Live Review: Matt Whipkey at The Jewell; the week ahead…

Category: Blog,Reviews — Tags: , — @ 7:56 am November 15, 2021
Matt Whipkey and his band at The Jewell, Nov. 12, 2021.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

You could tell Matt Whipkey was proud of the band he assembled for last Friday night’s album release show at The Jewell, and he should be.

Standing beside him on the crooked stage were two of the city’s best guitarists — Korey Anderson and Corey Weber — his longtime sideman/keyboardist Scott Gaeta, percussionist/vibrophone player Scott “Zip” Zimmerman, who for decades sat behind the kit but for Friday was replaced by whizkid drummer Nate Van Fleet (who’s on a personal farewell tour before he moves to Los Angeles early next year), and flying in all the way from Denver was none other than Bobby Carrig, who also played alongside Whipkey for decades.

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Whipkey never had it so good, and I think he knew it, because also supplying sonic mojo was the room itself. The Jewell has a reputation for being one of the better sounding rooms in Omaha, designed for live jazz shows. And sound good it did. This was the first time I’ve seen Whipkey live where I didn’t have to wear earplugs, the sound was so balanced and clean.

Matt brought his A game, performing all the songs off his new album, Hard (2021, Unusual) to a seated crowd who gnawed on $28 plates of rubber chicken from their candle-lit tables. Sort of like seeing a band at a Holiday Inn lounge, but with perfect acoustics. Not exactly a rock club vibe, but Whipkey knew that going in.

Highlights for me were when he let the band lean back and do their thing, like at the end of Hard standout number “Big Noise” that saw Whipkey trading solos with the KCoreys. The other golden moments came during the “greatest hits” part of the set, where he rolled out tasty versions of 2008 Whipkey Three track “Separation” and the acoustic guitar-fueled title track from his 2015 album Underwater.

This was my first time at The Jewell, and for the most part, it was a positive experience, though I recommend eating at one of the many Capital District restaurants before arriving, as the overpriced food was pretty awful. But who eats at a jazz club, anyway? The room would be a great place to host small, intimate singer/songwriter shows as well as jazz. Rock shows aren’t out of the question, though you’re pretty much confined to your table, and that ain’t very rock ‘n’ roll, is it?

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Busy week for shows.

Tomorrow night ‘80s alternative band The Fixx plays at The Waiting Room. These guys have been touring for decades on the strength of two albums from the early ‘80s whose hits still get airplay on classic rock stations. They haven’t put out an album since a 2014 live album. Joining them is ‘90s alt rockers Fastball. $35, 8 p.m.

Tuesday night, Flaccid Mojo (consisting of two members of DFA Records artist Black Dice (the two that don’t sing)) swing by Reverb Lounge for a set of experimental beat-heavy distortion synth noise. Opening is Problems a.k.a. Darren Keen. $12, 8 p.m.

Tennis return to The Slowdown Wednesday night. Molly Burch opens. This is a main room show and it’s No Vax No Entry, so bring your stuff. $20, 8 p.m.

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And then along comes the 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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Nate Van Fleet headed West; Matt Whipkey (and band) tonight; Lemonheads, See Through Dresses, Jeremy Mercy Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 8:26 am November 12, 2021
See Through Dresses with Nate Van Fleet behind the kit at The Waiting Room, way back on Nov. 30, 2013. The band plays Saturday at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Red hot news before we get to the calendar, and it’s news of an unfortunate nature (for Omaha, anyway)…

This weekend’s shows are among the last times you’ll be able to see one of the area’s best drummers perform live. Nate Van Fleet, best known as the drummer for indie rock band See Through Dresses, is moving to Los Angeles after the first of the year. Nate confirmed the news last week: “I’m looking forward to meeting some new faces and making some new musical experiences. Hoping to be back in Omaha as often as possible, though,” he said.

Nate’s filled his calendar with a number of shows before he leaves, including two big ones this weekend with Matt Whipkey and See Through Dresses. But on top of that, Nate’s other band, Big Nope, will open for Criteria and Little Brazil at The Waiting Room Nov. 27 in what may be a tri-fecta for Van Fleet fans. Finally, Nate will be playing as part of Bug Heaven Nov. 28 at The Sydney.

