Las Cruxes at The Brothers Lounge, Sept. 27, 2019. The band hosts a cassette release show at Pageturners Thursday night (12/30).
We might as well get an early start on the weekend.
Tonight, singer-songwriter Mitch Gettman is headlining a gig at Slowdown Jr. The show is a celebration of his debut full-length album, We Are the Mad Ones, released in December 2011. Your $12 ticket will get you a copy of the CD. Joining Mitch tonight is NYC-based Omaha expatriate STATHI, who’s last album was the tasty Post-Truth EP. Show starts at 8 p.m.
Tomorrow night (Thursday) Spanish-language punk band Las Cruxes is hosting a cassette-release show at Pageturners. The band is earning a rep as one of the best new acts out of Omaha. How little ol’ Pageturners will contain them is a mystery. Joining them are fellow rockers Cat Piss and Nowhere. No price listed (this one may be free!), show starts at 8:30.
Also Thursday night, kicky Omaha indie act Ojai headlines at Reverb Lounge. The trio is fronted by singer/songwriter Michael Hulstein. I’m just now listening to their 2020 album View from the Chandelier and liking what I’m hearing. Also on the bill is FOX, and Mitch Gettman (probably playing the same set he’s playing tonight!). $7, 8 p.m.
Then comes New Year’s Eve — a night dedicated to amateurs, cover bands and those looking for drunken love. There is one show of interest — Smutthole Burpers, a Butthole Surfers cover band, is playing at fabulous O’Leaver’s. The band features members of The Natural States, Bokr Tov and Boner Killerz, according to the Facebook invite. There will also be karaoke and free headache-inducing champagne at midnight. Hey man, the whole thing is free, and starts at 9 p.m.
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Lazy-i Best of 2021 Compilation CD
And for those of you wondering where your copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2021 Compilation CD is, don’t fret. I didn’t forget you. It turns out that even little ol’ me is being impacted by supply chain issues. I won’t get my discs until sometime after the New Year, which means you won’t get yours until after that.
That gives anyone wanting to enter the drawing for a free copy even more time to enter! The collection includes songs by Hand Habits, Mdou Moctar, Nation of Language, Turnstile, Claud, Low, Sufjan Stevens, Parquet Courts, Brad Hoshaw, Spoon, Azure Ray and more. The full track listing is here.
To get your name in the hat, merely send an email with your mailing address to tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. Hurry, contest deadline is Jan. 10.
Last night’s album release show for The Sunks at Reverb was kind of packed. With Omicron running rampant, for the first time I actually felt a little squeamish about attending a show. At its peak there was probably around 60 folks in Reverb, with only a very few wearing a mask — I among them. I didn’t have it on when I went inside, but when I saw the mob, I slapped it on (I always carry a mask with me these days). Did it make a difference? Talk to me in a week.
I also had my earplugs, and I’m happy I did. Those Far Out Arrows don’t hold back, and neither did the guy behind the soundboard. For the uninitiated, the four-piece plays Nuggets-style psych rock in the grand tradition of bands like Them, The Yardbirds, Animals, early Stones, you get the picture, the kind of band you’d expect to see at Gonerfest. Their modern edge comes from the twin vocal attack of guitarists/brothers Ben and Evan Keelan-White, and the rock-hard rhythm section of playing-with-his-back-to-the-audience bassist Derek LeVasseur and drummer Brian Richardson.
Those Far Out Arrows as seen from behind the soundboard at Reverb, Dec. 26, 2021.
The Arrows played a number of songs off their most recent album, Fill Yer Cup, (including personal favorite, “Snake in My Basement,” which is bound to become a world-wide smash hit once it’s discovered by some Netflix series music supervisor and used as the soundtrack for a road movie’s killing spree sequence). They also played a new one, which sounded like the old ones. They’re nothing if not consistent in their approach.
The Sunks’ latest album, Wedding Season, came out last January during the height of COVID-19 and thus, never got the album release show it deserved. Since then, frontman Sean Paul has recorded an unreleased solo album (and I’ve clandestinely heard one of the tracks, which was among the best things I heard last year). The Sunks doesn’t sound like that solo stuff. Sean Paul (at times) reminds me of Susto’s Justin Osborne, who reminds me of Jackson Browne, though The Sunk’s music leans in more toward indie than Browne’s or Osborne’s Laurel Canyon-esque approach.
