Skypiper, Troubledoer EP (self-release, 2013)

I don’t know where Skypiper fits into the mosaic of music styles that make up the Omaha / Lincoln / Nebraska music scene. They’re not part of Saddle Creek, aren’t involved in the city’s burgeoning dirty garage rock world, don’t fit into the folk/Americana scene and certainly aren’t dance / EDM. To my knowledge, they’re also not aligned with the city’s Christian rock scene.

And so, I’m left scratching my head as to where they fit in. Do we have to put labels for everything? No, we don’t, but it makes it easier for lazy music journalists to describe music.

I don’t know how to describe the new Skypiper EP Troubledoer other than to say it’s as good an indie-pop recording as I’ve heard this year, just straight-up hook-filled songwriting and tight musicianship. Quite a surprise considering their forgettable 2011 full-length debut.

The highlight of this new 4-song collection is track 3, “Free Spirit Woman,” a cute little rock shuffle with a plethora of clever lines that paint the portrait of a local scenester who (thinks) she’s cooler than you and may well be — a woman so free that she doesn’t have time to deal with her own problems. I think I’ve met this person before (Haven’t we all?).

Frontman Graham Burkum has a crisp, unadorned rock voice thankfully lacking any affected accoutrements. This is free-and-easy stuff without a hint of angst and/or cynicism, which will instantly relegate it outside of the sardonic audience that follows today’s indie or punk or anything else with an edge. There’s nothing dangerous about Skypiper. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing interesting about their music. It’s pure feel-good pop that begs you to sing along.  Add a super-crisp recording and you’ve got a promising new player in an already crowded scene, one that stands outside of the usual categories.

Skypiper celebrates the release of Troubledoer tomorrow night at The Waiting Room with Twinsmith and Lawrence band Cowboy Indian Bear.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Unread Records homepage

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If you’re on Facebook and you live in Omaha than you’re already tired of being inundated with people asking you to give money today as part of the Omaha Gives event. I will not pile on, other than to point you to what I said last week during Lincoln’s version of this same fund drive, i.e, give some cash to Hear Nebraska (by clicking here), and here’s why. Other charities to consider: Omaha Girls Rock, the Maha Music Festival (which you may not know is a non-profit) and FilmStreams. The rest is up to you. Do your duty. Give. And then do what I plan to do: Turn off Facebook for the rest of the day. Here are the give links:

• Hear Nebraska
• Maha Music Festival
• Omaha Girls Rock
• Film Streams

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Max Larson, drummer of rock group The Dad (formerly know as Dads), emailed a head’s up about the band’s 7-inch release show (and tour kick off) this Friday night at Sweatshop Gallery in Benson.

“We will be playing with Fletch (aka Mike Schlesinger of the late Gus & Call), Pro-Magnum (hippie-hating members of Digital Leather & The Fucking Party) and Sister-Kisser (female-fronted anger),” said Larson. “The record is $5, admission is $5, and I believe that all-you-can-drink keg beer will be available for $5 (This might have been a cruel joke, though).” This should be massive fun.

Larson also added this very useful PS: “P.S. I’m not sure if you’re a follower of Unread Records, but a week or two ago Chris put a large handful of his releases up for stream on Bandcamp. It is my understanding that, until now, a number of these recordings have suffered from limited digital representation. Most of these bands/singers are from Omaha (including Simon Joyner of course), so if you want to listen you should. The link is http://unreadrecords.bandcamp.com/“

“Chris” is Chris Fischer, who I spoke with way back in 2000 for an article in the Omaha Weekly. I was going to post a link to that story (which still exists on Lazy-i), but you’d have to scroll around to find it and I figured what the heck, I’ll just post it below. Unread Records started out as a tape label and still is, though they also sell other media, including vinyl, as evidenced by The Dad 7-inch that Unread is releasing. According to the Unread Records website, the label’s world headquarters is now located in Pittsburgh. Check out the Bandcamp page for some very rare recordings, go to Unread to order / buy some awesome stuff, and keep up with the label on their Facebook page.

