Across the city, web-connected musicians, bored office deadbeats and the hard-wired unemployed are moaning collectively over the apparent temporary capsizing of Omaha music social hub SLAM Omaha, which has been down since early last night. The site says that it’s suffering from “database problems.” But what does that really mean? Those of you suffering from SLAM withdrawals who are desperate for a place to vent your spleen (about a music-related topic) feel free to post away on the Lazy-i webboard. It’s little solace, I know, but something tells me that SLAM will be back shortly, and better than ever.

Of course tonight’s big show is the Joe “Madder” Kenny tribute concert down at Sokol Underground. As I mentioned yesterday, the showcase features some of the city’s finest punk acts, including The Deformities, The Upsets, The Shanks, Filthy Few, The Filter Kings and Brimstone Howl. Cost is $7, with all money going to the Kenny family. Doors open at 7, bands are at 8. Get down there and rock for a good cause.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.–

Monday’s announcement that The Faint are leaving Saddle Creek ends a two-year saga that, for me, began with this column. I never heard from my trusty “deep throat” source again after that story ran, maybe because things got a little hot (a number of people were asking (nay demanding) to know who s/he was. I, of course, never gave up my source). Today, that old column seems rather harmless, though its aftermath has had a long-term negative impact on my ability to write about a certain band…

Column 173 — Fasciinatiion Street
The Faint finally leave Saddle Creek.

Yesterday afternoon (which as I write this, was Monday) Billboard.com posted a story on its website announcing that The Faint — the band that taught Omaha how to dance — was splitting with its long-time label, Omaha’s own Saddle Creek Records.

The news, which arrived by way of my Google news search tool, caused me to audibly gasp. We all knew it was coming. We had known it for years. Yet, here it was, right in front of my eyes, finally.

The Faint (the article said) is launching its own imprint called “blank.wav,” and its first release will be the band’s fifth album, Fasciinatiion (and no, that isn’t a typo), due out Aug. 5. The story went on to quote sales stats from the band’s past two albums – 2004’s Wet From Birth, 117,000 copies; and 2001’s Danse Macabre, 143,000 units, perhaps implying that the downturn in sales had something to do with the band’s decision to go out on its own.

The Faint’s defection comes only a few weeks after Saddle Creek’s first-born son, Conor Oberst, announced that he was releasing a non-Bright Eyes solo album, but that it also would not be on Saddle Creek. Instead, the record is coming out on leading indie label Merge Records, the home to such acts as The Arcade Fire, Spoon and Oberst’s buddy M. Ward. That news seemed like a body blow to Creek, even though Bright Eyes still seems to be comfortably held in the label’s nurturing arms.

Oberst’s news was a surprise. The Faint’s, well, not so much. It was two years ago last March when the idea of The Faint leaving Saddle Creek was first openly discussed by label chief Robb Nansel in this very column. Back then, the rumor was that The Faint was headed to American Recordings to work with über producer Rick Rubin. Nansel confirmed that Rubin had indeed expressed interest in working with The Faint, but said that no deal had been made with anyone.

“The possibility of a band leaving has always been there,” Nansel said back then. “The bands will ultimately make a well-informed decision about what is in their best interest. We will support their decision regardless of what it is, and hope that all parties are satisfied at the end of the day. Certainly (we) would not be pissed.”

Fellow label executive Jason Kulbel said those comments still apply two years later, as the rumored split becomes a reality. “This announcement does not come as a surprise, and we wish the band continued success,” Kulbel said, confirming that Saddle Creek will have no involvement in the release of Fasciinatiion. “They are still friends and we support their decision to do what they, as a band, feel is best for them.”

Kulbel said the label has been aware of The Faint’s intentions since the release of Wet From Birth. Asked what kind of an impact The Faint leaving would have on Saddle Creek, Kulbel said they “don’t see any immediate impact since we have been aware of the likelihood for years.”

Despite the loss of The Faint and Oberst sniffing around other labels, the future of Saddle Creek as a business entity seems less in question than it did two years ago when the Faint rumor first surfaced. Since then, Saddle Creek has signed a number of acts including Georgie James, Eric Bachmann, Neva Dinova, Art in Manila and most impressive of all, Tokyo Police Club, whose new album, Elephant Shell, has the potential of being the label’s all-time biggest seller.

Two years ago construction hadn’t even begun on Saddle Creek’s Slowdown complex. Now after being open for nearly a year, Slowdown is recognized as Omaha’s premier music venue, recently honored by Esquire Magazine as the “club of the year” (though I’m not sure how that translates to revenue). And in the past few months, the last remaining empty commercial stall in the Slowdown properties — originally earmarked for a restaurant — has been taken by edgy underwear store American Apparel.

