by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Weekend. Go!

Tonight at The Barley Street Tavern it’s The Killigans with Death of a Taxpayer, Whipkey/Zimmerman and Andrew Bailie. $5, 9 p.m.

And that’s about it for Friday night.

You actually have some choices on Saturday night.

Over at O’Leaver’s Saturday it’s Eli Mardock with Chicago bop-folk artists The Bears of Blue River, The Betties and Dastardly. If you haven’t seen Mardock in a while, he’s now sporting a full backing band, which I’ve been told is rather impressive. I suspect we’ll be hearing songs off his forthcoming solo album, Everything Happens for the First Time, a preview of which you can hear at his Facebook page. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Hear Nebraska is celebrating its one-year anniversary with a show featuring UUVVWWZ, Howard, and the Wayward Little Satan Daughters. The location: DP Muller Photography, 6066 Maple St in the heart of Benson. 9 p.m., no idea if there’s  a cover.

And th-th-th-that’s all, folks…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Dave Sink in better days...

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

This week’s issue of The Reader features a cover story that compiles remembrances of Dave Sink from the musicians and friends who knew him best. And while portions of the article have appeared on other websites over the past day or so, none collect more comments from the people who made a mark during the era in which Sink was most influential. The contributors: Brian Byrd, Simon Joyner, Craig Crawford, Pat Buchanan, Bernie McGinn, Conor Oberst, Robb Nansel, Gary Dean Davis, Tim Moss, Matt Whipkey, Jake Bellows, Patrick Kinney, Adam J. Fogarty, Gus Rodino and Brad Smith. You can read the article online right here, or find a printed copy around town.

The issue also includes my remembrance of Dave, which I’ve posted below:

Remembering Dave

It began in November 1992. I was a few years out of college at UNO, already working full time at Union Pacific, but still writing about underground music, something that I’d begun doing as the editor of the college paper and as a freelance writer for The Metropolitan and The Note, a Lawrence, Kansas, regional music paper that had expanded its coverage to Omaha and Lincoln.

One of my first assignments for The Note was writing a piece on Dave Sink, his record store in the basement of The Antiquarium, and his record label, One-Hour Records. By the time of our interview, One-Hour already had released singles by Culture Fire (Release), Frontier Trust (Highway Miles) and Mousetrap (“Supercool” b/w “Fubar”), as well as Simon Joyner’s landmark full-length cassette, Umbilical Chords. One-Hour was a big deal both to the editors down in Lawrence and to me.

The audience for indie and punk music in Omaha was microscopic. At this point in its history, Omaha’s live music scene was dominated by top-40 cover bands that played a circuit of local meat-market bars along 72nd St. College music was heard mostly in college towns — something that Omaha certainly wasn’t. But Dave didn’t care. He had no aspirations of getting rich off One-Hour.

From that article:

“It’s fun empowering people,” said the 43-year-old entrepreneur who used to prefer classic rock to punk. “These are good people with good ideas and lots of energy. I knew these guys as really cool people long before I knew them as musicians.”

The advantage to being on One-Hour? “Possibly nothing,” Sink said. “We’re in an infant stage. But this is how Sub Pop got started and a lot of other quality punk labels. Any band we press is going to get 200 promotional copies of their single shipped to radio stations and ‘zines across the U.S. and Europe. The bottom line is we’re a medium for a band to reach a broader audience.”

Sink said Omaha had never had as many good original bands as it does now, whether the city knows it or not. “Unfortunately, most of the time they’re playing shows for each other. Omaha has a very talented music scene that is woefully underappreciated.”

Funny how, despite the success of Saddle Creek Records, little has changed.

After that story ran, I continued to drop into Dave’s store. He would pick out an armful of albums and singles for me to buy, and that’s how I discovered a lot of the bands that I would end up writing about in The Note (and later, in The Reader). He was always willing to give me the inside scoop on something that was going on musicwise. And much to my surprise, he read a lot of my stories, and was always willing to tell me when he thought I got it right, or got it wrong. A former editor at the old Benson Sun Newspaper, Dave’s perspective on my writing went beyond his music knowledge. As a result, he was always in the back of my mind whenever I wrote anything about music (and still is). I guess I didn’t want to disappoint Dave. Actually, no one did.

Toward the latter days of his involvement in the record store, Dave became more and more disillusioned with modern music. I’d go down there ask him what was good and he’d start off by saying, “Nothing, it’s all shit,” but eventually would find a few things for me to buy. He was more into jazz by then, and (of course) baseball, which we’d talk about at great length, along with his perspective on art and literature and film.

