Well Aimed Arrows at The Waiting Room, June 27, 2013

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Describing what Well Aimed Arrows sounds like — not an easy task. Most definitely post-punk. Precise. The epitome of the ill-used term “angular.” But the simplest comparison (to me) is that listening to WAA reminds me of a documentary that came out in 1987 called “Athens GA Inside Out.” The film records the city’s music scene at its height, and includes interviews and performances by Pylon, Flat Duo Jets, Love Tractor and, of course, R.E.M. WAA’s music bears a resemblance if not to those Athens’ bands’ music than certainly to their spirit.

The above preamble is a long-winded way of saying if you haven’t checked out Well Aimed Arrows before — and you’re even remotely interested in post-punk — do yourself a favor. Last night’s set at The Waiting Room was the most enjoyable I’ve ever seen/heard from this remarkable four-piece that mixes chopping guitar, tight-as-a-tick rhythms and dueling, harmonized punk vocals. The sound is both narrow and uplifting, full yet stark, and always mesmerizing.

So here’s an idea: We’ve got all these people around town shooting videos for bands. What we need is someone to create a documentary (kind of like Inside Out) that mixes live performances with current Omaha rock bands along with interviews where they talk about living in the aftermath of when Omaha was the “new Seattle.” The current generation of bands — bands like The Dad (who opened for WAA last night) — are so young that they weren’t around (or aware) when Saddle Creek was at its apex circa the early- mid-2000s. Call the documentary: “Omaha: Hear and Now.”

The Dad at The Waiting Room, June 27, 2013.

Most certainly The Dad would be among the bands featured. A smart opener for WAA as the four-piece also has a modern post-punk sound that’s been welded to a current-day garage band style. Their music is on one level intentionally sloppy, on another level purely orchestrated — each member (guitar, bass, keyboard, drums) bringing something original to the table. One highlight was the guy on bass, who looked like a super-young version of David Byrne slapping/striking the strings as if he was doling out a spanking. I picked up a copy of their Unread Records 7-inch “7 A.M.,” “Second Best Friends” b/w “Getting Worse ,” which captures their chaos in a low-fi glory that isn’t necessarily reflected in their more pro stage renditions. Sublime nonetheless.

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Well, my plan was to go to Camera Obscura at The Slowdown tonight after the Memorial Park wankfest featuring Loverboy and Pat Benatar. Seeing as I live a few blocks from the park, I feel obligated to be there if only to protect my home from potential looters.

Unfortunately, I just discovered that the Camera Obscura show has an early 8 p.m. start time, and only one opener — Talking Mountain — which means by the time I got downtown post-Memorial Park chaos the show would (could) be over. For those of you who won’t be reliving their ’80s cock-rock memories in the park, Camera Obscura is a must see, especially for a mere $15. Go and tell me how it was.

Also tonight Chromofrost plays at fabulous O’Leavers with the M Saklar Sun-Less Trio and Seer States, the duo of Eric Baughman and Greg Rohde. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) rock band Bullet Proof Hearts celebrates the release of their “American Custom” 7-inch at The Brothers Lounge with Lincoln band SkullSkowSki. $5, 9 p.m. Check out the single below:

Also Saturday night, Travelling Mercies plays at The Sydney with The Betties and Moses Prey. $5, 9 p.m.

Enjoy the weekend…

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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.

Steve Pedersen, left, and Tim Kasher of Slowdown Virginia circa 1993.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A little bit of catching up on a rainy Wednesday…

Our old pal Jake Bellows (originally of Neva Dinova fame) was a featured artist on rollingstone.com’s “Download of the Week” last Thursday. The site featured track “I Know You,” off his upcoming Saddle Creek Records debut New Ocean (out in August). Quite a sonic upgrade from Jake’s solo acoustic and low-fi tape recordings, but still the same fine songwriting.  Check it out.

