Howard at The Slowdown, April 13, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There was a respectable crowd of nearly 200 on hand for last Friday night’s Omaha Girls Rock (OGR) benefit at Slowdown, performed on the club’s “big stage.” When I arrived, most of the stage floor was filled for Howard. The most notable thing about the trio is frontwoman Anna McClellan, a little pixie with an ’80s bowl cut, oval glasses last seen in the movie “Tootsie,” and a big voice that’s a cross between Ethel Merman and Morrissey. With keyboards, guitar and drums, you could argue the arrangements were a bit spare, but McClellan filled the void with that booming voice of hers. Howard is getting people’s attention. From what I was told, the crowd was at its zenith during their set.

Gus & Call at The Slowdown, April 13, 2012.

The numbers waned slightly before Gus & Call went on stage, a pity since the band sounded like it was playing mostly new material — I didn’t recognize any of the songs. The set reflects a change in course for a band that used to be characterized by its slow, droning, electric-prairie style (call it boot-gaze). Friday night the songs were all upbeat and roaring and steps away from the the rural/roots style they’d been known for. The extended jams bordered on psychedelic, even prog, though G&C doesn’t play around with awkward time or key changes (thank god). G&C is one of the most promising acts from the area and deserves national attention. So how do they get it?

BTW, as noted, Friday’s OGR event also was a contest among all four performing bands (Sun Settings and The Betties played first). Each act had a week to write an original song based on the theme “superstition.” The crowd was polled for the best, and the winning band was Sun Settings. Their prize — they get to send one lucky girl to OGR camp. Congrats, SS. Too bad I wasn’t there in time to catch your set…

* * *

The MAHA Music Festival folks began selling $20 discount tickets to the Aug. 11 event this morning, and though they haven’t even announced a line-up, they sold out by noon. $35 ticket/t-shirt/poster combos are still available. Go to mahamusicfestival.com or their Facebook page for more info and check out their sweet new logo via Oxide Design. Look for a MAHA lineup announcement Sunday.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s NYC band Caveman, whose new record, CoCo Beware, was released this year on Fat Possum. With Betsy Wells. $10, 9 p.m.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So, the weekend…

Tonight’s big show is a benefit at Slowdown for Omaha Girls Rock. You can read about the program and tonight’s show in my column this week in The Reader, or online here at thereader.com. I won’t belabor the point that this not only is a worthy cause, it’s a great night of entertainment AND it’s the conclusion of a contest involving all the bands — Gus & Call, Howard, The Betties and Sun Settings. At the conclusion of each set, the band will perform a new original song written this week centered around the theme “Superstition.” The crowd will vote for its favorite, and the winning band will send one Omaha Girls Rocker to camp. All money raised from your $10 ticket will go to the program. The show starts at 9 p.m., I’m not sure if this is on the big stage or in Slowdown Jr. (the website doesn’t say, which usually indicates that it’s in the big room). See you there.

Also tonight at The Waiting Room, a show that could have been called Omaha Boys Rock, headlined by The Eightyseven and featuring Filter Kings, Noah Sterba & The Cocktails and The Whipkey Three. $7, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, John Klemmensen and the Party headline a show at The Barley Street Tavern with Mike Saklar’s Comme Reel, Dirty Fluorescents and the ingenious Nick Carl. $5, 9 p.m.

Saturday night it’s Sleigh Bells, Javelin and Elite Gymnastics at The Slowdown. This one has been SOLD OUT for quite a while. Note early 8 p.m. start time.

Also Saturday night, Snake Island is the featured artist for the Guitar Center 1-Year Anniversary show at The Waiting Room. Also on the bill are The Seen, The Curtain Calls and Cordial Spew. The hook: At least one member of each band is a Guitar Center employee. $5, 9 p.m.

One last thing: House of Loom’s Friday Afternoon Club continues this afternoon with “Non-DJ DJ” Megan Hunt a.k.a. Princess Lasertron a.k.a. fashion maven and entrepreneur behind Camp. PL will be spinning her favorite goth tracks from 5 to 8 at Loom. Drop by before you head to Slowdown for the ORG event. It’s free and fun.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

And the announcements keep right on coming. Lollapalooza unveiled its lineup for the Aug. 3-5 festival in Chi-town, and wow, is it retro. Red Hot Chili Peppers? Black Sabbath? What’s a matter people, couldn’t you get Foghat or Blue Oyster Cult? I’ve got to admit, I like Sabbath as much as the next guy, and I’m sure it’ll be a hit at Lolla, at least from an irony standpoint. This isn’t your grandpa’s Lollapalooza…. or maybe it is.

