Japanese Breakfast is among the acts playing Night 1 of Lincoln Calling.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s night one of Lincoln Calling. I know it officially started yesterday, but tonight is when they roll out the big guns.

But first — a schedule change: Do to the threat of thunderstorms, events scheduled for Duffy’s Backlot have been moved to Bourbon Theater. That’s significant because two of tonight’s biggest names were slated to play at the backlot.

Japanese Breakfast (now at Bourbon) is Philadelphia musician Michelle Zauner and her band, whose Soft Sounds from Another Planet (2017, Dead Oceans) was something of a breakout release, thanks to singles like “Road Head” (currently more than 7 million spins on Spotify alone) and “Boyish” (3.7 million plays).

Ought (also now at Bourbon) is a Montreal band that sounds influenced by acts like Joy Division, Cure, Gang of Four and current-day Ceremony. Their last album, Room Inside the World (2018, Merge), is a jangling post-punk corker. Great stuff.

The other big name on tonight’s festival bill is Waxahatchee playing at the smallish 1867 venue. If you’re wondering if this is going to be a Katie Crutchfield solo show, you’d be right, as she’s out supporting the acoustic Great Thunder EP, released earlier this year on Merge. Those VIP passes will come in handy getting into this one.

You’ve also got Matt Whipkey at Bodega’s and Twinsmith at Duffy’s (inside). Full sched and ticket info at lincolncalling.com

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And read more about how Lincoln Calling 2018 came together in my article in the September issue of The Reader.

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Something tells me tonight’s Clarence Tilton gig slated for the beer garden at fabulous O’Leaver’s also is going to get moved inside due to inclement weather. If not, you may want to bring an umbrella. This is an early show, starting at 6 p.m. $5. CANCELLED due to rain and Jeopardy.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Reality Tbd. runs this Friday and Saturday at Kaneko.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

This Friday and Saturday at Kaneko filmmaker/rock star Nik Fackler (Icky Blossoms, InDreama) and tbd. dance collective are trying out a new way to experience film.

Or maybe I should say “a more immersive way.” You’ve heard about breaking the fourth wall? Fackler wants to crush it.

The project is called Reality Tbd. and marks the world premiere of Nik’s new film Waiting for Reality. It’s going to work like this: The audience will be seated inside Kaneko’s auditorium, which will be separated into four spaces. Nik’s film will be projected on one wall, and at some point in the film, the other walls will come to life with light and dance.

Fackler has created a unique, synchronized lighting experience that augments the film., while the tbd. collective will literally jump off the screen. If that wasn’t enough, the soundtrack is provided by Graham Ulciny (Thick Paint, Icky Blossoms, The Faint), who’s produced five original pieces for the performance.

Nik said the idea was born out of exploring the use of lighting at Icky Blossoms shows. “I asked myself, ‘How do I bring this into film making and cinema?’ It’s an experiment for sure,” he said.

Kat Lessor, Nik’s wife and a member of the tbd. collective, developed the structure of the choreography with fellow dancer Stephanie Huettner. “Nik wrote the script and Steph and I figured out how to create scenes and emotion through movement,” Kat said. “There’s no dialogue.”

Ultimately, the audience will help fill in the story’s blanks. “We wanted it to be vague enough where the audience can project their own storyline by taking what’s going on in their lives and projecting it onto the characters” Nik said.

He said the project began with a script in June. The four-day film shoot took place at five or six locations. The finished film is about a half-hour long, but the entire performance runs from 45 minutes to an hour. Ultimately, the audience (limited to 100 per performance) will have a unique experience from their specific quadrant.

“The experience will be different depending on where you’re seated,” Nik said. “We hope people will come back and see it again to experience from a different perspective.”

This is the first time Fackler has tried this bold experiment, and he’s already talked about trying the screening/performance in other cities after this limited 4-performance engagement at Kaneko ends.

There are two performances of Reality Tbd. Friday and Saturday. Tix are $10. Go to tbddancecollective.org for details. Read more about Fackler and a past Kaneko project here.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Son, Ambulance at Slowdown Jr., Sept. 14, 2018.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Son, Ambulance gets the official #Warrior designation after their show Friday night at Slowdown Jr. Daniel Knapp was involved in a car accident a few hours before the show, which left him bandaged head-to-hand. But the show must go on, as they say on Broadway, and Daniel was behind the keyboards playing with his usual panache.

