That’s right, it’s time for another hiatus for Lazy-I And I’ll be out of town during one of the better weekends for shows this summer. What a drag! In fact, I’m going to miss what could be one of the best shows of the year tonight in Council Bluffs, with Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips and Magic Numbers (of the three, the band I actually would be most excited to see). Judging by its lack of listing on the stir.com site, I assume the show is sold out.

Then tomorrow night is Frank Black at Sokol Underground with Kyle Harvey opening. While I think The Pixies is the most influential band of the ’90s, Frank’s solo material has always been somewhat lacking, especially his new double-CD. That shouldn’t prevent this from being a landmark show. Tickets are still available for $15… for now. Meanwhile also tomorrow night, Randy Cotton’s band, Members of the Press, are doing a set down at O’Leaver’s with The Shanks and The Lepers. $5, 9:30 p.m.

But if I was here tomorrow night, I’d be making the trek down to Lincoln to see Domestica with Head of Femur, Ideal Cleaners and The Killigans at Duffy’s. That show starts at 8 p.m., and Domestica will be on first, so get there early. No idea on the cover; whatever it is, it’s worth it.

Moving on to next week, Tuesday night is Gays in the Military with Shinyville and Plack Blague (I got the band’s name wrong in the story because I took it off the O’Leaver’s site — stupid me). Should be theatrical/flamboyant. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Next Friday night, The Bombardment Society (with new bass player Lincoln Dickison of The Monroes) plays Sokol Underground with The Stay Awake and The Free Radicals. $7.

And then Saturday night, Sept. 2 is a special show at The Saddle Creek Bar — yes, that Saddle Creek Bar, the one on 1410 Saddle Creek Rd. — featuring Oh No! Oh My!, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and Whispertown 2000 (who opened for Jenny Lewis back in March). Next week’s Lazy-I column will focus on the Saddle Creek Bar and its emergence as a new music venue that could be a formidable player in the Omaha music scene. Look for it in The Reader — it won’t be online until I get back in town (though I plan on attending this). This will mark the first One Percent Productions show at this venue, and will be make-or-break on a number of levels (in my opinion). Let’s hope it’s “make.”

One more bombshell to drop before I leave… Though it’s no secret to those who are close to the Omaha music scene, there could be a “supergroup” of sorts opening the Sept. 6 M Ward show at the Scottish Rite Hall. Rumor has it that performing as part of McCarthy Trenching will be Conor Oberst and Maria Taylor. Now, I haven’t been able to confirm this with the band, but I’ve been told by people close to this show that it’s a done deal. As far as I know, Oberst will only be playing as part of McCarthy Trenching, he won’t be doing any of his own music. Maria will likely be behind the drum kit. I wouldn’t be surprised, however, if Oberst doesn’t help out Mr. Ward on a couple numbers, either. If I hear more about this, I’ll pass it on when I get back in town.

Enjoy the shows, and I’ll see you when I see you…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Column 90: Have Mercy, Will Rule
Doin’ it for the kids

Whilst stumbling around looking for a column idea, I received what could be called a “press release” from Omaha’s other record label, Speed! Nebraska Records, authored by the label’s official wagon master, Gary Dean Davis, lead “vocalist” of The Monroes and center-pivot of such legendary Nebraska bands as Pioneer Disaster and Frontier Trust.

I’ve written at great length about Gary and his label’s efforts, including a June 2006 cover story that played a central role in drawing a whopping 30 people to the Speed! Nebraska showcase a week later. Ah, the power of the press!

Gary’s press release was an announcement of epic proportions, at least for all of us who followed the Omaha/Lincoln music scenes in the late ’90s, when bands like Mousetrap, Ritual Device, Simon Joyner, and Gary’s own bands made a name for themselves outside of the sleepy confines of The Good Life state. Among those bands was a Lincoln-based power trio called Mercy Rule.

One my favorite memories of those golden days gone by was traveling with Mercy Rule guitarist Jon Taylor, bassist Heidi Ore and drummer Ron Albertson on a one-day road trip to Hairy Mary’s in Des Moines, with Caulfield Records label mates Sideshow alongside in a separate van. Before returning home, we all spent some quality time stranded at a truck stop, eating poison spaghetti, puking off the side of the stage and rocking like there was no tomorrow.

