A detailed recap of this past weekend’s shows/festivals will be encapsulated in this week’s column (probably). I went to Nebraska Pop, Maha and Rat Fest. And as we all know, the weather was perfect, though it didn’t help attendance that much, at least during the daylight hours at Maha (though I’m told it filled in somewhat after dark).

* * *

A bit of news that I had tucked in my e-mail that I missed reporting last week — Homer’s is closing its Saddle Creek store Sept. 19 (This even after I begged Homer’s general manager Mike Fratt to keep it open or move it to Benson!).

“Leases are up at Lincoln and Saddle Creek, and based on their volume of biz and the ridiculous prices landlords still think they can get, we can’t risk it by re-signing,” Fratt said in an e-mail. He went on to say that Homer’s is signing a new lease in the Old Market (but at a new location). “We’re not going away, just positioning ourselves to remain profitable.”

In fact, the Saddle Creek Homer’s was profitable, Fratt said, but just recently slipped to break even. “To some extent, Old Market and Saddle Creek compete with each other.”

He said Homer’s tried going month-to-month on the Saddle Creek lease for the rest of the year, but the landlord “would not work with us. We tried to buy the space and they would not work with us.”

OK, now this seemed strange. How could that little notch of property be worth holding onto, especially considering that when Homer’s is gone, the converted Kwik Shop building likely will remain empty indefinitely, just like the sad old Target store that’s been sitting empty right next to it for years?

Fratt said the property was owned by an oil company and it has changed hands six times since Homer’s moved in. “That piece of land is bundled with over 100 other properties around the country and the current owner will only sell the bundled real estate package,” he said. “But, as you say, it will likely sit empty because REITs (real estate investment trusts) are in big trouble right now ($3 trillion in commercial real estate loans are up for renewal in Sept., next bubble to burst?), so there are no buyers.”

All right then, what about Benson? Surely it has better “foot traffic” than Saddle Creek, and we all know there are plenty of empty storefronts along Maple St. “I remain interested, but have concerns about what’s happening in Benson right now,” Fratt said, “Two restaurants closing, the bridal shop closing, no new food coming in to replace the losses. Also, Mick’s closing has chased away affluent adults to some extent, and Espana, since the sale, is not doing very well, so it’ll have to wait until the economy improves.”

I suppose you could call it a “duck-and-cover strategy,” and I can’t say I disagree with it. “You won’t find an indie like us, anywhere in the U.S., with more than two locations per metro,” Fratt said.

Want more data? Here’s Christine Laue’s recap from the OWH. In it, Fratt says Homer’s, as part of the Coalition of Independent Music Stores, has negotiated with the major music labels to be able to sell new releases at $9.99, or $2 below cost. He called the price drop “a game changer” that will help them compete with the big box stores (Wal-Mart, Target, etc.).

I hope he’s right. For me, the big game changer continues to be the Internet, but not necessarily because of illegal downloading. Case in point: Who remembers the old days before the Internet and Myspace when it was impossible to hear a new album without buying it? It was so difficult, in fact, that you often bought albums sight-unheard just because of your curiosity — you took a chance, and sometimes the chance paid off, sometimes it didn’t.

With the Internet, that sort of blind commitment no longer is necessary. These days, if you wonder what a band sounds like — and I mean any band — you can just go to Myspace or Lala.com where you can hear their latest album for free.

This ease of availability has turned us into a nation (or world) of listeners with short attention spans. We click on a link and begin listening, and if the track doesn’t turn us on in 15 seconds we click to the next track or click away from the recording entirely, deciding that it sucks, whether it does or not.

The mystery is gone, for better or worse. For the better, it means we no longer have to waste money on an album that turns out to be 95 percent dud (We’ve all done this before). For the worse, we’re discarding a lot of music that we simply haven’t given enough time to “sink in.” Fact is, most great albums don’t sound great the first time through. It takes repeated listens before we “get it.” And, of course, it also means with fewer people willing (or needing) to make a blind commitment, that Homer’s and other record stores are selling fewer albums.

That’s just my theory, of course…

I’ll miss that little store on Saddle Creek. It was like a miniature version of the Old Market location, complete with that horrible incense stench that permeated your clothes so that you were left smelling like a head-shop for the rest of the day. Saddle Creek didn’t have the biggest selection, but it had whatever I was looking for. And the people who worked there were always cool, just like everyone who works (or has worked) at Homer’s. Here’s hoping they all land on their feet.

