by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tomorrow night’s V.V. Volume 1 album release show at Slowdown will be a veritable showcase of Omaha indie music talent, featuring six of the seven bands represented on this first-ever compilation album. 

Mike Saklar, from the band Sun-Less Trio (and one of the driving forces behind the album), said the project dates back seven or eight years — before the COVID pandemic — with numerous bands falling out or joining along the way.

In the end, the Volume 1 lineup consists of local bands Lodgings, Custom Catacombs, Neva Dinova, Ash Rayne Boe, The Sun-Less Trio, Violenteer and Stephen Bartolomei. All but Violenteer will perform tomorrow night, though the band intends to take part in future out-of-town release shows later this summer. Saklar said plans are in the works for Volume 2 with additional bands, and it could even become an annual affair.

The 12-inch audiophile vinyl comes by way of Furnace Record Pressing. Saklar said the test pressings sound better than anything he’s purchased in the past few years. “LPs seem to be dirty, poppy or dull as of late,” he said. “This one sounds like what we grew up with.” 

The bands put together a mini-documentary that includes sounds from the album as well as archival footage. Check it out below. It’s the only preview unless you’re going to the show, as the album’s Bandcamp page (where you can order your copy) doesn’t include sample tracks, which is kind of a throwback to the pre-digital days when you didn’t know what you were getting until you got home and put the record on the turntable. That “mystery” was part of the fun. 

In addition to 12-inch vinyl, the album’s Bandcamp page offers cassette, compact disc and digital download options. No doubt all formats will be available to Slowdown tomorrow night. Tickets are $15, showtime is 8 p.m. More info here. 

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

From an indie-music perspective, there are zero shows happening this weekend – national or local. 

The closest thing to an indie concert is ‘90s MTV band Cake at The Astro Amphitheater on Sunday. The band’s ’96 breakout album, Fashion Nugget, was released on Capricorn Records. It includes the classic single, “The Distance,” which has a quarter-billion plays on Spotify. Cake would eventually jump to Columbia Records. 

I always thought Cake songs had fun bass lines. They would have been an interesting “get” for the Memorial Park Concert. Instead, we “got” Ringo Starr. Oh well. Tickets are $55; show starts at 8 p.m. with no opener.

Rock shows return next weekend with the Leafblower album release show at Reverb and the big V.V. Volume I show at Slowdown; the following weekend Head of Femur plays Reverb. The next touring indie show is Panchiko at Slowdown June 8. 

Below is the updated list of touring indie shows on my radar.  What am I missing?

• – Panchiko, June 8 at The Slowdown
• – Samantha Crain, June 17 at Reverb
• – Har Mar Superstar, June 20 at Reverb
• – Michael Cera Palen, June 24 at Reverb
• – The English Beat, June 24 at The Waiting Room
• – Holy Fawn, June 25 at Reverb
• – Tripping Daisy, June 27 at The Waiting Room
• – Mikaela Davis, June 29 at Reverb
• – Hurray for the Riff Raff, July 15 CANCELED
• – The Avett Brothers, July 17 at The Astro Amphitheater
• – Built to Spill, July 20 at The Waiting Room
• – Maha Festival, Aug. 2 at RiverFront Park
• – Laura Jane Grace & Band, Aug. 2 at Slowdown
• – The Head and the Heart, Aug. 10 at Astro Amphitheater
• – Mal Blum, Aug. 12 at Slowdown
• – Clan of Xymox, Aug. 15 at Reverb
• – Gregory Alan Isakov, Aug. 18 at The Astro
• – Brooks Nielsen (of Growlers), Sept. 8 at The Waiting Room
• – DEHD, Sept. 15 at Slowdown
• – Rilo Kiley, Sept. 17 at The Astro Amphitheater 
• – The Damned, Sept. 17 at Slowdown
• – Nilüfer Yanya, Sept. 19 at The Waiting Room
• – The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Sept. 23 at Slowdown
• – Swans, Sept 28 at The Waiting Room
• – Samia, Sept. 29 at The Waiting Room
• – Nation of Language, Sept. 29 at Slowdown
• – Father John Misty, Sept. 30 at Astro Theater
• – Gary Numan, Oct. 2 at The Admiral
• – French Police, Oct. 4 at Reverb
• – Franz Ferdinand, Oct. 7 at The Admiral
• – Elvis Costello & The Imposter, Oct. 22 at Steelhouse Omaha
• – Pixel Grip, Oct. 22 at Reverb Lounge

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Today, Alan Sparhawk of the band Low released a new album with fellow Duluth musicians Trampled by Turtles. This is not the first album Sparhawk has released since the 2022 death of his wife and partner in Low, Mimi Parker, but it is a return to the same voice and songcraft we’ve come to know him for.

