Recap and photos by Brittany Ward
Oct. 12, 2018
Philip Daniel performs at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 11, 2018 (Brittany Ward/KZUM).
The weather seems to be staying cooler these days, with no more surprise 90-degree weather. Despite the chill in the air Thursday, an intimate audience gathered at the Zoo Bar to bear witness to music that warms even the coldest of souls (references to cold weather are now over.) Thursday’s bill consisted of three talented musicians, two local and one from Colorado.
Around 6 p.m., the crowd was eased into the night with neo-classical pianist, Philip Daniel Zach aka Philip Daniel. Zach performed pieces his recently released album, This Tree is Made for Climbing, as well as a few from his album released in 2017, Gradient. Both albums can be found on Spotify, Apple Music or on his website. The comparison and similarities between the albums is perfectly summed up on his website:
“These compositions are very cinematic in nature and convey a wide range of emotions. The overarching theme to the album is one of hope, joy and love. It is the extroverted response to his first album of melancholy piano compositions.”
Andrea von Kampen performs at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 11, 2018 (Brittany Ward/KZUM).
Andrea von Kampen, an acoustic-folk musician that is no stranger to the Zoo Bar, continued the night of playing new music. She began the night with her one-week-old single, “Portland” and followed up with “Julia,” which is to be released in November. The performance was brimming with sneak peaks into what’s to come this Winter on her new album. Music can be found on her website, Spotify and most other online music sources.
Between songs she caught the crowd up on what’s been happening in her life from her song being featured on “Teen Mom OG,” or rather “the guitar strum before Bristol Palin came on the show.” She even had $450 of Taco Bell gift cards stolen from her while on tour in San Francisco. However, the tour turned around for the better. After seeing Alright Alright’s China Kent, von Kampen “knew everything would be alright.”
Alright Alright performs at The Zoo Bar in Lincoln, Neb., on Oct. 11, 2018 (Brittany Ward/KZUM).
The husband and wife duo out of Denver, composed of China and Seth Kent, brought a new album to town as well. Nearby, is their recently released full-length and “Little Girls, Little Birds” is the first track and the first song in their set list. The duo told a little background before each song, giving the audience further insight into the passionate music they performed.
Some stories were a bit wild. For instance, China told of the time she went to China to visit her brother who was “being watched by the government.” A theory the couple tested while on Skype that resulted in the internet being down for the next 24 hours. Weird coincidence? Maybe, but it did result in “Luckiest Girl in America” being written.
Despite writing a lot of love songs, “most love songs are about other people and aren’t very happy. But this one is about us,” said Seth before playing “By the Bed.”
More of Alright Alright’s music can be found on their website and other online sources.
The night was filled with intimate stories, beautiful music. It was the perfect beginning to the weekend and a relaxing Fall evening.
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Brittany Ward is a multimedia intern with KZUM.
