Daring musicians Viva Knievel take to the Regatta stage

Jun. 8—WORTHINGTON — With a 12-person lineup including a horn section, the band Viva Knievel — not to be confused with the 1977 movie of the same name — might just be the biggest rock band ever to perform at the Worthington Windsurfing Regatta and Music Festival.

"We wanted to step it up," said Barry Roberts, who serves as music chairman for the Regatta as well as being a member of its Board of Directors. "What is a really cool cover band and a party band that would be neat, and it's going to get people talking?"

Viva Knievel, a high-octane cover band based in Minneapolis, was the answer, and they will play at 9 p.m. Saturday.

"We're going to take the jump and take the challenges," said Mark Schwandt, Viva Knievel's drummer.

The name of the band was inspired by motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel, who took chances and made big jumps across canyons and over buses, most famously in the 1970s — and when it started out, Viva Knievel primarily played classic rock from that same era. Its members were all original artists with their own original bands, and they got together to perform at a wedding. It was almost a social club of sorts, Schwandt said.

"When people were moving across the country and taking on new jobs or growing their families, it was a way for us to maintain our friendships and maintain communication," he explained. "Over the course of almost a decade now, it's grown into almost a machine, and we take a lot of pride in it."

It's a simple concept for a band that proudly calls itself a "fearless American wrecking ball" on its website, vivaknievelband.com, which claims it will bring "chaotic stage shows, salute-inducing patriotism, face-melting guitar solos and earth-rumbling renditions of all your favorite songs that other bands are too afraid to play."

That's not an idle boast, either, as the group plays a dizzying array of very disparate tunes from very different genres.

"They do a lot of punk, a lot of Top 40, a lot of party stuff," Roberts said. "They like to hit basically every genre" except country.

Sure, an audience might get to hear "Rock the Casbah" or "Let's Dance," but they're just as likely to get Vampire Weekend's "A-Punk," the Killers' "When You Were Young" or "Uptown Funk." Fatboy Slim and Bruce Springsteen are both on the setlist, along with The Heavy, U2 and Jimi Hendrix.

"We are such music nerds that the joy of what we do is also getting these songs exactly right," Schwandt said. "Recreations to a T. When it comes to tones, when it comes to performances, we really try to break these down and not do interpretations of songs but try to play them verbatim — how close can we get to the original recording?"

Viva Knievel is also choosy about what it plays, picking only songs its members really love.

"We recently brought on a new keyboardist whose name is Jack Kolb'Williams, and he is an all-star," Schwandt said. "A great pianist and a great drummer."

Now the group has three percussionists, and as a result Viva Knievel has added a lot of percussion into its set, with all three taking a turn at the drums. The band will be switching instruments on stage and featuring many different singers from within its lineup.

"People aren't sure what to expect, but it's going to be a very entertaining show, and (it's) one of the best cover bands in the Midwest," Roberts said. "They only do a handful of dates a year. We're lucky to be able to get them here."

"We're very excited to come to Worthington, and we just worked up our new live show for the summer," Schwandt said. "We're as excited to perform it as I hope people are to see it."