In fact, everyone played with panache, in front of about 50 people, with a set that leaned heavily on older, familiar tunes. Where did all that new material go that we heard a year or so ago? Who knows. Maybe the band will roll it (or other new stuff) out when they play at O’Leaver’s later this month.

One new one they did play, titled “Fuck Trump,” felt less like a political anthem than a reflection of our current state of affairs, punctuated toward the end with a “Fuck Trump” rallying cry. Joe Knapp’s vocals, while burning with Costello snarls, were blurred in the mix so I couldn’t make out the rest of the song’s lyrics. I’d love to see a lyric sheet — or better yet, a clean recording issued on 7-inch vinyl.

Little Brazil at O’Leaver’s, Sept. 16, 2018.

Last night was the Mike Loftus Benefit Concert at O’Leaver’s. I only had time to drop in for Little Brazil’s set. The band played most of the songs off their latest album, Send the Wolves

(2018, Max Trax), with a lethal intensity that eclipsed their CD release show.

Hats off to soundguy Ben VanHoolandt, who diligently adjusted the sound throughout the set to meet the band’s peaks and valleys. A typical problem at Little Brazil shows is that Landon Hedges’ vocals sometimes get lost in the mix. That wasn’t a problem last night. It’s the first time I’ve heard Landon so clearly on stage, and it made all the difference.

The crew also pulled out a couple new ones (which I believe they also played at their CD release show); the first of which features a very cool riff by new guitarist Shawn Cox, (who slayed his solos throughout the performance). LB just released their last record in June and it sounds like they’re already ready to return to the studio. I’d love to see them tour this record before they put out the next one, but we all know how god-awfully taxing touring can be, both to the band’s wallets and families.

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Special show tonight at O’Leaver’s…

Billed as “Creatures of Rabbit,” the gig is actually a warm-up for this weekend’s Lincoln Calling Festival by Stephen Sheehan and his band, which features Dan Crowell, Randy Cotton, Donovan Johnson and Mike Saklar.

Sheehan, as we all know, was the frontman to late-’80s early-’90s post-ambient band Digital Sex. He re-emerged from a performance hiatus with this new band (but with Ben Sieff instead of Saklar on guitar) last August (you can read how and why it happened, here). Catch the set before they head to Lincoln Calling Friday night. Tonight’s show starts at 9:30 with no opener. $5.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Sons of O’Leaver’s, June 11, 2016. The band returns to O’Leaver’s Sunday.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Is this the last warm weekend of the year? Maybe. Take advantage of it by going to some shows!

The big one tonight is at Slowdown Jr., where Son, Ambulance will be headlining. The great thing about this band is that no two shows are ever the same — whether we’re talking about the set list or the performance in general. And I’ve seen some doozies. Opening is Win/Win and John Klemmensen’s new project Candy Boys (review of their last show here). 9 p.m., $8.

Also tonight, the Boner Killerz play one last show tonight at The Brothers Lounge before hanging it up for good (one member of the band is moving to S.F. ). The Morbs and Not Ben Shin open. $5, 9 p.m.

Saturday night it’s back to The Brothers for Austin noise rock band Super Thief. KC’s Bummer opens along with our very own Jocko. $5, 10 p.m.

ADDENDUM: I totally forgot to mention Farnam Fest is happening Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. in the heart of the Blackstone District. Performers include Tyrone Storm, Mitch Gettman, Funk Trek, Sebastian Lane and Linear Symmetry. Activity schedule and more info right here.

Finally, late Sunday afternoon and into the evening we’ll all be at fabulous O’Leaver’s for the Mike Loftus Benefit Concert. Headlining is none other than Little Brazil, but before they hit the stage, Mr. Loftus himself will be behind the kit as a member of The Sons of O’Leaver’s. It’s been a while since we’ve heard from these guys. Also on the bill are Minne Lussa and Bazile Mills. Your $15 donation goes to help cover Mike Loftus’ legal bills. Show starts at 5 p.m.

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

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Tomar and the FCs play tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Only time for a couple quick mentions.

First, Austin-based R&B/soul band Tomar and the FCs are playing tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. This is that old-time sound done with a modern twist. I’m told they’ll play first tonight at 9:30, followed by Omaha faves The Lupines. It’s a can’t-miss show that I’m going to miss because I have to be at work at 7 tomorrow (boo!). $5. Go!

