You couldn’t have asked for a better time to have an ice storm, at least musicwise. There are no major shows going on tonight (and none last night), which means there also are no cancellations. Now if today had been tomorrow, we’d all be wondering whether Dinosaur Jr. was still happening at Slowdown. I have no idea how J and the band are traveling these days. They were scheduled to play Oklahoma City Sunday night — one day before most of that state went black due to power outages. Tonight they’re in Iowa City (hopefully they’re already there). There’s nothing stopping them now.

That’s all I got today, other than to ask you to go to the webboard (here) and list your favorite CDs from ’07. I’m in the process now of putting together my year-in-review article for The Reader, so your suggestions are welcome.

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Well, Eagle*Seagull canceled due to the weather. I can’t say that I blame them. One of Slowdown’s owners described the melee that ended Fathr’s set — one of the performers continuously stabbing a guitar. I would have liked to have seen that. The guitar was still lying on the stage as the grips prepared for The Show Is the Rainbow’s set. Despite the snow/ice/sleet, there looked to be around 150 or so on the floor or milling around the balcony. A good draw considering the weather. Darren Keen brought his A game, but doesn’t he always? It was the usual shtick — Keen running around the audience singing/rapping over prerecorded tracks while his homemade videos were projected on a wrinkled bed sheet draped over a pole hung from the rafters. He told me he was going to have some “special guests” perform with him, but that never happened. If you took the entire set and divided the actual music from the between-song patter, you’d discover that Keen joked around as much as he sang. The crowd didn’t mind. They were laughing. There is a self-defeating, self-deprecating tone to Keen’s comments — taken out of context, they could be as sad as they are funny, humor as pathos (though in real life, there’s nothing pathetic about him). Keen makes fun of himself and the scene, his music and the audience. And when he reaches for applause, you naturally join in. The guy is up there alone, after all, with his shirt off, sweating, trying to get the crowd to put their hands above their heads. What easily gets lost at a TSITR show is the music itself, which is always interesting but clearly secondary to “the performance.” I never had a chance to see TSITR with his short-lived band. But I have a feeling the only difference was the guys standing on stage, wondering what the hell Darren was going to do next. He ended with a new song that sounded more streamlined and tuneful that his old stuff. At the end of his two-song encore, the crowd rallied Keen with the chant of “Five More Years! Five More Years!” I have no doubt.

Tonight at Slowdown Jr., uber-hot indie band Vampire Weekend takes the stage with Grand Ole Party and 4th of July. $8, 9 p.m. Meanwhile, over at O’Leaver’s, it’s Brimstone Howl with Digital Leather and Dead Beat recording artist Forbidden Tigers from Grand Island, NE. The gig is FT’s official CD release show for Magnetic Problems, an LP recorded by Brooks Hitt at DNA Studios. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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At Slowdown, it’s The Show Is the Rainbow‘s big 5-year anniversary extravaganza. TSITR main man Darren Keen wanted it on Slowdown’s big stage and that’s exactly what he got. Expect some special guests during his set. Opening is Relapse recording artist Vvervvolf Grehv featuring Dapose of The Faint, Fathr featuring James Cuato (Saxophone), Clark Baechle (Drums), Dapose, and Seth Johnson (Visuals, etc.), and Lincoln indie rockers, Eagle*Seagull. $8, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The 49’r, it’s No Blood Orphan playing what likely will be their last show for awhile as guitarist/frontman Mike Saklar will be turning his attention to Mal Madrigal. Also on the bill, the “awesome sound” of Panang. Probably $5, probably starting around 10:30.

Finally, over at The Waiting Room, it’s the annual Lash LaRue Toy Drive featuring performances by The Mercurys, The Filter Kings, John Henry and Vago. Admission is $10 or an unwrapped toy. Show starts at 8.

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Our old friend Mike Perry pointed out on the webboard that Zack Nipper and Bright Eyes have been nominated for a Grammy for Best Recording Package for Cassadaga. This comes as no surprise to anyone who has seen the packaging, which received almost as much publicity as the recording upon its release. Zack and Co. are facing some stiff opposition from the likes of Black Sabbath, Menomena, The Fold and GTS (the list is here). It’s impressive how many indie labels are in the running. Conventional wisdom would say that the Sabbath album should win due to the academy’s familiarity with the band. But I’m not buying that logic (Yep, I’m predicting a Bright Eyes win — surprise, surprise).

Tonight is huge for shows, starting off with The Pendrakes’ CD release show at The Waiting Room with Old Money and Landing on the Moon. I’m listening to their CD, Sunday Punch, as I type this. For whatever reason, I was mistakenly under the impression that The Pendrakes was a rock-a-billy band. It isn’t. Their style is straight-up rock in sort of a Tom Petty vein. It’s well done. Interestingly, the disc was produced by Grasshopper Takeover’s Curt Grubb and was recorded at Grubb’s basement studio, Grubb Inc. (and mastered by Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering). $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, garage punk trio Box Elders, featuring them thar McIntyre Brothers and groove king Dave Golberg, is playing over at O’Leaver’s with Bombardment Society (featuring mega-bassist Lincoln Dickison (guitarist for The Monroes)) and Private Dancer (members of STNNNG). Bring your earplugs, it’s going to be loud. $5, 9 p.m.

