Pt. 2 — which contains the actual predictions for next year — will be online next week. Until then…

Column 252: Visions of ’10, Pt. 1
The Sage looks back…

It’s that time of year again where I gaze into the lid of my magical Technics turntable and see visions of the future — your future! But before I do that, let’s look back at how I did last year.

I can say without reservation that last year’s predictions were the worst I’ve ever made in terms of accuracy. Part of the reason is that I let myself get carried away with technology. I predicted ’09 would see the beginning of a paradigm shift in how we listen to “broadcast” music. Instead of traditional terrestrial radio or satellite radio, Internet radio would emerge as a major player, thanks to the proliferation of simple Internet radio receivers that would allow you to tune into streamed Internet stations via wifi or 3G broadband. With this would come a rebirth of the traditional DJ, who would host these streamed broadcasts and become the nation’s music tastemakers.

Well, it didn’t happen. Yes, Blaupunkt did show off a new Internet car stereo at CES this past year, and Pandora has emerged as an important streaming music source, but nothing has really caught fire in terms of web radio. Wishful thinking? If it ever does happen, Internet radio will change the playing field and open up a whole new way for listeners to discover new music.

OK, so what else did I get wrong (and right) last year?

’09 Prediction: New “smart phones” will effectively killing the iPod and iPhone.

Reality: We said hello to Android and Pre, but neither have seriously bitten into Apple’s market share.

’09 Prediction: Record labels will evolve into entities that loan money to bands to allow them to tour and quit their day jobs, and act as mere brands that bands want to be associated with.

Reality: Not really, though labels continue to become more marginalized as the industry continues to decay.

’09 Prediction: Venues like The Waiting Room and Slowdown will begin to webstream live video broadcasts from their stages.

Reality: This one’s just around the corner.

’09 Prediction: One of Tim Kasher’s bands – Cursive or The Good Life – will release an album somewhere other than Saddle Creek. Creek will release a project this year that will outsell all of its past releases.

Reality: No, though no one knows where Edelweiss (Kasher’s solo project) will be released. And not only didn’t Creek not sign a huge new act, they lost Tokyo Police Club to Qprime label mom+pop.

’09 Prediction: A well-known local club will switch hands. A West Omaha club will catch traction among the indie crowd.

Reality: Mick’s became The Sydney (and no, that hadn’t been announced when I wrote that prediction last year). We’re still waiting for that West O club.

’09 Prediction: A young entrepreneur will launch a promotion company to compete with One Percent Productions.

Reality: One Percent continues to dominate the market, with no real local competition in sight.

’09 Prediction: Bands we’ll be talking about this time next year: Box Elders, Pavement, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies, Cursive, U2, Titus Andronicus, Spoon, The Show Is the Rainbow, Replacements, Outlaw Con Bandana, Liz Phair, Talking Mountain, Alessi’s Ark, Jake Bellows, Little Brazil, Denver Dalley, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fullblown.

Reality: For the most part, right on, except for those illusive Fullblown and Replacements reunions.

’09 Prediction: Bands we won’t be talking about this time next year: Girl Talk, Okkervil River, The Faint, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Nickelback, Britney, Kanye, Animal Collective, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Of Montreal, Metallica, British divas.

Reality: Well, The Faint just played three sold out dates at The Waiting Room, and Animal Collective’s EP was No. 1 on Pitchfork’s “best of ’09” list.

’09 Prediction: Conor Oberst will break the hearts of thousands of his female fans.

Reality: He’s still available, girls.

’09 Prediction: One of the city’s three renowned downtown record stores – Drastic Plastic, The Antiquarium or Homer’s Old Market – will close its doors.

Reality: Homer’s did close its Old Market store… only to reopen it a block west of its old location.

’09 Prediction: One of Omaha’s under-the-radar record labels will gain national attention when one of its bands breaks nationally.

Reality: Not yet, but Bear Country (on Slumber Party) could make it happen this year.

’09 Prediction: Due to the death of one of its members, we will say goodbye to one of the few remaining all-time classic rock acts that originated in the ’60s and is (was) still performing today. The loss will be recognized as the passing of an era.

Reality: They’re now called The Jackson Four.

’09 Prediction: ARC Studios will host an arena-level superstar to record his/her next album.

Reality: The closest thing (I know of) was Pete Yorn.

