Last Friday’s Little Brazil show at The Waiting Room felt like a wedding reception wherein you run into people you haven’t seen in 20 years, all there to support old friends on this very special day. In this case, that special day was LB’s album release show for Just Leave (Max Trax Record), a long-delayed show that was originally slated back in June.
Many old-timers were in the crowd, myself included, to catch another in a series of sets by one of our favorite local bands. Little Brazil has been playing for more than 20 years, and though we’ve all grown older, they’ve stayed the same, both in energy and sound. The new LB album is one of their best, but it’s also in line with the music they’ve been playing since the beginning.
And to prove this, Little Brazil played a song off every previous album, the highlight being a very groovy rendition of “The Way You Listen,” from You and Me, released back in 2005. It’s one of those tunes that rewards rediscovery. Other deep cuts included “Shades” from Tighten the Noose (2007); “Separated” from Son (2009); and “Motorbike” from Send the Wolves (2018).
Of course there were plenty of songs from the new album, including a scorching version of stand-out tracks “Same Old Dress,” and “Come Along.” The band was in its usual fine form and frontman Landon Hedges was in good voice, though unsure of a few lyrics to those old chestnuts, looking at times as if he was daring himself to sing the next line.
Danny Maxwell mentioned from stage that Landon has already written 10 new songs, so we’ll be doing this all again soon. Here’s to it.
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I had an interesting side convo with one of the music scene’s legends about the pathway bands take these days as they try to break through to a larger audience. In the old days, the steps you took were straightforward — Write songs, get gigs, record an album, find a label, book a tour. Evidence of success included articles in national magazines, attaining college radio airplay and, if everything clicks, landing on the CMJ charts.
The old rules really no longer apply. Oh sure, you still need to write songs, but recording can be done in your bedroom. Record labels are great but hardly a necessity, especially if you only intend to stream or sell downloads. College radio? What’s that? The new thing is going viral on Tik Tok (or at least it is for pop bands). CMJ, once the bible of indie music, folded five years ago.
So yeah, even magazines are things of the past. The new pinnacles for indie bands include landing a Pitchfork review — a near impossibility without being on a respected label, so I guess labels are still important. But even then, a Pitchfork or Stereogum article hardly guarantees success. Getting added to a significant playlist on Spotify can certainly raise your exposure. So can getting added to another successful band’s tour as an opener – but that’s going to cost you both money and time.
It sounds bleak for new bands trying to get ahead. In the end, in addition to making great music, luck is one of the most important factors to breaking through to an audience outside of your hometown…
Tonight’s album release show for Little Brazil’s latest, Just Leave (2022, Max Trax Records), is a long time coming. It was originally scheduled for back in June, and now with vinyl copies available, the moment is at hand.
I’ve listened to the album a number of times online and it’s as big and bombastic as any release in the Little Brazil catalog. The band creates grand, sonic spectacle from melodies cut from moments of uncertainty, melancholia, nostalgia and hope against all odds. In a lot of ways, that’s always been the recipe for all successful Nebraska indie bands. A sort of hang-dog optimism that could only be found in a forgotten, landlocked city in a state no one seems to remember. These are anthems for underdogs unwilling to give up when the chips are stacked against them. Or, as they sing on stand-out track “Come Along” — “Can’t back down / Won’t back down.”
Frontman Landon Hedges is aging. He has to be because we all are. But you wouldn’t know it listening to him try those high notes as forcefully, gracefully as he did 20 or so years ago when it all began, his constant wingman, Danny Maxwell, by his side, blowing up the bass. The new guys (who really aren’t that new) Shawn Cox on lead guitar & Austin Elsberry on drums, balance out the band these days. And you could say they sound as good or better than they ever have on this record, but you’d be disparaging those who came before Shawn and Austin, and they were pretty damn good, too.
Funny thing about Little Brazil — they’re looked upon as an integral part of the history of the Nebraska indie music scene — as much as any bands that were on Saddle Creek Records. And because of that, some will consider them only in that capacity — especially a few of the younger acts on the scene who see them as dinosaurs. The amusing part is that Little Brazil can still pretty much kick all those bands’ asses as musicians, as songwriters, as a band, on any stage. And they get another chance to prove it tonight at The Waiting Room.
