The Brothers doesn’t do shows very often. Hardly at all, actually. The reason is simple: Tré, who runs the place, doesn’t need to. Drop in at The Brothers on any given Friday or Saturday night at around 10. Try to find a table. It’s always packed on weekends just on the strength of its service (You’re not going to have to wait for a beer), its rep (The Brothers is where bands go to get drunk when they’re not playing gigs), and its jukebox (punk and heavy indie and Omaha music from back in the day). So Tré doesn’t need bands to get butts in seats. But every once in a while, he sees an opportunity to put on a show that’s close to his heart, and last night was one of them. My point being: The Brothers ain’t exactly designed for live shows. Yet last night, the bands sounded better there than I’ve heard them anywhere else.

Take Ideal Cleaners. I saw them a few months ago at the Speed! Nebraska showcase at Sokol Underground, and they were good, they were fine. Last night they sounded like a different band. Listening to the trio rip through a set of bruising, welt-rising punk, I said to myself. “Okay, I get it.” I hadn’t really gotten it before, but last night they sounded ripped and raw, easily pushing the weight over their heads for a personal best. Ideal Cleaners sounded better than I’ve ever heard them sound. Better than they sound on record. Stripped down to sonic essentials, their songs bled bright red, and now I think I know what I’ve been missing. I have a feeling they come off just as straight-forward at Duffy’s, where I’ve never seen them play. So look, I don’t know a thing about sound engineering, but I can point to the fact that it was just their amps, the small PA and the bar’s low ceiling and wonder if that resulted in the dynamic tension. Simpler is better, almost always.

It carried on into The Monroes’ set. Has Lincoln Dickison ever played better? No. He was in his own special world last night. The hand-spiders (as Chris and Jamie from Ladyfinger describe his playing style) were running wild on the fretboard, crawling impossibly where other hand spiders rarely climb. Jon Taylor marveled to my left while unpacking T-shirts: “How does he do that?” and later from stage “He must have three hands.” He does it by being the best punk/rock guitarist in Omaha. Lincoln was just plain filthy last night, right down to the riff that powered the band’s cover of Husker Du’s “Divide and Conquer” (you know the one). And again, the sound mix was enormous.

So here’s where it gets weird. Mercy Rule was a band that was notorious for being one of the loudest acts in the Omaha/Lincoln circuit. Guitarist Jon Taylor didn’t just like it loud, he wanted to hurt you. Earplugs weren’t optional, they were required for your personal long-term health. So when Domestica took over The Brothers’ pseudo-stage, I was expecting to be blown completely away. In fact, the band sounded muted and muddy compared to The Cleaners and The Monroes. Certainly it wasn’t as loud as either of those bands. Disappointing? At first, yes. Anyone who’s ever heard Heidi Ore sing knows that it can be a challenge for her just to be heard over the din. And despite the lowering of the amps, her voice still was lost during the first few songs. Ah, but as the set wore on, my ears adjusted to the mix and everything came into better focus.

There are obvious similarities between Domestica and Mercy Rule songs, and that’s part of the charm. No one plays riffs quite like Taylor or has a similar tone. There is a layered, fluid quality to his sound that resonates through his constant, chopping chords. Jon’s guitar always seems to rise to the level of Heidi’s pure, honest, unaffected vocals. So yeah, the band sounds like Mercy Rule, in musicianship and in song structure — those big, chiming anthems that drop down halfway through, leaving Heidi singing alone while Jon plays a simple pinging line that moments later will roar again. Boz Hicks drumming is completely different than Ron Albertson’s. It’s more spare, simpler, more narrow, less likely to get in the way, not nearly as colorful, but right for this style. It’s going to take some getting used to because it ain’t Albertson, who’s precise fills and ballistic remarks are tough to forget.

As their set went on, they got stronger. Heidi’s voice got more comfortable and fuller and familiar with the style. Anyone who’s ever heard her voice before loves it. It’s hearing it for the first time that can be startling. Though at times lost in the mix, she hasn’t lost an ounce of what any Mercy Rule fan has always loved. Welcome back. That said, Domestica could pick up where Mercy Rule left off, if the band wanted to. But I don’t know if that’s what the want. For now, they just want to play together, rock out with their friends and enjoy making music. And that’s all right with me, as long as I can listen.

