photo of Time Hammer by Shannon Claire
by Shannon Claire, Dawn Thorfinnson, Michael Todd and Casey Welsch
On the first night of Lincoln Exposed, Shannon Claire told me (Michael Todd) that although Lincoln is proud to host so much talent, she doesn't want it to be too exposed. That's the crux of supporting local music, and I agree: You want to be able to enjoy it without being too bogged down by crowds and fans on the periphery who aren't as invested.
It's selfish, sure. It's a feeling that you don't act upon and one that blends with the feeling of gratitude for a larger community embracing what Lincoln has to offer. As with most things, it's only part of the story.
Friday night saw a big attendance with bars being standing room only and increasingly hard to navigate through. The music was outstanding as usual. Check out our reviews and photos, and leave your thoughts in the comments at the bottom.
Bonehart Flannigan, The Allendales, Manny Coon, Entendre Entendre, Green Trees, Lil' Slim Blues Band, Bol’d Crow, The Renfields, Ideal Cleaners, Los Villanos, Universe Contest, Carrot Carrot, Time Hammer, Solid Gold, Lloyd McCarter & The Honky Tonk Revival, The Machete Archive, Zed Tempo
Bonehart Flannigan
review by Casey Welsch
Night three began early, with two straight hours of Zoo Bar shows before anything else started, beginning with Bonehart Flannigan. I showed up while they were still setting up — I say they, because the traditionally solo Bonehart seems to have got himself a band: a slide guitar, a fiddler and a harmonica-player. It was stunning.
They sounded perfect, as a king of period piece. They sounded like the band playing a folksy cover of a modern, popular song that Hollywood puts in movies to both set the scene and keep the ignorant masses interested. Only the ignorant wouldn’t be interested in the kind of raw, heartfelt tunes Bonehart was laying down.
“Sweet Release” destroyed me, and then they covered an old hymn I knew by heart and used to sing in church, and I wept. And wrote. And drank my High Life, and that was the highest moment of my Lincoln Exposed.
The Allendales
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Dawn Thorfinnson
Following Bonehart, I remained at the Zoo Bar for the Allendales, and unbeknownst to most, this was the last show they ever planned to play. And they rocked it. I had seen this band only once before, at some festival long past and at Knickerbockers. I hardly remembered what they sounded like, but when they took the stage, knowing it would be the last, they performed stunningly.
They had new ears and long-time fans alike in the audience, and they satisfied all. It was kind of a country punk, a bluesy rock, a Southern extravaganza that lent itself as well to bobbing along and drinking beer in a booth as it did to dancing a jig right in front of the stage. It was a fitting send-off to a well-played band. I’m glad to have been there.
Manny Coon
review by Michael Todd | photo by Shannon Claire
I often felt like a turnstile at The Zoo Bar on Friday night. The place was so full of people that someone tried to clear it out by yelling something about bedbugs. And for Manny Coon, a more intimate atmosphere would have benefitted him.
He does tag the ends of notes with a sort of yelp that cuts through the din, but lines such as “sugar lips and a gin blossom smile” fell to the floor when hit with the conversation. It seemed he busted out his blues chops more so than usual and pleased the ghost of The Zoo Bar (who dimmed and brightened the lights at appropriate points) by wearing a promotional shirt. Next time, I just hope the distractions will pay more attention.
Entendre Entendre
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Dawn Thorfinnson
After the Allendalic send-off, I trotted over to Duffy’s for Entendre Entendre (a name that I hear many people facepalming themselves over). And I had no idea what to expect. But what I was greeted with was the kind of groove you shouldn’t be able to pay for. It’s electronic. It’s even funky.
A guitarist, a drummer, a saxophonist and Foam_Form playing his whatchamacallit. It’s jazzy, slinky and a hell of a lot of fun to listen to. I'd call it lounge music if I wasn’t so impressed by it. It deserves a higher calling, and I hope to hear more soon.
Green Trees
review by Michael Todd | photo by Shannon Claire
John Freidel doesn’t care what you think. He wears a Weird Al wig and stares you down while playing his synth pop. His keyboard is missing an entire G sharp, looking as if one of its teeth was knocked out in a bar fight.
He dresses the part, but somehow it seems he’s playing no role at all. When you stop to think, this is the kind of show that should make you laugh out loud at the strangeness. But you don’t because you’re nodding your head along to the music, and you just go with it.
