Yes, this is a rare Weekend Update on Lazy-i. There’s too much stuff going on this weekend, and I don’t want to smash it all into one blog post on Monday. We have Vanderslice tonight and singer-songwriters tomorrow, but I’ll get to that (again) in good time.

This was my first time experiencing a live rock show at The Sydney (ex-Micks). I’d been warned by a number of people that despite lowering the stage to near floor level from Mick’s ridiculously high perch that the room still sounded like a noisy ball of shit. Ah, but the crowd last night was mostly full of tough guys that embrace such dissonance. It was the first time in a long time that someone pulled a “Nice earplugs” barb at me. I just smiled and adjusted my foam nubs — I knew I’d get the last laugh.

As I’ve mentioned before, I like the laidback feel of The Sydney. The room just has a good, friendly drinking vibe to it now that it didn’t have before. The folks running the place are super nice; everyone seems to be in a good mood — what a concept! (Everyone seems to be in a good mood at O’Leaver’s every night, too, but that’s because they all seem to be lost in a NyQuil daze after mainlining Rumplemintz since 4 in the afternoon).

When you went to Mick’s to see a show, you very likely were sitting down somewhere. If not, you were trapped in the crawlspace by the door, probably in someone’s way but still able to see the band on the crazy-high stage. At The Sydney, the tables play a secondary role. There’s plenty of space near the pseudo-stage, which is so low to the ground as to encourage you to get off your ass and stand up there next to the band and soak in the full force of whatever’s going on. I have to assume that the bands prefer this over towering above — and being separated from — everyone in the crowd.

Kansas City’s The Life and Times — the night’s opener, who went on at around 10:30 — certainly seemed to dig it. A classic rock trio — guitar/bass/drums — I’d heard they had a “showgazer vibe.” Not to me. From the opening song I was reminded again and again of classic ’90s Chicago Matador band Chavez — from their mathy compositions to the slurring, rising vocal lines that ironically countered the machine-gun-firecracker drums and counter-melody bass lines. The frontman’s voice even sounded sort of like Matt Sweeney’s. And don’t get me wrong — you’re not likely to find a bigger Chavez fan in any crowd, and these guys stylistically hit the mark. Here’s an action photo.

Was it loud. Oh yeah. I saw a few fans up front doing the classic fingers-in-the-ears pose. I found the comedian who mocked my earplugs hiding in the back. Silly rabbit — everyone knows that there’s nowhere to hide from the noise in Mick’s/Sydney — it’s as if you’re trapped in a gigantic whispering arch, the sound is as loud in back of the room as it is up front. That said, I thought the dynamics were just fine (and even better for Little Brazil, who themselves had more dynamic range in their set). I can see why TL&Ts is generating a following around Omaha. They have a powerful, melodic sound, and when they stray from their Chavez/Sunny Day-esque formula, they really “shine” (get it?).

Little Brazil came on at about a quarter to midnight. I was wondering how they were going to fit onto the stage when TL&T barely could get all three members on the platform. The answer: They didn’t. Guitarist Greg Edds set up his pedals and stood off the corner of the stage. I don’t see a solution for this as there just isn’t any room for expanding the stage. (See photo). If you’re a four-piece (or larger) someone’s going to be playing on the floor. Edds didn’t seem to mind (or care) — he just stood off in the dark and did his thing. Instrumentally, Little Brazil sounded spot on, if not a bit more majestic than usual (they pulled out a Tighten the Noose song that sounded fresher than ever, tucked into a set of songs from LB’s most recent album, Son). Vocally, Landon Hedges sounded a bit tired and complained of having a tough time catching his breath, even asking if it as possible to develop adult asthma. Someone in the crowd yelled, “Quit smoking” and he responded with “I don’t smoke that much, I only smoke when I drink,” to which the voice in the crowd replied “Yeah, but you drink all the time.” That said, neither Landon nor the band clearly were loaded last night. Maybe after playing the same songs for months, they just need a break. Too bad they won’t get one. Word is they’ll be heading out on tour later this summer — and they need to, as that record was charting pretty well on CMJ last I looked.

