Hail the Sun
Anybody familiar with Hail The Sun will know there’s always a great deal of meaning beneath the surface. Theirs are songs the probe the very nature of existence, that strive to find the answers to the fundamental questions that being human raises, and that don’t flinch away from any form of self-reflection whatsoever. That’s been the case since the band—lead vocalist Donovan Melero, guitarists Shane Gann and Aric Garcia, bassist John Stirrat and drummer Allen Casillas—formed in Chico, CA in 2009, but which is especially the case on cut. turn. fade. back, their seventh full-length. Indeed, even for a band whose album titles veer between being suggestive of something more and existentially profound, this record truly goes the distance, encompassing the complete cycle of life with its four monosyllabic words. Across its 11 songs, cut. turn. fade. back captures the cyclical nature of all those things, as well as life itself in general. That wasn’t the specific intention when the band began writing the record, but when Melero started writing lyrics for and to the music, that’s the overarching theme that began to emerge. 2023’s previous record, Divine Inner Tension, had seen Hail The Sun intentionally relinquish creative control to the universe, and they continued with that mindset on this one as well, by bending to its whims. As connected as we are to the universe, and as much as it exists within us, the band says it’s important to note that we’re also travelling through it. As such, it was the things that happened to the band along the way—both on a personal level and on a more universal scale—that manifested themselves as topics on this record. Just as 2014’s second album, Wake, contained “Anti-Eulogy (I Hope You Stay Dead)”, a song about an active addiction framed as if addressing a person, so “Relapse Is A Love Affair” personifies his experience in a similar way. It’s a viscerally powerful moment among a whole series of viscerally powerful moments. For the first time in their career, Hail The Sun worked with production outfit Beach Noise, whose experience is much more steeped in the hip-hop world—most notably, they worked on a good chunk of Kendrick Lamar’s acclaimed 2022 album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. On paper, it seems like a drastic shift, but the reality is less dramatic—Garcia actually went to college with a member of Beach Noise, so they’ve been in each other’s orbits for a while now. Yet at the same time, Hail The Sun wanted to return to their roots of being a band in a room and jamming live. “It doesn’t matter if people take away the intended message from these songs,” says Meloro, “and I’m certainly not going to police it, but we do, as always, want to encourage critical thinking. Fifteen years in, I love that we’ve been allowed this fan base to speak to. I feel very grateful and fortunate, and I hope that it keeps carrying us forward continues to be the thing that we can sustain life from.” Ironically, given the title and the theme of the record, this could well be the album that sees them break the cycle for good.
Altura
Bryce Vine
VIP Packages Include: a GA Ticket, Early Entry, Selfie w/ Bryce Vine, and Autograph
Smells Like Nirvana
Come as you are and celebrate the music and legend of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain w/ Smells Like Nirvana on this very special night for an all ages NIRVANA tribute show at The Waiting Room! Make this show special by submitting a song request at smellslikenirvanatribute.com Come early for grunge revivalists “Dead Original”! Stream their first album […]
The Green Series pt.2
The Green Series pt.1
Emo Nite
AGES 18+
Kris Lager & The Assembly Of Assassins
2 sets of Spiritually uplifting, face melting, and soul stirring music! It’ll be just the medicine you need to forget about this Freezing Midwestern Winter: Nebraska’s own award winning Black Dirt Troubadour Kris Lager & his Assembly Of Assassins converge on Benson’s Waiting Room for two magical sets in one night! That’s right! Two sets of their patented brand of feel good, high energy Americana and Heavy Soul while sprinkling in tributes throughout the evening to a couple of recently departed musical icons: Nashville’s legendary singer/ songwriter Todd Snider and The Mavericks One-Of-A-Kind Frontman Raul Malo. Please join us as we honor and celebrate two iconic figures that deserve to be cherished for their contributions to music! The Assembly Of Assassins include Kris Lager on guitar and vocals. Lincoln’s Jeremiah Weir on Keys, from St. Louis Paul Brackens on bass, Omaha Street Percussions Justin Fisher on drums, Funk Trek alum Caleb Collins on sax and Travis Potter on Trumpet! Rounding out the ensemble will be two time Nebraska Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Famer and legendary percussionist, Michael Pujado. KRIS LAGER BIO: For over two decades, Nebraska’s Kris Lager—a Lincoln native now rooted in Omaha—has crisscrossed the nation as a true musical journeyman, distributing his emotionally rich, genre-blending sound to anyone and everyone willing to listen. At the heart of his philosophy is a powerful “Celebrate Life” mantra—a spirited commitment to uplifting listeners through his deep rooted music and honest/ soul stirring lyrics. His performances are less concerts and more communal gatherings, full of dancing, clapping, “soul clappin’,” and stage-shaking charisma. He connects deeply with audiences, forging unforgettable moments that go beyond just music. Rejecting the traditional music industry ladder, Kris has built his following through heartfelt songwriting, relentless touring, and refusing to chase awards or even mainstream validation. Praised by peers and industry alums alike—Grammy-winning, legendary (and recently departed) producer Jim Gaines, who has mixed two of Kris’ records (Love Songs & Life Lines/ Spectrum) called him “a great voice with great songs,” . Blues Rock Review says ‘He’s a fantastic songwriter’. Andy Frasco & legendary ‘Swamp Rock’ singer J.J. Grey just recently released a country style roots song (Kris and Andy co-penned) entitled ‘Tumbleweed’. Paste Magazine even describes his music as “the kind of toe-tapping rhythm that sometimes you just need to make it through a day.”
