The Lincoln provides much-needed showcase for local musicians

Mar. 4—It never was about winning.

The management and staff at The Lincoln Theatre realized that during last year's Battle of the Bands, as the majority of artists that participated in the show valued getting time on stage far more than they did a potential cash prize.

The Lincoln dropped the battle concept in favor of a yearly series of Local Music Showcases, giving local artists from the hip-hop/rap, rock, singer/songwriter, metal, country and electronic genres a chance to perform on downtown's most prominent stage.

With the ever-present struggle for musicians to find places to perform in Cheyenne, the Local Music Showcase series is a much-needed solution and one that's already generated significant interest from local musicians, said Renee Jelinek, co-owner of The Lincoln.

Though their interest arrived far in advance of their scheduled date, Fell Harvest, a Cheyenne-based metal outfit, has already expressed interest in performing at The Lincoln.

Not only would it be their debut at the downtown theater, it would essentially be the band's hometown debut, despite being operational since 2019. They've tried to perform somewhere here in the past, but a show in Cheyenne never came together.

"I played here a few years ago with one of my older bands from when I still lived in Colorado," said Joseph Fell, lead singer for Fell Harvest. "But that was literally a show in a field out west of town, with about 100 or 150 people listening to us play metal by a bonfire.

"There are a lot of metal heads in Cheyenne, so I think it's a good move on the part of The Lincoln."

Fell Harvest performs the majority of its shows in Denver, Fort Collins and Greeley, Colorado, with a couple dates in Laramie, as well. Half of the band, including Fell, live in Cheyenne.

The band will release its sophomore album, "The Dying," in May, just in time for the metal band showcase. If they aren't selected to perform in that show, the hope is that Fell can use his Denver connections to assemble a metal show for The Lincoln at a later date.

Finding a venue is a bit easier for indie/punk bands in Cheyenne, though it's still a challenge.

The remnants of what was once the Laramie-based indie group Sunnydale High are still alive and kicking, but the winter presents an additional challenge, even if established musicians like those in Angelus Errare are looking to play.

"I think there are some outlets for local bands, but not in the winter," said Jenny Weiss, keytarist for Angelus Erarre. "In the winter, it's dead. In summer, there's a lot of events you can play, like the parks. Arts Cheyenne does quite a few events that they open up to local bands, but otherwise, the winter is so dead."

The Lincoln's Open Jam Night is still going strong since it was introduced early last year, but the format for that monthly event aims to pair random musicians together, rather than give bands a venue to perform.

The showcase, as a result, presents a significant wintertime opportunity for groups like Errare.

On the other hand, if it weren't for venues like The Louise Event Venue and other shows hosted by local recording studio Wyoming Wave, there would hardly be any opportunity for Cheyenne-based rappers to perform at any point in the year.

Wyoming is a particularly difficult place for hip-hop/rap artists to succeed, despite their presence here in Cheyenne. This first installment of the Local Music Showcase features 12 local rap artists, double the number of performers permitted in the other genre nights.

So far, the list of performers includes a mix of well-established artists and newcomers to the lively underground rap scene in the Capital City. Among the veterans to take the stage on March 11 will be Treyven Gallegos, or TreyWrks, who has performed at The Lincoln in the aforementioned Battle of the Bands.

For Gallegos, the showcase format sounds like a worthwhile transition.

"There's no ego involved. There's no competition, really, because sometimes you had that secret competition with somebody where you want to one-up that person," Gallegos said. "The straight hip-hop night kind of gives that opportunity for artists just to go out there, showcase their skills and enjoy other people's music."

With a more relaxed atmosphere, he expects both the performers and the artists to feel more comfortable. Newer artists might also feel comfortable entering the lineup for a "showcase," rather than a "competition," giving them much-needed stage time.

"I'm still gonna bring out (my) best songs, and I got a lot of new songs, but that eases the pressure off me because I get to go out there and just have fun with it," he said. "Versus knowing that somebody has to be voting."

Cover charge is $5, with the option to tip extra for each performer.

Will Carpenter is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle's Arts and Entertainment/Features Reporter. He can be reached by email at wcarpenter@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3135. Follow him on Twitter @will_carp_.