See Through Dresses at The Waiting Room, Nov. 30, 2013. The band kicks off its summer tour tonight at O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Billboard is reporting that first week sales of Conor Oberst’s Upside Down Mountain came in at roughly 11,000 units, enough to put him on top of the Folk charts.

“Conor Oberst starts at No. 6 on Top Rock Albums and scores his first No. 1 on Folk Albums with “Upside Down Mountain” (11,000),” says the Billboard article. “It’s Oberst’s first title credited to his name alone (as opposed to his moniker Bright Eyes, or Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band) since his eponymous album in 2008, which debuted and peaked at No. 3 on Top Rock Albums. “Mountain” is Oberst’s first major-label set, released on Nonesuch/Warner Bros. He crowned Top Rock Albums in 2007 with Bright Eyes’ “Cassadaga,” which also earned him his highest rank on the Billboard 200 (No. 4).“

According to SoundScan data, the Upside Down Mountain came in at No. 19 in overall sales with 10,674 units sold last week. FYI, Coldplay’s Ghost Stories was No. 1 selling 382,665 units. Mike Fratt, general manager at Homer’s Records, said Oberst would have finished higher on the sales charts had his vinyl been available — apparently it wasn’t and isn’t.

“There was a production issue, so vinyl is still not at retail,” Fratt said. “Just checked WEA b2b and (the record is) still not in stock. So, that hurt sales. Maybe as much as 4,000 to 5,000 units.” That would have been enough to push the record to No. 15.

Fratt’s estimate of vinyl sales seemed way high to me — 5,000 units would have represented about a third of the record’s total sales had it been available. But Fratt says his estimate is right on.

“Vinyl for an artist like Conor could be as high as 40 percent of first week sales,” he said.  “There have been a a handful of indie releases in the last year where the vinyl share has exceeded the CD or digital component. These have been releases that have sold less than 10k total for the first week. Vinyl now represents approx 30 percent of an indie store’s sales now.”

Fratt added that in Omaha alone, Upside Down Mountain sold 140 units, according to Soundscan.

* * *

Onto the weekend. Two good local shows tonight.

At fabulous O’Leaver’s, See Through Dresses kicks off its 2014 Summer Tour in support of the self-titled debut LP released last fall. Opening is personal faves Gordon along with Worn Out, which I think is the band formerly known as Adtrita fronted by the man known as Steve Micek formerly of the band The Stay Awake (I’m making a massive assumption about Worn Out based solely on the fact that the link on the show’s Facebook invite for Worn Out goes to the Adtrita bandcamp page)(And you know what happens when you assume?) $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight, Simon Joyner opens for Portland’s Marisa Anderson (Mississippi Records). Also on the bill is Mike Schlesinger. $8, 9 p.m.

Unless I’m misreading the data, that’s it for this weekend. Let me know if I’m missing something. And a Denny Lewis used to say, ‘Good living to ya.’

* * *

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.

A screen capture from Conor Oberst’s new video for “Zigzagging Toward the Light.”

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Some background on the cover story / interview with Conor Oberst in this week’s issue of The Reader…

It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to ask Oberst any questions. The last interview was way back in 2007 in support of Cassadaga. Oberst — or more accurately, his presss agent, Press Here — has turned down requests for interviews by small press such as The Reader ever since.

I hadn’t even bothered to ask when it came time to do media for the release of Upside Down Mountain, figuring the request would simply be rejected again. Then Marc Leibowitz of One Percent Productions emailed saying Oberst was indeed doing interviews for this release and in support of his June 4 show at Sokol Auditorium. I emailed Press Here and was told that Conor would do the interview, but because he was so busy, he could only do it via e-mail.

E-mail interviews are difficult — you never know how the artist will reply. The answers could literally be one or two words, as were the replies from Bill Callahan from Smog when I conducted an e-mail interview with him years ago. Plus, e-mail doesn’t provide an avenue for follow-up questions. You get what you get. It was a shame because whether face-to-face or over the phone, Oberst is among the best at doing one-on-one interviews.