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The latest release from Kronch’s Trout Tune archives is a performance by none other than Slowdown Virginia. The performance was recorded April 12, 1993, at the Howard St. Tavern (RIP). We all remember the line-up, right? Tim Kasher on guitar and lead vocals, Matt Maginn on bass and vocals, Steve Pedersen on guitar and Casey Caniglia on drums. It’s Kasher as you’ve never seen him before, and likely never will again. See below. What else does Kronch have hiding in his video attic?

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In this week’s column, the final chapter in the 4-part “house saga” wherein I discuss the pains and pleasures of a massive home remodeling. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here.

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There have been a couple secret/special shows the past couple days, neither of which I attended — Cursive at O’Leaver’s Tuesday night and the band that supports She & Him last night at Pageturners. Ah, in the old days I might have made it to both, but lately it’s become too much of a struggle to attend weeknight shows and then get up the next morning at the crack of dawn.

Anyway, if you missed She and Him’s band last night, you can catch them tonight at Harrah’s Stir Cove, where the full band (including both She and Him) will be performing. Opening are local heroes Tilly and the Wall. Tickets are $35, and the show starts at 8.

Also tonight, at The Waiting Room, Well Aimed Arrows headlines a show that also features up-and-coming punks The Dad (Unread Records) and Co-Axed (no idea who this is). If the weather holds out, this will be another opportunity to ride my bike to Benson. $7, 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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Dang you, Mother Nature…

If a tree falls in your driveway and you’re not there to hear it, does it still f*ck up your entire day?

In my case, the answer is “yes.” Yesterday’s mini-hurricane was the reason for this late reflection of last weekend’s festivities. So without further ado…

I showed up at The Waiting Room just in time Saturday night to catch Matt Whipkey’s set, backed by his band “The Whipkey Three,” which this time consisted of six members. I’m not sure why Matt doesn’t just call it “The Matt Whipkey Band,” especially considering that his album is credited  merely to “Whipkey.”

Anyway, the band played songs off the new double-vinyl album, Penny Park, along with a few older chestnuts and a cover of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination” that got the crowd swaying. It was, as always, a solid set by a guy who would accept nothing less.

Whipkey and Co. at The Waiting Room, June 22, 2013.

My takeaway from the show is the same that I have after all Whipkey-fronted shows and from seeing Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies in which Matt also plays, and it’s this: Whipkey is hands down one of the best guitarists in town, if not the best. His axe-work has always been — and continues to be — his strong suit. His solos provide sublime accents to his typical, traditional rock compositions. They are the pop of color that make the ensemble interesting. And what’s obvious to me every time I see him play is how effortlessly he does it. His guitar work is natural and organic and absolutely honest. He does it (it seems) without even trying, as simple and complex as breathing.

As for the record, well, I’m reserving my opinion for now. Last week I mentioned in this blog that I thought the record was about Whipkey chasing tail at Peony Park. He was quick to correct me, saying he was only 12 when the park closed. So I stand corrected, though I don’t think his clarification impacts my interpretation of the lyrics (and the album cover).

At this point, it doesn’t really matter what I say. Matt’s already sold a boatload of these records via a very successful Kickstarter effort (of which I also participated).

My only question for Matt after doing the Kickstarter, distributing the albums (and other Kickstarter booty) and hosting the record release show: What’s next?

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Friday night I rode my bike up to The Waiting Room for the first time ever. and I must say it’s the only way to fly. My only anxiety was finding a place to lock my bike. The bike rack across the street from TWR already was filled. I ended up finding a rack outside Beercade, where I figured people would be outside smoking all night. A thief would be crazy to try to steal it from there, right?

Mt. Moriah at The Waiting Room, June 22, 2013.

But despite that, it took a good half hour (and a couple Rolling Rocks) before I finally relaxed and could enjoy the band, which in this case was Mount Moriah, a NC four-piece that played rusty folk rock reminscent of Neil Young but sung by a mysterious young woman who remained hidden beneath sweeping bangs.

Cave Singers at The Waiting Room, June 22, 2013.