Now, into the Wayback Machine, from The Omaha Weekly, Sept. 14, 2000:

The roster of fall releases by Omaha’s Unread Records is crowded with a number of … wait-a-minute, you’ve never heard of Unread Records? That’s probably because the label is part of the underground world of cassette-tape-only record labels, a music scene so obscure that it makes an indie label like Saddle Creek Records look like DreamWorks in comparison.Operated by Chris Fischer out of his house/performance space known as Gunboat, Unread Records has produced cassette and vinyl releases from some of the underground’s most famous unknowns, including a tape by South Carolina’s “king of banjo” Charlie McAlister, as well as a 7-inch single by Shrimper and Catsup Plate recording artist Will Simmons.

Fischer says there are “zillions” of tape only labels. Some more-famous artists who have put out tape-only releases include Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow, folk-music favorites The Mountain Goats, and even undisputed funk-groove indie rocker Beck, Fischer said.

“I started my label three years ago to put out tapes for me and my friends,” said Fischer, who recently moved to Omaha from Lancaster, Penn. “I don’t have any artists signed to anything, and I don’t ever want to put out a thousand units of anything.”

That shouldn’t be a problem for the 20-year-old entrepreneur. Most his 27 releases include hand-made cassette shells or screen-printed jackets. Though promotion is usually through word of mouth or the Internet, Fischer has placed ads in fanzines and sent flyers to a handful of record labels that pass them onto their customers. His most popular release thus far is the McAlister cassette Turn of the Century Photograph of, which moved more than 300 units.

Fischer said the label will branch out to CDs this fall, with a release by Fizzle Like a Flood (Omaha singer/songwriter Doug Kabourek, who also performs as The Laces). Also look for a split 7-inch vinyl release by Park and A Boy Named Thor, a split-label CD with Twee Kitten Records, a Jarbaby one-sided LP, as well as cassettes by Church of Gravitron, Park, Caleb Fraid and others.

Just as obscure as Unread Records is Gunboat, Fischer’s performance space located in the basement of the house he rents at 301 So. 38th Ave. Past Gunboat performers include most of the Saddle Creek Records’ stable of artists, who have made house shows a staple on their recent tour schedules.

“House shows are a different kind of scene, a more personal performance that allows the fans to hang out with the people who play,” Fischer said. “There’s no stage, it’s kind of one-on-one.”

Gunboat shows attract a mostly under-21 crowd made up of house show regulars or people who have heard about the shows either by visiting the Saddle Creek Records website (www.saddle-creek.com) or by spotting a flier at The Antiquarium or Drastic Plastic. Fischer says his largest show drew about 70 people.

One recent night at Gunboat included performances by Bright Eyes, Philadelphia’s Jen Turrell (Rabbit in Red), and Pennsylvania band Chauchat. Last week, Fischer hosted Jarbaby from Normal, Ill.

Among the bands slated for Gunboat’s upcoming Sept. 20 show are The Good Life (a new project by Cursive’s Tim Kasher), Boston’s Kolya, Omaha emo-rockers Secret Behind Sunday and Lincoln’s Her Flyaway Manner (slated to release a CD on Caulfield Records) Fischer says the cover is usually two or three dollars, all of which goes to the touring band to help cover their expenses.

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Ah, those were the days…

Speaking of blasts from the pasts, I just got word that Mousetrap has been booked to play a return engagement at The Waiting Room Aug. 16 for what I’m told is being billed as a “Pre-Maha Party” (the Maha Music Festival is the following day). No idea who else will be playing this gig, but I’m told we should expect to hear some new Mousetrap material along with old favorites. Mark it down on your calendar.

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Finally, Maha Music Festival and The Slowdown are hosting an Omaha Gives Showcase tonight. Among the acts are current favorite, Gordon. Also on the program are A Wasted Effort, Rock Paper Dynamite and The Seen. It’s a free show, but you’ll be hit up to give money (and you should, you cheap-ass). Gordon I believe plays second, so get there early.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Field Club at O’Leaver’s, May 17, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Diversification is the key to survival when it comes to rock clubs or anything for that matter. The Waiting Room and Slowdown know this, which is why you see a variety of offerings in different genres and not just the indie meat-and-potatoes we might prefer.

