Slow Pulp play tonight at The Slowdown

by Tim McMahan,Lazy-i.com

It’s a three-car pileup of shows tonight (we have another one come Monday). Add a 7 p.m. Husker game and BFF and things could get interesting.  I’m not sure if “the Husker effect” is still a thing since the football program hasn’t been successful for more than 20 years. We’ll see tonight.

Top of the list is, of course, the homecoming of The Good Life. The band led by singer/songwriter Tim Kasher, with Roger Lewis, Ryan Fox and Stef Drootin, has been touring in support of the double-LP version of Album of the Year, rereleased by Saddle Creek Records.  I thoroughly expected this show to sell out little ol’ Reverb Lounge but tickets are still available. Opening the show at 8 p.m. is Chicago band Doom Flower, who has been compared to Mazzy Star, The Breeders, Cat Power and Portishead. $25.

Meanwhile, down at The Slowdown, Chicago by way of Madison, Wisconsin, band Slow Pulp headlines. Fronted by Emily Massey, the band has toured with Alex G, which is a good combination considering the similarity in styles. The band is on the road touring their just released album, Yard (2023, ANTI-), which Pitchfork gave a 7.5 rating and said its “clear-eyed sincerity, bubblegum hooks and mellow arrangements feel like a warm embrace.” Classic indie rock, they’re selling out shows around the country (but not here). Opening the show at 8 p.m. is New York duo Babehoven (Double Double Whammy Records). This is a main room show; tickets are $20. 

Yesterday when I was buying my Lewsberg tickets I discovered that Grapefruit Records, 1125 Jackson Street in the Old Market, has another show happening tonight. Athens band Immaterial Possession is a four-piece led by Cooper Holmes and Madeline Polites whose music is “inspired by musical scales of the Greeks and Spanish,” according to their bio at the Fire Records website. It just sounds like groovy indie rock with some psychedelia to me. Opening this show is Heavy Clippings at 8 p.m. sharp! $10. 

Pro-tip regarding Grapefruit Records shows – they only post on Instagram, so give them a follow for their latest show and release info.

If that weren’t enough, tonight is Benson First Friday. That means art shows up and down Maple Street, not the least of which is the show at our place, Ming Toy Gallery at 6066 Maple. Tonight’s reception is for Josh & Shelby Audiss: Le Femme Fantastique. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, say hi, have beer or wine and buy some art! See you there.

Also as part of BFF, The Sydney in Benson is hosting Austin Texas 6-piece noise-rock band Neckbolt. The music sounds like their name. $10, 9 p.m.

Saturday’s big show is at Pageturners where singer/songwriter Rosali returns. She opened for Destroyer back in April 2022 backed by David Nance, Jim Schroeder and Kevin Donahue. I’m told they’ll be on board for Saturday’s show as well. Her 2021 album, No Medium was one of my favorites from that year; her new music is being released on Merge Records. See her on a small stage while you can. Singer/songwriter Sean Pratt opens at 8 p.m. There’s no cover but $10 donation is the least you can do. 

Then it’s onto Sunday for Lewsberg at Grapefruit Records. If you haven’t discovered this amazing Rotterdam-based four-piece you’re missing out. It’s like listening to a dry European translation of The Feelies mixed with Lou Reed and Yo La Tengo and nothing could be more perfect. 

I wrote Wednesday about how Grapefruit has upped its game in terms of being a venue. Find out for yourself. Also on the bill is a reunion of The Prairies – a band that consists of Dave Nance, Noah Sterba, Myke Marasco and Kevin Donahue – who will be playing songs off their first cassette tape. New band Western Haikus open at 7:15 p.m. This is a $12 show and advance tickets are available at Grapefruit Records, 1125 Jackson Street in the Old Market. 

And 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan,Lazy-i.com

There have been rumblings for weeks that The Jewell, a jazz club located in the Capitol District, has closed its doors for good. The events calendar at the club’s website lists no scheduled shows, and shows that had been scheduled for the last week of September had been cancelled. 

A couple days ago Jewell operator Brian McKenna posted a photo of the club’s shiny logo on Facebook, which generated dozens of condolences and thank you’s in its comments, but no definitive statement. So has The Jewell closed?  

