by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cleaning out the ol’ email basket…

While still recovering… from throat problems, Conor Oberst has been lighting up the internet with news. On a recent Broken Record podcast, Oberst talked about trying to convince Alan and Diana Meltzer of Wind-Up Records to not sign proto-grunge band Creed to their label way back in the mid-’90s. Oberst was in Commander Venus, which was then signed to Wind-Up. Conor must have been 16 or 17 at the time. Read all about it here in Exclaim.  Said Conor about the Creek record: “And then, sure enough, they put it out, and it’s the biggest thing in the world. So [that’s] another reason not to ever trust my judgement.“

Bright Eyes also just announced that Christopher Owens will be their supporting act when they kick off their North American Tour Jan. 16 in Phoenix. Owens was formerly in the S.F. duo Girls. He opens for Bright Eyes through Feb. 7, then hands the opener chores to Hurray for the Riff Raff, who eventually hands it over to Cursive in April. Those Bright Eyes/Cursive shows could be a real time machine. 

Still no make-up date announced for that “postponed” Steelhouse date….

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Speaking of time machines, tomorrow night (Thursday) at 7:30 p.m., Nebraska Public Media will re-air the next installment of its 33rd Street Sessions series featuring archive performances from Mercy Rule, The Millions and Floating Opera. The old concert clips are interspersed with recent interviews with Mercy Rule’s Jon Taylor, Heidi Ore and Ron Albertson, and The Millions’ Lori Allison. Fun stuff and the recording quality is top-notch. And if you watch via the embedded player below, you can skip over all the NPM fund drive pitches!

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Finally, Dream Ghoul just dropped another track from their upcoming album, A Forgotten Future, which is being released this coming Sunday. Dream Ghoul is the latest project from Max Holmquist (Oquoa). The album was recorded and mixed by Jim Schroeder, of Mesa Buoy and David Nance Band. No doubt you’ll hear most of the album’s songs when the band performs this Friday at Reverb with Western Haikus and The Ivory Claws…

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Last night’s performance of Simon Joyner’s Coyote Butterfly at The Waiting Room was a touching tribute to Joyner’s late son, Owen – the subject of the album. Every seat was taken throughout the packed house, with many standing in the back along the bar.

Megan Siebe began the evening performing a solo cello composition on the darkened stage – a solemn, dramatic, tonal piece performed over looped portions recorded via a pedal. The album’s artwork was projected behind her – a bleak snow scape in the dead of winter. The image would later be replaced with a rotating collection of photos taken near the South Omaha Bridge – beautiful landscapes with cloud-filled skies.

Sarah Adkisson Joyner, Simon’s wife, took the stage next and said a few words about Owen and how their family had grieved following his death in August 2022. She also talked about how the music we were about to hear played a role in their grieving process, before introducing the band. 

Joyner, seated center stage with his guitar, was surrounded by his friends and bandmates – David Nance on bass, James Schroeder, guitar; Kevin Donahue, drums, and Michael Krassner on guitar and keyboards. They proceeded to perform Coyote Butterfly in its entirety in track order, beginning with the field recordings and Joyner’s guitar instrumental, “Red-Winged Black Birds (March 13, 2024),” that led directly into Joyner singing alone, “I’m Taking You With Me.” 

The full band then joined in on “The Silver Birch,” (with Megan Siebe on violin) and continued for what was a note-perfect rendition of the album. An exception was an epic version of “Port of Call” that featured an extended instrumental introduction showcasing the band – it felt like the evening’s centerpiece leading into a performance of the album’s title track.

Joiner didn’t speak between songs, and the audience seemed initially hesitant to applaud, perhaps wondering if it was okay to enjoy themselves while Simon poured his heart out. After the buzz of cicadas heard on the concluding field recording came to an abrupt halt (as it does on the album), the crowd again applauded and Joyner thanked everyone for being there. The evening was somber but also heart-felt and special, and will likely never be repeated. 

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The weekend is finally here, so let’s review…

It’s the first Friday of the month, and that means Benson First Friday. Local artists will be showing their wares in art openings up and down Maple Street tonight, including at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, where we’re hosting the 2024 Dragon Invitational Open House featuring the works of a whopping 25 artists. Full list of participating artists is right here. I currently am busy this morning baking cookies for this event (Chinese Almond Cookies, Classic Toll House). The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, have a glass of wine (or whine) and say hello. See you there. 

