by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’ve been under an avalanche of Reader deadlines the past couple days and am just now lifting my head above the waves. Needless to say, you’ll be reading a lot about Simon Joyner here and in The Reader this week. He’s got a vinyl release show Friday night at The Sydney, and the hype meter is definitely off the charts.

In other news… Conor Oberst has been lighting up The Google the past few days after Omaha’s Golden Child played The Newport Folk Festival. Jambands.com — I site that I practically live at (no, really… not really) — reports that Oberst performed with Dawes and Jackson Browne the Friday prior at Newport’s Pickens Theater. You can watch the Conor Browne performance on the YouTube here. Have the Eagles ever sounded so good?

In addition, The Conor performed a couple new numbers during a gig in Fairfield, CT, last Thursday. That’s also online at YouTube, right here.

In other Saddle Creek news, your old pals Tilly in the Wall released the first track from their new one, Heavy Mood, which comes out Oct. 2 on Team Love. You can hear “Love Riot” via SoundCloud below. It definitely has that familiar Tilly shout stomp vibe:
[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/51157829″ iframe=”true” /]

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Speaking of vibes, Orgone returns to Omaha tonight at The Waiting Room. The L.A. project’s sound draws form soul, funk and Afrobeat. Satchel Grande is opening. $8, 9 p.m. Wanna taste? Check out “Lookout” via SoundCloud below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/4122936″ 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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Benson Days is going on all weekend. Happy 125th birthday to Omaha’s own version of “New Boho,” or as I like to call it, The Booze District. I’m only halfway kidding about that name. With, what, 11 bars along a five-block stretch of Maple Street, Benson should brand itself with a name like The Barley District or Beer City U.S.A.

Anyway, Benson will host various and sundry family-flavored events all weekend, including a special appearance by The Pancake Man tomorrow morning. I hate pancakes. Why couldn’t they hire The Breakfast Burrito Man or The Belgian Waffle Man? Good thing the beer garden opens at, like, 10 a.m.

ANYWAY… you can keep up on all the Benson 125 action right here. The website includes a schedule for the “Benson Days After Dark” rock shows on Saturday night. A $10 wristband gets you into four different venues to watch the usual collection of Benson regulars perform starting at 8 p.m. —  it’s kind of like a lite version of an OEA showcase.

Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, fabulous O’Leaver’s continues its usual celebration of booze and debauchery tonight with Dirty Flourescents, Comme Reel and John Klemmensen and The Party. $5, 9:30 p.m.

There’s also a punk show going on tonight at good ol’ Sokol Underground. On the bill: Bouncing Souls, The Menzingers and Luther. $18, 8:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night it’s back to O’Leaver’s for Snake Island, Empty Spaces and Dads. $5, 9:30 p.m.

And then Sunday night, The STNNNG returns to The Waiting Room with Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship, Baby Tears and Birthday Suits, all for a mere $7. 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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Spotify

Well, Spotify has been available in the U.S. for over a year now. The Phoenix New Times has put together this “status report” on how well — or not so well — the streaming service is doing. Among those interviewed is Saddle Creek Records exec Robb Nansel, who doesn’t really have anything new to add that he didn’t say in this 2011 Lazy-i interview, other than he doesn’t think Spotify is cannibalizing iTunes sales.

Overall, the concensus remains the same: It’s too early to say if Spotify and other streaming services will be music industry game changers. For the service to become a real revenue generator for lables and artists, it’ll have to scale up to about seven time its current base of 3 million U.S. subscribers (of which I am one).

But even at that size, I’m uncertain how Spotify could become a relevant revenue source for indie bands. I guess I just don’t understand the math. It would have to be the ultimate “long tail” effect, allowing artists to somehow reach a much larger audience than they would on their own. Could Spotify provide the same amount of revenue that an artist could generate selling CDs, vinyl or downloads on their own or through a small indie label? Even with the lack of overhead (other than recording costs) I’m skeptical. But it’s too late to turn back now (right?).

