So I’m driving north on 60th St. from Western Ave. Wednesday night and notice that the street lights are out. I turn on the brights and glance at the houses flying by and see that they’re dark as well. Power outages are commonplace in my neighborhood. At least once a week I come home from work and all the digital clocks on the appliances are blinking. It’s the price you pay for living in an old neighborhood with lots of trees.

The lights stayed out all the way to Maple St. Every venue was dark, but I knew that it would take more than an outage to close these bars. Burke’s Pub, where Kyle Harvey’s CD release show was scheduled, was candle-lit and packed to the gills, too packed to get in. A couple smokers outside said that Kyle had already played (it was only 10:30), and now the Black Squirrels were playing in front of the bar. They didn’t need power; they’re a bluegrass band ferchrissake. I never stepped foot inside Burke’s though. It looked too packed, and I knew that even if I could get in that getting a Rolling Rock would be a real challenge.

So I walked down to The Barley St. (The Waiting Room looked dark and vacant from across the street). Landon Hedges was behind the candle-lit bar and handed me a Rock. Emergency lighting glowed in the music room. It took about 15 minutes, but Matt Whipkey found an acoustic guitar (lent to him by Kat of the Black Squirrels) and he and the rest of the Whipkey Three played an acoustic set to about 20 people. Right after the last song, the power came back on, ending the Great Benson Blackout of 2008.

* * *

Barring another blackout, tonight’s big show is the Race for Titles CD release party at The Waiting Room. Opening is Anniversaire and Malpais. Expect a large crowd. $7, 9 p.m.

Also tonight down at The Barley St. it’s Slumber Party Records band Talkin’ Mountain with Bradley Unit and the Members and Adam Haug. $4, 9 p.m.

Saturday night has Fortnight at The Barley St. with No Blood Orphan, The Answer and Barometric. It’s probably $4, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Lincoln’s Ideal Cleaners is playing down at Slowdown Jr. with Knots and Yuppies. $5, 9 p.m.

Finally, The Waiting Room has U2 tribute band Me2. $10, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

So, four years of Lazy-i columns are now history. My original intent was to write a retrospective that went back to Column No. 1, but one thing led to another and we didn’t have time (This was actually written last Thursday — an accelerated deadline for The Reader due to the Thanksgiving holiday). Anyway, we didn’t need to go back that far because it’s been a very good year for music stories, maybe the most important year for Omaha music since 2001, but we’ll recap all that with the annual year-in-review article that’ll be online in a couple weeks. This is just a snippet — consider it the first of the series of year-end articles that you’re about to be bombarded with from all corners of the media…

Column 200: This Is 200
Now begins year 5…

Here it is, installment No. 200 and also the four-year anniversary of this column. As per usual, what follows is an update on some of the people, places and things covered over the past year. And now, my annual plea: The hardest part of writing this column is coming up with the ideas. I can’t do it alone. Got the latest scoop on something happening musicwise around these parts? Drop me a line at tim@lazy-i.com. Thanks for reading!

Dec. 6 — Five-Year Rainbow — A look back at Darren Keen’s project The Show Is the Rainbow on its 5-year anniversary while dining on a $5 lunch at Cici’s. Hopefully Darren’s eating better these days. He should be. He just got off the road playing a string of sold-out shows opening for The Faint.

Jan. 28 — Preconceived Notion — Where I confess to being a musically prejudiced boob, thanks to a riveting performance by singer/songwriter Brad Hoshaw. Brad has gone on to release a CD of that night’s set at Mick’s. He also formed a band called Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies, which just finished recording a debut album and also received an armful of nominations for the upcoming Omaha Entertainment Awards — more evidence that I am, in fact, a musically prejudiced boob.

Jan. 24 — The Quiet Revolution — So whatever happened to KIND-FM, the proposed low-powered FM community radio station to be based in Benson? Well, KINDair is now streaming programming — including music from about 20 bands — at kindair.org, said station representative Raechel Achelpohl. “We have started broadening the content to public service announcements for non-profit events as well as young poets and singers through a partner of ours, Omaha Young Life.” OK, but when will I be able to hear it on my car radio? “We are currently working with an FCC correspondent and FCC attorney to establish the guidelines for broadcasting over FM, but this turned out to be a process that requires careful steps to ensure we do not do harm in any fashion,” Achelpohl said. “The website if fulfilling the same functions a radio station would with the addition of high networking potential between bands, artists, small businesses, and non-profits. We would like to get an FM station, but the website will have to do for now.”

March 13 — British Bird’s Other Nest — A profile of Alessi Laurent-Marke, a Londoner who made Omaha her home this year while recording an album with Mike Mogis at ARC. These days her project is going by the name Alessi’s Ark, according to the London Daily Mail, and her first EP, titled The Horse (the one recorded here) is slated for release on Virgin Records Dec. 8, followed by a full-length, Notes from the Treehouse, next March.

