Bleeding Rainbow at The Waiting Room, Nov. 12, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Bleeding Rainbow sounded like the reincarnation of Sonic Youth last night at The Waiting Room. The whole first half of the set was dominated with full-on drone action, with vocals playing little or no role in the melee. Even when Sarah Everton or Rob Garcia were singing, you could barely hear their incomprehensible syllabic cooing over the roar of the guitar. This is indeed a guitar band, with Greg Frantz being the center point of attention on every song, bending and almost breaking every note, making what could be run-of-the-mill rhythm-drone music much more interesting.

About halfway through the set, during a particularly drony number, Everton started fiddling with her guitar, eventually unstrapping it and then dropping it intentionally on the ground, snapping off the headstock, after which she tossed the broken ax off the stage to the floor below — real rock star stuff. I haven’t seen anyone break a guitar on stage in five years. “It’s just a Squire, it doesn’t matter,” she said between songs.

The carnage seemed to mark a breaking point in their set as well, as they band shifted into more tuneful, more melodic territory with Everton and Garcia singing pretty harmonies over the riffage. It didn’t take long for them to devolve back to drone, and by the end of the set Garcia was twisting his guitar, eventually flipping it to the ground to land smack dab on its headstock with a crack. I don’t know if he broke it or not, but it didn’t sound good.

The band seemed much more fractured than when they played at Slowdown Jr. last March. With a new album coming out in January (delayed by their label, it was supposed to come out this month) Bleeding Rainbow feels like a band in transition, still figuring out what they want to sound like. I can’t to see where they end up.

A Place to Bury Strangers at The Waiting Room, Nov. 12, 2012.

Shortly after ending their set, the fog machines began to kick in high gear for A Place to Bury Strangers. By the time the trio took the stage, The Waiting Room was smoldering in dense, choking smoke. Six projectors cut through the fog along with frontman Oliver Ackermann’s shimmering, chiming, staccato guitar, while bassist Dion Lunadon and drummer Robi Gonzalez provided a throbbing, pulsing bedrock. Lost in the darkness there was something distinctly gothic about the whole thing, even though their sound felt industrial, broken to shards by sound and light. For whatever reason, I was reminded me of Love and Rockets and (dare I say it) the most hard-edged, aggressive moments from The Clash. Ultimately cool. Standing next to the stage like sitting at the foot of an airport runway watching jets fly overhead.

APTBS’s Oliver Ackermann tries to grind off his guitar strings with a strobe light.

So what would Ackermann do to close out the show? His theatrics are legendary. Talk to a APTBS show veteran and he’ll tell you about the time Ackermann tore the strings off his guitar or smashed an amp down on his axe. For this show, Ackermann grabbed one of the hot-white strobe lights from in front of the stage and dragged it across the strings of his guitar, causing ripples of noise that fed back through the amps, eventually breaking the light and finishing off the set in the dark. Fantastic.

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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.
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by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The make-up date for the Nov. 1 Morrissey show at Rococo Theater has been announced. It’s now Feb. 6 — a Wednesday night (which means a lot of Omaha peeps will be taking the following Thursday off). See the full rescheduled tour at Morrissey’s “official” fan website. BTW, this one has been sold out for months.

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Mike Fratt of Homer’s Records dropped a heads up that 14 of the most important Beatles albums are being released on vinyl tomorrow. We’re talking back-to-the-basics individual British releases of everything from Please, Please Me to Abbey Road and everything in between, as well as a vinyl boxed set that collects all of them. Check ’em out at Homer’s tomorrow.

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Tasty booze-maker Sailor Jerry announced last week that it’s sponsoring The King Khan BBQ Show at The Slowdown Nov. 28 along with one of me and Todd Fink’s favorite bands, Digital Leather, opening. It’s free, but you have to RSVP at the Sailor Jerry website, here. 21+ only.

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Bleeding Rainbow at Slowdown Jr. March 1, 2012.

Big show tonight at The Waiting Room: A Place to Bury Strangers headlines with Bleeding Rainbow and Snake Island. If the fact that APTBS’s new album, Worship, is a ball buster isn’t enough to get you to the show, here’s what their publicist is saying about the tour: “They bring smoke, lasers, blackness, and ear-splitting volume to their live performances. But this isn’t merely showmanship, these guys make  killer music. Lead singer, guitarist, Oliver Ackermann owns a company called Death by Audio which makes custom effects pedals with names like ‘The Sound Saw’ and ‘Total Sonic Annihilation.’ They’ve sold custom pedals to U2’s The Edge, Nine Inch Nails, Wilco and Lightning Bolt, to  name a few.”