* * *

OK, as I mentioned yesterday, tonight is John Vanderslice down at Slowdown Jr. with Skypiper. I have a funny feeling that this $10 show will be near capacity. You may want to get your tickets early. Also tonight, the Speed! Nebraska caravan rolls into O’Leaver’s with Wagon Blasters, The Third Men and Ideal Cleaners. $5, 9:30 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Here comes the weekend…

Start it out with a fundraiser concert for the Omaha Entertainment Awards at Nomad downtown (not sure why this is being held downtown since the OEAs have historically been the domain of midtown/Benson, but I guess this must be considered an “outreach effort”). The program runs 5 to 9 p.m. and features Matt Cox, Satchel Grande and Rhythm Collective. Your $10 cover charge also gets you two draws of beer from Upstream brewery.

Alas, I won’t be starting until much later, specifically at The Sydney where The Life and Times are playing with Little Brazil. While I do enjoy drinking at The Sydney, which is in the space that used to be Mick’s, I’ve yet to hear a band perform there. The bar’s sound system has received mixed reviews (from folks I’ve talked to). We’ll see tonight. $8, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, get your twang on at The Waiting Room with Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers along with Dead Rock West the Pendrakes. $17, 9 p.m.

Saturday night, John Vanderslice plays at Slowdown Jr. with Skypiper. I’ve been listening to Vanderslice’s new CD, Romanian Names, for the past few weeks and have yet to hear anything that stands out, but then again, I’ve never been a big Vanderslice fan. That shouldn’t stop you, though. $10, 9 p.m.

Over at O’Leaver’s, it’s another Speed! Nebraska showcase, this time featuring Wagon Blasters (Gary Dean Davis’ latest hot rod), The Third Men and Ideal Cleaners. $5, 9:30 p.m.

The Waiting Room is closed this Saturday night for a “private event.” I just realized that it’s been too long since I’ve there (I sadly missed Mike Watt a couple weeks ago), which means I’ll have to make an extra effort to try to get out there Sunday night when Willy Mason — the subject of my very first column — returns to Omaha with Jake Bellows, Dan McCarthy and Phil Schaffart. $8, 9 p.m.

Also Sunday night, Saddle Creek Records artist Sebastien Grainger and his band The Mountains drops in at Slowdown Jr. for a last-minute show with Brimstone Howl. $10, 9 p.m.

And also Sunday night, O’Leaver’s is hosting The Pendrakes with The Tisdales and Greg Loftis (of Malpais fame). $5, 9:30 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

As mentioned in the column below, numerous calls to the property owner were unanswered and remain unreturned.

Column 223: Save Box Awesome
The Lincoln venue is being forced out…

Before I wrote this, I figured it would make sense to actually see the club that I had been hearing so much about for the past couple of years.

So this past Sunday night I drove down to Lincoln to see Box Awesome for the first and probably the last time — at least at its current location.

For a guy who rarely drives to Lincoln (I’m not a huge Husker fan), finding the club wasn’t easy — 815 “O” St. appears to be an off-ramp when searching on Google maps. It took some mindless wandering around to figure out how to get to the Haymarket and Box Awesome.

Once through the door, you’re met with a choice — either go into the main club or downstairs. The main club is flat-out swank — oak floors, cool artwork, vivid colors, a funky modern big-city vibe. The stage is oddly located in the center of the long, narrow room. There are no sight lines to the stage from the tables along the front of the building where the stage used to be when Box Awesome was The Chatter Box.

Sunday’s upstairs show featured metal bands. So most of my evening was spent in the basement — and that’s exactly what the downstairs bar looked like. The lumpy cave-like walls were painted in a weird silver-gray paint that made them look like the surface of the moon as viewed from an orbiting service module. The decor was second-hand trailer-park — ratty couches, kitchen dinette sets and a velour La-Z-Boy — all had seen better days. The cave had all the charm of the rec-room of a neighbor who likes to have his friends over for house shows.

The stage wasn’t a stage at all, but a space near the front of the long, narrow room where the band was set up behind a floor-speaker-quality PA. “Can I get more of the upstairs band in my monitor?” asked Sweet Pea bassist Django between songs as the bad Soundgarden-style noise filtered through the floorboards.

