Bloodcow at Reverb Lounge, March 7, 2015. The band returns to Lookout Lounge Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Pretty hot Friday night line-up and one show on Saturday. Let’s get to it.

Tonight at Reverb Lounge Omaha act Bokr Tov celebrates the release of their new album Nothing Is Immune. The five-piece plays a laid-back style of indie folk that kind of reminds me of acts like Susto and Whitney. The album was produced by Nate Van Fleet and engineered by Matt Carroll, both of See Through Dresses. Opening is red hot local act Thick Paint and Bed Rest. $10, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Lookout Lounge is hosting ’90s punk rockers Smoking Popes. The band blew up in ’95 with their debut, Born to Quit. Their new album, Into the Agony, was released in October on Asian Man Records. Opening is KC band Company Retreat, Omaha’s Wrong Pets and A Summer Better Than Yours. $15, 8:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, tonight over at fabulous O’Leaver’s, High Dive recording artist Those Far Out Arrows opens for KC garage/psych-rock act Momma’s Boy. Omaha’s Magu headlines. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to Lookout Lounge for the return of Bloodcow. I thought these guys hung it up, but it turns out they’re only on hiatus and have dusted off their instruments for one night as a tip o’ the hat to headliner Super Moon who is calling it quits after this show. Trench and Night Push open at 8 p.m. $5.

Finally, if you miss tonight’s Bokr Tov show at Reverb, the band is opening Sunday night for Minneapolis singer/songwriter Nick Costa at Reverb. Minne Lusa opens this one at 8 p.m. $8.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Phoebe Bridgers covers McCarthy Trenchings’ “Christmas Song” with some help from Jackson Browne.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Red hot indie phenom Phoebe Bridgers today dropped her version of McCarthy Trenching’s “Christmas Song,” with ’70s superstar Jackson Browne singing background vocals. The song was first released on McCarthy Trenching’s Calamity Drenching album released on Team Love back in 2008.

Said Bridgers in Pitchfork: “The first time I heard this song it hit me like a ton of bricks. A lot of McCarthy Trenching songs do that. It’s not that often that I hear a Christmas song that doesn’t make me want to quit music.”

She went on to say that Jackson Browne heard her perform the cover at an LA show “and he came up to me after the show to tell me how much he loved the song.” A couple days later Jackson Browne bought a copy of Calamity Drenching on Bandcamp for $50. I’d love to hear Browne’s take on “Roasting Song.”

I have to think Bridgers first heard the song when her pal Conor Oberst, who she’s both recorded and toured with, played it for her. Total speculation. Maybe Conor and Dan can talk Phoebe into moving to Omaha…

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In other news involving up-and-coming singer-songwriters with an Omaha connection, Nylon Magazine yesterday dropped a new song by Canadian Taylor Janzen called “New Mercies,” which features Omaha’s Nate Van Fleet (See Through Dresses, Little Brazil) on drums. The track was produced and mixed by world-renowned producer and poll worker (he was working my polling site during the mid-terms) Mike Mogis of ARC Studios.

The track is Janzen’s first release with a full band. No word in the Nylon piece if this track is part of an album, but I wouldn’t be surprised. BTW, the song is gorgeous.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I know it’s not local; I know he’s not coming to Omaha on this tour; I just like Bob Mould. And because of that, I had to share that this morning Bob released the song “What Do You Want Me To Do” from his new full-length album Sunshine Rock (out February 8 on Merge Records).

Sunshine Rock is the project of Bob spending the past three years in Berlin, Germany. “Almost four years ago, I made plans for an extended break,” Mould said in the press release for the single. “I started spending time in Berlin in 2015, found an apartment in 2016, and became a resident in 2017. My time in Berlin has been a life changing experience.”

Not only did Bob share the new track, but he also shared a video that shows him and his band working in Tiny Telephone studio in Oakland. Check both out below and pre-order the new album here.

