by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

How do you suppose the guys in the band Peace of Shit came up with the name?

“Hmm… Let’s see. How about Peace in our Time? No, no, they’ll think we’re a hippie band. We need something tougher, more punk. OK, maybe, maybe… Piece of Ass? What do you think? That’s awesome. Waitaminit, wait a minute. I got something even better. How about Peace of Shit. And we’ll spell it P E A C E. Yeah, fuckin’ A. That’s it!”

Head butts and high-fives all around. It is, in my humble opinion, one of the best new band names I’ve heard in years, though I won’t be able to wear their T-shirt to the UP gym. The band consists of members of a handful of the area’s most belligerent punk bands, including Digital Leather, Baby Tears, the Shanks, The Fucking Party, La Casa Bombas, The line-up: Johnny VD, guitar; Calvin Retzlaff, drums; Nicky Waggonner, guitar; Craig Fort, bass; Todd VonStup, bass, and chief peace officer Austen Ulmer. But according to Todd, every show has a different line-up. Who knows who’ll show up for tonight’s POS cassette-release party?

“This 10 song cassette was recorded by Ben Allen and Austen Ulmer,” Todd said, “with Austen on vocals, guitars, bass and drums.  Jeff Lambelt also plays drums on a few tracks.  It is being released by Rainy Road Records (Watching the Train Wreck, Brimstone Howl, the Shanks).”

You can download the songs here. But come on, who wants digital files?  Tapes are $5 and you’ll soon be able to order them right from the Rainy Road website. But your best bet is just coming to the show tonight at O’Leaver’s. You know I’ll be there. I even have a tapedeck in my Tracker so I can suck in these sweet tunes on the way home from the bar. Also on the bill are Watching the Train Wreck and Mosquito Bandito. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Kind of/sort of competing with this show is another punk show down at Slowdown Jr. featuring Bazooka Shootout, Dim Light, and Grandmother’s Milk. $5, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, there’s a benefit for the National Humane Society taking place tonight Barley Street Tavern in the memory of Scout the Benson Bar Cat. Among the performers are All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, Platte River Rain and Alex Diimig. $5, 9 p.m.

John Wolf himself has confirmed that tomorrow night’s show (Saturday) at the Waiting Room will be the last time that you’ll ever get a chance to see Omaha legends Bad Luck Charm on any stage. It will be their final show. They’ll be going out in style with The Killigans and Cordial Spew, all for $7. Starts at 9. Come pay your respects to this maximum rock and roll band.

Also Saturday night, Fortnight will be celebrating the release of their new 6-song EP, Botany Camp, at Slowdown Jr. Fortnight is keyboardist Jenn Bernard, guitarists Mike Greene-Walsh and Tim Walker, bassist Matt Carlson, drummer Scott Micheels, and vocalist Corey Degner. Botany Camp was recorded on an analog board in a machine shed and a spare bedroom, then mixed at Enamel Studio and mastered by the master himself, Doug Van Sloun at Focus Mastering. Also on the bill are So-So Sailers, Landing on the Moon and Down with the Ship. $7, 9 p.m.

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Lazy-i Best of 2010

This is your last weekend to get in on the drawing for a copy of  the Lazy-i Best of 2010 CD sampler. Just send an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Arcade Fire, Jenny and Johnny, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. If you’re lucky enough to win, you’ll also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker to stick on something. Deadline is next Tuesday, Jan. 18. Do it.

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Column 305: Dangerous Visions

Music predictions for 2011, Pt. 2.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m not saying that all of the following visions will happen in 2011, but the ball will start rolling next year that will cause the walls of the music industry to finally come tumbling down. It may take years, but it’ll happen sooner than anyone (except me, of course) expects. Here’s how it’ll go down:

— As you read this, everyone will be talking about the new Verizon iPhone; and the talk of 2010 was the iPad. But the big news in 2011 will be when Apple announces that iTunes now lives “in the cloud.” What that means is that all of your music in iTunes on your PC or Mac, as well as all of everyone else’s music, will be available on any PC or iPhone/iPod with 3G/4G or Wi-Fi connectivity. And that includes in your car (with a new 3G/4G-accessible car stereo).

Apple’s purchase of lala.com helped make “music in the cloud” possible, along with Apple’s enormous capital investments in massive server farms. Add to that a technological breakthrough that results in a quantum improvement in file compression that will make near-CD-quality music files available via streaming, and you’re seeing the beginning of the end of the Compact Disc. It also could signal the demise of the traditional album format as we know it, since music no longer will be sold in units, but in a subscription format — all the music in the world on your speakers or earbuds for just $10 a month.

