21+ $5
Red Cities: Red Cities is a loud and unruly Lincoln, NE-based garage rock and psychedelia band started in 2012 that is into music being fun, intelligent, and independent with the outcome of avoiding the corporate record industry and rock stardom. Red Cities is a cog in the larger Big Takeover.
The Broke Loose: The Broke Loose emerged from Omaha’s rock-and-roll underground in the fall of 2012, bringing to local stages a collection of songs that are equal parts catchy, gritty, and raw – tunes with bite that leave their mark long after the final chords fade. Drawing from a deep well of influences ranging from power pop to punk to Americana, the band’s ferocious performances have since earned them a modest but fervent following around town among those who yearn for unapologetic rock served steaming and peppered with pop hooks.
With local ska stalwart Corey Randone (Jimmy Skaffa) on bass and Omaha punk legend Tim Cox (RAF) installed behind the kit, the band boasts a bona fide jet-engine rhythm section rumbling under the dueling guitars of Matt Evans (Kris Lager Band) and Glenn Antonucci (Dago Red). Their working-class, Midwestern rock is steeped in the tradition of The Replacements, Hüsker Dü and Wilco and traverses a sonic landscape dotted with the signposts of Petty and The Clash; their lyrical themes ride the emotional rails of love and hate, sadness, anger and exultant redemption, presented vocally with a raspy, plaintive punch.
In October 2015, the band packed up for Nashville to cut its debut EP with Grammy-nominated producer (and former Wilco and Uncle Tupelo drummer) Ken Coomer at his studio, Cartoon Moon. Recording the old tried-and-true way — live, analog and straight to tape — Coomer and the band delivered a record that is at once warm and wall-of-sound-powerful, with a just-undercooked flavor that stays true to the band’s live intensity. The EP is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2016, with an announcement coming soon.
Energized by their trip to Music City, the band recently spent five days at Make Believe Studios in Omaha recording a second batch of songs with genre-jumping producer Rick Carson; those tracks are slated to be released in 2017.
Halfwit: Lincoln greats
