Nevada 445 performs recently in Gardnerville. The band will be performing country music on the south stage at Taste of Downtown on June 15.
As a complete part of any balanced diet, Taste of Downtown also includes live music to help satisfy your palette of entertainment. Your choices on the menu include Top 40 and classic rock with Hale Mari, or you can enjoy Nevada 445 and its blend of country music.
There will be two stages both on Carson Street, with both bands playing simultaneously about 0.3 miles away from each other, so there isn’t any noise interference. The music runs from 5:30 to 10 p.m. with a couple of breaks for the bands.
Hale Mari will be playing at the north stage, located near West Spear Street and Nevada 445 will have the south stage, located near West 4th Street.
HALE MARI
Bringing the pop and Top 40 to the menu is Hale Mari. Coming in from Reno, this will be the band’s first time playing in Carson City.
“We’re so excited to come down to Carson and get to play at Taste of Downtown,” said Mari Stoner. “It’s going to be really fun and we’re looking forward to being a part of the festival and the overall experience.”
The band includes Stoner on vocals and rhythm guitar. Ted Nelson is on the drum kit. Wallace Marsh plays bass. Stoner said he’s been playing the area for about four decades.
“He started playing drums, and he is now our bass player and he’s great,” she said.
Dale Nishizaki plays guitar and sings. Stoner said he’s known for playing in the Reno and Las Vegas area and everywhere on the west coast.
Nelson is a familiar face to Taste of Downtown because he’s taken care of the sound and lighting for past events. Stoner said Nelson recently purchased a fancy light rig, giving more of a light show to their performance.
“We’re excited to try that out as well,” Stoner said.
The band plays mostly covers and it ranges from pop music to classic rock. Stoner said they’ll be playing both at the event, with some different themes for each set.
The songs Stoner gravitates toward has a common theme of love and powerful vocal lines, she said. And the band likes to do harmonies.
“All of our musicians are very strong at what they do, so it really allows us to have a wider palette and paintbrush for our music,” she said.
They are known for playing newer pop music and can quickly learn new songs.
“We try to keep it current and pick the ones that the crowd is going to love and hopefully they sing along with us because they know all the words,” Stoner said.
The band loves to interact with the audience, and they are there to entertain and enhance the experience, Stoner said. The new lights they have will also bring additional energy and excitement.
“If we can make it better for them, whether they came to see our band or it’s just a festival that we happen to be playing, that’s our main goal,” she said.
Hale Mari will be performing pop and Top 40 hits on the north stage at Taste of Downtown on June 15.
NEVADA 445
After you digest your food, you’ll want to work those calories off with some line dancing, and Nevada 445 adds that to the menu. Lead singer Cindy Lain said the band is excited to be playing Taste of Downtown for the first time.
“We are honored whenever we get asked to do anything,” she said. “If we’re going to be out there, we’re going to bring it.”
Nevada 445 formed in 2019 and the current lineup has been the same for the past year. Lain takes care of lead vocals and Charlie Dickinson plays keyboards and contributes vocals. Lain and Dickinson were in the band Stir Crazy, and they’ve been playing together since 2015.
Also included in the band is Jim Manson on lead guitar and vocals. Ray Estrada plays bass and vocals, and his brother Manny Estrada is on the drum kit.
Country music is the band’s focus, and the songs they play range from old school to modern with some classic rock here and there, Lain said.
She said she loves how stories are told through country music, but it’s not all about trucks, dogs and beer.
“It’s actually some pretty deep stuff,” she said.
Nevada 445 brings a party atmosphere to the shows.
“We are a lot of fun, and we like to get people dancing,” she said. “Our fans love to line dance and do all that stuff, so we love to cater to them and make sure they get on the dance floor and get their boots moving and have a good time.”
That party comes with energy, with Lain dancing on stage, or sometimes she said she’ll get into the crowd. She said she loves it when there will be one brave woman dancing by herself, and Lain will get off the stage to join her, and it will get more people going.
“We make sure we share our energy, through our movements and our songs,” she said. “I just want to make sure we’re bringing the energy for the group and raising the event, whether it’s for charity or whatever.”