The same can be said for O’Leaver’s. Friday night’s line-up was outside of the club’s usual leather-and-blood garage punk/indie that they’re known for. Instead, headliner Field Club is more of an alt band in the Lilith Fair vein, an easy stereotype considering the female vocalists and winsome folk rock a la 10,000 Maniacs. And as a result, the audience was a tad different than the usual O’Leaver’s crowd — cleaner, more collegiate, almost suburban, more like the folks you see out playing in the sand rather than on a post office Wanted poster.

I own In My Tribe, along with The Sundays’ debut and a couple early Indigo Girls albums, so I think I know what Field Club might have been going for on their new Best Friends EP. And for the most part, the sound is there. The live version, however, was a different animal. Vocally it was less restrained as frontwoman Andrea Purdy reached harder for an emotional sweet spot, helped by (presumably sister) Kara Purdy on harmonies. The extra effort at times pushed them over the edge. It’s a subtle thing and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but when female vocalists add too much flourish, too much accoutrement, their sound changes from college/indie to something reaching toward mainstream. Depending on your point of view, that can be either good or bad.

As a whole, the sound was uneven on the usually rock-sold O’Leaver’s stage. The tone of the lead guitar was piercing, while the bass was lost in the mix. Things were smoothed over by the end of the set, but it would be interesting to hear what this six-piece would sound like on a different stage.

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Looks like a quiet week show-wise. The Slowdown is hosting an Omaha Gives event Wednesday night that includes a set by Gordon. It’s a free show, but they’ll be badgering you for a donation (along with every other non-profit in Omaha that day).

And then it’s back to O’Leaver’s Friday for So-So Sailors…

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Field Club celebrates the release of its new self-released EP, Best Friends, tonight at O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There no indie happening at the “big two” Omaha venues, which means it looks like we’re all in for a double-dip of O’Leaver’s splendor this weekend.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s Field Club celebrates the release of its new EP, Best Friends. The Omaha six-piece’s style falls somewhere between The Sundays and The Cranberries — smooth, lilting, pretty indie pop. Check it out below. Also on the bill is Lincoln’s Guilty Is the Bear and Lansing, Michigan band Doug Mains and the City Folk. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Then tomorrow night The Brigadiers (Clint Schnase (ex-Cursive), drums; Shane Lamson, guitar, vocals; Mark Weber (ex-Box), lead guitar, vocals; and Vic Padios (ex-Calico, ex-Gymnastics), bass, vocals) return to O’Leaver’s with EVERYONE’s favorite post-punk four-piece, Well Aimed Arrows. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Am I missing anything good? Put it in the comments section. Have a fantastic weekend…

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Hear Nebraska’s Lincoln Fund Drive is today.

A couple things to consider as you decide whether to give to HearNebraska.org during the organization’s Lincoln pledge drive…

Yes, the Omaha fund drive isn’t until next week, but for every $10 you give to this one, your name gets dropped into a “virtual hat.” And if your name is drawn from that “virtual hat” you’ll win a custom turntable valued at $2k. For all you lame-o’s that don’t have a turntable, here’s your chance to finally get with it, and for you hipsters who already have a turntable, well, once you win this one, all you’ll need is a microphone to fulfill Beck’s “Where It’s At” dictum.

For you musicians out there who could give a shit about turntables, consider this:

Not only is Hear Nebraska’s mission entirely to support your artistic endeavors, but unlike some local charitable organizations that are always mooching you for free performances, HN does what it can to compensate bands who take part in activities like the upcoming “Hear Nebraska at the 1200 Club” concert and the “Hear Lincoln concert series.”

Look, eventually you’re going to book a show, cut a recording, start a new band, get busted for something you didn’t do, and you’ll want to get your story seen-read-heard by the music-loving world that follows Nebraska music, and it’s Hear Nebraska that’s going to help you do that. What’s it cost to hire a publicist? It’s nice to know you already have Hear Nebraska on your side.