Why Trampled by Turtles? From the one-sheet:

As friends and mentees of Low’s, taken under Sparhawk and Parker’s wing from their earliest days as a bar band—Trampled by Turtles have performed with Sparhawk countless times over the years. The Duluth ties run deep: “There’s a certain vibe that has to do with underdog syndrome, coming from a small town,” Sparhawk muses. “Some of it is the weird grind and slackness that being at the mercy of Mother Nature puts in you. It humbles you.”

Among the new songs on this collection, “Too High,” “Princess Road Surgery,” and “Not Broken” were all tracks Parker and Sparhawk had conceptualized and had been working on in the last few years. 

Maybe someone somewhere could book an Omaha show forAlan Sparhawk and Trampled by Turtles? Just sayin… I’d go.

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Florist is a Brooklyn-based quartet fronted by singer/songwriter Emily Sprague with Felix Walworth, Rick Spataro and Jonnie Baker. They call their sound “minimalist folk,” though it’s more like acoustic singer/songwriter fare in the same vein as Adrianne Lenker’s solo work (i.e., it’s more mellow than Big Thief). 

Actually, songs like “Have Heaven,” off the new album, Jellywish (2025, Double Double Whammy), are reminiscent of Suzanne Vega’s first album (but ultimately sounds like something off Lenker’s Bright Future). 

Funny thing, Florist has been around longer than Big Thief. Their first EP, We Have Been This Way Forever, was self-released in 2013 and they’ve been on DDW since 2015’s Holdly. Their two previous albums, the self-titled 2022 release and 2019’s Emily Alone, both received the coveted “Best New Album” designation from Pitchfork. If you knew, you knew; and something tells me Lenker knew.

Jellywish couldn’t be any prettier, and will make for a quiet, intimate Saturday night at Reverb Lounge.

Joining Florist is label-mate and fellow New Yorker Allegra Krieger, whose last album was Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine (2024, Double Double Whammy). According to her website, Krieger “…writes songs, bad checks, love letters, and poorly formatted emails and trusts that terrible things can have extraordinary outcomes.” It’s a return engagement for Krieger, who opened for Katy Kirby back in February 2024. $20, 8 p.m. See you there…

What else is happening this weekend? Glad you asked.

It’ll be a late night tonight (Friday) at The Sydney in Benson as Jeff in Leather headlines a bill that includes Cult Play, Ladie Muerte and X-ID. Starts at 9 p.m. $15. 

Tomorrow night (Saturday), there’s a free show at O’Leaver’s with Frankie Chairo, Watson & Co. and Katie Kasher (who I’m told will be playing with a full band). 9 p.m. start time. 

Sunday night Carver Jones & The American Dreamers return to Reverb Lounge. No opener is listed, so it could just be Carver. $15, 8 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The double-LP Piqued – the last recordings from the late Jeff Runnings of For Against fame – is now available for pre-order from Independent Projects Music.  

From the IPR write-up:

“A posthumous release that’s also a celebration of the artist’s lifelong quest for a sound that, stripped to the bones, is all the more powerful and cathartic for its restraint, Piqued was recorded by Runnings at home on an old 8-track cassette machine. It plays just like a late ‘80s mixtape, lovingly compiled to showcase the beautiful emptiness of post-punk’s more eloquently quiet peaks. Stark and deadpan on the surface, this is electric guitar music in its most human and vulnerable form.”

Indeed it is. 

Piqued is available on vinyl (Black or Transparent Magenta), Special Edition CD and digital, and comes with a 4-track EP of rare recordings from the late ‘80s — two of them previously unreleased. You can pre-order directly from the label, here. The album release is July 11. 

