Let’s assume you haven’t picked up a copy of the printed version of The Reader, which is (obviously) the most convenient way to read all the content included in the Reader‘s 2015 Music Issue.
Trying to read all the Music Issue information online can be a bit frustrating. It would have been nice for The Reader to place all the info into one “package” that flows from one piece to the next.
Fear not, that package is right here.
This morning my feature on The Waiting Room and The Slowdown went online at The Reader‘s website. It joins Wayne Brekke’s piece on the Harney Street Tavern and BJ Huchtemann’s picks of favorite venues including the 21st Saloon, and my feature on O’Leaver’s, which went online last week. Here’s the index:
It was a lazy weekend for Lazy-i. Lazy in that I only saw one band perform, and it wasn’t in a club. Stop Having Children played a set at Almost Music’s “Terrible Twos” birthday event Saturday afternoon. The band was made up of Simon Joyner, David Kenneth Nance, Mike Marasco, and Dis Cretin (as he’s known in the rock world) playing some heavy shit. Whoda guessed Joyner could shred respectably alongside veteran shredder Nance?
I’m already regretting my lethargy in hitting shows last weekend, looking at the calendar. Nothing happening ’til the coming weekend, when it lights up again on Friday (and, there is a Bloodcow show Thursday, too), but more on that later…
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A quick recap of Lincoln Calling 2015, which took place a couple weeks ago. LC frontman Jeremy Buckley said it was another successful year.
“I’d say better than last year,” he said. “There were shows at capacity every night from Tuesday to Sunday and I think the bands were generally happy with payouts and bar owners were pretty happy with booze sales. Biggest night was Saturday, with Friday being a close second.”
So what about Lincoln Calling 2016?
“One thing that ended up working out really well this year was asking friends and peers to help with curating some of the shows,” Buckley said. “At least 10 of the lineups were curated by other people, which I think added diversity that I wouldn’t have thought of, as well as showcasing 15 of Lincoln’s regularly performing comedians and continuing our local music-oriented film festival.”
Buckley said he hopes to get even more people involved with putting LC together next year. “My hope is to have people that know bands on the local level to help with that with more fervor, so I can spend time talking with booking agents and national touring bands so we can up the amount of touring talent we’re introducing to our scene and our bands.” Hear hear!
And the biggest show of the weekend is at (surprise) O’Leaver’s tonight. It’s the return/reunion of Lincoln band Eagle Seagull. Many (most) of us thought we’d never see it happen, but Eli Mardock is pulling together some of the peeps that made up that band, including Ian Aeillo, Eric Nyffeler and Carrie Mardock, for a celebration of the band’s 10 year anniversary. Also on the bill are Little Brazil and So-So Sailors. Any one of these three bands could pack O’Leaver’s. All three, well, we might see a hold-out line at the club tonight. $5, 9:30 p.m.
Also tonight, See Through Dresses headlines at The Waiting Room with Dan Mariska & the Boys Choir and Post Verse. $8, 9 p.m.
Over at The Brothers Lounge, red-hot band High Up plays with Lineman’s Rodeo. $5, 10 p.m.
And finally tonight downtown at House of Loom, //FITNESS #000009 is happening with DJ sets from Todd Fink, Kethro, Teetah and Fathr^. It’s free and starts at 9
Tomorrow (Saturday) Almost Music in Benson celebrates its 2-year anniversary with a mini music festival. Here’s the line-up:
4-4:45 — Vegetable Deluxe
4:45-5:30 — Jim Schroeder
5:30-6:15 — Jessica Errett
6:15-7 — Stop Having Children (Simon Joyner, David Kenneth Nance, Mike Marasco, and Dis Cretin)
7-7:45 — Pro-Magnum
7:45-8:15 — Kyleheinz Stockjessen
Almost Musicfest is not only free, but used records will be 15 percent off and new vinyl will be 10 percent off. Save!
Saturday night, Mitch Gettman hosts his CD release show at Slowdown Jr. Gettman’s last record, Stop Living Like It’s the End of the World, was one of the best local releases of 2014. Can he top it with Dichotomy? Opening is Custom Catacombs and Charlie Alley. $5, 9 p.m.
