Like last week’s column, this week’s column is a retread of old blog content, due to the fact that all of The Reader‘s deadlines were pushed back four days because of Memorial Day. That means Column 273 is/was this review of last Thursday’s Thunder Power CD release show — ancient history, I know. By the way, a couple people commented on that review, including one that translated the alien-robot-language singing quoted in the story:

“Ar-ee op-bop whep bep bay / Op bet tee.”

Translated:

“Sorry ’bout winning this one… for the team…”

A clever line. I wonder if the rest of the lyrics are that good.

Week-early deadlines mean outdated columns. But I guess I shouldn’t be complaining about deadlines, considering the word on the street is that The Omaha City Weekly is ceasing publication. While I haven’t confirmed that directly from the horse’s mouth, one of the paper’s columnists — MarQ Manner — made the statement on Facebook, and a non-City Weekly editor said the same thing. If it is true, it’s the end of an era. The City Weekly has been around for a long time. Not as long as The Reader, but long enough to be a legacy in this town. Its closure would drop the number of weeklies from four to three (The Reader, Shout! and Go!). I’m sure the survivors are rejoicing, but anytime you lose a publication it’s one less outlet for readers… and writers. Manner said he intends to continue writing his column for Shout! I have no idea what’s going on with CW music critic Will Simons. Hopefully he also will land on his feet, though he’s plenty busy with his band Thunder Power, which just released an EP and is working on a full length. I’ve read and enjoyed Simons’ stuff for years. Just like I enjoy MarQ’s column and Kevin Coffey’s writing (and Niz’s and Christine Laue’s before him at The OWH). For a brief time, I taught a News Editing class at UNO in the evenings. I always told my students that despite the elbowing-though-the-crowd, get-the-story-before-the-other-guy competitive nature of journalism, as a writer I never felt as if I was in competition with anyone — especially fellow writers and critics. And I still don’t. You can only learn from other writers and their work. They should inspire you, not threaten you. We’re all trying to do the same thing — express ourselves and our opinions through the written word. I’ll leave the competition to the publishers, who have to duke it out for advertising dollars in order to pay our meager wages (and I mean meager).

Anyway… I’ll believe the CW is dead and gone when I don’t see it on the stands for more than a month. They went through a similar shut-down earlier this year, only to return from the dead.

* * *

There are two solid shows going on tonight. At The Waiting Room, it’s the Omaha stage debut of High Art, Darren Keen’s new project, which I wrote about in some detail right here. Also on the bill are stdz and DJ Kobrakyle. $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, at O’Leaver’s, it’s Doom Town Records‘ crown jewel Baby Tears, with Capricorn Vertical Slum (ex-Vampire Hands) and La Casa Bombas. $5, 9 p.m.

If you’re looking for Column 272, it was a rehash of a couple blog entries from last week, intro-ed by this comment:

My apologies for the brevity of this week’s installment. The Reader moved back its deadlines three days due to a printer scheduling issue that has something to do with the production of 11 issues of Neighborhood News — the shopper that arrives in your mailbox periodically. The Reader produces Neighborhood News along with El Perico and the Spanish Language phonebook and a handful of other secret projects that only publisher John Heaston knows about. You didn’t know this? That’s because like every other newspaper, The Reader does a lousy job of reporting on itself. But it’s opportunities like Neighborhood News and the Spanish language publications that keep this weekly afloat during tough economic times and an era when Omaha’s news stands are crowded with four competing “alternative weeklies”: The Reader, The City Weekly, Shout! Weekly and Go! (The Omaha World-Herald‘s stab at a weekly, but it doesn’t count because it lacks horoscopes, “News of the Weird” and ads for 1-900 porn services).

Bands and venues have little to complain about when it comes to media coverage, now that there are four weeklies tripping over each other to report on the music scene. My column deadline is pulled back again this week, to tomorrow… anyone got any column ideas?

Anyway…

According to this Spinner.com article, Conor Oberst has joined Sound Strike, a boycott of the state of Arizona by a handful of artists including Kanye West, Sonic Youth, Massive Attack, Michael Moore and Rage Against the Machines’ Zack de La Rocha. The boycott “aims to fight the Arizona law — named SB1070 — which requires a person’s immigration status to be determined if he or she is thought to be undocumented.” It’s a crazy, angry law that hopefully will get repealed or overturned by the courts. The folks at The Phoenix New Times have pulled together a benefit comp CD called Line in the Sand that features a track by, among others, Andrew Jackson Jihad. Proceeds go to human rights and humanitarian organizations Puente and No More Deaths. Find out more about the comp here.

* * *

Thunder Power is celebrating the release of its first-ever vinyl outing tonight at The Waiting Room. The album is a 10-inch split EP with Toledo band The 1959 Hat. Co. (who they met on tour) called Hearts Intersect, released by Slumber Party Records. It’s the first in a series of collaborative splits being released by the label. Thunder Power’s three songs are tight, simple, indie rock tracks that would fit in with the lighter side of Belle & Sebastian. The first track, “Heartifact,” already has received a shout-out from Under the Radar (here). The split marks the fourth EP by Thunder Power, who are in the process of writing an entirely new set of songs for a forthcoming LP (their first). Also on the bill is The Mynabirds (currently riding a wave of publicity with the release of their Saddle Creek debut) and Fort Worth band The Burning Hotels. $7, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Travelling Mercies and Ragged Company are playing with Kris Lager at The Barley Street Tavern. $5, 9 p.m. I feel a drunk coming on with this one…

Also tonight at The Brothers Lounge (who seems to be doing a lot of shows lately), it’s the amazing Vampire Hands with Daughters of the Sun and Perry H. Matthews. $5, 9 p.m.

Column 271: Comfort Zone

The return of Criteria.

Criteria frontman Stephen Pedersen has a problem that most of us would die for: He’s completely content.

His search for contentment began in 2005 when Pedersen quit a posh job as a lawyer at Omaha’s most prestigious law firm — Kutak Rock — to hit the road with his band Criteria under the proud banner of Saddle Creek Records. But, as the story goes, things didn’t quite work out as planned. And Pedersen returned from the road, put his guitar away, pulled the business suit out of the closet and returned to his leather chair and desk and daily lawyer grind with full knowledge that at least he tried to make it as a rock star. How many of us can say we took an honest stab at following our dreams?

