by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It is one of the more compelling show line-ups in a while, and it’s tonight at Slowdown.

It kicks off with stage debut of Dreama, or InDreama. The band’s name is in dispute these days (because someone else already has it). I actually like InDreama better anyway. The lineup consists of some local all-stars: Nik Fackler (The Family Radio, Flowers Forever, director of Oscar-buzz motion picture Lovely, Still), Sam Martin (Capgun Coup, soon-to-be movie star), Craig DeMayo (a.k.a. Craig D of Tilly and the Wall and a handful of other bands), Dereck Higgins (legendary Omaha musician and bass player, Digital Sex) and Aaron Gum (a co-conspirator of Fackler’s in the film-making world).

But forget about the personnel for a minute, and go to InDreama’s iLike page and listen to Simon & G-ish “Dream Fool Fuck #9,” or noise-tango dance-scream “Saw a Blind Dad” or epic, cinematic “Exodus from Reunion, A + STORM > great = End.” InDreama’s music is scary good. Here’s a band that’s reaching for something few other local bands bother looking for — a sound that’s both contemporary and progressive yet tuneful and picturesque. Yeah, it’s arty, but it doesn’t give up melody for experimentation. With Fackler at the helm, who knows what its future holds (he’s a busy guy). He tells me it’s the real deal, as is his participation in Derek Pressnall’s Flower’s Forever. How will he be able to balance a life split between film making and rocking? Time will tell.

On top of the bill is No Joy, a Montreal female duo that has an album coming out on Mexican Summer (Best Coast, Soft Pack, Dungen) that I would describe as classic buzz-saw shoe-gaze in the Jesus and Mary Chain vein. Here’s what Sentimentalist Mag said about their Knitting Factory gig at CMJ this year:

No Joy, a Montreal/L.A. quartet fronted by two guitar-wielding ladies with Cousin It hair streaming down to hide their faces, opened the Mexican Summer night in contemplative fashion, summoning any darkness in the room and blasting it forth with grungetastic riffs and morphine-dosed vocals that sparkled and seared in equal measure. Their Lush-esque, shoegazer licks came on clean and strong, and an impressive rhythm section courtesy of their two black-clad band mate fellas gave songs like “No Summer” and “No Joy” a slick backbone and raised the hair on the back of our necks. We liked the novelty of the set ending without any final notes or any adieu; The ladies were already busy packing up their gear on stage while their guitars still blared against their ballsy amps, while drummer and bassist played on.

Sounds scrumptious. You can check out their music on their Myspace page.

Fackler tells me Flowers Forever is going in a new and different direction. A little bird also tells me we’re in for a cross between shimmery shoegaze and an electronic dance experience. We’ll find out what Mr. Pressnall and Co. have up their sleeves tonight. And, The Prairies also is on the bill. All of this for a mere $6. Get there early for InDreama, who kicks things off at 9.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.