Joining them are upstarts Cat Piss, a power trio that proudly carries Omaha’s post-punk torch, and Las Cruxes, an ever-emerging, ever-changing Spanish-language-fueled punk band that is as likely to be playing in Omaha as they are in Mexico City.
All three bands tonight at The Waiting Room, $12, starts at 9 p.m. See you there.
Not much else happening this weekend. Though I typically don’t hype tribute or cover bands, tomorrow night The Damones are playing at Stinson Park at Aksarben Village. We’re talking ‘80s and ‘90s post punk covers of songs by bands like Peter Murphy, Soft Cell, Echo and the Bunnymen, a lot of First Wave bands. This is a departure for the Stinson Concert Series, and it could be… interesting. 7 p.m. and its free.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments sections. Have a great weekend.
It’s not a festival in the conventional sense (but then again, what exactly is a festival these days?), but Pageturners Lounge’s 10-year anniversary concerts are pretty close.
The bar that counted among its owners Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, located at 50th and Dodge, announced a 3-day concert line-up and it’s a scorcher. Each night features seven or more performers including the area’s best indie bands.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9:
Jake Bellows, Oquoa, Marcey Yates, Las Cruxes, Cat Piss, Digital Leather, Specter Poetics, & DJ Tyrone Storm
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10:
The Felice Brothers (NY), Mesonjixxx, M34n Str33t, Bug Heaven, Stathi, Solid Goldberg, & DJ Crabrangucci
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11:
David Nance & Mowed Sound, McCarthy Trenching, Hartford-Focht, Megan Siebe, Jim Schroeder, & Ben Eisenberger
Of course what’s missing from the above information are the set times, or even when each day’s music begins. I’d have to guess the shows start at around 5 or 6 p.m. The other question: How does all this fit into Pageturners’ relatively tiny confines? In the usual Pageturners’ fashion, I’m sure we’ll get the details the day before the shows begin. Keep an eye on the Facebook invitation for breaking news.
Among the the biggest eyebrow-raisers in the Pageturners show line-ups is Jake Bellows, frontman of the legendary local band Neva Dinova. Jake’s listed to perform Sept. 9. Unless you’ve been living under a rock you already know that Saddle Creek Records just rereleased three classic Neva Dinova albums as well as a new Demos and C-Sides collection of previously unreleased b-sides and rarities, all on luscious vinyl. Order here from the Creek site.
Will we see an impromptu reunion of Omaha-based Neva Dinova members? That would be something, but highly doubtful, though Jake will likely play at least a couple of those Neva chestnuts a week from Friday.
Hard to explain just how big Animal Collective was back in the late 2000s. Merriweather Post Pavilion, which came out in 2009 on Domino, was a rather mammoth hit in certain circles in an era marked by Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Grizzly Bear, Of Montreal, Phoenix… those were colorful times. I loved most of those bands, but Animal Collective was always just below my radar, and I’m not sure why. I remember my niece loving them and being surprised I wasn’t familiar. I’ve been catching up ever since, and their music has held up very well indeed over the years.
Their latest, Time Skiffs (2022, Domino), sounds almost conventional compared to some of the stuff they put out in recent years, though it’s still pretty experimental in a glittering sound-scape sort of way.
Anyway, Animal Collective is playing tonight at The Slowdown in the big room. Opening act, fellow Baltimorians, Tomato Flower, have a groovy ‘60s Flower Power sound. Something tells me this is going to be a great show. $41, 8 p.m.
I tell people that even if they have just an inking of an urge to go to a rock show they should go because you never know when the next chance will come around. That’s never been more true than right now, as once again, there are no touring indie rock shows happening in Omaha this weekend.
But, there are a couple local shows to consider…
Glow in the Dark is opening tonight at Reverb Lounge for a couple bands I’ve never heard before. GitD alone is worth the $8 cover charge. They go on at 8.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) local indie band Bad Self Portraits has an EP release show at Slowdown Jr. Omaha prog duo Pagan Athletes is on the bill along with Estrogen Projection. $12, 8 p.m.
That’s it. Well, at least we had Petfest last weekend, right? And Outlandia? Like I said – when a good show comes your way, go! You never know when the next one will happen…
Pageturners Lounge doesn’t do a great job getting the word out about their shows. I usually find out about them a day or so before they happen, and maybe that’s by design. Maybe these shows are last-minute deals. Who knows.