On the other hand, I’ve always loathed RHCP. Anthony Kiedis is the most overrated, untalented vocalist in the history of rock. Of course that hasn’t stopped him from becoming an icon of the ’90s alternative nation. But the underscored word here is “90s.” Lolla is taking a step back in time with this lineup, but let’s be honest, the festival hasn’t exactly been cutting edge since the ’90s.

Other “big name” Lolla acts: The Black Keys and Jack White. *zzzzz*… It doesn’t start getting interesting until the next tier. At the Drive In? OK. Justice could be fun. And the kids love Passion Pit. Then you get to the small type and things really get hopping: M83, Afghan Whigs, Dum Dum Girls, Chairlift and First Aid Kit (believe the hype). Those are the highlights, and they’re outweighed by the fluff.

The more I see these national fest line-ups, the more I respect SXSW, where you can see bleeding edge bands in a much better setting. Ah, but what am I bitching about? There’s no way in hell I’d go to a clusterfuck like Lolla, where the only people having a good time are the VIPs being driven around on golf carts.

You have to wonder if the bro’s going to see Sabbath give two shits about bands like Polica or Tame Impala. Seems like Ozzfest always was a second-tier festival for the trailer-park crowd who are only a couple evolutionary steps above the Faygo-drinking Juggalo fraternity. Looks like they’ve graduated to the “big time.” BTW, discounted souvenir and early bird three-day passes priced at $75 and $200 have sold out. Regular priced $230 passes are available.

* * *

Today’s column in The Reader is an interview with a future rock star named Isa Luzarraga, who you might remember as the frontwoman of 2011 breakout artist The Jellybeans. Isa and her mom, Julie, along with Val Nelson and Jenn Bernard give the skinny on Friday night’s Omaha Girls Rock Benefit at Slowdown, and the 2012 OGR program. Read all about it in this week’s Reader, or right here at The Reader website.

* * *

Tonight at The Music Hall, it’s Death Cab for Cutie with The Magik*Magik*Orchestra & very special guests, Low. Tickets are still available for $30 to $45. The gig starts at 8. Get there early for Low, who will be tons more entertaining than DCFC.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The fine folks at the MAHA Music Festival announced via social media yesterday that they’ll be making a line-up announcement April 22 for the festival, which is slated for Aug. 11 at Stinson Park. While I don’t know what they’re going to announce, something tells me it’ll be more interesting than what Stir announced a couple weeks ago, though that’s not saying much when you’re talking about acts like Creed and Michael Bolton. We’ll just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, it was announced yesterday that one prize plum of a band, Wilco, will be playing the free Saturday in the Park concert in Sioux City July 7, along with overrated “soul diva” Joss Stone and  Black Crowes croaker Chris Robinson and the Brotherhood. Strangely, one of the strongest bookings locally last year was Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings at the free Playing with Fire concert at Stinson Park. It’s amazing how these bands keep getting booked to do free festivals, while the folks charging for tickets are being left in the dust.

That said, Wilco live bores the living piss out of me, especially since they’ve turned into a pseudo jam band. Regardless, both MAHA and Red Sky would have loved to have had them for their event. Who knows, maybe Red Sky will sneak Wilco in on one of their dates (sched shows they’re free July 16-20) though I doubt it. We already know one Red Sky booking, and I’ve been told by a couple people another (Here’s a hint: it’s a hair band). Red Sky has to pull off at least one cool band this year, right? RIGHT? Well, actually, no, they don’t.