— iTunes “in the cloud” and this new subscription format also will mark the end of illegal downloading — what would be the point?

— Picking up on the Pandora model, artists will no longer be paid based on album or singles’ sales, but on how often their music gets played in iTunes. Record labels will turn into full-time promotion companies, whose goal is to get their artists’ music listened to in iTunes as much as possible.

— Pandora, Grooveshark, Rhapsody and all the other streaming services will see the writing on the wall and will file anti-trust suits against Apple, who will argue that competition exists in the form of other media, such as radio and television, and other stream-tech companies such as Google and Microsoft. The glacial speed of the legal system will cause the case to drag on for years, long enough to put Apple’s streaming competitors out of business.

— The old standby revenue stream known as “publishing rights” — artists getting paid to have their music used in TV commercials or movies and TV — will dry up. Suddenly artists will be willing to pay whatever is necessary to get their music used in commercials and movies. “Selling out” becomes known as “buying out.”

— iTunes “in the cloud” will become the boot on the throat of the radio industry. But without radio, how will new bands capture the attention of an audience outside of their home towns (as if they could depend on radio before)? We will welcome a rebirth in the importance of music videos, but this time making a video will have nothing to do with art or music. A 3-minute clip of your band performing its song on YouTube just ain’t gonna cut it. Instead, it’s all about “going viral,” and that means filming something that no one has seen before. Expect to see videos that push the envelope not only of good taste, but of human experience. For the first time, we’ll see a band member get killed while making a video. And it’ll be a monster hit.

— Another way to get your music noticed — get the stars to talk about it. Having your band name-checked on Kanye’s playlist already is an effective tool for young bands. Soon all the big-league commercial artists will post their playlists online or in Rolling Stone, effectively putting a spotlight on unknown artists. But be wary, it’ll only be a matter of time before those greedy bastards start taking money to include bands on their playlists (if they don’t already).

— With this quantum change in how we listen to music just around the corner, old-school record industry execs will make one last-gasp attempt at keeping as much market as possible by finally dropping CD prices below $10 a unit for all content (not just “sale items”). Some CDs will be as cheap as $5.99. This price drop will result in a brief resurgence of record stores — Homer’s might even consider expanding its world-wide chain of stores to three. But it’s too little too late. The audience for cheap CDs is dying off, literally. And the last kick in the crotch will be when automakers quit offering pre-installed CD players in their cars.

The scariest part about all of these visions — the same thing will happen to the movie and book-publishing industries.

Keeping with tradition, I can’t leave out these 2011 predictions:

— Artists we’ll be talking about this time next year: Bright Eyes, Deathcab for Cutie, Justin Timberlake, U2, Cat Power, Beastie Boys, Madonna, Tilly and the Wall, Decemberists, Commander Venus, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship, Dismemberment Plan, Beck, Radiohead, Animal Collective, Conduits and Grasshopper Takeover.

— Artists we won’t be talking about next year: Lady Gaga, Kanye, Eminem, Ke$ha, Susan Boyle, Arcade Fire, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, M.I.A., Wavves, Best Coast, The National, Sleigh Bells, Vampire Weekend, Sufjan Stevens and The Faint.

— And finally, all of Courtney Love’s problems will be solved once and for all.

So what will happen in the local music scene in 2011? Find out next week in the third and final chapter of the 2011 Predictions!

* * *

Spoon’s Britt Daniel recalled his brief time with Jay Reatard, just a few weeks before Jay’s death, in this item on spinner.com. Among the comments, Daniel recalls first learning about Reatard’s music. “I remember looking at a bunch of the live videos online and feeling like … I don’t know. That’s not how I usually learn about music. I remember for some reason being really turned on by looking at these live videos. It just felt like really great pop songs with a sort of very odd Midwestern punk sensibility to it.” An interesting read that helps keep Reatard’s memory alive.

* * *

Con Dios continues its brief three-week residency tonight at O’Leaver’s. Tonight’s special guest is Slumber Party Records artist Bear Country. And then there’s the $1 bottles of PBR (When are they ever gonna put Rolling Rock on special? Just imagine the response!). 9:30, $5. Need more reason? King Coffey has a review of last week’s Con Dios show in today’s OWH Go! (read it here).

