Tonight at The Waiting Room, never-heard-of band The Reign of Kindo plays with Omaha’s Landing on the Moon. $7, 9 p.m. Blues guitarist Jonny Lang (who I also know nothing about) is playing at Slowdown. It’s yet another show (like last night’s Neko Case gig) that originally was scheduled for Sokol Auditorium but moved to Slowdown because of poor ticket sales. $27, 9 p.m. Note that both shows’ tickets exceeded the $20 price line. Is Omaha too cheap for these kinds of quality touring acts, or is it just “the economy, stupid”? I’ve been told by a number of folks that show attendance is down across the board, not only here but all over the country.

That’s all I got, except that personal writing messiah Robert Christgau just reviewed the Conor Oberst CD here. Christgau gave it an ‘A,’ which I think is the highest grade he’s ever given an Omaha band. Sayeth the Christgau:

It’s official. Forget Shins guy James Mercer, Spoon guy Britt Daniel, even Arcade Fire fraterfamilias Win Butler — this vibrato-prone romantic is the greatest melodist in contemporary mega-indie. Whatever his adult solo debut portends for once and future arranger Mike Mogis, the Saddle Creek cartel and his latest girlfriend(s?), its meaning is tunes, with beat enough to carry them forward and no other musical distractions. Unlike Mercer and Daniel, he’s about flow — intricacy is an occasional afterthought. Once in a while a guitar part backs up a tasty phrase, and when the time comes, someone in Bright Eyes will gracefully provide it. And oh yeah — the best song here, quite possibly the best song of his life, is basically a rocking refrain: “I Dont Want to Die (In the Hospital).”

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Crazy night at O’Leaver’s Friday punctuated with some exciting outdoor activities involving furniture and automobiles. I cannot divulge the details other than to say it was entertaining. As was Vampire Hands, who played to a nice crowd of around 50. Their music takes on a slightly more violent, distinctly more rhythmic tone when performed live. Their bushy v-neck-T-wearing frontman played both keyboards and a modified drum set that backed a full drum set and then a third drum on a few songs. With three vocalists who can actually sing — and with music that’s modern and groovy — these guys will be heading to a larger label near you, which is nothing less than they deserve. Dining note: I declare Worker’s chili dogs to be supremely satisfying after a night of Rolling Rock. Do it.

Saturday night was spent at Slowdown where the most pleasant surprise (besides the show nearly selling out) was the ascension of Neva Dinova from a sleepy indie folk band to a full-out rock odyssey explosion. Never have I heard the combo sound so white-knuckle heavy. It was like watching the second coming of Crazy Horse with Jake Bellows taking Neil’s place. Huge.

Okkervil River looked like rock stars in front of a floor filled with adoring fans who sang along all night — something I never thought I’d live to see back when they were playing to 10 people at The Junction. I think they’re on the verge of becoming this year’s Spoon. At the Dundee Theater earlier that evening Okkervil River was piped through the sound system before the show, only to be heard moments later during a coming-attractions trailer. The audience at Slowdown wasn’t the typical indie crowd — I saw more than my share of backward baseball caps and chummy buzz-headed greeks making out with their girlfriends during the set — yet another sign that they’re on the verge of breaking through the indie glass ceiling, for better or worse. Performance-wise they sounded as good as they always do, but with a new female lead guitarist who pulled the attention away from slouching, slightly spastic Will Sheff. With numerous thank-yous and acknowledgements of shows past (including the infamous California Taco show) the gig had all the makings of a welcome-home celebration from a band that’s made Omaha an integral part of its touring life. Let’s hope they don’t forget us as they continue to climb the ladder.

