Ritual Device
with Cellophane Ceiling

Tickets: $10, available 11/4 at 10:00am

Take a step back into the late 80’s and early 90’s for this hard hitting double-bill reunion show! RITUAL DEVICE and CELLOPHANE CEILING were part of the golden era of Omaha rock that influenced many of the bands that continued to build the music scene in Omaha and beyond.
RITUAL DEVICE
“Like a shot of scotch in your morning coffee”, Ritual Device is guaranteed to quicken your pulse while being unexpectedly mind-numbing – (Taken from an old bio)
Having discovered the secret of creating white noise sound collages, Ritual Device’s music encompasses throbbing bass, intricate drumming, abrasive and often unsettling guitars, along with guttural and sometimes seductive (when he’s in the mood) vocals.
Ritual Device was initiated into the indie scene in 1989 upon playing their first show with the Rollins Band and the Jesus Lizard at the legendary Lifticket Lounge in Omaha. From there they went on to record numerous singles for several labels. In the Winter of 1992, Ritual Device holed up in Chicago to record material for their debut album using Steve Albini’s 24-trk studio. Produced and engineered by accountant and part-time bassist for the Jesus Lizard, David Wm Sims, Henge was released in the summer of 1993 to favorable reviews. Along the way Ritual Device shared the stage with such acts as Fugazi, Helmet, L7, Unsane, Jawbox, Tad, Royal Trux, Girls Against Boys, Tar, Wool, Rancid, Unrest, as well as the obligatory shows with the Jesus Lizard. They also served a stint as a second-stage band for Lollapalooza in 1993. After a couple full-length albums, many singles, and turning down major label courting from Atlantic Records, the quartet later released their hallmark noise on a 1995 split 10″ with Killdozer on Frank Kozik’s Man’s Ruin Records. Shortly thereafter, in mid-1995, the band ceased to exist. Ritual Device was known for their brand of violent scary music and intense chaotic live shows.

CELLOPHANE CEILING
Cellophane Ceiling started honing their brand of Midwest sonic rock in the mid 1980’s. Their thrashing 1986 debut album “The Beauty of it All” was named the best local release by the Omaha World Herald, edging out Digital Sex and Mannheim Steamroller for the top spot. This was quite the coup for a young punk rock influenced band! James Healy of the World Herald wrote “Omaha’s Cellophane Ceiling raises the roof with “The Beauty of It All’, a raucous, nine-song album that is a triumph of garage-band intensity and studio precision”. He goes on to say “What really pushes this album into the realm of excellence, however, is the trio’s consistently gutsy ever surprising musicianship”.
Cellophane Ceiling went on to release more music including the critically acclaimed “Fry” EP, the “Breaker Breaker Love Maker” full-length CD, and appearing on various compilations. The trio was known for their sonic social commentary and their “wall of sound” live shows, which included roaring guitar, punching bass lines, and maniac drum stylings. Over the years Cellophane Ceiling shared performances with the likes of the Replacements, Social Distortion, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Soundgarden, Nirvana, and even Bob Dylan. Cellophane Ceiling played shows throughout the Midwest and on the West Coast before disbanding in 1995.

MAIN VEIN PRODUCTIONS was a promotion company run by Cellophane Ceiling frontman John Wolf and Ritual Device’s Tim Moss back in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Main Vein brought some classic bands to Omaha, including that famous Nirvana show at the Lifticket Lounge in 1989. Other shows that Main Vein brought to the area include Soundgarden, Bad Brains, Social Distortion, Ministry, Fugazi, fIREHOSE, Jesus Lizard, the Rollins Band, Soul Asylum, Jonathan Richman, Pavement, and many many others. Main Vein Productions provided shows to the starving Omaha music community at a time when no one else was willing to take a risk on “underground” music.
Don’t miss this special night of influential Omaha bred music!