Now, almost four years later Pedersen has no regrets. In fact, he couldn’t be happier. And as any artist or musician can tell you, that can be problem when it comes time to draw from your creative well for new material. What is there to sing about when you’ve got everything? It’s a problem, especially when you’ve got a reunion show coming up — this Saturday to be exact, with pals Ladyfinger at The Waiting Room.

“There are new songs, and we’ll play some of them on Saturday,” Pedersen said from the comfort of his elegant midtown living room, a glass of dark red wine in hand, picking his words judiciously, thoughtfully, as any good lawyer would. “My context has always been based on some kind of frustration or latent aggravation in my life, whether it was politics or a relationship or my career getting in the way of my dream. Now I’m content, and it’s been harder to come up with lyrical content from that emotional place.”

He casts aside the idea that he simply is no longer inspired. “I’m inspired by my group of friends, my wife, things that are hard to articulate. It’s a context that doesn’t lend itself to this. You can only write so many thank you letters in song.”

And despite some precedent-setting tunes such as Sammy Hagar’s “I Can’t Drive 55,” and Judas Priest’s “Breaking the Law,” there isn’t much to sing about when it comes to the legal profession. “My job is intellectually stimulating, but it doesn’t lend itself to songwriting,” Pedersen said.

So what’s left to sing about? “Right now, it’s about trying to be happy in the moment,” Pedersen said. “So much of my adult life is spent looking at the future at the next task to accomplish that I have a very difficult time being in the present.”

Maybe he’s not so content after all. And as much as he loves being around his bandmates — drummer Mike Sweeney, bassist A.J. Mogis and guitarist Aaron Druery — Pedersen said he hasn’t exactly pined for the stage. “This is the bizarre thing about being a musician at this stage of my life, I don’t miss it like I would have if I was 25. I have a very full life outside of rock music, but I’m looking forward to the show now that it’s booked, practiced and ready to play.”

He’ll probably only roll out three new songs Saturday in a set that will lean heavily on classics from his two Saddle Creek releases, En Garde (2003) and When We Break (2005). Pedersen said that those old songs have held up over time. “I still see it as modern rock,” he said. “The bands that journalists write about and friends talk about are not rock bands, certainly not in the style of Ladyfinger or Criteria, which play heavy but with a sense of melody based on a verse-chorus-bridge structure. Vampire Weekend is a rock band, but there’s not a lot of distortion in those guitars. There are no bands like Quicksand and Superchunk and Fugazi and Cursive (before the turn of the century) that were making very visceral, full-bodied rock music.”

He says all of this, however, while Thelonious Monk plays in the background from hidden speakers. Something tells me that Pedersen doesn’t listen to much rock music these days, and he never liked going to rock shows. “I treat rock music like sports — I’m not interested in watching it, I’m interested in playing it.”

And he certainly isn’t interested in taking another shot at making a living off of it. Pedersen agreed that the Internet has changed the rules so dramatically that it’s no longer possible to judge a band’s success based on record sales. On the flipside, technology has never made music more accessible. “I believe the positives outweigh what are pretty harsh negatives in that a really talented kid can make an album on his own on his computer and put it onto the Internet, and if it’s great, it’ll find its way into your life. That could not happen seven years ago.

“We are in such a transitional phase between the old system and what will be a new ecosystem rather than a system,” he added. “It’s going to float a lot more boats, but in some respects, it’s more challenging for artists to distinguish themselves from the pack.”

He also wouldn’t want to start a record label now, or be running one. “It’s a difficult business model with which to generate income,” Pedersen said. “The new business model is being the band. As the band, if you have your wits about you, you can manage the distribution and the booking and the recording in a way you couldn’t 10 years ago. Part of that began with Fugazi, but the advent of technology from a recording and distribution standpoint has made it so much easier to untether yourself from labels. If you’re savvy enough, you can find success without leaning on that old model.”

Whether that logic applies to Criteria, however, we’ll likely never know.

* * *

Thursday: The Lepers

The promotional e-mail from The Reader says that the printed column only contains 20 of the 25 micro-reviews below, which means the editors had to cut for space. I have no idea which five didn’t “make the cut.” You and I will have to pick up a paper tomorrow to find out.

Second Quarter Report

25, from best to the rest…

by Tim McMahan

You can’t go wrong with any of these, but some are better than others. Hence, they appear below in order from best to the rest.

1. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, I Learned the Hard Way (Daptone) — Everything you’ve heard is true — as pure a throwback as you’re ever going to find — a modern-day Etta, Aretha, Gladys and Marva all rolled into one, backed by a band that James Brown would be proud to shimmy to.

2. Local Natives, Gorilla Manor (Frenchkiss) — What you expected from MGMT’s follow-up to Oracular instead of that unlistenable shitstorm that is Congratulations. Infectious, deep-rhythm indie pop.

3. Frightened Rabbit, The Winter of Mixed Drinks (Fat Cat) — They continue to hone their indie-rock anthems, cutting the melodies with just enough brogue to remind you they’re Scots who grew up listening to Arab Strap. This is the one that breaks them big.

4. Zeus, Say Us (Arts & Crafts) — Power pop nirvana by way of Canada that has more in common with Big Star than the Beatles. Goes from hick struttin’ (“River by the Garden”) to filthy, organ-fueled garage grunt (“You Gotta Teller”). What more do you want?

5. Titus Andronicus, The Monitor (XL) — Forget about that new Hold Steady album, which you (*yawn*) have heard before. If it’s gritty, anthemic (more like epic) punk you’re looking for, you’ll find no better.

6. Javelin, No Mas (Luaka Bop) — Electronic dance abstractions by a couple Brooklyn boys who are smarter than us (and funnier). Keyboards, beatbox, samples and a groove — Who needs LCD? “Let’s do the monkey foot” indeed.

7. Hot Chip, One Life Stand (EMI) — They want to be the new Depeche Mode or Pet Shop Boys, but have more in common with Erasure or Röyskopp (and is feyer than any of them). At their best (the title track, “Hand Me Down Your Love”) they’ll get your ass shaking like the pros they are.

