Before I get to the weekend calendar, here’s a very brief review of Goodnights, the new pizza/bar in the southeast corner of the Slowdown complex. I had dinner there last Saturday night and was impressed by the service, the decor and the pizza. The restaurant looks like what you’d expect Slowdown to look like if it were a pizza place — in other words, cool, modern, slightly minimal architecturally, with good lighting, a big central bar, plenty of booths and tables, and large flat-panel TVs throughout the room. The night we were there the panels displayed Apolo Ohno and other Olympic coverage. Goodnights’ No. 1 downside: Their house music, which is horribly bad mall rock or something you’d hear in a West Omaha meat market. It almost made me lose my appetite.

But who cares about the decor? It’s all about the pizza, right? Before we could order, the waiter came by with a list of $4 “specialty shots” and begged us to buy a couple. I declined, but he was persistent, and in the end… I didn’t buy any shots. I asked why they were so pushy about shots, and he said it was all “part of the fun,” or something like that. And shots are fun, until you realize you have no way to get home after dinner because you’re blasted.

Other than a shots menu, Goodnights has a pizza menu (online at goodnightsomaha.com) — which only lists pizzas, no appetizers, which was fine by me (though I wouldn’t mind a small dinner salad or even an order of garlic bread. Actually, maybe it isn’t fine with me). Pizza is available by the slice or 14-inch and 18-inch rounds. We tried the 14-inch “barbeque brisket” pie, which features smoked brisket and pepperoni bathed in barbecue sauce with onions, cilantro and mozz cheese. The pizza arrived almost immediately — great service, and lots of it, judging by the half-dozen or so uniformed waiters who had nothing to do (because there was only about 10 people in the restaurant — on a Saturday night).

Goodnights pizza is thin-crust, similar to Zio’s but much better because they pre-bake the crust before adding toppings, and then bake it again — just like how I make my own homemade pizza. So unlike Zio’s greasy, soggy crust, it’s nice and firm and tasty. The crust was the best part of the pizza. The brisket was good, too, but everything was overpowered by the sauce, which was too sweet and too abundant — way too much sauce for a BBQ pizza. With beer and tip, the bill was around $30 total, not bad.

So where does Goodnights fit into the Omaha Pizza Matrix? I’d rank it above Zio’s and the national chain pizza joints, but below LaCasa (which is top dog on my list). It sits just slightly above Pizza Shoppe and Sam and Louie’s. So, definitely worth your attention. It’s better than nearby Union Pizza, which started out strong when it opened a year or so ago, but whose pizza quality has steadily declined thanks to skimpy toppings and under-cooking (at least the last few times I’ve ordered from there).

* * *

So why the restaurant review? Because tonight would be a good night to try Goodnights, before or after the English Beat concert at Slowdown (Goodnights is open until 1 a.m.). The show sold out weeks ago, which I guess shouldn’t be a surprise considering vintage ’80s bands appeal to such a large majority of Omaha music fans. I’ve always thought English Beat was a B-level ’80s band, but still fun with hits like “Mirror in the Bathroom,” “Save It for Later” and “I Confess” and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a little “Tenderness.” But you already know this if you have tickets, and if you don’t, you’re screwed. The show starts early — 8 p.m. I’ll be getting there at around 10 to avoid openers Outlaw Nation and Fishbone — a band I’ve never liked.

No tix? Head to O’Leaver’s (where I’ll probably end up after Slowdown) and see The Dinks (according to O’Leaver’s tweets, they’ve changed their name to Saudi Arabia) with Perry H. Matthews, La Casa Bombas and Watching the Trainwreck. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night is looking rather sparse. Midwest Dilemma is playing down at Slowdown Jr. with Mother Culture, Anniversaire and Wrestling With Wolves. $7, 9 p.m.

The Hole is hosting punk shows both Friday and Saturday nights. Tonight features local heroes Hercules with California band Battle, Borealis, Worst of Times and the legendary Cordial Spew. Tomorrow night at The Hole (which is at 712 So. 16th St. (the old Diamond Bar)) it’s An Airbag Saved My Life, Suicide Blondes, La Casa Bombas, The Prairies and Anestatic. All shows start at 7 p.m. and cost $6. No booze!