Cave Singers headlined Friday night, their first time back in Omaha in seven years. With the addition of the flautist and playing an even more rootsy style of folk that I remember, their sound borders less on Americana than jam band (and what’s wrong with that, I suppose?). Despite the quality of music, I ended up leaving before their encore to find my bike still in one piece. God bless you, Benson.

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The week’s starting off quiet show-wise. Not much until Thursday, when Well Aimed Arrows headlines (yes, headlines) at The Waiting Room with The Dad and Co-Axed. $7, 9 p.m.

Then Friday night is the big Camera Obscura show at The Slowdown. By then, the tents will have been long gone (though I’m sure those Slowdown folks will still be counting their mountain of CWS cash)…

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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.

One of Peony Park’s lousy rides.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If the weather holds out, I think I’ll be riding my bike to Benson a lot this weekend. I’m a little nervous about this, not because I’m afraid that I’m going to be run over by a drunk, but because I don’t want my bike to get stolen when it’s locked up outside wherever I’m at. I’ve got one of those big, thick, hooped bike locks, but you never know. It’s not like my bike is some sort of high-dollar valuable asset that everyone’s dying to steal, I’m just paranoid and wonder if I’ll be able to enjoy the show without checking every five minutes to see if it’s gone.

I need to do what Spaulding Gray used to do when swimming in Cambodia — just leave your wallet on the beach and get lost in the waves.

Anyway, most of the high-end shows are in Benson this weekend, which is a change of pace. It starts tonight when Seattle indie band Cave Singers plays at The Waiting Room. The band’s first two albums came out on Matador before they switched to the more appropriate Jagjaguwar label — more appropriate in that I identify this sort of weedy folk rock music more with Jag than Matador. Opening band, Durham’s Mount Mariah (Merge Records) is another up-and-coming folk rock trio with a frontwoman in the Jenny Lewis vein. Jesse Sykes is listed as solo rather than with her band the Sweet Hereafter. It’s a lineup that’s definitely worth your $13 if you’re into the folk rock thing. Starts at 9.

Also tonight, Landing on the Moon headlines at The Barley Street with New York artists Sons of an Illustrious Father and Lexie Roth. $5, 9 p.m.

Longtime jangle-pop act Turtle Moon bids adieu tonight with a final show at Shamrock’s, 5338 No. 103rd St. 9 p.m..

Saturday night is dedicated to The Whipkey Three album release show at The Waiting Room. Strike that: The record is actually credited simply to Whipkey, which, when you consider that Matt Whipkey wrote all the music (as he usually does) makes a lot of sense, especially for a double-vinyl album that is a rumination of the days of his youth spent at Peony Park.

From the outset, I’ve been a little tepid about the record’s concept because I have very few fond memories of Peony Park. I remember it as a dirty, noisy, half-ass neighborhood carny with shitty rides and overpriced crap food. Whipkey remembers it as a place to pick up tail, an idea that never entered my mind when I was stuck there. I just remember gliding around on that monorail looking at all the shitty rides down below (and the accident when someone was killed falling out of The Hurricane). As I got older, I went to the park’s giant pool / beach, which was the best part of Peony Park. I skipped the Royal Grove and Sprite Nite. My “coming of age” years instead were spent sneaking into Council Bluffs bars like The Warehouse, The Depot and Fat Jacks, but that’s another story.

Anyway, Matt has recorded all of his golden memories of Peony Park and pressed them onto two slabs of pink vinyl. Did he succeed in musically transforming a seedy park into a glorious sex-fueled wonderland? Pick up a copy of the album Saturday night and find out. Expect a genuine rock and roll experience. Opening acts are Moses Prey, Jessica Errett and Tara Vaughan, and  Fizzle Like a Flood. $7, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Saturn Moth plays at The Barley Street Tavern with Talking Mountain and “chiptune” band Superbytes, who counts among its main instruments an old-school Game Boy. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s Pony Wars with The Howl and the debut of  a new project by Jeremy Stanosheck (Thunder Power, Kite Pilot) called Phantom Scout. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night Cursive returns to The Waiting Room for reasons I do not know — they don’t have a new album out and aren’t working on one (though Tim Kasher is finishing a solo recording). Does it matter? It’s friggin’ Cursive, dude. Opening is the amazing Digital Leather and See Through Dresses (Sara from Millions of Boys). $13 adv/$15 DOS. 9 p.m.