Funny thing, it didn’t matter that Dave was 20 or 30 years older than the kids buying the records. They all respected and sought out his opinion, and Dave was always happy to give it. My favorite Dave line when he didn’t like something: “It’s not my cup of tea.” It was that simple.

As the years went on, Dave quit showing up at the store, and then eventually it changed hands and moved out of the basement. Meanwhile, Saddle Creek Records bloomed, Omaha became nationally recognized as the new indie music “ground zero,” and I slowly lost touch with Dave.

And then along came Facebook. And there was Dave again. Over the last couple years we reconnected online, but mostly about baseball. Dave, a long-time Royals rooter, hated the fact that I’m a Yankees fan, a team he said was ruining baseball. I would argue that, in a market like Omaha, being a Yankees fan was downright punk – people hated you for it, that it was a lonely existence not unlike being a punk fan in the ‘90s. He never bought that argument.

I tried and I tried to get Dave to do that all-encompassing interview about the glory days of One-Hour and The Antiquarium. I told him how much he influenced everything that Omaha’s music scene had become, that I wanted to tell his story and put him on the cover of The Reader. Of course he would have none of it. He would kindly turn down the requests, saying he didn’t do anything, that he was only a record store owner and that the focus should be on the bands, not him.

Despite that, I think he knew how important he was to everything that’s happened here. He certainly was important to me.

* * *

If I had to venture a guess, I’d bet that Dave wasn’t a Lemonheads fan.

Not coincidentally, neither am I. But that shouldn’t stop you from going to see The Lemonheads tonight at The Waiting Room, where the band will be performing It’s a Shame About Ray in its entirety. I’m told that Evan Dando was a bit fussy the last time he came to Omaha. What will he do this time? Opening is Meredith Sheldon. $15, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, power pop in the form of Lonely Estates and the Beat Seekers at The Sydney. 9 p.m., $5.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Not a whole helluva lot to report today.

A video of a couple songs from Conor Oberst’s solo performance at Krug Park last weekend went online today. You can watch it here (it’s a vimeocast). The tunes are “Lenders in the Temple” and “Laura Laurent.” It’s dark. It’s black & white. But the sound ain’t bad. I would have embedded it, but Vimeo doesn’t play nice with WordPress (or at least I can’t get it to).

Conor’s been busy around here lately. The OWH reported here that he and 16 other musicians signed a letter “calling on state lawmakers to pull the plug on a proposal that would ban Omaha and other communities from passing anti-discrimination ordinances.” At issue is Omaha City Councilman Ben Gray’s proposed ordinance to ban discrimination against homosexual and transgender people. As a result, State Sen. Beau McCoy of Omaha introduced Legislative Bill 912 that would bar cities from passing such ordinances. McCoy doesn’t want these bans handled on a city-by-city basis. So does that mean he supports a REAL statewide ban against such discrimination? The story doesn’t say. Others signers included members of The Faint, Big Harp, So So Sailors and Honeybee & Hers, the article said. It’s a complicated issue. Want to get involved? Check out http://www.equalnebraska.org/

* * *

Tonight at House of Loom, Bad Speler a.k.a. Darren Keen conducts his monthly evening of musical madness that he calls Good Speakers. Read more about the event here. It’s free and starts at 9.

Also tonight, local indie janglers Family Picnic, The Benningtons and Betsy Wells take the stage at Slowdown Jr. for a free show that starts at 9.

* * *

Tomorrow: Remembering Dave

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Saddle Creek Records announced today that it’s re-releasing six early Bright Eyes albums on vinyl. We’re talking A Collection of Songs…(2 LPs), Oh Holy Fools (Son Ambulance lives!), Letting Off the Happiness, Every Day and Every Night, Fevers and Mirrors (2 LPs), and There Is No Beginning to the Story.

The doubles are $23 (180-gram), the EPs are $13 and the LPs are $15 (180-gram). Or you can get the lot for $99. Each reissue contains a CD of the album packaged in the jacket. And you also get the digital download for free. That’s a lot of content, folks. Too bad they didn’t get this ready in time for Christmas.

Fevers is the golden one here. And if you’re wondering, the Saddle Creek online store already offers everything including and beyond Lifted on vinyl.

So this got me wondering what was available by the other members of the Creek triumverate. All of Cursive’s LPs from Domestica on are available on vinyl, as are all The Faint’s LP’s from Blank-Wave Arcade on. Saddle Creek always has done a good job with vinyl.