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Former Omahan now Denver-ite Mitch Gettman dropped the second song from his upcoming album, Some Purgatory, which comes out this Friday. Called “Typical Fool,” the tune features local up-and-comer Jocelyn. Check it below. Psst…. Gettman is booked to play Farnam Fest this Saturday.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Is Lincoln Calling the next SXSW?

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here’s the nut graph to my Lincoln Calling preview article in the current issue of The Reader

:

With more than 70 national, regional and local acts, Lincoln Calling has the makings of the first Nebraska-based festival with a vibe that could be compared to the early days of Austin’s South By Southwest Festival.

Yeah I know, a bold statement, but when you look at the line-up of up-and-comers, there’s no question that Lincoln Calling is the most cutting-edge of local music festivals.

Lincoln Calling organizer Spencer Munson talks about how he and his team booked the bands, the schedules and the non-music activities, as well as how he’s made this year’s event as relevant as last year’s while having access to a much smaller overall budget.

You can read the article online right here at The Reader website or in the September issue, which is on newsstands now.

The full Lincoln Calling venue schedules finally have been uploaded to the Lincoln Calling website. Here’s each day:

• — Thursday, Sept. 20
• — Friday, Sept. 21
• — Saturday, Sept. 22

If you’re only driving down for one day, Friday is likely the sweet spot, with Parquet Courts, Criteria, Ron Gallo, Nude Party, Fantastic Negrito and Stephen Sheehan among the choices. That said, Thursday’s and Saturday’s lineups are nothing to sneeze at. Full ticket/schedule info at www.lincolncalling.com.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Thick Paint at Slowdown Jr., March 30, 2018. The band plays tonight Pageturners Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Not much to talk about regarding this past weekend (since I didn’t see any music; the weekend itself was great).

There’s a shit-ton of new music I’m wading through. On top of the list are records by Oh Pep!, Future Generations, Pile, Tragic Jack, Sextile, Ron Gallo, Mirah and Cut Worms, plus a lot of Spotify stuff. I’ll start dribbling out reviews over the coming days.

For now, how about a nearly 10-minute song, “Bassackwards,” from Kurt Vile’s upcoming new album, Bottle It In (2018, Matador), out Oct. 12? Vile and his band, The Violators, today announced a Slowdown date for his 2019 tour. Feb. 26, to be exact. By then we’ll all be recovering from winter (hopefully). BTW, The Sadies open. And tix go on sale Friday.

Pageturners continues its summer concert series tonight with Thick Paint (When are we going to get news of a new record from these fine folks?) and Minneapolis’ Loud Sun a.k.a. Andrew Jansen. This free show starts at 9 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Leafblower at O’Leaver’s, July 30, 2017. They’re playing there again Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m back from New York.

Actually, I’ve been back since Wednesday. It was the usual fun of US Open (Federer won!), Yankees (They lost!) and Broadway (Dear Evan Hansen!). As with every trip to NYC there were celebrity sightings. The first was Saturday Night Live

“featured player” Mikey Day (the guy who plays Donald Jr.), who we spied sitting under a tree with a young lad (his son?) outside Yankee’s stadium prior to the game. The second was an almost unrecognizable Sandra Bernhard sitting across from me on the No. 1 train headed downtown. She got off a couple stops before 28th St. Celebrities, going about their lives like the rest of us.

Anyway… looks like I got back just in time for the weekend.

Tonight marks the return of Femme Fest, the annual celebration of women in rock, Omaha edition. This year’s festivities seem to have been limited to one Benson venue, the Waiting Room. The line-up: SAS, Domestica, Uh Oh, La Guerre, Jocelyn, Histrionic and Queerniverse Burlesque. The show starts at 6 p.m. and costs $10.

It’s also Benson First Friday (#BFF). So if you’re in the neighborhood come on by the Little Gallery, 5901 Maple St. (bottom fo the Masonic Lodge building) and check out this month’s show: Ricky Powell Jr.’s portraits of Wonder Women of Omaha. We’re there from 6 to 9 p.m. Booze and food. Yum.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to fabulous O’Leaver’s for Leafblower with In the Whale and DROSS. 10 p.m., $5.

Also Saturday, Omaha hip-hop artist Buck Bowen celebrates the release of his new book(!) at Reverb Lounge with a handful of artists including Microphone Elements, Ryan Lucas and The Wolfman. $8, 9 p.m

That is all I got. If I missed your show put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Dolores Diaz & The Standby Club at The Waiting Room, May 21, 2016. The club reunites Sunday for the Concert for Change.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Every year around this time I head to NYC, and this year is no exception. Which means I’m going to miss some very cool events this weekend (but you’re not).