For Mercy Rule, there seemed to be nothing but endless golden tomorrows. They had just signed a deal with Relativity Records — a solid label that bordered on being a major — and were about to release their non-Caulfield debut, Providence. But shortly after the 1994 release, Relativity decided the future was in urban music, and Mercy Rule found itself bending in the wind, their hopes and dreams of rock stardom (as meager as they were) dashed. Their penultimate album, Flat Black Chronicles, originally recorded for release on Relativity, found its way back to Caulfield Records, and a few years later, the band went into deep freeze as Jon and Heidi began pursuing another interest — raising a family.

As the story goes, Ron moved to Brooklyn and formed the band Liars with fellow Lincolnite Pat Noecker and two Brooklynites.

My, how we all missed Mercy Rule. Then in April 2005, a glimmer of hope came in the form of a one-off performance by the Ore/Taylor team at The Brothers (It couldn’t be called a Mercy Rule reunion without Ron, of course). Also playing that evening was one-half of Frontier Trust (called Half Trust), all in celebration of the release of a Mercy Rule/Frontier Trust split 7-inch on Speed! Nebraska.

Now comes word that Jon and Heidi are at it again, as boldly announced in all-caps from Gary’s press release: SEE THE DEBUT OF DOMESTICA! THIS SATURDAY AT DUFFY’S TAVERN LINCOLN, NEBR. DOMESTICA! FEATURES JON TAYLOR AND HEIDI ORE OF THE FABULOUS MERCY RULE AND BOZ HICKS OF HER FLYAWAY MANNER, POLECAT, AND A BUNCH OF OTHER BANDS THAT ARE TOO MANY TO LIST.

Not knowing how to reach Jon or Heidi, I called Gary just as he and his family was about to sit down to a dinner of freshly microwaved leftovers. Turns out that Jon and Heidi’s kids are now old enough that they can have band practice without causing them permanent hearing loss (with the help of some earplugs).

“Jon and I talked about how important we feel it is for our kids to know that artwork — whether that’s making art or being in a band — is something everyday people can do, and how important it is to pass it onto the kids,” Gary said.

So, Speed! Nebraska has signed Domestica! sight unseen or heard. “They’re going to record, that’s a definite,” Gary said. “I haven’t heard the band but I’m sure that they’ll be awesome. It’s Jon and Heidi!”

Those lucky enough to be at Duffy’s this Saturday for Domestica’s debut will also likely be treated to a few Mercy Rule songs, Gary said. And if (like me) you can’t make it, don’t worry. Plans are under way to set up a show here in Omaha in the near future.

While I had Gary on the horn, I followed up on a couple other noteworthy Speed! Nebraska items. Brimstone Howl’s “Heat of the Beat” 7-inch is officially the fastest-selling Speed! Nebraska release in the label’s 10-year history. “We need to decide if we’re going to repress it,” Gary said. Released in June, the band has sold 300 copies, thanks to touring. “It tells me that kids are still buying 45s — at least 300 kids have.”

And finally, Gary mentioned The Monroes’ recent performance in front of 2,000 highly tatooed No Coast (Roller) Derby Girls fans last Friday night at the Pershing Auditorium, where the band was part of the between-match festivities. “It was a fistfight,” Gary said. “The whole event was well done. They put us on the JumboTron. A bunch of little kids danced in front of us and people were yelling.”

Bloody girls on roller skates and gnarly punk rock — what more could you ask for?

The first new feature on Lazy-i in a month went online this morning, an interview with Omaha/Lincoln band Shinyville (read it here). Two of the guys from the band were kind enough to drive to Omaha from Lincoln for the interview last Saturday, while the third, Omahan Jaime O’Bradovich, corresponded via e-mail from a swanky film festival. One of the bigger surprises (to me, anyway) was that the band was formed via SLAM Omaha — that’s right, they met through the site’s music board. Just another example of how SLAM used to be a vital part of the Omaha music scene. The band says they still visit SLAM occasionally. “It’s not the resource that it used to be for me,” said frontman Scott Scholz, who went on to philosophize, “The way SLAM decayed reflects issues we deal with all the time. Technology has developed faster than people’s ability to incorporate it into their lives.” Drummer Brian Alt had a more down-to-earth take, saying the site could become vital again “if someone took an active interest and steered off people who want to talk about boobs.” I agree with Brian, and I think SLAM is in the process of trying to do that now.

I suspect Shinyville’s show next Tuesday at O’Leaver’s will be a packed event, partially because of the name of the headlining band, Gays in the Military. If that doesn’t bring out the throngs (and thongs) what will?

