by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

I haven’t been to a rock show since mid-August. — since Petfest, to be exact. It’s one of the longest lulls between rock shows for me in recent memory, but late August was a slow time for indie/college music in Omaha. 

One of the esteemed gentlemen who runs One Percent Productions – Marc Leibowitz – once told me that without him and the indie rock shows he books I’d have nothing to write about. He may have been right, but despite what Leibs said, there’s always things to write about, and moving forward to fill these lulls in touring indie shows, I’ll return to writing album reviews on a more frequent basis. 

Album reviews easily are the toughest thing for me to write, and while I question their value in this age when music is (practically) free, I still get a ton of label requests to write about releases (Ah, but not like the old days, when the labels sent CDs! I loved to come home to a mailbox overflowing with manila envelopes…). We also used to have a lot more local indie bands recording and releasing albums, which simply ain’t the case no more… 

Anyway, the balance of the month is looking busy as does October. Check out the updated “Up-and-Coming’ calendar below. On top of the list is tonight’s show at Reverb Lounge. 

Austin’s A Giant Dog have come through town a few times over the years, including shows at Milk Run back in 2016 and on the River City Star in 2017 (Shipwrecked! Fest). They describe their sound as “… raucous ear candy culled from the hook-driven melodies of Slade, the glammy swagger of Marc Bolan, the morbid fantasy of Killer-era Alice Cooper, and the unpredictable wit of Sparks.” That’s quite a spate of comparisons. 

That said, the five-piece, fronted by vocalist Sabrina Ellis, does have a throwback sound that recalls over-the-top FM radio rock, especially on their latest EP, Raw (2024, Merge Records). Expect onstage theatrics? Opening tonight at 8 p.m. is local indie rockers Bad Actors. $20!

And here’s the rest of the up-and-coming touring indie/college music calendar for the balance of September into October. Let me know if I’m missing anything.

• Sept. 5 – A Giant Dog @ Reverb
• Sept. 12 – Soft Kill @ The Slowdown
• Sept. 12 – Magdalena Bay @ The Waiting Room
• Sept. 14 – Gillian Welch & David Rawlings @ The Astro
• Sept. 18 – David Dondero @ Ming Toy Gallery
• Sept. 21 – Built to Spill @ The Waiting Room
• Sept. 22 — Bright Eyes @ Steelhouse
• Sept. 23 — M. Ward @ The Waiting Room
• Sept. 24 – Why? @ The Slowdown
• Sept. 25 – Descendents @ The Admiral
• Sept. 26 – Foxing @ The Slowdown
• Sept. 27 – Shovels & Rope @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 1 – Odie Leigh @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 1 – Jungle @ The Astro
• Oct. 4 – Brigitte Calls Me Baby @ Reverb
• Oct. 4 – High Vis @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 4 – Turnover @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 5 – Fontaines D.C. @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 7 – Saturdays at Your Place @ Reverb
• Oct. 8 – Boris @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 9 – Jeffery Lewis @ Grapefruit Records
• Oct. 10 – MJ Lenderman & The Wind @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 10 – Melt @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 10 – Pixel Grip @ Reverb
• Oct. 12 – The Red Pears @ Reverb
• Oct. 16 – Mdou Moctar @ The Waiting Room 
• Oct. 17 – Superchunk @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 18-19 – Cursive @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 20 – Jeff Tweedy @ The Admiral
• Oct. 22 – Psychedelic Furs/Jesus and Mary Chain @ The Astro
• Oct. 23 – Kate Nash @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 26 – Porches @ Reverb
• Oct. 31 – Lunar Vacation @ The Slowdown
• Nov. 12 – Modest Mouse @ Steelhouse

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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.