Sucettes120917
Sucettes at Pet Shop Gallery Dec. 9, 2017.

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.



New Silkworm (sort of), Alex Orange Drink (w/Oberst); Lincoln Exposed kicks off tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 1:00 pm February 12, 2025
Silkworm’s Developer album gets a remastered expanded reissue.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Everyone has their bucket list of bands, and Silkworm was certainly on mine. I’ve been told the Chicago post-punk band did play at The Cog Factory one night in the ‘90s. But alas, I wasn’t there. Throughout that decade they released a handful of great albums, including Libertine, Firewater, Blueblood and Italian Platinum (which actually came out in 2002). 

Then as the story goes, drummer Michael Dahquist was killed July 14, 2005, in a car accident, and that was the end of Silkworm. Two of the band’s primary dudes, Tim Midyett and Andy Cohen, would go on to form Bottomless Pit, and members of Silkworm did reunite last July for a benefit concert for Steve Albini, who engineered a number of their albums.

And now the band’s fifth album, Developer, originally released in 2005 by Matador, is getting a remastered, expanded, vinyl+CD-only edition that includes five Japanese-only bonus tracks. Unlike, say, a DIrector’s Cut of a film, this expanded edition brings back all the tracks the band didn’t want to include in the original release because they thought they were too conventional.

If you want to hear the catchiest songs we recorded at that time – aside from Never Met A Man I Didn’t Like – they’re all on the extra record,” says Midyett on the album’s one-sheet, adding that the original version was Albini’s favorite Silkworm album. 

Anyway, the new expanded version comes out Feb. 21 on Comedy Minus One Records. Order your copy here. Here’s one of the additional tracks:

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Conor Oberst’s new record label, Million Stars, continues to grow its roster with the addition of Alex Orange Drink, whose new album Victory Lap (#23), drops May 9 (preorder here). Alex Orange Drink is Alex Zarou Levine, singer/songwriter for The So So Glos, and the album was recorded while he was undergoing treatment for a rare form of cancer. The first single, the super-druggy “Queen Victoria,” features Oberst. Check it below. 

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The Lincoln Exposed Festival kicks off tonight. The good news for concert-goers: This snow will be out of the way before the first band plays. The bad news: Windchills are expected to be well below zero for the balance of the festival. This would have been fun fest… in March or April.

Ah, but if you live in Lincoln, who cares, right? All the clubs are located on the same block. I thought about going Thursday night, but if the temps and winds are as bad as they say, my attendance is questionable. 

I previewed the festival last week, here, and included an embedded player and links to a Spotify playlist. For regular Lazy-i readers (i.e., indie music fans) who are still scratching their heads over who they should check out, here’s my list of must see’s after spending a few hours with that playlist: Domestica, Floating Opera, Vempire, Sweats, Her Flyaway Manner, Josh Hoyer, Estrogen Projection, Thirst Things First, Head of Femur. Minor Movements, Goosehens, LaPerm, Verse and the Vices, Ghostlike., Slow, Pioneers!, Obscurants, M.A.N., Vera Devorah, Social Cinema and The Credentials. I know there are a ton I missed as that Spotify playlist was far from complete. Bundle up and check it out. All the festival info including schedules is right 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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#BFF tonight; Mono in Stereo, Red Cities, Ronette Lee Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 10:10 am February 7, 2025

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Another no-touring-indie-bands weekend. It might be a good time to point out to those not keeping score at home: Almost all touring-indie shows coming to Omaha in the coming months are taking place during the week (a ton are scheduled on Monday nights). When you live in a small market surrounded by important tour-stop cities like KC, Minneapolis, Chicago and Denver – who get the weekend gigs – you’re going to be left with a lot of Monday night shows (if you’re lucky). 

That leaves weekends for the locals. But not tonight as there are no indie shows to speak of, but since it is the first Friday of the month that means it’s Benson First Friday! 

