No update yesterday because I was too busy writing this week’s column, which will (most likely) be online tomorrow. Local promoter and boy genius MarQ Manner says the the new O’Leaver’s MySpace is completely updated, with 29 shows listed. That said, somehow MarQ didn’t list this Saturday’s show featuring The Third Men, Tomato a Day and Anonymous American. But it’s a little early to start talking about next weekend when I’m still recovering from last weekend.

A glance at Mick’s schedule shows that The Song Show is tonight with Kyle Harvey and Reagan Roeder (The Ointments). Reagan told me last Friday night that he’s moving to Wichita sometime this week. Apparently his girlfriend got a new job out there. Regardless, you’ll still be seeing and hearing from Mr. Roeder and The Ointments on a semi-regular basis.

In other news (and there’s not much of it today), while digging through information about the Sundance Film Festival I ran across this item — scroll down to the Jan. 24 (4 p.m.) entry and you’ll see a listing for a “musically inspired reading” by Tim Kasher and Nik Fackler of their “collaborative film” Lovely Still. It goes on: “Recently, Kasher adapted his gift for narration to suit the big screen with his screenplay Help Wanted Nights for which he has written the accompanying soundtrack.” Is someone trolling for financing? Better yet, how does one get a copy of the scripts?

MTV online is reporting that Mr. Oberst is being honored in April by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, during the organization’s annual Media Awards. “GLAAD picked Bright Eyes as the recipient of its Special Recognition Award; actor/director John Cameron Mitchell, who helmed the band’s video for ‘First Day of My Life,’ will share the honor,” MTV says. “The video features straight and gay couples sitting on a couch, listening to the track for the first time. The GLAAD Media Awards will air on Logo on April 15 and VH1 on April 16.”

That’s it for now…

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Trend alert: The piano is back, at least judging by how the bands at Sokol last night relied on keyboards. And these keyboards weren’t synth-tones or organs, they all were set to “piano.” Which makes this some sort of trend in my book, at least among indie bands.

Eagle*Seagull sounded as good as you would expect on Sokol’s stage with its superior sound system and room to roam. This was the first time I really noticed the violin (though barely) on a couple numbers. Their sound seems to continue to evolve, as this set was dramatically different than the O’Leaver’s set a few months back — fuller, more well-bodied, just like a good beer. Imagine how they’ll sound after they tour for a few months. A glance at their myspace account shows that the band will be heading out for a month and a half of dates starting Feb. 9 at The Replay Lounge in Lawrence, traipsing throughout the south, southeast, east coast and back through the Midwest, returning home to Duffy’s March 19. They are arguably the hottest band out of Lincoln right now, on the verge, and will likely be the first Lincoln indie to achieve a Saddle Creek-level of success.

Next up was Ghosty. The Lawrence four-piece played a tight set of poppy indie rock with shades of Pavement and Dismemberment Plan. Pretty. Interesting. Very radio friendly thanks to a frontman that can belt it out like a real pro.

Then came Landing on the Moon sounding the best that I’ve ever heard them, better than I thought they could sound, better than they sound on their EP. The first two numbers made me doubt the comments I’d written in my feature about the band, the ones where I said their music has a ’60s flair to it. Those first two songs were decidedly modern-sounding, very Wolf Parade/Arcade Fire-esque, except for the keyboards that were front and center. Megan Morgan only uses a “grand piano” tone on her keys, and the effect adds a warm wash over their electric edges. LotM has a distinct advantage in that they have three vocalists, each handling leads on one of the first three tunes, and each adding harmonies throughout — those harmonies make all the difference, especially in these days when so few bands know how to harmonize at all. That said, vocalist/guitarist John Klemmensen was the standout, with a gorgeous, brassy style that easily cuts through the arrangements. The fact that drummer Oliver Morgan could sing leads at all while providing his classic stickwork is impressive enough; his harmonies, however, are where he really shines. Then there’s Megan, clearly the crowd favorite — every intro where she was mentioned was met with hoots. In addition to playing the songs from their EP, they unveiled two new ones that they’ll regret not having recorded for this release. One was a Klemmensen song that had a pop edginess, while the other featured Megan and reached back beyond the ’60s to the ’50s, glowing with Shawn Cox’s Honey Drippers-style slide guitar. Central to every number was Morgan’s drumming — crisp and bouncing or deep and throbbing and exactly what it needed to be. Unlike the other three bands on the bill, LotM doesn’t have well-defined tour plans. They’ll have to figure out a way to build on this show’s momentum to keep moving forward.

