by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s never too early to begin talking about Record Store Day (RSD), coming up this Saturday.

Homer’s Music is catering to the hard-core collector who will be waiting in line to snatch up what arguably will be the largest selection of RSD inventory in the area. Homer’s goes all out, as the line that will be forming in front of their Old Market store in the wee hours of the morning will attest.

To help keep the early morning line-sitters comfortable, Homer’s is handing out donuts along with entertainment in the form of live performances by Brad Hoshaw and Matt Whipkey, who will be selling their own limited-edition RSD 7-inch split single (I’ve got it; it’s good). In addition, Michael’s in the Market will be selling breakfast burritos. Heck, Homer’s has even rented a porta-potty so you won’t have to cross your legs. Promos include free RSD T-shirts for those spending more than $150, and Micheal’s gift certificates for those spending over $50 (while supplies last).

Homer’s will open at 10 a.m. Saturday. So will Saddle Creek Shop, Drastic Plastic and Almost Music.

You’ve probably heard this before: The best thing about South By Southwest is the day parties. You show up at a location — maybe it’s a park, maybe it’s a record store — and you spend the whole day there just listening to bands. It’s usually very chill. Best of all, it’s free — you don’t even need a badge to get in.

You’ll get a taste of what SXSW day parties are like when Almost Music hosts its own day party this Saturday for Record Store Day. The free event, which runs 11:30 to 7:30, will feature one of the best line-ups of local talent I’ve seen at any event. Check it out:

Nathan Ma (Places We Slept) 11:30-12:00
Anna McClellan (Howard) 12:15-12:45
The Lupines 1:00-1:30
The Subtropics (Noah Sterba, Megan Siebe, Zach LaGrou) 1:45-2:15
Uriah (formerly Ben Love) 2:30-3:00
L. Eugene Methe (Rake Kash) 3:15-3:45
Simon Joyner & the Ghosts 4:00-4:30
Orenda Fink (Azure Ray) 4:45-5:15
Luke Polipnik Trio 5:30-6:00
The Churls (feat Joe Knapp of Son, Ambulance) 6:15-6:45
Mike Schlesinger (Gus and Call) 7:00-7:30

The only thing missing is a beer tent, but you can always walk up the street to Krug Park or Infusion to get your brew on — both open at noon.

The irony is that Almost Music will be hosting the best special event for RSD, but likely will have the thinnest selection of RSD merch. My suggestion: Get to Homer’s and the other shops at 10, then head over to Almost Music for an afternoon of fantastic music… and bargains.

* * *

Homer’s General Manager Mike Fratt tells me that first week CD sales of The Faint’s new album, Doom Abuse (SQE Records), cracked the Billboard Top 200 at No. 146, with sales of 2,226 units. The album’s deluxe limited edition vinyl, released two weeks earlier, racked up 293 units, for a grand total of 2,519 units to date. Impressive…

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s the return (to Omaha) of Mates of State. Whenever I mention this show, someone says “They’re still around?” MoS have been coming through Omaha for more than a decade, and they’re still going strong. They toured last summer with The Postal Service, even though they haven’t released a new record since Mountaintops (2011, Barsuk).

Tonight’s show is being promoted as part of their “Acoustic Piano / Drums / Voices / Strings / Horns Tour.” Opening is Blue Bird. $16, 8 p.m.

Tonight also is the latest installment of Record Club at the Shop @ Saddle Creek. The featured record: The Entrance Band’s 2013 release, Face The Sun (Beyond Beyond Is Beyond). Record Club is a chance for folks to get together and listen to an album in its entirety, then discuss it afterward. Fun! The needle drops at 7 p.m. More info 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Conor Oberst playing Gigstock in NYC last week. He’s been named as headliner of the 80/35 Festival.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

As we await the Maha Music Festival line-up announcement, which is coming this Thursday night at an event being hosted at fabulous O’Leaver’s, our friends to the east in Des Moines this morning announced the line-up to their 80/35 Festival July 4-5.

On top of the bill is our very own Conor Oberst, who is listed as the Friday night headliner. Conor will be on the road supporting his new solo record, Upside Down Mountain, out May 19 on Nonesuch. Other than Conor, not much else stands out in their line-up. In fact, Best Coast, Dawes, Envy Corp, Dr. Dog  and Ziggy Marley are the only other acts I recognize.

