Matthew Sweet is playing at O’Leaver’s July 30.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’ve got two seconds to write this:

The announcement went out this morning that ’90s indie rock superstar and recent Omaha transplant Matthew Sweet has been booked to play at fabulous O’Leaver’s July 30. The $15 tickets go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. from here. Something tells me it’s going to sell out.

* * *

I was going to embed 4AD band Future Islands videos from last night’s Kimmel show, but you’ve already seen them. Here’s hoping these guys don’t get over-exposed. I’d hate to see their music get pushed to the sidelines behind Samuel T. Herring’s wicked dance moves…

* * *

Former Hear Nebraska Managing Editor Michael Todd yesterday launched a new website called Unfound Sounds.

“This site creates treasure hunts for good music on vinyl. We hide records in Omaha businesses, then post an album review and hints of the hiding place. If you know which business we’re detailing, go there and ask for the next step: a series of final clues pointing to the record’s exact location.”

Sounds fun. Go to unfoundsounds.com to play.

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The late, great Silkworm.

Finally, one of my favorite bands from the ’90s, Silkworm, is seeing the re-release of 1994 album Libertine by the fine folks at Comedy Minus One Records.

Says the press release: “This is a double 12″ pressing with a supplementary CD including ‘The Marco Collins Sessions’ as well as two additional recordings from the band’s time at Pachyderm Studio. Includes all-new artwork throughout (the revised cover is pictured at the top of this email) plus a full color insert with liner notes by Silkworm’s Tim Midyett. Mastered from the original 1/2″ tapes by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Service.”

The record is in stores today or available online here. And you can stream the full album 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Mitch Gettman at The Waiting Room, May 2, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

After hearing Mitch Gettman and his band Friday night at The Waiting Room I have even more respect for his new release.

Often a live performance blows away the recorded version of the music, but not this time. While Gettman’s band did an OK job, the performance lacked the energy and depth of the new record. Credit engineer Jeremy Garrett, who piloted Gettman through the recording process (and was working the soundboard Saturday night). Garrett credits Gettman, as Mitch played nearly all the parts on the new record. That’s probably why the recording sounded so much more cohesive than what we got live.

Or blame the fact that (as far as I can tell) this is the first time Gettman’s band has played on an Omaha stage in a long time. Gettman moved back from Chicago in 2012, and I don’t recall seeing his band scheduled anywhere since.

Some background on Gettman: Apparently as a youngster (15?), Gettman’s fans touted him as the next Conor Oberst — a declaration that would make anyone nervous. Gettman exited to Chicago, some say to get out from under that shadow. According to this Hear Nebraska interview from Sept. 2012, he came back because of the cost of living in the Windy City, and the fact that there just weren’t many advantages to being in Chicago vs. Omaha.

Needless to say, now at age 20, Gettman has shaken off the Oberst comparisons (He never sounded like him in the first place) as well as the Jeff Buckley tag (There’s still some of that in his voice and songwriting, but can you blame him for loving (and emulating) a legend like Buckley?).

Fact is, Gettman’s voice sounds like whatever you think it sounds like. At times I was reminded of Thom Yorke, Eric Carmen and Donovan. Read into his voice whatever you wish. Musically, he sounds like someone raised on a wide variety of music from the past 40 years, all of it steeped in song craft. Imagine where he’ll be when he’s 26…

The crowd of around 100 was an interesting mix, few of whom I’ve seen at the usual indie shows. Gettman seems to fly outside those indie circles; maybe because he doesn’t pal around with the indie bands. I don’t know. I don’t think of him the same way I think of the usual suspects who play with Saddle Creek or Team Love or Slumber Party bands, though his music is as interesting in its own way…

It’s funny how we segregate music in this town. And unfortunate.

* * *

At Hoshaw’s Corner, from left, Matt Whipkey, Vern Fergesen and Brad Hoshaw.

On the way to the club Friday night I caught about 20 minutes of music at Hoshaw’s Corner — part of the Benson First Friday tradition. Joining Hoshaw were Matt Whipkey and Vern Fergesen playing a round robin of each others’ songs to a decent crowd huddled under the awning where Military meets Maple St.