As for the consumer side of things, I continue to use Spotify to “preview” new music that I wouldn’t otherwise listen to. I realize a lot of bands are putting their stuff out on Bandcamp and Soundcloud, but those services simply aren’t that convenient (especially from an iPhone). With Spotify, I can do a search on, say, the new Passion Pit or overly hyped Frank Ocean album — albums that I wouldn’t simply run out and buy — and listen to them on my iPhone either online or offline. There was no way to do that before these streaming services came around. If I dig the music, the assumption is that I’ll buy the CD, download or vinyl. At least that’s (part of) the business model.

But be honest — I’ve buying a whole lot less music than I did before Spotify. The last record I purchased was actually a cassette tape (the new Digital Leather), and the music wasn’t available on Spotify. Bottom line: If I really want something, I’m going to buy it. I won’t wait to preview it on Spotify. If I’m waiting to preview it on Spotify first, it has to be something outrageously good for me to drop down cash and get a hard copy. Was that how it was supposed to work?

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Sebadoh, Secret EP (2012, self release)

Actually, I have made one other recent purchase: Sebadoh put out its first new recorded material in 14 years earlier this week. Called Secret EP, the 5-song collection is available as a $5 digital download from here, where you can also preview the tracks. Check out personal fave and future best of 2012 mix CD selection “I dont mind.” Sebadoh says they’re working on a new LP, and none of these five songs will be on it, so it’s definitely worth the price. It’ll be good to see these guys back on the road.

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This week’s column reflects on the horrifying events that have taken place over the past couple of weeks and why there’s no room for the concept of “evil” in the discussion. You can read it in the new issue of The Reader, or online right here.

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A couple shows are going on tonight.

Over at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s The Eightysevens with Hay Perro and Wet Radio. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile over at The Sydney, Thunder Power headlines a show with Underwater Dream Machine. Starts at 9:30 and is absolutely free.

While over at The Barley Street Tavern its Oakland band Swanifant with So. Cal. band Robert Jon and the Wreck and Nebraska’s own Field Club. $5, 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

Following up on a column from earlier this year, Omaha Girls Rock! announced yesterday that its second annual Rock Camp for Girls will take place the week of July 30. “OGR will provide 50 girls ages 8-18 with a chance to unleash their inner rock stars and to learn songwriting, guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, and vocals,” sayeth the OGR press release.

The week-long day camp, hosted by the College of St. Mary, includes five days of instrument instruction, band practice, guest performances, and “enrichment workshops.”

“The girls are supported by trained, on-site female volunteers, including local and national teachers, social workers, professionals, and musicians. Campers learn instruments, form bands, and write their own original songs. The week culminates in a performance at the Slowdown, Omaha’s premier rock club, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 4. After camp, girls will receive a CD including a recording of their original songs mixed and mastered by a professional sound engineer.”

In other OGR news, the organization recently was designated as a 501(c)(3) charitable organizations by the IRS. That means your donations to OGR can be deducted from your taxes. So what are you waiting for? To donate, go to omahagirlsrock.com.

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While I’m catching up on my in-box , here’s a heart-warming little story from Alabama’s ai.com where Maria Taylor talks about what it’s like being a mom after having her first baby in May. So how is she going to tour that upcoming Azure Ray album with a baby in tow? “Luckily, my mom has offered to be tour nanny,” Taylor said in the article. “We’ll have a separate car for me, my mom and the baby, and we’ll see how he is touring. We’ll just take it as it comes, and figure it out.”

We already knew about the new Azure Ray album coming out on Saddle Creek Sept. 4, but Taylor also talked about a new duo she’s formed with producer Andy LeMaster of Now It’s Overhead. “I think the record is going to be pretty eclectic in its sound, with a pop sensibility and guy-girl harmonies,” Taylor said in the article. “We have about nine songs, and the hardest part is finishing the lyrics. We’re used to writing by ourselves.”