Tonight at Reverb Lounge has Charleston, SC, folk-rock act The Artisanals apparently all night as there’s no opener listed for this show on the One Percent Productions website. 8 p.m., $7.

Also tonight, Omaha post-punk band Bokr Tov is having a listening party for its debut album Nothing Is Immune at Hi-Fi House. Listening starts at 7 p.m. and it’s free.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Rev. Horton Heat at Maha 2011. The band returns tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Quiet times news-wise, which I guess is to be expected in this post-Thanksgiving per-Christmas holiday black hole…

I’m just now noticing how bad the above photo is from the Maha Music Festival in 2011. I completely forgot that The Rev. Horton Heat had played on the small stage that year, and can’t remember a lick about the performance. RHH has been an Omaha staple for as long as I can remember. My earliest noted appearance was when he and his band came through way back in March 2007 to play Sokol Underground with Murder by Death (but I’m sure they played here even before that).

The RHH is headlining tonight at The Waiting Room with Big Sandy, Junior Brown and The Blasters for something they’re calling Horton’s Holiday Hayride. The Rev has a new album coming out this Friday on Victory Records called Whole New Life. No doubt you’ll be getting an earful of it tonight. $40, 7:30.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’ll be another vinyl hunting exhibition this Black Friday. I know that Homer’s is going all in (as per usual), opening at 10 a.m. and giving out coffee and donuts for those waiting in line for the door. No doubt Drastic Plastic and the soon-to-be-closing Almost Music will have Black Friday content, as well as Recycled Sound and Ear Wax Records.

A few of the albums that stand out on the 157-line list of releases on the Black Friday RSD website?

• Bauhaus, Press The Eject And Give Me The Tape – a live album, compiled from shows across the UK from 1981–82.
• The Byrds, Sweetheart of the Rodeo (Legacy Edition) – the release showcases the country-rock masterpiece alongside 28 bonus tracks, including demos, outtakes, rehearsal versions and tracks by Parsons’ pre-Byrds outfit, The International Submarine Band.
• Catherine Wheel,  Like Cats and Dogs – a compilation album by the English alternative rock band
• Saul Williams, The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust (10th Anniversary) – Out of print on vinyl since it’s original release in 2008.
• UK Subs, Sub Mission: The Best of UK Subs 1982-1998 – Twenty tracks selected by Charlie Harper over three sides of blue and yellow vinyl. Side D is highlights from a Live in Bristol 1991 gig.

You want ’em, you better get in line early…

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There’s quite a few pre-holiday rock concert tonight…

At Reverb Lounge Saddle Creek Records artist Twinsmith headlines with punk-pop heroes Uh Oh. $7, 9 p.m.

Going on just down the street at Barley Street Tavern is the 9th annual Benson Food Drive and Songwriter Showcase. Performing artists include Dan McCarthy, Justin Lamoureux and Matt Cox. Food and cash donations to benefit the Food Bank For The Heartland will be collected at the door. Starts at 8 p.m. More info here.

Also tonight down at The Slowdown Australian singer/songwriter/producer Tim Bettinson – a.k.a. Vancouver Sleep Clinic – opens for Swedish indie electronic artist Kasbo.  Ford opens at 8 p.m., $20.

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Let me be the first to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day off, you deserve it.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

As many foliks who follow this website know, there were a couple landmark performances that took place over last weekend — the John Prine/Conor Oberst concert at The Orpheum and the Cursive show at The Waiting Room. In days gone by, I would have attended both (if I could afford it) and would have written live reviews.

But life being what it is, I missed both shows due to family stuff and work stuff. As I get older, going to shows is becoming more of a challenge. Yeah, I still go to rock shows and write about them, but fewer than in the old days, when it wasn’t uncommon to hit as many as four shows a week (Who remembers when were four GOOD shows per week in Omaha?).

Add to this the loss of Hear Nebraska‘s concert coverage and you say to yourself, “How am I supposed to keep up with what’s going on in the Omaha music scene?”