April 10-24 — Minor Threat — For three weeks this column covered the rise of Omaha’s all-ages music venue ordinance, which requires written, notarized permission slips from the parents of those under 18 who want to attend shows at designated “music venues” that serve alcohol. The ordinance was passed during a circus-like session of the Omaha City Council that looked like the town hall scene from Footloose, with Slowdown’s Robb Nansel playing the role of Ren. Since it went into effect, Slowdown has received 701 parental permission slips, while The Waiting Room has somewhere between 200 and 250 on file, according to the respective proprietors. And other clubs also have received all-ages permits, including The Saddle Creek Bar, whose owner — Mike Coldewey — was blamed by some members of the music community for the whole brouhaha. The villainized Coldewey announced in June that he was getting out of the bar business “on or before Labor Day.” Guess what? He’s still there.

May 1 — Convo with a Cop — An interview with former Omahan Mike Jaworski, frontman of the band The Cops and proprietor of Mt. Fuji Records, a label whose roster included Slender Means, Lillydale and our very own Little Brazil. In October, Little Brazil announced it was leaving Mt. Fuji for Kansas City label Anodyne Records, home of The Architects, Roman Numerals and The Meat Puppets, among others. Look for LB’s new album, Son, in early 2009. Meanwhile, Mt. Fuji lives on, recently announcing that it has signed Seattle band The Whore Moans and Portland band Point Juncture, WA.

May 21-28 — The Traveller Returns — A two-part history of the making of Simon Joyner’s seminal recording, The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll. Its rerelease on Team Love Records has sold just under 300 copies to date.

June 25 — Smell Ya Later — A look at how the smoking ban, which quietly went into effect June 17, would impact the smokiest of Omaha’s bars, the legendary Brothers Lounge. A recent trip to The Brothers revealed that the bar continues to draw a nice weekend crowd, even though it has nowhere to build an outdoor “smoker’s garden.” Instead, smokers stood on the sidewalk along Farnam St. getting their nicotine fix, dreaming of smoky days gone by. How the ban affects patronage during its first brutal winter is yet to be seen.

June 16 — One Ringy Dingy — An interview with Coyote Bones’ frontman David Matysiak about his Telephono project, created during his residency at The Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Matysiak announced in October that he was moving back home to Atlanta. Meanwhile, Slumber Party Records bands Bear Country, Capgun Coup and Honeybee have taken over The Bemis music residency.

July 23 — Help Wanted, Rights — The column lambasted the Omaha World-Herald‘s suggestion that performers should have their pay sanctioned at publicly funded concerts should they espouse their political beliefs or profanity from stage. This after The Good Life frontman Tim Kasher declared his support for Barack Obama and sang songs with the F-word when the band opened for Feist in Memorial Park in July. The OWH took umbrage to the column, saying in its editorial page a few days later that it “understood and contemplated the band’s right to say what it wanted. That is free speech,” but then went on to say that “critics” misunderstood the difference between free speech and speech free of consequences. “The city and this newspaper have a right to criticize crudeness and contemplate incentives for better behavior.” Incentives? I always thought incentives were benefits paid beyond basic compensation (a bonus, for example). In the OWH‘s eyes, paying someone for work performed isn’t part of an agreement or contract, it’s an incentive — an odd way of doing business.

Aug. 28 — Skipping Boston — A discussion with singer/songwriter Brad Hoshaw about how he chooses cover songs, and a plea for him to cover “Please Come to Boston” by Dave Loggins. We’re still waiting, Brad…

Sept. 10 — What’s the Point? — Wherein I and New York musician David Hurwitz try to figure out the goal behind the Mid American Music Festival (MAMF), the four-day event that featured lots of bands playing lots of Benson venues, all for no compensation. We never quite figured it out, but sure had a good time trying. Here’s to MAMF ’09.

Oct. 23 — Remembering Coco — I realized after writing this tribute to singer/songwriter Sarah Benck’s dog, Coco — who inspired so much of her music — that I was actually writing about my own dog, Sam — a 14-year-old best friend who sat beside me while I’ve written all these columns over the past four years. I said goodbye to Sam for the final time last Monday morning and still haven’t quite gotten over it. I think the Coco column might have helped me prepare for the inevitable (as much as one can prepare for losing a family member). So here’s to Sam, who’s reading this up in the great dog park in the sky right alongside Daisy, Mickey, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Coco.

Tonight, another historic moment, this time at Burke’s Pub where a crowded room of drunks will be celebrating the long-awaited release of Kyle Harvey’s Truth is the Color of Teeth. More than four years in the making, think of it as Omaha’s version of Chinese Democracy, with Kyle playing the Axl role. Opening the free, 9 o’clock show are The Black Squirrels and Ben Sieff.