The first one is tonight along Military Ave. in Benson where Jake’s Just Because We Can Block Party will rise again. The mini-fest features booze and food outdoors for an entrance fee of a mere $5. This year’s lineup:

— Gerardo Meza and the Dead of Night
— Leafblower
— I Forgot to Love My Father
— Little Brazil
— Cult Play

The fun starts at 5 p.m. and runs until midnight.

Saturday former actor Alejandro Rose-Garcia (Friday Night Lights, Spy Kids) turned Americana performer Shakey Graves headlines at Sokol Auditorium. But more interesting is the opening act: Twin Peaks. Why these two are paired together I cannot say. Tix are $27 Adv./$30 DOS. 8 p.m.

The weekend’s oddest show is the return of Lawrence, Kansas, grunge rock band Paw at The Waiting Room Saturday. I interviewed these guys way back in 1998 (You can read the story here). Paw will celebrate the 25-year anniversary of their album, Dragline, by playing the whole damn thing. It’s all part of the Corn King Music and Arts Fest, which features five additional bands I’ve never heard of. 5 p.m. $12 Adv/$15 DOS.

Then Sunday it’s the Black Votes Matter Concert for Change. The location is 2205 No. 24th St. in the heart of North Omaha. The event, which runs from 2 to 9 p.m., will include Get Out the Vote speakers, workshops, vendor boots, and, of course, live music.

The line-up includes The Dilla Kids, Dana Murray, BXTH, Mesonjixx and Dolores Diaz & The Standby Club — the nine-piece project that includes indie vets Mike Mogis, Matt Maginn, Roger Lewis, Conor Oberst and Dolores Diaz a.k.a. Corina Figueroa. We’re talking Country & Western covers of songs by the likes of Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Randy Newman and more.

This looks to be a free event, or at least no price is listed. More info at the event’s Facebook listing. Good fun and a good cause.

And that about does it. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you sometime after Labor Day!

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Sun-Less Trio at Reverb Aug. 18, 2017. The band celebrates the release of a new EP tonight at Pageturners Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tonight The Sun-Less Trio celebrates the release of a 5-song EP called The Willow Tree at Pageturners Lounge. S-L T is a project helmed by singer/songwriter Mike Saklar, who us old-timers remember for his guitar work in a number of bands including late-’90s post-punk projects Ritual Device and Ravine.

S-LT is geared differently than those metal-tinged efforts, leaning more toward minor-key slow-burners a la Disintegration-era Cure (but with more emphasis on guitars than keyboards). Dim-lit, tonal, emotional and ultimately atmospheric, The Willow Tree turns and sways on a dark edge. Saklar chose to open the collection with “Branches Sway,” the most somber song on the EP, desribed as “A hypnotic monotone rhythm captures the minory chords in a classic manner, only to be destroyed by an unforeseeable middle 8.”

A pity he didn’t come out of the gate with the title track, a rocker centered around a guitar riff and Marc Phillips’ pounding drums (of the dry-echo recording, Saklar does a particularly awesome job with Phillips’ booming stickwork). Drums are right in the middle of “The Station,” a slow-swing dirge that closes out the EP. “Exposure” is another echoing ghost track.

By contrast is the EP’s other highlight, “X-Y-Z,” a self-proclaimed drug song that features Saklar’s best guitar work.

This is one of those recordings that takes multiple plays to absorb. Saklar makes the most of his vocals, using them as a secondary tonal instrument that bends with the chords (lyrics, thankfully, were included in the liner notes I received).

The EP will be available as a 7-inch vinyl. The album’s Bandcamp page includes 14 additional tracks (including different mixes of the EP’s songs). Also on tonight’s bill at Pageturners are Styrofoamy (Jim Schroeder/Colin Duckworth) and Stephen Bartolomei. The free show has an 8:30 start time.

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Saddle Creek Records’s 7-inch “Document Series” continues with a new release by Austin band Hovvdy.

Hovvdy (pronounced “howdy”) is the writing and recording project of a couple drummers, Charlie Martin and Will Taylor. Their debut album, Taster, originally released on Sports Day Records was reissued in 2017 by Double Double Whammy. The follow-up, Cranberry, came out this past February.

“Easy” b/w “Turns Blue” 7-inch drops Oct. 5. Pre-order here.

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.