[title size=”1 to 6″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]LINCOLN EXPOSED DAY 4[/title]

Contents:

1. Words and photos of  Lincoln Exposed day four at The Zoo Bar.
   Bands covered:  Jeazlepeats, Manuel & Nissa, Blues Messangers, Gloworm, TJ Sadler, Lucas Kellison and the Undisco Kids, A Ferocious Jungle Cat.
   
2. Day 4 at Duffy’s in a nutshell with written reviews and photos.
   Bands covered: Tie These Hands, Ron Wax, Once a Pawn, Dirty Talker.
3. Reviews of the fourth day’s shows at The Bourbon Theatre.
   Bands covered: Magma Melodier, The Mark Thornton Band, Dudes Gone Rude.

[title size=”1 to 6″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]1. Lincoln Exposed Day 4: ZOO BAR[/title]

Story by Corey Oldenhuis | Photos by Patrick Wright | Seeds Entertainment

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Jeazlepeats[/title]

As Lincoln Exposed came to its end Saturday night at the Zoo Bar, a music-hungry horde of people cheered whole-heartedly, some surely reflecting on how utterly awesome a ride the 2014  concert series has been. But Zoo Bar’s finale show was an essential part of the story, and the locally heralded joint pulled old all the stops, starting with indie ballad fusionists Jeazlepeats.

Equipped with the classic long-hair and cool shades combo ripped straight from an 80’s film, lead singer Steven DeLair helped conduct the band’s addictive mellowness. The group mimicked the sorrow-soaked time signatures and melodies of The National, but also incorporated the departing locomotive effect: songs gathered steam throughout the majority of their verses, eventually leading up to a still slow, yet loud and poignant payoff. Most praiseworthy was Jeazlepeats’ involvement of a mean, savory sax and a supporting trombone.

With a packed and engaged audience present so early on, it was evident that the group had an exceptional network of family and friends coupled with good local publicity. Jeazlepeats, drawing from a multitude of influences, were a memorable first of the last.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Manual & Nissa[/title]

A man well-versed in witty remarks and a lovely lady with a fiddle go up on stage and face a diluted audience. They begin to play. Brows raise and heads turn. “You got a Mexican up here playing hillbilly shit.” Hey, you said it Manuel, not us. For any who truly found favor in old-timey duo Manuel and Nissa’s interpretations of folksy bluegrass, there probably existed a gnawing urge to grab a partner and dosey-doe. Considering that the Zoo Bar was completely void of such dancing Saturday night, one can conclude that either those particular fans had excellent self-discipline, or the crowd as a whole was only moderately interested in the night’s second act.  Though probably the latter was true, let it be said that to deny Manuel and Nissa plaudits for a refined performance would be entirely unfair.

Nissa was a strong and confident singer showing off Carrie Underwood country range, and Manuel a quality strummer and keys-cruncher lending an equally impressive yet more generically toned voice. The highlight of their set was a keenly executed cover of the popular song “Wagon Wheel,” which certainly got folks foot-tapping and head-bobbing. The group’s original compositions featured not only square-dancing ditties but songs wherein the only instrument was Manuel’s surprisingly soulful piano. Their last song, in fact, was one such tune, and with Nissa pushing mad sass through the microphone, the track felt like something that would flow freely on Bourbon Street.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Blues Messengers[/title]

The Zoo Bar, a creature of habit, was happy to reunite with the love of its 40-year-old life: blues. Saturday night’s verve reached a critical momentum shift when The Blues Messengers brought their talent and class to the third slot.

Following in the style of Etta James, the lead singer’s full, sumptuous voice crowned their sound, making each track feel as warm and as sharp as whiskey down the throat. Good blues players, like fine wine, only get better with age, and this axiom applied to one of the band’s guitarist/vocalist, Hollywood Doug. The exemplification of a rootin’ tootin,’ rock n’ rollin’ blues machine, Hollywood laid down some hallmark raspy yelps and solos with just the right amount of rests and repetition.

The band’s other guitarist whipped out even better ear-arousing solos, and their reticent keyboardist nailed the blues piano. Joining the dynamic leading lady on stage to sing was a pre-teen girl with a powerful voice by whom many in the audience were ascertainably impressed. When the group tried out the blues tradition of call and response, the crowd participated happily; the Zoo was back in familiar territory, and its patrons were being seduced by the music.

Acquiring a deep-dish sound from Chicago, a smoky barbeque glaze from Kansas City, and a Mardi Gras mentality, The Blues Messengers shook many a soul in the best way possible.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Gloworm[/title]

After a two year vacation, pop-indie vanguards Gloworm admitted they were slightly nervous about playing, and that they hoped their music wasn’t rusty. They needn’t have worried.