If it has, it’s a shame. Though I only went to the club a few times, I always thought it was a classy, comfortable room with great sound and sight lines. The club opened a year before Covid in early 2019 and was a living tribute to North Omaha’s jazz history, which was apparent just looking at its walls. It was among the “jewels” of a new Capital District in downtown Omaha. 

With recent and upcoming investments in downtown Omaha — the new park, the Steelhouse, the Illuminarium, the new Mutual of Omaha HQ, the proposed streetcar, Millworks Commons, etc. — the Jewell’s (alledged) closing leaves questions as to what did it in: Was it increased overhead costs? Low ticket sales? Challenges booking touring jazz artists? 

While I don’t know anything about the local jazz scene, I do know a number of people who love the genre, including a few who make regular trips to Kansas City solely to attend jazz shows. And while there’s been a number of jazz rooms in Omaha over the years, The Jewell was certainly at the top of the list…

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We’re about to enter Rocktober. Lots of shows are on the horizon. It’s going to be a busy month for music.

It starts tonight at The Slowdown with Chicago post-punk noise band Djunah (pronounced “JUNE-uh”) headlining in the front room. The duo consists of guitarist/vocalist/Moog bass organ player Donna Diane and drummer Jared Karns. Their latest, Femina Furens (2023, self-released), is a punishing collection, but on stand-out tracks like “Phaethon,” Diane almost sounds like she’s channeling early, noisy PJ Harvey (if Harvey was fronting The Melvins). 

This is a loaded show with locals Violenteer (the Cotton Brothers’ double-bass attack) and Las Cruxes also on the bill. Bring your earplugs because it’s gonna be LOUD. 8 p.m., $20. 

One other show of note: New York-based composer and guitarist Rafiq Bhatia is playing at Low End at The Bemis. Lauded as “one of the most intriguing figures in music today” by The New York Times, Bhatia joined Son Lux in 2014. He’s touring on a collection of covers, but his latest original full-length, Breaking English, was released in 2018 on Anti-. Lovely stuff. The show is free and starts at 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Back in June I blogged about “the new normal” of having to go out of town to see your favorite bands because of the shift in Omaha booking trends. The usual promoters and clubs simply aren’t willing to take as many chances on new and up-and-coming touring indie acts. It’s a financial decision. When you can pack the house with a country act, tribute band or an “emo night” / Taylorfest playlist, why bother risking a guarantee on an out-of-town band that might be packing them in on the Coasts but is an unknown quantity in Omaha? It ain’t 2007 anymore, folks.

The cost of booking these high-end touring indie acts continues to rise. The younger crowds they attract also drink less alcohol, and that’s where venues make their biggest coin — not from soda pop or water sales.

We continue to see quality touring indie bands routing past Omaha. Tour announcements frequently list KC, Minneapolis, Chicago, Des Moines and Denver as par tof the central states tour, and leave out Omaha. Are we an afterthought? Did no promoter take them up on their offer? The world may never know. Meanwhile, Omaha keeps building enormous venues like Steelhouse, The Admiral and The Astro to host country acts and legacy bands whose heydays were 30+ years ago.

I’m rehashing. You can read more about this in my August column in The Reader.

Anyway, I was planning my next out-of-town trip for Oct. 9 to see Rotterdam indie quartet Lewsberg play in Lawrence on their first-ever North American tour. But lo and behold, Lewsberg has added Omaha to their tour — Oct. 8 at Grapefruit Records in the Old Market.

The record store owned and operated by internationally recognized singer/songwriter Simon Joyner has hosted small shows in the past where bands played in a corner and patrons jammed themselves among the record racks. Joyner said there’s been a ton of approvements to Grapefruit since my last outing.

Grapefruit has installed an elevated performance stage, bought a new PA, and moved its record stock into new bins (purchased from Drastic Plastic) that have wheels, allowing them to be moved into the hallway during shows, creating an open space in front of the stage.

Joyner said they’re doing a lot of things to attract more touring (and local) shows.

“The good thing for bands is we give 100% of the door to them (and guarantee all some living fee even if no one were to come) so they make a lot more than they would at a ‘venue,’” Joyner said.  “And we feed the band.”

In addition, for a donation during a show you might receive a beer (get it?). This donation will “add money to our band fund for sound improvements and paying for our own sound guy and buying food and drinks for the riders when needed, we’d never take that out of the door money,” Joyner said.

