By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

UPDATE, NEVERMIND: I just discovered looking at the Pageturners page that this show is SOLD OUT. I didn’t know they were offering tickets… Here’s the preview anyway…

. 0 0 0 .

For purely selfish reasons, I thought about not writing this preview of tonight’s Cindy Lee / Freak Heat Waves show at Pageturners Lounge. 

Lee’s new album, Diamond Jubilee, has been playing on repeat in my car and on my earbuds for the past couple weeks, after Lazy-i reader Jim DeRouchey pointed out how I forgot to list tonight’s show in my “look ahead” column. Jim included a link to Pitchfork’s review of the album, where it received both a “best new music” designation and a staggering 9.1 rating. I can’t remember the last time (if ever) Pitchfork rated a new-ish underground artist’s album above a 9.0.

So, I immediately went to Spotify to check out the album, but… it wasn’t there. It isn’t on Bandcamp or Apple Music or any other major streaming service, either. Instead, you can download the Diamond Jubliee’s two hours-worth of music from the artist’s geocities website (the cost is a suggested $30 donation via Paypal). I rarely agree with Pitchfork these days, but this time the hype was real. The album is a spacey collection of echoey folk-rock tunes that sound like they were recorded by The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson between Pet Sounds takes. 

Cindy Lee, a.k.a. Patrick Fiegel, is the former singer/guitarist for the band Women. While the rest of Women went on to form the band Preoccupations, Fiegel created Cindy Lee, and here we are.  You can listen to the Diamond Jubilee in its entirety at YouTube, below. I like this business model – keep the album off streaming services and make it available via download from your own servers! Let’s get artists paid again.

Anyway, why the reluctance to let you know about tonight’s show? Because it’s being held at tiny Pageturners Lounge. The last time I went to Pageturners to see a performance I never got in the door because there was nowhere to sit or stand to listen the band. I fear the same thing could happen tonight. Yes, I could get to Pageturners an hour early and scope out a table, but I got shit to do, damnit!

Seriously, congrats to Pageturners for getting this amazing show. In the current state of Omaha’s music scene – when the city’s many high-end venues are busy booking vanilla pop acts, stand-up comics, yee-haw cow pokes and has-beens freedom rockers whose last hit was 30 years ago — seeing quality touring indie bands has become an every-man-for-himself endeavor.

Opening for Cindy Lee tonight is fellow Canadians Freak Heat Waves, the duo of Steven Lind and Thomas Di Ninno, whose new album, Mondo Tempo, includes a guest vocal by Cindy Lee. The show starts at 8 p.m. and is free, though a donation is suggested. Look for the awkward dude crammed in the corner, trying to stay out of people’s way, bobbing his head to the beat… UPDATE: THIS IS SOLD OUT.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One of the biggest surprises of this coming weekend’s Lincoln Calling Festival line-up is that legendary Nebraska punk band Ritual Device is reuniting for a one-off concert featuring the band’s original line-up. 

A four-piece consisting of guitarist Mike Saklar, drummer Eric Ebers, bass player Jerry Hug and frontman/madman Tim Moss, Ritual Device was one of the key bands during Nebraska’s first golden age of indie music. Along with acts like Mousetrap, Frontier Trust, Simon Joyner and Lincoln’s Mercy Rule, Ritual Device recorded and released music and toured throughout the country at a time when very few Nebraska bands did. 

For those who missed it, here’s my original description of this band, written 30 or so years ago: Ritual Device is a tortured, monolithic punk rock band whose sound had been aptly described as “gutter groove.” They make perfect background music for your typical serial killing or high-speed chase through a bombed-out Beirut neighborhood. The closest comparison? Maybe the Jesus Lizard meets Ministry with a little Nine Inch Nails thrown in (without the synths, of course). It is violent music, scary.

On stage, Ritual Device also was violent – shows were riots of noise and panic, with Moss egging on the crowd with a microphone chord wrapped around his wrist and elbow, his long hippy hair sweat-matted to his face, throwing raw pig ears into the thrashing mob. Through that haze of mayhem, the band’s bass/drum/guitar groove piston-pumped like an overheated Mopar engine – angry, infectious, and, yes, groovy.

