The first is to hear The Slowdown’s new sound system. When the bar first opened 11 years ago it boasted the best sound system in the area and quickly earned national huzzahs as one of the finest music venues in the country. Now I’m told by OEA Award winning sound engineer Dan Brennan that both Slowdown’s big room and front room have brand new audio systems.
Which brings us to the second reason to head down to Slowdown tonight. Opening band Dross features members of Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship and Mint Wad Willy, and will be the perfect break-in band for the new audio experience. Also on the bill are Jump the Tiger and Two Shakes. Dross kicks it off at 9 p.m. $8.
What else is happening this weekend?
Well, over at The Sydney in Benson tonight local indie band The Natural States opens for Unmanned and Living Conditions. 10 p.m., $5.
Meanwhile, over at Scottish Rite Hall tonight singer/songwriter Todd Snider performs. Seems like Snider’s been coming through Omaha for decades. Kevin Gordon opens at 8 p.m. $40.
Saturday night is wide open, people. I suggest heading over to The Sydney for the return of the Benson Soul Society. It’s free and starts at 10 p.m.
Sunday night singer/songwriter Lissie headlines at The Waiting Room with Roscoe and Etta. $18 Adv/$20 DOS.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Ten years later this message still applies. And while I’m no less enamored with music — old or new — I’ve slowed down when it comes to going to shows, both because of work-related reasons and the fact that there simply are fewer indie shows these days (though things are looking up).
One other side note: A local musician recently asked me to help promote an upcoming show in Lazy-i and asked if I knew other channels that might be appropriate. I mentioned a couple folks with strong social media presences and strong connections to the scene. It dawned on me afterward both people I mentioned were in their 60s, and I’m in my 50s. Where are all the young champions for local music and shows?
Column 208: Greasy Kid’s Stuff Age and music. Lazy-i, Feb. 5, 2009
I was feeling just fine about everything until Barack decided to join in with his “Let us set aside childish things” rant during the inauguration. What exactly was he saying? Who was he talking to?
After awhile, it does begin to pile up. The whole age thing never occurs to me unless someone else mentions it — directly or indirectly.
Last week a friend who works at The City Weekly pointed out that Mike Fratt “went after me” in his column. Really? By name? No, he never used your name, my friend said. He merely referenced “Omaha’s own aging indie-hipster blogger street weekly writer…” I was flattered that Mike would think anyone would even know who he was talking about (and without that knowledge, a reader would think Fratt was being self-deprecating instead of just snarky — he is, after all, considerably older than I am).
A week before that, I was at a local watering hole listening to a band when one of the city’s better musicians said, not off-handedly, “Why would a 20-year-old want to know what a 40-year-old guy thinks about new music?” He was making a point about himself, of course; about how he thinks no one cares what his favorite music was from 2008 (but we do). I’m sure the fact that I’m in my 40s and still write about indie music never crossed his mind. Did it?
And then there was the time I was speaking in front of a class alongside a former mover-and-shaker in local music retail. I asked him what he thought of Saddle Creek Records. He said he only listens to blues these days. “I outgrew that stuff a long time ago.”
It comes down to the notion that rock music — specifically new rock music — should only be enjoyed by young people. That people beyond their 20s (some say beyond their teens) should have moved on from listening to rock or any music for that matter.
I remember as a teen-ager listening to albums with my headphones on, wondering how much I’d miss it when I got older because, well, “old people” don’t listen to music. Certainly my dad didn’t.
That same backward thinking applies to rock shows — when are you too old to go see a band (other than a dinosaur act at the Qwest Center)? Is it when your friends quit going to shows? Or when you have kids and reprioritize your life so that music no longer plays a role? I can’t speak to the issue of getting married and having a family. I can say that a lot of people I know put music away when their children arrived, and use their family life as an excuse for not going out any more (or doing anything creative, for that matter). And that’s fine. Chances are even if they didn’t have kids they would have quit going to shows anyway. Rare is the person who can continue to “get into” new music after they reach their 30s. That’s just the way it is.
