Just posted, an interview with Weatherbox frontman Brian Warren (read it here). Warren talks about why he prefers being in a band vs. writing and performing music by himself in the studio. He also talks about luring Little Brazil frontman Landon Hedges away to the Left Coast to join his band. Check it out. I’d tell you to buy tickets to Saturday night’s Weatherbox show, but it’s at O’Leaver’s and there ain’t no tickets for sale — you’ll have to pay your $5 at the door. This one will be crowded, as both The Photo Atlas and Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies also are playing. Get there early.

* * *

Speaking of shows, tonight The Korey Anderson Band opens a show at The Waiting Room for Caleb Hawley and Reed Waddle. Anderson had one of the best songs on this year’s Christmas at Pine Ridge compilation. In fact, his voice is so high and purty on the track (which opens the collection) that I thought it was woman singing (and a hot one at that). Turns out it was just Anderson, who may or may not be hot (I’ve never actually met him). Anderson’s band is an all-star line-up featuring Craig Balderston (bass), Wayne Brekke (percussion), Andrew Penke (guitar & keys) and Michael Campbell (guitar). 9 p.m. $7.

Also tonight, the Lincoln Exposed Festival is in full swing. Here’s tonight’s schedule with Z=Zoo D=Duffy’s B=The Bourbon Theater

06:00 (Z) Triggertown [bluegrass/roots]
06:30 (D) Son Del Llano [salsa/latin]
07:30 (Z) Dr. John Walker [pop/rock]
08:00 (D) Ron Wax [rock/garage]
08:45 (Z) Ember Schrag . South Of Lincoln . Kill County [singer/songwriter]
09:00 (B) Josh Hill Band [rock/blues]
09:30 (D) Her Flyaway Manner [progressive/rock]
10:15 (Z) Bottlerocket [ska]
10:20 (B) Hundreds Miles [folk/rock]
11:00 (D) The Vingins [psychedelic/rock]
11:30 (Z) Tie These Hands [indie/pop]
12:00 (B) The Amalgamators [americana/rock]

Just $6 gets you into all the venues all night. The festival runs through the weekend, and the full schedule is in Facebook, here.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Yes I know I’m overselling The Hole by even mentioning The Cog Factory, and no it has nothing to do with my 2010 predictions (which so far have been uncanny). While its success or failure will depend solely on the folks running it, maybe just as important is the booking. I talked to one local garage rock musician about The Hole this weekend and he said he’s waiting for a band outside of the skatepunk/hardcore genre to perform there before he checks it out. The fact is The Cog booked a diverse collection of bands including quite a few nationals that would go on to become some of the most important bands of that era. Will Black Heart be able to do the same thing? Time will tell, though a glance at their calendar indicates The Hole’s initial focus is squarely on punk and little else. That said, Mr. Wright told me Saturday that he’s already been approached by some of the area’s non-punk musicians (including local bluesman Matt Cox) about playing at the all-ages club. If that happens, and if The Hole becomes an option for touring bands looking for a place to play an early set for an all-ages crowd (without having to deal with Omaha’s archaic permission-slip restrictions), comparisons to The Cog may not be so far-fetched.

Column 258: Long Live The Hole
The all-ages club closes, then reopens.

This story of the death and rebirth of an all-ages music venue (in 24 hours) begins with me being chastised by show promoter Lucas Wright.

He’d read my annual “Predictions” column and took offense to the part where I said no young local promoter had stepped up in ’09 to give One Percent Productions a run for its money. “You couldn’t be more off base,” Wright ranted. “I think you may be just unaware what’s been going on in some circles of music in Omaha. I know I don’t own my own venue and book HUGE national touring acts very often, but there’s still a LOT going on in underground music that you have no idea about, Tim.”

