Pete Kies with Deb and Dave

Pete was raised on the family farm west of Independence, Iowa. He grew up working on the farm, going to school, hunting around the farm, and fishing the nearby Wapsipinicon River. He started learning guitar while studying Biology at the University of Northern Iowa - and is still learning. He studied, travelled, and worked internationally for several years but was drawn back to Iowa to work, live, and raise a family.

Pete has had many musical influences, from folk to pop, rock to jazz, and bluegrass to blues.  This diverse musical background has carried into his songwriting; he has no clearly defined musical style - rather,  he writes about what he is feeling and lets the music develop from there.

Pete first met Deb in college and has reunited with her after many years apart. He has played music with Dave for over twenty years as a duo, in a trio with Deb, and as members of The Ridgerunners.

Deb Hunemuller

Deb was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa.  her grandfather played old time dance music and her father played saxophone and clarinet during the big band era in the 1930's.Though neither were still performing by the time Deb was born, music was in her blood.

She started playing in her school orchestra at the age of 10, then went on to study music music in college. She heard an old-time band perform at her college and was hooked.  

Deb has performed with many bands in Iowa and Washington State. She enjoys many styles of fiddling - including Irish, Quebecois, swing, blues, and old-time dance music.

Dave grew up in Dubuque, Iowa and spent much of his youth around the Mississippi River. His introduction to music was listening to his mother play with the bell choir at church, but by the late 1950's discovered rock and roll as well as the blues.

Originally, Dave learned to play the trumpet for the school band but after receiving his first guitar at age 10 - and learning to play it upside down due to his left-handedness went on to teach himself about guitars, the bass and the dobro. His first excursion into performing came with a bluegrass band in East Dubuque, Illinois and the rest is history.

Dave has spent the last 20 or so years exploring music with Pete, and his bass has provided bottom for The Ridgerunners.