I made that point on my blog, and one reader took offense. He said he used to go to shows at The Cog Factory and Kilgore’s before moving to Chicago and getting involved in the music business himself. He ended up in California “…and then, I had kids. Now you can chalk it up as an ‘excuse’ to ‘quit’ the pursuit of music-passion (or other cultural endeavors), but I actually blame it as much on not only a re-prioritizing of priorities as I do finances,” he said in an email. “When you’ve got a young mouth (or in my case two young mouths) to feed, given the choice between buying groceries or going out to a club to see a band play and then proceed to spend $25 on drinks….well, the choice should be pretty clear.”
I guess it’s like those commercials say: “Having a baby changes everything.” I don’t doubt that. Still, this guy said he continues to subscribe to Magnet and The Big Takeover, and makes notes about bands that might interest him. That alone makes him a rarity. Because most people I know who have kids go home after work and sit in front of the TV for five hours and then go to sleep. Every night. They feel entitled. They’ve worked hard all day, they want to come home and “unwind.” These are people in their late 20s and 30s (and 40s). And before they know it, they’re in their 50s and 60s and then they’re dead. But, dammit, they accomplished something. They raised those kids. And that’s more than I can say for myself.
Would I still be going to shows if I had kids? Well, not 80 to 100 shows a year, but yeah, I’d like to think that I’d definitely make it out at least a couple times a month. But we’ll never know.
Age isn’t so much a state of mind as it is surrendering to a state of mind. I don’t think my personal writing guru, former Village Voice columnist and now Rolling Stone critic Robert Christgau, who’ll turn 67 in April, thought for a second about what was appropriate for someone his age to listen to when he was reviewing the latest albums by Glasvegas (which he gave in A) or Jay Reatard (which he gave an A-). Is he worried that a 20-year-old might scoff at his opinion? I don’t think it crossed his mind. It certainly doesn’t cross mine when I’m writing about the new Animal Collective or Ladyfinger CDs or watching Stolen Kisses or Perry H. Matthews.
Nor should it. Rock was never meant to be only a young man’s game. Just ask this aging indie-hipster blogger street weekly writer. — Lazy-i Feb. 5, 2009, this also was published in The City Weekly at around the same time.
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By the way, Robert Christgau has a new book out called Is It Still Good to Ya?: Fifty Years of Rock Criticism, 1967-2017, which is definitely worth your time, not to mention his XGau Sez entries, which are somewhat awesome. He’s not slowing down at all.
Matt Whipkey has been working on a secret project for a number of months. He’s known for a style of music that falls somewhere in the folk rock / Americana / alt country / singer-songwriter genres. The new project, going by the name Unexplained Death, is Whipkey’s take on punk as only he can.
His first angry solvo has been hurled at Pete Ricketts and the Ricketts family in general. Called “Wall Street Pete (Daddy’s Money)” it throws the Ricketts spaghetti agaisnt the wall. See what pieces stick below.
I asked Whipkey, “Why punk, why now?”
“Look at the world; it’s a flaming shit storm. In all directions, fireballs of shit flying,” Whipkey said. “A lot of musicians are speaking out against the current state of affairs and that is great, but a lot of these songs are borderline lullabies.”
Whipkey’s abrupt change in musical style also is the result of too often being hung with the “Americana, singer/songwriter” genre tag. “I’ve carried it for a long time,” he said.
So is what he’s doing punk? Probably not in the truest sense. This song and others off the upcoming collection fall closer to Replacements-style indie rock.
“When I was learning to play guitar, these were the kind of jams I first figured out,” he said. “Fast and loud is definitely part of my nature. In no way am I claiming to be a punk purist. I still like melody too much. But the energy it carries has always been a part of my identity.”
