Only a sec to hype a sleeper of a show tonight at Reverb Lounge.
LA band Starcrawler is on Rough Trade Records and has a glammy punk rock sound on their most recent album, 2019’s Devour You, produced by Nick Launay (Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, L7) at Sunset Studios. The band has opened for the likes of The Distillers, Beck, Cage The Elephant and Spoon (probably all on the same night). Opener Poppy Jean Crawford is another LA music scene product with more of a psych/garage-rock sound. $12, 8 p.m.
That Oct 25 Deerhoof show that’s a joint production between Bemis and Maha has the austere honor of being the first show hosted at the Bemis Center’s new downtown music venue, Low End.
Low End is located in Bemis Center’s 25,000 square foot basement — i.e., the former home of Bemis Underground. Jeff Day of Actual Architecture Company oversaw the design of Low End and the Sound Art + Experimental Music Program’s new rehearsal and recording spaces. Low End includes custom seating, theatrical lighting, an anamorphic perspective stage, and industrial-grade sound equipment, according to Bemis.
Beginning in November, Bemis will offer free live shows at Low End by local, national and international sound artists, composers and experimental musicians. So no, this isn’t going to be a rock club, but rather a space for performance of experimental art/sound compositions, or at least that’s the plan.
For example, the first free performance Nov. 14 with Laura Ortman, who plays violin, Apache violin, piano, electric guitar, keyboards, pedal steel guitar, and sings through a megaphone. Yes, but can you dance to it?
BTW, that Deerhoof show is long sold out.
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On the other side of the musical spectrum, West Omaha biker bar/rock venue Chrome Lounge announced yesterday that it’s closed its doors. Chrome had become the home for Omaha Blues Society shows as well as the Nov. 9 Pine Ridge Toy Drive concert, which is now looking for a new venue. Fifteen years is a long haul for any club let alone a heavy metal-flavored rock club…
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Matador Records’ singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus is headlining tonight at The Slowdown. I caught her last Omaha set at Reverb in April 2018 when she played alongside Adult Mom. pening are singer/songwriters Liza Anne and Sun June. $18, 8 p.m.
Who got Lana tickets? At $180-$200 a pop for orchestra seats — too rich for my blood, unless, of course, there was a VIP tent and two or three quality bands playing before her, and I could move around a park-like setting and could just ride my bike home afterward…
That said, the Lana show is (mostly) sold out.
The two hottest shows this weekend are (surprise) on Saturday night, the night of a Husker game. The caveat — The Brothers show probably won’t start ’til after the game, and fans of a band like Cigarettes After Sex could give a flying f— about college football.
Let’s start with Lodgings. They’re celebrating the release of their new LP, Water Works, Saturday night at The Brothers Lounge. Recorded and mixed by the legendary Steve Albini at Electrical Audio in Chicago, this is on top of my list of favorite Omaha-based releases in 2019.
Fronted by guitarist/vocalist Bryce Hotz, Lodgings’ music is a solid combination of Big Star (Hotz’s voice reminds me of Alex Chilton from back in the day), The Grifters and (dare I say it) early Pearl Jam. The band is rounded out by the infamous Stephen Micek (Adtrita, ex-Stay Awake) on guitar; Michael Laughlin, bass; Eric Ernst, drums, and Cursive’s Megan Siebe on strings. The Sun-Less Trio and The Sunks open at 10 p.m. (but like I said, that Husker game…). $5.
Also Saturday night, Cigarettes After Sex returns to Omaha, this time to The Slowdown. The Bushwick-based shoe-gaze indie act has a new album coming out Oct. 25 on Partisan Records and their shows have been selling out all over the country. $25 tickets are still available for The Slowdown’s big room. The music will be preceded by a short film, “You’re the Only Good Thing In My Life,” at 9 p.m.
And there are a couple shows happening tonight (Friday).
Singer/songwriter Martin Sexton is at The Waiting Room. $35. 9 p.m.
Kris Lager Band is at fabulous O’Leaver’s. $10, 10 p.m.
Also Saturday night at O’Leaver’s is Halfloves, Steady Wells and Win/Win. 10 p.m., $7.
And then, finally, on Sunday, O’Leaver’s has Bazile Mills for a matinee show with Edge of Arbor.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section.
Let me leave you with this performance by Les Savy Fav from last night’s Seth Myers show. Their 2001 show at Sokol Auditorium is still up there as among my all-time favorites.