Shows are thin tomorrow night, which is odd since everyone will want to get out of the house after a day of family bullshit. A good way to unwind is with Satchel Grande at The Waiting Room. $7, 9 p.m. Down at Slowdown Jr., Sunny Day Real Estate frontman Jeremy Enigk takes the stage with Fine, Fine Automobiles (Landon Hedges’ solo joint) and Adam Weaver. $13, 9 p.m.

Gobble, gobble…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I’m sure if you read this and you’re from Omaha that you probably also get the 1 Percent Productions “Upcoming Concerts” e-mail, just like I did yesterday. Despite this downturn in the economy, Jim and Marc have managed to book one of the busiest winters in recent memory — a time when there’s usually a downturn in touring. The standouts from the list:

— Kevin Costner & Modern West Jan. 29 — Yes, that Kevin Costner, the guy that starred in Dances with Wolves, Waterworld and Fandango (my favorite Costner film that no one’s ever seen but features a killer soundtrack by Pat Metheny). His band is another in a series of movie-star vanity projects that include everyone from Billy Bob Thornton to Keanu Reeves — all of them sucking. I’m sure Costner’s will suck just as bad, but that won’t stop it from selling out, especially considering Costner visits Omaha whenever his Cal State Fullerton team is in the CWS. It’s a smart booking, and further underscores Slowdown’s willingness to allow anything on their big stage as long as it sells (especially at $30 a ticket).

— The Faint, Dec. 19 with Brimstone Howl and The Show Is the Rainbow; Dec. 20 with Capgun Coup and Son Ambulance — both $18 at Sokol Auditorium. Just like you, I like going to Faint concerts. Apparently unlike you, I hate going to Faint concerts at Sokol Auditorium. Unfortunately, that’s what we’re stuck with since it’s the only venue with a sweet-spot capacity of 1,400 that’s also big enough to handle their AV requirements. I’d love to see the Faint at Slowdown, and would be willing to pay as much as people are willing to pay to see Kevin Costner. Three nights at Slowdown for $30 a ticket would likely sell out. But I’m sure there are other things that were considered when deciding to use Sokol, things we’ll never know about.

— Neva Dinova, Ladyfinger, McCarthy Trenching and The 1989 Chicago Cubs, Dec. 27 at Slowdown. The big surprise here is The Cubs, who as far as I know, haven’t played together in years. Is this just a one-off reunion? Probably. Call it a late Christmas present. $7.

— Criteria with The Beat Seekers and The Envy Corps, Dec. 13 at The Waiting Room. Will Criteria be rolling out new material? Wait and see. $7.

— Rock Movie Night featuring Joy Division (Documentary), Dec. 1 at The Waiting Room. I was at TWR last night for Under a Blood Red Sky — along with seven other people (It sounded awesome, btw). In an effort to ratchet up the draw to these Monday night movie-watching parties, TWR will begin offering free chili and drink specials starting Dec. 1. A colorful aside: When I was going to school at UNO I literally had no money for food. My roommate and I used to scour the newspaper looking for free food offers at local bars — taco nights, chili nights, whatever. This would have been on our radar screen. You cannot beat free food, especially if you’ve been living on a steady diet of baked potatoes.

So what’s missing from the schedule? The bigger touring indie bands. Some examples off the top of my head: Of Montreal, TV on the Radio, M83, Titus Andronicus, Deerhunter, Mark Kozelek (Sun Kil Moon/Red House Painters), Rosebuds, Fucked Up, Belle and Sebastian, Ratatat, Black Kids, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, LCD Soundsystem. And where are the old stalwarts like Ryan Adams, Beck, Death Cab, Mogwai, Spoon, Yo La Tengo, Low and Interpol? Yeah, I know. A lot of them aren’t on the road right now, but they have been and they’ve missed us. Still, considering everything we got this past year, we don’t have room to complain.

* * *

Speaking of shows, there are a couple doozies tonight:

At The Slowdown Jr., it’s the debut of one of Saddle Creek Records’ most recent recruits, Sebastien Grainger, former drummer from Death From Above 1979. Don’t go expecting a DFA show, Grainger’s style is straight-forward indie rock. With Josh Reichmann and Ladyfinger. $10, 9 p.m.

Also tonight at The Waiting Room, it’s Low Vs. Diamond, and no, this band has nothing to do with the Minnesota drone-band Low (someone asked me that very question last night). LVD is riding a wave having recently been featured in Filter. Their sound is run-o-the-mill indie, but with more of a pop edge. Not bad. With Barcelona and Akita Ken. $10.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

The OEA showcase Friday night looked like it was another success. Despite the cold and wind — making the trek from one end of Maple St. to the other brutal — the sidewalks were crowded with music fans bouncing between venues. The most crowded show I saw was probably Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies at Mick’s or maybe The Song Remains the Same at the tiny Barley St. If I had to put my money on one act to clean up at the OEA’s this year, it would be on Hoshaw, who might have the best turnaround story of the year. The most surprising set for me was Skypiper, who closed out The Waiting Room (introduced by OEA prez Matt Oberst, the man who sired The Conor). Their music wasn’t terribly innovative – sort of an indie pop take on Wilco – but it was well played. And though it was the first time I saw the band on stage, their songs seemed familiar in a good way. Other acts I caught Friday night – Lucas Kellison, Confidentials, Mass Quantities and Midwest Dilemma (I didn’t get started until 10). I assume I’ll be receiving the final OEA ballot in the mail in the next few weeks, which will be followed by the awards show itself Jan. 8 at The Holland Center.