Sometimes quirky, sometimes driving, the band comprehensively honed a hooking sound marked by a heavily-employed bass drum that carried forth passive, airy guitars. Gloworm had two leading ladies, one on the keyboard and the other on bass; depending on who was the primary singer, the band almost had to them a touch of The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but this feel was only fleeting and is by no means direct translation of what Gloworm was establishing on stage.

Throughout their entire set, the band displayed great musicality and—here’s the key—originality, which prevented them from being so quickly and permanently associated with another indie act. On their second to last tune, the keyboardist let loose some Tarzana jungle woman screams that were unfortunately more miss than hit, seeming inappropriate over a steady, un-climaxed rhythm. That being said, Gloworm cleaned up with catchiness and proved to be a solid fourth act.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]TJ Sadler[/title]

What was truly a blessing for contemporary R&B lovers and hip-hop fans alike, was the bulk of his act. Sadler sang sensual tunes so well over the DJ’s limitless beats that the microphone itself was blushing.

A trio of incredibly gifted gals combined their voices with his for extremely triumphant choruses, and when one of these angelic singers sung her own song, she belted out notes that penetrated bone. In the middle of the set, TJ invited University of Nebraska-Lincoln student Phip Phippa up onstage to rap several bars on a song, and the young man absolutely killed it. When the aspiring star had done his part, he remained on stage with Sadler and busted out some sick dance moves—quite possibly the best seen from anyone in a cardigan in recent memory.

A cluster of older white women were getting’ jiggy with it front row, so TJ produced arguably one the best moments of his show by stepping off stage and proceeding to dance with them (and a little bit on them) as he continued to serenade. Though he has spent so much time producing other artists and is just now transitioning into his own career, TJ Sadler certainly could’ve fooled Zoo Bar into thinking he’s been sexing up venues since sixth grade.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Lucas Kellison and the Undisco Kids[/title]

With the Zoo Bar now sardined with people, curiosity as to who Lucas Kellison and the Undisco Kids were or what they’d sound like hung in the air. Some only knew what previous act TJ Sadler had informed them of: Lucas Kellison was his best friend; perhaps he and his ‘Undisco Kids’ would uphold the crowd-pleasing precedent which Sadler set?

The show got underway, and Lucas Kellison turned out to be a fedora-clad musician as cool as ice, and his astonishing Undisco Kids were as follows: an insanely adroit guitarist, a brazen-voiced female lead singer, an ultra-stellar drummer, and a helluva groovy bassist. Kellison, a mighty fine guitarist himself, tied together as many funky, jazz-rock and bluesy tones as one could possibly hope to. Pieces of peoples’ minds littered floor, for the intensity and flavor of the group’s songs were simply unbelievable. It was loud, hot, off-the-wall jamming, and it was exactly what the doctor ordered (assuming the doctor defined ‘healthy’ as liberatingly wild movement of one’s body).

Lucas Kellison and the Undisco Kids were one of those bands that expose the weakness of words and ought to be experienced in the flesh as soon as humanly possible.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]A Ferocious Jungle Cat[/title]

When A Ferocious Jungle Cat unloaded their gear and got into position, there was an unshakable feeling that the whole night had been leading up to this moment.

The second-to-last act was going to be real tough to beat, but AFJC wasn’t in the business of competing with jazz-rock hop, it was in the business of embracing it and augmenting it further. And Saturday night at the Zoo Bar, with hordes of music-hungry people cheering whole-heartedly, business was booming. A boisterous trombone raced in step with lead singer Will Harman‘s captivating dominant chord filled riffs, which seemed to be as fluid as rushing water and as enlivening as twenty defibrillators on the chest.

Accompanied by convivial congas and the pleasant surprise of drummer Deep C’s perfectly-timed rhymes, the band blew those pieces of peoples’ minds into millions of even smaller, microscopic ones. Guitarist ‘Big Mike’ and Harman occasionally switched places on the Rhodes, but the overwhelming sentiment was that wherever you put these guys on stage, the product will always be ferocious music–the very kind of music that sinks its claws into even the sleepiest of souls, shakes it violently, and screams “Dance, you fool, dance!” Again, being up front at a late night AFJC concert is simply one of those treasures of live music that demand one’s senses to fully grasp.

Lincoln Exposed 2014 has served as a fantastic testament to the quality of locally-based music in the capitol of homey Nebraska, and the Zoo Bar did a great justice to the concert series by closing its portion out in such an elevating and stimulating manner. Saturday night held big wins for dancing white ladies, smooth R&B vocals, crazy good drumming, the fusion of jazz-rock-pop-hop funk, and of course, the beauty of Lincoln Exposed itself.