’09 Prediction: In an effort to attract new blood to the OEAA’s, one of this year’s OEAA showcases will be held at Slowdown.

Reality: Too bad that didn’t happen.

’09 Prediction: President Obama will announce a one-day concert that will feature some of the hottest indie and hip-hop acts performing alongside the biggest names in rock and jazz.

Reality: His inauguration celebration included Springsteen, Beyonce, Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and U2.

’09 Prediction: Instead of appearing on one of the usual late-night talk shows, a local band will break into television by scoring a commercial that will make one of its songs as notorious as Feist’s Apple commercial or Of Montreal’s Outback Steakhouse ads.

Reality: Thankfully, no.

Next week: Visions of 2010 — Hold onto your hat.

* * *

New Year’s Eve is always a bust when it comes to music. It’s a holiday designed for cover bands, which is really as it should be, I suppose. That said, there are still a couple good shows going on tonight.

Top of the list is the send-off for The Saddle Creek Bar. Tonight marks the venue’s “last show ever,” according to the venue’s Proprietor of Darkness, Mike Coldewey. As announced on the Saddle Creek Bar website:

Join us Dec. 31st (New Year’s Eve) for one last blowout musical event as we shutter the doors of the legendary Saddle Creek Bar. Appearances by local legends Cordial Spew and The Upsets will be augmented by a closing set by The Shidiots, our (former) bartender Cass Brostad and her Family Gram, and a plethora of solo artists making their last appearance on our venerable stage. As always — admission is free.

The SCB’s drive-thru liquor store also is having a going-out-of-business sale. What a way to close out a decade.

Also tonight, Satchel Grande and Marachi Zapata are at The Waiting Room, which closes its doors temporarily after its Jan 2 show. 9 p.m. $10. The Sydney is hosting a free show with The Mercury’s and free champaign. Starts at 9. And punk bands RAF, Hercules and Cordial Spew, along with five others are playing a show at The Hole at 715 S. 16th St. (under Convicted Skate Shop). 7 p.m., $5.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Another Faint show is in the books. It must have been the 20th time that I’ve seen them play live over the past decade, and last night’s show ranks right up there with the best of them. “The best of them” being (to me) the Sokol Underground shows from around the middle of the decade and The Waiting Room’s grand opening gig. Last night’s, however, was definitely in the running — the usual high-energy sweat-soaked bounce-a-thon that the band is known for. Great fun and great music, but… it’s the same songs I’ve been hearing them play for years. Not that it matters to anyone, least of all the folks who continue to have a good time pumping their fists to “Paranoia” and “Agenda Suicide” and the rest of them. My hats off to the band for continuing to draw a sizeable underage audience even though they only release new material every four or five years. As I’ve said before, if these kinds of nights are what they’re doing it for, why even bother recording new material? They could live off this live show for years to come. But is that going to keep them satisfied artistically? Who knows. Joel and Mike and Clark all are involved in other bands (Joel also keeps busy producing new bands at Enamel). For the fans in the audience this week, none of that matters. Viva la Faint for as long as The Faint shall be (See photo).

While I dug their set, I was more interested in seeing Digital Leather, and they didn’t disappoint. Shawn Foree and his band (that includes ex-Shanks) ripped through a set of songs off their new album. And while that record is dynamically broad, on stage these guys tear through everything in one gear — bam-bam-bam-bam-bam for every song, with no variance in dynamics or pace, which I suppose is expected of the genre, though I could have done with a touch more of the variety heard on the record. There’s nothing wrong with pulling it back, in fact it only makes the loud parts seem louder. Despite that, theirs was a more compelling set if only for its ingenuity. Digital Leather is a band to be reckoned with. I’m told that they’ve also been invited by SXSW to play at this year’s festival. Oh lord, what those Austinites are in for (See photo).

* * *

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, here’s the 2009 Year in Music story, complete with my various “favorites” lists including recordings and performances from ’09. Like I said Monday, this was written about two weeks ago, and some of the year’s best live shows were left out because they hadn’t taken place yet. If the story’s introduction seems dire, it’s because these are indeed dire times for the music industry, both nationally and locally. Who knows what the future holds, but that’s something I’ll be touching on in my “predictions” columns over the next two weeks (starting tomorrow). So without further ado, go read the Year in Music.