8. Holy Fuck, Latin (Young Turks/XL) — Jittery instrumental electronic dance music propelled by bass and charisma. High BPM equates to a fine aerobic workout and leaner, meaner abs.

9. The Mynabirds, What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood (Saddle Creek) — A hodge-podge of styles made popular by some very familiar female artists (Mazzy Star, Bonnie Raitt, Jenny Lewis, Chan Marshall, Maria Taylor, Orenda Fink and so on). But I’m still not quite sure I know who Laura Burhenn really sounds like. Creek’s best release since Mama, I’m Swollen.

10. Sally Seltmann, Heart That’s Pounding (Arts & Crafts) — Gorgeous and catchy, it stands among the best female-led pop rock records since Sam Phillips was around. PS: She co-wrote Feist’s iPod commercial (“1234”) — Don’t hold it against her.

11. Serena-Maneesh, S-M 2: Abyss in B Minor (4AD) — Oslo shoegaze comes close to noise, but it’s too poppy for that. Is it any coincidence that I’ve been listening to a lot of My Bloody Valentine lately? I blame this record.

12. The New Pornographers, Together (Matador) — The first album by this band that I’ve actually liked, thanks to their willingness to break out of the Belle & Sebastian mold for something more inspiring (and funky. See opening track “Moves” for evidence).

13. A Weather, Everyday Balloons (Team Love) — Laidback, moody piano/guitar folk sung underneath blankets by breathy youth in love with Simon & Garfunkel, Fleetwood Mac and Roxy Music. The best record from Conor’s label since Jenny Lewis.

14. The Whigs, In the Dark (ATO) — Heavy guitars, heavy hooks, heavy alt rock by a band that probably hangs out with The Killers or Franz Ferdinand (if they weren’t from Athens); something tells me they’ll be selling cars soon (on TV).

15. Teenage Fanclub, Shadows (Merge) — This quieter, gentler Fanclub lacks the punch of earlier, better albums, but still has all the hooks you want (and expect), though you’ll have to stay awake to hear them.

16. The Kissaway Trail, Sleep Mountain (Bella Union) — So close to Arcade Fire you’ll think you’re listening to outtakes from Funeral. So close to Arcade Fire, you’ll laugh bitterly at the vocals on “Don’t Wake Up” and the keyboard line on “Beat Your Heartbeat.” Still, it’s better than Neon Bible.

17. Broken Social Scene, Forgiveness Rock Record (Arts & Crafts) — A model in extremes: “Chase Scene” is the worst song they’ve ever recorded, while “Texico Bitches” may be their catchiest. Weed out half the tracks and you’ve got a winner instead of a whiner.

18. The National, High Violet (4AD) — The question is: How much does it differ than the last National album? The answer: Not much. If you liked that one, stand by for more of the same low-voiced drama that can’t seem to get to the point.

19. High Places, High Places Vs. Mankind (Thrill Jockey) — This is the moody electronic dance-floor album that Kate Bush never made but Blondie should have. Demoted for too many tracks that could be confused for trance.

20. Quasi, American Gong (Kill Rock Stars) — It lacks the playfulness of their earlier albums (i.e., Featuring “Birds,” which came out a staggering 12 years ago and remains their masterpiece) and as such, is too heavy handed to call fun.

21. Broken Bells, self-titled (Columbia) — Don’t know why I expected more from this A-list combo (Danger Mouse and The Shins), whose middle-of-the-road blend is blander than its individual parts.

22. Delorean, Subiza (True Panther Sounds) — Dance-floor indie dream pop built on a thump-thump-thump foundation borrowed from DM circa 1988. The thumping is present on every track, and like disco, quickly goes from cute to kitsch.

23. Owen Pallett, Heartland (Domino) — Pitchfork heart throbs, I, too, fell for the hype, and while there is some epic songcraft here, he’s no Sufjan Stevens.

24. She and Him, Volume Two (Merge) — Zooey and Matt continue to create modernized, soulless Sam Cooke-era balladry merged (get it?) with TV jingle melodies. No worse than Volume One, and no better.

25. Emanuel and The Fear, Listen (Paper Garden) — More Of Montreal than Sufjan and not as good as either despite the 11-piece “orchestra.” It’s ambitious, which is what we say when we respect the effort, and not much else.

* * *

Matt Pond PA at Slowdown Jr., May 11, 2010

About two songs into last night’s laid-back set by Matt Pond PA at Slowdown Jr., Mr. Pond said he was struggling with his between-song patter. His reticence to chat with the crowd likely had something to do with the fact that a couple stooges stole product from his merch table the night before in Milwaukee during one of his humorous monologues, which Pond said resulted in him giving chase followed by general mayhem. There was none of that last night as the (surprisingly large) crowd of around 120 soaked in every earthy note from Pond and his band (three guitars (including his) bass and drums). While Leslie Sisson provided some barely heard backing vocals/harmonies (turn it up, Leslie), Pond’s secret weapon was Chris Hansen, who I remember also being a standout at the SXSW performance. His guitar-work was subtle and amazing, never got in the way, but added necessary depth to the music. I can see why Pond has made him an integral part of his band and his sound. All that said, this was a more restrained band than I heard in Austin in March — they seemed a bit tired, though Pond was once again in amazing voice. You could argue (as one person did) that his music is too middle-of-the-road and somewhat samey-samey, but to me, it’s the tone and style that matter. Matt Pond’s music is easy on the ears, and some nights (like last night) that’s all I want.

Opener Bobby Long played a fine solo-acoustic set that broke out of the traditional singer/songwriter mold with its intensity and intricate guitar arrangements. He said from the stage that he’s got an album coming out on ATO, so I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot from this talented Brit in the near future.

It would just be a shame if the best bands in Omaha never get a chance to play at the MAHA Festival simply because the Committee wasn’t willing to make the choice themselves… By the way, has anyone seen any posters around town advertising the event? Daylights a-wastin’, folks…

Column 269 — Battle of the Blahs

MAHA lets you pick the winner…

The fine folks at the MAHA Music Festival just announced two band showcases to be held this summer at Slowdown and The Waiting Room. It is through these free events that bands will be selected to play the festival’s Kum & Go local stage at the July 24 concert at Lewis & Clark Landing. The showcases are battle of the bands competitions where you — the concert goer — will choose the winner. Slowdown’s showcase is May 24, while The Waiting Room event is June 24. A third band will be chosen (again, via public vote) from those performing at an Omaha Entertainment and Arts Association summer showcase July 16-17. The fourth local band, Satchel Grande, already has been selected by the MAHA Committee.

