Stef Chura at O’Leaver’s, May 30, 2018. She plays tonight at Reverb Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Matt Whipkey’s new punk-flavored project Unexplained Death is about to enter the political arena. Whipkey has crafted an album’s worth of angry  rock songs that reflect Nebraska in the age of Trump.

His latest entry is a not-so-veiled attack on Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse titled “Benny and The Sass,” which debuted a lyric video on YouTube yesterday. Who will be the first Washington intern to show it to the senator. And when will Whipkey and the rest of U-Death finally grace a stage near you?

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The Scott McCaughey tour that rolled through an Omaha living room last month rolled into LA’s Bootleg Theater this past weekend with half of R.E.M. (Peter Buck and Mike Mills) in the supporting band. Also on board was Morgan Nagler, Jake Bellows and the rest of Whispertown. Check out the coverage, which includes a shout out and a couple sweet pics of Jake and Morgan. We miss you, Jake…!

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Speaking of living room shows, there’s another one coming up Aug. 28 with Pedro the Lion’s David Bazan. Upon purchasing your limited $25 tickets here, the location of the event will be revealed. No doubt, it will once again be a living room tucked away somewhere in Dundee.

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Tonight at Reverb Lounge it’s the return of Stef Chura and her band. Chura played a sparsely attended set at O’Leaver’s last year (I was there). Her new album, Midnight (2019, Saddle Creek), produced by Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo, has garnered plenty of national attention, which could make tonight’s show a bit more crowded.

Toledo and Chura have something in common: Both have voices that are… challenging. Toledo’s voice swings between wobbly half-asleep tone-waddle and full-throat yell-singing. So does Chura’s, at times a scratchy granny (reminiscent of ’70s hippy yodeler Melanie (“Brand New Key”)) at others, angry nasal lady. I find it strangely precocious.

Toledo gets a ton of credit for this new record’s sound, and in a lot of ways, it’s justified. Compared to her Saddle Creek debut, 2017’s Messes, the guitars on Midnight

are crunchier, the bass lines are fuzzier and more out front, and the songs are filled with clean drop-outs that wake up the tracks with karate chop precision.

Lyrically, Chura’s outsider / lost relationship musings can walk home in the dark hand-in-hand with Toledo’s lonely guy odes.

Like last night’s Outer Spaces show, this one is a four-band bill (WTF?

Don’t you guys know some of us have to go to work tomorrow morning?). Joining Chura is LA art punkers French Vanilla (Danger Collective Records), New Haven rocker Stefan Christensen and our very own David Nance Group. 8 p.m., $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.

Outer Spaces plays tonight at O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The last time Outer Spaces came through town (that I know of) was back in June 2016 when they played the original Milk Run art gallery. From the review of that show (and of the then just-opened Milk Run):

The Baltimore four-piece (looks like they added a new bassist) played a short, sweet set of songs from their just released album, A Shedding Snake (2016, Don Giovanni). On that record, frontwoman/guitarist Cara Beth Satalino has a voice that at times is the spitting image of Edie Brickell’s, at other times she reminds me of Maria Taylor, whereas my wife think she sounds like Anna Waronker (That Dog). Performing live, Satalino has a simple, quiet quality all her own on songs that are classic ’90s-style indie. The live set was more laid-back than what you get on the record, which is one of my favorites from the first half of the year.

Well, Milk Run is long gone, but O’Leaver’s is still around and is hosting Outer Spaces tonight. The band just released their sophomore LP, Gazing Globe

, on Western Vinyl. In the tradition of countless rock bands through the generations, the album documents Satalino’s efforts to grapple with “her sense of anxiety and self-doubt after she and partner/bandmate Chester Gwazda decided to take a brake from their long-term relationship.”

It’s a loaded show at O’Leaver’s tonight. Playing with Outer Limits is Anna McClellan, And How and Radiator Hospital. (Ugh! too many bands takes me out of the equation on a school night!). $5, starts at 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.