Sunday night Thunder Power has a show at O’Leaver’s with Underwater Dream Machine, and Madison band Icarus Himself ($5, 9:30 p.m.). “This will be our first local show of the year and kind of our pre-SXSW warm-up,” said Thunder Power’s Will Simons in an email. “We have a few new songs, a revamped lineup (new drummer Jeremy Stanoshek of bands like Kite Pilot, Coast of Nebraska, Magic Kiss) and have trimmed down to a quintet from a six-piece. We are also about to release a 10-inch split-EP with the 1959 Hat Company (Toledo, OH) on Slumber Party, out March 9. It will be our third release on the label.”

In addition, Simons said April 5 will see the release the band’s first single “Take a Hike” in the UK and Europe, followed up by the release of an extended EP sometime this spring/summer on a label called Mono Music.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I caught most of last night’s Laura Veirs show at The Waiting Room. The gig started at 8 instead of 9 I guess because Veirs looked to be about eight months pregnant in her navy polka dot dress, her guitar balanced over her soon-to-be brood (see photo). When I got there at around 10, Veirs and her band, which included a violinist and two guys who traded off bass, guitar, keyboards and drums, were already at it. The reason I dropped in at all was because the songs on her Myspace page reminded me of early Suzanne Vega circa Solitude Standing, one of my all-time favorite albums, and sure enough, Veirs kept up that similitude with her voice right down to her phrasing. Where her and the band veered from the Vega course was in the three- and sometimes four-part harmony; and sometimes 5-part if you included the crowd of around 50 that was trained to add “ewws” and “ooh”s and “aaahs” to one song. Afterward, Veirs said we knocked Minneapolis from the fifth-place position in their Worldclass Crowd Participation Sing-along Competition (She was just being nice). Gorgeous stuff, right down to a cover of one of my favorite Fleetwood Mac songs, “Never Going Back Again.”

* * *

Back to SXSW coverage. I know, who cares? Especially if you’re not going. But I am, and I’ll be covering it extensively for this site (daily blog reports, Tweets, Facebook updates) and The Reader starting March 18.

The news: It’s True announced its SXSW showcases:

Friday, March 19 at BD Riley’s (Official SXSW Showcase) 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 20 at Lovey’s Loot (w/Thunder Power) 2 p.m.

It’s True also is hosting a listening party for their new CD Sunday, March 14, at The Barley St. Tavern. Still no word on who is releasing their album. The gig also will act as a “send off” party for SXSW, so show up and buy something to get them on their way.

* * *

Digital Leather also announced its SXSW sched.

–Thursday, Mar 18, 2010 8 p.m. – Shattered Records Showcase w/ Hunx and His Punx, Wizzard Sleeve, Fucked Up +more
–Friday, Mar 19, 2010 2 p.m. – At Beerland w/ the Spits, Tokyo Electron, King Louie
–Friday, Mar 19, 2010 6 p.m. -At the Mohawk Patio w/ The Cool Kids, Uffie + more
–Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 6 p.m. -At Parade of Flesh
–Saturday, Mar 20, 2010 12:00 a.m. -At Beerland Digital Leather playing as Destruction Unit
–Sunday, Mar 21, 2010 8 p.m. -Beerland

(I’m looking hard at that Mohawk Patio gig — one of my favorite spots last year.

* * *

Little Brazil was interviewed at Spinner.com as part of their official SXSW media coverage. The Q&A with guitarist Greg Edds is right here. Greg talks Austin survival tips, and includes this gem: “Now I know why fanny packs are coming back in style. You don’t want a man-bag because that’s still too bulky, but I might dive into the fanny this time around.” Dive into the fanny? Nice, Greg.

* * *

Add Lincoln’s Eagle Seagull to the list of Nebraska bands at SXSW. They’re scheduled to play at The Ghost Room March 18 at 9 p.m.

So, the current list of Nebraska bands in Austin this year: It’s True, Digital Leather, Thunder Power, The Mynabirds, UUVVWWZ, Little Brazil and Eagle Seagull. Are there any more?

* * *

2009 SXSW standouts Box Elders won’t be in Austin for the festival this year because they’re going to be on the road opening for The Black Lips. Before meeting up with the Lips, Box Elders will be headlining a few shows including March 13 at The Waiting Room with Baby Tears, Yuppies and Well-Aimed Arrows (ex-Protoculture). They’ll meet up with the Lips March 17 in Charlotte, NC, and will follow them to the April 5 show at Slowdown, and close out the Lips tour April 10 at the legendary 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA.