Sounds like I better bring my ear plugs.

As for Bleeding Rainbow, their set opening for Crocodiles at Slowdown Jr. last March was one of my favorites so far this year. From the review: “…Bleeding Rainbow was absolutely amazing — one of the best bands I’ve seen in a long time. The set-up was simple — two guitars, drums and bass, with Sarah Everton and one of the guitarists sharing vocals and creating flat-toned harmonies on songs that are jet-fueled by guitar riffs and loud as fuck.” Check out the Chris Aponick interview with the band. $10, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Killer Blow (the duo of Genie Molkentine on drums and vocals and Todd VonStup on electric guitar) plays at Middle House (ex-Gunboat, ex-Hotel Frank, across the street from The Brothers Lounge) with Belleville, IL band Trauma Harness. No idea of cost or time. The house show revolution continues…

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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.

A still from the video for “Your House” by G.Green.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Not a bad weekend for shows…

Tonight at Slowdown Jr. it’s the kickoff of Simon Joyner & the Ghost’s “Southeast Tour.” The devil’s goin’ down to Georgia looking for some souls to steal and won’t be back for 10 days. Wish him well at this bon voyage performance that also features The Betties, Mike Schlesinger of Gus & Call and headliner David Dondero. Not a bad lineup for $12. Show starts at 9 p.m.

Ribs and The Filter Kings — sounds like the perfect combination, as long as you throw in about four fingers of bourbon. That’s the recipe tonight at Mojo Smokehouse in Aksarben Village.  Opening is the breakneck punk of Lincoln band Ideal Cleaners. Expect broken glass. I hope all those unsuspecting diners know what they’re in for. Starts at 10 and the show is free.

Also tonight is the Omaha Entertainment and Arts (OEA) semi-annual showcase in Benson — 40 local bands at five Benson venues for a mere $10. Schedule is online here at Facebook. Performing of note: Bloodcow at The Waiting Room at 10:20 p.m., and Snake Island at The Barley Street at 12:50 a.m. I haven’t heard of most of the other bands, but isn’t that the point of the showcase?

Saturday night’s hot show is Digital Leather with Sacramento punk band G.Green and Dads at Middle House (ex-Frank’s Hotel, ex-Jerk Store, the house across the street from The Brothers). The house show renaissance continues… $5, 9 p.m.

G.Green, “Your House” (Mt. St. Mtn. Records)

Meanwhile, up the street at fabulous O’Leavers, Saturn Moth plays with Goon Saloon and Mama Like. Who dat? According to a member of the band, “Goon Saloon is new and features former people from Ketchup & Mustard Gas. They’re in the experimental rock column. Mama Like is a new dark alt.-country band that is fronted by a really great female vocal trio. Saturn Moth is garage.” $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night Kite Pilot is playing at The Barley Street Tavern with Milwaukee band Fossils and High & Tight. $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.

A still from Icky Blossoms’ new video for “Heat Lightning.”

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Slow news Thursday, so here’s a peek in my e-mail box…

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“Heat Lightning” just happens to be my favorite song off Icky Blossoms’ self-titled Saddle Creek Records debut. And despite the fact that there’s no sex and/or destruction, this video for the song (exclusively at RollingStone.com) is my favorite vid from the band so far. Icky currently is out on the road with Tilly and the Wall, playing the Great American Music Hall tonight in San Francisco.

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I recently got into an awkward discussion about another Saddle Creek Records band — UUVVWWZ. A guy was complaining that the Lincoln band gets too much attention for an act that makes “art noise.” Needless to say, his complaints didn’t come as a surprise as the guy is really into Americana music and mainstream rock. Nothing wrong with that, but he doesn’t hear me complaining about how boring his band is, does he? Anyway, you either “get” UUVVWWZ or you don’t. I’ve dug their music since waaay back in 2008 when I first saw them perform at the long-gone Saddle Creek Bar. Based on this brand-spankin’ new Love Drunk video for the song “No Apart,” I figure they must be working on a new record. Hat’s off to Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler for providing his office (and being a helluva drummer).

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Congrats to Satchel Grande, who were named in the first wave of acts invited to play at South By Southwest in 2013. Which reminds me, I gotta get my lodging figured out if I’m going back to Austin again next year.

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Matador just announced that Cat Power has cancelled her European tour for health reasons. I mention this only because I’d love to see Cat Power play at the Maha Music Festival next year. Wishful thinking I know, especially if she can’t stay on top of this health issue.