Tonight, Yo La Tengo at Sokol Underground. If the One Percent site is up-to-date (and it almost always is) then tickets are still available. Do yourself a favor and get down there tonight and see this legendary band. Considering that they’ve never played here before, chances are pretty good you may never ever get another chance.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

This marks one of the best weekends of shows in quite a while, but before I get to that, a couple points of clarification brought to my attention via the Webboard and other devices (See, people really do use my webboard, mainly to complain, but that’s okay, too). First, concerning Commander Venus, one of the former members of the band pointed out that I had the line-up wrong. Yes, while the lineup listed in yesterday’s blog entry was technically correct (for one tour), the folks who actually played on The Uneventful Vacation were Conor Oberst, Robb Nansel, Tim Kasher (of Cursive/The Good Life) and Matt Bowen, who’s been in a number of important bands, including The Faint. Matt also pointed out that Oberst was 17, not 14, during the CV days (He only looked like he was 14, apparently. He looks like he’s 17 now).

A couple people also pointed out my error in stating that The Dundee Dell no longer serves food. In reality, it’s the “old Dundee Dell” on Dodge St. that closed its kitchen, not the Dell on Underwood, which is the one that actually has the famous fish and chips. I’ve excised the error from yesterday’s blog entry. Apologies all around.

Moving on.

As I was saying, this could be one of the strongest weekends for shows in recent history. It starts Saturday night with two very hot shows:

First, Orenda Fink is playing a concert at The Healing Arts Center in the Old Market (at 1216 Howard to be precise), which, by the way, is a great place to see a show. Proceeds will benefit Filmstreams, the two-screen nonprofit indie movie house that’s going in as part of the Slowdown project (read about it here). Fink’s back-up band will consist of Adrianne Verhoeven, Dan McCarthy (McCarthy Trenching), and Corey Broman (ex-Statistics, ex-Kite Pilot). Suggested “donation” to get in is $25. The evening begins with an 8 p.m. cocktail hour (beer and root beer provided by Upstream Brewery, food and sangria provided by La Buvette). You’ll want to get there early, because space is limited.

Afterward (or after the game), truck on over to The Brothers for the debut of Domestica — Heidi Ore and Jon Taylor of Mercy Rule and Boz Hicks of Her Flyaway Manner. The show will be a veritable Speed! Nebraska showcase, with openers Ideal Cleaners and The Monroes. 9:30, $5.

And then, Sunday, the show I’ve been waiting for (we’ve all been waiting for, right?) for almost a decade: Yo La Tengo at Sokol Underground. Tickets are still available from onepercentproductions.com for $15. Don’t miss this important show.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Column 95: The Smell of Rock
Is smoking part of rock ‘n’ roll?

Before we move forward, we must understand and agree on this one conceit: Smoking holds no value in a human being’s life. None. It is not essential for your continued existence. In fact, it’s unquestionably destructive. It shaves the very essence of life away from the individuals that imbibe in its behavior.

Anyone who smokes cigarettes knows this, and has known it from the first puff. Just like those who drink bottle after bottle of beer and/or wine know that their lives are in no way being enhanced by the activity. There is no argument for drinking alcohol, especially when the endeavor taken to excess results in inebriation, loss of reasonable judgment and motor skills, and a painful hangover. Anyone who drinks knows this, and has known it from their first under-age beer.

To say that second-hand smoke is more dangerous than the secondhand effects of a drunk smashing into your car is to ignore the fact that more people are killed driving than by almost any other activity, and that a huge number of those deaths are the result of drunken driving.

That said, smoking and drinking are a part of rock and roll right along with sex and drugs. Always have been. Always will be? Who knows, but probably, in some form or another, regardless of any awkwardly developed citywide ban that says it’s okay to smoke in some bars but not in others.

Part of the experience of going to rock shows for as long as I can remember has been going home afterward and stripping off my tar and nicotine-soaked clothing so as not to contaminate the sheets before passing out, then picking up my t-shirt in the morning and smelling the previous night’s stench. Now that’s rock and roll. And it’s going to become a thing of the past, eventually.

No one knows this more than the people who make a living performing in the smoke dens, but even among them, there is no agreement that the smoking ban is good or necessary.

Take Matt Whipkey, lead singer/guitarist of Anonymous American (Who, by the way, will be releasing a new album by the end of the year). Whipkey’s down with the smoking ban. “In terms of my personal dexterity, you smell better after you get done,” he said of playing gigs in smoke-free bars. “When playing out of state or at smoke-free places like The Zoo Bar (in Lincoln), I’m not absolutely disgusting afterward.”

