Rocking the ice Blakeslee ice rink: Hockey Day concert lineup

After the final goal and all of the fast paced action is over, fans want to keep the party going and celebrate their victories. To do this, Hockey Day Minnesota has a lineup of concerts to continue the celebrations including IV Play, the Johnny Holm Band and the Shane Martin band. With a variety of genres hitting the stage, there is sure to be a performance for everyone to enjoy. 

On Thursday, the Johnny Holm band is hitting the stage. As a native Minnesotan born in Brainerd, Holm started playing music in college at Minnesota State University Moorhead and has been playing with his band for over five decades. 

According to The Johnny Holm band website, his performances are described as “mostly impromptu” and “never a dull moment,” ensuring that no two concerts are exactly alike. 

Known for playing a variety of hits that range from AC/DC to Charlie Daniels, the band fluctuates between eras in the span of only a few songs. The most notable aspect of the band is getting the crowd involved as much as possible. No matter what the style of music, this is one performance audiences won’t want to miss. 

On Friday night, the band IV Play is set to perform. Pronounced “foreplay,” the band formed in 1999 by a group of high schoolers from Madison Lake. Only one original member remains- Tyler Dilla, a star fiddle player- but the other five members definitely have talents to boast.

Lantz Dale and Jeremy Poland both joined the group in 2013 after some original members left. They were followed soon by Wed Bollingmo in 2015, and then Wade Crookner and Bren Archambault in 2016.

While all members are on vocals, they each bring instrumental skills to the table; Dylla plays the fiddle along with the guitar, Archambault is on the drums, Bollingmo plays the bass and keys, Crooker plays the saxophone and Dale and Poland are guitarists. 

IV Play is a pop and rock cover band singing songs by Motley Crue, Bruno Mars, Styxx and more that is guaranteed to get you on your feet. Not only do they have a repertoire of well loved songs, they also love interacting with their audience, both at events and on social media. Engaging with people is a priority of theirs, and their social medias are consistently used and interacted with.

Finally on Saturday, The Shane Martin band takes the stage. For the Shane Martin Band, getting to play Hockey Day was something lead singer Shane Martin was excited to jump on board with, as several of his family members are involved in hockey.

“My son is a second-year Phantom and my cousin Paul Martin played in the NHL, so an event like this is going to be great,” shared Martin. “We’re gonna have a good time.”

Music has played a significant part in Martin’s life. From his mother who used to play guitar and sing in church to his grandma who played piano by ear, his love for music started when he started playing guitar.

“Some friends from school were talking about starting a rock band before any of us could drive,” said Martin. “I would bike over to my friend’s house after school with my guitar and we’d make a bunch of noise in the basement.”

Performing in the middle of a pandemic was challenging for the Shane Martin band. Not being able to interact with the crowds, seeing smiling faces and not being able to exchange energy with the fans was difficult for Martin.

“When everything shut down, I did some Facebook live shows, not just to keep my fans engaged, but to keep me playing and keep the music alive,” shared Martin. “It just wasn’t like it was [pre-pandemic].”

Drawing from his earliest influences such as Bryan Adams, Bon Jovi, and Garth Brooks, audiences can expect a mix of both country and rock. 

“Some of my roots are based in rock, but we usually lean towards the modern country edge. We play anything with a good harmony,” said Martin. “We also mix some of our own music with cover songs by artists such as Keith Urban, The Zac Brown Band and The Eagles.”

Martin hopes that his performance will leave the audience wanting to hear more as well as to have a good time.

“That’s what [performing] is all about; expanding the fanbase and seeing people come back and want to be a part of what we do on stage,” said Martin. “We pride ourselves on local harmonies and getting the crowd involved in hopes they come back for another show.”

All bands are set to play at Blakeslee Stadium in the heated OFC Entertainment tent Thursday through Friday at 8:30 p.m.