Subhumans
Subhumans are one of the most influential bands from the UK Anarcho-Punk scene of the 80’s, filed right alongside Crass and Conflict, and just as relevant today as they were during the darkest days of Thatcher’s Britain. Take your choice in how to label them – Punk, UK82, Crusty, etc, – there lies the attraction and consequent reason for their popularity, the band epitomizes non-conformity and connects with people in many different scenes. Forming in 1980, recording and releasing a series of live and demo cassette tapes on their own Bluurg label, they continued to release music throughout the 80’s – building a powerhouse of a back catalog that completely stands the test of time. Their debut LP ‘The Day the Country Died’ (1983), with its Orwellian influence, is considered by many to be a classic and has sold in excess of 100,000 copies. The second album, ‘From the Cradle to the Grave’, came swiftly the following year (1984), and although the same frenetic pace is in evidence, this marks a significant musical development for the band. In 1985 Subhumans broke up, citing the usual musical differences, although they had managed to release a third, maybe ironically entitled, LP ‘Worlds Apart.’ A final EP was released posthumously in 1986, ‘29:29 Split Vision,’ a further demonstration of how far the band had come musically from their initial leanings. Dick Lucas subsequently joined Culture Shock and then formed political ska-punk band Citizen Fish in 1990, both bands releasing many albums, and still playing today. Subhumans had a couple of reunion shows in the nineties, before a more permanent return for the 21st century, including 2 major tours of the US, the first resulting in the ‘Live in a Dive’ LP. The Subhumans then released a further studio album in 2007, ‘Internal Riot,’ again on Bluurg Records. The band is still passionate and angry, illustrated by Dick saying “Being in a band is the source of most of my passion and drive! The live experience of sharing it with people keeps it ongoing, the release of anger, frustration and initially negative/destructive states of mind is a release from the downward spiral of keeping it all bottled up and it feels positive/constructive as a result.” The band have recently written ten new songs, which Pirates Press Records are thrilled to be releasing, and are embarking on a year of touring in both Europe and North America! First a split with The Restarts before a 12” of their own comes out in October of 2019! The social and political commentary of bands like Subhumans forged a path, along with their contemporaries, for punk to change lives and opinions around the world. Sadly the things they sang about forty years ago are largely just as important now, sometimes more so in an age of Trump and Brexit. We can’t wait to hear more of what they have to say about the current political climate, the immense imbalance of wealth and power, and the causes they hold near and dear to their hearts. — La Pobreska (ska/punk/hardcore from Los Angeles) https://www.instagram.com/lapobreska
Teenage Bottlerocket
They’ve toured the world countless times. They kept the leather jacket-and-Converse look alive through an increasingly neon landscape. They’ve written songs about KISS, Top Gun and Minecraft. Hell, they’ve even been on CNN a few times! Please welcome back to the spotlight Wyoming’s own…Teenage Bottlerocket! With more than 100 original songs already in their catalog, how does the band stay motivated when they’re eight records deep? “We’re always in competition with ourselves,” Carlisle explains. “The real competition is between me and Kody. It’s like, ‘You wrote a song that destroys everything else on this record. Let me try to do that to you real quick. How’s that feel?” And then he comes back and one ups me.“It’s all about the songs,” he continues. “The songs carry this record all the way. That’s not to say there are bad songs on our other records—we have a hard time releasing a shitty song. But these songs are especially great. You know ALL’s best-of record where Allroy is dissecting a musical note? I felt we kind of tapped into that record in a great way, not in a ‘Oh no, they’re experimental now!’ way. This is a Teenage Bottlerocket record through and through, but there’s a lot of hidden elements.” Carlisle’s pride about their latest album, Sick Sesh!, is obvious, but he’s not the only one who loves the album. “Fat Mike called me and said, ‘Hey, this is your best record,” Carlisle recalls. “I said, ‘Cool,thanks for noticing.’” Given that the band is already two decades old, however, is there any chance of the band slowing down? Carlisle shoots that idea down right away.“I want to have the best next 10 years,” the singer says. “We’ve grinded the grind. Now we get to actually enjoy being a band, and not think too much about different ways to try and ‘make it.’ We’re riding this wave we built ourselves. I wanna surf it for another 10 years.”Well there you have it: The three things in life you can always count on are death, taxes and Teenage Bottlerocket.