We cannot tell a lie. This year's Saturday in the Park has something for everybody's musical tastes.
From a Kansas City-based rapper who likes to keep things "choppy" to an offshoot of a critically acclaimed psychedelic rap group to a band made of college instructors who created a new genre of music called "Prof Rock," the vibe around the Abe Stage promises to be stellar.
Wait, do you need to bring your stovetop hat? Nah, just a pair of dancing shoes because you'll be hearing tunes that will make you want to move.
FOXPELT
Foxpelt is a three-piece band based out of Sioux City which was formed in 2024. The group said it takes inspiration from genres like punk, emo and alternative rock. "Animal Control," their just-released EP, is available on all streaming platforms. We've heard some of their material and it's pretty good.
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ZERO RITUAL
Formed in Sioux City in 2025, Zero Ritual is what happens when lifelong friends from different scenes stop pretending they fit into one genre. Instead, they start making exactly the chaos they want to hear. Specifically, this "chaos" sounds like nu metal, pink, hip-hop and "hoodcore," which is hip-hop that focuses on neighborhood identity while offering an unfiltered portrayal of street life. Yeah, we admit we had to look up the definition of "hoodcore" ourselves.
Aaron Skiles will play selections from his upcoming "Angels, Devils & Coin Flips" album during his set on the Abe Stage at Saturday in the Park.
AARON SKILES BAND
What do you get when you mix crunchy guitar licks with catchy choruses while giving it an Americana twist? According to Aaron Skiles' website, it might add up to being "a heavy country Weezer." We can't even guess what that would sound like, but color us intrigued. Skiles will play selections from his upcoming "Angels, Devils & Coin Flips" album. Also, per his website, Skiles' guitar-driven, anthemic songs are supposed to be "crisp, catchy and designed to get stuck in your head." Huh, that actually sounds like it might good or it might be painful.
The Discrepancies will perform on the Abe Stage at Saturday in the Park on July 4.
DISCREPANCIES
Here's a fun "Behind the Music"-type of story about Discrepancies, a St. Louis-based rap rock group started by Antonio Metcalf and Garrett Weakley. The guys were working at a fast-food joint back in 2014. Whenever a customer came through the drive-thru lane, Antonio and Garrett would slip in a copy of their first demo with the food. Apparently, this guerrilla-style marketing paid off, as Discrepancies has been in high demand ever since.
THE RURALISTS
The Ruralists were once described as "Where Norman Rockwell meets Nirvana," though Luke Hawley, the founder of the Sioux Center-based band, said the sound is closer to Rockwell than to Cobain. "We've also been called 'Prof Rock' because the band is made up of college professors," said Hawley, who is, in fact, a Dordt University professor. And what about the band's name? It's pretty hard to pronounce, don't you think? "Yeah, the Ruralist has too many R's and L's in it. But that's what we're known as."
YNOTLWC LOST WORLD CREATORS
YnotLWC Lost World Creators has been making music for the past nine years, though he only started going live with freestyle rap about 18 months ago. With his latest album, "Tattoo Therapy," released last month, YnotLWC has some advice for aspiring musicians. "It's possible to build a real music career online in 2026. Your audience is out there and if you are brave enough to put yourself out there consistently, it's only inevitable you'll be found."
2DEAD BOYZ, the gritty new incarnation of East Coast hip-hop artist Meechy Darko and Zombie Juice of Flatbush Zombies, are coming to Saturday in the Park's Abe Stage on July 4.
2DEAD BOYZ
WHAT THEY SAY: 2DEAD BOYZ is the gritty new incarnation of East Coast hip-hop firebrands Meechy Darko and Zombie Juice, of the Flatbush Zombies. Forged from a decade of macabre creativity, 2DEAD BOYZ embodies elements of their Flatbush roots with a sharpened edge. Their debut single “Blood on My Knife” – dropping September 5, 2025 – resurrects the classic Flatbush Zombies formula: mind-altering atmospherics and vivid lyrical content. WHAT WE SAY: We'd do anything to have cool nicknames like Meechy Darko or Zombie Juice.
TECH N9NE
Considered the most successful independent rapper of all time, Tech N9ne remains inescapable, generating billions of streams, picking up dozens of RIAA gold and platinum plaques, tallying four Top Five debuts on the Billboard 200, holding the record for “most Top 10 albums on the Billboard Rap Chart,” and selling out hundreds of shows worldwide. Yet the artist, also known as Aaron Dontez Yates, has never forgotten his Midwestern roots. His latest LP, "5816 Forest," pays homage to the lime green house at 5816 Forest Ave. in Kansas City that he grew up in.
Mega Mike, one of Chicago's most in-demand electronic music selectors, will appear on the Abe Stage at Saturday in the Park on July 4.
The $ound In$urgent, a Sioux City-based DJ known for vinyl-driven sets blending techno, drum & bass, house, hip-hop, and the classics, will appear on the Saturday in the Park's Abe stage.
MEGA MIKE & THE $OUND IN$URGENT
Tireless supporter of Chicago's electronic music scene, MEGA MIKE has become one of the Windy City's most in-demand selectors thanks to his versatility and technical acumen behind the decks. Now based out of Northwest Iowa, he is the director of Underground for Good (UFG), a rave-roots focused event production company, he's been bringing back the OG blueprint to his old stomping grounds, throwing shows with a phenomenal collective of old and new friends.
The $ound In$urgent (TSI) is a DJ from Sioux City, with more than 20 years of experience on the decks, known for vinyl-driven sets blending techno, drum & bass, house, hip-hop, and the classics. The $ound In$urgent has performed throughout the Midwest and shared stages with artists such as Lazer Rocket Arm, D.A.D., TreyLane and Ally Brooke.
