Fontanelle native's band to open new WCC series

Organizers of a series set to open this weekend at the Warren Cultural Center are excited to remind show-goers how much talent there is right here in Iowa.

The WCC opens its “ALL-IOWA” series for the 2024-25 school year Saturday, Sept. 7 with a 7 p.m. show featuring Red Dirt Renegade. Lead vocalist and rhthym guitarist for the band is Chad Stutzman, a 1985 graduate of Bridgewater-Fontanelle High School.

All of the acts in the upcoming series, which picks up where the previous “Locals and Legends” series takes off, have an Iowa connection.

“RDR” is a hard hitting all Iowan Outlaw Country Band that performs originals, as well as music by Cody Jinks, Waylon Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Johnny Cash, etc. RDR is a professional band with a combined 120 years of stage experience, high end equipment, and a pure passion for live performance.

Stutzman grew up listening to his father’s Hank Williams and Outlaw Country and his mother’s Elvis Presley. Influences range from Merle Haggard to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Molly Hatchet to most Southern Fried Rock bands.

While looking online for acts for another project, WCC Board President Thaddeus Hawley discovered the large amount of talent Iowa has. That is what led to this series.

“It occured to me that we’ve never done that. We’ve never showcased all Iowa talent,” Hawley said. “The series will be eight shows in total. It will include a little bit of everything.”

Joining Stutzman on stage will be Jason Boggs on lead guitar, Jeffrey Stevens on drums, Al Kabela on pedal steel guitar and Nate Lenz on bass and backing vocals.

“RDR” is a hard hitting all Iowan Outlaw Country Band that performs originals, as well as music by Cody Jinks, Waylon Jennings, Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Johnny Cash, etc. RDR is a professional band with a combined 120 years of stage experience, high end equipment, and a pure passion for live performance.

Stutzman grew up listening to his father’s Hank Williams and Outlaw Country and his mother’s Elvis Presley. Influences range from Merle Haggard to Lynyrd Skynyrd to Molly Hatchet to most Southern Fried Rock bands.

Purchase tickets at warrenculturalcenter.com or at the door. Adults are $20 and students (high school and younger) are free.

Future shows in the “ALL-IOWA” series will bring to Greenfield an Elvis impersonator, a night featuring Americana and indie rock music, a night of comedy, a Buddy Holly-era impersonator, a folk artist, a rock cover band, and a Bob Seeger tribute band.

“We just want to showcase Iowa and how much amazing talent we have around here,” Hawley said. “We’re going to work on that in the gallery too, so in October, we’re going to have an Iowa artist featured in the art gallery.”

Hawley said he joined the WCC’s board to help out the community, however over his time that has led him to lead the board, he’s fallen in love with the building, which was restored in 2012, thanks to a large community initiative.

Attending a show not only pays for acts that come to play, it helps the Warren Cultural Center to continue to bring quality performers to Adair County. One obstacle right now that is slowing them from doing that is that six air conditioning units need replaced on the roof.

The Warren Cultural Center tries to play a positive role in the community. Outside their normal ways of doing that, they were able to open their building in multiple ways after the tornado for those who needed a cool place to be.

“One of the things I’d like to see is people my age and younger coming to the shows. I hope some of the acts we’re getting will entice some of those younger people to come,” he said. “It is a beautiful venue we have here and the acoustics inside of it are amazing.”