It’s a laid-back album, whose highlights include the very Susto-esque “Cta” and anthemic “The Sunks Song.” At nearly an hour, it could have been pared down, but in this age of digital-only releases, bands put it all out there. The album is worth checking out, but I’m also excited about that aforementioned solo album.
Played live, the arrangements were more majestic, grander. Sean Paul (Why do I feel compelled to write his full name in all references?) is a solid frontman, was in fine voice and backed by a tight band. That said, I only made it through five songs. It wasn’t because I had to work the next day — the show began at 6 p.m. and The Sunks went on at around 8:15 — it was because I was so freaked out about Covid and the crowd. I guess I’ve seen too many mentions of people getting Omicron in my Facebook feed…
That said, it probably won’t stop me from going to Breakers tonight at Reverb. The band, according to the 1% website, consists of guitarist Chris Yambor (Sing Eunuchs tapes back in the day, The Reports with Patrick Buchanan (of Mousetrap fame)), bassist Robert Little (Son Ambulance, The Stay Awake), and drummer Matt Focht (Head of Femur, The Faders, Bright Eyes). The site doesn’t mention who’s handling vocals, though I’m guessing it’s Focht (and I’m probably wrong). Joining them are Dead Letters (a trio consisting of two former members of Well-Aimed Arrows — drummer/vocalist Koly Walter and bassist Brian Byrd — along with guitarist/vocalist Mark Johnson from Places We Slept) and BareBear (who, last time I saw them in 2019, featured Rob Walters, Nik Fackler, Matt Focht, and Jacob “Cubby” Phillips). 8 p.m., $10. It’s the closest thing to a holiday show you’re going to get! Wear a mask…
On reflection, it has been a strange year in music. Certainly that was the case from a local music perspective, especially if you compare the output of new local music in 2021 to what was released in 2020, during the heart of the pandemic.
Last year 10 of the 21 tracks included in Lazy-i Best Of2020comp were from Nebraska artists — a record of sorts. This year, only two artists on the annual Best Of compilation have Nebraska connections (three if you include Azure Ray). My theory is that most local artists released albums in 2020 and waited until ’21 to try to push them via live performances — why work on new material if you haven’t tried to sell the old stuff? Maybe that was the case, I certainly hope it was.
The artists included in the 2021 Best Of Lazy-i Compilation are an eclectic mix of old timers and brand new talent. Of the 21 artists, only 12 previously have played in Nebraska (and only three played here last year), while a couple are headed our way (Parquet Courts, Azure Ray). The comp is usually comprised of acts I’ve interviewed or reviewed over the past year, but because so few local bands released material last year and so few acts came through town, this is more of a collection of my favorite tracks from 2021.
Here’s the track list:
Hand Habits – “More Than Love” from the album Fun House (Saddle Creek) Claud — “Soft Spot” from Super Monster (Saddest Factory) Indigo De Souza — “Pretty Pictures” from Any Shape You Take (Saddle Creek) Low — “Days Like Theses” from HEY WHAT (Sub Pop) Sufjan Stevens, Angelo DeAugustine — “Back to Oz” from A Beginner’s Mind (Asthmatic Kitty) Wet Leg — “Chaise Lounge” single (Domino) Life in Sweatpants — “Good 2 Yourself” from Good 2 Yourself (Long Time Friend Discount) Flyte — “Everyone’s a Winner” from This Is Really Going to Hurt (Island) Cassandra Jenkins — “Michelangelo” from An Overview on Phenomenal Nature (Ba Da Bing) The Coral — “Vacancy” from Coral Island (Run On) Parquet Courts— “Walking at a Downtown Pace” from Sympathy for Life (Rough Trade) Brad Hoshaw — “My Dying Day” from Living on a Sliver (self-release) Mdou Moctar — “Ya Habibti” from Afrique Victime (Matador) Courtney Barnett — “Sunfair Sundown” from Things Take Time, Take Time (Milk!) Nation of Language — “Across That Fine Line” from A Way Forward (Play It Again Sam) Spoon — “The Hardest Cut” single (Matador) Turnstile — “BLACKOUT” from GLOW ON (Roadrunner) PawPaw Rod — “Lemonhaze” from A PawPaw Rod EP (Godmode) Matt Whipkey — “Mayday” from Hard (Unusual) CHVRCHES, Robert Smith — “How Not to Drown” single (Glassnote Entertainment) Azure Ray — “Bad Dream” from Remedy (Flower Moon)
Want a copy of the CD? Enter to win one in the annual drawing! To enter, send me an email with your mailing address to tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. Hurry, contest deadline is Monday, Jan. 3, at midnight.