No word on who’s releasing the debut of this unnamed Taylor/LeMaster project, though I wouldn’t be surprised if Saddle Creek had been mentioned in the discussion…

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In “where are they now” news, SPIN reports that Jenny Lewis is working on a B-side collection of Rilo Kiley tracks as well as a follow-up to her Acid Tongue solo album. She’s also been composing the score and serving as music supervisor for a new movie called Very Good Girls.

“I’ve gotten my heart broken, and fallen in love, and moved out my shitty rent-controlled apartment, and lost my father, and tried to rebuild my relationship with my mother,” she said in the article. “All of these things have definitely popped up in my songs and I want to write something that’s real that people can feel.”

Check out the fan-made video for new song “Head Under Water,” performed with he old partners in crime, The Watson Twins.

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Finally, the Nebraska Pop Festival, which took place in Benson a couple weeks ago, presented a check July 17 for $1,630 to Arts For All Executive Director Judy Mallory, according to a press release. Last year NE Pop Fest raised $711 for the AFA. Kudos to festival promoter Chris Beiermann for following through.

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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.

Fear of Ghosts at The Waiting Room, July 20, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Among the discussion topics outside of The Waiting Room Friday night where R.E.M.odeled and Fear of Ghosts performed: What’s the difference between a tribute band and a cover band?

According to our old friend Wikipedia, “The main way in which a tribute band differs from a cover band that simply plays songs by other artists, is that it strives to capture every nuance of the imitated artist’s actions and appearance for a perfect imitation.” That sums it up for me as well. To me, a tribute band tries to personify the band whose music they’re playing. A cover band merely plays the bands’ songs.

The two bands that played Friday night meet in the gray area between those definitions. There was no attempt to “impersonate” the bands as much as simply relish in their respective catalogs.  So when R.E.M.odeled’s Jeff Bell, playing the role of Michael Stipe, came out with an acoustic guitar, the initial reaction was “Hmm. I don’t remember Michael Stipe playing a guitar.” That’s because he didn’t. Does it matter? I guess it would to the hardcore fan that expected “tribute” treatment, but to the rest of us, not really.

What did matter was that Bell sung like Stipe, which he did very well. As a whole, the band did a good job playing tunes off R.E.M.’s Murmur and Chronic Town albums. It was fun. As was Fear of Ghosts, who were playing songs by The Cure. Braden Rapp did a respectable Robert Smith impersonation, right down to his black fright wig. And the crowd of between 100 and 200 loved it. And that’s all that matters. I could quibble at great lengths about both performances, but what would be the point? In the end, it was a fun night of covers by two bands with great respect for the bands that they were honoring.

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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

Icky Blossoms' Pitchfork rating...

The Icky Blossoms Pitchfork review went online today. They gave the band’s debut a 6.6, which is a little better than OK, and in line with what they typically give Saddle Creek releases (though Mynabirds’s latest came in at 7.5). Kudos to writer Ian Cohen for using the term “Cornhusker” in his review. Whether he got the rest of it right is a matter of opinion, though this write-up was better written with more color (and more research) than the typical Pitchfork review. It concludes with:

“So while the band comprises veterans, it’s worth remembering Icky Blossoms is still a debut. That point is driven home by the appropriately-titled closer ‘Perfect Vision,’ the moment where the past and present of Icky Blossoms’ personnel dovetail towards an individual perspective. A woozy, six-minute duet cruising at a pace no quicker than a backhand moving across a sweaty brow, Pressnall and Bohling kick back as boredom sets in, bicycles spin all over town, and ‘there’s nothing to do but get high in the afternoon.’ It’s the most in-tune the two sound with each other on Icky Blossoms and the most potent unification of sound and emotion as well. It’d be too easy to posit Icky Blossoms as a mid-career diversion for Pressnall, to consider the band latecomers or hayseed interlopers to a sound NYC hasn’t had much use for in a while. And perhaps it’s unfair to hold them to the standards of their urban peers when “Perfect Vision” suggests Icky Blossoms might be more suited for wasteful afternoons than a wasted evening.”

Not bad. Read the whole thing here.

