KEARNEY — After 12 years, some of the members of Whiskey Bent decided to step back from performing.
“Last summer, some guys in my band decided that they wanted to slow down and not be on the road playing music as much,” said Tim Zach, founder of Whiskey Bent. “So we closed that chapter of my music career. My lead guitar player, Joe Parr, stayed with me and we just started performing this last September.”
Whiskey Bent played its last show on Aug. 21. After a two-week break, Zach hired a new bass player, another guitarist and a drummer and re-banded his musical efforts as simply “Tim Zach.”
“We started performing under my name as a solo artist,” Zach said. “Last summer, before July when we started performing as ‘Tim Zach,’ I went down to Nashville to record an album. We released the first single off that record in September.”
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Central Nebraska country fans can hear Tim Zach perform as part of the Freedom Fest, presented by the United Way of Kearney, Thursday at Viaero Center. The music begins at 7 p.m. Julie Van Hoek, executive director of the United Way of Kearney, estimated that the fireworks will start at approximately 9:45 p.m., depending on the weather conditions.
Admission to the event is free. There is a separate charge for Cunningham’s beer garden. A $12 wrist band will cover rides offered by Rocket Rides.
Performing at an event that celebrates freedom resonates with Zach.
“I wrote a song called ‘Like Him’ about my granddaddy who was a WWII veteran,” Zach said. “I often take off the week around the Fourth of July, which is also a line in the song.”
Zach plans to perform Thursday in Kearney and July 1 in Hastings. That leaves him the weekend to spend with his family as a way to honor Independence Day and what it means to him.
Hoek, who started in her position in May, sees Freedom Fest as a way to give back to the community.
“This is for the community,” she said. “We want to celebrate their giving power. For the 21 agencies that we support, it’s a big deal. Everything we earn from Freedom Fest goes to our 21 agencies.”
For Zach, getting a chance to contribute to the festivities of Freedom Fest means a lot. He plans to play some music from the band’s album, “The Good Life,” as well as some older music.
“You’ll hear some songs you’re familiar with,” he said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to be getting some airplay on radio stations in central Nebraska. ‘The Good Life’ is probably my newest, most popular song that has been getting some airplay. On top of that we’ll play some cover songs that people will be familiar with from country artists such as Eric Church, Johnny Cash, Diereks Bentley, Toby Keith and people like that.”
Zach also promises to play a lot of music from the ’90s — as well as music he recorded with Whiskey Bent.
“We just like to have a good time,” he said. “Because this is the first year they’ve had live music at Freedom Fest, we’re excited to bring a little something extra to the day.”
For Zach, his career as a musician happened almost by accident. In high school, he sang for the fun of it but focused mostly on sports. Some friends convinced him to enter the “Colgate Country Showdown” singing competition in 2009. A demo tape landed him a live performance, which led to being named the “Best New Country Act in Nebraska.”
Zach’s run in the contest ended at regional competition in Albuquerque, N.M.
“But it’s where my career as an entertainer would begin,” he wrote in a press release.
Tim Zach formed Whiskey Bent in 2009. The group’s first gig happened because the members paid a small bar in St. Libory $175 to rent the place. The group played a 45-minute set — playing all the songs they knew. From 2010 to 2021, Zach and Whiskey Bent shared the stage national acts such as Jake Owen, Jimmie Allen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Diamond Rio, Blackhawk, Sawyer Brown and many others.
Zach’s current band spans ages from 18 to 54.
Touring takes a lot of effort. Recently the band played one night in Verdigre near Yankton, S.D. and the next night in McCook — driving almost 500 miles between the two. While it takes a lot of effort, Zach still enjoys it.
“I really love performing live,” he said. “To me, getting out and enjoying the festive feeling of it, that’s worth it.”