Funny how Stir and now (apparently) MAHA are beating Red Sky to the punch when it comes to line-up announcements, unless of course, RS is struggling again this year to fill their dates. Ask yourself what band could Live Nation, their booking agency, schedule that would would fill the Ameritrade Ball Park. Springsteen? He’s in Europe in July. How about… Radiohead? They’re in Asia in July. Arcade Fire? They’re not touring, and it would never happen anyway. That leaves a bevy of country acts who I don’t know and don’t want to know, and a boatload of Freedom Rock bands…. things are looking mighty grim for Nebraska’s “biggest festival”…

* * *

Speaking of sold-out shows, pop band Fun is playing Slowdown tonight with Sleeper Agent. This one has been sold out for weeks. (This is turning into a big week for One Percent productions). Note: It’s an 8 p.m. start time.

Don’t have tix? Well then head over to The Waiting Room for the next best thing: The Antiquarium’s Subversive Showcase Vol. 2 featuring Phoenix Karaoke with Loopy Eddie, Outlaw Con Bandana, Places We Slept, Morning At Sea, a comedy troupe and a DJ. What more could you want for just $5? Starts 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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Well-Aimed Arrows at The Barley Street Tavern, April 7, 2012

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

No photos from Saturdays show because my Mac’s OS is being rebuilt again. What a pain in my ass. Maybe it’s time to get a new computer? I was way in back of a crowded Barley Street Tavern anyway and the photos weren’t exactly primo, as you can see by the crappy, off-kilter pic of Well-Aimed Arrows, above. WAA followed the very good six-piece known as We Live In Sod Houses, who opened the show, a rousing Americana punk band, sort of Decemberists meets Neil Young meets ’90s indie rock from somewhere in southwest Iowa. I only caught their last four songs, and was told that they’d been on for about 45 minutes before I got there — super long set. Sorry I missed the first part.

Well-Aimed Arrows’ set was the usual 30 minutes of angular post-punk that harkens back to greats such as Gang of Four/Wire/Minutemen/Fugazi. I love this band (as you know), whose members include Clayton Petersen and Koly Walters of The Protoculture (Erica Hanton of Kite Pilot, then Erica Petersen, also was in the band). Their album, Adult Entertainment, reviewed last July, will be the subject of a vinyl-release show May 25 with Millions of Boys and Dads at Slowdown Jr. Mark your calendars.

Finally, it was Kite Pilot reborn as a power trio featuring Todd and Erica Hanton and drummer Jeremy Stanoschek. Their new sound is much more post-punk and less poppy than the old version that was kicking around last decade. Todd’s trumpet is gone. Instead, he’s busy on keyboards and the occasional bass and providing very tasty vocal harmonies, while Erica’s bass and guitar work never sounded better. Performing all new material, their finest moments were ripping full-bore into blistering rockers that were among the best things I’ve ever heard them play, but they floundered when they tried their hand at arty, experimental prog, which suffered from awkward time changes and poor arrangements. As a whole, the trio has entered into an exciting new stage in their career despite the fact that they’re still trying to define this new sound.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Americana rockers Good Old War with The Belle Brigade and Family of the Year. $12, early 8 p.m. start.

Also tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s Tucson band Seashell Radio with The Debts. $5, 9:30 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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Yuppies at Slowdown Jr., April 6, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If I had to choose a winner of last night’s battle of the punk bands at Slowdown Jr. it would be Yuppies by a furlong. I haven’t seen them for more than a year and didn’t recognize their sound or style. Here I thought they were run-of-the-mill low-fi garage rockers. Instead, they’re more like noise/prog/punk than the usually sloppy garage doo-rah.  They came on at around 9:30 to a crowd of around 50 and played all their material as one long song with a lot of changes and shifts, from spoiled-rotten, screamin’ punk to throbbing distorted prog/noise, intense enough to drive a few outside for a smoke. The set’s last “movement” was something akin to listening to a wasted lumberjack chop down a tree or a tired killer kick someone to death one boot-to-the-head at a time. I don’t know if their recordings are a reflection of their live show, but if they are, it’s probably not something you’d want to listen to at the gym. Yuppies don’t so much play songs as perform ebb-and-flow music that, when it does have a semblance of songcraft, can be driving and catchy and inspired. The rest of it will leave you bent over, coughing up blood.