* * *

Tonight at Slowdown it’s Neko Case with Giant Sand. This show originally was scheduled for Sokol Auditorium, and while its shift to Slowdown reflects poor ticket sales and bad news for One Percent Productions, it could mean the difference between a good show and a great one. Sokol Aud is probably my least favorite place to see a band, what with its lousy acoustics and barn-like atmosphere. Let’s be honest — wouldn’t you rather see The Faint sell out three nights at Slowdown rather than have to see them at one hot, overcrowded, poorly mixed show at Sokol Aud? Sure you would, though I have a feeling that’ll never happen. Tickets to Neko Sand are $22. Show starts at 8 p.m.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s it’s the return of Vampire Hands, a dark-groove indie band from Minneapolis that’s not afraid to throw a waltz-time number in with the rest of their low-down, bass-driven rockers. There’s something cool and hip and at the same time, slightly withdrawn, foreboding and spacey about their music. With Bazooka Shootout. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight, down at Slowdown, it’s a sold-out show by Atmosphere.

Tomorrow night is Okkervil River at Slowdown with Neva Dinova. I tried in vain to line up an interview with Okkervil’s Will Sheff, but it just wasn’t happening. That didn’t stop The Reader from pushing my deadline, however, so here is what I filed with the paper. Who remembers Watch the Stereo?

The Beaten Path
Okkervil River’s Omaha journey.

You can sketch the ebb and flow of Austin band Okkervil River’s career by tracing where they’ve performed in Omaha over the past six years.

The band of musical gypsies fronted by yearning, literate vocalist Will Sheff has made Omaha a regular tour stop along their endless journey across America.

Their first gig was at the now-defunct Junction (located at 15th & Farnam) back on March 5, 2002. It also was the first time Okkervil River played outside of their home of Austin, Texas. Back then, no one around here had heard of the band, even though they were supporting their second album, Don’t Fall in Love with Everyone You See, the follow-up to their forgotten 2000 debut, Stars Too Small to Use.

Their debut at The Junction was just as forgettable. Only about 10 people were there, stretched out over the bar’s second-hand pleather booths as Okkervil and opening band Watch the Stereo performed beneath the falling ceiling tiles and atop the exposed plywood stage, their songs occasionally punctuated by the crisp crack of a cue ball breaking a fresh rack in the back of the room. The Junction was a lonely little dive, a remnant of Omaha’s musical past that, despite its wore-torn interior, hosted bands as diverse as Kyle Fischer, Bright Eyes, The Prom, Azure Ray, The Rapture, Dave Dondero and The Places.

Sheff called his first two Omaha gigs — both at the lowly Junction — “crappy.” But he’d take a step further south as the next Omaha show would be an impromptu gig at the legendary California Taco. Okkervil River would eventually graduate to Sokol Underground. “I said to myself, ‘We finally made it,'” Sheff said in a 2005 interview, only to find himself and the band playing at the much smaller O’Leaver’s in April 2005. The band would return to Sokol Underground later that November in support of their fourth full-length, Black Sheep Boy, and watched as the crowd ballooned to 200.

Since then, Okkervil River has continued to see its following grow, not only in Omaha but nationwide. Their 2007 album, The Stage Names, peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard album charts and was lauded by everyone from Pitchfork to The New York Times as their best record ever.

Their sound has been compared to a variety of folk-rock acts from Will Oldham to Wilco to Bright Eyes, but the only thing Okkervil River has in common with those bands is their use of eclectic instruments, from accordion to mandolin to Wurlitzer, in addition to the usual guitar-bass-drums rock set up. At the center of it all is Sheff’s unmistakable, thin, weary yodel of a voice, the perfect instrument for his lonely song-stories that capture life lived on the stage and on the road — for better or worse. The popularity of The Stage Names was reflected in last September’s capacity show at The Waiting Room (just two weeks after an appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien) that saw people turned away at the door.

Now comes The Stand Ins, released last Tuesday on Jagjaguwar Records, the 11-song opus is being marketed as the sequel to The Stage Names since its tracks were recorded during the same sessions as that album’s. With it comes a move to Slowdown’s big stage, the largest room Okkervil River has played yet and a far cry from The Junction’s ratty confines. Where will they go from there, The Holland Center?

Tickets to Okkervil are $14 and the show starts at 9.

Also on Saturday is the Soaring Wings Food Bank Benefit. The vineyard is located at 17111 So. 138th St. (south of Springfield) and features sets by Sarah Benck and the Robbers, The Whipkey Three, Kyle Harvey, Matt Cox, Brad Hoshaw, Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque and The Wholes. Admission is $15 and it starts at noon.