It’s also Bandcamp Friday, which means it’s the best time to purchase music from your favorite artists as today Bandcamp is waving all fees and passing your hard-earned rubles directly to the bands. So whether it’s the Violenteer debut or the latest from Simon Joyner or this groovy new track from Max Holmquist’s Dream Ghoul, now is the time to buy and download.

And, though not a ska fan (except for The Specials, of course), there’s a three-band ska show happening tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. They’re calling it “A Plastic Holiday Special,” featuring Omaha skacore band Plastic Presidents, Minneapolis ska/punk/jazz fusion act Runaway Ricochet and Omaha ska/rocksteady act The Bishops. It’s free and has a published 8 p.m. start time. Wear a checkered neck tie and your top-siders!

Saturday night is the big Violenteer EP release show at Reverb Lounge. I wrote about the album here. The four-band bill also includes Dance Me Pregnant, Lodgings and Bad Bad Men. It’ll be a crowded room fer shure. $12, 8 p.m. start time.

Meanwhile, just down the street at The Sydney, Dave Goldberg’s new(ish) metal band Prolapse is headlining a show with Blood Tower and GLOW. $10, 9 p.m. (Sydney Time).

That brings us to Sunday and Simon Joyner’s album release show for Coyote Butterfly. As mentioned in yesterday’s write-up, this will likely be the only time the album is performed in its entirety. It’s also a seated show, so get there early to both get good seats and hear opener Megan Siebe. This early show (6:30 p.m. start time) could be a gut-wrencher. $15. PS: The Waiting Room will be featuring an NA-only special menu. All the profits from the tickets will be donated to the Arch Alumni Association, a non-profit organization whose mission is supporting former members of the Arch Halfway House.

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Knowing the theme behind the recording, I dreaded listening to Simon Joyner’s new album, Coyote Butterfly (2024, Grapefruit Records). 

Released last month, the record is the first collection of songs from Joyner in two years following the overdose death of his son, Owen, in August 2022. Joyner’s music is already known for leaning on the heavier topics of life; now along comes a very personal 10-track collection described as an exploration of loss through a series of imagined dialogues and raw confessions drawn from the kaleidoscopic nature of grief. 

Well, after listening to the album for the past few days, my dread was unfounded. Coyote Butterfly not only is one of the most poignant collections penned by Joyner, but melodically also among the most beautiful. This is not a minor-key cry of pain, rather it’s an elegiac acknowledgement of grief, regret and acceptance from someone who has been through something no one should go through.

Despite its bleak subject matter, a number of the album’s songs could become staples in Joyner’s future set lists such as “The Silver Birch” and “Port of Call” where Joyner leans on long-time comrades and friends to accompany him – a backing band consisting of David Nance, James Schroeder, Kevin Donahue, Ben Brodin and Michael Krassner. 

On the other hand, many of the songs that feature only Joyner, his guitar and voice — especially the gut-wrenching “My Lament” and the heart-breaking title track — are difficult to get through, but are far from maudlin. 

AllMusic.com critic Fred Thomas, in an incisive review of the Coyote Butterfly, concluded: “The album does an amazing job of conveying how dealing with death is a journey with no destination, one spent looking for slivers of understanding and acceptance but knowing there will never be resolution. The way Joyner shares his pain with honesty and fearlessness makes these songs some of his most beautiful and connective and life-affirming even in their unimaginable grief.”

Joyner and his band will perform the album at a special seated show this Sunday at The Waiting Room. According to the One Percent Productions’ website, it will likely be the only performance of the album in its entirety. And if my notes are correct, it’ll be the first time Joyner has performed on a formal Omaha stage in almost a decade.

Singer/songwriter Megan Siebe, who has played on a number of Joyner’s previous albums, opens Sunday’s show at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Weighing in at just under a half-hour, Violenteer’s self-titled 6-song debut EP is a tale of competing sonic identities sandwiched between two slices of bass. 

The recording showcases the Cotton Brothers. In the right channel on bass is Randy Cotton, who you might remember from his work in ’90s Omaha golden age punk band Ritual Device, which was followed a few years later by metal band, Ravine. In the left channel also on bass is Barry Cotton, formerly of the band Members of the Press. These guys share a love for pounding, nihilistic-fueled metal that is like listening to one explosion after another or the dark soundtrack to a ’90s grind-core horror flick. 