Also Saturday night, alt-country band (whether they know it or not) Clarence Tilton headlines at Reverb Lounge. Their self-titled debut album is on rotation on my iPhone. But I have yet to see them live. This might be my chance. Opening is Tucker Hill Citizens Brigade. $7, 9 p.m.
O’Leaver’s has a special “tap event” out in their beer garden on Saturday that will run into the evening, giving you plenty of time to get lubed up for the evening’s music, Des Moines’ The Vahnevants, Sean Pratt & The Sweats and indie rock dudes Uh Oh (I dig their new EP). $5, 9:30 p.m.
If that weren’t enough local metal dude Big Al celebrates his birthday at the Barley Street with Dereck Higgins and Army of 2600, not to mention a performance by Big Al Band. 9 p.m., free.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Comments Off on Eagle Seagull, Little Brazil, So-So Sailors, See Through Dresses, High Up tonight; Almost Musicfest, Clarence Tilton, Mitch Gettman Saturday…
“If you’re a praying person, send your prayers to the Thornton family.” Solemn words from Lupines frontman John Ziegler, and a reminder why the bands were playing last night at The Waiting Room.
As outlined yesterday, Robert (Bob) Thornton is going through serious medical issues that have kept him from working and created mountains of medical bills. Find out more about the situation at his GoFundMe page and lend a hand.
Last night’s show was a benefit for Bob, and despite the tragic circumstances surrounding the evening, the bands brought their A games, performing rousing sets performed in front of about 100 fans. Ziegler’s message came smack-dab in the middle of the Lupine’s usual break-neck/ball-buster set we’ve come to expect from the Omaha garage-rock giants.
Wagon Blasters at The Waiting Room, Oct. 7, 2015.
Lupines followed a set by tractor-punk heroes Wagon Blasters, a band that features Robert’s brother Bill Thornton on guitar. Gary Dean Davis and the crew were in rare form, with the Waiting Room’s stage finally giving GDD the space he needs for maximum bounce height/trajection.
The Sun-less Trio at The Waiting Room, Oct. 7, 2015.
The evening was rounded out by a gorgeous set from The Sun-less Trio, a band that features Mike Saklar on guitar and vocals, galvanized by the rhythm section of drummer Marc Phillips and bass player Cricket Kirk. The music’s style was earthy, laid-back and (dare I say it?) soulful, powered by Saklar’s masterful guitar work. The band has a new record coming out Oct. 18. Their set was the perfect way to end a night of music dedicated to a good cause.
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Word to the Totally indeed.
The hits keep on coming from The Reader. As part of The Reader‘s annual Music Issue, this morning my big-ass feature on O’Leaver’s went online. Matt Maginn, Ted Stevens, Craig Dee and Ian Aeillo give the skinny on what’s happening these days at The Club as it enters its next renaissance. The story covers everything from the new sound system to Live at O’Leaver’s to the booking policy to the new, massive beer garden. The story is on newsstands now and online right here.
This O’Leaver’s feature story is the central part of the issue’s look at Omaha music venues. I also wrote about The Waiting Room and Slowdown, and Wayne Brekke and BJ Huchtemann wrote about their favorite clubs, including the styles of music, booking etc. Those stories will be online soon but why wait? Grab your copy of the paper right now.
Could it be the local show of the year? It’ll definitely be in the running.
Tonight the stars align for a benefit show for local legend Robert (Bob) Thornton at The Waiting Room. Seems Bob has had some medical issues that have kept him from work and are generating some big-ass medical bills.
As you may know, I use the world “legend” sparingly and only when I mean it. Bob is, indeed, a legend. Among the glorious bands he’s played in are Clayface, Culture Fire, Say No More, X-Factor, Body By Heroin, Carmine, Now Archimedes!, Qing Jao, Past Punchy and the Present and Students of Crime and The Wagon Blasters. Read more about Bob (and his brother Bill), in this 2006 Lazy-i interview.