Art galleries and businesses up and down Maple Street are hosting art shows this evening, including Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St., which tonight is featuring the art from the father-and-son team of Brad and Howard Thiel. Titled “The Enemy Within,” the show is “an effort to come to terms with the result of the 2024 presidential election...” Is that even possible? Find out! Booze and treats will be served from 6 to 9 p.m. Come by and say hi.

Tomorrow night (Saturday), Shakedown Street (the bar formerly known at the Barley Street Tavern) is hosting  newish band Mono in Stereo (singer/guitarist/songwriter Charles McNeil (Brian Jones Was Murdered); bassist Marty Amsler (legendary ’90s Lincoln act The Millions), guitarist James MacDougall, and drummer Joe Eichoff (The End in Red). Joining them is Lincoln band Red Cities. 8 p.m. start time and an old-school $5 cover charge. 

Also Saturday night, the weekly free concert series continues at fabulous O’Leaver’s with four bands I’ve never heard of: Ronette Lee, Sundown Effect, Wayne Infamous and The Dangerous Moment. The Ronette Lee track below is reminiscent of early Cowboy Junkies (promising!), but it’s from 2005, so… NO start time given but it’s probably 9 p.m. FREE!!

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Lincoln Exposed 2025 playlist EXPOSED; Bright Eyes resched, Steelhouse BOGO sale; Real Estate, Mark Guiliana tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 10:02 am February 6, 2025
Real Estate plays tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Way back in January, I posted about the big 20th Anniversary edition of Lincoln Exposed, which begins next Wednesday (Feb. 12) in downtown Lincoln. We’re talking more than 100 bands representing multiple genres playing at five downtown Lincoln venues. 

In that post, I admitted that I was unfamiliar with the majority of the bands performing and suggested to organizer Dustin “Duff” Hunke that it would be grand if someone put together either an online event program with detailed band description or – better yet – a playlist of participating bands…

Lo and behold, whilst perusing Spotify this morning, I stumbled upon the Lincoln Exposed 2025 playlist, created by Jessica Yockey. This public playlist is available in Spotify right here and via the embedded player below. 

And it’s a good thing you’re learning about it now because the list is comprised of 336 songs totaling more than 21 hours of music. What better way to spend your weekend than previewing most of the bands that will be presented on Lincoln’s stages next week? In addition to helping provide a guidepost for festival goers, this playlist is “exposing” folks to some of the best music Lincoln has to offer. 

More info about Lincoln Exposed 2025 is available from the Lincoln Exposed Facebook event page, including a full schedule and ticket information. 

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Yesterday, Bright Eyes announced it finally rescheduled — and moved — their previously cancelled Omaha concert date. Bright Eyes is now scheduled to play at The Astro in La Vista April 27, with Cursive opening the show. This concert was originally scheduled for Steelhouse Omaha, who I guess must have passed on the offer for one reason or another. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (Friday) at 10 a.m. 

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In other Steelhouse Omaha news, the venue’s promoter, Live Nation Concerts, is having a “Valentine’s Day” BOGO sale for shows whose ticket sales are… lacking. This includes the upcoming Molchat Doma/Sextile show Feb. 24. Use code LOVEDAY25 to unlock the deal. Offer ends Feb. 14 at 11:59pm CT. Full details and all shows being offered are right here

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, Real Estate headlines. The New Jersey dream-pop band led by singer/songwriter Martin Courtney had a break-out album last year with Daniel (2024, Domino Records), which had a track that made it onto my annual comp CD (whoop whoop!). Queens-by-way-of-Nashville indie band Grumpy opens the show at 8 p.m. $35.

Also tonight, Grammy superstar drummer and composer Mark Guiliana is performing at Low End in the Bemis Center, 724 So. 12th St. in the Old Market. Guiliana has worked with such acts as St. Vincent, M83, Meshell Ndegeocello, and even played on David Bowie’s Blackstar album. This free event at starts at 8 p.m. 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Rilo Kiley’s back; who is Shurr Jr.?; Permadeaf/Vempire’s election-inspired single; She’s Green…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 9:52 am February 5, 2025
Rilo Kiley is hitting the road again…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A few things from my in-box…

Yesterday our hometown record label, Saddle Creek Records, announced the reissue of Rilo Kiley’s 2002 breakthrough LP, The Execution of All Things. This is the record whose title track declared the emergence of Omaha’s “booming music scene… and humility” Ah, those were the days. 

