by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here is yet one more article about the 2022 Maha Festival, this time published by main stage sponsor Union Pacific, but written by yours truly. If you’ve ever wondered what I look like, the article includes a photo of me taken by the super-talented Ben Semisch. Check it out here. 

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Been trying to figure out the backstory behind tonight’s Ian Sweet show — why is it presented by Slowdown but is being held at Reverb Lounge? Is it because Slowdown needs the full space to get ready for tomorrow night’s Sleigh Bells show? Or is it because that Ian Sweet show is a reschedule, and at the time of the resched, Slowdown was booked with something else (that dropped off)? Who knows and, I guess, what does it matter? 

Ian Sweet a.k.a. Jilian Medford is on a roll these days. Her 2021 album, Show Me How to Disappear (Polyvinyl) garnered a shit ton of college airplay as well as Pitchfork love. Her latest is a 4-song EP, Star Stuff, released a couple weeks ago and is more of the sweet indie you’ve come to expect from Medford. 

Opening tonight show is Chicago quartet Bnny, who dropped their debut LP, Everything, last August. $15, 8 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Why has Lazy-i been so deathly quiet this week? Maybe because like all of you I’m still recovering from the Maha Festival (that, and the fact that nothing has been happening this week).

Some post-Maha info: The folks at Maha reported attendance of more than 11,500 over the two-day event, that breaks down to 4,100 on Friday night (headlined by Car Seat Headrest) and 7,400 on Saturday (Princess Nokia/Beach House). That total attendance number includes an army of 850 volunteers, which is the secret sauce that makes Maha such a well-oiled machine.

Last year, Maha recorded attendance of 6,400 for the single day. The attendance was capped at around 70% of full capacity to allow for social distancing.

I can confirm Maha will again take place at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village next year. The real wild card is what will happen in 2024, when the new downtown river landing is completed. Now that would be a mammoth change for Maha…

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The Outlandia Festival released a site map on their website, and based on everything I can see it looks like it could be a blast, especially if you have VIP tickets.

Two head-scratchers — where exactly is the off-site parking (which is $15)? It’s shown as an arrow that leads somewhere off the map, and may have a different driving route than the on-site and VIP parking. Actually, I don’t see how off-site patrons enter the festival on this map. If there’s a shuttle from off-site, where does it load and unload or do you just have to walk from the off-site parking? I’m sure there will be a map update or more clear directions in the coming week.

Also missing is Outlandia’s performance schedule, which one assumes could drop at any moment now. (UPDATE: They just posted it here). It appears at least one act has fallen off the Friday night line-up, Caroline Spence, who no longer is mentioned on the Outlandia website. That leaves four bands for Friday’s concert (unless there’s a last-minute addition).

The underlying message throughout the Outlandia FAQ — BRING CASH. They won’t have a POS system, likely due to connectivity issues. There will be an ATM on the festival grounds.

BTW, the Friday night VIP tickets, which were sold out, are no longer sold out. In fact, all VIP packages are still available as well as GA tickets from the Outlandia etix website. VIPs look like the way to go — great access, great facilities and VIP parking is included…

Also, BTW, Petfest is next weekend. Their schedule has been online since July 17, here.

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Speaking of Petfest, it’s the first Friday of August which means it’s Benson First Friday. The full event map is here: https://www.bffomaha.org/map.html

Saturday night, so-called “gothic singer-songwriter” Marissa Nadler headlines at Slowdown. Her most recent LP, The Path of Clouds (2021, Sacred Bones/Bella Union) received a 7.5 on the Pitchfork meter, where they said, “The thrills of The Path of the Clouds are far richer than most true crime fiction, but like the best examples of the genre, it leaves you breathless.” Whoa. The music is, indeed, haunting. Opening is Omaha indie band Oquoa, playing for the first time in long time. $20, 8 p.m.

There are no 1% shows worth mentioning this weekend.

