One of Peony Park’s lousy rides.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If the weather holds out, I think I’ll be riding my bike to Benson a lot this weekend. I’m a little nervous about this, not because I’m afraid that I’m going to be run over by a drunk, but because I don’t want my bike to get stolen when it’s locked up outside wherever I’m at. I’ve got one of those big, thick, hooped bike locks, but you never know. It’s not like my bike is some sort of high-dollar valuable asset that everyone’s dying to steal, I’m just paranoid and wonder if I’ll be able to enjoy the show without checking every five minutes to see if it’s gone.

I need to do what Spaulding Gray used to do when swimming in Cambodia — just leave your wallet on the beach and get lost in the waves.

Anyway, most of the high-end shows are in Benson this weekend, which is a change of pace. It starts tonight when Seattle indie band Cave Singers plays at The Waiting Room. The band’s first two albums came out on Matador before they switched to the more appropriate Jagjaguwar label — more appropriate in that I identify this sort of weedy folk rock music more with Jag than Matador. Opening band, Durham’s Mount Mariah (Merge Records) is another up-and-coming folk rock trio with a frontwoman in the Jenny Lewis vein. Jesse Sykes is listed as solo rather than with her band the Sweet Hereafter. It’s a lineup that’s definitely worth your $13 if you’re into the folk rock thing. Starts at 9.

Also tonight, Landing on the Moon headlines at The Barley Street with New York artists Sons of an Illustrious Father and Lexie Roth. $5, 9 p.m.

Longtime jangle-pop act Turtle Moon bids adieu tonight with a final show at Shamrock’s, 5338 No. 103rd St. 9 p.m..

Saturday night is dedicated to The Whipkey Three album release show at The Waiting Room. Strike that: The record is actually credited simply to Whipkey, which, when you consider that Matt Whipkey wrote all the music (as he usually does) makes a lot of sense, especially for a double-vinyl album that is a rumination of the days of his youth spent at Peony Park.

From the outset, I’ve been a little tepid about the record’s concept because I have very few fond memories of Peony Park. I remember it as a dirty, noisy, half-ass neighborhood carny with shitty rides and overpriced crap food. Whipkey remembers it as a place to pick up tail, an idea that never entered my mind when I was stuck there. I just remember gliding around on that monorail looking at all the shitty rides down below (and the accident when someone was killed falling out of The Hurricane). As I got older, I went to the park’s giant pool / beach, which was the best part of Peony Park. I skipped the Royal Grove and Sprite Nite. My “coming of age” years instead were spent sneaking into Council Bluffs bars like The Warehouse, The Depot and Fat Jacks, but that’s another story.

Anyway, Matt has recorded all of his golden memories of Peony Park and pressed them onto two slabs of pink vinyl. Did he succeed in musically transforming a seedy park into a glorious sex-fueled wonderland? Pick up a copy of the album Saturday night and find out. Expect a genuine rock and roll experience. Opening acts are Moses Prey, Jessica Errett and Tara Vaughan, and  Fizzle Like a Flood. $7, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Saturn Moth plays at The Barley Street Tavern with Talking Mountain and “chiptune” band Superbytes, who counts among its main instruments an old-school Game Boy. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s Pony Wars with The Howl and the debut of  a new project by Jeremy Stanosheck (Thunder Power, Kite Pilot) called Phantom Scout. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night Cursive returns to The Waiting Room for reasons I do not know — they don’t have a new album out and aren’t working on one (though Tim Kasher is finishing a solo recording). Does it matter? It’s friggin’ Cursive, dude. Opening is the amazing Digital Leather and See Through Dresses (Sara from Millions of Boys). $13 adv/$15 DOS. 9 p.m.

Did I miss anything? Add it to the comments section, below. Have a great weekend.

* * *

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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.