Festies rejoice! It’s just hours until Farley Fest 2026 and music starts pulsing through the park. WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get or Wizzy Wig for short – starts the weekend off with classic rock anthems juxtaposed with modern country ballads.
WYSIWYG features musicians from Milbank and bass player Bob Greene from California. The lineup includes Mark St. Martin on lead guitar, Dale Rethke on drums, Jon Rogers on backup guitar, and Jon and Billy St. Martin on vocals.
Although WYSIWYG has been together for only about a year, music has always been a touchstone for each member – an anchor to their past and a bridge to what lies ahead.
During a recent interview, the group swapped stories about the most amazing concert they ever experienced. Mark recalls the Judas Priest Point of Entry tour in 1981 as the most influential concert he attended. Although, he says, “The last Kiss show might have been the best.”
Bob picks “Jeff Healey in ‘85 or ‘86 or the Rush concert back in ‘78 when I was in the Navy.” Jon decides on Dave Matthews at the Riverbend in Cincinnati in 1998. Beth, Mark’s wife, who joined the interview, says, “For me, it was Johnny Cash. June Carter Cash was in the crowd and so close to me…”
WYSIWYG members feel a similar nostalgia for vinyl. Dale estimates, “I probably have 300 records. Maybe more.” Beth says,” Mark and I have hundreds of records, too.”
“I even collected the weird stuff,” Mark says. “Like K-Tel records.” (K-Tel records were advertised on TV and were the Spotify of the 70s. You could get up to 24 hits from different artists on one LP for the low, low price of $5.98 or $4.98 on sale.)
Dale’s drum kit is also a classic from the 70s. You might recognize it. The set was played by the late Michael Erdahl. Mike played with the MHS bands and Token, Dave and the Gents, and Suns of the West. He was a talented drummer and renowned for solos, especially his wind ‘em up rendition of “Wipe Out”.
Starting out or getting back into music both come with a dose of trepidation, including for the members who have decades of experience. “There is always some nervousness,” Jon says. “It doesn’t matter if we have played a song a million times.”
”The best thing for nerves is to book more gigs,” Bob says. “Then it’s just another night. The more shows we perform, the easier it gets, but the butterflies never completely disappear.” He also recommends getting a good night’s sleep.
As annoying as pre-show jitters can be, Wizzy Wig is not alone. Bruce Springsteen says after 50 years he still has stage fright. Ozzy Osborne had it, too. Carly Simon’s was off the charts.The list goes on with Rihanna, Cher, Eddie VanHalen, John Lennon, and dozens more. Adele says she uses humor to combat her highly-publicized, vomit-inducing fears.
Humor works for WYSIWYG, too. Bob is the band member who is quick to smooth things over with a joke and keep things light. It also helps that Wizzy Wig loves to banter. Plenty of teasing and, dare we say, sarcasm, was on tap during the interview, but beneath the raillery lies a genuine appreciation for music and one another.
It’s evident they know how to poke fun at themselves, too. They recapped the grueling schedule on their first tour: “We started upstairs in Mark’s living room, stopped in his dining room, went down to Street Graphex and out to the alley – the first place we actually played for people. We then went all the way to the Big Stone Legion and hit Speedway on the way back. We ended up at Sly’s.”
“It was good to finally head west,” Jon says.
Humor aside, unless you’re Fleetwood Mac, internal issues spell disaster. Bob described Wizzy-Wig as “low-drama” and “easygoing”. Everyone agreed they feel comfortable contributing ideas. Dale sums it up with, “All good;no contract disputes yet.”
Beth also suggests, “There’s a lot of support from the wives. The girls go to most of the gigs.”
Billy says, “I have to drive from Sioux Falls for every practice and performance. So it’s really nice to have my significant other supporting me.”
Maybe it’s such “a peaceful, easy feeling” because as Billy says, “We are all okay guys. I think we just acknowledge and accept any situation that arises. Or maybe it’s because they usually avoid “My Sharona” – the one song that trips them up every time”
Most likely it comes down to not giving up on music or letting music give up on them. “Music is an escape. I always remember wanting to play.,Mark says.
“It’s expression and moods,” says Billy. “ I sing when I’m frustrated. I sing when I’m happy..”
“I’ll play until I die,” Bob says. They’ll have to drag me off the stage and put me in a coffin.”
For now, though, their focus is on the F-words –Friday night and Farley Fest. Wizzy Wig is ready to get the party started. They recently debuted an original tune “Big Stone” written and performed by Jon.
Get a sneak peek here, but listen to it live after 5 this Friday night at Farley Fest.
Staff
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