Take Cover, Vol. 3 at Vega | Photo Essay

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.