A couple days went by and the questions were due. So I tapped out what was on my mind, figuring because of the personal nature of the questions, he may not respond.

Among those personal questions: Way back in 2010, I received a tip from a very reliable source that Oberst had run off and got married in New York City the prior weekend. Knowing the source, I knew it was true, but didn’t want to get him in trouble. Instead, I rattled off a letter to Saddle Creek Records, recapping what I’d been told. The reply: “Conor has a new album coming out ….” it was the classic non-denial denial. I guess I could have figured out a way to look up his marriage license in NYC, but I didn’t have the resources or, frankly, the interest. Without confirmation, reporting that Oberst got married would be no more than gossip. Why was it a secret?

This was just a few months after the Concert for Equality in Benson. Oberst had emerged as a celebrity leader and voice against U.S. anti-immigrant laws in the summer of 2010. Conor was doing interviews in support of the concert, but questions would be limited to politics, so I decided to pass even though there was one burning question I was dying to ask: What was really driving the protest? Was there a personal relationship behind his political passion? In the end, no one ever bothered to ask.

I got some of my questions answered in this Reader interview. In fact, Conor answered every questions I sent him. Read the full Q&A transcript in this week’s issue of The Reader, or online right here.

* * *

Speaking of Conor, here’s his new video for “Zigzagging Toward the Light.” It’s pretty trippy.

* * *

Today is Give to Lincoln Day, the sister effort to last week’s Omaha Gives! day. That means if you live in Lincoln (or even if you don’t) it’s time to donate $10 to Hear Nebraska through the Give to Lincoln website. By giving through the site, a portion of your donation will be eligible for a match via the Lincoln Community Foundation.

I outlined the reasons last week why every musician, venue, promoter and local music fan should support Hear Nebraska (right here) so I won’t tell you again (though you can always go back and reread it). Come on. Give. It’s only $10.

* * *

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 on CBS This Morning last weekend.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Omaha show calendar is a series of peaks and valleys. One week you’ll have a great show almost every night; the next week, no national touring shows at all. We’re sitting firmly in one of those valleys right now. Coming off a weekend of no national shows, we enter a week of very little going on indie-wise, and that ain’t such a bad thing when you consider what’s happening next week.

But back to this week:

Rhymesayers artist Grieves performs tonight at The Waiting Room with a couple more rappers. $14, 9 p.m.

Wednesday night Sean Lennon’s psych rock band he fronts with his girlfriend, model Charlotte Kemp Muhl, headlines at The Waiting Room with opener Syd Arthur. $15, 9 p.m. There’s some buzz behind this one.

And that’s it for the week. See Through Dresses kicks off its 2014 summer tour Friday night at O’Leaver’s with the always unpredictable Gordon. And Simon Joyner plays Friday night at Slowdown Jr.

Like I said, peaks and valleys. Next week begins with First Aid Kit, followed Tuesday by Guided by Voices and then Conor Oberst Wednesday. That’s quite a triple-header..

* * *

Speaking of Conor Oberst, the old boy performed on CBS This Morning Saturday. Check out the video below. And look for my interview with Mr. Oberst in this Thursday’s issue of The Reader. It’s been a looong time since I got to ask him any questions…

* * *

One last thing: I checked out the new, improved Beercade in Benson over the weekend. The new bar, located right next door to the old bar, is massive (I was disappointed to find out that they’re not going to call it “Super Beercade”). We’re talking two floors with two bars filled with pinball and video games

Pinball is red hot right now, and the fact that I couldn’t get on one of the eight or so tables at Beercade is testament to that. In fact, the only game I could get my hands on was Tapper. Sadly, the new location — like the old location — is woefully light on Williams video games. No Defender, no Robotron, no Stargate. I don’t know what they did with their Joust machine, but I couldn’t find it. Luckily I have a Williams multi-game stand-up in my basement, but still, it would be fun to be able to play those classics in public, along with Spyhunter, Elevator Action and Tron, all of which were unfortunately also absent from Beercade.

Is my love for Williams arcade games a generational thing? Probably. On the other hand, Beercade had loads of karate and battle games, which I never played back in my college days.

