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From left to right, Thom Jennings, Brian VanderMeulen, Ron Borsma and Dan Dahlstrom.
MCBAIN – There is going to be a jaw-dropping barn concert this Saturday. McBain band JustUs will perform covers of classic rock icons like the Eagles and Santana, as well as original tunes.
JustUs is made up of four band members with Thom Jennings on bass guitar, Ron Borsma on lead guitar, co-founder Dan Dahlstrom on rhythm guitar, and co-founder Brian VanderMeulen on drums.
The group reunited when VanderMeulen returned to his home state of Michigan after a 30-year hiatus from music in Alaska. Seeking to rekindle his passion for the drums, he contacted his teammate, Dan Dahlstrom.
“So I just got back about three years ago, to Michigan, and a mutual friend kind of introduced me to Dan,” he said. “And we kind of thought, you know, what the heck, just for fun, let’s get together and make some music.”
From there, the co-founders connected with Jennings and Borsma. Classical rock and blues are their two main genres of music, but VanderMeulen said they are known to dabble in hard rock from time to time.
For the past three years, JustUs have come together to make music and have a good time as a group, but they haven’t performed any large-scale shows. With the COVID closures, that wasn’t really possible, but with the restrictions lifted, the band can take the stage for a first gig.
“I mean, we’ve had, you know, 20, 30 people before, but that’s kind of going to be our breakout,” VanderMeulen said.
The crowd size estimate for Saturday was a gray area for VanderMeulen.
“I don’t know if we’re going to have 25 people or if we’re going to have 125 people,” he said. “I really don’t know what the turnout will be, so it’s pretty exciting, a little scary at the same time.”
He hopes a larger crowd can be accommodated at his home barn stage.
None of the group members liked the idea of dragging equipment from one location to another, VanderMeulen said. They figured it would be easier to create a permanent performance space inside the barn on his property, which he hopes will be the main venue for all future shows. Listeners can get up and dance or pull up a chair. They are also encouraged to bring food and drink for the show.
The JustUs concert will be held at 7 p.m. at 5571 S VanderMeulen Road, McBain.
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