Finally, on came Minneapolis’ Clair de Lune, drawing the biggest crowd reaction (though by midnight at least a third of the 165-paid had left). You could call them Cursive with keyboards, but that wouldn’t be quite right. Their keyboard parts are so distinct and interesting that it makes the band stand apart. Again, using mostly an acoustic-piano tone, the keyboards were simple but added a layer of coolness echoed by the lead guitar. I can see why people dig this band, though they seemed almost too regressively indie to me, especially their vocals, which had a Victory Records tint to them.

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When Joyner played the opening chords of “747” from the Golden Age landmark album, 1994’s The Cowardly Traveler Pays His Toll, I was transported back to the last time I heard Joyner play the song, standing on stage at the old Howard St. Tavern with a drummer behind him, an electric guitar slung around his neck instead of the usual acoustic, and a head of curly black hair. That night was Joyner’s ’65 Newport performance, the first time I’d seen him “electric.” And it was electric. It was a perfect moment that I never heard repeated again, until last night.

Every Joyner performance is a unique journey that could just as easily drift into dissonant chaos as splendid order. Last night’s O’Leaver’s gig was the latter. Backed by the Wind-up Birds, a band that includes guitarist/keyboardist Dave Hawkins, keyboardist/guitarist/pedal steel player Alex McManus, bassist Mike Tulis and drummer Chris Deden (at least I think that was him), Joyner found himself in the middle of solid rock, albeit with its fair share of rustic twang. This incarnation of Simon Joyner casts off the dark-blue Leonard Cohen frock for a well-wrinkled straw hat and western-cut shirt. No, the new music isn’t C&W or alt-country, it’s Joyner backed by The Band circa Blonde on Blonde. Equal parts folk, country, blues and rock, Joyner’s new material sit atop a bed of broken-glass guitar noise, thick meaty bass and plenty of feedback. Joyner seems to have found the proverbial sweet-spot where melody and dissonance meet to form a beautiful, soulful noise that burns going down.

I don’t know the names of the songs and couldn’t tell you what he was singing (the vocals, though plenty up front, were still lost in the mix). I can tell you they were heartfelt and that I hope he includes a lyric sheet with the new record. The highlights included a song performed toward the end of the set where Hawkins switched to keyboards, pounding out Ray Manzarek-style keyboards atop one of Tulis’ simple bass lines. As the song ground toward its inevitable conclusion, the band put itself and the crowd dead center deep within a trance-inducing riff that repeated itself like a throbbing headache (in a good way). Moments later, they followed it up with “747,” a song that everyone in the ass-to-tea kettle crowd seemed to know even though you’ll never find a copy of that record anywhere (even the folks at AMG don’t list the album on their Joyner discography). It was a perfect fit for this band — the best collection of musicians that I’ve heard Joyner perform with. It begs the question as to how tightly sewn this conglomeration of talent is. Would they tour with Joyner if he wanted to tour? Could they? Would they? Who knows. I know that if they did hit the road together, they would gouge a permanent mark across stages throughout this country and others. I wonder if Joyner wants that. He could have it all right now.

Just another quick reminder of tonight’s marquee gig: Landing on the Moon with Ghosty, Eagle*Seagull and Clair de Lune at Sokol Underground. Get there early…

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The annual winter lull in shows is slowly ending, based on this weekend’s schedule. Take a look:

Friday Night:

Simon Joyner and the Wind-up Birds is at O’Leaver’s with Iowa City’s Miracles of God. Joyner and his band, as everyone knows, recorded a new number of new tracks recently for an upcoming album on Jagjaguwar Records. Word has it that it’s some of the best stuff of his career. Here’s a chance at a sneak peak. I’ve been spending a lot of time with Joyner’s just-released B-sides and singles collection Beautiful Losers — an excellent introduction to his early work (though nothing beats The Cowardly Traveler Takes His Toll, which remains out of print. Perhaps Jagjaguwar will step up and make it part of their Joyner rerelease campaign). Miracles of God is a low-fi indie/garage four-piece that reminds me of laid-back Neil Young. Good stuff. I suspect that this will be a very packed show, as Joyner shows usually are at O’Leaver’s. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Madison, Wisc.-based Charlemagne is playing at Mick’s with David Potter. Charlemagne records on SidCho Records, the same label as Neva Dinova. As a result, there’s been some confusion as to the band’s home town, with the good folks at SXSW accidentally reporting that they’re from Omaha. There’s a funny retelling of the blunder online at the Isthmus (read it here). Charlemagne plays jangly, acoustic-folk indie clearly influenced by Simon and Garfunkel and the Beach Boys. $5, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Sokol Underground, Sarah Benck and The Robbers are playing with Anonymous American and The Scott Severin Band. $7, 9 p.m.

