Tao means "the path" or "the way". It refers to the power which envelops, surrounds & flows through all things living & non-living. It regulates natural processes & nourishes balance in the Universe. Taoists believe that you should search for the "3 jewels": compassion, moderation & humility. They believe the five parts of the sky are what make up the whole: water, fire, wood, earth & metal. Skyfive, the band, are currently made up of only 4 of those pieces, as they're looking for a keyboardist to make 5 again. The 4 parts are Mark "V" VanArsdall - Bass/Vocals, Brian Schwanebeck - Drums Doug Nelsen - Rhythm Guitar, Jeff "Heimo" Heimgartner - Lead Guitar/Vocals.

SCS: How and when did Skyfive form as a band?

Jeff: SkyFive formed in February 2001. It had been a little over a year since I had been in a band at that point. I had been jamming & working on songs in my basement. I was getting the itch to play in a band setting again & decided to put some flyers out & try to get something going. One of the guys who pulled a tab off & gave me a call was Jeff Perry. He had been jamming with a few different people at his house & invited me over to sit in. Everyone hit it off…the rest is history & I’ve drank way too much beer since then to remember any more details.

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

Jeff: That’s always a tough question. Everyone wants their sound to be original & what-not, but when you get down to it, that’s usually not the case. I would like to think our music is fairly eclectic. We have a wide age range in the band (32-56)…so we all draw on a variety of influences & I think that definitely comes across in the music. If I had to narrow it down to a couple words…I’d say it’s mellow rock.

Mark: Medium rock and roll--like Three doors down/Big Head Todd/Pearl Jam

Brian: - Mid-tempo, rock polkas you can't dance to. Seriously, mid-tempo alt-rock with a complex rhythm. Intense, heart-felt songs about life, without the standard rock beat, strong vocals (Pearl Jam meets Dave Mathews meets Big Head Todd and the Monsters).

SCS: How would you describe a Skyfive show? -- If people come to see you live, what can they expect?

Jeff: They could expect lots of music & lots of beer

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

Jeff: I’ve been influenced by most everything I’ve heard one way or another. I’d say some of the ones that have had the most impact would be: Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Big Head Todd, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper & The Cult

Mark: Flea of the Red hot chili peppers

Doug: I have been influenced by Rock & Roll & The Blues. Allman Bros, Marshal Tucker Band, Savoy Brown, come to mind.

Brian: Rock: Police, Genesis, 311, Incubus, Faith No More

SCS: How did the name Skyfive come about?

Jeff: At the time we were trying to come up with a name, I happened to be doing some research on an eastern religion called Taoism. It’s pretty interesting & I found a lot of ideas that I could relate to. One of the philosophies within it is “The 5 Parts of The Sky". This refers to everything that makes up the whole…you know…earth, water, fire, metal…yadda yadda yadda. There were 5 of us in the band…we put Sky & 5 together & it just seemed to fit.

SCS: How have you grown, musically and creatively, since the band first started?

Jeff: I think everyone in the band has grown a lot musically since we started. Creatively I think my song writing has gotten to be a little more complex

Brian: We have gotten a lot tighter with the complex rhythms and have understood each others direction a lot better. We have all constrained our playing to enhance the sum or the parts theory

SCS: Jeff, do your write all the songs yourself, or how do you guys work on songs? How does it go from idea to finished song?

Jeff: I write the majority of the songs, although anyone in the band can bring in ideas or finished songs. Mark has written some good ones. As far as the process…if it’s a song that I’ve got pretty much finished, I’ll play it & sing it a couple times through & then let everyone add what they want. From there it just takes time for the song to get tweaked & polished. Since we all only have time for practice once a week, we usually record our practice so we can listen to it the rest of the week until the following practice. It really allows us to hear what we did right & what we did wrong. It also gives me a chance to work on lyrics for songs that aren’t finished yet.

SCS: Do you have a favorite song of yours to play live?

Jeff: My favorite song right now would be Red Kisses.

Mark: Red Kisses.

Brian: Bide My Time and Things In My Head

SCS: Are there any you don’t like playing anymore?

Jeff: None that come to mind.

Brian: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, oh we never did that one, no really I still like them all.

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

Jeff: Our 1st SkyFive show was in June of 2001 opening for LUNE. The LUNE guys practiced in the house next to where we practiced. They would stop by for a beer break & ended up asking us to play a show with them. It went great...we all had a blast & appreciated the opportunity.