The playlist also is available in Spotify. Simply click this link or search “Lazy-i Best of” in Spotify then select Playlists, and you’ll find it along with a few from past years, too.
BTW, that’s Greta on the cover, the newest member of the McMahan family.
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Tonight at Reverb Lounge it’s Pagan Athletes (chaotic keyboards/drums from the Wolf Factory) with Bad Bad Men (classic line-up of Wolf/Siebken/Hug) and Nowhere (Thor’s (Retox) new band featuring Camille (No Thanks) and Gabe (Natural States)). $10, 9 p.m. What a way to bring in the holiday…
Before we get to the Best of 2021, which will be published tomorrow, let’s go back in time 20 years to the Lazy-i Best of 2001. It was, indeed, a very good year for indie music, both recorded and presented live in Omaha, though touring would be stymied after 9-11.
In commemoration of 2001, I’ve created the Lazy-i Best of 2001 Comp CD’s track list in Spotify. These compilations, which I’ve been making since 1995, are collections of the best songs I came across either via CDs sent to me in the mail (I used to get as many as a dozen a day) and interviews conducted for The Omaha-Weekly (now called The Reader) and for Lazy-i.com. I interviewed almost every band featured in the 2001 comp, and almost all played in Omaha (mostly at Sokol Underground).
Dropping these comps into the CD player very much are like stepping back in time. More track info here. You can also relive the 2001 The Year in Music (in Omaha) online here.
Here’s the track list:
Swearing at Motorists – “Flying Pizza” The Jealous Sound — “Bitter Strings” Stephen Malkmus — “Jo Jo’s Jacket” Atom and his Package — “Going to Georgia” Liars — “Mr Your On Fire Mr” The Faint — “Glass Danse” Preston School of Industry — “Whalebones” Smog — “Dress Sexy At My Funeral” Low — “Dinosaur Act” Red House Painters — “Michigan” Beekeeper — “Complete” Pinetop Seven — “On the Last Ride In” Paula Frazer — “That You Know” Gentleman Caller — “Girl in Flames Leaving Me Beautiful” Death Cab for Cutie — “Why You’d Want to Live Here” Sorry About Dresden — “A Brilliant Ally” Son, Ambulance — “A New Dress for Maybell” M. Ward — “Carolina” The New Year — “Half a Day” Belle & Sebastian — “I Love My Car” Juno — “Up through the Night”
And for those who think Spotify “has everything,” three tracks cannot be found in the streaming service: NYC band Beekeeper track “Complete,” quirky Bloomington indie band Gentleman Caller track “Girl in Flames Leaving Me Beautiful,” and Seattle band Juno track “Up Through the Night.” Here they are in other services, for the completists among you:
Look for the best of 2021 tomorrow…
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Before I forget, there’s a special holiday show in Lincoln tomorrow night at Duffy’s featuring an indie supergroup consisting of Brendan McGinn, Justin Kohmetscher, Ben Armstrong, Rob Walters and Eric Maly called Hi Ho Silverfox. Maly said the band’s goal is “to be a musically inclusive experience for Deaf and hard of hearing folks,” which means deaf interpreter Colin Analco will be on hand. Also performing are Thirst Things First (with A.J. Mogis on bass) and BareBear. Duffy’s, Wednesday Dec. 22, 9 p.m., $7.
Super quiet weekend. Well, it is the holidays, after all. And considering we had no shows at all last year at this time, we shouldn’t be whining. At least there’s one.