The Unexplained Death songs were mostly recorded in Whipkey’s unfinished basement. “I did the drums for some songs at Scott Gaeta’s (studio),” Whipkey said. “I mixed all the songs and even played everything (sans drums).”
He’s looking for a record label to put it out, but, “I have little hope because the music industry is also part of that flaming shit storm.”
We’re all still waiting for the first Unexplained Death rock show; do you hear that Lookout Lounge and The Brothers?
I’m one of the odd ones. Even if all four members of Gang of Four were playing tonight at The Slowdown there’s a pretty good chance I wouldn’t go see them. I’m just not interested in heritage acts whose heyday was 40 years ago.
That said, I do get the appeal. Most (almost all) people not only are more enamored with the music they grew up with, but it’s the only music they can bear to listen to. Play a new band or a new sound for them and you’re bound to get a pinched-face reaction. It’s human nature, folks, which makes me a freak of nature, because I’d much rather hear something I haven’t heard before than to rehash the past with new actors in the power positions.
And don’t get me started on cover/tribute bands. Like I said, I understand the appeal — music-wise, people love what they’re familiar with, which is why cover bands always have made multiples above what original local bands earn on a given night. Such is life.
So, tonight is Gang of Four down at Slowdown Jr., with one original member, guitarist Andy Gill. And while I’m not going, I’d much rather see this band than, say, a Gang of Four tribute band. At least you’re getting one of the original gang, and a nice selection of oldies along with their newies.
Their Feb. 5 set at The Casbah in San Diego included “Anthrax,” “He’d Send an Army” “I Love a Man in Uniform” and “At Home He’s a Tourist” among its 17-song set list, which you can view right here.
By the Way, this is a Slowdown Jr. show — i.e., in the front room. I’m surprised it isn’t sold out yet. Opening is our very own Eric in Outerspace, so get there early. 8 p.m., $25.
Quite a coincidence that two Grammy winners also played at O’Leaver’s Saturday night.
Lupines frontman John Ziegler accepted the award for Best Rock Performance last night surrounded by the rest of the band. Ziegler thanked the academy and “his team” that includes his record label and its army of marketing personnel that have made Lupines a household name. Wearing a classic Nudie Cohn suit, bassist Mike Tulis saluted fellow nominees Artic Monkeys and Greta Van Fleet before flipping off the star-studded audience to roars of applause.
On the other hand, after accepting their award for Best New Artist, Chase the Ghost members Brian Tait and Reagan Roeder were immediately detained by federal law enforcement agents the moment they walked off stage. I’m told they’ve since escaped custody and currently are hiding out at Grammy President Neil Portnow’s plush Malibu compound.
Chase the Ghost at O’Leaver’s Feb. 9, 2019.
That Best New Artist award was a real surprise for everyone as Saturday night’s O’Leaver’s gig was (I believe) only the second performance ever by Chase the Ghost. The duo puts an extra helping of “psychedelic” in their psych-rock style, resulting in a strange outer-body experience. Reagan was in his usual good voice on these stripped-down indie-flavored hoe-downs. Tait, looking like a young Hunter S. Thompson in white cowboy hat, white glasses and white patent-leather shoes, sported one of the more unique drumming styles in recent memory, bashing out rhythms while adding backing howls. Great stuff, though the duo only played four songs after Roeder’s guitar suffered a technical mishap.
Reagan couldn’t put a date on when they’ll play again. Neither could Tait, though he said they hope to release a recording (possibly even on vinyl). And they have this video (below), which encapsulates the duo’s essence quite accurately.
They were followed by the always awesome Lupines. I’ve seen these guys a million times and every time I walk away saying to myself, “They deserve a Grammy for Best Rock Performance.” I don’t know what more to say other than, along with David Nance, they’re my favorite rock band from this area. If you haven’t seen them (especially if you’re a fan of Nance’s sound, which is currently grabbing national attention), you owe yourself the favor.
