Cloud Nothings plays at The Waiting Room Tuesday, Nov. 13.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings began as singer/songwriter/frontman Dylan Baldi’s secret basement project that caught fire in a big way, resulting in a record deal with rising indie label Carpark Records (Speedy Ortiz, TEEN, Dan Deacon). Through the course of their five-album career spanning back to their self-titled 2011 debut, the project has worked with some of the hottest producers in the business including Steve Albini, John Congleton and John Goodmanson.

For their latest, Last Building Burning (2018, Carpark), the band worked with metal producer Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Myrkur, Black Mountain). The result is a bracingly sharp turn from the melodic indie rock of 2017’s Life Without Sound; a move toward hard, fast, punk wherein Baldi’s croon had devolved into a sneering, angry, agitated bark that cuts through a wall of shrieking guitars. Intense.

I caught up with Dylan Baldi and gave him the Ten Questions treatment:

1. What is your favorite album?

Cloud Nothing’s Dylan Baldi: It feels reductive to choose a single favorite album of all time. Favorite album of 2018 so far is Rose Mercie’s self-titled. Wild Raincoats/Electrelane-sounding hybrid out of Paris, France…very cool band.

2. What is your least favorite song?

Honestly there are so many bad songs. Most songs are bad. How can a person pick just one?

3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?

I like the feeling of actually creating energy. Like when a song is at its peak there can be an actual, almost tangible energy created. Pursuing that energy is the whole reason I play music, it feels good to hit those highs.

4. What do you hate about being in a band?

I hate waiting for our records to come out. I wish there was a way for vinyl to come into existence the second we finished recording. But unfortunately major labels are clogging the vinyl pressing plants with deluxe Rolling Stones reissues or something so we have to wait four months for our puny little records.

5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?

Lead. I love to just sit in an old basement full of lead and breathe it in. That’s also my other favorite part of being in a band. The free access to lead. I can smell it now…

6. In what city or town do you love to perform?

I like playing anywhere that has good food. There are lots of places with good food. Even better is when the venue gives you dinner. That is the apex of luxury to me. Chicago seems to have an inordinate amount of venues that also feed you delicious food. I’ll say Chicago.

7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?

We played a show in Singapore a few years ago that stands out. Our drummer and I missed our flight from Cleveland because we were buying Naked Juices at the bagel store in the airport, so we ended up getting to Singapore like an hour before we were supposed to play. Then during the jetlagged fever dream of a show all the mics and drum hardware kept falling over, and the soundpeople just pointed and laughed and didn’t fix anything. Then we got a beer near the venue to pretend the show didn’t happen, and the beer turned out to cost $40. Singapore was hard for us.

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?

Yeah we’ve been strictly musicians for about six years now. It’s the biggest luxury. Gives me lots of time to make sure I’m making the best music I can. It took us three years of touring and working together for basically zero dollars. But luckily it resulted in an album that people liked in 2012, so since then we’ve been doing okay.

9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do? 

I would like to be a librarian. I feel like the library science must have lots of layers that I wouldn’t understand unless I went through school to learn it all. And I like books. I would hate to do anything where I have to be alone for a long period of time. I like being around people.

10. What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?

We have lots of friends in Omaha, and my girlfriend made a record here with Mike Mogis. She loves it here. We’ve never been, I’m looking forward to it!

Cloud Nothings plays with Nap Eyes and David Nance Tuesday, Nov. 13, at The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St. Tickets are $15, showtime is 8 p.m. For more information, go to onepercentproductions.com

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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.

Jeremy Messersmith at Swan Dive at SXSW 2014. Messersmith plays tonight at Reverb.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Hey, it’s snowing out…

A new three-song “unplugged” performance by a stripped-down version of Cursive (Tim Kasher, Megan Siebe, Patrick Newberry and featuring Pat Oakes on drums) dropped at Stereogum Wednesday. It was recorded as a Facebook Live performance, which explains the 3-minute countdown clock at the beginning of the video (Just skip over it). Watch it here.

You get two songs from Vitriola — “Remorse” and “Ouroboros” — and “The Recluse” from The Ugly Organ. It’s interesting to hear these songs interpreted acoustically. FYI, Cursive plays The Waiting Room Nov. 18 with Meatwave and 15 Passenger labelmate Campdogzz

Onto the weekend…

An old favorite, Minneapolis singer/songwriter Jeremy Messersmith rolls back through town tonight at Reverb Lounge. I’ve been a fan of Messersmith since his 2008 album The Silver City (read a Lazy-i interview with Jeremy from 2010). His latest, Late Stage Capitalism, was released on Glassnote. Locals Garst opens at 9 p.m. $16.

There’s a fundraiser tonight for OutrSpaces, 1258 S 13th Street. “OutrSpaces provides shared workspace for performing artists to rehearse, perform, develop their careers, & engage surrounding communities in an accessible and inclusive environment,” according to their mission statement. The fundraiser includes performances by The Mynabirds, DJ Brent Crampton and Tbd. Dance Collective, among others. Tickets are $50 or $15, depending on your financial position. Program starts at 7 p.m. More info here.