And now you, too, can experience Ritual Device in all its glory, not only Saturday night at Duffy’s as part of Lincoln Calling, but at two nights of shows – Thursday and Friday – at Reverb Lounge. When the band last reunited almost 10 years ago at a crowded Waiting Room Lounge, Moss had said it would be their last waltz. But when Lincoln Calling organizers reached out, he and the band couldn’t say no.

“I didn’t think we’d play again, either,” Moss said Sunday night after the band’s first rehearsal for this spate of shows. “I had to sit on it a few days before I talked to the other guys. It seemed like, ‘Why not?’ We were all in a good spot to do it.”

Moss, who lives in San Francisco, is the artist manager for bands Faith No More and Sleep and the road manager for Mastodon, who currently isn’t touring. The remaining members are active in other local projects. Mike Saklar fronts The Sun-Less Trio and Jerry Hug plays bass in Bad, Bad Men (who will be playing right before Ritual Device Saturday night at Lincoln Calling and Friday night at Reverb). Last year Ebers played drums with the Cotton brother’s band, Violenteer.

So how was that first practice? “It was a little rough,” Moss said, but quickly added that they’ll be ready by this weekend. The set list no doubt will include songs from Henge, the band’s 1993 debut on Redemption Records. Produced by the band and recorded and produced by The Jesus Lizard’s David Wm. Sims, it’s something of a lost treasure of punk rock, having never been rereleased and unavailable on streaming services Spotify and Apple Music… but not for long.

The band will reintroduce Henge to the world with a remastered digital-only version. The plan was to have the new version available before these shows but “it’s taking a little longer for us to be happy with it,” Moss said. Working on the project is Chicago’s Carl Saff, whose credits include mastering albums by Sleep, Mudhoney, Bardo Pond, Sonic Youth and more. In addition to the full album, the release will include tracks from the band’s “Pork Fist” single. 

In a post on social media, Moss summed up his feelings about Ritual Device and the role it’s played in his life: “After the band broke up, my path now clear to me, I moved to California and never looked back traveling further into this life of Music, but it was this band, this little noise-rock punk combo, that introduced the World to me, and I will always be grateful for that and to my three band mates who shared it with me.”

The schedule for this week’s Ritual Device reunion shows are as follows. Choose wisely:

• — Thursday, May 3 at Reverb Lounge, Ritual Device with Pagan Athletes and Nowhere. 8 p.m., $20.
• — Friday, May 4 at Reverb Lounge, Ritual Device with Bad, Bad Men and Gerald Lee Jr. 8 p.m., $20. 
• — Saturday, May 5, at the Lincoln Calling Music Festival – Duffy’s Tavern, 11 p.m. Full weekend passes are $60; one-day passes are $40 and available from Lincolncalling.com. 

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Storm warnings this weekend – keep your head on a swivel and your car in the garage! 

Tonight our old friends The Filter Kings bring their shit-kicking country rock to the Reverb Lounge stage. Drop on by and check out Lee and the boys, and don’t forget your cowboy boots (and hat!). Omaha rockers Garst opens at 9 p.m. 

The twang continues at Reverb Saturday night when so-called “insurgent country” artist William Elliot Whitmore headlines. More folk/Americana than country, Whitmore has released albums on a variety of indie labels including Anti-, Southern and Bloodshot. His latest is the self-released Silently, The Mind Breaks. The Filter Kings’ Gerald Lee, Jr., opens at 8 p.m. $20.

Also Saturday night, The Sydney in Benson is hosting Minneapolis artist ET. I’ve looked and looked and can’t find out a single thing about ET, so you’re on your own. Jeff in Leather and Ex-Lover open this 9 p.m. show. $12. 

Also, Saturday is Earth Day in Elmwood Park. Like every year, there’s a live music stage. Artists include Bad Self Portraits and Un-Til. Check out the full schedule here.