Anyway, the place is amazing and huge. It even has booth seating upstairs so you can cool your heels while you wait for the next pinball machine to open. And if it’s Friday or Saturday night, you could be waiting a long time.

* * *

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

It’s a holiday weekend, and from a music standpoint, it’s all local.

It starts tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s where frontier rockers Travelling Mercies headlines a show with Omaha newbies Uh Oh. $5, 9:30 p.m.

And that’s it for Friday. Seriously.

Saturday night, The Electroliners bring both country & western to the Barley Street Tavern. Joining them are Southpaw Bluegrass Band and Township & Range. $5, 9 p.m. Bring your cowboy hat.

And that’s it for Saturday. Seriously.

Sunday has the only show that could be considered a “national touring band” with Jake Bellows at Slowdown Jr. Jake used to live here, though, so we still consider him “local.” Joining him is fellow Saddle Creek Records band Son Ambulance and local upstarts The Derby Birds (which I wrote about here). $8, 9 p.m. We have Monday off so why not?

And that’s it for Sunday and the weekend. If I missed anything, put it in the comments area. Have a happy Memorial Day.

* * *

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

The preliminary numbers from yesterday’s Omaha Gives effort are in, and according to the website, 508 unique donors gave Hear Nebraska $13,333.60. That’s an impressive amount, especially that 508, which validates the organization’s reach and value among its fans.

Hear Nebraska had the most donors of any charity in the “small organizations” category, which means it will receive an additional $10,000 bonus from the Omaha Community Foundation. Thanks to all who gave.

Other notable returns: Omaha Girls Rock pulled in $3,874 from 177 donors; Maha Music Festival raised $26,779 from 272 donors, and Omaha by Design drew $6,601 from 82 donors.

* * *

I got home five minutes too late from Morrissey Monday night to catch Conor Oberst on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Conor was backed by Dawes for a performance of “Zigzagging Toward the Light,” from his new album, Upside Down Mountain (Nonesuch, 2014). In case you’re wondering, that ball cap he’s wearing says Byron Bay Ballooning, an Australian company.

Remember when it was a big deal when Conor got a slot on late-night chat shows? He’s done it so often that now it seems commonplace. I’m still waiting for that Saturday Night Live performance.

* * *

Speaking of the now infamous Morrissey concert in Lincoln, here’s one last twist of the knife gleaned from the Morrissey Solo web board. Apparently Moz played “One Day Goodbye Will Be Farewell” — which he’s been saving for encores on this tour and would have been the encore in Omaha — as the first song in Lawrence the following night. The webboard has other interesting details and comments about the Lincoln show, along with a lot of whining. Check it.

By the way, today is Moz’s birthday. Be Nebraska Nice and wish him a happy 55th…

* * *

Speaking of Nebraska Nice, in this week’s column, reflections on the state’s new marketing catch phrase and a suggestion for something different. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room afro-funk ensemble Orgone returns. Dopapod opens. $10, 9 p.m.

* * *

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.

OmahaGives24.org

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In case you haven’t noticed, Omaha has its begging hat firmly extended today in the form of Omaha Gives. It’s impossible to open Facebook or Twitter without being inundated with pitches from every Omaha-based 501c3.

Here’s another one. Giving to Hear Nebraska is a no-brainer for any band, fan, music venue or promoter. Why? Because Hear Nebraska’s sole mission is to promote Nebraska bands and music. That’s it. Bands, Hear Nebraska is your promotional arm. It works for you. Giving money to Hear Nebraska is an investment in your music and your scene.

All’s they’re asking for is $10 (but you can obviously give more). If you’re in a band or a music fan or run a business that supports music, it’s the best money you’ll ever spend.

BTW, I say this as a long-standing unpaid Hear Nebraska Board Member. As an “insider,” I can tell you they have some pretty cool things coming up, not the least of which is a new website design and a new internet-based radio station called Hear Nebraska Radio, which will be a conduit for getting Nebraska bands’ music heard. Ultimately, the idea is for Hear Nebraska to evolve into a hub where everyone involved in music can share information. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Andy Norman is Hear Nebraska’s full-time Executive Director, and right now is probably carrying a sign on Dodge Street that says “I’ll work for donations.” He became full-time in May, which represents a huge commitment to both Hear Nebraska and Nebraska music in general.