No Thanks at O’Leaver’s, Aug. 2, 2019.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

No Thanks is a four-piece punk band with a tight rhythm section, an ingenious guitarist and a frontman who knows how to keep a crowd’s attention. Their Facebook bio lists them as Castro Turf, yelling/antics; Ruby Roux, bassist; The Lost Boy, drummist, and Kick Banán, guitarist. The only clue I have to their real identities is that someone told me Mr. Turf is actually a direct relative to former Omaha Mayor Gene Leahy.

Shirtless in tight black pants and black lipstick, Turf/Leahy’s spaz-rock preening conjured comparisons to The Cramps’ Lux Interior, nervously/feverishly pacing back and forth in front of the band for the first half of the set; spending the second half immersed in the humanity that crowded the stage. His voice, a classic post-punk bark – there’s nary a note to be sung, and only a few words were audibly legible.

If you want to know the words, well, go to their Bandcamp page where the band’s 2018 LP, The Trial, can be downloaded/listened to. It’s good, but it in no way resembles the live performance Friday night, which was gritty and hot as you’d expect from any late, well-attended O’Leaver’s show.

I dug around and found the Omaha Magazine story about the band, which came with an identity key: Guitarist Kick Banán is Mike Huber, Turf/Leahy is Brendan Leahy; Ruby Roux is Camille Stout and The Lost Boy is Gabe Cohen. While Leahy is this band’s center of attention, it’s Huber’s guitar that makes it rock with a dark, angular majesty, drilled forward by Stout’s very physical bass skills.

One patron compared their sound to Dischord bands, which I kind of get, though the bands from Dischord that immediately come to mind (Jawbox, Faraquet) have frontmen who actually sing. I was reminded more of acts like Uranium Club, Nots, Diät, Marbled Eye, acts with throbbing, eclectic post-punk sounds that are as much about rhythm as melody. And while musically the band provides the bedrock, it’s Leahy’s intense performance that is mesmerizing.

I was told these guys were pissed because they didn’t make it into my Reader Top 20 list. I find it hard to believe. I can’t imagine they’d give two shits that some old guy left them off a list that has zero relevance with anyone. The fact is, I hadn’t heard the band at the time the list was written (as I said in The Reader, those were the favorites of the bands I’d heard). They would make my list now. They stand out among the handful of new Nebraska acts making a mark on a scene that seems to be fading before our very eyes.

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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.

No Thanks plays at O’Leaver’s tonight…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Welcome to the weekend. Busy Friday, not so busy Saturday…

Dross headlines a show tonight at The Sydney with Oklahoma City indie band Foxburrows (check ’em out below) and my favorite DJ Tyrone Storm. $5, 10 p.m.

BTW, it’s #BFF — Benson First Friday. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by The Little Gallery at 5901 Maple (the east bay of the Masonic Lodge Building) and check out the opening for Shawnequa Linder. Her show is called “Remixing: An Experimental Portrait Series,” and it’s a head trip… literally. We’re there from 6 to 9 p.m. Come by, say hi.

Over at fabulous O’Leaver’s, Omaha punk rockers No Thanks headlines. The four-piece is heading out on tour and will not be taking any prisoners. Hussies open at 10 p.m. $5.

Also tonight, The Brothers is hosting a post-hardcore show headlined by Minneapolis act Scaphe. Also on the bill are Houma, Adult Whisperer and the incomparable Solid Goldberg. $5, 9 p.m.

It’s looking mighty thin on Saturday…

O’Leaver’s has a hardcore show with Come Out Fighting, Red Kate, Bitch Dust and Scab Ghouls. $7, 9 p.m.

Sunday Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit are playing on Military Ave. in Benson as part of the Waiting Room Outdoors series. John Moreland opens at 7 p.m. $40.

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.

Jason Steady from a screen cap of his latest video.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Jason Steady is joining a long list of Omaha musicians, which recently included The Finks (Todd and Orenda) and Brad Hoshaw, who have flown the coop for better climes in California.

I call it the Great California Migration, but that’s not accurate. “Migration” implies that those leaving are returning as part of a cycle, when, in fact, these folks ain’t coming back.

Steady says he’s heading to the California high desert outside Joshua Tree “to live out the rest of my days in the dust.” If you want to wish him well, do it at The Brothers Saturday, Aug. 24, when he’s playing a goodbye gig with his pals in M34N STR33T.