Somehow Saddle Creek has held onto the rights to this indie classic and are celebrating it with a die-cut gatefold clear vinyl (and CD), to be released April 25. Preorder yours here. This news goes hand-in-hand with Rilo Kiley’s just-announced limited U.S. Tour that comes nowhere near that once-booming music scene. 

Saddle Creek is two-for-two for reissue announcements. Hey Robb, how about some new music? 

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Speaking of hometown record labels, our very own Max Trax Records (the home of Little Brazil and Leafblower, among others), last week announced the debut single by Sioux Falls, South Dakota indie band Shurr Jr. 

Who is Shurr Jr.? The power trio consists of guitarist/vocalist Nick Maxwell, drummer Frankie Maxwell and bass player Kelly Maxwell. The siblings’s father, Frank Maxwell, was an Omaha music legend who played guitar in the band Fifth of May in the ‘80s and ‘90s. No doubt, the apples didn’t fall far from the tree. 

The single, “Drowning,” is the first track off the band’s upcoming EP, Red Shelter, slated for release by Max Trax March 28. It was produced by the band and Nate Van Fleet (See Through Dresses) at ARC studio and Van Fleet’s old studio, Divine Hammer.  

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In (dis)honor of King Trump’s inauguration, Lincoln duo Vempire released a maxi-single called “About Tuesday” with Permadeaf (Ryan Thomas of Machete Archive). The song was written the day after the election “so we can say we did something constructive rather than dig our nails into the wall,” said Vempire’s Mike Elfers. 

The maxi single (all tracks here) includes remixes by Lincoln’s Terra Genesis, Minneapolis’s Toilet Rats, Canada’s Candid Black and Peter Tansky from The Book of Very Very Bad Things Podcast in Scranton. 

“About Tuesday” is “a direct response to the current social and political climate, which rewards greed, ignorance, deceit, aggression, and scapegoating, while undermining empathy, cooperation, and understanding.” I guess that makes it a protest song – and we need more of those in these troubled times.. 

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Finally, here’s a stand-out track from the deluge from Minneapolis dream-core band She’s Green. The band just signed with NYC label Photo Finish Records; the single was produced by Slow Pulp’s Henry Stoehr. Reminiscent of Cocteau Twins or The Sundays, this one shifts gears from shimmering quiet to epic majesty. 

The five-piece, fronted by Zofia Smith, are headed on a rather massive U.S. Tour with the band Glixen that, despite their proximity, passes right over Omaha as it makes its Denver/Minneapolis/KC/Chicago jaunt in early March. 

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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The Faint tickets on sale today; O’Leaver’s free show Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , — @ 10:11 am January 31, 2025
Midwest Dilemma at Benson Theater, Sept. 13, 2024. The band was schedule to play Slowdown Saturday, but cancelled due to illness. The show will continue with Daniel and the Deliverance and Fox.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There are no touring indie shows this weekend.

Tickets to the April 3 concert by The Faint at The Waiting Room go on sale today at 10 a.m. The pre-sale general admission price was $35 plus fees. VIP tickets already are on sale for $119 plus fees, which gets you early access, meet & greet, photo with the band, Q&A, tote bag, laminate and more. Tickets are on sale here. Will this sell out? Probably. It’s odd that this show is not being held at one of the many larger venues constructed in Omaha over the past two years (The Admiral, The Astro, Steelhouse Omaha). I would have loved to see them at The Astro. 