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Speaking of cancelled tours, according to his official fan site, Morrissey will announce his rescheduled U.S. Tour dates next Monday, including the Lincoln date.

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There’s another Tim Kasher interview that just went online at Phoenix New Times.  Golden quote:

So, you don’t have a metal album coming out any time soon?
We should, that’d be great. The other band name is Crucifix.

Ha ha! Awesome…

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Every month Reader music editor Chris Aponick busts my balls because I forget to mention the “Sock Hop” event he hosts at Loom. Well, tonight’s the night. In addition to playing sock hop hits of the ’50s, Noah Sterba and the Cocktails will be in the house. “Expect folk-tinged retro-pop nuggets perfect for any chilled house party or in this case, a relaxed Thursday night of music and dance.” At Loom, 9 p.m., free. More info here. Now get off my back, Aponick.

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Also tonight, Michigan-based indie-folk troubadour Small Houses, a.k.a. Jeremy Quentin, plays at Slowdown Jr. with Field Club and Great American Desert. 9 p.m., $7.

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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.

Matt and Kim at The Slowdown, Nov. 6, 2012

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The youth of America came out in droves last night… to vote for Matt & Kim at The Slowdown.

Ah, now how cheesy does that sound? Judging by their age, I’d say a large portion of the sold-out crowd wasn’t even old enough to vote yesterday. Needless to say, between sets I  huddled in the back of the bar under a large flat-panel TV that glowed with election returns via MSNBC. There was Chris and Rachel and crazy ol’ Ed looking down at us, broadly smiling as the numbers kept rolling in for Obama. I’d like to tell you that I was standing in a crowd, but there were only a handful of other poli-junkies watching the returns.

Actually, who needs a TV to track an election when you’ve got an iPhone dialed into Huffington Post?

Oberhofer at The Slowdown, Nov. 6, 2012.

As for the concert, first up was Oberhofer, a randy five-piece from Brooklyn who fall into that playful, high-energy youth-indie category dominated by bands like Vampire Weekend, Islands and Shout Out Louds. Like them they play frenzied up-rhythm music with bright vocals and indistinguishable melodies that get lost in the sound and beat. Frontman Brad Oberhofer riddles every song with a lot of bird-call “oooo’s” (in fact, the band’s first single was called “o0Oo0OoO”) as well as high-kick histrionics — distinguishing factors, along with the music’s unpredictable drops that kept things interesting. The more you watched, the more interesting (and better) they got. “We’re not a band with a big stage or a big light show, we just love to play,” sayeth the frontman. Oberhofer is the perfect band to play at the coolest high school prom in the world.

The whole time I was watching and listening, I tapped my iPhone for election updates, watching  numbers slowly climb. Right before Matt & Kim, MSNBC called the election for Obama. A small clutch of girls yelled and pointed at the TV screen and hugged each other, it was like Christmas in November.

So how did Matt & Kim get so friggin’ big? Two years ago they were playing The Waiting Room with Honey & Darling. Now they’re selling out Slowdown’s big room. Why? Yeah, I know they’re good, but what makes one band sell out a room quick while another one limps along? I do not know. I asked a high-powered music exec in the crowd and he told me that Matt & Kim’s popularity had everything to do with the couple’s rep for putting on over-the-top high-energy shows. Judging by the first song, I got what he was talking about.

Matt Johnson plays keyboards while his “partner in crime” Kim Schifino plays drums (seated, standing, climbing atop the set). The second they ran on stage they were INTO IT, attacking the young crowd to get them cranked to their red-line-on-crack energy level. Big lights, big sound, big fun dance music. Matt looked and sounded like a young, hyperactive Ben Folds as he crooned one pop nugget after another. But it was Kim that mesmerized, playing big-beat rhythms from somewhere on top of the world while the entire audience bounced with their hands in the air. Ah, to be young again…

But after four songs I hit the door hoping to make it home in time to watch Obama’s acceptance speech…

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Speaking of the election, this week’s column is a post-script on last night’s election results written yesterday morning for reasons that were beyond my control. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here. I usually post this on Thursday, but it will seem a little more “fresh” coming the morning after.

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Tonight it’s back down to Slowdown (Jr.) for red hot indie Lansing band Cheap Girls (think Replacements if they were from Denton) with The Front Bottoms and The Thunderbolts. $10, 9 p.m.