Saturday Night:

A huge show at Sokol Underground with Clair de Lune (Deep Elm Records), Lawrence band Ghosty (Future Farmers Records), Lincoln’s Eagle*Seagull (Paper Garden Records) and Omaha favorites Landing on the Moon, who are offering their brand new EP for sale that night. You’ll never have a better chance to see these rising stars all on one bill. $7, 9 p.m. Get there early.

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Column 61: Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Grey
Now boarding, the new Holland Center

I don’t know if it’s fair to compare and contrast the brand-spanking new Holland Performing Arts Center with antiquated Orpheum Theater. After all, you could argue that they’re two completely different species of birds. Apples and oranges, as it were. But it’s impossible not to think of one while contemplating the other, especially when their fates seem to be so intertwined.

I got my first eye- and earful of the Holland at the Art Garfunkel Omaha Symphony pops concert last Saturday night (Yeah, I know it’s not very indie, but give me a break. Garfunkel and his other (more creative) half have influenced just about every indie-folk act going these days. Now get off my back!). What were my first impressions of this gleaming multi-million dollar venue? Here’s the run-down.

The show’s start time was 8 p.m., so we left our Dundee-area home abruptly at 7:30 p.m. Parking was a breeze — for $6 you can pull into the garage right across the street. Everyone balks at the $6 fees for Qwest and most Old Market parking, but hey, that’s the way it is when you live in the big city, especially if you’re going to show up 15 minutes before curtain or not wear a coat over your suit jacket.

The venue’s lobby was less than breath taking. With its straight lines, neutral colors and enormous windows, it has all of the charm of an airport terminal. Even the wet bars situated here and there look like little ticket counters. The only thing missing were traditional airport-style uncomfortable chairs. Instead, tiny Ikea-like benches were hidden along the windows that look out over an unlit, unkempt Central Park Mall. The perfect finishing touch — a recorded cattle-call announcement piped through the lobby proceeded by electronic chimes signaling that the show was about to begin. I halfway expected a voice to tell me that all unattended baggage would be confiscated.

Of course in the onslaught of humanity I was completely lost. Thankfully, one of the many helpful Symphony volunteers directed us up the stairs where those with orchestra-circle tickets (price $60) enter the concert hall. And what a hall it is. It looked like a Scandinavian designer’s wet dream — blonde wood chairs on blonde wood floors accented with tasteful touches of brushed aluminum. The room seemed futuristic with its creme-colored acoustic tiles and massive light panels hanging over the stage like the Close Encounters spaceship.

As I took my seat I thought about how new and clean it all seemed. The place smelled like a just-moved-into house or a furniture showroom doused in fresh lacquer. It reminded me of that smell that comes from cracking open a brand new book, wondering where you’re headed over the next few hundred pages. The Holland smelled like possibilities. It certainly didn’t smell of memories. Not yet.

First up was conductor Ernest Richardson and the Orchestra warming up the crowd with a selection of pop tunes from the ’60s, starting with the theme from the James Bond movie Goldfinger, which was followed by the theme from Mission Impossible and whitest version of the Otis Redding’s “Respect” that you’ll ever hear — completely devoid of a drop of soul. The crowd ate it up anyway, along with the Beatles’ medley (featuring mostly McCartney numbers. What did I expect?).

Then on came Art Garfunkel looking, well, like he looked in all the movies I’ve seen him in. Maybe a little older. Same hair, though more brown (and gray) than red. At 64, I expected Artie’s countertenor to be a bit worse for wear, but nothing could be further from the truth. Other than the high note at the end of “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” he was spot on throughout the entire performance, charming the crowd with stories about his sordid past with Paul. There were a few quibbles — it was a mistake to switch the words “Joe DiMaggio” with “Cornhuskers” on “Mrs. Robinson” even if the crowd loved it.

So how was the sound?

Perfect. Even the amped vocals sounded great on top of the orchestra. “Well, you’ve built yourselves a real nice hall,” Garfunkel said to a round of applause, adding what a pleasure it was to play in a venue with such good acoustics.

But I couldn’t help but wonder what Artie would have thought of performing in The Orpheum, with its dust and must, its ornately carved and painted balconies and ceiling, its huge old stage, its long, velvet drapes, its ghosts of a thousand performances past. The Holland may have state-of-the-art acoustics, but the Orpheum echoes with something even louder, something that won’t be heard inside the Holland for another 80 years.