And while you’re contemplating the year that was 2009, enter to win a copy of the coveted Lazy-i Best of 2009 Sampler CD! I started putting together samplers 13 years ago as a way of sharing new music with friends and family who either don’t have the time or the resources to hear new music. And now you can become part of that “inner circle.” Just send me an e-mail (to tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you’ll be entered into a drawing for a free copy. Tracks include songs by Yo La Tengo, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, Box Elders, Micachu and the Shapes, Cursive, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, The xx, Digital Leather, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. Enter today. Deadline is Jan. 18.

* * *

Tonight is The Faint Part 3 at The Waiting Room. As with the other two shows, it’s sold out and has been for weeks. Opening are two Lincoln bands, UUVVWWZ and Plack Blague. Show starts as 9.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Bear Country is evolving once again. When I heard them this summer, their sound had gone from run-of-the-mill to something special. Well, their sound continues to get even more special; if last night’s packed LP-release show at Slowdown Jr. (just south of 200 attended) is any indication. The band played songs off the new EP, Frozen Lake, and there were a few rough moments as vocalist Susan Sanchez suffered from a soar throat. Ah, but the show must go on, no matter how raspy your voice is. In the end, she sounded fine.

The big change, however, came in the form of their new songs, specifically two tunes that were fronted by guitarist/vocalist James Maakestad. Both started out with Maakestad playing a simple folk-versed melody by himself on acoustic guitar. When both songs started, I thought they were pretty if not repetitive. Maybe too repetitive, especially over the course of multiple verses. To be honest, I was beginning to get bored, but then slowly the rest of the band joined in on the repetition, and grew the songs to anthemic levels before falling back again. These songs seemed to go on for 10 minutes or more each, and were probably too long in the build-up stage, but the pay off was exquisite, especially for the last song of the evening. Now I want to hear them again… (See photo).

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room is Night 2 of The Faint’s three sold-out nights. If I had to choose one of the three nights to attend, it would be tonight as Digital Leather is opening, along with FTL Drive. Digital Leather’s new album, Warm Brother, is one of the best surprises of ’09 — a terrific electric garage rock album that you can actually dance to. Which makes them a perfect opener for The Faint. Show starts at 9 p.m. Get there early.

Tomorrow: The Year in Review 2009.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

A week ago today I had my deadline for the annual Year in Review article for The Reader (which will be posted here at Lazy-i on Wednesday). One major focus of the piece is my list of favorite shows of ’09. Because of that deadline, some of the best shows of the year are missing from the list — the Conor Oberst show from last Tuesday, the Mousetrap show last Wednesday, the Mal Madrigal show Saturday and last night’s Good Life show at Slowdown. No doubt tonight’s Bear Country show also would have made the list, as well as the three sold out Faint shows that begin tonight and run through Wednesday. These last two weeks of ’09 are the best two weeks’ of shows of the year.

Anyway, Mal Madrigal on Saturday night. The blizzard of ’09 V.2 couldn’t stop this one. Streets were slick but passable. On my way down to The Slowdown I watched as people in rear-wheel drive cars drove backwards down streets after giving up. I nearly was smashed a few times by big-shouldered SUVs that weren’t going to share the road with anyone. I saw dark and lifeless cars abandoned in snow banks.

But I made it. And so did a few hundred more people. I had thought the Slowdown folks had made a mistake on their website and forgot to post that the show was on the small stage, but I was wrong. The show was indeed on the big stage, and good thing that it was as it would have sold out the small room.

Steve Bartolomei, Mal Madrigal’s frontman and songwriter, is nothing if not consistent. His uptempo numbers always have had a waltz-time lilt combined with south-of-the-border guitars and melodies. On some songs, it’s almost Flamenco, but not really. Alt-Flamenco? It’s too Americana for that. It’s really just acoustic folk music with a hint of Spanish gypsy, enough to recognize the influence. While Bartolomei is strumming, sideman Mike Saklar blends in his own Andalusian tones. It’s this ethic flair that pumped life into some of the evening’s best numbers (and best songs on the new LP). The highlight was the stomping “Kill Floor Rebellion,” which had the blood-red sunset color of a Robert Rodriguez mariachi western filmed in a meat-packing town in western Nebraska – a song that’s both angry and desperate. (See photo).