If you’re hankerin’ for some more-agressive shit, The Toadies are playing tonight at The Waiting Room with ’90s phenoms Helmet (who remembers Meantime from ’92?) and metal-pop band Ume. $20, 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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tonight’s election is looking like a real nail biter, which makes it hard to get off the couch and go to a show.

That said, I’m told by a highly placed source at The Slowdown that there will be a TV in the house tonight for those of you addicted to the campaign, presumably somewhere far away from the big stage where Matt & Kim are slated to play a sold out show. That’s right, it’s SOLD OUT, which means if you ain’t got tix you’re out of luck. And while the new Matt & Kim album isn’t doing it for me, I’m kinda digging tonight’s opener, Brooklyn indie rockers Oberhofer (Glassnote Records). This one starts at 9.

Oberhofer, “Away Frm You”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/41389377″ iframe=”true” /]

So, no tix? Well tickets are still available for The Supersuckers (SubPop) at The Waiting Room with local heroes Filter Kings. With a room filled with TVs, you’d think that Marc and Jim would have at least one tuned to election coverage (or maybe not). $13, 9 p.m.

Supersuckers, “Marie”

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/5054624″ iframe=”true” /]

And before you go out, make sure you make your way to the polls. Let’s keep Omaha blue.

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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

There is a fantastic show going on tonight but it’s not at any of the primary Omaha rock venues. London-based indie-pop band Dignan Porch is playing at, of all places, Middle House. Some of you might remember this “venue” by its past names, including Jerk Store, Gunboat and Hotel Frank. It’s that famous apartment on 38th and Farnam across from The Brothers Lounge.

The band’s latest album, Nothing Bad Will Ever Happen (Captured Tracks, 2012), has been in rotation on my iPhone for a couple months. Fantastic stuff. This is a Slowburn Production, and for the life of me, I don’t know why they didn’t try to host this at a regular venue. I know a few people who would have loved to have gone. Maybe Dignan requested this be a house show? Who knows.

Hear Nebraska has an interview with the band (right here), but didn’t provide any actual gig info. Never fear, the gig details are in Facebook, here. Show starts at 9 and cover is $5. Opener is Adult Films and a “surprise guest” (according to AF).

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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

It’s the weekend. Here’s the rundown:

Tonight at The Sandbox, 2406 Leavenworth, it’s Baby Tears with Detroit band Child Bite, Sun Settings and new local indie fuzz-rock band Dirt (check out their new single on Bandcamp here). Four bands, $5, starts at 9. More info here.

Over at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s Skypiper with Hidden Pictures, The Kickback and In Love. The only one of the four that I’ve heard (of) is Skypiper. Four bands. $5. 9:30 p.m.

What’s the deal with four-band bills?

And as part of tonight’s Benson First Friday festivities Landing on the Moon is playing at The Sydney with Pony Wars and Underwater Dream Machine.  Three bands. $5, 10 p.m.

Also tonight, The Brothers is hosting a costume party and 138 is  playing. $5, 9 p.m., more info here.

And that, my friends, is a rap for the weekend as far as indie music goes. If I missed anything, post it in the comments section.

Enjoy 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

Quiet news day today. Who else was headed to Lincoln for Morrissey tonight? I’m as bummed as the rest of you about the show’s postponement (but not cancellation). Based on the announcement, it may not be until 2013 before it gets rescheduled.

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I’ve been listening to the new Neil Young & Crazy Horse album Psychedelic Pill for the last couple of days and can whole-heartedly recommend it for any Neil fan. Fantastic stuff, including the 27-minute opening song “Driftin’ Back” and 17-minute “Ramada Inn,” which are among the best jammers he’s done in years. His lyrics have never been so rooted in the every day, as if he feels Father Time leaning over his shoulder…

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In this week’s column, how Super Storm Sandy may have changed the outcome of next week’s election. It’s in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here. It’s almost time to vote, people…

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Father John Misty a.k.a. Josh Tillman, toured with David Bazan and Richard Buckner before joining Fleet Foxes as their tour drummer, but even Tillman says his FF tour of duty was merely as a hired hand. I’ve never been a Fleet Foxes fan — their music is too unstructured (and boring) for my tune-hungry ear.

On the other hand FJM plays psychedelic folk songs with a slight alt-country lilt and lyrics that teeter close to the edge. To me, the music off Fear Fun (Sub Pop, 2012) sounds like a cipher of Grant Lee Buffalo (who remembers that ’90s relics?). Gorgeous stuff. Check out the video for “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings” below and hear it live tonight at Slowdown Jr. when FJM plays with singer/songwriter Le Sera and Jeffertitties Nile. $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.