South of Lincoln to perform at Duffy’s this weekend

Leave the fuss of the lead singer's ego and complication of overlapping multiple schedules to the other guys. Lincoln's Max Holmquist and his one-man folk show, South of Lincoln will be returning to Duffy's Tavern.

Sunday, March 6, South of Lincoln will play a show at 9 p.m. at Duffy's Tavern alongside fellow one-man band Manny Coon as well as The Betties and All Young Girls Are Machine Guns. Each band and solo act has its own specific attributes, but they share an indie, folk and acoustic sound.

"We have our different variations of music that flow together and forms a cohesive set of sounds," Holmquist said.

A Lincoln native, Holmquist started South of Lincoln as a side project to his original band, Traceback. It quickly progressed into what became his main focus and he began playing solo in fall of 2006. His music shifted from a post-punk and emo sound to a storytelling blend of indie and folk.

"There are people always telling me I should get a band together, but there were a lot of musicians who made names for themselves and I began to appreciate the simplicity of one guy making it by himself," Holmquist said.

Last January, Holmquist's debut album titled "Homes" was released at Duffy's Tavern. The album is riddled with lyrics of reflection and nostalgia complimented by the strum of an acoustic guitar.

Songs of heartbreak and a sense of home complete the storytelling genre of folk music.

Holmquist is eager to begin writing and creating more music to share with his listeners as well as expanding his venues.

"I'd like to move by the end of the year and maybe get into the Portland scene, I hope that since I have a few connections I'll get plugged quickly, but I'm nervous because I don't want to be just another guy who moved to Portland," Holmquist said.

With influences from Damien Jurado, Pete Yorn and Early November, Holmquist has formulated a combination of his guitar and his voice as well as beautiful techniques that make music that can stand alone and is better by itself rather than a band. Band or no band, there's typically a pre-show process to prepare for the performance.

"My prep used to be heavy drinking, but I kind of had to set that aside, now I just run three songs on my guitar, head down 30 minutes before and chain smoke," Holmquist said.

Even though recording albums isn't the cheapest, Holmquist is eager to begin creating music and eventually releasing a sophomore album. A sample of his first album can be found on MySpace. Although this isn't his first show at Duffy's, the audience can expect an acoustic compilation of unique music.

Duffy's Tavern was voted "#1 College Bar In America" according to complex.com, a site dedicated to the lifestyle of young adults. Nirvana, 311 and Bright Eyes are just a few bands that have graced the stage at Duffy's in the past decades. They guarantee a great time ranging from comedy nights on Monday to original music from local acts.

"We'll draw off each other and keep an energy that will make the music easily flow together," Holmquist said.

arts@dailynebraskan.com