Name? The Sauerkraut Band

Where are you based? We come from all around the New River Valley. Several of us come from Blacksburg and Christiansburg; however, we have members in Floyd County to the south; Galax to the west; Newport, New Castle, Simmonsville, and Bluefield to the north; and Roanoke to the east.

Where do you typically tour or perform? We have been performing for the Mountain Lake (Giles County) Oktoberfest for 21 years but have performed for festivals and events all around the New River Valley. We have done other festivals in Richmond, Winchester, Roanoke, Wytheville, and several in North Carolina.

What’s your most recent CD? Our CD - The Sauerkraut Band Live at Mountain Lake - has been around for a number of years, and we are planning another recording later this year.

Who are your musical influences? We are influenced by any number of German beer tent bands that are pretty much unknown here in the States, but probably Dr. Fritz Guckenheimer with the Guckenheimer Sour Kraut Band is our main inspiration. He recorded three brilliant albums of German music in the 1950s, which are treasured possessions of the band.

Who are some musical acts that sound like you? There is no one that sounds like us in this part of the country.

Why should I come see you at the festival? You should come and see The Sauerkraut Band to experience the real spirit of the German beer tent and Oktoberfest. This is fun music that is well-suited for dancing, drinking, and listening. It is hard to sit still during this music, and it is hard to not like it. The biggest reason to see us is that we have fun when we perform, and we find that this has a habit of being contagious with the right crowd! So come have fun with us!

When will you be playing? We will be performing on Saturday, July 24, from 12:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. on the Garden Stage.

What are you most looking forward to about playing at FloydFest? We have some Floyd folk in our band, so this will be especially exciting for them. But more importantly, we appreciate the festival atmosphere and embrace the energy that is ever-present. We look forward to ride the wave of energy from the audience and look forward to share our music with people who may not have seen us before. We feel that once they hear us, they will be fans!