Whipkey says the smoking ban might even bring more people to gigs, people who have avoided going to shows because they can’t stand the smoke. “Times are changing,” he said. “You can’t do it in Minneapolis, Lawrence, New York, Madison, California or Lincoln. I assume you can’t do it in most cities. It’s just how it goes.”

And then there’s Dave Goldberg, guitarist/keyboardist/drummer/vocalist of The Terminals (Who, by the way, have a new record coming out on Cleveland’s Dead Beat Records). “It’s like taking the smut out of Time’s Square,” he said of the ban. “I’m against it. Rock and roll is supposed to be bad for you. Smoking has been a part of it since its inception. And this is coming from a non-smoker.”

Forget about the sanitized confines of a smoke-free lounge. A punk from back in the day, Goldberg prefers the grime. “I’m partial to a seedy atmosphere, and smoking is definitely part of it,” he said. “I’ve gone to blues clubs for years now, and it seems to go hand-in-hand. Smoky rock clubs — it’s almost like that’s how it should be.”

Unlike Whipkey, Goldberg thinks the ban will have a negative impact on audiences. “In Lincoln, you noticed the effects immediately,” he said of the Capitol City’s ban, which has been around for almost a year. “Duffy’s, for example, has a beer garden, and a lot of times a band will be playing to a partially full or worse-sized audience on account of everyone being outside smoking.”

The one thing Whipkey and Goldberg do agree on: Playing in smoky bars has never impacted their performance quality, or so they think. “Part of my vocal style is the accumulation of secondhand smoke caked on my lungs over the years,” Whipkey said. “Maybe now I’ll sound like a choir boy.” Let’s hope not.

Goldberg, who just finished touring the country as drummer for theater-rock legend Thor, has played in both smoke and smoke-free environments. “I’ve never noticed a difference,” he said, “but I spent a lot of time in smoky bars, perhaps I’m used to it.”

So who’s right? Smoking is indefensible. Banning it in clubs like Sokol Underground will only save lives and keep my clothes and hair smelling better after a night of noise. But you know what? I’m still going to miss it.

Just posted online, an interesting little interview with Yo La Tengo’s James McNew (read it here). James talks about how the band makes records, his relationship with mates Ira and Georgia, and coming to Omaha for the first time. Almost the whole interview is there and in The Reader (I think), though this online version also talks about the making of the soundtrack to the movie Old Joy, which hasn’t played in Omaha yet, and considering how this city handles independent film, probably never will.

The show is Sunday night, and as far as I can tell, isn’t sold out, which is both unfortunate and not surprising. Yo La Tengo is a music fans’ band and is beloved by a core group of people who likely have been following indie music all their lives. So while the band is making some of the best music of their careers, it’s going unnoticed by most people around Omaha, mainly because we don’t have a real college radio station that plays college music. But then again, we never have and look at the scene we’ve managed to create? We’re also lucky to have a promotion company like Marc and Jim at One Percent Productions, who are willing to take on a show like this knowing full well that it’s a gamble, but doing it anyway because they love the band. So get out there and buy a ticket to what promises to be one of the best shows of 2006.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Some random notes on a quiet Monday:

Every Monday look for an updated photo of the Slowdown construction site online here (click here to enlarge). It’s not that I’m obsessed with the project; the fact is that it’s just a few blocks away from my office so taking a snappy once a week is no problem. Will they get the building enclosed by the time the snow flies? Keep watching and see.

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I wound up not going to any shows this weekend, which means I missed Little Brazil on Saturday and Jenny Lewis on Sunday. Anyone who was at either show, feel free to chime in with a review on the webboard.

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Domestica, the new band featuring Heidi Ore and Jon Taylor of Mercy Rule and Boz Hicks of Her Flyaway Manner, will be making their Omaha debut next Saturday night at The Brothers.

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I bought my tickets to Dec. 7 Who concert, which I guess makes me a dick, or so it would seem from every local music guy I’ve mentioned the concert to. “Why in hell would you want to see The Who? It’s not even the original line-up! Those guys shouldn’t be allowed to perform — they’re too old! As an indie music fan, I’m surprised you’re going — The Who are sell outs…” And so on.