The 80/35 people say this is only the first announcement with more to come. After all, they have to fill 50 slots on three stages. Advance two-day tickets are on sale now for $49; one-day tickets for $29. VIP tickets are sold out. Day of tickets will run $80 for a two-day and $45 for a one-day. Is it worth it? Check out the rest of the line-up and decide for yourself.

Friday
Conor Oberst (headliner)
Ziggy Marley
Best Coast
Dawes
Chicago Farmer
Max Jury
Bum Rap
Brother Trucker
TWINS
GoodcaT
Bonne Finken
Quick Piss

Saturday
Dr. Dog
Xavier Rudd
Raz Simone
The Envy Corps
Caroline Smith
Shy Boys
Parlours
Holy White Hounds
Aquamarine Dream Machine
Kris Adams

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Speaking of Conor, his label just released videos of seven new songs performed at Gigstock in NYC last week, right here. Check out “Lonely at the Top,” below…

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Celebrate tax day with Savannah progressive noise band Circle Takes the Square tonight at Slowdown Jr. Local folks Lightning Bug and Relentless Approach open. $10, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Rounder Records artist Nathaniel Rateliff plays at The Waiting Room with Caroline Rose. $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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Lupines at The Barley Street Tavern, April 14, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I guess you could say The Lupines got Omaha’d Saturday night at The Barley Street Tavern.

Early in the evening, the place was as packed as I’ve ever seen it, there for singer/songwriter Danny Sabra. What was the draw? I’m not sure, though I think it might have had something to do with the fact that Sabra musically interprets Psalms from the Bible (along with Glen Hansard songs). The crowd was made up of a lot of kind-looking older people in Hawaiian shirts and khakis — not your typical Lupines crowd.

Sure enough, right after they finished their set, the Hawaiian shirts vanished, reducing the Barley to its more familiar-sized audience of around 12 people for the next band, Scruffy and the Janitors.

Scruffy/Janitors was a power trio hailing from St. Joseph, MO. Not knowing a thing about them, I wasn’t expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by a style of rock that sort of merges The Strokes with standard garage fare. Nice stuff. They say they’ll be back, and they’re worth checking out.

Lupines’ new T-shirt design.

By the time Lupines made it to the stage, there were six of us left in the crowd, not counting the Janitors. What canI  say other than the rest of you missed a great set of music highlighted by guitarist Mike Friedman, who was on fire not only from his blazing guitar solos but also by the Barley’s stage lighting, which he said was like roasting under a heat lamp. If you missed them (and most of you did) you’ll get another chance to see The Lupines this Saturday at Almost Music’s Record Store Day show. More info on that later this week — it’s gonna be a doozy.

BTW, also unveiled Saturday night was The Lupines new T-shirts, which are among the coolest I’ve seen from a local band. Buy them while you can.

* * *

Stir announced a handful of additional shows for their summer concert line-up. The most interesting of the bunch: Foster the People  Aug. 5 and Arctic Monkeys July 30. That AM show is quite a surprise…

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, it’s Bowling Green band Sleeper Agent (Mom + Pop Records) with Holy Child and Pagiins. $15, 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Well, the Pitchfork review of The Faint’s new album, Doom Abuse, just came out. Those arbiters of all things hipster gave the record a mediocre 6.1. To his credit, critic Ian Cohen spent a lot of time in his review trying to dissect the album’s lyrics, which is good and all, except no one listens to Faint records expecting some sort of lyrical revelation. They listen for the beat, the color, the energy. I mean, how many times have you contemplated the meaning behind “Going to the Hospital” or “Erection”?

The review’s closing line: “Doom Abuse isn’t so much an argument for the Faint’s continued relevancy as it is for the potency of their real-time nostalgia.” Huh? I’ve read that three times and I’m still not sure what it means. Read the whole review here.

A few other big hitters have weighed in on Doom Abuse:

Consequences of Sound gave the record a B-, saying, “The hiatus did them good, and in the Lorazepam paranoid dreams of The Faint’s world, that’s a glimmer of needed hope.” Read it here.

Popmatters gave the record a 6: “Does it measure up to their greatest moments or delve into new terrain? Not at all. But if the Faint’s goal was to have fun and make a good Faint-sounding record, then mission accomplished.” More here.

NME also gave the record a 6: “A good seven years out of date, ‘Doom Abuse’ is pure synth-pop mania, frequently teetering between unadulterated Trent Reznor pop brilliance (‘Unseen Hand’, ‘Lesson From The Darkness’) and impressions of Skrillex driving a monster truck through a Savages gig in a video arcade (‘Animal Needs’, ‘Dress Code’). Does it abuse you? Oh yeah…” More here.