The fact is that it’s been four years since The Faint released an album. If Saddle Creek hasn’t become used to not having them around by now, then they never will.

A more interesting question is how the move will impact The Faint. The band never did record an album with Rubin, instead spending the last few years creating their own Enamel studios, where they recorded the 10 tracks that will make up Fasciinatiion. And they’ve never really quit touring, thanks to the strength of their rather limited catalog of music. The Faint could probably continue selling-out large venues for the next few years without releasing anything new, thanks to their reputation for putting on events rather than mere concerts.

And then there’s blank.wav. Time will tell what exactly this “imprint” will be. What’s its distribution model? Will it be an Internet-only venture. And will The Faint be the only band on the blank.wav roster? Maybe it’ll follow the same model as Oberst’s Team Love label, providing an outlet for local artists such as McCarthy Trenching, Flowers Forever, Tilly and the Wall and Simon Joyner to get their music heard by a larger audience. If so, Saddle Creek’s loss will be the Omaha music scene’s gain.

Someone asked what was meant by the word “imprint” rather than “label.” The word “imprint” has been used to identify boutique labels that are connected to major labels. For example, Rilo Kiley’s Brute/Beaute was an imprint under the Warner Bros. umbrella. In the publishing industry, an imprint is a brand name under which a work is published. One single publishing company may have multiple imprints; the different imprints are used by the publisher to market the work to different demographic consumer segments. The Faint’s use of the term “imprint” would imply that blank.wav is part of something larger, maybe the organization that will house The Faint, Enamel studio, blank.wav and other Faint-related business endeavors. Who knows? Maybe the band’s publicist simply is misusing the term.

I was told yesterday that blank.wav will, in fact, be its own independent label and not a so-called “imprint” or subsidiary of a larger label. We’ll see as August rolls around…

* * *

This is an early heads-up about the Joe “Madder” Kenny memorial rock show being held tomorrow night at Sokol Underground. This tribute to one of Omaha’s biggest rock fans and local music supporters showcases the city’s finest punk acts including The Deformities, The Upsets, The Shanks, Filthy Few, The Filter Kings and Brimstone Howl.

Cost is $7, with all money going to the Kenny family. Doors open at 7, bands at 8. See you there.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Column 172: First Quarter Report
A glance at some recent releases

Whenever people start asking me what I’m listening to, I figure it’s time for another CD reviews round-up. These are not full, detailed reviews, rather they’re impressions after listening to these albums on and off on my stereo and iPhone over the past few weeks/months. All get the Lazy-i seal of approval.

Aimee Mann, @#&*! Smilers (SuperEgo) — Faithful Aimee Mann fans stood beside this So Cal (by way of Boston) girl back in her ‘Til Tuesday days, did an I-told-you-so when her genius was revealed on the Magnolia soundtrack, and held her hand during all the follow-ups when no one else was around. Here’s their reward: Her best album since Bachelor No. 2.

Black Kids, Wizard of Ahhhs (self released) — Available for free (the trend continues) from their website late last year, the sound is pure ’80s new romantic, and at its finest moments emulates The Cure’s Kiss Me album right down to the Robert Smith groan vocals. Columbia figured it out and gobbled them up for a formal debut slated for July. Black Kids are on the precipice, staring over the edge where bands like Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse stood a few years ago.

The Breeders, Mountain Battles (4AD) — Remember when Kim and Kelley were considered edgy and subversive (and The Pixies were still debonair)? The band never recovered after the burnout suffered at the hands of “Cannonball” way back in ’93, back when MTV still played videos, especially that one, over and over again. There are no Cannonballs hidden here, nor anything as shocking (and grand) as their cover of “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” (from Pod). Still, serviceable; but just barely.

Joan of Arc, Boo! Human (Polyvinyl) — Too often, Tim Kinsella tries to sound weird and unapproachable, so imagine my surprise at the simple acoustic pop of opening track “Shown and Told,” as well as the tumbling “A Tell-Tale Penis” and the back-beat rocker (yes, rocker) “The Surrender #2.” There are still plenty of atonal nightmares, like screamer “9/11 2” and startle-noised “Everywhere I Go.” Download discriminately.

The Long Blondes, Couples (Rough Trade) — Their thump-thump-thump New Wave dance rave-ups, like disco opener “Century” and porn-guitar fueled “Guilt,” remind me of another band named after its frontwoman’s hair color. All right, you youngsters, I’m talking about Blondie. And though vocalist Kate Jackson is no Debra Harry, her music and her band have the same upbeat, heart-of-glass style.