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Last week, those hard-rocking boys in Leafblower dropped the title track (and video) for their upcoming album, Burn Cruise, due out June 13 on Max Trax Records. The band consists of Danny Maxwell (guitar/vocals), Clark Jahn (guitar), Tab Tworek (drums), and Craig Fort (Bass/Theremin/Vocals). It is, indeed, some heavy shit, and DMax never sounded better. Check it and preorder the luscious smoke-colored vinyl right here. 

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SAVAK, the Brooklyn-based project that includes post-Omaha member Mike Jaworaki (a.k.a. Jaws), today posted another single, “American Vernacular,” from their upcoming album SQUAWK!, which drops May 30 on Ernest Jennings. The band is touring along the Eastern Seaboard this summer. Let’s see if we can get them to Omaha. 

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Finally, Violenteer is playing an instrumental set tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s “with some special-guest vocals.” Who could that special guest be? Joining them tonight is Owen Cleasby’s Silversphere and a new project by drummer Nathan Wolf called Titus Groaners. Wolf, I’m told, is also playing in Violenteer these days. He’s a busy dude. Anyway, this show’s absolutely free and starts at 8 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I say “night 2” with Friko because the Chicago band just opened for Black Country, New Road at Slowdown last week. Tonight they’re headlining at Reverb Lounge. 

Like I said in last Wednesday’s preview, the duo of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger grabbed national attention with their debut album, Where We’ve Been, Where We Go from Here, released last year on ATO Records. Pitchfork gave it a glowing 7.9 rating, saying the album channeled “the sound and spirit of 2000s indie rock.” For me, the guitar-fueled singer/songwriter fare leans closer to alt rock than indie, which probably explains their ever-growing popularity.  

That’s not the case for touring opening act Youbet.  On their most recent album, Way to Be (2024, Hardly Art), the NYC-based indie project fronted by Nick Llabot with Micah Prussack and Jojo Quinn sounds like a cross between modern singer/songwriter stuff and gritty, low-fi post-punk a la Sonic Youth (especially on new single “Deny.”). Should make for quite a double-bill. $20, 8 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s been a while since I’ve said this: It’s a Slowdown weekend! The venue is hosting three shows from three different genres that span multiple eras. 

Chicago punk and The Effigies have been performing for 45 years, playing their first show in 1980, emerging shortly after the Ramones and Sex Pistols released their first records. According to Wiki, the band’s personnel has changed over the decades, and it looks like only the rhythm section of drummer Steve Economou and bassist Paul Zamost remain from the original line-up. See them carry on the tradition tonight.

This is a four-band bill in the Slowdown front room with local punkers Bad Actors, River City Rejects and Million Dollar Veins. 8 p.m., $25.

Slowdown brings the vibe down Saturday night with the return of post-Omaha singer/songwriter Anna McClellan. Her fourth studio album, Electric Bouquet, was released last October on Father/Daughter Records and received an impressive 7.3 rating from Pitchfork, who said “Her ramshackle arrangements and quivering voice channel a warmly human outpouring of emotion.” 

In many ways, McClellan reminds me of another Omaha-raised singer/songwriter with a, shall we say, unique vocal style: Simon Joyner, though McClellan (more often) does it behind a piano rather than with a guitar slung over her shoulder.  

Joining McClellan on Slowdown’s front room stage is Kassie Krut, fronted by Kasra Kurt, former guitarist/vocalist of Philly band (and Saddle Creek Records act) Palm. Kurt is now working with ex-Palm members Eve Alpert and Palm producer Matt Anderegg. The trio released their eponymously titled EP last year on Fire Talk Records.  Cash Too opens the evening at 8 p.m. $18. 

Finally, Slowdown opens the main room Sunday for an evening with The Wailers, the world famous reggae band that carried on after Bob Marley’s death in 1981. Their latest is 2024’s Evolution (Crescent Moon Records). 8 p.m., $35.

There hasn’t been a heckova lot to write about Slowdown for the past few weeks as they lightened up on their indie bookings. That will also be the case as they raise the tents to rake in big $$$ from the College World Series in June. But Slowdown recently added a few interesting shows later this summer, including Mal Blum Aug. 12, The Damned Sept. 17 and Nation of Language Sept. 29, that gives me hope they’ll continue to carry on their indie tradition.