But it doesn’t even matter if you know who Bob is. You’d be kicking yourself if you missed this show. On the bill are Bob’s current band The Wagon Blasters along with Lupines, Electroliners and The Mike Saklar Trio. All for a mere $10. And this is an early show, with a 7 p.m. start time. Get there early!
If you can’t make it, you can still help out Bob by going to his gofundme page, where you can read all the details about his medical condition and lend a hand.
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An addendum to yesterday’s blog entry regarding The Reader‘s annual list of the area’s best bands: Reader music writer Wayne Brekke’s top bands list went online yesterday, and includes a lot of names I would have added to my list if he hadn’t already called dibs on them (the jerk). Check out Wayne’s list here and find out more about the best bands in the area.
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So you’ve gone to the Bob Thornton benefit but you want to go to cap off your night with even more music?
Well, the Legendary Shack Shakers will be playing right around the corner at Reverb Lounge tonight. Joe Fletcher opens. $13, 9 p.m.
Tulsa band Nuns (Passive Recordings) headlines at Slowdown Jr. tonight with Low Long Signal and Relax, It’s Science. $10, 8 p.m.
The Reader‘s annual Music Issue is on newsstands now. Included in the coverage is the annual list of the top area bands.
In year’s past, we limited the list to 20, plus the “next 15.” This year the writers — Wayne Brekke, BJ Huchtemann and myself — submitted our lists of the top bands with no limit on the number. Needless to say, it made making the list less contentious and more inclusive.
Considerations made in creating the lists were: 1) quality of the bands, 2) activity in the past year, including releasing of new records, touring, etc., 3) impact on the local music scene, 4) performer / band members primarily live in Nebraska.
This is not a list of my favorite bands. In fact, there are a couple bands on my list that aren’t exactly my cup of tea, but there’s no denying their impact on the scene. A few bands I love, such as Dumb Beach, Gordon and Son, Ambulance, were left off because they didn’t release anything new in the past year.
My list, which is here, focuses mainly on indie music, while Wayne and BJ included other genres (Americana, blues, soul, etc.). There are a few names on their lists I would have put on mine, and vice versa. We didn’t want to “double the hill” so names only appear once on all the lists. You’ll have to pick up a copy of The Reader to see Wayne’s and BJ’s lists, as I don’t know where they are online.
As is the case every year, the lists generally provide a sense of curation of the local scene, and nothing more. If you don’t like the lists, make your own. For the most part, the bands listed below are no-brainers, though a few may be flying just below your radar and are worth checking out. Read the article for descriptions:
Twinsmith
Icky Blossoms
M34N STR33T
Lupines
Simon Joyner and the Ghosts
BOTH
Desaparecidos
Domestica
Digital Leather
Sam Martin
Sucettes
Miniature Horse
John Klemmensen & the Party
The Good Life
High Up
I don’t think so. Son, Ambulance was sort of created in the same image; so was the first iteration of Eagle*Seagull. Beyond those examples there are few bands as big and sprawling and creatively ambitious as Head of Femur either back in the day or right now, seven years after the band escaped into an extended hiatus.
Last night we got the full Head of Femur experience. The band packed itself onto the “stage” space of O’Leaver’s, all eight of them lined up in two rows with the horns and strings in the back, the guitars and keys and vocals up front, led by the inimitable Matt Focht. They sounded as good — maybe even better — than I remember them back in the early 2000s.
They played a lot of their “hits” from the those fantastic early albums, songs you’d immediately recognize if you were a fan. Those dense, high-flying numbers with intricate arrangements, rhythms and lyrics, proggy and fun, celebratory in their execution. The kind of songs that makes you want to cheer after every number. There was an Eno cover in there, as well as a cover of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel’s “Make Me Smile” that made me smile.
Musically, the comparatives don’t give Head of Femur the justice its due. I typed out on my iPhone during the set: “XTC meets early Joe Jackson meets Imperial Bedroom-era Elvis Costello,” which doesn’t take into account the band’s classic baroque-rock qualities. For that, a guy who’s been following them forever compared them to Mott the Hoople, whereas I’d lean more toward Procol Harum or Left Banke whereas modern fans might point toward Belle and Sebastian. None of that’s right, of course.
