photo of Mitts' Jack Swart
review by Madison Hager | photos by Stephanie Endrulat
Admittedly, summer concerts at house shows can sometimes feel how I assume the state of Florida must: warm, muggy and moist. However, this is part of its charm.
On Saturday night, I attended a house show at The Manticave in Lincoln’s North Bottoms where local bands Bogusman and Producers of the Word played alongside Seattle’s Koda Sequoia and Mitts. Packing into a basement show with the other attendees is a rite of passage of sorts, one well worth the smell of other people’s sweat. Thankfully, the weather on Saturday night was uncharacteristically cool, producing a show that was, for once, free of pit stains on my part.
Lincoln natives Bogusman opened up the show with what they describe as “high-energy, crass, adolescent, experimental punk,” and with cheeky songs like “Hipster Douchebag,” this rings particularly true. Bogusman is the type of band you have to see live to truly appreciate the metal-inspired guitar solos and thrash-styled drumming. Their lyrics are often screamed and indecipherable, but the high energy of the four-piece band makes this insignificant. Bogusman is fun to watch, period.
Fellow Lincoln band Producers of the Word played second, presenting an entirely different set than Bogusman, one with surf rock-inspired guitars and delicate-sounding harmonies. The band played a variation on musical chairs with its instruments during the set and switched vocalists and drummers several times. This added to the allure of the band’s bright indie pop sound.
photo of Producers of the Word's Chanty Stovall
Following the two local bands was touring band Koda Sequoia, embodying a sound specific to Pacific Northwest bands with a dose of Midwest ‘90s emo, a genre drummer Spike Miller noted as an influence in a pre-show interview.
Singer Joshua Costa’s vocals are not unlike Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock. I was particularly struck by the similarity during the band’s song “Your Drunk Dad,” in which Costa intensely and repeatedly sings the line “I’m gone.” While his vocals were nearly a strained scream at times, his voice also easily switched to being melodic and soft. This paired well with the band’s catchy choruses and steady bass.
Mitts closed the show, and while it was late, most people stuck around and were happy to do so. Even after traveling all day, the band played enthusiastically. Vocals were exchanged between both Jack McKool and Jack Swart (collectively known as “the Jacks”). The band opened the set with “Tube Man,” a playful song about a mythical man with tubes for hands. In between songs, McKool quizzed the audience on interesting animal facts, and they gladly participated.
Despite sharing two members with Koda Sequoia, Mitts’ sound differs significantly in style. Unlike Koda Sequoia, Mitts plays with three guitarists (as opposed to one), allowing for a more room to experiment with their avant-garde punk interspersed with guitar taps, wailing and some pretty sweet keyboard playing.
photo of Mitts' Jack McKool
While the turnout for Saturday’s show was about 25 people, I’ve always felt that house shows provide a setting that allows the bands and audience to connect on a more intimate level. Bands that willingly choose to play DIY venues like the Manticave have a different mindset. They don’t go into shows expecting a large turn out every time, but still play as if they’re in front of a hundred people nonetheless.
Similarly, bands from the DIY scene are mostly reliant on networking and word of mouth to find a venue. During our conversation prior to the show, the touring bands mentioned that they often turn to DoDIY.org to locate out-of-state venues.
Tours are also largely self-funded and dependent upon selling merchandise. Joshua Costa also explained that for him, the bands’ tour this summer wasn’t about making money, but more so, the adventure of driving cross-country.
“For me, it was a fun trip to take with friends where we were going to go out there and play music,” he said.
There’s also an enhanced social freedom in DIY spaces that traditional venues lack. Both the bands and the audience are free from the restrictions one might feel when attending a show at a traditional venue, something Bogusman vocalist and guitarist Nate Luginbill (also in LIFE is COOL) noted.
“There’s a feeling of less pressure to perform a certain way for the bands,” Luginbill says. “The thing that makes house shows fun is the crowd has less pressure, too, and they’re willing to let loose.”
photo of Bogusman's Nate Luginbill
Manticave owner and Bogusman drummer Jackson Trover echoed this thought.
“You’re not as nervous as you are when you’re on a stage and there’s other people there that aren’t just your close friends,” he says. “You’re a little more uptight and worried more about not screwing up. When we play here, we’re relaxed. We’re having fun.”
The show Saturday was a night well-spent. The strength of community in the DIY scene is what makes attending a house show like this a different experience. Even if a band plays to only a handful of people, there’s an understanding among the audience members that what they’re witnessing is unique, and that creates a type of bond I’ve rarely felt at traditional venues.
Madison Hager is a Hear Nebraska contributor. She was charmed by the touring bands' pet dog, Linus. Reach her at madison.hager@gmail.com.