Just placed online, an interview/feature with John Davis of Georgie James. Davis talks about his love of soft rock derived from a life growing up in the radio business. His father, Don Davis, even did a tour of duty in Omaha at the now-defunct WOW FM, a short-lived rock station. Davis also discusses Georgie James’ influences, the break-up of his former band (Q and Not U) and getting signed to Saddle Creek Records. Read it here. Some tidbits that didn’t make into the story:

— Tomorrow night’s show at Slowdown Jr. is the first one back after the band took a break due to “illness.” James said he’s now nearly 100 percent, that constant touring without a break took its toll on him. “I’m not normally an anxious person, but it’s starting to wear me down,” he said last Saturday. “At this moment, I’m fine.”
— While Georgie James is primarily Davis and Laura Burhenn, the band also includes bassist Michael Cotterman, who used to play in Kid Dynamite and The Loved Ones, and drummer Andrew Black, formerly of The Explosion. “Those guys are the live band,” Davis said. “The reason it’s presented as a duo is that Laura and I do the writing and recording. Originally it was just the two of us for a year. These guys have been friends of mine for a long time.”
— The band’s name, Georgie James, is a play on Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. “We kicked names around for three months,” Davis said. “What about Tall Grass? What about The National Zoo? We were desperate. I always thought Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames was a great name. I’m not a huge Georgie Fame fan, but what an awesome name. I suggested Georgie James because I just read a book about James Taylor. Laura liked it.”
— Though Q and Not U broke up in September 2005, Davis said the breakup had been in the works from the beginning of that year. “We half-assed a tour. It didn’t go well and afterward we said, ‘See? Our time’s up.’ It was intentional on our own part; it gave us a reason to get out of it. Harris (Klahr) and I were feeling the same thing about not wanting to do it anymore. We felt if we kept the band together when we were doing new things, the (new projects) wouldn’t get the attention we wanted them to get. People would say, ‘Oh, the side project is great, but when are you going to get back to the real stuff?’ Forget that.”
— Davis is a vinyl music fan and is proud that Places has been released on vinyl. “I think in some ways it’s a better format, both the way it sounds and the bigger artwork. It’s just a better experience,” he said. “In an era of free downloading, vinyl has its place. You can’t download vinyl.”

Now go read the whole darn article, and go down to Slowdown Jr. tomorrow night for Georgie James along with Kite Pilot and Aqueduct. It’s only $8 ferchristsake… But before you do, go down to Slowdown Jr. tonight for Reagan and the Rayguns (that’s Reagan Roeder’s band) when it opens for Will Hoge along with Brad Hoshaw. $12, 9 p.m.

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Relapse Records, home to such artists as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage and Alabama Thunderpussy, announced yesterday that it signed Vverevvolf Grehv, the one-man metal project of Faint guitarist Dapose (a project formerly known as Precious Metal). “Metal has always been the most extreme form of music since its creation, and I’ve always felt a calm and a peace from it,” Dapose said in the Relapse press release. “Something like the intensity of a Buddhist monk’s chant, or the sounds one hears when riding a train, relentless repetition becomes meditative and allows a reflective process aiding our well being. Which to me is why many people in the metal world are among the nicest people you’ll ever meet.”

Dapose’s Relapse debut, Zombie Aesthetics, is slated for release March 4. Omahans may get a sneak peak at Dapose’s new album when VG opens for The Show Is the Rainbow at Slowdown Dec. 8.

Tomorrow, look for an interview with John Davis of Georgie James.

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Nearly 400 diehard Stars fans got more than their money’s worth last night at Slowdown — a set that lasted nearly two hours. The whole time, you could tell that Torquil Campbell and the rest of the band were thrilled to be there. In fact, they told the crowd so, over and over throughout their set, saying such glowing things like Slowdown was a gem “built on music.” All night, band members would make their way to the microphones and say how proud they were to be there. It was kind of sweet and charming.

The band came on at around 10:15 to a stage adorned with bouquets of flowers and abstract artwork on easels. It almost looked like a funeral, except for the computer-controlled strobes that blared from behind the stage. Talk about your theatrics, at one point Torq strolled out in a jacket covered in lights, looking like a walking Christmas tree. Glam!

I’m not a long-time fan of Stars, having only discovered them with this last album. Obviously they have a strong back-catalog judging by what I heard last night. I had a couple people tell me to check out Set Yourself on Fire, which I’ll definitely do after hearing some of the lush songs performed last night. Gorgeous stuff. The six-piece included a guitarist, bass, drummer, keyboard player, Torq on a Casio-style keyboard, trumpet and vocals and Amy Millan on guitar and vocals. It was the best-sounding set I’ve heard on Slowdown’s big stage (and that includes Cursive, Two Gallants and The Rentals). They finished at around 11:15, then went on to play an encore that lasted nearly 45 minutes. I didn’t get out of there until midnight.