But more central to Bartolomei’s music are the sad-guy waltzes — slump-shouldered sorry-for-yourself acoustic dirges designed to make your chest throb in lost loneliness. Bartolomei always has had a good voice, but it’s never sounded stronger and more assured than last Saturday night. I’d tell you that he’s found his voice, but he always knew where it was. Joining him on stage were Saklar, Dan McCarthy (bass), Chris Esterbrooks (keyboards) and Pat Oakes (drums). All perform on the new album, From the Fingers of Trees, along with Ben Brodin and Nate Walcott. What makes the vinyl package a big step forward for Mal Madrigal is the variety of its 10 tracks, ending with bluesy rock-jam “Hush.” I bought a copy of the record at the show and was at first taken aback by the price — $20. But for your money you get a hand silk-screened album jacket, the vinyl and a full-processed CD of the music, along with a couple inserts. The jacket is artwork suitable for framing. And each is hand numbered from a series of 400. You can buy your copy at Etsy, here.

So yes, that show would have made my end-of-year “favorites” list. So would have last night’s Good Life show at The Slowdown. I’d been watching the One Percent site all week, wondering if the gig would sell out. Sure enough, it did at around 9 p.m. Inside, it was one of the largest crowds I’ve seen at a Slowdown show — packed shoulder to shoulder.

I got there just in time to catch about half a set from one of the openers — I’m not sure who it was, but I know it wasn’t Old Canes or Outlaw Con Bandana, which leaves either Fourth of July (though there were no women on stage) or Chris Seseney and his band (I don’t know what Chris looks like). Whoever it was, they played a blazing set of tight, garage-y rock that got the crowd warmed up for the headliners.

It was one of the best Good Life shows I’ve seen. Tim Kasher looked genuinely happy to be back on stage with his mates, playing some of the best songs he’s ever written, including selections from all the records, but pulling heavily from Album of the Year and Help Wanted Nights. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard these songs on stage, and they felt familiar as slipping on an old coat.

About three songs into the set, Kasher introduced a fifth member of the band joining Roger Lewis (drums), Ryan Fox (guitar, keys) and Steph Drootin (bass). The new member made a timid entrance, spending most of the song with just her nose peaking out from behind the stage-right curtain. I thought I might be seeing things until Kasher said she could come out on stage, and there she was, to the whooping of the crowd, Kasher’s dog — a brown-and-white mutt with a red bandana tied around her neck. The crowd loved her so much that Kasher said, “Get her off the stage, she’s hogging all the attention.” Instead, she wandered around throughout the set, finally lying at his feet during one of the evening’s more quiet numbers. Needless to say, it was a relaxed evening. At one point, Kasher began playing “Album of the Year” — a crowd favorite (and one of mine) — and screwed up a line, started over, screwed it up again, then gave up and said, “I’m just not into the song right now. We’ll play it later.” And he did, during the encore, which also included a big, throbbing cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain,” that featured Outlaw’s Pearl Loveioy Boyd on backing vocals, Drootin nailing the song’s iconic bass break and Fox doing his best Lindsey Buckingham axe grinding. (See photo)

The encore ended with Kasher doing what sounded like an improvised version of a song alone on keyboards before being joined by the rest of the band for the big closer, pushing the show past 1 a.m. Epic. My only quibble was with the sound. From my vantage point on the tier along stage left, Drootin’s bass overpowered everything for the entire set. It sounded like a dub version of The Good Life. I’m surprised that whoever was running the main board didn’t make some adjustments, but maybe that dominating bass was what the band was going for. It wasn’t the only sound problems. Kasher commented that, for some reason, his guitar sounded “all distorted,” and back-stage sound guy Dan Brennan ran out and fiddled with an amp right behind Kasher. And then, during the encore version of “Album of the Year,” some dopey young couple came running up the stairs and tried to run out the emergence exit, setting off an alarm (right next to me). Brennan again came to the rescue, but it clearly fucked up the pace of the song, though Kasher and Co. recovered nicely.