Let’s just say they are immensely entertaining. Focht’s voice remains as gorgeous as ever. The band was on point. The vets surrounded themselves with some new blood that represent some of the best talent in the region, but you’d expect nothing less from this band. It was special.
As Andrew Stellman highlighted in this Hear Nebraska story last week, we’ll be getting more of Femur. Focht said the new album will be coming out late this year. But is it possible to keep all that talent together for a support tour? Doubtful. But if you’re kicking yourself for missing last night’s show or last Friday night’s Lincoln Calling gig, put the boot away. Focht said the band will reunite again Dec. 23 at The Waiting Room. Make your plans now.
Also keep your eyes and ears peeled for Head of Femur’s Live at O’Leaver’s session. Sound engineer extraordinaire Ian Aeillo says the recording of last night’s show sounds awesome.
Speaking of awesome (and new records) Dan McCarthy and James Maakestad played a humdinger of an opening set last night before Femur. McCarthy mentioned on stage that he’s wrapped a new album as well. Can not wait…
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The October issue of The Reader is on news stands now. Pick it up, as it’s the very special Music Issue. More about that later. In this month’s Over the Edge column, my take on Trump and why you’re going to miss him when he’s gone (and believe me, he’ll be gone… eventually). Check it out in print or read it online right here.
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It’s a night of doom metal at O’Leaver’s tonight with Seattle sludge/doom trio Serial Hawk. Opening is Super Moon and Processions. $5, 9:30 p.m.
Not sure how it happened, but the weekend’s back-loaded with shows, with three happening Sunday night. So call your boss, tell her/him you’re gonna be late in on Monday. Or just get your excuses in order over the weekend.
Of the trio of Sunday shows, Head of Femur at O’Leaver’s stands out. The band is reuniting for this show and tonight’s show as part of Lincoln Calling. Here’s some background on the band from back in the day, and here’s a current-day story from Hear Nebraska. Opening is the entrancing McCarthy Trenching. $7, 9 p.m.
While that’s happening Sunday night, downtown at Slowdown Jr. Michigan punk band Cheap Girls headlines. The band has been on a zillion labels including Asian Man, Suburban Home and Paper + Plastick. Openers are just as good: the mighty Lupines and Gordon. 8 p.m. $10 Adv. /$12 DOS.
Show No. 3 happening Sunday night is The Dodos at The Waiting Room. The San Francisco duo of Meric Long on guitar and Logan Kroeber on drums has music on FrenchKiss, Wichita and their latest album, Individ, was released this past January by Polyvinyl. Eklectica opens. $12, 9 p.m.
Yeah, that’s all great and all, but what about tonight?
Tonight (Friday) fabulous O’Leaver’s hosts the return of Ghost Foot. Opening is local super group Montee Men (featuring John Laughlin (Pro-Mangum), Chris Kelley (Back When) and Matt Baum (Desaparecidos)). and the return of Peace of Shit. $5, 9:30 p.m.
Also tonight is Benson First Friday — the usual art / bar crawl starts at 6 p.m. If you’re going, I beseech you to drop by and see the work of Omaha artistic legend Sidney Buchanan, who has a one-man show at The Little Gallery, the art gallery my wife and I run located right across the street from The Sydney. We’ll be hanging out ’til 9.
After checking out the Little Gallery, head on down to The Barley Street Tavern where Clarence Tilton is headlining tonight (Friday) with Denver’s King Cardinal and Omaha’s own Blue Bird. $5, 9 p.m.
Get your Benson fix in because you’ll want to avoid that stretch of Maple Street tomorrow (Saturday) when Benson becomes the playground for the annual Zombie Walk. Ugh. Have a good time.
Instead, head back to O’Leaver’s Saturday night for the return of everyone’s favorite electro-noise-leather-gimp Plack Blague. The one-man obscenity charge is headlining a show that’s sure to disturb, with openers Grab Ass, Ruby Block and Hag. $5, 9:30 p.m.
