I had some “bandwidth limit” issues with the website this morning. What can I tell you — the enormous amount of traffic to Lazy-i.com frankly makes it hard for my service provider to keep up. I think it’s squared away for now. Thank you for your patience.
Let’s get to what’s happening this weekend. I think we’ll all be spending a lot of time down at Slowdown.
Tonight Philly-based indie artist Mothers is playing in the Slowdown front room. The four-piece, headed by Kristine Leschper, released its last album When You Walk a Long Distance You Are Tired on Grand Jury in 2016. They’ve been compared to Angel Olsen and Jessica Pratt. Opening is Omaha bands Thick Paint and Oquoa. $12, 9 p.m.
Also tonight Omaha punkers No thanks plays at Brothers Lounge with Lincoln’s Mad Dog & the 20/20s. $5, 10 p.m.
And lest we forget, ’80s punk legends Chrome are playing tonight at Dr. Jack’s Drinkery, 3012 No. 102nd St. I’m told this isn’t so much Chrome as Helios Creed playing Chrome songs (since Damon Edge died in 1995). DHX (Dereck Higgins Experience), Human Teeth Parade and Gongfermour open starting at 8 p.m. Advance tickets were $12; no idea what they’re charging at the door.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back down to Slowdown Jr. for album release show for High Up’s new one You Are Here, released on Team Love Records. This could be a crowded celebration. Opening is LA’s Whispertown (Acony Records) and former Omaha singer/songwriter/legend Jake Bellows. $10, 8 p.m.
Also Saturday night, Omaha’s favorite outlaw country band Filter Kings headline a crowded show at Reverb Lounge that also includes Room 100, Prime Time Pickers, The Prairie Gators and Garst. $5, 6 p.m. (yep, 6 p.m.).
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Despite having a population of nearly a million people, Omaha is a very small town when it comes to music. So when the city loses someone who brought music the masses – especially very good music — it’s a tragedy.
Thus is the case with Sam Parker, who it can now be told has moved to Nashville for a gig as an agent assistant to Jonathan Levine, a senior executive agent at Paradigm Talent Agency. Paradigm has offices all over the country and in London and Toronto, and works with every form of media — film, TV, book publishing, music and more. Their client list is enormous and includes monsters like Coldplay and Dave Matthews down to small, important acts like Algiers.
I first got to know Sam as local booker working under the moniker Perpetual Nerves, who booked some of the best indie shows in small clubs and DIY venues over the past seven years. Sam co-founded Milk Run with Chris Aponick, and would go on to apply his exquisite taste in music to events such as Lincoln Calling and Farnam Fest.
Since he’s left the city, Sam confirmed he no longer will be booking shows in Omaha. “There’s plenty of amazing promoters in Omaha (1%, DIY promoters, Third String, Cat Meryl, etc.) that have that under control,” he said. “I did, however, have a hand in this year’s Lincoln Calling lineup and am the talent buyer for Skate Art Music Festival, very excited about what’s to come for those.”
The Skate Art Music Festival, promoted as “a full day of the ultimate skate art music experience,” is an annual event held in Lincoln; last year it was at The Railyard in late August. Lincoln Calling, which used to be presented in conjunction with Hear Nebraska, is a multi-day multi-venue festival that happens in late summer. Parker was central to LC’s success the past couple years.
For Omaha fans of unique, under-the-radar indie rock, Parker’s loss to our scene will be profound. I have no doubt that he’ll quickly rise at Paradigm, and won’t forget where he came from, which could be good for Omaha in the long run.
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Speaking of Hear Nebraska — or should I say Rabble Mill — yesterday RM announced this year’s tour stops for the 4th annual Good Living Tour:
“The 2018 tour will travel to four locations: Imperial (6/23), Red Cloud (7/7), Norfolk (7/20) and first-time GLT community Broken Bow (6/9),” says the press release. “In addition to music, this year’s tour aims to reach young audiences through skateboarding — specifically, our educational skate-school and engaging technical demonstrations played out on our portable mini ramp.”