Anyway click here to make a donation to Hear Nebraska during Omaha Gives. And while you’re at the Omaha Gives website, drop a tenner in the hat for Omaha Girls Rock, which is brazenly creating the next generation of rock stars, and Maha Music Festival, whose quality of performers booked for its annual festival hinges on corporate donations and efforts like this. You didn’t think ticket sales covered everything, did you? Hey, if you really want Wilco to eventually play Maha, here’s your chance to help make it happen.

* * *

Speaking of Omaha Gives, the above-mentioned organizations are showing their appreciation for your donation by hosting a kick-ass concert tonight at The Slowdown. Doors open at 6 p.m. with happy hour specials until 7. The line-up:

7:30 p.m.: Edem Kegey
8:05: Amanda DeBoer Bartlett
8:30 pm: Op2mus
9:30 pm: Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds
10:30 pm: Twinsmith

$1 from every Boulevard purchase will go toward supporting the hosting organizations thanks to Boulevard Brewing Company and Slowdown. Get loaded and help Omaha’s music scene at the same time!

* * *

One last Omaha Gives pitch: If you’re a mid-century modern fan and happen to be driving past 62nd and Dodge today (right by UNO) check out the very well-designed bus kiosk. It was put together by the fine folks at Hutch in Midtown Crossing in support of Omaha By Design, which is also asking for donations during Omaha Gives.

Omaha by Design is a non-profit that’s all about urban design. Its mission is to make our community more livable and environmentally smart. They’re the folks who helped put together the Green Streets Master Plan, The Suburban Parks Master Plan, The Cole Creek Project, Public Art Omaha, The Maple Street Corridor, The Vinton Street Project, The Benson-Ames Alliance and so on.

If you care about urban design and keeping Omaha on the cutting edge of it, give to Omaha by Design right here. It’s money well spent.

* * *

A post script to yesterday’s Morrissey concert review: I got an interesting report from someone who went to the Morrissey show in Lawrence the night after the infamous Rococo gig. This person said Morrissey came out, thanked the Lawrence crowd and then “begged us never to send him to Lincoln, Nebraska, again.” Ironically, Morrissey also tried to tell a story but the Lawrence audience kept interrupting and he never got through it. Annoyed, he said, “I’ll never understand people.” At least they got an encore.

* * *

One more show going on worth mentioning: Tonight at The Waiting Room is John Klemmensen’s Song Writer Death Battle IV. The plan: 40+ songwriters each play one song passing along the same guitar. No idea who’s participating, but it’s likely to be a large collection of Benson’s usual suspects. $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

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.

Morrissey desperately searches for me in the balcony during last night’s performance at The Rococo Theater.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

You know the old saying “Leave them wanting more”? That’s exactly what Morrissey did last night at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln.

No one quite knew for sure if Moz was coming out for an encore after he walked off stage during the conclusion of “I Know It’s Gonna Happen Someday,” the tune he’d closed his regular set with the night before in Denver. As the band winded down and left the stage, the crowd erupted into applause, and then began a half-assed encore plea.

After just a few moments, on came the stage grips who began tearing down the mics, guitar pedals and drum kit in the dark. A few more minutes passed and then the house lights came up, but fans were still holding out hope as some equipment remained on stage along with Morrissey’s mic. Adding to the confusion — no one turned up the house music. Had the house music come up, as it does at most concerts signalling the end of a show, the fans would have gotten the hint. Instead, security dudes had to shoo away the sad and angry fans  — a frustrating end to a frustrating show.

Morrissey’s portion of the gig lasted a mere hour, beginning with Smiths’ song “Hand and Glove” and winding through a rather low-key selection from his solo material.