And HN couldn’t have made it any easier. Just go to hearnebraska.org and fill out the “Donate Now” doohickey right on the homepage. Your donation TODAY will help HN get a share of the “Give to Lincoln” matching gift fund. Come on, you cheap-asses, do it.

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In this week’s column, those narcissistic Millennials. Is it me or does it seem like we see and  hear more about the young, hip people creating the companies than the companies themselves? Read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here.

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Travelling Mercies, Motel (self release, 2013)

Listening to the new Travelling Mercies album, Motel… What would you call this… Country? Country Rock? Alt Country? Outlaw Country?

Despite its inherent twang-and-drawl it leans heavier to the right on the Rock needle. Usually. On the other hand, songs like the acoustic “Holy Mary” bend toward folk. Then there’s the weird-Hawaiian-flavored lap-steel Hank Williams-derivative “Million Dollar Recipe.” But for the most part, it’s foot-on-the-floor tractor-flavored rock like the relentless “Border Run” that rattles and crashes like a waltz in a hailstorm.

Throughout the recording is an overshadowing Christian lilt that’s not so much “preachy” as an acknowledgement by songwriter/frontman Jeremy Mercy that yeah, there’s a higher power and he may or may not pull his ass out of the shit the next time it lands there. Mercy is a storyteller, and without a doubt this is a story-teller album.

I bring this up because Travelling Mercies are headlining tonight’s relief benefit at The Waiting Room for those devastated in the recent explosion in West, Texas. Also on the dance care are Belles & Whistles, 24 Hour Cardlock and Stephen Monroe. Recommended donation is $5 (but you can always give more), with all door proceeds going to the McLennan County Salvation Army.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Stornoway is playing at The Waiting Room tonight…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

No, I didn’t make it down to The Thermals last night, as much as I wanted to. Deadlines. Looks like I’ll have to wait ’til Maha to see them live.

But there’s nothing’s stopping me from going to see Stornoway tonight at The Waiting Room. Stornoway is a British indie folk band formed in 2006 in the Cowley area of Oxford, UK. Having self-released three CD EPs, the band signed to super-indie label 4AD in March 2010. Their music is very poppy indie stuff, they’ve been compared to These United States and Jake Bugg. Opening is Oklahoma City band Horse Thief, who records on Bella Union. $10, 9 p.m.

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BONUS: Check out the new track by Statistics featuring Har Mar Superstar (as if you couldn’t tell):

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Dumb Beach at O’Leaver’s, May 11, 2013

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m oh-for-two for being on the list for national shows. The first oh came at that Polica show a couple weeks ago. The publicist for opener Night Moves was supposed to handle it. Nothing. And then this past Friday the publicist for Black Pus left me high in dry. Mortifying. In both instances, I got in out of the goodness of the club.

VietNam at Slowdown Jr., May 10, 2013.

So needless to say, I don’t feel bad about missing Black Pus’ set, though I was told it sounded like Lightning Bolt, the band that BP’s Brian Chippendale drums in, and that would have been something to see and hear. Instead, I got to Slowdown just in time for VietNam. Described as singer/songwriter Michael Gerner’s project, the essence of their sound is a culmination of all seven band members. That’s right, seven — two guitars, fiddle, bass, Moog and two drummers.

Whenever I hear a band has two drummers, I prepare for either World Music or psychedelic. Friday night it was the latter, in spades. In fact VietNam is the purest form of drug music music I’ve heard in a long time. That fiddle provided a layer of scratchy, droning feedback that cast the proceedings in sonic tones, like a red handkerchief thrown over a lampshade. But this wasn’t some sort of slow-drone Floyd-ish psycho head game. More like the kind of music you imagine playing in the background while on the run after a deal gone bad just outside of Bakersfield on a summer day in 1972, a day that never ends viewed through the filter of over saturated 70 mm film stock. Chugging, hot, on-the-run rock music with no place to hide. This band would be fun to see on a big outdoor stage (just outside of Bethel, NY) sitting in a field surrounded by 100,000 people. Can Gerner bring this energy to VietNam’s upcoming recordings? Wait and see.

