It’s 10 p.m. on Thursday
at die Zoo Bar.
The Mezcal Brothers, the
opening act for The
Deviants, play to a crowd of
about 20 people.
It's a slow night, but the
20 people scattered throughout the bar listen atten
tively as die band plays a variety of rockabilly tunes.
A few middle-aged and older men line the bar at
the front of the room.
A man and woman in their mid-50s sit sipping
beer and smoking cigarettes at one of the two half
oval tables on the north wall about 10 feet from the
stage, which sits at the back.
They gaze at the stage and subtly nod their heads
to the music, only taking time to talk between pieces.
Another five middle-aged women camp out at
one of the six round tables lining the center of the
bar, but they only sit there for about 30 seconds at a
time.
With each new song the band plays, the women
look at each other with a smile and make a quick
head gesture toward the stage.
They spring up and dance for the duration of the
song, positioning themselves direcdy in front of the
stage, close enough to smell the beer on the breath of
the lead singer.
When the song ends, they return to their seats
but only long enough to take two sips of their mixed
drinks and two drags from their cigarettes. Because
when the next song starts, they go back to the front
to dance.
Toward the end of the performance, some of the
women even get on stage and dance while the band
plays.
Rounding out the Thursday night crowd are two
University of Nebraska-Lincoln students taking
notes for their history of rock music class.
The two girls sip imported beer, smoke cigarettes
and sway to the music in between their note taking.
They sit next to a huge Charlie Musselwhite sign.
Behind the girls are old promotional posters that
show pictures of the Mighty Joe Young, The
Legendary Blues Band, and Bobby King and Terry
Evans. These posters, stained yellow from age and
cigarette smoke, are plastered throughout the bar
and serve as wallpaper for the room.
When one envisions a thriving blues scene,
Chicago or Kansas City immediately comes to mind.
But in another neck of the Midwest, nestled in
tile middle of downtown Lincoln, sits a blues haven
called the Zoo Bar.
At 136 N. 14^ St, one block off O Street and two
short blocks from the University of Nebraska
Lincoln campus, the dank little bar’s presence could
easily be overlooked.
In the front window, promotional posters for
coming shows surround a red and blue neon sign
reading “The Zoo Bar.”
These are the only exterior characteristics distin
guishing the bar from the rest of the businesses lin
ing 14th Street
The other noticeable, but most important, char
acteristic of the bar is the blaring music that can be
(.name Jonnson stands on ms standup bass for the last song
of the night Saturday evening.
heard each night coming from inside.
It's that blaring music coming from behind the
poster-filled window that has made the bar a gem for
live music for close to 27 years. In 1993, The Zoo Bar
was even presented the "Keeping the Blues
Alive/W.C Handy Award” by the Kansas City Blues
Society.
Legendary is one adjective that has been used
repeatedly to describe the Zoo Bar.
Faithfiil patrons, performers and music lovers
from across the country have used the term, and
judging by the bar's lasting popularity and attention,
the term may be being well applied.
At 10:40 p.m. Thursday, The Deviants, made up
of a guitarist/lead singer, stand-up bass player and
drummer, take the stage.
More people begin to stroll in, but the bar is far
from full.
“There’s a few people on stage and a few people
out there,” the lead singer says before introducing
his band mates. He also says how happy they are to
perform at “the legendary Zoo Bar.”
It is obvious the band and the patrons don’t mind
the small crowd.
“Take it off!” one man hollers from the bar as the
stand-up bass player takes off his jacket.
Once again, the patrons listen attentively and
dance when the band begins to play its rockabilly
Please see ZOO on 9
story by Josh nichols photos by scott mcdurg
ABOVE: The
Mezcal Brothers
play a swing for
Zoo Bar patrons
Saturday
evening. The Zoo
Bar specializes
in bringing in
Blues bands for
its nightly
entertainment
LEFT: Katie
Schlentz,witha
backdrop of
band advertise
ments, while
waiting to check
customers'IDs.
BELOW: The Zoo
Bar, which has
been open for
nearly 27 years,
serves live musk
sixnightsa
uiaaL Af uiaII
WtfCK, da Well dS
spirits for its
customers.