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tuesday, december 6, 2011
Daily Nebraskan
Bryan klopping | daily nebraskan
mary-ellen kennedy | daily nebraskan
Great Plains Massacre band Members Derek Wilson (left) and Paul Knapp practice in their studio on Monday. The Band’s next performance will be at Knickerbockers on Tuesday evening.
Great Plains Massacre uses name, talent to draw listeners place,” Derek Wilson said. “We’d be lying if we said Daily Nebraskan the nights spent smoked In this past year, a slew of out and drunkenly huddled Lincoln bands have come over my mom’s old record and gone, some just a blip collection didn’t help.” The Great Plains Massaon the radar and others cre, a Lincoln-based band, became mainstays of classic Lincoln venues such as consisting of high school Knickerbockers, Duffy’s buddies Paul Knapp and Derek Wiland The son, has Bourbon. For All my friends g o n e Paul Knapp were in bands, through and Derek the bumps Wilson, their and they all had in the road folk-inspired hardcore-sounding that every rock band, names.” dedicated The Great musician Derek wilson Plains Massagreat plains massacre battles cre, is biding through in it’s time, waiting for a break to go their search of their perfect musical ensemble. way. “I’m 20 and Derek is 23,” The Great Plains Massacre is the kind of band Knapp said. “We both grew you’d love to hear in a up in southeast Nebraska darkly lit corner of a cozy and lived in towns that coffee shop; amongst the were 10 minutes apart.” Wilson added, “When I low light and soft voices, its lovely acoustic tones was 18 and Paul was 15, and silky-smooth harmo- we decided that no matter nies make for perfect first how many failed bands we were in, we would always date music. “If we write a song, gen- come back to Great Plains erally it’s based around one Massacre.” The band takes hints specific situation, feeling or
matt Havelka
from some of music’s best artists. When listening to Wilson describe his influences, it’s hard not to hear a bit of The Great Plains Massacre in all of them. “A few that stand out are The Early November, Alkaline Trio, Death Cab for Cutie, Bob Dylan… the list is never ending,” Wilson said. In recent months the band has played a few memorable shows at Knickerbockers but they hope a full length album is in their future. “In the near future we’re going to write and release a full-length album, hopefully in the next year,” Wilson said. As far as the zany name, Wilson insists it was purely a reaction to his friends who were always trying to come up with heavy names for their new musical projects. “All my friends were in bands, and they all had hardcore-sounding names,” he said. “It almost felt like you couldn’t get anybody to listen to you or take you
seriously unless you had a really heavy name. So I came up with the idea to have our softer sounding folky-style band have a name that would fit in perfectly on a hardcore show flyer.” His unconventional reasoning was an attempt to rise above the importance of a band name and to try to show his fans that they’re a step ahead of their peers. “By the time people actually heard our music they would have to like us for being so different,” Wilson said with a laugh. With a promising sound and optimistic attitudes, look for The Great Plains Massacre at a venue near you. Derek Wilson and Paul Knapp are two musicians who don’t get caught up in the theatrics of being a “rock and roller.” They truly do it for the music, and if The Great Plains Massacre’s success can be measured by the quality of their music, these two will do just fine. matthavelka@ dailynebraskan.com
Zoo Bar event features local poetry, music poet show it
Kelsey Lee Daily Nebraskan
If you want to play loud heavy metal music, you can do that. If you want to read a soft and somber piece of prose, you can do that, too. “Poet Show It” is an open mic event that caters to all types of performers, taking the audience down an ever-winding path of entertainment. About two years ago, Lincoln musician Joe Younglove had the idea to host an open mic. He shared this with his friend and fellow musician, Travis Davis, who fully supported the idea. Younglove and Davis teamed up with mutual friend Scott Hawkins to start hosting Poet Show It. Tuesday the Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., will host Poet Show It. “It’s gonna be a mix of poetry and prose reading,” Davis said. “Some local musicians are gonna be down there as well.” All three hosts are actively involved in the Lincoln music scene. Younglove takes on guitar and vocals in Time Hammer, a three-piece band that delves into a variety of genres including metal and hip-hop. Davis and Hawkins play together in the local band Birds. Each of them most certainly plan to play Tuesday night. Poet Show It actually started
where:
Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St. when: Tuesday Dec. 6, 8:30 p.m. how much: Free, donations accepted.