Speaking of award shows, I’m watching the AMA’s as I write this. Teresa said you know you’re getting old when you don’t recognize most of the musicians on the red carpet. Actually, I think the anonymity of these “stars” has more to do with the shift in the music industry over the past decade, essentially taking the boy band trend to the next level — thank you American Idol and High School Musical. One of the announcers said this year’s AMA’s had the youngest performers in the history of the show. Few if any wrote the material they were performing. In the old days just 10 years ago most “popular” music could still be of some interest to people outside of the 14-18 female demographic. Not anymore. Apparently that demo is the only ones left buying CDs (except, of course, for old fucks and mullets who make it into Wal Mart for the latest legacy acts like AC/DC and Metallica). They’ve even managed to marginalize the term “rock” — Chris Brown, for example, won “best rock/pop male vocal.” After he left the stage along came Scott Weiland who wasn’t just drunk, he was barely able to introduce Pink without passing out. That’s when I changed it to the football game. I think today’s current crop of pop stars, all under 18, are talented performers. They just don’t have anything relevant to sing about, and apparently none of their fans cares. Then again, the guys in Journey and Styx weren’t exactly poets, either.

A final sidenote: Teresa asked why there wasn’t an indie music award show. I told her most of the nominees probably couldn’t afford to travel to the show or would be too busy trying to eke out a living on the road. That, and the fact that it would likely have the lowest rating of any award show in history (if you take into account how poorly indie music sells in comparison to the AMA acts, who consider any album that moves fewer than 100k units an enormous failure).

It’s Rock Movie Night tonight at The Waiting Room, and tonight’s movie is special — U2’s Under a Blood Red Sky — a film that I remember seeing on MTV back in the ’80s. Shot at Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 5, 1983, it captures U2 at their career zenith, shortly after the release of War. The movie has been released for the first time on DVD and includes five previously unreleased live cuts, a director’s commentary, digitally re-graded pictures and a 5.1 mix. As part of the night’s festivities, TWR will be giving away a pair of tickets to Saturday’s Me2 show. It’s free and starts at 8.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I wanted to take a moment and point out a writing project that isn’t going to be posted here in Lazy-i. As part of The Reader‘s annual “Music Issue” I wrote a cover story that’s sort of designed to be an “Electric Guitars for Dummies” article. As I say in the lead:

The idea came while watching The Third Men play a set at The Waiting Room. I was standing there, drinking my Rolling Rock, minding my own business, when a couple guitar gearheads came up beside me and started talking about what was happening on stage.

“Man, look at that classic Les Paul Goldtop replica,” one gearhead said to the other. “Nothing quite like it.”

And then it dawned on me that I’d been writing about bands for years but never paid attention to the guitars that they were playing. They all looked the same to me — colorful, bitchy, macho axes, a signature of rock — and I couldn’t tell one from another.

So here’s the goal of this special Music Issue focused on guitars: By the time you finish reading it and study the pictures, you too will be able to identify the guitar being played by the sweaty guitarist grunting away on stage at one of our local venues or on TV.

But here’s the catch: There are literally hundreds of different types of electric guitars produced by dozens of different guitar makers. There’s no way we could cover them all. So for this exercise, we whittled it down to just four, with a few wildcards thrown in to cover our asses.

The four guitars: Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul and Gibson SG. We talked to two local guitarists who also work at guitar stores — Matt Whipkey, frontman of The Whipkey Three who works at Dietze Music, and Mike Saklar, frontman of No Blood Orphan who works at D Rocks in Papillion. Both agreed that these four seminal guitars helped define rock ‘n’ roll as we know it today. They are arguable the four most popular guitars you’ll find on any stage or collecting dust in family rooms across the country.

Also discussed are three “wildcard guitars” — the Flying V, ES-335 and Jazzmaster. The article is rife with photos of electric guitars, but also includes nine local guitarists’ stories about their favorite guitars, how they got them and why it’s their favorites, along with some rockin’ action photos. Those guitarists are Lash LaRue, Ted Stevens, Jon Taylor, Jamie Massey, Mike Saklar, Matt Whipkey, Matt Rutledge, Corey Weber and Sarah Benck. An online version of the story may or may not appear at thereader.com (it’s not there now), so your best bet is to pick up a copy!