If there’s an obvious flaw in the MAHA Festival it is this democratic approach toward selecting the local bands. Waitaminit, how could something democratic be bad? It starts with the nomination process. Only bands that are willing to play for free at the three showcases can be considered in the “election.” That immediately eliminates some of the area’s best bands, who have reached a point in their careers where they expect to get paid for their performances, and who look upon battle of the bands competitions as publicity stunts for those who haven’t paid their dues by recording, touring, doing what it takes to get their music heard.

In an effort to change my mind about their process, MAHA Organizer Tre Brashear sent me an e-mail where he argued that the showcases build community awareness, give bands a chance to promote the event (and sell tickets), and give the audience a voice in the selection process.

“We do not want MAHA to be perceived as three guys holding their own concert,” Brashear said. “Us picking all the bands would run that risk.”

Well, I hate to tell you Tre, but that boat left the dock a long time ago. The “three guys” already picked the festival’s headliners. Why not go ahead and pick the locals as well? One could argue that by surrendering the selection process to “the public” (which in the case of the OEAA showcase, is the folks who frequent Benson bars on any given weekend) you have backhandedly voiced a certain level of disdain — or your isolation from — the local music scene that you’re supposed to be supporting.

Tre goes on to say, “If we just ‘picked’ all the bands for the local stage, who’s to say that we’d pick ‘correctly’ in the eyes of the community? Some would agree with the choices, some would disagree.” That same argument obviously could be made toward their main stage selections. And in the end, it’s the concertgoers who will say if MAHA chose correctly when they decide if they’re willing to shell out $33 for a ticket.

The real problem with battle-of-the-bands situations, though, is that the best bands — the ones that truly need the exposure, the ones that are leaning out the furthest on the delicate limb of creativity — never win. What if, say, The Mynabirds were up against Paria, who do you think would get the most votes? How about Emphatic vs. It’s True? Or Digital Leather vs. any one of the area’s most popular cover bands? Who would the pubic choose? In the end, we’ll never know the answer, because none of those bands will likely be taking part in these showcases.

See, it’s not about ticket sales. No one is buying a ticket to see the Kum & Go local stage. They’re going for Spoon, Superchunk, The Faint and Old ’97s. MAHA is designed to be a sort of celebration of indie/alternative culture, not a money-grab. If it were about the money, they’d be booking Ke$ha or Justin Bieber.

Come to think of it, I wonder who would win a battle of the bands between Spoon and Justin Bieber. See my point?

* * *

O’Leaver’s is gutting its Myspace page, which was the only semi-reliable place where you could find a schedule of their upcoming shows. Instead, they’re moving their schedule to the O’Leaver’s Facebook page. Go there and click on the Events tab. Remember when Myspace was thee hot music website just a few years ago? We’ll be talking about Twitter and Facebook the same way in a few years…

Tomorrow: An interview with Matt Pond PA.

Some additional notes from the Jeremy Messersmith interview…

Messersmith said the hardest part of his music career has been dealing with criticism. “I’m too sensitive to bad reviews,” he said. “I remember the bad reviews the most, and they make me not want to do this anymore. At the same time, these people (critics) are justified in their opinions.” On top of that, Messersmith said he’s also started to get hate mail — that’s right, hate mail. “It’ll be a random Myspace comment or e-mail from someone I don’t know. It’s weird. Stuff like ‘You epitomize hipster assholery.’ At the same time, when people hear my music, I want them to really like it or really hate it. Anything’s better than indifference.”

Finally, Messersmith said he “loosely shopped around” his new album, The Reluctant Graveyard, but “I’ve always been more of a do-it-yourself person. I’m not sure what a label would offer other than additional money. There aren’t any labels in Minneapolis that I want to be part of, and I don’t know a whole lot of record people. As a singer/songwriter — rather than being in a band — it’s easier to connect with people using web tools. So it seemed like a good fit (releasing the album) myself.” And, he added, no label showed interest. “Most indie people thought my stuff was too direct or too poppy; and it wasn’t poppy enough for the majors. I occupy some sort of nether region of music.”

Column 268: The Reluctant Rockstar

Jeremy Messersmith’s scarce goods.

It was pure, unbridled serendipity that I ever discovered Jeremy Messersmith’s music. As you can imagine, I get quite a few CDs in the mail — most of them by anonymous-sounding bands with bad names and poor taste in art. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise: Album artwork (even on CDs) is very important. If your art is bad, bland or just plain poorly conceived and printed, it’s going to get lost in the shuffle/pile/mountain of discs that stack up (or get placed under) an editor’s desk. And if your band name is offensively stupid, it’s going to get thrown in the trash.

There was nothing particularly interesting about Jeremy Messersmith’s name or the packaging and artwork for The Silver City, his second album that came out on tiny label Princess Records a couple years ago. There was no reason that — instead of throwing the disc on “the stack” — that I took it with me and listened to it in my car on the way to wherever. But I did, and am better for it.

The story was unfortunately familiar to Messersmith. “Probably one of my biggest failures of last year was not marketing (the CD) better,” he said. “I did the best with the infrastructure I had to work with.”

Speaking from his home on the edge of The Greenway — a bike path that cuts through the southern part of Minneapolis — Messersmith sounds exactly as you expect the creator of his three albums to sound — warmly quiet, laidback, funny, NPR-intelligent, probably smiling on the other end of the line while he nods his head knowingly.

The Silver City is one of the most straight-out catchy and satisfying albums I’ve ever heard — a floating puffy white cloud in a perfectly blue sky held up lightly on the warm current of Messersmith’s friendly voice that invites listeners to sing along. It was produced by superstar fellow Minneapolitan Dan Wilson, originally famous for Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic until he teamed up with The Dixie Chicks and won a “Song of the Year” Grammy for co-writing “Not Ready to Be Nice.” Wilson’s uncanny knack for melody permeates The Silver City‘s perfectly crafted songs about falling in love in the heart of suburbia.