Of that, I had no doubt. Wright sent along a list of shows he’d put together under the moniker Black Heart Booking — a long list, made up of such local high-flyers as Ladyfinger, UUVVWWZ, It’s True, Simon Joyner and The Stay Awake; national bands such as The Have Nots (Boston), Theodore (St. Louis) and Dozal Brothers (Texas), and venues including Slowdown, The 49’r, The Sydney, The Barley St. and, most of all, The Hole.

I’d been hearing about The Hole, which I was told was in the basement of the Convicted Skateboards shop at 715 So. 16th St. The all-ages venue was where Wright had been focusing his attention for the past few months. So I figured I’d kill two birds with one stone — get Wright’s story and also check out this new all-ages club.

When I arrived at Convicted, Wright led me downstairs to The Hole. It was pretty much what I expected — a drab, low-ceiling cinderblock basement with a mattress wrapped around one of the support poles. Pieces of skateboard ramp were littered along the concrete floor. But something was wrong. Where was the stage?

Wright told me that just the day before, Convicted’s landlord showed up for a surprise inspection, unaware that shows were being held in the basement. And that, as they say, was that. Regardless of the landlord visit, it was only a matter of time until someone would have put a stop to it. While local police had checked out shows and let them go on, one visit from a fire marshal would have shut them down. The public entrance to The Hole was an unmarked 3-foot-high door in the side of wall. The single bathroom was a plywood stall with a toilet bolted to the floor. You get the picture.

But despite the spartan conditions, The Hole had quickly earned a reputation as a place where youth could enjoy their music and skateboard without being hassled. Yes, it was a basement, but it was their basement.

The day The Hole ended, Convicted owner Anna Diederich, who runs the shop with husband Donny (Double D), needed to find another venue for a show booked at The Hole that very night. She remembered that shortly after Convicted opened, she had met Cindy Sechser, the owner of the long-closed Diamond Bar located right across the street. Sechser had told Donny she was looking for someone to do something with the old bar.

“Donny was out of town when all this went down,” Anna said, “So I called Cindy and told her what had happened.” And so The Diamond became The Hole.

That Saturday afternoon a small team of teenagers was busy inside the old bar building a stage under the direction of Cordial Spew frontman Jay Bacon. The night’s show was scheduled to begin in just a few hours. Power and audio cables already had been fished from the PA — brought over from the old Hole — to the soundboard in the back of the room. Old furniture and other dusty junk still needed to be cleared out.

The new Hole appears to have a lot going for it. It has a similar layout as The Barley St. Tavern — a long barroom next to a separate stage room. There’s one functioning bathroom and room for a second that needs repair. The building is a stone’s throw from Douglas County Corrections, which means there will be plenty of cops keeping an eye on things. There’s also parking across the street in Convicted’s lot (as well as on-street parking). Best of all, the club is rent-free. Money from the door is split between the landlord, Convicted, Black Heart Booking and the bands.

“Technically, The Hole is run by Donny and me, but it’s more of a collective,” Anna said. “We have meetings every week and agreements on the way things are run. Everyone pitches in. Donny’s cousin, Leonard, is the door guy. Jay (Bacon) does sound, and either Donny or I are at every show — we lock up and patrol.”

Could The Hole become a modern-day Cog Factory? Only time will tell. “When the kids refer to The Hole or the skateboard shop, they say it’s their place,” Anna said. “They put their sweat into it and help out in all kinds of ways. I just like watching them enjoy themselves and have a good time.”

Wright has shows booked at The Hole through July. You can check out the schedule at myspace.com/theholeomaha. Most shows start at 7 p.m. and end by a parent-friendly 11 p.m. The club has strict no drinking/no drugs rules that Wright said are stringently enforced. There’s also a no-pretention rule.

“The other night, we heard one kid tell another that he ‘wasn’t punk enough’ to be there,” Wright said. “We quickly put an end to that. That’s not what this place is about.”

So while Black Heart Booking will continue, Wright says The Hole is his labor of love. “I’m in this for the long run,” he said. “I want my kids to go to shows there some day.”