Digital Leather at Slowdown Jr. April 6, 2012

It was an off night for Digital Leather. Frontman Shawn Foree’s guitar sounded out of tune most of the set. He even noticed, saying something to bassist Johnny Vrendenburg between songs, trying to tune to his bass. It sounded so off at times I wondered if there was something wrong with his guitar. Unfortunately, the vocal mix was bad as well, leaving Foree lost in the fog of noise, and making the whole set off kilter. It wasn’t a total loss.  The rhythm section of Vrendenburg and drummer Jeff Lambelet pushed forward in their usual breakneck fashion. Lambelet is the best rock drummer in Omaha.

What made DL’s off night more disappointing (for me, anyway) was that before the set someone I know and respect told me one of the reasons he was there was because of how I’ve been lauding Digital Leather on this blog. I asked if he’d heard DL’s albums before, and he said he had, and didn’t much care for them. I’ve got a feeling he now thinks his suspicions about the band have been empirically proven, which is a shame.

He’s not the first person in the past couple days to tell me I’m wrong about a band. Since last night, I’ve had no less than three people tell me I’m way off about Capgun Coup. One told me I was stupid to call them a “garage band” (I didn’t really call them a garage band; what I said was their new record showcases “Intelligent garage rock songwriting,” which one could argue is an oxymoron on a number of levels). Turns out most people I’ve spoken to who don’t like Capgun Coup’s music don’t like Sam Martin for whatever reason. I don’t know Sam Martin, just like I don’t know Shawn Foree, and the fact that I do or don’t know either of them doesn’t play into my opinion of their music. But I’m finding more and more that people’s opinions about certain local bands are based entirely on their relationships with people in those bands. If they’re pals, the music is great; if they don’t know the people, they’re indifferent or apt to not like the music; if for whatever reason they don’t like the people in the band, they hate their music. I’ve met a lot of musicians that are complete pricks who make great music; conversely, I know a lot of super nice musicians whose music sucks.

But I digress.

Los Vigilantes at Slowdown Jr., April 6, 2012.

Last up was Los Vigilantes, an upbeat band from San Juan that’s more rock than punk, sort of Black Lips meets Social Distortion sung in Spanish. Very energetic, the lead guy even took off his shirt during the performance. I thought they were fun and the crowd seemed to like it, but apparently not enough for the band’s guitarist, who said “Why don’t you fucking dance?” between songs. I guess he never heard the rule about Omaha crowds and dancing. Now he knows.

* * *

Lots o’ shows going on this Easter weekend.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s it will be a reconvening of the same crowd that was at Slowdown Jr. last night, as Baby Tears takes the stage with Watching the Train Wreck and recent Omaha transplants Worried Mothers. $5, 9:30 p.m. I’m buzzin’ already.

Also tonight, opening for Des Moines band Envy Corp, is Eli Mardock, whose new five-piece band in many ways already has exceeded Eagle Seagull (see review). Also on the bill is Machete Archive and Great American Desert. $8, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night’s big show is the Conchance album release party at House of Loom. Not only will this vinyl record mark Conchance’s debut, but it also is the debut release by new Omaha label Make Believe Records, an offshoot of Make Believe Studio. Also on the bill are Dirty Diamonds, Max Fischer, DJ Kethro and DJ Really Real. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, it’s yet another return of Kite Pilot, this time at The Barley Street Tavern with Well-Aimed Arrows and We Live in Sod Houses. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, back at O’Leaver’s, it’s Dim Light with Electric Jellyfish, Snake Island and Saintseneca. $5, 9:30 p.m.

One more thing: Tomorrow afternoon another “Songs @ Shop” event is being held at the Saddle Creek Shop in the Slowdown compound. Performers include Dan McCarthy, Anna Marie McClellan of the band Howard, and who knows who else will show up for this Slumber Party Records showcase. Performances start at 3 p.m. and it’s free.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Los Vigilantes

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I can’t think of a better way to celebrate the death of Jesus Christ than a punk rock show at Slowdown Jr. And tonight’s show is as good as any.

