Sunset Sessions featuring Kevin Burt, Frank Martin Busch & Jeni Grouws – Red Barn

The Red Barn Campground & Restaurant in scenic Lansing, Iowa welcomes 3 award-winning songwriters to the first-ever Sunset Sessions.

Featuring songwriters Kevin Burt, Frank Martin Busch, and Jeni Grouws, Sunset Sessions gives you the chance to hear songs and stories directly from the songwriters in a beautiful outdoor setting. Kevin Burt, Frank Martin Busch and Jeni Grouws will go round and round sharing songs and stories, giving you the chance to hear songs in their most basic, intimate form and to hear stories about how the songs were born. You’ll laugh (a lot), you’ll smile, you might even tear up, and you will have one of the most memorable concert experiences of the year. Plus after the concert, you’re invited to stick around for Campfire Songs with JR Brink and you!

The event will begin at 3pm with special featured area musicians, then from 4-6pm, just as the sun begins to move toward the horizon, Burt, Busch and Grouws will take the stage. Stick around after the show for Campfire Songs at Sunset, as JR Brink leads you through songs around the fire. Feel free to bring your guitar and play something of your own as well!

General Rules/Vibes
Good Vibes Only!
Dress Code: Whatever makes you feel most comfortable.
Please park in designated areas. And if you can carpool, great!
Bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on for the event.
Food and drink, including bottled water, will be available for purchase.
No coolers or outside food allowed.
Use recycling bins to help us keep the event environmentally friendly.
Please treat this beautiful location with big love! Keep the space clean. Trash cans will be provided.
Furry friends are invited. Please clean up after your pet and ensure that others will be safe around people and other curious furry friends.
Campsites are available. Click here to reserve your spot and enjoy the entire night at Red Barn Campground & Restaurant.

Community Spirit Opportunities
Make New Friends: Say hello to someone new!
Share the Love: Compliment at least three people you meet. Spread the positivity!
Snap and Share: Capture your best moments and tag us on social media. You might get featured in return!

About the artists:
For nearly 3 decades, Kevin Burt, Iowa Blues Hall of Fame member (class of 2019), has been mesmerizing audiences with his powerfully smooth and soulful vocals. Paired with his unique harmonica and guitar presentation and his quick wit, Kevin engages with his audience touching their souls while tickling their funny bones.

Born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa Kevin dispelled the myth that there was no such thing as Iowa Blues by becoming the first artist in the history of the Blues Foundation International Blues Challenge to sweep the awards by claiming top prizes in three categories: Solo/Duo, Solo/Duo Guitar and Harmonica in 2018.

In October 2018, Kevin released his debut album Heartland & Soul with Little Village Foundation. The album recorded at GREASELAND Studios was nominated for a 2019 Blues Music Award (BMA) for Best Emerging Artist Album.

In February 2020, Kevin signed with Gulf Coast Records founded by Guy Hale and award-winning Blues artist, Mike Zito. Their first collaboration, Stone Crazy (released October 2020), debuted at #3 on the Billboard’s Contemporary Blues chart.

In January 2024, released his second album under the Gulf Coast Records label, Thank You Brother Bill. This was a personal tribute to the legendary Bill Withers featuring songs that impacted and inspired Kevin. This is also the first project to feature his band, Big Medicine. Like Stone Crazy, this album has been very well received and debuted at #2 on the Billboard’s Contemporary Blues Chart.

Kevin was nominated a for a Blues Music Award in the category of Acoustic Blues Artist in 2022 and 2024. In 2020, Kevin was awarded the Bobby Rush Lifetime Blues Entertainers Award – Outstanding Tradition Blues Entertainer by Jus’ Blues Foundation.

Along with touring, Kevin is committed to keeping the Blues alive with his Blues in the Schools program. His focus with this program is making Blues “relatable” to kids and engaging them with stories and songs as well as sharing the history of Blues and how it has influenced all genres of music. Kevin also encourages the kids to play! He authored Just Play It! Harmonica Method by Kevin Burt in partnership with West Music which introduces students grades 4-8 to playing basic cross-harp blues harmonica. He also collaborates with high school bands – to not only play the notes but to feel the music to tell the story.

FRANK MARTIN BUSCH:
Frank Martin Busch & the Names: Where Heartland Twang Meets Modern Grit

From dusty red roads to dive bar neon, Frank Martin Busch & the Names carve their own brand of country, seasoned with alt-twang and storytelling that digs deep. A side project blossoming into a full-fledged force, they bring four years of shared highway miles and a wellspring of original tunes to every stage.

Frank, a songwriting champion (Isthmus Magazine’s “Fave Singer/Songwriter” two years running) leads the charge, his pen weaving tales of small-town dreams and restless hearts. Inspired by Turnpike Troubadours, Tyler Childers, and the timeless echoes of Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson, their music resonates with raw honesty and an edge that keeps it fresh.

But Frank’s voice isn’t the only one that shines. The Names – a tightknit crew of drums, bass, guitar, and fiddle – lock in like a seasoned family band, weaving harmonies that elevate each song to anthemic heights. Their musicianship is as undeniable as the grit in their sound, adding depth and dimension to every chorus.

This year, get ready for a steady dose of Frank Martin Busch & the Names. They’re dropping a new song every month – a testament to their prolific spirit and relentless dedication to their craft. So saddle up, turn the volume up, and let these modern troubadours take you on a journey you won’t forget.
JENI GROUWS
“It’s been a while since a vocalist gave me the chills. Grouws digs deep and you can’t turn away. She’s a belter with deep rooted soul.” (Martine Ehrenclou/ Rock and Blues Muse)

Jeni Grouws writes roots and Americana music for the two time, top ten Billboard charting Avey Grouws Band, as well as for her solo project. Working as a broadcaster in the early 2000s, Grouws found inspiration in the stories of other songwriters featured on her radio program, Artist Direct, and slowly began to push forward with writing and performing, releasing her solo EP “Scenic Route” in 2008.

In 2017, Jeni co-founded Avey Grouws Band, which won the Iowa Blues Challenge in both 2018 and in 2020, going to the semi finals at the International Blues Challenge both times. Avey Grouws Band made waves landing on the Billboard Blues Album charts at #10 and #7 in 2020 and again in 2021 for their two full length albums, “The Devil May Care” and “Tell Tale Heart”.

Jeni has been actively involved in encouraging others to pursue their interests in writing and performing, creating Jeni Grouws and Friends Live at the Winneshiek County Fair in the early 2000s, which allowed others to have their shot at performing with a band to a large audience, and more recently heading the “She Writes!” songwriting workshop for girls. While working with Avey Grouws Band, Jeni won top honors in the Unsigned Only Songwriting Competition in 2020 and in the 2021 International Songwriting Competition and she continues to write while touring.

Just this summer, Jeni accepted a residency in Omaha, NE where she will be living and working on her writing and a solo performance from September 2024-May 2025. Jeni continues to tour with Avey Grouws Band as they take their music nationwide.

“Jeni Grouws is a remarkably demonstrative vocalist, fully capable of delivering sturdy rockers, blustery blues, or…a tender heartfelt ballad.” (Lee Zimmerman/Goldmine Magazine)

“Jeni delivers the deep, smoldering slow blues that will induce both tears and raving applause” (Jim Hynes/ Making a Scene)