There are two local shows of interest Saturday:

Omaha folk orchestra Midwest Dilemma will crowd the small-ish Slowdown front room stage. At past performances, Justin Lamoureux’s band featured as many as 12 musicians – they would not fit on the front room stage so I suspect this show feature a “stripped down” version. MD is supporting their latest LP, Searching for the Cure for Loneliness, released late last year. MIDWEST DILEMMA CANCELLED DUE TO ILLNESS. The show will go on with Daniel & the Deliverance and Fox. $12, 7:30 8 p.m. 

Meanwhile, fabulous O’Leaver’s is hosting a three-band FREE show Saturday night. Headlining is Spurney’s Hawk, which I know nothing about except that it includes Omaha post-punk veteran Ethan Jones (ex-Ladyfinger). Screamo-metal band Nowhere holds down the second slot. Radical Sabbatical – another band I’ve never heard before – kicks things off at 9 p.m. OT (O’Leaver’s Time). Like I said, it’s free and worth it if only to soak up O’Leaver’s decadent ambience. 

That’s it. Did I miss 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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IPR releases new Jeff Runnings track (For Against); Go Fund Me, benefit information…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 9:10 am January 30, 2025

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Record label Independent Project Records (IPR) yesterday dropped the first single from the forthcoming album by Jeff Runnings, frontman/bassist and founder of seminal Lincoln post-punk/dream pop band For Against. 

The track, “Batman Forever,” (Batman is the nickname for Runnings’ husband, Sean Applegate) casts the same haunting spell heard on the best For Against albums. Runnings recorded the track as well as the rest of the album, titled Piqued, from his home. The track was mastered by Warren Defever of His Name Is Alive fame at Third Man in Nashville.  

IPR is a legendary indie label, founded in California in 1980 by musician Bruce Licher, whose roster over the years has included Licher’s bands Savage Republic and Scenic, as well as Camper Van Beethoven, R.E.M., Stereolab and more, including For Against. It’s known as much for its iconic album packaging as the music it released (a special edition of For Against’s debut album received a Grammy nomination its artwork). After a hiatus, the label came back to life in the 2020s. Piqued, which consists mostly of instrumentals, is scheduled to be released later this year on black and colored vinyl as well as compact disc.  

The sobering back story to this news involves Runnings’ battle with cancer.  He was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer last October and has since been in hospice care. A Go Fund Me campaign has been established to help cover the costs (click here to pitch in). In addition, a benefit for Runnings is being held Feb. 8 from 4 to 8 p.m. at Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street in Lincoln.  

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Live Review: Pile, Cope Acidic at Slowdown…

Category: Reviews — Tags: , — @ 12:18 pm January 29, 2025
Pile at Slowdown, Jan. 28, 2025.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Performing last night in front of a crowd of around 100 in Slowdown’s front room, Pile proved it’ll be the perfect pairing for Cursive as the two launch a North American tour starting this Thursday in Fort Collins. 

In this configuration, the band is a powerhouse four-piece of pure angular goodness, fronted by guitarist Rick Maguire at the height of his vocal prowess – we got him before the tour, folks. 

I’ve listened to a lot of Pile albums but I don’t remember them sounding this straightforward and brutal. They rocked a shit-ton harder than anything on their last EP (of which they only played one song, a white-knuckled version of “Scaling Walls”). The pace throughout the first third of the set was breakneck (Cursive better watch out or they’ll be blown off the stage); leaving room for their weirder stuff later on (except for the set closer, but I’ll get to that in a minute). 

Highlights included the set opener, a song called “Deep Clay” that must be new, followed by a head-banging rendition of “Loops” from their last LP, 2023’s All Fiction. The band reached back into the archives for “Uncle Jill” from 2010’s Magic Isn’t Real before Maguire introduced another new one, called “Meanwhile Inside,” off their yet-to-be-released new album, warning the crowd that it’s “very long.” But it didn’t seem long at all — the intricate time shifts and dynamics made for quite a ride. 

Pile closed the 14-song set with yet another new one, which Maguire said wasn’t about any single person but a bunch of people. Titled “Stephen Miller,” the angular explosion was like listening to a sonic fistfight, with Maquire throwing one haymaker after another while the band crushed – perfect, angry, venomous, mosh-pit punk — exactly what we all need right now. 