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Tribute bands are a dicey experiment for everyone involved, especially if the band being tribute-ized has an avid fan base that knows every nuance of the music. Such is the case for R.E.M. and The Cure, both of whom get the tribute treatment tonight at The Waiting Room.

R.E.M.odeled

Via drummer and TWR bartender Matt Bowen, R.E.M.odeled is “a chronological series of album-by-album shows paying tribute to R.E.M. (natch!) that includes myself (Matt plays in The Third Men), Chuck Davis (ex-Janglepop), Jeff Bell (ex-Janglepop), Mike Volk (Qing Jao) and Mike Hergert. For the first show we’re doing Murmur, of course, but also throwing in Chronic Town since it was actually their first release.”

R.E.M.odeled will be followed by Fear of Ghosts, which Bowen says, is a “straight-up Cure tribute, covering most of their career, up to and including Disintegration. That band is me (again!), Phil Reno, Braden Rapp, Tom Barrett and Ryan McLaughlin.”

Unlike bands that play original music, tribute bands (and cover bands) are by their very nature novelty acts. Their intent isn’t to communicate personal messages or emotions of the musicians on stage. They exist purely to entertain. For many people (myself included) the music of R.E.M. and The Cure is ingrained with deep personal meaning. Their songs are not just music, they’re the soundtrack to our lives; signposts as we traveled through times both triumphant and disastrous. So when a band goes on stage and tries to recapture those intimate moments, they better know what they’re doing. The margin of error is razor thin. The audience will either smile and nod knowingly, or roll their eyes and shake their heads (or even worse, laugh).

Make no mistake, these bands will be judged from the moment they walk on stage. Yeah, I know this is “all for fun,” which is generally why I don’t go to these things. I’d like to keep my memories of this music as unmarred as possible for the same reasons that I prefer closed-casket funerals. One person’s “goofy fun” is another persons loathsome insult. That said, Bowen not only is a local legend as a musician (He’s a veteran of such Saddle Creek-related bands as Norman Bailer, The Faint, Commander Venus and Lullaby for the Working Class as well as Magic Kiss — a precursor to Tilly and the Wall), he’s also an audiophile, DJ and music aficionado whose knowledge about both bands runs deep and wide. Translated: I trust Matt to take this endeavor seriously.

So… go. The show starts at 9 and costs $7.

Also tonight, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship headlines a show at fabulous O’Leaver’s with Buildings and Lincoln band Dirty Talker, who will be celebrating the release of a new CD. Dirty Talker features Brendan McGinn from Her Flyaway Manner. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Snake Island has a busy night in store. They’re playing an early show in Lincoln opening for A Place to Bury Strangers at The Bourbon Theater before heading back to Omaha to play a show at The Sandbox with Des Moines’ Holy White Hounds, The Dead Records and Isle Life. $8, 9 p.m.

Start your Friday night on the chill side by catching a set by DJ Andrew Norman — that’s right, thee Andy Norman of Hear Nebraska — as he mans the turntable for Loom’s Friday Afternoon Club. It’s part of HOL’s “non-DJ DJ series.” Andy (or as he’s known in the hip-hop community DJ Mad Frodo) kicks out the jams beginning at 5 p.m.. It’s fun and free.

Tomorrow’s big event is the annual SPEED! Nebraska Soapbox Riot (Derby) at noon at Seymour Smith Park. Watch as some of your favorite musicians and O’Leaver’s regulars risk life and limb and reputation as they hurl down the ramp in their homemade racing machines. Gravity as we all know can be a cruel mistress, especially when the engineers of these fine jalopies very likely were tanked when they were put together the brake assemblies. There will be blood, indeed…along with heat exhaustion and stroke.

Later that evening — at 9 p.m. to be exact — the bandaged survivors will pick up guitar, bass and drumstick to perform live at O’Leaver’s. Among the bands: The Filter Kings, Domestica, The Wagon Blasters, The Really Rottens, Sons of Soapbox and Qing Jao. Your $5 not only will pay the bands, but will help cover any ongoing medical bills (j/k)(probably).