Participating bands have yet to be announced.
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Saddle Creek Records this week announced it’s releasing the sophomore album by Sam Evian, You, Forever, on June 1.
Sam Evian, whose real names is Sam Owens, said he banned tuning pedals during the recording process. From the press release:
“‘Tuning pedals make it so easy to sound good together, so when you eliminate them it takes everything back to the ’60s, which is when all my favorite records were born,’ he says. ‘It makes everything more questionable, weird and unruly in a really simple way.’”
You can pre-order the album at the Saddle Creek site. Check out the first single from the new album below:
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Belly dropped the second track from their upcoming album, DOVE, out May 4. Check it below,
In addition on Record Store Day, Belly will release a limited edition 10″ colored vinyl EP featuring two tracks from DOVE, one track exclusive to this release, and a cover of “Hushabye Mountain” from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Well I’m back from the Florida coast, tanned, rested and ready to go.
Out of the blue while I was in Florida I received an email from Patrick Buchanan, the frontman of Omaha golden age punk band Mousetrap. Now living in Los Angeles, Buchanan has been working on a new musical project called Vicious Lovers, and dropped the first tracks via Bandcamp.
“I recorded literally everything myself,” Buchanan said. “I wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, did the production/mix. Nobody else besides me touched this project in any way, from start to finish, which is the first time that’s ever happened for me.”
The tracks have a snakey, strutting swing that sort of reminds me of Buchanan’s last non-Moustrap outing, 2004’s After Dark — i.e., this is something completely different than the rough punk you remember from Mousetrap. Check out the tracks below and download them from his Bandcamp page (and on Spotify, Amazon & iTunes). Now if only Buchanan could get a crew together to perform these songs live (and then come back to Omaha).
Tonight at fabulous O’Leaveri’s it’s Brooklyn-based female fronted punkers Ex-Girlfriends. They just got back from playing SXSW where they’re supporting the release of a 4-song cassette called You’re Next, out now on Little Dickman Records. Check it. Opening is Houma and Hussies. $5, 9 p.m.
Well I’m heading out on the road again, which means Lazy-i very likely won’t be updated until next week. Usually when I’m out of town, I’m not missing anything. That ain’t the case this time. There’s a boatload of shows happening this week that you’re going to want to hit.
One of the best is tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s where Sub Pop Records act Moaning is headlining. The LA trio plays an abrasive style of post-punk reminiscent of acts like Iceage or Preoccupations (Viet Cong). Their self-titled debut was released earlier this month. Also on the bill is Chicago multi-instrumentalist Nnamdi Ogbonnaya. Dirt House and Ryan Menchaca & the Invisible Horses round out this four-band bill. $7, 9 p.m.
Thursday night you have two shows to choose from.
Down at Slowdown it’s Austin psych-rock act The Black Angels who are on the road supporting their first full-length in four years, Death Song (Partisan, 2017). Joining them is the always erratic garage rock of Atlanta’s Black Lips, who’s on the road supporting Satan’s Graffiti or God’s Art? (Vice, 2017). 8:30 start time, $22 Adv/$25 DOS.
Meanwhile, Thursday night The Waiting Room is bringing the hard stuff with Russian Circles. The Chicago trio’s latest is Live at Dunk! Fest (Sargent House, 2017). Opening is our very own Pro-Magnum. $15 Adv/$17 DOS, 9 p.m.
Then comes the weekend, which to tell you the truth, is looking mighty slim. I don’t see a single decent indie show (national or local) going on Friday through Sunday.
I take that back. Petshop has a weird little show going on Saturday night feating Minneapolis act Internet Dating, Kansas City’s Sugo, and Omaha acts House Vacations and The Natural States. That’s a strong line-up for $5. Starts at 9.
If you skipped the weekend, that means you’ll have plenty energy for Monday night, when you have two shows to choose from.