The biggest areas for future exploitation are The Good Life catalog — only Album of the Year and Help Wanted Nights are available on vinyl, which leaves Black Out and one of their best, Novena On a Nocturn, ripe for vinyl reissue. Also for consideration: the entire Now It’s Overhead catalog.

So will all future Saddle Creek vinyl releases come with a free CD and download? For example: You can preorder Cursive’s I Am Gemini for $11 on CD, or for just $4 more get the vinyl, CD and mp3 file. Hey, might as well just buy the vinyl, kids. So far, this free-CD-with-vinyl approach hasn’t become the industry model. Neither Sub Pop, Matador nor Merge are offering a similar deal, yet…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Briefly…

I spent the weekend nursing a rather vicious head cold, which kept me away from the clubs and the various CD/album release shows. My continued recovery also will keep me out of Slowdown Jr. tonight when singer/songwriter Mitch Gettman has his going-away show, as he’s moving to Chicago. Also on the bill are Matt Cox and Tara Vaughan. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

Look for a rather large tribute in this week’s issue of The Reader to Dave Sink, who died last Thursday. Remembrances are coming in from all over. If you don’t know who Dave was or the roll he played in the Omaha music scene, you will after reading Thursday’s Reader.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

More to say later…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Millions of Boys from left are Alex van Beaumont, Ryan Haas and Sara Bertuldo.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Omaha power-pop punk band Millions of Boys’ new 10-inch record, Competing for Your Love, is a 180-gram slab of vinyl complete with digital download key, and even comes with a photo of local booze palace O’Leaver’s on the cover. What more could you ask for? Well, there’s also the record’s 10 sticky-sweet rock songs that capture all the fun and pain of middle school crushes.

Released by Kansas City’s Golden Sound Records, the mini album is being celebrated with a rock prom at Slowdown Jr. Saturday night.

While the trio has a distinctive sound of its own, there’s no denying its influences – real or imagined. During our brief coffee talk at Blue Line in Dundee Sunday, I went on and on about how the band reminded me of That Dog (actual spelled “that dog.”), a mid-‘90s LA power pop act whose members would go on to write songs for the new Josie and the Pussycats and become members of The Rentals and Decemberists. I loved That Dog’s cool, ironic take on cloying high school love and heartbreak on albums like ‘95’s Totally Crushed Out! and follow-up Retreat from the Sun.

Of course Millions of Boys had never heard That Dog’s music before. Nor (probably) have they heard Tsunami or Blake Babies or the other ‘90s bands that plowed this same fertile fun-pop ground a decade (or two) before them, though…

“We all just grew up loving light-hearted pop punk,” said drummer/vocalist Ryan Haas.

“There’s this connotation that pop punk has, but…” said guitarist/vocalist Sara Bertuldo before Haas quickly added “It’s like a guilty pleasure, but it’s not.”

Bassist/guitarist/vocalist Alex van Beaumont merely nodded, as if having heard it all before.

Millions of Boys, Competing for Your Love (Golden Sound, 2012)

The three started playing together in 2010. Bertuldo and Haas had been in a very short-lived band with Snake Islands’ Allan Schleich called Leaving Vaudeville that played all of one show before disbanding. Bertuldo, already a member of Honey & Darling, wanted to continue working with Haas, who said at the time he’d recently “fallen in love with Weezer again” and wanted to be in a two-piece project. Unfortunately, when it came time to do solos, Bertuldo couldn’t handle it. “I’m not very good at looping,” she said.

Enter van Beaumont, a friend of Haas’ sister who Bertuldo had met before. “We tried it and it worked,” Haas said. “These are not super complicated songs. They’re straight-forward. He just gets it and nothing has to be explained.” Van Beaumont merely nodded again.

All three members share vocals and switch instruments, but it’s hard not to look at Bertuldo as the band’s front woman, despite her diminutive stature. I first met her in 2005 when she was working as an intern for One Percent Productions, taking money at Sokol Underground shows. Standing at around five foot nothing, she’s so tiny you just want to put her in your pocket and take her home with you. She’s like the daughter that none of us will ever be lucky enough to have — cute, unassuming and quiet.

In fact, maybe too quiet. One of the challenges of being so tiny is also being heard above the rest of this rather rowdy band, something she’s struggled with at clubs with less-than-optimum (i.e. shitty) PA’s, like O’Leaver’s, where Bertuldo has had no choice but to ratchet up her sweet, innocent mew.