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Lazy-i Best of 2010

Tick, tick frickin’ tick. That’s the sound of time running out on those of you who are thinking of entering this year’s drawing for a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler. Better get to sending your e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Arcade Fire, Jenny and Johnny, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. If you’re lucky enough to win, you’ll also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker to stick on something. Deadline is next Tuesday, Jan. 18. Better get on it most ricky-tick.

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

More interesting than yesterday’s announcement that Bright Eyes has added dates to his seemingly endless tour for The People’s Key is the list of opening bands that Conor and Co. are bringing along for the tour. Saddle Creek bands always have been generous when it came to helping their friends out by offering opening slots on national tours. In this case, it not only helps the bands, it helps the label.

Maybe more than any other instance, adding Mynabirds to this tour will have a quantum impact on growing that band’s following, even if it’s only for a week (March 10-16, Boston to Champaign, IL). Fact is, Mynabirds’ frontwoman Laura Burhenn will be along for the ride anyway as a member of Bright Eyes, so it made sense to find a way to add the rest of her band when possible. Adding Cursive to four dates (March 3-6) makes this a sort-of Saddle Creek “Supertour” (Who remembers the Bright Eyes / Faint tour all those years ago?).

So why doesn’t Bright Eyes simply fill the rest of this tour with these and other Creek bands? Certainly the bands’ fans know and love fellow Creek artists, and having them along for the tour is like surrounding yourself with family. Everybody wins.

* * *

BTW, just like I figured, Bright Eyes has announced its first appearance at South By Southwest since 2000. The date is March 19 — the last day of SXSW — at Auditorium Shores as part of  The Ground Control Touring showcase, which also featuries The Felice Brothers, Middle Brother and Man Man.

Still no word whether Saddle Creek is hosting a showcase at SXSW this year.

* * *

Eli Mardock can now add “ex-Beauty in the Beast” to his “ex-Eagle Seagull” name description. He e-mailed his Facebook fans Saturday saying, “I’m no longer performing as Beauty in the Beast or Eagle Seagull, but instead just as ELI MARDOCK.” In addition to having a new glamour photo, Mardock has posted a new song to his fan page, “The King of Crickets.” I dig it. Check it out.

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Tomorrow: 2011 Predictions, Pt. 2 — get ready to be astounded.

* * *

Lazy-i Best of 2010

Your entry into this year’s drawing for a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler isn’t going to send itself. It’s up to you  click on this e-mail link: tim@lazy-i.com and compose a small message that includes your name and mailing address. It’s pretty frickin’ easy, and it’s free. Tracks include songs by Arcade Fire, Jenny and Johnny, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. If you’re lucky enough to win, you’ll also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker to stick on something. Deadline is next Tuesday, Jan. 18. Better do it now. These things sneak up on you…

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cold/flu/something kept me from the hearnebraska.org fund-raiser at O’Leaver’s Saturday night. I’m told by HN head dude Andy Norman that the turnout was solid. O’Leaver’s, I do miss you so…

Before the sickness took over, I was able to check out Anniversaire Friday night at  The Waiting Room. The set-up: Keyboard, cello, bass, percussionist. Any time you see a music stand on stage, well, it’s never a good sign. Unlike their photo in The Reader, three of the four members wore glasses on stage, including the drummer, who also wore a vest and necktie, and lip-synced to every song.  A fifth person eventually rejoined the band — a slight girl in glasses holding a violin.

Frontman Aaron Jordan looked like a young Rivers Cuomo seated behind his keyboard; while his high, breathy voice reminded me of Jesse Otto from Shelterbelt, and some of their music even reminded me of Shelterbelt’s more down-turned moments. Despite all the percussion, it all seemed very formal. It was lush chamber pop, but a very serious brand of chamber pop. There was nothing funny about what was happening on stage, nor was there intended to be. The sound was gorgeous and dense, floating brightly on those strings. It took a discussion with the sound guy after the show before I figured out why I could hear that cello so well — there was no guitar on stage, and without an electric guitar crowding the middle, there was room for that cello to sing.

Pretty stuff, but after listening to the album a few times and watching them live, I still couldn’t tell you what any of their songs are about, except that the subject matter is probably dire and serious, no doubt personal, and “very, very important.”

* * *

Lazy-i Best of 2010

Need I remind you that there’s a little over a week left for you to get your entry in for the the drawing for the Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler CD? Just send me an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Tim Kasher, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Jenny and Johnny, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. And not only do you get a CD, you also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker, suitable for any car bumper. Enter right now. Deadline is Jan. 18.