Neil Diamond, Home Before Dark (Columbia) — Note to Rick Rubin: Neil Diamond is famous for his bombastic, over-the-top arrangements that boast enough orchestration to launch a space shuttle. The stripped-down arrangements that worked so well for Johnny Cash may be the wrong approach here. I mean, do his fans really want an evening of intimate, acoustic folk songs? No, they want to stand up and punch the sky along with everyone else during “Sweet Caroline.” That said, there’s more to these tracks than 2005’s 12 Songs. Still, I yearn for the day when Rubin and Diamond finally break down and do an album with the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

She & Him, Volume One (Merge) — One of the best moments from the 2003 Will Ferrell break-out film “Elf” was the impromptu duet between Ferrell and a showering Zooey Deschanel. I remember thinking, “Jeeze, she sings as great as she looks.” M Ward (the Him) must have thought the same thing. Deschanel is at her best when she croons her own twangy rocking material, sounding like a cuter version of Jenny Lewis. The charm wears thin in the latter half of the album, thanks to Patsy-styled torch ballads (“Take It Back), cheesy doo-wop (“I Was Made for You”) and too many uninspired covers (Smokey’s “You Really Got Me,” a flawed take on The Beatles’ “I Should Have Known Better”). Now if we can only coax her back into that shower.

The Teenagers, Reality Check (XL) — Sorta funny French synthpop is funnier because of the odd, spoken-word vocal approach, which combines Pepé Le Pew with a Valley Girl. It’s so well-recorded, however, that you can’t help but get into the clean Weezer-meets-The Cars synthpop. Irony was never so catchy.

Tokyo Police Club, Elephant Shell (Saddle Creek) — I’ve been told that a local music mogul predicted this will be the biggest selling Creek release ever, bigger even than Bright Eyes. Early criticism, however, complained that it pales compared to the band’s noisy debut EP. I say it’s far more listenable, like an upbeat Death Cab (a band terminally lost in ennui). They’re young and hip and will look good on TV. Maybe that mogul is right.

A Tomato a Day (helps keep the tornado away), The Moon Is Green (Public Eyesore) — There’s something lost and lonely about Brian Poloncic’s acoustic folk confessions, which plow the same stark territory as, say, Husker Du’s Candy Apple Grey or sad Replacements or Todd Grant’s yearning solo album. Three years in the making, it’s time that they’re finally heard. Check them out at the CD release show Friday night at Benson Grind.

The Whipkey Three, 26 (self release) — It’s the best recording Matt Whipkey ever produced with any band. As one person put it who hasn’t cared for any of Whipkey’s past projects: “I guess persistence pays off. I actually like this.” I like it, too. And it’s about as DIY as you’re going to get — Whipkey burned the CDRs and hand rubber-stamped the discs and sleeves. Pick one up at the CD-release show Saturday night at Mick’s.

The promoters of last night’s American Music Club show have every reason to be disappointed with the turnout. Heck, I’m disappointed. There were maybe 70 or 80 people there total, very much below anyone’s expectations. Maybe it was because it was a Monday night and Ryan Adams is tomorrow, though I doubt that Ryan Adams draws the same type of crowd as AMC. Add last night to the poor turnout for Matthew Sweet and Vic Chestnutt and you begin to see an unfortunate trend in terms of shows that target an older “heritage” crowd. Side note: AMC was officially One Percent Production’s 300th show.

AMC fans who stayed home last night because they couldn’t get a sitter or had to work this morning missed out on what could be the last AMC show they’ll ever get to see. I overheard Eitzel talking to a fan while he was signing a couple albums. He said that touring was getting too expensive, too hard to do, and that this might be it. And though he sounded great last night, he looked a bit agitated on stage. He was in perfect voice, opening with a couple classics off Everclear before segueing into material from his amazing new album, Love Songs for Patriots. The mix, however, was poor — too bassy, and there seemed to be a problem with the monitors. Eitzel fiddled with earplugs and looked exasperated. During one song, the bass rumbled like a bomb going off, some sort of weird effect that was distorted and strange. As the set wore on, Eitzel quit talking to the crowd and looked like he wanted to just get off stage, especially toward the end when his vocals seemed to fade and get lost in the ruckus. Still, it was a good set that at times transcended the technical glitches, especially when the band got to stretch out, and Vudi, looking like a indie version of Leonard Nimoy, leaned into a feedback-laden guitar solo.