Look, I hate arena shows as much as the next guy that hates arena shows — you’re a mile away from the stage, the sound is always always always bad, and you’re surrounded by a crowd that consists of middle-aged bikers, soccer moms, Husker fans and generally, people who don’t like music and are trying to relive some unfortunate moment of their youth. I generally avoid arena shows, but The Who, well, that’s different. They were punk before punk, New Wave before New Wave. This band of snotty British outsiders somehow was allowed inside simply on the strength of their music, which, from album-to-album always seemed to stray off the beaten path. Sure, half the band is dead, but half the band is alive, too. And they’re coming to Omaha — something I never thought I’d see or hear. So I got my tickets — in advance, as a member of the fan club. I probably shouldn’t have hurried — glancing at their schedule, only their Nov. 24 Atlantic City show is sold out. I doubt the Qwest gig will sell out, either, even with The Pretenders opening (most people have told me they’re more excited about seeing Chrissie and Co.). And as ridiculous as it sounds, I’ll try to bag an interview with the band via The Reader — it’ll never happen. The Who doesn’t need alternative newspapers to get the word out. They never have. But can you imagine what a gas it would be to talk to Townshend or Daltrey?

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Finally, this rather humorous article on Yahoo! reports that Zune, the new soon-to-fail Microsoft competitor to the iPod is shipping with pre-loaded music so that consumers will have something to listen to when they take the player out of the box. Another mp3 player, SanDisk, will load more than 32 hours worth of music on their players — all done under the guise of giving the consumer something for free! So all of us who use mp3 players in our cars to avoid the schlock that gets played on the radio these days will now be forced to delete the schlock from the players before they begin playing them. It’s like freeware — for your ears! I can’t imagine a more annoying marketing ploy. A better idea may have been for giving away 30 free songs that users could download from the product-specific service (Rhapsody for SanDisck, for example). Ah, but then the labels would actually have to charge the hardware makers for something like that… Let’s hope iPod doesn’t follow their misguided lead…

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Look for a nice, long exclusive interview with Yo La Tengo here on Wednesday, and another take on Omaha’s new no smoking regs in this Thursday’s column…

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

(Note to RSS readers, this post was delayed because Blogger was dead yesterday).

A restrained, arty crowd (of 150?) last night at Sokol Underground got a long earful of Richard Buckner, maybe (definitely) too long. Seated with just his guitar and a sideman, Buckner put together a set of new and old that spanned at least 75 minutes, which I’m sure was a delight for fans. For the rest of it, the guy-and-guitar performance is always what I’ve never liked about him, and why his latest CD, Meadow, is such a good trip because there he’s backed by a full band, making these folkish ditties into rockers instead of snoozers. Part of the problem was the lack of dynamics — one song blended into the next, until you caught yourself looking at your watch.

Buckner finished up at around midnight (only a handful of people left after his set) then up came the towering Bachmann (There would be no sitting down for him!). From the first note of “Man o’ War,” which just happens to be the first song on his new album, Bachmann created on stage a pitch-perfect, dynamic replication of the CD — in other words, if you like the record, you liked the set (I do and did). I heard two people comment on the Neil Diamond similarity in vocals (everything but the low-end growl), and another yap about Bachmann’s precise finger-picking style (delicate pinging on a nylon-strung acoustic). The highlight, though, was my favorite track off Crooked Fingers’ Red Devil Dawn, “Bad Man Coming,” and fleshing it out with violin, keyboards and a guy playing a couple drums with mallets. Beautiful.

Tonight, all kinds of things going on. Down at Sokol Underground Two Gallants with Langhorne Slim and Trainwreck Riders. Here’s what I wrote for The Reader about this show that they didn’t publish: I’ve got to admit it — Two Gallants’ Saddle Creek Records’ debut, What the Toll Tells, has grown on me. At first I couldn’t get past the backbeat shack-shanty pirate pulse that runs thick throughout their take on ’20s- and ’30s-era blues by way of modern-day San Francisco. But now I look forward to hearing the over-the-top bash-crash ruckus of “Las Cruces Jail” and the rocking-chair blues of “Steady Rollin'” whenever they show up on my iPod shuffle. On stage they take their gritty folk elegies a step further, turning their set into a rock ‘n’ roll tent show. Don’t miss out on this revival. $8, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Scott Severin Band is at O’Leaver’s. Scott sent me a copy of his latest CD, which reminded me of John Hiatt morphed with Stan Ridgway and some Midwest snarl. Wonder what he sounds like live? With three other bands, 9:30, $5.

And maybe the theatrical show of the evening, Father, collaborating with Dapose of The Faint, performing the first track off their disturbing just-released debut (you can find it at Drastic Plastic) along with Vverevvolf Grehv (Formerly Precious Metal), Wasteoid, and Kjeld, all at The Magic Theater, 325 S. 16th St, and by candlelight no less. 9 p.m., $5.