Sunday night, Polyvinyl artist STRFKR headlines at The Admiral Theater. The band may be best known for their publishing rights deals, having had tracks used on a variety of TV shows (Weeds, The Blacklist, Skins), films (The Fault in Our Stars, 21 & Over), and TV commercials (Target, Apple). You’ve heard their music before; you just didn’t know it was them playing it. Chromatics’ frontwoman Ruth Radelet opens at 8 p.m. $30.

Also Sunday, The Slowdown is hosting an alt-punk show in their main room with bands Strung Out, The Casualties and The Venomous Pinks. $30, 8 p.m.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Philly band Sheer Mag played a red-hot set last night in front of a crowd of about 30 at Reverb Lounge. A personal favorite since their 2017 debut album Need to Feel Your Love, sharp-eyed, long-time Lazy-i readers will remember “Expect the Bayonet” from the Lazy-i Best of 2017 compliation. Sadly, the band didn’t play “…Bayonet” last night, but did play that album’s unbelievably groovy title track linked below this review (be patient and get past the song’s odd southern rock intro).

I’ve never been able to quite put my finger on who lead singer Tina Halladay’s voice reminds me of – I’ve always considered it uniquely one-of-a-kind – until last night when it struck me she sounds like a very young Michael Jackson a la The Jackson 5 circa 1971. At times the band reminded me of the J5, too, especially on the aforementioned track and the similar sounding “Moonstruck” from their just released album Playing Favorites (Third Man Records). 

They’re often compared to Thin Lizzy and their logo even apes Thin Lizzy’s font style, but what really powers those comparisons is lead axe man Kyle Seely’s groovy, bluesy guitar lines countered perfectly by the rhythm section of bassist Hart Seely and drummer Evan Campbell. The band is rounded out by rhythm guitarist Matt Palmer (who was virtually unheard in the mix). You definately got a ’70s arena-rock vibe, right down to their walk-on music (Molly Hatchet’s “Good Rockin'”).

Pitchfork recently pooh-poohed their new album, saying (in essence) this is what happens when a band nails their sound on their first album. Yeah, that could be a problem if more people knew who they were, but despite signing to Jack White’s Third Man Records, Sheer Mag continues to fly under the radar, waiting to be discovered by the audience it deserves. 

. 0 0 0 .

9Million is a Toronto shoegaze band helmed by the multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Matthew Tomasi, known for his work with acts Ethel Cain and Nicole Dollanganger. While his band’s older material sort of has that shoegaze haze, grunge is the first thing that comes to mind listening to their latest EP, Gush, released last year. Playing as a seven-piece, it could be a crowded stage when the band plays tonight at The Sydney in Benson. It also could be a late night as The Dirts and Size Queen open at the published start time of 8 p.m. (which I’ll believe when I see). $12.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Former Nebraskan now New Yorker, Stathi, dropped a note the other day to say he’s got a new track out called “Chasing Dreams, Chasing Time.” You can find it here on Bandcamp. 

Stathi also recently opened for Conor Oberst at Bowery Ballroom during his sold-out NYC Residency, night one. “Very cool experience! I played a few songs in his band during this set as well on keys and vocals,” Stathi said. 

Like its Los Angeles version, the weekly New York City residency, called Conor Oberst and Friends, has had a plethora of “special guests” including Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, Yeah Yeah Yeahs members Brian Chase and Nick Zinner, the Strokes’ Nikolai Fraiture, LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang, and Clark Baechle of The Faint, according to Stereogum. 

. 0 0 0 . 

Tonight at Reverb Lounge it’s the return of Philly rockers Sheer Mag. Their latest, Playing Favorites, was released last month on Third Man Records. At the band’s core is frontwoman Tina Halladay, who has one of the most distinctive, raw vocal styles in indie these days. Omaha rockers Garst opens at 8 p.m. $20.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In February when the Maha Music Festival announced it was 86-ing this year’s festival, it felt like another symptom of the slow death of indie music here in River City. Maha is/was the last reflection of a time when Omaha was a magnet for up-and-coming touring indie bands. And now even that festival was gone (for now?).

Then last week Grrrl Camp Festival announced its 2024 line-up and, by god, they’ve managed to out-Maha Maha in terms of up-and-coming touring indie bands. While no rules govern Grrrl Camp booking, there’s little doubt that the festival is a celebration of women artists in a time when women artists are calling the shots – both in the indie and pop music worlds. 

