The Fertwagner boys and their team brought us yet another great show. The people of the Lookout Lounge [Omaha, Nebraska] go all out to make sure you get your money’s worth and that you’re always entertained. The Lookout Lounge continues to be a hot spot for local and national music.
Can you think of anything you’ve done 5,000 times? The Toasters have performed over 5,000 live shows since 1981 and we were fortunate enough to experience one of them at the Lookout Lounge on September 12th, 2017.
The Toasters have a long history of inviting local bands to support their national tours. In that regard, to support The Toasters were Lincoln’s own, Mad Dog & the 20/20’s and Omaha’s SKA pride and joy, The Bishops.
What I like most about Mad Dog & the 20/20 (among other MD2020 fans) is they obviously are having fun doing what they are doing. They REALLY like each other and it reflects on stage. When I think of a SKA female lead, I think of Monique Powell from Save Ferris. While Save Ferris has a poppy kind of sound, MD2020 leans more towards punk – grainer, grittier and raw – Let’s hope that band members Madeline Christensen– Lead Vocals, Jarett Eaton– Guitar, Anthoni Antillon– Drums, Danny Peck-Bass/Vocals, Connor Miller-Trumpet and Hendrick Viljoen-Tenor Sax all remain friends and bandmates for a very long time.
If you ask members of famous SKA bands, like Sublime, The Beat, Reel Big Fish, The Skatalites, and of course The Toasters, if they ever partnered with the Bishops, you will get a resounding YES from them. Talk about 5,000 shows. In March they celebrated their 22nd anniversary, I’d love to know what their show count is! Whatever the number is you know it’s up there. You can’t be a band for 22 years and not be what this band is. Super talented and super clean. Their timing is perfect and what they do on stage has become 2nd nature to them, but yet they bring it to their audience as if it were their first show. They are full of energy and always entertaining. From traditional SKA to Island music, they can do it all. Not many bands are as respected as The Bishops. When Monty Neysmith (original SYMARIP) toured in 2014/2015 the band that was called upon to learn the SYMARIP song book were The Bishops. Studio work followed and after a 7” release a full album Monty Neysmith meets The Bishops is now available. They are always playing somewhere locally, and they are a must see act. After all, they are a NEBRASKA band and as we all know, you can’t spell NEBRASKA without SKA.
Since 1981 Hot Sauce chef and entrepreneur Robert “Buck” Hingley has fronted the Toasters. He continues to surround himself with super talented musicians. For this evening’s performance, we were treated to an amazing lineup – Blowin’ trumpet, Laith Garet Fisk, slidin’ trombone, Grillbert Covarrubias, slappin’ DA BASS, Tim Karns, and beatin’ the skins John Katastrofe. This ensemble came out with mission. They want to entertain you, to make you dance, and to leave you wanting more. They easily accomplished all 3 on September 12th. Songs like East Side Beat, 2-Tone Army, Weekend in L.A. and the always crowd motivating Don’t Let The Bastards Get You Down will always keep The Toasters relevant and a gotta-catch em’ show.
With 5,000 shows under their belts The Toasters show no signs of slowing down. Don’t miss out on any opportunity to skank alongside this legendary band and check the merchandise table for a chance at getting some of Bucks incredible hot-sauces!
The entire show was a SKAtastic evening of local, national, and international superstars – a GREAT way to spend another Tuesday night in Omaha, and especially at the Lookout Lounge.
– Dean Birkheimer
Mad Dog and the 20/20s Gallery
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The Bishops Gallery
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The Toasters Gallery
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Photos Credit: © 2017 DB Photography.
Bands Online
Mad Dog and the 20/20s | The Bishops | The Toasters