within the local music scene. Since it started two years ago, the open mic has been held at Younglove’s house south of downtown. Twice a month it takes place, drawing gatherings of diverse performers. “Having a variety of people makes it fun,” said Younglove. “We get a lot of college students and older people, as well as younger kids as young as seven.” Having the Zoo Bar host Poet Show It this week gives them more exposure, while broadening the audience. It also reinforces the performance aspect of the event. “When another band has played there before, you can feel their creative spirit,” Davis said. Davis also points out that Poet Show It is usually promoted by word-of-mouth. Still, they always get a great, diverse crowd of people. “I think that speaks volumes to how fucking cool Lincoln is,” Davis said. Poet Show It starts at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Zoo Bar.
kelseylee@ dailynebraskan.com
Bartenders form bond through work Bethany Knipp Daily Nebraskan
For Tony Demma, a former University of NebraskaLincoln student, and Zach Blume, a senior anthropology major at UNL, bartending’s flexible hours gives the two the freedom to make their own schedules. But more importantly, working at O’Rourke’s Tavern, 1329 O St., Saturday nights together has made them best friends. “Tony is my best friend in the whole city,” Blume said. Not only has the pair bartended together at O’Rourke’s, but they also used to work together at the Zoo Bar on 14th Street. They even live five blocks away from each other. Demma said that bartenders are a tight-knit community in Lincoln with a real sense of camaraderie. And the bars themselves are close with other bars. “Certain bars get to know
each other and become brother and sister bars,” Demma said. Demma said the Zoo Bar, where he also bartends, and O’Rourke’s would be an example of a brother and sister bar. For Blume and Demma, double teaming on Saturdays at O’Rourke’s has its benefits, especially if things get rough. “(Blume) always has my back if I have to kick somebody out,” Demma said. Blume is bigger than Demma, and more intimidating, Demma said, so those qualities of Blume’s are helpful when bartending, not that Demma can’t handle things himself. “I used to be kind of a timid person, but bartending thickened my skin,” he said. While Demma and Blume are coworkers and friends, they both have busy lives and other endeavors. Blume is a 34-year-old UNL student graduating next
month. He’s also a bicycle mechanic at Cycle Works on 27th and Vine streets. Blume said he has been working on bikes since he was 15 years old and bartending since he was 21, things he will keep doing after graduation. “I always say that if I end up in a town where there’s no bar or no bike shop, I’m in the wrong town,” he said. For Demma, a 33-year-old former UNL sculpture and printmaking art student, bartending allows him to make time for his artwork. He meshed the two endeavors when he installed a place for a gallery at the Zoo Bar so he and other artists could have shows. But Demma said that though bartending is viewed as a “rockstar job” because of flexible hours and good money (on great nights, a bartender can make $20 to $30 an hour, Demma said), it can be rough and something one has to become used to.
“Being a bartender can be tough, because you make the most money on weekends.” Demma said that Friday through Sunday he works 32 hours, so his time off is during the week. Another thing Demma said that can be difficult about bartending is dealing with rude customers and overly intoxicated people, but that comes with the job. “I never understand why people mess with their bartenders because they won’t get served,” he said. “If you’re nice and tipping, your bartender will serve you first and be your friend.” Being overly intoxicated might be the point of going out for some, Demma said, but that’s not the purpose of bars. “Getting wasted isn’t what it’s all about. It’s a social experience.” Blume agreed and said that going to a bar is about spending time with your
Bryan klopping | daily nebraskan
friends and having some drinks with them. As long as customers want a great relationship with their bartender, they should remember one
thing, according to Blume: “I’m a lot more than just the guy who brings you beer.”
bethanyknipp@| dailynebraskan.com