So this was Box Awesome — a two-story music venue where the main bands play upstairs and the smaller bands, downstairs. But Jeremy Buckley, who helps book and manage the club, said it’s more than that. Box Awesome has become a hotpoint for the Lincoln indie music community. In fact, folks involved in the venue’s day-to-day operations include members of bands Crush the Clown, UUVVWWZ, Dean Armband, Knots, Idle Minds, The Show is the Rainbow and Eagle Seagull. And now that community is about to see its home taken from them.

While standing outside the club just downwind from the smokers, Buckley gave me his 10,000-foot explanation. The building’s landlord — a company called U.S. Property — is trying to get Box Awesome to vacate as soon as possible instead of at the end of their lease, which runs through October. Buckley said no one knows exactly why, but that the legality surrounds a breach of contract that has to do with a rent payment sent a day or so late (but not exceeding the fifth of the month, Buckley said).

Efforts to discuss motives have fallen on deaf ears. U.S. Property apparently doesn’t care that the club has performances booked through July, nor that Box Awesome has established itself as Lincoln’s premier hip indie rock venue, whose performers have included Tilly and the Wall, Ssion, Grand Ole Party, Broken Spindles, Bassnectar, EOTO, Mr. 1986, Pattern is Movement, Flowers Forever, Eagle Seagull, the Flobots and Big Business.

In fact, one of the club’s biggest shows is slated for June 17 — Cursive, with openers Ideal Cleaners and Box Elders. Buckley said Cursive could have played at a much larger venue, but preferred to play at Box Awesome, which has a capacity of only around 250.

Ultimately, the reasons behind the eviction are likely business, not personal. Some are speculating that the landlord has found a high-dollar tenant willing to shell out even more for the building. Others suggest that one of U.S. Property’s other tenants runs another club and sees The Box as unnecessary competition. None of it makes sense. Buckley e-mailed me U.S. Property’s contact information Monday afternoon, but calls to their offices were unreturned; questions left unanswered. Maybe they just wanted them out.

But it’s not going to be that easy.

Last week, with the blessing of club owner Jeremiah Moore, Buckley posted an “open letter to the local music community” on the Starcityscene webboard (here) outlining the situation. “We’ve been asked to leave the building and the landlords along with their lawyers are trying to find ways of forcing us out,” he wrote.

And with lawyers come bills. Buckley’s plea: “We will need to figure out how to either pay some lawyers or allow ourselves to be harassed without recourse if we can’t pay those legal fees,” he wrote. “If you are in a band and are interested in being a part of a series of benefit concerts to help with some of these legal fee issues, please feel free to contact us.”

As a result of the letter, 27 bands offered to play fund-raisers. Two shows are now scheduled: May 29 at Box Awesome and June 7 at Duffy’s, along with a comedy-show fundraiser June 10 at Duffy’s, and a “garage sale” June 14 at 18th and Washington streets (in Lincoln).

Buckley and the rest of the Box Awesome community realize that whatever happens, they are going to be out of their current location by Halloween. Their only wish is to be able to spend the next few months playing out their final schedule, and finding a home for the next Box Awesome.

* * *

A few weeks ago, I got into a heated discussion with someone over the virtues of a Shanks reunion. The person speaking against such a diabolical proposal said that nothing good could come of it, except pain and despair. I argued that a Shanks reunion was inevitable, that all of the angst that existed between band members hadn’t had a chance to work itself out (on stage) and that sparing us from that cathartic experience would mean cheating their primary fans, who have been following this rock ‘n’ roll Payton Place for the past few years. Well, tonight’s the night. The Shanks are performing at Muscle Beach — i.e., a house show — with Digital Leather and Perry H. Matthews. Don’t ask me where Muscle Beach is because I don’t know. Digital Leather is Shawn Foree, a labelmate of Box Elders on Goner Records, who records songs himself and tours with a band, which this time is comprised of members of Shanks/Dinks/Ric Rhythm. Foree has been involved with bands that included current garage-rock phenom Jay Reatard. I’m also told that Forsee just signed with Fat Possum for his next record. I suspect that this show will get out of hand (in a good way). Find it and go. We’ll probably see more of the Shanks in the future (but only at house shows). They have a split 7-inch with El Diablos Blancos coming out on Free Thinkers Union Records and a 7-inch called “Backstabber” that’s being released this fall on Tic Tac Totally.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Well, I drove down to Box Awesome Sunday night to see what the place actually looked like. You’ll see that report in tomorrow’s column, where I essentially reiterate what was written last Friday, but with a little more Technicolor. The whole controversy surrounding Box Awesome doesn’t make a bit of sense to me, and I can’t get anyone other than Jeremy Buckley (the guy at the center of the storm) to talk. Regardless, the fundraiser benefit shows are scheduled, along with a garage sale. Details tomorrow.