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Lots and lots going on this weekend, but here’s one to consider for altruistic reasons:

HearNebraska.org is having its first Omaha fund-raiser at O’Leaver’s Saturday night. The website — spearheaded by Andrew Norman, former editor of The Reader — will have its soft launch Jan. 21, followed by a “hard launch” Jan. 24 (I have no idea what the difference is — live is live).

HearNebraska.org is a bonafide 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with really only one goal: to spread the word about Nebraska music to fellow Nebraskans and the rest of the world using a variety of digital media. The difference between it and all the other “one-stop” entertainment websites is its music focus. Full disclosure: I’m on the hearnebraska.org board (though, honestly, I don’t do much other than to bore Andy with my encyclopedic music knowledge).

Never has a resource like this been more necessary for musicians, in an era when being visible online is everything. Forget about traditional radio, forget about traditional press. The way musicians are going to get people to hear their music and know about their live appearances from now on is through websites like hearnebraska.org and social media conduits. And to be honest, that’s the way it’s been for awhile now.

So if you’re a fan of Nebraska music, you need to get behind this site. Go to O’Leaver’s Saturday night. Not only are you going to be supporting Hearnebraska.org, but you’re going to get a great night of music featuring The Answer Team, Irkustk, All Young Girls are Machine Guns and Django G-S. And you’ll probably also get stinking drunk. All for $5. Show starts at 9:30.

OK. Now what else is going on?

Well, tonight at the Waiting Room it’s the CD release show for Anniversaire’s debut LP, Nightingale. I’ve been listening to this off and on for the past couple days — it’s sort of an above-ground take on chamber indie with a nod toward prog rock. Lots of strings, lots of keyboards, lots of breathy vocals. It was recorded at ARC Studios, so you know its going to sound good. Opening the show is Bear Stories. $5, 9 p.m.

Over at O’Leaver’s it’s the return of The Diplomats of Solid Sound. A little birdie told me that if you’re into this Iowa City band’s take on groovy soul, you better be come out, as your chances to see them in the future may limited. Opening is the always amazing Third Men. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., its Lawrence, Kansas pop band Karma Vision w/ Omaha’s own Bear Country, and The Wayward Little Satan Daughters. $7, 9 p.m.

Saturday night, in addition to the HearNebraska.org benefit, there’s the return of Ember Schrag at Slowdown Jr. with Grapefruit recording artist Lonnie Methe and Bluebird. $7, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, one of my favorite Lincoln Bands — Once a Pawn — is playing at The Barley Street Tavern with Daymoths and Millions of Boys. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

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.

Column 304: Visions of 2011, Pt. 1

Scoring last year’s predictions.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Before we can look forward, we must look back.

Last year’s predictions for 2010 started with nine hunches that can be summed up this way: There will be fewer bands all trying to get paid more to play in fewer clubs that will be booking fewer shows but with better national bands playing at a higher ticket price.

To gauge my accuracy, we went to the expert. Marc Leibowitz, whose One Percent Productions books most of the indie rock shows in Omaha (primarily at The Waiting Room and The Slowdown), said last year the number of shows booked was about the same, though “some were just smaller.” Ticket prices went up “a little bit, but not much. We fight to keep shows cheap.” And there weren’t fewer quality bands, just “fewer bands that have big followings.” All of which neither validated nor disproved my predictions.

What we do know: A number of notable local bands did break up or went into hiding last year, their official whereabouts unknown, including It’s True, UUVVWWZ, Box Elders, Beep Beep, Son Ambulance and The Faint. Both It’s True and UUVVWWZ are returning with new line-ups. And filling in the gaps was the arrival of The Mynabirds, Conduits and So-So Sailors — all three potential breakout national acts.

As for the number of clubs, the choices have dwindled to just The Waiting Room and Slowdown for touring indie bands. O’Leaver’s is booking fewer shows, and The 49’r was deep sixed.

Last year I also predicted that that we’d see fewer record labels with fewer bands recording fewer albums. But recording studios have hung in there despite the availability of high-quality home-studio options. And we’ve actually seen the rise of Grotto and Grapefruit Records join local entities Saddle Creek, Speed! Nebraska and Slumber Party.

So, I’m batting less than.500. Let’s see how I did in the Lightning Round.