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

Jeff: For me it had to be the Nebraska State Fair gig in 2003. Dougy knows a lot of people & he said he could get us one of the weekday afternoon slots at the fair. We figured it would be fun so we gave it a shot. The thing that made it the most memorable was that it was like 101 degrees that day (I’m not exaggerating either) & there were like 8 people there…6 of which were family. I’m glad we had a cooler of cold ones back stage. It was a lot of fun though & the most awesome sound system any of us had ever played through.

Mark: Bobs Tavern...3/5/04---We came together and had a great night.

Brian: Bob's Tavern 3/5/04, it all just clicked and the crowd got it.

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

Jeff: I like the fact that there are so many bands in Lincoln...especially original bands. On almost any night of the week you can find something you’d like from acoustic to blues to rock. I also like the fact that there are so many new venues popping up to play at. We’ve met a lot of people & it’s really given us a chance to play more than we used to. As far as dislikes…I just wish more people, including me, would make it out to more shows.

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?

Jeff: I’m not big on giving advice, but for me… one thing I’ve learned over the years is that friendship is more important than the band. I’m not saying that would be the same for everyone, but for me it’s been great to finally be in a band where everyone gets along & respects each other.

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

Jeff: Having a baby at home & a job where I travel…I don’t get out to see other bands as much as I’d like. I always try to make it to Duffy’s at least a couple times a month though to check out some shows. I think anyone with the desire & gumption to be out there playing what they feel deserves to be recognized & admired. The few that stick in my mind that I’ve seen down there lately would be: Tie These Hands, Shyaway & Rent Money Big

SCS: Who’s your favorite local band to play with?

Jeff: Hands down at this point it would be HiFi-90. Greg is a great song writer & they’re a great band. We always have a blast when we play with them.

SCS: Why did you choose Cowboy Bob Davis @ Palace Jam to produce your album?

Jeff: Well...The band was having growing pains & had just went through some line up changes. No one knew what the bands future would be & we just wanted a snap-shot of where the band was musically at that point. We didn’t want to spend a lot of time or money. We just wanted to go in & play the songs once through live like we would at practice. Doug knew Bob so we went that way. Bob’s a great guy & very talented. We’re real happy with what we got.

Doug: When we recorded with Bob Davis @ The Jam Palace, we were just looking for a historical record of a few of the songs we had been playing for a couple of years. It turned out he gave us a short CD that has interested people enough to sell a few copies in Lincoln. I think Bob is a real Wizard at taking what a band gives him, & giving back a great recording

SCS: Are there any local producers/engineers you'd like to work with who you think could help to develop your sound even more?

Jeff: Honestly, I don’t know a lot about recording & we really don’t know any other producers/engineers but we would be more than happy to work with someone who could help us develop our sound.

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

Jeff: Nothing at this point but we’ve been talking about it...so hopefully sometime in the near future

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

Jeff: I’ve always wanted to do a version of Howard Jones – No One Is To Blame

Mark: Something by Paul Westerberg

Doug: I would like to cover Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Brian: Red Hot Chili Peppers - Suck My Kiss

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

Jeff: I hear Willie Nelson gets good smoke

Doug: The Traveling Wilburys

Brian: Led Zeppelin

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

Jeff: Almost every concert I went to made me want to play but I guess the person who made we want to take music seriously would be a guy named Erik Blomenkamp. He was the resident assistant for our floor at the dorm I stayed in for a while at college. A bunch of us would head to his room to jam & "what-not". I remember just staring at & studying his left hand and right hand were doing. I’d head back to my room & try to make the same sounds. It sounded like shit though...it was either my amp or the "what-not" I thought.

Brian: ELO, third grade "Dad, what is that smell?"

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

Jeff: The 1st album my mom bought me…I’m pretty sure it was Barry Manilow – Greatest Hits (I think Barry rules). I can’t remember what my 1st CD was but I’m sure it was something cheesy.

Mark: Kiss-Rock and roll over

Doug: First Album was Bob Dylan, Hiway 61 revisited.

Brian: Boston was my first album, Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon was my first CD and Foghat was my first 8 Track

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

Jeff: Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of Ben Harper, Big Head Todd & the Sterophonics.

Brian: Sevendust, Incubus, A Perfect Circle, Crystal Method, Hed PE

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

Jeff: I plead the 5th on that one.

Mark: