Once A Pawn | X-Rated Podcast | HearNebraska.org

by Hilary Stohs-Krause

I used to not care for Once A Pawn’s music.

To be really frank, I disliked it. The Lincoln trio, which for a long time was a duo, got their start crafting catchy pop-punk songs in 2003, and that just wasn’t my style.

Over the last eight years, however, founders Catherine Balta (drums, vox) and Eric Scrivens (guitar, production), now joined by bassist Mike Flowers, have moved into a more complex rock sound, experimenting with tempo and melody.

“There’s not a ton of bands that have been together for maybe as long as we have,” Balta said. “It’s just kind of interesting to be around for a while, have people see how we’ve evolved over these eight or nine years.”

During a July 14th visit to the KZUM studios in downtown Lincoln, the band described their sound as orange, rock, music, happy, go-lucky, individual, fans, proud, support and thank-you.

Listen to the podcast below to hear five songs from their next album (which they’re starting to record this week), learn about the inspiration for Scrivens’ dance moves, why they make socially conscious music and how their first album art cover was mistaken for male genitalia. As an added bonus, the final segment of the podcast features music by queer female artists and music focusing on queer issues in honor of last weekend’s Star City Pride, which Balta helped organize.