* * *

Tonight throughout Benson it’s the annual Omaha Entertainment Awards showcase. For a $10 wristband, patrons can stroll from one venue to the next and check out performers nominated for this year’s OEA awards. Here’s the schedule:

The Waiting Room

Bloodcow
Kris Lager Band
Confidentials
The 9’s
Prairie Cats
Skypiper

Mick’s

Jamazz
Sarah Benck & the Robbers
John Worsham
Polydypsia
Brad Hoshaw
Matt Amandus

Barley Street Tavern

Malpais
Civicminded
Whipkey Three
Song Remains the Same
Flight Metaphor
Echobliss

P.S. Collective

Shiver Shiver
Black Squirrels
Mass Quantities
Midwest Dilemma
Lucas Kellison
Son of ’76 & the Watchmen

All showcases begin at 8 p.m.

Also tonight at Slowdown Jr. it’s The Republic Tigers with Malpais and Roman Numerals. $8, 9 p.m.

Saturday night’s marquee event is the No Blood Orphan album release show at The Waiting Room with Jake Bellows, Brad Hoshaw, Ben Brodin, Steve Bartolomei, Landing on the Moon & special guests. Just $2. 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, at O’Leaver’s it’s Fromanhole, Self-Evident, Traindodge and Techlepathy. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, on Sunday, it’s Calexico with Simon Joyner and Mal Madrigal. 9 p.m., $15.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

So here’s The Reader‘s official list of the Top 20 bands of ’08, along with the next 20:

The Reader Top 20
Brad Hoshaw (7 Deadlies)
Black Squirrels
Brimstone Howl
Conor Oberst
Eagle Seagull
The Faint
Filter Kings
Flowers Forever
Ladyfinger
Mal Madrigal
McCarthy Trenching
Midwest Dilemma
Neva Dinova
Shiver Shiver
The Show is the Rainbow
Simon Joyner
Son Ambulance
Southpaw Bluegrass Band
Tilly and the Wall
The Whipkey Three

The Reader Next 20:
Adam Hawkins/It’s True
Baby Walrus
Bloodcow
Box Elders
Capgun Coup
Fromanhole
Little Brazil
Matt Cox
Malpais
Noah’s Arc Was a Spaceship
Outlaw Con Bandana
Perry H. Matthews
Race For Titles
Skypiper
Son of 76 and the Watchmen
The Stay Awake
Talkin Mountain
Thunder Power
UUVVWWZ
Yuppies

Like I said, it’s pretty close to my list (here). Again, the list is created by all the music writers submitting a list of their Top 20 and next 15 to the editor of The Reader. She compiles them, and then we meet at a location and hash it out (This time the meeting place was Blue Line Coffee down at the Slowdown complex). The discussion was animated and fun. As I said the other day, The Reader changed the rules after we started, interpreting “the next 15” to mean local bands that are not in the top-20 that will have the biggest impact in 2009. They also expanded that list from 15 to 20. That being the case, if I expanded my list, I would add Perry H. Matthews, Ladyfinger, Dim Light, Bloodcow and Capgun Coup.

One of the most common criticisms of lists like these also overlaps to the whining heard about the Omaha Entertainment Awards (OEA’s) nominees — that Saddle Creek artists like The Faint and Bright Eyes (or this year, blank.wav artist The Faint and Merge artist Conor Oberst) shouldn’t be considered in the discussion because “they have a national following” or “they already have enough publicity,” etc. That’s like saying that a band is “too good ” or “too successful” to be considered for a Top 20 list or an OEA nomination. In other words, we should only be recognizing the mediocre acts — not the ones that have gotten off their asses, taken risks, gone on the road and toured and are now reaping the benefits of their hard work. Hogwash. There are those who say Oberst shouldn’t be considered because “he doesn’t live here anymore.” If that’s so, than who was the guy I saw pushing a shopping cart down the produce aisle of the Peony Park Hy-Vee a couple months ago? Who owns that mansion in Fairacres next to the ARC studios? Yet another criticism is that “the list is the same every year.” Obviously that’s not true, though there are a number of artists who are on it every year because they produce significant work every year.

A better argument — the one I use anyway — is that there’s no place for competition in art or literature. These kinds of things are generally divisive, and do more to split a community than build one. Unfortunately, lists and awards are the most convenient way to provide recognition to artists and musicians — especially in these digital MySpace days when there are a million bands and no way to find the ones worth your time (especially with the current state of radio). That said, I’ll be at the OEA showcase in Benson tomorrow night to check out some of the under-the-radar acts that have been nominated for this year’s awards. More details about the showcase tomorrow.

Tonight there’s another special event, this time on the campus of UNO. Michael Seman of Denton, Texas, indie band Shiny Around the Edges (I met him when they played at O’Leaver’s way back in 2005) is in town tonight to present his thesis on the Slowdown project as part of a program titled UNO 100: Central to our city since 1908. Seman is a research associate at the Center for Economic Development and Research at University of North Texas and will be discussing the “present” portion of the program focused on Slowdown, while Dr. Harl Dalstrom will talk about “the past” — the politics of the creation of UNO — and Connie Spellman of Omaha By Design will talk about “the future” — specifically the Midtown Crossing and Aksarben Village projects. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? The free lecture starts at 7 p.m. at Rm. 115/116 of the Durham Science Center on the UNO Campus.

