Omaha Girls Rock! returns as part of The Bay…

Category: Blog — Tags: , — @ 8:39 am June 9, 2025

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Last November, Chalis Bristol, chair of Omaha Girls Rock!’s board of directors, announced that due to a budget shortfall, OGR’s programming would end the following month. But she said sad news wasn’t goodbye forever:

We are moving forward with the hope that while OGR may no longer be the official organization you have loved over the years, our programming will soon continue with the support of another organization whose mission and values align with our own.”

That organization turned out to be The Bay, a non-profit formerly known as Rabble Mill, which also includes elements of the long-defunct Hear Nebraska. 

Omaha Girls Rock! the Slowdown July 16, 2011.
Omaha Girls Rock! the Slowdown July 16, 2011.

OGR began in 2011 by founder Stefanie Drootin (bassist for The Good Life, and member of Big Harp). In addition to teaching girls how to rock, OGR provided a support system that enabled and encouraged girls to design their own futures. OGR grew over the years, hosting camps and playing showcases at local clubs and festivals (including the Maha Festival), where camp participants rocked out in front of large audiences. 

So what’s The Bay? It’s a multi-program organization based in Lincoln and Omaha that acts as a sort of interactive hub, offering kids training and guidance to help them contribute to the workforce and our community. They do it through art, music, fashion, gaming, and perhaps what they’re most known for – skateboarding. If you’ve been to any large youth-focused event over the past few years, you’ve seen The Bay’s skateboarding outreach project.

In April, The Bay informed key supporters they’d taken on OGR’s mission and hired former OGR Operations Manager Sara Bertuldo to be Workforce Education and Omaha Girls Rock! Program Manager. Indie music fans will recognize Bertuldo as front person of local shoe-gaze band See Through Dresses. Sara will hit the ground running, as The Bay said OGR Summer Camps will return in 2026. 

“This news was many months in the making, and we are thrilled to welcome Omaha Girls Rock into The Bay family,” said Andrew Norman, executive director of The Bay. “Music has always been a vital part of The Bay’s programming, and with the addition of OGR’s expertise, we are strengthening our commitment to youth empowerment and creative expression.”

In a time when Omaha’s indie music scene seems to be in a constant state of deflation, OGR’s return is welcome news. The Bay recently opened new Omaha offices in downtown Benson (conveniently located next to Virtuoso Pizza). I suspect we’ll be hearing more big news from The Bay in coming months.

If you ever considered donating to The Bay or Omaha Girls Rock – or have in the past – now is the perfect time because The Bay board member Craig Meier, and wife Heather, have committed $10,000 in matching funds for donations made through June 23. These funds will support Omaha Girls Rock summer camp registration fees for families in need. Make that donation here, and learn about the organization at thebay.org.

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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.

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Leafblower, V.V. Volume 1 album release shows, #BFF tonight; Panchiko Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , , — @ 9:04 am June 6, 2025
Leafblower at Goatfest 2023. The band celebrates the release of their new album tonight at Reverb Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So, two separate album release shows vie for your attention tonight. You read about V.V. Volume 1 yesterday (here). Now here’s a little something about tonight’s show at Reverb Lounge celebrating the release of Leafblower’s Burn Cruise LP.

The eight-track album has indie rock veteran Danny Maxwell (a.k.a. DMax of Little Brazil and New Lungs) at its core on guitars and vocals with bassist vocalist Craig Fort (The Fucking Party, Lightning Stills), guitarist Clark Jahn and drummer Tab Tworek. The album was recorded by sound engineering extrodinaire Ian Aeillo at Make Believe Studios with additional tracking by Leafblower at Studio D. Ian also mixed it at A Sun Room.

Only two tracks from the album have been made available – early singles “Unsatisfied” and the title track – both heavy post-punk rockers that border on metal. You’ll have to go to tonight’s show at Reverb to hear the rest and buy the album (it’s not available on their Bandcamp page). Order it direct from the label’s website – Max Trax Recordsright here. Formats include badass Limited Smoke (and/or black) 12-inch vinyl. 