That’s quite a coup for the trio. Another coup is their new 7-inch, which is coming out on red-hot Chicago label HoZac Records. Says the band: “HoZac dudes have been helping us out for a couple years, they’ve booked most of our Chicago shows. The 7″ is part of their singles club. 400 went to folks that joined the club and we get 75. I think they’ll go pretty quick. The Waiting Room show is gonna be the only Omaha show we’ll have them. The Antiquarium is going to carry 10 or so copies.” Get ’em while they’re hot.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

I left out Lost in Translation, whose soundtrack included songs by Air, My Bloody Valentine, Death in Vegas and a very young Phoenix. Great flick.

Column 261: Waiting Through the Credits
Some (indie) soundtracks are stinkers.

With the Oscars this Sunday night, I thought I’d write a column about indie music in movies. The problem: Most movies that use indie music aren’t very good. In fact, they usually suck.

I go to a lot of movies, at least one or two a week. And I go to theaters, I don’t just “Netflix it,” like everyone else does these days. But sometimes I have no choice. As research for this article, I Netflixed (500) Days of Summer because a friend of mine said it had a great soundtrack filled with lots of indie songs. And she was right, it did. Great tunes by Regina Spektor, Feist, Doves, Black Lips, The Smiths, even Hall and Oates. But the movie again proved my theory — it wasn’t very good.

Part of the reason it sucked (for me, anyway) had to do with lead actress Zooey Deschanel, who I despise since she began whoring for Cotton, the Fabric of Our Lives, and after she appeared on Top Chef as a crazy I-can’t-eat-anything gluten-intolerant, Dinner-at-Moosewood-thumping vegan, further emphasizing my theory that movie stars shouldn’t appear on reality TV or game shows unless it’s Matchgame ’79. After watching the film, I got the feeling Deschanel’s bitch character probably wasn’t too far from her real-life persona. But I’m probably wrong, I’ll never know. The movie will forever dash any goodwill she earned from Elf.

It should be a red flag whenever a movie uses indie songs. It’s as if the producers are making a desperate stab at attracting a “younger demographic” or is reaching for much-needed “indie cred” — something that cannot exist in Hollywood films, even those from so-called “independent studios.” Real indie productions can’t afford the publishing rights to good indie songs.

Zach Braff’s Garden State for example, has a good soundtrack (The Shins, Iron and Wine, Nick Drake), but it’s a horrible film. Juno, with a soundtrack that features Kimya Dawson/Moldy Peaches, Sonic Youth, Belle & Sebastian, is pretty bad (though I’m the only one in America who thought so).

From this year, there was Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, a movie I could never bring myself to see or even Netflix after watching its embarrassing trailer featuring lovable nerd Michael Cera (of Superbad fame). The movie has songs by Vampire Weekend, Army Navy, We Are Scientists and creepy Devendra Banhart. Still, it wasn’t enough to get me to see it.

From ’09, Sam Mendes film Away We Go with John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph used a handful of pretty songs by Alexi Murdoch along with tracks by The Stranglers and Velvet Underground. It was one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen. Also from last year, the insipid Adventureland (with tracks by Husker Du and Replacements), and the cloying, disappointing Where the Wild Things Are, which featured Karen O and her Yeah Yeah Yeah band mates.

Then there was Fantastic Mr. Fox, with songs by Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker as well as some well-chosen tunes by Burl Ives and The Rolling Stones woven into a score by Alexandre Desplat. What director Wes Anderson does with the fantastic Fantastic Mr. Fox is what he does with all his films — he makes the songs an integral part of the film. The Royal Tenenbaums, one of my all-time favorites, has a soundtrack that perfectly complements its content, with songs by Elliott Smith and a lot of very un-indie bands like Nico, The Velvet Underground, The Clash, The Rolling Stones and The Ramones. From Rushmore to The Darjeeling Limited to the reinvention of Bowie in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Anderson remembers old songs that we’ve forgotten and reminds us how good they are.

In fact, masters like Scorsese, Lynch and Tarantino forego modern indie music for classics that emphasize the film’s period and mood. For better or worse, Paul Thomas Anderson used a handful of Supertramp songs for the soundtrack to 1999 epic heartbreaker Magnolia while reintroducing Aimee Mann, someone I had forgotten about since her ‘Til Tuesday years. She is now one of my favorite singer/songwriters, though I don’t know if she’ll ever match the work heard in that movie, which was hands-down one of the best uses of soundtrack material since Harold and Maude.