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Speaking of The Grammys, I’ve been listening to the big winner Kacey Musgrave’s album, Golden Hour, all morning. I know it’s been said before (by Kevin Coffey last night, for example), but this isn’t what I consider a “country” album. It’s more like a middle-of-the-road folk-rock record. Anyone who remembers when KFAB used to play music back in the ’70s and ’80s will recognize this sound — harmless 4/4 background music perfect for an evening of grocery shopping at your local Hinky Dinky. Well done for sure. Nice. Who remembers Crystal Gayle? Anne Murray? Juice Newton?
Even Pitchfork gave this record a great review (strangely). I guess the country classification comes from her slight twang? The occasional banjo? The single “Space Cowboy”? Or is this where country music resides these days? Maybe it has for awhile. Or maybe it’s because Musgraves music doesn’t fit in any other category…
“Devotchka” is a Russian word for “girl,” according to Wikipedia, whereas DeVotchKa is a Denver four-piece fronted by brassy crooner Nick Urata. The band’s history dates back to 1997 and 11 studio albums including their latest, This Night Falls Forever (2018, Concord Records), a romantic collection of lush ballads that, on tracks like “Done with Those Days,” and opener “Straight Shot” sees Urata channeling such vintage vocalists as Roy Orbison and Chris Isaak.
“One common thread in these songs is their sentimentality,” Urata says. “When you first discover rock and roll, that’s usually the same time you’re discovering girls or boys, when everything is so romantic and huge — that era of your life is where these songs are coming from.”
We caught up with Urata and gave him the Ten Questions treatment. Here’s eight of his answers:
1. What is your favorite album?
Nick Urata:Revolver by the Beatles. Every song on it is a classic and in a genre of its own. The moment I heard it I knew I had to make music.
2. What is your least favorite song?
The “877 Kars 4 Kids” (jingle/commercial)
3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?
I’ve always wanted to be in a band. I’ve been in so many that fell apart when you find one that works it’s like magic. To have brothers and sisters in music, to share the peaks and valleys of this life is a blessing.
4. What do you hate about being in a band?
“Hate” is a strong word, but if you’re serious about your band it takes over every aspect of your life.
5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?
I left (this one and No. 10) blank. They will just get me in trouble…
6. In what city or town do you love to perform?
Omaha, obviously.
7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?
There have been a few. When we look back it turns out our home town of Denver is the sight of some of our worst disasters. Mostly because that’s where we cut our teeth and learned how to put on a show. It’s always the ones that you think are going to be earth-shattering that are the biggest let down. For us early on we were asked to open for Marilyn Manson, we were elated, but the reality was a harsh one. I thought his fans would be enlightened and open to something different, but the diehards up front hated us and made our first arena show a nightmare, it was also the day GW got re-elected, very dark…
8. 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?
It goes back to my previous answer: If you are willing to give up any semblance of a normal life you can eventually quit your day job. I’m happy to report we all have.
9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?
I would love to be a cinematographer, but I’m not sure I can even spell it so I guess that says something, but I think the fact that we can capture our world in such a beautiful light is a miracle we take for granted and future dystopian generations will cherish.
On the flip side, anything around an airport or church.
10. What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?
Devotchka plays with Neyla Pekarek (formerly of The Lumineers) Sunday, Feb. 10, at The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple Street. Tickets are $25 Adv/$60 M&G. For more information, go to onepercentproductions.com
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Now onward to the rest of the weekend…
Acclaimed singer/songwriter Samantha Crain headlines tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. She’s a Choctaw singer, songwriter, poet, producer and musician from Oklahoma and a two-time Native American Grammy Award winner. Sean Pratt and McCarthy Trenching open at 10 p.m. $10.
Meanwhile, over at The Sydney in Benson, Cult Play headlines with Lincoln band Universe Contest and Dross (members of Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship). 10 p.m., $5.