2010 Prediction: Another well-known mainstream band will give away the digital download of its next album.

Gorillaz, The Fall; Girl Talk, All Day; Prince, 20Ten and Phoenix, Live in Sydney; were among last year’s free downloads. R.E.M would be wise to follow suit.

A new kind of record store will open that specializes in just that: Vinyl records.

Not here, not yet.

We’ll see an increase in “alternative venues” like in the ’90s, when social halls and practice spaces became options for one-off shows.

The Faint’s old Orifice practice space on Leavenworth has become a funky option for smaller shows.

A new social media tool will be optimized for easy, instant (and legal) distribution of online music, revolutionizing how musicians and fans access “music content” on portable devices.

We welcomed Apple’s Ping, but Ping ponged.

The Maha Music Festival will become the event organizers dreamed it could be, if they get the right line-up.

Direct hit.

Adding to the annual “Youth Concert” and the July 4th weekend county-fair freedom-rock concert, look for a third free major concert event featuring a genuine outside-the-box performer.

Slowdown’s free “block party” featured Built to Spill.

Like other big cities, we’ll see DJs spinning at more and more clubs and restaurants in Omaha.

DJs are becoming so ubiquitous; there’s even one (Brent Crampton) spinning at the new Republic of Couture jeans store in Midtown Crossing.

A new all-ages performance space will take hold, becoming this generation’s Cog Factory.

We watched the rise and fall of The Hole, the all-ages venue that started downtown and moved to Benson, and whose future remains uncertain.

Who we’ll be talking about this time next year: Arcade Fire, Rolling Stones, Radiohead, Liz Phair, Tim Kasher, Of Montreal, Okkervil River, Bright Eyes, It’s True, Soundgarden, Prince, Pavement, Ritual Device, Beck, MGMT, Bear Country, Modest Mouse, The Wrens and Sufjan Stevens.

Most were hot topics, though we’re still waiting for Radiohead, Ritual Device and The Wrens’ return.

Who we won’t be talking about: Animal Collective, Susan Boyle, Monsters of Folk, Wilco, Cursive, The Faint, Emphatic, Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, Phoenix, Green Day and Vampire Weekend.

There’s no avoiding Lady Gaga.

UK musician/dope fiend Peter Doherty will finally see his problems resolved once and for all.

He’s still kicking.

Conor Oberst will break the hearts of thousands of his female (and a few male) fans.

Well, he didn’t get married anyway.

Sick of life on the West Coast and seeing no discernable advantages to living near L.A., a member of a national band we all know will move back to Omaha.

Cursive’s Tim Kasher returned home from the wild last summer.

A major musician will record his/her new album at The Faint’s Enamel Studio.

Didn’t happen, as far as I know.

Watch out SLAM Omaha, a new local online resource will launch in ’10 that will act as the definitive arts, entertainment and music information hub.

We welcomed Omahype.com last month, and HearNebraska.org is at the starting gate.

Like Michael Jackson another 6-year-old raises the eyebrows of an America still mourning the passing of the King of Pop.

Willow Smith, Will Smith’s daughter, had a mega hit with “Whip My Hair,” but she’s downright elderly at 9 years old.

Look for a new live original music venue to open in Midtown Crossing among all those restaurants.

Nyet.

The next national breakthrough for a local band will come when one of its songs is included on the soundtrack of a major motion picture.

Well, there was Lovely Still.

Next week: Visions of 2011.

* * *

As discussed yesterday, Con Dios begins its “residency” (translated: weekly booze binge) at O’Leaver’s tonight. Joining them is the amazing McCarthy Trenching. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight, The Benningtons and Moses Prey open for Rock Paper Dynamite at Slowdown Jr.  The Benningtons are fronted by guitarist/vocalist Tony Bonacci (ex-Hyannis) and includes Michah Renner, bass; Ben Brich, drums; Matt Tilwick, guitar; Hannah Emsick, keys, vocals; and Catherine Carne, vocals.  $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler

Must you go on and on about your frickin’ Lazy-i Best of 2010 CD sampler? OK, we get it. You’re giving away a copy(ies) in a drawing to any loser who sends their name and mailing address in an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com. Big deal. Next you’ll tell us that the CD is “highly coveted” and a “collector’s item,” as if I could sell it on eBay or something (which I couldn’t), and that tracks include songs by The Mynabirds, Sally Seltmann, The National, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Jenny and Johnny, A Weather, freakin’ Land of Talk, Arcade Fire, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and that the full track list is here. Oh yeah, better not forget about the free Lazy-i Sticker that comes with it (whoop-dee-doo!). Don’t bother telling me the deadline for entires is Jan. 18 because I already have a frickin’ copy. I bought mine on eBay!

