The Lupines at O’Leaver’s Nov. 9, 2019.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Lupines rolled out a new direction to their sound last Saturday night at O’Leaver’s. In fact, they literally rolled it out — a giant upright piano, that is. If you’ve been there before you’ve likely leaned/sat on the behemoth, which usually sits next to the exit to the beer garden. The band grunted it across the floor to the stage area for their set, and then spent a good 10 minutes (or more?) trying to get it properly miked up. Who knew that old-fashioned upright pianos could create so much feedback?

Lupines frontman John Ziegler set down his guitar to twinkle the ivories on a new set of songs that sported a honky-tonk country flair, a bit of blues and folk and rock. The first couple tunes were eight or nine minutes long but seemed to roll on forever thanks to endlessly repeating verses. Ziegler pounded the keys like a modern-day Leon Russell, ending each line with a bluesy flourish, while guitarist Mike Friedman pulled back his usual jittery, frenetic Lupines’ style to something more relaxed and refined, a la David Lindley.

It all came together on the final two songs of the set — one short one, the other, an epic closer wherein Ziegler maneuvered from the piano bench, through the tangle of microphone stands and cords to pick up his Gibson and battle Friedman with guitar riffs.

I’d heard a few weeks ago that Ziegler was going to play piano for this set, so I prepared myself to finally hear one of my all-time favorite Lupines songs — “Hasn’t Failed Me Yet” — a tune I’d been told had never been played live because of its piano-based arrangement. Now there were no excuses. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be as the band only played brand new material. My quest to hear that epic song continues…

Unexplained Death at O’Leaver’s Nov. 9, 2019.

Matt Whipkey and his crew in the form of poli-punk band Unexplained Death didn’t make it to the O’Leaver’s “stage” until well after midnight, ripping through songs off their just-released self-titled cassette.

Always prolific, Whipkey used the occasion to debut a couple more new songs, one of them an angry, fast number built on a golden guitar riff that I’d love to hear again. If this project’s goal was to pull Whipkey away from the Americana format that he’s known for, it’s succeeding. As I’ve said before, Unexplained Death isn’t so much a punk bands as a punk-influenced rock band with a political message ripe for our time. But it won’t be deemed a true success until someone wearing a MAGA hat attacks Whipkey on stage during a performance, ending in arrests by all involved, and the headline MAGA DUDE CHARGED FOR ATTEMPTED MURDER AT UNEXPLAINED DEATH SCENE!!!

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The last time Boston indie rock act Pile played in Omaha it was aboard the River City Star in the summer of 2017. They’ll be on firmer ground when they headline Slowdown Jr. tonight, on tour in support of Green and Gray (2019, Exploding in Sound), album that scored a mighty 7.9 on the Pitchfork scale.

The touring opener is mathy Chicago rockers Stuck. While Omaha’s very own No Thanks kicks things off at 8 p.m. This is a good one, and it’s only $12.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Solid Goldberg at The Barley Street May 13, 2011. Mr. Goldberg returns to The Brothers Lounge Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So… we have, what, a thousand venues with more coming every day and there’s nothing going on tonight — on a Friday night? Well, that’s the deal when it comes to indie music in a town that used to be known for its indie music.

Ah well…

Onward to Saturday night where there’s a couple hot shows.

Down at fabulous O’Leaver’s arguably the best garage rock band in Omaha, The Lupines, plays with Unexplained Death, the new punk-ish project by Matt Whipkey and his band. Minne Lussa (Matt Rutledge singing in French!) opens at 10 p.m. $7.

Meanwhile, over at The Brothers Lounge, Kansas City rock duo Hobbyist plays with the legendary Solid Goldberg. Effluvium opens at 9 p.m. $5.

Sunday night you’ve got a pretty big touring show — Clan of Xymox at The Waiting Room. This band, which recorded on the 4AD label back when it was impressive to be on the 4AD label, is still kicking with at least one original member, frontman Ronny Moorings. Chicago’s The Bellwether Syndicate opens at 8 p.m. $20.

