There was talk of something spectacular, something out of the ordinary for Neva Dinova’s last show. Maybe three drummers on stage? But it seemed unlikely. I hadn’t seen original drummer Bo Anderson in the crowd and I doubt that I would have recognized him anyway, since I haven’t seen in him in years. Finding anyone in the crush mob was difficult. Before I leave, I usually just ask someone at the venue’s door what the count was for the evening, but I only know a couple people who work at Slowdown these days, and they weren’t working Saturday night. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say the number was around 400, and for most of the night, all of them seemed to be sandwiched along the bar, making it tough to get a beer. On nights like these, Slowdown needs to open a second counter, maybe just a horse trough filled with PBR. For every guy who ordered a pair of tallboy PBRs, there was someone ordering an obscure, technical cocktail that required the bartender to do a lot of trotting about. After a 10-minute wait, I gave up and decided to come back for my Rolling Rock when things quieted down.

I only caught The ’89 Cubs’ last song. From my spot along the stage-left side of the room I could see Ryan Fox comfortably doing his thing while Dan Brennan feverishly goofed with his pedals and his bass’s tuning pegs for most of the song. The Cubs didn’t sound much different than the last time I saw them, except that Matt Baum wasn’t behind the drum kit. Baum isn’t someone you can replace without severely impacting everything — he’s doesn’t play drums as much as slam them grotesquely, throwing his whole body into it — arms, shoulders, neck — following up by standing between songs and yelling at no one in particular, like a crazy man testifying to his invisible ghosts. New drummer Brad Lauritsen was fine, albeit more restrained.

The outside chatter between sets centered on my pessimistic view of the future of indie bands, and the demise of Mick’s. The argument against my pessimism was that nothing’s really changed. It’s always been an uphill struggle for indie bands, even during the height of Saddle Creek’s national notoriety. We would be in a crisis mode, however, if there were no new bands forming, and there are. Tons of them. And some of them are pretty good. Those bands don’t seem to care that the deck is stacked against them, because they’re artists and artists do what artists do regardless of financial gain. Still, it’d be nice if a songwriter could make a living off his craft and not have to give it all away. The consensus regarding Mick’s was unanimous — the new owners will be hosting live music in six months, whether they want to or not. It’s either that or figure out a way to make the bar work from income generated by two or three drunks per night.

Even though it’d only been a few weeks since I last saw them play, Ladyfinger’s set had changed quite a bit thanks to the addition of Megan Morgan on vocals. I was told that Ladyfinger had a woman in the studio when they recorded their new album; I don’t know who it was. Morgan, who sings in Landing on the Moon, apparently was the fill-in for the night. I figured she’d only go out there for one song, but she stayed on stage for most of the set, adding harmony to Chris Machmuller’s strangled growl-vocals (Why doesn’t Jamie Massey, who sings lead in Race For Titles, provide harmonies?). Will Morgan be a permanent addition to the band when it goes on tour? Unlikely, unless they only tour during school breaks and summers, as Megan is a full-time music teacher.

The only acknowledgement from Jake Bellows that Neva Dinova was quitting for awhile came about four or five songs into the set. “I thought I’d take this moment while things are quieted down to confirm some of the rumors that have showed up in a few of the local rags,” he said (I’m paraphrasing here). “It’s true, Tim Haes is dead.” (Editor’s Note: Others heard it slightly differently.) Bellows looked over at Haes as the crowd laughed. That was it. The rest of the set was the usual, luscious Neva drone folk rock. The band always comes off heavier, less restrained and more dynamic live than on their records. Their stage sound is big; you always feel like you’re at an event when you’re at a Neva show. They closed with a tripped-out version of “Dances Fantastic” from their 2002 debut, and I think everyone thought they’d come out for at least one encore. But it was almost 1, and instead, the lights came up in the bar and that was all. We might have seen the last of Neva for awhile, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Bellows, whether it’s solo or with a new band.

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Tomorrow, how you can enter to win the Lazy-i Best of 2008 sampler CD! And Wednesday, look for the Year in Review — just in time for the New Year.

