Mankato’s Steve Bracht loves to delight crowds with Fat City All-Stars

our lights and Dale also does sound, among other things. We’re a Mankato-ish band.

And … why “Fat City All-Stars?”

I’m told “Fat City” is an old Mankato nickname, and as for stars — well, I am certainly anything but a “star,” and this group truly has some of the most humble guys around. We’re fortunate that we stay reasonably busy, and we always appreciate inquiries about dates. We try to play nearly every weekend, though a lot of times it’s Saturday only, and in the summer it’s busier — we play a lot of Friday/Saturdays then. In winter, if a band has three gigs a month, you’re good. I love to see people having fun, and we really like the summer jobs with lots of people coming together in community. I love it when people are happy and dancing.

How would you describe Fat City AllStars’ music?

We call ourselves a variety band, with a repertoire of over 100 songs. We pay close attention to if people are dancing and enjoying themselves; a song doesn’t stay with us very long if people are walking off the dance floor. We keep trying things that are popular, whether that’s rock, pop, country, hip-hop or something else, just to see what lands right with audiences.

Any personal favorites?

I like the stuff that moves, something that gets up and goes and has some percussion. I’m a mildly percussive type of bassist, so I like percussive-type music that tends to encourage people to let loose and have fun. If it does that, we’re on the right track. But at home, I usually have Classical MPR on in the background.

So, at 58, you’re the old man of the group?

Yes. For what seemed like a lot of years, I was the young guy; all of a sudden, I’m the old fossil. Mark and Dale are a little younger than me, and the rest are in their 30s. Hey, I’m just happy to be here playing with this fine group of people.

Mankato is your hometown, right?

I’m a 1983 Mankato West graduate, the youngest of six kids. I couldn’t have chosen better parents than Colleen and Joe Bracht; I really miss them a lot. Growing up, my friends also highly approved of them. I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic since I was five, and that’s been rough at times. There have been a whole lot of advancements for diabetics since my diagnosis and I have to thank God because everything is going okay. I can’t complain because, for a guy in my shoes, I’ve been very, very fortunate, healthwise, despite many close calls throughout my life.

How did you get started with music? Were you involved at school?

My dad liked country music. He had a guitar he loved to strum melodies on and he was good at it, but he was never in a band. My parents bought an organ when I was four or five, and a couple of my older sisters and I took organ lessons but we never continued on it. That was a nice introduction for me. But I wasn’t in band at school. And my parents had one of those big console stereos. As the youngest of six, I always loved listening to whatever my older siblings had playing—the Beatles and all the popular stuff. As it happened, even early on I gravitated towards listening to the bass parts.

What prompted your bass guitar interest?

When I was in seventh grade at Lincoln Junior High, my friend Stacy Gravatte was quite an amazing guitarist for an eighth grader. He played Queen, KISS, Styx, Pink Floyd and other classics of that time—and he nailed the parts. He needed a bass player for a little band he was putting together for a talent show and asked me if I wanted to do it. I said, “Yeah, that sounds fun.” That was August 1977. My dad took me to Brown’s Music at the top of Madison Avenue hill and bought me my first guitar —a copy of a ’62 Fender jazz bass—from Rod Scheitel, who now owns Scheitel’s Music. I loved it right away. I just did what a lot of guys did—listened to songs I liked and tried to learn ‘em. And I’ve got to bring God into this because I trusted Him with my life quite awhile back and frankly, that’s the only reason I’m still here and why anything good ever happens. I believe everyone has at least one gift, and it’s a real blessing to find it. I thank God Stacy asked me to play because this has been something I’ve really enjoyed over the course of my whole life.

You’ve been playing for decades.

As of this August, I’ll have been playing with bands on and off for 46 years.

Do you still own that first bass?

No. I’ve had 80 basses over the years, because I’m always on a quest for better tone — truly a major addiction for me. There are lots of bass guitar variations; color is secondary to me now.

I’m down to four that I really like, all Ibanez brand. They’re not the higher-end basses, but I think they’re better than the most expensive ones I’ve ever played. I set up basses for myself and other musicians, do my own restringing. I prefer Elixir bass strings.

I hear you’re also a cat-lover.

I am. My current cat is a Russian Blue, named Bear Man, and he’s a real stud muffin, very talkative and extra smart. He’s very vocal and could be an extremely good fit as a lead vocalist for a BeeGees tribute band.

Are you writing music, too?

I’ve been a dabbler all my life, and I’m always working on ideas. Whether anything ever gets completed is another story — other musicians might relate to that.

And the Fat City All-Stars are a congenial bunch?

We all get along; there are no egos, just nine people who are easy to do music with and are friends. As long as it’s still fun, something must be going right. You know how you appreciate things a little more as you get older? I’m enjoying this, and I’ll be doing it as long as I possibly can.

Find the Fat City All-Stars and their upcoming appearance schedule on Facebook. For booking, call Chad Wolters at 507-327-4668.  Freelance writer/collaborative pianist Jane Turpin Moore grew up in the Mankato area and is now based in Northfield. She blogs at timeformoore566445504.wordpress. com and fields emails at jturpinmoore@gmail.com.