“It’s why I’m starting to like screaming,” she said. “It’s really hard, especially if you have a sound guy who’s not paying attention. I can’t wait until we have our own sound person.”

Ah, but first things first. The band would like nothing more than to tour full time, which, of course, would take a booking agent, which they don’t have yet. But at least they have a label, which is helping them with distribution and the digital side of things.

Clocking in at a just over 23 minutes, Competing for Your Love is a chock full of tasty little morsels like “Dudcats,” (with the inspirational chorus “That girl is the bomb / That girl is the bomb / But that bomb is a dud,”), the roaring zombie epic “Dead Girls,” the too-cute-for-its-own-good “Sparky + Mittens” (“I’ll give that cat a home in a hot dog bun“), and the mythic story of local super hero “Doug Flynn,” one of our scene’s unforgettable legends.

“Doug Flynn is the big guy that used to work the door at The Waiting Room,” Bertuldo said. “One time I blacked out there during a Times New Viking show and he picked me up and carried me to the back room.”

Haas remembers watching what he called “The Maple Street Riot” from his apartment that overlooked the melee. “There were about 100 people in the street, and in the middle of it was Doug Flynn,” presumably keeping the peace like an indie Buford Pusser.

“He’s the big brother of The Waiting Room,” Bertuldo said.

Anyway. The album is pretty fantastic. It was recorded by Bertuldo’s boyfriend (and member of Honey & Darling) Matt Carroll at Little Machine, the couple’s basement studio (where New Lungs currently is recording its debut).

Opening Saturday night’s release show is label mates Empty Spaces, as well as local low-fi punkers The Dads and new band Power Slop, which Haas described as “a loud, fast band that includes members of Hercules.” That’s a lot of rock for $5. Go to theslowdown.com for more info.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Icky Blossoms, from left, Derek Pressnall, Sarah Bohling and Nik Fackler.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

As the announcement that Icky Blossoms signed to Saddle Creek Records filtered its way though the various social media channels Monday, I noticed something peculiar: Promo photos of the band only showed Derek Pressnall, Nik Fackler and Sarah Bohling. Where were JJ Idt, Dylan Strimple and Craig Dee?

I wasn’t the only one who noticed the omissions, as I received a couple e-mails asking the same question. So I contacted Saddle Creek Records and asked if the band had been downsized to a trio. I received the following response from the band via Saddle Creek:

“The band originally evolved out of Flowers Forever which was never a ‘band’ band. But as Derek and Nik began writing music together with Sarah singing they realized a different band had formed and started Icky Blossoms. They took the songs and beats and began playing them live with JJ, Dylan and Craig filling in the parts.

“Nothing has downsized. The writing/recording process (Nik/Derek/Sarah) has always been different than the live performance.”

Is this any different than how Conor Oberst runs Bright Eyes? Conor, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott are “the band” while a variety of players fill in parts on stage. The difference might be that Oberst changes out his live players on almost every tour, while JJ, Dylan and Craig seem to have a more permanent footing in Icky Blossoms, at least on stage (I don’t recall seeing the band play without them). Who knows? Regardless, they’re apparently not involved in the recording process, which is taking place right now with TV on the Radio’s David Sitek behind the board. Is info, Idt also plays in Conduits, while Craig Dee is a member of Tilly and the Wall with Pressnall. Strimple used to play with Son Ambulance and Baby Walrus.

* * *

Drum roll please…

The winners of this year’s drawing for a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2011 Sampler are:

Matthew Hanson, Omaha
Nathan Johnson, Yankton
Tim Guthrie, Omaha
Vic & Fletch Fletcher, Omaha
Lauren Rosenthal, Long Beach

Thanks to everyone who entered. I’ll get them in the mail tomorrow, and hopefully we’ll be doing it again next year…

* * *

Tonight at Slowdown Jr. Sun Settings are headlining a show with Howard and Jasong Mountain. It starts at 9 and it’s at the “right price” of absolutely free.

* * *

Tomorrow: One on one on one with Millions of Boys.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday’s announcement that Saddle Creek Records will be releasing the debut by Icky Blossoms came as a very pleasant surprise. IB was among the triad of bands who emerged last year that everyone thought Creek would — or should — give close consideration. The other two were So-So Sailors and Conduits. S-S S is still without a deal (I’m not sure they even want one as much as a tour agent). Conduits, of course, ended up on Team Love. After the Conduits announcement last week I asked TL exec Matt Maginn if his label was considering releasing records from both Tilly and the Wall and Icky Blossoms. He said “yes” to Tilly (though there’s no release date yet), and that IB would be “releasing with someone else I believe.” Coy, Mr. Maginn, very coy.