At Reverb Lounge Detroit multi-instrumentalist Olivia Jean (Third Man Records) headlines. She’s worked with a ton of folks including Jack White, Wanda Jackson, Karen Elson, Kate Pierson and The Secret Sisters. Opening is our very one David Nance. $10, 8 p.m.
Meanwhile over at The Brothers Lounge it’s Minneapolis trio Candace (formerly known as Is/Is), who just released a new one called New Ruins. Saddle Creek Records act Son Ambulance opens. $5, 9 p.m.
That’s what I’m seeing over the next few days. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great week and weekend and I’ll see you on the other side.
Simon Joyner, A Rag of Colts: Disgraced Songs 1987-2012 (Gertrude Tapes, 2018)
Simon Joyner yesterday announced that Gertrude Tapes is taking pre-orders for a limited edition (300) vinyl issue of A Rag of Colts: Disgraced Songs 1987-2012. The collection previously was issued on cassette by Unread Records. The new vinyl features remastering, new cover art and printed insert with liner notes. Street date is May 1
Simon says on the Bandcamp page: “A Rag of Colts is part three in the “Iffy” trilogy, all of which were tapes first and foremost, the cheapest tour offerings for the skeptical or nearly busted, who tend to drain their money on drinks and tips but can still be persuaded (at the right price) to purchase some music before see-sawing down the sidewalk. It’s some kinda mess, it’s my youth in splinters and crawling with medium and low-brow dirge and spoof, distillations from crumbling demo tapes and dubious high school juvenilia. And yet, it makes me smile that it has grooves now and Gertrude’s kiss, and that it starts with the late great Jackson C. Frank, rest his soul but never his songs!”
Check out the first track, where Simon gets an assist from David Nance:
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Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Steve Earle & The Dukes 30th anniversary of Copperhead Road. The Mastersons open at 8 p.m. $45.
The Dubliner was its usual steamy, sloppy way on St. Patrick’s. Dicey Riley brought the Irish tradition, and the Dubliner supplied the Guinness.
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Label 15 Passenger, run by the fine folks from Cursive (Kasher/Maginn/Stevens) announced their first non-Cursive/Kasher release last week. It’s the first in a new split-LP series called “Rare Coins,” wherein one band provides the A-sde and a related band provides the B-side.
“The Rare Coins Series was conceived to offer an established artist the opportunity to share one of their favorite artists with the rest of the world by way of a limited release split 12”,” sayeth the website.
For the debut, David Bazan of Pedro the Lion fame is the A-side artist. Seattle musician Sean Lane is the B-side artist. Lane has played in Perfume Genius and Yppah, and is currently on tour with Bazan in his latest incarnation of Pedro The Lion.
The split LP comes out April 6 and will be available on gold vinyl, limited to 1,000. Pre-order it now here. Check out one of the Bazan songs below.
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Jason Steady just dropped a new video for “I Think She’s Real.” The song is a remake of an old Feel Tight song, backed by a full band that includes Knife de la Garza on drums and Aaron Lee on bass. The band is headed out to the West Coast for a few dates in May.
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Big show (for a Monday) tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Atlanta indie band Neighbor Lady is playing the center slot of a show headlined by Thick Paint and opened by Flowers Forever — stacked!
Neighbor Lady’s self-recorded debut LP, Maybe Later, was mixed by none other than Andy LeMaster of Now It’s Overhead (and Bright Eyes), and comes out in May on Friendship Forever Records. The band’s first video ever dropped just this morning. Check it below. Tonight’s show is $5, and starts at 9 p.m.
I intended to do a Ten Questions interview with Joe Casey from Protomartyr, who plays tonight down at Slowdown Jr. I got in touch with the press people at Domino Records (Protomartyr’s label) and sent them the survey. The Domino guy immediately wrote back and said he could, indeed, send the questions but didn’t think I’d get the interview responses I was expecting.
