by Tim McMahan, lazy-i.com

After last night’s Horse Jumper of Love show at The Sydney, it made perfect sense why the band selected Old Ramon by Red House Painters as their favorite album. 

Horse Jumper of Love has a similar overcast, mid-tempo, slowcore style as RHP and frontman/guitarist Dimitri Giannopoulos even has a Kozelek-esque voice. And while both bands’ music is wonderfully moody, unlike RHP songs that can go on for eight minutes or more, HJoL’s songs quickly get to the point – three times through and out. 

Their first time in Omaha, Giannopoulos squinted through most of the set. “We’ve been in the van for a long time and these lights are very bright,” he said. The crowd of around 40 didn’t mind, clearly mesmerized by the low-key splendor. 

I’ve only recently been introduced to this band because of this tour date, so I’m not familiar with many song titles. Not that it would have mattered as Giannopoulos said they were playing a number of new songs last night. I did recognize slower, gorgeous versions of the title song from 2023’s Heartbreak Rules album and “Spaceman” from their self-titled 2017 debut.

The band held a quiet intensity throughout the 30-minute set, and I was reminded of the great, dreamy, post-rock bands I grew up listening to, like Bedhead, Low, Sun Kil Moon and Mark Eitzel/American Music Club. Last night’s Horse Jumper set fit right in, though their recordings are typically more upbeat (and faster). Who can blame them for sounding so lonely – after all, it had been raining all day, and they were in that van for a long time.

I caught most of The Dirts’ opening set sitting back in one of the broken booths by the front door, and thought to myself, ‘these folks may be onto something if they can get their vocals figured out.’ Once again, whether it was the frontman or one of the women singing, the vocals were lost/buried in amidst the chiming guitars. But maybe that’s how they want it…

* * *

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

Hey it’s been awhile since we did the Lazy-i Ten Question survey, but it’s back!

Horse Jumper of Love is the name of a Boston indie rock trio came out of the box clearly influenced by ‘90s shoegaze acts like My Bloody Valentine. The band released its debut self-titled album in 2016 on Gawk Records but was quickly signed to sturdy mid-tier indie label Run For Cover Records for the 2019 follow-up, So Divine.

Their last full-length, Heartbreak Rules (2023, Run for Cover), was a shift toward more traditional indie, complete with acoustic guitars and pedal steel. Pitchfork gave the record a 7.1 rating, saying “At the band’s live shows, audience members sway side-to-side, caught in a state of hypnosis; Horse Jumper of Love cast a similar ambiance here.”

Judge Pitchfork’s accuracy this Sunday night when Horse Jumper of Love headlines at The Sydney in Benson. This show was originally slated for DIY space The Blindspot but (I guess) was moved (as it’s listed on The Sydney calendar page). 

We gave the band the ol’ Ten Questions treatment and here’s what they had to say:

1. What is your favorite album?

Horse Jumper of Love: Old Ramon – Red House Painters

2. What is your least favorite song?

That song that goes “Because I’m Happy” by Pharrell

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

Going around, doing things, meeting new people, staying busy, having an outlet, eating

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

Being judged by the audience

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

Chamomile tea, knocks me out every time 

6. In what city or town do you love to perform (and why)?

Dublin Ireland and Glasgow Scotland. Nice People!

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

Any city where there is a merch-cut narc at the venue. It breaks our spirits!

8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?

No. We’ve worked many service jobs. We’ve been Pizza men, dog walkers, temps, construction workers, prep chefs, dishwashers, sold plasma etc

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

I’d like to be a gardener, mail man, or a mechanic. I’d hate to be a test subject or a yuppie 

10. What stories have you heard about Omaha, Nebraska?

There once was a ghost in Omaha 
He rode on an old beat up Yamaha 
With bugs in his head 
He loved being dead 
and his favorite song was Van Halen’s “Panama”

Horse Jumper of Love Plays with The Dirts and Western Haikus Sunday, May 12, at The Sydney in Benson. Showtime is 8 p.m., $15.