So, I’ve been to four shows in the past week and have two more in the next two days to close out the year. Tonight’s show is the Bear Country 10-inch release show at Slowdown Jr. (You read about their new album right here in lazy-i already, right?). Opening is McCarthy Trenching and Sean Pratt. $7, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, The Faint begins its three-day sold out stay at The Waiting Room. Opening for them tonight are Somasphere and Honey & Darling. 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Being snowed isn’t so bad as long as you got power, and heat, and food. In the past when we had a snowstorm like the one we just had, the power would still be out here. This time we had full power the whole time, so it was actually a nice respite from the holiday noise. The snow plows have made their way through the major arteries, which makes me assume that tonight’s Mal Madrigal LP release show is still on at The Slowdown (I haven’t heard otherwise). Opening the show are Machineshop (Tiffany Kowalski) and Tin Kite (Stefanie Drootin and Chris Senseney). $8, 9 p.m. BTW, this is not listed as a “front room” show on the Slowdown site – I don’t know if that’s an oversight or if they really expect a huge crowd, but I’m guessing this is probably in the front room.

Tomorrow night’s show, however, is definitely in the big room — The Good Life with Fourth of July, Old Canes, Chris Senseney and Outlaw Con Bandana. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen The Good Life — maybe a year? This one is a real surprise. $10, 9 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Finally, Mousetrap.

Last night’s set at The Waiting Room might be the most cohesive set that they’ve ever played. Certainly it was their longest. What’s the old saying — you always sound best at the CD release shows, the farewell show and the reunion show.

For me, the most amazing part: Some of their music is nearly 20 years old but it’s as good, or better than, what we’re getting now from bands out there that are just getting started. It held up well. And at times during the set, it was like hearing some of those songs again for the first time.

There was always something subversive or obscene about Mousetrap. They were indeed an underground band in their short-lived heyday. You needed to know someone who knew them to know them, or you had to shop at The Antiquarium. You weren’t going to find them on your own, that’s for sure. And once you did find them, it was going to take awhile to figure out what they were about.

A band could be subversive back then; it could be “underground.” That’s simply not possible anymore, especially if you’re any good. And Mousetrap was good. Dave Sink knew it, Grass Records knew it, John Peel knew it, a lot of kids that would become central to the Omaha music scene and Saddle Creek Records knew it. In the end, it didn’t matter. Their music was too “out there,” too abrasive, too disturbing for a larger audience to appreciate.

Time has blunted the illicit nature of Mousetrap. In an era where nothing is shocking, their music also no longer has the ability to shock. And that changes everything. Instead of disturbing, Mousetrap’s music merely sounds like loud, fast, hard, distorted, and perfectly stylized post-punk, which I’ve always thought they were trying to be anyway. They just wanted to be a rock band, and now they are. What was once unrecognizable is now pop. Which is an overblown way of saying their music may be more relevant now than it ever was back in the ’90s. Especially considering the lack of good, heavy music these days.

The setting couldn’t be more perfect. The Wagon Blasters — ex-Frontier Trust, another band from the era — opened. They were followed by Beep Beep, a band clearly influenced by Mousetrap. And then another band who — along with Frontier Trust — often shared the bill with Mousetrap in the ’90s: the reunited Mercy Rule, bigger and badder than ever. I caught the full Mercy Rule set and it was as if they never stopped playing all those years ago. They rolled out a couple new songs, one of which is probably harder and faster than anything they’ve ever done before (and which I can’t wait to hear recorded).

It all led up to Mousetrap. Yeah, Buchanan and Crawford looked older than the last time they took the stage together, but no worse for wear (see live photo). In fact, Buchanan looked the part of the rock star — Big City Hair, as one guy put it. He had the look and the style. But most of all, still he had the chops — his voice, his guitar, sounded pristine. And then there was Crawford’s amazing bass playing — an aerobic workout — and his voice also never sounded better. Time has been kind to these guys. New drummer Mike Mazzola did what he needed to do to hold it all together.

Together, the band sounded more rock than punk, or at least more rock than I remembered them sounding. The highlights were my favorites from the past — “Superkool,” “Mariko,” “I Know Where You Live,” “Wired.” There were a couple missing from the bunch, chief among them “Have Fun in Hell” and the El Fino Imperials classic “Step Off.” But hey, you can’t have everything.