Well, here are some brand new resources for local music news and reviews to check out:

— Kevin Coffey has held the mantle of Omaha’s chief music critic since taking over the music reporting chores at the Omaha World-Herald from Niz Proskocil in the fall of 2008 — that’s 10 years for those keeping count. In addition to his news and reviews work at the OWH, Kevin launched a new podcast last week called Guest List. The first episode includes interview excerpts with John Prine as well as the list of his favorite concerts. You can check out Guest List on iTunes or your iPhone’s Podcast app. I’m sure it’s also available somewhere on an Android phone…?

If you don’t know what a podcast is, check out my column in the current issue of The Reader about the Serial podcast. BTW, I tried may hand at the podcasting game way back in the spring of 2015 — Who remembers the Lazy-i podcast? I quickly discovered that all the work involved in recording and editing each episode by myself was too much for a mere 300 or so downloads. You can still check out the SoundCloud version of that old podcast at https://soundcloud.com/timmymac29.

— Omaha music legend Dereck Higgins (R.A.F., InDreama, Chemicals for starters) has been active in the YouTube world for almost a decade  Now he’s launching his own online video show called “Higg’s Corner.” And get this: The test pilot episode is going to be streamed on Adult Swim (www.adultswim.com) this Friday night at 6 p.m. CT. Higgins already has a regular one-minute feature on Adult Swim’s “Stupid Morning Bullshit” program called “Old Music Friday.”

Higgs says Higg’s Coner is a “music and life talk with a call-in line,” and you can check out that pilot episode right now here on YouTube.

— Finally, I know Ed Perini as that guy who goes to all the shows, and I mean ALL the shows — Ed has a much broader musical palette than I’ll ever have.  An “Omaha-based music enthusiast and classically trained singer,” I’ve seen Ed’s concert photos and show reviews over the years in Facebook. Now he’s launched his own Facebook page called “That Omaha Music Guy” located at facebook.com/thatomahamusicguy/. If a show happened last night, chances are pretty good Ed was there. 

I wonder if Ed will be at tonight’s Cannibal Corpse show at The Waiting Room…

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Rusty Lord at Almost Music during Record Store Day, April 21, 2018. The shop will be closing its doors in January.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If you haven’t already got the news let me be the last to tell you that yesterday Brad Smith announced on Facebook that Almost Music will be closing its doors forever in January.

Seems like only yesterday (instead of nearly three years ago (April 2016)) that Almost Music moved to the Blackstone District from its original Benson location (65th & Maple), which opened in October 2013.

I don’t know what more I can add to what’s already been said by the broken-hearted wretches responding to the news on Facebook, other than what I told Brad:

Almost Music for me was a connection back to the old Antiquarium days, to the ’90s Omaha music scene and old friends like the long-departed Dave Sink.

Almost Music had that same Antiquarium vibe. It was a neighborhood store that welcomed anyone, but beyond that for music fans, Brad and his staff just made it easy to buy stuff. The difference between Almost Music and other record stores was the way the stock was curated, so the good stuff bubbled to the surface and was easy to find. I get exhausted just thinking about having to dig through stacks of dirty, dusty vinyl at Kanesville or the endless used bins at Homer’s looking for hidden treasure. Brad put the treasure right out front, clean and in perfect alpha order.

I’m speaking in past-tense. Almost Music is still open and will be through the holidays. I suggest you drop by with your wallet or credit card and take advantage of it before it’s gone for good, along with the remaining fond memories you had of Omaha’s past.

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Back to the weekend…

Chicago indie band Typesetter headlines tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining them are fellow Windy City act Kali Masi and Omaha’s Centerpiece. $12, 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at Reverb Lounge Tulsa indie band Broncho headlines. The band’s latest album, Bad Behavior, was release last month by Park The Van Records. Sydney Australia band Valen opens at 9 p.m. $15

While you’re in Benson, tonight is the OEAA Nominee Showcase. Your $10 gets you into three venues — B-Side, Barley Street Tavern and Burke’s (all the “B” bars!) to check out bands nominated for this year’s awards. More info here.