Opening the show was long-time Morrissey tourmate Kristeen Young, proof that landing an opening slot for a major recording artist is no guarantee of next-level fame. Young has been touring with Morrissey for years. In fact, she opened his May 2007 show at The Orpheum in Omaha. Still, few people know who she is or have heard her records. While there’s no question she has a strong (though very ’80s-sounding) voice, she hasn’t learned to write a song. Thankfully her set only lasted a half hour.

Between Young’s set and Morrissey, the houselights were dimmed for a selection of music film clips that included performances by Mott the Hoople and obscurities like ’65 UK chart-topper Chris Andrews singing “Yesterday Man,” culminating with the Wiz of Oz midgets’ rendition of “Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead.”

Then at the stroke of 9 on came Morrissey, sounding as good as he did in ’07. At 54, he’s managed to keep his voice in remarkable condition. And his band was outstanding — a five-piece ensemble with keyboards, guitar, bass and drums, they were dressed in matching jeans, sneakers and blue T-shirts with the Hustler logo emblazened across their chests. Campy.

The highlight of the first half was a striking version of “Ganglord,” the B-side to “The Youngest Was the Most Loved.” You can see the entire 15-song setlist from last night’s show here.

The train went off the rails right after “Speedway.” Morrissey began telling a story that went something like, “On our drive yesterday from Denver, looking out the window I saw a sad…” Someone yelled something. I couldn’t tell what it was from my perch in the balcony, but it apparently involved the word “boring.”

Morrissey tried to tell the story again and was interrupted, and then blew a raspberry into the microphone and signaled the band to commence with “Everyday Is Like Sunday,” which he refused to sing, conceivably because he was pissed off. It wasn’t until the chorus that some of the crowd figured out what was going on and began filling in the vocal void in rather sad fashion. Morrissey then began to hand the mic over to audience members standing near the stage, treating us with awkward hellos.

The incident seemed to take the air out of Morrissey, and he walked through the rest of the performance spending time between songs with his back to the audience, studying a set list to decide what to play next. He livened up for vegan mantra “Meat is Murder,” that included a gruesome film of livestock conditions and animal mutilation that Morrissey made a point to stare at during the extended instrumental portion of the song. No doubt the story he was unable to tell earlier probably had to do with all the livestock facilities he passed along the Interstate.

Needless to say, there were a lot of pissed off people walking out of The Rococo after Morrissey refused an encore. While I would have liked to hear a couple more songs, the decision to play is squarely on his shoulders, and if he wasn’t feeling it, that’s the way it goes.

I blame The Rococo for he screw-up with the house music. That was my first time at the theater and it will likely be my last, after getting screwed around during the ticket purchase (We were told moments after tickets went on sale that only general admission balcony seats were available. I would later discover that wasn’t the case). The sound was bad; the sightlines were bad (as you’d expect). It would have been nice to see Morrissey in a better facility for what is likely going to be his final tour through Nebraska. Oh well, at least I still have my memories of that triumphant 2007 Orpheum concert…

* * *

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.

RAF at The Waiting Room, May 17, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Rough crowd at the Punk Rock Reunion show Saturday night at The Waiting Room. An example of just how rough:

While standing at the bar waiting to buy my usual Rolling Rock, a big fat biker-looking dude about my age tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Thanks a lot for cutting in line.” I looked over at him and his two big fat biker buddies and said, “Sorry, didn’t see you guys standing there,” at which point he gave me a “What the fuck?” look, and then said, “Don’t worry man. What’s your name?” I said it was Tim, and he said (while shaking my hand), “My name’s Jack, as in Jack Miyoff — haw haw haw.” His fat pals rolled at that one.  I just rolled my eyes and moved along, feeling like Luke Skywalker during the Cantina scene of Star Wars, hoping Obi Wan would show up and cut the fat biker’s arm off.

Strange crowd. Lots of bumping and jostling. Lots of angry old people. Lots of drunks. But I guess it’s what you’d expect from a punk rock reunion. The only thing worse than angry young punks is bitter old ones. But at least they have good taste in music.