Slated for July 19 and 20 at Falconwood Park in Bellevue, One Percent Productions and Falconwood have put together one of the strongest lineups of up-and-coming touring indie acts of any local regional festival. It’s loaded top to bottom.

On top of the list, Indigo de Souza, Saddle Creek Record’s current break-out act, whose last two albums have been critical and indie fan favorites.

Mannequin Pussy, who’s latest, I Got Heaven (Epitaph), is a Pitchfork “Best New Music” pick (a staggering 8.8 rating) and will provide the festival’s eye-gouging power rock moment.

Hurray for the Riff Raff‘s latest, The Past is Still Alive (Nonesuch), also is a Pitchfork “Best New Music” pick (8.3 rating)). The indie veterans who play gorgeous folk-tinged rock and count Conor Oberst among their fans (Conor also sings on their new album). 

And the last big-font name is none other than Oakland garage-punk heroes Shannon and the Clams, who I was lucky enough to see perform on The River City Star’s “sailin’ and wailin’” cruise back in May 2016. 

That alone is pretty impressive, but the remaining 10 bands on the bill are also top-shelf.

Rosali is a known commodity here in Omaha as her backing band is made up of dudes who play with David Nance (and includes Nance himself). Her latest album, Bite Down (Merge Records), is a standout. The band has been touring the U.S., culminating in a sold-out show at fabulous O’Leaver’s last weekend.

Annie DiRusso plays gritty confessional indie rock in the vein of Blondshell. Her latest EP is God, I Hate This Place (2023, Good Partners), and is a personal favorite. She’s got a full-length in the can for release later this year.

Minneapolis trio Vial’s latest, burnout (2024, Get Better), is 10 songs in 10 minutes and is brat-punk gold. They played at Reverb Lounge last year. 

Leeds, England, trio Girl Ray plays fun dance rock that sounds like un-cheesy disco with a nod toward Bee Gees and George Michael. Their latest LP, Prestige (2023, Moshi Moshi), was co-produced by Ben H. Allen (M.I.A., Gnarls Barkley, Deerhunter). 

Boston duo Mint Green‘s sound borders on modern emo. Pictoria Vark is throw-back indie (who remembers Kite Pilot?). Wichita trio Keo & Them has an R&B vibe that kind of reminds me of Khruangbin. 

Three locals round out the bill. Lincoln’s Estrogen Projection, Madeline Reddel and Krissy.

To give you an idea just how “up and coming” these bands are, albums from three of the bands currently are charting in the top-20 on the College Radio Charts — Hurray for the Riff Raff (No. 7), Mannequin Pussy (No. 8) and Rosali (No. 15), while Vial’s latest is No. 76. Indigo De Soua’s last album also topped that chart.

Hat’s off to One Percent Productions and Falconwood for putting together this line-up. Grrrl Camp is like a perfect “other” to One Percent’s Outlandia Festival, whose headliners appeal to an older audience (The Flaming Lips, Head and the Heart, Dinosaur Jr., etc). 

The biggest challenge for Grrrl Camp will be overcoming its name. If you only knew the name, you’d think the festival was a two-day music development camp that’s an off-shoot to Omaha Girls Rock. In fact, some dudes may not even check out the line-up or will think the festival isn’t for guys at all, which is anything but the truth, according to organizer Shannon Claire, who said guys are indeed invited to this Grrrl Camp…

Early bird tickets for the full weekend are just $65 – insanely cheap! Tix and more info at https://www.falconwoodpark.com/grrrlcamp…

. 0 0 0 . 

LA-based alt rock band Silversun Pickups headlines tonight at The Admiral. The band’s last formal LP was 2022’s Physical Thrills (New Machine Recordings). It should be noted that the Pickups’ biggest hit “Lazy Eye” is not the official anthem for this blog. LA four-piece Rocket opens the show at 8 p.m. $40.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Lazy-i will be going on a brief hiatus until next Wednesday. Being out of town means I’l miss one of the better shows of the year Saturday night when Rosali plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s. 

