"We like to have a good time and I try to carry that over in our show," said Kris Lager, founder and guitarist of the Omaha-based Kris Lager Band. "If I get people dancing, moving, clapping, that's how I feel good about a show."
If you need some attention-grabbing music in your life, you've found the right band. With a mixture of every genre imaginable, The Kris Lager Band has a unique sound, definitely unlike any group I've ever heard.
"We'll play anything," Lager said. "For a lot of years we got the blues tag, which is fine because I love the blues. But if you call us that, you're missing out on a lot of other stuff we do."
He couldn't have worded it better. When listening to the first song of their set, the bluesy sound was evident, but that doesn't even begin to describe the sound these guys call their own. Miraculously, the Kris Lager Band has found a way to combine blues, funk, rock and roll, classic rock, a little gospel and even hip-hop.
"We started as a blues band but now we're all over the place and I think that's why people like us," said keyboardist Jeremiah Weir. "It's like putting your iPod on shuffle; you never know what's coming up next."
Joining Lager toward the front of the stage is bassist Brandon Miller and drummer John Fairchild has the gift of freestyle and beatboxing that audience members go crazy for.
"He can just rap and make up rhymes for days. He will make a rap about everybody in the audience," Weir said.
Lager described his comrades as fearless. While he has been playing music since age 13, the band got its start in 2006. They began their legacy by touring with an American India band called "Indigenous." In time, the Kris Lager Band formed its own group of followers and began headlining shows across the country.
Travelling as far west as Los Angeles and to New York on the east coast, these boys don't slow down. Weir claims he has played more than 1,300 shows with Lager in the time the band has been together. Nonetheless, every single gig has been different. Lager thinks that some of these differences can be attributed to where they are playing.
"If I go down south, more often than not, people dance from the first song to the last. Around the Midwest it seems that people don't dance until they get drunk," Lager said. "Regionally you can see different behavioral patterns."
Although they've traveled the country up and down, Weir can't choose just one concert that stood out above the rest.
"Why would I want my favorite to be behind me?" Weir asked. "I hope all my favorite concerts are in the future."
Representing Nebraska everywhere they go, Weir knows The Kris Lager band has an eclectic sound. Every band member connects with the audience in some way, and that connection starts with getting close to the listeners. While some songs have a sad vibe, the show always ends on an uplifting note. The main goal is to get everyone moving and having a good time.
"We're all smiling and playing our hearts out," Weir said. "We don't dress crazy extravagant; it's more about the music than it is about the image. It's about playing good sounding stuff that makes people wanna smile."
Being close helps Lager interact with the audience in a way that's not possible with recorded music.
"You can throw out energy back to the performer," Lager said. "It's like a conversation: you can tell when someone's listening to you. Back and forth we go. I realized a few years ago, it doesn't matter how great people think I am, it's about how good I make them feel. If I make them feel good, they will think the show was great."
Lager claims that his motivation for performing music is completely different from his motivation for making music. He knows there is no better way to express himself than through the guitar.
"I love it; I love making sounds," he said. "Why do you talk, interact, socialize? We all have that innate desire to be understood."
When asked his reasons for making music, Weir's tone of voice changed and I could tell he cares about this band and their music more than anything else.
"Its an amazing gift from a higher power," he said. "What it does to people, it's a powerful thing. After playing it and becoming better and better I feel like I've been blessed. It's the best I can do right now in this world for myself and others."
You can find more information on the Kris Lager Band by visiting their website, www.krislagerband.com.
Weir's final remark at the end of our conversation was "have a beautiful day." This well-wishing is the simplest, yet the most true example of the Kris Lager Band's philosophy.
"‘Celebrate life' is, like, our motto," Weir said. "At the end of every set Kris says ‘Take care of yourselves, take care of each other.' We're all on the same page here. We're all human. This is what we do. We play music and hopefully you enjoy it."
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