Cutting through the dueling basses’ thundering rumble is vocalist Steve Tulipana’s howls, growls, spoken words and the occasional sung lyric. Tulipana made a name for himself as the frontman of ’90s Kansas City noise-rock band Season to Risk. 

The album is a mountain of noise/soundscapes that tumble forward at approaching-doom pace, lovingly provided by drummer Eric Ebers, another Omaha punk rock veteran from bands Ritual Device and Ravine, now a member of shoe-gaze outfit Minne Lussa. New drummer Corey Thumann has taken over behind the kit for the live band. Though overcast by a cloud of metal angst, two songs on the EP break through the darkness. 

“Up the Flood” jumps forward atop a groovy, punchy drum line before breaking into monster riffs, then throttling back again to that crazy rhythm. It’s the closest thing to vintage gutter-groove Ritual Device I’ve heard since the last Ritual Device reunion show. 

Then there’s “Just Another Day,” a grunge-style ballad that features Tulipana’s best vocals singing the album’s most appealing melodies. The song breaks down to an indecipherable spoken-word bombast before shifting into a Pink Floyd (a la Meddle)-style psych rock soundscape. This song, no doubt, will be the epic closer for Saturday night’s album release show at Reverb Lounge. 

Joining Violenteer on this loaded four-band bill are Dance Me Pregnant (‘00s-era O’Leaver’s punk rock survivors Chris Machmuller, Johnny Vredenburg, Corey Broman and Jeff Ankenbauer), Lodgings (last I heard, their new records was in the process of being mixed) and Bad Bad Men (the Wolf-Hug-Siebken power trio extraordinaire). 8 p.m., $12. 

Limited-edition 12-inch vinyl and digital download are on pre-sale at the Violenteer Bandcamp page, where you can also hear the first single from the EP.

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A week after the news broke in Lazy-i, the folks at the Maha Music Festival today made it official: The Maha Festival returns Aug. 2, 2025, to RiverFront Park in downtown Omaha. 

With the headline: Maha Festival Returning in 2025, Combining Forces with Outlandia, the press release also announced Maha’s original four founders are once again involved in the festival — Mike App, Tre Brashear, Tyler Owen and Mike Toohey. And as reported earlier, 1% Productions is both booking and producing the show. 

“As Maha grew and found new leadership, the foursome worked with Omaha-based 1% Productions to start another music festival, Outlandia, in 2022,” said the press release. “They have decided to end Outlandia and recombine efforts with Maha.”

Also back for the 2025 festival is former Maha executive director Emily Cox. And let’s not forget MECA, the organization who oversees The RiverFront, who no doubt will also be playing a key role. 

Maha Festival Board President TJ Twit said expect announcements on performers and other details about Maha 2025 in the coming months. I’m told they already booked the headliners. 

In a time when we seem to hear almost daily of a long-running music festival either being postponed or cancelled (I’m looking at you, Chicago’s Pitchforkfest), it’s great to see Omaha’s keynote music festival is alive and well and will be back, hopefully bigger and better than ever….

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A not-so-last-minute show is happening tonight down in the Old Market…

Nashville trio Styrofoam Winos is passing through town and making a stop at the Grapefruit Records stage. The trio of Joe Kenkel, Trevor Nikrant and Lou Turner released their latest, Real Time, via Sophomore Lounge Records this past September. They also appeared on MJ Lenderman’s 2023 album And the Wind (Live and Loose), which makes perfect sense since they have a similar indie folk-rock sound. 

Opening for Styrofoam Winos tonight is our very own David Nance and Pearl Lovejoy-Boyd. Expect some sweet, sweet harmonies. 

This gig was announced two weeks ago via the Grapefruit Records Instagram and somehow escaped my attention. It starts at 7 p.m. and is $10. Grapefruit Records is located at 1125 Jackson St., Suite 5 (enter on the 12th St. side)…

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A glance at this weekend…

Tonight, Minneapolis indie punk all-female trio VIAL headlines at Reverb Lounge. Maybe you were lucky enough to catch them this past summer at GRRRL Camp Festival. Their new album, Grow the Fuck Up (2024, Trout Hole Records), drops today, so this is sort of an album release show! Eight songs in under 18 minutes. Fun! Richmond punkers Destructo Disk is in the center slot, whole Omaha phenoms UN-T.I.L. opens the show at 8 p.m. $17.

