Mousetrap at The Waiting Room, Dec. 29, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The last time we heard from Mousetrap was back in December 2010, when the seminal Omaha punk band played a reunion show at The Waiting Room. It was quite a night — frontman Pat Buchanan and bassist Craig Crawford, along with new drummer Mike Mazolla, were in fine form. I remember thinking at the time that the band never sounded better, and I mean ever. “That sense of uncertainty is gone. They’re more focused; they know exactly what they want to do, and they do it. Their sound is as vicious and acidic as ever; but Buchanan’s voice (as well as Crawford’s) is more controlled and certain,” I said in a review the following day.

The surprise of that review: “Buchanan ended the set saying, ‘See you next year,’ but made the surprise announcement that the band is considering recording a new album in 2011 — that is, if they can find a label to give them some cash.”

Well, as you might have guessed, that new album never happened in 2011. Instead, Buchanan moved to sunny Florida from his home base in Detroit, making it impossible for him to continue practicing with the rest of the band in Chicago. End of story, right?

Yesterday out of the blue I received the following message from Craig Crawford via Facebook:

“Hey Tim! Craig Crawford here. Well, I don’t have all the details worked out yet, but Patrick Buchanan is back living in Detroit, and it seems that Mousetrap might be a functioning working band again. Not a reunion; we’re gonna just try and pick up where we left off all those years ago and start making new stuff. So, we should start rehearsing sometime in the next few weeks and I will tell you all about how it seems to be progressing.”

I glanced at my calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1. And then I typed, “Fantastic! Can I spread the word via Lazy-i?”

“I don’t see why not. We have yet to get together, but Patrick seems so super-psyched about it that I think it’s gonna be fun,” Crawford replied. “We had been meaning to do this since the last reunion, but he started working in FL, so it just never worked out. Now that he’s in MI, and just 5 hours away, we can actually start working on a new album.”

Crawford said he had no idea what Mousetrap circa 2013 will sound like. “We are very different people now, but I doubt that it will be too removed from what we ever were,” he said. “That just seems to come out.”

Indeed it does. While we wait for what happens next, catch up on your Mousetrap history with this 2009 reunion story.

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Talking Mountain, Mysterious Knowledge/Unknown Colors (Slumber Party, 2013)

All right, back to rock shows, finally. There’s a big one tonight at Slowdown Jr. and the price is right.

Talking Mountain is celebrating the release of its latest on Slumber Party Records, Mysterious Knowledge/Unknown Colors. It’s a step in TM’s becoming Omaha’s version of the Flaming Lips. Trippy stuff with a synthy bounce that embraces a comfortable pop aesthetic. WTF does that mean? I dig. It’s the most realized TM album in their long history. Check it out tonight.

Opening the show is the one and only Coyote Bones featuring Omaha ex-pat David Matysiak. Expect guest stars during his set. Also on the bill is Hers, who I’m told destroyed O’Leaver’s a couple weeks ago. Headlining all this is Ever Ending Kicks, a band I’ve never ever heard of, but judging from their website looks like they’ve been touring the country since mid-January.

So how much does it cost to get into this extravaganza? Why, it’s absolutely free, courtesy of our friends at Urban Outfitters. Maybe stop in UO and buy something before you head to Slowdown tonight. Show starts at 9.

Also tonight, so-called “Cinematic Pop” band Milo Greene (Atlantic Records) plays at The Waiting Room with Kopecky Family Band (ATO Records). $12, 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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.