The Landing on the Moon piece went online this morning (read it here). The band is playing a star-soaked show this Saturday night at Sokol Underground with Clair de Lune, Ghosty and Eagle*Seagull. All six of us talked for a couple hours at Blue Line last Sunday morning. It’s remarkable how long these guys have been playing together in various projects dating back to Blenny, Revilo and Reset. Topics that really didn’t get covered thoroughly enough included how Oliver Morgan will coordinate his time between LotM and his other band, Little Brazil. Their schedules appear to be in sync, though, with LB going back into the studio in March and then going out to SXSW as part of the Mt. Fuji showcase. There should be plenty of time this summer for a LotM tour. That said, LotM’s trial by fire will take place next month when they play O’Leaver’s on the 24th, either Denver or Boulder on the 25th and then Duffy’s on the 26th (They also have a March 13 gig at O’Leaver’s with Mt. Fuji band Slender Means). Though he didn’t come out and say it, Oliver indicated that Little Brazil is Landon Hedges’ project — Landon, after all, writes the music, Landon is the frontman. LotM is “five members each with a 20 percent stake.” That said, guitarist John Klemmensen was quick to say that Oliver was the band’s leader, while Oliver said he loves both bands equally for different reasons, adding that he’s learned a lot being in Little Brazil. It’ll be interesting to watch the two bands evolve and see how he juggles the responsibilities. If anyone can do it, it’s Oliver. So far, Landing on the Moon has sent their EP to Deep Elm Records with plans to send it to the usual suspects (Creek, Mt. Fuji, etc.). Only labels with distro are being considered, and in return, LotM will essentially guarantee touring. Stay tuned.

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Both Jenny Lewis and Chan Marshall a.k.a. Cat Power are duking it out today as their releases hit the store shelves. Lewis strikes first with Rabbit Fur Coat and has a decided edge both because of her local connections — the CD is being released on Conor Oberst’s Team Love Records — and in the press, easily outscoring Cat Power in the imaginary Google power ratings. There’s a shit-ton of stories online about Lewis, about half of them still getting it wrong that she’s from Omaha.

Marshall, on the other hand, has been around a lot longer than Lewis, she’s sort of a legacy artist who released music on Matador back when Matador was “the label” to be on. These days, Matador is just another indie powered by those legacy artists, including Yo La Tengo, Stephen Malkmus (Pavement) and Belle and Sebastian (There are a few significant new adds to their roster, not the least of which is The New Pornographers, Mogwai and Interpol, but they’re getting fewer and further between).

At the end of the day, it comes down to the music, of course. Rabbit Fur Coat, recorded with The Watson Twins, is easily the best thing Lewis has produced since The Execution of All Things back in ’02. The focus has been on the CD’s more-rural tracks, like the twangy “The Big Guns” and the intro “Run Devil Run” that seem to channel June Carter Cash. Fact is, once you get past those two tracks, the CD turns into an Azure Ray-style indie outing with plenty of uptempo numbers and the distinctive Mogis touch (on the numbers he helped produce).

That said, however, Rabbit Fur Coat doesn’t stand a chance against The Greatest, the new one by Cat Power. This is the first album that Chan has produced that I’ve enjoyed from beginning to end. She’s sanded down the rough edges, added the necessary accompaniment and written the most heartfelt and tuneful songs of her career. Sure, she’s sounding even more like Mazzy Star with her sleepy, slurred vocals and warm mid-tempo dream-melodies, but she’s also reminding me more and more of Joni Mitchell and Rickie Lee Jones, especially when she jazzes it up with horns (like on the centerpiece, “Willie”). Maybe she’s just getting older, and wiser, and better.

Both CDs are worth the price of admission, but Chan wins this one in a knock out. Now if we could only get these two in a real ring…

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Tuesday-Jan. 31-Record Hop-Birth To Burial (Denton Texas)
Friday Feb. 10- Mi and Lau
Friday-Feb. 17–Missing Zori
Saturday-Feb. 18-Sarah Benck and The Robbers
Friday-Feb.-24-Landing on the Moon
Sunday-Feb. 26-Bring Back The Guns and The Dead Swing
Tuesday-March 7-Shuttlecock (tentative)
Thursday-March 9-Chris and Aura-Monday
Monday-March 13-Life After Laserdisque/Landing on the Moon
Tuesday-March 21-The Black Swans
Saturday-April 1-Lovekill-hooked up national touring band (tentative)
Monday-April 10-Headlights-Someday Stories
Saturday-April 15-Bloodcow/The Nerds
Tuesday-April 18-Voodoo Organist/Life After Laserdisque
Saturday-April 22-City On Film

That’s a not-so-veiled reference to the Art Garfunkel concerts this weekend, which will be my first foray into the new Holland Center. Even though it’s not very indie, I’ll be reviewing the performance (and experience) the following morning (Sunday) on the blog. I so rarely get to wear a sportcoat these days (and I have a humdinger).