This Sunday’s show boasts hot openers, including a young local act called Western Haikus. “Then, David Nance and Noah Sterba and Myke Marasco and Kevin Donahue’s first band — The Prairies — are reuniting,” Joyner said. “Should be killer to see them do their first tape after all these years.”

As for Lewsberg, the band releases their music on Gerard Cosloy’s 12XU label. Their 2019 album In This House is one of my all-time favorites. Their latest, Out and About, was released last month. From their one-sheet: “Compared to their first three albums, ‘Out And About ‘feels lighter, calling to mind the The Feelies, Marine Girls and Young Marble Giants, whilst remaining distinctly Lewsberg.” I will attempt to buy a vinyl copy Sunday. Check out some tracks below.

Doors at 7 p.m., show at 7:30. Lewsberg will go on at 9:15. Limited advance tickets are $12 and available by stopping into Grapefruit Records.

It’s great to see places like Grapefruit and Pageturners fill these gaps for shows that used to be hosted by traditional Omaha bookers or at O’Leaver’s or The Brothers. You can help out by GOING TO THE SHOWS!

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Sophia Corinne plays tonight at Pageturners Louge.

by TIm McMahan,Lazy-i.com

Pageturners Lounge, the sleepy little bar located on the edge of Dundee that’s partially owned by Conor Oberst, is really stepping up with its bookings.

Tonight they’ve got Nashville singer/songwriter Sophia Corinne, whose latest album, Isabel, was released this past June by Seattle’s Ghost Mountain Records, whose goal as a label is “to support incredible indie artists by releasing limited runs of physical media. We aim for transparency and an ethical pricing model that benefits the artist so they can create more music.” Now there’s a holy concept.

Isabel is a lush collection of beautiful songs that recall the quieter moments of artists like Neko Case and Katie Crutchfield. Just beautiful stuff. Joining her tonight at Pageturners is Omaha’s Velvet Velvet a.k.a. Roman Constantino, whose last album, 2022’s Moving On, was recorded by Bryce Hotz at Archetype Recordings.

Opening the show at 8 p.m. is singer/songwriter Sutter Zachman: “A Southern California native, Zachman more recently traded in the endless summer for the seasonal churn of the midwest (Omaha, Nebraska, to be specific), opting for a slower pace with his wife and daughter,” according to his Spotify bio. His latest, Loose Advantage, was released this past April and was produced by Zachman and Ben Brodin, who contributed along with bassist Eliana Athayde (Weyesblood, Waxahatchee). The record does have a So Cal peaceful, easy feeling about it. 

Like I said, 8 p.m. start time and this one’s free but they recommend a $10 donation, which is crazy cheap for this much entertainment. 

Pageturners’ upcoming shows are also impressive:

This Saturday (Oct. 7), Merge recording artist Rosali is playing a gig. You may remember her opening for Destroyer back in April 2022, with a support band that included David Nance, Jim Schroeder, Kevin Donahue and Colin Duckworth. She’s somewhat awesome. So is Sean Pratt, who opens this Saturday’s show.

Oct. 14 it’s David Nance with DJ Trolli & The Mighty Vitamins

Oct. 21 — Machete Archive and DJ Tyrone Storm (a.k.a. Roger Lewis).

Oct. 28 — Pet Bun and Sputnik Kputnik 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

311 circa 1993. The band plays tonight at The Astro Amphitheater.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Get ready for the last hot weekend of the year…

Over at The Waiting Room tonight, Oklahoma City noise band Chat Pile headlines. A metal band at their core, I usually wouldn’t mention them on this blog, but there are times when something beyond the usual goon-rock growling slips through in their recordings that makes me think they might actually have a sense of humor. Frontman Raygun Busch is at his best on tracks like “grimace_smoking_weed.jpeg” and “Mask,” where he vacillates between spoken word and screaming over rhythm-heavy head banging, reminscent of Ross Farrar (Ceremony) or our old pal Tim Moss (Ritual Device). Their latest single was released on metal label The Flenser. Heavy stuff. Nerver and Nightosphere also are on the bill. $25, 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, tonight The Astro Amphitheater kicks into high gear with 311. I am shocked (shocked!) that this concert has not sold out… yet. Listen, since the band got its start in the early ‘90s, there has been a love/hate relationship with the Omaha music scene. I’ve always thought part of the animosity stemmed from their success prior to moving to Van Nuys (or wherever they live in California these days).

