Welcome to Lazy-i, an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news.
The focus is on the indie music scene. Yes, there’s a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area, but Lazy-i also offers interviews, stories and reviews about national indie bands.
Most of the feature stories and columns in Lazy-i will have previously been published in The Reader, Omaha’s monthly alternative newspaper.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Some meandering thoughts about Outlandia…
I just wrapped up a column for the April issue of The Reader wherein I tried to “translate” the festival’s bands into RIYL bands that someone in their 50s who has become disconnected to music might recognize. It was not easy.
As I was writing it, the Outlandia line-up was announced, and I considered including Outlandia bands in the write-up until I discovered that the headliner and a couple other prominent acts were completely unfamiliar to me. I was told by a pal at the office that Lord Huron has played in Omaha many times. Gregory Alan Isakov played The Waiting Room way back in 2011 (with Kyle Harvey opening no less), again in 2017 opening for Blind Pilot and as recently as a few weeks ago at a sold out Admiral show. Manchester Orchestra also has played Sokol Auditorium in 2009 and 2014 according to the Lazy-i Wayback Machine. So how come I’m so clueless about these three bands?
It probably has something to do with how I discover music, which is exceptionally hit and miss. Beyond listening to new bands after they’ve been scheduled to play in Omaha, I discover new indie music via Sirius XMU (which, by the way, doesn’t play anything by those three artists), as well as reading Pitchfork, Stereogum, Brooklyn Vegan and review aggregator Album of the Year, and also word of mouth via social media, where people embed YouTube videos, etc.
Lord Huron and Isakov, moreso than Manchester, are indie folk artists. Over the past five (maybe 10 years) indie folk and indie singer/songwriter music has been dominated by women. The Maha Festival line-up is headlined by Adrianne Lenker’s Big Thief and includes women-led acts Alvvays and The Beths – three of my favorite artists in the past few years. The last male indie folk artist who caught my attention was Christian Lee Hutson, whose sound is in direct lineage with Simon and Garfunkel. If Hutson were to play a local festival, no doubt it would likely be Maha.
I’m also of an era where record labels were everything when it came to finding new music – Matador, Sub Pop, Merge, 4AD, Jagjaguwar, Saddle Creek, Jade Tree, Carpark, Domino, Dead Ocean, Speed! Nebraska, all the way back to Mute, Factory, Rough Trade, etc – I always gave a listen to artists released on these labels, and still do. Lord Huron’s last couple albums were released on Republic, a label I’ve never followed. Isakov’s albums are released on his own Suitcase Town Music. Outlandia act Cat Power, on the other hand, was one of the early big names released on Matador Records, and as a result, I’m very familiar with Chan’s output.
Of course Outlandia’s line-up this year goes well beyond the three acts I mentioned above, but really, other than Modest Mouse and the cadre of Saddle Creek Records legacy acts, those three are the ones who are getting the most notice and will sell the most tickets. I have to believe Horsegirl will be a complete mystery folks buying tickets to see Lord Huron, Manchester and Isakov. Horsegirl and Cat Power are my favorites from this year’s Outlandia line-up, along with the Creek bands of course (and I’d place Modest Mouse up there if they only played their early material — highly unlikely).
Yeah, I know I’m missing a lot of great music the way I do it, but don’t we all?
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
This morning, the folks at Outlandia announced the line-up for their August 11-12 festival at Falconwood Park in Bellevue. Look, I knew The Faint would be playing somewhere in Omaha this year since they’re opening a couple Texas dates for Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and here we are. The Good Life, Tim Kasher’s more mellow side project, also is on the Outlandia bill, as is Criteria. The only thing missing is a Conor/Bright Eyes/Desa performance to make it a Saddle Creek Records reunion festival (and hey, who knows who might show up…).
The full Outlandia Festival 2023 line-up:
We knew it would be hard to beat last year’s line-up that featured The National and Wilco. I wouldn’t put any of these bands in those bands’ category, though Modest Mouse is a big deal. I simply don’t know anything about Lord Huron – it’s not a band that I’ve come across over the years, and not someone played on Sirius XMU, so some research is order on my part.