Until then, enjoy this new video of a song from Return of the Paisley Angels, his project with Chris Twist. The video was recorded by Nosferatune, a.k.a. Adrienne Thomas of Denver. And buy a copy of the album, right here.

So long, Mr. Steady…

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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.

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Murder By Death plays tonight at The Slowdown. Photo by Greg Whitaker.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A handful of shows are happening tonight…

Down at The Slowdown, dark romantic (goth-western?) indie band Murder by Death headlines. Their most recent album, The Other Shore, was released by Bloodshot last year. Their dense, cinematic sound is like an alt-country version of The National, but is much more interesting. Opening is our very own Little Brazil. 8 p.m., $25.

Meanwhile, over at The Sydney in Benson, Those Far Out Arrows headlines a midweek show with cool Arkansas indie band Mouton, who is working with cool St. Joseph, Missouri, label Wee Rock Records (who released one of my favorite albums of 2013 by The Gardenheads). Add to that opener Ben Eisenberger and you’re in for a great night of music for just $5. Starts at 9 p.m.

Finally, there’s a sleeper of a show tonight at Reverb Lounge featuring singer/songwriter Sidney Gish. The Bostonite toured with Mitski briefly last year after her self-released No Dogs Allowed grabbed a 7.7 rating from Pitchfork. She’s got a new two-song single out on Oat Milk Records that’s kicky, upbeat indie rock in the free-wheeling Vampire Weekend vein. Family Reunion opens at 8 p.m. $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.

Little Brazil at Benson Days, July 27, 2019.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Benson Days is over for another year. The highlights: The Indie (I improved my time by almost two minutes!), the parade, the street fair and, of course, the beer garden where Little Brazil performed Saturday night.

The band hasn’t played live in a quite a while, and used the opportunity to roll out a few new songs — seems like they’re always working on the next record. The set started off a bit wonky sound-wise as it took the sound guy a few songs to figure out the mix (Nate Van Fleet’s overwhelming kick drum actually drowned out the guitars! or at least was the only thing you noticed, initially).

It got balanced out a few songs in, with frontman Landon Hedges’ guitars perfectly melding with exquisite leads from Shawn Cox. Danny Maxwell on bass was rock solid as ever, singing the Conor part during Send the Wolves

(Max Trax Records) stand-out track “Making a Mess.”

The new tunes sound like they’re headed in the same short, sweet rock direction heard on Send the Wolves, as if the band is trying to put together a string of singles. Just like the old days.

The biggest surprise was an uptempo (i.e., rocking) cover of Kyle Harvey’s “It Falls Apart,” which the band should record immediately and release as a single. Kyle’s song has been covered before (most notably, an epic version from Omaha now ex patriot Brad Hoshaw off his 2014 album with the Seven Deadlies, Funeral Guns), but never so ironically upbeat. The original is a heart-breaker, as I suppose all Harvey songs are.

I can’t imagine a more perfect night for an outdoor concert, the early evening sunset was blazing overhead while the 50 or so on hand got their brains blown out by some epic Omaha indie rock. Only in Benson.

If you missed the gig, Little Brazil is playing again this Wednesday, opening for Murder by Death down at The Slowdown.

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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.

Pro-Magnum at The Waiting Room, June 1, 2018. They’re playing Saturday at O’Leaver’s.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Kind of a weird weekend ahead. Benson Days kicks off tomorrow with a parade down Maple St. at 10 a.m., and I’m running in the The Indie 5k/10k Sunday (starting line is at 1912 at 8 a.m.). Fun for the whole family? It’s Benson, so expect weird.

Music-wise, it’s a weird one, too.

Tonight at The Waiting Room Savannah proggy post-rock band Baroness headlines. They release everything on their own Abraxan Hymns label (truly indie!), including their most recent, 2019’s Gold and Grey. They’re listed as a metal band, but they’re more of a straight-up indie rock band. Pitchfork loves them, giving G&G a massive 8.0 rating. Opening is the much harder, much more metal act Torche. Their latest, Admission, was released on Relapse earlier this year. 8 p.m., $28.