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I had a lot of fun Friday night at the Mid American Music Festival. The evening started out early — 7 p.m. — with a performance by David Hurwitz (The Boy Bathing) at PS Collective. As I had predicted, there was only about 15 people there to see this guy who flew in from Manhattan to do this show. It seems odd that the organizers would place traveling bands and performers in such poor time slots, but I’ll discuss that more in this week’s column. Hurwitz did a fine job retooling his band’s music for a solo show.

The next two hours were a whirlwind as Teresa, Hurwitz and I checked out sets by Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque at PS, Monica Eby at Mick’s, Blastronauts at The Musette, Shiver Shiver at The Foundry, and Naked Plywood at The Barley Street before hitting what would end up being the two highlights of the evening.

Burke’s Pub isn’t exactly renowned in the Benson scene as a music venue. It’s more of a pseudo Irish/regulars bar with a little nook next to the front door where someone could stand with a guitar, mic and amp. And that’s exactly what Kyle Harvey did Friday night, standing with eyes shut in a nook that became smaller and smaller as the room became more and more packed. Unbelievably packed, and for good reason. No one sings a broken-hearted love song quite like Harvey, who had the drunken crowd eating out of his hand with every one of his solo acoustic ballads about booze, love, sex and booze, all painted in dark hues of despair. Harvey is an Omaha original who has no idea just how influential his music has been and will continue to be. The show felt important, and I felt lucky to be there. By the time we left, it felt like Burke’s was going for some sort of telephone-booth-stuffing world record, and it took all we had to squeeze out the door.

The night was capped off by Little Brazil at The Waiting Room, with frontman Landon Hedges doing his damdest to look like Dan Haggerty of Grizzly Adams fame (albeit a 125-pound Dan Haggerty with a 3-pound beard). LB rolled out a number of new songs that take their music in a more hook-fueled (and fun) direction. Hurwitz was blown away by both Harvey and LB, as were Teresa and I.

We skipped Day 4 of MAMF. I interviewed Hurwitz Saturday afternoon to get his perspective on the festival from the viewpoint of someone who traveled here to perform in it. His comments, along with my thoughts on the MAMF, will appear in Wednesday’s column.

* * *

Two shows of worth checking out tonight:

First, down at Slowdown Jr., it’s The Shytburds — a new project by Ted Stevens (Cursive, Mayday) and Alex McManus (The Bruces) — along with Bill Hoover and the Barking Boys and Outlaw Con Bandana. $5, 9 p.m. This show will be packed.

Also tonight at O’Leaver’s it’s an evening of punk by Yuppies, Dim Light and Eat Skull. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Get ready, it’s going to be a crazy week…

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No MAMF for me last night as I wasn’t compelled to attend, so let’s look at the rest of the festival’s schedule. Tonight is strongest of the four days. Bring your walking shoes. Primary on my list is David Hurwitz of Brooklyn band The Boy Bathing, playing at PS Collective at 7 p.m. You might remember that I mentioned his band in my column a few weeks ago (the one that talked about the Magnet Magazine sampler, here). Hurwitz has one of the stranger voices you’ll likely to hear at this festival — it’s how I imagine author David Sedaris would sound like if he sang indie folk songs. Still, his songwriting is compelling, especially on his band’s new album, A Fire to Make Preparations. I’ll be talking to Hurwitz about his overall impressions of festival for next week’s column.

The rest of my picks for tonight:

— Scott Severin & Milton Burlesque at PS Collective @ 8:30.

— Shiver Shiver at The Foundry at 10:30.

— Kyle Harvey and the Great Disappearing Act at Burke’s Pub at 11.

— Filter Kings at Musette at 11:30.

— Little Brazil at The Waiting Room at 11:30.

— Big Al Band at the Barley St. at 7.

Ironically Saturday, which you’d think would be the strongest night of any festival, is the weakest. The only shows worth mentioning:

— Dereck Higgins at Mia’s Bongo Room at 10:30, and

— Sleep Said the Monster at The Foundry at midnight.