No word on tickets except they go on sale this Friday and will include tent and RV camping tickets. I gotta believe camping tickets will be the first to sell out – what better way to see a festival than to park your RV and walk to the concert site?
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
First off, Happy St. Patrick’s Day.
When Benson first began to emerge as one of city’s nightlife hubs in the late 2000s, my dream was that the district’s businesses would eventually pull together to create the ultimate St. Patrick’s Day experience, wherein those of Irish descent (and otherwise) could stumble down Maple Street throughout the day/afternoon/morning drinking Guinness and/or Irish whiskey, enjoying traditional Irish music (or otherwise) from one bar to the next. Now, 16 or so years later, the Benson District still doesn’t jointly celebrate St. Patrick’s Day — one of the best bar days of the year. Ah well…
Instead, a handful of bars throughout the city do their own thing, with The Dubliner still being the best place to celebrate this day dedicated to day drinking, Irish lore and March Madness. The only thing missing is The Turfmen. Wherever you end up (even if it’s at home) please enjoy responsibly, or whatever.
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Weekend-wise, live music resumes on Saturday where The Waiting Room gets into St. Patrick’s Day a day late with a rock show featuring Lincoln Celtic rockers The Killigans. They’re as close as you’re going to get to Flogging Molly in these parts (other than Flogging Molly, who played The Admiral a week ago). Adding to the Midwestern brogue is Des Moines’ The Vandon Arms. Joining them is the not-so-Celtic-sounding Filter Kings. Also on the bill is Aage Birch. 8 p.m., $18.
Sunday night, Philly indie band Grocer (who I wrote about here) returns to Reverb Lounge. Joining them are rising stars Bad Self Portraits, who have been playing out a ton lately – here’s your chance to see them again live in person. Estrogen Projection opens the show at 8 p.m. $10.
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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
I used to love love love going to South By Southwest, if not for a chance to see both emerging and classic indie bands than as an escape from our crappy, cold weather here in Omaha. I attended four years in a row and saw some amazing acts, including The Oh Sees, Jesus and Mary Chain, PJ Harvey, Peter Murphy, Glen Hansard, Big Star, Bob Mould, the list goes on and on, not to mention a lot of local talent that made the trip to Austin either on their own (Digital Leather, Little Brazil) or as part of a Saddle Creek Records showcase.
Saddle Creek, by the way, is back at SXSW again this year, doing a joint a showcase with Sub Pop and Hardly Art, happening tonight at my favorite SXSW venue, Mohawk. Creek bands playing are Young Jesus, Pendant, Tomberlin and Indigo De Souza. I would definitely have gone to this showcase had I attended this year.
Who else would I have seen? Well, top of the list is an LA band called Blondshell, which I’m noticing now is emerging on the top of a lot of people’s list. Both NME and Brooklyn Vegan list Blondshell, a.k.a. Sabrina Teitelbaum, as a must-see act. The reason is the release of the band’s self-titled debut April 7, which includes tracks previously release on an EP that already is on my list of favorite releases of 2023. Teitelbaum is the first artist to emerge in the past decade with both a tunefulness and lyrical honesty that rivals Liz Phair during her Guyville days. Needless to say, her tour isn’t taking her to Omaha, but I’ve already purchased tickets for her 7th Street Entry show in Minneapolis in July (my first travel gig).
That’s the standout. Also on the list is Tacoma’s Enumclaw, Chicago post-punk act Lifeguard, Matador rock band Algiers (who will never come to Omaha, I guess), legends New Order and Tangerine Dream and The Oh Sees (again).
The only uncertainty about going to SXSW is rolling the dice when it comes to the weather. When it’s warm and sunny in Austin, it’s heaven. Unfortunately, the forecast calls for rain today and highs the rest of the weekend only in the 50s and 60s. Dang! It’s still better than what we’re going to have here this weekend.