* * *

One Percent just announced that Future Islands is returning to the Waiting Room Aug. 28. Something tells me there will be more at this show than the last time they came through in 2011, when only about 30 were in the crowd. Something tells me this show could sell briskly. Get your tickets when they go on sale Friday.

* * *

The only club celebrating Cinco de Mayo tonight is fabulous O’Leaver’s, where a trio of bands takes the stage: Twin Cities act Griswold and Omaha acts Let Alone and Timecat. Slap on a sombrero and head on down to the club. The music starts at 9:30 and will cost you $5.

* * *

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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Deleted Scenes at Slowdown Jr., May 1, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The smoke billowing out vents on the outside of The Slowdown last night was a good indication that Talking Mountain had already taken the stage. Sure enough, upon walking into the club you’d think the place was on fire, except the smoke didn’t smell like smoke, it smelled like something strangely chemical-y.

Talking Mountain indeed likes its smoke machine. The nozzle belched out the manicured soot like a volcano throughout their set. They also like their lights and lasers. Their latest production involves a 3D laser projected on a scrim that hangs from the front of the stage like a mosquito net. In addition to a cascade of colorful laser-pointer style effects similar to what I remember seeing at a Kansas concert circa 1977 a second projector beamed very cool moving images onto the scrim — skulls, hands, other stuff. Top it off with high-density smoke and you’ve got a multi-media spectacle concocted by equipment that would fit in your trunk.

Here’s the thing — while the images were neat and all, Talking Mountain never sounded better. Performing as a duo, the electronic-fueled music is as gorgeous and dense as the visual effects and could easily stand on its own (and I could do without the stinky smoke (I don’t care if it’s FDA approved, it can’t be healthy breathing that stuff in such mass quantities)).

The only special effects Deleted Scenes brought with them was frontman Dan Scheuerman, who practically made out with former Hear Nebraska Managing Editor Michael Todd during the last song of their set.

While their new album is solid by itself, the music takes on new life performed live. Scheuerman’s vocals are rougher and more organic than on the rather smoothed-over, lush recordings. The band made those edges even sharper, dancing along the edge of every syncopated peak and valley. Favorite moment was the performance of my favorite track off the new record, “House of Dust,” a song that staggers atop a brutal guitar riff that chops like the finest lumberjack.

The other highlight, of course, was that closing number, “You Get to Say Whatever You Want,” when Scheuerman walked into the crowd and touched foreheads with a couple innocent bystanders, performing a mortifying rock ‘n’ roll mind meld. Ah, Michael, you’re a good sport. I don’t know what I would have done…

* * *

Looking at the calendar, only one show stands out for the entire weekend — the Mitch Gettman CD release show tonight at The Waiting Room.

Gettman’s new album, Stop Living Like It’s the End of the World

, is a real surprise. I’ll be brutally honest and tell you I haven’t liked anything Gettman’s done in the past — it all sounded too by-the-numbers and homogenized. Not this time.

After a pretty acoustic intro, the album launches with “Stay a Little Longer,” where Gettman channels bands like Toad the Wet Sprocket, Soul Asylum and Gin Blossoms, creating a style of indie/alt singer-songwriter acoustic rock that we all remember from the ’90s. “Best Years of My Life” follows suit. Janglepop? Yeah.

On the other hand, “Pressure from the Public” feels like modernized ’70s rock a la Matthew Sweet. At times Gettman has a vocal affectation that recalls British psych-rock balladeer Donovan. That lilt is especially pronounced on the slower chamber-pop numbers like “She Wants to Break Your Heart” and “In the Shower.” The strings on “Ant Farm” are pure FM Gold. In fact the whole record lies beneath a layer of stereophonic nostalgia that, while dated, is never less than listenable (and well done).

As a whole, on this new record Gettman does little more than turn already well-toiled soil, but he does it with an exquisite plow. Worth checking out.

Opening Gettman’s CD release show is Müshmouth & Anne Frankenstein. $8, 9 p.m.

And… that’s it for shows. Remember, tonight is Benson First Friday, so you might be hard-pressed to find parking in Omaha’s hottest booze district.