Also Saturday night Make Believe Records is hosting a showcase at The Slowdown. Practically the entire label roster is performing, including Conchance, BOTH, Sam Ayer & The Love Affair, Lightning Bug, Sam Martin, Third Eye Merchants, Black Jonny Quest, and Dojorok & Kethro. $7, 8 p.m.
And then, of course, it’s Sunday.
But lest we forget, Lincoln Calling is happening all weekend long, and as I mentioned the other day, tonight features perhaps the weekend’s best line-up. For your convenience, here’s the remaining Lincoln Calling line-up, taken from the event’s Facebook event listing.
Lincoln Calling
Friday, October 2
Bodega’s Alley
9:30 pm – 3 Son Green
11:45 pm – The Midland Band
$5, 21+
Bourbon Theatre
9 pm – The Renfields
10 pm – Oquoa
11 pm – Twinsmith
12 am – Head of Femur
$10, 18+
The Cask
9 pm – Alli and I
11 pm – Ro Hempel
no cover, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
(early show)
6 pm Bloodhound (Kyle Henderson of Desert Noises solo)
7 pm McCarthy Trenching
8 pm Emily Bass Band
$5, 21+
(late show)
9:30 pm – Domestica
10:30 pm – See Through Dresses
11:30 pm – Bummer
12:30 am – Halfwit
$5, 21+
Knickerbockers
9 pm – Gordon
10 pm – Hyborian
11 pm – Desir Decir
12 am – Powers
$5, 18+
Single Barrel
9 pm – Belles and Whistles
10 pm – Matt Cox Band
11 pm – Dylan Bloom Band
$5, 19+
White Rabbit
5 pm – Emily Bass
no cover, 21+
Zoo Bar
(early show)
6 pm – Red Elvises
$10, 21+
NOTE: NOT INCLUDED WITH ALL ACCESS PASS
(late show)
9 pm – Laughing Falcon
10 pm – Rock Paper Dynamite
11 pm – American Pinup
12 am – FREAKABOUT
$6, 21+
Saturday, October 3
Bodega’s Alley
9:30 pm – A Ferocious Jungle Cat
11 pm – Pure Brown
12:45 am – Life is Cool
$5, 21+
The Cask
9:30 pm – Martini Tiny w/ Hana Zara and Jack Rodenberg
no cover, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
8 pm – Jay Kutchma
9 pm – The Heather Berney Band
10 pm – blét
11 pm – Mike Semrad
12 am – The Allendales
1 am – Desert Noises
$6, 21+
Knickerbockers
9 pm – This Machine Kills Vibes
10 pm – Scruffy and the Janitors
11 pm – Westside Proletariat
12 am – Night Push
$5, 18+
Single Barrel
9:30 pm – Lazerwolfe
$5, 21+
White Rabbit
9 pm – Luke Polipnick w/ Max Stehr
no cover, 21+
Zoo Bar
(early show)
6 pm – Maria Muldaur
$15 adv, $20 dos, 21+
NOTE: NOT INCLUDED WITH ALL ACCESS PASS
(late show)
9 pm – Tie These Hands
10 pm – Ghost Foot
11 pm – Cupcake
12 am – Universe Contest
$6, 21+
Sunday, October 4
Tavern on the Square
12 pm – Brunch on the Square featuring Alison Hill Catering and Aaron Weaver with Amu Manu + White Rabbit
with music provided by Polar Bear, $pencelove and Dr. Zhivago
$10 per person includes a drink ticket and food, 21+
NOTE: NOT INCLUDED WITH ALL ACCESS PASS
Duffy’s Tavern
9 pm – Omni Arms
10 pm – Glo Worm
11 pm – State Disco
12 am – Powerful Science
$5, 21+
Zoo Bar
8 pm – Zoolarious featuring Ross Brockley, Brad Stewart, Audrey Farnham, Jordan Kleine, Grant Parsons, Drew Bohlke, Chris Hinkle, Corey Brewer and Ariel Sinha
$5, 18+
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
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