Flat River Band bringing new music to Ideal Theatre in Cedar Rapids

A sibling sound is hard to beat, and few singers are on the level of the Flat River Band, which features three brothers.

“There's something about a genetic harmony,” vocalist Denny Sitze said while calling from his Nashville home. “Having brothers or sisters sing together is so different than two people on the street. We pride ourselves on our ability to create harmonies.”

But harmonizing seems to be waning.

“It’s true that it’s almost a thing of the past,” Sitze said. “But we can’t stop. We love it. This is our passion.”

Cedar Rapids audiences will hear all that when Flat River Band stops at the Ideal Theatre and Bar on Friday night, July 7, 2023.

The bluegrass band, which also includes vocalists Andy Sitze and Chad Sitze, will showcase its latest single, “The Wings of a White Dove,” a gorgeous and deep tune.

“It’s a positive song, which is about raising awareness of mental illness,” Denny Sitze said. “We were impacted by our manager taking his life two years ago. He was going through a dark place, and we want to raise awareness so people who are having issues, stay alive.”

In Cedar Rapids, the brothers will preview “The Wings of a White Dove” and some other new tunes that will grace an as-yet untitled forthcoming album.

“Playing Iowa is something we know well,” Sitze said. “We played all over that state since we were young kids in our family band. We enjoy coming back since the audiences are so supportive and enthusiastic. It’s always fun playing Iowa during the summer. It'’ such a beautiful place in July.”

Denny Sitze, 46, was just 9 years old when he started with his family group, the Sitze Family Band, which played for a dozen years in Branson, Mo., and a half-decade at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tenn.

“Playing in a band is all that we’ve ever known,” Sitze said. “It’s always been a normal way of life for us — to get up there and play and travel.”

After performing with their family group a bluegrass-gospel act, the Flat River Band was formed in 2008. The Sitze siblings are bucking a trend of brothers in bands that tend to break up. The Gallagher Brothers of Oasis fame, the Davies of the Kinks and Gene Loves Jezebels Aston twins are among the most famous brothers who were part of successful rock bands that splintered because of internal friction.

“Even though we know how to push each other’s buttons, we manage to stay together because we enjoy each other’s company,” Sitze said. “We grew up together, and we're very close. We go back a long way as musicians.

“I remember when we were little and we would drive to Chicago in our parents’ Thunderbird. We would get out on skid row and sing to the unfortunate. It opened our eyes up at an early age.”

Sitze attended college with The Chicks' Natalie Maines at West Texas University.

“When I went to college with her, Natalie called us hillbillies since my brother Chad, who went to school there as well, wore overalls all the time,” Sitze said. “Natalie was always such a character. There’s nobody like her.

“She jabbed at us for having bluegrass roots and who does she end up with? The Chicks, who were a bluegrass band before Natalie joined the band. You never know what’s going to happen in this business.”

However, Sitze has a pretty good idea what’s up for the Flat River Band.

“We’re just going to stay together and do what we’re doing,” he said. “We enjoy what we do and we get along so well that I hope we end up in the same nursing home together. We actually want to grow old together. I don’t know how many guys in bands say that.”