photo by Bridget McQuillan
words by Michael Todd
My first concert in Lincoln was bad before it was good.
It was Sept. 13, 2007. I'd never heard of Domestica or The Lepers, openers for the band I came to see: Cursive. While Domestica's Jon Taylor has attested to what "would have been a weird time" for his band, The Lepers play a reclusive role in my Lincoln music knowledge, mostly because I've never talked with either of the duo's members. No matter the lack of communication, what has changed over the years is my appreciation for noisy, eardrum-shredding music.
I can't say The Lepers have changed much in five years, though. When we shot the video below on Oct. 11 as part of Lincoln Calling 2012, The Lepers' Owen Cleasby sang, or maybe more appropriately shrilled, through a telephone-like microphone. His bass guitar said hello brusquely and knocked on the walls with their low frequencies barging their way through to the inner structure of Duffy's Tavern. Percussionist Ken Brock beat on his drumset, sending its sound through all obstructions, too, and moving his mouth in time with the hits.
So although I walked away from my first concert with a bad taste in my mouth, and some spent eardrums from an equally battering Cursive set, The Lepers at Duffy's put a smile on my face. These guys are an integral part of a diverse music community, and they deserve your attention, which will hopefully shift toward appreciation like mine. Tune in with this performance of "I Just Found You in a Mess":
"I Just Found You in a Mess" by The Lepers | Video Feature from Hear Nebraska on Vimeo.
recorded on Oct. 11 as part of Lincoln Calling 2012
shot by Bridget McQuillan, Chevy Anderson and Michael Todd
audio recorded by Chevy Anderson
edited by Michael Todd
Michael Todd is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. Bridget McQuillan and Chevy Anderson are HN interns. Together, they make up three-nineteenths of our Lincoln Calling 2012 coverage crew. Reach us all through Michael at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org.