That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In the minds of a few folks involved in the Omaha music scene, there are two festivals this year going head-to-head — the Maha Music Festival, which happened last weekend, and Outlandia Music Festival in less than two weeks.

There is scuttlebutt, rumor and legend that Maha begat Outlandia. I’ve heard Outlandia described as a “revenge festival.” And when August comes to a close, it is inevitable that some will compare and contrast the two and declare a winner.

I won’t be one of those people. Because despite local music industry politics, I still see Maha and Outlandia as two very different animals, with two very different audiences. That doesn’t mean, however, that Outlandia didn’t impact Maha’s ticket sales.

I don’t have the numbers (yet), but my eyes tell me the crowds last weekend were among the smallest at any Maha including last year’s COVID-limited success. And in the music business as in life, size always seems to matter no matter what anyone says. Maha’s line-up, more than any in the past, was laser-targeted toward a very young demographic — not Gen X or Gen Y but squarely on the Z. And the audience reflected it – the youngest music-going audience I’ve seen at a Maha Festival. If that was their intent, congratulations.

But it was smaller. Friday night looked as if fewer than 3,000 paid ticket-goers were in attendance, though Stinson Park and the grounds surrounding it still had a festival feel, thanks to a set-up that boasted a great arcade-like area and a fun Community Village populated with energized non-profiters taking advantage of the unseasonably cool weather. Yeah, weather might be a decider between which festival was more fun to attend.

Maha’s biggest change this year was physically moving the main stage closer to the smaller second stage, and shifting the VIP area north of the main stage so VIP tents were actually visually obscured (though VIPers could still walk right down near the edge of stage left). I didn’t visit the VIP area this year because I wasn’t sure my Media Pass would let me in. (Edit: I’m now told they didn’t move the stage. It just seemed like they did because they moved the VIP area).

Realigning the private suites on the east end made the park feel smaller, tighter, which was fine considering the smaller crowd. That stage location meant concert goers were blinded as the sun fell behind either stage.

Which brings up one more positive addition — this year Maha finally added a big screen projection system, with the screen placed left of the main stage. These screens have been a staple at festivals around the country for years, and are a long time coming for Maha, obviously enhancing the experience for those seated along the walkways and in the suites. Maybe next year they can afford a second screen for the other side of the stage.

One last technical thing before we get to the music — Maha continues to be Omaha’s most well-run outdoor event thanks in huge part to their army of volunteers who help in every conceivable way, right down to helping you decide how to throw away your trash. Their volunteers have always been Maha’s greatest asset.

OK, onto the show. I caught the entire Friday night line-up, which kicked off right at 5:30 with punk band Las Cruxes, now boasting a ridiculous nine members. It certainly didn’t sound like nine people on the big stage, and, having seen these folks a half dozen times in the past, they could have pulled off the same performance Friday as a five-piece (though they gotta keep those two drummers).

Las Cruxes punk feels like a psych-rock concert at a blunt-instrument crime scene in a vacant apartment located somewhere just south of the boarder, say Nueva Laredo. It’s a bit unfocused, with sweeping, almost violent melodies sung in a static haze, and of course, entirely in Spanish. I have no idea what they are singing, and I’d be lying if I said the lack of translation didn’t take away from the songs. I like lyrics. If you’re uni-lingual, you’re left with only the psych-punk vibe, which by itself was potent. Punk bands typically aren’t designed for outdoor festivals, but Las Cruxes pulled it off, and I can’t wait to see them again in a club. PS: the sound mix was impeccable, Ian.

Bad Self Portraits, another local band, was next up on the small stage, which by contrast, didn’t sound much smaller. The band played their just-released EP, Fear of Missing Out, which leans more toward singer-songwriter than indie, the lead singer at times reminding me of Aimee Mann. This was the first time I’ve seen them, and probably not the best place to be introduced. It’s tough enough to get people to listen to your new album, even tougher in front of mostly empty festival grounds.