. 0 0 0 . 

So what else is going on this weekend?

Well, tonight amazing 2000s-era dance rock act CSS is doing a DJ set at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Who remembers “Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death from Above” or “Music is My Hot, Hot Sex”? Sure, we all do. This is bound to be an all night dance party, especially with WERDISBOND providing the opening DJ set. Buying advance tickets ($15) is highly recommended. Show starts at 8 p.m. 

Sunday night is a log-jam of shows.

There’s the aforementioned Horse Jumper of Love show at The Sydney.

Meanwhile, down at The Slowdown, jazz great Kamasi Washington returns to the main room. Surprised this hasn’t sold out yet. $37, 8 p.m. 

Also Sunday afternoon, PROBLEMS (a.k.a. Darren Keen) is celebrating the release of Enter the Annals, out today on The Record Machine records. Joining him on the bill are Flesh Produce, Geno Beach and DJ Beetlebitch. This one starts at 2 p.m. – a matinee! — and is $15.

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

So that’s the concert announcement – Eric Bachmann will perform at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St., on May 27, Memorial Day. Tickets are on sale here only (and will not be available at the door). 

There’s a story behind this show.

Bachmann is on an Undertow Tour. Undertow helps artists book nationwide tours performed in fans’ living rooms. They’ve been doing it since 2009 with artists including Will Johnson, Damian Jurado, Owen, Lady Lamb, even Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. 

It works like this: Fans offer their living rooms for the performance and Undertow handles ticket sales and promotion. Typically, except for a zip code the house’s location isn’t revealed until a ticket is purchased “to protect privacy.”

Anyway, last year an Undertow show was hosted in a local brewery’s “tasting room.” I didn’t know Undertow allowed shows in anything but living rooms, and thought “Well, gosh, we could host Undertow shows at our Benson art gallery.” 

I sent the gallery’s specifics to Undertow, and here we are. 

Bachmann is something of an indie legend. In the early ‘90s he fronted the seminal indie rock band Archers of Loaf, whose albums include 1993’s Icky Mettle and ’95’s Vee Vee, both released on Alias but later rereleased, along with the rest of the Archers of Loaf catalog, on Merge Records. 

In 2000, following Archers’ break up, Bachmann formed Crooked Fingers backed by a rotating cast of musicians. WARM Records released the first couple albums — the same label that released Azure Ray’s first couple albums, which, btw, also featured guest appearances by Bachmann. Merge has released most of Crooked Fingers’ catalog.

While all that was happening, Bachmann recorded solo records, including 2006’s To the Races, released on our very own Saddle Creek Records. (Interestingly, Saddle Creek Records used to house its offices in the gallery space where this concert is being held, years before the label moved to its current No-Do location.)

Most recently, Bachmann has toured with a reunited Archers of Loaf. The band released its first full-length in 25 years, Reason in Decline, in 2022. 

And now Bachmann is on another solo tour, which will bring him to Omaha and to our gallery.

We’re pretty excited about hosting this, our first show ever. If it works out, we’re hoping to host more Undertow shows. This is an intimate performance – only 40 tickets will be available (and it looks like 14 have already sold). Tickets are $25, and only available via online purchase here. Doors at 7:15, the show begins at 8 p.m. with no opening act. 

I’ll write more about this show and why we’re doing shows at the gallery as we get closer to the concert date. I’m also trying to swing an interview with Bachmann for a Lazy-i blog entry. In the meantime, buy a ticket before they’re gone!

* * *

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

Ty Segall and his four-piece backing band came on just after 9 p.m. last night at The Waiting Room, playing to a large (though not sold out) crowd. There was an olfactory preview of what we were about to see and hear as pungent pot smoke oozed from some hidden place behind the stage, presumably from the green room. 

Segall and his band ripped into a handful of songs from the band’s lastest album, Three Bells, that, when performed live, sounded more like ‘70s prog-rock than the psych/garage sound Segall is known for. Choppy, complicated riffs supported choppy, complicated songs.