* * *

Tonight at O’leaver’s, Little Brazil labelmates Roman Numerals (Anodyne Records) is playing along with fellow Kansas City band Waiting for Signal. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Over at The Waiting Room, it’s indie hip-hop royalty Eyedea and Abilities, along with Kristoff Krane and Maxilla Blue. $10, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

From my perch on the top of the world, I can see the semi-trucks parked along the riverfront, preparing for tomorrow’s MAHA Festival. A glance at my Yahoo! weather forecast indicates Saturday will be sunny with a high of 74, perfect conditions for an all-day outdoor event. The only thing in question: Will people come? At $29.50 per ticket, the jury’s definitely out.

I intend to be there early for Appleseed Cast and Army Navy and a taste of the Kermit Brashear Local Stage. You already know the rest of the line-up, but here’s the schedule anyway. The good stuff ends after when It’s True leaves the stage (they’re scheduled for 4:45), which gives you plenty of time to go home and get ready for the evening’s three other festivals.

I’ll get to Saturday night’s festival showcases in a minute. First, tonight is Night 2 of the Nebraska Pop Festival at The Waiting Room. The line-up starts at 7 p.m. sharp:

Spiders For Love (Omaha, Nebraska)
Transmittens (Lawrence, Kansas)
Mr. and Mrs. Muffins (Jakarta Indonesia & Seattle, Washington)
Talking Mountain (Omaha, Nebraska)
Poland (Seattle, Washington)
Strega (NYC, New York)

Of the festival’s four nights, this will be the one that I’ll likely attend. Tickets are $10 for this benefit showcase, with money going to UNO Mav Radio.

There’s also a show tonight at O’Leaver’s, featuring Dance Me Pregnant, Old Panther and Bazooka Shootout. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Now onto the Saturday evening festival line-up.

Top on the list, of course, is RAT FEST being held at 8 p.m. at a warehouse at 2406 Leavenworth — the former Faint and Tilly and the Wall practice space. The current residents have added a stage, sound system and a back-alley smoking patio. The 8-band lineup is:

Beep Beep (Saddle Creek)
Life of a Scarecrow
Coyote Bones (Coco Art)
Brimstone Howl (Alive)
Flowers Forever (Team Love)
Conchance (Slumber Party)
Brainworlds (I’m Drinking This)
Babes

No idea on the band order. The DJ’s for the evening are W.E.R.D , Mello Mic, and DJ Rey. Admission is only $5. This one could get crazy.

Also Saturday night at 7 p.m. is Night 3 of The Nebraska Pop Festival, featuring:

Electric Needle Room (Omaha, Nebraska)
Hanwell (Des Moines, Iowa)
Labrador w/ special guest Dereck Higgins on bass (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Mammoth Life (Lawrence Kansas)
Thunder Power (Omaha, Nebraska)
Cleemann w/ special guest Dereck Higgins on bass (Copenhagen, Denmark)

$8 adv./$10 dos. I’m told this will be the last local Thunder Power show until late November.

And for those of you into skanking the Reggae and Ska Festival is being held at Sokol Underground featuring The Super Colliders, Linoma Mashers, RC Dub, The Bishops and Rhythm Collective, all for $10 starting at 6 p.m.

On top of all that, there’s a slew of great non-festival shows going on Saturday night.

At the Sydney, Reagan Roeder’s new band Hubble is playing with The Wagon Blasters and Nicole Le Clerc. $5, 9 p.m.

At Slowdown Jr., John Klemmensen and The Party are playing with Lincoln’s Ember Schrag. $7, 9 p.m.

At The Barley St., The Yuppies are playing with The Bassturds and Petit Mal. $5, 9 p.m.

And to top it all off, Dario Days is happening at Dario’s as part of Dundee Day from 11 a.m. to midnight. Yes, there will be live music; no, I don’t know who it is.

Whew!

That brings us to Sunday and the last night of the Nebraska Pop Festival, and maybe the festival’s most impressive line-up:

Sweet Pea (Omaha, Nebraska)
Andrew K. Butler (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Cowboy Indian Bear (Lawrence, Kansas)
At Land (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Mother Z’s (Chicago, Illinois)
Darren Keen (Omaha, Nebraska)

Tickets again are $8 adv./$10 dos. Show starts at 7 p.m.