Next came the first of three touring indie acts. I hadn’t heard of Cambridge band Sweeping Promises until Maha, and wasn’t terribly inspired to check them out until: 1) local legend Jeff Runnings (of For Against fame) pointed me toward their 2020 album, Hunger for a Way Out, and 2) added that the band just got signed to Sub Pop. The aforementioned album is, indeed, awesome. Some of the innovation heard on that record was lost on stage, however. A power trio, front woman/bass player Lori Mondal’s vocals were too exposed and left hanging in the very narrow arrangements. Their performance could have benefited from a dirtier mix.

I was still waiting for the crowd to show up by 8:15 when Indigo De Souza and her band took the stage. The Saddle Creek Records act is one of the most successful new indie bands in the past couple years on the strength of two amazing albums. A small cadre of fans pressed toward the small stage, and got what they came for — a terrific set. De Souza’s between-song comments were a bit… disturbing. She said she felt cursed whenever she comes to Omaha, adding “Good luck to you.” After singing her next song she continued on about what a strange day she’d had here, and not in a good way.

But you wouldn’t have known it by her performance, which was spot on, while the small stage crowd sang along to highlight “Kill Me.” Wish more people had been there to see it.

Finally at 9:30 on came Car Seat Headrest. I was at Stinson earlier that day to help set up the Union Pacific suite and caught their soundcheck, where they ended up playing most of their set. Even at the soundcheck, frontman Will Toledo wore his now trademark gas mask-with-the-glowing eyes (and floppy ears).

But whereas he wore a T-shirt and skinny jeans during soundcheck, for the actual performance he came out in his full, weird orange costume that sort of looked like a hazmat jumpsuit. He wore the mask throughout his set, a microphone tucked away either in the mask or somehow next to it (his voice sounded fine).

I’ve heard people complain that Car Seat’s performances are boring without the costume, and I disagree, but maybe it’s because I think Teens of Denial and Twin Fantasy are two of the best albums of the late 20-teens. His songwriting and arrangements are confessional and provocative, and always interesting, so I don’t need the theatrics. That said, it was was more than appropriate for headlining a festival.

Undercutting the costume, Toledo chatted with his audience and his band between songs, seemingly disconnected from the fact that he was wearing a creepy mask. The New York Times wrote about the costume, saying it was a reflection of his deep admiration for David Bowie and how he always reinvented himself. With that in mind, it’s time for Toledo to dump the costume and take on his own Thin White Duke persona.

Of the two nights, I preferred Friday. There’s talk about pumping up Maha’s Friday night line-ups, but I would keep it indie-focused and leave the big pop-fueled bands for Saturday night.

So here’s my thoughts about the Saturday events — there’s no reason to start the festival at 1:30 if you’re only going to book local bands to perform up until 5 p.m. It’s great that these bands are getting an opportunity to play on big stages, but it’s disingenuous when you consider they’re playing mainly for Maha vendors and staff. After watching a couple minutes of DJ Short-T, I split and didn’t return to the park until Geese’s set.

Maybe the biggest winner of the local bands involved was The Real Zebos. More people told me about the band than any other local on the bill (other than Las Cruxes’ colorful backstage hi-jinx). They’ve got an album release show Sept. 23 at The Slowdown.

When I got back to Stinson at around 5, Geese were already on the big stage, but… without a drummer. After a few texts, I found out their drummer and guitarist were both MIA (the drummer apparently had a hand injury).

Geese was considered a huge “get” when it was announced. “Low Era,” the single off their Projector album, is on heavy rotation on Sirius XMU and has a cool vibe reminiscent of early Tame Impala. Of course we got none of that Saturday as the band ended up doing a free-form set that sounded more like noodling than anything else (I was reminded of the Jazz Odyssey scene in Spinal Tap). They were apologetic throughout, and it was a good effort to make the most of a bad situation, but I was just waiting for them to wrap it up. We still haven’t seen Geese.