See Through Dresses is playing their first show since 2019 Sunday evening at Reverb Lounge. And I mean early evening — Oquoa opens this show at 6 p.m. which means it’ll probably wrap up by 8 p.m.
Of note with this show: It’ll be their last performance for the foreseeable future, as drummer Nate Van Fleet is headed to Los Angeles next month. My understanding is the band isn’t breaking up and Nate ain’t leaving the band, but with members strewn across the country, well, who knows when they’ll play live here again.
So, 6 p.m., $10. Easy peasy.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Fell into a rabbit hole of my own making last night as I researched (via this website) Vitreous Humor, a Lawrence band from the early half of the ’90s who I really dug, but never came to Omaha. Well, that’s about to change.
Vitreous Humor has been added as an opener for the Feb. 4 Cursive concert at The Waiting Room that also features Criteria. Is this the same Vitreous Humor who sang “Why Are you So Mean to Me”? Yes, says Matt Maginn of Cursive.
“We are thrilled and shocked they can do it!!!! Blew our minds.”
I could go into the background, but it would be just as easy to reprint my Dec. 6, 2006, interview, wherein I interviewed Danny Pound, frontman of Vitreous Humor. Pound was headed to Omaha back then for a gig with his solo band at the old Saddle Creek Bar, which gave me a chance to ask him about Vitreous Humor. The story follows.
Less Humor Per Pound Danny Pound’s brief glance at Vitreous Humor.
You can’t blame Danny Pound for not being eager to talk about his old band, Vitreous Humor.
After all, they haven’t been around for over a decade, and his new band, aptly called The Danny Pound Band, sounds nothing like them. Still, there’s more than a few followers of Omaha’s mid-’90s punk-rock golden age that remembers Vitreous Humor and their grungy, post-punk sound heard on the classic 1993 7-inch, Harbor. The three-song single featured a teen-aged Pound warbling the words to “Bu-Dah,” the single’s catchy B-side that went “In the shithole where we live / Something’s living in the cellar / Keeps us all awake at night / Smells like cooking blood.” Remember it now? Probably not. Still, the song managed to make it onto a lot of mix tapes from that era.
Pound appreciates the memory, but said few people recall his former band around his hometown of Lawrence, Kansas. “Some younger kids look up to Vitreous Humor as one of the old-timey, classic Lawrence rock bands,” he said, “but no one ever comes up and asks about it.”
The story of Vitreous Humor is a rather short one. The Harbor single was followed two years later by a 7-song self-titled EP. Posthumous, a collection of unreleased tracks, outtakes and live cuts, was released on Crank! Records in ’98, well after the band already had called it quits and moved onto Pound’s next project, The Regrets.
A decade later and Pound has left Vitreous Humor’s jangle-grunge behind in favor of a more grown-up, sophisticated sound born out of his fondness for mid-20th century folk and blues.
“After The Regrets broke up, I discovered Harry Smith’s Smithsonian Folkways recordings, began listening a lot of blues and pulled out The Basement Tapes,” Pound said.
The result was The Danny Pound Band’s 2005 debut on Lawrence label Remedy Records, Surer Days, a collection of tuneful alt-country rockers that sounded like a cross between Centro-Matic and The Silos.
But even that style was short-lived. Since its release, Pound and his band — bassist Jeremy Sidener (ex-Zoom — another classic ’90s Lawrence band), guitarist David Swenson, and drummer Ken Pingleton (who replaced former drummer Dan Benson, who also was in Vitreous Humor) — have moved in a whole different direction, creating music that recalls ’70s-era So Cal groove rock. The band’s as-yet-unnamed follow-up to Surer Days was recorded at Black Lodge Studios in Eudora, Kansas, and is slated for release on Remedy Records sometime in the near future.
“You couldn’t call our new record rootsy. It’s more of an electric rock record,” Pound said. “I get bored quickly. I’m always trying to find new things to do.”
As for Vitreous Humor, Pound said he doesn’t understand why the memory of that band continues to live on in places like Omaha and Milwaukee — another city with more than its share of that band’s fans. “It must be a Midwest thing,” he said. “We never toured very much. I don’t think we even played in Omaha as Vitreous Humor.”