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Black Country, New Road – or BCNR for short – hails from Cambridge, England, and is pals with wonky prog-rock geniuses Black Midi, even having collaborated and toured with that combo once upon a time (as Black Midi, New Road). 

But BCNR’s sound couldn’t be more different than Midi’s oftentimes harsh, dissonant prog. They’ve been described as experimental post-punk, but the music on their latest, Forever Howlong (2025, Ninja Tune), leans closer to frilly baroque, thanks to pretty piano, jangly guitars/banjos/harpsichords and May Kershaw’s wonderful, cooing vocals. 

With its complicated compositional tangents, I can buy the new record’s “experimental” tag (though “slightly unfocused” might be a more accurate label). Still, the fact we even have a chance to see this amazingly talented group of multi-instrumentalists on an Omaha stage is a miracle similar to when Black Midi played Slowdown back in 2022. 

Tonight’s opening band, Friko, is out to prove contrasting styles can make for memorable shows. The Chicago duo of Niko Kapetan and Bailey Minzenberger grabbed national attention with their debut album, Where We’ve Been, Where We Go from Here, released last year on ATO Records. Pitchfork gave it a glowing 7.9 rating, saying the album channeled “the sound and spirit of 2000s indie rock.” For me, the guitar-fueled singer/songwriter fare leans closer to alt rock than indie, which probably explains their ever-growing popularity. 

This main room show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $37.  Interestingly, if you miss the show, Friko will be circling back to Omaha next Tuesday (May 20) for a headlining gig at Reverb Lounge. 

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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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

First off, Being Dead’s bio page in Spotify is littered with inaccuracies and ‘fake news” in such a way that it makes me question the band’s current state. 

The Austin duo boasts having competed in the 2015 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro “where they swept the competition” presumably in long-distance running events “returning with 5 medals and the respect of the nation.”

A quick glance at the Encyclopedia of Olympic Records and Achievements shows no mention of band member Falcon Bitch or Shmoofy. 

They go on to claim ownership of restaurant “La Piss Tarte,’ which, they say, “received 2 Michelin stars.” I see no record of this restaurant in my own copy of The Michelin Guide, which is always kept at arm’s length when writing concert previews. Let’s face it, I’m beginning to think Being Dead may not even really be dead. I guess we’ll see tonight at Reverb Lounge.

The band is on the road supporting their most recent LP, EELS (2024, Bayonet Records). The 16-song collection of kinda groovy, kinda surfy indie rock goodness was produced by the legendary John Congleton of The Paper Chase who is perhaps better known for working with such acts as Modest Mouse, St. Vincent, DCFC and our very own Cursive.

Opening for Being Dead is Lawrence band Blanky, who’s been ‘round these parts before. They’ve got a brand new album, Idols on the Wall, coming out next month. Get a preview of the new record tonight. $18, 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, Pageturners Lounge is hosting a week’s worth of live events. Tonight they have New Orthodox, a.k.a. New York-state-based multi-instrumentalist Nicholas Merz (Sunset Rubdown). According to his bio: “The band’s ethos leans heavily into minimalist repetition, sonic experimentation and lyrical insights that give way to live performances and recordings that utilize space and silence to imitate the human experience.” Sounds trippy. 

His most recent album, Bull Market on Corn (2025, Joyful Noise), has the honor of being among the last albums engineered and mixed by Steve Albini. Opening tonight at Pageturners is Jim Schroeder’s Mesa Buoy. The show is free and starts at 8 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Garden Party festival, which has been held in back yards since it began in 2022, is making a big move this year to the gorgeous outdoor compound known as Sonny’s in Aksarben Village 

Organizer and musician Madeline Reddel hopes the free, all-women-fronted music festival can eventually grow large enough to host in Stinson Park. And with this line-up (and the gorgeous weather forecast for Saturday) she may be on her way.

The talent consists of artists from throughout the country and Omaha. The headliner is Nashville indie singer/songwriter Abby Holliday, who self-released her third LP, Crack a Smile Come on Stay A While, last October. She’s been compared to Phoebe Bridgers, but isn’t nearly as downcast/depressing. A better comp might be Blondshell or Lucy Dacus.