Any list like this also has to include Cameron Crowe, whose use of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” in Say Anything is iconic, along with his grunge-infused sound track to 1992’s Singles. All of which was dashed by Almost Famous, a movie I loathe thanks to the painfully embarrassing use of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.” Thank you, Goldie Hawn’s daughter, for ruining that song for all eternity.

Perhaps my favorite soundtrack-loving director is Jonathan Demme. His soundtracks to both Something Wild (New Order, Steve Jones, Sonny Okosun) and Married to the Mob (Q. Lazzarus, The Feelies, Brian Eno) are as cool — or cooler — than the films themselves. And since were going back to the ’80s, I’ve got to mention Valley Girl, the 1983 Nicolas Cage vehicle that introduced an unsuspecting world to The Plimsouls, The Payolas, Sparks, The Psychedelic Furs and Modern English.

Which brings us back to the Oscars. In the end, the best soundtracks are in films where the music not only is part of the story line, it is the story line. Examples include 2006’s Once, and from this past year, Crazy Heart, a soundtrack with songs by T-Bone Burnett, Ryan Bingham and the late Stephen Bruton whose performance will win Jeff Bridges his first Oscar.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Laura Veirs with Seattle band Cataldo and Portland’s The Old Believers. Veirs, who used to be on Nonesuch, released her last album, July Flame, on her own Raven Marching Band Records. Her music will appeal to fans of Suzanne Vega, Azure Ray, St. Vincent and Neko Case, among others. Very pretty stuff and well worth the $10 cover. Show starts at 9.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

No, I’m not on hiatus. There just hasn’t been anything worth blogging about. I didn’t go to any shows this past weekend, and hence, don’t have any live reviews to pass long… except for this one, which went online today at consequenceofsound.com — a rather depressing review of Cursive’s shows last weekend at The Metro in Chicago, which concludes with this: “It was sad to see Cursive become just another ‘shitty opening band’ for kids who just wanted to hear some pop-punk slickness. If I weren’t such a big Cursive fan, I’ll bet I would love the hell out of the show.” The Cursive/Alk Trio tour now heads to Michigan and Ohio and runs through April 3.

* * *

For those headed to SXSW, Little Brazil has firmed up its festival schedule:

Thursday, March 18th @ The Jackalope (404 E 6th St – Austin, TX)
“Anodyne Records & The Record Machine” Day Party (2 p.m. to 7 p.m. – FREE)
Little Brazil performs @ 4:15pm.

Friday, March 19th @ The Wave (404 E 6th St – Austin, TX)
“Official SXSW Showcase” (8 p.m. to 2 a.m. – Badge Required)
Little Brazil performs @ 10 p.m.

SXSW is just a couple weeks away, and the deluge of gig notices is starting to arrive from all the labels and promoters with bands headed to Austin. It’s going to be another wild ride.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Before we get to the weekend, here are a couple interesting Internet tidbits you may or may not have found on your own.

Continuing the parade of Cursive interviews, each with a bit of a downer theme, here’s an interview with Ted Stevens in the University of Toronto’s thevarsity.ca. Among the notable comments:

(Says Stevens): “Originally, [Saddle Creek] was designed to be a communal thing that we all shared a part of. Those were naive dreams. Bright Eyes was the first band to sell lots of records, and that was when it became obvious that each musician had to work on their own thing. We needed a CEO to run major operations. It then broke off from the community aspect.

“The sense of community is still there, but the label, family, and bands are not the same as they once were. We have had to set up a new business model, instead of this utopian all-for-one mentality.

“The cynic in me believes that it’s not possible, once debt and revenue enter the picture. I started off as an enthusiastic spokesperson of what I wanted it to become, but now I am leveling off into a realistic position, mellowing.”

Is it me or does Cursive seem disenchanted with Saddle Creek these days?

* * *

The Reader‘s news editor, Bryan Cohen, sent me a link to this item at American Public Radio’s Marketplace, a business-news show on the local NPR affiliate at 5:30 p.m. weekdays. I had heard part of this report driving home from work and wasn’t sure what I was hearing (and missed the end), but it’s an interview with Billboard Magazine news editor David Prince, where he and host Kai Ryssdal chat about the recession and how it’s reflected in pop music. Where the interview goes off the tracks is at the very end, where Kai asks about indie music. From the transcript:

RYSSDAL: What about indie music? I mean some of the folks out there just doing their own thing.
PRINCE: You know, I think of indie music in a lot of ways as the most elitist and the most ignoring the recession and the economic realities. Because if you have the opportunity to really pursue a music career in this day and age and do nothing else, then you probably have some expendable income.
RYSSDAL: Expendable income. So it’s kids who have some money, basically.
PRINCE: Indie yuppies is a phrase I think of a lot when I’m reading Pitchfork.