Rosali’s new album, Bite Down, was released late last month on powerhouse indie label Merge Records and features a team of Omaha’s finest as her backing band including David Nance on bass, guitar; James Schroeder on guitar, synths; and Kevin Donahue on drums.  The band has been on the road since mid-March supporting Mary Timony and doing solo tour dates in April throughout the country. 

The O’Leaver’s gig is the final stop on the tour, and will no doubt be a special performance. Dereck Higgins as D.H.X. will open. $15, 9 p.m. 

Another show of note actually takes place tomorrow night at The Sydney in Benson. Self Evident is a Minneapolis-based post-punk band that’s been around at least since the turn of the century. Local boys Fromanhole toured with them back in the day (and word on the street is to keep an eye out for a new iteration of Fromanhole under a different name later this summer). Playing with Self Evident Thursday night is another throwback band, Oklahoma City’s Traindodge. Omaha’s own Ojai opens at 8 p.m. (though, knowing Syd’s track record, it could be more like 9). $12.

Back to the weekend…

Also Saturday night, Denver alt rock band The Velveteers headlines at The Slowdown small stage. Their last studio album, 2021’s Nightmare Daydream, was produced by Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and has a sort of Garbage vibe. Omaha acts JACK and Cape Acidic are supporting. $20, 8 p.m.

And, of course, Saturday is Record Store Day. There was a time when this was a much bigger deal. I guess it still is a big deal for the hardcore collectors who will be in line at Homer’s, Grapefruit, Vinyl Cup and Recycled Sounds trying to nab their limited-edition RSD-exclusive vinyl. For those participating, may the odds be in your favor…

That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend …

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Indigo Girls circa the ’90s. The duo plays at The Astro tonight.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I was sitting on the side of a grassy hill somewhere in Philadelphia circa 1991 the last time I saw the Indigo Girls. It was shortly after the release of their breakthrough self-titled album – a record that carved their name into the zeitgeist of ‘90s pop culture and continues to be popular thanks to the film “Barbie” that used the track “Closer to Fine” in its soundtrack. It’s hard to underscore the album’s impact when it was first released, placing Indigo Girls alongside artists like Tracy Chapman, 10,000 Maniacs, The Sundays and Suzanne Vega. The style wasn’t folk as much as college rock and certainly not something you could hear on Omaha radio stations…

Anyway, The Indigo Girls play tonight at The Astro in La Vista. Joining them is singer/songwriter Annie Humphrey (whereas, when I saw the IGs in the ‘90s, a Lincoln kid named Matthew Sweet opened that show). Tickets range from $51 to $90 via Ticketmaster. Show starts at 7:30. 

Also tonight,  Irish electronic music group VNV Nation plays at The Slowdown in the main room. Joining them is Canadian cold wave duo TRAITRS. $37, 8 p.m. Bring your dance shoes.

. 0 0 0 . 

Here’s a glance at what’s on my radar through July. No doubt more shows will be added…

• April 18 – Self Evident @ The Sydney
• April 20 – Rosali @ O’Leaver’s
• April 24 – Sheer Mag @ Reverb
• April 25 – 9Million @ The Sydney
• April 27 – William Elliot Whitmore at Reverb
• April 28 – STRFKR @ The Admiral
• April 30 – Cindy Lee @ Pageturners
• May 1 – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit @ The Astro
• May 2-3 – Ritual Device @ Reverb
• May 3-4 – Lincoln Calling
• May 7 – Ty Segall @ The Waiting Room
• May 7 – Wild Party @ Reverb
• May 12 – Horse Jumper of Love @ The Blindspot
• May 14 – Local Natives @ The Admiral
• May 19 – The Chats @ The Slowdown
• May 22 – Social Distortion at The Astro
• May 30 – Wednesday @ The Slowdown
• June 4 – Cloud Nothings @ Reverb
• June 5 – Dead Horses @ Reverb
• June 9 – Lucinda Williams @ The Admiral
• June 10 – The Mars Volta @ The Admiral
• June 25 – French Cassettes @ The Slowdown
• July 8 – The Baseball Project @ The Waiting Room
• July 15 – Etran de L’Air

What am I missing?