While he acknowledges that the band could have influenced someone, Pound is hardly proud of those early recordings. “I’m not offended by that era, but it doesn’t give me great pleasure to listen to that music,” he said before immediately correcting himself. “I take that back. Some of it was interesting, if a bit too earnest. I know there are those who liked it, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Busy weekend. Let’s start with The Brothers auction. The actual auction of everything inside The Brothers Lounge is taking place Sunday starting at 11 a.m. And we’re talking everything, from the chairs to the artwork to the buffalo head over the fireplace. If you can’t make it on Sunday, don’t fret. You can bid on some of the best items online, at the online auction. (Who’s got their eyes set on that jukebox?).
But that’s not all. Today (Friday) Trey and Lallaya will be selling off the booze with great deals on packaged liquor from 3 p.m to 10 p.m. Here’s the list of booze for sale.
No doubt this will be both a fun and forlorn weekend as we remember Omaha’s favorite punk bar and favorite barkeeps one last time. More info on Sunday’s auction here.
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Tonight at The Sydney in Benson a big three-band bill headlined by Uh Oh, who are celebrating the release of their new album, Good Morning. Joining them are Marcey Yates and Bach Mai. $5, 9 p.m.
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Saturday night, O’Leaver’s returns to hosting live music with an all-star band that includes Jerry Hug (Ritual Device, Porn Music), Dan McCarthy (McCarthy Trenching) and three members of Ladyfinger — Chris Machmuller, Jamie Massey and Pat Oakes. On the musical menu is all Bob Seger covers, hence the band’s name — Flock of Segers. This is a free show that starts at 10 p.m. Expect a crowd.
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Also Saturday night, And How joins headliner CJ Mills and Leigha Rose at Culxr House, 3014 No. 24th St. Tickets are $15, show starts at 7 p.m. Event info here. Below, a Marcey Yates track that features CJ Mills.
Sunday is the Brothers auction, but also a Reverb Lounge is hosting a record show with multiple vendors at 11 a.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Bright Eyes yesterday announced it was returning to the road with a U.S. tour that kicks off March 23 in St. Paul. That’s about the closest this tour comes to Omaha. The band will announce additional dates in January, including rescheduled gigs on the West Coast and Atlanta. Will the band make its way here? They still haven’t had a local show in support of Down in the Weeds…
Yesterday, Pitchfork (once the bible of indie music tastemakers) released its 2021 list of 50 best albums. No. 1 was Jazmine Sullivan, Heaux Tales, an album that I’ve, well, not heard.
Of note for indie fans, Low’s HEY WHAT came in at No. 5; followed by Turnstile’s Glow On (a game changer or a throwback?), The Weather Station’s Ignorance, and Mdou Moctar’s Afrique Victime with Dry Cleaning’s New Long Leg closing out the top 10.
Saddle Creek Records had one if its best year’s ever. Indigo De Souza’s Any Shape You Take came in at No. 25; Spirit of the Beehive’s Entertainment, Death was No. 28, and Hand Habits’ Fun House was No. 43. An impressive outing for our little local label.
Ah, the annual Year in Review article. Well, The Reader now limits this to a mere 800 words, so that forced me to write tight and leave out some things that I’d normally include. You can read The Reader version of the article right here. It features a big photo of No Thanks playing one of the last shows at The Brothers Lounge (though it wasn’t “the last show”… I didn’t make it to that one). Or you can read the year in review article below:
2021 Music Year in Review
…or, The Year of Resiliency
I know, I know… it’s only December, and anything can happen before the year is actually over, but I ain’t got that luxury, deadlines being what they are. Rather than wait until January after you’ve (hopefully) long forgotten and moved on from 2021, I thought I’d do the recap now while it’s fresh in your memory (because we’re still living it).
This time last year, things looked rather bleak.
Venues were closed, tours were cancelled, we were hunkered down in our bunkers, wiping down our groceries and wondering if we’d ever see live music again. The worst of COVID-19 was still ahead of us. And if you were lucky, missing your favorite bands was all you were worried about, as the death toll continued to rise. There were whispers of a vaccine, but that was still a long way away. The only glimmer of hope was that the Commander in Boob had just been defeated, though he promised not to go quietly, and, by God, he kept his word.