Segall is first and foremost a guitar player, completing every song with intricate fills and stratospheric solos. In the ‘70s, for some guitar heroes just shredding at that level was enough – no need for vocals. But to his credit, Segall sings above whatever clever riff he’s invented. He doesn’t really have a rock voice, but unlike early in his career when he barked through static distortion, last night Segall’s vocals were unfettered — what you heard is what you got, mostly for the better. 

It wasn’t until the band ripped into a heavy, funky version of “I Hear” (so much better than the recorded version) that things really took off. Like the first time I saw him play back in 2013 at Sokol Underground, Segall set up in the stage-right corner and sang and played toward the drummer and rest of the band throughout the entire set, never directly facing the crowd. If you were standing stage left you had a view of his back all night, only briefly looking up or to the left through his thick, blond shag. 

After that song, his bass player complained about the stage lighting that was seemingly being beamed directly into his eyes. “Can you douse that; I can’t see shit.” The lights were cut with only dim rear stage lighting, until Segall asked, “Can you turn it up the light, I can’t see my friends?” *Light* “They’re back!”

Another set highlight was a tight version of “Whisper,” off 2021’s Harmonizer album.  Yet another was an intensely groovy version of “Ghost” off 2012’s Twins, which Segall said had been a request received before the set. It wasn’t until about 45 minutes in that the band ripped through a handful of the garage-rock songs.

That contrast in styles – from the intricate prog to dense rock to garage noise – kept it interesting throughout a loud evening that no doubt would have been even more enjoyable if I’d been high…

. 0 0 0 . 

Yesterday’s announcement that Roger Daltrey and Inhaler (a.k.a. Bono’s Son’s Band) are playing this year’s Memorial Park Concert June 28 was not the “imminent” show announcement I implied yesterday, nor was the announcement that Fontaines D.C. are playing Slowdown Oct. 5 – though both shows were a welcome surprise. 

No, the show to be announced tomorrow will take place at a much more intimate “venue,” but you’ll just have to wait to find out who – and were – it wil be…

* * *

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

Look for a special show announcement later this week, probably on Thursday. The mystery artist is a former frontman to a couple notable indie acts, and sax player. Keep watching Lazy-i for details.

. 0 0 0 . 

Speaking of former indie frontmen, tonight at The Waiting Room, Ty Segall headlines. You’d have to go way back in his career to discover he was in the band Epsilons. Segall is better known for his solo work, which began with his self-titled studio album, released back in 2008 on Jon Dwyer’s Castle Face Records (and on cassette on Burger Records).  

Segall and Dwyer (who fronts Coachwhips and Thee Oh Sees) have a lot in common sonically; Segall’s first solo record had the same raw, psych guitar sound, complete with Segall’s Dwyer-like megaphone vocals. 

Fourteen studio albums followed. Through the years Segall refined his sound, vacilating between raw, gutteral noise and more nuanced glam, but always staying on the garage-psych-rock path. 2012’s Twins (Drag City Records) was the first time I heard Segall’s music as his band headlined a show at Sokol Underground with Digital Leather and Ex-Cult.  From the review of that show:

Well, Segall never quite reached Jack White level, but he’s persevered. Two years later he headlined in Omaha again, this time at The Waiting Room touring in support of Manipulator (Drag City). Then Segall and his band, Fuzz, rolled through town in 2022, playing The Slowdown with a then lesser-known David Nance Band. This time he was supporting III (In the Red Records), an album that honed his garage sound and replaced it with something that more closely resembled ‘70s heavy metal a la Montrose or Rainbow. 

Tonight Segall returns to The Waiting Room supporting his latest, Three Bells (2024, Drag City), which, for my money, is the most mature-sounding album of his career. The record features a variety of guitar styles, combining acoustic with electric, always showcasing the full gamut of Segall’s amazing talent. He’s put away the megaphone as well, providing an unfettered, unfuzzed look at his rather groovy voice. 

