RIVERFEST: ON STAGE

Four small-town California brothers between the ages of 23 and 32 comprise Zaca Creek, the country rock band that headlines this weekend's Riverfest '93.

Zaca Creek's music sounds like Merle Haggard meets Lynryd Skynryd, whipped up with some Eagles-style harmonies.

Some think such harmonies are made possible by the miracle of birth (see the Everly Brothers). Bassist James Foss, conducting a phone interview Wednesday while saying hello to visitors at Fan Fair in Nashville, concedes that genes might have something to do with it.

"We have a natural blend, but we work hard on our harmonies," he said.

Foss' brothers are Gates (acoustic guitar), Scott (electric guitar) and Jeff (keyboards). The band is not quite self-contained. They hire a drummer for their tours.

Playing in a band with your brothers has its good and bad points, Foss said.

"We get along really well, we play golf together, we barbecue together."

But because they're brothers and feel so much for each other, it can be difficult to be critical even when it's necessary, he said. "Sometimes it's hard to disagree."

Zaca Creek is named for a stream that runs through their hometown of Santa Ynez, Calif., a town they moved back to once their country music ship came in in 1990.

That was the year they recorded their first album for Columbia records and received a best new vocal group nomination from the Academy of Country Music.

Their first CD with their new label, Giant Records, is titled "Broken Heartland" and was released last month. Their new video and single are titled "Fly Me South," a tune James sings about leaving California, traveling across the country and meeting a pretty girl from the South.

One of their new songs, "Painted Cave," is dedicated to the Chumash tribe, which dwells on a reservation five miles from their hometown.

The pressure on an up-and-coming band to move to Nashville is strong, Foss said, because that's where the television shows and conventions are and where most of the tours originate.

"But we need to stay true to our roots," he said. "We have a little different sound and a little different image."

Foss said the band likes playing outdoor festivals, Foss said, because young people aren't excluded by drinking-age restrictions or ticket prices.

"We draw a very young crowd (at festivals) and it's more like a family outing," he said.

This year's Riverfest entertainment schedule offers everyone something blues, Dixieland, Christian and oom-pah-pah music with gravy for country lovers.

The music gets under way at 5 p.m. today with the return of the Waterstreet Six, a local band that strolls about the downtown playing Dixieland. The band is composed of David Green, clarinet; Dan Dunavan, drums, Jim Erdman, trombone; Ron Walker, tuba; David Baldwin, banjo; and Bob Rosenquist, trumpet.

The Cape German Band will perform from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Food Tent. The country kicks in at 6:30 p.m. in the North Beer Garden, where Poplar Bluff's Bill Barnett Band will play.

The German Band will be followed into the Food Tent by the Southeast Square Dancers, who will dance from 7:30-8:45.

The featured entertainment of the night will be the Cape Girardeau Municipal Band's performance at 8 p.m. on the main stage at Themis and Spanish streets.

The Waterstreet Six's movable music will return on Saturday, with performances from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and again from 4-6 p.m.

Also strolling the streets will be fiddler Steve Shaffner with a guitar accompanist.

The Christian rock band Witness will perform at 1 p.m. Saturday on the main stage, followed by the alternative sounds of the Brave Little Toasters at 2.

An act called the "Perverted Fiddle" will hold forth on the main stage from 3-3:30 p.m.

Due West, a teenage Cape Girardeau-area country-contemporary band, will follow at 3:30.

A Doniphan group called The Lewis Family will present an Opry-type show on the main stage at 5 p.m. The family's oldest son is the Arkansas state champion fiddler.

The Cape German Band will be back in the Food Tent from 6-7:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Cape Girardeau country variety band Night Shift will begin playing in the North Beer Garden at 6:30 p.m. and will continue until 11.

The mood will shift dramatically on the main stage at 6 p.m. when the blues band Patti and the Hitmen begin playing.

Tracy Childers, who booked the Riverfest musical acts for the Ford Entertainment Agency, says the St. Louis aggregation plays "straight-ahead, authentic blues."

The group spotlights the singing of Patti Thomas, who shares the lead vocals with guitarist Tam Milano.

Zaca Creek will take over the main stage at 7 p.m. Saturday.