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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The new Omaha Performing Arts live music venue would cost a cool $109 million.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

By now you’ve probably seen the press release wherein Omaha Performing Arts announces plans to build a $109 million music venue located from Dodge Street to Capitol Avenue between 11th and 12th streets in downtown Omaha. If not, go here now. We’ll wait…

The facility, with a capacity of 1,500 to 3,000 and no fixed seats is slated to open in 2023. According to Kevin Coffey’s article in the Omaha World-Herald, the venue “could accommodate a standing-room crowd for a rock concert or a thrust stage and seating risers for an immersive opera performance.”

A few questions come to mind:

— Who exactly is the target audience for this facility? Is it classical music aficionados or rock fans? Is OPA going to book it? Do they know anything about booking rock shows?
— What hole does this fill that the current arenas as well as the already-announced 1% indoor-outdoor music venue in La Vista doesn’t fill? (Kevin does a great job at the end of his article listing all the existing / coming facilities).
— Why does it cost $109 million?

Seems a bit crazy, but I guess downtown developers are eager to figure out ways to get people to come downtown? And there are plenty of local millionaires (billionaires?) with money burning a hole in their pockets.

From the OPA press release: “We believe the Live Music Venue will significantly improve music opportunities available in Omaha, especially for the key audience demographic of 21 to 45 years old. This proposed O-pa campus expansion provides an excellent fit with the renovations underway along the Riverfront, and will further enhance Omaha’s downtown entryway.”

There’s an argument that this new venue will also somehow help keep young people in our fair city (or attract more young people). As someone aptly put it in one of the many Facebook threads about this topic: Maybe they should take $1 million of the $109 million and apply it to developing the talent that’s already here. Because, folks, we’ve lost a shitload of talented folks over the past couple years, more than than I can remember losing in the past decade. And I don’t think they left because they didn’t have a $109 million venue to perform at.

Anyway, read the OPA press release here.

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David Nance Group returns to The Brothers Lounge tonight and they’re bringing along some Third Man Records label-mates: Long Hots form Philly. You won’t want to miss it, and it’s just $5. Starts at 10 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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

A screen-cap from the new video for “Kittybear” by Betty Rubble.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Local musician and filmmaker Aaron Gum (Glow in the Dark, InDreama) has a new project called Betty Rubble that features Chelsea Balzer (Vital Organs) on lead vocals and superstar rock veteran Craig Dee on drums.

Their first track, “Kittybear,” is a sassy, kick-drum-driven rocker with an ’80s New Wave sheen. “Drawing from elements of riot grrrl, synthpop, and punk movements, Kittybear is a feisty, danceable anthem which exemplifies the duo’s no-holds-barred, infectious sound,” says Gum.

The track was recorded at Gum’s home studio with drums recorded at Make Believe Studio. So when are we going to be able to catch them live?

Maria Taylor, who you might remember as half of Saddle Creek Records act Azure Ray, is recruiting some mighty big names for backing vocals on her recordings these days. On her latest track, “Waiting in Line,” Counting Crows’ Adam Duritz brings the harmonies (But never rips into “Round Hereeee!!!

“).

Pretty song. Taylor’s new self-titled LP comes out Nov. 11 (Yes, that’s 11/11 for those paying attention) on her very own Flower Moon Records label.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Jeffrey Lewis and Los Bolts at Reverb Lounge, Nov. 15, 2016. Lewis and his band plays tonight at The Brothers Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The last time I spoke to Jeffrey Lewis was right before Trump was elected president. We did an extended Q&A in two parts, because he was willing and because I dig his music and his writing (and his comics). It’s interesting to look back on that interview. I think we were both were in denial. I certainly was.

Here’s part one, which focused exclusively on the 2016 election, posted the day after.

Here’s part two, where talks about his music, his comicbooks and art, all kinds of stuff.

Anyway, Jeffrey and his band are playing tonight at The Brothers Lounge and if you get a chance you should go see them. Lewis is an amazing performer and his new album, Bad Wiring (2019, Don Giovanni), is another keeper (Gad, is that the best you can say about an album? Well, these days, if you’re “keeping” a record, it must be pretty damn good).

I wish I would have looked back to these interviews when I found out Lewis was returning. I would have scheduled another interview to get his take on Trump four years later. I think both of our worst fears have been realized.