Laughing Falcon at O’Leaver’s May 11, 2013.

Saturday night was another O’Leaver’s night. Lots of folks there to see the reincarnation of Peace of Shit in the form of new band Dumb Beach. I got there just in time to hear the last five minutes of unbridled roar from Dim Light, a band that has reemerged with obvious new energy. I didn’t know much about the next band, Lincoln’s Laughing Falcon, and expected even less. Instead I was pleasantly surprised.

As one guy told me Saturday night, metal is metal, and Laughing Eagle is indeed metal, but of a more palatable strain than the dumbed-down goon rock heard at Rock Fest this past weekend. Laughing Falcon heralds back to the days of Judas Priest, Sabbath, all the way back to Deep Purple and as current as Early Man. But despite referential riffs, the four-piece brought something modern to this rather tattered fight club. It’s not so much angry as energetic, though afterward, you’ll feel like kicking someone’s head in.

The main event, of course, was Dumb Beach, the latest brainchild of frontman Austin Ulmer, and by far his best. Ulmer has surrounded himself with some of the best up-and-coming talent in town, including drummer Jeff Lambelet (Digital Leather), guitarist Ethan Jones (Baby Tears, ex-Ladyfinger), a second guitarist who I’ve seen in a couple other bands whose name I do not know, and secret weapon smiling Dave Hansen (Worried Mothers) on bass. The resulting roar is more straight-forward and “poppy” than Peace of Shit, with songs reminiscent of Digital Leather during that band’s three-piece punk years. They were at their best when playing the fast, heavy stuff vs. the slower songs (though you’ve got to have that contrast to give the highs their highs). Ulmer is at the center of it all with guitar and howl, bare boned, raw, he’s a working man’s frontman, a no-nonsense Midwestern garage punk with an obvious knack for riff and melody and violent noise.

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Everyone thought that Adam Hawkins’ last project, It’s True, was going to break through and get signed, but it was not to be. Hawkins got married, had a kid and now lives somewhere other than Omaha, though he’s far from forgotten by the Benson crowd who once called him their own.

Now comes word that Hawkins’ new project with his wife, Katy Sleeveless, called Eros and Eschaton, has been signed by Bar/None Records. Bar/None has been around since way back in 1986. Among the bands that got their first break from Bar/None are Yo La Tengo, Freedy Johnston, They Might Be Giants, Poi Dog Pondering and even our very own Lullaby for the Working Class.

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Believe it or not, tonight’s Thermals’ show at Slowdown Jr. has yet to sell out — surprising considering the band’s past history and the hype behind their Saddle Creek Records’ debut Desperate Ground. Opening is another hot band, Pleasure Adapter, who I’m told will have a new cassette available at tonight’s show. $12, 9 p.m.

By the way, I’m supposed to be on the list for this one. Let’s see what happens.

Also tonight… Jiha Lee was a member of Bright Eyes and at the center of Saddle Creek music scene when it was just emerging in the early 2000s . And then, she just seemed to disappear. Well, she’s back tonight at Pageturners, performing with another ’00s veteran Fizzle Like a Flood a.k.a. Doug Kabourek. Show starts at 9 and is absolutely free.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

VietNam’s Michael Gerner.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

VietNam is Brooklyn homie Michael Gerner and his guitarist pal Nathanael “Lefty” Maynard. According to this DNAInfo.com article, Gerner went to LA after his 2007 debut made a splash. He recently returned to NYC where he’s working on a new album. You’ll get a chance to hear how it sounds tonight when VietNam headlines at Slowdown Jr. Here’s sort of what you’re in for:

Opening for VietNam is Black Pus, aka Brian Chippendale, the drummer of Lightning Bolt. According to Thrill Jockey (the band’s label), “Chippendale employs percussion, a triggered oscillator (which creates the massive bass tones), and distorted vocals to create a maelstrom of noise with a healthy dose of pop thrown in for good measure. You can check out ’1000 Years’ below, which Consequence of Sound called ‘A tooth-rattling mass of tom thumping and synth squealing… a wild-eyed bruiser.’ Chippendale recreates these tracks live all by himself, looping the oscillator and vocals while pounding away at his drum kit with reckless abandon.”