* * *

Tomorrow: Weatherbox

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Before we get to it, I’ve updated yesterday’s blog post at the insistence of members of It’s True, so go back and read it again if you only read it before 5 p.m. yesterday (otherwise, skip it).

* * *

A couple SXSW updates…

Little Brazil will be playing the festival this year in Austin, according to LB guitarist Greg Edds. Venues and times have yet to be scheduled.

Thunder Power’s official SXSW show also has yet to be scheduled, but they have three unofficial shows already slated. They’re playing at The Parlor at 9:45 p.m. on Tuesday 3/16; Sonny’s Vintage at 5 p.m. on Friday 3/19, and the band is teaming up with It’s True for a day show at Lovey’s Loot on Saturday 3/20.

So as it stands now, Omaha participants at SXSW are It’s True, Digital Leather, Thunder Power, The Mynabirds, UUVVWWZ and Little Brazil.

More details as they become available.

* * *

Tomorrow: Black Heart Booking and the rise and fall of The Hole…

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It was a strange, mopey night at The Waiting Room Saturday, or maybe I was the mopey one. The crowd seemed restless for a good time and you’d figure they’d get it from Eagle Seagull, who announced from stage that their full length is finally coming out March 28 (but they didn’t say who was putting it out, maybe they’re doing it themselves?). Edit: A reader pointed out that I reported back in December (in this blog entry) that the record is coming out on [PIAS] Recordings.

If the band seemed a bit listless it might have something to do with not having one of their guitarists — has there has been a personnel change that I wasn’t aware of or was he just under the weather? Or maybe their rather detached performance had something to do with violinist/keyboardist Carrie Butler, who looked sullen bordering on upset throughout their entire set (Or maybe that’s just her way). No matter. The music was the usual good stuff, despite the band looking bored and distracted (They say Fleetwood Mac’s best album was borne out of conflict.)

The chatter in the crowd focused on It’s True, who has announced that its having a CD release party for their debut full-length at TWR April 30. No one, however, knows who is releasing it, and now people are speculating that the band will release it themselves.. No one understands why this band doesn’t have labels nipping at its heels, be they local or national imprints. Here’s a band with a solid collection of songs that seems willing to do whatever is necessary to get the music in front of a larger audience. What more could a label want? Then again, it’s getting harder for bands to figure out why they need to be on a label at all, other than the bank and the marketing that goes with it (and certainly they’d like someone to pick up the tab for their recording). Distribution, which was a key advantage in the old days, is losing its value as more people quit buying CDs altogether.

By now, the story of Eagle Seagull’s multi-year constipation in releasing their material is well documented, which doesn’t make it any less unfortunate. They were a rocket left on the launching pad, bogged down with too many delays until people began to wonder whether the darn thing could ever get off the ground. If nothing happens with their new record, it’ll be another in a series of tragedies that seems to characterize Nebraska bands these days. No one wants to see what happened to ES happen to It’s True, which is why if the band decides to put out the record themselves that it makes all the sense in the world, especially in an era where patience is often mistaken for indifference. It’s True has to push forward right now, and should a label suddenly take interest in them, they can always release the album again. In the meantime, they’re hitting their stride, growing with every performance, which means there’s never going to be a better time to get out and share it with the rest of the world. (See photo).

Friday night was spent at O’Leaver’s with The Third Men and Des Moines rock band North of Grand. My take on The Third Men: Just about any bar or venue would be better off having them perform in some sort of residency capacity, say every second Thursday or the first Friday of the month. The Third Men play good-time rock music for smart people who recognize well-played good-time rock music. There’s something comfortable and familiar with their sound, which is probably due to the fact that the band grew up — and continues to — love good, unpretentious (and fun) rock music. It also helps that they roll out a few covers with every set. This time they unveiled a snarling version of Warren Zevon’s “Poor Poor Pitful Me,” along with “Next Time Round,” an Elvis Costello chestnut off of 1986’s Blood and Chocolate (That’s right, that record came out 23 years ago).