Well, it’s just been dead news-wise the past few days, with no shows going on. It must be fall. This happens every year, right? Actually, I’m not sure that’s true. I’m also not sure Omaha isn’t becoming flyover country again like it was in the ‘80s and early ‘90s.
I say that and then yesterday the internet exploded with news that Lana Del Rey is doing a show at The Orpheum, Wednesday, Nov. 13. I’ve been listening to her new album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, quite a bit lately, and I was a fan of her debut, Born to Die, or specifically of the song “Video Games.” A little of Lana goes a long way, especially when she pulls out her baby-doll voice — a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop — as she did too often in those early records.
But Lana left her inner Marilyn at home when recording the new album, which is her most mature and satisfying to date. Del Rey’s music has always played like the soundtrack to ’70s So-Cal cinema, an audio version of Tarantino’s latest complete with characters drawn from a make-believe version of El Lay, one with endless sunsets and endless broken relationships played out on Venice Beach or the Hollywood Hills, circa 1975. Pretty stuff, if a tad formulaic.
I enjoy having her music in the background if only for the flat tone of her voice and the low-key arrangements that make it easy to ignore. That said, it’s perfect for a seated-audience Orpheum performance. In fact, I initially had Del Rey in mind as the obvious “get” for a Maha Festival, but her style seems better suited for a theater than the grassy knoll at Stinson Park.
Anyway, tickets don’t go on sale until tomorrow (Friday) at 10 a.m., and based on some of her past gigs, I won’t be surprised if the price point starts above $100. I couldn’t find the show listed on the Ticket Omaha website. Yet, strangely, there are a number of websites already selling tickets, such as tickets-center.com, which has tickets ranging in price from $222 to $652. How is that possible?
You’d expect it to sell out quickly, but who knows how well it’ll do in Omaha. There are still tickets available to her theater show in San Diego Friday night. Here’s hoping that Craig Dee, with all his music-industry connections, can finagle a Lana Del Rey after show at O’Leaver’s. Now that would be something…
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This just in, Criteria will be joining Cursive on their upcoming January tour. That’s right, Criteria. Rumor has it the band has a new record already in the can, and there have been even more rumors as to who will be releasing it, but nothing “on the record.” Also on the bill is indie superstars Cloud Nothings — that’s an impressive line-up.
There’s no Omaha date on the tour, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a sneak peek of Criteria’s set in the form of a warm-up gig prior to them hitting the road…
Work kept me from the clubs this weekend, but I hope y’all had a grand time without me. Why do I miss all the fun?
A couple new bands cropped up via social media in the past few days.
Big Nope is a new project by See Through Dresses drummer Nate Van Fleet. Nate’s taking the frontman position this time handling guitars and vocals, with Liv Baxter also on guitar, Aaron Lee on bass and Zachary Roland on drums.
The band has a two-song single on Bandcamp: “Never Going Outside” b/w “Grass is Greener,” recorded at Little Machine by Van Fleet and Matthew Carroll (also of See Through Dresses), mixed by studio wizard Ben Brodin at Hand Branch.
The tune is upbeat indie pop that kind of reminds me of Thin Lizzy, I guess because of Van Fleet’s vocal phrasing on the A-side more than anything (and the arrangement). The B-side is more traditional indie. Pretty cool! Can’t wait to see them live.
I just saw Van Fleet play drums in Las Cruxes. See Through Dresses is also gearing up, and now this. What else can he pull out of his hat? Check out the single at their bandcamp page:
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Another new one is Blondo, a project by Lincoln’s Alex Malnack. This is straight-up emo-pop a la The Get Up Kids or Saves the Day, very pop-punk. On the debut 6-song EP, Heritage, Malnack plays everything but the drums, which are handled by Salt Creek’s Nate Skinner. Malnack is currently filling out his roster to play these tracks live.
This one came to my attention via Alex’s pop, Brent Malnack, the proprietor of Mars Bar and Grill, the West Omaha brew pub / performance space formerly known as Growler USA. Brent went out on his own (Growler was a chain) because he said the Growler folks weren’t down with his continued music focus for the club.
That being the case, Malnack is eagerly looking for bands to play Mars. Hit him up at the bar’s Facebook page. Tap into that unexplored West Omaha music market.
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Unexplained Death is back, this time taking aim at Mitch McConnell. Check it below via Spotify. We’re all still waiting for Whipkey and Co. to make their stage debut…
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Tonight at The Trap Room (located just north of The Slowdown), Supermoon is playing a free show. Supermoon is Omaha ex-pat / legend Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova) and members of Whispertown. 8 p.m. and free!
