JournalStar.com - Ground Zero Online

Best bets
BY L. KENTWOLGAMOTT
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004 - 09:59:53 pm CDT

Aerosmith, Sonic Youth, the Ramones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Cypress Hill have all made animated appearances on "The Simpsons."

So has Brave Combo, the Denton,Texas, nuclear polka outfit that made its cartoon debut March 21, playing Oktoberfest in beautiful, downtown Springfield.

"They prove you can be hip and still happy," said 'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening. "Really, Brave Combo should have their own cartoon."

With that stamp of cool approval, Brave Combo headed out to celebrate its 25th year doing what it does best - creating polka-based entertainment from coast to coast.

Tonight, Carl, Jeffrey, Bubba and the boys will be back at the Zoo Bar for their only scheduled Lincoln appearance of the year. Brave Combo fans - you know what that means. Be there early or risk not getting in.

And while you're doing the hokey pokey, consider these little Brave Combo factoids.

They've marched in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade underneath Woody Woodpecker, recorded with Tiny Tim and played David Byrne's wedding.They count Garrison Keillor and HarveyPekar among their devoted fans. They've made 26 albums, been nominated for six Grammys and took home the little gramophone for 1999's "Polkasonic."

Not bad for a little party band from Texas. Not bad at all.

The big movie releases this week are "TheStepford Wives,""TheChronicles of Riddick" and "Garfield: The Movie"- a flailing attempt at a comedic remake of a horror film, a sequel and a picture with a computer-animated talking cat. Ah, the originality of Hollywood.

That said, it's far from surprising that the best pictures opening in Lincoln this week are from across the Atlantic. "Bon Voyage" is a romance/comedy/spy adventure that takes place as the Nazis invade France. "The Return" is a powerful Russian picture about a father who returns after 12 years and takes his sons on a mysterious trip. Both of them are playing at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center and shouldn't be missed.

Wednesday night is the opening for one of the summer's most intriguing theater offerings. The Angels Theatre Company and Rough Magic have teamed up to present a summer's evening of entertainment that includes three short plays, monologues and an art exhibition that will include student work from the Lincoln Public Schools Arts and Humanities Focus Program.

"Summerstock" will be presented at The Loft at The Mill, Eighth and P streets.Curtain time for the show, which runs Wednesday through June 20, June 23-26 is 8 p.m. , with a preshow at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, $7 for students and seniors.

The week's biggest club show will take place Wednesday night when Bela Fleck and the Flecktones return to the Rococo Theatre. The Nashville-based Fleck is arguably the best banjo player in the world and certainly one of the most inventive and prolific. He's been on the Ground Zero cover a couple of times in the past, and the latest records from the Flecktones have been just as good as the previous releases.

But tonight's the biggest night on the Lincoln scene with three shows of note.

In addition to Brave Combo at the Zoo, Scenefest 2 kicks off the first of its three nights at Duffy's Tavern with a lineup that includes three of my favorite Lincoln bands - Charlie Burton and the Dorothy Lynch Mob, IdealCleaners and the Mezcal Brothers. You can read much more about this three-night event on Pages 14-15.

Also tonight at Knickerbockers is a double bill that features rockabilly outfit The Legendary Shack Shakers paired with Lincoln's best country band, FortyTwenty.

The other show of note this week is set for Duffy's Tavern on Wednesday. It features The Somnambulants, a boy-girl act from New York City that, according to the Village Voice does "a stunning imitation of 'Junk Culture'-era OMD." Plus she's got an Edie Sedgwick haircut.

ReachL. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or kwolgamott@;journalstar.com.