The Filter Kings Showed Sioux City How to Party Like a True Honky-Tonker on Saturday at Awesome Biker Nights

By: Audrey Kay xx

Beer, bikes, babes and bands sums up Awesome Biker Nights in a very, very small nutshell. Since those things scratch the surface on the core values of Omaha's rockabilly rebels, The Filter Kings, combining the venue with the band is a recipe for one drunken good time. The crowd and setting was perfect for some good old-fashioned, outlaw country rock. Playing a fairly lengthy set, a solid hour and a half, they never once wavered in delivering song after song of gritty punkabilly, showing that the OEA award winners in "Best Folk/Americana/Bluegrass"kick ass throughout their entire performance and drive it straight home at the end.

Before each show, it is pretty important for everyone to be in the right state of mind (usually alcohol-induced, but for them, that IS the right state of mind) and well- prepared to get on stage and rock the show. One stressor that comes along with playing out of town is trying to communicate and make sure everyone in the band is where they are supposed to be at the time they are supposed to be there. Well, for a group of high-class hillbillies, that is not always something that goes according to plan. As me and my dear buddy Dean, The Filter King's merch guy and just all-around rock star, go to pick up lead singer Lee to head down to ABN, we found him to be a little bit…agitated.

"Why the HELL isn't Chris pickin' up his damn phone? I need to make sure someone's gonna be up front with wristbands so I don't look like a fuckin' idiot!"He said as multiple texts and calls went without response.

I could not help but laugh about it; these are the kind of guys that could kick the shit out of each other and be best friends five minutes later. Though Sioux City is not across the country, there are many more hassles that come along with playing a show outside of Omaha as opposed to playing a show in Benson, for instance. While it does not take much planning to get everything together when they are playing at more recognizable venues five minutes from home, it becomes difficult to orchestrate when performing in a town less familiar. Despite any problems to begin with, everyone got to the show in one piece, got the wristbands, got on stage, and gave the crowd a hell of an act. After all, that is all that matters anyway, right?

The event was packed; it was an all age affair, so although maybe not the most 'kid-friendly' occasion, you saw people ranging from toddlers in strollers to grandmas in power chairs. There were multiple stages on site with all types of bands on the bill, including The Guess Who. Since the scene was perfect for some wild country boys, competition was not a major concern. When we got to the stage, a band of old-timers playing some covers were on the platform and were not drawing much attention from the crowd passing by. The main floor was massive and could have fit a good portion of the audience, but very few cared to take advantage of the large space to get a closer view. The band knew if they wanted to draw people in, they would need to work much harder than the band before them to do so, but they found that even after their first song it was not taking much to attract interest.

When The Filter Kings, or any band, play a show outside of Omaha, it gives them great opportunity to get their name and music out there to people who have never heard of them before. Many people come to the shows in Omaha because they have already come to know and love them, and a good portion of them already own a CD. I took this as ideal timing to spread the word and figured "Why wait for them to come stop by and buy something when I can go to them myself?"So, that is just what I did, and it paid off tremendously. In fact, Dean will probably need to stock up on extras in the future as we ran out of almost everything we had on hand. One lady in the crowd exclaimed how much she loved their music and said "We need more people like them around here!" As I told everyone they will be back at The Chesterfield next week, they said they would not miss it and would tell everyone they knew to drop their plans and come on out to the show. I think it is safe to say The Filter Kings made quite the impact on Sioux City and are forever welcome in their town. It was good to see a crowd of people there who live their lives based on what the band's songs are all about.

Want to see what a night in Sioux City is like with The Filter Kings? You may have missed Awesome Biker Nights, but the boys will be tearing it up again back in The Sioux *THIS SATURDAY* June 26th with Mat D. and The Profane Saints! Show starts at 9 p.m. Sioux City is only an hour and a half away, so stop being a puss and get the hell out of Omaha for a night and come party! As always, it is going to be an absolute riot so you will not want to miss out! Get your ass there, get wasted, and enjoy a crazy night painting the town red with Omaha's finest!

Audrey Kay xx

Previous Articles:
Local Feast 2009
Like A Storm
Emphatic
Rebecca Lowry - AYGAMG
Killigans
Paper Tongues
The Giving Tree Band
Broken Crown
The Filter Kings
After the Fall
The Fixed Fight
Shaman's Harvest
Moth Complex
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
30 Seconds to Mars
8th Wave Interview
8th Wave Review
The Beat Seekers
Aurasing

6.22.10