That doesn’t mean that Benson won’t be hopping. Festival organizers back-loaded the most popular pop-fueled local bands for Saturday night.

Let’s be honest: MAMF isn’t an indie-music festival, and I doubt that it was designed to be. The event’s line-up underscores the difference between “indie” when it describes a style of music and “indie” when it describes bands that aren’t on a record label. For the most part, MAMF simply didn’t attract indie-style bands, local or otherwise. Other than Little Brazil, there are no local indie bands in the festival that have done extensive touring. Missing from the festival are bands that represent these local record labels: Saddle Creek, Team Love, Speed! Nebraska, Boom Chick, Slumber Party, It Are Good, Ant, and Coco Art (I’m sure I’m missing someone).

It’s not like those bands weren’t at MAMF because they weren’t allowed to be. I’m sure MAMF would have loved to have had any of them play the festival, but none signed up during the open-invitation phase of the registration, presumably because they didn’t see any value in playing another local festival. Fact is, almost all the bands from those record labels tour regionally or nationally, and can’t afford — or simply aren’t interested in — playing for free.

Compensation also is probably one of the reasons why Lincoln Calling has such a strong representation of bands from those labels. Since its inaugural year, Lincoln Calling always has paid bands either a guarantee or a piece of the door, realizing that they’re the reason the festival is even happening in the first place. Check out the Lincoln Calling schedule at lincolncalling.com. More on that festival later, and look for more MAMF coverage this weekend.

What else is going on this weekend outside of Benson?

Well, there’s the Free Yr Radio concert at Slowdown Sunday night featuring Flowers Forever and Dan Deacon. Admission to the 8 p.m. concert is free with a ticket you can print out from www.freeyrradio.com/concerts.html. More details at theslowdown.com.

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And so ends Day 1 of the Mid American Music Festival in beautiful balmy Benson. I caught Far Beyond Frail at Mia’s Bongo Room — a surprisingly good space for acoustic performances — before strolling over to The Waiting Room for a pared-down version of Midwest Dilemma (only 9 performers!) and Brad Hoshaw and the Six Deadlies (apparently one deadly was missing, or maybe Whipkey and his amazing hair counts as two?).

Midwest Dilemma frontman Justin Lamoureux said three members of his band were missing for personal reasons. I’m not sure where they would have put them on stage anyway. As such a large ensemble, MD is more of a folk orchestra than a band, boasting such unconventional rock instruments as cello, clarinet and tuba, along with mandolin, guitar, drums, stand-up bass, etc. The product is lilting, geographical, biographical mid-tempo folk waltzes that border on dirges. What Lamoureux lacks in variety (everything was played at the same plodding pace) he makes up for in the compositions, which tried to take advantage of everyone on stage. Yeah, having so many people in the band is impressive, but I personally prefer Midwest Dilemma as a simple trio — cello, woodwind/vocalist, guitar/vocalist (though it wouldn’t hurt to add a drummer to that mix). Unless he’s come across a boatload of cash, Lamoureux’s going to have to pare down to something more manageable like a trio or four-piece if he decides to take this show on the road — fewer mouths to feed, less of a money split, etc. While all that extra hardware sounds pretty, he can pull this off just as effectively with a more economical approach.

On the other hand, an already impressive catalog of music by Brad Hoshaw only got better when played by a full band. I’ve seen Hoshaw three or four times in a solo-acoustic setting and have always been thoroughly moved by the performance. With the “Seven Deadlies” — two backup singers, stand-up bass, drums, keyboards and guitarist Matt Whipkey (I’m told a trumpet was missing) — Hoshaw goes from folk-acoustic to folk-rock to alt-country without losing any of his personal edge. Hoshaw’s solo acoustic sets can become rather lulling 20 minutes in due to the nature of the ethereal-though-downcast music. The band arrangements remedy this, taking the set from quiet to twangy to rock and back again. One of the highlights was Whipkey. Known more for his own rock projects that he fronts, Whipkey is an ingenious, soulful soloist of the highest caliber. And though renowned for his bombastic drum-set-jumping rock performances — Whipkey was never overpowering, making sure to hold back when he needed to even though you knew he was dying to burn the house down. I’m told Hoshaw is finishing up an album with this band. As one of the city’s best songwriters who’s not afraid to tour, a label like Saddle Creek or Team Love would be wise to consider signing this hometown boy who has a sound and style unlike anything on those labels. But if Creek or Conor doesn’t, someone else certainly should. It’s time for Hoshaw to go national.