Things went from bad to worse, as Sudan Archives were tortured with technical problems on that small stage. I was standing just right of the stage as frontwoman Brittney Parks struggled to get her violin pick-up to work, talking back and forth with the stage sound dude. She would plug things in, unplug and replug and the stage sound guy would say “Nothing” or “I have one channel now.” This went on and on and the schedule looked to be blown.

And then, out of the blue, two other performers went on the small stage, unscheduled, and played a couple songs that I will only describe as… challenging. I was beginning to think we weren’t going to get Sudan Archives at all.

As 6 p.m. rolled around (15 minutes late), they finally introduced Sudan Archives, who played as a duo, with a guy manning a laptop/synth/beatbox. The first song went fine, but then 30 seconds into the next song, the amps erupted in static, and the sound was cut. I thought for sure the set was over, when Parks picked up her violin, said “I’m just going to plug this in direct” and began playing a stripped down version of one of her songs, using a pedal repeater, the beat box and her vocals. It was amazing.

By the time that song finished, the tech problem was worked out, but time had run out. Maha wisely let them go on, and we got stunning versions of “NBPQ (Topless)” whose chorus is “I just want to have my titties out, titties out, titties out,” and breakout single “Selfish Soul.” What could have been a disaster ended up one of the best sets of the festival. Sudan Archives will be that act who, in a couple years when she’s playing huge audiences, we’ll say, “I remember when she played Maha.”

Things went pretty smoothly after that.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever came on maybe five minutes late, so things were getting back on schedule. A huge Australian act, they could headline most any other mid-size festival, and were a great late pick-up for Maha. They played with absolute precision their hits, including the ubiquitous “Talking Straight.” I’m not a big fan of this band — the music is a bit too mainstream for me. In a few years, this will be prime Dad Rock material (Outlandia, take note), but I know a lot of people love them, and they got exactly what they came for.

Every year, Maha has one earlier-in-the-day act that ignites the crowd. A few years back, for example, it was Atmosphere. This year it was PUP.

The emo-punk band said the festival was the last gig on their world tour, and you could tell. They’re the kind of band with rabid fans who sing along to every song. A fairly large mosh pit formed in front of the stage as kids bounced around into each other more like pogo moshing than slam dancing. PUP’s music isn’t dark, gritty or hardcore; it’s more like pop punk with emo at its center, extremely well played, and the kids loved it.

They were a huge contrast to Princess Nokia, a red-hot New York-born Puerto Rican MC, singer and performer. She had literally just flown in for the performance (or so she said), and it took her awhile to get comfortable on stage, using her opening song as her sound check. Backed by her DJ, she ran through her a set along with a few a cappella raps and a ton of between-song messaging about social issues, equality, and not taking shit from anyone. At one point she invited the people of color to come up front. I thought her arrangements and DJ were solid; her rhyme and flow, not so much.

By the end of her set, the crowd size looked somewhat impressive, but nowhere near as big as past years’ closing nights. We’ll see what the numbers say, but I think the data will prove this to be an off year for Maha. Part is due to the headliner choice. Beach House is far from a household name unlike past Maha headliners like Weezer, Lizzo, Garbage, Run the Jewels, etc. If you think Maha should continue to cater to indie (as I do), then you’re OK with that.

Beach House is a top-drawer indie band, but they’re not a huge draw, like festival headliners that Maha may never attract because of cost or scheduling, such as The Smile (ex-Radiohead), Tame Impala, LCD Soundsystem, Arcade Fire, Lana Del Rey, IDLES, Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg, and yeah, apparently Phoebe Bridgers (but that’s another story).

Beach House used a solid backdrop to facilitate a huge projection system throughout their performance, effectively setting a tone that complimented their spacey, droning indie music. Like last year’s Khruangbin headliner, it made for a laid-back closing act, but as I’ve said before, I never go to Maha for the headliner and never stay til the end.