Did I miss anything? Put it in the comments section. Have a good 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Deleted Scenes plays at Slowdown Jr. tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Slowdown is calling Deleted Scenes, which plays their Jr. room tonight, a “DC band.” I guess they are, though as it’s been reported countless times (including in my column), frontman Dan Scheuerman now resides with his wife and child right here in Omaha. Does that make Deleted Scenes an Omaha band? In my book it does, but I’m always stretching for the home team.

Last month the band released its latest album, Lithium Burn, on Park the Van Records. Proof of the Nebraska curse, the record got a tepid 6.5 rating from Pitchfork

, which concluded its review with this:

“While Lithium Burn is an easy album to empathize with, you wish it’d do more to make you root for the band; the more important difference between this and The Meadowlands is how Deleted Scenes can’t manage enough moments where their station of being overlooked becomes an injustice to the listener rather than an understandable reflection of a solid, unfashionable indie rock band that just never really caught a break.”

That’s a long sentence.

My take isn’t so severe. I think the record’s rhythms — specifically drummer Ricardo Lagomasino’s work on heavier tracks like “Caught in the Brights,” alone are worth the price of admission, and I can’t wait to see him in action tonight.

There’s an unhinged weirdness to songs like “Stutter,” a rise-and-drop calliope of sounds and snarls, one assumes Scheuerman was in full clown costume when he sang his part in the studio. The art rock style continues on opening anthem “Haircuts Uniform,” whose rhythms trip along all stutter-step like a drunk running from the cops.

In a series of back and forths, I mentioned to Scheuerman that at times DS reminded me of latter-day XTC, which he said he’d heard before.

What I didn’t tell him was at other times, like on more serene tracks like “Let’s Not Try to Fix Everything” and “Tell Me a Secret” and “House of Dust,” DS reminded me of Alan Parsons Project thanks to  Scheuerman’s dreamy vocals. I’m not sure how he’d take that comment, though it was meant as a compliment.

Those extremes in comparisons are appropriate for a record that enjoys extreme swings in styles, from arty gymnastics to pure pop. This is an album that demands your attention, and by that I mean you must pay attention when you’re listening because if you don’t, the music has a way of sliding into the background of whatever you’re doing. I’ve been casually listening to Lithium Burn for a month and I’m still not quite sure what the songs are about, but I like it.

The details: Deleted Scenes plays at Slowdown Jr. tonight with Talking Mountain and Millions of Boys. $8, 9 p.m.

Get down to the Slowdown complex early, specifically to Urban Outfitters (where I buy all my sweaters) for the store’s First Thursday concert event, co-sponsored by Hear Nebraska. The event boasts free beer, free pizza and best of all, free music from See Through Dresses and Twinsmith. The event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free.

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Jake Bellows performs tonight at Slowdown Jr.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Kevin Coffey yesterday got the scoop on this year’s “Loessfest” at River’s Edge Park. Maybe they should rename it Lostfest because the way they’re using that amazing park is a real loss (Get it?) for folks who live on either side of the river.

This year’s “big” concert — Three Dog Night, The Guess Who and Loverboy May 25. Wow. I thought Omaha’s Memorial Park concert featuring Blues Traveller and Smashmouth couldn’t be beat for all-out craptacular-ness, but once again Council Bluffs and its gambling money trumps us all.

No, I’m not surprised by the lackluster line-up. Well, maybe just a little. When River’s Edge Park launched last year I thought the venue might be a game-changer, especially after they announced that it would host the Playing with Fire Concert Series featuring Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Even though Jones and Co. ended up cancelling due to medical reasons, there was hope that someone calling the shots might be a little more, let’s say ‘progressive’ then what we’ve come to expect from organizers of large free park concerts (i.e., Memorial Park). Instead, here we are with three dinosaur acts that would fit right in playing Stir’s county fair concert series…

It’s a shame because River’s Edge Park would have been the perfect location for a massive, quality outdoor concert series akin to the Maha Festival. I guess it’s a Loess cause…

* * *

Tonight at Slowdown Jr. it’s the return of Omaha ex-pat Jake Bellows. Jake’s been on the road supporting his 2013 Saddle Creek release New Ocean. Joining him is the incomparable McCarthy Trenching. $8, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, local legend Dereck Higgins performs at MarQ Manner’s Library Pub Wednesday night songwriters’ series. Joining him is Dave Mainelli. 8 p.m. and FREE.