Chatting with North of Grand’s drummer Pat Curtis before their set, I was expecting a full-on punk attack, but in fact NoG has more in common with post-punk power rock than straight-up punk (and to me, that’s a good thing). Despite being hard with their guitars, the band isn’t afraid of hooks or cranking up white-knuckle backbeat rhythms right after a break. For whatever reason, I was reminded of post-punk acts like Bad Religion, Fugazi and Husker Du. But that’s just me. With four albums under their wing — all apparently self-released — it’s bands like this that epitomize the DIY business approach that every band will have to adopt sooner or later. Just ask It’s True. (See photo of North of Grand).

* * *

Briefly, Mastodon announced its spring tour this morning, and Omaha’s Sokol Hall is on the list for May 14.

* * *

Alt country band Dr. Dog returns to The Waiting Room tonight with The Growlers. $12, 9 p.m. I’m told TWR is one of their favorite venues. Since they haven’t been here since Sept. 2008, they’re in for a surprise.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

It was a pseudo “goth night” at The Waiting Room last night, which meant plenty of the expected costuming (heavy eyeliner (men and women), dyed-black hair, the usual). None of it got in the way, and to be honest, the style of music for the first two bands didn’t really fit the vibe.

Opening band Blue Rosa’s lead singer had sort of a Lilith Fair lilt to her voice, which either compliments or clashes with their post-neu-wave-ambient style depending on your expectations. It was kind of like listening to Sarah McLachlan front The Cocteau Twins with a cello accoutrement (and I could have used more of that cello in the mix). It was pleasant, but not particularly threatening. Not bad, but these guys need to turn it up. See photo.

Dim Light played as a four-piece and sounded like a leather burlesque show held in an anonymous Manhattan basement club; there’s something dirty and decadent about their brazen swing that teeters so close to out of control. One fellow patron told me that he thought frontman Cooper Moon was trying to channel Nick Cave. Maybe so. I’ve compared him to Mark Lanegan before, and I stand by it, though last night’s performance seemed more lucid and coherent than anytime I’ve seen them in the past. They’re ready for prime time. (See photo)

Strap On Halo didn’t go on until about a quarter to midnight, so I only caught a couple of their songs, which sounded like attempts at throbbing industrial meets metal played to a drum machine. Lots of lights and smoke; I guess this is where the goth came in.

* * *

Lots going on this weekend. Tonight you have Matt Wilson from Trip Shakespeare reinventing himself as The Twilight Hours at The Waiting Room. Matt Whipkey is opening. $10, 9 p.m. Me, I’ll be getting my drink on at O’Leaver’s where The Third Men are headlining tonight with North of Grand and At Land (ex-Fizzle Like a Flood). $5, 9:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night, It’s True headlines at The Waiting Room with amazing Lawrence band Cowboy Indian Bear and Lincoln heroes Eagle Seagull. $7, 9 p.m. Meanwhile, there’s a solid punk show down at The Hole, 715 So. 16th St,. headlined by Dead Town Revival and including Redo, Cordial Spew, Officially Terminated, The Upsets and The Brigandines. $5, 7 p.m.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

It’s only the beginning of February, but I’m already making plans for the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, which isn’t until March 17. Yesterday, Jason Kulbel at Saddle Creek Records told me that his label will again host a showcase at the event. The deets:

Location: Maggie Mae’s Gibson Room
Thursday, March 18

10 p.m. The Mynabirds
11 p.m. UUVVWWZ
12 a.m. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
1 a.m. The Rural Alberta Advantage

SXSW has filled in the earlier part of the evening with the following Nicodemus Agency bands:

7:30 – 8:00 p.m.: Common Loon
8:15 – 8:45 p.m.: Unwed Sailor

Last year I missed the Creek showcase as I was making a concerted effort to avoid all the bands that I see on a regular basis ’round these parts — what’s the point of going to Austin if you’re going to see bands that always play in Omaha? In the end, I still saw Cursive play a couple times at other day shows. Without a doubt, all of the Creek bands will be playing numerous times throughout this year’s four-day foray. Seriously, can you ever get too much of The Mynabirds?