Another Husker weekend which means another front-loaded Friday night of shows and virtually nothing on Saturday, but that’s what fall in Nebraska is all about, right?
Tonight at The Sydney Eric in Outerspace headlines a show with Lincoln indie prog band Universe Contest and BB Sledge. It’s all part of The Sydney’s October Benson First Friday escapades. The club’s featured artist is Nathan Gurnon, and the music starts at 10 p.m. and costs $5.
The art of John D. Muñoz at The Little Gallery tonight.
If you’re going to be in the neighborhood, come on by The Little Gallery, 5901 Maple St., for CARTÓN, the art of John D. Muñoz. It’s art on cardboard and it’s pretty cool. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come by and say hi.
Also tonight, Omaha ex-pat Mitch Gettman returns, this time to fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining him are Lifeline and Mr. E & the Stringless Kite. $5, 9 p.m.
Saturday is a wasteland, but Sunday, Deep Sea Diver plays at Reverb Lounge. Joining her is Meat Hair. $12, 8 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Like last month, here’s the list of music “picks” I provided The Reader for their October issue. John Heaston, The Reader’s major domo, asked for some direction from my rather one-sided perspective. Someone at the paper will flesh these out with descriptions, etc.
Anyway, these are the shows that I’ll either be attending, writing about or dreaming about. October is not as big a month as September show-wise, but still, there’s plenty going on. Plan your calendars accordingly, and pick up the October issue of The Reader for more data. Note that this was submitted weeks ago, so a few more shows have popped up not included below.
— TONIGHT:Titus Andronicus at The Waiting Room. Titus has been pretty faithful in returning to our fair city whenever the band has a new album. Control Top is the red hot opener probably worth the $15 ticket price alone. 8 p.m.
— Indie No Wave band Plague Vender headlines at Slowdown Jr. Oct. 3. No Parents and Hussies open at 8 p.m. $12 Adv/$15 DOS.
— GWAR plays The Slowdown Oct. 10. Sacred Reich, Toxic Holocaust, Against the Grain are the openers. $25 Adv/$30 DOS. 7:30 start time.
— Simi Valley band Strung Out (Fat Wreck Chords Records) plays The Waiting Room Oct. 12. Punk band The Casualties opens at 9 p.m. $18 Adv/$20 DOS.
— Dreamcore indie band Cigarettes After Sex play The Slowdown Oct. 12. $25.
— Omaha indie band Lodgings celebrates the LP release at The Brothers Lounge Oct. 12. The Sun-Less Trio and The Sunks open. $5, 10 p.m.
— Indie darling Lucy Dacus plays at The Slowdown Oct. 14. Liza Anne and Sun June open at 8 p.m. $15 Adv/$18 DOS.
— Glam-punk band Starcrawler (Rough Trade Records) plays Reverb Lounge Oct. 15. Poppy Jean Crawford opens at 8 p.m. $12.
— Lincoln legacy indie anthem rockers Domestica plays The Brothers Lounge Oct. 18. Bad Bad Men (John Wolf’s latest project) opens at 10 p.m. $5.
— Super fab indie yacht rock act Whitney plays The Slowdown Oct. 19. Lala Lala opens at 9 p.m. $25.
— Indie dream-pop act The Japanese House plays The Waiting Room Oct. 21. 8 p.m., $18 Adv./$20 DOS.
— Thick Paint plays at O’Leaver’s Oct. 24. Opening is InDreama (after a long hiatus) and Rogue Moon. $5, 9 p.m.
— Brooklyn indie band Bethelem Steel plays O’Leavers Oct. 29. Sean Pratt and Megan Siebe open at 9 p.m. $7.
Omaha indie band Cursive today announced that its next album, Get Fixed, will be released on their 15 Passenger Records label Oct. 11.
Anyone who’s been paying attention to Cursive the last few weeks knew something was up as they kept releasing new songs via YouTube on a weekly basis, performing four new songs live at O’Leaversfest a couple weekends ago.
From the 15 Passenger website:
“While the album was largely born out of the same sessions as Vitriola with founding drummer Clint Schnase, ‘Stranded Satellite’ and ‘Black Hole Town’ were recorded this year and feature touring drummer Pat Oakes.
