Local teen struck by country fever

After his family had purchased a vehicle several years ago, Mario Callens, then a curious 13-year-old, was looking in the glove compartment and found a CD that the previous owners had left behind.
"It was a country CD with 21 songs on it," Callens said. "I used to be into the soft rock of the 70s, but when I listened to this CD, which was songs from the 50s like Johnny Paycheck and Johnny Horton, and I was hooked on that kind of music after that. I thought this is truly what country is."
Callens, now 19, has taken that style of music to the stage now as the vocalist/rhythm guitarist of his three-person band called "Mario Callens and the Midwest Cowboys."
Although a relatively new band, the interest in the Midwest Cowboys is continually growing. They will next be performing during the "Flurry of Fun" fundraiser for the St. Edward's Religious Program on Saturday, Feb. 3. at the American Legion building.
The other band members are Bruce Novotny on drums and his daughter, Claren, on bass guitar.
"I met Claren at church and talked her into joining me," Callens said. "She's a very good bass guitarist. We then talked Bruce into joining us as our drummer." Mario Callens and the Midwest Cowboys has performed at bars, barn dances, church functions and family gatherings in Minneota, Ghent, St. Leo, Canby and Madison. Callens also performed solo during a farm tour in Iowa in 2022.
"We mainly play honkytonk or outlaw country music, which is 1970s or older," Callens said. "We also play some millennial country, too, like George Strait."
Callens also writes some of his own music. He is working on releasing the band's first single, called "Coors Banquet", which he wrote last summer and is hoping to release it sometime in 2024.
Callens first started singing around age 13 for a few church festivals in the area. His dad, Fred, taught him to play guitar at age 10.
After honing his skills, he decided to form his own band and came up with the name "Midwest Cowboys".
"I liked the sound of it and the first two initials are the same as my name," he noted.
Mario's first performance was at "Music on Mondays" in Canby and from then on, he knew this was his destiny.
"That was the beginning of the Midwest Cowboys," he said.
The band generally rehearses at the Callens' farm 20 miles northeast of Minneota.
Several of the songs by Mario Callens and the Midwest Cowboys can be viewed on YouTube.
"We're having a lot of fun and we've got some plans in store for the future," said Callens.