It’s that time of year again. Lazy-i will be on hiatus tomorrow and this weekend as we take in the sights and sounds of New York City (and yes, there is one show we may attend — Poison Ruin and Success at Union Pool Sunday. If I go, I’ll do a write-up).
Slim pickings show-wise this weekend. There’s a barn burner tonight at Pageturners where Dan Brennan’s rock project Healer plays with Fontenelle. No cover but a $10 donation is suggested. Starts at 8 p.m.
Nothing on tap for Friday night except #BFF, the monthly art festival in Benson. You know what to do. Ming Toy Gallery will be open tomorrow evening until 9 p.m. Come in and see the genius works of Michael Trenhaile!
Saturday night Minne Lussa headlines at The Sydney in Benson. Joining them are Lincoln band The Obscurants. Fronted by Eric May with Shawn Williams, Jon Ruff, Danny Carraher and Chris Maly. We’re talking classic Lincoln indie along the lines of Rainer Maria. The band will be heading to ARC this November to record new material. Rounding out the show is fellow Lincoln band Her Flyaway Manner. This is gonna be a corker! $6, 9 p.m.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Last night’s Cannons show was officially the weirdest crowd I’ve seen at The Slowdown. They fit no specific demographic or style – a strange combination of parents you’d see at a Little League baseball game combined with late-30s club people in resortwear or sequined pants. Alongside them, folks dressed like accountants and teachers. Here walked a young woman with what looked like a fashion-forward walking cane, passing a blond in a gold lamé crop top standing next to five guys dressed in identical black T-shirts loudly talking about bad TV shows. Lots of “Untucked” dressed shirts and slightly overstyled women who thought they were in for a night of dancing that would never happen on that overcrowded dance floor.
New Constellations at The Slowdown, Aug. 29, 2023.
New Constellations frontwoman Harlee Case was commanding the audience when I arrived, at times sounding like a cross between Kim Carnes and Angel Olson fronting an indie pop band that was much less “dance-y” than what’s heard on their latest single.
This was also one of the most crowded Slowdown main room shows in recent memory — even my secret spot near the fire doors at stage left was taken by couples with arms draped over each other. One couple feverishly made out standing in front of the stairs.
I pushed through the crowd to get a spot on the floor between sets and was immediately asked to move by a skinny young guy with a shadow mustache dressed as if for his Confirmation. “I’m saving this spot for Beyonce,” he said, making a hoop with his arms in front of him.
Beyonce? She’s here tonight?
“No,” he yelled over the music. “Fiancé. My fiancé.” I nodded, held up my hand in a peace gesture and pushed my way back up to the top aisle and through the crowd to the back by the pool tables where a steady stream of club goers walked in an out to the patio. The between-set music was a combination of Avril Lavigne, Steve Monite and late-’90s Cher. When Tina Turner got her turn, the crowd rose with the chorus — “What’s Love Got to Do With it?”
I realized pretty quickly this wasn’t going to be my scene. Early in the evening, someone I knew spotted me standing in the back and asked what I was doing there. “This is the last show I expected to see you at.”
I shot him a look. “Don’t be absurd. I like modern dance music as much as the next guy.” Which was true. I do like well-produced dance music from artists like Tei Shi, Your Smith, Charli XCX and La Roux, which Cannons music sort of reminds me of — well-made, catchy. And here was Cannons tonight – a live, 4-piece band playing dance music – bass, drums, guitar/synth and vocals that sounded almost too good to be true.
I walked up to the back end of the crowd that had pushed its way to the bar – the closest I’d get to the stage for the rest of the night. Every song sounded like an ‘80s dance anthem. A few girls in the crowd sang along while wiggling their arms over their head as the band played their hit, “Bad Dream.”
The sound mix was too bright for this style of music, which actually sounded better with earplugs. Front woman Michelle Joy announced this was their Heartbeat Highway tour, their upcoming fourth album, which has yet to be released. Among the new songs unveiled last night, “Can You Feel My Heart?,” which was straight out of an ‘80s homecoming dance but with a groovy Delfonics-style twist to the chorus. All of which might explain the older audience, although I have no idea where they could have heard this band before, other than on Netflix – but how many bands have you discovered from Netflix?