Also Sunday night at O’Leaver’s it’s Circle K , Fergus and Geronimo, Teenage Cool Kids and Rainbow Party. $5, 9:30 p.m..

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Maybe they should have called it the Nebraska Dream Pop Festival. I’m listening to the 19-song sampler (download here) of bands that will be performing at the four-day event, which starts tonight at The Barley St. Half the songs reminded me of laidback pop from such ’80s and ’90s bands as The Lilac Time, The Trash Can Sinatras, Lightning Seeds, The Sundays, House of Love, Everything But the Girl, you know what I’m talking about, and if you don’t, well, look them up on AMG. The other half felt homemade and simple, able attempts at low-fi. Most of the bands on the sampler have a lighter-as-air quality (which isn’t meant as a slam) combined with traditional modern-day indie and chamber folk that we’ve all become accustomed to living here in the former epicenter of indie music world.

So, the kick-off is being held at The Barley St. tonight starting at 7 p.m. The line-up, according to the Nebraska Pop Festival Myspace page, is:

Magic Crayon (Brighton & Hove, United Kingdom)
The Argyle Wishlist (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
The Sleepover (Lincoln, Nebraska)
Honey and Darling (Omaha, Nebraska)
The Tinycakes (Chicago, Illinois)
Pennyhawk (Ames, Iowa)

Tonight’s show is $5. The rest of the week is being hosted at The Waiting Room and costs $8 adv./$10 dos. The whole weekend is a benefit for UNO’s Mav Radio station, which just announced that it will soon be broadcasting over the air in HD. From this story in the UNO Gateway:

As university-based KVNO FM-1 gets set to transform into the metro’s home for UNO athletics in the fall, KVNO HD2, 90.7-2 on your dial, will become student-run Mav Radio. The dial’s digital channel will provide Mavericks fans a home for UNO men’s and women’s basketball games when UNO hockey is being aired on KVNO.

Mav Radio’s official launch is set for Sept. 9. The station’s production team plans to fill the broadcasts with satellite programming, likely jazz or blues music, during student holidays and other times where it will not be airing UNO athletics programming.

Conceivably, Mav Radio’s on-air content also will include local and indie music. I guess we’ll see, that is if any of us plunk down the cash to buy an HD receiver, which will be necessary to listen to the station.

This is an ambitious festival in that it 1) comes at the end of a long festival season in Omaha, 2) is four days long and 3) most of the (non-local) bands are virtually unknown in this market. It could be a hard sell, especially on Saturday when three other festivals are going on at the same time.

* * *

A clarification on an item that ran in Lazy-i yesterday: Karl Houfek wrote to say that last night’s Boy Noise’s show at O’Leaver’s was the last show with Chris Rivera, who’s moving to Austin and joining a new band called Loxsly. Houfek also is leaving Boy Noises in the near future, but the remaining members “might want to keep things going, so I told them I’d help them with the transition,” Houfek said. Part of the transition will include the addition of Corey Broman (Dance Me Pregnant, ex-Art in Manila, ex-Little Brazil, ex-Kite Pilot), who will take over drums for the Sept. 12 Broken Spindles show at The Waiting Room.

* * *

Finally, tonight, singer/songwriters Sam Martin of Capgun Coup and Landon Hedges of Little Brazil join Blankenship at The Sydney. $5, 8 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Along with spotting the first robin, another sign of spring is when O’Leaver’s disassembles its smoking hut (while its construction, sadly, symbolizes the onset of the long winter ahead).

Column 235: Smoke and Mirrors
You won’t smell me later…

It dawned on me as I was driving home from the Box Elders show or the Eagle*Seagull show or the Matt Whipkey show or any of the other 200 or so shows that I’ve seen since last summer that I don’t miss all that smoke in the bars.

I don’t miss coming home smelling like a wet cat dunked into a wine barrel filled with nicotine. I don’t miss having to strip off my clothes and place them in a smoldering pile on the bathroom floor, the smoke residue nearly visible like anger lines coming off a comic-book character’s forehead. I don’t miss having to wear my “smoking coat” to the club in the wintertime — an old brown parka specifically dedicated to nights out, segregated from my other coats and clothes as to prevent infecting them with cig-stink.

I’ve thrown out the smoking parka. I don’t need it anymore.