Now comes The Reluctant Graveyard, the final installment in Messersmith’s three-album song cycle that began with 2006’s The Alcatraz Kid, an album about “me in my basement hating life,” Messersmith said. “It feels like an adolescent-growing-up record. The Silver City is that same person after moving to the suburbs, commuting and going to his job. The Reluctant Graveyard wraps it up with songs about death. Not to sound too morose, but I’ve been thinking a lot about it lately. I’m 30 now and every day I wake up and see a new gray hair. When you’re younger you think that maybe there’s some sort of ‘out’ — a loophole or something or that maybe by the time you get old they’ll have death figured out. So it’s me thinking a lot about the fact that I’m going to die, and asking what am I doing with my life, what’s the point of it all and how do I find enjoyment.”

It sounds depressing, but the record is as fun as any of his others, with the same catchy Beatle-esque, sunny-sidewalk melodies. Messersmith produced this one with Andy Thompson, the two leaning on what they learned from Wilson, especially this golden rule: “Never underestimate the importance of a well-sung line. Make sure that it’s the best it can be, and you’re saying exactly what you want to say.”

How is Messersmith going to avoid having his new album get lost in the endless, fathomless sea of releases? He’s following the path of Radiohead and Trent Reznor by giving it away online. Well, not actually giving it away. Folks that go to jeremymessersmith.com have the option to “Pick your price” to download the album, an option that’s also now available for his first two records. Fans can also buy the album on vinyl, CD and (get this) cassette tape. On average, Messersmith said people pay about a buck download.

“I’d rather have it be easier for people to hear my music, and wouldn’t want money to be a limitation to that,” Messersmith said. “It costs to make the recording, but beyond that it doesn’t cost me anything to distribute or manufacture (mp3 files).”

But doesn’t giving away his music make it harder for those who want to make a living selling music? “I don’t expect everyone to be a winner; someone always has something to lose,” he said. “I don’t make the bulk of my money making music, and maybe never will. This is a sustainable way of doing it.”

Messersmith’s strategic model: Connect with fans as much as possible using the Internet and social media (twitter.com/jmessersmith, Facebook, YouTube), then give them a reason to buy your physical goods — make it something that’s cool and useful. “Touring is the ultimate ‘scarce good’ from an economic standpoint,” said Messersmith, revealing his nerd underbelly. “Scarcity is something you can charge for, and I can only be in one place at a time.

His philosophy while staring in the badly beaten face of the crumbling music industry: “I would rather have a smaller piece of the bigger pie than a larger piece of a smaller pie.”

You’ll have a chance to consume some of Messersmith’s “scarce goods” when he opens for The Mynabirds at their CD release show this Saturday, May 1, at Slowdown. Get there early.

* * *

Yesterday morning, the folks in Digital Leather launched an online effort to generate money to purchase some new equipment. From their Facebook page: “Digital Leather has a new album, which is pretty much the most amazing record ever, and we need to send it out to labels. But first we need some way to self-master and get it there. We found a sweet machine for a relatively low cost, and in exchange for helping us get this mixer/ recorder, you get things.”

The deal: Those who pledge $10 get an album download before the actual release date. And for $15, they get the download plus a vinyl release with a numbered, super-limited edition cover.

They wanted to raise $600 within 45 days. By this morning, they were at $741, and there’s no stopping it. The fact is, $15 is a steal for a download and limited-edition vinyl. Get in on the deal while the getting’s good. Here’s the link to the offer.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room, UK garage-rock queen Holly Golightly and her band, The Brokeoffs, perform in support of their new album, Medicine County (Transdreamer Records). Whipkey/Zimmerman open. $10, 9 p.m.

* * *

Tomorrow: The Mynabirds

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One last thought on Harrah’s Stir lounge: I was told that it was designed to be a live performance space, but there’s something about that room that makes it, well, unappealing. Maybe it’s the low ceiling over the stage which gives you the impression that the band is being crowded. Or maybe it’s the blank-white-blue stage lighting that’s about as appealing as being lit by a row of drugstore fluorescent bulbs. Or maybe it’s the flat, brittle sound of the PA — sonically bright with no bottom and plenty of bounce. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around for Little Brazil, who I’m told played a hugely long set…

Column 267: Identity Crisis
Live Review: Digital Leather

I look back at my list of favorite albums from last year and it stands out as a glaring omission: Digital Leather’s Warm Brother.

It’s not entirely my fault. I don’t think I actually bought a copy until late in the year, and then never gave it the time it deserved. I now listen to the CD more than any other on that best-of list. Its strength comes from its songs — an obvious statement I know, but there are no less than six that are absolute killer singles (but which, of course, will never actually be singles): “Your Hand, My Glove,” “Kisses,” “Photo Lie,” “Hurts So Bad,” “Gold Hearts” and centerpiece “Modern Castles,” a breathy, disturbing synth-pop gem, dense and throbbing and gorgeous.

If you grew up in the ’80s, you’ll feel a tinge of recognition when you hear some of these. It’s mostly in the keyboard lines that glow like neon through a dark, tonal undercurrent, and from the brooding, ominous vocals. I’m reminded of Psychedelic Furs, Gary Numan, Peter Murphy, Joy Division and Lou Reed. Warm Brother is retro-modern; a combination of synth-punk, pop, garage and Digital Leather mastermind Shawn Foree’s own unique songwriting voice. If I managed the album’s publishing rights, I’d be hustling these tunes to every savvy movie and television producer in Hollywood who is looking for that perfect song for that perfect moment best experienced in the dark.

So yes, I love this album. It’s not only my favorite from last year, it’s one of my favorites from the past few years, which just happens to be created by someone who lives and breathes right here in Omaha. Foree, who I’ve only met for a brief mumbling conversation outside of The Waiting Room (though we did an email interview for SXSW), is an Omaha transplant from Arizona. What he’s doing here, I do not know, nor does it matter. Find this record, released on Fat Possum, available at the Antiquarium or Homer’s or Drastic Plastic. Call around, it’s worth the effort.

So why am I gushing about an album that came out last fall?