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

It’s drop day for two of Saddle Creek’s biggest releases of the year. Cursive’s Happy Hollow and Eric Bachmann’s To The Races both officially go on sale today. Will there be big parades or fanfare of any kind? “Not really anything that comes down to one day or a blitz,” said Saddle Creek Records executive Jason Kulbel in an e-mail. “The blitz is really spread out in the three months prior to a record coming out. By the time the record-release day comes, most of the work is done. After that, we start focusing on tours, etc.”

Well, there may be no parades down 13th & Webster, but there appears to be the beginning of a a parade of reviews for Happy Hollow, including this one posted today at punknews.org which calls the record “Cursive’s most complete work to date and arguably its best,” giving it 4 1/2 stars. The Washington Times chimes in with this comment, stating, “Like the middle-American tensions and anxieties portrayed in the lyrics, it’s a swirling, sometimes violent collision of sounds and styles.” I’m not sure if that’s a rave or a pan. Even MTV.com mentions the release here as part of a “new releases” wrap-up, asking “…could even bigger and better things be in store for Tim Kasher and company?” You’ve seen my take on both records (the Cursive profile is here; the Bachmann review, here). I talked to a certain Omaha retail music executive who told me that he thought Happy Hollow could be Creek’s biggest seller ever — and that includes Bright Eyes. We’ll see.

Incidentally, I tried to pry some info from Kulbel about Creek’s upcoming 100th release (Ladyfinger (NE)’s debut, locked in for Sept. 26, is LBJ-98 (Creek fans know that “LBJ” stands for Lumberjack, the label’s old name)). Asked if something special is in store for 100, Kulbel only said, “Yeah, something. Just not sure what that will be yet.” Sure you don’t, Jason…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

A few mental notes from the Landing on the Moon show Friday night: First off, the crowd, or should I say the lack of a crowd — only 30 people, despite the fact that the OWH did a large-ish feature on LotM in last week’s Go! section. And the fact that there were three touring Lawrence/KC bands on the bill. There appears to be no formula that will guarantee a turnout at any show, except maybe having a Saddle Creek band on the bill. A couple months ago, I wrote a cover story for The Reader on Speed! Nebraska Records (here) in support of a label showcase down at Sokol, which also got hyped in the OWH. The result: only 30 people…again. Ah, the power(lessness) of the press… (on the other hand, I can point to the recent Cursive show at Sokol Auditorium that almost sold out and say, “It’s all because of my cover story…”) NOT!

Anyway, the turnout was a disappointment for LotM after having just spent the last couple weeks on the road. It’s safe to say they expected people to show up not only to welcome them back, but because of the strength of the bill. I missed The Only Children (ex-Anniversary) but caught Ghosty, who never sounded better, and 1090 Club, who’s bass-less, violin-driven indie pop was mixed a bit too brightly for my delicate ears (good thing I had ear plugs). Their music was sweet and fluid, but I would have liked some low-end in the mix…

Last came Landing on the Moon. I’ve seen them play at least a half-dozen times, and last Friday’s show was probably their best performance. They managed to create plenty of energy despite playing for a near-empty room. The most notable diff, however, was vocalist Megan Morgan, who in the past seemed to struggle with the dynamics of a rock presentation despite putting everything she had into her performance. Any uncertainty or wavering in her voice was gone on Friday night as she belted out her numbers like a young Pat Benatar. Funny what two solid weeks of live performances will do for your vocal style. Same held true for hubby Oliver, whose vocals never sounded better. Pity so few were there to hear it.

Well, if getting press is a curse, I’ve probably just jinxed Shinyville, who is the subject of a lengthy feature that’ll be online at Lazy-i Wednesday morning in support of their O’leaver’s gig next Tuesday with Gays in the Military. Sorry guys.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Your first kiss, your first car, your first run-in with the law — these are the moments of your life. Omaha band Landing on the Moon wants you to help them celebrate a first of their own — completion of their first tour. Known for their modern, heartfelt take on traditional rock, LotM is as comfortable playing music reminiscent of “Love Hurts”-era Nazareth as they are slinging mathy, piano-propelled post-punk. Their 14-gig tour with Sidecho Records artist 1090 Club has taken them from Laramie and Billings all the way to The Knitting Factory in NYC, closing out at Sokol with Lawrence bands Ghosty (Future Farmer Records) and The Only Children (ex-members of The Anniversary). 9 p.m., $7.