It’s been over a year since the smoking ban went into effect in Omaha. When the hammer dropped in mid-June 2008, a gnashing of teeth was heard from the smokers along with a wave of warnings that the ban would result in systematically shutting down bars throughout the city.

They said that smokers would stay home and drink in their kitchens in front of their black-and-white TV sets, a mountain of butts ever-growing in their Bakelite ashtrays.

But a year has passed and all the smoking bars that were open back then still are today. People still file out of The Waiting Room between bands, cluttering up the sidewalk along Maple Street like halftime at a Philip Morris convention. And while it’s true that the crowds at shows seem smaller these days, it may have more to do with our 21st Century Great Depression than a smoking restriction.

Marc Leibowitz, who runs The Waiting Room with business partner Jim Johnson, said it’s hard to tell if the smoking ban affected their business. “I think it affects business, but not as (much) as it does non-music venues,” he said.

For clubs like O’Leaver’s, the solution was to create outdoor “beer gardens” that are little more than smoking porches. Drive by O’Leaver’s on a show night and you’ll see them packed into the wrought-iron enclosure like a herd of smoking cattle.

As winter began to encroach last year, the carpentry staff at O’Leaver’s built a hand-made Quonset hut out of plywood that had about as much charm as a cooler in a Nazi prison camp. Inside, people huddled like weary GIs around a tall chrome space heater, the butts shivering between their lips.

The Sydney in Benson followed O’Leaver’s lead and just finished building its own “beer garden” behind the bar. They’re waiting for the city to give the final OK before it can open. The ban was in full effect when The Sydney opened for business this past January, said bar owner Jamie Massey, so he couldn’t say if it impacted his business. “I think if people are going to smoke, going outside isn’t a deal breaker if you want to get a drink,” he said.

So, was all the doom talk about the ban crippling the bar business nothing more than smoke and mirrors? Not so, said Trey Lalley, the owner/operator of Omaha’s best non-live-music rock bar, The Brother’s Lounge at 38th and Farnam. “I know business is down everywhere and that there are bigger factors in play,” he said. “but as far as my business goes, the smoking ban has impacted it.”

Lalley said when the ban first went into effect, people didn’t mind going outside for a smoke. “Now they’re going other places,” he said. “They’re not coming here. I’ve had people tell me they’re going where there’s a beer garden.”

Like The Waiting Room, The Brothers doesn’t have anywhere to build a beer garden. “The only thing we could do is float a hot-air balloon above the bar,” Lalley said.

But it’s more than just fewer patrons. On a busy night, Lalley said 35 to 40 people are standing outside The Brothers smoking… without a drink in their hands. “Those people used to be inside, drinking,” he said. “So we may be as busy, but they’re not spending as much.”

Trey said he won’t know the ban’s true impact for a few more years. “We just have to embrace the people we still have,” he said. “It’s not devastating, it’s just a little hiccup. We just have to work through it.”

As for the ban’s benefit: “I feel great,” he said. “I’m going to live longer, but I’m going to have to work all those extra years to make up for the lost business.”

Playing tonight at O’Leaver’s is some of the best and brightest new talent on the Omaha indie-rock scene: Sweet Pea, Boy Noises and Honey & Darling. This had been rumored to be Boy Noises’ last show ever, but I see that the band is scheduled to play at The Waiting Room Sept. 12, opening for Broken Spindles and Pharmacy Spirits. Go ahead and check them out tonight for only $5. Show starts at 9:30 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

In an already crowded festival season, one more has just been announced, presumably by The Rat King himself:

“To all my rodents with a pointy noses and sparsely haired tails that sometimes spread diseases, to all my people who hang out at the mall food court all day, to all who have been called treacherous, disloyal, or despicable, to all that are dirty and smell bad, to all who have short hair except a long strand of hair protruding from the back of their scalps. And to everyone else in the City of Omaha. The time has come…RAT FEST!!!”

Rat Fest is being held this Saturday night at 8 p.m. at a warehouse at 2406 Leavenworth. The 8-band lineup includes Beep Beep (Saddle Creek), Life of a Scarecrow, Coyote Bones (Coco Art), Brimstone Howl (Alive), Flowers Forever (Team Love), Conchance (Slumber Party), Brainworlds (I’m Drinking This) and Babes — all for $5.

“Plus DJ’s all night, rat masks, rat drinks, live drumming, live guitaring, live masking, The Rat King shouting at you through a megaphone, gyrations, dreams come true and any and everything else you can think of!!!!”