Opening tonight’s show for Segall is SF freak-rock duo Sharpie Smile, f.k.a. Kamikaze Palm Tree. 8 p.m., $26. 

* * *

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

The big deal going on this weekend is, of course, Lincoln Calling. I’ll get to that in a sec. First, the reason why I won’t be at LC this weekend….

Tonight is the first Friday of May, which means it’s Benson First Friday (#BFF). That’s the day of the month when venues and art galleries up and down Maple Street open their doors to local artists and their wares.

And that includes Ming Toy Gallery, where tonight we have an opening for Marvel comics artist and Lincoln native Bob Hall. Throughout his career, Hall drew some of the most iconic superheroes of the ’70s, ‘80s and ’90s, including The Avengers, Spider-man, The Champions, Dr. Doom, as well DC hero Batman and many more. We’re featuring Hall’s comic art – including many original, full-page comic book panels. The opening tonight runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. Come by, say hi, see some heroes and have a beer.  

BTW, you can read all about Bob in my first-ever story for Flatwater Free Press, published this past Wednesday. Click here and give it a read.  T

And in case you didn’t know, Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. Joining in the celebration is Legend Comics and Coffee, located right next door to Ming Toy, where Bob Hall will be on hand doing drawings and signing stuff. Ming Toy will be open all day tomorrow, too, in support of Free Comic Book Day. 

Back to the music…

As part of BFF, The Sydney in Benson is hosting a show that features the return of progressive jazz ensemble Chemicals, whose members include bassist Dereck Higgins. Joining them tonight is Agronómo and Heavier Than Air. $10, 9 p.m. 

Now, onto Lincoln Calling. You can read my recap about this year’s LC line-up here. The festival’s full schedule, as well as ticket info, is available at Lincolncalling.com. So if I did go to LC tonight, I’d be checking out Cherry Glazerr, The Dirts, David Nance and Mowed Sound and PROBLEMS. Lincoln Calling’s Saturday highlights (to me, anyway) are Friko, Water from Your Eyes, Dip Tet, Bad Bad Men and Ritual Device.

By the way, if you missed it, here’s my review of last night’s Ritual Device show at Reverb. If you can’t make it down to Lincoln this weekend, you’ll have another chance to see Ritual Device tonight at Reverb Lounge with Bad Bad Men and Gerald Lee Jr. 

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

Day One of the Ritual Device reunion shows is in the books and it was a doozy. Never let it be said that this band doesn’t bring the theatrics, even more so than back in the old days when just showing up and not getting injured was enough. 

The set started with a lengthy, haunting guitar solo by guitarist Mike Saklar, a minor-key epic played under almost total darkness as one-by-one, members of the band walked into position with frontman Tim Moss coming in last. 

Moss, who I haven’t seen in a decade, looked looked like a biker gang’s accountant with his crazy long beard and thick black-rimmed glasses. He stood stark center stage while the band tore into opening song “Thick.” Unlike the old days when he would stalk the edges of the stage holding the microphone chord like a whip, Moss stood stock still and stared at the crowd of around 100 menacingly, as if making a list for later. Unsettling, especially in contrast to the roar going on behind him.

Ritual Device’s appeal has always been in the recipe. You have Saklar — a master guitarist, really peerless in this part of the country, then the rhythm section of drummer Eric Ebers and bassist Jerry Hug who put the groove in the nightmare, a rock-solid beat factory that powered through every song. Finally, Moss, who doesn’t so much sing as tell stories punctuated by gutteral screams. He never sounded better. 

The band kept it going with “I Want Me,” then tore into my personal favorate Ritual Device song, “What You Got.” By now, Moss had lost the glasses and was in classic Moss form – weird, bent-over howl followed by falling off (or onto) the stage and then into the thrashing crowd. 