He included a yet-to-be-published question-and-answer snippet with a reporter named “Leo.” Casey responded with about 100 words of pure venom.
I told Domino never mind. Fact is I don’t have time do a real interview with Casey — scheduling, research, writing the questions, doing the actual interview, transcribing then writing the story takes hours of time I don’t have for an endeavor that doesn’t pay a penny.
I don’t know who Leo works for but I’m guessing he’s not getting paid for being lambasted by Casey. He was just trying to help out the band, which is what I’m trying to do when I do Ten Questions interviews. They’re relatively painless, take little time to write, but at least give readers 1) a head’s up that the band’s coming through town, 2) a brief description of their sound/music/style, and 3) some feedback from a musician about some very basic questions: What do you like, what don’t you like, what’s it like to be a musician, how do you manage to make it happen in the era of a decomposing music industry.
A few days ago I had a brief discussion about music with a 21-year-old. I asked her what kind of music she buys. Her response: She’s never bought music in her life. She listens to everything on YouTube. “Why would anyone buy music?” That’s where we are, or certainly where we’re going.
In retrospect, I should have told Domino to go ahead and send Casey the questions and damn the torpedoes. But I wasn’t in the mood at the time, so…
That said, I’m planning on heading down to The Slowdown tonight for Protomartyr. I’ve seen these guys about a half-dozen times — they put on a good show. It’s worth it just to see Casey do his thing, in a sportcoat, looking like an insurance salesman, spitting out the words to their latest awesome album, Relatives in Descent. Check out some tracks below. Detroit proto-punk instrumental band Hydropark opens at 9 p.m. $15.
Also tonight, Brad Hoshaw is hosting a benefit for NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining him are Jack Hotel and Clarence Tilton. Bring your cowboy hat. $5, 9:30 p.m.
Also starting tonight and going on tomorrow is We’re Trying Records Presents: House Fest II. The location is Lucy’s Public House, 8932 Blondo St. They’ll have two stages going, with bands from all over the midwest and beyond. Ten bands slated for tonight starting at 6:30 p.m.; 19 bands starting tomorrow at 1:40 p.m. $10 per day. This is a pretty big deal. Get details and set times right here.
Dicey Riley Band at The Dubliner, March 17, 2013. They’re back this St. Patty’s Day.
Tomorrow, of course, is St. Patrick’s Day — never a good day for live indie music. Everyone has their own traditions; many just stay home and avoid the amateurs. We always go to The Dubliner for St. Patrick’s Day, and have for years. This year, Dicey Riley (ex-Turfmen) is handling the music, which makes the Dubliner the only place to be. Music starts at 2 p.m. and runs til 6, then an hour break, and then they’re back from 7 to 11 p.m. See you there.
Sunday night is the Titus Andronicus show at Slowdown Jr. I wrote about a couple days ago. Again, this is an acoustic-duo version of Titus, which is promised to be more laid-back. We’ll see. Opening is Rick McGuire from Pile. Tickets are $13 Adv/$15 DOS. Show start at 8 p.m.
Also Sunday is MilkShopFest at Petshop Gallery in Benson. We’re talking five touring bands (including Kid Chrome) and two locals, including the mighty BIB. $5, 7 p.m. Full line-up and other details here.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Sam Martin of Capgun Coup fame has a new solo album that came out just yesterday on Bandcamp called Slack City. It’s a full band recording and classic Martin low-fi garage goodness. No details who’s playing on this with Martin. Maybe it’s just Sam? Anyway, check it out here and below.
Meanwhile, David Nance has been busy creating a “loving interpretation of the classic 1972 Doug Sahm LP, but certainly not a note-for-note recreation.” I had to look up Doug Sahm. According to Wiki, the Texas songwriter co-founded the Texas Tornados with Augie Meyers, Freddy Fender and Flaco Jiménez. In 1965 he formed the Sir Douglas Quintet and had a top-20 hit in the U.S. with “She’s About a Mover.” Nance’s album is limited to 100 hand-numbered copies with paste-on covers and insert. Order it here. Very psychedelic!