AV Club on the other hand, gave Doom Abuse a B+: “Whether agitated or brooding, Doom Abuse is a pointed reminder that The Faint is most comfortable when things are slightly askew.” Review here.

And ol’ reliable All Music gave Doom Abuse 3.5 stars: “Equal parts whimsical and despondent, it’s Disintegration-era Cure wearing an Imagine Dragons hoodie that’s trying to have an LCD Soundsystem, ‘All My Friends’ moment, and while the Faint don’t quite pull it off, they’re all the better for trying.”

Disintegration-era Cure? Uh, no. Read more here.

If you missed it, I weighed in on the record in the 1st Quarter reviews roundup, saying the record “not only is good, it’s Blank Wave Arcade good. As a whole, the record is more immediate than any previous Faint record, and by that I’m talking about their no-nonsense, straight-forward approach to each track. I read that unlike previous studio marathons, the band got in and got out quickly on this one — no fucking around, no over-thinking — and it shows. The arrangements at times can be acidic and brash, but the album still has classic Faint dance moments (“Evil Voices,” “Loss of Head”) that will get the crowd jumping every time. Welcome back, boys.”

I give a B+ and 4 stars (out of 5) and think history will be kind to it.

* * *

It’s a lousy weekend for shows — there’s a lot of cover and tribute bands playing around town tonight and very little original music.

With that in mind, we skip to Saturday and The Barley Street Tavern where the mighty Lupines are headlining a show with a couple bands I’ve never heard of: St. Joseph Missouri band Scruffy & the Janitors (This Tall Records) and Danny Sabra. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, William Elliott Whitmore (Anti Records) plays at The Waiting Room with Austin Lucas. $12, 9 p.m.

That’s it. 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The former Micek space soon to be Reverb, photo stolen from Omahype.com who stole it from Google Maps.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Omaha World-Herald‘s Kevin Coffey got the scoop yesterday on the new club being constructed by Jim Johnson and Marc Leibowitz in Benson. You can read the article here.

Called Reverb, the new club will have a 100-capacity performance space, and is located in the old Micek bay north of Jake’s.

I had been told it would be a bar first and performance venue second. The fact that they’re planning music “three or more nights a week,” was quite a surprise as it sounded like they would only have music — at most — twice a week. Hey, the more the merrier, I always say.

Will this new club impact O’Leaver’s and/or The Barley Street Tavern? Maybe. Probably not. O’Leaver’s caters to such a… unique audience and books such a specific style of garage/punk that I can’t see that changing, especially with the Cursive boys at the helm. O’Leaver’s, after all, is an American institution.

The Barley Street Tavern books mostly Americana / folk acts and local singer/songwriters. There are plenty of those to go round.

Where Reverb could have the biggest impact is on those national indie shows that have been booked at places like Sweatshop and Farnam House. Titus Andronicus, Parquet Courts and Speedy Ortiz are three examples of recent shows that would have worked well at a place like Reverb… that is if 1% could have booked them. I was told by those bands’ publicists that they purposely chose to book their tours in small spaces like houses and art galleries rather than bars. If attracting an all-ages audience was what lured them to Farnam/Sweatshop, then Reverb would probably be out of the picture, as the club is a “21-and-over” bar, according to Kevin’s article.

And what about Slowdown Jr.? Conventional wisdom would tell you that Reverb and The Jr. are similar size and target the same audience. The fact that 1% books both clubs would appear to be the tie-breaker — I can’t imagine Leibs booking a show at Jr. when he could have it at his own club and soak in all the booze money.

I must admit my bias here. I live just a 5-minute bike ride to Benson (which equates to a 10-minute drunken bike ride back home after shows). I’ll take that every time over the commitment needed to drive all the way downtown for Slowdown shows.

The most intriguing thing about Kevin’s article, though, is this line: “Popular bands also have the potential to play limited-access, intimate shows at Reverb, which could charge $100 a ticket to see a band that would normally play for 500 people.”

Think about it this way: Would you pay $100 to see, say, Rocket from the Crypt at a state-of-the-art 100-capacity club like Reverb? I would. In fact, I think it would sell out rather quickly, whereas a $25 RFTC show at The Waiting Room could struggle to break even. With more and more top-line indie acts going after smaller rooms and putting together “living room tours,” the time may be ripe for Reverb. Sounds like we’ll have to wait until this fall to find out.