Joining Leafblower tonight at Reverb is O’Leaver’s good-time punk monsters Dance Me Pregnant featuring Chris Machmuller, Johnny Vredenburg, Corey Broman and Jeff Ankenbauer. Opening is Gary Dean Davis’ tractor punk extravaganza, Wagon Blasters. It’s gonna be loud. Show starts at 8, $12.

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By the way, it also just so happens to be the first Friday of the month, which means tonight is Benson First Friday! Galleries and businesses up and down Maple Street will be featuring works by local artists.  Among them is Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. (right next door to Legends Comics), where we’re celebrating the opening of JJ Carroll’s Head Shot. You can read all about JJ In this little ol’ profile I wrote in support of the show (Did you know he once worked as an animator in New York City?). The show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, say hi, and have a piece of birthday cake because it’s also Ming Toy’s 10th Anniversary. See you there. 

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Like I said, the V.V. Volume 1 album was covered yesterday, but again, here are the details on tonight’s album release show at Slowdown’s front room. Performers include Lodgings, Custom Catacombs, Neva Dinova, Ash Rayne Boe, Stephen Bartolomei and The Sun-Less Trio — all of whom have songs on the album. Tickets are $15, show starts at 8 p.m. 

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As for the rest of the weekend, punk bands Spurney’s Hawk, Plastic Presidents and Dip Tet perform at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night. And as per usual, the show is free and starts at 9 p.m. 

Also Saturday night, the annual Midwest Tacos and Tequila Fest is happening at Falconwood Park in Bellevue. We’re talking tacos, tequila, art and music, including a performance by Latin punkers Las Cruxes. The event runs 3 p.m to midnight and costs $20. More info here

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Finally, Sunday night it’s back to Slowdown for Panchiko. The UK band’s claim to fame involves the story of having a copy of their unlabeled demo CD discovered in a thrift store bin, uploaded by a random fan onto 4chan and going viral. Legend has it that it took four years for fans to finally discover who was behind the demo. The song that started it all was “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L,” which became a viral hit. 

Well, all of the above took place way back in 2000. The band reformed in 2021 with original members Andy Wright (keyboardist and producer), Owain Davies (vocalist and guitarist) and Shaun Ferreday (bassist), alongside new members Robert Harris (guitarist) and John Schofield (drummer). The band’s latest, Ginkgo, was released last April by Nettwerk Music Group. Their sound vacillates between dream pop and indie rock and at times reminds me of aught-era Gomez. 

Opening the show at 8 p.m. on Slowdown’s main stage is Tempe dream-pop band Alison’s Halo. Tickets are $35.

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.

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Preview: V.V. Volume 1 album release show Friday night at Slowdown…

V.V. Volume 1 album release show is Friday, June 6, at Slowdown.

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.

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Another no-show weekend; Cake Sunday; updated show list; new Alan Sparhawk (of Low)…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 9:35 am May 30, 2025
Alan Sparhawk of Low has a new album out today with Trampled by Turtles.

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.

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Preview: Florist, Allegra Krieger Saturday; Carver Jones Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 10:24 am May 23, 2025
Florist plays Saturday night at Reverb Lounge.

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.

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Jeff Runnings’ ‘Piqued’ gets pre-order; new Leafblower, SAVAK; Violenteer tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 11:53 am May 21, 2025
Jeff Runnings, Piqued, will be released by Independent Projects Music July 11.

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.

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Preview: Friko (night 2), Youbet tonight at Reverb Lounge…

Category: Blog — Tags: , — @ 11:08 am May 20, 2025
Chicago indie band Friko plays tonight at Reverb Lounge.

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.

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The Effigies tonight; Anna McClellan, Kassie Krut  (ex-Palm) Saturday; The Wailers Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 10:05 am May 16, 2025
Anna McClellan at O’Leaver’s, Dec. 3, 2015. McClellan plays Slowdown’s front room Saturday night.

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.

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Preview: Black Country, New Road, Friko tonight at Slowdown…

Category: Blog — Tags: , — @ 10:10 am May 14, 2025
Black Country, New Road play tonight on Slowdown’s main stage.

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.

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Preview: Being Dead, Blanky, New Orthodox, Mesa Buoy tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 10:20 am May 13, 2025
Being Dead plays tonight at Reverb Lounge.

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.

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