As evidence, I give you RAF. The band put out a few cassettes back in the ’80s, including one that spent a lot of time in the tape deck of my Ford Fiesta. The band consisted of guitarist Paul Moerke, drummer Tim Cox, bass player Dereck Higgins and frontman Matt Miller, who formed the band. For Saturday night’s reunion gig, Kelly Callier, formerly of Jimmy Skaffa, took over the frontman role and did a yeoman’s job pushing the crowd to match the energy on stage. The break-neck performance was matched by a break-neck mosh pit, just like the old days.

Mousetrap at The Waiting Room, May 17, 2014.

Mousetrap followed. Their set felt more realized and steady than the last time they played at The Waiting Room about a year ago. There’s always been something disturbing about the band’s music. When they were just kids, you chocked-up the music’s pain and violence to energy and youth. Now that they’re older, the songs take on a more sinister quality. Or maybe it seems more dangerous because it seems real, like these guys could actually do whatever it is frontman Patrick Buchanan is singing about. Scary.

In case you’re wondering, local hero Matt Bowen pulled it off behind the drum kit, supplying the necessary bombast to keep the action rolling.

Cordial Spew provided a hardcore ending to what turned out to be a hardcore night. They played a set that was much more together and professional than the band I saw play at Our Lady of Guadalupe Social Hall in the ’80s. The show back then was a brutal mess, while Saturday’s show was simply brutal, and a reminder (along with the night’s earlier sets) that some things do get better with age, just ask Mr. Miyoff.

* * *

Conor Oberst, Upside Down Mountain (Nonesuch, 2014)

Breaking with the usual Tuesday release-day schedule, today is the official drop day for Conor Oberst’s new solo album, Upside Down Mountain (Nonesuch, 2014), and the reviews are coming in fast and furious. They are arguably the best reviews he’s had for one of his LPs in years.

Not the least of which is the all-important Pitchfork review, which gave the album a slightly better than mediocre 6.5 rating. The review’s conclusion: “It’s gorgeous to the point of near gaudiness, a ‘return to form’ after a strange decade evolving from wildly prolific, heartbreak soundtracking, Winona Ryder-dating enfant terrible into a domesticated Americana bard no longer interested in why to be young is to be sad. Hopefully, Oberst will find a way to make ‘older and wiser’ just as revelatory.”

Rolling Stone was more laudatory with its 4-Star review. None other than David Fricke weighed in with: “But like Neil Young’s Harvest and Jackson Browne’s Late for the Sky, this is dreaming stalked by despair, then charged with rebound. ‘There are hundreds of ways,’ Oberst sings in that song, ‘to get through the day. . . . Now you just find one.’ Here’s a good place to start.”

All Music gave the record 4 Stars. Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s review concluded with: “Oberst remains an eccentric — he’s not one for obvious hooks, or even insistent melodies — but of all his albums, Upside Down Mountain feels open-hearted, measured, and bright, the kind of record that opens up a new chapter in a career and possibly wins over new listeners.”

The Guardian also gave the record 4 stars, concluding “…melodies emerge strongly from these simple musical settings and there’s little to distract from his lyrics, which explore solitude and regret – those hoary old staples of US road music – in rich and inventive ways.”

Drowned in Sound gave the record 8 out of 10, saying “...the new album is bathed in a Laurel Canyon glow, but it’s by no means a throwback. It comes on with a rootsy, sure-footed poise far removed from the dense electronics of Bright Eyes’ 2011 release The People’s Key, though the bigger difference here is the nature of the lyrics found within.”

Consequence of Sound gave the album a grade of B, concluding with “...Oberst at least has his first good album in years, and the songwriter’s narrative has a ways to go before we can judge whether he fulfilled all those expectations put on him 20 years ago when he was still a child.”

To counter all the raves, Pretty Much Amazing gave the record a grade of C-, stating: “…the very distance between the album’s mellow, casually lovely sonic maturity and Oberst’s thematic arrested development results in an eerie, unintended detachment.”

As for what Lazy-i thinks, I’ve only had the album for a couple days so I’ve yet to come to a conclusion other than to say it’s the most overly produced Oberst album I’ve ever heard, and that it seems to be an obvious reach for a larger audience.