A couple quickies…

— Bright Eyes has made it to Broadway, sort of. The cabaret review “Kiki & Herb: Alive on Broadway” involves a boozy drag queen and her sidekick pretending to be showbiz wash-ups. The duo perform a number of modern ballads, including covers of songs by The Scissors Sisters, Public Enemy, Dan Fogelberg, The Cure and our very own Bright Eyes, specifically “First Day of My Life” off Wide Awake. The show’s getting mixed reviews, judging from this review from broadway.com.

— The upcoming Cursive tour is getting tons of exposure. I’ve seen it mentioned on a half-dozen music sites, including this item in livedaily.com. Their publicist, Nasty Little Man, is definitely earning its keep. Hey, where’s the Omaha date?

— Personal writing guru/inspiration Robert Christgau has posted another “consumer guide” at his home rag The Village Voice (read it here) He digs the new Towers of London disc (as did I), but files the new Coco Rosie and Liars discs in the ol’ “Duds” category. I couldn’t agree more.

So tonight there’s a couple very interesting shows: At Sokol Underground Skull Fight! (formerly known as The Cuterthans) opens a bill that includes mad-cap hip-hop singer-songwriter performance-artist punk-stud The Show Is the Rainbow. Nintendo cover artist The Advantage is the headliner. $8, 9 p.m. Meanwhile, down at O’Leaver’s, An Iris Pattern is sandwiched between Civic Minded and the evening’s headliner, Anvil Chorus from Kansas City. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Column 89 — Why Buy the Cow?
Is music losing its value?

There are basic rules to business, commerce, whatever you want to call the process of “making a living.” You make something or provide a service, and in return, people give you money.

The record industry (and America for that matter) was built on this concept. Musicians made records and sold them via record companies, who in return provided them money to buy large mansions, runway wives and long-term drug habits.

All that is starting to change.

On a recent Saturday night at Sokol Underground local band Go! Motion (not to be confused with The Go! Team) celebrated its “CD release party.” After the band charged up the sizable crowd with its take on post-punk indie dance music, they set up camp at a merch table, but instead of selling their new CD, they handed it out … for free! I told one of the band members that the idea was to “sell” — not give away — the merch, but he just laughed at the old man.

A couple weeks later, Someday Stories was down at O’Leaver’s punching out a set of brutal, angular indie rock. Afterward, one of band members strolled up and offered me (and everyone in the bar) a copy of the band’s 4-song EP. “How much?” I asked. “Nothing. We’re giving them away.”

It should be pointed out that both bands’ CDs are among the better recorded listening experiences I’ve had so far this year. Go! Motion’s 11-track disc, Kill the Love, is professional both in its recording and Digipak packaging. Someday Stories’ EP is less fancy — a CDR in a paper sleeve — but sounds just as first-rate. So why just give it away?

“Nobody’s heard us before, so people may not buy our CD,” said Go! Motion frontman Albert Kurniawan, “but they will take a free one because they’ve got nothing to lose.” Kurniawan said the disc, which was recorded at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin, and Blacklodge in Eudora, Kansas, cost the band $4,000 and eight months of their lives. They gave away around 200 copies to the crowd at Sokol figuring, “if they don’t like it, it’s cool, but if they do, then we gain more fans.”

Someday Stories guitarist Joe Provil said giving away the CD gets their names in the cars and houses of potential fans. Recorded at Bassline Studios and mastered by engineering wizard Doug Van Sloun (who also mastered Go! Motion’s disc), the EP has become the band’s $2,000 hand bill. “It’s the ultimate flyer. If they go home and like it, they can go to our MySpace page (the address is printed on the disc) and see our upcoming show dates,” he said.

Is this a new phenomenon in a business where, more and more, music is available for free on the Internet? Mike Fratt, president of Homer’s Music, isn’t sure. He pointed out that the music world is becoming crowded. In 2003, about 37,000 new CD titles were released. This year that number will approach 60,000.

“Some bands feel that touring is where the money’s at,” he said. “They figure they won’t make it off CD sales.” Giving it away is nothing new. Indie labels like Barsuk and Fat Wreck Chords have always given away mp3s on their sites. So does Conor Oberst’s Team Love Records (home of Jenny Lewis and Tilly and the Wall), which shook the industry by making CDs available in their entirety as free downloads, hoping that listeners will eventually buy them.