Oh my.

The message was forwarded to me by Flowers Forever frontman Derek Pressnall, who explained that the Leavenworth property is the former Faint and Tilly and the Wall practice space as well as the former studio of photographer Bryce Bridges. The current residents have fixed up the space with a stage, sound system and a back-alley smoking patio. The DJ’s for the evening are W.E.R.D , Mello Mic, and DJ Rey.

The marketing for Rat Fest already has exceeded MAHA and the Nebraska Pop Festival. Why? Because this actually sounds like fun. Could Rat Fest become Omaha’s Lollapalooza? Very unlikely. Still, it could become another sordid annual event like the Aksarben Coronation. Imagine, say, the guys in MGMT talking to their agent about next year’s tour schedule: “Let’s see, we’ve got Pitchforkfest in Chi, followed by Lolla and All Tomorrow’s Parties, and then we have Rat Fest in Omaha….” Believe it.

More info as it becomes available, presumably from The Rat King…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

The draw to Eagle*Seagull Friday night was stoked by Kevin Coffey’s Q&A with the band that appeared in the OWH last week (here), where they touched upon the Starbucks label ordeal that concluded with frontman Eli Mardock saying, “What is important is that we’ve got the rights to our record, and we’re going to release it.” This would imply that after their deal with Starbucks fell though that E*S had to reacquire the rights to The Year of the How-To Book. We’ve all heard the story before with other bands; hopefully reacquiring the rights didn’t put them back financially…

Anyway, that’s not why I went to Slowdown. I’ve heard the band perform songs off How-To for the past two years (or so it seems) and wasn’t really in the mood to hear them again. Well, Mardock apparently wasn’t in the mood to play them, either. “It’s actually the tunes from (The Year of the How-To Book) that I’m really sick of,” he said in the OWH story. “That’s why for this show I think a large portion of our set will be songs we’re preparing for our third album.”

And that’s exactly what we got. E*S played a number of new songs that carried on the thick-beat-dance style from the best of How-To, but with more atmospherics, more layered tones, more nuanced melodies (Hooverphonic came to mind). The new material sounds more sophisticated than the older stuff without losing the thread that runs through all E*S music — Mardock’s unique vocal style and the band’s celebratory arrangements. The crowd of 130 (that’s a guess) was definitely into it.

The story of Eagle*Seagull is definitely one of peaks and valleys. I remember when they first kicked off back in ’05, the buzz was so extreme that it was generating resentment (and jealousy) from other local bands. Everyone thought E*S was going to launch like a rocket and be the next big thing out of Nebraska. Rumors of the Starbucks deal only fueled the hype. And then, things just seemed to go dark. The songs off How-To showed up on Myspace and the band began playing them live to an adoring audience with everyone wondering when it was coming out and who was releasing it. But then word eked out that the Starbucks thing fell though. And those who had resented E*S were now quietly rooting for them.

Which brings us to the present. Said Mardock of How-To in the OWH story: “It’s coming out in Europe this January or February. I reckon we’ll release it in North America around the same time, too.” I assume he means Jan/Feb 2010. Again, no word on who’s releasing the CD. As much as he’s tired of playing those songs, he can look forward to another year of touring them. Here’s hoping that it actually happens this time; that E*S get the break it deserves.

* * *

Saturday night was the Matt Whipkey CD release show at The Waiting Room. I got there early to catch At Land, and am happy I did. At Land is Doug Kabourek (drums/vocals), Travis Sing (guitar/vocals) and James Carrig (bass). Kabourek is one of the best drummers in the Omaha music scene, whether anyone knows it or not. His throaty percussion drove everything, though Sing knows how to shred a guitar. That’s right, I said “shred.” Those of you who remember Kabourek’s last great band, Fizzle Like a Flood, will be impressed/surprised at the power/intensity of this new band (His other new band, The Dull Cares, carries on the Fizzle tradition). But while this is indeed heavy stuff, there’s a gorgeous sugar-pop sheen that coats everything with a smile. The closest comparison would be Monster-era R.E.M. meets early Weezer with just a hint of a twang on Travis’ songs. Translated: This is the funnest band Kabourek’s been involved in. Watch out for them.