Since he first emerged as a member of STD, Van Fleet has been been recognized as one of the city’s most versatile drummers, becoming the go-to guy for the area’s best rock bands. In fact, that Nov. 27 show could be very special, as Van Fleet drummed for Criteria and Little Brazil. Will he be on stage for all three sets? I don’t know for sure because I haven’t confirmed the bands’ line-ups, but I would not be surprised.

No doubt Van Fleet will become a sensation in La La Land. It’s just a matter of connections and getting seen by the right people. With all the other Omahans who have fled to the West Coast in the past few years — and his unmistakable talent — he’ll have no problems.

Congratulations Nate, and whoa to all of us back in Omaha, as the city’s Great Talent Migration continues…

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So let’s start there. Tonight at The Jewell in the Capitol District Matt Whipkey is playing two shows with a massive band that includes Van Fleet, guitarists Korey Anderson and Corey Weber, keyboardist Scott Gaeta, bassist Glen Smith and percussionist Scott “Zip” Zimmerman. The event is the release of his new album, Hard (2021, Unusual), in vinyl format (which Whipkey will have on hand for sale). You read about the album here. Tickets to both the 6:30 and 8:30 shows are still available for $15.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) The Lemonheads return to The Waiting Room with Heyrocco. See Through Dresses opens this one at 8 p.m. Is the first STD show since the lock down (I think). Tickets are $30, show starts at 8 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Jeremy Mercy and the Rapture Orphans headline at The Sydney in Benson. Mercy has new music out, and what I heard of it is very good. Joining them is The Rare Candies. No price listed for this one but it’s probably around $10. Starts at 9.

Finally, BFF is hosting an event called Magic 8 Ball After Party (I don’t get the reference). That said, live performances include Cat Piss, Blood Cow and DJ Kobrakyle. The show is free if you’re a member of BFF (join!) and $10 for everyone else. Starts at 9.

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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Live Review: Soccer Mommy, Alexalone; Post Animal tonight; the week ahead…

Category: Blog,Reviews — Tags: , , — @ 1:54 pm November 8, 2021
Soccer Mommy at The Waiting Room, Nov. 6, 2021.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

First time back to The Waiting Room since the Before Times and not much has changed. I had no idea Soccer Mommy was as popular as she apparently is, based on the size of the crowd Saturday night, which looked like a sell-out. TWR doesn’t appear to be metering crowd size due to COVID-19, and they’re not obligated to.

And while we were all warned they would be checking COVID-19 vax status, no one checked mine on the way in. That said, everyone in the crowd was wearing a mask except when they were drinking, at the request of the artist. It seemed oddly comforting to be masked in the middle of the crush-sized crowd.

Alexalone at The Waiting Room, Nov. 6, 2021.

We dropped in while Alexalone was in the middle of his set. He — Alex Peterson — was anything but alone surrounded by a sizable band who navigated through his murky, plodding shoegaze rock that at times sort of reminded me of Bedhead, especially in his dry vocals. The contrast between the quiet numbers and when he punched it up with his band was severe in a good way. An interesting choice for an opener.

Soccer Mommy falls into the club of women singer/songwriters who are tearing up indie these days, falling nicely somewhere between Phoebe Bridgers and Snail Mail, though front woman Sophie Allison has more in common with Liz Phair than either of those two, balancing a sound that hints at Phair’s early sonic choices. Songs like “Royal Screw Up,” and “Circle the Drain” from her latest album recall Exile in all their alienated glory.

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The band sounded great; almost too much so as Allison was consistently buried in the mix, but maybe that was the plan or maybe I just lost track as the band played one mid-temp song after another after another…

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On Mondays I’m going to try to take a look at what’s coming up the rest of the week, just to set a course, so to speak. We’re finally getting to a point post-COVID where shows are again being booked during the week, at least at the 1% and Slowdown venues.

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For example, that rescheduled Post Animal show is tonight at Slowdown Jr. This is the band with the Stranger Things connection I wrote about here. Garst opens. $20, 8 p.m.

