Barley Street Tavern was shaking Friday night (2/22) as Omaha locals took shelter from the freezing rain.
There were four bands on the bill Friday including The Dive Kings, Beryllium Takeover, Terradactyl, and headliners Battling Giants.
I arrived shortly after 9 and made my way down the slippery street seeking refuge from winter’s icy grasp. I know it won’t be long before I’m complaining about the crazy humidity, but I could really use a reprieve from the depressing gray that is Omaha in February.
Once I got in the Dive Kings were about halfway through their set of bluesy originals. I could dig it. They were reminiscent of Shaman’s Harvest with a little more bass funk.
After the Dive Kings were local boys Beryllium Takeover. Once again, a solid effort from the blues/funk fusion specialists.
They kicked off the set with the straight up blues jam “Mississippi”. This got the room rocking straight away. After another original, Beryllium pulled out the only cover of the night “Whisky in the Jar” done Metallica style. I note “Metallica style” rather than “Metallica cover” because as many folks know, the tune is actually an old Irish drinking song. There have been many iterations over the last 50 years, but it lived in somewhat obscurity until the rock giants put their spin on it. Nowadays you can call it a “Metallica song” and only music nerds like me will tell you different. But, I digress, the “Whiskey in the Jar” cover killed!
I would never want to hamper a band’s progress by suggesting they add more covers to their set, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the Beryllium covers I’ve heard so far (Chili Peppers, Jack White, Radiohead, Metallica). I’m holding out for a Deftones cover, maybe “Diamond Eyes”?
Beryllium Takeover has a show coming up with The Zealots on March 21 at Reverb Lounge. You can get tickets HERE.
After Beryllium, local rockers Terradactyl took the stage. These guys didn’t waste any time before kicking out the jams. Every song was a barn burner! With a heavy mix of thrash metal and punk Terradactyl ripped the place apart! If you like Metallica, Danzig, Dead Kennedys, then Terradactyl is the band for you!
Finally, the last band up was the two-piece Battling Giants. Using an elaborate amp rig and plenty of guitar effects, singer/guitarist Lucas B. Smith was able to create a rich wall of sound normally reserved for a much larger band.
With a mix of garage rock, blues, and jangle-pop, Battling Giants kept the party going! I really enjoyed Lucas’s bright guitar licks and soulful vocals. I could detect flecks of the Strokes, White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Tom Petty, and even a little prog-rock.
Lucas played about 10 songs overall before thanking everyone for coming out despite the nasty freezing rain.
I spoke with Lucas before the set about the different stages his band has gone through and his ambitions to keep touring and making new music. I could tell he has a passion for what he does and it really shined through in his performance. I’m excited to see Lucas and his band again, and I look forward to some new tunes in 2019!
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