Tomorrow night (Saturday), Criteria returns to The Waiting Room. Last time through, just a month or so ago, they played a ton of new songs. As a headliner, expect a brisk mix of old and new. Joining them is Omaha indie legends Little Brazil and Prospect Avenue. 8 p.m., $10.

Meanwhile, down the street at The Sydney, Nashville’s Thelma and the Sleaze play a return engagement. Spotify describes them as “an all-female, queer, southern-rock and roll band.” Their latest is the self-released Ain’t Country. Western Haikus open at 9 p.m. (Sydney Time). $15.

Finally, no one enjoys the holidays quite like fabulous O’Leaver’s, where Saturday night they’re hosting a free show with Cupholder, Pagan Athletes and Your Own Knife. No start time is listed, but they never get rolling until at least 9 p.m. at The Club. 

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Clearing out the e-mail ashtray…

I used to call them “Omaha alt-country band” Clarence Tilton, but these days the band has all but swayed away from the “alt” moniker altogether and is merely “Omaha country band Clarence Tilton.” You can certainly hear it in their music and by the artists they’re now working with. 

Tilton recently announced via an embargoed press release that their latest single, “Flyaway Cafe, released last Friday, is a duet with Presley Tucker, daughter of country music legend Tanya Tucker. 

For those who don’t pay attention to country music or who were born in the 21st Century, Tucker was a staple on C&W radio stations throughout the ‘70s, thanks to hits like “What’s Your Mama’s Name?” and “Texas (When I Die),” but is most well known for her mega-hit “Delta Dawn,” which was on constant rotation on KFAB-AM back when KFAB played music. 

The press release doesn’t say how Clarence Tilton landed Presley Tucker to perform on this duet, only that Tucker said the first time she played with the band, “it felt like I’d know them all along. Their music gives you that nostalgic feeling, like you’ve been there and done that. Grateful to be part of it.”

This is the second time Clarence Tilton landed a big-name guest on one of their songs. In October they released the single “Fred’s Colt,” which features country music icon Marty Stuart on vocals and guitar. Both songs will be included on the band’s new LP, Queen of the Brawl, slated for a 2025 release. 

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Conor Obert and Shudder to Think’s Craig Wedren dropped a new song last Wednesday, “Justice to a Scream,” that also is the end-title track from documentary short Alok, from executive producer Jodie Foster. 

The film is a portrait of non-binary author, poet, comedian Alok Vaid-Menon. From the press release:

“I am a longtime admirer of ALOK,” said Oberst. “Their powerful writing, art and advocacy for transgender people and all people who suffer from the lunacy of ignorance and bigotry that permeates our society is inspirational. So when the opportunity to work on this song with Craig Wedren came along I was thrilled. I am also a big time, lifelong fan of Craig – from the amazing Shudder to Think records through his various projects and solo work. He possesses a truly one of a kind musical mind and a voice as unique and iconoclastic as he is. He has also been a great and treasured friend of mine for many years. This is all to say I loved working on this project with these two incredible pioneers.”

The track already is on heavy rotation on Sirius XMU.

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We’re entering the Thanksgiving countdown and thus, the more-intense portion of the holiday season, which means we’ll be sadly lacking for shows (specifically, touring indie-rock shows) for the balance of the year and into next February. Instead, prepare for the usual annual locals-reunion gigs, assorted album release show and tribute performances, such as the one happening tonight.

This evening, Reverb Lounge is hosting Stigmata Martyr, a tribute to Bauhaus. The band features Randy Cotton and Mike Saklar, former members of ’90s legendary Omaha punk bands Ravine and Ritual Device, and Benn Sieff of Bennie and the Gents fame in the Peter Murphy role. Joining them are 138: A Tribute to Misfits, and Abscence+Alchemy. 9 p.m., $12.

Meanwhile, down the street at The Sydney, Denver-based electronic/industrial performer Sell Farm performs. No opener listed for this 9 p.m. show (Sydney Time, that is…). $10. 