Sean Pratt and the Sweats and the always amazing Anna McClellan open. $10, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Twin Peaks at The Waiting Room, June 29, 2016. The band returns to The Waiting Room tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Just like last weekend, it’s a loaded Friday night and a sorta thin rest of the weekend. Why can’t we get promoters to spread these shows over the entire weekend? I know, I know, it’s out of their hands. Anyway, choose wisely.

The biggest show of the night (Friday) is at The Waiting Room where Twin Peaks returns in support of their latest, Lookout Low. Yesterday the band shared the latest track from the album, the Beatle-esque “Our World.” Joining them tonight is a stacked line-up that includes Post Animal and OHMME. $20, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, just across the street and down a ways, indie pop band Uh Oh is among the five bands playing a #BFF/OEAA show at Burke’s Pub. In addition to Uh Oh you get Liz Gre, Diego Danger, Rey Styles, Chad Stoner, Mace Hathaway and Names Without Numbers. Uh Oh goes on at 8:40. It’s part of the OEAA Fall Nominee Showcase. Your $10 entry gets you into all the participating venues (What those are, I’m not certain).

Check out the just-dropped new Love Drunk video for Uh Oh’s “Time Zones,” shot at Joslyn Castle.

Did I mention it was Benson First Friday? If you’re wandering around Benson tonight taking in the art, drop on into the Little Gallery, 5901 Maple St. (the east bay of the Masonic Lodge Building), for the opening of Bill Hoover’s one man show, Lost and Found and Lost. Bill’s exploring the use of collage, paper sculpture and other materials. We’ll be there from 6 to 9 p.m. Come say hello!

What about outside of Benson tonight?

Well there’s a banger of a show at fabulous O’Leaver’s Friday night with Omaha’s favorite stoner-metal band Ocean Black and Omaha’s favorite alt-country band Clarence Tilton. That’s two favorites in one for $7. Starts at 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, downtown is a real sleeper of a show — freak folk singer/songwriter Devendra Banhart headlines in the main room at The Slowdown. Joining him is one of Saddle Creek Records’ brightest new acts, Black Belt Eagle Scout. Tickets range from $26 to $36, and showtime is 8 p.m.

Holy shit that’s a lot of stuff going on in one night. Tomorrow (Saturday) you’re down to two shows.

Back down at The Slowdown, punk band The Menzingers headlines in the main room with Tigers Jaw and Culture Abuse. Tickets are $20-$25; show starts at 8 p.m.

Also Saturday night O’Leaver’s has Conny Franko, Satanic Abortion and Jocko. $5, 10 p.m.

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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

“Monster Mash” by Flight School.

No doubt if I had kids I would be aware of just how excited they are on Halloween’s Eve. After all, I was a kid once and I loved Halloween. But what do you do if your kids are getting a little out of hand before — or after — Halloween (because all that sugar, right?)?

Well, your favorite studio project, Flight School, has the remedy. Today Ian Aeillo (Nebraska’s answer to Alan Parsons) released a doozy of a cover of Bobby Pickett’s holiday classic, “Monster Mash.” The 7-plus minute Ambien-fueled anthem features Luke Pettipoole and Sarah Bohling on vocals, and is sure to draw down the energy level of anyone who experiences it. I promise you’ll never hear this song quite the same way again, and there’s no question I prefer Ian’s version over the original. Check it below:

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You might remember Rose Thomas Bannister by her old name, Ember Schrag, the moniker she used when she lived in Nebraska. These days she calls Brooklyn home, and now Bannister has a new album in the can called The Little Wren, which she hopes to release on vinyl. So… Kickstarter. Bannister already hit her $3,000 goal, but the campaign continues for a another day or so. I’ve always considered Kickstarter to be sort of presale event. Check it out here.

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On the other hand, Shawn Foree has a ways to go until he reaches his $2,000 Go Fund Me goal for his next record, which he thinks is “the strongest album I’ve done.” It’s the follow-up to Feeet, the limited-vinyl album released this past January by German label Stencil Trash Records and the 8-track tape re-release of 2007’s Blow Machine. What does Shawn have up his sleeve this time? The quicker you donate, the quicker we’ll find out.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Bethlehem Steel plays tonight at O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A couple quick news items…

Cursive’s Tim Kasher is among the more than 1,000 artists who have pledged to boycott Amazon festivals because of the company’s ties to ICE. Amazon Web Services is presenting the Intersect festival in Las Vegas.