In typical Omaha fashion, this mish-mash crowd of Soviet-era disco dancers, Jersey Shore extras and elderly hipsters stood motionless throughout the set, staring at Joy as she gyrated across the stage one hand in the air, the other holding her microphone, while the band stood rock solid in the background. I thought how great this music would sound in a darkly lit club filled with folks grooving to the beat, but how it lost something in an overcrowded venue filled with people who were either too crowded or too afraid to move.
Los Angeles vibe-dance trio Cannons’s key to success has been having its songs used in a variety of cable TV shows. The band has been digitally self-releasing EPs and LPs since 2014. But they didn’t catch fire until the track “Fire for You” was used on the Netflix series Never Have I Ever. Since then, their songs have shown up in a number of TV shows, including HBO’s Ballers, Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s Topshop and Fox/Neflix series Lucifer among others.
All of that led to a deal with Columbia Records, who released 2022’s Fever Dream. They describe their music as sounding like “a Cliff Martinez’s accompanied by Stevie Nicks.” Very synth heavy, good beats, and front woman Michelle Joy has a great voice (but she’s no Stevie Nicks). Taken together, it sounds like ‘80s FM synth rock, retro and well made.
Cannons headlines tonight at The Slowdown with Portland synth-rock-dance duo New Constellations and Austin synth-rock-dance duo Jane Leo. This is a main room gig, starts at 8 p.m. and is SOLD OUT.
My evening at Bad Bad Men’s album release show at Reverb Lounge Friday night was successful in all but actually seeing Bad Bad Men perform. It’s starting to become one of those things — at least for 4-band bills — where I’m either going to go early and catch the openers or arrive late and catch the headliners. Having seen Bad Bad Men perform many times and as recently as a few months ago, I opted for the former vs. the latter, as I haven’t seen Wagon Blasters play in awhile. So apologies to John Wolf and his crew, who no doubt killed it, based on the chatter I’ve seen online. Pick up your copy of their new albu, Messed Up, online right here.
As for Wagon Blasters, Gary Dean Davis and company continue to perform with the same energy as any GDD project dating back to Frontier Trust. Gary is a timeless, non-aging entity, which I guess makes him a god (a rock god?). He bounced high on the tiny Reverb stage, belting out classic Wagon Blasters songs, sometimes with cowbell, others times with mouth harp, always with a big voice and the best stage persona of anyone ‘round these parts.
While Wagon Blasters have an amazing rhythm section, the band’s secret sauce is Mr. Will Thornton on guitar – no one plays quite like him and no band has ever matched the twang-meets-punk sound that defines “Tractor Punk.” It’s the combo of Thornton’s ringing style and Gary’s auctioneer bark that drives this massive Case harvester through fields of rolling rock (OK, that is sort of a beer reference). The only quibble about Friday’s performance is that Reverb’s stage may be too small for Gary’s bounding leaps, which one time landed him smack dab into the bass-drum mic set-up (Crunch!).
Those Far Out Arrows at Reverb Lounge, Aug. 25. 2023.
Those Far Out Arrows continue to evolve their garage psych-rock sound, kicking back on grooves that could go on forever (if I had my way). Fronted by the Keelan-White brothers of Ben and Evan on guitar and vocals, the band is one of my favorites for getting lost in their chugging rhythms and hypnotic ax work. Their last release was 2020’s Fill Yer Cup, which means they’re due for a new release. Come on, boys, let get it going!
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Last week Saddle Creek Records released a remix of Neva Dinova’s “Something’s Out There” — the band’s first new music in a decade — by The Faint’s Todd Fink. It’s a trip. Check it out:
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Tonight you’ve got a rare Monday night five-band show at a place called Razor Wire Productions, located at 1808 Vinton Street. Headlined by Las Cruxes, the line-up includes Sacramento band Santohs, Peach Paw, Good View and Grief Police. Ben Eisenberger kicks things off at 7 p.m. It’s BYOB and it’s $5 (suggested donation).