Lil' Slim Blues Band
review by Michael Todd | photo by Dawn Thorfinnson
The Mezcal Brothers didn’t make it to their set due to a death in the family, so the Lil’ Slim Blues Band subbed. It was a wonderful surprise. The regulars at The Zoo Bar migrated over to Duffy’s to dance and take in the well-executed blues progressions and a couple songs deviating from the formula. I spent a good deal of time watching Lil’ Slim play with a thumbpick and reveling in the practice I hadn’t seen done quite this well. For Josh Hoyer, it was yet another strong set, this time his fourth of the festival.
Bol’d Crow
review by Michael Todd | photo by Shannon Claire
Perhaps one of the festival’s few shortcomings was booking two stellar folk acts in The Zoo Bar. It’s the most comfortable, yes, and folk is a genre well-suited for a sitting audience. But while the Bourbon and Duffy’s separate the music from the bar with a few steps and a wall respectively, The Zoo is one long crowded space. I didn’t get a close listen of Bol’d Crow as a result, standing about halfway from the stage where crowd chatter made it tough to hear.
It’s a more traditional, Appalachian folk group with clawhammer banjo, mandolin and violin to accompany the guitar and small percussion. And although the six-piece all-female band sings “whiskey’s your lover, whiskey’s your mother,” Bol’d Crow is fresh. I’m looking forward to hearing them in a quieter setting next time.
The Renfields
photo by Shannon Claire
Ideal Cleaners
review by Michael Todd | photo by Shannon Claire
Yes, Ideal Cleaners brought the house down. No, they did not “bring it down” — as in the volume or the mood — as guitarist Dan Jenkins promised a number of times between songs. It was my first time seeing them, and I now understand their reputation as rockers. Individual songs didn’t stand out among the bunch, at least on first listen, but the overall feeling was a complete release.
Los Villanos
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Shannon Claire
I saw Los Villanos, but I lack the mental tools to review a Spanish-language roots band. I liked it, but that’s about all I can say.
Universe Contest
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Shannon Claire
I had a nice long break to see whatever I wanted before heading to work. But after two hours of casual listening, it was time to turn my ear to Winners of the Best Band Name in the Universe Contest Two Years Running, or, for short, Universe Contest. And they killed it.
Universe Contest’s demo is all I’ve had blaring in my car for the last two weeks, and I came prepared to hear something special. That’s what I got. With frontman Tim Carr screaming his grievances to the crowd and the spectacularly talented rest of the band backing him up with top-class playing and a fair amount of soaring vocal harmony, I had a lot to smile at. They packed the Bourbon, and I had fun.
Carrot Carrot
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Shannon Claire
Carrot Carrot… or, Well Dressed Man Disguise, I’m not sure. It was the same lineup, but one can never tell with Carrot Carrot. Either way, they were simply awesome. It’s Dave Ozinga’s band, and he’s a genius of some sort — so the people on the street tell me — and it’s never going to be boring, that’s for sure. And it wasn’t. So there.
Time Hammer
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Shannon Claire
Solid Gold
photo by Shannon Claire
Lloyd McCarter & The Honky Tonk Revival
review by Casey Welsch | photo by Shannon Claire
Lloyd McCarter and the Honkey-Tonk Revival hit me in a place I don’t like to be hit — it’s my country place. It's that part of me that knows he was born and raised on a farm to down-home folk who tilled the land, worked for their bread and celebrated every small victory like it was V-E Day.
Lloyd and crew played country music most fine, most pure and most true, with a fair amount of self-aware sass thrown in for good measure (you don’t want to seem gimmicky as a modern country artist, after all). I even line-danced a little, before coming to my much more urban senses, of course.
The Machete Archive
review by Michael Todd | photo by Shannon Claire
If an instrument measuring talent were placed anywhere in the vicinity of The Machete Archive, chances are it would malfunction. Drummer Ian Francis, guitarist Ryan Thomas and bassist Saber Blazek seem to never tire of their intricate orchestrations of prog rock. Remnants of the clock from Time Hammer’s performance and broken bottles on the floor spoke to the late hour of the night, and it seemed as though people were fading again toward the latter part of the set. But the band charged on until they eventually had to call it a night when some problem with gear ended it on an awkward note.
Zed Tempo
photo by Shannon Claire
Final note: See a full slideshow of Shannon Claire's photos here.
Michael Todd is Hear Nebraska's managing editor. Reach him at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org, and he can relay any messages you have for our Lincoln Exposed team.