BLACKTOP MOJO Headlines 4-Band Show at the Reverb Lounge

BAND1 — Blacktop Mojo at the historic Benson downtown's Reverb Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska on Tuesday, July 13, 2021. (Photo credit: Dean Birkheimer)

DEAN BIRKHEIMER | Go Venue Magazine

“If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music…” – Albert Einstein –

Yeah, science…thanks to everyone and everything doing their part, we can all get together again and experience the sweet and soothing sounds of ROCK-N-ROLL!!! On Tuesday, July 13, 2021, the Reverb did their part and provided the perfect setting for this show, and the bands did their part by providing the perfect performances.

Who decides to follow a dream and start a band in the midst of a global pandemic? Great question to ask the members of the opening act, Dear Freida. This Hard Rock/Alt Metal Quintet is from Lincoln, Nebraska and mixes aggressive guitar and drums with twin-assault melodic vocals and crushing sonic landscapes. With influences ranging from Metallica, In This Moment, A Day To Remember, Sevendust and Killswitch. These 5 fine humans come with just one mission…to just melt faces… The face melters are L.A. Skye – Lead Vocals, Kyle Sasse – Rhythm Guitar/Vocals, Jimmy Higgins – Drums, Jesse Denner – Lead Guitar and Randy Miller – Bass. Their debut album, “Out of Time” is set to release Fall 2021! Welcome to your new addiction.

SET LIST:
DEAD – KNIFE & DAGGER – SLEDGEHAMMER – MOUNTAIN – MY OWN VILLIAN

Next to take the stage was Holiday Drive. Holiday Drive is a power trio based out of Omaha, Nebraska that is looking to bring their unique brand of high-energy, emotionally charged live performances to stages in a way that blurs lines and leaves boundaries of genre in the past. With musical roots of all three members spanning from jamming jazz to ultra-heavy metal, the group’s eclectic and carefully selected repertoire of covers coincides well with soulfully crafted original songs meant to build a bridge between the best aspects of country and rock and roll. Founded upon the acoustic solo career of singer-songwriter Mikey Dean (also of LA-based Heavy Metal band White Wizzard), and rounded out by the addition of BJ Lawson (guitar/vocals) and Jon Harder (drums), Holiday Drive is poised and determined to bring something fresh, exciting, heart-felt, and ultimately entertaining to every crowd they are put in front of

SET LIST:
G-CHORD GYPSY, COVER ME UP, FIRST TIME IN AGES, WHISKEY GLASSES

Up next was Absinthe Allie. Absinthe Allie is made up of Preston Scott on Vocals, Bladen Larosa on Guitar, Nick Wekluk on Bass, and Reign Kelly on Drums. They have been together as a band since September 2020 and have only started playing shows since February 2021. As one of Omaha’s newest bands, they are working hard to push the boundaries of local music and turn their dreams into careers. They call their genre Omaha Attic Indie, this is because every song of theirs seems to touch a different genre, so they decided to just name their own. They feel comfortable taking on many different styles of shows. Punk, Rock, Metal, Indie, they can party at any level, and they love to bring the party. Each of their members have a different kind of influence, from Hair Metal, Punk, Grunge, Classic Rock, Pop, and of course Indie; so, their musical style really touches on all of it while being its own sound entirely. They have their first ever EP coming out August 28th with an EP release party on September 11th at Reverb Lounge. Go Venue Magazine is the first to officially know the EP release date and will be there to cover it.

SET LIST:
HEROINE, BURNING FIELDS, THE BLUFF, ARIZONA, HAUNTED JANE

By the time Blacktop Mojo hit the stage the three aforementioned bands had done their jobs and had the crowd chomping at the bit and completely fired up. Blacktop Mojo injected another shot of their brand of Texas rock into our ears, and nobody protested. This band has all the elements necessary to become one of the world’s premium rock bands. Nobody can match their enthusiasm, energy, passion, and talent. Whether it is for 50 or 50,000 people, the effort is the same. You feel as though they are there just for you. This in part due to the concentrated effort to make eye contact with their audience. Even more so, their songs relate to you. They can say through their music what we all are going through or have gone through in our lifetimes. Most of us simply do not have the talent or ability to express it the way Blacktop Mojo can. They put on a true rock show and the crowd just eats it up. You probably already know this, but Blacktop Mojo consists of Matt James – vocalist, Ryan Keifer – Guitar, Chuck Wepfer – Guitar, Matt Curtis – Bass, and Nathan Gillis – Drums. These guys will be on the road through September promoting an upcoming self-titled album coming in mid-August. If you were not able to catch them in Omaha, I am sure they will be coming near you again real soon. You can pre-order the upcoming album on their website at Blacktop Mojo.

SET LIST:
WICKED WOMAN – LAY IT ON ME – END OF DAYS – BED TUNDY – MONEY – THE VOID – CAN’T SLEEP – IT WON’T LAST – WHY – COAT – BURN THE SHIPS – CDB’S – TAILIGHTS – TUSH – WHERE THE WIND BLOWS