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We’ve got our own indie show going on tonight right here in Omaha. Former local band Thick Paint returns to Reverb Lounge (hey, weren’t they here one year ago on this very day?). What have they been up to since then? Find out tonight. Joining them is Detroit band Summer Like the Season. Omaha’s own Masonjixx headlines. DJ Hair Brain opens at 8 p.m. $15.
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Outlandia yesterday officially announced that the two-day festival returns Aug. 11 and 12 to Falconwood Park in Bellevue, with a line-up announcement in late March.
This year’s fest will for the first time offer a limited number of RV and camping locations, which was part of the original Outlandia vision. As for the actual lineup: “In its second year, Outlandia is staying true to its vision of featuring established and emerging indie, alternative and alt‐country artists and celebrating the community’s love of music,” said Outlandia cofounder Marc Leibowitz of One Percent Productions.
Outlandia will be challenged to beat last year’s line-up, topped by Wilco and The National. My two “guesses” of who could do that are The Pixies and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I guess we’ll see soon enough.
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Another Outlandia guess would have been Amyl and the Sniffers, but instead we’re going to get them Oct. 18 at The Admiral. This will be a cool show. Pre-show tix go on sale Wednesday (sign up from the Amyl website), with general ticket sales happening Friday morning.
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Philly band Grocer returns to Reverb Lounge Sunday night. In support of that show, I interviewed the band for my monthly column in The Reader. The topic – are brutally negative album reviews necessary in an era when all music is available all the time. It’s not like ye olden days, when you shelled out your hard-earned cash, took home the album and hoped that the singlers weren’t the only decent tracks on the record. You simply didn’t know until after you bought the record. My, how things have changed.
Grocer was particularly irritated about a Pitchfork review of Maneskin’s shitty new album (and Steve Albini’s Steely Dan takedown), and said so in Twitter. See what they had to say either by picking up a copy of the March issue of The Reader at any of your favorite pick-up locations (mine is La Casa on Grover Street) or read it online right here. … Actually, here’s the column in its entirety, posted for posterity (because The Reader’s articles have a way of disappearing in a few years, unlike Lazy-i’s content, which lives forever….).
Haters Gonna Hate
Early last month, Pitchfork, an online indie music news and reviews website, published a blisteringly negative review of glam-rock album “Rush!” by the Italian band Måneskin. Negative reviews are nothing new for Pitchfork, but this one was particularly biting; its sentiment was neatly summed up in the article’s subhead, in which author Jeremy Larson described the record as “absolutely terrible at every conceivable level.”
You’d think such a record would rate a 0.0 on Pitchfork‘s 10-point scale, but somehow the album garnered a 2.0. A rating that low catches people’s attention, and sure enough, the review received “viral lift” on social media by music fans who celebrated Larson’s butchery of an album they likely never would have listened to otherwise. And isn’t that what rock criticism is all about?
Not to Nick Rahn, guitarist/vocalist of Philadelphia-based indie band Grocer, which is slated to play at Reverb Lounge on March 19. Rahn headed to Twitter, posting from the band’s account: “Hot take alert: We no longer have a need for negative music reviews when you can listen to anything you want for free and form your own opinion.”
Rahn’s rebuttal continued in the threaded tweet. “I get that it feels good to shit on things you don’t like but is it helpful? Does it have a place on a public forum? With so much music out there isn’t it more useful to single out music you like than to single out music you don’t like? Also can we stop saying that music is ‘good’ or ‘bad’? It’s ok to have an opinion. You don’t need to be an authority on the objective quality of something just because it doesn’t register as ‘cool’ for you.”
Rahn’s reaction came a day after a different critical brouhaha boiled over on Twitter, this time featuring legendary post-punk recording engineer Steve Albini lambasting (of all things) ’70s yacht rock supergroup Steely Dan.