Did I miss anything? Add it to the comments section, below. Have a great weekend.

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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.

Parquet Courts enjoy a hot dog.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So you read this and now you know some background about Parquet Courts and their relationship with Yuppies and their new album, etc., but what the hell does the band sound like?

Take a listen to the title track to breakthrough album Light Up Gold, below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/68164625″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Indie-slacker garage punk combined with smart, intricate lyrics, sort of a cross between Slanted-era Pavement and Silver Jews and Tyvek. Each song is a short trip inside the mind of frontman Andrew Savage framed by tight, minimal punk compositions artfully played by the talented four-piece.

Anyway, they’re playing tonight at The Sweatshop Gallery (right next to the Barley Street in Benson). Opening is Iowa City band Solid Attitude and The Dad (Unread Records). $8, 9 p.m. See you there.

Also tonight, John Klemmensen and the Party rolls out some broken-hearted rock at O’Leaver’s. Blue Bird headlines. $5, 9 p.m.

Finally, at The Barley Street Tavern (right next door to the Sweat Shop Gallery), Ground Tyrants play with Step to Mars and Sprite Nightmare. $5, 9 p.m.

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In this weeks column, comments on equal rights and Miss USA, the OWH’s fear of The Reader, and Pink Floyd finally placed into a tiny digital box. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader, or online right 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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Generals: Remixed, The Mynabirds (2013, Saddle Creek Records)

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One by-product of touring with The Postal Service is hanging out with Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel, and then seeing if he would remix one of your tracks. Such is the case with Laura Burhenn, who’s on the road playing keys with TPS and now has a Dntel remix of Mynabirds’ “Body of Work” to show for it. You can check it out here at RollingStone.com.

The track is part of an EP titled Generals: Remixed, which is being released on Saddle Creek July 30. Among the other remix contributors is Clark Baechle (The Faint), Field Days, Richard Swift, Kidsmoke and Dimitry Mak and Kapla. Full details at the Saddle Creek site here, including pre-order info. Get it.

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The way my week’s been going, I could use a good ol’ fun-time rock show, and Free Energy tonight at The Waiting Room might be just what the doctor ordered. Sure, their last album (Love Sign) kind of sucked, but their 2010 debut, Stuck on Nothing (DFA Records) was chock full o’ hooks. Opening is the always entertaining, always unpredictable Touch People (featuring Darren Keen). $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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

No music for me this past weekend. The impending storms Friday night kept me away from O’Leaver’s, and Father’s Day stuff took up the rest of the weekend (and no, I’m not a father, but I have one).

The weekend continues (sort of) at The Waiting Room as The Rev. Horton Heat takes the stage tonight. Just as interesting (or maybe moreso) is opening band Ha Ha Tonka, who played at The Bourbon in Lincoln a couple years ago. The band plays southern-fried roots indie music but with a slight edge. They have all the makings of a band that could blow up on the jam band circuit, if they let it happen. Hopefully they won’t. $20, 8 p.m.

It’s sort of a busy week musicwise. Free Energy plays at TWR Wednesday night. Lansing band Lights & Caves play O’Leaver’s Thursday (with Blue Bird), and then Cave Singers plays TWR Friday. Meanwhile, CWS madness continues, enough reason to stay clear of downtown…

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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.

