Sure as the bond of brotherhood, a common bond in The Mantz Brothers will tie together two of the largest fundraisers in Washington County over the last weekend in May. The Mantz Brothers will perform from 8-10 p.m. May 29 at the Noon Rotary Riverfest in West Bend and 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. May 31 at the Newburg Firemen’s Picnic. Jordan Mantz spoke on behalf of the duo during an interview Thursday.
“Audiences here are a crazy crowd of people who know how to have a good time. The crowd participation is always at a fun level. There’s no holding us back,” Mantz said.
The guitarist/vocalists have had quite a roller coaster ride in country music and they don’t plan on hitting the brakes anytime soon. The Richfield natives discovered their love for music when they were children.
“Our parents weren’t musically inclined, but our grandmother used to sing to us all the time,” Jordan Mantz said. “Eventually we all sang together. Later, we decided to keep it up.
“For now, we like to focus on covering other artists’ material. We do have original songs, but they’ll probably be on the rise as far as exposure a little bit further down the road. It’s also about the audience. We want to please everyone and show them that we’re a feel good kind of band.”
Their musical influences run the country rock gamut, from Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash to “anyone in contemporary country” as the brothers create their sound.
Now they have much to look forward to. Performances at the Hard Rock stages and the SiriusXM Highway Show will mean return trips to Nashville.
“We were on a cruise about a year ago and got inspired to come back and do a music video on the ship,” Mantz said. Production of the Mantz Brothers first video “7 Saturday Nights” will lens in late October on the Norwegian Pearl. In the meantime, a red carpet party next month at the Sterling Chalet in Hubertus will celebrate the release of their first CD, Mudtires and Bonfires.
“It’s an exciting time,” Jordan Mantz said.
A Green Bay Packers-themed fundraiser at Jug’s Hitching Post is May 24 in conjunction with Jam Fest to benefit Special Olympics. For information, visit www.jugshitchingpost.com