Meanwhile, tonight down at Slowdown Jr. indie experimental instrumental duo El Ten Eleven headlines. Their latest, Banker’s Hill, was released this year by Top Shelf Records. Indiana band Thunder Dreamer opens at 9 p.m. $14.

Saturday The Omaha Bug Symposium is happening at OutrSpaces, 1258 So. 13th St. Says the press release: “It’s a mixture of science, art and music that we’ve been doing for the past five years. This year’s musical guest is Wrong Pets.” Starts at 8 p.m. Tix are $10.

Also Saturday night DMX (The Dereck Higgins Experience) headlines at O’Leaver’s with Dead on Dust and Bound. 10 p.m., $5.

Finally Sunday is the big 15 Passenger Records showcase at The Waiting Room featuring Cursive and Campdogzz. It’s been awhile since Cursive, who’s out touring their new album Vitriola, has graced an Omaha stage, and never with this new line-up (that includes the return of Clint Schnase on drums). Chicago’s Campdogzz saw the release of their latest album, In Rounds, this year on 15 Passenger, which, as we all know, is a label run by the guys in Cursive. Fellow Chicago act Meat Wave opens the show at 8 p.m., $15.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

A screencap from the new video by Disq, “Communication,” soon to be released by Saddle Creek Records.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The new J Mascis album Elastic Days (2018, Sub Pop) has been on repeat all morning. I’ve always been a Dinosaur Jr. fan but never rabid. Mascis’ voice sounded overtly scruffy and rabid on a lot of those records (which, for me, showcased riffs rather than voice).

Mascis’ vox are in control on this new, mostly acoustic collection of afternoon-lit folk rock songs that soar to next-level heights when he rips into one of his trademark cosmic guitar solos. Gorgeous stuff that sits right on top of the tunefulness scale with anything by Lou Barlow. I’d love to see him perform it live here in Omaha.

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Disq is a couple Wisconsin folks, Isaac deBroux-Slone and Raina Bock, who count Todd Rundgren, Weezer, Big Star and The Beatles among the musicians whose records helped inform their own creative process. As part of its Document Series, Saddle Creek Records is releasing their single, “Communication” b/w “Parallel,” on Jan. 25, but you can check out one of the tracks below and pre-order the single now from the Saddle Creek Store.

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On this Throwback Thursday, here’s the list of the Top 20 and Next 15 bands from Lazy-i for the year 2008. This was created for The Reader’s annual Music Issue, which was published this week in November 2008.

Interesting how many bands are still active today, and how many disappeared or became something else…

The Top 20

Brad Hoshaw
Brimstone Howl
Conor Oberst
Eagle*Seagull
The Faint
Filter Kings
For Against
Flowers Forever
The Good Life
Malpais
McCarthy Trenching
Midwest Dilemma
The Monroes
Neva Dinova
The Show Is the Rainbow
Son Ambulance
Thunder Power
Tilly and the Wall
UUVVWWZ
The Whipkey Three

The Next 15

Black Squirrels
Box Elders
Domestica
Fromanhole
Little Brazil
Mal Madrigal
Outlaw Con Bandana
Perry H. Matthews
Sarah Benck and the Robbers
Satchel Grande
The Shanks
Shiver, Shiver
Simon Joyner
The Stay Awake
Talkin’ Mountain

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Cloud Nothings at The Waiting Room, Nov. 13, 2018.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Solid crowd for a Tuesday night at The Waiting Room last night.

Cloud Nothings won me over with a set that intensely focused on their new album, Last Building Burning. While the album is white-hot fractured punk rock bordering on emo, there’s not a lot of melody in the songwriting to tie yourself to. It’s more about bright buzzsaw riffs and frontman Dylan Baldi screaming/croaking out the vocals that sounded like a cross between Cobain and the old punk version of Rzeznik.