The Great Wad at CWS 2012. Here it comes again…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I told you reception was going to be spotty this week. I made a quick overnight trip to NYC. Only one celebrity sighting: Joe Perry of Aerosmith and his entourage walking out the elevator at the Marriott Marquis hotel in Times Square, and based on the scowl on his face he hadn’t been “living it up” while going down. No Steven Tyler to be found. BTW, Perry is a tiny little man, which supports my theory that all major celebrities are wee.

Anyway, I’m back just in time for your weekend update.

The College World Series begins tonight, which means a deficit of shows at The Slowdown for the next 10 days as Robb, Val and Jason crank up that money-printing machine they keep in the secret basement beneath the “big stage” along with the white tents and giant “We’re No. 1” foam fingers. This is, indeed, the harvest time for Slowdown, but for us poor music fans it’s just a worn patch in the road as the only thing playing on their stages for the duration of CWS is cover bands.

This should be an even-more profitable year for the Saddle Creek moguls as they just opened their new bar right across the sidewalk from Slowdown in the old American Apparel space, called The Trap Room. It’s just a bar, kind of like how Krug Park (across the street from The Waiting Room) is just a bar (i.e., no live music, just booze). I’m dying to check it out, but not this weekend.

So with all the focus on downtown baseball-wise, the focus shifts as it always does to Benson and O’Leaver’s.

Speaking of O’Leaver’s, Omaha’s finest music dive bar has a scorcher tonight. Lawrence band Hospital Ships headlines. The band, which features Taylor Holenbeck (Appleseed Cast, Old Canes), has a fine indie rock album just out called Destruction in Yr Soul on Graveface. Opening is fellow Lawrence-ites Cowboy Indian Bear and our very own Cooper Lakota Moon (of Dim Light). $5, 9:30 p.m.

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/92012072″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Also tonight, Rogue Wave returns, this time to The Waiting Room, with local folks Field Club. $15, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at everyone’s favorite casino (Harrah’s Stir Cove) it’s Silversun Pickups with Joy Formidable. 8 p.m., $35.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s a mini Lincoln invasion at The Waiting Room with noise band Masses and Life Is Cool. Canby opens. $7, 9 p.m.

O’Leaver’s has more live music Saturday night with The Debts (Unread Records) and Plant Parenthood (No idea who these folks are, but I support their pro-leaf position). $5, 9:30 p.m.

Did I forget something? Put it in the comments.

Oh yeah, I did forget one thing: This week’s column looks at Benson’s Louis Market / Bar property, its potential development and why Bensonites might want to think real hard before they drive it away. It’s in this week’s issue of The Reader or you can read it online right here.

Have a good weekend.

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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.

“Can I get a goddamn crescent roll?”

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Flickr, that old-fashioned online digital photo service that competes with Instagram, recently got bought by Yahoo!, that old-fashioned search engine that competes with Google. Apparently Flickr’s “cool” factor was a major selling point. Well, looks like Flickr is amping up that cool factor by enlisting Bright Eyes to sell its services, as all of you who were watching Game 3 of the NBA Finals last night can attest.

The song, again, was “First Day of My Life,” the same Bright Eyes song used in that Zillow ad last year. Someone at the ad agency scoured the song’s lyrics and pulled out only two lines: “Yours is the first face that I saw / Think I was blind before I met you,” sings Conor while a pug flips through its photo archive on its iPad. Needless to say, the connection between song and product isn’t quite as seamless as in that Zillow ad, but I guess it doesn’t matter as long as the check clears.

Digital Leather at the 1200 Club, June 7, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here’s a late review of last Friday’s Holland Center/1200 Club show. In fact, Lazy-i reception will be a bit spotty this week as I’ll be headed out of town for a few days. I’ll try to update when/if I can.

On the surface, the line-up for the inaugural Hear Nebraska Live program sponsored by Omaha Performing Arts at the Holland last Friday night was edgy, if not just plain risky. Kill County isn’t exactly a well-known commodity in Omaha. Saddle Creek’s Big Harp was the closest thing to a sure bet, while Digital Leather appeared to be an obvious miss-step — a synth-fueled punk band that you’d think was way too loud for the Holland’s delicate acoustics.