Anyway, when Creek passed on those two acts whose lineage traces back to other Saddle Creek bands (So-So to Ladyfinger, Conduits to Good Life), I figured they’d also give the cold shoulder to IB. Thankfully, I was wrong (again).

The other big news was that TV on the Radio’s David Sitek will be recording Icky Blossom’s debut, presumably in LA according to their Facebook page (apparently they’ve already headed West). That’s a sizable coup, and a change of pace from the usual ARC Studio approach (though few of Creek’s recent signings record at ARC). What will Sitek bring to IB’s already-trippy sound? We’ll find out eventually, but probably not until late 2012 (I’m guessing). We’ll all be able to track their progress at the new Icky Blossoms website, conveniently located at ickyblossoms.com (What, that url wasn’t already taken?).

Now who else in Omaha still needs a record deal?

* * *
Speaking of new records, Simon Joyner launched a Kickstarter campaign today to generate money for an upcoming double album. “I’m nearing completion but I’m looking for backers to help fund the final recording, mixing and manufacturing expenses for my 13th proper full-length album. The new album is being recorded all-analog in my south Omaha warehouse ad hoc studio on a borrowed 16 track, 1” reel to reel machine and will be mixed at ARC Studio soon,” Joyner said on his Kickstarter page.

His plan is to self-release the vinyl album, making it available directly from him via mail order as well as distribute it through traditional channels via Ba-Da-Bing Records. Team Love, who put out Joyner’s last album, Out Into the Snow, will also help out.

Joyner’s pledge target is $6,000, and donors will receive a number of incentives based on level of support, ranging from a good-hearted thank you to a personal performance. Check it out today, campaign ends Feb. 19.

* * *
Speaking of limited-time offers, today is the last day to enter the drawing to win a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2011 comp CD. You know the routine. Just email me (at tim@lazy-i.com) your mailing address, and your name will be dropped into the hat. Tracks include songs by tUnE-yArDs, St. Vincent, Icky Blossoms, Decemberists, Gus & Call, It’s True, Eleanor Friedberger, Peace of Shit, Digital Leather and a bunch more (check out the track list at the bottom of this blog entry). I’ll announce the winner(s) right tomorrow!

* * *
Last but not least, Bloodshot Recording artist Lydia Loveless is playing tonight at The Waiting Room with Gerald Lee Jr. (You know him from the Filter Kings). Among Loveless’ accolades: #4 on SPIN’s Top 20 Country/Americana Albums of the Year, included in Paste Magazine’s Best of What’s Next 2011 feature, an 8 / 10 album rating in SPIN Magazine, features with AOL/Spinner, Daytrotter, and The Chicago Tribune. Show starts at 9, $7.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Blessed Are the Merciless at Sokol Underground, Jan. 14, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A few things from this past weekend…

One of the longest running traditions in rock music is bands playing to audiences that include their relatives. We’ve all seen them over the years, those out-of-place “old” people tucked back in the corner away from the rest of the crowd, hiding in the shadows with earplugs firmly in place as they suffer through the opening acts waiting for their son’s or daughter’s band to get on stage so they can get the hell out of the club.

Last Friday night I was one of those out-of-touch relatives when I went to see my nephew’s death metal band Blessed Are the Merciless play a showcase at Sokol Underground. It was a pleasure to be back in a performance space that literally helped build the Omaha music scene in the late ‘90s and early 2000s when One Percent Productions booked the room with some of the best indie shows Omaha has ever seen, not the least of which were the Saddle Creek acts that grew up on the Sokol Underground stage.

Those days, of course, are long gone. One Percent hasn’t booked shows at Sokol since The Waiting Room and Slowdown opened four years ago. Today Sokol mainly hosts metal shows, which explains why I haven’t been there in four years. Other than the pay counter moving to the left side of the stairs, the room remains the same dark, dank cavern that it ever was, complete with inconvenient metal poles breaking every sightline.

We showed up at around 8:30, in time to see most of the set by At War With Giants, one of the night’s other metal bands (there was no real headliner) who had invested in large stage display banners. Odd.