Albini, whose contribution to music history includes recording classic albums from grunge icons The Pixies, Nirvana and PJ Harvey, tweeted a bunch of one-liners about the band responsible for such hits as “Peg” and “Deacon Blues,” including: “Christ the amount of human effort wasted to sound like an SNL band warm up,” and “Music made for the sole purpose of letting the wedding band stretch out a little.”
As both a longtime Steely Dan fan and long-time Albini fan, this produced a chuckle. Others were not so amused, as online publications including Pitchfork “amplified” Albini’s rant, resulting in much venting of spleen on social media. Grocer reacted to this on Twitter, too: “If we are going to get upset every time an old guy has an opinion on Steely Dan there is no hope for us to survive in this world.” Huzzah!
Grocer bandmates, drummer/vocalist Cody Nelson and bassist/vocalist Danielle Lovier, said people got pissed about Rahn’s Pitchfork tweets.”They reacted angrily,” Rahn said via a phone interview.
“A lot of people took the comments to say that we don’t want to be criticized,” Nelson said. “When a multimillion-dollar company owned by Conte Nast decides to heat up conversation for a day, it’s going to be lame. The review’s author should have said he hates (the album) on twitter. For Pitchfork, (the review) is being mean for no reason. There was a period of time when a Pitchfork review could stop careers from thriving. These days it doesn’t matter.”
“What is weird,” Lovier added, “is that people will hate-listen to that album now.”
Lovier is right. I listened to the Måneskin album only because of its viral negative review and 2.0 rating. I never would have if Pitchfork rated it between 5.0 and 8.0. And while Rahn is correct that people can find out for themselves if an album is good or bad now that music is so freely available, that availability doesn’t come with the one valuable thing we all need to listen to new music — time.
Instead of hate-listening to the latest Måneskin album, Grocer would prefer you listen to their new album, “Scatter Plot,” released March 3 on Philly label Grind Select. Having listened to both, I can attest your time will be better spent.
And you can bet that, despite the criticism of Pitchfork, Grocer would love the so-called “bible of Indie music” to review their album.
“We would love them to pan us,” Nelson said. “And let’s face it, it’s better for (Pitchfork) to attack a band no one’s heard of than, say, Greta Van Fleet.”
Grocer performs at Reverb Lounge on March 19 with Bad Self Portraits and Estrogen Projection. Showtime is 8 p.m., tickets are $10. For more information, go to onepercentproductions.com.
Originally published in The Reader, March 14, 2023. Copyright © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Was it the first-time novelty of the event or a reflection of an actual thirst for Saturday afternoon rock shows? Whatever the reason, Saturday’s GoatFest was a marvelous success judging by the crowd and the good times. When I arrived at a little past 3 p.m., punk-trio Bad Bad Men was already playing in the back corner of Scriptown Brewery, hidden behind a crowd that ran along both sides of the enormous bar all the way to the entrance. From the looks of it, as many people were there to sample a pint of Scriptown’s tasty, just-released Goatsmack Helles Bock as enjoy the music.
Like I said last week, GoatFest had the potential to provide that same warm party vibe as I remembered from South By Southwest day parties. Anyone who’s been to SXSW will tell you the day parties are the best part of the festival – super laid-back events where you can listen to great bands while enjoying some much-needed day drinking. The only difference: It’s usually 80 degrees and sunny at SXSW, whereas it was 30 degrees and snowing in the Blackstone. But that didn’t slow anyone down.
Someone told me that Blackstone was considering more daytime rock shows on weekends. It’s something the district could become known for — or that Scriptown could corner the market on if so inclined. Would the crowds continue to show up if they hosted rock shows every weekend?
To me, it depends on the bands. SXSW day shows, for example, involve the best original indie bands in the country. I wouldn’t go if it featured cover bands or blues acts. Still, plenty of serious beer drinkers like both of those “genres,” and regardless of the band I could definitely see a regular weekend afternoon series catching on, especially if another venue in Blackstone also got into the act — part of SXSW’s appeal is stumbling from one venue to another and back again to listen to bands all afternoon.
