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Making the Scenefest
By MICHAEL BRUNTZ
Friday, Jun 11, 2004 - 12:18:54 am CDT
Follow the music to find Tery Daly.
On Wednesday or Sunday, it's Duffy's Tavern, maybe a Friday show at Knickerbockers or a stop at Duggan's if time allows.
Between practices with his band Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares, the local musician fills his schedule with writing reviews and doing interviews for his Web site www.starcityscene.com. Daly will spend this weekend at Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St., for Scenefest 2, which features 18 local bands over three nights starting tonight at 8:15.
Daly started the Web site in April 2003 to expose local bands to a wider audience in Lincoln and beyond. The three-day festival, he said, was the best way to give fans a taste of local music.
"Lincoln has so many bands playing original music, and it's not like they're mediocre bands," said Daly, organizer of Scenefest. "They're as good or better than anything you'll hear on the radio."
Scenefest 2 is the local music event of the year in Lincoln. Each band gets the stage for half an hour in what becomes a rapid-fire sampling of ages and styles.
Tonight will feature the country- tinged rock of Charlie Burton and the rockabilly sound of the Mezcal Brothers.
Saturday night has Papers opening at 8:15 followed by the alt-country sound of 13 County and the psychedelic sounds of Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares.
The show concludes Sunday at midnight with the mellow sound of ambient rock group Marianas.
Daly had no trouble securing acts after the success of last year's inaugural event. The same array of styles and the price - $15 for all three days - will give people a reason to show up.
"All three nights are very different and have a distinct flavor," Daly said. "I wanted to present a very good selection of bands."
More than a year after launching the Web site, Daly said local bands are getting more attention, but he still sees many of the same faces at shows.
Through reviews and interviews on the Web site, Daly does his best to support live music. Many people don't realize the quality of the bands performing in Lincoln, he said.
"There are so many excellent bands in town. Isuppose I'm somewhat driven to promote the music in town. It definitely deserves more attention than it gets."
The three-day event also brings together bands that wouldn't normally interact.
"It forces all these bands together and makes us talk to one another," said Ideal Cleaners bassist Mike Keeling. "He's the only guy putting things together like this."
Daly's foray into large, local concert events with totally local talent is a relatively new venture for organizers in Lincoln. Several annual battle-of-the-bands competitions sprouted up in Lincoln but quickly fizzled out.
Daly is already talking about Scenefest 3 but is looking forward to a long weekend of music at Duffy's.
"If people take this opportunity where they can see a lot of bands, for a little bit of money, they'll find something they like," Daly said.
Reach Michael Bruntz at 473-7254 or mbruntz@;journalstar.com.
Apparently nobody explained to Ideal Cleaners how this whole band thing worked.
When Dan Jenkins and Mike Keeling, formerly of Drive-By Honky, joined The Return drummer Ted Alesio to form Ideal Cleaners in January 2003, they had two goals.
They wanted a new sound - and fewer followers.
"The goal was to have fewer fans, and so far we're on the right track," Jenkins joked. "I just want to have fun. I don't want to worry about making people happy."
The trio will take the Scenefest 2 stage at Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St., tonight at 11:15.
Last year's Scenefest was one of the band's first live shows after getting together during the winter. Since then, the group has been writing new songs and recently finished work on a 7-inch titled "Make Your Time."
Since it formed, the band has tried to stray from the sound Jenkins and Keeling developed while in DBH.
The band's new songs are more percussive with more bass and drums and feature a different writing style than what Jenkins had done previously.
He broke out of the songwriting formula he'd used while with Drive-By and forced himself to write music that, while sometimes difficult to sing over, challenged him as a musician.
"For our songs, I tried to do something I've never done before," Jenkins said, "which at some point will be impossible, because we'll have done everything."
Gone is the twang that sometimes sneaked into some of DBH's songs. The band's style is "bombastic," Alesio said.
"There's not much mellow about this band, though at any point we could make it mellower."
Refocusing has allowed Ideal Cleaners to craft music without the pressure of playing to a certain demographic. The only plan is that there is no plan.
Experience has given the band perspective as it continues to chisel its own blend of music.
"We've all been playing for a long time, and we're not kids anymore; we don't have anything to lose," Keeling said. "We're not trying to pander to any audience, we're just having fun."
The band will be one of the many making their second appearance at Scenefest. While some bands may be concerned with playing to the crowd, Jenkins said Ideal Cleaners' attitude has made playing live enjoyable.
"Whatever happens, happens," Jenkins said. "We're not going for anything specific. I don't know if it's working, but we're having fun."
If you go
What: Scenefest 2
Where: Duffy's Tavern, 1412 O St.
When: 8:15 p.m.-12:30 a.m. tonight, Saturday and Sunday
Admission: Tickets for the 21-and-over show are $6 at the door or advanced tickets for all three days are available for $15 at Duffy's Tavern or Dropbay Records, 1601 P St.
Band schedule
Tonight
8:15-8:45 p.m. - The Zyklon Bees
9-9:30 p.m. - The Amalgamators
9:45-10:15 p.m. - The Terminals
10:30-11 p.m. - Charlie Burton
11:15-11:45 p.m. - Ideal Cleaners
Midnight-12:30 a.m. - The Mezcal Brothers
Saturday
8:15-8:45 p.m. - Papers
9-9:30 p.m. - The Thielgoods
9:45-10:15 p.m. - 13 County
10:30-11 p.m. - Prairie Psycho
11:15-11:45 p.m. - Suzy Dreamer and Her Nightmares
Midnight-12:30 a.m. - Hymn From the Hurricane
Sunday
8:15-8:45 p.m. - Bear Eats Fish
9-9:30 p.m. - Bugs Meany
9:45-10:15 p.m. - The Bad Sects
10:30-11 p.m. - Westside Proletariat
11:15-11:45 p.m. - Thunderstandable
Midnight-12:30 a.m. - Marianas
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