I had zero preconceived notions about Dios (Malos). Like I mentioned yesterday, I got lost on their website and never found any music files online. After last night, I don’t think I’ve been turned on by a band as much since maybe The Smithereens’ first album. No, Dios doesn’t sound anything like The Smithereens. They do have a similar aesthetic regarding traditional song structure. But the comparison ends there. Dios also has a relationship with My Morning Jacket in that giant-sized singer/guitarist/keyboardist Joel Morales uses a huge amount of reverb and delay in his vocals, which make them sound — appropriately — big and haunting. You knew it was going to be special when, during the pre-set sound check, Morales improvised piano fills to New Order’s “Temptation” which was playing on the juke box. Their first song played off the opening organ chords of Led Zeppelin’s “All of My Love” before turning into a Dios original, sort of (I think it was merely a warm-up exercise). Whereas everything seemed lost and confused with (opener) Swords’ mix, the sound couldn’t have been any better for Dios — they did have an unfair advantage in that drummer Jackie Monzon would make my top-five “best of” list for drummers seen and heard at O’Leaver’s — unbelievable stuff. So were the songs, whose So Cal sensibilities and nod to retro supersede any indie rock labels, though they certainly are an indie band. Uber-engineer Phil Ek produced their just-released eponymous CD on Star Time that captures the band’s crisp take on laid-back rock. A pleasant surprise.

I tried to interview Destroyer. I sent the request in a month ago with the publicist. After a few weeks of back and forth, she said she just couldn’t work it out with Destroyer main guy Dan Bejar, but that he would be willing to do an e-mail interview. I hate e-mail interviews because there’s no chance for follow-up or clarification of answers, and you never know who really is answering the questions (On the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog, etc.). But I figured an e-mail interview was better than nothing, so I wrote a list of questions and sent them off. Time passed. I nudged the publicist. She nudged Bejar. He remained unresponsive. A day after the deadline I was told Dan didn’t have time to do an e-mail interview after all. It happens, it happens…

I love the new Destroyer album, Trouble in Dreams, on mighty Merge Records. The music is a combination of Bowie, Jarvis Cocker, and Bejar’s other project, New Pornographers. Repeated listenings reap glorious psychedelic benefits. And so, I have to wonder how he’s going to make it sound on The Waiting Room stage tonight, where he performs along with Andre Ethier and Mal Madrigal.

And speaking of Mal Madrigal, I got an e-mail from MM’s Steve Bartolomei saying that both of his simultaneously released vinyl-only recordings — The Road Is Glue and Life Among the Animals — are back in stock and available at The Antiquarium, the Saddle Creek online record store and (one assumes) at tonight’s show. They are worth your hard-earned rubles. Steve also mentioned that Mal is beginning to record the follow-up, and you might get a sneak-peek at those songs tonight. $12, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, the return of The Monroes and Domestica to Slowdown, this time on the small stage with Lincoln band The Sleepover Show. Will there be Hot Wheels races at this one, too? Is it possible for Jon Taylor to make his guitar sound louder than it did last time? Find out at 9 p.m., $6.

And finally, over at the notorious Saddle Creek Bar it’s a night of garage punk madness featuring The Terminals, The Shanks and Mosquito Bandito. I’m trying to imagine what The Shanks — a squall-punk maelstrom-noise nightmare when they play at O’Leaver’s, will sound like on SCB’s hole-in-the-wall (literally) stage powered by 4,000 pounds of assorted antiquated PA amps. Earplugs are a necessity. Put a “Nice Price” sticker on this one — Free. Starts at 9.

And, don’t forget O’Leaver’s. Booker/soundman/intern Brendan Walsh’s favorite touring band — The Voodoo Organist — is playing along with scatter-punk phenoms Bazooka Shootout. 9:30, $5.

What’s going on Saturday?

The marquee event is, of course, at Slowdown Jr. (they still haven’t moved it to the big stage) featuring The Cops, Little Brazil and Race for Titles, with special guest, Criteria. Even without Criteria this would have been sweet on the “big stage.” As it is, I suspect it will sell out sometime tomorrow. Get your $8 ticket today before it’s too late. The rock starts at 9 sharp.

And now, the show that’s flying beneath everyone’s radar: The Night Marchers at The Waiting Room. Who are the Night Marchers? It’s a new punk band featuring John Reis a.k.a. Speedo a.k.a. The Swami — a seminal member of Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu and Hot Snakes fame. I’m told if you liked any of Reis’ old bands you’re gonna love this one. Opening is Muslims and Omaha’s own Bombardment Society. $12, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, over at The 49’r it’s Greg Loftis’ rock odyssey Malpais, with Beat Seekers. Probably $5, probably around 10. Over at O’Leaver’s it’s Cheap Hookers (the band, not the, uh, hookers) and Radio Moscow. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also of note, West Omaha lounge The Bar Fly is featuring some very un-loungy music in the form of grit-rock cowboys The Filter Kings and Lincoln knee-to-the-groin bad asses Forty-Twenty. I have visions of baseball-cap-backwards-wearing geeks running for the doors when these guys start smashing beer bottles against amps. Fun! $7, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.–