On Monday, I had a quick chat with Cole Eisenmenger from the band Wyrmwood. I used a new program to record that chat, and it didn’t end up saving correctly. So, I am going to try to piece together some information from memory and let you know about the band and their new album, Jump in the Water. The band will perform at Benson Theatre this Friday with BB Sledge and Kristen Taylor, and there will be animation by Mike Zimmerman, who did the band merchandise. The band will also perform at The Zoo Bar on Sunday, November 5th.

When I asked why they chose the Benson Theater, he stated that he really liked what Amy Ryan is doing with the space and that he felt that the room would be conducive to a listening experience. They have the room set up so there will be room for standing and dancing and space for sitting that will have good site lines.

Eisenmenger told me about the title track and stated that it has a Paul Simon Graceland vibe and that his wife Kristen sang a line that repeats a vocal that goes “Jump In The Water.” He would later get into Peter Gabriel’s US album and realize that Gabriel’s song “Kiss The Frog” does that as well. He then references the frog on the album artwork, done by Josh Audiss. Jump in the Water is the band’s debut and follows last year’s House on the Hill EP. The album was recorded at Charlie Ames studio, and was mixed by Ian Aeillo and mastered by Doug Van Sloan.

Eisenmenger described the band as him wanting to move into different sounds from his previous project, Mr. E & The Stringless Kite, but said that he still has a penchant for writing longer songs, and the band is described as having a British prog rock and folk sound. The songs on the EP and the first single, “Run,” are not very long at all. “Run” very much has a 70’s prog folk feel with a fun instrumental swerve in the middle of the song.

It should be a very musical night on Friday, as rounding out the band are some of Omaha’s most sought-after musicians in Kevin Sullivan on guitar (he plays keyboards on the album), Brandon Bakke on drums, Brian Curtis on bass, Adam Stoltenberg on keyboards, and Adam Langdon on percussion. Matt Ehlinger played pedal steel on the album. Eisenmenger stated that the band would be jumping into 2024 hard and that they already have plans for another album.