Afterward, with your head all swollen from gaining so much knowledge, drive on down to Slowdown Jr. for Darker My Love, The Strange Boys and Eulogies. $8, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

The key to both of these efforts is the number 100. Do unsigned indie bands who are self-releasing their CDs really need to press more than 100 copies of their record? Especially when they can always simply press 100 more? Yes, there are exceptions, specifically local bands that have a fan base that regularly sells out TWR, but those are few and far between. The other exception has to do with sending discs out to radio or media — specifically bands that have deals with promotion and distribution companies or that plan to go out on multi-week (months) tours. I think Kyle’s label idea is spot-on; and I have no doubt that Mike will sell out his tri-disc release…

Column 199 — Homegrown Ambition
Two local musicians redefine DIY.

Talk about going the extra mile — here are two examples of local CD projects that take the DIY concept to a whole ‘nuther level.

Let’s start with Kyle Harvey, who along with Conor Oberst is one of the city’s most beloved songwriters. Harvey has never been afraid to quietly unbutton his shirt, grab the closest sharp implement and gouge a gaping hole in his chest, then reach in and grab his hot, beating heart and place it directly on his sleeve, covering his audience with a fine spray of pain. OK, that’s a rather stark image, but it fits the music on Truth Is the Color of Teeth, a droning, atmospheric 7-song opus best played with the shades drawn.

I first heard the recording four years ago as a 10-track CDR handed to me only a few months after Harvey’s debut album, The Holidays in Spain, was released. At the time, I assumed Teeth also would be released in the coming months. But it never was. The reason is a typical music industry story.

“I had a fairly decent-sized indie label interested in it,” Harvey explained over a beer at Jake’s in Benson. “They said they loved it and wanted more stuff. This was in the fall of ’04, and the label said, ‘Let’s talk again in the spring because we’re really backed up.’ I sat around thinking it was a good opportunity, but nothing ever happened.”

After waiting a couple of years, Harvey considered releasing Teeth himself. “But I thought, what’s the purpose of releasing it now? It felt dated to me.” Since the album was recorded, Harvey has been married — and divorced. Most of the songs are about a time when he moved to Nashville and the relationships he left behind. Well, he’s been back now for years, living a musician’s life in Benson. So why release this time capsule now?

“Quite a few people said they were interested in hearing it,” Harvey said. “And it’ll be the first album released on my new label.”

The label is called Slo-Fidelity Records — a play on the term low-fi. “It’s all home recordings, not necessarily low fidelity stuff, but homemade music,” Harvey said, adding that each release will have a limited run of 100 copies. “I know I can sell 100 copies of my CD for $10. I’ll take the $800 I make off of it and dump it back into the next release.”

Which will be Under Water Dream Machine — a project by singer/songwriter Bret Vovk, slated for release Dec. 12. The third Slo-Fi release is the debut of singer/songwriter Adam Hawkins’ project, It’s True. Harvey plans to put out one new CD per month. It all starts with SF-001, which is being celebrated at a free CD release show Nov. 26 at Burke’s Pub, a neighborhood bar in downtown Benson. “I figured the album is DIY, the show should be, too.”

Another example of DIY ambition is the self-release of No Blood Orphan’s new CD, Your First Is Your Last. Ambitious because it’s a triple-CD package that includes a new studio album, a live album, and a 21-track comedy concept album, all wrapped up in a handsome screen-printed tri-fold package available as a limited run of 100 sets.

No Blood Orphan frontman Mike Saklar said it’s something old, something new and something weird. The new material shows where the band is today, having grown from a trio to a five-piece that includes Steve Bartolomei, guitars; Chris Esterbrooks, keyboards; Shawn Cox, bass and Marc Phillips on drums. The 15-track live disc, called Let It Boot, includes tracks recorded at Sokol Underground, O’Leaver’s and Saklar’s basement between 2004 and this year. “It’s material from our first two EPs, which are out of print,” Saklar said. “It seemed like the best way to make that music available again.”

And then there’s the weird: The Beast Chronicles. Described as “symbolic-satiric relief,” longtime Saklar followers will see it for what it really is — an ode to Saklar’s early days when he was known as a metal guitar god in bands like Ritual Device and Ravine. Beast hums with the classic minor-key drive and dirge you’d expect from stereotypical metal bands on tracks like “The Lonesome Death of the Beast Master” and “Beastruption.”

“The comedy album — it’s something that I don’t know if the whole band really ‘gets,'” Saklar said. “There’s a beast and a servant, the beast punishes the servant, the servant kills the beast and they reunite in heaven. It symbolizes the absurdities of the music industry.”