So, another successful Maha Festival in the books, certainly in terms of execution and artistry. Maha continues to have the most diverse line-up of any local festival. And their hospitality is flawless, especially with those volunteers. Still, there’s always room for improvement, like getting a second big screen and it’s high time they hire an event DJ to keep the vibe flowing between sets.

Maybe the best thing about Maha is that it’s so damn easy. I rode my motorcycle to the park and walked right into the festival — zero hassle. The location and convenience are unmatched (and that’s something that may be lost if/when Maha makes its eventual move to downtown Omaha).

And while Outlandia may have bigger names in their line-up — ultimately drawing a larger audience — the jury is out as to how they’ll funnel a ginormous audience into Falconwood Park, with its access via a two-lane road and $25 on-site parking. I’m confident they have all that figured out, right? We’ll find out in less than couple weeks…

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s Maha Festival time, as detailed Wednesday. Tickets available at the gate. Tonight’s show at Aksarben Village starts at 5:30 with Las Cruxes on the main stage, which you absolutely don’t want to miss. Indigo De Souza is at 8:15, and Car Seat Headrest is at 9:30. What will Will Toledo and company throw at us as the headliner?

Tomorrow’s show starts at 1:30 but the first touring headliner, Geese, doesn’t play until 4:45. Then it’s one after another with Sudan Archives, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, PUP, Princess Nokia and headliner, Beach House. The more I look at it, the more impressive the line-up seems. I’m not a big Beach House fan, and their past shows have been a real snooze, but I have to believe they’ll bring something amazing Saturday night. All Maha info here.

If you’re in Lincoln, there’s Lincoln Exposed, which started last night and runs through Saturday. The full weekend lineup is here. Tickets, available online or at The Bourbon, are $12 tonight and tomorrow. The highlights for me (if I was going) would all be Saturday night with Domestica at The Zoo Bar at 9, blet at Bourbon Theater at 10:20 and Universe Contest at Duffy’s at 11:40.

Cap off the weekend Sunday night with Wavves at Slowdown Jr. The band is on the road supporting 2021 release Hideaway (Fat Possum Records). BOYO and Smut open at 8 p.m. $20!

Have a great weekend. If you’re at Maha, look for the guy wearing the Union Pacific ball cap and say hello.

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Mark Burgess of Chameleons is no stranger to Omaha. He came through and played accompanied by Dereck Higgins way back in 2003 (and had a scheduled concert three years later that he cancelled). Now he’s back, this time playing tonight at new downtown/midtown bistro performance spot The Berkley, 1901 Leavenworth (just down the street from Shuck’s, by where The Milk Run used to be). Alexis DeBoer (Drakes Hotel, who were also on the bill, cancelled due to Covid) opens. Show starts at 8 p.m. $25.

Some background for those of you wondering who Burgess is, here’s my 2006 Q&A with Burgess and my 2003 feature on Burgess. Enjoy.

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And here’s an early head’s up for this weekend’s Maha Music Festival.

I’ve been going back and forth with people about this year’s eclectic line-up. Is it great or the worst ever? I guess it depends on how you define success. From a forward-looking new band perspective, it’s pretty on point, considering Princess Nokia, Sudan Archives and Geese are definitely indie buzz bands. Beach House remains on heavy rotation on Sirius XMU, as is late addition Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. Car Seat Headrest is a personal favorite, but an odd choice considering they played Maha just a few years ago. Indigo De Souza is another personal favorite, though she also just played at Slowdown just last year. PUP’s performance will likely be the one that people will talk about the next day. As for Sweeping Promises, well, this will be my introduction to that band. 

I think it’s a solid line-up, though I don’t foresee it selling out.

The only local act on the bill that piques my interest is Las Cruxes, certainly one of our best local punk bands. I’ve mentioned this before — Maha seems to have ignored what I consider to be the best indie bands in the area, a list of which you can see right here. Ah well, I guess that’s OK seeing as so few people are on hand early in the day for the locals (still, it’s probably a nice pay day). 