When I arrived at Box Awesome, there was a metal show going on upstairs. The door guy let me take a stroll through the club, however, and I was genuinely impressed. It is a cool room, though as I say in the column tomorrow, I don’t understand the stage location. I’m sure there’s a logical reason for it being smack in the middle of the room rather than at one end or the other.

In addition to the fact that I had Monday off (and there was virtually nothing going on in Omaha Sunday night), Sweet Pea was the reason for heading down there. The band has been playing a ton around town, but I’ve never managed to catch their set. Needless to say, I still need to catch them in Omaha because the Box Awesome basement is rather… rustic. It’s PA is a few steps below O’Leaver’s, and the acoustics of a concrete bunker leaves a lot to be desired. Still, even in such un-acoustic-friendly conditions, Sweet Pea was a lot of fun. The four-piece is anchored by a lead guitarist/vocalist frontman and a female keyboard player/vocalist. There music resides somewhere between K Records twee pop, Belle and Sebastian, The Pixies, and new-indie dance acts like Cut Off Your Hands, The Pains of the Pure at Heart and Tokyo Police Club. The funny thing about keyboardist Annie Dilocker is that unlike a lot of women in local indie-rock bands, she can actually sing, though her voice was lost in the basement rattle. Toward the end of their set, the room had become so hot (as in muggy, since there’s no circulation in the room) that the band asked that the lights to bet turned off, and they were, leaving them to perform in the unlit cave. A small gaggle of young women up near the non-existent stage danced in the dark. Check out the blurry action photo.

Sweet Pea is headlining a show at Slowdown Jr. June 19 with Boy Noises, AM Revival and In the Spring. Ironically that’s also the first night of the Lincoln Invasion festival in Benson.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

In an “open letter to the local music community” by Jeremy Buckley, posted on the Starcityscene webboard, Buckley announced yesterday that Box Awesome is being forced from its current location at 815 O St. in Lincoln. Buckley, the genius behind Lincoln Calling and the upcoming Lincoln Invasion festival in Omaha (June 19-20), works at Box Awesome.

“For reasons we’re not exactly clear on yet, the landlord for the building that acts as the home to Box Awesome is no longer interested in having us as a tenant,” Buckley wrote. “We’ve been asked to leave the building and the landlords along with their lawyers are trying to find ways of forcing us out.”

Buckley said a court date has been set in the coming weeks and “a judge will decide either then or at a later court date when and if we have to leave the building before the end of our lease.” The lease expires at the end of October.

Buckley said if Box Awesome continues to exist through that time, the operators will consider alternate locations for the club. Of course lawyers are involved, and with lawyers come bills — large ones. Buckley’s plea: “We will need to figure out how to either pay some lawyers or allow ourselves to be harassed without recourse if we can’t pay those legal fees. If you are in a band and are interested in being a part of a series of benefit concerts to help with some of these legal fee issues, please feel free to contact us. If you have any other fundraiser ideas in particular please feel free to make suggestions.”

Their e-mail address is boxawesome@gmail.com.

There’s still no mention of this on the Box Awesome website, so for now keep an eye on the Starcityscene thread (here) for updates and other information.