The set list from last night (via the set list found on stage):

Signal To Noise
Mariko
Flamer
Ribbed
I Know Where You Live
The Coathanger Kid
People Who Disappear
Wired
Sweet Dreams Baby
Superkool

(Encore)
The Last Dance
Give it

The only thing that sounded different other than the drums was the way the band seemed to stretch out the endings of a couple songs — to their betterment. Overall, Mousetrap sounded, well, groovier, less static, certainly less angry. Looking at them smiling on stage, it’s hard to remember Buchanan’s terse, pained scowl and volcanic spitting from the old days. They were having a good time. I think they may have been surprised by the size of the crowd, commenting that it was the biggest show they every played. It wouldn’t have been a Mousetrap show without some sort of technical difficulty — a broken string, a blown amp. So in keeping with their history, Crawford’s bass cut out at the end of “Superkool.” He fiddled with plugs and switches and finally got it going again before the song ended. Perfection.

So what next? I asked both Crawford and Buchanan after the show, and neither could say. Crawford said they’ve talked about working together on another project. After all, they only live about five hours away from each other. Whatever happens, Craig said he plans on continuing playing. It would be a shame if he didn’t. Buchanan always kept playing after Mousetrap ended and I have no doubt that he’ll continue to do so with our without Crawford, but wouldn’t it be cool if they kept it together? I’d love it if a label like Team Love would either reissue a Mousetrap album or create a “best of” collection that pulls together songs from the various singles and albums. And then the band hooked up with one of Omaha’s bigger players for a three-week tour. And then, who knows. Wishful thinking on my part, but I guess it’s the right time of year for that sort of thing.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I stand by my earlier statements that Oberst is at his best when he’s the center of attention, i.e., Bright Eyes. Whereas Mystic Valley Band was an interesting diversion, and Monsters of Folk is certainly fun (for him), his best work has been with his original band. Or maybe I’m just being sentimental.

After all, backing him last night on The Waiting Room stage was half of Cursive (Ted Stevens and Matt Maginn), a piece of The Faint (Clark Baechle, stellar on drums, as always) and the ever-talented Dan McCarthy. It got even more maudlin when Simon Joyner joined him for a four-song encore (two Joyner songs, two Oberst songs) along with Alex McManus, Mike Friedman and a plethora of musicians from the opening bands.

Dressed formally in a velvet sport jacket and clean-shaven for the holidays, Oberst backed by his friends ran through a passionate set that included old and not-so-old Bright Eyes songs (including a couple I’d never heard before) along with a few Mystic Valley tunes that seemed Bright Eyes-ish when played by this line-up. The performance felt easy and comfortable, well played, as good as any BE or MV set, but strangely better because everything seemed familiar. The only thing missing was the old-time Conor drama that used to mark his earlier shows; those days are long gone.

Besides, the weather provided enough drama for the evening. Twice during the show Oberst told fans they could crash at The Waiting Room if they were afraid to drive home. I don’t know if anyone took him up on the offer. Probably not, considering that the streets were fine when I left at around 1. Tonight could be a different story entirely. I suspect that regardless of any ice or snow that the show will go on. It has to. This may be a once-in-a-lifetime event. The boys from Mousetrap are in town from Chicago, and I can’t see any way that this show could be rescheduled.

It starts at 9 with The Wagon Blasters, followed by either Beep Beep or Mercy Rule, then Mousetrap. All four for just $8. My hope is that the sleet turns to snow during the show, and we all have enough traction to get home alive — that is if we survive the sheer force, power and concentrated anger of Mousetrap. Tonight’s show was the talk of last night’s show. What will the trio bring to the table after all these years? What will they play? As was reported (here), the band says they intend to play a variety of songs off all their albums and singles. I have a feeling it could be something special… if we all make it home alive.

* * *

I’m beginning to think that Bear Country could be poised to break out in 2010, based on their soon-to-be-released EP. Now all they have to do is get on the road and get heard…

Column 251: The Bear Session
Bear Country reinvents itself with Frozen Lake

Compared to Cowboy Junkies’ The Trinity Session, Bear Country’s new EP, Frozen Lake, is downright uplifting.

In fact, the two bands don’t have much in common other than a similar love for laid-back country swing, and heartfelt melodies, and a great female vocalist, and terrific musicianship. Come to think of it they do have a lot in common despite the fact that the bands’ albums are separated by 21 years.

I was the one who brought up The Trinity Session, offhandedly mentioning that Frozen Lake‘s recording had a sonic density and distance similar to the 1988 classic, which legend has it was recorded in Toronto’s Holy Trinity church with a single microphone. I just assumed the folks in Bear Country knew what I was talking about, until about 20 minutes into the interview, when I said, “Uh, have you heard The Trinity Session?” Of course none of the twenty-somethings had, and I was exposed once again as the presumptuous ass that I am.