Show attendance was respectable for the festival’s opening night (and for a Wednesday). Mia’s had about 30 people in the house at its peak. There were twice that many in TWR for Midwest Dilemma, and that ballooned to around 75 for Hoshaw and company. I saw a lot of all-access laminates walking around, which makes me wonder how many patrons were paying customers and how many were members of other bands. I suspect the numbers to continue to rise as the weekend approaches.

Tonight’s highlights again are mostly at The Waiting Room. At 7 p.m., CB alt-rock buzz band Skypiper plays, followed by Thunder Power at 8:30, while at 11:30 Satchel Grande does another classic set — seems like these guys play almost every week. The late show is Black Squirrels at midnight at Burke’s Pub.

Check out the MAMF website for a full schedule.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I wrote this column on the jet back from New York. While the aspects of Simplify mentioned below are interesting and amusing, it’s technology like this that will further erode album sales…

Column 188: Peeping Tom
Simplify your assumptions.

Funny how we draw conclusions about people simply by peeking into their proverbial closets.

For example, let’s say you’re in someone’s home and they step away to fix a drink or grab a phone call, leaving you in the room with nothing to do but snoop. You notice the bookcase and glance at some of the titles and immediately begin putting two and two together. Jacqueline Suzanne soft-core porn, The Poetry of Jim Morrison, Bill O’Reilly “think books,” your friend may be dumber than you thought. David Leavitt novels, Tales of the City, a biography of Judy Garland –your friend could very well be gay. Philip Roth, The Iliad, Gabriel Garcia Márquez (not translated) — thoughtful, literate, your friend is clearly smarter than you. And so on. Sure, it’s a stereotype, but isn’t everything in life a stereotype, and aren’t most stereotypes, in the end, correct?

The same idea works for music.

About two weeks ago, local music software impresario Jimmy Winter, the inventor and CEO of Music Arsenal, posted an item on his Live Journal page asking for folks to “be his friends” in Simplify Media.

Simplify is a new software (downloadable for free at simplifymedia.com) that allows registered users to make their entire iTunes music library available on multiple computers and mp3 players via the web. That means online access to all your music using your iPhone or iPod Touch just as if you’d downloaded it. So much for that 8-gig flash-drive limitation.

Mac users already could share their iTunes library on a closed network, so if I was downstairs in my home I could always access my iMac’s music library on my laptop anywhere in the house via Wi-Fi. Simplify moves that idea beyond the walls of your home.

Now here’s the good part: In addition to accessing your iTunes library, Simplify allows you to access as many as 30 other people’s libraries. All they have to do is invite you to be their “friend” — i.e., add you to their access list. And that’s where Winter’s LJ plea came in. Jimmy wanted in on everyone’s music library, and in return, he was willing to let us in on his. The caveat, as he pointed out, was that you’d be giving people an unflinching glance into your personal music taste — or lack of one.

Winter could have cared less what anyone thought out his music. “I have some stuff that might look stupid, but it’s nothing to hide really,” he said. “I was already made fun of by the amount of Weird Al records I have. Weird Al was the first album I ever bought! I’m not going to turn my back on him now!”

Winter may be the only person I’ve ever met who can listen to Weird Al without having the barrel of a gun pushed against his temple. To balance this out, he also had a large collection of Rocket from the Crypt albums (über cool), The Pogues (a band I’ve always been curious about, but never got around to listening to, until now) and Randy Newman, who Winter was a bit embarrassed about, even though Newman is one of the finest songwriters to emerge from the West Coast in the past 30 years. For every pop-punk novelty band and comedy album there was a Stnnng, Stiff Little Fingers and Stooges track to counter-act it. Winter’s collection painted a picture of a frustrated punk rocker who grew up watching too much Comedy Central.

