Non-Led Zeppelin fans, please skip to the * * *

I’m not someone who is prone to hyperbole (that means “extravagant exaggeration” for all you word-power wonks out there). In fact, I’m often accused of going the other way — of being too negative, too nit-picky. That said, last night’s performance by The Song Remains the Same was a freak-of-nature quality thing of extreme beauty. I say this having literally been raised by Led Zeppelin — John Paul Jones used to help me pick out my clothes for school in the morning while John Bonham made me waffles and Robert Plant helped me brush my teeth. Jimmy Page was the lazy dad who always ran downstairs with a newspaper in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other while struggling to put on his suit jacket as he kissed my mother goodbye.

You get the picture. I know Led Zeppelin. It’s just about all I listened to in high school. That said, The Song Remains the Same is the next best thing to being there. Consisting of drummer Javier Ochoa, bassist Bunny Geist, guitarist Corey Weber and singer Jason Pollard, the band is a dead-on sonic replica of Led Zeppelin — in fact, a few people who’ve seen Zeppelin in person said they might be even better. Believe me, I’ve seen more than my share of lousy covers of “Rock ‘n’ Roll” over the years. These guys are eerily good, almost too good for their own careers, unless their goal in life is to be in the best Zeppelin tribute band in the world.

It’s all there. They know every lick of every song, but are smart enough to avoid trying to duplicate it. In other words, they capture the essence of Zeppelin instead of providing an exact replica. Still, any Zeppelin fan would marvel at what I heard at The Waiting Room last night. Ochoa’s muscular style and technical process is impeccable, as evidenced by their cover of “When the Levee Breaks” and Bonham solo tool “Moby Dick.” Geist’s bass playing made me rethink John Paul Jones’ role in the band — absolutely integral (The only thing missing was a keyboard).

Which brings me to Weber and Pollard. Weber is no Jimmy Page, but there can be only one Jimmy Page, and Weber knows it. He doesn’t do a note-for-note dupe of Jimmy’s solos, instead he makes his solos work enough to push the songs forward. More importantly, he nails the Page riffs that defined the band’s sound. Unbelievable guitar tone. Powerful. Accurate. Groovy.

Finally, Pollard. The story I was told last night is that he was discovered by Geist singing karaoke at Grandmother’s. Pollard is a freak. He even physically resembles Plant (with a little Kenny G thrown in). I promise if you see this band you will marvel at his vocal prowess. He has the full range of a Robert Plant at age 20. He knows every nuance, every vocal riff, every little touch that any Zeppelin fan would recognize. You expect him to disappoint you during the high notes on the classic songs off I and II, but he never does. It left me shaking my head with my mouth wide open. He even does some the telltale gestures that we all know from hours of live Zeppelin footage that we’ve all seen in the movie the band is named after. The pointing hand, the side slouch, the mic-chord wrist whip. He prances, he preens.

Look, I’m not overselling here. People around me, people I talked to afterward, were agog. Yes, they’re that good. In fact, I’m certain they could tour the country doing this if Pollard’s voice could handle singing like that every night (and I don’t know how it could).

You could criticize them for their stage presence — Weber was wearing an untucked western-cut shirt, Bunny wore a Thin Lizzy T-shirt. On the other hand, if they wore ruffled velvet suits or if Pollard was shirtless and wearing a vest, it might push the whole thing into campy/kitsch territory… that is, until they started playing. Once you heard them, you wouldn’t care what they were wearing.

Wisely, they selected mostly songs from the early albums (Pollard said II is his favorite). The high point was “The Ocean,” the low point was “Dazed and Confused” (but even that sounded respectable). Between sets (that’s right, they did two long sets), Weber asked for requests and I said anything off III, but specifically “Tangerine.” They didn’t have that one ready, but instead did “Out on the Tiles.” Awesome.

Yes, I know I’m going on and on about a tribute/cover band. I don’t care. I haven’t had that much fun at a show in long, long time.

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Now back to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress. But wait, before we do, I can’t forget The Third Men, who played a set of covers before TSRTS with new drummer Matt Bowen. Pretty awesome stuff. I’ve heard a number of these songs performed by them before, specifically Wings’ “Jet” and Richard and Linda Thompson’s “Wall of Death.” Both better than ever. The set also included some Bowie, Soft Boys, The Necessaries, Status Quo and The Knack, among others.