That animosity is captured in this 1993 cover story from The Note with the headline: “Sometimes it Pays to be an Asshole,” which you can still read online right here.

My take: They are/were a talented bunch of dudes, that SA was a better frontman that Nick, that P-Nut really can “beat that thang.” In recent years, drummer Chad Sexton has been under fire for being associated with various online right-wing conspiracies, which is more of a lessen about keeping your bandmates off social media. Do I listen to their music? No. But I did have fun at one of their Ranch Bowl shows around the time that article was published, or as the article goes:

I asked the guy next to me what he thought of the band. “I hate this kind of music,” he yelled, hurting my ear. “but I’ve got to admit, this is a blast.”

I wish them only the best. I hear Nick is now a part owner of the Omaha Union soccer club. AWOLNATION and Blame My Youth also are on the bill. 7 p.m. start time? Tickets range in price from $49 to $129 (and higher for VIP stuff). More at The Astro website. The Astro keeps its momentum front and center with The Gaslight Anthem tomorrow night.

Also tonight, local band Fox headlines at Reverb Lounge with Peach Paw and Matt Whipkey (joined on stage with guitarist extraordinaire Mike Friedman). $7, 8 p.m.

That’s not all. Tonight over at B-Bar, 4330 Leavenworth, NYC guy from Omaha, Stathi, is playing a “home team gig” that starts at 8 p.m. No price listed.

Pickings are much slimmer Saturday. The only show on my radar is Mesa Buoy at Pageturners Lounge. Mesa Buoy is a project led by guitarist James Schroeder, whose Covid-era debut album featured a plethora of the city’s finest talent including Kevin Donahue, Patrick Newberry, Megan Siebe, Colin Dockworth and Michael Overfield. Leaves Brown also is on the bill and the show is a benefit “to support Kupo’s daughter,” so no cover but $10 donation is suggested. Starts at 8 p.m.

Finally, Sunday is the annual Porchfest event held in the Gifford Park neighborhood at 33rd and California streets. The event is as it’s described — a series of performances hosted on porches throughout the neighborhood, but also with the Omaha Mobile Stage set up at Yates Illuminates. Every year the schedule and assortment of acts gets more diverse. This year includes Las Cruxes, Mitch Gettman, B.B. Sledge and a ton more. The full schedule and details are available at the Porchfest website.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your event, 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Mike Watt, circa 1998. His current band, Mssv, plays tonight at Reverb Lounge.

by TIm McMahan,Lazy-i.com

We seem to be lost in a time warp here in Omaha. Earlier this week, a swath of concert announcements brought back memories of the Civic Auditorium and listening to Z-92 in my ’79 Ford Fiesta. We’re talking new shows from up-and-coming acts Journey, REO Speedwagon and Steve Nicks. Can Styx, Kansas and whatever is passing as Van Halen be far behind? I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an April Wine reunion.

Ah, but not tonight. Tonight hot new punk trio Mssv is playing at Reverb, a band that consists of Mike Watt, best known as the bass player for early ‘80s punk band Minutemen and 71-year-old drummer Stephen Hodges, whose credits include playing with Tom Waits on his Raindogs album. The trio is rounded out by veritable youngster, guitarist Mike Baggetta. Watt always brings the noise, and joining them is our very own Bad Bad Men. $18, 8 p.m. 

Since its Throwback Thursday, check out this 1998 Lazyeye interview with Mike Watt – one of the funnest dudes there is to interview: You just hit the record button and let him go! From the interview:

“D Boon’s mom taught me how to play bass,” Watt said. “When we first started playing together, we tried to cover the big rock songs, like ‘American Woman’ and ‘Black Dog.’ Then we saw these punkers one night in LA, and they couldn’t even play their instruments. Some of them weren’t even musicians; they were artists, but it didn’t matter. Right then we knew that we could do our own thing and not have to play the other stuff.”

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

After spending decades writing a column, it was strange not having a deadline to meet this month. That’s because the September issue of The Reader is its last issue, as most of you know. 

And while there have been a few online tributes (most notably, this lengthy write-up in the Flatwater Free Press), to say the reaction has been “muted” is an understatement. 

