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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 21, 1985)
Daily Nebraskan Page 41 " 77ie Daily Nebraskan's wwiriwTTOTGs, Sock r By Donna Sisson Staff Reporter Rhythm and blues, rock 'n' roll, punk, funk, soul Nebraska has seen them all, despite its reputation as a slightly backward, Midwestern state. Nebraska's musicians have topped billboard charts, charted new frontiers in music, and played with big name bands. The life of one Nebraska native, Ruth Etting, was portrayed in the 1950s movie "Love Me or Leave Me," starring By Kyle Foster Staff Reporter The music scene in Lincoln ex ploded this summer with several local bands releasing and recording records. Here is a rundown of some local bands to watch for this fall. O Charlie Burton and the Go-Cups The kingpin band of Lincoln's music scene and a favorite among Lincolnites. The Go-Cups Local m Entertainment Revue - -- ees 7- rlL- I'f' , , oots Doris Day and James Cagney. All sorts of information about the best and worst Nebraska musicians and bands can be found in '"til the Cows Come Home, Rock 'n' Roll Ne braska," by Bart Becker. Like the family genealogy in the front of grandma's Bible, "'til the Cows Come Home" traces the roots of music and musicians in Nebraska from the early 1900s until around 1984. The book begins with a short intro duction describing the scene when early rock took its first breaths in Lin coln and Omaha clubs. A time when teen-agers were receiving injections of Elvis Presley (in the UNL Coliseum, May 1956. Tickets were $2) and the Rolling Stones (Omaha, 1964). Becker usic scene explodes with live talent have a new album Heard That and should be popular this year. The Finnsters With a single played often on KFMQ, the Finnsters have become the latest fad on the Lincoln music scene. O The Switch A popular attraction at the Zoo Bar this sum mer, The Switch currently is work ing on a recording. The Switch is composed of excellent musicians playing music for the sophisticated eep recreates some of the feeling of the old days when "local groups could get regular local airplay" and "every town in Nebraska was sprouting bands, teen hops, ballrooms and clubs featuring live music." In the introduction, Becker estab lishes his credibility and says, "It's probably evident that I've got' a real strong naive faith in rock 'n' roll." He also explains some of his reasons for compiling the book. "If nobody else was going to preserve my cultural heritage, I guessed I would do it myself," he wrote. The bulk of the book (125 of 183 pages) is devoted to an alphabetical listing of Nebraska bands and solo artists. More than 850 bands are listed in this section. listener. O Janice K. and the Phan tom Band Janice, the female Elvis Presley, sports a pink satin jump suit and belts out the old tunes in a way that might amaze even the King. Janice must be seen and heard. O Cocktail Shorty and the Tablerockers The Tablerockers (formerly The Heartmurmurs) are Lincoln's finest blues band. They have opened shows for George Tho- in Nebrask The late '60s seems to have the most detailed, comprehensive coverage, as well as the greatest number of bands. The coverage is complete and in cludes popular and obsure bands of all types, some that played in their own scene off the main music path. The popularity of the band is re flected in part by the amount of space it receives in the book. Interviews, pho tographs and background information is given for some bands, while other entries include only the band name and a date or concert. The decision of how much room to devote to certain bands depended partly on how interesting the band was and how much information was availa ble on the band, Becker said in a tele phone interview from Seattle, Wash. roughgood, Jerry Lee Lewis and The Thunderbirds. Other local bands to look for include: Buck Naked and the Bare Bottom Boys, The Lunch Cats, The Ushers and Cockey Monroe. Lincoln is a stopping point for many regional and national music acts. The following bands will play in Lincol over the next few months: John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, Jason and the Nashville Scorchers, The Phones, Beat Rodeo, il 1 1 i! a soi. If the band had cut a record, there was more information on it, he said. - This section also contains some intriguing background on Charlie Bur ton, The Boys (currently Cockey Mon roe), as well as some interesting inter views. Most notably is one with Preston Love. One humorous section describes Guru Rooty Toot Kazoody. Becker tells of "a performance in which Kazoody preached nonsequiturs in a Maharishi dialect, ate a light bulb, and, while balancing atop a skateboard gave a rousing solo performance of 'Not Fade Away.' " Please see BANDS on 44 The Leroy Brothers, The Tailgaters, The Beat Farmers, Tex Horsehead, Caribe, Steve, Bob and Rich, Boys with Toys, The Nelsons and The Bel Airs. Some local bars that feature live entertainment include: The Zoo Bar, blues and rock; The Royal Grove, heavy metal and rock; The Drum stick, new wave, rock; The Green Frog Lounge, rock and blues; Sweep Left, heavy metal and Chesterfields, rock.