyboard, bass, horns and drums. They are sure to entertain audiences as they perform music from the jazz, funk and blues genres.
Date: July 28
Stu Ryan O'Brien
Stu Ryan O'Brien, based in DSM, is known for playing traditional Irish pub music as well as standard Irish folk songs. The band's lead vocalist, Stuart Walker, can be seen playing guitar and singing along with two accompanists who will occasionally play the accordion and percussion.
Dates: June 30, July 28, Aug. 18
Sweet Tater TeRonde
This team of farm boy/street musicians from Madrid, Iowa, plays blues, bluegrass, folk, rock and original tunes with a self-proclaimed “rootsy,” uncluttered gusto.
Dates: May 19, July 28, Aug. 26, Sept. 29
Sydney Storm
Creating magic since the age of 6, Sydney Storm has been performing professionally since high school. He enjoys twisting balloons at The Market for all the children that stop by!
Dates: June 16, July 28, Aug. 25, Sept. 29
Marc Mcdougal began his music career by playing in garage bands and decided to take it to the next level by becoming a solo artist. As a solo artist, he plays the electric guitar accompanied by backing tracks that provide gentle bass, jazz drums and piano. Mcdougal describes his sound as "classy, quiet and tasteful."
Dates: May 12, Oct. 6
The Big Joe Kinser Band
The Big Joe Kinser Band plays uptempo, danceable American roots music touching on Western swing, old country favorites and pop that mix well with their original compositions.
Date: Aug. 4
The Last Laugh Comedy Theater
The Last Laugh Comedy Theater is a family-friendly comedy act. They perform games like those seen on TV's "Whose Line Is It, Anyway?" getting the audience in on the action by using their suggestions and even getting them up on stage to play. They make sure all of the public performances are family-friendly and engaging for audiences of all ages.
Dates: May 12, July 21, Sept. 15
The One-Woman Symphony
Merging technology with a classical violin, Genevieve's setup includes her acoustically-amplified violin and prerecorded backing tracks, giving her the name "The One-Woman Symphony," as she performs music from a wide variety of genres.
Dates: May 5, June 23, Sept. 15
The Sheet
The Sheet, an acoustic duo band, plays familiar cover songs from all genres with their own unique style and summer sound. When thinking of style and sound, think Bob Marley/Eric Clapton meets Sublime/Jimi Hendrix. The Sheet is a feel-good party band that will keep you entertained!
Dates: June 16, July 21, Oct. 13
The Six Man Big Band
Based out of DSM, Ben Sanders and his band are an experimental jazz/funk group. Consisting of only high schoolers, this high energy band has a passion for music that is reflected through their playing!
Dates: May 26, July 14, Oct. 13
The West Connection
The West Connection features bluegrass and country music with guitars, mandolins and bass.
The Wish Machine (Randy Kong)
The Wish Machine (Randy Kong) is a one-man band playing acoustic guitar and singing pop, rock and country songs.
Dates: June 16, Oct. 13
The Zachary Freedom Duo
No matter the age, audience or gender, Zach always finds a way to leave people wanting more. Having moved nine times in four years, Zach tells his story through his music. Filled with hope, sadness, joy, frustration and life, you won't want to miss out. He's shared the stage with rap artists, metal bands, poets and others beyond his classified genre.
Dates: June 9, July 28, Sept. 22
Tribal Muse and Saada Dance Company
This group of women of various ages, shapes, sizes and cultural backgrounds have at least one thing in common: they love to dance. With the belief that dance is the language of the soul, they perform many tribal belly dances which combine American Tribal Style Belly Dance, Flamenco, varying styles of Middle Eastern dance and other folkloric and modern dance.
Dates: June 9, Oct. 6
Tropical Steel
With over 14 years of performance experience at The Market, this local group boasts of a Caribbean-steel style. Their tropical program, involving crowd participation, hula hoops and small instruments, is enjoyable for all ages!
Dates: May 26, June 23, Aug. 25, Sept. 22
This group consists of two-to-five members playing the flute, violin, cello, guitar and keyboard. They have a wide selection of classical music, fiddle music and contemporary Christian music.
Dates: May 26, June 30, Aug. 11, Oct. 6
Urbandale Community Adult Swing Band
This swing band plays a variety of swing and jazz music. Under the direction of Janna Rutledge, this group of 15 members represents a range of age groups, talents and communities from around DSM.
Dates: May 12, Sept. 22
UZN_MCA (Universal Zulu Nation_Multi Cultural Arts)
Universal Zulu Nation is an acrobatic breakdancing group that performs to funk and Latin jazz music.
Dates: June 16, Aug. 11
The Vida Sisters are an acoustic singing duo who cover artists such as Jewel, Tracy Chapman, Sugarland, Little Big Town, Elvis, Charlie Puth, Maroon 5 and more. They perform with an acoustic guitar and multiple percussion instruments.
Date: July 28
Will Samorey is a professional violionist from DSM. After earning his undergraduate degree in music, Samorey began his career by performing in chamber ensembles, pit orchestras, community and symphony orchestras. He continued on by developing the Metro Chamber Ensemble and is now its Owner and Program Director. All of Samorey's performances can include solo violin work with recorded piano accompaniments as well as violin covers of popular songs.
Dates: June 9, July 21, Sept. 8, Oct. 13
WiZe Guys
WiZe Guys play jazz and popular songs. With piano-playing, crooning and the occasional accoustic guitar, WiZe Guys is bound to soothe a crowd.
Dates: July 21, Oct. 20