No, what mesmerized me about their performance was their drummer, Jayson Gerycz. With merely a snare, tom, kick drum and a couple cymbals Gerycz blew me away with what was nothing less than a virtuoso performance, a rapid-fire machine-gun that dominated every song. I could not stop watching every clever, intricate, amazing roll, fill and crash, song after song. Blazing, exhausting; like watching the film Whiplash atop a mountain of coke.

The set’s high point was a lengthy feedback interlude during epic song “Dissolution”; all guitarists had their backs to the audience, their guitars jammed into amps, bending the necks, torturing the frets, while Gerycz slowly walked a beat back in, pulling it forward then giving a clinic as to what a human can do with a drum set as the band crashed back in like a 50-foot wave. Mind blown.

David Nance Group at The Waiting Room, Nov. 13, 2018.

Almost as mind blowing was opener David Nance Group. I’ve seen Nance at least a half dozen times and this was another memorable set highlighted by a cover of Richard & Linda Thompson’s “Down Where the Drunkards Roll” completely Nance-ified by his and sideman Jim Schroeder’s feedback-fueled guitar work. The rest of the set focused on the best off the band’s latest album, Peaced and Slightly Pulverized, with raging versions of “In Her Kingdom,” “When I Saw You Last Night,” “Amethyst” and “Poison.”

In a change from the usual set style, Nance and his band seamlessly transitioned from one song to the next by Nance pulling off one feedback wave and blending in a riff that crossed over into whatever was next. Transcendent.

Someone recently asked me what Omaha bands are most likely to break into the next level of national notoriety. David Nance Group was my first response, followed by Thick Paint. Interestingly, bassist Sarah Bohling has now played in both projects.

Nap Eyes at The Waiting Room, Nov. 13, 2018.

Between bands Nova Scotia act Nap Eyes played a set that reminded me of a cross between Kurt Vile, The Feelies and Velvet Underground, with frontman Nigel Chapman giving us his best Lou Reed vocals. I halfway expected to hear a cover of “Sunday Morning,” one of VU’s sleepier numbers that would have fit right in with the rest of their set.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Well Aimed Arrows at O’Leaver’s Nov. 10, 2018.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Catching up on this past weekend…

Saturday night I swung by O’Leaver’s to see the return of Well Aimed Arrows. The band hasn’t played on stage in a couple years, and life being what it is, experienced a line-up change — to a trio, consisting of frontman/drummer Koly Walters, guitarist Clayton Petersen and bassist Brian Byrd.

The new stripped down version didn’t sound a whole heckuva lot different than the old version, with Walters’ flat basso vox providing the perfect counter to the band’s simple, jangular post-rock arrangements. I’ve said before they remind me of ’80s-era indie bands like Pylon, Wire and early R.E.M., if not in sound than in spirit.

Rumor has it they’re working on their next record, we’ll (likely) be seeing more of these guys in the near future. If you get a chance, do yourself a favor…

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Tonight’s Cloud Nothings show at The Waiting Room is as stacked a line-up as you’re going to find on a Tuesday night.

You read about Cloud Nothings yesterday here. Based on this Daily Trojan review, expect tonight’s performance to be heavy and loud, focused on songs off the new album augmented by a few oldies.

You might remember that opening band Nap Eyes played with Fleet Foxes last year at an outdoor Benson show. Their latest, I’m Bad Now (2018, Jagjaguwar), reminded me of The Feelies, thanks in part to lead vocalist Nigel Chapman’s drab, nasal delivery that matches Feelies’ Glenn Mercer; though energy-wise Nap Eyes is much more laid-back.

Opening the show at 8 p.m. is our very own David Nance Group who is smack dab in the middle of a tour. You’ll want to get to The Waiting Room early to catch these guys. This show has a “nice price” of just $15. See you there.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.