“We the undersigned artists are outraged that Amazon continues to provide the technical backbone for ICE’s human rights abuses,” said the statement on the Fight for the Future website. 

The artists are pledging to not participate in Amazon-sponsored events, or engage in exclusive partnerships with Amazon in the future, until Amazon publicly commits to terminating existing contracts with military, law enforcement and governement agencies that commit human rights abuses. ICE was among those agencies listed. 

“We will not allow Amazon to exploit our creativity to promote its brand while it enables attacks on immigrants, communities of color, workers, and local economies. We call on all artists who believe in basic rights and human dignity to join us.”

Along with Kasher, other artists who signed the pledge include Ted Leo, Sadie Dupuis, Control Top, Pujol, Stef Chura, Deerhoof, Of Montreal and Bethlehem Steel, who are playing tonight at O’Leaver’s. See the full list at the website.  

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New Algiers. The album, There Is No Year, comes out Jan. 17 on Matador. For the love of god, someone please book a show in Omaha. Currently their closest pass is Chicago April 3.

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Tonight at O’Leaver’s the aforementioned Bethlehem Steel returns. The band’s self-titled sophomore album came out Sept. 13 on Exploding in Sound Records. Their sound is indie with a proggy edge fronted by Becca Ryskalczyk. It’s a great slate of openers tonight including Sean Pratt, Megan Siebe and Nutrition Fun. $7, 9 p.m. 

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Deerhoof performs at the grand opening of Low End, Oct. 25, 2019.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Lots of well-dressed, smiling, laughing people, some with pieces of art wrapped in brown paper tucked under their arms, were leaving the Bemis Friday night as we arrived for the Deerhoof show down in the once-known-as Bemis Underground now-known-as Low End. I felt invisible in my hoodie and jeans, and probably was to all the local art/business types leaving the night’s charity auction. These are the folks who keep things like Bemis afloat. We have a lot of them in this town, thankfully, and we always need more (and they’re out there, in those West Omaha mansions, we just need to get them downtown).

Low End is actually in the space next to Visions custom frame shop. What was once a cavernous empty room has been transformed into something, well, Warholian. By that I mean the underground space has an artsy, cool vibe. The walls are scalloped and covered in floral wall paper and aglow in digital stage lighting, all synced to change color — orange, purple, green, blue, it feels like the walls are moving, sort of. In the center, a support structure has been turned into a sculpture covered in spray-gunk that drips like synthetic stalactites.

Inside the catacombs of Low End…

Despite (or because of) its subterranean essence Low End feels intimate, with built-in cushioned benches throughout its many nooks, like hiding places left in plain sight. Anyone would feel cool hanging out down there, ablaze in the digital glow.

Off along one side, not quite in a corner (though I guess it is a corner) is the Low End performance space/stage, which is a small platform (a few inches in height? Whaddya gonna do with that low ceiling?) and a wood-plank background that no doubt also acts as a sound buffer, designed by acclaimed architect Jeff Day and his FACT Team. It’s amazing looking, yet functional, like everything Day designs, like the entire room.

The PA speakers hang from the low rafters along the stage perimeter. I noticed a couple people running sound from off to the left, one using an iPad, the wiring all well hidden. Deerhoof’s amps sat on the stage and the band played essentially in a circle with front woman Satomi Matsuzaki facing the band, who were tucked in the corner. With those low ceilings I was expecting a painfully loud experience but was pleasantly surprised at the acoustics, which were clean and not overpowering, not boomy at all.

Obviously, with a crowd of any size, sight lines down there are going to be a problem. Keep in mind Low End wasn’t designed to be a rock club, but rather a space for experimental sound/music experiences — we’re talking art projects like two people scraping tin cans together or someone playing a lone cello on songs with names like “Abstract Staircase No. 1” “Abstract Staircase No. 2,” and so on. Not a rock band, and certainly not one as explosive as Deerhoof.