Cope Acidic at Slowdown, Feb. 29, 2025.

I caught the last two songs by opener Cope Acidic and wish I would have heard their whole set. Playing as a power trio, the guitarist/frontman brought shades of Bob Mould to the vocals, while the rhythm section brought the heat. Complex rhythms that never lost track of the core song, in the old days we called this style of post-punk “math rock” — an impressive outing by a band I need to see again. 

Last night was the first time since before the pandemic that I attended a show in the month of January, which is historically always a shit time for touring or booking shows (especially in Nebraska). So, a good sign. We made it through what arguably is the worst month of the year in terms of rock shows, and the calendar is filling up nicely over the next few months…

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

The Faint’s Blank Wave Arcade, Wet From Birth reissues, at Waiting Room 4/3; new Dutch Interior, Craig Finn; Pile tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 9:41 am January 28, 2025

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Our hometown label, Saddle Creek Records, continues to honor its past with glorious reissues. This time it’s The Faint, who will see “deluxe” reissues of 1999’s Blank Wave Arcade and 2004’s Wet From Birth. Both will drop on March 14. 

As part of the announcement, the band dropped a previously unreleased track today from the Wet From Birth Deluxe reissue, “Zealots (Unrealized).” The preorder links are live but still not active at the Saddle Creek website. That’ll change once they wake up on the West Coast. 

Saddle Creek has already done super-nice deluxe reissues of 2001’s Danse Macabre and 2014’s Doom Abuse, both of which are still available for purchase at the Saddle Creek online store

In addition, the band announced a U.S. Tour that takes them to The Waiting Room April 3!

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Lots of new music being announced recently. A couple standouts: 

Los Angeles band Dutch Interior announced their forthcoming Fat Possum debut, Moneyball, out March 21. The band has a ‘90s Pavement indie rock vibe. Check out the first single, “Fourth Street,” below. They’re playing at this year’s South By Southwest Festival followed by a mainly West Coast tour that takes them nowhere near us. 

Last week Craig Finn of The Hold Steady released a new single from his forthcoming album Always Been (Tamarac/Thirty Tigers), which drops April 4. The LP includes performances from Adam Granduciel of The War on Drugs, who produced the album. Finn opens for Bob Mould April 14 at The Waiting Room, a show  I have no doubt will sell out in advance. 

Speaking of upcoming shows, here’s the latest schedule of indie bands making tour stops in Omaha. Plan accordingly.  

  • – Pile, January 28 at The Slowdown
  • – Guster, Feb. 5 at The Admiral
  • – Real Estate, Feb. 6 at The Waiting Room
  • – Benjamin Booker, Feb. 15 at Reverb
  • – Michigan Rattlers, Feb. 18 at The Slowdown
  • – The Get Up Kids, Feb. 21 at The Waiting Room
  • – Molchat Doma / Sextile, Feb. 24 at Steelhouse
  • – Buffchick, March 3 at Reverb
  • – Lesser Care, March 16 at Reverb
  • – The Velveteers, March 27 at The Slowdown
  • – The Faint, April 3 at The Waiting Room
  • – Marlon Funkai, April 3 at Reverb
  • – Jack White, April 5 at Steelhouse
  • – Lady Lamb, April 7 at Reverb
  • – Bob Mould Band, Craig Finn, April 14 at The Waiting Room 
  • – MSSV, April 21 at Reverb
  • – Ty Segall solo April 26 at Scottish Rite
  • – Nada Surf, April 30 at The Waiting Room
  • – Future Islands, May 7 at The Admiral
  • – Being Dead, May 13 at Reverb
  • – Spellling, May 15 at The Waiting Room
  • – Friko, May 20 at Reverb
  • – Southern Culture on the Skids, May 27 at Waiting Room
  • – Samantha Crain, June 17 at Reverb

What am I missing? Put it in the comments section. 