* * *

Tonight I’m off to Lincoln for the Morrissey concert at Rococo Theater. We have general admission balcony seats, which means we may or may not be able to actually see the performance. This one’s been sold out for a long time.

* * *

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.

Artist, musician, DIY pioneer Tim Kerr is the featured artist tonight at Sweatshop Gallery.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s a punk rock weekend, what with Tim Kerr tonight and Omaha Punk Reunion tomorrow. But there’s others stuff going on this weekend, too.

Let’s start with tonight’s punk show. Sweatshop Gallery in Benson is hosting a pop art exhibit by DIY music pioneer Tim Kerr. Kerr is a veteran of dozens of punk bands (check out his discography). He’s also an accomplished artist. See his work in the gallery, then hear some of Omaha’s best modern-day punks play in the Sweatshop performance space: Killer Blow, Solid Goldberg, The Broke Loose and Snake Island. Bands start at 10 tonight. No idea how much to get in. More Info here.

Also happening tonight is the next installment in the Hear Nebraska Presents concert series, this time at fabulous O’Leaver’s. The headliner is Michigan band Frontier Ruckus. Also on the blll is Nebraskans Ted Stevens Unknown Project and Eli Mardock. $7, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, The Waiting Room is hosting Merge band Wye Oak tonight. Braids opens. $12, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night it’s Omaha Punk Reunion 2014 at The Waiting Room. The highlights (for me, anyway) are Mousetrap and RAF. Also on the bill are Bullet Proof Hearts, Cordial Spew, The Broke Loose and Drop A Grand. Tickets are $10 today, $12 tomorrow. Show starts at 9. Don’t forget your Mohawk.

Also tomorrow evening (Saturday), Simon Joyner and the Ghosts do a victory lap after their recent tour. They’ll be playing at Almost Music along with tour mates Subtropics (or maybe Noah Sterba, the Facebook invitation is unclear) and Wooden Wand. It starts early at 7 and costs $5.

Also Saturday night, Love Technicians headline at O’Leaver’s with Low Long Signal and From Fragile Seeds. $5, 9:30 p.m.

And Satchel Grande is playing down at The Hive in the Old Market with Mr. Bendy. 9 p.m. and no idea on cover.

That’s what I got. If I missed anything, put it in the comments section. Have a dandy weekend…

* * *

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.

Protomartyr at this year’s South by Southwest Festival. The band plays tonight at Slowdown Jr.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Orenda Fink, Blue Dream (2014, Saddle Creek)

The always amazing Orenda Fink yesterday announced that her new album, Blue Dream, is coming out Aug. 19 on Saddle Creek Records. The first released track off the album, “Ace of Cups,” is being streamed at Soundcloud here.

The press release calls the new album “a year-long meditation on death” that started with the death of Fink’s dog of 16 years, Wilson. I’m already feeling bummed out.

“The album truly came together at ARC in Omaha, NE with the help of producers Ben Brodin and Todd Fink (The Faint), along with drummer Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Swans, R.E.M., King Crimson),” says the release. Sounds enticing.

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Speaking of new releases, a few new videos from bands with local ties (and new albums) have been released in the past few days.

Former Omaha Melissa L. Amstutz, and her band. HERS, debuted a new video for “Please,” a track of her forthcoming album Youth Revisited. The vid was directed by filmmaker Lindsay Trapnell.

Also, Desaparecidos keyboardist Ian McElroy’s Rig 1 project has a new video for “Duality,” the first single off the new album North of Maple (Team Love Records).

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One of my favorite discoveries from this year’s South By Southwest Festival, Protomartyr, headlines a show tonight at Slowdown Jr. The Detroit band’s post-punk sound has been compared to The Fall, Pere Ubu and Wire. Their new album, Under Color of Official Right (Hardly Art) is already on my best-of list for 2014.

Opening for Protomartyr is Coaxed, Worried Mothers and Telepathy Problems. This is a big one, folks. $10, 9 p.m.

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In this week’s column, a rant about the Omaha World-Herald‘s litter distribution system called “Food Express” and how the paper is reacting to the public uprising against it. 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.