Deerhoof performing at Low End, Oct. 25, 2019.

Though known as an experimental band — and yes, they play proggy, angular music that can turn and twist and change key on a dime — we’re still talking electric guitar, bass and drums, and more often than not, songs you can pogo to (as many standing along the stage did, minding not to jump too high). Deerhoof was the perfect rock band to kick off Low End, though it’ll likely be the last rock band, or maybe not. Time will tell.

My hope is that, along with experimental noise/art sound collage projects that Bemis at least tries to book an artist or two that could be deemed “pop.” I mean, even Warhol had Velvet Underground for The Factory.

Anyway, Low End is a very cool space. Check it out for yourself when Laura Ortman performs there on Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. It, like all future shows, is absolutely free (and yes, they serve booze).

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Unexplained Death at The Brothers Lounge, Oct. 25, 2019.

After Deerhoof we drove uptown to The Brothers for the debut of Unexplained Death, the new punk project by Matt Whipkey and his band.

Whipkey dressed black on black tore into songs off his debut cassette, which was celebrating its release that night. No matter the style, Whipkey and his band always give an intense performance, but with the new rock material, they add an edge to angry songs about troubled times.

I wouldn’t call this punk rock as much as heavy, fast rock with a nod toward punk-ish bands like The Replacements or maybe mid-era, dirty Stones, which has always been a sweet spot for Whipkey’s music (along with Springsteen — anyone can tell Whipkey is a devotee). Call it protest rock or poli-rock, more observation than protest, actually, with Whipkey’s journalism degree taking center stage. The lyrics aren’t so much nuanced messages of rage as angry observations driven by recent headlines, and as such are more literal than punk’s usual anthem-threat-bombast. Here, listeners tend to nod in agreement rather than raise their fist in solidarity.

The live performance also is cleaner, more professional than the noise-static-low-fi feedback-drenched intentionally distorted takes heard on their tape, and as a result, sound like hard rock songs well-played by a band of rock veterans, better suited for the radio than the moshpit. As such, these protest songs are ready-made for any stage and not just punk clubs, and something tells me that’s what Whipkey had in mind.

Find out for yourself when the band plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday, Nov. 9, with the world-famous Lupines and those French-singing troubadours in Minne Lussa.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Deerhoof at The Waiting Room, June 25, 2010. The band plays a sold out show tonight at the grand opening of Low End at the Bemis.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tonight is the debut of Low End, the new venue that is opening in the space that used to be Bemis Underground.

And the band chosen to kick things off is none other than Deerhoof. The concert is a joint production between Bemis and the Maha organization and has been sold out for quite some time, so unless you have tickets you’ll have to wait until one of the Low End’s future free concerts to check out the new digs. The concert starts at 9:30.

Also tonight, the long-awaited debut of Unexplained Death, the poli-punk rock project by Matt Whipkey. I’ve been told that Matt will be spending the afternoon ironing his mohawk for this special occasion. Or should I say “occasions” as Matt will first be hosting a listening party for the new Unexplained Death cassette release at Hi Fi House at 5:30, with music beginning at 6:30. That one’s free.

Then later, Whipkey will be giving his band the ultimate acid test by debuting at what is arguably Omaha’s punkiest punk bar, The Brothers Lounge.  The Broke Loose opens at 10 p.m. $5.

Also tonight, Omaha garage-rock originals Those Far Out Arrows are headlining at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining them are Anthony Worden & the Illiterati, and Sean Pratt. $5, 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, cross town at the infamous Midtown Art Supply space at 2578 Harney St. there’s a four-band show featuring maybe the hottest Omaha punk band currently running, No Thanks, along with Jocko, Death Cow and Histrionic. $5, 8 p.m.

One other show worth mentioning happening tonight is The Travelling Mercies playing at The Down Under Lounge. Joining them are Project Constellation and Michael Trenhaile. This one’s free and starts at 9:30.

Than we get to Saturday. The Husker game is at 2:30, so there’s no excuse for the lack of shows. The only thing I’m aware of is the Big Al free music fest at O’Leaver’s starting at 9 (a canned-food contribution is recommended for entry).

Am I missing something? 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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.