New Dakotas are a folk-rock-pop-psych band coming to Brandon Music on Saturday, Aug. 5, 7:30 p.m. Alasdair MacKenzie (drums, vocals), Chris Haley (guitar, vocals), Juan Carlos Fernandez del Castillo (piano) and David Baler (bass) bring an easy-listening concert — at just about the right speed for four college students touring on summer break. 
 
MacKenzie, Haley, and del Castillo attend Harvard College and Baler attends New York University.
 
“We are coming to Brandon Music because we were excited by the venue’s commitment to supporting up-and-coming artists,” said MacKenzie. “We’ll be in Vermont for other gigs (at Skinny Pancake and Manhattans Pub in Burlington) the week of our Brandon performance, so it made sense to stop by and play wherever we could.”
 
Middle Tennessee Music, an online indy-music-scene-source, calls the New Dakotas’ music “upbeat and infectious pop rock,” but you’ll find yourself falling for their infectious personalities too. 
 
With influences like the Beatles, Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Big Star, Fleet Foxes and Ben Folds, New Dakotas likes to give people something to move to. They do some covers but mostly perform original songs which aim to be easy to dance to and sing along with. 
 
Check out their self-titled debut EP of original songs or head to the concert for a fresh treat. 
 
Concert tickets are $20. A pre-concert dinner is available for an extra $25.  Reservations are required for dinner and recommended for the show. Venue is BYOB. Call (802) 247-4295, e-mail [email protected] or visit brandon-music.net.