One last-minute gig of note: Los Cruxes is headlining a gig at The Tavern, 514 So. 10th St., tonight. Joining them are Megadestroyer, Trees with Eyes and Neva Dinova’s Jake Bellows. 9:30 star time, no price listed, so you’re on your own…

If I don’t run into you before tomorrow, have a happy Thanksgiving.

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The biggest news over the weekend is that the Maha Music Festival is alive and well and could be bigger than ever next year. 

Maha will return as a one-day event Aug. 2, 2025, at its new Omaha RiverFront location. In fact, I’m told by two reliable sources that the headliners already have been booked. Among the big changes for 2025: One Percent Productions once again is involved in the festival’s booking. 

No doubt the festival wouldn’t be possible unless Maha (a 501(c)(3) organization), was able to line up the necessary sponsors. Will that include Union Pacific? I was told Medical Solutions, who was the main sponsor in 2023, withdrew its sponsorship, which was part of the reason last year’s festival was cancelled. 

As of 10 a.m., I’ve yet to have any of this confirmed by a member of the Maha Festival Board, despite reaching out to two board members over the weekend, so take this information for what it’s worth. 

One other bit of news: The Outlandia Festival, held at Falconwood Park in Bellevue, will not return in 2025. I’m not sure the specifics, though low numbers at last year’s festival likely played a role in the decision.

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The Speed! Lightning 500 album release show Friday night at Reverb Lounge was a crowded rock ’n’ roll gathering of Speed! Nebraska Records fans, both old and new. How do I know this? Because no other label (local or otherwise) has offered such a wide variety of merch over the years, and still does. 

Right when you walked into Reverb, you were hit by a wall of Speed! Nebraska-branded merch, ranging from T-shirts to hats to jackets, not to mention a wide selection of the label’s music released in all formats. Folks in the crowd proudly wore their Speed! Nebraska gear, including me in my Monroes T-shirt. 

You see, Speed! Nebraska is more than a record label; it’s a local punk-rock co-op whose members are treated like family by the label’s major domo, Gary Dean Davis. Every band testified from stage how proud they are to be part of a record label that’s been so core to the Nebraska music scene since the late ‘90s. 

Some highlights from Friday’s show (sorry, UN-T.I.L., I missed your set this time):

The synth-and-drums duo of Pagan Athletes continues to hone its sound and has come a long way since the first time I saw them perform five years ago at Almost Music’s farewell in-store. Vocalist/keyboardist Griffin Wolf and brother, drummer Nathan Wolf, have evolved their primitive digital noise-rock into a hard, rhythmic, punk wall of sound that must be seen and heard to be believed. Check them out this Saturday at O’Leaver’s.

The Broke Loose, a four-piece fronted by guitarists/vocalists Glenn Antonucci and Matt Evans, with Corey Randone on bass and Doug Kabourek on drums, plays indie power-pop with a throwback flair that reminded me of something you’d hear on a Titan Records compilation. Antonucci has a distinctively nasal vocal style sort of like Too Much Joy’s Tim Quirk that compliments the jangle-pop goodness. Standout moment was a solid take on their song “Just Like I Told You,” that was an evening highlight.

I’ve seen Wagon Blasters at least a hundred times (OK, maybe more like a dozen times) and Friday night’s set was one of their best performances. Proud frontman Gary Dean Davis, decked out in trademark necktie and Speed! Nebraska trucker cap (which you, too, can buy at their Bandcamp site), was at his high-flying best, yelling above guitarist Will Thornton’s tractor-punk power chords. Imagine how these folks would be received at something like Gonerfest or Coachella… or Maha!

Finally, Bad Bad Men closed out the night with another blistering set of psych-fueld punk rock. The power triad of Wolf, Siebken and Hug are Nebraska music scene elder statesmen who have created a natural extension of the heavy sound they’ve created all their lives, fronted by Wolf’s snarling vocals and ripping guitar riffs. 

All-in-all, it was a very satisfying rock show performed in front of a crowd of adoring fans featuring just a few of the label’s newest talent. There could have been six more bands on stage who contributed to the new Speed! Lightning 500 compilation (which you can buy at Homer’s, Grapefruit, Recycled Sounds or online at Bandcamp). Without a doubt, the label’s future is as bright at lightning.

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.