No touring indie shows this weekend, but a couple local album release gigs worth your attention:
Tonight at Reverb Lounge it’s the album release show for the debut album from Bad Bad Men. The power trio consists of Omaha rock ’n’ roll legends Chris Siebken on drums, Jerry Hug on bass and frontman/guitarist John Wolf. The album, Messed Up, is a 10-song scorcher that recalls the gritty, bluesy punk style Wolf brought to classic ‘90s-‘00s act Bad Luck Charm, sung with his distinctive snarl/growl that will have you breaking bottles and starting fights. Siebken and Hug are so tight they sound like they’re attached at the hip, while Wolf’s guitar flies high above it all.
Recorded over two days at ARC Studios with Adam Roberts, it’s the first new release on Speed! Nebraska Records in recent memory. As a result, the album release show is a pseudo showcase, as label executive Gary Dean Davis’ own band, Wagon Blasters, will kick off the evening. Also on this crowded bill are Omaha garage rock titans Those Far Out Arrows and Pagan Athletes — the prog-noise duo of Griffin and Nathan Wolf, who are, yesss, The Sons of John Wolf (now there’s a band name for you)(Waitaminit, does that make Bad Bad Men “dad rock”?).
Then tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s the vinyl release show for R.A.F.’s No Salvation album, which was released this past July. The punk band’s line-up is Paul Moerke, Tim Cox, Dereck Higgins, Dan Stewart and Kelley RAF. At least one of the band’s members is traveling in for this special one-off gig. Also on the bill are punk band Cordial Spew and “2 special guests,” according to the flyer. $15, 8 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Desaparecidos keyboardist Ian McElroy’s hip-hop project, Rig 1, released a new single yesterday, “Kindest Brother.” The track comes from his upcoming album, Separation Illusion, which drops Nov. 3 on Maria Taylor’s Flower Moon Records. The song was written by McElroy and Neva Dinova frontman Jake Bellows.
The track will be released as a double A-sided 7-inch b/w “Real Hot Boy,” a track that features Maria Taylor, Mike Bloom and Josh Rawson (Felice Brothers). In fact, the album’s credits is a “who’s who” of early century Omaha Indie music glitterati and includes Todd Fink and Clark Baechle of The Faint, Nik Freitas, Blake Sennet of Rilo Kiley and Kirby James Fairchild (Granddaddy, Modest Mouse).
To me, McElroy’s Rig 1 delivery has always been more like spoken word over trip-hop rhythms rather than straight up hip hop, like listening to slam poetry to a beat track. Check it:
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Tonight at Pageturners Lounge in Dundee indie trio Ojai headlines. The band consists of singer/songwriter Michael Hulstein with Micah Renner on bass and Tanner Rogerson on drums. Sounding like a pop-rock version of Wilco meets Harry Nilsson, they just played the opening slot at Petfest 2023 (and are probably still recovering from heat stroke).
Joining Ojai is touring singer/songwriter Al Oleander — on the road supporting her debut album, Easy Crier, a record who’s backing band included members of The Felice Brothers. Something called Stick With It opened at 8 p.m. No cover, but a $10 donation is suggested.
Other than yesterday’s news about The Astro’s delays in opening, it’s been pretty quiet news-wise.
Yesterday, Omaha Performing Arts announced Liz Phair will be performing her debut album, 1993’s Exile in Guyville, in its entirety in honor of the 30th anniversary of its release on Matador Records. It is definitely among my top-20 all-time favorite records.
However, the performance, Dec. 5, is happening at The Holland Performing Arts Center, which means it’s a sit-down show. This, after O-pa opened the $100 million+ Steelhouse Omaha general admission standing-room rock palace. No doubt Phair and/or her people were involved in the venue choice, perhaps as a money grab, who knows. It’s a shame. Holland is great, but not for rock concerts. Last time I saw Liz Phair was the show she played nearly 20 years ago (Dec. 8, 2005, to be exact) at Sokol Auditorium that commemorated 1% Production’s 500th show.