In fact, the program, which was filmed in its entirety by Nebraska Educational Television (NET) was supposed to emulate Austin City Limits, a PBS program whose staple is acoustic, alt-country balladeers that are more storytellers than rock stars. Rarely has ACL featured full on rock bands, probably because its reserved setting seems an ill fit for anarchy.

Kill County at the 1200 Club in The Holland Center, June 7, 2013.

Needless to say, of the three bands Kill County was the best suited for the show’s relaxed environment. 1200 Club, located on the second level of the Holland, is a gorgeous sit-down space — round tables and candles on polished oak floors. You know when you walk in that it’s going to be a nice evening as a member of the crack Holland staff points you to your table where moments later one of the black-clad waiters comes and takes your drink (or food) order with a whisper. Very classy.

On Friday night, the corners of the room were filled with NET’s professional television production equipment, including a huge boom-control camera, a stationary camera and a guy walking around with a shoulder-mount camera followed behind by a cable lackey. We arrived during the second half of KC’s reserved alt-country set. Pretty stuff, crowd pleasing, well played, and exactly the kind of music that you’d expect to see on Austin City Limits, which is a nice way of saying their music isn’t anything you haven’t heard before. There is an obvious familiarity with everything they play, and people love listening to music they recognize.

Big Harp at the 1200 Club, The Holland Center, June 7, 2013.

Chris and Stef — i.e. Big Harp — came on stage alone for the first part of their set for a few gorgeous ballads before guest players keyboardist Dan McCarthy and drummer Dan Ocanto joined in and ratcheted up the sound. This band continues to vex me by never hovering for long over any specific genre. Their first album, White Hat, was filled with acoustic ballads while last year’s Chain Letters had a rock sound that seemed to reach for a Black Keys audience. Friday night the band was all over the map, each song carrying a different sonic reference point, a different style, with Chris Senseney’s croaking baritone and agile guitar work providing the common denominator. While rougher (and noisier) than Kill County, Big Harp’s set was still a fine fit for both the broadcast and the venue.

Then came Digital Leather, sounding exactly as I expected. If anyone involved in organizing this program was surprised at what they heard, they didn’t do their homework. In retrospect, it was probably why the band was scheduled last because the organizers knew they’d lose some of their audience in DL’s sound and fury… just like they did.

There were two surprises from DL. First was the addition of new keyboard player Ben VanHoolandt, who plays bass in Pleasure Adapter and is part of the duo known as Dirt. This was BVH’s first show with DL, joining Todd Fink, who remains on keyboards, though the speculation after the show was that BVH is being groomed as a road replacement for Fink. Only frontman Shawn Foree knows for sure. Just a year ago, Foree had turned his back on live synths; now he has two synth players.

The other surprise was hearing Digital Leather play “Modern Castles” off Warm Brother, something I never thought I’d ever hear. Needless to say, the return of keyboards opens horizons for some of Foree’s more tuneful – less punk songs. Now if they could work up a version of “Gold Hearts” I could die a happy man.

While as loud as any Digital Leather show I’ve seen, there’s no question that the band held back for either the venue or the cameras. My wife kept asking if they’d close with “Studs in Love,” the crowd-pleasing homo-anthem off Blow Machine recently returned to their live set (usually as an encore). I just shook my head. They wouldn’t dare, and of course they didn’t (though there’s always the Maha Festival…).

I think a lot of people involved in the program saw it as an experiment. The outcome was — for the most part — a success, though I’m sure they would have liked to have sold more tickets. Still, every table was filled and everyone seemed to have a good time. I can’t wait to see how it’ll translate to the boob tube. The broadcast is slated for airing on NET sometime in the fall (and may even be picked up by PBS nationally).

But the bigger question is whether Omaha Performing Arts, NET and HN will team up (along with the 1200 Club) for another show next year. Keep your fingers crossed.

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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.