I already submitted my list of best shows of the year to The Reader. Too bad I couldn’t have waited for this one, because it very likely would have made the list.

As I reported earlier (here), this is going to be the last Neva Dinova show for the foreseeable future as the band is going on an indefinite hiatus. Who knows when you’ll get another chance to see them on stage. Don’t miss it.

The ’89 Chicago Cubs haven’t played together in three or four years. Fox and Brennan are back, but with Brad Lauritsen on drums (according to the OWH). The Cubs I knew played gorgeous, amazing rock. It’s good to have them back.

Ladyfinger will be rolling through a set of music from their upcoming album while Dan McCarthy (Trenching) is bound to pull some tricks out of his sleeve.

All on the Slowdown’s big stage for $7. Starts at 9 p.m. See you there…

I twittered last night from the show that there were eight hundred thousand people in O’Leaver’s. That estimate may be a tad light. I don’t know how much money or cans of food they raised for Sienna Francis House, but I’m sure it was enough to feed a few hundred people for a few days at least. There was barely enough room to walk, but somehow I never found myself waiting for a Rolling Rock. Kudos to the staff (including my former intern) for their hard work for a good cause.

I’m convinced that Dan McCarthy (McCarthy Trenching) might be the best find of ’08. He’s been around for years, but only recently have I had a chance to hear his recording, specifically his Calamity Drenching CD that came out on Team Love earlier this year. It’s a special album that has a Randy Newman meets Kris Kristofferson in Dundee vibe, gorgeous piano and guitar story folk — along with a few full-band rockers — about life and living in Omaha. Endearing stuff, and the best thing Team Love released in ’08. On “stage” last night, McCarthy brought the album to life with help from a few friends who wandered up from the crowd.

If you missed it, you’ll get another chance tomorrow night at Slowdown when McCarthy Trenching opens for Neva Dinova. And if you missed Outlaw Con Bandana last night, too, you can catch them tonight when they play with Techlepathy and The Wagon Blasters (Gary Dean Davis, the Thornton brothers, Jesse Render) at Slowdown. The evening begins early with an exhibit by art/rock photographer Kevin Andrew Jones — one of the best (if not thee best) live-rock shooter in the area. His reception runs from 6 to 8 and is free. The rock show begins at 9 and costs $7.

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And there’s yet another art show and benefit going on tonight that you won’t want to miss. Artist Mike Loftus is having a showing of his paintings at PS Collective. If you’ve been around town, you’ve seen Mike’s stuff before — he’s Omaha’s version of Picasso. You also might remember Loftus as the drummer for rock bands Shovelhead, 60-Watt Saloon, Hong Jyn Corp., and most recently The Sons of… Performing at PS will be Midwest Dilemma with Dylan May and the Paybacks. The evening also is a fundraiser for online radio station KIND.org (you remember, here). Admission is $5, and the music starts at 9.

And speaking of PS Collective, the restaurant (i.e., The Pizza Shoppe) is now offering pizza by the slice Thursdays through Saturdays, 5 p.m. to close. This menu expansion is a long-time coming — as much as I dig their pies, I never don’t have time to hang around and wait for them to come out of the oven. I assume (hope) that the by-the-slice pie will be a quick-serve operation. This comes on the heels of news that a new by-the-slice pizza place will be opening behind Jane’s health food store in Benson, though I have no idea when.

Also tonight, classic Omaha punk band Cordial Spew opens for 138 (Misfits tribute) and The Lude Boys (Social Distortion tribute) at The Waiting Room. $7, 9 p.m., while punkers The Sidiots, Officially Terminated and Bomb’s Blast play at The Saddle Creek Bar, $5, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Merry Holiday blah-blah-blah…