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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

Those Icky Blossoms reviews are finally beginning to roll in, though we’re still waiting on the all-important Pitchfork review.

PopMatters gave the album a stunning 8 out of 10, and compare the band to X. “Imagine if that outfit leaped from the ‘80s to the modern day and started toying around with synthesizers and drum machines in some basement workspace and there you have Icky Blossoms (member Nik Fackler even has a little John Doe thing going on with his lead vocal turn on the ramshackle ‘I Am’).” X? I’m not sure I’m buying it, but a compliment’s a compliment. They close by saying, “Icky Blossoms may not be the first to champion this brand of art house experimentalism, but they do it with such aplomb that you wish they were.” Read the whole thing here.

Not as complimentary but still positive was Paste Magazine, who gave the debut a 6.1 out of 10. “Heavy on electronic haziness the whole way through, vibes jolt from upbeat sweet songs to super weird, druggy dance throbs. The zig-zagging isn’t necessarily a negative thing; it just makes for a hard-to-follow full-length.” Again, I’m not sure I’m buying it. To me, the record as a whole is very cohesive. The closer:  “It seems with this first release, they’re just starting to unfurl their musical feelers and see what it is that they do. So far we know they can do electronic music in the grand sense pretty well, and that’s cool. But what else?”  Read the whole Paste write-up here.

Finally, there’s the once all-important All Music Guide, one of the first online review websites whose dominance has waned, thanks in part to all the other sites and their own lousy website redesign. AMG gave the record 3 out of 5 stars. “Icky Blossoms succeed in showing many different sides of dance-infused indie rock with their debut, but there’s an unsettled feeling that suggests the trio members weren’t entirely sure where they wanted to go with the record. With a more clearly defined musical direction, like the Faint before them, they’d sound more fully committed.” Read the AMG review right here.

No doubt, more to come…

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This week’s Over the Edge column is a recap of a sweaty Sunday afternoon spent at Horsemen’s Park. Read how easy it is to lose money gambling when you don’t know what you’re doing. It’s in this week’s issue of The Reader, or you can read it online right here. Live horse racing continues at Horsemen’s Park this weekend. It’s fun and it’s free (except for the gambling and the booze parts).

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When Red Sky announced that it was dropping its Thursday night programming, the first thing that went through my mind was ‘My God, what will they do with the thousands (tens of thousands?) of people who have traveled to Omaha for this mammoth festival?‘ Well, here’s a suggestion for the geniuses at MECA. Tell your (imaginary) throngs of festival goers stuck in their downtown hotels waiting for Brad Paisley to arrive to instead venture out to beautiful downtown Benson for The Future of Maha Showcase at The Waiting Room. Three of Omaha’s up-and-coming high-fliers — Lightning Bug, Millions Of Boys and Snake Island! — will take the stage starting at 9 p.m. And the cost for this spectacular air-conditioned slab of entertainment — absolutely free.

If that doesn’t trip their trigger, skip on down to The Barley Street Tavern tonight, where Landing on the Moon is playing along with Madison band Icarus Himself and Above the State. This one will cost ya $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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Azure Ray, As Above So Below (2012, Saddle Creek)

Azure Ray announced yesterday that the street date for As Above So Below, their latest 6-song set on Saddle Creek, drops Sept. 4. Expect dope beats: “We enlisted my husband and Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Now It’s Overhead) as our dream team,” said Orenda Fink, wife to Todd Fink of The Faint. Get a download of track “Scattered Like Lives” right here at Stereogum by submitting your email address.

In other Creek news, Cursive announced an extensive summer and fall tour that begins at the end of July and brings them to Slowdown Oct. 28 opening for their old pals Minus the Bear. I can never get enough Cursive…

What else?

Oh yeah, the Red Sky Music Festival begins tonight at the Ameritrade Ballpark. Rascal Flatts.

Remember a couple years ago, when Red Sky was first announced, how people thought it was going to be a significant event?