Los Vigilantes is a four-piece punk band from San Juan who records on Slovenly Records and lists among its influences the Fleshtones, New York Dolls, Freddie King, The Black Lips, The Stooges, King Khan, The Gories, The Clash and Danzig. I don’t know if they speak English, and I don’t think it matters, judging by this track on SoundCloud:

Los Vigilantes, “Mi Mami Dijo”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16963120″ iframe=”true” /]

My unbridled passion for Digital Leather is renowned. You can see their ugly faces on the Lazy-i homepage every stinkin’ day. Shawn Foree is a national touring musical evil genius that continues to fly under the radar in Omaha despite the fact that he’s lived here for years. The band’s latest album, Modern Problems (2012, FDH Records) is among my favorites so far this year. Any chance you get to see this band, take it, and tonight is obviously no exception.

Yuppies are your run-of-the-mill juvenile delinquents with guitars, sort of a slacker surf punk explosion that just happens to be catching fire on the national garage circuit. I’m not sure they speak English, either, based on this Soundclound track:

Yuppies, “Getting Out”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/18229501″ iframe=”true” /]

You’re getting all three bands for $8. Take a few minutes out of your annual Stations of the Cross ritual and come down to Slowdown Jr. at 9 tonight and witness this spectacle. Who knows, there could be a Second Coming or two.

Also tonight, uber-nerd band Harry and the Potters are playing at The Waiting Room with Koo Koo Kangaroo. $12, 8 p.m.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Get ready for Contextual Doom.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It is with utter dissapointment that I fell asleep before heading out to The Waiting Room last night for the Antiquarium Subversion Showcase and seeing Capgun Coup. Though I can’t comment on their performance, I will say this about CC’s new album, Contextual Doom: It sounds like frontman/CC mastermind Sam Martin had an epiphany involving early Velvet Underground. The album, slated for release next month by ORG Music, has the same looking-through-a-dirty-window-on-the-Lower-East-Side feeling associated with, say, the VU & Nico album.

Half of the record involves laid-back “Sunday Morning” guitar riffs, tom-and-tambourine percussion and Martin’s own flat, seen-it-all-before vicodine-infused vocal delivery. It doesn’t get more slacker than on “My Bordumb Is Bored,” where Martin mumbles, seemingly with half-closed eyes, “I’m high as the ocean and my mind is commotion all my thoughts are unspoken and my heart it is broken…” The other half is garage ravers like “Claire Doesn’t Care,” which props up Martin’s lethargy like a dancing, twitching corpse. But even pumped up mothers like “Laugh/Cry” have a Velvet overlap — if you slowed the song by about 50 bpm you’d get something akin to “Heroin,” but with the lyrics, “Don’t it feel so good inside to have a good reason to cry? All your tears will dry.”

Martin is a musical enigma. He’s not so much Omaha’s version of Lou Reed as much as Omaha’s own Anton Newcombe — as unpredictable as he is talented, out there as much as out of control. And Capgun Coup is one of those bands that has a different life on vinyl than it has on stage. Their recordings (and no more than this one) are showcases for intelligent garage rock songwriting that nods knowingly toward the past while defining a better, if not slumped-shouldered, future. On stage, Capgun Coup is unpredictable — you never know what you’re going to get from gig to gig, which can vary from a taut, high-energy rock show to an extended, off-kilter caterwaul careening out of control. Whether triumphant or disappointing, they’re never boring. And neither is Martin, or for that matter, this album.

* * *

For those keeping score at home, my latest column is in print and online right here at thereader.com and centers on the life and death disappointments of Game of Thrones. Check it.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The folks at Des Moines’ 80/35 Festival today announced their initial line-up for the July 6 and 7 event:

Friday, July 6 – The Avett Brothers, Dinosaur Jr., Freddie Gibbs, Fucked Up

Saturday, July 7 – Death Cab for Cutie, Leftover Salmon, Dan Deacon, Greensky Bluegrass, Leslie and the Ly’s, The Sundogs, Maxilla Blue, Mumford’s (and no, that’s not Mumford & Sons).

Avett Bros. and DCFC already are coming to our area. And we got J Mascis at MAHA last year. The rest of this rather blah lineup falls into the jam band/alt country/pop category, except for the highlight of their festival, Matador band Fucked Up, who I’d love to see come to Omaha, though I don’t think Red Sky/MAHA quite know how they’d explain the band’s name to their sponsors (Apparently U.S. Cellular, 80/35’s financiers, has no qualms about it, nor should they).