And Blackstone is tailor made for hosting weekend day shows, more so than Benson, whose stages are dedicated to supporting that district’s robust nightlife, or the gentrified Dundee and its vibrant restaurant scene, or the Old Market that despite its hip brick buildings still feels like a tourist scene.
What more to say about Bad Bad Men that I haven’t already said? They’re a super-fun hard rock band that verges on post-punk, fronted by Omaha legend John Wolf, whose rapid-fire guitar riffs scorch above a rhythm section powered by a Siebken/Hug powertrain. I don’t know what John was singing through that PA and it didn’t matter. Folks not used to this style of music had to wish they brought their ear plugs (as I always do).
The music only got louder when Those Far Out Arrows took over shortly after 4. They stand side-by-side with David Nance Group as the best full-on psych-rock guitar band in this region. Both bands have a knack for finding a deep, guttural groove and playing it out for all its worth. The differentiator is how the Arrows stand closer to traditional, pure ‘60s garage rock, taking that sound and modernizing it in their own midwestern way.
Amost forgot to mention — what would a GoatFest be without real goats? Two were stabled out back in a small trailer parked near the patio area, no doubt wondering who all these drunks were stumbling out of the building, gawking at them.
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
It’s been a long, strange week. Anyway… onto the weekend, and it starts with a couple shows tonight and a “fest” (of sorts) tomorrow.
Two new touring indie bands I’ve never heard of are playing tonight at Reverb Lounge. The Collection is an indie-pop six-piece from Saxapahaw, North Carolina, whose last EP, Rose Colored Glasses, was released on Nettwerk this past January. Not a shitload of information about them anywhere, yet here they are, on tour.
Opening the show is Mom Rock, an indie-pop trio that formed at Boston College and was featured as a “hot band” in the 2022 Rolling Stone “Hot Issue.” Hey, that’s got to be worth something, right? Latest single, “Bullseye” was released this past February. $15, 8 p.m.
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Also tonight, Durham, NC, band The Pinkerton Raid is playing at Kinkaider Brewing Co., 2279 So. 67th St. in Aksarben Village. I didn’t know this new brewery was even hosting live shows. The Spill calls the band “a towering forest of indie rock with a timbre of folk that shadows Langhorne Slim, Cold War Kids and The Killers.” Actually, they kind of remind me of early Okkervil River. Singer/songwriter Aage Birch and Cincinnati’s Nicholas Johnson open at 8 p.m. And it’s free, which leaves you more cast to buy Kinkaider beer.
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Tomorrow (Saturday), of course, is GoatFest at Scriptown Brewery in Blackstone. Think of it as your very own SXSW day party as it’s going on in the afternoon, starting at noon (with food for sale from Lazy Buffalo BBQ), a new seasonal beer on tap (along with others) and, reportedly, goats (yes, goats), and best of all, music from psych-rock garage marvels Those Far Out Arrows and hot-as-a-blister Bad Bad Men. It’s free and music starts at 3 p.m.
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Saturday night it’s the Celtic-punk of LA’s Flogging Molly at The Admiral. The band is fronted by former Fastway frontman Dave King and has been making every day St. Patrick’s Day since 1993. Their latest single, “’Til the Anarchy’s Restored,” was released this past February on Rise Records. Punkers Anti-Flag and Skinny Lister also are on the bill. $45, 8 p.m.
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Also Saturday night, a rare live show at fabulous O’Leaver’s with B.B. Sledge, The Bedrock (“Like an overall-clad Moses descended from a mountain top, barefoot and grisly, songwriter Edward Spencer delivers heavy truth in his lyrics. Combine that with his Morrison-esque baritone and flashes of a 70’s-era Springsteen howl and it’s showtime.”) and Saltwater Sanctuary (Justin Wallin w/effects pedals). Look, I don’t really know who these bands are, but it doesn’t really matter because if you’re considering a show at O’Leaver’s, you’re probably already drunk. $10, 9 p.m.