Also tonight, Tragic Jack plays at The Harney Street Tavern. Matt Whipkey opens at 9 p.m. This one’s free.

The rest of my weekend will be spent at fabulous O’Leaver’s.

Saturday night at O’Leaver’s sees the return of Well Aimed Arrows (ex-Protoculture). Stephen Bartolomei and Stathi open at 10 p.m. $5.

I would be remiss in not mentioning The Urge show Saturday night at The Waiting Room. I’ve never been a fan, but I know they’ve got lots of them in Omaha. Local ska band The Bishops opens at 9 p.m. $25.

Then Sunday night back at O’Leaver’s it’s the return of Kansas City’s Shy Boys (High Dive Records). Ojai and Candy Boys (John Klemmensen’s latest project) open at 6 p.m. (remember, Sundays are early at O’Leaver’s). $10.

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.

Conor Oberst, “No One Changes” b/w “The Rockaways”

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Back in olden days of yore, artists released 45s of their latest songs, and if they were good (or if certain people got paid) those songs got played on the radio and became hit singles. After releasing a few singles, the record company would compile those singles into an album. Great idea.

Then in the mid-’60s acts like The Beatles and The Beach Boys started releasing full albums of new material and the so-called “album era” began. The advent of online digital technology has eroded the album concept, at least with popular music. Nowadays, kids download or stream the songs they want, and place them into playlists with other singles.

It’s a shift that, in some ways, could help artists, especially up-and-coming acts who in the past assumed they had to wait and release an entire album before they started playing new songs or tour. I like the idea of bands, especially local bands, releasing two- or three-song singles every few months. It gives me a reason to go see them again and again rather than seeing the same band play the same material for a full year between albums, choosing to hold back on the new stuff until they get into the studio again.

(How many times have I heard “Wait ’til you hear our new stuff,” or “We have another whole album written,” and then been told I have to wait until the music is recorded, only for the band to never get around to releasing it because they don’t have the cash or time to get an entire album put together?)

All of that is a long way of saying it’s nice to see an artist like Conor Oberst release a new two-song single, which he did last night. “No One Changes” b/w “The Rockaways” is available for pre-order from Oberst’s bandcamp page as a 7-inch or can be streamed for free or downloaded for a fee right now. Vinyl singles give fans something they can collect, or they can wait and see if the songs will be included on a future album, just like they did it in the old days.

It’s also nice to hear a couple new songs dropped into his set the next time Conor rolls into town, which right now is Nov. 17, opening for John Prine at The Orpheum. Get your tix now.

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Got those post-election blues? Look, we didn’t get everything we wanted, but we got some of what we needed, right?

Well either celebrate and/or drink your troubles away tonight at Pageturners Lounge where NYC act Poppies (w/ Noah from Navy Gang) plays with headliner Nathan Ma. Putter & Co. open at 9, and this one’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.

Wild Nothing at Sokol Underground, Sept. 14, 2012. The band plays at Slowdown Jr. tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Do I really need to tell you to vote? I didn’t think so. I’ll see you at the polls.

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I spent some of the best election nights at The Slowdown. I believe I was down there for both Obama elections, both of which felt like victory parties.

It just so happens that The Slowdown is hosting another great show on this election night — Wild Nothing is playing in the front room with Montreal electro-pop act Men I Trust.

Wild Nothing is kind of blowing up on the strength of their latest album, Indigo (2018, Captured Tracks), which fuses modern dream-pop with indie jangle to create something resembling indie yacht rock, smooth and easy that goes down good.

Who remembers when Wild Nothing last came to town with DIIV back in 2012? It was the infamous show originally slated for The Sand Box, but was moved to Sokol Underground to meet the band’s “sound rider requirements.” I don’t think Wild Nothing has been back since (nor had DIIV). And that was also the last time I was at Sokol Underground. I miss that old dungeon.

This is an early show, starting at 8 p.m., and priced at $23. No idea if The Slowdown will have a screen anywhere with poll results, but we all have smartphones now anyway.

That’s not the only show tonight. New York dream-pop / drone / psych-rock act Shana Falana, who records for Team Love Records, is at Reverb with Hussies and Baby Sledge. 8 p.m., $8.

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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.

Lala Lala opens for Why? tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I didn’t attend the Conor Oberst / Kara Eastman show last night at B Bar figuring it would be a crush mob, but according to this Kevin Coffey review in the OWH, the attendance was “comfortable.” Check out the coverage, and vote for Kara.

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Why? is Cinci indie singer/hip-hop artist Yoni Wolf, out on the road celebrating the reissue of Alopecia, an album released a decade ago on Anticon, now on Joyful Noise. It reminds me of 2008. 

Opener Lala Lala is a Chicago-based indie act fronted by singer/songwriter Lillie West that records for Hardly Art. Their latest, The Lamb (2018, Hardly Art), received a 7.5 from Pitchfork. (not bad).

Both bands tonight at The Waiting Room. 8 p.m. $17. 

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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.