There’s also a four-band emo show at West O bar Dr. Jack’s Drinkery, 3012 No. 102nd St. Headlining is Nebraska band About-Face, with Missouri act Faintheart, and Nebraska bands Midwest Coasta and Phantom Killer. $10, 9 p.m.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to O’Leaver’s for the amazing Lupines. Also on the bill are Las Cruxes and Chase the Ghost (Reagan Roeder/Brian Tait madness). $5, 10 p.m.
Also happening Saturday night is the return of ’90s/’00s Omaha act Janglepop at Reverb Lounge. Read this ancient article about the band here. Modern-day jangle-pop alt-country band Clarence Tilton opens at 8 p.m. $5.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
With no news, on Throwback Thursday I thought I’d advocate for you to rediscover The Wrens 2003 magnum opus The Meadowlands.
I had the good fortune of interviewing The Wrens’ guitarist/vocalist Charles Bissell a.k.a. Charles Mexico and writing a story about the making of that album in support of a Sokol Underground gig they played with Criteria back in the day. Turned out, there was an Omaha connection to the record’s origins. From the story:
By the summer of ’99, The Wrens were close to calling it quits. The album that they had expected to take four weeks to record had lingered for six months. That’s when Bissell received a call from someone he’d met at the band’s first-ever show — an August 10, 1994, gig with Babe the Blue Ox and Big Drill Car at the Capitol Bar & Grill in downtown Omaha. It was Todd Baechle of the then little-known band The Faint.
“Robb Nansel (who runs Saddle Creek Records) and Todd wanted to set up a show with us in New Jersey,” Bissell said. “We kept putting them off, trying to tell them we weren’t playing anymore, which sounded preposterous since we were six months into making the record. So we had a nifty loft party for them in Hoboken and played drunk, which is very rare for us. They had just defined their new sound and played this great set. We didn’t play again for four years. They went on to become virtual powerhouses.”
It would be four years after that loft party before The Meadowlands was released and became an instant classic. It still holds up today, almost 16 years later.
As for “where are they now”: According to their last news update on wrens.com the band just finished mastering a batch of new songs. Unfortunately, that last news update was dated January 5, 2017…
It’s year 14 for Lincoln Exposed, the annual week-long multi-bar showcase that celebrates the Star City’s music scene.
With forecasts calling for three to six inches of snow tonight, the timing couldn’t be any better to get stuck in Lincoln for a few days! The five venues participating this year are The Zoo Bar, Duffy’s Tavern, Bodega’s Alley, Bourbon Theatre and 1867 Bar.
Wednesday and Thursday – $8 per day
Friday and Saturday – $10 per day
Here’s the sched:
Wednesday, Feb. 6
ZOO BAR
6-6:40 – Orion Walsh & The Ramblin’ Hearts
7-7:40 – The Whiskey Drinkers Union
8-8:40 – Rock Paper Cities
9-9:40 – Brazen Throats
10-10:40 – The Wise
11-11:40 – Sapien Sounds
12-12:40 – Within Wilds
DUFFY’S TAVERN
7:40-8:20 – Cynge
8:40-9:20 – They Exclaim!
