Christopher the Conquered at a recent gig in Chicago. He plays tonight at Slowdown, Jr.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Note: If you missed it yesterday afternoon (and a lot of you did) Conor Oberst will be returning to the stage for the first time since canceling Desaparecidos’ fall tour due to illness. The event will be held at O’Leaver’s Jan. 3. Check out yesterday’s blog entry for details.

And there are a couple shows are going on tonight…

At Slowdown Jr. it’s Des Moines piano man Christopher the Conquered, a.k.a. Christopher Ford. He’s been enjoying a Wednesday-night residency at Slowdown all month. Just listening to his Bandcamp page, Ford’s style is reminiscent of Minnesota’s Mark Mallman — a combination of glam rock and cabaret with Jim Steinman overtones sung by a Freddy Mercury clone. How will it translate on stage? Methinks very theatrically.

Opening the show is Gloom Balloon and the talented Matt Whipkey, who’s been enjoying success of late opening for none other than Dwight Yoakam all over the country. This one starts early at 8 p.m. $7.

Also tonight, Relax, It’s Science is among the bands playing Louder than Words, a showcase of Omaha-based instrument-focused bands. Also on the bill are Tenderness Wilderness and A Fight Within the Mastersleep. $7, 9 p.m.

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Hey, am I the only one who noticed that The Barley Street Tavern redesigned its website? Check it out.

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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 © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.