RIVERBEND DUTCHMEN
About the Album:
“DUTCHMEN ON PARADE” is a 20-track statement album built around the rich Upper Midwest dance-band tradition, performed with the size, polish, and energy of a modern professional ensemble. It brings together classic Dutchmen polkas, laendlers, waltzes, American standards, and new material in one cohesive listening experience. The result is not nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, but a living sound: bright horns, concertina, disciplined rhythm, strong arrangements, and a repertoire that respects history while sounding fully alive in the present.
For longtime dancers, the album feels like a well-lit ballroom on a full floor. For radio stations and reporters, it offers a useful snapshot of why this style still matters. For new listeners drawn in through the award-winning film “Song & Dance”, the project serves as a companion piece, extending the story of regional music, resilience, and community into recorded form.
CD RELEASE PARTY:
Saturday, June 13, 2026
Dinner Service - 5:30pm
Music & Dancing - 7pm-10pm
Mankato Eagle's Club Ballroom
708 N. Riverfront Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
PRIZES & DRAWINGS ALL NIGHT LONG!
Newly Renovated Ballroom
900 SF Hardwood Dance Floor
Full-Service Bar & Restaurant
Why This Album Matters
Kris and the Riverbend Dutchmen are part of a shrinking circle of large-format Dutchmen-style bands still working regularly with a substantial horn section. That matters. The old dance-band sound of Minnesota and Wisconsin was built on arrangement, blend, phrasing, and momentum, not merely on song choice. This album leans into that full architecture rather than reducing the music to a smaller, simplified format.
The band's profile has grown through live appearances across the Upper Midwest, national television exposure on Mollie B Polka Party and KEYC-TV's Bandwagon, recurring dances and festival bookings, and steady radio play on old-time programming across the United States and Canada. Prior Riverbend releases include Grab a Little Sunshine; Enjoy Yourself; Partners, Brothers, and Friends; Smile; Summer Sounds; and a DVD Mollie B Polka Party release.
“DUTCHMEN ON PARADE” also arrives at a moment when interest in the band has expanded through “Song & Dance”, the award-winning documentary aimed at old-time music. The film links the history of old-time dance bands with a deeply personal family story and has helped introduce the Riverbend Dutchmen to broader audiences beyond the ballroom circuit.
Tracks & Selections:
1. Parade Polka
The album’s title track, rooted in Pepi Huber’s Marianka Polka and later recorded in 1957 by Fezz Fritsche. Arranged by Myron Muehlbauer, it sets the tone with a bright, horn-driven Dutchmen sound.
2. Elmo’s Polka
Composed by Jens Jensen in 1973 and presented here in its first complete arrangement. A cheerful original with deep Riverbend DNA.
3. Meditation Waltz
A graceful 1950-era waltz by Virgil Wagner, later arranged by Frank Melmer. The Riverbend version leans into classic ballroom warmth.
4. Harbor Lights
The 1937 standard, arranged by Myron Muehlbauer and sung by Kris Keltgen, reimagined with an old-time dance band glow. Features a trumpet solo by Rick Keane.
5. Putzig Polka
Composed by Ray Dorschner as a tribute to Zittau, Wisconsin—once known as Putzig. A buoyant nod to heritage and place.
6. Faded Love
A classic from Bob Wills, performed here as a duet by Kris Keltgen and Rick Keane, weaving Western swing into the album’s vintage tapestry.
7. Beer Barrel Polka
One of the world’s most recognizable polkas, revived through an arrangement by Randy Dorschner, built for the dance floor.
8. Winter Garden Waltz
Another gem from Ray Dorschner, blending whimsy and nostalgia from the Pleasant Peasant repertoire.
9. Pretty Girl Polka
Associated with Elmer Scheid and embraced as a Riverbend theme song. Arranged by Myron Muehlbauer and Jens Jensen.
10. Angry
A 1924 jazz standard that closes with a Dixieland twist, showcasing the band’s reach beyond strict polka borders while staying period-authentic.
11. Clarinet Laendler No. 1
Composed by Karel Echtner in 1935 and popularized by Lawrence Duchow in 1938. A cornerstone laendler of Upper Midwest tradition.
12. All of Me
The American standard, reimagined through Myron Muehlbauer’s arrangement, connecting jazz-era songwriting with the Dutchmen dance hall.
13. Red Raven Waltz
A signature Midwest waltz popularized in 1939 by Lawrence Duchow and his Red Raven Orchestra.
14. Blackjack Polka
Ray Dorschner at his energetic best, carried by a polished, modern horn section.
15. Lomira Laendler
A new 2023 composition by Jens Jensen, receiving its first recording here and adding a forward-looking pulse to the album.
16. Policeman’s Polka
A classic by Alois Elias, presented in a distinctive arrangement by Jens Jensen, featuring subtle minor-key color.
17. Waltz No. 17
A graceful waltz by Karel Echtner, carrying prewar elegance into the modern ballroom.
18. Clarinet Laendler No. 2
A companion to Clarinet Laendler No. 1, completing a beloved pair of Midwest clarinet showcases.
19. Loveless Polka
Composed by Josef Poncar as Chodounská Polka, tracing a line from Czech roots to American dance-band tradition.
20. Tennessee Waltz
Recast by Kris Keltgen in 6/8 time, featuring an emotional vocal and a soaring trumpet solo by Jens Jensen.
Kris Keltgen
Bandleader, concertina, vocals. Founder of the Riverbend Dutchmen and owner of Barefoot Music Studios. A lifelong musician who began performing in childhood, later immersing himself in the concertina and launching the band in 2009.
Myron Muehlbauer
Tenor sax, trumpet, clarinet. Arranger, historian, and 2025 Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee. With more than five decades of performance experience, he stands as one of the most respected figures in the Dutchmen tradition.
Rick Keane
Trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone, vocals. A lifelong horn player, community historian, and 2026 Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee.
Jens Jensen
Trumpet, flugelhorn, trombone. Veteran Dutchmen musician, educator, composer, and arranger. His original works—including Elmo’s Polka and Lomira Laendler—bring a living, evolving voice to the tradition.
Jerry Kahle
Tenor sax, clarinet, trumpet. A 2016 Minnesota Music Hall of Fame inductee and one of the most in-demand sidemen in old-time music.
Crystal Malek
Drums, tenor sax. An original Riverbend member whose steady rhythmic drive and deep musical roots have helped shape the band’s identity since its founding.
Mike Budin
Bass guitar, tuba. A seasoned low-end anchor with more than three decades of experience in regional old-time music, providing the foundation that keeps the dance floor moving.
Nancy Buckentine
Piano. A keyboard stylist from Cologne, Minnesota, with a rich background in both church and dance-band settings, bringing warmth and harmonic depth to the ensemble.
Kevin Johnson
Tenor sax, clarinet, trumpet. Multi-instrumentalist and music educator whose precision and versatility add a modern edge to the band’s traditional sound.
Gary “Bud” Schroeder
Tuba, banjo, bass guitar. A veteran of the New Ulm and Mankato old-time scene, contributing a grounded, authentic voice to the broader Dutchmen tradition.