Baby Walrus headlines a show at PS Collective that features a handful of hot Next Wave artists, including Tim Perkins, Hyannis and Talkin’ Mountain. 8 p.m., $5.

Meanwhile, Honeybee (a member of the Slumber Party brigade) opens for Canadian band The Most Serene Republic (Arts & Crafts Records) down at Slowdown Jr. $7, 9 p.m.

Hey, does anyone know who Cross Canadian Ragweed is?

Look for Saturday night’s show line-up tomorrow.

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Tonight is the big Omaha Entertainment Awards Nominee Showcase Block Party being held at a handful of venues in Benson. For $5 you can pick up a wristband that will get you into showcases at Mick’s, The Waiting Room, España, The Barley St. Tavern and PS Collective. Sayeth the OEA website: “The Waiting Room Lounge, Barley Street Tavern and Mick’s will host bands performing in 20-minute segments. España will feature DJs and ethnic ensembles, and the PS Collective will present the performing arts showcase. Screens throughout The Waiting Room and other establishments will show a constant feed of visual arts nominee highlights.” This is a helluva deal. There isn’t an official schedule yet, but a tentative line-up has appeared on SLAM Omaha, and is below:

At Mick’s:
6:15 Steve Raybine
6:50 Side Effects
7:25 Lucas Kellison
8:00 John Henry
8:35 Oxygen
9:10 Sabor
9:45 Sarah Benck and The Robbers
10:20 No Better Cause
10:55 Forty Twenty
11:30 Chris Saub

At The Waiting Room:
6:00 Icares
6:50 Mariachi Luna y Sol
7:25 a symbiont
8:00 Mariachi Zapata
8:35 Satchel Grande
9:10 Little Brazil
9:45 Narcotic Self
10:20 Confidentials
10:55 Wholes
11:30 Venaculas

At The Barley St.:
6:15 South Paw Bluegrass
6:50 Tim Wildsmith
7:25 Acoustic Groove
8:00 Secret Weapon
8:35 Matt Whipkey
9:10 Black Squirrels
9:45 112 North Duck
10:20 Filter Kings
10:55 tba
11:30 Paria

At España:
9:30 Brent Crampton
9:50 Shor-T
10:20 Jamazz
10:45 Shif-D
11:15 HG Filled
11:40 CMB
12:05 Articulate
12:35 Chiffy
1:05 Breathless
1:30 Goo

As an OEA academy member, I need to see as many bands as possible that I haven’t seen before, which means I’ll be spending most of my evening at Mick’s. I could come up with an elaborate personal schedule to weave back and forth through the various venues, but I know that none of them will adhere to their scheduled times. It’s going to be a real crapshoot if you want to see a specific band. Just get there early and ask the guy at the door who’s next.

Wouldn’t it have been great if they had blocked off Maple St. and let people walk from venue to venue with beer/drinks in hand? Or if street food vendors (operated by Benson restaurants) were available so you could nosh as you go? I’m not looking forward to eating at Subway tonight.

If you don’t want in to deal with the drama, swing over to O’Leaver’s tonight for Midwest Dilemma with Zephuros and Lincoln singer/songwriter Cory Kibler (ex Robot, Creek Closer). I’m told the new MD recording is stunning and includes a plethora of instrumentation which may or may not be replicated tonight on stage. $5, 9 p.m.

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Saturday night was sweet and sour. I got to the Barley Street Tavern at around 10:30 and discovered that I missed an impromptu 4-song set of Compost songs performed by Todd Grant and Matt Rutledge. Everyone was still buzzing about it. Ah, if I would have only known…Ted Stevens was already on stage, backed by Alex McManus. Calling themselves The Shitbirds (or as McManus preferred, The Shyte Byrds), the duo played a set of bluesy folk songs punctuated by Stevens’ trippy, clever lyrics. McManus spent the set ripping into some amazing fills and solos on electric guitar. At times, the arrangements seemed downright esoteric. Stevens hinted at a future album, but didn’t give any specifics.

Next up was Cary Smith, with Todd Grant playing the sideman role. Smith only played a couple songs, stopping and starting throughout, sometimes to tune his guitar. Afterward, Grant played two songs — one from the Grant/Kasher sessions from a couple years back; the other, a roaring version of “The Know” from Strangled Soul. And that was it for Grant. He told me he intended to play more, but apparently the night was running long and he wanted to give Jake Bellows the stage — a real disappointment as I’d hoped to hear a full Grant set. Next time. As consolation, it was the best Bellows solo set I’ve ever heard. His voice soared throughout his hour of sleepy, downcast folk ditties (that included a Mayday cover). Nice crowd of 40-50.

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There’s an item in the Hollywood Reporter (here) about Nik Fackler’s film Lovely Still, which currently is shooting somewhere around Omaha. One amusing line from the story: “‘Lovely’ will feature an original score by Nathaniel Walcott and Michael Riley Mogis of Bright Eyes.” I guess score credits demand more formal names than “Nate” and “Mike.” For the first time, Landau’s and Burstyn’s co-stars in the film were named: The super-hot Elizabeth Banks (40 Year Old Virgin) and Adam Scott (HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me). I have yet to see the production trailers around town.

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