That said, tonight at Pageturners, New Yorkers Al Olender and James Felice are performing. Olender’s latest, Easy Crier (2022, self-release) is a gorgeous collection of singer-songwriter stuff that includes contributions by The Felice Brothers. In fact, James Felice recorded and produced the album. So I guess it makes sense that James is playing the opening set tonight (and I wouldn’t be surprised if they play together). This is a free show that starts at 8 p.m.
So by all accounts, Outlandia was a success. The festival lucked out with the weather, as Friday night and Saturday ended up being not only tolerable, but pleasant. All the photos I’ve seen from the festival showed lots of folks having a good time. I have no official word on the attendance though it looked pretty decent for a first-year festival with stellar headliners that appeal to mostly middle-aged indie music fans.
I’ve been told by folks who were that that there were no traffic snafus, no parking mishaps, and that Falconwood Park worked out well, and there already are talks about Outlandia 2 (or whatever they call it next year). Congrats to all involved.
As I mentioned, i didn’t attend Outlandia, instead opting for Petfest, which took place Saturday behind the Petshop in Benson. This year they really rolled out the red carpet… literally, as a large red outdoor carpet was placed in the center of the space between the two stages. Other changes included moving the entrance to the south side of the compound as well as moving the larger stage to the northeast corner of the lot so it faced the smaller second stage located in the garage area of Petshop.
Marcey Yates at Petfest 2022.
I arrived just as Marcey Yates’ set kicked off. It’s been a long time since I’ve caught his set and I was knocked over. I have a very narrow bandwidth for hip-hop (which can be summed up by old school ‘80s, Kendrick and Tribe Called Quest) and Yates stylistically hits it dead center. Deep beats and clever flow, very groovy. He was joined by Conny Franko for one number, who just walked right up and grabbed a microphone.
Problems at Petfest 2022.
After Yates, Problems a.k.a. Darren Keen, moved his table of electronic equipment to the large stage’s back tent and ripped into a set that included a number of thick-beat songs off his last couple releases, many of which are focused on Darren’s love of dogs (and why you, too, should love dogs). It’s kind of weird in a good way. Electronic scrunchy tone sounds atop a cracking beat was the bed of lettuce for Keen’s spoken-word life lessons, from a guy who, after years of touring has seen it all and has the respect as one of the most original performers in Nebraska.
Cat Piss at Petfest 2022.
I ducked out for an hour after Problems and came back in time for Cat Piss on the smaller Petshot stage. Shifting between the two stages meant one act could be set up while the other was performing, with only a brief sound check before each set, just enough time to grab another Zipline or whatever you were imbibing in. A lot of folks were imbibing in smoking substances, especially when the sun began to set. There was a cloud of ganga over where I stood most of the day along the north end of the compound. Pot is slowly becoming omnipresent in all outdoor festivals in Omaha, I guess I’m just going to have to get used to it.
Cat Piss is a three-piece power-punk band where drummer Nate Wolf and bass player Sam Lipsett trade vocals on songs that sound about as close to ‘90s Omaha post-punk as you’re going to find outside of a band that actually was around playing post-punk in the ‘90s (and there are a few of them still out there). Casey Plucinski ripped on guitar, but it’s that rhythm section that kept it all hopping. Great stuff.
I should point out here that I didn’t see anything less than a great set all day, which was a credit to sound engineer and show manager Ian Aeillo, who was running around like a whirling dervish all day, making sure things where plugged in and sounded great (which they did). In what was a unique set-up, music came from both PAs at once, providing a sort of quadraphonic effect. Alan Parsons, eat your heart out.
Thirst Things First at Petfest 2022.
Thirst Things First have been around at least for a decade, though I’ve never caught them before. I didn’t even know who they were except that they might be from Lincoln and that the band includes A.J. Mogis on bass — yes, that AJ Mogis, the dude who created ARC Studio with his brother, Mike, and who also plays bass in Criteria.
Wearing (mostly) matching track suits, the band tore into a set of the funnest, tightest power pop you’re going to hear this side of The Faint. Fronted by Mike Elfers of The JV Allstars and including someone I remember from Las Cruxes also on vocals, the band was powered along by Mogis and drummer Jordy Elfers, and was nothing less than remarkable. How have I missed them all these years? Who knows. Their set was a high-water mark in a festival flooded with talent. As David Letterman would say, “I’ll take all of that you got.”