The rest of the weekend is Little Brazil Saturday night and Jenny Lewis Sunday. More later.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Column 94: Museum Makes Music
Can music explain art?

I recently was asked to serve as a “judge” for the Joslyn Art Museum’s Art for Your Ears program. But before I continue, let me say that you, too, can be a part of the series. Just go to art4yourears.org, click on the “Podcast” button and download the mp3 files listed there. Plop them into your iPod, put it in your pocket and drive to the Joslyn at least until Oct. 11 (when the winners are announced). Tell the folks at the front desk that you’re there for the show. They’ll take it from there. You’ll be glad you did.

The program’s concept is simple: Local musicians were asked (via an open call for entries) to compose original songs responding to artworks in the special exhibition, Art on the Edge: Modern and Contemporary Art from the Permanent Collection. The basic premise is to explore the connection between music and art.

I have to admit that I was a bit skeptical. Certainly music has inspired art from back in the days when men scrawled on cave walls while their buddies aimless pounded on drums made of stretched stomach linings up to the “gallery” of concert posters that covers the back wall of Sokol Underground. It’s rarely the other way around. How much music has been inspired by art?

So I said yes. And a couple weeks ago, I traipsed off to the Joslyn over my lunch hour, borrowed one of their mp3 players, took evaluation form in hand and critiqued seven compositions on overall quality, level of difficulty, emotional response to the artwork, originality, its influence on my experience or appreciation of the artwork, and the composer’s spoken introduction to his or her composition.

Among the composers was recent Omaha transfer (from Wichita) Matt Beat, who along with his brother, Steven, make up the band Electric Needle Room. Matt visited the Joslyn with his wife, Shannon, a few weeks after moving to town and found out about Art for Your Ears. “I thought the program would give me a purpose in my song writing,” he said. “This seemed challenging and fun, and it would force me to be a little more creative.”

The art that stuck in Beat’s creative mind was Bedroom Painting # 25 by Tom Wesselmann. Anyone who’s ever been to the Joslyn remembers it as “the giant tit next to the phone” painting. It would stick in anyone’s mind — that tit is huge.

“I thought about it for a couple weeks, and then a song just popped into my head,” Beat said. His composition “You Make Me Feel Sunny,” is your run-of-the-mill yet catchy low-fi indie pop song in the vein of Flaming Lips or Pet Songs-era Beach Boys, with lines “You make me feel special / Like I’m number one / You hang out with me and pretend like you’re having fun.” It’s childlike and bouncy, infused with keyboards and guitar riffs, and has nothing to do with large breasts and telephones.

Beat said he wasn’t trying to interpret the art, he was merely inspired by it. “It’s just a mood,” he said. “It’s like, there’s a phone right by the bed. He could have just finished making whoopee, or you could say it’s an innocent breast. Nudity doesn’t have to be sexual.”

This was typical. When it came time to explain the connection between the music and the art — especially for the more abstract pieces — the explanations became somewhat contrived. In their intros, musicians would say things like, “The two instruments in my piece represent the white and the black in the painting. The snare drum represents the converging lines.” See what I mean?

Beat said he did the song to get his name and his music out there, as well as to get in touch with fellow musicians. In fact, one of the reasons he accepted his job transfer (Beat is a valet parking manager at Methodist hospital) was to get involved in the Omaha music scene.

“That was the most exciting thing about it,” he said. “I knew about the usual Saddle Creek stuff — Bright Eyes and Cursive — but I didn’t know about the wide variety of music here,” said the KU grad. “I want to be able to do music for a living instead of parking cars.”

You can’t blame him for that. And Art 4 Your Ears ain’t a bad first step in that direction (He’s certainly getting the exposure). Now if he could just line up a few gigs in town.

In the end, whether you draw a direct line between the music and the art, Art for Your Ears has provided a well-thought-out soundtrack for an exhibition that can only be interpreted in the eye — or ear — of the beholder.

Butch Walker and the Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites!, The Rise and Fall of… (Epic) — I knew I was in for a treat upon reading the first line of the band’s one-page. Let me share it with you: “If you want a peek at Butch Walker’s speed dial, the most recent copy of Billboard might do the trick.” Ugh.