By the way, with Reverb’s addition, that will bring the number of places serving booze in Benson to just under 100. Kidding. I think the number is closer to 12 or 13 (or 14?). How can that many bars strung together in such as small stretch of town survive?

* * *

Speaking of small, under-the-radar clubs, tonight Brooklyn guitar-and-drum garage rock duo Crushed Out plays at the legendary Brothers Lounge with local surf punkers Huge Fucking Waves. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

In this week’s column, on the occasion of 100 years of its existence, I reflect on how UNO student newspaper The Gateway has (literally) impacted my life. 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Hey, I work for a living, and as such, won’t be updating this blog over lunch today. Instead, here’s a head’s up about tonight’s Pack A.D. show going on at Slowdown Jr. The guitar-and-drum duo are touted as “garage” when their recordings are cleaner and more controlled than your typical garage combo. Compare them to, say, Yeah Yeah Yeahs or a riff-heavy Breeders. Check out the video and judge for yourself. From Vancouver. On Nettwerk Records. The mighty Millions of Boys open the show. Definitely worth your $10. Starts at 9.

The usual Wednesday night singer/writer nights are happening tonight also. Artist of the Year Matt Whipkey has moved his solo showcase to The Harney Street Tavern, 1215 Harney Street downtown. Joining him is Songwriter of the Year John Klemmensen. Starts at 9 and no word on the door, though historically Whipkey Wednesdays have been free.

Meanwhile, Scott Severin makes a trip from Lincoln tonight to take part in MarQ Manner’s Library Pub Acoustic night. Joining him is Tracy Skretta. 8 p.m. and free.

* * *

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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Faint’s Doom Abuse is out now…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s drop day for The Faint’s new album, Doom Abuse, out now on SQE. To celebrate, Homer’s is hosting an in-store meet-and-greet with The Faint this evening at 6 p.m. According to the press release “The band will hang out, Homer’s will spin the new CD, and there will be free soda, beer and pizza.” Free beer? Seriously. Of course the CD will be for sale as well as the limited deluxe special edition vinyl. Get it.

* * *

I knew it was too good to be true. Moments after posting a link to yesterday’s blog entry someone posted a comment saying that Fischer no longer is on the bill for the Punk Rock Reunion show May 17. I’ve sent an email to 1% to confirm this but haven’t heard back. Fischer is still listed on the event 1% page, however… I’ll let you know one way or the other when I know…

* * *

ROAM In the Family

The latest installment of David Matysiak’s ROAM project went online yesterday. This time ROAMers “explore the theme of family by creating a new audio collage using archived materials or new recordings to engage the concept in all of its literal and figurative manifestations.” Contributors include Stef Drootin (Big Harp), Dereck Higgins (InDreama), Devin Brown, Julie Hines and more. Download it for free right here.

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The folks at the Maha Music Festival yesterday tweeted that they’ll be announcing this year’s concert line-up April 17. I foresee surprises in store. Maha Fest is slated for Aug. 16 at Stinson Park…

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

After a weekend dominated by local shows, we’ve got two nationals going on tonight.

Over at The Waiting Room Sacramento ambient band Tycho headlines. A.K.A. Scott Hansen and Co.’s new album, Awake, came out a couple weeks ago on Ghostly International. People have been geeking out about this show for months (and I’m not sure why, as I think Tycho is a bit of a snooze).

Opening for Tycho tonight is the debut of a new line-up for Oquoa. Joining members Max Holmquist (guitar, vocals) and Roger Lewis (drums) is Patrick Newberry on keys/synths and Jim Schroeder on guitar. That means J.J. Idt has shifted to bass full-time. Roger says the changes “are taking the sound of the band to a different place.”

This is an 8 p.m. show, so get there early. $17.

Also tonight Okkervil River returns to The Slowdown. This show feels “under the radar” as it’s received zero hype. The band has been on the road touring their new concept album The Silver Gymnasium (ATO, 2013), an album that’s been equally overlooked. I do love this band live, though I have to admit I haven’t listened to their latest record. Opening is Austin band Hundred Visions. $18, 9 p.m.

Fischer, Emergency Chorus (1994, IBB Records)

Speaking of under the radar, there’s been a ton of chatter about One Percent’s latest show announcements, some real humdingers like Guided By Voices June 3, Peter Murphy June 21 and Black Flag June 14.

But missing from the conversation is one of the bigger shows of the early summer: The Omaha Punk Rock Reunion 2014 at The Waiting Room May 17.