After I further described the album’s recording approach, vocalist/guitarist James Maakestad said the band was after a similar sort of ethereal sound when keyboardist Aaron Markley recorded Bear Country at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Strauss Recital Hall. “We were observing the way a note decays, and had to be sensitive to that,” Maakestad said, surrounded by Markley, guitarist/vocalist Mike Schlesinger and drummer Cody Peterson in Markley’s Benson-area home. Vocalist Susan Sanchez and bassist Matthew Owens round out the band.

“We were interested in having listeners hang over the edge of something,” Maakestad said. “We were doing that with sparsity rather than having everything going on at the same time. It’s about phrasing it so that it’s like listening to some story that has dynamic contrast and drama.”

To me, Bear Country is the most surprising band of ’09. When I first heard them perform a few years ago right after Slowdown first opened, they came off as one-dimensional — a hipster-driven cookie-cutter country band that was, quite frankly, boring. I’d written them off as talented, but uninspired and over-hyped.

And then this past June I saw them perform again as part of a Slumber Party Records showcase at The Waiting Room, and was blown away. The formulaic balladry had been replaced with intensely dynamic folk rock that sounded like it fell out of the sky circa 1968. Each player sauntered around the stage with a cool ease and confidence of a band whose every member shared the same great idea. They were unrecognizable, with a sound that reminded me of early Mazzy Star, The Silos, Grant Lee Buffalo, and, yes, Cowboy Junkies, but with a modern, youthful twist.

Their evolution began after spending six months in Bassline Studio at the tail end of 2007. “Through the course of that recording session, we heard how it was developing and realized we didn’t like it too much,” Markley said.

“Hearing yourself back changes your ear,” Maakestad added. “I think it gave us some time to think about what we needed to do to attain the sound we wanted, something a bit more blended. A lot of mainstream music is overproduced — none of it blends so you can hear everything perfectly.”

Instead, the band wanted listeners to get lost in the recording. “Not being able to hear everything at once gives you a reason to listen to it again,” Maakestad said. “Those were some of the things we became conscious of — not having everything be perfectly clear.”

So they threw out most of the Bassline sessions and started over, at UNO, where Markley — a percussion major with an emphasis on music technology — had access to the university’s recording studio and equipment. “We recorded groups of instruments live,” Maakestad said. “That was a change from Bassline, where we tracked every single instrument.”

“Several things were recorded in the (Strauss) Recital Hall,” Markley said. “We also recorded in hallways. We had a lot of different spaces and different sounds.”

The result is a moody 7-song EP with grand scope, open space and beauty, balanced by lyrics typical of the title track’s opening line: “I sat down on the edge / Of a frozen lake / I was thinking to myself, ‘oh man, a poor boy will never catch a break.'”

“Some of the songs are about that feeling of being let down, to the point of becoming indifferent,” Maakestad said. “It’s like waves that keep coming and don’t stop, and you might as well get used to it.”

As much as anything else, Bear Country’s sound is a natural evolution that comes with growing up. “Age was a big contributor,” said Maakestad, who wrote most of the songs with Schlesinger and Sanchez. “I was only 17 when we recorded that first record (2006’s Our Roots Need Rain).”

“A lot of our sound back then had to do with what we were listening to,” Schlesinger added. And what was that? “Rilo Kiley and indie pop.” Since then, the band has graduated to listening to classic and contemporary folk and country. Maakestad said two years of music school got him interested in deconstructing music. “A lot of my influence comes from impressionist composers like Ravel and Debussy, stuff like that,” he said.

It all comes together like a forlorn hoe-down, a musical celebration of futility and the perfect way to start a new decade after being beaten down by the last one.

Frozen Lake comes out on 10-inch vinyl Jan. 12, 2010, on Slumber Party Records. Bear Country celebrates the release Dec. 28 at Slowdown Jr. with McCarthy Trenching and Sean Pratt. $7, 9 p.m.

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God, I hope this weather doesn’t screw up the next couple of days. Tonight is the Conor Oberst solo set at The Waiting Room with Renee Ledesma Hoover and Simon Joyner opening. It’s sold out and has been for a month or so. Tonight’s forecast calls for freezing rain at around 8 p.m. and later after midnight. Could get nasty. Then tomorrow night is the Mousetrap reunion show with Wagon Blasters, Beep Beep and Mercy Rule. Again, freezing rain is in the forecast for the evening, but maybe we’ll get lucky. The heavy snow isn’t supposed to hit until Thursday. But it’s not the snow that gets ya, it’s the ice. Keep your fingers crossed.