Unlike her fall tour where Blondshell opened, this one has Kate Bollinger in the opening slot. Tickets likely go on sale Friday…
A few other shows worth mentioning recently announced:
If you missed The Good Life at Outlandia, good news – they’re playing Reverb Lounge Oct. 6. This is their Album of the Year tour, so it’ll be a special night, and considering the size of Reverb, will no doubt sell out despite the $29 ticket price (with fees).
– And “An Evening with The Church” has been announced for Oct. 9 at The Waiting Room. Always a good show. Tickets are $37 (with fees).
– Red-hot Omaha punk band BIB is the headliner for this year’s Farnam Fest Oct. 14. The rest of the line-up includes Bad Self Portraits, David Nance Band, M34N STR33T and The Real Zebos. Quite a lineup for just $10.
– Not sure I mentioned this before but Speedy Ortiz is playing The Slowdown with Space Moth Nov. 17. Tickets are $20.48 (with fees).
– In case you missed it, that Sept. 20 Yo La Tengo show at The Waiting Room has been postposed due to drummer/vocalist Georgia Hubley’s knee surgery (Hey, we’re all getting older). No new date has been announce as of yet.
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Tonight comedienne / rock star Tim Heidecker is performing at The Astro. The show will feature one set of comedy followed by a second set of Heidecker’s original music. I’ve not heard his comedy act before, but I’ve listened to his recent album, High School (2022) and it’s a big-melody throwback album that’s kind of a cross between upbeat Wilco and Jimmy Buffett and has received a lot of love from Pitchfork and Paste.
This is a seated show, apparently, and the lowest priced tickets are around $50 (with fees). Starts at 8 p.m.
Looks like The Astro project has hit some snags. The new indoor/amphitheater venue, located in La Vista, was slated to have its grand opening August 30 with ’80s rocker Rick Springfield and friends. That show along with a handful of others, has been moved to alternative venues “due to unexpected delays.”
From a press release issued by The Astro this morning:
“We’re all eager for The Astro to open as Nebraska’s ultimate indoor and outdoor live music destination. Big projects like this take time. Above all, we’re committed to making this a spectacular venue while taking care of our guests and musical acts,” said Marc Leibowitz, Co-Owner of 1% Productions, which manages bookings for The Astro in partnership with Mammoth, Inc.
“Some of the concerts have moved from indoors to the outdoor Astro Amphitheater. The venue will be open in time for our mid and late-September lineup of concerts. We are grateful for everyone’s patience and understanding. The community’s support means a lot to us as we navigate this unexpected delay,” said Josh Hunt, Co-Owner of Mammoth, Inc.
The shows moved to other venues so far:
– I Want My 80’s Tour with Rick Springfield, The Hooters, Paul Young, and Tommy Tutone on August 30 moved to Liberty First Credit Union Arena, 7300 Q St, Ralston.
– Here Come the Mummies on September 7, moved to The Admiral, 2234 S 13th St, Omaha.
– Beth Hart on September 16 moved to The Admiral, 2234 S 13th St, Omaha.
– Ancient Aliens on September 20 moved to The Admiral, 2234 S 13th St, Omaha.
– Casey Donahew on September 22 moved from the Astro indoor facility to The Astro Amphitheater, 8302 City Center Drive, La Vista.
– The Gaslight Anthem on September 30 moved from The Astro’s indoor facility to The Astro Amphitheater, 8302 City Center Drive, La Vista.
Missing from this list are Goo Goo Dolls, Sept. 23; Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Sept. 24, and 311, Sept. 29, all of which fall into this same time span as shows listed above. One assumes they’re still happening at the Astro Amphitheater as originally scheduled.
If you thought this year’s Maha Festival was miserably hot, it didn’t hold a candle to Petfest last Saturday. With the heat index rising somewhere to around 105 degrees, the annual festival held behind Benson’s Petshop Gallery felt like a survival contest. No doubt the extreme temperatures put a damper on the BFF fundraiser’s attendance numbers, which, when I was there from 4 to 7 p.m., looked to only be around 100 sweaty, stoic bodies.
Like last year, the festival performances switched between two stages – one inside the garage of Petshop, the other across the rock parking lot. Festival organizers hung colorful parachutes in an vain effort to provide something resembling shade. Goddamn, it was hot.