Fratt says even his band, Goodbye Sunday, makes a few songs available from a MySpace account. “I think you should give away some music, but not all of it,” he said. “Where does it stop? Where will the revenue stream come from?”

Fratt’s not even sure some bands understand the concept of selling their music. “We (Homer’s) have to reach out and ask them to let us carry their records,” he said. “Two years ago we had them coming to us.” To help educate bands, Homer’s placed a “How-To” document on their homepage that explains the basic process of selling music on consignment at their shops.

But will it make a difference or is music simply becoming worthless?

Fratt pointed to research conducted by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers (NARM) that states that today’s 18- to 24-year-olds see no value to CDs. “That crowd grew up using their mom and dad’s broadband or the computer in their dorm room to download music,” Fratt said, adding that bands giving away CDs at shows only furthers the process of devaluing music.

Provil disagrees. “To me, music is music regardless of the price, and paying a low price or even getting it for free isn’t going to change how I feel about the album.”

He said the fact is that most people — when given the chance — will download an album. “The album art isn’t worth the money these days,” he said. So how does Someday Stories hope to earn gas money for their upcoming tour?

“I don’t have an answer,” Provil said. “We’re just trying to be heard and cutting out the cost of the CD for the consumer seems to be the easiest way to do that. It is taking a loss, but it takes money to make money.”

We all have a list of “dream shows” that we’d love to see, those bands that for whatever reason — whether it be that they’ve never come near Omaha or the ticket price was too high or the band no longer exists — we’ve never been able to see perform live. Yo La Tengo has been on my list for almost a decade. I first interviewed the band way back in March 1998 (the story is online here). I had just started working with John Heaston and The Reader after a few years writing for The Note out of Lawrence Kansas. And one of the things I promised myself at this new paper was that I’d try to write about bands that I love — not because they have a new record coming out or because they were coming through town — just because I loved their music and wanted to interview them. Modest Mouse was one of those bands. So was Yo La Tengo. And John, much to his credit, ran the stories even though at the time few people had ever heard of those bands. As part of that interview, I remember asking Ira Kaplan why his band never came through Omaha, and he said he didn’t know. The idea had never occurred to them and that he’d have to remember Omaha on the next tour.

Well, more than eight year later Ira has apparently remembered Omaha. One Percent Productions has posted on their site that Yo La Tengo will be playing Sokol Underground Oct. 8. Tickets go on sale Aug. 19. Big fans of the band may wonder “why Underground, why not the auditorium?” but the fact is, there are fewer of us “big fans” around here than we realize. I doubt that Yo La Tengo’s music has ever been heard on Omaha airwaves, ever. I’m sure that the band is an unknown commodity to most people, including a lot of young indie music fans who have yet to discover them. For me, the show is a dream come true. Better get in line for those tickets, folks.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

No shows attended this weekend so no live reviews. Drat. You have a show you want to talk about? Post a review on the webboard. The Reviews Matrix has been updated and formatted for ’06. The ’05 Matrix is here, while the ’04 Matrix is here. Both are linked off the current Matrix. With intern Brendan lending a hand on reviews, look for this to be updated more often.

I heard from Jeremy Buckley, the organizer of Lincoln Calling, over the weekend and this year’s event — slated for Sept. 14-16 — sounds like it’s coming together rather well. If you haven’t already seen the preliminary line-up on Starcity Scene or SLAM Omaha, here it is:

Criteria
Maritime
Tie These Hands
Heiruspecs
The Show is the Rainbow
Neva Dinova
Little Brazil
The Golden Age
Eagle*Seagull
The Prids
Her Flyaway Manner
Spring Gun
Ladyfinger
Ideal Cleaners
Axes to the Sky
Tijuana Gigolos
The Jazzwholes
Forty Twenty
The Killigans
Mezcal Brothers
56 Hope Road
The Speech Impediments
Deformities
This Is We
Boycaught
Youth In Asia
Jaeger Fight
Once A Pawn
Bloodcow
Westside Proletariat

Jeremy tells me they’ll be splitting up the three Saddle Creek bands to help spread the crowd around (instead of having a one-venue, one-night Creek showcase). I suspect there will be more bands added in the near future. It looks like One Percent Productions is helping out again this year as well. Keep an eye on the Lincoln Calling website, which he promises will be updated soon.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—