By KALIN KROHE
Panhandle Post
The Dead Unicorn Society (DUS) has officially opened in Alliance on Flack Ave. near Dairy Queen.
What is the Dead Unicorn Society?
Is it a brothel, satanic worship place, swingers club, etc. (all rumors from the infamous Alliance Rumor Mill)? No, not at all. But, it is a new music venue in western Nebraska; a restaurant, a place for all arts, and an antique-boutique shop.
So, how did this unique place come into reality?
"The DUS is a collective idea between myself, Darren Jelinek and Derek Johnson (Megan's husband), and everyone who has embraced our vision and helped us build it from the ground up," Megan Johnson said. "So many people are a part of this. We have infused our individual passions into a single location to give our local community a fully immersive arts experience. First and foremost, we are all involved in musical endeavors including multiple bands (Brucey Pratt and The Strange Love, Shon Townsend Band, Loaded Dice, Kalin Krohe Reference, New Wave Time Machine, Riverfront Boys). Our closest friends are a part of Alliance's music and arts community, and so we wanted to create a venue for all of us to enjoy and a space that is open for the music and arts lovers in Alliance and the surrounding area. Our love for music is also supported by our love for food and drink, as well as the unique and bazaar items that we will have for sale, as well as sharing our private collection of oddities with the community."
It took years and years of blood, sweat and tears for this idea to come into reality for the three business owners.
"We've spent years dreaming up the idea, and the past three years collecting the items that you'll find here," Megan said "We've spent a lot of time in antique shops, oddities shops, and scouring private collections in person and on the internet."
"Our planning for the Dead Unicorn Society all came to us based off our enjoyments we seek in life," Derek Johnson said. "For as long as we've all known each other, we have adventured and seeked out any and every music venue, art gallery, antique shop, bar. You name it we have come across it. We've [Darren Jelinek and I] rode our motorcycles through all the lower 48 states, traveled through Canada, Mexico and everywhere in between. Through our adventures we have taken ideas from all our favorite places and conglomerated them into what is now the Dead Unicorn Society."
How did DUS come up with the name?
"The name DUS has many layers of meaning for us, and part of that is reflected in the antiques and oddities that we have on display," Megan said. "We are displaying and utilizing a lot of old, rare items that are being brought back to life and used within the business. From the 1916 National Cash Register, to the antique china we'll serve our dinners on, to the late 1800s lamps and stained glass window on display and in use. Unicorns are mythical creatures, rarely seen, but often talked about, and as the talk around town would suggest, we must be unicorns too! And as far as a dead unicorn goes, I would suggest that a dead unicorn would be even more rare, unicorn beings don't technically even exist. They're beast of legend, and we've all got a personal legend we're living out loud with our voices and our paint brushes, our hands, and our hearts. For the most part, it's just a unique name for a place that is offering an artistic counter-culture for those in our community who are already immersed in the arts or who are curious about what the counterculture of the arts is all about. We're here to be ourselves, have fun, and create a space for self expression for all the other Dead Unicorns in our community."
Megan went on to say, "That's part of the Dead Unicorn name too, remembering the people who are gone that have influenced our local arts community. I'd also love to mention musicians such as Rick (Gonzo) Gonzales, Mark Vallejo, Brian Laughler, Mic Gonzales, Peter Brain, Terry Houston, and many more that I haven't named. They'll all continue to live on because their art and influence does, and they live on in all of the people they touched with their music."
Panhandle Post asked Megan why the arts are important in a community.
"The arts themselves create a community, and place of belonging, and our mission is to be welcoming to all who walk through our doors whom are open to enjoying a unique experience," Megan said. "We're not looking for cookie cutter people or those experiences here, we're looking for the unique spark that makes every person an individual."
You'll find many antiques and educational items inside the DUS.
"I've already named a few of the antique items previously, but one of our most loved items is Hector," Megan said. "Hector is a medical specimen from the University of Omaha who was used to teach medical students about human anatomy for the past 50 years. He was someone invested in science who willingly donated his body for medical purposes when he passed. And he will be overseeing our oddities and antique shop for the entire future of the Dead Unicorn Society as a permanent part of our collection. We also have available for sale a collection of antique 1800s era books illustrated by Gustave Doré, including a German Bible, the History of the Crusades, as well as other related items. These are rare books that you won't see often."
You'll also find great home-cooked food at the DUS.
"Our menu will be chef's choice daily," Megan said. "You can expect a lot of comfort foods with a unique flair, made from scratch as well as both alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages. We've also partnered with 719 Brewery to bring you a custom Dead Unicorn Pale Ale available only at the Unicorn itself."
Bands and acts will be performing on a sound system and lighting that is state-of-the-art.
"We are using a suspended overhead sound system to keep the sound spread out and even," Darren said. "There are strategically placed speakers throughout the space using the number 13 with orientation to help induce the brown note. It’s the best!"
"Through all the years of attending live performances and also performing live in bands, Darren and I have payed extra attention to what type of rooms have the best sound, best lighting, arrangement of a room, etc," Derek said. "It all means something. Everything down to the materials used in music venues. The woods, concrete, cloths, it's all very important to the sound in a music venue. We have put together a lighting and sound system that really highlights the dead unicorn. I'm sure everyone will be impressed. All that being said, performer's that come to play here will have the freedom to just perform, be yourself and have fun. We will take care of the rest."
The venue will have a large focus on original music.
"Music is easily available by just picking up your phone and searching for two seconds. The original music is still rare," Darren said. "You get a feel and a move from it you can never find from any phone and headphones...and if you have ever felt the drive of the amplifiers and the energy of someone playing their own music from their heart you will understand what this is for. Any thing that is out of the ordinary are what we are hoping to line up. Music, art, professional thumb wrestling and Mongolian throat singing are just a few."
Megan, Derek and Darren have been artists and musicians for a long time.
"I've been an artist since I could hold a paintbrush, and have had the pleasure of learning from some of Alliance's greatest, now gone, artistic influences, including Jack Sampson, and Elaine Johnson," Megan said. "I sang in my first band with Mike Boots, Larry Steele, Jim (Spaz) Martinson, Darren and Christy Jelinek in 2001, and then took a hiatus for awhile before getting back on the stage, but regardless, music has always been a passion for me, and we're all very excited to share it with the community of Alliance."
"I've been playing music for 20 years now," Derek said. "There is nothing more fulfilling. Seeing people enjoy original music you have created is a feeling you never can get enough of and we are so happy to be providing a place for people to do that. We hope all alike are as excited as we are."
"Music makes me feel funny things in my tummy," Darren said. "I got my first real drum set on my 14th birthday. My uncle gave me a 30 second tutorial and off I went. After finding other people to jam with, perform with, there was no going back."