Other Omaha acts confirmed for SXSW this year include Thunder Power, Digital Leather and It’s True, though I don’t know where any of them will be playing. More details as I get them.

* * *

It’s an evening of dark wave/goth/gloom tonight at The Waiting Room with Strap On Halo, Dim Light and Blue Rosa. $7, 9 p.m. Don’t be afraid of the snow.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

This week’s column is a look back on Sunday’s Grammys — three-plus hours of my life that I’ll never get back…

Column 257: Child’s Play
The Grammys get younger…

Oh my, The Grammys. There was a time when they meant something to me. But that was a long time ago, back when I was working at K Mart and sneaking (underage) into The Depot in Council Bluffs. Back when bands like The Police and Michael Jackson dominated the awards. All these years have led up to last Sunday night’s Grammys, where I realized, to my chagrin, that I didn’t know most of the acts that were nominated (and I bet you didn’t, either).

Had I finally become what I’ve always dreaded becoming: An adult who doesn’t like music; an old fuddy-duddy who’s “out of touch”?

I contemplated this unfortunate fate as the Black Eyed Peas — a band that does little more than bleep out meaningless five-word phrases followed by “Yeah!” on top of aerobics soundtracks — received yet another award for best something or other for a song that we won’t remember a year from now. And than it occurred to me that I haven’t stopped liking music, I stopped liking popular music.

“Pop music” has always been the stuff that appeals to the great unwashed masses. But these days, those masses are comprised mostly of 15 to 19 year olds, the majority of the population that still buys new music, preferably online or at Wal Mart. It’s these consumers of the mass bile that, in the next five to 10 years, no longer will listen to music at all. That pleasure will have been replaced with watching television, listening to talk radio and following sports when they’re not keeping an eye on their kids.

Yeah, most people “grow out of” music, or more accurately, they grow out of the shitty kind of music that the mass media seem to embrace. They certainly lose the ability to listen to new music, forever lost in the soundtrack of their adolescent years.

I contemplated that unfortunate fate while shopping at Homer’s Saturday afternoon, where I picked up new CDs by Spoon (just okay) and Los Campesinos! (amazing). A few years ago, Homer’s end caps would have been filled with only the most mainstream, commercial-appealing fluff — i.e., what’s heard on the radio. These days, those end caps are stocked with CDs that you won’t hear on the FM, lazily categorized as “indie music” (that Spoon album, for example, released on indie label Merge Records, was listed as Homer’s No. 1 best seller).

Now out front, Homer’s “indie section” used to be a few feet of shelf space in the back, dedicated to bands whose music and lyrics were more challenging, more personal, and consistently better than whatever won the top prizes at The Grammys, but that rarely sold as many CDs throughout their lifetime as a Black Eyed Peas album sells in a single day.

Anyway, my conclusion: When it comes to pop music, I haven’t grown older, the music has grown younger, and dumber and more youth-oriented than it ever was when I was “their age.”

There was very little no adult content at The Grammy’s this year, unless you count the adult language used in the hip-hop medley. Watching the telecast was like watching The Nickelodeon Awards or some other kids’ show. The fact that powder-perfect Barbie Doll Taylor Swift, whose off-pitch voice sounds like she’s struggling through puberty, could be honored with the “Album of the Year” was amusing since her music could only appeal to girls in their late teens, and their parents who have to put up with it. It’s kind of like giving an Oscar to a Twilight movie, while “Tetro” goes ignored.

Pop music has once again been defined as being kid’s stuff. So what else is new?