Both Cox and Phillips, on hand during the interview at eCreamery, just sort of nodded their heads and smiled at Saklar’s explanation.

“Not everyone is going to get into three CDs,” Saklar said. “We’ll be lucky to get them to listen to the first disc. I just hope they put them on in the right order.”

That “right order” would be the new stuff, the old stuff, and then the comedy stuff. “If someone put the Beast Chronicles in first, it might make them mad,” Phillips said.

Listeners can buy just the new material for $8, while the 3-CD set will sell for $10. Both will be available at the CD release show Saturday, Nov. 22, at The Waiting Room. Joining No Blood Orphan will be Jake Bellows, Brad Hoshaw, Landing on the Moon, Steve Bartolomei and Ben Brodin — that’s a lot of music for a $2 cover. “The show will be like a huge house party,” Saklar said. “It’s gonna be fun.”

All right, so where’s The Reader‘s Top 20 + 15 list? Well, I do have the list, but I haven’t seen what they printed — there could be some differences, specifically with the “+15” part. So until I see a printed version, I’m holding off on publishing anything online. It’ll be here tomorrow. In the meantime, go out and find a copy of The Reader‘s special “Music Issue,” which should be dropping around town this evening.

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There’s a good reason why I’m showing you this list a day before the actual Reader Top-20 List is released and in print. Every year I usually write a companion column about how stupid and unnecessary “best of” lists are, while at the same time saying that they can be fun if you don’t take them seriously (which is hard to do if your band didn’t make the list). Here and here are the past examples of that column.

This year I didn’t write a column/comment about the list because: 1) I dedicated this week’s column to two CD release shows going on Saturday and next Wednesday, 2) I killed myself this weekend writing the “guitars” cover story along with a handful of band profiles, and 3) I didn’t think I could improve on what I’ve already said about lists — they piss off more people than they please, they’re also dreadfully entertaining and generate heated discussions. Certainly that was the case when The Reader writers got together and hammered out the list this year (and every year). I know there are bands on the final Reader list that I don’t agree with, but ultimately it’s all about the art of compromise (plus, I know I can print my own list on this site).

Keep in mind that “Top 20” means something different to everyone. To me, it’s the 20 most significant and/or “important” local bands performing in Omaha over the past year, not necessarily the bands that I like the most or think are the best (though most of them are). This year, The Reader switched things up and made “the next 15” the bands to “watch for in 2009.” That’s not how I approached it, however, so my next 15 are the ones that didn’t make it into the Top 20.

So in the spirit of disclosure, here it is, in alphabetical order. Again, THIS IS NOT THE OFFICIAL READER TOP 20 LIST; this is what I submitted as my list:

The Top 20

Brad Hoshaw
Brimstone Howl
Conor Oberst
Eagle*Seagull
The Faint
Filter Kings
For Against
Flowers Forever
The Good Life
Malpais
McCarthy Trenching
Midwest Dilemma
The Monroes
Neva Dinova
The Show Is the Rainbow
Son Ambulance
Thunder Power
Tilly and the Wall
UUVVWWZ
The Whipkey Three

The Next 15

Black Squirrels
Box Elders
Domestica
Fromanhole
Little Brazil
Mal Madrigal
Outlaw Con Bandana
Perry H. Matthews
Sarah Benck and the Robbers
Satchel Grande
The Shanks
Shiver, Shiver
Simon Joyner
The Stay Awake
Talkin’ Mountain

I’ll probably post The Reader‘s list tomorrow, and you can see how much we differed. It wasn’t by much.

***

A couple shows are going on tonight that may be of interest to you. At The Waiting Room Fat Possum Records band The Heartless Bastards (from Cincinnati) are playing with The Whipkey Three. $10, 9 p.m. Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., Brooklyn band The End of the World is playing with Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova). $7, 9 p.m.

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I’m home sick today, but not too sick to blog, apparently…

Bombardment Society rolled out a set of new music Saturday night at O’Leaver’s. It’s the third band I’ve seen in the past week working on new material that’s better than the last stuff they’ve put out. I know bands are supposed to improve over time, but it’s still a surprise when it actually happens. Bombardment’s new material is heavier but more coherent, more streamlined, more tuneful, i.e., they’re playing songs. Part of the credit goes to bassist Lincoln Dickison sitting at the core of the action. The weight is unavoidable. I caught the last couple songs by Perry H. Matthews. It didn’t even sound like the same band — very prof. Now if they can only get their act into the studio…

Pitchfork is finally reporting about that Azure Ray reunion — old news. The new news is that both Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink have new solo albums on the way. BTW, Tim Kasher has been added to that show, along with Andy Lemaster. Tix are still available — too bad it’s at the Troubadour.