I’ll get back to that after a few words about the actual music. The Rise and Fall of… is the third solo album to come out of Butch Walker, a man who has more credits to his producing career than most people could garner in four lifetimes. For this endeavor, he involved a seven-piece band affectionately titled the “Let’s-Go-Out-Tonites!” Together the ensemble produces an incredibly tight sound with keys, organs and horn sections weaving in and out of the album. But no matter how tight the band, the bottom line is the song writing. Or in this case, the lack thereof. Cheese-ball chord progressions and elementary school vocal melodies just don’t cut it in my book. It is everything that has been done before and I’ve got a good idea where it came from.

The included one page focused on Walker’s producing credits. Did you know he is producing Avril Lavigne’s next record? Or that he flew to Las Vegas for a one-night session with the All-American Rejects? Neither did I, nor did I really care. This is a case of someone trying to dip his hand into other’s pockets. Good thing mine are empty. Rating: No — Brendan Greene-Walsh

Tim sez: The opening line to the band’s theme song says it all: “I’m tired, I’m bored, Where’s the cocaine?” Walker sounds like a ’70s rock vaudevillian stuck between gigs with Sweet and Nick Gilder. Sure, he’s a braggart, a boaster, a bullshitter. What Brendan doesn’t understand is that a certain amount of rock cocksmanship is not only expected if you’re going to plow this sort of ground, it’s required. It won’t work without it. Especially if you’re going to do songs like “Bethamphetamine” (You’re pretty strung out for a girl). And “Hot Girls in Good Moods” (My love is just a teen-age bullet belt). The complete lack of effort to update the songwriting style (Is that a cushion of strings on the stereotypical schlock ballad “Dominoes”?) makes it an homage to an era best remembered for its muscle cars. Is it cheeseball? It sure is, and I don’t mind at all. Rating: Yes.

A couple hot little items to pass along on a quiet Tuesday.

I got a call from Greg Loftis of An Iris Pattern last night, inviting me to a last-minute gig at O’Leaver’s. The reason for the show: To prepare for another show the band will be performing next Monday at an art gallery in New York City. According to Loftis, An Iris Pattern will indeed be the first band represented on Tommy Hilfiger’s new record label. The as-yet-unnamed label (Hilfiger doesn’t want his name involved, apparently) is in talks now regarding distribution (Atlantic Records is one name being tossed around). Loftis said the deal is 100 percent in the bag, and that a second act also will be joining An Iris Pattern on Hilfiger’s label. “Tommy wants to show people what we sound like,” Lofits said of the NYC gallery show. “It’s playtime for him, but it’s our lives.”

Another bit of news, word has it that Bright Eyes has wrapped up recording in Omaha and has been working in Lincoln at Presto! studios to finish up the new album. Whether any more work continues at Presto! or not, chances are that the Bright Eyes album will mark the last project before the Lincoln studio closes for good and reopens full time in Omaha. Saddle Creek confirmed that Bright Eyes will now head to California at the beginning of October to do some mixing on the project.

Allen Epley’s (ex-Shiner) new project The Life and Times will be taking the stage tonight at O’Leaver’s. The KC trio also includes Eric Abert (Ring, Cicada) and Chris Metcalf (Stella Link). Good with Guns opens. $9:30 p.m., $5.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

If you haven’t had a chance or didn’t look, there’s a live review of last Friday night’s Ladyfinger show just below this entry. The band’s CD officially hits the record stores tomorrow, yet there have been very few pre-release reviews of the disc. Aversion posted this one today that gives Heavy Hands 4 out of 5 stars. Not bad for a first review.

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Finally, after months of sitting dormant, serious work has begun again on the Slowdown compound. I was surprised to see steel beginning to go up last week from my office window and felt compelled to take a few snappies as I drove by the property yesterday afternoon (click to enlarge thumbnail). If the 24-Hour Fitness on 77th and Cass is any indication, once the steel arrives it’s only a matter of weeks before the whole damn thing is framed and walls become enclosed, and before you know it, they’ll be working on the interior. I’m hearing from various sources that one of the retail bays is now spoken for by a coffee shop, though the folks at Slowdown deny that any tenant has signed a lease. At first blush, a coffee shop seems like an ill fit for an indie music venue, offices and film house, until you realize that there will be a couple hotels right across the street (to the north, which I suspect at the rate they’re going up, will be open for business before the first band takes the Slowdown stage). I’ll continue to take pics as construction progresses.

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Tonight at Sokol Underground, Man Man, with Pit er Pat. Philly’s Man Man plays an eclectic style of music that can sound as varied as Eastern European carnival hoedowns to standard Flaming Lips-flavored psych rock. $9, 9:30.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—