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Conor Oberst in Billboard.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Billboard

yesterday published an extensive interview with Conor Oberst

in support of his upcoming solo release, Upside Down Mountain. With the headline “Ex Boy Wonder of Indie Rock Moves to Major Label,”  the rather long story only has a handful of Oberst quotes, including this response to leaving Saddle Creek Records for Merge earlier in his career:

“You know that old adage ‘Don’t mix business with pleasure’ or ‘Don’t work with your friends’?” Oberst says. “I can’t say I completely agree with that, but it becomes… complex. One day you look up and it’s like, we’re not stuffing 7-inches in my parents’ attic anymore, you know? Money got involved and we were having to make tough decisions to try and keep everyone happy.”

He goes on to explain why he went with Nonesuch instead of self-releasing the new album: “I kind of come from a prehistoric time I guess because I really want a record label,” Oberst says. “I’ve run record labels or been a part of running record labels before, and honestly none of that stuff interests me in the least anymore.”

He also weighs in on his song lyrics, acting, his proposed-but-never-produced Monsters of Folk sci-fi concept album and his older material: “In some ways it’s unfortunate that all my music is out there because I’m kind of embarrassed by some of it.”  I’ll let you speculate which music he’s referring to.

* * *

Also yesterday German website prettyinnoise posted a video interview with Tim Kasher. What makes this one particularly interesting is the approach by the interviewer, who asks questions that probably wouldn’t get asked by your typical indie music scribe.

Kasher talks about his first exposure to “guitar rock” (the first record he bought was Men Without Hats), the finer points of American health insurance (including how much he pays), battling his “shyness” and his dislike for house/techno music. It’s as if the interviewer was from another planet (or is director Werner Herzog) interviewing an alien life form, and I love it. The footage also includes some tasty live acoustic performances of songs off his last solo album. Check it out below:

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Tonight’s marquee show is Angel Olsen at The Waiting Room. I saw her and her band perform in an Austin church at South By Southwest this past March. If you dig her most recent album, Burn Your Fire For No Witness (Jagjaguwar), you owe it to yourself to see her perform it live. She has a touch of Tammy Wynette in her voice, though her music is typical indie rock singer/songwriter fare (with a twang). Opening is Nashville band Promised Land Sound (Third Man Records). $10, 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Black Lips play tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I didn’t go to any shows this weekend. Not a single one. But I’ll make up for it this week, because there’s a good show happening every night.

It kicks off tonight with Black Lips at The Waiting Room. The Atlanta garage band has been kicking it since ’99. They’re on the road supporting their latest, Underneath the Rainbow (2014, Vice). Opening is Nashville trio Natural Child (Burger Records) and Omaha’s own Solid Goldberg (a.k.a. the legendary Dave Goldberg). 9 p.m., $13.

It goes on from there.

Tuesday is Angel Olsen at The Waiting Room.
Wednesday Jake Bellows returns to Slowdown Jr.
Thursday is the Deleted Scenes CD release show at Slowdown Jr.
Friday is the Mitch Gettmann CD release show at The Waiting Room.

Who needs sleep? I’ll attend as many as I can keeping in mind that I need to be able to function effectively at work the next day. Unfortunately none of these shows start before 9 p.m., which is a drag. Consider this another vote for 8 p.m. start times during the week (though I’m sure One Percent has heard it before)…

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Onto the weekend…

Tonight at The Slowdown Omaha hip-hop posse M34N STR33T (pronounced Mean Street) celebrates the release of their debut full-length Mutants of Omaha.

As member Conny Franko says, “Please do NOT miss this event! This is our heart and souls, blood and sweat, tears and cans of Modelo Especial USA. The project is Midtown, it’s Sam’s Food and Liquor, it’s Cass Gas, it’s Brothers lounge, it’s Cali Bar, it’s for any street north and south of Dodge.”