After you get all of your family BS out of the way later tonight, swing by O’Leaver’s for a very special holiday concert featuring McCarthy Trenching, Outlaw Con Bandana and Ryan Fox (of The Good Life) and Friends. Admission is $5 or 5 cans of food, with all proceeds going to the Sienna Francis House. Last year’s show was a door buster. I suspect this year’s will be as well. I can think of no better way to celebrate the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ than by getting hammered on Jagermeister, Rumplemintz and ice cold Rolling Rock. Starts at 9.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Conor Oberst was on the Craig Ferguson show last night singing the best song off his solo debut, “Cape Canaveral.” I’m curious if everyone else’s audio was as f_cke up as mine was — some sort of ticking sound was coming from the studio feed. At first I thought it was a percussion effect by the band, but it didn’t stop after they song did. Maybe it was just me. Conor looked tired and slightly goofy, his eyes at times half shut, other times wide and freaked out. He and the rest of the band sounded fine though (most of them were just standing around as CC is more of a solo acoustic song, with Nate dropping in a few keyboard lines). Oberst has now appeared on almost all the top nightly late-evening chat shows twice, which I assume guarantees he won’t ever be a special musical guest on SNL. I know, I won’t let it go…

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Some more online ‘zines have posted their their lists of top releases of ’08. Take a look.

— Tiny Mix Tapes 25 Favorites — No. 1 is Deerhunter, Microcastle, followed by Portishead, Third, and TV on the Radio, Dear Science.

— Drowned in Sound Top 50 — No. 1 is M83, Saturdays=Youth, followed by Frightened Rabbit, The Midnight Organ Fight, and Cut Copy, In Ghost Colours.

— SPIN’s Top 40 — No. 1 is TV on the Radio, Dear Science, followed by Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III and Portishead, Third.

— Coke Machine Glow Top 50 — No. 1 is Erykah Badu, New Amerykah, Part One (4th World War), followed by Black Milk, Tronic, and Gang Gang Dance, Saint Dymphna.

— Blender’s top 33 — No. 1 was Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III, followed by Girl Talk, Feed the Animals, and TV on the Radio, Dear Science.

—Magnet’s Top 25 — No. 1 was American Princes, Other People, followed by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! and Nada Surf, Lucky.

I might have a few more tomorrow.

* * *

Like Column 203, No. 204 is a retread of a past blog entry, this time about Mick’s closing, with a few slight additions. Skip it if you’ve been there before. One brief addendum, Burke’s Pub was robbed at gunpoint Monday night, according to an item on the WOWT website (here). Every time something like this happens, it hurts Benson.

Column 204: Mick’s Deep Sixed
Also, Beep Beep, Neva Dinova news…

These holiday deadlines are killing me. I no sooner file a column then another one is due. I’m writing this on Dec. 18 but you won’t be seeing it until after Christmas, so please bear with me if this is old news.

The past week’s top story: Mick’s Music and Bar is closing at the beginning of the year. The rumor became official in the Dec. 16 Omaha World-Herald. Everyone knew this was coming, but the fact that Michael Campbell found a buyer for the club, which has been on the market for a long time, only became street knowledge a few days before the Herald story broke. In fact, I heard about it at the Criteria show, but was told that a bank loan was still pending – an iffy proposition in these troubled times. Well, it looks like that loan came through.

I’ve been told that the new owners intend to make Mick’s a hang-out bar, “similar to O’Leaver’s but nicer.” There will be no live music. The concept: People will go there on any given evening and drink. As simple as that sounds, the idea is a bit far-fetched. I guess the new owners have never been to music venues – or even Mick’s for that matter – on non-music nights. You could shoot a cannon off in them and hit nary a drunk.

The initial concern was how a new non-music bar will hurt The Barley St. Tavern and Burke’s Pub. Barley St. is slowly becoming a go-to destination during the week, thanks to its stage, which is evolving into a place where musicians can try out new material – anyone from Brad Hoshaw to Conor Oberst (Who remembers that secret show way back in October ’07?). But more important than that, the Barley St. has musician / celebrity Kyle Harvey behind the bar — an attraction all by himself.

The clientele at Burke’s Pub, on the other hand, consists mostly of bent-over locals looking for somewhere to get their nightly booze fix – true regulars in the Paul Westerberg sense of the word. They’re unlikely to go anywhere else to get loaded. Long live Burke’s.