This Thursday Big Thief member Buck Meek headlines at The Waiting Room with Kidi Band. $12, 8 p.m. Surprised to see this booked at TWR, but they’ve already got Dustin Bushon a.k.a. FXTHR booked at Reverb on Thursday night, preforming as Historical Romance. That one’s $10, 8 p.m.

And then it’s the weekend, but I’ll get to that later…

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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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Pagan Athletes, Universe Contest, BFF tonight; Soccer Mommy Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: — @ 2:43 pm November 5, 2021
Pagan Athletes celebrate the release of their debut album tonight at OutrSpaces.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Sam Crisler at The Reader wrote a massive story on Pagan Athletes, who celebrate the release of their debut LP tonight at OutrSpaces. The drum/keyboard duo of Nathan and Griffin Wolf are the sons of Cellophane Ceiling frontman and Main Vein impresario John Wolf. Sam’s story goes deep in the history, and into the making of the album and the band’s sound, which I would describe as psychedelic-punk-prog-sonic-rollercoaster. Read it here.

OutrSpaces is located at 1258 So. 13th Street. Playing with PA are Verb the Noun, Ben Eisenberger w/chamber group, and Kyle Jessen. No price listed, but it starts at 8 p.m. 

Also tonight, The Sydney in Benson celebrates Benson First Friday with a show headlined by Universe Contest. Also on the bill are Better Friends and All Young Girls Are Machine Guns. $10, 10 p.m. 

Tomorrow night it’s back to Benson for Soccer Mommy at The Waiting Room. Nashville native Sophie Allison is the Mommy and she’s on the road supporting her sophomore release, Color Theory (2020, Loma Vista). Opening is Polyvinyl artist Alexalone. $20, 8 p.m. 

Also Saturday night, I Don’t Know How But They Found Me (Fearless) headlines at The Slowdown with San Diego’s Ignant Benches. $30, 8 p.m.

That’s all I got other than to say that it’s a Bandcamp Friday again, so if you’re going to buy some digital downloads, today’s the day to do it as Bandcamp (and most labels) will be passing along its fees to the artists. 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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Matt Whipkey interview (in the column); Maha under new management; here comes Destroyer and COVID news…

Category: Blog,Interviews — Tags: , — @ 12:44 pm November 3, 2021
A screen cap from the Brothers tribute video from M34N STR33T, titled Monster

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So, The Brothers is gone. I didn’t make it out to the farewell shows last weekend. I didn’t get tickets before the sell outs, and while Trey and Lallaya graciously offered to put me on the list, The Brothers was never the kind of place to have a list, which is one of the reasons I liked the place. 

My final thoughts: What’s next for the Lalleys? We’ll have to wait and see, but they’re way too young to retire. Here’s hoping it’s something music-related, but they deserve to do as much fishing as they want.

And what will happen to The Brothers’ building? No doubt it’ll go to the highest bidder (though I’m hearing GreenSlate isn’t in the mix).

Check out the video tribute by M34N STR33T, below…

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My feature column on Matt Whipkey and his new album, Hard, went up on The Reader website this morning. You can read it here. Matt talks about what did and didn’t go into his “divorce album,” and lists some of his favorite break-up records. My favorite, Beck’s Sea Change from 2005, didn’t make his cut. See what did. And go out and buy tickets to his Nov. 12 album release show at The Jewell. Matt has vinyl in hand that will be sold at the show.

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Last week the folks at the Maha Festival announced that long-time Executive Director Lauren Martin stepped down at the end of October. Lauren’s been involved in Maha since it launched in 2009 and has been the ED since 2015. She’s a big reason why Maha is one of the best-run festivals in the country.

I asked why she’s leaving, and Maha Marketing & Comms Manager Rachel Grace said, “She is seeking opportunities that allow her to prioritize her family/personal goals while serving the community.”

Grace now leads Maha along with Operations Manager Emily Cox. No word on 2022 but there will be a festival next year. When and where has yet to be announced.

. ) ) ) .

One Percent today announced Destroyer is booked at The Waiting Room April 28, 2022. Tickets at $22 go on sale Friday at 10 a.m.

One last note: I just discovered this story that appeared online at The Reader Oct. 20. In it, reporter Sam Crisler talks to a number of venues in town about COVID-19 protocols, including CHI Center and One Percent Productions.