John Heaston is the patriach of The Reader. His illness was a shock when first revealed; his fight to overcome it, an inspiration. That ongoing battle is the most important thing. I have no doubt John will win that battle and will be with us for decades to come. But it’s funny how something you assume will always be around, like The Reader, can go away so quickly. 

What’s the old saying: Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans. Those who know me know that my column and other writings for The Reader and this website are merely side hustles, and that I make a living working at Union Pacific, which has been sending me a paycheck since 1988. My “plan” was to devote my time to The Reader as a freelancer after I retire from the railroad, whenever that day would come. But here we are. 

So I wrote the following column, which was published in the final issue and which went online here yesterday morning, to gauge interest in creating a new, more focused arts and entertainment weekly; a publication that unlike The Reader, would have no hard news or investigative reporting — The Flatwater Free Press provides that along with the Nebraska Examiner and what’s left of the Omaha World-Herald. 

Some (or many) might argue the idea of a printed publication is outdated in the smart phone/social media/digital era, and they may be right. Certainly the industry trend would point that way. Still…

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A Goodbye and a Modest Proposal

An argument for a weekly, printed arts and entertainment publication.

by Tim McMahan

So this is it, my last column written for The Reader.

The first installment of this column was dated Dec. 2, 2004. It focused on a young singer/songwriter named Willy Mason who few if any people remember. More than 600 (700? 800?) installments followed in different iterations, all with the same common denominator — they were published in newspapers run by John Heaston.

John is an Omaha hero, there is no other word for it. No single individual has done more for independent journalism than John. He’s kept this beautiful paper going longer than anyone thought he could. The Reader is now being put to rest for all the right reasons. Thank you, John, for everything you’ve done for this city and for journalism. Now it’s time to focus on a more important fight, which everyone knows you’ll win.

The demise of another printed newspaper shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who has followed the industry’s eradication over the past 20 years with the rise of social media. U.S. newspapers die at a rate of two per week, according to a 2021 report by Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. According to the report, 360 newspapers have shut down since the end of 2019, all but 24 of them weeklies serving small communities.

In addition to losing The Reader, we’ve all watched as the once mighty Omaha World-Herald continues to dwindle into a thin ghost of its formal self. And while its Husker football coverage remains first rate, among its casualties is its arts and entertainment reporting.

The irony, of course, is that Omaha’s arts and entertainment community is enjoying a much needed renaissance. We’ve seen hundreds of millions of dollars invested in new performance venues, including Steelhouse, The Admiral and The Astro. There are more music venues now than ever before. Omaha’s arts scene also is in full bloom with new art galleries opening monthly, not to mention the millions of dollars going into a remodeled and expanded Joslyn Museum. On top of that, Omaha is becoming renowned for its culinary offerings. Restaurants new and old are getting the attention of national food critics.

Now, maybe more than ever, Omaha needs an arts and entertainment publication to not only cover what’s happening, but also to provide a critical voice to tell us what’s worth seeking out.

And so, with apologies to Jonathan Swift, here’s a modest proposal for keeping critical journalism alive in Omaha:

We need a weekly, printed arts and entertainment publication. This free paper would cover music, art, film, food and theater. Each issue would include a feature for each section as well as reviews and a curated show/events calendar. In addition, a page would be dedicated to commentary and letters to the editor, because, let’s face it, it’s one thing to see your comments on Facebook and quite another to see them printed in a newspaper.

The paper would be funded by advertising from all these new and existing performance venues, galleries and restaurants (and anyone else willing to fork over some cash), which would also serve as distribution points for the paper, along with other businesses.

The editorial content would be powered by freelance contributors, including some of the writers, critics and photographers who wrote for this very paper. That team would split whatever money is left after printing and distribution costs were covered.

The paper would start small and only grow as needed. OK, but a printed paper?

The key to making it work is to provide content so compelling that people would seek it out and pick it up. But even then, in an age when you can simply scan news on your smartphone, why would people want to read old-fashioned printed words?

The fact is, folks are returning to analog media in droves. The growth in vinyl record sales, for example, is no secret, even though music is freely available online. Sales of printed books also is on the rise despite novels being available digitally. Heck, Barnes & Noble recently announced it’s opening 30 new book stores in the wake of record U.S. book sales in 2021, according to NPR.

