Ceremony at Sokol Underground, Nov. 21, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m guessing by the size of the crowd that in the battle between Tilly and Titus, Tilly won. One of my music cohorts blamed indie slacker girlfriends for the poor turnout at Sokol Underground Friday night — maybe 75 tops for a band that packed The Waiting Room the last time they came through. His contention was that the girlfriends insisted on going to Tilly and the Wall at The Slowdown rather than Titus Andronicus at Sokol — girls’ music versus guys’ music — and that the girls will always win that argument. What a goddamn sexist thing to say, Chris! There were a few girls in the crowd at Titus, but something tells me there were a heckuva lot more at Tilly. Sometimes stereotypes are right on.

A little after 10 the warm-up band, Ceremony, took the stage and began playing their brand of post hardcore hardcore music to a tiny mob in front of the stage intent on moshing even if no one else wanted to. Three or four guys bounced around before eventually giving up and maintaining a metal-esque headbob routine. The S.F. four-piece isn’t a hardcore band, at least not anymore, not like they were before they signed with Matador Records. Still, their brutal post-punk sound crossed into hardcore territory during more intense moments or when frontman Ross Farrar introduced a song as “an old one.”

Their more recent streamlined sound is compared to early Wire, some have called it an homage. I wouldn’t go that far for, among other reasons, how much they lean on their guitars. On their new record, they remind me more of Bad Religion than any proto-post-harcore band. I would argue that they’re better live because they’re willing to blur the lines between the old and new as much as they want to, the yelling sounds more genuine.

Titus Andronicus at Sokol Underground, Nov. 21, 2012.

We had a bet going on how long Titus would play. The consensus was an hour and 15 minutes. They went about a half our over that (with no encore). Patrick Stickles and company came on in a matter-of-fact fashion and barreled through a set that included the best off the new album (including “Tried to Quit Smoking” “My Eating Disorder” and “Titus Andronicus Vs. The Absurd Universe (3rd Round KO),” and a handful of the classics from the past couple of albums, including “A More Perfect Union,” “Titus Andronicus Forever” and “No Future Part Three: Escape from No Future” with the rousing chorus “You will always be a loser.” Big, anthemic fun without the nasty filler.

Before I left a member of one of the opening bands, called Gordon (the band’s name, not the guy’s name), gave me a copy of their six-song demo EP, I guess they were just handing them out. After listening to it this morning, I’m sorry I got to the show late.

Pretty fantastic stuff, especially opening track “No Masters, No War,” a soulless, dark little counter-argument to the neon-colored youth-freedom anthems that Tilly was singing just a few miles away to a much cuter audience, an audience who would blanch at lines like “And there were piss stains on the carpet / Where I laid my head and slept / There was a memory that I lost / Couldn’t remember when I woke up

.” Ew, gross! There is something bracing and honest about a chorus that goes “It was love / It was death / There were no masters / There was no war.”

That goes right into a straight-up indie pop number called “I Don’t Mind” whose guitar lines and rhythms owe a lot to The Cure and Dinosaur Jr., with scratch vocals that are a direct nod to J. Mascis. Short and sweet.

Track three, “Down Goes Red” is a buzzsaw guitar and a droll mumble and a shout chorus of “Bang, Bang, Bang / Goes my gun.” Kind of an RFTC vibe, minus the candy coating. The last few songs are cleaned up garage songs that rock. The whole thing’s good and at times borders on brilliant.

On these recordings (according to the lyrics sheet included in the unlabeled heavy-black plastic CD case) Gordon is Austin Mayer, guitar/vox; Nick Sortino, drums/vox; Josh French, bass/vox, and Aaron Parker, guitar/vox. I don’t know anything about these guys, other than that French is in Snake Island, and that Mayer and Parker are in a project called Scratch Howl.

Don’t know where you can find a copy of these recordings, but they’re worth finding.  The note scratched on the lyrics sheet next to the recording credits says “We suck, we know.” Do you?

* * *

Looking at the sched, it’s going to be a quiet Friday night EXCEPT at The Barley Street Tavern, where Lincoln DIY punk legend Jim Jacobi and the Crap Detectors take the stage with The Shidiots and Never Trust the Living (Rob Rutar, Troy Garrison, Chad Roles and Dave Carnaby). Look, this is the only thing of substance going on tonight, you have no excuses. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night is the long-awaited (annual) return of Criteria. And when I say return, I mean with new material. Sayeth Criteria frontman Stephen Pedersen “Criteria is writing new material (for the first time in 6 years).  Should be 3 or 4 new ones for the show. I am excited to perform them live.” Oh, and we’re excited to hear them, Steve. Opening is Landing on the Moon and Lincoln post-punk strategists Ideal Cleaners. $8, 9 p.m. Expect a crowd.

Just down the street, Lincoln anthem rockers Domestica take the stage with The Lupines (Frontman John Ziegler, Mike Friedman (ex-Movies, member of Simon Joyner and the Fallen Men), Mike Tulis (Monroes, Fullblown, Sons of ___, The Third Men),  Javid Dabestani (Ghost Runners, among others)). $5, 9 p.m.

Have a good weekend…

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

online pharmacy https://creakyjoints.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/suhagra.html with best prices today in the USA

Baby Tears at The Sandbox, Dec. 10, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Was it only a matter of time before The Sandbox got busted? The loft apartment at 2406 Leavenworth, formerly known as The Faint’s Orifice practice space, apparently had a visit from Johnny Law last week, effectively shutting down the space as a live music outlet for the foreseeable future. I’ve heard a variety of reports, including one that involved a full premises search and people in handcuffs. The only thing I know for certain is that The Sandbox is out of business. Black Heart Booking, who used the space for many of its shows (including the metal show that got busted), is now looking for new venues for six upcoming gigs.