OK, on to tonight’s marquee shows: First, Eagle*Seagull and Kite Pilot at Slowdown Jr. E*S’s new stuff is top-drawer indie dance rock that’s irresistibly catchy. It’ll be interesting to see how well it goes over with the Slowdown crowd. This will be one of the last times you’ll get to see Kite Pilot with guitarist/vocalist Austin Britton before he heads back to the left coast. $5, 9 p.m.

or

The Terminals and The Shanks at The 49’r. You could argue that these bands play too often, except for the fact that you never know what’ll happen at one of their shows. Terminals are always easing in new material. This being at The Niner, I suspect that someone will probably get hurt during The Shanks’ set (and boy, will it hurt so good). Shanks will be hawking a new 5-song limited edition (only 50) CD EP, unpleasantly titled Urine Heaven. I assume (and you know what happens when you assume) that it’s out-takes from same sessions that produced their new “Big Feelin” 7-inch, which is a violent and abrasive joyride. Translated: A must have.

Over at O’Leaver’s, it’s Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship w/ The King Hen. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, over at The Saddle Creek Bar (they’ve been busy lately), it’s The Screens, Paper Owls, Seymore Saves Saves The World, and Shiver Shiver. $5, 9 p.m.

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Cloven Path return to O’Leaver’s (their roost, their stomping grounds) for a show tonight with Nymph and Demon Attack. It could (will) get messy. $5, 9:30 p.m. Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, it’s the unveiling of the The Third Men, V 2.0 with Matt Bowen (ex-Magic Kiss, ex-The Faint) on drums. We won’t get a chance to see how Matt does with Third Men music, however, since the band will be playing a set consisting entirely of covers (exactly which covers, I don’t know). It’s part of an evening of cover bands at TWR that features The Song Remains the Same — a Zeppelin tribute band — in the headlining position. To say I’m well-versed in all things Zeppelin is an understatement, so I’ll be approaching their set with a critical ear (if I go). There was originally supposed to be a Van Halen tribute band on the bill tonight as well, but I’m told they weren’t ready for prime time. $7, 9 p.m. Finally, over at the Saddle Creek Bar, Oklahoma City singer songwriter Ali Harter takes the stage with fellow Oklahomans The Non. Harter has a vocal and songwriting style that’s sometimes reminiscent of Feist (her myspace). The Non plays indie rock instrumentals (or so I assumed based on their myspace page). Both bands will also be playing at The Zoo Bar in Lincoln tomorrow night. $5, 9 p.m.

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Almost nothing to report today except rumors buzzing about a possible Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page appearance in Omaha (possibly in the crowd) for this weekend’s Yardbirds show down on the Lewis & Clark Landing. The duo is said to be checking out the band for a possible reunion. It all flies in the face of this Billboard article from July 20, where Beck’s manager denies that he’ll be joining the band on tour. Ah, but people have been known to change their minds. And what else do Beck and Page have to do, anyway?

Tonight, long-time writing partner of Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, is playing at The Waiting Room with his band, The Dave Rawlings Machine. No opening band is listed for the show, which starts at 9 and costs $15.

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I dropped in on the Memorial Park concert yesterday at around 4 p.m. and already the storm clouds were beginning to form in the west. The brutal heat had been somewhat abated by the overcast skies, but it was still muggy and uncomfortable. On stage was Pomoroy, a band no better or worse than Plain White T’s; they just happened to have gone unnoticed with their bleatings. It was by far the loudest concert I’ve ever heard in the park — painfully loud, earplug loud. Maybe it was so loud because there were no warm bodies to muffle the noise. The place looked empty. I talked to a cop at the top of the hill, who estimated the crowd at just over 1,000 and at its zenith up to that point in the afternoon. He said they’d all been informed of the oncoming storm, and expected it to hit at around 6 p.m., but even then it looked like it could start raining at any moment. I rode back home and battened down the hatches. By 5:30 our house had lost power and we fumbled around in the dark until 2:30 in the morning before the lights came back on. Apparently after the initial storm passed, the show went on, or at least that’s what I assumed based on the muffled echoes of the band heard from my house at around 7 p.m. I figured they’d cancel the show, but I suppose the city was going to pay The T’s whether anyone was there to see them or not, so why not make them play anyway?

The moral to this story: Don’t host concerts in the park in the middle of August when the heat index is over 100. Why not have these concerts in early October or late spring when it’s cooler outside? There must be a reason…

Sad news from Europe: Tony Wilson, the father of Factory Records and the Hacienda in Manchester died of a heart attack Friday. Wilson was a visionary who signed such bands as Joy Division, Durutti Column, Section 25, A Certain Ratio, New Order and Happy Mondays. In some ways, Saddle Creek Records seems to be paralleling Factory Records, right down to the opening of Slowdown. A BBC report on Wilson, complete with interviews, is on YouTube here: Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.

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The draw for The Rentals at Slowdown last night was disappointing, or as it was described by one of the venue owners, the place was half empty… or half-full, depending on how you looked at it. The management decided to close the balcony in an effort to make the crowd look larger and more compact. “You don’t like seeing bands play to an empty room, do you?” I don’t mind, as long as I’m not sitting on the floor, which was where I sat most of the evening between bands because there were no seats available (except up in that closed balcony area). I guess sitting on the floor makes it more like a “real concert experience” circa the 1970s and the days of festival seating. I suppose.