The sched for the two day festival:
Friday
Las Cruxes – 5:30 p.m. 
Bad Self Portraits – 6:15 p.m. 
Sweeping Promises – 7 p.m. 
Indigo De Souza – 8:15 p.m. 
Car Seat Headrest – 9:30 p.m. 

Saturday
DJ Short-T 1:30 p.m. 
Dominique Morgan – 2:15 p.m. 
The Real Zebos – 3 p.m. 
Omaha Girls Rock – 3:35 p.m. 
Marcey Yates – 4 p.m. 
Geese – 4:45 p.m. 
Sudan Archives – 5:45 p.m. 
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – 6:45 p.m. 
PUP – 7:45 p.m. 
Princess Nokia – 9 p.m. 
Beach House – 10:30 p.m. 

VIP and General Admission tickets are both still available. Those GAs are $85 for both days, $35 for Friday and $65 for Saturday. See you there. More info here.

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It was a sort of mainstream music weekend, with Sheryl Crow in the park, Lovett/Isaak at the Holland and Greta Van Fleet at CHI.

I strolled up to Memorial Park for part of Crow’s set, and she sounded fine. I like Sheryl Crow but her music is a bit too middle of the road for my liking. The crowd seemed to enjoy it, at least the folks closest to the stage. I caught the back end of the set from my backyard, where it was clearly audible. 

So, a boring weekend, but next weekend is Maha…

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Couple releases worth checking out:

Digital Leather dropped a new 8-song album last week called Tales from the King. There’s not a heckuva lot of info about it at the band’s Bandcamp page, and it looks like it’s digital-only (no vinyl). The collection is more of the electronic post punk you’re familiar with, but Shawn Foree — the man behind the madness — goes out pm a limb on a few numbers, including the poppy “Thistle and Thorn” and the keyboard-driven “Friend of Failure.” Every DL album is worth checking out and this one is no exception.

On a more nostalgic note, Cursive announced their label, 15 Passenger, is releasing a special anniversary edition of Domestica that includes a 7-inch of four songs by Braces, Tim Kasher and Clint Schnase’s short-loved pre-Cursive band that included bassist Kim Heiman (Kasher’s ex). As for Domestica, it’s been remastered and available again on vinyl, dropping Sept. 9. Want one? You’ll have to buy the bundle because it looks like the stand-alone vinyl is already sold out, pre-order here.

Part of the the reissue’s fun was reshooting the album art with the same models – who have aged gracefully. 

Domestica 2000 vs. 2022. Looking good!

Here’s hoping Cursive does a special Domestica concert here in Omaha with the band Domestica opening!

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So, tonight is the annual Memorial Park Concert, usually scheduled around the July 4 holiday. For reasons probably having to do with headliner Sheryl Crow’s schedule, the concert is tonight.

The park concert is a long tradition suffered through by folks who live in nearby neighborhoods. I don’t mind people dragging their lawn chairs along the streets, parking bumper-to-bumper, dropping their garbage along the way, etc., but I do mind people pissing in my yard, as was the case a couple years ago when I caught some kid taking a piss next to my house. “Excuse me. Do that somewhere else.”

This is where my anti-gun stance becomes slightly frayed.

Regardless, here we go again tonight. It should be a truly miserable evening with the heat index heading to around 105 degrees. Dave Mason of “We Just Disagree” fame opens at 7:15 p.m. Sheryl goes on at 8:45 and fireworks are at 10. If you’re going, please stay off my lawn.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) the country rock stylings of Lightning Stills plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s with McCarthy Trenching opening at 9 p.m. This, too, is free concert, but alas, no fireworks (probably).

