Cunninlynguists meet Omaha

Last Wednsday I went to another underground hip-hop show at the Waiting room in Benson. Cunninlynguists, a southern duo, Deacon the Villan from Kentucky and Knof from Georgia, gave the crowd a burst of witty lyrics and enthusiasm. After a lame opener, I can't even remember what his name was, the duo made sure everyone in that lounge was at the stage.
I wanted to see Grieves a different solo artist from Seattle, but his touring van got stuck in Wyoming.
It didn't matter though, I was very impressed with Cunninglynguists, they mad a small crowd get their money's worth. Here's a short video.

Pizzza, Blues and Country

There's really no specific genre for the Matt Cox Band. Their versatile style is what music lovers want to see in a band, even if the genre doesn't meet their taste. This band has a unique sound to offer, and lead guitar riffs give this band a nice blues feel. Listen to the video on the bottom of my post for a taste.
On Sunday, November 29th, the Matt Cox Band played at the Pizza Shoppe located in the Benson area.
It is always nice to have some pizza before being entertained. My friend Brian and I shared a chicken pizza and a couple lager's before the show.


Inside the stage room connected to the Pizza Shoppe there were bar tables and dinning tables for the audience. There wasn't a huge showing for the band, but families and couples gathered to listen.














The guitar variety that was used helped the music to flow during each song. Some sounded more country and some sounded like the blues. I liked their unique style with country and blues mixed. I'm not a country guy, but the blues made up for it. I didn't even realize it, but I happened to know Seth, the bassist, he dates a mutual friend of ours.


During a break he said that they were missing the keyboard player. This probably would have set up a better blues feel. My friend Brian enjoyed the show and said they had a distinct sound.
I've heard Seth play for a "Doors" cover band this year for a Halloween party at the 906 gallery downtown. Two other band members from the Matt Cox band played as well. That was a fun show, the "Doors" were as versatile as they come, and they covered their songs well.

The Matt Cox Band will be playing at the Pizza Shoppe every Sunday until December 27th.

Slightly Stoopid at the Sokol

The Sokol auditorium was packed on Friday the thirteenth. Slightly Stoopid came and put on the biggest local show I've seen since this blog was created. Their alternative style is mixed with reggae lyrics that has a hippie feel and vibe. The crowd was backed from the stage almost to the door.

I met a girl named Katie that said she was from Des Moines and had been following Slightly Stoopid for a couple years now. "I love this band," she said as she raised her beer in the air.

This band has definitely created a following among the local scene.

The crowd drew in a lot of the teenager age range, but the back of the crowd and the people on top of the balcony were still close to my age. I ran into people I hadn't seen in years.

I loved Sublime growing up and a couple of songs that were played reminded me of them. I would have to say that I had the most fun at this show so far. The crowd was friendly and layed back for as crowded as it was. I would see them again if someone wanted to go, but I wouldn't become a follower.

Halloween Eve and Metal

On Friday the 3oth, I went to my first metal show. Dundee Strangler played at the Hideout, 320 72nd St., with four other bands. The show was small along with the crowd. Most of the songs were short, fast and seemed to have the same flow. It was hard to understand. Looking back I can honestly say that I never made out one lyric from the songs.

The bass and the guitar playing was understandable and when the two were mixed a good rhythm was made. I've never liked metal, but Mike, the bass player for Dundee Strangler, is one of my friends, so I thought I'd go see him play.

It was an off night for a crowd since Halloween parties around the bar scene were in action around town. I don't know how big the metal scene is in Omaha, but I'm sure it's bigger than what I saw on Friday. I didn't stay for any of the other bands. I wanted to get out before they started. That might be my last metal show. I can see why some might like it, but it's not for me.

Bagpipes and Punk?

The only time I usually hear bagpipes is at funerals or on St. Patrick's Day, hearing one in the background at the Sokol Underground on Saturday night was a new experience.

Flatfoot 56, a Celtic punk band from Chicago, showed Omaha how to mix punk and Irish. The lead singer, Tobin, and other American Celtic punk bands sing with a fake Irish accent.



Celtic punk has become a popular form of punk since it's beginning in the 1980's. Bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly have contributed to the Celtic following.

Flatfoot 56 seems to have their own style. The show started with the song "loaded gun" and afterward Tobin told the crowd to split in half and face each other like in the movie "Braveheart." He counted down from three and the crowd collided. The song started and people were scattered about the dance floor. No one was hurt.

The violence and aggression of punk is sometimes confusing to people that don't follow the scene. The first time I went to a punk show I liked it and I jumped in the "circle pit." No one gets hurt usually, people just get pushed and maybe sometimes knocked down.

I didn't get in the pit as much as I did the last time I went to a punk show. I'm getting a Little to old for it now. I just needed to get some pictures, so I went in a couple times.
I must admit that the songs sound a lot alike, but, their version of "Amazing Grace" was fun to hear.

Hed P.E sells out the Waiting Room

There's really nothing like seeing the band you want to see without waiting for their turn.

Hed P.E headlined at the Waiting room on Oct. 4th without any openners. The show was sold out. Luckily my friend, Kahm had some free tickets. The show was entertaining, but some of the comments made by the lead singer had me questioning. Overall it was a good show.

Brother Ali at the Waiting Room

On Saturday, September 26th I saw Brother Ali and his touring partners, Evidence and Toki Wright from Rhymesayers Entertainment. Ali has been performing since 1999 and is promoting his new album, "Us."

I'm not in to underground hip-hop or rap in general, but I thought I'd go see a new genre of music for once.

This was my first time ever seeing these solo artists. I never knew how much fun a hip-hop show could be. Ali used his energy and original flow to set the mood for the crowd.

Evidence showed some skills with a mic as he freestyled a compilation of motivational lyrics before introduicing Brother Ali to the stage.
The three artists flowed together during the end of the show and a fight in the crowd broke out. Ali is a man for peace and didn't appreciate the unexpected rage. Some locals wern't aloud in to see the show because of previous bad behavior.

One kid was banned and wanted to go inside so bad that he would wait until the out-door would open and would go inside until he was spotted by a security guard. The kid just waited in the street for the show to be over. That was entertaining during my smoke breaks.
Overall I liked the message that Brother Ali presented with his music, the human condition is really a sick thing sometimes and his new songs try to express truth.