Last Friday night I ventured over the great Missouri River to the house of decadence known as Harrah’s Casino to see Digital Leather perform in the Stir Lounge. Set up more like a strip club than a music venue (then again, doesn’t every venue in Council Bluffs resemble a strip club?), the stage was built behind the bar, effectively turning the bands into a piece of live artwork — like a giant television set or an aquarium or glass-bottomed swimming pool where naked women swim while you order your whiskey sour. Stir was the last place you’d expect to find this band or the night’s headliner, Little Brazil. But to its credit, instead of its usual staple of cover bands, the lounge is hosting Omaha acts over the coming weeks, one assumes to lure the lucrative indie crowd to their smoky boats where the slots and tables live and wheeze.

Digital Leather took the stage at around 9. The five-piece consists of Foree handling vocals and synths, drummer Jeff Lambelet, guitarist Austin Ulmer, bassist John Vredenburg and recently added second synth/keyboard player Annie Dilocker — enough fire-power to fuel any band. Their sound was raw, numbing and very punk, and only vaguely resembled the music heard on Warm Brother. If you listened closely, you’d recognize tiny elements within songs buried beneath the 20-ton wave of guitar/bass/drums. But you’d have to have listened very, very closely.

This is the third time I’ve seen Digital Leather play with this line-up over the past month or so. The other times were at O’Leaver’s and The Mohawk in Austin as part of the South by Southwest Festival. I am now convinced that I’ll never hear Warm Brother performed as it’s heard on the album — a record whose beauty lies more in its subtlety than its power.

Foree instead has decided to recreate those songs as straight-up garage/punk anthems, and it’s a shame. Acoustic guitar is used on about half of the record instead of electric, but it wouldn’t matter if someone was playing acoustic on stage because you’d never hear it behind the wall of sound. Poor Dilocker. I’ve seen her play three times and still don’t know if she’s any good because I can barely hear a note from her keyboard in the mix. She’s like that second guitarist that we all know who, while watching him play, you wonder if his guitar is even plugged in.

I have yet to hear Foree perform the two best songs from the record: “Modern Castles” and “Gold Hearts. Maybe he doesn’t know how to do them live or doesn’t want to marginalize them into just another bam-bam-bam garage rock song. If the latter, I’d prefer that he keep them off the stage (along with the unrecognizable “Hurts So Bad”).

Foree said on his blog that “touring is part of my essence. To not tour is to not be me.” Yet what we hear on stage isn’t what we hear on his recordings. As the creator, he knows the difference. I guess Digital Leather will always be two bands — a studio project and a garage rock project — and never the two shall meet.

* * *

Briefly, starting Thursday Omaha invades Lincoln for the first-ever Omaha Invasion Festival. The three-day event features some of Omaha’s best acts — including Dim Light, It’s True, Conchance, Little Brazil, Capgun Coup, Brad Hoshaw, Matt Whipkey and Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship — playing at four of Lincoln’s best clubs. Get into all four clubs all night for just $6 per night. For more information and a schedule, search “Omaha Invasion 2010” in Facebook.

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One of Slowdown’s early “hits” from an event standpoint was Goo, which had more buzz surrounding it than most of the live performance on Slowdown’s stage. Despite its massive popularity, it didn’t take long for Slowdown to tire of the hassle that came with the theme-related dance event. Goo quickly became a 21+ night, and eventually Slowdown quit hosting Goo altogether. Now Goo returns, this time to The Waiting Room, which in the past hosted Goo-inspired Gunk nights. Tonight they get the real thing. 9 p.m., $5 if you’re under 21 (free if you’re over 21).

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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.

I promise I’m not going to keep writing columns about this festival every week, but I feel obligated to report on what’s become something of a dream concert for indie music fans. And as I say below, they’re not done yet. If they want to make this festival pitch-perfect, they need to get at least one more keynote national act, preferably a cutting edge up-and-comer like Hot Chip or Beach House (who just played here last week) or Frightened Rabbit or Ted Leo and the Pharmacists (who aren’t really new or up-and-coming, but are just plain awesome).

Column 266: No Excuses
The MAHA Festival line-up is indie paradise.

You now have nowhere to hide. Nowhere. If the MAHA Festival fails, well, it’s as much your fault as theirs.

I say this upon receipt of three more national bands named to play the festival’s Lewis & Clark Landing main stage July 24 along with indie mega-band Spoon. If you follow local music or indie music or music in general, you’ve probably heard who they are by now, but let’s review anyway.

First there’s The Faint, arguably the funnest band from Omaha since 311 (who hasn’t been “from Omaha” for a couple decades). The Faint playing MAHA was a coup on a number of levels. Because of their extensive audio/visual requirements, the band rarely if ever plays outdoors and certainly not before dark. Yet, they’ll have to accommodate both fresh air and daylight for this festival.

“We knew getting The Faint would be a huge score, but we didn’t know if it would work in an outside setting, given the energy of their performances,” said Tre Brashear, president of YFC, Inc., the nonprofit organization that launched the event. “There was a lot of discussion regarding price, their rider and technical specifications for the performance. They wanted video screens, but even if we had them, we didn’t know if they’d be visible during that time of day. We’re still working that out.”

The Faint adds something unique to MAHA — a performance on the main stage by a local band, and that’s something Brashear and his partners are proud of.

Next, Old ’97s, the Dallas band whose name is mentioned alongside acts like Drive-By Truckers, The Jayhawks and Uncle Tupelo as alt-country pioneers. Brashear said they were one of the first bands the MAHA folks targeted. “It’s a band with commercial appeal, that has a different age demographic and that attracts a beer-drinking crowd,” he said. “The fact that they were available, and that they sold-out the last time here and are recording a new album makes them a natural fit.”

Other than Spoon, Old ’97s is the most popular band on the bill, but still fits into the festival’s under-the-radar nature when you consider you’ll never hear them on your radio.

Finally, the wildcard: Superchunk, the pride of Chapel Hill, a punk band whose name is synonymous with the DIY essence of indie rock. The word “legendary” is appropriate to use here. Anyone even vaguely familiar with this band is smiling right now. Their appearance at South By Southwest this year was one of the most talked-about performances of the festival, in part because they rarely play live these days, and when they do, everyone wants to be a part of it. And now, unbelievably, they’re being flown to Omaha for a one-off show.