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Catching up on the past weekend, I caught Comme Reel’s set at a crowded O’Leaver’s on Saturday night. As you may or may not know, Comme Reel is the folks from No Blood Orphan, headed up by Mike Saklar. Mike started the set by explaining that Comme Reel’s music is so different than NBO that they decided to go under a different name for the project. He then warned that they were going to play everything off the new EP — 29 minutes straight without a break. “It’s like a soundtrack to a nice romantic drive to Fremont,” he said.

I don’t know about the romance part, but the road music comparison was apt. Comme Reel’s sound is dark, throbbing, cinematic blacktop music so vivid that you can almost see the white stripes strobing in the headlights though the windshield. Moody. Engrossing. Suspenseful. Sure enough, the set lasted 29 minutes on the nose. They broke away from Comme Reel to play a few NBO songs to close out the night, making me realize just how poppy NBO’s music really is. Great stuff.

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Tomorrow: Bear Country.

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The holidays are a hectic time and the weather’s been abysmal, so please excuse me if I miss a day’s worth of updates here and there as I did yesterday. Did anyone notice? I didn’t have much to say anyway, other than to point out a few fun things:

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For those of you into year-end lists, every year Matador Records posts a doozy. It compiles “favorites” from a variety of bands and personalities that have some connection to their label. The list/blog entry is here. The part I like the most is label exec Gerard Cosloy’s submission. And lo and behold (at the very end of the entry) Gerard mentions our very own Box Elders and their album, Alice and Friends. James McNew from Yo La Tengo also included Box Elders on his year-end list.

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In the Mousetrap story that went online Wednesday (and is in the current issue of The Reader) I mentioned that while in Manila in ’07, Mousetrap’s Patrick Buchanan starred in a couple television commercials. They were for Philippines radio station NU107, and one (titled “Room Service”) featured Buchanan in the role of a stereotypical inebriated rock star trashing a hotel room, ending with him trying — but unable to — yank a plasma TV off the wall. The commercial’s catch phrase: “Times have changed.” Buchanan said the taping took place in a real hotel room and he really did trash it. Well, someone forwarded me a link to Buchanan’s old blog and there at the bottom of the entry — dated November 20, 2007 — is the actual commercial in living color. Take a look. It’s awesome.

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Speaking of videos, Little Brazil’s video for “Separated” is finally online, in gorgeous hi-def here. How many people do you recognize?

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This weekend is busy for shows, and my suggestion is for you to get in as much live music while you can because the January show schedules look mighty thin. In fact, this might be the slowest January music-wise on record…

Tonight (Friday)

Tim Kasher will be performing solo material tonight at The Sydney under the moniker Edelweiss. Also playing sets are Cursive cohort Ted Stevens and McCarthy Trenching. $7, 8 p.m.

Also tonight, The Dinks are back at O’Leaver’s with The Prairies and Watching the Trainwreck. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Saturday

Comme Reel (the same guys in No Blood Orphan) celebrates the release of its new CD Saturday night at O’Leaver’s with John Klemmensen and The Party, Ben Brodin, Brad Hoshaw, Eric Baughman and Lincoln Dickison. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Underwater Dream Machine plays at The Barley St. Tavern with Traveling Mercies and Manny Coon. $5, 9 p.m.

And Led Zeppelin tribute band The Song Remains the Same plays at The Waiting Room. $7, 9 p.m.

Sunday

Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship plays The Waiting Room Sunday night with The Stay Awake and At Land (ex-Fizzle Like a Flood). $7, 9 p.m.

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Just posted, an interview with Patrick Buchanan and Craig Crawford of Mousetrap. The story (here) reads just like an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music — it covers the band’s rise, fall and return — specifically their return for next Wednesday’s reunion show at The Waiting Room. Go read the story and then buy a ticket to the concert — it’s only $8. Also on the showbill are Mercy Rule, Wagon Blasters (ex-Frontier Trust) and Beep Beep (Their second to last performance ever). It’ll be like 1994 all over again, and the ticket money even goes to a good cause, so everyone wins.

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