I prefaced opening my own music closet by telling Winter that there was a number of albums in my 9,000-song online collection that were downloaded for professional purposes — for review or research — and that I just never got around to deleting the shitty ones. But how would I explain the John Denver and Barry Manilow tracks downloaded for Teresa’s sake? What about the remastered, rereleased Bee Gees greatest hits? And all the Pavement and Sonic Youth albums weren’t going to negate my extensive collection of Pet Shop Boys music.

Winter also subscribes to last.fm, a web service that keeps track and reports online what you’ve been listening to on your computer. Last.fm also recommends and streams music based on your perceived tastes — just as if it glanced at your bookcase. “I narcissistically like to keep track of what I listen to,” Winter said, “but I also like to see what other people are listening to, and check out the recommendations for bands the site predicts I would enjoy.”

Call it research. It’s just another way Winter keeps tabs on trends that could impact his clients. He’s been doing Music Arsenal full-time for three years, boasting 60 customers who use his high-tech contacts and task-tracking software, a number that he says will grow with the release of the latest version that focuses on individual artists rather than only record labels.

Ultimately, doesn’t a tool like Simplify hurt his clients’ business by taking away potential album sales? No, Winter said. “Well, bands won’t get paid from it by their label contracts or digital distributor when I hear (their music) on Simplify,” he said. “It’s similar to when friends used to tell me what they liked, loaned me a CD and then I bought it two weeks later. I still buy plenty of CDs, but I can’t buy everything I like. However when that band comes to town I might go to the show or buy a shirt.”

As for what Winter thought of my music: He was surprised at the Nine Inch Nails, that I didn’t have more Hold Steady, at the hidden John Denver tracks, at the amount of the local non-Creek bands. But in the end, I was a little hurt that he hadn’t mentioned the Pet Shop Boys.

Here are my picks for Day 1 of the Mid American Music Festival being held in Benson. As a reminder, admission is $10 for a wristband that gets you into all the participating venues for one night. You’ll have to buy another wristband tomorrow and for each night thereafter. Tonight’s can’t-miss performances are both at The Waiting Room: Midwest Dilemma scheduled for 10 p.m., followed by Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies at 11:30. Sure, both bands play around here all the time, but it’ll be nice to see them back-to-back. Other performances worth checking out:

— Kansas City’s Far Beyond Frail, a male-female Lilith-esque soft-rock duo, at 9 p.m. at Mia’s Bongo Room.
— New Yorker Matt Pless, an acoustic folk balladeer, at Burke’s Pub at 9:30.
— The Whipkey Three at 10 p.m., followed by Sarah Benck and the Robbers at 11:30, both at PS Collective.

Go here for the full MAMF schedule.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I’m back from Manhattan with nothing to report musicwise. Labor Day weekend is a bad time for rock shows in NYC as the city tends to empty out for the last holiday of the summer. You can, however, read about my dining experience at Les Halles (Anthony Bourdain’s restaurant) here on the Reader‘s new Dining blog, wherein I go on and on and on about the poor service. Fun! Actually, if you haven’t noticed yet, The Reader introduced a whole slew of new blogs a few weeks ago, including blogs for Film, Art, Lifestyle, Books, Theater, and, yes, Music. For the most part, it looks like they’ve been doing a good job updating them at least a few times a week. It’s yet another resource for entertainment info in the Omaha area. Now to really get them cooking, they need is some reader comments. Have at it.

Not much going on around town tonight, I guess that’s because everyone’s getting ready for the Mid American Music Festival starting tomorrow at all the Benson-area music venues and bars. Details and a schedule are available here. I’ll have more on this — as well as my picks for shows to attend — as the week goes on.

Finally, Tilly and the Wall are performing on the season premier of the revamped 90210 tonight. Check your local listings for time/channel (in Omaha, 7 p.m. Cox Ch. 11). Now that’s what I call marketing. Tilly also just got a slot on the CSS tour later this month.

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