When it comes to neighborhood hang-outs, size matters. For example, imagine if The Homy Inn – a crush mob with just 20 people inside — was the size of The Saddle Creek Bar but drew the same number of patrons. We’d fear for its continued existence. Both the Barley St. and Burke’s are about half the size (or smaller) than Mick’s, and as a result, they feel cozy and inviting even when there’s only a handful of people inside watching the game.

The $64,000 question: What’ll happen to Mick’s stage and PA? Will the new owners keep it in tact, just in case? I bet they will. In fact, I’m willing to bet that by the time summer rolls around (or sooner) we’ll see bands playing there again. In the end, the new owners will have no choice but to relight that stage.

As much as I liked the place, I rarely went to shows at Mick’s, mainly because I’m not a fan of the style of blues-folk that Campbell booked. He almost never hosted indie-style singer/songwriters – that just wasn’t his cup of tea.

As a bar, the room is well-designed, with good lighting and ambiance. But as a music venue – especially one that focused on acoustic music — it suffered from noise problems — not from the stage, but from the crowd. Musicians complained that Mick’s crowds were too chatty, but they probably weren’t chattier than any other crowd – you could just hear them better.

A young couple could be whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears at a table by the door and you could hear them up by the stage. The room was like an enormous whispering arch. When 15 or 20 people quietly talked, the chatter became a roar that built upon itself, growing louder and louder and the next thing you knew it was like being in a union hall during a political rally, drowning out the music. I spent an evening with a musician drawing diagrams of Mick’s on napkins, trying to figure out a way to partition that the room and separate the music from chatter. It could not be done.

Well, now it won’t matter as Mick’s stage is going dark for good (supposedly). The move cripples Benson’s efforts to become Omaha’s miniature version of Austin’s 6th St. Now there are only three music venues left: PS Collective, The Waiting Room and The Barley St. At least for now…

* * *

Last week Saddle Creek Records confirmed that Chris Hughes no longer is a member of Beep Beep, the band he co-founded with Eric Bemberger eight years ago.

Beep Beep’s line-up is now Bemberger, Darren Keen (The Show Is the Rainbow), Javid Dabestani (Bright Calm Blue) and James Reilly (Pharmacy Spirits), according to Saddle Creek label exec Jason Kulbel. Interestingly, Beep Beep is slated to release a new album in early ’09 on Saddle Creek that features Hughes. I’ve heard a few of the tracks from the CD last summer and they were groundbreaking (I’m not kidding).

And in other band news, if you’ve been thinking about seeing Neva Dinova, you better make a special effort to catch their Dec. 27th show at Slowdown with Ladyfinger, McCarthy Trenching and The ’89 Chicago Cubs. Neva frontman Jake Bellows said the gig will be the band’s last for the foreseeable future. No, Neva Dinova isn’t breaking up, but it is going on an indefinite hiatus. Catch them while you can.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

The holidays, they’re killing me…

I didn’t go to either of the two Faint shows this past weekend. Part of the reason has to do with confusion regarding “the lists.” I originally was told by their publicist that I would be on the list for Saturday night, and then a few days before the show, the publicist e-mailed to say that they “had the tickets cut for the show.” (Suspicious… but they assured me it had nothing to do with The Faint column). I could have bought tickets for Saturday night, of course, but I just saw The Faint play at Sokol in August, and from what I’ve read review-wise, it was essentially the same show. The only difference was the opening bands — Capgun Coup and Son Ambulance — both of which I’ve seen plenty of times. Friday night was the real draw, The Show Is the Rainbow — who I haven’t seen in more than a year. But it was sold out weeks ago.

Now, if The Faint had played at Slowdown, I would have gladly spent $25 for a ticket the second they went on sale. Time to move out of the Sokol cattle barn, boys.

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Every year, Matador Records compiles lists from all of its bands and staff and sends them out via an e-mail. The one list that I pay particularly close attention to is by Gerard Cosloy, who started Matador with Chris Lombardi in 1990. Over the years, I’ve discovered a lot of new bands by reading Cosloy’s lists. Well, what was mentioned in Cosloy’s list this year but Box Elders’ “Hole In My Head” 7-inch on Grotto. I can’t remember any Omaha band ever being mentioned by Cosloy before — in my opinion, it’s a huge honor.