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cursive bassist Matt Maginn e-mailed me yesterday to let me know that his other project, the amazing Con Dios, has taken up a residency not at The Bemis, but at a much more haughty enclave: O’Leaver’s Pub. Every Thursday night for the next three weeks, Maginn and the rest of Con Dios (keyboardist Dan McCarthy (McCarthy Trenching), drummer Pat Oakes (Ladyfinger) and frontman Phil Schaffart (Bright Eyes, indie lumberjack) will be performing on O’Leaver’s illustrious stage, and hosting a night of music. Their special guest line-up looks like this:

— Jan. 6: McCarthy Trenching

— Jan. 13th: Bear Country

— Jan. 20th: So-So Sailors

Check out the brand new Con Dios Facebook page, which includes streams of seven recordings by the band. Thursdays just got a whole lot better. $5, 9:30 p.m.

* * *

Amidst all of these new websites (Omahype) and other websites getting face-lifts (including The Reader‘s), the Omaha World-Herald today launched a newly designed version of its Go! online section. It’s a huge improvement over the OWH‘s traditional website, which looks like a peacock exploded all over a copy of the Yellow Pages. Congrats to Kevin and the OWH entertainment team.

With the non-profit HearNebraska.org site also about to launch, Omaha has become rife with online entertainment news resources. Not all of them will survive.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room, singer/songwriter Mitch Gettman headlines a show that includes Landing on the Moon and Lonely Estates. $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

They’re coming in one and two at a time, the entries in the drawing for the Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler CD. And you, too, can be among them. All you have to do is send me an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Tim Kasher, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Jenny and Johnny, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. And not only do you get a CD, you also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker, suitable for any car bumper (even with that lousy new Nebraska license plate design). Enter today. Deadline is Jan. 18.

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Welcome to 2011. I hope you had a good NYE. Mine was spent watching the wig drop on Bravo after a fine dinner at the Indian Oven. I couldn’t ask for anything more…

Moving on…

Dave Leibowitz, the host of New Day Rising on 89.7 The River — the only listenable two hours of local music radio programming — says that those two hours are about to expand. “Beginning Sunday, Jan. 9, New Day Rising will follow NPR’s All Songs Considered on The River,” Dave wrote. “All Songs Considered starts at 2 p.m., then New Day runs from 2:30-5 p.m. (on Sunday afternoons). This expands the show by 30 minutes.”

New Day Rising was launched on The River way back in 2005 as a 2-hour all-indie music show that ran Sunday nights at 11 p.m. The show eventually got moved forward to 9 p.m., and now will be on at the vastily more listenable 2:30 p.m., which will only make its following grow. Though its air times have changed, the quality of programming has always stayed the same. Check out the New Day Rising website for the latest playlist. You’ll find tracks by Superchunk, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Decemberists, Cursive and — like every week since week 1 — a closing song by Sonic Youth. In radio’s desert of shit — including the usual, dated goon-rock that makes up The River’s regular weekday playlist — New Day Rising is an oasis of modern sounds, modern music, curated by a music veteran with impeccable taste. Tune in.

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Speaking of modern sounds and NPR, English post-rock originators Wire announced that its new album, Red Barked Tree, is now available for streaming at NPR.com (right here). The new album comes out next Tuesday on the band’s own Pink Flag Records. It features the original lineup, minus guitarist Bruce Gilbert.

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, Omaha hip-hop artist Conchance headlines a show with Nik Fackler’s InDreama (debut reviewed here), along with No I’m the Pilot and Dapose (from The Faint). $7, 9 p.m. Fackler recently did an emotional Full Monty on the pages of Omahype, where he wrote about his constant struggle to maintain his creative vision — a vision that runs from film to music. There are those who say he’s stretching himself too thin, that he’s trying to do too much. Don’t listen to them, Nik. No artist should never have to choose one medium over another.

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A small handful have dropped their names into the hat for the drawing to win a copy of the highly coveted and collectible Lazy-i Best of 2010 Sampler CD!  You can enter, too, by sending an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Perfume Genius, Arcade Fire, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The National, Tim Kasher, Hot Chip, Sally Seltmann, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. Deadline is Jan. 18.

Bonus: Winners also get a 2011 Lazy-i Sticker!!! Enter today.

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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.