Wow. Indie Yuppies. I guess that accurately describes most of the indie bands around here, right? Seriously, you can’t blame Prince, who sounds like he’s never met a touring indie band before. Even the most successful ones I’ve interviewed have members that hold day jobs or second jobs just to survive. Strange comment, that of course ended up getting blasted in the “comments” section of the story. Amusing.

* * *

For the first time in a while, there are no stand-out shows this weekend (except of maybe The Hood Internet, but that’s not a band, is it). I blame the long, arctic winter, which seems to just go on and on and on. To be honest, we can’t complain. We’ve done pretty well show-wise the past few months, a time which historically is slow in terms of decent touring bands. Local unsigned bands should take note that if you’re working on an album next year, there are distinct advantages to a deep-winter release in that you’ll have less competition from headline touring acts for your CD release show. That certainly would have been the case this weekend.

But that said, there are shows going on this weekend, including the aforementioned The Hood Internet, a couple guys who record dance-floor mashups. The duo is at The Slowdown tonight with Capgun Coup and Flowers Forever. $10, 9 p.m.

Everyone’s favorite drunk house, O’Leaver’s, has Gyromancer, Lightning Bug and The Power, a hot new Lincoln band (or so I’m told). $5, 9:30 p.m.

The best show of the night, however, is in Lincoln at The Bourbon Theater for a fundraiser for KRNU, 90.3 FM. On the docket is Ideal Cleaners, Pharmacy Spirits, The Machete Archive, Once a Pawn and coming off a glistening 12-inch release show at Slowdown last night (that I didn’t attend because of work), Talking Mountain. $5 if your over 21, $7 if you’re 19-20. Show starts at 9.

Tomorrow night The Hood Internet plays in Lincoln at The Bourbon. Meanwhile, back in Omaha, it might be a good time to check out the new Hole, formerly the Diamond Bar in downtown Omaha at 712 So. 16th St. It’s hosting a benefit for Repower Nebraska featuring The Yuppies, The Prairies (members of Yuppies), Solid Gold, Peace and Space and Lawrence Kansas band Bandit Teeth (KS). $5, 7 p.m. (it’ll be over by 11). Just a reminder, The Hole is a all-ages space and doesn’t serve alcohol.

Also Saturday night, The Answer Team plays at The Sydney with Auternus and Masses, $5, 9 p.m.; and Ground Tyrants play at The Barley Street with Citizens Band and Chantilly Reign. $5, 9 p.m.

Like I said, quiet weekend.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Just posted, an interview with Talking Mountain. The band talks about their masks, their music and changing the lyrics to one of my favorite songs. Read the story here. Because of space limitations, I had to cut the ending — the part about money and touring — so here it is:

Instead of laying out multi-thousands on a recording, the band bought a ’98 Dodge Ram 2500 van to replace their ’94 Econoline. They’re ready for the road, but only the one that leads to neighboring states.

“I have a day job, Dan goes to school and Brad is unemployed,” Meyer-Cusack said. “I have a mortgage and a wife and a dog, and I need a steady way of paying those bills. I’ve been in bands that have gone on tours, but weekday shows are a total bust in Omaha, and that goes for everywhere else. Touring is a huge, noble thing and awesome when you do it, but unless you have a solid following, i don’t know how viable it is. We’re building a decent audience within our circle in the Midwest, and can come back home after the tour with money in our pockets.”

That’s saying a lot these days. Talking Mountain has been one of my favorites since I first saw the band a few years ago stumbling around the Slowdown stage beneath those loveable monster masks, and their 12-inch will likely be on my list of top recordings at the end of the year. Read the article, then go down to Slowdown Jr. tonight and check them out for free as part of Slowdown’s free-Thursday series. Openers are the labelmates Honeybee and punkers Flesh Eating Skin Disease. Show starts at 9.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Checking his website, Wildsmith has no upcoming shows scheduled. None. Odd, considering that he just released a new album.

