Friday, July 18, 2014

Music 101: Show Up

This Week's Column is online. Tonight: Friday Night Venue 51 Reopens for Michael Campbell and Melissa Greener's show. See www.melissagreener.com (A Mick's reunion of sorts! And Venue 51's swan song.)
Friday night Jackie Allen also has a CD release party at The Side Door Lounge (jazz www.jackieallen.com)

The AMAZING ERIC TAYLOR is at Jerome Brich's Folkhouse Concert Series Saturday night. 7:30 start $20 suggested donation. Storyteller, emotion-weaver, wonderful guitarist... spellbinding.

For more on Eric Taylor see bluerubymusic.com. RSVP at folkhouseconcerts.com.

Samantha Fish impressed the hell out of me at her last performance here. She plays The Hive Saturday night, 9 p.m.


McKenna's has some BluesEd bands featured tonight and blues-rocker Scott Elison Saturday night.
The Nebraska Folk & Roots Festival is going on in the Railyard in Lincoln tonight and Saturday night. See https://www.facebook.com/nebraskafolkandroots



 
Eric Taylor -- A Do Not Miss Show Saturday night
For more on Eric Taylor see bluerubymusic.com
RSVP at folkhouseconcerts.com

Eric's song for his friend Bill Morrissey

Music 101: Show Up

The Zoo Bar 41st Anniversary street festival went off in fine form with great talents onstage and excellent attendance for the outdoor shows. If you went, don’t wait another year to come back. Whether it is Lincoln’s Zoo Bar or other local venues of your choice, get out and support live music venues and musicians. The Zoo Bar has lasted for 41 years not because booking roots music is a moneymaker. It’s not. Successful venues and staff remain dedicated to the music through the long haul.
If you looked at the profit-loss columns for any local roots music venue you would probably see more nights when the bar takes a loss on bringing in music.
And if you are a musician you are likely struggling even more. A good band has probably gotten regional gigs by having a booking agent, maybe a manager and probably a publicist. All those professionals add to the band’s potential success, but they also get cost money.  If the band is on a recognizable label, the label provides support and distribution, but the label also takes a cut.

Music Needs You
So, if you are a fan of live music make a commitment to up your game a little, go to a couple more shows than you might originally have planned. One local fan I know will stop at a venue and give them cover charge money even when he can’t attend.
The Zoo has had some pretty thin weeknight attendance lately, even though many shows start at 6 p.m. In Omaha, McKenna’s has tried hard to add more regional touring bands and struggled to get any audience support.
Venue 51 has closed its doors after trying to operate as a music venue and bar.
Your support matters, more than you may realize.

Hot Notes
Venue 51 reopens for one last show Friday, July 18, featuring Nashville’s self-proclaimed folk-crooner Melissa Greener plus Michael Campbell, Pat Gehrman, Logan Krug and Scott Severin. Cover is $5. See melissagreener.com.
Eric Taylor is a stellar songwriter, storyteller and musician who was part of the Houston scene with artists like Townes Van Zandt. Taylor continues to collaborate with longtime friends like Lyle Lovett. Taylor plays Jerome Brich’s FolkHouse series Saturday, July 19. See bluerubymusic.com. RSVP at folkhouseconcerts.com.
Samantha Fish’s powerful, guitar-driven blues is at The Hive Saturday, July 19, 9 p.m.
Blues-rocker Scott Ellison is scheduled at McKenna’s Saturday, July 19, 8 p.m.
K.C.’s Nace Brothers hit The 21st Saloon Thursday, July 17, 6 p.m





Sunday, July 13, 2014

EVERYBODY'S ROCKIN' AT THE ZOO BAR 41st Anniversary!

















Photos by B.J. Huchtemann, copyright 2014, all rights reserved. 

Happy 41st Anniversary to Lincoln's Historic Zoo Bar. Phone Cam Snapshots from Zoo Bar 41st Anniversary Saturday night, where Delbert McClinton and his bad-ass band put on an amazing show (but for gosh sake, ladies, leave your bras on!) and our own Josh Hoyer &Josh Hoyer and The Shadowboxers closed the fest out in just as bad-ass a fashion with their own set including new material, stomping horn grooves and Josh Hoyer putting it down from the heart.... while adding stage dive to his sense of showmanship. 
Rod Piazza & the Mighty Flyers headlined the great Friday Night lineup showing that they are still one of the best blues bands working today! 

THANK YOU Pete, Jeff, Amanda, all the Zoo Bar staff, volunteers and family, all the stage crew who scrambled to take care of business during the sudden downpour that struck during Delbert's set and all the fans for being very cool. This event is always a great one. I know Larry, Magic, Uncle Nick and folks like Luther, Albert, and Doc and Cowboy Larry were all groovin' with us this week and weekend. ZOO BAR! The one and only. Thank ya, babies! Now, don't forget to come out and support the bar during the week, they still need you down there supporting and listening to the great music they are bringing in 6 nights a week!


ZOO FEST PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY by B.J. Huchtemann

ZOO FEST PHOTOS FROM FRIDAY by B.J. Huchtemann



and please take a look at this great little documentary about the history of the Zoo Bar by Lincoln filmmaker Dave Pittock.



Graduate Film directed by Dave Pittock spotlighting the legendary blues club, the Zoo Bar. Featuring music from Magic Slim, Luther Allison, Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, Billy Bacon and the Forbidden Pigs, the Bel-Airs, Hacienda Brothers, and the Tijuana Gigolos.

http://vimeo.com/48853381