9:40-10:20 – Thirst Things First
10:40-11:20 – Manslaughterer
11:40-12:20 – CJ Clydesdale Band
BOURBON THEATRE
7:20-8:00 – Ashes of Immolation
8:20-9:00 – 8th Day Broken
9:20-10:00 – The Credentials
10:20-11:00 – Histrionic
11:20-12:00 – Sons of Thursday
BODEGA’S ALLEY
8:00-8:40 – Gamma Goat
9:00-9:40 – Shit Flowers
10-10:40 – Root Marm Chicken Farm Jug Band
11-11:40 – 23rd Vibration
12-12:40 The Hanyaks
1867 BAR
7:40-8:20 – Domestica
8:40-9:20 – Featherfoot Charlie
9:40-10:20 – Hosting Monsters
10:40-11:20 – Pure Brown
11:40-12:20 – Seymour
Thursday, Feb. 7
ZOO BAR
6:00-6:40 – Tim Budig Band
7:00-7:40 – The House Band
8:00-8:40 – Tie These Hands
9:00-9:40 – Curtis Beard
10:00-10:40 – Powerful Science
11:00-11:40 – MrMc$
12:00-12:40 Will Hutchinson Band
DUFFY’S TAVERN
7:40-8:20 – St. Luis and the Bottom Boys
8:40-9:20 – Plastic Garbage
9:40-10:20 – Death Cow
10:40-11:20 – The Bottle Tops
11:40-12:20 – Mad Dog and the 20/20s
12-12:40 – Our Society
1867 BAR
7:40-8:20 The Other Side of Now
8:40-9:20 – Sweats
9:40-10:20 – Emily Bass and the Near Miracle
10:40-11:20 – Producers of The Word
11:40-12:20 – Hakim
12:40-1:20 – After Arizona
Friday, Feb. 8
ZOO BAR
5:00-5:40 Prairie Psycho
6:00-6:40 – Gabe Nelson w/ Pants
7:00-7:40 – Big Daddy Caleb and The Chargers
8:00-8:40 – The Morbs
9:00-9:40 – Stonebelly
10:00-10:40 – Night Push
11:00-11:40 – Artichoke Hearts
12:00-12:40 – Body Garden
DUFFY’S TAVERN
6:20-7 Nate Armstrong and the Fiddlin Fool
7:40-8:20 – Gnawstic
8:40-9:20 – The Dancing Dead
9:40-10:20 – Said Mantics
10:40-11:20 – Dazzle Ships
11:40-12:20 – Evan Bartels and The Stoney Lonesomes
12:40-1:20 – Dudes Gone Rude
BODEGA’S ALLEY
7-7:40 – Could Be Cursed
8-8:40 – Sputnik Kaputnik
9-9:40 – Eddy Mink
10-10:40 – Gerardo Meza and the Dead of Night
11-11:40 – Hex Weaver
12-12:40 – Cornerstone Dub
1-1:40 – Bogusman
1867 BAR
7:40-8:20 – The Rewind
8:40-9:20 – Leaves Brown
9:40-10:20 – Ro Hempel Band
10:40-11:20 – Laughing Falcon
11:40-12:20 – Blowing Chunks
12:40 – 1:20 – Radiant Bones
Saturday, Feb. 9
ZOO BAR
5-5:30 – Floating Opera
6-6:40 – Frailin Hearts
7-7:40 – Charlie Burton and Or What
8-8:40 – Verse & The Vices
9-9:40 – Undisco Kids
10-10:40 – Wildwoods
11-11:40 – Killigans
12-12:40 – Oatmeal 97
BODEGA’S ALLEY
7:00-7:40 – Deadbeat
8:00-8:40 – Yellow After Rain
9:00-9:40 – The Inbetweens
10:00-10:40 – Talent Show
11:00-11:40 – Dirty Talker
12:00-12:40 – Mobius
1:00-1:40 – The Midland Band
1867 BAR
7:40-8:20 – Rift
8:40-9:20 – Ghost Town Radio
9:40-10:20 – Mike Semrad & The River Hawks
10:40-11:20 – Hammersaw
11:40-12:20 – Salt Creek
12:40-1:20 – The Fey
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Meanwhile, back here in Omaha tonight, Epitaph recording artist Hunny plays at Reverb Lounge. From Newbury Park, CA. Opening is Kanine Records act Hockey Dad, whose latest, 2018’s Blend Inn, was produced by John Goodmanson (Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney). $18, 8 p.m.
Just a quick note to pass along a recommendation, in fact the first recommendation of 2019.
Spielbergs are a Norwegian trio that formed in Oslo back in 2016. Their name is (you guessed it) a sort of tribute to Steven Spielberg, apparently after seeing Close Encounters for the first time.