By February a vaccine was in hand, but the club owners and promoters still predicted it wouldn’t be until the fall of 2021 or the following winter before bookings would look anything like “normal.” And so, the clubs stayed dark, and the closest we got to live music was streamed to our computer screens.
Finally, toward the end of May, live music slowly began to return. I attended my first live show at Dr. Jack’s Drinkery May 29, a farewell gig by indie band Bull Nettles. But it wasn’t until July that venues really started booking on a regular basis, and national touring bands began to hit the road again. The Maha Festival and Farnam Fest were announced and pulled off without becoming a “super spreader” event. Maha even sold out its limited-capacity one-day event.
Despite a readily available vaccine, people still wore masks at shows — and still do to this day. Every face at the near-capacity Nov. 6 Soccer Mommy concert at The Waiting Room was masked throughout the evening. We were back, sort of.
A few positive things stood out during this Year of Resiliency:
— The music never stopped. Artists continued to record and release new albums, most of them created in isolation during the height of the pandemic and some among the best of their careers.
— New venues were announced. You’d think coming out of a pandemic, investors would be gun-shy about pouring money into new music venues, but three of the largest new developments were announced or broke ground this year: refurbishment of Sokol Auditorium, renamed The Admiral, the Steelhouse Omaha standing-room live music hall by Omaha Performing Arts, and the massive Astro amphitheater project, which — when completed in January 2023 — will host 2,500 people indoors and 5,000 outdoors. Each project is a gamble that the worst is behind us.
— Record stores resurged. With so much forced alone time, people continued to fall in love with their vinyl. The Old Market now has as many record stores as it had during vinyl’s heyday, with Grapefruit Records at 1125 Jackson Street joining Vinyl Cup Records and the old favorite, Homer’s.
But as COVID-19’s bloody tide recedes, it leaves behind business casualties. While large clubs like Slowdown and the 1% venues are coming back better than ever, the smaller venues haven’t been so lucky. The Barley Street Tavern in Benson was the first to close its doors for good, though the room reopened under another name and new management. O’Leaver’s, arguably the best place in Omaha to see small live rock shows, still hasn’t reopened its stage. There’s hope it could soon return.
But the biggest loss of all was the permanent closing of The Brothers Lounge at the end of October. More punk bar than music venue, The Brothers was a way station for the misfits, oddballs and troubled geniuses of Omaha who preferred their music garbed in black leather and blood. The Brothers was where everyone ended up at last call. Now it’s had its last call, and the auction hammer falls Dec. 12.
Winners and sinners, that’s what we’re left with after a pandemic. Goodbye and good riddance, 2021. At least you were better than 2020. And 2022 will see us thanking our lucky stars.
Before we go, what would a Music Year in Review be without my list of favorite albums of 2021 (in no particular order):
Flyte, This Is Really Going to Hurt (Island)
Indigo De Souza, Any Shape You Take (Saddle Creek)
The Weather Station, Ignorance (Fat Possum)
Turnstile, Glow On (Roadrunner)
Low, Hey What (Sub Pop)
Cassandra Jenkins, An Overview On Phenomenal Nature (Ba Da Bing!)
Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine, A Beginner’s Mind (Asthmatic Kitty)
Parquet Courts, Sympathy for Life (Rough Trade)
Hand Habits, Fun House (Saddle Creek)
Mdou Moctar, Afrique Victime (Matador)
Strand of Oaks, In Heaven (Galacticana)
Wet Leg, “Wet Dream” b/w “Chaise Longe” (Domino)
Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com.
So what’s missing from the article? The list of best shows of the year. After 2020, last year was a veritable bonanza of shows, but that said, they were still few and far between. My favorites are almost all the shows I ended up attending:
— Bull Nettles at Dr. Jack’s Drinkery, May 29 — This was my first show after COVID, and the last show forever for Bull Nettles, as the band’s frontman, Travis Linn a.k.a. Travis Sing, has moved out of Omaha.