Uh Oh at Petfest 2022.
If Cat Piss embodies Omaha’s ‘90s post-punk at it’s finest, Uh Oh is the embodiment of if Omaha indie jangle pop. The four piece plays big-hearted indie rock that borders on Get-Up Kids-style emo, and did a good job capturing the crowd’s attention.
David Nance Group at Petfest 2022.
They were followed on the larger stage by who, for me, was the festival headliner, David Nance Group. For this iteration, Nance was joined by Dereck Higgins on bass, Kevin Donahue on drums, guitarist Jim Schroeder, and Rosali Middleman on synths. In April, Nance’s band backed Rosali when she opened for Destroyer at The Waiting Room, and now she appeared to be returning the favor.
The band ripped into that killer version of “Credit Line” that they played a month or so ago at Reverb, a version that kicks ass thanks to a super-funky rhythm section — again, I wish they’d record this version of the song (a more rustic and non-funky version appears on Nance’s latest release, which was sort of a solo recording). Known as a garage psych-rock dude, Nance sounds like he’s shifting to a more swinging, funky style — and it’s a welcome change.
Of course that doesn’t mean he’s lost any of his sheer guitar power. Nance and Schroeder still traded guitar riffs back and forth, and ripped it up old school closing their set with a kick-ass version of “Poison” from the break-out Peaced and Slightly Pulverized.
Living Conditions at Petfest 2022.
Next up on the small stage was a metal/noise set from Living Conditions. This aggressive-noise style whose vocals consists mainly of pained yelling is not something I generally go for, but even here, they glowed for group of fans tightly gathered in front of the stage.
No Thanks at Petfest 2022.
The final Petfest performer for me was No Thanks, who announced from stage that this is their second-to-last performance, which I guess means the band is breaking up. If so, that would be a terrible loss for the music scene, as No Thanks is one of the best bands in Nebraska — as musicians, performers and songwriters. Frontman Castro Turf a.k.a. Brendan Leahy is a force of nature, who moves and vamps like a short, Midwestern version of Lux Interior, yelling and barking more than singing, a magnetic performer. But just is notable is this band, that has created a new version, authentic post-punk whose closest relative are bands like Preoccupations and Ceremony.
They hit their stride on their second song of their set — a glorious versions of “Hot Water Rising” (which just happens to be my favorite). It continued to rise from there, with Leahy pacing the front of the stage, taunting the crowd, before poring some sort of substance over his head (fake blood? motor oil? I couldn’t tell in the dark light). No Thanks was a band that had everything in front of them, and like so many other great band from Nebraska, never really got their chance.
That was it for me at Petfest. If Maha Festival showcases the newest indie acts and Outlandia celebrates past national indie icons, Petfest is the ultimate showcase of the best talent this state has to offer. From that perspective, it might be the most important festival we have, because it provides a stage and a spotlight to our local talent, who these days have fewer and fewer opportunities to shine.
Well it’s finally here, Outlandia — what will likely to be the biggest indie music festival of the year, held at Falconwood Park in Bellevue. Check out the site map.
Tonight’s four-band line-up (to me) is really the festival highlight. It starts with local alt-country rockers Clarence Tilton at 4 p.m. They’re followed by Real Estate at 5:30; Band of Horses at 7 and The National at 9 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m.
The biggest challenge if you plan to attend could be getting there. Outlandia is saying the Kennedy Freeway drops down to one lane when approaching Outlandia from Highway 75 from downtown Omaha. This could be… challenging during Friday afternoon drive time so they recommend leaving as early as possible or taking Highway 34 Eastbound.
As most who are going already now, Outlandia is a CASH ONLY enterprise, so drop by your local ATM and grab some cash before you leave. They’ll have ATMs on site, but they could be a bit wonky what with the dodgy wi-fi out in the middle of nowhere.
Parking is pretty straightforward if you just follow the signs. On-sight and Off-sight parking are the first entrance, VIP parking is the second entrance. Finally, there is absolutely NO RE-ENTRY, so don’t forget your shit.
Hey, it’s gonna be fun. I wish I were going.
Saturday’s Outlandia line-up starts at 1 p.m. with Mesonjixx, followed by Kat Hasty at 2, and then… The Breeders at 3:30 (when people likely will begin showing up). Margo Price starts at 5, then Silversun Pickups at 6:30, Local Natives at 8 and Wilco at 9:30.