Whipkey fleshed out the songs on his new album, Instant Heart, with a full band that included most of the members of Anonymous American (except for Zip Zimmerman on drums). I walked away thinking maybe he should have waited and released a full-on band version of the album. It reminded me of hearing Brad Hoshaw’s Live at Mick’s album followed up by his debut with The Seven Deadlies. As much as I like that live record, the Seven Deadlies release really put air under those songs. The same was true with Whipkey’s songs. With a full band, the music took on a different, more defined hue, turning a lonely, almost forlorn-sounding album into a macho exercise in Americana-Folk, with Whipkey once again proving that at his core, he’s a consummate showman. Though only about 100 people were there to see it, the crowd got out of their seats and on their feet, and eventually filled the floor in front of the stage.

* * *

This is a quiet week in terms of live shows. O’Leaver’s has a big one on Wednesday (Sweet Pea/Boy Noises/Honey & Darling), The Sydney has Sam Martin and Landon Hedges on Thursday (while Rev. Horton Heat is at Slowdown), but that’s it until the weekend, when the Nebraska Pop Festival kicks off, along with the MAHA Festival on Saturday…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

You’ll have to make some tough choices tonight…

Eagle*Seagull is playing at Slowdown Jr. with Honey & Darling, Mighty Tiger and The Answer Team. The show is a benefit for The DailyER Nebraskan, the satirical newspaper of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln which I never heard of prior to this benefit. $8, 9 p.m.

Over at O’Leaver’s, Outlaw Con Bandana is playing with Church of Gravitron and “one other guy.” $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, at The Barley Street Tavern, Lincoln singer/songwriter Ember Schrag is playing with Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova) and Nicole Le Clerc. $5, 9 p.m.

Looks like you’re going to get two chances to see Jake play in Benson tonight. He’s also playing a set at The Sydney along with Lee Meyerpeter (of The Filter Kings/Bad Luck Charm/Cactus Nerve Thang fame), Sleepy House and Comme Reel. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

The big draw on Saturday night is the Matt Whipkey CD release show at The Waiting Room with Anonymous American and At Land. $7, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Fortnight at The 49’r with Bazooka Shootout. $5, 9:30 p.m.

* * *

Someone who had read my recent MAHA column asked me what bands I’d like to see at an Omaha festival. I told them to consider the line-up for the Treasure Island Music Festival Oct. 17-18 in San Francisco. The second day alone features The Flaming Lips, The Decemberists, Beirut, Grizzly Bear, Yo La Tengo, The Walkmen, Bob Mould, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down, Vetiver, Spiral Stairs, Sleepy Sun, Tommy Guerrero, and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. I would be happy if MAHA could get just the first five on that list. Treasure Island is a steal ticket-wise: Single-day tickets are a mere $65, two-day tickets (Day 1 headliner is MGMT) are $115. Considering how much lodging will cost, that low ticket price is probably a wash…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Just posted for your reading pleasure, an interview with singer/songwriter/haircut Matt Whipkey (read it here). Whipkey talks about his past projects and how they contributed to his new solo album, Instant Heart, which will be celebrated at a CD release show this Saturday night at The Waiting Room.

This is Whipkey’s most intimate and straight-forward recording, mainly because he played all the instruments himself and recorded it alone in his basement over the course of three weeks (presumably nursing a broken heart…or maybe not). He said he was going for a low-fi, homemade sound (It was recorded on a 4-track analog tape deck), but it sounds as good as a formal studio recording. There will be (and has been) comparisons to Springsteen’s Nebraska album. It’s obvious to anyone who knows Whipkey’s work that he’s an unabashed Springsteen fan, and it shows through on these tracks.

Anyway, read the interview, and then get your tickets to Saturday’s show. The evening includes an Anonymous American reunion, which is sure to confuse any of Whipkey’s newer fans, and a performance by At Land, Doug Kabourek’s new rock project. $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

Speaking of shows, tonight is the big Pretenders/Cat Power/ Juliette Lewis concert at Harrah’s Stir Cove. I saw the Pretenders open for The Who at the Qwest White Elephant Barn a few years ago. They put on a decent, if not boring, show. Here’s the review:

No one stood up during The Pretenders set even though Chrissie Hynde and her band probably sounded no different than they did during their ’80s heyday. Wearing a crazy top-hat, elbow gloves and leg warmers, the 55-year-old Hynde tore through a set of the usual oldies, songs whose names I don’t know because I was never much of a Pretenders fan. The only time the crowd got into it was during “My City Was Gone,” where a few folks did a modified bump-and-grind in their seats. Thankfully, it was hard to see with the lights out…

The Pretenders’ new album is rather dry; needless to say, fans will be hitting the port-a-jonny (or the dice tables?) when they roll out their “new stuff.” I would love to see Cat Power, but not in that setting. Juliette Lewis should be comically entertaining.