This Is Not the End is their full-length debut, which came out last Friday on tiny indie label By the Time It Gets Dark Records. No doubt these kids grew up listening to ’90s-era indie as the record combines all the best qualities from the best bands of that time period. They’ve been compared to Japandroids, Titus Andronicus and No Age, but to me they’ve got more in common with the grinding indie rock of Superchuck and the massive hooks on early Teenage Fanclub albums.
A little past halfway through the album is a 7-plus minute epic tonal composition that sounds like Yo La Tengo combined with a modern-day Trent Reznor soundtrack. Titled “McDonald’s (Please Don’t Fuck Up My Order)” it underscores the understated humor that runs throughout this album. And it’s gorgeous. It’s followed by “Sleeper,” an acoustic number with the same simply beauty as “A Pillow of Winds” from Pink Floyd’s Meddle.
Those two quiet songs are the exception to the rule on an album that consists mostly of bombastic, feedback-fueled anthem rockers that are going to sound even better this summer. A great way to start off 2019…
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This month’s Over the Edge column for The Reader went online this morning, just in time for the State of the Union address. It’s a cautionary tale about what Trump would have to do to win a second term, and how easy it would be (if Trump wasn’t Trump). You can read it online here or in the February issue of The Reader, on newsstands somewhere…
It was a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at Almost Music Saturday night around 8 p.m., the store filled with revelers celebrating the unfortunate demise of an Omaha music store. Some of the book shelves had been moved out of the Solid Jackson side to make room for the crowds watching the bands. In back they were doling out what can only be described as “doses” of the Nite Owl “punch” that indeed packed one. It was a happy though solemn affair as we were all happy to see the bands and each other, and sad that it was the last day for Almost Music and Solid Jackson, a store that will never be equaled (Unless Brad decides to open one again some day).
So crowded was the store that we couldn’t see Pagan Athletes, who were performing on the other side of the room. The synth/drummer duo was knocking out crazy futuristic jams, hyper-kinetic instrumentals that held the crowd in a trance with its jittery swing. The fine young man standing next to me drinking the blood-colored punch from a coffee cup said the band consists of John Wolf’s sons! Wolf is nothing less than an Omaha music legend behind such great bands as Cellophane Ceiling and Bad Luck Charm (among others). No doubt talent runs in the family. Check out some Pagan Athletes demos below.
Wagon Blasters at Almost Music’s farewell show, Feb. 2, 2019.
Speaking of legends, Pagan Athletes was followed by Wagon Blasters, the next evolutionary step in the ever mutating genre of Nebraska Tractor Punk. Gary Dean Davis was in his usual fine form, as was the rest of the band, who I could barely see while standing atop a three-foot step ladder, where I took the above photo (I never got a clear shot of Pagan Athletes).
We only hung around for a couple Blasters songs, overcome by ennui generated by the knowledge that we wouldn’t be able to stop into Almost Music again on Saturdays after lunch at Noli’s. Brad, we salute you (and by the way, you hit the nail squarely on the head with that Rat Columns album — primo!
We headed cross town to catch Matt Whipkey’s set at Reverb Lounge. Whipkey has been performing in a variety of bands and projects for almost two decades, and while rock has always been the staple, his style has varied from Americana to heavy metal (or close to it). That variety makes for a fine selection of songs and styles, which we got a heathy sample of Saturday night.
It’s become known in some circles that Whipkey has been working on a secret project, and sure enough he rolled out one of those songs last night — a punk version of “Fred, You’re Dead” (of which there’s a slower version on his last album, Driver). When will Whipkey reveal this full punk project? Only time will tell…
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Tonight Cam Stout celebrates her birthday at The Brothers Lounge. I don’t know who Cam is, but I like her taste in music, as the bands No Thanks and Hussies are both performing in her honor. $5, 10 p.m. Happy Birthday, Cam…
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