An Apocalyptic Evening At Reverb!

Story and Photos: Spencer Fleming

Last night (12.26.24), I emerged from my haze of holiday treats and video games to make my way to the Reverb in Benson. This post-Christmas throw-down featured an eclectic lineup of ZUNEG and the Doom Choir, Las Cruxes, and FLUX AMUCK.

Before the show I hit the Omaha Taco Co with my buddy Brian of Slime and Grime fame and former Stories From The Crowd writer. It's always great to catch up with old friends over the holidays, especially over some of the best tacos in Omaha!

We arrived to the apocolyptic sounds of ZUNEG and the Doom Choir! ZUNEG is the brain child of local musician Tim Mechaley. Tim plays guitar and vocals over programmed drums and synths while a visual feast for the eyes plays behind him. His project has steadily grown adding more videos with each set. If you like early Nine Inch Nails this is right up your alley. The latest installment of the Doom Choir focuses on a replicant vampire war with a family traveling through the desert trying to survive a dystopian nightmare. This is all personal observation. Tim could probably tell you a more specific description of what's going on, but either way, I dig it. The set started a bit slow but by the last couple songs the industrial sound has built to a fever pitch. The machine gun drums and vocoded scream vocals take you on a trip through time and space. The latest visuals took a huge step up and had a very cool cohesive black and white with pops of red. In a sea of overproduced TikTok pop stars and manufactured music these days it's cool to immerse yourself in something out of the norm and just trip in the land of the weird! Tim is constantly building this project so check him out on his next show and lose your mind for a few minutes.

Next up was the Spanish pop group Las Cruxes. These guys had a cool vibe mixing up English and Spanish over jangly pop tunes. Think late 80s and early 90s power pop like The Pixies, The Replacements, The Cars, and even a little Big Star but in Spanish. With three guitars the layered sounds and beautiful harmonies had the room swinging. I could see these guys doing really well at the Shadow Ridge Music Festival as their sound brings about nostalgic feelings of the 90s with a fresh twist. The band's singer mentioned a lot of the songs they had played were coming off of new material so give them a look on streaming platforms today!

Last up was the prog-funk Omaha band FLUX AMUCK. I had seen these guys a few years back and remembered having a good time. Even without their lead singer the show went off without a hitch. There were so many crazy sounds instruments it was a smorgasbord of sounds! From a double bass song, to banjo, cello, and even a theramin these guys know how to make things interesting. The last time I saw them their lead signer was playing a rain stick! At one point the keyboard player was hoisting up what looked like the world series trophy and running a bow across it. The best part of the set for me was a new song titled "Circle _____ of Life" (insert your own guess on the innuendo). While phalic objects were mentioned it was actually a beautiful piece of music with intricate bass and flowing proggy guitar. FLUX AMUCK is definitely out there in the best way possible.

There were actually a few different shows going last night in Omaha and getting people out right after Christmas can be tough, but for those who were there it was a really great time. It was awesome capturing one more local show to finish off an amazing year of music. A huge thanks to ZUNEG for booking photos and helping to suppor the dream!