From the article:

“We’re trying to get back to where we have bigger crowds, but at the same time, the touring bands that can draw the bigger crowds just aren’t back on the road right now,” (1%’s Marc) Leibowitz said. He estimates around half of the artists that would typically draw sizable crowds to his venues have chosen to stay home so far.

This is beginning to turn around, judging by the dozens of emails I get every day from larger bands announcing tours.

Also from the article:

Leibowitz said he thinks nationwide standards for concertgoers need to be put in place. The variability in COVID-19 requirements from venue to venue and state to state is discouraging artists from touring in the first place, he said.

“If there was an understanding with people that if you want to see music, you have to do X and Y, then they would be better off,” Leibowitz said. “I think it would make less tours cancel.”

I couldn’t agree more. Even in Omaha there is no COVID-related standard for live shows. The restrictions appear to be driven by the artists themselves — touring acts that insist on proof of vaccination are getting their wish (Destroyer, for example, is a “no vax no entry” show). The same restriction doesn’t appear to exists for local artists’ shows, however, but it probably could if locals insisted on the vax-proof restriction….

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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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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The Brothers swan song (SERIAL tonight, No Thanks Saturday); live review: Tokyo Police Club; Xiu Xiu at Low End tonight…

Category: Blog,Reviews — Tags: , , — @ 9:36 am October 29, 2021
Say goodbye to The Brothers Lounge this weekend…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

This weekend is the end of the line for The Brothers Lounge. Omaha’s legendary punk bar closes its doors for good at the end of the month and is going out with a bang with two sold-out shows.

Tonight (Friday) is a big one — SERIAL headlines — a supergroup that includes Tim Moss (Porn music, Ritual Device), John Wolf (Cellophane Ceiling, Bad Luck Charm, Porn music), Lee Meyerpeter (Cactus Never Thang, Bad Luck Charm, Filter Kings) and Jerry Hug (Ritual Device, Porn music). Their annual holiday shows at The Brothers are a thing of legend. Joining them are Pagan Athletes (new album out Nov. 5!) and Those Far Out Arrows. Doors at 8; music at 9:30. This one has been sold out for weeks. Something tells me it’ll be a madhouse.

Then tomorrow night (Saturday) Omaha punk newcomers No Thanks headlines with 138 (a Misfits tribute band) and Nowhere. Just like tonight, this one’s been sold out for awhile. Doors at 8, music at 9:30 p.m.

I would not want to be the doorman at The Brothers this weekend. As a member of the press who covers the Omaha music scene, I’ll attempt to document these final days… I’m sure I won’t be the only one.

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Before I get to the rest of the weekend, it looked close to capacity last night at Slowdown Jr. for Tokyo Police Club.

And How at Slowdown Jr., Oct. 28, 2021.

I only caught the last song from opening band And How, which had the crowd in the palm of their hands. With eight members, it was a crowded stage. The band is becoming Omaha’s version of late-era Talking Heads, and people are noticing.

The best thing you can say about a tour like the one Tokyo Police Club is currently on in support of the 10 year anniversary of the release of their sophomore album, Champ, is that it made you reconsider the release. Fact is, I never really gave Champ much of a listen when it came out. The band had left Saddle Creek after their debut album, Elephant Shell, for label Mom + Pop Music. And thus, when I heard the album upon its release I thought it was more of the same — i.e., a sort of Vampire Weekend-meets-Strokes indie-rock band.

Tokyo Police Club at Slowdown Jr., Oct. 28, 2021.
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Last night, the songs from that album took on a different life, as I suppose any album would performed live 10 years after its release. The music was more dynamic and I caught myself raising an eyebrow throughout the set, especially with the neat, clean guitar lines guitarist Josh Hooks was laying down. Frontman/bassist Dave Monks, wearing a T-shirt that said, “I May Grow Older but I Refuse to Grow Up,” was in ageless form and perfect voice.

Leaning against the stage-right door I watched members in the front row sang along to every tune, including the Monks’ acoustic encore and the band follow-up. It was great to see a show in Slowdown Jr. again after a couple years – the space continues to be one of the best small rooms in Omaha.

. ) ) ) .

So, it’s a Brothers weekend for the lucky few who can get in, but what about everyone else?