— A Tomato A Day at The Little Gallery in Blackstone, June 12 — The first performance by Brion Poloncic (formerly of Cactus Nerve Thang) in years, was in support of an art opening of his latest work. Is there a Cactus reunion somewhere in the future?
— Digital Leather at The Sydney, June 26 — The line-up: Frontman Shawn Foree, was backed by long-time DL drummer Jeff Lambelet; Blake Kostszewa, synths; newcomer Bobby Hussy on guitar, Erica Van Engen on synths, and MiWi La Lupa on bass, playing songs off COVID-era release New Wave Gold.
— Idaho at Reverb Lounge, July 8 — First touring act post-COVID for me, and my return to Reverb Lounge. And one of my favorite shows from an act who made its mark almost 30 years ago.
— Maha Music Festival, Stinson Park, July 31 — Omaha’s favorite festival was back after the COVID hiatus, sold-out (though tickets were limited to 8k), with perfect weather and great sets by Japanese Breakfast and Thundercat, among others.
— Petfest, behind Pet Shop, Aug. 14 — And then along came the Delta variant, but that didn’t stop folks from showing up to this small outdoor festival that featured the best collection of local bands assembled in the past couple years.
— Grocer at Reverb Lounge, Aug. 17 — The Philly band’s style was in the early Pixies tradition, angular and cool riding high on the bass line and backbeat drums, while guitarist Emily Daly shredded feedback-drenched leads run through a muffled effects pedal.
— Elvis Costello at Memorial Park, Aug. 28 — A surprisingly light crowd took in a greatest hits set by a legend. For once the park concert had more going for it than the fireworks.
— No Thanks at Brothers Lounge Sept. 17 — Little did we know this would be one of the last shows at The Brothers Lounge, as the club closed its doors for good at the end of October.
— Indigo De Souza at The Slowdown Oct. 2 — The Saddle Creek Records band played the big stage for my return to Slowdown post-pandemic. Great set, highlighted guitarist, Dexter Webb, who reminded me of Mr. Lindsey Buckingham.
— Tokyo Police Club at Slowdown Jr., Oct. 28 — First Slowdown Jr. show for me since the pandemic was a corker from a former Saddle Creek act, though some I talked to thought opener And How stole the show.
— Soccer Mommy at The Waiting Room, Nov. 6 — Finally, a return to The Waiting Room for a near sold-out show, evidence that indie rock was alive and well and touring through Omaha.
— Matt Whipkey and his band at The Jewell, Nov. 12 — Celebrating the release of his new LP, Hard, Whipkey was backed by what arguably was one of the best bands he’s ever assembled, in an effort to blow the lid off the downtown jazz club.
— Criteria at The Waiting Room, Nov. 27 — Last but not least (and likely, not last of 2021) was the annual “holiday show” by the ever-young ’00’s band, sounding as good as ever. Long live rock and roll.
From an indie music perspective, there’s literally nothing happening this weekend.
That said, tonight is the annual toy drive for Pine Ridge, which has been held every year for as long as I can remember. Artists performing tonight are The Mercurys, Vago and Todd Partridge. As in years’ past, admission is $10 or a new, unwrapped toy. The toys will be delivered to the children of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and money raised goes to a heating fund. You can’t find a better charity. 8 p.m. at The Waiting Room.
Also, tonight is Benson First Friday (#BFF)! The artists will be out and about throughout Benson, so get out there and take home some nice fine art. Celebrating music-wise is The Sydney (as always), with a show featuring GLOW, Nowhere and Lincoln metal band Drug Salad. Doom and gloom. No info listed for the Sydney show, but it’s probably $10 and probably starts around 10 p.m.
And, it’s a Bandcamp Friday again. You know the drill — Bandcamp waives fees for this monthly event on all download purchases. Some labels also follow suit (including Saddle Creek), so it’s the best time to support the musicians who are actually making the music.
Nebraska Golden Age indie band The Millions today released a remastered version of their 1993 release Raquel. Listen and buy here.
Lastly, Saddle Creek Records announced the release of the next 7-inch from its Document series, featuring allie. “Cast Iron” b/w “Infinite Jesters” is available for pre-order here. Check it.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
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