First band up is Lincoln freakshow Plack Blague. $12. 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night is a bit more crowded show-wise.

Top of bill: Dumb Beach (the band formerly known as Peace of Shit) headlines at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night. Also on the fight card are Dim Light and Lincolnites Laughing Falcon. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Barley Street Tavern, Under Water Dream Machine plays with Colorado Springs act Dear Rabbit and our very own John Klemmensen and the Party. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night Filter Kings headlines the Liquid Courage Anniversary show at The Waiting Room. The show is free and starts at 6 p.m.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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With the excitement building like a firebomb for next Monday’s Thermals show at Slowdown Jr., the local media is dropping new interviews left and right.

The Thermals’ Kathy Foster.

The Reader‘s Chris Aponick has an interview with Thermals’ bassist Kathy Foster that recaps the band’s relationship with Saddle Creek and why they decided to go with Creek to put out their latest LP, Desperate Ground. Foster also talks about the genesis of the album’s creation, etc. You can read it online here.

OWH‘s Kevin Coffey also has an interview Foster that also talks about the band’s Saddle Creek history. You can read that one here.

I would have loved to find out why the band severed ties with Sub Pop and walked away from Kill Rock Stars — two labels that have similar reps as Saddle Creek (though Sub Pop is more established). Is there an advantage of being on one label vs. another? At this point in their career, do labels even matter? And why not try to self release? But maybe that’s too much “inside baseball.”

I’d also like to know what’s driving the band’s current direction. For that, go here to vulture.com, where you’ll find an interview with frontman/lyricist Hutch Harris, where he talks about Porlandia (“Portland’s had a lot of attention for a while but it hasn’t grown to the point where it sucks.“), love (“We’re not running from everyone, we are destroying the whole world. And to me that was really romantic.”) and, of course, war (“What people have to be most afraid of are other people, more than the weather, nature, animals. Men are the most violent, scariest things on the planet.”).

That’s the advantage of getting an interview with the person who actually wrote the lyrics — you get to find out what the record’s about. But as a long-time band interviewer, I know you generally don’t have a choice who you’re going to get to talk to, and if you’re in a small market like Omaha, you’re bound to get stuck with the bass player.

I miss doing band interviews. Unfortunately, I don’t have anyone to write them for anymore. Maybe I should just do them for Lazy-i?

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In this week’s column, why I skipped Comic Book Day (even though I love comics) and why the future of printed comics may be going the way of vinyl records. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here.

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Two hot shows are on the docket for tonight that I talked about Monday:

Over at The Waiting Room it’s the return of Maps & Atlases. Opening is St. Paul band Young Man (Frenchkiss Records). $12, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, at fabulous O’leaver’s, Gordon plays with D.C. band Paperhaus. $5, 9:30 p.m.

I’m torn.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Jeremy Buckley, the guy who runs Lincoln Calling, emailed yesterday to say that his annual 5-day shindig (which takes place Oct. 15-19) is currently accepting band applications at lincolncalling.com.

“Applying doesn’t guarantee a slot at the fest, but will let the organizing committee know that the band is interested in being a part of this year’s fest,” Buckley said. “Lincoln Calling is an annual music festival that takes place in downtown Lincoln at 10 or more venues and showcases 100+ bands and DJs on a local, regional, national and international level. Past performers have included Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, The Hood Internet, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Sea Wolf, Wolfgang Gartner, Laetitia Sadier and The Prids.”

He said last year about 150 bands applied. “It definitely helps in getting contact info together and knowing that bands are interested in playing,” he said. “We probably accepted about 50 bands that applied last year.”

To my knowledge, Lincoln Calling is the only Nebraska-based multi-day music festival that actually pays bands for playing, which is a credit to Mr. Buckley. This year marks the festival’s 10th anniversary, so I expect it to be bigger and better and wilder than ever.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.