So in addition to those analog examples, what would it take for people to also value a printed weekly publication? Are there enough readers and businesses left to support such a bold initiative? You tell me.

Honestly, a big part of this idea is purely selfish. As a writer, there’s something special and permanent about seeing your words printed on paper. It represents an investment in your ideas much more than seeing those words on a website or in the transient, noisy world of social media.

But more than that, the loss of The Reader is a gut punch to an arts culture that desperately needs an honest critical outlet not only to guide consumers but to provide feedback to the artists, musicians, chefs, thespians and filmmakers who make it thrive. AI and ChatGPT may someday replace news reporting, but it will never replace honest critical writing. Only a human can tell another human what s/he liked or didn’t like, and why.

So goodbye, Reader. Thanks for the memories. Here’s hoping something rises like a phoenix from your ashes for all of us to see, read and hold in our hands.

You can read Tim McMahan’s music and arts writing at his blog website, www.lazy-i.com. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com.

First published in The Reader, September 2023. Copyright © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s another ho-hum Husker weekend, but there’s one touring indie show tonight…

Tonight at The Admiral Explosions in the Sky headlines. There was a time in the 2000s when ambient indie all-instrumental bands were the thing. Who remembers Tristeza, who folded in 2010, and The Album Leaf, who are still going strong? Explosions in the Sky were part of that movement, releasing How Strange, Innocence in 2000 and really peaking in 2003 with The Earth Is Not a Cold Dead Place that included their most popular track, “Your Hand in Mine,” which has more than 66 million plays on Spotify.  The band got lucky and broke through to a large audience after writing the soundtrack to 2004 film Friday Night Lights. 

Like The Album Leaf, Explosions in the Sky never really went away. and can count themselves among other top touring instrumental-only indie acts like Sigur Ros, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Caspian. The song formula for these acts is all very similar – each song starts out quiet as a whisper and slowly builds for seven or eight minutes into a crashing, orgasmic conclusion. Expect to hear this formula on repeat tonight.

Explosions is touring their latest album, End, released just last week on Temporary Residence Records.  Opening is Glow, who is virtually invisible on the internet. Tickets are $40 ($50.15 with fees). 8 p.m. 

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According to their website, The Astro Theater amphitheater in La Vista opens (with little fanfare) tonight with C&W artist Casey Donahew and then tomorrow is hosting The Goo Goo Dolls and Fitz and the Tantrums. The facility was supposed to opened weeks ago, but was delayed, presumably due to construction issues. Some shows were moved to other venues. I see no indication that shows tonight and tomorrow are being moved, so I guess this is it. Congratulations!

These are reserved seated shows, so, for example, for that Goo Goo Dolls show tomorrow, if you wanted to sit up front, tickets wouild run you a cool $145 plus fees. Whereas a ticket in the back section is $44 plus fees, according to the Ticketmaster website that’s handling tix sales. Fitz opens at 7:30.

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Finally, Saturday night at The Sydney in Benson industrial-ambient act Lunacy headlines. They describe themselves as “a dystopian shadow figure located in Rural Pennsylvania, which is a character set in the empty corroded future that focuses on themes of loneliness, emptiness and mental illness. A character that often fits the description of late ‘80s and early ’90s post-apocalyptic films.” Fun! Llora opens at 9 p.,m. $10. 

And 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Queens of the Stone Age play tonight at Steelhouse.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Alt rock royalty is in town tonight in the form of Queens of the Stone Age at Steelhouse. If you’re not familiar with the Seattle band, they’re the natural evolution of grunge, releasing albums initially on Interscope before switching over to Matador about a decade ago. Their heyday was at the turn of the century with the release of Rated R (Interscope). They’ve got a sort of macho cock-rock strut to their sound, and past members include Dave Grohl, though the main dude has always been Josh Homme. 

I’m told there was a bidding war of sorts for this show and that Live Nation — and Steelhouse — won.  That said, you can still buy general admission floor tickets for $59 plus fees. 