Finally, Sunday night Atlanta-based four-piece Worlds Greatest Dad headlines at The Sydney in Benson The band’s last full-length, Get Well Soon, was released on Deep Rest Records before the pandemic. Also on the bill are Wichita’s Social Cinema (ex-Kill Vargas) and In Bloom. $10, 8 p.m.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Steelhouse Omaha, the new 3,000 capacity standing-room live music venue owned and operated by Omaha Performing Arts, announced today that their grand opening has been set for May 12, 2023.

Steelhouse will be booked by Live Nation, which handles the one of the largest catalogs of touring rock bands in the country, so the opening performer could be just about anyone you could imagine, though no doubt it will be someone who will appeal to the widest possible range of audiences. Look, I’m not expecting LCD Soundsystem. Still, if Steelhouse can book just six quality touring indie acts per year, I’d be happy.

And just as they wind down construction on that $104 million project, OPA announced last week a new $103 million Center for Arts Engagement that will be built in that vacant lot on the east side of the Holland Performing Arts Center. This one is more of an education center, and will include rehearsal space, workroom and classroom space.

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Pageturners Lounge has another pop-up shows tonight, this time featuring Advance Base, the project from Owen Ashworth formerly of Casiotone for the Painfully Alone. Ashworth has some heavy credits, including contributing to Sun Kil Moon’s exquisite Benji album from 2014. Joining him tonight are Vera Deborah and Jim Schroeder (David Nance Band, UUVVWWZ). $10, 8 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

We don’t get touring indie shows on weekends but we do get them (often) on Mondays. One assumes it’s because touring acts are playing in larger markets on the weekends, are between cities on Monday nights and figure why not play to half-empty rooms in Omaha (and then come to the conclusion that Omaha is a place to avoid on their next tour). 

With that in mind, tonight Cola plays at Slowdown Jr. The band, which consists of members of Ought and U.S. Girls,  is on a roll with their latest album, Deep in View (2022, Fire Talk), which got a respectable 7.3 on the Pitchfork meter. It is definitely jangly indie at its best. Opening are a couple local acts, Lincoln’s The Credentials and our very own Indian Caves. $15, 8 p.m. 

Meanwhile, Drive-By Truckers returns, this time to the site where Outlandia Festival will be held in August — Falconwood Park. Get a sneak peek at the park’s recent improvements before the big festival. Opening is Lydia Loveless at 8 p.m. $40. 

Finally, down at The Sydney in Benson, NYC band Sky Creature headlines. This band has a shimmery, ’90s shoe-gaze vibe and reminds me of Cocteau Twins. Opening is Specter Poetics. $8, 8 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There were no updates this past week because there was nothing to “update” about. Actually, there was a Japanese Breakfast/Linda Lindas show on Tuesday that I forgot about, having just seen JB at Maha. I was more interested in the Linda Lindas set, and saw more buzz about that band on the socials afterward. Good for them.

There are, of course, no indie shows scheduled this weekend, either.

In a nutshell, 1% is doing a country show outside in their “Waiting Room Outdoors” space on Military Ave Saturday night. The Slowdown has an Omaha Girls Rock! event Saturday afternoon at 4, which is always fun. Go out and support the next generation of rockers. The Sydney has a funk organ trio playing Saturday night called Swell Gibson as part of Benson Soul Society night.

A couple things to listen to and buy:

Ethan Jones (ex-Ladyfinger) released a new album last week, Believes in Nothing and Falls for Everything. It’s his first full-length since the COVID-powered McMcCartney album back in 2020. This one also was almost entirely created by Jones, though he had a little help from some friends. Bedroom-fueled garage rock with a psych overhang. Very noisy. Check it.

Problems a.k.a. Darren Keen has a new track out called “Starting Over” featuring Kindora on vocals and it’s infectious. check it.

That’s all I got. It’s been slim pickings for indie shows and looking at the 1% and Slowdown calendars, we’re in for a long summer other than the big three festivals (Maha, Outlandia, Petfest) as most of our favorite indie bands are keeping Nebraska off their tour schedules for reasons we’ll never know. It certainly isn’t due to a lack of venues…

Have a great 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.