Bugs Meany have a storied past (which you can read about on their website) with a few members who are no longer with the band, but it looks like this lineup is the one that's going to stick. Gene, Kevin and Mike gave me the scoop on what's going on with them.

SCS: How and when did Bugs Meany form as a band?

Gene: Bugs Meany is Mike Catron on Drums, Kevin Lyons on the bass guitar, and me on guitar and vocals. We've been playing together for about two years but we had a different lead singer/guitarist. We've been in the current lineup since July of 2003. Kevin and Mike have been playing together in various incarnations of the band with the other singer and thought maybe they wanted another guitarist. I've known Kevin since elementary school, so I was asked to join.

SCS: How would you describe your band or your sound to someone who’s never heard or seen you?

Gene: Rock & Roll with a country/rockabilly influence. There's something very genuine about those old country and rockabilly songs that people really identify with, and they're a lot of fun to play. We usually like to throw in a Johnny Cash cover in our set, but we do rock it up a little bit.

SCS: What separates Bugs Meany from other bands on the local scene right now?

Gene: We have more songs with comic book references than most bands do. Our drummer, Mike, writes a lot of lyrics and he's a big comic book fan. We also have a song about a storm trooper, which to our knowledge, hasn't been done around here.

SCS: What types of music and which musicians/groups influenced the band members?

Gene: A lot of alt-country like The Old 97's, The Jayhawks, Son Volt and Wilco.

Kevin: Geddy Lee from Rush and Stanley Clarke.

Mike: John Stanier from Helmet and Scott Churilla from the Reverend Horton Heat.

SCS: How do you guys work on songs? How does it go from idea to finished song?

Gene: Usually, someone will come to practice with an idea for music. Mike often has complete lyrics that I'll put music to. The arrangment is usually done in practice. I sometimes come with lyrics and music already done but the song is by no means finished until practice when everyone can add their input. It's the "Group Hive Mind." Every once in a while a song will be written start to finish in practice. We have a song called "She Drives" that was like that. Mike and I played the riff over and over while Mike wrote down the lyrics. We got pretty lucky with that one, because it turned out to be one of our best songs.

SCS: When and where was your first local show, and how did it go?

Kevin: The first show for this incarnation of the band was July 24, 2003 at Knickerbocker's. We had the show booked for about a month, but our old singer ended up in jail at the beginning of July. At that point we decided to become a three piece. Gene took over vocal responsibilities, and we threw together a 45 minute set in the next few weeks. The show went reasonably well, but we had to beg Minutia Stew to let us go on first because we didn't have enough songs to go on last. They were very gracious and understanding though, very cool guys. They put on a great show that night.

SCS: What was your most memorable live performance and what made it that?

Mike: Probably that first show.

Gene: I remember after it was all over, sitting and watching Minutia Stew and just feeling happy about the show and relieved that the last three weeks of anxiety and memorizing lyrics were over.

SCS: What do you like and dislike about the music scene in Lincoln?

Gene: All of the bands we've played with have been very supportive and really great people. We dislike the fact that there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of places to play, but this seems to be improving. 10 years ago it seemed like there were a ton of places to play, now it's just karoake all over.

SCS: Have you learned anything in your experiences in a band that you feel newer local bands could learn from, or made any mistakes they should avoid?

Gene: A couple beers before a show can be a good thing. Several beers before a show can be disastrous.

SCS: Who are some local bands or musicians that you admire or feel should be recognized?

Gene: We've already mentioned Minutia Stew. We also really like The Third Side, The Strangers, and Strawberry Burns. We couldn't forget Prairie Psycho, those guys will rock your face right off.

SCS: Are you working on a new album now, and if so, when do you expect it to come out?

Kevin: We're hoping to have something out by next Christmas. We're gonna see if we can display it at the checkout counter at Gordman's during the holidays and get all the impulse buyers. It'll be us on the cover sitting around a big Christmas tree with fuzzy sweaters, hopefully people will think it's a Christmas album.

SCS: What song would each band member like to cover the most?

Kevin: There are several songs by Ned's Atomic Dustbin that I'd would like to play. We already do "Bel Air" by The Old 97's so Gene is happy.

Mike: I think we're going to pull out "I See The Light" by Cracker for the next show.

SCS: If you could tour with any band in history, who would be your dream band to tour with?

Kevin: Ned's Atomic Dustbin or Paul Van Dyke.

Mike: Elvis Costello or The Replacements.

Gene: Either Tom Petty or Son Volt. The Replacements would probably be the most decadent.

SCS: Who was the first person or band you saw that made you want to play music?

Gene: You wouldn't know it if you listen to me but Eddie Van Halen was the first person that made me want to play.

Mike: Soundgarden inspired me.

Kevin: The Ramones...instant street cred here...and The Screaming Trees. The bass player for The Screaming Trees weighed about 4,000 lbs and when I saw that fat fucker rolling around on the stage. I knew that was something I wanted to do.

SCS: What was the first album/CD you bought?

Gene: My first purchase was "Uh Huh" by John Cougar Mellencamp (on cassette).

Mike: I was the proud owner of the Star Wars "read and hear" album or INXS "Kick".

Kevin: The Hobbit, as read by Tolkien.

SCS: Whose music are you listening to right now? -- What other bands would you recommend people check out?

Gene: I'm listening to "Rainy Day Music" by The Jayhawks and would like very much for you to listen to it as well.

Mike: I'm is listening to Union Underground and would like everyone to check out Japanese sensation Utada Hikaru.

Kevin: Stargaze 1-6 on mp3 and Ned's Atomic Dustbin. We also recommend that you listen to your mothers.

SCS: What are your top five albums of all time?

Kevin: