photos by Cameron Bruegger and Molly Misek
words by Chance Solem-Pfeifer
I don’t know the precise moment at which the spirit of Take Cover was realized Saturday at Vega.
It might have happened when Aaron Parker (Gordon) bypassed the stage to stand on a chair and bellow until his voice was chaffed and nearly gone. Or it might have happened when Gerardo Meza lent his age-refined blues palette to a hardcore Halfwit song that ostensibly doesn’t exist anywhere but in their handful of live shows. Or it might have happened when Bus Gas turned McCarthy Trenching’s “I Am Not Long for This World” into an ambient dreamscape that transformed everything but the song’s core, essential beauty.
At the third annual musical potluck of Take Cover Lincoln, there was a unique communal joy in the untold looks of appreciation and humility on artists’ faces. In some cases, they were standing by while their life’s work was covered, possibly something they’d never imagined.
Far too often as a diagnosis of a local musician’s lot, you hear that it’s only musicians going to other musicians’ shows. However, on Saturday — though certainly the Vega crowd of 200+ onlookers was full of non-performers — artistic altruism was in the air.
Though each of the 19 acts performed an original song, compared to the covers, they were a conceptual afterthought. It’s the one night when you lift your musical sister or brother above yourself. All the more beautiful because it comes only once a year.
Jon Dell (Universe Contest, Bonehart Flannigan)
covered “Throwing Pennies” by Jack Hotel
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Freakabout
covered “Locust Road Lament” by Bonehart Flannigan
photo by Molly Misek
Cory Kibler (The Sleepover, Demos)
covered “Heartbroke” by The Good Life
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Luke Sticka (Tsumi)
covered “Ballad of a Paralysed Citizen” by The Faint
photo by Molly Misek
Craig Reier and Anthony Slattery (Low Horse)
covered “A Winter’s Bedlam” by Manny Coon
photo by Cameron Bruegger
C Balta (Once A Pawn)
covered “Keys” by Good With Guns
Heidi Ore and Jon Taylor (Domestica)
covered “Sometimes” by The Millions
Chance Solem-Pfeifer (Little Marais)
covered “Easy Thoughts” by Twinsmith
photo by Molly Misek
Aaron Parker (Gordon)
covered “Less Than the Air” by David Dondero
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Orion Walsh
covered “Dance of the Drunk” by South of Lincoln
photo by Molly Misek
Manny Coon
covered “When Angels Sleep” by 13 Nightmares
photo by Molly Misek
Dave Socha (Bolzen Beer Band)
covered “Fuck the Pigs” by Armatron
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Eli Mardock
covered “Padraic My Prince” by Bright Eyes
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Bus Gas
covered “I Am Not Long for This World” by McCarthy Trenching
photo by Molly Misek
Liz Hitt
covered “Fight or Flee Blues” by Simon Joyner
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Michael Todd
covered “Hickory” by Chance Solem-Pfeifer
photo by Molly Misek
Jim Reilly w/ Brendan Evans and Cam Breezy (Life is Cool)
covered “Heat Lightning” by Icky Blossoms
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Gerardo Meza (The Mezcal Brothers)
covered “Delicate Flower” by Halfwit
photo by Molly Misek
Lucas Kellison and Undisco Kids
covered “Before We Know” by All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
photo by Cameron Bruegger
Cameron Bruegger and Molly Misek are Hear Nebraska multimedia interns, and Chance Solem-Pfeifer is HN’s staff writer. Go ahead: Try to cover these photos. Reach them at cameronb@hearnebraska.org, mollym@hearnebraska.org and chancesp@hearnebraska.org.