Column 260: A Serious Man
Live Review: Tim Wildsmith

I got a text from Whipkey at 10:30 last Friday night telling me Tim Wildsmith began his set 20 minutes ago. This was a CD release show. He was the headliner. He started at 10. I was told he wanted to play early because he had a lot of friends and family in the audience that don’t like to stay out late. Fine. Not so great for the traveling band, Charn, who had come all the way from Minneapolis. Anyone who knows anything about Omaha music crowds knew what was going to happen to Charn. But we’ll get to that.

So, I missed the first half-hour of Wildsmith and his band, The Lost Cause, but still got about 45 minutes’ worth since he played a long set with a long encore. This was the first time I’ve seen these guys, and my first impression was that they’re a tight, talented band that plays middle-of-the-road, mid-tempo suburban “Adult Alt” music.

There was a time when “alt” meant alternative. These days, alt is a catch-all phrase that radio programmers use for non-traditional (non-classic) rock that’s approachable enough for the general public to grasp; music that has key familiarity aspects that people who casually listen to music will recognize and be comfortable hearing in their cars. It’s the kind of music by bands like The Fray and Snow Patrol that winds up on television shows like Grey’s Anatomy or programs on the old WB. In other words, it has the potential to be hugely popular with a large audience — a much, much larger audience than listens to indie music.

But beyond being safe, the primary characteristic of Wildsmith’s music to me was its insistence on being taken seriously. This is earnest stuff, and Wildsmith said at least a couple times from stage that “writing music is his therapy.” So instead of just enjoying it, you feel like you have to acknowledge its importance, at least to Wildsmith and his fans. If you, for example, were to dislike a song like “Recovery,” off his new album, you also are disliking Wildsmith as a person and whatever he went through or is going through or will go through.

Should an artist be penalized for taking himself that seriously? No, probably not. It certainly didn’t hurt a band like ’90s alt-rock act Live, a band that I’ve loathed from the first time I’ve heard one of their songs, years before their placenta fell to the floor. Live always sounded like it was trying to manufacture drama for an audience that also takes itself too seriously.

Well, Wildsmith isn’t Live. He’s got an enormous, loving fan base made up of great people, and I know this because the first time I heard of him was from a great person who said, “You should check out Tim Wildsmith’s music. He’s the nicest guy in the world.” Yeah, I said, but is his music any good? Her response: “He’s a great guy.”

That’s too much analysis for only hearing 2/3rds of one performance. To be fair, I’m listening to some of the tracks on his Myspace page as I write this. It’s nice. It’s catchy. It’s just not the kind of music that I usually listen to or write about. As Dave Sink used to say when asked his opinion about a band that he didn’t care for (and toward the end of his days at The Antiquarium record store, that was most new bands), “It’s not my cup of tea.”

Anyway… Before leaving the stage, during his encore, Wildsmith beseeched the crowd to stick around for one of his favorite bands, Charn from Minneapolis. He said it a few times, actually, but I knew it wouldn’t matter. And sure enough, by the time Charn got to its second song, the crowd of 200 or so dwindled to 20 people dancing in front of the stage while a few dozen others focused on Women’s Olympic Curling being broadcast on the Waiting Room’s plasma screen network. In other words, Charn got “Omaha’d” in the most classic sense of the word.

* * *

Continuing the wave of Cursive news, KC’s Pitch has a nice, long feature on Cursive that just hit the Intergoogle yesterday. Tim Kasher talks about some of the reasons behind his not-so-recent move from LA to Montana. One of the more interesting quotes from the story is in this paragraph:

Omaha’s tightknit music scene blew up like a mini Seattle in the early part of the last decade as bands on the Saddle Creek record label blossomed into critical darlings. “Saddle Creek: That really came and went,” Kasher says. “A lot was really happening for, like, five minutes.” He laughs and continues: “It seems like I came out of it pretty well. I have a tendency to dismantle the machinery if things are going too well, so working on a lower, steadier profile with more of a cultish group of music fans is a healthier place for me to live.”

Came and went? I think ol’ Saddle Creek is still open for business. The label even has another showcase this year at SXSW…

* * *

Tonight at O’Leaver’s, it’s Reagan Roeder’s project, Hubble. The line-up recently changed as keyboard player Annie Dilocker no longer is in the band (she’s in Digital Leather these days). Also on the bill is Winston Audio and Sam Martin (Capgun Coup) and Sean Pratt. $5, 9:30 p.m. Turn off the Curling and come on down.

