First, in Lincoln Calling news, I’m told that Saturday’s late-night music offering at Box Awesome isn’t Goo, it’s Derek Pressnall’s Flowers Forever DJ extravaganza. I haven’t been to Goo yet, so I don’t know what it entails. Goo obviously is thematic, and I’m told Pressnall and his posse painstakingly select the material to match specific Goo themes, and I’m sure there’s even more to it than that. Regardless, Jeremy Buckley contacted me asking if I could clarify that Saturday ain’t Goo, so there you go. That said, “Booty Goo” is tonight at Slowdown, and Lincoln Calling also launches this evening.

Also today is the “soft” opening of Urban Outfitters down at the Slowdown compound. Looking out my office window, I didn’t see any banners or balloons or clowns giving out free Pepsi. I guess we’ll see the big stuff on Saturday for the official “Grand Opening,” which will feature DJs Brent Crampton and Derek Pressnall spinning at the store from noon to 4 p.m. (and, no, that ain’t Goo, either), then a free concert at Slowdown at 8 p.m. featuring Tilly and the Wall, Baby Walrus and Bear Country. And Urban will be donating 10 percent of their sales from their opening weekend to the Nebraska AIDS project. Right on.

The real event is the store itself, which almost didn’t happen at all. The OWH printed a story on the store in yesterday’s issue (here) where they describe it as some sort of industrial high-design concept. It sounds cool, but at the end of the day, Urban Outfitters is the home of the $28 T-shirt (that can go up as high as $48), hoodies that range from $34 to $198, and jeans that range from $49 to $220. The catalog is online here.

I think it’s probably a good fit for the Slowdown project, though American Apparel is sort of the new “cool” shop for kids these days. The fact that they’re selling a lot of Saddle Creek merch is smart. When it wasn’t looking like UO was going to open down at Slowdown, I suggested to the Creek guys that they open their own shop that featured clothing and music from their warehouse and Ink Tank — after all, plenty of people will make pilgrimages to Slowdown if only because it’s operated by Saddle Creek. They didn’t like the idea, saying that Sub Pop tried a similar thing and it bombed. Now it appears they have the best of both worlds.

With UO opening, there are only three pieces of the Slowdown puzzle yet to be placed. First, that Blue Line coffee shop/bistro. I’m told that it’s slated to open “this fall” — well, it’s fall now, folks, and it ain’t open. I suspect you won’t see it until this winter (or later).

Then there’s the empty restaurant space originally dedicated to Yia Yia’s. If I were the Creek guys, I wouldn’t let go of that idea — just like they didn’t let go of Urban Outfitters. Yia Yia’s is a perfect fit, whether Yia Yia’s agrees or not. Finally, there’s those vacant artist living spaces/galleries that run along Webster St. Yet another great idea, if they can only find some artists with enough jack to move in.

And speaking of artists… Coyote Bones is putting on a special performance tonight at 6 p.m. at The Bemis, followed by something called “Slide Jam,” where 16 regional artists will present five minutes of their art one-after-another. David Matysiak and The Family Radio’s Nik Fackler will be among them, with Nik playing guitar for both shows — not your typical night out.

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