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Well, tonight art-house indie band Xiu Xiu plays at Low End in the basement of the Bemis. This is a sort of after-party show for those who attend the annual Bemis art auction, but a number of free tickets also were available… for awhile. This one is also “sold out.” If you’re going, this is a No Vax / No Entry show, and face masks are encouraged when not eating /drinking. Music starts at 9:30.

That’s all I got. If I missed your show put it in the comments section. If you can’t go to The Brothers this weekend, go to your record player, slap on your favorite punk record and slam a beer for Trey and Lallaya, Omaha legends whose contribution to our music scene cannot be underestimated. You and your bar will be missed.

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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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

New music from Uh Oh, McMann, Hoshaw, Whipkey; Tokyo Police Club, And How tonight…

Category: Blog — @ 12:47 pm October 28, 2021

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Some catching up from last week.

Item: Omaha indie band Uh Oh released their first single to their upcoming album last Friday. It’s called “Still Life,” and it’s pretty rollicking in a smash-up ’00s kind of way. Check it:

. ) ) ) .

Former Grasshopper Takeover (remember them?) bassist James McMann has a new self-released LP out called Peter Is a Robot that’s “like 80%  instrumental plus a couple of tunes near the end including a cover of ‘Heard it through the Grapevine’ and ‘Ten in the rearview’ that Jim Homan mixed.” Check it:

. ) ) ) .

Former Omahan Brad Hoshaw has been doing a good job getting the word out about his new album, Living On a Sliver. His dream is to see it actually show up on the Billboard charts. You can help him realize that dream by buying a copy from Bandcamp for just $4 or more.

. ) ) ) .

Matt Whipkey has a new video out for “Overboard,” the next single off his new album, Hard. Check it out and buy the album at his upcoming release show at The Jewell Nov. 12.

. ) ) ) .

And based on posts in Facebook, it looks like David Nance and his band is in the studio working on their next album. No info to share except one photo posted by bass player Dereck Higgins, who plays on the sessions, shows Jim Schroeder behind a soundboard. Can’t wait to hear what the Nance band is up to.

. ) ) ) .

Tonight at The Slowdown, it’s former Saddle Creek Records band Tokyo Police Club, which you read about on Monday here. Joining them is red hot local indie ensemble And How. Tickets are $20, showtime is 8 p.m. This is a No Vax / No Entry show, so bring proof of vaccination and a photo ID to get in the club. For more information, go to theslowdown.com.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Ten Questions with Tokyo Police Club (at The Slowdown Oct. 28)…

Category: Blog,Interviews — Tags: , — @ 1:02 pm October 25, 2021
Tokyo Police Club circa now. The band plays at The Slowdown Thursday, Oct. 28, with And How.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Seems like only yesterday when in fact it was 13 or 14 years ago that Saddle Creek Records announced that it signed one of its first non-Omaha acts — Tokyo Police Club. Elephant Shell came out on Saddle Creek in April 2008 to much fanfare, but the record would prove to be a one-and-done for the label, as TPC would go onto Mom + Pop Music for the follow-up, 2010’s Champ.

And now a decade later, TPC is celebrating that record with a tour that comes through The Slowdown this Thursday, Oct. 28. TPC is issuing a vinyl version of the album in honor of the 10th anniversary. In addition, TPC frontman Dave Monks has a new album coming out Oct. 15 and guitarist / keyboardist Graham Wright dropped a solo album last month. 

That leaves drummer Greg Alsop to do our Ten Questions survey. We caught up with him and here’s what he had to say: 

What is your favorite album?

Greg Alsop: Siamese Dream – Smashing Pumpkins

What is your least favorite song?

“More than a Feeling” – Boston. It’s like 3 terrible songs strung together. 

What do you enjoy most about being in a band?

The travel. 

What do you hate about being in a band?

The travel. 

What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?

5:1 CBD to THC. (Thankfully – legal where I live). 

In what city or town do you love to perform?

Omaha. No – for real. The Slowdown is one of the best venues in the country and we’re always so happy to be back there. It’s a club that actually goes out of its way to make touring bands feel welcomed and taken care of. Laundry? Check. Load-in ramps? Check. Love the Slowdown and can’t wait to be back.  