Joining them will be BOTH, Borealis, and Sean Pratt & The Sweats. $10, 9 p.m. More info here.

Also tonight, brand new band Nanahara makes its stage debut at fabulous O’Leaver’s. According to their Facebook page, “Nanahara originates from Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska. Consisting of members of The Sound of Rails and Sideshow, they joined together to form an instrumental band that reflect their favorite music from today and yesterday.” Members are Eric Ernst, Chris Palmquist and Rich Higgins. Also on the bill are Dirty Talker and Post Verse. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to O’Leaver’s for Simon Joyner and the Ghosts with The Subtropics. Both bands are headed out to the West Coast on tour and need your money to cover expenses. $5, 9:30 p.m. And check out Wednesday’s Lazy-i blog post to find out how you can help the tour and get some fine tunage in exchange.

Also Saturday night, Clear the Day hosts a CD release show at Slowdown Jr. The Omaha band’s debut album was recorded by Jeremy Garrett (Citizen Cope, Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu) Opening are The Brigadiers and Morse Code. $7, 9 p.m.

Also, the Big Al Free Music festival is going on tonight and Saturday night at The Hideout. Details here.

Finally, The Sweatshop Gallery in Benson is hosting a rock show Sunday night featuring The Bunnybrains, Rake Kash, Video Ranger and The Lupines. $8, 8 p.m.

Have a good 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tim Kasher yesterday debuted his new self-directed video for track “You Scare Me to Death” on German website Musik Express. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Cursive- und The-Good-Life-Sänger Tim Kasher hat ein neues Musikvideo veröffentlicht, und das erzählt von einer nur scheinbar heilen Welt: Im Clip zum Song “You Scare Me To Death” geht es titelgemäß um nicht weniger als um die Angst, einen geliebten Menschen zu verlieren.

I don’t know what that means, but I bet it’s really  nice.

Check out the video below:

* * *

Couple o’ shows going on tonight:

At The Waiting Room it’s Brooklyn folk project Waxahatchee (Don Giovanni Records / Wichita Recordings) with Carbonleak & Manic Pixie Dream Girls. $12, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile the Big Al Free Music Festival 2014 kicks off at The Hideout, 320 So. 72nd St. Al’s been doing it for free for seven years. The three-night festival starts tonight with a line-up that includes some big hitters: Bloodcow and Brad Hoshaw, among others. Check out the whole lineup on their Facebook page. The show is free (duh) and starts at 8:45.

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Rig 1, a.k.a. Ian McElroy, has a new album coming out in May.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A few bits from the in-box.

Rig 1, a.k.a. Ian McElroy of Desaparecidos fame, has a new record coming out May 13 on Team Love. Titled North of Maple

, the album includes contributions by Clark Baechle, Jacob Thiele and Dapose from The Faint, Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Orenda Fink; and is produced by Andy LeMaster (Now It’s Overhead). The album release show is May 14 at Bowery Electric in NYC, so get your plane tickets now. The first single, “Duality,” is below:

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Protomartyr is a band I (luckily) fell across a couple times this year at SXSW, and it turns out, was one of my favorites. Much to my surprise (and pleasure) I notice they’ve been booked to play Slowdown Jr. May 15 (It’s an Eyeball Production). If you have even a passing interest in post-punk, you need to attend this show.

Anyway, yesterday Protomartyr was featured in AV Club‘s “Pioneering” series where they were interviewed about The Stooges and performed a cover of “Down on the Street” at the Michigan Union Ballroom (why that location is significant requires watching the video). Check it out below:

* * *

I considered Matt Whipkey’s and Brad Hoshaw’s split 7-inch release party to be Record Store Day, specifically their performance for hundreds of line-waiters outside of Homer’s before the shop opened last Saturday.

Instead, they’ll both be performing tonight at Whipkey’s weekly Wednesday night performance at the Harney Street Tavern (Whipkey Wednesday), and are calling it their record release show for “I Miss You” b/w “Sorry,” which will be available for purchase at the show. 9 p.m., free.

Also tonight downtown, Provo band Desert Noises (SQE Music – yep, that’s The Faint’s label) plays with John Klemmensen and the Party at The Hive, 1207 Harney St. $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.