The press release says they’ve already sold out of “Early Bird and VIP” tickets. As for the rest:

Advance: $49 Two-Day, $29 One-Day
Regular: $65 Two-Day, $39 One-Day
Day of: $45 per day

80/35 says “many more exciting national, regional and local acts will be announced in early May.” Let’s hope so. Is this rather weak lineup more evidence of how difficult it is to book a festival these days, what with all the other bigger festivals going on in larger markets? Maybe. It also might be a reflection of a paradigm shift for bands, who used to make decent money off album sales. Now they depend more on performance income, and are getting it — higher demand means higher prices. More info at the 80/35 website.

* * *

They’re calling tonight’s show at The Waiting Room “The Antiquarium Subversive Showcase Vol. 1.” The line-up is huge — we’re talking five musical acts, a comedy group and a DJ. Headlining the subversion is Capgun Coup, who’s new album, Contextual Doom, is about to be released. Get a sneak preview tonight. Also on the bill: Noah Sterba and The Cocktails, Dads, Zach La Grou and The Romantic Poets, Comedy by DO IT WITH US, & Records by DJ Oddible. All for just $5. Show starts at 9.

Also tonight, another installment of The Record Club at the Shop at Saddle Creek. Tonight’s listening party features Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska. The needle drops at 7 p.m., with discussion to follow. More info here.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Thanks to all who came out for my “non-DJ” DJ night at House of Loom on Friday. As expected, there was virtually no one there at 5 p.m. when it began, but things livened up as the evening rolled on, and a total of about 20 people eventually showed up. It was actually quite rowdy at around 7 p.m., and I ended up “spinning” for an extra 45 minutes beyond the 8 p.m. cutoff.

It was a trip meeting a couple people who read the column and website regularly and wanted to “see what I looked like.” I hope I didn’t disappoint them too much. It also was nice seeing a number of music-scene collegues who dropped by for a few drinks and a few songs.

If you haven’t been to House of Loom, you really need to give it a try if only for the ambience. I can’t think of a better place to grab a drink right after work, and for those into the DJ/ dance culture, House of Loom is among Omaha’s best dance clubs. Check it out. Thanks again to Loom, Brent and Ethan for being such gracious hosts.

* * *

Speaking of checking things out, as Cursive continues its ongoing national tour, they’re (currently) bringing Conduits along for the ride. And as interesting as it is to read how people dig Kasher and Co’s live rendition of I Am Gemini, we’re starting to see the first reactions to Conduits from a “foreign market.”

Among them, this piece from the Carnegie Mellon student newspaper The Tartan:

“Conduits, an indie rock sextet based out of Omaha, Neb., was the first opening band. Despite releasing their debut album on March 20, they performed a cohesive set that mixed the straightforward arrangements of pop rock with the sonic textures of shoegaze and psychedelic rock. The crowd was small for Conduits’ set, but it was clear that the pulsating bass lines and beautiful guitar ­— imagine rippling water as a sound instead of a vision — captivated these dedicated fans completely.”

The review concluded with: “While a majority of the audience had come for Cursive, it was difficult not to leave as a fan of all three groups.” Read the whole thing here.

Then there’s this from the University of Buffalo student newspaper The Spectrum:

“Opening for Cursive was five-piece outfit Conduits, from Cursive’s hometown of Omaha, Neb., and the bands even shared member Patrick Newbery, who played synth and keys for both bands. Conduits immediately asserted their place in Mohawk’s tightly packed venue, with the audience crowding in front of them, as if they were headlining.

“Conduits’ music consisted of a mix of slow rock combined with rhythmically dynamic maracas and tom-toms rising to importance during their set, juxtaposing the lead into the flowing synthesized music.”

So far, so good. It’ll be interesting to read what the New York media says when Cursive and Conduits play back-to-back sold-out shows at The Bowery Ballroom tomorrow and Wednesday.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Barsuk band Yellow Ostrich with Rough Trade artist Howler. $10, 9 p.m. Both bands are rising to that middle-echelon of touring indie bands. Check out a couple of their tracks below:

Yellow Ostrich, “Marathon Runner”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/37520957″ iframe=”true” /]

Howler, “Back to the Grave”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/33940837″ iframe=”true” /]

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.