“‘We’re quite proud of the work we’ve done on both Vitriola and Get Fixed,’ explains singer/guitarist Tim Kasher in a letter describing the genesis of the new album. ‘In certain ways, they may forever be considered companion pieces, but Get Fixed feels as though it’s been emancipated from the Vitriola session: the extra care and attention it received has helped it develop an identity very much its own. These songs of anger, frustration, helplessness and loss feel more poignant to us now than even a year ago — we’re thrilled to finally introduce them to our world.'”
Cursive will head back out on the road mid-month for a run of dates supporting Against Me! as well as two headline shows in Philadelphia and Brooklyn. In November, the band will embark on a month-long headline tour throughout the southeast and southwest with Cloud Nothings supporting.
Check out the latest single from the album, “Stranded Satellite”:
Well, the Husker / Buckeyes game is taking its toll on the weekend. There are no rock shows Saturday night, at least of an indie-rock nature.
Instead, everything is happening tonight.
Top of the list is The Brothers Lounge where Las Cruxes opens the evening at 10 p.m. Read here about this hybrid of a Spanish-language punk bands with LA origins combined with three Omaha superstars — Little Brazil’s Landon Hedges, Digital Leather’s Jeff Lambelet and See Through Dresses’ Nate Van Fleet (that’s right, two drummers). As they say in the movies, it might get loud. New York singer/songwriter Brook Pridemore also is on the bill and local punk duo The Natural States headlines. $5, 10 p.m.
Also tonight, St. Joseph punk trio and Maha Music Festival veterans Radkey headlines at Reverb Lounge. Opening is our very own DROSS (members of Noah’s Ark was a Spaceship). $12, 9 p.m.
There’s an all-locals show at O’Leaver’s tonight with The Wake-Up, Fat Nap and Southpaw. $5, 10 p.m.
Two-basses-and-a-drummer punk trio Relax, It’s Science opens for metal bands Druids and Hollowed Oath at Dr. Jack’s Drinkery. $8, 9 p.m.
As I said, the Husker game pretty much obliterated all Saturday night action, though O’Leaver’s has another all-locals show with State Disco, Lonely Estates and Win/Win. $5, 9 p.m. (but I’d expect this to start late if the game’s still rolling (and it’s close)).
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Today Omaha indie act Oquoa dropped the new video “Sunshine” off their just-released album, Timesquares. The band celebrated the album’s release during O’Leaversfest last Sunday.
In some ways, the show was a farewell party for Oquoa drummer Roger Lewis, who is moving in the coming days/weeks to Seattle. This is more than just another example of the Great Migration of local musicians from Omaha (mostly to the West Coast). Roger has been one of Omaha music’s cornerstones for as long as I’ve been covering music in this city. His loss is a pretty deep wound to the music scene.
Some of my earliest interactions with Roger were back in the ’90s when he was a fixture at shows down at Sokol Underground as well other venues that hosted indie rock shows. As a drummer, Roger’s played in a number of great Omaha bands, not the least of which include The Good Life, Neva Dinova, Conduits, Artsy Golfer and a ton more including Oquoa (not to mention his stellar work as DJ alias Tyrone Storm).
Oquoa frontman Max Holmquist agrees that it’s sad that Roger’s moving, but says we’ll still be seeing him ’round here. “We’re going to keep working with this current line-up (with) Roger on the drums,” Holmquist said. “He plans to come back to Omaha semi-regularly to do DJ gigs, and do short Midwest runs of dates and local shows with us for as long as it works for us all. It will force us to be more thoughtful and strategic about our shows, which is never a bad thing.
“We will miss him being nearby, but it’s a shrinking world and it’s worth it to us to keep working with him from a distance.”
No doubt.
What the hell is happening to the Omaha music scene and all the migration? Holmquist chocks it up to the standard ebb and flow of creatives in and out of Nebraska. If that’s the case, we are indeed at low tide.
But we still have Oquoa. Holmquist said the new album is now available at bandcamp for your downloading pleasure. Roger, what are we going to do without you?
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Three hot shows happening tonight:
Over at Midtown Art, 2578 Harney St., Thick Paint is rolling out some new music for what they’re saying is their second to last show of the year. Also on the bill is Oakland band Preening as well as the dynamic duo known as Pagan Athletes. $5, 8 p.m. sharp.
Meanwhile, over at Reverb Lounge, Chicago experimental rock band FACS headlines. The band’s lable is Trouble in Mind Records (home of David Nance Group). Fellow Chicago-ites Dendrons also are on the bill. $10, 8 p.m.
Right around the corner at The Waiting Room it’s the return of alt-country rockers The Nadas. An acoustic version of Pony Creek opens at 8 p.m. $20.
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