Tonight at The Slowdown, its Pile with PROBLEMS and Cope Acidic. I previewed the show right here last week. $20, 8 p.m., this is a front room show. See you there.

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Glow, Healer, Bad Bad Hats tonight; Dylan LeBlanc, Joe Humpal (Universe Contest) Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 10:33 am January 24, 2025
Omaha band Glow celebrates their debut LP tonight at Slowdown.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Another typically poor weekend for touring indie shows, but what do you expect in Omaha in the heart of winter? Still, a few things worth mentioning for your weekend…

Omaha band Glow celebrates the release of their debut full-length, The Beauty Outshines the Hurting. The five-piece plays riff-fueled grunge-influenced heavy stomp-rock that’ll get your devil-horns flying. Also on the bill is Dan Brennan’s noise-rock project Healer and local metal act Setback. $15, 8 p.m. 

Meanwhile, back in Benson at Reverb Lounge, Minneapolis indie duo Bad Bad Hats headlines tonight. They’ve released four records on mid-major indie label Don Giovanni Records including their recent self-titled LP that dropped last April. Los Angeles singer/songwriter Elana Carroll a.k.a. Party Nails opens along with Wichita band Social Cinema. $20, 8 p.m. 

Tomorrow night (Saturday) fabulous O’Leaver’s is hosting three acoustic performances in their fabled, mysterious, speakeasy-style basement! I went down there years ago and it was très cool, but that was at least three floods ago! The performers: Joe Humpal of Universe Contest, BareBear (a.k.a. Rob Walters) and Eric Maly of Slow Pioneers/The Obscurants. It’s free and starts at 9 p.m.

Finally, Reverb is hosting a couple prairie-style singer/songwriters Saturday night. Nashville’s Dylan LeBlanc’s latest LP, Coyote, was released in 2023 by ATO Records and reminds me of ‘70s acts like America. Austin-ite David Ramirez comes from the Randy Newman/Harry Nillson school of easy-going songwriting.  $25, 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Preview: Pile drops by Slowdown prior to Cursive tour, w/PROBLEMS, Cope Acidic 1/28…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 11:03 am January 22, 2025
Boston post-punk band Pile returns to The Slowdown Tuesday, Jan. 28.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Next Tuesday’s (Jan. 28) Pile concert at Slowdown Jr. will provide concert goers a sneak preview of the Boston band’s new, yet-to-be-released album on their new label. 

It’s also a warm-up gig as Pile will launch a (mostly West Coast) tour opening for local heroes Cursive beginning just two days later in Fort Collins that runs through Feb. 23. 

Pile are no strangers to Omaha. Their first gig here was aboard the River City Star back in the summer of 2017; they returned for a night at The Slowdown two years later. Fronted by singer/songwriter Rick Maguire, Pile’s sound has taken a number of iterations but lands on the same abrasive DIY post-punk territory that’s made them fan favorites. I mentally bunch them in with older acts that have nothing to do with them – Dismemberment Plan, Grifters, Chavez, Silkworm, Karate – though Pile’s sound is much more varied and experimental, often taking wild, progressive tangents. 

Their latest release, Hot Air Balloons EP, dropped earlier this month on Exploding in Sound Records. The tracks were recorded during the sessions for their 2023 full-length All Fiction (Exploding in Sound). Are they leftovers not weird enough to make the cut? Who knows, but I dig this EP much more than the full length if only for its more straight-forward melodies and song structures. Check it:

Pile recorded the EP and full-length as a trio with Kris Kuss and Alex Molini, but appears to be touring as a four-piece. According to their gram, they just wrapped up their next full-length, that will be released on Chicago’s Sooper Records sometime this year, and according to their website, will be playing songs from it next Tuesday. 

Nebraskan by way of Chicago PROBLEMS a.k.a. Darren Keen will open this show along with new Omaha prog-punk-math trio Cope Acidic (guitarist/vocalist Connor Moritz, bassist, Alex Airola and drummer Ramon Carias). $20, 8 p.m., this is a frontroom show.

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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