See Through Dresses’ Daytrotter session went online a couple days ago. Recorded Feb. 15 in the Horseshack, you can now watch the performance as well as simply listen. Check it out.
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That Shovels & Rope show at The Waiting Room tonight is now officially SOLD OUT. Starts at 8, and no opener listed…
Since 2008 Titus Andronicus music has swayed from one style to the next, from bombastic, fist-in-the-air punk to soaring, swaying sing-along waltzes dense enough to keep a sea barge afloat.
The rock continues on the latest Titus Andronicus collection, A Productive Cough (2017, Merge), that finds singer/songwriter Patrick Stickles flexing his metaphoric pen on music that would sound good next to Exile-era Rolling Stones.
Sunday’s Titus Andronicus show at Slowdown will be an acoustic-only take on this new material, plus some Titus chestnuts. Stickles will be joined by Omaha native, pianist Alex Molini. “No drums, no ‘mosh pit’ every song pretty slow and not as loud,” Stickles said of this current tour.
I caught up with Stickles and asked him to take the Ten Questions survey. Here’s his answers:
1. What is your favorite album?
Patrick Stickles: It has been a long time since I declared an album to be my “favorite,” as I don’t much care these days to turn art into any kind of competition. When I did make such lists, I used to say that the self-titled debut of Violent Femmes was my personal number one, though it has been a while since I revisited it, and the adolescent frustration which the album so effectively embodies has slightly faded within me over time. Over the last five years or so, the album I have listened to most is probably Supreme Clientele by Ghostface Killah, which is so lyrically dense that I can hear it a hundred times and always find new wonders — what a powerful pen.
2. What is your least favorite song?
I try not to give too much emotional energy to the music that I don’t like so when I hear a song that irritates me, I don’t tend to learn its name, but I often find myself getting very frustrated when I am at the grocery store and they play that sort of acoustic, “whoa-oh” music that sounds like the band is wearing suspenders. That music must make some people happy though so I shouldn’t put it down.
3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?
The most rewarding aspect of my career is meeting people who testify that the music has had a positive effect in their life, that it has helped them endure their difficult times. Many people in the audience have gone through struggles similar to my own and I know the power that art has to validate the sufferer and fortify their spirit. It is a great honor to be a part of that exchange and to pay my debt to the artists who have helped me to carry on.
4. What do you hate about being in a band?
I adopted two baby cats last year and, of course, they can’t come on tour with me. Leaving them at home was difficult and I miss them very much.
5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?
I smoke a lot of cigarettes, though I do not recommend them.
6. In what city or town do you love to perform?
Performing in New York City is always special, as that is mostly where we all live. As I write this, we are gearing up to play in Toronto, which is a rocking town. Really though, any town with a stage where people are willing to show up and receive the music is fine by me.
7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?
In terms of the quality of the performance, the worst Titus Andronicus gig I can remember was in Oxford, UK, which was marred by extensive equipment malfunctions, out-of-tune guitars, general sloppiness and all those sorts of things which plagued Titus Andronicus for the first five years or so of the career. As far as shows which I enjoyed the least, our last show in Akron, OH was ruined by a certain contingent of drunk bros who took it upon themselves to create and enforce an overly violent, macho vibe on the dance floor, which bothers me to no end. This sort of thing happens more often than I would like, but it is usually the fault of a few bad apples and I try not to let it sour my impression of the whole town, Akron or anyplace else.
8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?
I am very blessed that music has been my solitary occupation since 2008, shortly after the first Titus Andronicus album was released. My needs are fairly modest, and it’s not as though I am raking in the dough or figuring that I can retire off this rock and roll thing one day, but I am very grateful that I am able to make my art the focus of my life. There’s no way to know how long that will last, but every day that I get to live the life of the artist is a great gift and I measure my success in those increments.