Fisherman’s Blues, Chad Leahy, 12″ x 12″ oil on board. Based on The Waterboys’ song. See all 12 song interpretations tonight at The Little Gallery. #BFF

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Pre-election weekend. We’re all tense. Let’s relax with some music and art before we head to the polls.

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Mountain Man, a project I hadn’t heard of until I saw the listing on the One Percent website. It’s a trio of women who sing a cappella or with acoustic guitar, lots of harmonies and a hint of Appalachia. Among the trio is Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath. Their latest album, Magic Ship, was released on Nonesuch in September and garnered a 7.6 in Pitchfork. Durham, NC act The Dead Tongues opens at 9 p.m. $22.

In case you’ve forgotten, it’s Benson First Friday (#BFF).

As always, I implore you to drop by our gallery, The Little Gallery, located in the east bay of the Masonic Lodge Building at 5901 Maple St. This month’s featured artists are Chad Leahy and Jennifer Solberg.

Solberg has created amazing homemade books you have to see to believe. Leahy has created 12 oil paintings inspired by 12 songs that have impacted his life. It’s kind of like one of those Facebook list posts, where you have to name 12 songs you can’t live without, but done up in oil paints. Here’s his visual playlist:

Down in a Hole – Ryan Adams & The Cardinals
Square Room – Cowboy Junkies
Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
Cynthia Mask – Robyn Hitchcock
Fisherman’s Blues – The Waterboys
Lips Like Sugar – Echo and the Bunnymen
Etcetera Whatever – Over the Rhine
River on Fire – Adam Again
End of the Maze – CLOSENESS
Lullaby – The Cure
Cuts You Up – Peter Murphy
Nothing Compares 2 U – Chris Cornell

See how Chad interpreted each song on canvas, from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. It’s free and we’ll have Pacifico and treats on hand. See you there.

As per usual, The Sydney is in BFF mode with a show featuring Black Jonny Quest, Hussies, Sweats and Dorsia. $5, 10 p.m.

Also tonight, Darren Keen (The Show Is the Rainbow) returns to fabulous O’Leaver’s opening for DAD. Articulate also is on the bill. $7, 10 p.m.

The weekend’s big show is Those Far Out Arrows’ album release show at The Brothers Saturday night, which you read about here. Opening is Tyrone Storm and Rusty Lord. $5, 9 p.m.

Good ol’ O’Leaver’s has CatBeret Saturday (Caturday?) night. The Morbs and Heather Horst open. $5, 10 p.m.

Then comes Sunday’s big Get Out the Vote gig with Conor Oberst at The B Bar, the club located under Barrett’s Castle at 4330 Leavenworth. Kara Eastman for Congress is putting on this show, which also features MiWi La Lupa and Edem Soul Music. The rally runs from 6 to 9 p.m. and suggested donation is $20.

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.

Those Far Out Arrows, Part Time Lizards (2018, High Dive)

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

This is the first album world premiere presented by Lazy-i in its 20+ year history, and it make sense that it’s for Those Far Out Arrows since I’ve been following the band for a number of years. 

The album, Part Time Lizards (The name is more about attitude than anything), was recorded in January over three days at Omaha’s ARC Studios with the talented Adam Roberts.

“We took two days to record and used the final day as touch up and to do the mixing,” said Evan Keelan-White. who shares the guitar/vocals chores on the record with brother Ben Keelan-White. The band is rounded out on the recording by bass player Derek LeVasseur and drummer Tanner Rogerson. 

The 10-track album reaches back to the psychedelic past for its influences from such bands as Them, Flaming Groovies, Crazy Horse, Velvet Underground and Brian Jonestown Massacre, while adding a modern twist that takes the sound out of the garage and onto the stage. It’s music to Frug to — or you can simply wag your head to its shaggy beat. 

Lyrically, the songs’ inspirations were drawn partly from Ben’s own personal life and road experiences; meeting and observing people and places all over the country. “Some songs have politically introspective elements about the state of current affairs; I guess just as a natural response to the times we live in,” Ben said. “Overall, the songs to me are intended to make people think positively, as well as feel good and possibly allow people to project their own perspectives onto them.”

Kansas City’s High Dive Records announced it signed the band back in July. The label originally focused on KC and Lawrence bands, but has expanded its focus with a roster that also includes such acts as Dressy Bessy, Shy Boys, The Burning Peppermints and The Whiffs. TFOAs connected with High Dive through Arc Flash and Psychic Heat, who also are on the label. 

“We were able to get Jeff McCoy (at High Dive) to take a chance and put this record out for us,” Ben said. “It was a lot of work in the making, but really showed us what it takes to work side-by-side with a label.  Everybody is working and putting in long hours to make this release go as smoothly as possible.”

The record drops tomorrow, Nov. 2. The official album release show is Saturday night at The Brothers Lounge with Rusty Lord and Tyrone Storm, where you can pick up your copy on vinyl. 

The band also is having album release shows in Kansas City: Nov. 9 at The Brick and Nov. 10 at Mills Record Co.

Of course you can just order it online here at the High Dive Bandcamp page. Comes in limited edition green splatter vinyl, black vinyl, compact disc and cassette. Without further ado, here’s Part Time Lizards:

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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.