Brashear said the MAHA team knew of Superchunk and their connection to Merge Records, a label founded by Superchunk’s Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance. Merge is one of the most important indie labels going today; whose roster includes Arcade Fire, Conor Oberst, She & Him and Spoon. But that’s not why they booked them.

“We’re getting a band that is recognized as a legend,” Brashear said. “We don’t believe they’ve ever been to Omaha before.” He hopes that Superchunk’s position as indie-rock royalty will help attract out-of-town fans that realize the rarity of the performance. “The challenge here will be attracting young people who don’t connect with the name.

“We think all the bands work well together,” Brashear said, adding that with every new band they considered, they consulted with promoter Marc Leibowitz (One Percent Production) to think through how many more tickets each would sell. “We needed to add pieces to the puzzle, because we weren’t sure that any one band would be able to sell enough tickets.”

Here’s where they’re being somewhat conservative. Spoon by itself is a $35 ticket in most markets. The Faint, $25 or more. Old ’97s, $30+. And Superchunk: priceless. MAHA will give you all four bands, plus two more TBD national bands and a handful of the best local bands all for $33 when tickets go on sale April 24.

So there are no excuses. Unlike last year, no one can point to the lineup or ticket price as reasons for not going to this show, especially if they’re indie music fans. It’s the “indie” part that may be the clink in the armor, however. How many indie music fans are there in Omaha and the surrounding area? Enough to sell 6,000 tickets?

“We know we’re taking a risk,” Brashear said. “We’re not booking Ke$ha. We could have gone that direction. Instead, we’re excited about our line-up, and with Marc (Leibowitz’s) input, feel good that people will come out for these bands.”

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Here’s another show worth mentioning: Slumber Party Records, one of Nebraska’s most innovative labels, is hosting a showcase this Friday night on Slowdown’s big stage. The lineup includes some of the area’s best bands: Capgun Coup, Conchance, Honeybee, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship, Talking Mountain and Thunder Power.

Slumber Party label executive Aaron Markley said that each band either recently released new music, has just finished recording or is in the process of making its first full-length album. “Music from these new albums will be performed live, and in many cases for the first time, at the showcase,” he said. The show starts at 8:30 p.m., and the price: Free. Don’t miss it.

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C O R R E C T I O N S: That’s right, there’s more than one. In Monday’s blog, I boasted about all of the great shows going on this week, and in the process got the dates wrong on two of them. I said the Slumber Party Records showcase was Saturday night — it’s not, it’s Friday night. And I said that the debut of new band Students of Crime starring Robert Thornton (The Wagon Blasters, Now Archimedes!), drummer Brad Smith, guitarist Dan Stewart and bassist Marc Phillips was Sunday night. Wrong wrong wrong! The debut is Saturday night at O’Leaver’s with The Third Men and The Ground Tyrants. Take note.

* * *

I did get the date right for tonight’s show at O’Leaver’s — Team Love recording artist A Weather is playing along with McCarthy Trenching and Thunder Power. Check out the clever, cool A Weather website (right here), where you can hear their gorgeous new album, Everyday Balloons, streamed in its entirety. $5, 9:30 p.m. Do not miss this one.

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

By the way, when Bare Wires frontman Matthew Melton was asked how he knew Chris Aponick, this is what he said: “Isn’t he in Digital Leather?”

Column 265: Safety Violation
Bare Wires talks garage…

Thank Chris Aponick for the following snapshot of rock band Bare Wires. Chris is a fellow music writer at The Reader who contributed to The City Weekly in the past and also sells CDs at Homer’s in the Old Market.

He’s a garage band freak — I’m not talking about the Mac software, but the “music genre” that became popular in the indie world three or four years ago and whose essence continues to linger. It was Aponick who booked Bare Wires at the Barley Street Tavern this Sunday night, which, of course, made him ineligible to write about them (It’s that whole journalistic impartiality/ethics bug-a-boo that we pride ourselves on at The Reader). So he hounded me.

From Oakland by way of Memphis, the band’s frontman Matthew Melton called Sunday from Brooklyn, where the band had the day off from their tour. It also happened to be Easter.

“There are funny tourists everywhere,” he said as he and the band strolled through the bowels of Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

Melton said Bare Wires includes members Fletcher Johnson and drummer Nathan Price. “We all met in the Bay Area, in Oakland, where there’s a cool garage thing going on with a lot of bands.”

Those involved in the “garage thing” include Ty Segall, Greg Ashley Band, Nobunny and my favorite, Thee Oh Sees, whose frontman, John Dwyer, is putting out the next Bare Wires album on his Castle Face label. “It’s great to be a part of it,” Melton said. “It’s a bunch of bands recording on tape, making demos and releasing vinyl.”

Bare Wires’ music has been called “Soft Punk” and “Smooth Punk” for reasons I don’t understand. It’s not soft or smooth at all. Instead, the band fuses the sloppy, amateurish qualities of garage with surf, glam and ’60s psychedelic. “We didn’t call ourselves ‘soft punk,’ someone else did,” Melton said, though the band now uses the term in its publicity materials. “I thought it was funny.”

But in the end, he still prefers “garage” — a generic term that describes not only the music’s simplistic genius, but a subculture similar to indie except that the characters involved seem angrier and slightly less fashion-conscious. “It’s sincere, it’s simple,” Melton said. “You’re making songs, you’re performing from your heart, there’s something about it that makes for good pop songs. It’s a crude, raw, minimal thing. The people that go to these types of shows love the music of it more than the style or the scene of it.”

Melton was friends with one of the genre’s heroes — Jay Reatard, a rock musician, singer and songwriter whose music has influenced a lot of garage bands. Reatard’s death Jan. 13 of this year shook the rock world. Garage band temple Beerland in Austin hosted a Reatard tribute night during this year’s South by Southwest Festival.

Melton said he hung out with Reatard growing up in Memphis. “We lived in the same neighborhood and did nothing things together, like explore abandoned buildings,” Melton said. “He recorded my first band’s stuff. The one thing that stands out is he was really hard working. He really put the work into his efforts, and his energy was as much an influence as the music itself.”