But imagine this: A Grammy Awards broadcast that opens with Yo La Tengo performing alongside Beck, where Brother Ali and Atmosphere do a medley with Ludacris; where The xx and Phoenix front a huge production number with Lady Gaga and Depeche Mode, where Annie Clark sings a duet with Antony Hegarty and Kris Kristofferson, where Mastodon humbles Metallica, where Mogwai performs with the San Francisco Symphony, where Wilco shares a tune with George Strait. And where the winners’ music will be remembered 10, 20, 30 years from now, let alone next year.

* * *

One local guy watching The Grammys last Sunday had some skin in the game. Arguably the area’s most talented mastering engineer, Doug Van Sloun, watched as Rhonda Vincent’s Destination Life, released last June on Rounder, was up for Best Bluegrass Album. Doug mastered the record, his first project to be nominated for a Grammy. Alas, the award went to comedian Steve Martin (yes, the arrow-through-the-head guy) and his album The Crow / New Songs for the Five-String Banjo, which shouldn’t be a surprise since Martin performed songs off the album on just about every late-night talk show. Still. It’s honor just to be nominated, right Doug?

* * *

Now for something completely different: Next week, the star city celebrates its best and brightest at Lincoln Exposed 2010. The event, which is held at Duffy’s, The Bourbon Theater and The Zoo Bar, runs from Feb. 10-14 and features 60 performances from some of Lincoln’s finest musicians including Charlie Burton, The Machete Archive, Darren Keen/The Show Is the Rainbow, Triggertown, Ember Schrag, Her Flywaway Manner, Mercy Rule, The Mezcal Brothers and Pharmacy Spirits. Your $6 per night gets you into all three venues. For a full schedule, search for “Lincoln Exposed 2010” in Facebook.

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The Waiting Room is a whole different — and louder — animal when it’s not packed to capacity, as evidenced by last Saturday night’s show, which drew fewer than a 100 people. Walking toward the bar down Maple St. at 10:30, I could hear the noise coming from the venue as far away as Jane’s. Imagine how loud it was inside — but it was nothing earplugs couldn’t control.

On stage, Perry H. Matthews tore through songs from their upcoming full-length (to be released by start-up label Doom Town Records). This is loud, propulsive noise rock that chugs along with with serious, pounding riffage. I don’t remember if I’ve ever seen them as a five piece, with a dedicated frontman/vocalist. The guy looked the part, with a striped, sleeveless T-shirt and suspenders. Throughout the set, however, it felt like he was holding back. Though he could be heard above the band (barely), he needs to turn it loose if he’s going to keep up with what’s happening all around him.

There was no holding back Her Flyaway Manner, who I haven’t seen in years. The trio fronted by Brendan McGinn on guitar and vocals was spot on. Their post-hardcore sound reminded me more of Fugazi than the last time ’round — good, brutal stuff from one of Lincoln’s best. (See photo)

A few more thoughts on TWR: They adjusted the stage camera, so that the monitors around the bar are sharper, and are now in living color. While the room does seems semi-empty with only 100 people in the audience, it still feels less empty than, say, Sokol Underground or Slowdown’s big stage with a similar-sized crowd. This could be another advantage TWR has over other larger rooms — small shows don’t feel sadly unattended, though just having a crowd that gets off their asses and stands by the stage (as we did Saturday night) always helps.

* * *

If you didn’t watch The Grammy’s last night you didn’t miss anything. I watched only because I intend to mention the telecast in this week’s column. It’s amazing just how far American popular music has fallen from any resemblance to adult content (unless you count the adult language used in the hip-hop medley). It was like watching The Nickelodeon Awards or some other kids’ show. The fact that Taylor Swift, whose off-pitch vocals sound like she’s struggling through puberty, could be honored with the “Album of the Year” among other awards, is amusing since her music could only appeal to girls in their late teens, and the parents who have to put up with it. It’s kind of like giving an Oscar to a Sponge Bob movie. During her performance with Stevie Nicks, Taylor could have used some auto-tuner action, and believe me, there was plenty to go around.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—