BTW, I’ll be updating the site early tomorrow morning with an interview with Talking Mountain. Their CD release show is tomorrow night at Slowdown Jr., and it’s absolutely free.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Cursive is releasing a new single via Saddle Creek Records March 9 called “Discovering America,” which, according to their publicist, focuses on the mistreatment of the American Indian community. “Given its content, Cursive has decided to release the song as a standalone single for charity, with all profits to be donated to the American Indian College Fund,” according to the statement. “The single will be available at major digital music retailers.”

Speaking of Cursive, the band is in the heart of a nationwide tour with Alkaline Trio. Bassist Matt Maginn is providing updates from the road via a Facebook page titled Matt Cursive. And did anyone else see this story in the Salt Lake City Tribune where Ted Stevens commented on the “darkness” of the Mama, I’m Swollen? Here’s an excerpt:

“It reflects people who are in a dark place,” said Ted Stevens, Cursive’s guitarist. “I’d be lying if I said I was a happy person, or that [lead singer and lyricist] Tim Kasher was in a happy place.”

Some of the bad feelings are a result of fans’ reactions to the band’s previous album, Happy Hollow, a concept album that was more experimental than ferocious. “We alienated most of our fans with Happy Hollow,” Stevens said. “People are still quick to criticize.”

Has the reaction to Happy Hollow really been that bleak? Are things really that bad? I thought Cursive had a pretty solid 2009, which included an appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. Maybe not…

* * *

Looks like The Reader and The City Weekly are getting some new competition March 3. That’s when Shout! Weekly hits the news stands, a new arts & entertainment newsweekly that I’m told is from the folks who brought you The City Weekly — Jim Minge and Dan Beckman. The publication already has a Facebook and Twitter page as well as a placeholder for shoutomaha.com. Can Omaha support three alt weeklies and a revitalized Go! Section of the Omaha World-Herald? Time will tell.

* * *

Tomorrow’s column: Tim Wildsmith live review; and Thursday, a feature on Talking Mountain. Join us, won’t you?

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

Briefly, I did attend the Tim Wildsmith CD release show Friday night and I did write a live review, but I’m thinking of using it for this week’s column, so stay tuned…

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah frontman Alec Ounsworth performing songs from his New Orleans-inspired album Mo Beauty (Anti), his self-titled Flashy Python project as well as some CYHSY favorites, according to his publicist. Opening is Mitch Gettman. $10, 9 p.m.

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In addition to having a large fanbase, Tim Wildsmith has a supporter in Kevin Coffey of the Omaha World-Herald. Kevin has been following Wildsmith’s album project for months in the OWH, and that’s not something to sniff at. As Matt Whipkey once told me (and I’m paraphrasing here): “It’s nice to get a write-up in The Reader, but a write-up in the Omaha World-Herald, I mean, my family reads The World-Herald.” He’s right. Coffey’s latest piece on Wildsmith (here) is in support of tonight’s CD release show at The Waiting Room (Chris Aponik’s take on Wildsmith in The Reader is here). I’ve never seen Wildsmith perform before, and the only music of his I’ve heard was online (there’s two tracks linked from that OWH article). So, maybe tonight, eh? Opening is two performers I’ve never heard of: Levi Weaver and Charn. $8, 9 p.m.

Actually, for $5 I can see Cat Island, Cave Kids and If Only He Had the Power at The Sydney. I like that name: Cat Island. That one starts at 9 also.

Saturday night, The Filter Kings headline a show at The Waiting Room with Ground Tyrants, Brave Captain (a fIRHOSE tribute band) and Two Drag Club. $7, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Well-Aimed Arrows (ex-Protoculture) is playing at O’Leaver’s with One to Three for Band and Everyday/Everynight. $5, 9:30 p.m.

The Hole (formerly the Diamond Bar) has punk shows slated for both Friday and Saturday starting at 7 p.m. and costing $5. Tonight’s six-band bill features Bent Left from Kansas City and Bandit Sound. Saturday night’s show features Iowa’s Boy Meets World and Eastern Turkish. These shows are all-ages, and there’s no booze for sale, period.

Sunday night former Lemonhead Evan Dando is at The Waiting Room. Adam Hawkins (and not his full band It’s True) is opening. $13, 9 p.m.

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