Other out-of-towners on the festival bill include Autumnal (Denver), Keo & Them (Wichita), Honey Marmalade (Brooklyn), and former Omahan/now Chicago resident Ione. Locals include LyriQ LaShay, Peachy Beaches and Twin Pages. Grace Lundy kicks things off at 2:30 p.m.; Abby Holliday is slated to go on at 9:30 p.m. 

Like I said, it’s free. Attendees can come and go as they please, bring leashed dogs, blankets, chairs, purchase food to be delivered from the Inner Rail or nearby businesses, and buy drinks at Sonny’s bar. More info and the complete schedule is at gardenpartyomaha.com.

Garden Party is the only music event on my radar this weekend. There are no other touring indie shows, and I’m not aware of any local indie shows happening, either. 

With that in mind, there are a couple new releases out today.

Lodgings new LP, The Thousand Yard Stare, carries on the angular, jangly, crash-bash tradition we’ve come to expect from the Omaha band whose members include vocalist/guitarist Bryce Hotz; Steve Micek, guitar; Mike Laughlin, bass; and Eric Ernst on drums. The album includes guest spots by cellist/violinist Megan Siebe and guitarist Sean Pratt. 

The 8-song album was recorded at Archetype Recordings by Hotz, primarily on 2-inch analog tape at 15 ips (according to the liner notes). That’s all the more reason to buy the limited edition gatefold vinyl, which you can order from their Bandcamp page. 

This just dropped today, and I’m listening to it for the first time as I write this. The only comp that comes to mind is maybe Matador band Chavez. If you were into Ride the Fader, you’ll dig this.

Also, Lincoln electronic duo Vempire dropped a new single, “Always Forever by Cults” which isn’t a cover of a Cults song. I know, it confused me as well. Check out the new track below, and five other versions at their bandcamp page. 

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s been years since Future Islands played Omaha; in fact, according to my notes, the last show was back in 2017 at The Waiting Room. 

Based on recent videos, the band hasn’t changed much both sonically and performance-wise. Frontman Sam Herring is still the center of attention, emoting as if acting out a Shakespearean soliloquy backed by three players frozen in place. 

Veterans of past Future Islands shows can pick their favorite Herring-ism from a list that includes: 

— Picking the imaginary berry and eating it (along with his hand)
— Pounding his chest, hard, like a gorilla
— Reaching into his chest and pulling out his heart, and eating it (along with his hand)
— Swinging his fist round-house style, hard and wide, just like Elvis
— And “Hello God, it’s me, Samuel” (performed earnestly, On the Waterfront Bando-style, while looking up toward an imaginary moon).

Then there’s the dance moves: the twist, the low dips, the high kicks. Herring sells it and sells it well. He is fun to watch, only because it looks like he’s really enjoying himself up there on stage. 

I was a wee bit surprised the band was booked to play the largish Admiral until I noticed they have around 2.8 million monthly listeners in Spotify. Their biggest hit, “Seasons (Waiting on You,” from Singles (2014, 4AD), has over 138 million plays. 

Their latest album, People Who Aren’t There Anymore (2024, 4AD), carries on their long-running, somewhat simplistic sound — peppy kick drum, synth cushion, bass bounce, and Herring. The difference is Herring appears to have lost the odd growl that characterized early recordings, and that’s probably for the best. Their current single, “The Tower,” is enjoying heavy rotation on Sirius XMU. 

Opening act Open Mike Eagle, a.k.a. Michael W. Eagle,  is described in Wiki as an LA-based hip-hop artist and comedian with Chicago roots who credits They Might Be Giants as an influence. His 2017 concept album, Robert Taylor Homes, made it on both Rolling Stone‘s and Pitchfork’s top-50 list that year. The Eagle takes the stage at 8 p.m. Tickets are $42.

One other show of note tonight: Self-proclaimed Colorado plant-rock act No Fauna headlines at The Sydney in Benson. They sound like proggy PUP on their latest EP, Winter (2025, Iggy Longerelle), Locals The Ivory Claws and Box Eats Miah also are on the bill. $10, 8 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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.