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Also Saturday night, The Slowdown is hosting a four-band emo show headlined by Nashville band Free Throw (Triple Crown Records) with Can’t Swim, Equipment and Early Humans. Strangely, all the bands’ frontmen have that same snarky emo voice that emo fans seem to love. Still, I’d rather go to this show than to an “Emo Night.” $25, 7:30 p.m.
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And finally Sunday night, The Sydney in Benson continues their late-shows-on-school-nights series with self-proclaimed queer rock band Rodeo Boys, who “combine Southern twang and 90s grunge in true lonesome and ornery fashion.” They’re from Lancing, by the way. Hussies open at 8 p.m. $10.
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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Can’t tell you the last time The Machete Archive played in Omaha, but it was years ago. I was told band members had moved away and returned to Nebraska, which had something to do with this reunion show Friday night at The Sydney in Benson. The last time I did see them play, their sound was thick, fuzzy and furious. Friday night’s version of the Lincoln trio sounded tighter, leaner and more aggressive; a cleaner, more refined prog sound that boiled with intensity as it raced through a set of stutter-rhythmed (don’t ask me what that time signature was) instrumental art rock. Saber Blazek doesn’t kick as high as he used to but you can tell there’s plenty of power behind those squat thrusts.
The evening began with a set by Pagan Athletes, the drum/keyboard duo of Nathan and Griffin Wolf. Nathan’s stick work has never sounded better or more technically precise, while Griffin’s keyboard/organ tones were as haunting and weird as ever. I noticed a few more yell vocals thrown in here and there, a welcome addition. The act’s charm comes from being a duo – adding a bass or guitar would only clutter a unique sound that is prog-punk at its heart but has an improvisational feel, even though we all know every note, every sound is intricately calculated.
Sidenote: I walked by The Waiting Room at around 9:30 and Nathan Ma’s set already was in full swing, so I kept on walking, having no interest in seeing Militarie Guns. What I heard from the sidewalk across the street (must have been “Blue Bird”) sounded great.
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Let’s start off with the fact that it’s Bandcamp Friday, the one day per month wherein Bandcamp waives its fees and hands over money spent on sales directly to the artists. Some record labels also participate via Bandcamp, so it’s a great time to acquire the tracks or even physical albums you’ve been waiting for.
Omaha legend, singer/songwriter Simon Joyner, always takes advantage of Bandcamp Friday by releasing something special, and this month is no exception. One Carried a Lantern is a new LP by Simon Joyner and The Echoes, released today.
The 10-track album was made using some of Joyner’s old home recordings. The band overdubbed tracks to create new, full-band reinterpretations of songs from across Simon’s catalog, including a cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s “Hospital Lady.” The Echoes consists of Mychal Marasco on drums, Sean Pratt on guitar, bass and various instruments, and Megan Siebe on strings, keyboards and various instruments.
Joyner said all sales from the new release will help fund a tour at the end of March, including renting a van and paying the band. The digital version of the album is available immediately; CDs will begin to ship in mid-March once they are handmade and prepared. Purchase here.
Wandering poet and ex-Omahan Kyle Harvey also has a new album dropping today on Bandcamp, called Bloom. This one is more feedback drenched and rough than his earlier releases. Buy it here. When is Kyle going to marry his poetry with his music again to form… songs?
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It being the first Friday of the month means it’s also Benson First Friday — the venues along Maple Street in Benson are hosting art opening all evening. Ming Toy Gallery at 6066 Maple St. — the hot new art space run by my wife — is no exception. You’re invited to tonight’s opening reception for Denise Levy’s show, Rural Routes, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come on by, have a beer and say hello. Details about the artist and the show are here.
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Now, onto the music part of the post.
The weekend’s big show is tonight at The Waiting Room where Los Angeles-based post-punkers Militarie Gun headlines. The band draws inspiration from Fugazi, Robert Pollard, Black Flag and Born Against, among others. Their sound definitely is reminiscent of early ‘00s emo. Joining them for this four-band bill is the amazing Nathan Ma Band, along with Bliss and red hot Omaha punk band Cat Piss. $12, 8 p.m.