Thirst Things FIrst try not to implode from the heat at Petfest 2023, Aug. 19.
Despite the extremes, Lincoln band Thirst Things First kept with their tradition and wore matching black track suits — stifling. A red faced Mike Elfers ripped into their set backed by this always entertaining band that is sort of a cross between Devo and The Faint but with a better sense of humor. Just like last year, their synth and guitar-heavy sound wowed the crowd. What will it take to get these folks to play a show in one of Omaha’s countless venues? The answer is $$$… or oil.
Little Brazil perform under the parachutes on the “outside stage” at Petfest 2023.
Next up across the gravel-pit lot was Little Brazil. No matter the conditions, these guys bring the rock. They took the opportunity to roll out a couple new songs, which they say will be recorded and released on a 7-inch single early next year. On one of them, Landon Hedges played a unique dissonant chord progression countered by Shawn Cox’s funky middle-Eastern-sounding riff.
Cat Piss plays a scorching set in the Petshop garage stage.
Omaha post-punk power trio Cat Piss followed inside the Petshop garage and even got a few sweaty kids slamming in front of the garage door.
While there was plenty of booze to choose from, Petfest didn’t offer food options – in fact no food trucks or food vendors that I could find. Maybe Dundee Day or the Riverfront grand opening hogged them all (or they were just following Maha’s example). That forced folks to leave the festival to eat, and likely provided a cooling respite from the heat and humidity in one of the nearby restaurants. I also needed a break, leaving after Cat Piss’ set to go home and change out of my sopping wet clothes.
Head of Femur rips through another hot song on the Petfest “outdoor” stage.
But I was back an hour later to catch the full set from Head of Femur on the “outdoor stage.” The band has been around since 2001, fronted by guitarist vocalist Matt Focht, they’ve released albums on a number of indie labels including Spin Art and Grey Day Records and are critical darlings thanks to their intense, intricate yet catchy take on prog rock.
Focht and company rolled out a number of new songs that were more melodic and less proggy than their usual fare. To my ear they sounded more traditional — and groovier — and a natural for a festival like Outlandia next year. Here’s hoping this new material is a precursor to a new album.
I split after Femur, though I could hear the festival echoing off the streets of Benson from my house a mile away. It’s a shame that the heat got in the way, but a good time was had by the hearty few who endured the inferno.
The Petfest compound looking North. Yes, i was as hot as it looks…
Other detes about Petfest: Just $30 if you buy your ticket today online here, $40 if you wait until tomorrow. Children under 10 are free. It’s located behind Petshop Gallery at 2725 No. 62nd St. The fest features 20 bands and performers starting at 2 p.m. and running sometime aft 11 p.m.
It’s going to be hot as fxxx, so bring a water bottle if you don’t plan on getting all liquored up.
Maybe because it’s being held at Lincoln’s Pinewood Bowl, but tonight’s Father John Misty concert has been flying under my radar. He played at Maha 2018 right before Weezer and was pretty good. His duet with Lana Del Rey is one of my favorite songs of 2023. FJM is opening tonight for boring folks rock act The Head and the Heart. Miya Folick also is on the bill. This is a seated show with tickets running between $30 and $70 bucks. Starts at 8 p.m.
Also tonight, Des Moines folk rock band The Nadas plays at Reverb Lounge with Elizabeth Moen. $20, 8 p.m.
Tomorrow (Saturday) in addition to Petfest, it’s Dundee Day, which I accidentally wrote about last week (right here). Again, don’t miss the parade along Underwood Avenue at 10:30 a.m. featuring a marching band consisting of a number of indie music notables from bands that include Desaparecidos, Cursive, Flowers Forever, the list goes on and on. Should be weird.
Las Cruxes kicks off the Dundee Night Street Party at 4 p.m., which is capped off by Satchel Grande at 10:15 p.m. The full line-up is here.
Also, the Riverfront grand opening is this weekend, and there are a couple interesting performances, but you’ll have to navigate their painfully lousy website to figure it out. I plan on going down there sometime this weekend. Future home of Maha Music Festival…
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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