Here’s what I don’t get: Tickets are on sale right now for $51, and had been on sale before that for $45.50 — for those unfortunate enough to buy them early. I say that because last week Stir offered tickets online for $5. In fact, Stir has been known to give away tickets to shows that don’t sell well.

Knowing this, why would anyone buy advanced tickets to a Stir show? The answer: From now on, no one will, except for those completely out of the loop. Had I bought tickets for $45.50 and found out that they were selling them for $5 (or giving them away), I would feel ripped off.

Needless to say, I didn’t get in on the $5 tickets, and am now completely unwilling to spend more than $5 for this show…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

So who came up with the name? “We wanted it to be kind of self-deprecating,” said MAHA Festival organizer Tyler Owen said, “but we wanted it to describe the area, too. Bemis Press (a local design firm) came up with the name. There was some resistance, but it was better than some of the others we were considering. (The name) was a very contentious issue for the board for two months. It wasn’t the name I wanted, but I like it. It’s kind of a silly word that doesn’t mean anything, like Bonnaroo and Coachella.”

Column 234: MAHA Explained
The festival’s organizer talks about compromise.

Tyler Owen, one of the key people behind next weekend’s MAHA Festival at Lewis and Clark Landing, wasn’t too happy with last week’s column, where I suggested that the terribly named event was nothing more than a repackaging of the usual casino acts, along with a sprinkling of local bands that had to win talent contests to get on the Kermit Brashear (I-Love-Sarpy-County) Local Stage.

It wasn’t the first criticism that Owen and the rest of the “YFC” committee have heard about MAHA. And word on the street (confirmed by Owen) is that ticket sales have been lagging in the wake of The River Riot and Green Day, which have siphoned off all of the extra lawn-mowing money from their target audience.

Owen called Sunday while driving back from a South Dakota vacation. His key message: The festival being held next weekend is not the festival that he wanted. The real goal is to make MAHA into a Midwestern version of the Bonnaroo or Coachella festivals.

Sound ambitious? He went on to say organizers envision MAHA as a three-day event held at a dam site that would be preceded by a week-long South by Southwest-style invitational hosted in Benson or the Old Market.

“The intent is to get this thing big and powerful enough to get Radiohead here,” he said. But instead, they got G. Love and Special Sauce and Dashboard Confessional. What happened?

“We asked over 200 bands and ended up with the lineup we have, for better or worse,” he said.

They thought they had The Flaming Lips, but that fell through. The list of targeted bands also included Fran Ferdinand, The Killers, Phoenix and Bob Mould, but because of their touring schedules — and the fact that MAHA is an unproven quantity — none would commit.

Add to that the fact that they got started three months too late, in February. One of their first decisions, Owen said, was hiring One Percent Productions’ Marc Leibowitz — easily the best promoter of local indie rock shows, who books The Waiting Room, Slowdown and larger venues such as The Holland and Anchor Inn. Owen said off the bat they had The Decemberists locked in, “but we became concerned about selling 3,000 tickets for them,” he said. “So we went a little bit more commercial.”

With that in mind, Owen said they dropped One Percent. “Marc is 100 percent indie, so we decided to wait and collaborate with him next year,” he said. Instead, the YFC turned to Events Resources Presents, Inc., a company out of Green Bay, Wisconsin, whose festivals include Sioux City’s Saturday in the Park Festival. Their headliner this year was Counting Crows. You can figure out the rest yourself.

So who is the YFC? Owen said the acronym doesn’t stand for Your Festival Committee, as had been reported. “I can’t reveal its true definition,” he said without explaining why. The five-member committee includes Mike App, Trey Brashear (yes, he’s related to Kermit), Mike Toohey and Traci Hancock. And Owen, who said he’s worked in the music business in Los Angeles and has played in bands for 25 years. His current band, The Eye, has a new album coming out in December. These days Owen makes a living working in his family’s steel business.