Melton said at the time he didn’t have the means to go to Reatard’s funeral, so he remembered him in his own way. “He would have wanted me to be in my room cranking out a record,” Melton said. “He believed that you only got so much time, so do as much cool stuff as you can.”

I told Melton I couldn’t understand why he moved away from Memphis, which is garage-rock ground zero. “I’d been in Memphis my whole life and my family didn’t do anything or go anywhere,” he explained. “They still live in the same house in West Memphis built in 1958. I had to see the world myself; I had to get out. There was so much happening in the Bay Area, and the Oakland garage rock explosion was a cool part of it.”

But Memphis, it seems, is calling him back. “When we played there again recently, I started looking for a house where I could move my recording studio.”

Melton said Sunday’s Barley St. show, which also features Cheap Smokes and Saudi Arabia (formerly The Dinks), would be his first time in Omaha (“I love the Box Elders,” he added), but then admitted, “Actually, I played in Omaha with my first band. We drove across the country and did a show at O’Leaver’s on St. Patrick’s Day. I remember we traded some LSD to some guy for a delay pedal. It was fun.” I bet it was.

* * *

The video of Cursive’s cover of Starship’s “We Built This City” is online (here), and making its way through the blog-o-sphere. My question: Where is Ted Stevens?

* * *

–Got comments? Post ’em here.—

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.

One more thing… I know a few of the bands that MAHA is after in addition to Spoon. If they get them, there will be no question that this festival has, indeed, turned the corner…

Column 264: MAHA Presents: Spoon
How it happened…

The news is right up there in the headline. Spoon. Great band.

Now how did it happen, and why didn’t it happen last year?

I’ll recap without dwelling too much on the past. Last year’s inaugural MAHA Music Festival featured has-been emo act Dashboard Confessional as its headliner with casino act Big Head Todd on the undercard. The festival, which was billed as an indie/alternative event, did have its share of indie/alternative bands, not the least of which was Appleseed Cast and Army Navy — but they played in the early afternoon to (literally) a handful of patrons, which included me. Later in the evening, the crowd ballooned to maybe 500 (we’ll never know the real number) for Big Head Todd, and then the tide receded once again for the earnest, self-important Dashboard Confessional, and that was the end of the inaugural MAHA Festival.

And lo, the people scoffed.

Well, not all of them, but a lot of them. Certainly those who follow indie music just kind of wrote off the MAHA Festival as another vanity project by a group of upwardly mobile young professionals who didn’t know what they were doing but had the money to do it. On the surface, they seemed to have the best intentions, but in the end, they lost sight of the goal somewhere between here and there, substituting quality for hopes of a larger “draw.”

Many thought MAHA was a one-and-done boondoggle. They were wrong.

The conventional wisdom why MAHA appeared to fail in year one was that the organization, whose primary circle consists of local businessmen Tyler Owen, Mike App and Tre Brashear, simply started booking the acts too late. They also worked with an out-of-state agent whose expertise lies in casino acts, not indie music.

The focus on the 2010 MAHA Festival began almost immediately after the stage was struck for the 2009 event. Their first job was to acquire the help of One Percent Production’s Marc Leibowitz, the guy who books indie (and other genres) at The Waiting Room (which he co-owns with Jim Johnson), Slowdown and a few other venues around town.

Next, the group began to talk to folks in the community to get their ideas and suggestions. That included Omaha World-Herald music critic Kevin Coffey, Omaha City Weekly music critic (and man about town) Marq Manner, and little ol’ me.

I met with Mike App in February over coffee at Blue Line in Dundee, where he asked a series of questions including: What kind of music should MAHA have? What bands? What else should they do besides music? and, finally, What does MAHA look like a decade from now?

We talked, for a couple hours. App asked the same questions to Marq and Kevin and to others, including non-profit agencies and city and government officials. In the end, I have no idea if any of what was gleaned from these interviews helped them decide on Spoon or any of the other acts, though App said one thing came through loud and clear: People want MAHA to survive; they want it to work.

Last weekend, via the organization’s Facebook and Twitter pages, MAHA announced that Spoon is this year’s headliner. Why Spoon? “It’s a great band with a 10-plus year record of indie credibility that is well-liked by our target audience,” App said, adding that Spoon also should sell the kind of seats they need from a headliner. This year’s event, scheduled for July 24, is once again being held at the concrete slab down by the river called The Lewis & Clark Landing. App said their attendance goal is between 5,000 and 6,000.

As good as Spoon is, there is no way the band could sell 5,000 tickets. App and Co. know this, and know that the event’s undercard is just as important as the main event. “(Spoon is) a great headlining band that other good bands will want to be on the same bill with,” App said. We’ll see if that’s true in the coming weeks as the rest of the event’s line-up is announced.

Like last year, MAHA will again have both a Main Stage and a Local Stage. The organization will work with the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards (OEAA) to identify one of the four local bands who will play, while two others will be chosen based on local showcase events. The MAHA board will pick the final slot, App said.

To my surprise, App said MAHA broke even last year, thanks to holding down costs and donors committed to making it an annual event. “In the future we expect to transition to a sponsor- and event-revenue funded event (vs. donor funded),” he said.

But what if it flounders this year? That’s something App wouldn’t even consider. “I can’t see how this community would not be receptive to a music festival,” he said. “I think they want it. I really want to keep it going. It’s one of the reasons why we changed how we did it from last year, and why we reached out for input.

“We want it to be an indie and alternative music festival,” App said. “That limits us to a few hundred bands. I was being honest when I said it was a collaborative process, but Marc Leibowitz is who will make the choice in the end. He helps us make sure we’re staying true to the vibe and, at the same time, attempt to not fail commercially. Only time and ticket sales will tell if we succeed.”

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This just in: Both The Mynabirds and Paria have been added to the Omaha Invasion Festival that I wrote about yesterday. Who’s next?

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Tonight at PS Collective, Danish singer/songwriter/musician Gunnar Cleemann is performing along with Thunder Power (just back from SXSW). Cleemann plays a subtle, wispy, layered pop that’s pretty and introspective. Backing him on bass is local legend Dereck Higgins, who has been touring with Cleemann. Check out Cleemann’s Myspace page. $5, 9 p.m. Also tonight, California band Americas plays at O’Leaver’s with Rooftops and Gordan Shumway. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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