I haven’t been to Box Awesome since its facelift. I’ve been pondering a trip down there just to check it out because the room looks awesome in photos and everyone I’ve talked to who has played there loves the club. BA just bagged the Cursive show for June 17, and now this bomb drops out of the blue…

* * *

Despite this being a holiday weekend, there ain’t much going on musicwise. Atmosphere and Brother Ali are at Slowdown tonight, but the show is sold out, so if you don’t have tix, you’re out of luck.

Tomorrow, O’Leaver’s is hosting Lincoln Dickison, Steve Bartolomei and out-of-towner Malone. Show starts at 9 and costs $5.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr. Saturday night, Landing on the Moon plays with Fortnight and Thunder Power. $5, 9 p.m.

Have a good holiday.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

The Reader published another handful of micro CD reviews in this week’s issue. Among them, my micro-take on the new one by Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship:

Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship, My Name Is What Is Your Name (Slumber Party) — Even their own literature says that they’re a product of ’80s/’90s “alternative rock,” so call them an unabashed post-post-punk band, which is something to be proud of in an era of post-chamber/folk/country rock. The guitars are chiming (and loud), the simple rhythm section is core (and loud), the vocals slur and scream (and yes, are loud). The six-song EP spans nearly 28 minutes and may bring to mind chunky, brittle, early Nirvana, but more likely mid-’90s bands like Rodan, Polvo, Zoom and Slant 6. Take it from someone who was there: These guys know what they’re doing. Lazy-i Rating: Yes. Reader Rating: 3.5 stars.

Other CDs that were reviewed include the new ones by Little Brazil, Beep Beep and Cursive (All three would have received a “Yes” rating from me). Pick up a copy of The Reader and check them out.

* * *

Homer’s Records Major Domo Mike Fratt wrote in yesterday to say that Week 2 sales numbers dropped for Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band’s Outer South. The breakdown: 4,926 physical copies sold, good enough for No. 94 on the Billboard album charts, and 866 digital sales for No. 117 on the digital charts. After two weeks of release, Outer South has sold around 25,000 copies, which Fratt said is below what Oberst’s done before, but is still “quite impressive.” Fratt thinks Oberst is losing his traditional “emo kids” audience and gaining new, older Triple-A fans. “These ‘older’ fans are not as street-date driven and take longer to discover and make a purchase decision,” he said. If true, that would be good news for Oberst, who was tagged with the emo label from the age of 14. Now that he’s pushing 30, it’s time to shed it once and for all.

* * *

The opening line-up has been announced for Cursive’s June 17 show at Box Awesome in Lincoln. The bands are local heroes Box Elders and Lincoln’s Ideal Cleaners. I’m told that Cursive was presented with larger venue options for the Lincoln show, but insisted on Box Awesome even though the venue’s capacity is a mere 250. Tickets are $13, and should go quickly.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I guess there are a couple things to keep in mind before you read this week’s column: First, as much as I enjoy Slam Omaha I don’t post messages there very often. i have my own webboard, website, blog and column where I can espouse my profundities. When someone goes after me on Slam (which happens every once in a while) I wait for the discussion to come to me, then comment, usually on my board, but occasionally in my blog. I’m not a fan of pissing matches. And moreover, if you’re going to write a column or music criticism, you better be prepared to hear that you’re full of shit. And hear it often.

Also, the folks who frequent Slam like a different style of music than I listen to or write about, so I don’t have much to offer by way of relevant commentary, and reciprocally, I don’t think the folks there give two shits about my point of view (nor should they). Still, I check it out every day, even throw in a few bon mots in their Cool Talk board (usually about film or food).

Whether the folks in indie-music land want to admit it or not, Slam is an important part of the Omaha music and arts landscape. The few times I’ve been fortunate to talk to Mick (one of the guys who runs the site) I’ve heard about upcoming upgrades to Slam’s technology. Yes, their webboard is somewhat old-fashioned and lacks most of the functionality of simple user-created online hosted webboards. But there’s a charm and simplicity to its basic usability that I hope it never loses.

Column 222: The Art of Conversation
Online discussion boards are under siege.

Almost didn’t have a column this week. These are, indeed, the doldrums, my friends; the time just before summer where nothing “musically” is going on, no CDs are arriving at my door (or in my e-mail box). Everything is on hold, waiting for something to happen.

