by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

In year’s past I compared Petfest – the annual bacchanal held in the parking lot behind the Petshop Gallery in Benson – to South By Southwest day parties, where Austin locals get together outside the “festival establishment” to drink Lone Stars and eat breakfast tacos while listening to great indie bands perform in parks and strip-bar back lots. Those Austin day parties typically eclipse the staid, programmed, corporate-sponsored, formal showcases SXSW is/was known for. 

That comparison remains apt.

In the calendar of Omaha summer music festivals, Petfest is the one I look forward to most, not necessarily because of the music line-up — which is always first-rate — but because it’s easy. Petfest is a laid-back, end-of-summer gathering of local music aficionados, art freaks, neighbors and friends enjoying a perfect late-summer afternoon with the best local music the state has to offer.

This year’s Petfest was no exception. Maybe (or likely) the fine weather was the reason this year’s festival felt more lively than last-year’s 100-plus-degree endurance test.  The festival footprint actually felt smaller, though if anything there was more space to spread out on the white-rock parking lot. Like last year, bands performed on two “stages” – an outdoor stage and a small stage set up in the Petshop garage – with bands alternating between the locations for their (scheduled) 20-minute sets. The sets’ brevity meant never getting tired of any one band, and in most cases, leaving the crowd wanting more. 

That was the case with Vempire. It was the debut performance by the synth duo of Lindsey Yoneda and Thirst Things First frontman Mike Elfers, whose debut album, Your Steps, dropped last Friday on Bandcamp. The music’s stripped down dance vibe at times has the same manic energy I remembered from Thirst Things First, especially after the first three underpowered songs. The soundguy eventually made necessary adjustments, and by the end of the set, Vempire was pumping. 

Sound was a challenge throughout the day, as the sound dude made the best of what he had to work work with, which was limited, but, hey, this is a neighborhood festival, not Outlandia. 

Vempire was followed by another Lincoln band – the five-piece Saving Fiona. Their debut album What a Shame caught a lot of people’s attention when it was released this past June. And while the songcraft was still there, the band was woefully underpowered throughout its set, especially the three vocalists. But again, as the set went on, adjustments were made and the band was shining by the end. 

That theme continued with The Dirts, an act that really needs (and deserves) a big sound system to float their dense, trippy, shoe-gaze rock. They definitely made the best of the situation, pulling a pro move when the lead guitarist broke a string and came back on stage with one of Size Queen’s guitars. This is the most promising new band I’ve seen in years.

Then came Heet Deth, a Chicago-based drum-and-guitar duo that blew up the garage stage with their edgy psych rock reminiscent of the heavy early days of Yeah Yeah Yeahs — a Petfest highlight. 

I stepped out of the festival compound for a couple hours to get some grub and returned for PROBLEMS, the one-man electronic/dance/synth project by Darren Keen. Keen always knows how to bring the party, but Saturday night’s set really showcased how he’s grown in creating deep, thick beats and almost orchestral synth arrangements that get a crowd moving. 

Darren was followed by the Flamboyant Gods, a punk act fronted by Icky Blossoms’ Dereck Pressnall that includes a number of local superstars who I don’t know (though I recognized CJ Olson from Saddle Creek Records on one of the guitars!). The frenetic, kick-ass set of hard, fast punk songs was like Pressnall’s Flowers Forever on speed. They’ve been around for years (check out their Youtube videos) but they rarely play out these days. I’d love to see a full set of this chaos.

Speaking of chaos, Flamboyant Gods were followed by the return of Dance Me Pregnant, a punk band whose origins date back to the heyday of O’Leaver’s rock shows, featuring many of the faces that made The Club famous more than a decade ago — Johnny Vredenburg on bass, Chris Machmuller on guitar, Corey Broman on drums and frontman Jeff Ankenbauer, who I barely recognized when he walked up and said hello prior to the gig. 

DMP is more metal than punk but has a much groovier sound, thanks to rock riffs that go beyond typical metal structures. They swing but keep their punk edge thanks to Ankenbauer’s full-throated yell vocals and up-close-and-personal approach that brought him out of the garage and in the faces of the thrashing crowd. A great set.

And that was the end of my Petfest experience for 2024. It could very well have been the best Petfest ever, but I say that every year. Suggestions for next year? Maybe get a little better sound system, add some non-alcohol drinking options (other than water), add one more food truck, but don’t change much more. Petfest’s charm comes from its quaint size and neighborhood, good-time feel. 

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Tonight at Slowdown, get ready for the sludge-metal of King Buzzo a.k.a. Roger “Buzz” Osborne of the Melvins.  Opening is JD Pinkus of Butthole Surfers. Things could get loud. $35, 8 p.m. 

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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.