Cornmeal, Triggertown @ Knickerbockers, 5/8/08

I was turned on to bluegrass about 5 years ago. A friend of mine had given me a burned disc of a Yonder Mountain String Band show and I instantly fell in love. Well, maybe not instantly. To be real with you, it took me a while to abandon my need for screaming electric guitar and lengthy drum solos to finally accept that there are other styles of music that are just as beautiful, if not more, than what I was into. After attending numerous Yonder shows, I finally expanded my horizons on the bluegrass frontier by seeing acts such as Hot Buttered Rum String Band, Bela Fleck and Split Lip Rayfield amongst many. These acts have cultured me in this realm and have since led to me venturing out to see more bluegrass shows when they are around.

More after the jump!

On May 8, 2008, Knickerbockers in Lincoln, NE played host to Cornmeal with local act Triggertown in support. The night was brought to us by our buddies at Rad Kadillac, who seem to be giving the Lincoln/Omaha crowds a consistent stream of excellent and diverse acts. The night would be a quite memorable one and would end up throwing a musical curveball at many fans that were expecting more of an original bluegrass experience.

First up was Triggertown out of Lincoln. They offered up the traditional bluegrass act, playing several classics, as well as a few of their own. I for one had not heard of them and was curious to see if they would be worth sticking around for, or if this would give me extended bar time. To make a long story short, I stuck around to catch the entire act, and to hear the constantly growing crowd beg for more. Triggertown gave us an enjoyable experience, which to me was highlighted by the bass. It was crafted from what seemed to be an old wash bucket with a string attached, leading to a broomstick. It’s hard to describe, but the pictures should give you a general idea. All in all, the local act seemed to have a very clean and crisp sound, and surely left me impressed. I see good things in their horizon, particularly on the local scene.

Cornmeal, out of Chicago, IL, soon began and had the room curiously excited to see what they were all about. Coming off the news that they had just won a Jammy for New Groove of the Year, Cornmeal was ready to throw down and prove that they deserved it. If they are already winning awards for their act, they must know how to perform, right? They began the set with a bluegrass number, but this would change quickly. In between brief blurbs of bluegrass, Cornmeal flawlessly executed long, multi layered jam sessions lasting upwards of 15 minutes. Recently, I have led myself away from many jam acts, but the innovative sound that they produced definitely had me hooked. This pattern would continue time and time again throughout the two hour continuous set.

If you are one to draw comparison, Railroad Earth may come close. I have seen Railroad Earth, in fact at the same venue, and was not nearly as impressed with them at the end of the night. In case you're curious my ears were nearly virgin to both acts previously (is nearly virgin kind of an oxymoron?). In all actuality, I am one who despises band comparison, but am just trying to give those of you who had never heard them an idea. Cornmeal's intricate rhythms separate them from other acts in the newgrass field. Their performance that night instantly made them one of my top acts to see this summer, and I'll be definitely be catching them on the festival scene. I would have loved to have picked up their album, but think that it would only fall short after such an intense live performance. Man I hope one of those tapers works quick ;-).

For a night filled with some excellent original style bluegrass that also included a unique take on the bass, I give Triggertown a 6.825/10 slices.

For an intense night filled with intense, precisely executed jam sessions, with tiny treasures of bluegrass hidden between, I give Cornmeal 9/10 slices.

Thanks again to Rad Kadillac for an excellent evening and for continuing to bring good acts to the area!

Check out our gallery for more pictures!

Doused in butter,
The Toastman