Blessed Are the Merciless came on next, a massive five-piece anchored by my nephew, Chris McMahan, on bass and fronted by Kapree Hey, who handled the prerequisite “voice of doom” growl while the rest of the band roared mightily through Sokol’s still formidable PA. Listen, I don’t know shit about death metal, so I can’t tell you if what they played was “good” or “bad” (and if I did, you probably wouldn’t believe my hardly-unbiased account, anyway). I can say that Kapree does have a cool, unpretentious frontman vibe, looking and sounding the part either when he’s screaming over and over “There’s a killer on the moors” or doing comfortable stage patter between songs. And of course, Chris was amazing. But what else is a proud uncle going to say?

One surprise of the evening was seeing the largish crowd (Around 250 paid – not bad) part in the middle (with Kapree’s urging) so a handful of eager fans could form a modified circle slam. I haven’t seen a mosh pit at a show in a few years, and they look as violent and disturbing as ever. The only thing I can tell you about metal is that it’s all about communicating your personal angst and/or aggression on stage in hopes that that audience can share in your distress, and if that’s the measure of success, Blessed Are the Merciless are on their way. You metal heads that missed it can check them out when they play The Sandbox Feb. 10.

* * *

Perhaps the most hyped artist of the last part of 2011 and first part of 2012 is Lana Del Rey, and for good reason. Two songs that she’s released so far – “Video Games” and “Born to Die” – have become instant classics, along with the videos that support them, all of which you can see and hear at lanadelrey.com. So good, in fact, that there were whispers that she could be an intelligent response to Lady Gaga.

Needless to say, there was a lot of build-up to LDR’s debut this weekend on Saturday Night Live, the one-time platform for breaking and underground music talent… 30 years ago. These days, SNL’s musical guests are another reason to thank the technology gods for the fast forward button on your DVR. Ironically, Gaga was the last real “talked-about” performance on SNL because she showcased her actual piano-playing skills, causing people to think that maybe she did have talent.

Just the opposite was the case for LDR’s debut. Instead, there she was, looking nervous and mechanical, like a robotic deer frozen in the spotlight on that famous 30 Rock stage. She sounded frightened and forced and off-kilter, filling in the spaces with awkward hand gestures and a strange 360 twirl about halfway through “Video Games.” The next Stevie Nicks she is not. It was not her finest moment (her handlers should be crucified), and yet, it’ll go down as another classic SNL performance if she honestly breaks through to a larger audience and her Interscope debut (out Jan. 31) contains at least a couple more songs as good as “Video Games.” If it flops – and she flops – the performance will join a long list of other forgotten SNL performances.

But the real gold was the next morning when the media began piling on LDR, reporting her demise as tweeted during the broadcast by the likes of notable has-been Juliette Lewis. Yes, that Juliette Lewis, the one known for the “quality” rock of Juliette and the Licks. If she’s crowing to the twitterverse that you sound like shit, than you really must have something going on. By Monday hundreds of articles were popping up on Google telling the world how much LDR sucks from reporters that had never heard of her before with headlines like “Lana Del Rey Bombs SNL.” And now I’m wondering if the whole thing was a put-on. Would she have received this much attention if she’d nailed the performance?

* * *

Finally, there was last night’s secret show at Krug Park featuring Conor Oberst and Phil Schaffart. Word of the show started filtering out to “the network” at around 6 p.m. on a “keep it on the downlow” basis. Alas, I already knew I wasn’t going to be able to attend as we had company last night at the Lazy-i World Headquarters for the Golden Globes. Plus, I had a 5 a.m. wake-up call this morning, which I knew I wouldn’t make since there is no way to go to Krug and not enjoy the fantastic array of beverages on tap. Judging from the online patter this morning, Conor played a nice acoustic set from in front of the room with onlookers watching from the street outside. It’s good to see that he’s still hanging around Omaha and helping put Benson on the map. Next time, Conor, next time…

Check out some pictures from the show taken by shooter Mike Machian, and read OWH’s Kevin Coffey’s take on the evening.

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Lazy-i Best of 2011

Speaking of Lana Del Rey, she’s one of the artists on the Lazy-i Best of 2011 Sampler CD. And if you haven’t entered into the drawing to win a copy of this once-in-a-lifetime collectors item, your time is running out as tomorrow is the last day to enter. Also included on this year’s disc are tracks by tUnE-yArDs, St. Vincent, Icky Blossoms, Decemberists, Gus & Call, It’s True, Eleanor Friedberger, Peace of Shit, Digital Leather and a bunch more (check out the track list at the bottom of this blog entry). To enter, just send an e-mail (to tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address. Hurry! Deadline is Jan. 17!

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.