More interesting than QOTSA are the opening acts. Punk Swedes Viagra Boys play a chug-a-lug style rock with a frontman (Sebastian Murphy) doing his best Iggy impersonation. A fun band that is a natural compliment to the headliner. Opening is Savages front person Jehnny Beth, who has performed with the likes of the XX, LCD Soundsystem, Gorillaz and Primal Scream. Her debut solo album, To Love Is to Live, was produced by Nine Inch Nails’ Atticus Ross and FLOOD.  Of the three acts, Jehnny Beth is the one that’s the most interesting (to me, anyway). The show has a 7 p.m. start-time according to the Steelhouse website. (I’m not sure that’s a real start time and just a door time, as going to Steelhouse is akin to going to an airport.)

Meanwhile, across town at The Waiting Room, Swans headlines. Emerging from the so-called ‘80s No Wave scene in LES NYC, the band plays a brutal, gothy, post apocalyptical style of rock that has influenced a couple generations of noise bands including Napalm Death, Neurosis, Nirvana, Melvins, Isis and even little ol’ Car Seat Headrest (though I can’t spot the influence in that band’s music). Their sound is dark and can even meditative, with a typical song running well over seven minutes. You’re in for a long, gloomy night. Worth it just to see frontman Michal Gira, who will be 70 in February and is a living legend. 

Opening is Norman Westberg, a long-time member of Swans who’s not currently listed in their roster, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he sat in on a few songs.  His latest, After Vacation (2018), is a collection of ambient sound collages. Enjoy. $35, 8 p.m. 

But wait, there’s more.

Portland (Maine) indie trio Weakened Friends headlines at Reverb Lounge. On their latest, Quitter (2023, Don Giovanni Records), the band plays a bombastic style of indie that melds singer/songrwriter tropes with Weezer-esque powerchords. Opening is Omaha band OJAI. 8 p.m., $18. Take a wild guess which show I’ll go to (if I go out at all)…

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Mitch Gettman at The Slowdown, Sept. 16, 2023.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Mitch Gettman and his band played most (but not all) of his new double-CD Tilde to a crowd of less than 100 Saturday night at The Slowdown. He kicked off the set with Track 1 from CD 1, “Someday,” and then went right into Track 2, “PS,” and so on, but eventually changed it up. In the end, he didn’t play it all but did play all my favorites from the 90-minute audio tome.

Backed by a rhythm section of bassist Kevin Sullivan and drummer Adam Stoltenberg (who also co-produced the album), along with a guitarist whose name I didn’t catch, Gettman filled out the dense sound heard on the record playing either keyboards or guitar (using a repeater pedal to give him even more coverage). He seemed at times to be a reluctant frontman, as if he didn’t want to get in the way of his own songs. This makes for an enigmatic performance, with Gettman looking focused, earnest, not wanting to miss a single note (which he didn’t). 

I guess you’d call it a tight performance. He did loosen up on his R&B send-up, “Adore You,” which included some righteous rapping and a rhythm that got the crowd moving. Not one of my favorites from the album, it translated much better live than on record, likely because Gettman knew he has to really throw himself into it to make it work. 

That was the case with most of the guitar-driven numbers (versus the more retrained keyboard tunes), including the night’s centerpiece, a gorgeous rendition of “Empire,” my favorite track from the album, which Gettman held for his encore. I wish he would have instead launched his set with it. The other big standout was an extended version of “Goldie,” a track that, if this album was released by a label, would be the primary single despite its nearly 12 minute run time. 

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Uh Oh on the Omaha Mobile Stage at teh Little Bo Backyard Bash, Sept. 16, 2023.

Earlier in the day I swung by the Little Bo Backyard Bash, the third-annual “festival” held in the parking lot across the street from the old Bohemian Cafe on 13th St. If the intent was to get people to rediscover this new, vital district, it worked, for me at least. I haven’t been down along this street in years and was pleasantly surprised by the cool, new little shops and restaurants (including Fizzy’s, a hip diner/bar that took over part of the Bohemian Cafe). 

In addition to the usual art and beer tents, the Omaha Mobile Stage was on hand to host the music. Uh Oh played a full set in front of an intimate gathering of neighbors, families and their pets (lots of dogs!).

David Nance at the Little Bo Backyard Bash, Sept. 16, 2023.

David Nance closed out the day with a solo acoustic set. He’s one of the only performers who can hold my attention with only his guitar and his voice. Despite the small crowd (by then, the Husker game had started), Nance looked content sitting on stage and singing his stories. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.