Also tonight, a blast from the past as Lincoln instrumental prog-punk band The Machete Archive headlines at The Sydney in Benson. Joining them is Pagan Athletes. 9 p.m., $10.
And believe it or not, 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com
Something from the Lazy-i vault today in honor of #TBT…
… but before we get to that, whatever happened to The Jealous Sound? I interviewed the band three years after the show reviewed below. That story (which you can read here) was written in support of another Sokol Underground gig May 9, 2004, with Mr. 1986 and Criteria. Jealous Sound frontman Blair Shehan went into great detail about missteps taken over the previous three years, including getting signed by a major label that got acquired by another major and then leaving the contract only to release their follow-up album on the indie label they started with – Better Looking Records.
A glance at their Wiki profile indicates that stops, starts and detours would plague the band for years to come, with Shehan quitting unexpectedly only to return two years later, recording sessions that would go on for weeks (months?), lots of soul-searching and the band’s eventual break-up after releasing their third album, A Gentle Reminder, in 2012. They officially called it quits in 2017.
A Google search reveals Shehan’s LinkedIn page, which indicates he now makes a living as an account executive at TOCO Warranty in Los Angeles. Rock ‘n’ roll. Here’s hoping for a Knapsack reunion in the near future…
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Live Review: The Jealous Sound / The Gloria Record
March 2, 2001
Sokol Underground, Omaha
“Whoever heard of a band with seven songs headlining? Oh well, it’s all good.”
And it was last Friday night for the 170 who braved the teen-laden crowds outside the Sokol Underground where Blair Shehan and his band, The Jealous Sound, topped a bill that also included The Gloria Record and The And/Ors.
Yes, there were a lot of teens at the Underground show, but most of them were upstairs at the Sokol Auditorium where O-Town was doing their usual choreographed song and dance routine. The parking lot adjacent to the hall was crammed with (by my count) three huge, gleaming rock-and-roll tour buses suitable for the likes of The Rolling Stones or U2. Meanwhile sandwiched on the sidewalk was one of the Underground band’s badly soiled, rusty conversion vans, suitable for the likes of a homeless family or ’70s-era drug dealer.
I arrived late, just in time to see the parade of minivans and Taurus wagons bumper-to-bumper picking up the kids after the O-Town show as if the 3 o’clock bell just rang outside of your neighborhood junior high. For the uninitiated, O-Town is a television-created boy-group that’s on a national tour supporting their sassy new nationally embraced CD.
Meanwhile, in the basement of the Sokol Auditorium, a veritable feast of indie rock was in full bloom. I missed the And/Ors’ set, but was in time for The Gloria Record only to find out that the band’s drummer, Brian Malone, has been called home due to a death in the family. The rest of the band soldiered on, performing a set of what sounded like new material, most of it long-form ethereal acoustic ballads with singer Chris Simpson’s cracking voice trying to carry the day. The performance was low-key, perhaps too much so. The band ended its set with a rendition of Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here,” that seemed appropriate for the overall downbeat feel of the performance.
Then came the Jealous Sound, with its blinding, pounding yet infectiously catchy rock. The four-piece, headed by ex-Knapsack frontman Shehan — bald as a cueball and twice as ghoulish looking as Billy Corgan — pulled out all the stops playing track off its recently released Better Looking Records self-titled EP.
Shehan apologized for the band’s headline status throughout the set, mainly because the band only knows a handful of songs — a tactic that pretty much telegraphed that he wasn’t interested in playing any old Knapsack favorites. The crowd — consisting of hip indie kids in their late teens and early 20s — didn’t care as they crowded around the front of the Underground stage. The band was in fine form, possibly because the Sokol date was last stop on the Holiday Matinee Tour that featured The Jealous Sound, The And/Ors and Death Cab for Cutie, who skipped the proceedings only to play the Sokol Underground Sunday, March 18.
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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
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