So in these times of uncertainty, when I’m clawing for an idea — any idea — for this column, I do what I normally do — I check out S.L.A.M. Omaha to see what the chatter’s all about.

S.L.A.M. Omaha (or just Slam), for those of you completely out of the loop (not by choice but by ignorance), is a website located at slamomaha.com that includes music and art events calendars, news and probably its most popular feature, message boards. For a decade at least, Slam has been a local musicians’ and music fans’ watering hole where folks shoot the breeze over last night’s show, tonight’s show, next week’s show and everything else in between. The occasional well-thought-out analysis of a specific music genre, artist or performance is mixed in with assorted dick jokes, insults and personal attacks. It’s the latter that keeps some musicians and music fans away, or chases away others who feel that the site isn’t living up to what the SLAM acronym stands for: Support Local Art and Music. My response to them: It’s a friggin’ discussion board. It’s the Internet. What did you expect? Along with unmonitored discussion comes controversy and general stupidity as well as the occasional thoughtful insight and humor.

Despite its outdated technology and general lack of interest (or contempt for) indie music and Saddle Creek artists, Slam continues to be one of the most important online resources for Omaha music information. It is the first place I go for a daily perspective on the local scene. If a musician had a breakdown on stage the night before, you’ll read about it the next morning on Slam.

But lately, sites like Slam are under siege by new-ish social media “services” — Facebook and Twitter come to mind. Now musicians and music fans can create their own online communities and share their comments only with those who have a like-minded point of view — their “friends,” their “fans,” their “followers.” It’s safe, it’s easy, it avoids uncomfortable feedback from those who might not dig what you’re doing. For musicians, it paints a perennial rosy picture that almost always is untrue. Facebook can create a dangerous tunnel vision, a guarded, unnatural point of view, and before you know it, the emperor is parading down Maple Street naked with a guitar slung over his shoulder.

* * *

An example of an interesting recent Slam thread asked whether venues’ “regulars” should be forced to pay a cover charge when there’s a live band scheduled to perform. Well, as with most popular threads on Slam, the discussion morphed from “regulars” not paying the cover charge to roadies and even free-loading music critics. Wrote Klark Kent (the K Mart of Supermen): “I’m wondering how long it’s been since (for example) MarQ (Manner, the patron saint of the Benson music scene) or Tim McMahan (has paid to get into shows — I had to finish the sentence because Klark apparently lost his chain of thought — don’t go to discussion boards for good grammar or spelling).

There was a time when I always was on “the list,” back in the Sokol Underground days, when the guys running the door just stamped my hand. Those days are gone, not because I pissed them off, but because those guys aren’t working the door anymore, and quite frankly, they don’t need to give the guy who writes Lazy-i a free pass. They know that — probably more than most people in the club — I can afford it.

Still, whenever I write a preview profile on a touring band or pimp a show in my column, I ask the record label to put me on “the list.” Why not?

The only place where I’ve never been on “the list” is O’Leaver’s. As One Percent Productions’ Marc Leibowitz used to say way back in the day when he booked shows there: “O’Leaver’s doesn’t have a list.” Nor should it. When a band rolls into town after driving in a dirty van all day, wondering if their petrol will hold out ’til they get to the club — hungry, tired, second-guessing this whole rock-star shtick — and then see the dump that they’re going to play at, they deserve every penny of that $5 cover charge from fans who showed up to rock. They need the cash to get to the next town. And while you’re at it, buy a T-shirt, too.

But should that include $5 from regulars? My answer: No, it shouldn’t. These “regulars” are the life-blood of any bar. They’re a hedge against tough times, showing up night in and night out to drop $10+ on booze. Without regulars, a venue is going to be forced to grind out shows on their stage every night, or quickly find themselves out of business (or both). Bands who feel cheated by a toll-free presence should feel lucky to even have a place to perform, because believe me, most bars or venues would rather cater to a roomful of regulars than those bands’ fans, who likely will be bolting the minute they say “Goodnight.”