A few notes about Slowdown while I’m thinking of it. First, they’ve installed a huge, white Habitrail-looking piece of artwork that hangs from the ceiling over the main floor (see homepage pic). The installation is from Brooklyn artist Jason Peters who currently is working at The Bemis. I’m told that the tube actually lights up in different colors. For some technical reason, it didn’t light up last night, but it was still impressive and fit right in with Slowdown’s overall aesthetic. It’s not a permanent feature. Proprietors Nansel and Kulbel tell me that it’ll only hang in the rafters for about a month, but that we can expect to see more artist installations in the future.

The other bit of news is the new capacity rating for Slowdown. The city originally gave the room a capacity of around 470. The new number is a whopping 615. That’s a huge jump based solely on having the inspectors come out and take another walk through the venue. There’s no question that the new number will have a positive impact on the size/stature of bands that One Percent and Slowdown can book for the venue.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s, Athens band Casper and the Cookies with Pat Fleming. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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I know what you’re wondering and the answer is yes, I was there, too. I actually heard about it a lot earlier than most, but I couldn’t get over there until around 11, and by then, well, as expected the place was packed. They started off by thanking the crowd for coming out and then tore into a number of songs off their last record, which made the crowd go completely apeshit. In fact, I thought there was going to be a riot when they said that their next song would be their last, but as luck would have it, they had time for one more (which I think they had intended to play anyway). When they finally finished, everyone was on their feet begging for more, but that was it, not only for last night, but forever.

Waitaminit. You didn’t think I was talking about the Broken Social Scene show at Slowdown last night, did you? I heard about that one, too, at around 10:30 last night, but as much as I like BSS, there was no way I was going to miss LALD’s last show ever. From what I can tell, Omahype was the first to get the scoop online, and also is the only one with a full review of the show, complete with pics. Check it out. It will go down as another in a series of amazing “secret shows” that everyone will say they were at, but few actually were. The same will be said for LALD’s last show, too. What’s the old adage? The biggest crowds that bands play for are at their CD release show and their farewell gig. That probably also was the case with LALD. It was the biggest show I’ve seen at O’Leaver’s in quite a while. It was also the best performance I’ve ever heard from the band, so good, in fact, you wonder why they’re hanging it up. I’m sure they have their reasons, and I’m sure we’ll be seeing these guys performing around town again in other bands in the near future.

Tonight, the not-so-secret Mountain Goats show at Slowdown, or the pop-rock stylings of Black Tie Dynasty at The Waiting Room.

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Is it me or has Slowdown put some giddy-up in their booking? Remember when Robb and Jason said they were only going to do two or three shows a week? Just glancing at their calendar, I think that’s headed out the window, and why not? It’s a shame to let the venue’s two wonderful stages go to waste. But before we get to that, tonight is the farewell performance of Life After Laserdisque. I’m not sure why the band has decided to hang it up, but they’re going out in style, headlining at O’Leaver’s with Kansas City’s The Dark Circles (Anodyne Records) and Ketchup and Mustard Gas (Mark from Dance Me Pregnant, Dustin from Paria, Andy from Capgun Coup). Will there be special guest appearances by Eric Clapton or Bob Dylan? Highly doubtful. 9:30, $5.

Also tonight, Hyannis, Talkin’ Mountain, Electric Needle Room and Top Hat at Shea Riley’s. It’s the CD release party for ENR. $5 if you’re over 21, $8 if you’re not (but are over 18). 9 p.m.

Saturday night, The Mountain Goats return to Omaha, this time at Slowdown with Bowerbirds. Anyone remember what happened the last time the Goats came through? You can reminisce here, and then look for Donovan lurking over by the photo booth, ready to pounce. $12, 9 p.m. Also Saturday night, Dallas-based ’80s-inspired rockers Black Tie Dynasty plays at The Waiting Room with A. Symbiont. $7, 9 p.m.

Sunday night it’s Stars at Slowdown with Magnet. $15, 9 p.m.

Did I miss anything? Post the show here.

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Briefly, my only show this weekend was Friday night at O’Leaver’s, featuring Tartufi and The Stay Awake. Tartufi was the big surprise. A two-piece featuring Brian Gorman on drums (and bullhorn) and Lynne Angel on guitar, bass, keyboards and vocals, the trick to their layered sound was the use of loop upon loop upon loop, which allowed Angel to do three-part harmony with herself, play guitar and bass, all at the same time. I’ve seen the loop-thing done a lot lately, but never as effectively. It worked kind of like this: Angel would loop a lead guitar, change to bass and rough up a second riff, add a vocal, loop it with a second vocal and then a third (there were three microphones set up). The music was proggy indie rock that bordered on Pixies punk. It looked like quite a workout. With all that sound equipment, pedals and other gear, it took Tartufi a long time to get set up, pushing their set past the midnight hour. The Stay Awake did all they could to hustle their gear on stage and get going. As a result, we were treated (or should I say cheated) to a shortened set. The Stay Awake’s style is brittle, abrasive, angry and purposely confusing punk rock based on animal riffage and vocal squalls of frontman Steve Micek, and the rhythm power of bassist Robert Little and drummer/god Mario Alderfer. Frenzied, anxious, searing, jittery, heated and loud, The Stay Awake never fail to entertain (which is why they belonged on The Reader’s top-band list). My only regret was forgetting to buy a copy of their new album, which was available for the first time at the show. Look for an official CD release show in the coming months.

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