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[title size=”1 to 6″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]1. Lincoln Exposed Day 4: DUFFY’S[/title]

Story by Madison Nichols | Photos by Allison Lee | Seeds Entertainment

[Prior to the bands reviewed below, The Toasted Ponies, The Crayons and Garoted took the stage to kick off the last night of Lincoln Exposed shows at Duffy’s. Dirty Talker closed out the night.]

With the last night of Lincoln Exposed upon us, Duffy’s Tavern was packed with excited concert goers ready for one last night of great local music.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Tie These Hands[/title]

With a modern day alt rock vibe, it wouldn’t be surprising to hear Tie These Hands on the radio right this very moment.

The band features a pair of twins on guitars (awesome guitars at that), an older brother sipping Pabst Blue Ribbon between songs, and a bassist who appears to be adopted into the family affair.

Tie These Hands brought an excellent energy to Duffy’s, even earning themselves drunken compliments yelled from the depths of the audience. They performed a very solid set of songs that easily set themselves apart while still maintaining a consistent style and left the audience pleased. While their set might have done better later in the night, it was still energetic enough to get the audience pumped and if that doesn’t make for a good show, what does?

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Ron Wax[/title]

Beginning the set with feedback issues that continued through the first few songs, Ron Wax easily established themselves as much more experimental than anything previously seen at Duffy’s.

They even began the set saying they didn’t have much material, and would try to drag out their songs to fill the set.

About halfway through the set a seemingly overenthusiastic audience member jumped on stage as an apparent member of the band to add screaming over the main vocals, which were drowned out by the sound of the other instruments on stage.  To finish off their energetic and enthusiastic set, at least three confetti canons were set off towards the audience covering them in stars, ribbons, and glitter. With that, Ron Wax took a bow and said goodbye to a much more decorative Duffy’s.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Once a Pawn[/title]

Likely the most creative and pun-tastic named band of the night, this three piece set with a singing drummer proved one of the most energetic of the night. With the most packed crowd of Duffy’s Day Four, Once A Pawn brought a alt-rock/pop-punk sound to the night. Showering the clearly excited audience with thanks for being there and for the opportunity to perform at Lincoln Exposed, Once a Pawn gave an excellent performance song after song. While it was hard to really get a lot of energy from a singer who was planted in a seated position behind the drum set, the guitarist and bassist easily made that a non-issue. A very solid set from local favorites made for a great show.

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[title size=”1 to 6″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]1. Lincoln Exposed Day 4: BOURBON[/title]

[Before the performances of the bands reviewed below, the last night of Lincoln Exposed was opened up with Katie Jane,  My Brother, and Ghost Town Radio and the night ended with Halfwit.]

By Claire Wiebe | Seeds Entertainment

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Magma Melodier[/title]

Magma Melodier is an Americana rock band that performed with the energy and intensity of a punk band. With folksy rhythms and rock-style guitar riffs, Magma Melodier had everybody wanting to stamp their feet. Lead singer Jeff Iwanski makes a great front man, with a gritty, twangy vocal quality. Songs ranged in the Americana spectrum from country to harder rock. I am not a huge fan of country music, but Magma Melodier managed to transcend that genre in order to create a sound that combines city and country. Magma Melodier’s music is the type of music I’ll listen to when I want to feel cool, like I’m sitting in the back of a pickup truck driving out of town. Magma Melodier ended their set by speaking about the unity and interconnectedness of Lincoln bands, a nice touch for a festival like Lincoln Exposed.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]The Mark Thornton Band[/title]

The Mark Thornton Band played the second set that I watched on Saturday, and I really enjoyed their act. Though they were lacking the same level of energy that I saw with some of the other acts, the driving bass beat and loud guitars kept me entertained. I enjoyed their acoustic sounds, which made a nice contrast with the other bands we saw. Unfortunately, I felt that the guitar and drums often overpowered the main vocals. This was a disappointment, because the lyrics for the music were genuinely interesting. Guitars drove the act, and they kept the folksy feel of the night going.

[title size=”2″ style=”options: default, sidebar”]Dudes Gone Rude[/title]

The long pause between sets built an appropriate amount of suspense for Lincoln rock band Dudes Gone Rude, my favorite act of the night. On their Facebook page, the band description reads, “We like to party…So do you. LET’S GET WEIRD!” Their performance lived up to the hype, getting people on their feet and dancing, and, at one point, even imploring audience member to throw beer cans at them. I can see why they call themselves rude, as their sound was loud and obtrusive.

My date’s and my favorite part of the act was the drummer, whose talent and energy could have carried the entire act. I could have just listened to him play solo, but we were lucky enough to also be able to hear the rest of the band. “Pirate Song” had a great drum intro that reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Pirates of the Caribbean. Anything that reminds me of movies that I like is cool in my book, and I thought Dudes Gone Rude were pretty darn cool.