by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Going through the ol’ mailbag…

James Reilly of Pharmacy Spirits tapped my shoulder via Facebook to say that he’s got a new band called Life Is Cool. Among the members: Eric Bemberger (ex-Beep Beep), Eli Mardock (ex-Eagle Seagull), Mike Elsener, Ben Armstrong and Kendra Campbell (Cat Island). They’ll be debuting Oct. 14 at Duffy’s in Lincoln, but you can check out a track from their SoundCloud page, below.

So is this a prescription for the end of Reilly’s other band, Pharmacy Spirits? Not at all. In fact Reilly said PS is recording a new EP right now with Mark Wolberg. And look out for PS drummer Courtney Nore’s new band Tubetop, which is the best new band name I’ve heard in a long time.

Life is Cook, JDWYD

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57924407″ iframe=”true” /]

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What else…

Lincoln Calling announced its second round of bands for this year’s festival, slated for Oct. 9-14. You can see the current list and get other pertinent info at the Lincoln Calling website. The geographic breakdown:

Acts by city (21 cities total):

73 Lincoln

14 Omaha

5 Kansas City

4 Chicago

4 Omaha/Lincoln

2 Des Moines, San Diego

1 Baltimore, Denver, Kansas City/Lincoln, Lawrence, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, FR, Portland, OR, Provo, UT, Quincy, IL, Seattle, Springfield, IL, Stillwater, Twain Harte, CA

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Lots of early buzz about tomorrow night’s show at The Sandbox — Wild Nothing and Diiv. Both bands are red hot in the Pitchfork/indie world right now, and as a result of the interest, I’ve been getting questions about the venue.

The last time I was at the Sandbox was December 2011 for The STNNNG. Here’s the write-up/description of the venue. I’m told that since then they’ve added a new stage, new sound and professional lighting. But unless they’ve remodeled the entire upstairs of that building, it’s still going to have a warehouse/loft vibe, and as such, this gig could feel like a loft show. Depending on what you like, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing (from my point of view, it’s a good thing).

I’m told venue capacity is around 200, but as I’ve said, this isn’t your typical venue. Tickets are available online at mooseriot.com. As for parking, you’re on your own…

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Could the description of Pageturners Lounge in today’s OWH make the bar sound any more boring? “The sunken bar and dim lighting are reminiscent of retro Omaha neighborhood bars like the Holiday and the Interlude — places where (Phil) Schaffart and his friends have spent a lot of time over the years. And the menu is no-fuss — 10 beers on tap, another 25 in bottles and cans, four house cocktails (a fifth is coming as soon as one of the spirits comes in), and several dozen wines.” *yawn* Sounds like your run-of-the-mill hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar, but maybe that’s what Phil and co-owner Conor Oberst were after. Mayhaps I’ll find out for myself this weekend…

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, Providence, RI noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt takes the stage. They’re one of those bands that bring the party to you,  playing directly on the floor instead of the stage. We’ll see if they follow suit tonight. Opening is Touch People (Darren Keen, ex-The Show Is the Rainbow). $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.