What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?

Austin TX, SXSW 2007. At that gig we learned what a “texas mickey” was and why one should never be on our rider…

Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?

We’ve been fortunate enough to be able to do this full-time for a while now, which we’re all still extremely grateful for. This will be our first tour since 2019 and we’re all pumped to have the opportunity to be doing this again. 

What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?

I think there’s a real opportunity to go city to city solving unsolved mysteries. However, everything would have to get wrapped up pretty neatly by “van call” the next morning…

What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?

Nothing comes to mind, but if there’s some inscrutable case out there please let us know and we’ll get our best sleuths on the job. 

o 0 o 0 o

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Tokyo Police club plays with And How Thursday, Oct. 28, at The Slowdown, 729 No. 14th St. Tickets are $20, showtime is 8 p.m. This is a No Vax / No Entry show, so bring proof of vaccination and a photo ID to get in the club. For more information, go to theslowdown.com.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Leaf Blower, Kal Marks, Cat Piss Saturday; The Menzingers Sunday…

Category: Blog — @ 1:59 pm October 22, 2021
Leafblower at O’Leaver’s, July 30, 2017. They’re playing Saturday night at Brothers Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Open Casket Series continues Saturday night at The Brothers Lounge where Cat Piss headlines a show with Boston sludge-loving punkers Kal Marks. Our pals Leaf Blower open the show at 9:30. Tickets are $7. Get there early if you want to get in. And this is a No Vax/No Entry show, so bring your vax card or a photo of your vax card along with a government photo ID. 

Unless you already have tickets to the remaining Brothers shows, this will be your last chance to see live music in Omaha’s original (and best) punk bar. 

Sunday night Scranton punk-folk band The Menzingers return to The Slowdown. They’ve been there a number of times in the past, though I’ve never managed to catch them. The band has been around since 2006 and has six LPs to prove it, almost all of them on Epitaph. Joining them are Brooklyn’s The Worriers (SideOneDummy) and Canadian act The Dirty Nil. This is a No Vax / No Entry show. Same drill as at The Brothers. Bring a card or a picture of your card and an ID. $25, 8 p.m.  

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

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Brothers Open Casket Series is (almost) completely sold out…

Category: Blog — @ 12:40 pm October 21, 2021

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I warned you if you didn’t get your tickets to the upcoming shows at The Brothers Lounge that they’d sell out, and sure enough, all but this Saturday’s Cat Piss / Kal Marks / Leaf Blower show are sold out.

In fact, I tried to get in to last weekend’s Digital Leather show at Brothers and was turned away at the door as they were already at capacity. You snooze, you lose. The sell outs are an indication that the fact Brothers is closing for good at the end of October is now well known. I intended to write about the closing in the October issue of The Reader, but was told to keep it on the down low.

While it’s cool these shows are selling out, The Brothers, to me, is/was more of a punk rock club to hang out and drink (best jukebox in town!) than it was a live music venue, and I’m sure the fine folks who run the place would agree, having run one of Omaha’s legendary live music venues – the amazing Capitol Bar & Grill in downtown Omaha, home to some of the greatest rock shows of the ‘90s.

The Brothers has had their share of great shows over the years as well. An early gig by The Faint is on that list, as well as those Serial gigs that took place around the holidays the past few years. The “on the record” reason why the bar is closing will have to wait, and I can’t speculate other than to say The Blackstone District is not the same neighborhood it was during the bar’s heyday when you couldn’t find an empty table on a Friday or Saturday night. The Brothers has long been thee after-show destination for those with discernible taste.

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It seems the smaller Omaha clubs have been hit hardest by the pandemic, or at least the smaller bars that featured live music. Small stages like The Barley Street, O’Leaver’s and now Brothers Lounge are going away. O’Leaver’s remains a head-scratcher. As far as I can tell there are no immediate plans to reopen their little stage (but we can always hope). And while it’s a bummer for those of us who liked the smaller punk rock venues, it’s a real killer for young local bands who need a place to perform.

Omaha still has a plethora of great music venues and more on the way, but other than The Sydney in Benson, none cater to the up-and-coming indie and punk rock acts the way these small clubs did.

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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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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