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Urban Heat play with Twin Tribes Sunday night at Reverb Lounge.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here we go:

Tonight at The Sydney, Lincoln slam-bash noise-rock trio Dip Tet headlines a rock show. Joining them is newish noise-rock trio In Tongues, a band that features long-time LinOma indie-punk veterans Robert Little, Jason Ludwick and Boz Hicks. Opening the evening is Radical Sabbatical, who I don’t know, but maybe you do (or maybe you should)? $10, 9 p.m.

Moving on to Saturday, it’ll be another red-hot night at fabulous O’Leaver’s for practically a mini-festival with five – count them five! – bands on the bill. Headlining is Omaha’s favorite Latin punk rockers Las Cruxes. Joining them is a gaggle of bands I haven’t seen nor heard before: Peach Paw, Frankie Chairo, Saving Fiona and Sundown Effect. Look, it’s like one of those mystery bags you get at the comic shop – you never now what’ll be inside, but it’s never boring. And… it’s free! Bands start at 9 p.m. (gonna be a long, hot night). 

Also Saturday night, ‘90s St. Lous ska band The Urge headlines a sold-out show at The Waiting Room. They remind me of a time before Saddle Creek Records when they, along with 311 and a host of Get Go bands, dominated the Ranch Bowl stage and everyone read SLAM Omaha. Joining them is Blue Moon Ghetto and new band Mad Mad Heart. Curtain at 8 p.m. 

Then there’s a couple hot shows on Sunday night.

Philly’s Slaughter Beach, Dog began as a side project by Jake Ewald, the former frontman for indie-emo band Modern Baseball. Their full length was Crying, Laughing, Waving, Smiling, released last September on Lame O Records. These guys got a West Coast easy-living sound even though they’re from the rugged, cold East Coast. Go figure. Joining them at The Slowdown Sunday night is Nashville singer/songwriter Erin Rae. $25, in the big room, starts at 8 p.m. 

Also Sunday night, so-called Texas “darkwave” duo Twin Tribes headlines at Reverb Lounge. We’re talking ‘80s synths, chiming guitars, drum machines, black clothes, eye liner, fake accents, etc. Joining them is fellow ‘80s-style electronic/synth trio Urban Heat and Brooklyn synthy post-punk trio Bootblacks. No doubt this show could be shit-ton of fun if they can get people to dance. 8 p.m., $20. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’ve been digging through old photos lately (and will be doing a lot more in the future), and pulled a couple in honor of Throwback Thursday.

The top image was taken at The Slowdown Nov. 4, 2007. Stars was the band performing on stage. Shortly after The Slowdown opened that year, they installed this crazy sculpture in the rafters of the main room made out of (what I thought was) large plastic paint buckets (see top of photo). I thought it was a super-cool addition to the club, and would have loved if they kept it up there, but after a few months, it disappeared. Hey Slowdown, bring it back (and bring back Stars, who this fall will be on a 20th Anniversary Tour in the U.S. for the album Set Yourself on Fire)!

Above, Little Brazil performs at the inaugural Maha Music Festival, held downtown on Lewis & Clark Landing way back on Aug. 29, 2009. This appears to be the Brashear LLP Stage – there also was a second, larger MAHA Stage headlined by Dashboard Confessional, who coincidentally, will be playing at Steelhouse Omaha Sept. 24. Maha stayed at L&C Landing one more year (2010, with Spoon and The Faint), before moving to Stinson Park in Aksarben Village in 2011 due to massive flooding along the Missouri River. Now we continue to wait with baited breath to see if Maha will return downtown in 2025 at the new Riverfront Park…

. 0 0 0 .

Yesterday, there was a new post on The Jewell’s social media channels, heralding the return of what is now being called “The Jewell on Capitol.” The original Jewell shut down operations last September. Sure enough, if you go to jewellomaha.com you’ll see a “Coming Soon” message, along with “Reviving a beloved live music lounge – now hiring servers and bartenders to craft unforgettable experiences.”

More to come…

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.