By Joe Bachman
Multimedia Editor

STEVENS POINT — A well-known alternative rock favorite will play Pfiffner Park as part of the annual Riverfront Rendevouz on the Fourth of July weekend.

Known for their mainstream hits such as “Low” and “Eurotrash Girl”, Cracker will take the mainstage on Friday, July 5 at Pfiffner. However, the band’s founding members David Lowery and Johnny Hickman have come a long way since their early 90’s success, releasing nine albums since 1992, including their latest two-disc rock and country fusion release “Berkeley to Bakersfield”. The album is split into two discs, with one disc dedicated to a punk/grunge influenced sound, and the other a California country-influenced sound.

Dubbed by lead guitarist and co-founder Johnny Hickman as the “Cracker sound”, the band incorporates elements of rock, soul, blues, punk and country into their music. While they have always brought in new members with a slew of different influences, at the heart, Cracker is first and foremost a rock band with a sound unique only to them.

“We bring different players into the band, but it always sounds like Cracker, the rock band.” said Hickman in an interview with the Gazette.

However, something Cracker is well-known for is their live performances.

“We pride ourselves on being a really good live band, and we always want new fans at festivals,” said Hickman. “It sort of brings fans into the big machine and it’s always a highlight on tour for that very reason.”

“That’s one of the beauties of social media. We have fans half our age coming to see us now, and it’s fantastic.” he added.

Hickman remains busy while not touring with Cracker, as he has his own side project, the Hickman-Dalton Gang, which is a fusion of country and bluegrass. As for Lowery when he’s not touring, he moves off stage and into a classroom as he keeps busy with students, as he uses his PhD to teach at the University of Georgia.

This makes Stevens Point a rare location for a Cracker performance, and one night the band is looking forward to.

“We look forward to seeing everyone. It’ll be a blast.”

You can catch Cracker live on Saturday, July 5 at the Pfiffner Park Bandshell at 9PM.

For more information on Cracker, please visit their website at https://crackersoul.com/ or visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CrackerSoul/