2024 Slim Days Band Spotlight: LIVE ANIMALS
The Garage Band.
Back in 1994, Live Animals began in a Chadron basement as nothing more than four guys with a desire to have fun messing around with the instruments that were scattered around the “Funk House” basement. After a few weeks of jamming the quartet came up with the name “Live Animals” and set of roughly eight songs that would become the core of their sporadic performances for the next 30 years.
After a few months of warming up the stage for Chadron favorites Flannel Sunday, Live Animals (LA) members unplugged the amplifiers and went back to their normal lives of college and work. The benefit of keeping their set list simple was that it was very easy to pick right back up where they left off. LA members would continue to get together and play as often as they could.
In 2002, members Ted Garner and Ben Ehlers were living in Omaha and Lincoln respectively. Finding new members Joe Reiners and Jason Ray, they would relaunch LA and begin playing gigs in Lincoln and Omaha.
Playing infamous rock venues like The Royal Grove, Knickerbockers, Sokol Underground, and many others in-between – LA would form a local following and alliance with many local gigging bands that kept them busy for the next four years.
Eventually – as the old saying goes – all good things must come to an end. LA members would once again disperse to persue other life ambitions. With some great memories and a four song demo the LA dream would stay alive in the darkest recesses of Ted and Ben’s minds.
Slim Days 2024 has gratiously offered LA yet another opportunity to take the stage. After nearly two decades without any notable performances, and the challenge of finding some new members, LA will once again plug in and let it rip. Come early, you might not want to miss this…