When Slumber Party Records launched about a year ago, the label was poised to be the city’s hot new thing with the hottest new bands. And then… nothing. After a year of nothing, Slumber Party appears to have launched a new website (at least it’s new to me) at slumberpartyrecords.com. The site includes news (Capgun Coup’s West Coast tour got cancelled due to “van troubles”), show calendar (Bear Country, Capgun Coup and Honeybee will be playing at The Bemis “Open Studios” event this Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. All three bands are current musicians-in-residence), and promises of new “weekly things” on the site including videos and downloads. They even have a new “press” site, but I can’t tell you about it because you ain’t press.

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s transgender pop diva Edie Sedgwick with The Stay Awake and Perry H. Matthews. $7, 9 p.m. I’m feeling better already…

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There’s nothing more annoying than seeing someone texting during a show, I know this. That’s why I usually hide in a corner if I need to type out notes on my iPhone — I don’t want the band to think I’m so bored or jaded that I’m passing the time SMS’ing or Twittering or whatever (which reminds me of a story I heard about a Kansas City duo who were out on a coffee-shop tour. Their biggest problem — most people in the coffee shops didn’t know (or care) that they were going to be playing a set on a given afternoon/evening, so the duo often played to rooms filled with people drinking coffee, reading and listening to their iPods. Can anything be more demoralizing to a performer than someone sitting five feet away listening to an iPod?).

I mention this only because I did tap out some notes during last night’s O’Death show at The Waiting Room, but it didn’t matter where I stood because there were so few people there — maybe 40, which seems empty in TWR (especially when no one gets out of their chairs). O’Death wasn’t complaining — the band’s frontman, who looks and sounds just like David Cross (but with more hair), said they played to six people the night before in Iowa — and that all six were in the opening band. Life on the road can be lonely, especially on your first trip “out west.”

I got there halfway through the opening set by Lincoln bluegrass band Triggertown — these guys are amazingly good. The combo included banjo, guitars (one horizontally), fiddle and a guy playing a washtub bass or “gutbucket” (upside down washtub, large mop handle, string tied from top of handle to center of washtub, really all you need). Gorgeous three-part harmonies, including from the fiddle player who looked like a younger, cuter version of Amy Pohler. There are quite a few quasi-traditional country and bluegrass bands playing around here these days — Triggertown is on top of my list (at least until The Shorttimers get back together).

Triggertown was traditional bluegrass. O’Death was anything but. They did have a fiddle, banjo and guitar, but also a rhythm section that looked like they walked off the cover of Metal Hammer magazine — long-haired and shirtless with plenty of snarl and tats (and gut), they supplied a metal attitude to O’Death’s bluegrass folk rock, that during its hardest moments sounded like DeVotchKa meets Primus with banjos. In fact, those moments were a bit too proggy for my taste. The best parts were when they pulled back and played more linear numbers that accentuated traditional structure along with their harmonies. I have no doubt that their high-energy set would have gone over better in a more-crowded room, say at O’Leaver’s or The 49’r, where 40 people is a packed house and you’re playing right inside the crowd. O’Death in front of 300 would be a sweat-soaked party, but the only way I’m going to see that is if I go to Brooklyn, where I’m told they have quite a following.

* * *

These days it seems any night that you get home alive is a good night. Eight murders so far this month, including a few in my neighborhood makes for lots of looking out the corner of your eye when dark-windowed SUV’s drive by. The recent rash of shootings also means more cops on the streets — or at least more visible cops. No one knows for sure what’s going on, but it’s spooking people, as it should. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t use that ATM located in the heart of Dundee where someone was shot and killed a couple nights ago. It makes going out at night a little more… interesting.

Speaking of which…

I think it’s safe to say we’re in the middle of another punk revival here in Omaha, judging by tonight’s shows, most of which are punk-oriented in one way or another. O’Leaver’s, Saddle Creek Bar and The Waiting Room are all hosting punk shows that will be fighting for the same crowd. Someone is bound to lose. I doubt that it’ll be The Waiting Room, which is hosting a Guinness Book of World Records event — The World’s Tallest Mohawk. The night is a benefit for Locks of Love and Project Nightlights, and will, in fact, feature a big friggin’ mohawk sported by Eric Hahn of The Filthy Few. There also will music by The Filthy Few, along with Bloodcow, ’80s punk pioneers Cordial Spew, Live Wire and Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell. $7, 8 p.m.

Over at O’Leaver’s, the sound isn’t so much punk as revival garage rock with Brimstone Howl, who just got back from a European tour. Opening is Minneapolis band Blind Shake. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, over at The Saddle Creek Bar, it’s more punk by way of The Shidiots, The Upsets, Jealous Lovers and Officially Terminated. $5, 9 p.m.

Not in the mood for punk? Slowdown Jr. is hosting Fancie, Alas Alak Alaska and Lurk Late. $6, 9 p.m.

Saturday night Bombardment Society rolls out a shitload of new material at O’Leaver’s. I’m sure someone else is playing, but I don’t know who. Brendan? $5, 9:30 p.m.

As they used to say on Hill Street Blues: Be careful out there…

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