The MAHA Festival is a non-profit endeavor — designated 501c3 — and depends not only on ticket sales but donations and sponsors to make it work. Owen said a festival mission is to keep prices down “so it’s not going to cost $150 for tickets” — an admirable goal.

From a local standpoint, Owen said the YFC tried to get Cursive, Bright Eyes and The Faint on the bill, but had no luck. “We wanted Saddle Creek and the Slumber Party Records guys involved in the say in the local lineup,” Owen said. But instead, they decided to go with a “battle of the bands” approach because “we thought it would be a good opportunity for people to get excited” about MAHA. The final local band line-up is Jes Winter Band, Little Brazil and Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship. It’s True, which is also playing, got invited without winning a contest because they are “kind of a favorite” of the YFC.

Owen said that indie bands Appleseed Cast and Army Navy are his “favorite bands on the bill.” So why relegate them to early afternoon time slots when no one will be there? “That’s where we felt they fit in the overall lineup,” he said, adding that G. Love and Dashboard got the plum 7 and 9 p.m. slots because “We kind of went by who we thought would pull the largest number of people.”

“It was a hard decision to make,” he added. “Were we going to hire a band for twice as much to play a festival environment that would be lucky to fill Slowdown on a Saturday night? Maybe we did this bigger than we should have. This whole thing is a learning experience.”

In the end, this year’s MAHA Festival has been an endless series of compromises, right down to the location. “Our first choice was Anchor Inn,” Owen said. Lewis and Clark Landing was chosen because “it’s plug and play, and we just wanted to get this first one under our belts.”

Things will be different next year, Owen said. They’re considering Levi Carter Park or Standing Bear Lake as possible locations, and plans call for forming a panel of local music experts to make recommendations for bands.

“The thing I keep coming back to with people not into the lineup is to go down and be a part of it anyway,” Owen said. “Be a part of an all-day festival and help us become viable for the future.”

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Tonight at Slowdown Jr, it’s Oakland, California low-fi garage punk-rock freak Nobunny. Check out his rabbit-masked hi-jinx on YouTube. Opening is Flamboyant Gods and Mr. Wizard. $7, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow: Whipkey

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Regarding yesterday’s blog item about Conor playing Jimi at Woodstock… I didn’t believe it, either, but I figured, heck, this is The Washington Post ferchrissake, the home of Woodward and Bernstein, they couldn’t possibly have gotten this wrong no matter how upside-down-and-backwards the story sounds.

Then yesterday afternoon I got an e-mail from a reader that said the following: “I also found it strange that Conor would be playing in place of the dead Jimi Hendrix. Seems The Washington Post got the facts wrong…figures! The kid’s name is Conrad Oberg…close but still wrong.”

He included links to two other stories, including this one in USA Today which shows a picture of Conrad in mid-shred.

The Post apparently printed a correction yesterday. Ironically, I can link to the original article online (and it still references Conor), but I can’t link to the correction because it’s “by subscription only.”

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We all make mistakes.

In last week’s column I referred to Saddle Creek’s Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson in second reference as MBAB — not MBAR. I blame fatigue and poor eyesight for the miscue, and have since fixed it on my website. Wish I could say that the typo was caught by the fine folks at The Reader…

* * *

The Lincoln Journal-Star reported yesterday (here) that Homer’s is closing its Lincoln store sometime next month. In the article, Homer’s general manager Mike Fratt said the economy and the inability to negotiate more favorable lease terms with the building’s owner combined to prompt the closing. “It was really ugly in October, really ugly in January and really ugly this month,” said Fratt in the LJS article, noting that Homer’s did not see a similar decline at its Omaha stores.

Does that mean we’re not going to see any Omaha Homer’s stores close their doors in the very near future? Hey Mike, I just bought three CDs at the Saddle Creek location Sunday! If you’re thinking of closing it, at least consider moving it to Benson. I think there’s an empty storefront that just became available where a bridal shop used to be.

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It’s a busy Tuesday music-wise.

Keyboard-and-drum pop-rock duo Shiver Shiver is playing at The Waiting Room with The Half Hearts. $7, 9 p.m.

Down the street at The Sydney, art-noise-rock trio Fromanhole is playing with The Stay Awake and The Short Histories of Powerful Nations. $5, 9 p.m.

And the Voodoo Organist returns once again to fabulous O’Leaver’s Pub, with godshamgod (formerly Prostitute America). $5, 9:30 p.m.

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Tomorrow: MAHA Explained…

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