How to describe a Divers

performance ...

Well ... it’s fun, for starters. High-energy. Hilarious.

And that’s just between songs.

The music, itself, if you had to stick it in a category, it’s probably considered folk. But as Andy Overn of The Divers will tell you, there’s a lot more to it than that. There are elements of all kinds of musical flavors in this sundae, with heaps of comedy on top.

The band began 18 years ago with Pete Bloedel (vocals, mandolin, guitar, harmonica and megaphone) and Loren Halvorson (vocals, guitar, mandolin, melodica, fiddle and box of junk). And the current line-up, for the past 10 years, also includes Overn (vocals, drums and guitar) and Eric Halvorson (vocals, bass guitar and guitar).

They have released three albums: “The Divers,” “Water” and “Walkies in the Park.” And they can be seen playing gigs at Bethany Lutheran College, where Bloedel and Overn work, and Songs on the Lawn in the summer, among other places.

Here’s more about the band from Overn.

The Free Press: How would you describe your sound?

Andy Overn: This is the question we get most often, and it’s the one that’s hardest to answer. We usually say “folk” because it’s broad enough to describe what we do, and it’s easier than saying something like “acoustic-grunge-folk-rock-reggae-rap-jazz-easy-listening-adult contemporary.”

FP: Comedy seems to be a big part of your performance. The lighthearted bantering, is that all improvised?

AO: Some of our jokes are planned, and some have even been around since the beginning, but most of it is just what happens when the four of us get together.

We’ve found that the more time we spend driving together for a performance, the better the banter is on the other end because the conversation and jokes from the trip often end up in the show.