Goldenboy came on at 8:30 playing a somewhat vanilla set of adult-alternative rock. I wish I could tell you more about their sound, but the band left virtually no mark on my memory other than the fact that all the members wore hats. Apparently a number of people came to the show to see Coldplay…er, Copeland, judging by people walking around with Copeland T-shirts. Frontman Aaron Marsh mostly played keyboards, sometimes switched to acoustic guitar, and had a voice reminiscent of Bryan (not Ryan) Adams. They played the kind of unadventurous smooth-indie rock that compliments bland TV shows like Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs. Bands like The Fray come to mind. Kudos to their drummer, who was a fill-in guy playing only his second show with the band. He was phenomenal. I can only imagine how their full-time drummer must sound in comparison.

Finally, there was The Rentals, all seven of them tumbling out onto the stage, taking their various positions that they’d switch throughout the evening. It wasn’t until they started roaring into their hits that it dawned on me what a flat, monotone voice Matt Sharp actually has. Think about it. Those songs off their first album had a natural charm to them because they seemed to be sung by a droning nerd. Actually, come to think of it, that’s also the charm of Weezer’s first album, too (There’s not a lot of vocal range on “Undone (The Sweater Song)”). The monotone drone is less noticeable and actually somewhat likable on The Rentals recordings, but live, Sharp just sounds like he can’t sing. To dress it up, he backs himself with three women, two of which really can sing, especially original Rentals member Rachel Haden, who’s vocals glowed above everyone else’s. Not surprisingly, the new material off their EP sounded better than the old stuff reinvented (which, at times, was unrecognizable). Sharp has said in a number of interviews (including one with me) that crowd response on this tour has been rousing, with people dancing and pogo-ing and singing along with the hits. Last night’s audience, on the other hand, while respectful, hardly moved despite Sharp’s aerobic efforts (along with viola/vocalist youngster Laura Chipman) to get them into the set. It just wasn’t happening.

A brief note about Slowdown’s sound system: This was the first national band that I’ve seen on their big stage, and as expected, the sound was impressive. It’s the first concert I’ve been to that was really loud without hurting my ears (In fact, hearing protection wasn’t needed). Sightlines are impeccable. As Teresa said afterward, this is the place to go to see a band you really like.

Tonight’s recap is below (or here). I’m still leaning toward The Stay Awake/Bombardment Society at The Saddle Creek Bar. Whatever you do, try to stay cool.

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Just posted, an interview with Matt Sharp of The Rentals (read it here). Matt talks about how juggling between Weezer and The Rentals drove him to a solo career, the reinvention of The Rentals, and the band’s new EP, The Last Little Life. Sharp was such a good interview that I got enough to do an entire column beyond this feature, which will go online tomorrow.

Four, count ’em four shows are (probably) going on tonight, each worthy of your presence.

At The Waiting Room, Ladyfinger and Ideal Cleaners open for Philly band Mountain High, yet another rock band that sports two drummers. Ladyfinger is said to be unveiling some new songs and a new cover, while Ideal Cleaners is always strong. This being a Wednesday night, I’m afraid that Mountain High could get Omaha’d after these two fine bands. $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., it’s another two-drummer band, Spring Gun, opening for Page Francis and Bishop Allen. $8, 8 p.m.

Over at O’Leaver’s, The Terminals are opening for Ames Iowa grooversters Radio Moscow (Alive Records). $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, according to the SlamOmaha music calendar, No Blood Orphan is opening for Penang at The 49’r tonight. I was unable to confirm this show at either the Niner’s or NBO’s myspace pages. Go at your own risk.

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CNN just reported that the Van Halen reunion tour is on again, featuring David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen. They’ve ditched Michael Anthony, which is sheer madness. I don’t think people realize how much Anthony contributes to the band’s overall sound through his harmonies. They’ll find out when they hear Eddie’s son Wolfgang croaking along to “Jamie’s Cryin’.” Despite that, I will be in attendance at this show if it comes to the Qwest Center. Whoops. Looks like Reuters has the story now, here.

Other than that, nothing to report. The Waiting Room is hosting a show this evening with a band called The Steed that I’ve never heard of. Paper Owls is opening, but they also have their CD release show this weekend at PS Collective. Also on the bill is Ric Rhythm and the Revengers. $7, 9 p.m.

This week you’ll get a double-dip of The Rentals’ Matt Sharp — a feature story about the band online tomorrow, followed by a column of leftover interview material on Thursday. The show is this Friday night at Slowdown, by the way. Get an early head start by checking out Dave Liebowitz’s The Dark Stuff podcast. The special edition is dedicated to The Rentals and includes an interview with Matt Sharp along with lots of music. A great listen, indeed. You can listen to it here.

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