Meanwhile, across town at Brothers Lounge, Hussies headline with opener Baby Sledge. 10 p.m., $5.

Tomorrow night The Sydney in Benson has Tim Cappello, who played sax with Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel and vampires in The Lost Boys. Musically, not sure what to expect, but something tells me — shirtless sax. Universe Contest and DJ Solid Goldberg open at 10 p.m. $10.

Meanwhile, at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night, it’s the return of Pro-Magnum. They’re opening for Chicago heavy-metal throw-back act Bible of the Devil and Jump the Tiger. $7, 9 p.m.

Sunday’s wide open, people.

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

Better Oblivion Community Center at The Slowdown, March 21, 2019. The band’s album has been nominated for an AIM Independent Music Award.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Pretty quiet news-wise lately…

The UK’s Association of Independent Music (AIM) announced nominees for the 2019 AIM Independent Music Awards, and up for Best Album is Better Obliviion Community Center’s debut album, featuring Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers.

AIM has been around for 20 years and handing out prizes for the the past eight. The awards ceremony will be Sept. 3 at The Roundhouse in Camden. BOCC will be up against Christine and the Queens, Chris; Dave, Psychodrama; Fontaines D.C., Dogrel; Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, End of Suffering; Jade Bird, self-titled; Jordan Rakei, Origin; Little Simz, GREY Area; Snapped Ankles, Stunning Luxury and Swindle, No More Normal

. 

I think maybe I’ve heard of three of the other nominees…

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Omaha Under the Radar is currently in full effect.

A reminder of their mission: Omaha Under the Radar is an annual performance festival in the Midwest. We celebrate independent artists with performances and workshops throughout the city of Omaha. Since the first festival, held in 2014, Omaha Under the Radar has presented over 300 artists of divergent backgrounds and disciplines. We work to represent a multiplicity of genres, ideas, and identities through performances, talks, group discussions and educational opportunities. 

The festival’s schedule is here, and events are happening all over the city tonight at Kaneko, Joslyn, Bancroft Street Market, Petshop Gallery and Slowdown, and throughout the weekend at the above plus OutrSpaces, Project Project and The Holland Center. 

This is more of art / fine arts / experimental music festival, and other than Dereck Higgins, who’s performing at Saturday’s closing event at Holland Center, I’ve heard of nary any of the artists — guess that’s why they all it Under the Radar.

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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.

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Mountain Movers plays tonight at Brothers Lounge with David Nance Group.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I just wrote a column about Colorado for next month’s issue of The Reader where I talk about pot laws and the fact that I’ve never smoked a joint in my life. It hits the newsstands in a couple weeks. The point of mentioning it is  there was a long aside (that didn’t make it into the column) about a musician who told me that if I wasn’t stoned when I listened to his music than I was missing the point. Maybe he’s right. I’ll never know.

What I do know is that if there was one band whose music (I’d guess) would go well with pot and/or hallucinogenic drugs it would be Mountain Movers.

The New Haven, Connecticut, four-piece, led by guitarist/vocalist Dan Greene with lead guitarist Kryssi Battalene, plays a modern take on ’60s/’70s-style psych rock with an extra helping of fuzz-tone guitar and wow-wow leads that will make your head spin. They’ve been compared to Neu! and Ash Ra Tempel by their label, Chicago’s Trouble in Mind Records, who released a number of the band’s records including their latest, 2018’s Pink Skies. That album includes a brazen 11-plus minute head trip called “The Other Side of Today” that has me worried about flunking a drug test after merely listening to it. Droning, at times experimental, Mountain Movers plays fogged-out journeys into sonic landscapes cast in hues of deep blues and purples.

And they’re playing tonight at Brothers Lounge.

Joining them is our own David Nance Group, who has been known to spin their own mammoth guitar-fueled audio odysseys, as well as more straight-forward rock songs. For reference check out “Amethyst” and “In Her Kingdom” from 2018’s Peaced and Slightly Pulverized (Trouble in Mind). The band just released a new 7-inch out on Jack White’s Third Man Records, described by the label as “bottom-heavy druggy attic bummer jamming

.” Hopefully they’ll have copies on hand at tonight’s show. $5, 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.