Roots rock devotees near and far count Lincoln-based band Mezcal Brothers righteous practitioners of the genre’s pure, hard-driving beats.
Originally founded in 1998 by siblings Gerardo and Tony Meza, the group’s origin story is organic. The brothers hung out making music, sometimes jamming at family gatherings. Then Gerardo volunteered the as-yet-unformed, unnamed band to replace a no-show group at Duffy’s in Lincoln. They scrambled to find players, rehearsed, hit upon the name and, once onstage, discovered people dug their sound and energy.
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The sons of Mexican immigrants grew up steeped in the pure rhythms of classic rock. “Something about that era really drew me in and the music really spoke to me,” Gerardo Meza said. “When I started writing I would hear that influence. It would just come out.” His brother ended up leaving the band before they put out their first record, Hold on Tight.
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“That’s what we toured with. None of us really had jobs at the time so we had to play, we had to be on the road,” Meza said. “Eventually we got some connections and reviews.” Additional records followed.
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“The records got everywhere,” he added. The band toured California and the Pacific Northwest. “That’s where our big fan base was.” They also toured the Midwest with Los Straitjackets and Big Sandy.
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Eventually, their music took them overseas to places such as Scandinavia, where rockabilly rules. Back home, they played major festivals in Wisconsin and Washington. Fans of the style “live and breathe this stuff,” Meza said. “At times I just thought of it as one big party.” Omaha music journalist B.J. Huchtemann appreciates the band’s “high-octane” style and “irresistibly danceable” sound.
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Their current lineup has long been intact. Frontman, songwriter, and acoustic guitar player Meza is joined by Charlie Johnson on bass, Benny Kushner on electric guitar, and Shaun Theye on drums. They make “a good fit” Meza said, despite the fact Kushner and Theye “were never really into this music” before they joined. “We kind of schooled them as far as ‘listen to this, listen to that.’ Of course, they liked it.” They’ve killed it ever since.
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Recording and touring gave way to local gigs. The Nebraska Music Hall of Fame inductees are a fixture at Lincoln’s iconic Zoo Bar. Once the pandemic hit, Meza said, “We went six months without actually playing a show.” They used the downtime to get back in the studio. The result is Shakin’ Dog, a 14-track LP that released to strong reviews last fall. “We just got tired of doing the same set every night. We had to mix it up and get it more exciting and challenging, and that’s where we’re at now with the new songs.”
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The Lincoln Journal-Star’s Kent Wolgamott wrote the record is “reminiscent of a Blasters album”and delivers the “blistering rockabilly expected from the Mezcals.”
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The rockabilly album reworks old songs by Meza the band never performed or recorded. The remixed works “sound sweeter” thanks to the magic of Johnson, who co-owns Fuse Recording, and top local players jamming on sessions. “Charlie is a genius. He knows his way around a recording studio and soundboard. His ears are the only ones I trust,” Meza said. “We have a genius guitar player in Benny and an amazing producer in Charlie, so we’re pretty lucky. That’s why we look at this project we call the band as having the right people, the right sound, and the right attitude. That’s what keeps bands together.”
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There are no egos running amok. “That’s what usually breaks up bands,” Meza said. “We never really had those issues…We’ve worked with good people.”
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The band’s last shakeup was 14 years ago. Being together so long has forged an unspoken unity.
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“A lot of that has to do with the fact we were on the road,” Meza said. “We had to depend on each other quite a bit playing those shows. That really bonds a band. We anticipate what we’re doing on stage. It’s like being tied at the waist by a rope. We all kind of know who’s pulling and tugging where, so we know how to respond.”
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At the peak of their travels, they were gone a month at a time.
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After years without a new album, Shakin’ Dog is a fitting followup to the hall of fame induction.
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“We spent most of our career on the road and so when we came back to Nebraska, a lot of people didn’t recognize the fact we were getting recognition nationally and internationally,” Meza said. “Being validated in Nebraska meant a lot to us because that’s where we’re from.”
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Meza—who is also a Lincoln Public Schools fine art instructor, studio artist, and the leader of a second band, The Dead of Night—said, “The Mezcals have been the foundation and the solid thing throughout. I can’t even imagine what it would be like without it. I think everybody in the band feels the same way.”
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Realistically, the band won’t be going on any long tours again. “We’re grateful for those days. We were young and energized enough to do it then,” Meza said. “But it takes a toll. Shitty food, being at a bar every night, drinking. Tempers flare because you’re frustrated being gone. It’s nice to have Lincoln be such a musical city where we can always get gigs. It’s a perfect place to play music, enjoy music, and be around likeminded people.”
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Meza and company look forward to laying licks and riffs down in front of fans again.
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Sure, the band’s older now, but, Meza said, “We still bring it.”
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Visit mezcalbrothers.bandcamp.com for more information.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2021 issue of Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.