A decade ago at The Waiting Room, he would have been carried around the pit, but the band’s reputation had finally caught up with them. Only about 20 or so hale and hearty types moshed in front of the stage while most of the audience stood back by the soundboard (or behind it), their mosh-pit days long behind them (It was, indeed, an older crowd). 

Unlike the sneaky, sinister snap of the recorded version, last night’s rendition of “What You Got” sounded purposely slowed down, a hazy sludge. In fact, the entire set sounded slower and stonier than I remember vs. the ol’ serial killer pace heard on Henge or performed at The Capitol Bar & Grill.

Prior to the set, the sound man (Keith?) disconcertingly, meticulously covered the stage monitors with plastic sheeting. Was this to keep blood off the speakers? He just smiled and wasn’t saying. Then, I can’t remember if it was during “Shift” or “Charlie Jones,” the reason for the plastic was made clear – soap bubbles sprayed up behind the band from a bubble machine, a glowing effect that seemed oddly counter to the murder tales being performed on stage. 

Well, the bubbles only lasted one song (but would make an appearance again at the end). Fans got what they came for, as Ritual Device played most of the songs off Henge, including “Sucker” and “Hatesong #3.” 

The set closed with a disturbing, angry rendition of Johnny Richards’ “Young at Heart,” that likely caused Frank Sinatra to reanimate and stomp around his graveyard in Cathedral City. Moss disappeared from stage before the band left, but they all came back for an encore, with Moss thanking the crowd as the guys ripped into “Porkfist.” Oh what a time to be alive.

Day Two of the Ritual Device reunion tour continues tonight (Friday) at Reverb with Gerald Lee Jr. and Bad Bad Men opening at 8 p.m. $20. The band also plays tomorrow night at Lincoln Calling (at Duffy’s) Go!

* * *

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

It’s night one of the Ritual Device reunion tour.

Tim Moss and company (read all about them here) are kicking things off tonight at Reverb Lounge. Tonight’s openers are Pagan Athletes (the Wolf brothers) and noise-punk band Nowhere. 

Tomorrow night (Friday), Ritual Device returns to Reverb with Bad Bad Men (the power trio of Omaha legends Chris Siebken on drums, RD’s Jerry Hug on bass and frontman/guitarist John Wolf) and Filter Kings’ frontman Gerald Lee Jr. 

Both Reverb shows have a $20 cover and 8 p.m. start time. These may sell out, so get your tickets early via the One Percent Productions website.

Ritual Devices closes out its reunion tour at Lincoln Calling Saturday night. More on Lincoln Calling in tomorrow’s blog.

I’ll be there tonight to hopefully catch and take home a pig ear! See you there…

* * *

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

Conor Oberst closed out his residency at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom last Thursday with a large cadre of guest stars, including Desaparecidos’ Denver Dalley, which I’m sure had something to do with the band playing for four Desa songs during the show. I can’t tell from the videos if Ian McElroy also is on stage during these songs; the Brooklyn Vegan coverage doesn’t mention him. I fear this may be the closest we ever get to a Desaparecidos reunion, but you never know. Oberst sure looked like he was having a good time singing these old Desa tunes…

. 0 0 0 . 

Austin band Cherubs was part of that early-‘90s noise-punk movement that included acts like The Jesus Lizard and Steel Pole Bathtub and, yeah, Ritual Device. Just prior to the release of their ’94 studio album Heroin Man (Trance Syndicate), the band broke up. They reunited in 2014 and signed to Relapse Records, who released their most recent studio album, Immaculada High, in 2019. And tonight they’re playing at The Sydney in Benson. Joining them is Omaha’s own current-day noise-punk band, Violenteer, along with Moon Pussy. 9 p.m. $12. LOUD.

No doubt the Cherubs show is really drawing fans away from tonight’s Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit show at The Astro (j/k, obviously). Their latest studio album, Weathervanes, was released last year on Southeastern Records/Thirsty Tigers. Jobi Riccio opens at 7 p.m. $65-$125. 

* * *

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.