9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?
The last “regular job” I had before pursuing music full-time was in delivering pizza, so I suppose that if I wasn’t rocking, I would be doing that. Unfortunately, that’s another one of those jobs that is going to be done entirely by robots in a few years. Before that first album came out, I was studying to become a schoolteacher, but I can hardly even imagine doing anything like that now — young people are crazy, especially with those phones they’ve got these days.
10. What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?
The pianist accompanying me on this tour is a fellow named Alex Molini and he is a native of Omaha. He speaks very fondly of his childhood years and he makes it sound as though Omaha is full of a lot of decent, good-hearted people with strong values. Of course, I have been to Omaha several times myself, always enjoying it thoroughly, and I am sure that our show at Slowdown will be a worthy addition to my expanding book of Nebraskan memories.
Titus Andronicus plays with Rick Maguire (Pile) Sunday, March 18 at Slowdown Front Room, 729 No. 14th St. Tickets are $13 Adv/ $15 DOS. Showtime is 8 p.m. For more information, go to theslowdown.com.
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They Might Be Giants returns to The Slowdown tonight. From the promo: “They’re back on the road with a new show with an expanded line-up of musicians. This new set will include all-time favorites, fresh rarities spanning their epic career, and spur-of-the-moment improvisations that will delight even their exhausted road crew.”
They have a new 15-track album called I Like Fun that sounds like everything they’ve ever done over their 37-year career. Check out the setlist from last night’s show in KC. $25, 8 p.m., no opening act.
As you’ve probably already figured out, I didn’t go to the South by Southwest Festival in Austin this year. With The Reader no longer being a sponsoring publication, it’s unlikely I’ll ever get a SXSW media badge again. That doesn’t mean I’ll never return to SXSW, but it makes it a whole lot more expensive (if I want a badge, anyway).
So no, I’m not there, and neither is Kevin Coffey from the Omaha World-Herald (Why he’s not there, I don’t know, but with the recent slew of lay-offs at the paper, I can guess).
And with Hear Nebraska now rolled into Rabble Mill, there’s no one from HN reporting from SXSW, either. The latest Hear Nebraska news is that applications are being taken for the 2018 Good Living Tour. The deadline to be considered for the fourth annual event is March 26.
This begs the question: How can any of us lost Omaha souls keep up with what arguably is the most important music festival in the country?
Well, there’s still a fairly large contingent of Nebraskans attending SXSW. In fact, 11 Nebraska bands are participating in Nebraska Exposed, a free showcase being held on the rooftop of Cheers Shot Bar on E 6th St. Wednesday night.
The 11 bands: Better Friend, HAKIM, Laughing Falcon, The Dilla Kids, State Disco, Orion Walsh, SAS, Lloyd McCarter and The Honky Tonk Revival, A Different Breed and KHARI The Duo, No doubt the majority are from Lincoln, which makes sense since the showcase is presented by Lincoln public radio station KZUM and Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development.
If you happen to be Facebook friends with anyone in these bands, you might be able to glean some SXSW updates throughout the week. For me, the best reporter on the scene is Jeremy Buckley. J has been a SXSW regular for years, and he’s already streamed a number of SXSW performances on Facebook Live. If you’re lucky, Jeremy might let you be his friend, too.
In year’s past, Saddle Creek Records hosted a SXSW showcase, but not this year. In fact, the only Creek band that appears to be playing the festival is Hop Along, who’s busy promoting their upcoming release, Bark Your Head Off, Dog, slated for release April 6. You can see Hop Along’s SXSW schedule at saddle-creek.com/sxsw
That said, it’s odd that the other Creek acts with releases upcoming — Stef Chura, Young Jesus, Rural Alberta Advantage — aren’t playing in Austin this week…
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No shows tonight, but there are tons on the horizon. In the meantime, here’s the new video by Belly, who has self-released album coming out May 4 called Dove. And a tour, but alas, it’s a NOmaha affair…
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