* * *

So that’s my take. After it’s published, I’ll post a link to this column on Slam Omaha. Some of the website’s regulars will read it and hate it and will say so. But that’s part of the fun. On a discussion board, you’re going to catch a few turds along with any roses. But if we all lived in Facebook, where would we find our turds?

Tonight at Slowdown Jr., it’s Chicago indie band Raise Height the Roof Beam with local comers Thunder Power and Sweet Pea. TP says that this will be the second to last Thunder Power show until the end of August due to touring. $6, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, Minneapolis art rock band Cloud Cult returns with Ice Palace. $10, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I’m telling you, there’s nothing going on tonight. Well, nothing in Omaha anyway. In Lincoln, the band Big Business, whose members include 1/2 of The Melvins (presumably the good half), are playing at Box Awesome. According to Wikipedia:

Big Business started as a two piece band composed of Jared Warren of Karp and The Tight Bros From Way Back When, and Coady Willis of Murder City Devils. Their sound has been characterized as a bombastic and frantic low end attack, marked by Warren’s signature vocal delivery. The band released its first album, Head for the Shallow, on January 25, 2005. In late 2006, after relocating to Los Angeles, Jared and Coady both became members of The Melvins and were featured on the Melvins album (A) Senile Animal.

Show starts at 9:30 and is $6 if you’re over 21 (It’s $8 for 18-21). More details here.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Very little to report from this past weekend music-wise. Saturday night involved a drop-in at Dario Days — as part of the Dundee Spring Fling event — where I saw one of the worst live bands I’ve heard in long time (while enjoying a cup of potent Belgian beer). The combination of cold weather and bad music drove me away fairly quickly. In addition, I never made it to Mike Watt at TWR, which I’ve been told was the usual event-quality performance.

And thus, another uneventful weekend passes.

So who was the crappy band at Dario’s? You’ll figure it out on your own if you ever see them (or simply do the math). I’d never heard of them prior to the gig, and have a feeling they won’t be playing again (at least at any venue that you and I frequent). Like I’ve said here before — I generally don’t shit on sucky local bands unless they’ve managed to receive a modicum of national attention (National bands, of course, are fair game). Instead, I just don’t write about them. Perhaps I’m doing you a disservice. The way I see it, I’d rather brag up someone you should check out than bag on someone you probably won’t be seeing anyway. Or maybe you will be seeing them, and they turn out be the band you’ve been looking for all your life. Who am I to deprive you of such a discovery?

* * *

Minneapolis indie band One for the Team plays tonight at Slowdown Jr. with Betsy Wells. $7, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

David Matysiak of Coyote Bones sent me an e-mail with a head’s up that he just mastered their new record, Niobrara, on April 2. “Just finishing the artwork and then going to print vinyl LPs,” Matysiak said. “No CDs this time!”

Matysiak said CB is now a trio, featuring himself, Jordan Noel of Athens band Iron Hero, and Heather Kemp, a singer from Macon, GA. Coyote Bones just opened for Cursive May 1 in Atlanta. Look for their new album in late August on Matysiak’s label, CoCo Art. “PS:,” he wrote, “New Telephono Vol. 2 info coming up!” Nice.

* * *

Keynote event for my weekend is, of course, Dundee’s Spring Fling event, but specifically Dario Days — the music/beer-drinking event held in the parking area right next to Blue Line Coffee in Dundee. The music starts at 6:30 with Ragged Company, followed by Moses Prey, Rock Paper Dynamite and Satchel Grande at 10 p.m. Taking place just a few yards away will be the Dundee Spring Fling stage located right outside of the KFAB building. The music starts at 11:45 a.m., but the biggest draw will likely be for U2 tribute band Me2 at 5:30.

Also Saturday night, Mike Watt returns to Omaha, this time to The Waiting Room, where he’s headlining a show with The Stay Awake and The Third Men. Tickets are $10, show starts at 9.

Also Saturday night, Bazooka Shootout plays at O’Leaver’s with Actors and Actresses. $5, 9:30 p.m.

And Sunday night, O’Leaver’s is hosting Fucken Snakes with Mosquito Bandito and Goddamn Gallows. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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