Gates at noon. It’s going to be hot, so prepare to hydrate. Tickets are still available for both days and VIPS at Outlandia’s Etix page. Don’t forget, you’ll need to buy a separate parking pass if you’re not buying VIP tickets.
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I won’t need a parking pass when I go to Petfest Saturday, taking place behind Petshop Gallery in Benson. It’s the best local-band lineup of any Nebraska festival. This year’s headliners are Chicago electronic/industrial duo HIDE (Dais Records) and Amulets.
Two stages, 20 bands, that means one band right after the other. Frantic fun! Here’s the schedule:
2:00 – Aly Peeler 2:25 – Mike Schlesinger 2:50 – E Rawq 3:15 – GLOW 3:40 – Better Friend 4:05 – Nowhere 4:30 – Dirty Talker 5:00 – Marcey Yates 5:25 – PROBLEMS 5:50 – Ruby Block 6:15 – Bug Heaven 6:40 – Cat Piss 7:05 – Thirst Things First 7:35 – Uh Oh 8:05 – David Nance 8:35 – Living Conditions 9:05 – No Thanks 9:40 – Universe Contest 10:30 – HIDE 11:15 – Crabrangucci
Plus performances from Molli Poppinz, Azalea Spanx, Purris Stilton and Academixxx throughout the day.
In addition to all this, there’s a red hot-show tonight at Reverb Lounge, headlined by Tucson’s Supersuckers, who are described as sounding like the bastard sons of Foghat, AC/DC and ZZ Top after being weaned on punk rock. They’ve been on Sub Pop and Interscope but released their last one, 2020’s Play That Rock ’n’ Roll, on Acetate Records. Opening is Lubbock band Speedealer, and our very own Wagon Blasters and Bad Actors. (The folks at Black Heart Booking love their four-band bills, and may be the only ones who do!). $25, starts at 9 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
This month’s column in The Reader is about changes in my music-listening habits and a modest proposal for a different way to compensate musicians similar to how we pay to go to movies. You can read it here or in print (I know you can pick them up at Hy-vee and La Casa).
While the price to download music is about the same as it was when the iTunes store opened more than 20 years ago (Jan. 9, 2001, according to the Google), the price for movie tickets has steadily increased. I paid $12 each for tickets to see a movie at Alamo this past weekend. Movie tickets averaged around $5 back in 2001.
Tickets to see bands have only slightly increased over the past 20 years, and the now old-fashioned $5 local shows are around $7 or $8; low-end touring indie acts start at around $10 to $12 for tickets. So you can still see live music for less than it costs to go to a movie.
Like tonight at The Waiting Room where Soul Glo headlines. The Philly hardcore punk act is an indie music darling. Their latest album, Diaspora Problems (2022, Epitaph/Secret Voice) is a Pitchfork “Best New Music” pick scoring an 8.5 on the Pitchfork meter (from PF tastemaker Ian Cohen, no less, a consummate Saddle Creek hater). Local hardcore superstars BIB opens the show along with Fire Sign and Pulse. It’s worth $10 just to see BIB. 8 p.m., bring your hard-toe boots.
Here is yet one more article about the 2022 Maha Festival, this time published by main stage sponsor Union Pacific, but written by yours truly. If you’ve ever wondered what I look like, the article includes a photo of me taken by the super-talented Ben Semisch. Check it out here.
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Been trying to figure out the backstory behind tonight’s Ian Sweet show — why is it presented by Slowdown but is being held at Reverb Lounge? Is it because Slowdown needs the full space to get ready for tomorrow night’s Sleigh Bells show? Or is it because that Ian Sweet show is a reschedule, and at the time of the resched, Slowdown was booked with something else (that dropped off)? Who knows and, I guess, what does it matter?
Ian Sweet a.k.a. Jilian Medford is on a roll these days. Her 2021 album, Show Me How to Disappear (Polyvinyl) garnered a shit ton of college airplay as well as Pitchfork love. Her latest is a 4-song EP, Star Stuff, released a couple weeks ago and is more of the sweet indie you’ve come to expect from Medford.
Opening tonight show is Chicago quartet Bnny, who dropped their debut LP, Everything, last August. $15, 8 p.m.
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