Rolling Stone changed its design and became monthly.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Last week I got a butt-slapper-sized issue of Rolling Stone in the mail and immediately knew something was up.

The previous issue, with Camila Cabello (???) on the cover felt more like a pamphlet than a magazine in all its 66 pages of content. RS has been declining for years in terms of page count and content.

Then along comes this new issue with Cardi B & Offset (???) on the cover (btw, the ??? signifies that I have no idea who these people are. And while I haven’t kept up with pop-chart music for years, at least in the old days I recognized the people on the cover of Rolling Stone. Apparently that’s no longer the case). The giant-sized, perfect-bound issue weighed in at a hefty 136 pages — twice the size of the previous issue. The reason: “A New Era for Rolling Stone” as Jann Wenner put it announcing the new format and the new monthly (instead of bi-weekly) publication.

It typically has taken about five minutes to flip through a Rolling Stone (with four minutes spent in the reviews section). I flipped though this new issue page for page and will likely go back and read the features about the cover people as well as a “booze and hash”-laced portrait of Johnny Depp.

The new format emphasized lots o’ photos (including a Sebastian Salgado feature — he’s been doing pictorials for Stone for decades), “lists” (“100 Greatest songs of the Century… So Far” which is (you guessed it) off the mark), and chart stories (a la Wired), along with its usual fare: Random Notes, National Affairs, and of course, Reviews, which have been expanded (though in the same format).

As a whole, I like what they’ve done with the magazine. The bi-weekly format has seemed somewhat slap-dash for a while now. No doubt this is a last gasp by a magazine that has managed to survive while so many others have been taken down by the internet plow. And while their focus on pop music / bad fashion can be rather gagging, I still enjoy getting it in the mail, as I have for decades….

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Denver folk-pop singer/songwriter Esme Patterson (Grand Jury Records) plays tonight at The Sydney. Joining her are Sean Pratt and the Sweats, Mike Schlensenger and Annalibera. $10, 9 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Molly Burch plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s Tuesday, March 6. Photo by Helene Tchen Cardenas.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Molly Burch comes from a jazz vocal background, having studied the art at University of North Carolina in Asheville. But it wasn’t until she started writing songs that she began capturing the attention of a larger audience.

Her debut LP, Please Be Mine (2017, Captured Tracks) is a lonely, winsome collection of heart-ache love songs sung with a voice that’s been compared to Patsy Cline and Billie Holiday. To me, the record sounds like Nancy Sinatra meets Mazzy Star, distinctly modern and dreamy with touches of sentimental, vintage arrangements.

I caught up with Molly and asked her to take my Ten Questions survey, and she bashfully agreed.

1. What is your favorite album?

Molly Burch: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

2. What is your least favorite song?

That’s tough so I will not answer it!

3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?

Getting to know a small group of people really well.

4. What do you hate about being in a band?

When personalities clash.

5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?

Diet coke.

6. In what city or town do you love to perform?

I love performing in LA because that is where I’m from and also New York because I get to see everyone at my label.

7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?

Ugh, again, tough. I don’t want to offend any cities or towns! Pass!

8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?

Sort of, but mostly because I live super cheaply. I also nanny to help pay bills along with other occasional side jobs.

9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?

I love to set up shows and also plan and host parties…maybe a wedding planner? Lol, I don’t know. And I would hate any profession that involved a lot of public speaking.

10. What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?

I’ve heard of the Runza.

Molly Burch plays with Thick Paint and Sean Pratt & The Sweats Tuesday, March 6 at O’Leaver’s, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd. The show starts at 9 p.m., tickets are $8. For more information, go to liveatoleavers.com.

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Denver’s Esme Patterson (Grand Jury Records) gets the Hi-Fi House treatment tonight, starting with a 6 p.m. Q&A followed by an intimate performance by Patterson and her band. A “special guest” Omaha songwriter opens prior to her set. Entry is free for Hi-Fi House members, general public tickets are available on a first-come first-served basis for $25.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

A frightening still from Plack Blague’s 2014 video for “Boyz Club.” The Blague plays tonight at O’Leaver’s with Digital Leather.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

They’re calling it “The Leather Invasion.” Tonight Digital Leather returns to fabulous O’Leaver’s. On the heels of this week’s album announcement (and a brief tour that brought them to Austin), you can probably expect these guys to be playing new material from the forthcoming FDH release All Faded, out June 23. DL is opening (or so it seems) for the infamous Plack Blague, who must be seen and heard to be believed. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also Friday night Simon Joyner opens for Denver singer/songwriter Esme Patterson at the Reverb Lounge. Patterson, who also is a member of Denver band Paper Bird, is touring in support of her new album, Woman to Woman (Greater Than), of which The New York Times said: “Her voice is wiry and candid, backed by arrangements that roll along the folk-country borderline.”  Also on the bill is Sean Pratt and the Sweats. $10, 9 p.m.

And don’t forget that Big Al’s Free Music Festival continues tonight and tomorrow night at The Hideout, 320 So. 72nd St. Admission is a can of food (it’s a food drive) and it starts at 8 p.m. Details and Friday and Saturday’s schedule are here.

Saturday night it’s back to O’Leaver’s for Derby Birds with Roxi Copland. $5, 9:30 p.m.

That’s what I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

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If you haven’t already, check out this week’s Lazy-i Podcast. The 20-minute program features music by Wagon Blasters, Soft Moon, Blue Bird, Ladyfinger and music and an interview with Super Ghost, along with my picks for the best shows this weekend. Check it out below:

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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 © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.