For your reading enjoyment, here’s Cosloy’s list:

Prisonshake – Dirty Moons (Scat)
The Notwist – The Devil, You + Me (Domino/City Slang)
Endless Boogie – Focus Level (No Quarter)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! (Anti/Mute)
The Distant Seconds <myspace.com/thedistantseconds> – Spectral Evidence (Sweetheart Contract)
Fennesz – The Black Sea (Touch)
Jesu – Why Are We Not Perfect? EP (Hydra Head)
18th Dye – Amorine Queen (Crunchy Frog)
Gentlemen Jesse & His Men – s/t (Douchemaster)
The New Year – The New Year (Touch & Go)
Cheap Time – s/t (In The Red)
Steinski – What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 (Illegal Art)
Jarboe & Justin Broadrick – J2 (The End)
Retribution Gospel Choir – s/t (Calo Verde)
The Busy Signals – s/t (Dirtnap)
The Young – “Get Out Of My Face” 4 song 7″ (Supersecret)
Rock City SIxteen – Lunette Noires Nuits Blanches 7″ (Cigarette Music)
Box Elders – “Hole In My Head” 7″ (Grotto)
V/A – Messthetics Greatest Hiss, Vol. 1 (Hyped 2 Death)

Those who want to keep up with Cosloy, check out his (mostly sports-related) blog — cantstopthebleeding.com

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Speaking of lists, Pitchfork posted its 50 “best albums of the year” list on their site a couple days ago (here). No. 1 was Fleet Foxes Sun Giant EP, followed by Portishead, Third and No Age, Nouns. Not surprisingly, no Saddle Creek or Team Love releases made the list . Boo-hoo…

By the way, the Lazy-i top-10 list went to press and will be published in The Reader next week, but you’ll get a sneak preview here, along with the rest of the Year in Review (which includes best shows of the year) in the coming days, along with details about how you can win a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2008 compilation CD (that’s right, it’s back).

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I overlooked a couple very good shows going on this evening when I updated my blog yesterday, one of which I might attend since I’m contemplating skipping The Faint altogether for various reasons (though I wholeheartedly recommend that you see them if you haven’t before). Top of my list is Talking Mountain at PS Collective with Thunder Power, Minnesota band Sleeping in the Aviary and The Jack Russell Band. It is my deepest hope that Talking Mountain plays the seasonal hit “The Abominable Abdominal Snowman,” which will be included on this year’s Best of Lazy-i compilation CD (more details about that later). $5, 9 p.m. Also tonight, The Filter Kings and The Whipkey Three play at The 49’r. As much as I avoid going to the Niner, there are few better places to be on a cold, snowy night. No idea on the cover, the show will probably start around 9:30 or 10. Of course, if the weather forecast is correct and we’re in for 35-below-zero wind-chill temperatures tonight, I probably won’t be going anywhere…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Just placed online, an interview with the incomparable Oui Bandits (story here). This Sunday night at Slowdown Jr., the guys are celebrating the release of their vinyl-only debut, Mattress in the Afternoon, on I’m Drinking This Records, the used-to-be-cassette-only label that’s released tapes by a ton of locals including Talking Mountain, Flamboyant Gods, Flowers Forever, even Tilly and the Wall. Now they’re branching out to vinyl. Can CDs be far behind? Well, as I mention in the story, every copy of Mattress… comes with a CDR (I’m surprised that it didn’t also come with a cassette copy). Check it out.
* * *

Barring a major ice storm, there are some good shows going on tonight:

At The Waiting Room, noise-punk-math band The Stay Awake take the stage with fellow noise-punkers Techlepathy. 9 p.m., $7. Meanwhile, just down the block at The Barley St. Tavern, Derrick Higgins Band headlines a show that features Omaha escapees Drakes Hotel and Sleep Said the Monster, $5, 9 p.m. Finally, down at Slowdown Jr., three bands that I’ve never heard of — Theanti, Kate Davis and Uncle Ghost — play a show with Omaha darlings Honeybee. $7, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—