So what’s going on tonight? Glancing at the various online calendars, the answer is: not much. Tomorrow night, however, is a different story.

At The 49r Saturday, perennial favorite The Third Men are playing with The Pendrakes. $5, 9 p.m. Should be packed.

Meanwhile, at Sokol Underground, The Atlas headlines a show with Kite Pilot and Luminoso Lashkar. $7, 9 p.m.

That’s all I got, folks. If you know of any other notable shows, drop me an email.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Bring on the Major Leagues
SXSW is the Indie World Series of Rock

The fine folks at Austin’s South by Southwest Music Festival have announced this year’s participating bands for the four-day event that begins March 15. If the current list — available via the Internet at www.sxsw.com — is true, than this year’s fest will be one of the least-represented by Nebraska artists in quite a while.

The only bands I recognize from our neck of the woods are Saddle Creek acts Broken Spindles and Criteria (Saddle Creek’s latest signing, San Francisco’s Two Gallants, also made the list as part of Creek’s SXSW showcase). But if you read the fine print, you’ll notice that the current online list (which already exceeds 850 performers) may not be complete. The final list won’t be online until mid-February, so fear not, local bands whose dreams are tied to this hype-filled spectacle. There is still hope… but only barely. Something tells me this is pretty close to the final cut.

Interesting bands that caught my eye upon a cursory glance: Aloha, Arab Strap, The Brunettes, Centro-matic, Goldfrapp, Her Space Holiday, Damien Jurado, Ladytron, Ted Leo/Pharmacists, Mogwai, Metric, Willy Mason (once of Team Love Records, now of Astralwerks), The Silos, Stan Ridgway, Robert Pollard, The Twilight Singers, World Party (now there’s a name I haven’t heard in a couple decades) and X.

(Over)Hyped bands on the list include Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah (Who’ve just been booked to play at Sokol Underground March 31), Brazilian Girls, The New Pornographers, Death in Vegas, Earlimart, Erase Eratta, Flogging Molly, The Go! Team, Susanna Hoffs & Matthew Sweet, Juliette (Lewis) and the Licks, Morningwood, Beth Orton, Radio 4, The Secret Machines and The Willowz.

And then there are all those familiar bands from days gone by. Mary Lou Lord, Eleventh Dream Day, The Apples in Stereo, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Mates of State, The Starlight Mints, Tristeza, (the horrible) Dashboard Confessional and Echo & The Bunnymen come to mind.

It’s interesting that SXSW quotes UK newspaper The Guardian regarding its origins: “In its 19-year history, it has grown from being a jolly spring get-together for a few hundred U.S. indie labels and musicians in search of a deal, to an international gathering that is the most important date in our music industry calendar.”

In fact, SXSW doesn’t claim to help unsigned bands at all, instead boasting that the event “presents new opportunities to make your vision reality. Musicians and the companies they work with have used SXSW as a cost-effective way to promote themselves since 1987. They come back year after year because SXSW works!”

*Gag*

Look, it’s easy to bag on SXSW. Yes, the event’s glory days were in the ’90s. Yes, they’ve strayed from their original intent — almost all the bands listed already are signed to some sort of record label. In fact, I’m not sure exactly what the point of the showcase is anymore other than to give music industry wonks a vacation after a long winter’s nap. Everyone argues that the CMJ (College Music Journal) Festival in New York is more important these days, but the only way to get invited is to be part of a label showcase, which means all you unsigned bastards are out of luck.

No, there’s another reason why SXSW still reigns as the king of festivals. We live in an era when major labels — already on creative life support — are starving for artistic sustenance. Like head-trauma patients waking from a decade-long coma, they’re just coming around to the idea that there might be something to this whole “indie rock” thing. After all, just look at the popularity of movies like Garden State and Teevee shows like The OC. Hell, nowadays every TV commercial sounds like an instrumental track off the last Postal Service album.

The best way for the big labels to get in on the trend is to steal some indie for themselves. As a result, SXSW could become a big feeding ground for majors looking to pluck bands out of indie obscurity.

The talked-about deals after this year’s SXSW won’t be centered on needy unsigned bands and needy indie labels, but hot indie bands stolen by needy major labels. SXSW is a virtual Minor League World Series of Rock, where the home run hitters will be bestowed with tour buses, music videos, Clear Channel airplay and, of course, plenty of signing-bonus money.

What’s a lowly unsigned band to do?

Instead of bemoaning your omission from the invitation list, get a gig at one of the many non-SXSW-sponsored venues the week of (or the week before) the big showcases. Sometimes the only Field of Dreams is the one you make yourself. Build it and they will come.