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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

Icky Blossoms, self-titled (Saddle Creek, 2012)

It’s drop day for Icky Blossoms’ Saddle Creek debut. Go out and buy a copy (preferably on vinyl). You won’t regret it. That said, I’m a bit disappointed at the lack of pre-release reviews for this record. I’ve been checking with Pitchfork the last few days hoping they’d put something online. Nothing. Then I noticed they haven’t updated their reviews since July 12 and realized that their “critics” are probably all at Pitfchforkfest (or whatever it’s called). Still, where is the Pop Matters review or Consequence of/Drowned in Sound review or A.V. Club or Under the Radar or Coke Machine Glow…? I’ll guess we’ll just have to wait until everyone gets back from Chicago.

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Drakes Hotel, Logic Adopts Senses (2012, self-release)

Tonight at The Barley Street Tavern local post-punk/shoegaze/electronic duo Drakes Hotel takes the stage. The band’s new album, Logic Adopts Senses, is a slice of post-Factory post-4AD pop that’s a breath of fresh air in a scene dominated by tired, run o’ the mill Americana. To me, they’re sort of a Heartland version of His Name Is Alive. The album’s production and engineering was handled by DH’s Chris Y and Amy Drake. According to their website, “Shows consist of the duo, many amps, guitars, pedals, loopers, keys and other devices used to augment their ghost rhythm section.” Translation: No drummer. Can they pull it off? Also on the bill: electro/spacerockers Nightmare Air. $5, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, it’s another installment of Record Club at the Saddle Creek Shop down in the Slowdown complex. Tonight’s album to be played in its entirety: LCD Soundsystem’s, The London Sessions. The shop also will have a pair of tickets to giveaway to Film Streams’ screening of the LCD Soundsystem career-ending documentary, Shut Up and Play the Hits, on July 18. And, DFA Records provided the shop with some LCD Soundsystem 12″s, some  mirrorball keychains, and buttons, which will be raffled away. The needle drops at 7, followed by hearty discussion. And… it’s free. More data 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.

Digital Leather at O'Leaver's, July 14, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The next time you’re feeling the heat for something you’ve done or are sweating a decision you’re about to make, remember this one all-important thing:

No matter what you do or what you say, you’ll always be welcome at O’Leaver’s.

And I’ll leave that for you to decipher.

It was a classic red hot summer night this past Saturday at O’Leaver’s. I walked in about halfway through Worried Mothers’ strong set of sweaty, angsty, dissonant punk. I have no idea who or what this band is other than they are very good, very out there and very in your face. So in your face that the frontman went after someone in the audience during the set closer, both of them tumbling to the floor in a torrid embrace, before he stripped off his clothes Full-Monty style. Which gets me wondering — why are big guys like him and Darren Keen (who, btw, recently lost weight) able to strip on stage without anyone thinking twice about it, whereas if a buff guy stripped it would send a completely different, egotistical message? Let alone a woman. A woman would never go Full Monty at a punk show. Certainly not at a punk show at O’Leaver’s.

Anyway…

Minneapolis band Serenghetto was next — loud, fast punk unafraid of a good, meaty riff. Dueling male/female vocals took it to the next level. Angry. Abrasive.

Finally on came Digital Leather, playing a fast, tight set that included a few new songs. In fact, I’ve seen these guys well over a dozen times and I’ve never heard them play these songs this fast. And while playing that fast naturally amps up the energy level in the club, subtle nuances can get lost, especially on songs like “Your Hand, My Glove,” or even set closer “Deliver Deliver Deliver.” Ah, but I’m merely picking nits now. Digital Leather continues to be my favorite local act and one that could be huge if they ever get “discovered” (and they will, eventually, whether they want to be or not).

I found out at the show that Digital Leather has a new cassette tape coming out on Southpaw Records. Titled Yes Please Thank You, the ship date is this Wednesday. You can pre-order your copy here for a mere $5 plus postage. Check out “Mountains Are Dreaming,” from the new release, below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/51920875″ iframe=”true” /]

While clicking around looking for that cassette, I also discovered that DL has a new single, “Assault,” out on Floridas Dying, which you can order here. Get them both while you can.

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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.