Festival to include range of sounds

Chingawassa Days will showcase a wide range of sounds in Marion’s Central Park with Friday night and Saturday night built around homegrown talent and rising national talent.

From a local opener and double headliners on Friday to a full Saturday bill, capped by the Eli Young Band, organizers are aiming at something for just about every kind of country and rock listener.

Here’s the background of each of the acts on the schedule.

Friday

• Petty Cash, 6:30 p.m. — Local opening act Petty Cash will get the music started in its third Chingawassa outing, fronted by Sam Shilts of Sam Shilts Music in Moundridge.
• Eddie and The Getaway, 7:30 p.m. — The band brings a mix of emotionally charged country lyrics and high-energy early 2000’s-style rock guitars. Phoenix-raised front man Eddie Eberle started on drums at age 5, later forming a teenage band that won a local contest and opened for Alice Cooper. He continues to lean on a blend of hard work, passion, and faith in his live shows.
• LECADE, 9 p.m. — Closing out Friday’s schedule will be LECADE (a/k/a Cade Brinkley), a 22-year-old Nashville singer-songwriter who grew up in Baton Rouge and first made a name self-producing music from his family’s home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He released his first country song, “No Good,” at 19, drawing on influences from Texas country acts such as Pecos & The Rooftops, Koe Wetzel, and Parker McCollum, and has since pushed into country rock, red dirt, and “Texas emo country” on songs like his streaming favorite “When I’m Gone.”

Saturday

• Harley Wayne, 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. — An 18-year-old from Toronto, Kansas, Wayne got his first guitar at age 10 and started playing bars and open-mic nights at 14. His storytelling style has been described as “Bob Dylan meets red dirt country.” 
• Jared Barney, 6:30 p.m. — Evening music will resume with this Tampa native, whose story and music are highlighted on Page 3. His set will kick off the night’s focus on singer-songwriters, giving fans a chance to catch local original material.
• Jaron Bell, 7:30 p.m. — The comedian songwriter, also featured on Page 3, will round out the undercard with a mix of laughs and live music as he sets the stage for the night’s headliner.
• Eli Young Band, 9 p.m. —Topping Saturday’s bill, this multi-platinum-winning group from Denton, Texas, brings its brand of contemporary country and tight harmonies. It’s an opportunity for local fans to see a chart-topping national act up-close and intimate in the park.