The line-up include the return of Omaha legends Mousetrap, RAF, Cordial Spew and (according to the One Percent website) Fischer (Really?). They’re joined by modern-day punkers Bullet Proof Hearts, The Broke Loose & Drop A Grand, among others.

I knew Mousetrap would be headed back our way one of these days, but I never expected to see Fischer or RAF again. This could be a special night…

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

That was quite a week of shows. Hat’s off to One Percent Productions for putting them together. Needless to say, I’m exhausted, but that doesn’t mean I’m staying home this weekend.

Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s Pro-Magnum is hosting a release show with Borealis. You can check out P-M’s tracks from the link below and download it for a mere $5. Borealis’s tracks come on good ol’ fashioned cassettes. Both bands play dark, heavy, growl-y shit, so be prepared for Satan to show up at some point in the evening and do a shot of Rumplemintz. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight, Mark McGuire of Emeralds is playing at The Barley Street. McGuire’s new album, Along the Way, was released this year on Dead Oceans. Opening is Jenny Hval and James Maakestad. $7, 9 p.m.

Warpaint at The Waiting Room, April 2, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com 

Funny how people perceive concerts differently. I’ve had a couple folks tell me they didn’t like/were bored at last night’s Warpaint show at The Waiting Room. Conversely, for me, it was the best show I’ve seen this year.

It all comes down to personal preferences, I suppose. Some people don’t like female vocals; some hate anything that isn’t brutally heavy / angry / garage-oriented. I could see how those folks (specifically people who came out to see opener Digital Leather) might be bored. Even so, they can’t deny the other-worldly talent shown by the four women of Warpaint — the drumming, the bass work, the glowing guitar tones.

Their sound was equal parts ethereal mood music and beat-driven dance fodder, with sweet vocals by all four musicians — and when all four harmonized, well, bliss. For reference points for the uninitiated, one could throw out Beach House or TEEN or even Portishead, though I’d go a step further and mention similarities to M83 and ’90s acts like Ride and Mazzy Star and (some might say this is a stretch) Luscious Jackson (though there was no “rapping” going on last night).

Despite the thick beats, there was a darkness to their music, a throbbing shadow heard on songs like first single of the new album “Love is to Die” and “Undertow” off 2010 album The Fool. I loved it all, but I bring some bias here as I went in loving their new CD (And what do I know? Pitchfork hated it). There’s no argument over the fact the band was having a playful good time on stage or that all four are adorable.

Digital Leather at The Waiting Room, 4/2/14.

Speaking of adorable, Digital Leather rolled out a number of new songs during their opening set. Like the best Digital Leather records, some songs were lethargic and trippy, others invited furious fist-pumping. Now a 5-piece featuring two synth players (one being The Faint’s Todd Fink), their set also was backloaded with DL chestnuts “Styrofoam” “Thrill is Gone” and “Studs in Love,” each of which is a guaranteed show stopper. When’s that new split album with The Hussy coming out, boys? And what happens when you lose Todd to The Faint later this year?

* * *

This week’s column is the Q1 2014 record reviews roundup, with comments on new ones by Beck, Future Islands, The Faint, The War on Drugs and more. For my money, there’s already been more good albums released in the first three months of this year than in all of 2013. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here.

* * *

Back at The Waiting Room tonight it’s the return of Har Mar Superstar. The band is out supporting their latest, Bye Bye 17 , released on Julian Casablancas’ Cult Records and recorded by Spoon’s Jim Eno. I haven’t heard it yet, but I’m sure it’s another HMS masterpiece. Opening is the evocative John Klemmensen and The Party. $12, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Talking Mountain returns to Slowdown Jr. with San Francisco (by way of Lawrence) band Mammoth Life and Gramps (Django of Love Drunk Studio fame). Starts at 9 and this one’s free.

And finally, Film Streams’ Hitchcock 9 Silents in Concert Repertory Series continues tonight. It features the silent films of Alfred Hitchcock brought to life sonically by live musicians. Tonight it’s the 1929 film The Manxman featuring live music by Ted Stevens Unknown Project featuring Stevens (Cursive, Lullaby for the Working Class), Lincoln Dickison (Chromafrost, The Monroes), Ian Aeillo (Eli Mardock, Eagle Seagull), and David Ozinga (UUVVWWZ). Tickets are $12 general; $10 students and $8 for Film Streams members. The curtain rises at 7 p.m. Find out more here. Do it for the kids.

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.