Door County’s Modern Day Drifters

(Left to right) Bobby Brauer, John McCaulley, Brian Leist, Mike McCaulley, and Jason Leist.

Couples dance a two-step, swirling around a group of 20-something girls, myself among them, holding pink cocktails and bottles of Bud Light. We sway our hips and sing along with Brian Leist, front man of the Modern Day Drifters, who is performing a Garth Brooks country classic that I haven’t heard in ages. Leist’s smooth, deep voice fills the room, as young and old tap their feet, sing along, and enjoy themselves.

“We can entertain 70-year-olds to 21-year-olds,” says Leist, who describes their style as “classic and new country, a little bit of oldies, and a mix of everything.” The band features brothers Brian and Jason Leist, along with their cousins, Mike and John McCaulley, who are also brothers, and of no relation at all, Bobby Brauer.

What started as a hobby, and a two-piece band featuring Brian and Jason Leist, has now become a local favorite, performing regularly around the county. “Music quickly became a dominant part of my life,” says Leist.

On June 25 from 8 – 11 pm, the Modern Day Drifters will perform their crowd-pleasing mix of music at Olde Ellison Bay Days’ Street Dance on Cedar Road.

“The Street Dance will be a new experience for the band,” says Brian Leist, “we have never done something like this. We’re hoping for a big crowd.”

(Left to right) John McCaulley, Bobby Brauer, and Brian Leist perform at The Log Den.

Big crowd or just a few audience members, performing in a band in Door County does not go without some perks. Recently, the Modern Day Drifters performed at the Baileys Harbor bass tournament and Leist received “an offer I couldn’t refuse,” he says.

“We were done with our set, I was taking off my guitar when someone handed me a note: ‘I’ll give you five brats and six hamburgers if you play “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”’ [by Thompson Square]. I put my guitar back on,” laughs Leist.

Learn more about Modern Day Drifters by visiting their Facebook page.