Singer-songwriter Katie Sires of Katie and the Honky Tonks performs on July 17, 2025, at The Dig Inn in Reinbeck. The band is going on tour next month, traveling throughout the American Southwest before bringing it back home to Reinbeck April 18. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

REINBECK – With their sound continuing to strike a chord far beyond Iowa’s music circuit, local favorite Katie and the Honky Tonks are hitting the highways and byways of America on tour next month — before bringing it all back home to Reinbeck’s The Dig Inn for a free show.

Ahead of the tour, KTHT had been set to make their much-anticipated Surly Steve’s debut last Saturday evening in downtown Reinbeck but had to cancel due to illness, KTHT’s band manager and drummer Luke Sires told the newspaper. His hope is to get the show rescheduled yet this spring (watch both the bar and the band’s Facebook pages for rescheduling information).

Turning to the upcoming tour, Luke said he and the band – which includes singer-songwriter Katie Sires, his real life honey who fronts the group; guitarist Jesse Cotton; and bass guitarist Johnny Love – are all beyond excited for April and the chance to support their record “Ain’t No Shame.”

“It’s really hard to say we are looking forward to any single show,” Luke said. “We are playing beautiful venues out west in little gold mining towns. We are pumped to get out there and meet new people and see old friends. Excited to be in the desert of the Southwest and honky tonk.”

Luke said he began planning the tour this past October.

“Over the years we had received some show offers out in the Southwest. I mapped out a tour and started booking. It’s gonna be great to get in the van with friends and play music. We are road testing new songs we have been working on all winter.”

The tour begins on Good Friday, April 3, in Volga, Iowa, at the historic Volga City Opera House. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. A pre-show fish fry will be served for freewill donation in the beer garden until 6:30 p.m. when the music starts.

The band then rolls down the highway, playing Harrah, Okla. April 9; Madrid, N.M. April 10; Apache Junction, Ariz. April 11; Arroyo Seco, N.M. April 14; Arvada, Colo. April 15; Lawrence, Kan. April 16; and Columbia, Mo. April 17 – before returning to familiar soil.

“We are playing with some incredible artists on this run, including Marques Morel, Grady Hoss, and Ty Toomsen and the Twang City Smokers. The tour ends with a bang and homecoming at The Dig Inn on Record Store Day, Saturday, April 18,” Luke said.

He then shared some news that will certainly be music to the ears of many a Katie and the Honky Tonks fan: “Our goal is to get back in the studio in early 2027.”

Katie and the Honky Tonks perform the chorus of their song “Honky Tonk in IOWA” off the band’s debut album “Ain’t No Shame” on July 17, 2025, at The Dig Inn in Reinbeck. The band is going on tour in April, traveling throughout the American Southwest before bringing it back home to Reinbeck April 18 in time for Record Store Day. PHOTO BY RUBY F. MCALLISTER

Certainly ain’t no shame in being excited about that.

For a full lineup of KTHT’s upcoming shows, visit katieandthehonkytonks.net/upcoming-shows.