What amazes me is that The Sandbox lasted as long as it did. Here’s a narrative snapshot of the venue from Dec. 2011. The fact that you could buy a beer for a “donation” was common knowledge, and could be considered selling alcohol without a liquor license. The whole legality of the “donation for booze” thing at events is rather foggy. Add the fact that it was considered an “all ages” venue where booze was available, and that the facility likely wasn’t zoned for group occupancy, and you’re asking for it.

No doubt cops have seen dozens of kids going into that building late at night, wondering what was going on. I’ve been told they were aware that The Sandbox was hosting shows (and selling beer), and didn’t care. Apparently that wasn’t the case. Or did someone tip off the cops, forcing their hand? If so, you have to wonder who else is on OPD’s radar screen, and what impact this will have on the emergence of house shows in an era when independent music continues to be headed back underground…

* * *

The Sons of O’Leaver’s at O’Leaver’s, Nov. 16, 2012.

The only thing stopping The Sons of… from being billed as Omaha’s version of The Replacements is that the band doesn’t play shit-stroke drunk. Their musical resemblance to The ‘mats can be uncanny, though I also hear elements of Spoon (specifically Kelly Maxwell’s vocals) and Wilco (a touch of classy twang). No doubt this group of local heroes’ sound is deeply rooted in those bands and a thousand others. Their songwriting puts them on the upper tier of local acts, playing music that feels as comfortable and familiar as a well-worn pair of motorcycle boots. No, they’re not breaking any new musical ground, nor are they trying to (nor would you want them to). I’m told they’re actually doing some recording, and that they’ve got a couple upcoming gigs scheduled at venues they’ve never played before (though is there really any better place to see the Sons of O’Leaver’s than O’Leaver’s?).

Also playing Friday night at O’Leaver’s was North of Grand, who played a number of songs off their nifty new album A Farewell to Rockets (Brolester Records), which is worth checking out.

* * *

The first song off Big Harp’s upcoming Saddle Creek release, Chain Letters, premiered this morning right here at rollingstone.com. Down load the mp3 for “You Can’t Save ’em All” absolutely free.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Bleeding Rainbow at The Waiting Room, Nov. 12, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Bleeding Rainbow sounded like the reincarnation of Sonic Youth last night at The Waiting Room. The whole first half of the set was dominated with full-on drone action, with vocals playing little or no role in the melee. Even when Sarah Everton or Rob Garcia were singing, you could barely hear their incomprehensible syllabic cooing over the roar of the guitar. This is indeed a guitar band, with Greg Frantz being the center point of attention on every song, bending and almost breaking every note, making what could be run-of-the-mill rhythm-drone music much more interesting.

About halfway through the set, during a particularly drony number, Everton started fiddling with her guitar, eventually unstrapping it and then dropping it intentionally on the ground, snapping off the headstock, after which she tossed the broken ax off the stage to the floor below — real rock star stuff. I haven’t seen anyone break a guitar on stage in five years. “It’s just a Squire, it doesn’t matter,” she said between songs.

The carnage seemed to mark a breaking point in their set as well, as they band shifted into more tuneful, more melodic territory with Everton and Garcia singing pretty harmonies over the riffage. It didn’t take long for them to devolve back to drone, and by the end of the set Garcia was twisting his guitar, eventually flipping it to the ground to land smack dab on its headstock with a crack. I don’t know if he broke it or not, but it didn’t sound good.

The band seemed much more fractured than when they played at Slowdown Jr. last March. With a new album coming out in January (delayed by their label, it was supposed to come out this month) Bleeding Rainbow feels like a band in transition, still figuring out what they want to sound like. I can’t to see where they end up.

A Place to Bury Strangers at The Waiting Room, Nov. 12, 2012.

Shortly after ending their set, the fog machines began to kick in high gear for A Place to Bury Strangers. By the time the trio took the stage, The Waiting Room was smoldering in dense, choking smoke. Six projectors cut through the fog along with frontman Oliver Ackermann’s shimmering, chiming, staccato guitar, while bassist Dion Lunadon and drummer Robi Gonzalez provided a throbbing, pulsing bedrock. Lost in the darkness there was something distinctly gothic about the whole thing, even though their sound felt industrial, broken to shards by sound and light. For whatever reason, I was reminded me of Love and Rockets and (dare I say it) the most hard-edged, aggressive moments from The Clash. Ultimately cool. Standing next to the stage like sitting at the foot of an airport runway watching jets fly overhead.

APTBS’s Oliver Ackermann tries to grind off his guitar strings with a strobe light.

So what would Ackermann do to close out the show? His theatrics are legendary. Talk to a APTBS show veteran and he’ll tell you about the time Ackermann tore the strings off his guitar or smashed an amp down on his axe. For this show, Ackermann grabbed one of the hot-white strobe lights from in front of the stage and dragged it across the strings of his guitar, causing ripples of noise that fed back through the amps, eventually breaking the light and finishing off the set in the dark. Fantastic.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.
* * *

Matt and Kim at The Slowdown, Nov. 6, 2012

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The youth of America came out in droves last night… to vote for Matt & Kim at The Slowdown.

Ah, now how cheesy does that sound? Judging by their age, I’d say a large portion of the sold-out crowd wasn’t even old enough to vote yesterday. Needless to say, between sets I  huddled in the back of the bar under a large flat-panel TV that glowed with election returns via MSNBC. There was Chris and Rachel and crazy ol’ Ed looking down at us, broadly smiling as the numbers kept rolling in for Obama. I’d like to tell you that I was standing in a crowd, but there were only a handful of other poli-junkies watching the returns.

Actually, who needs a TV to track an election when you’ve got an iPhone dialed into Huffington Post?

Oberhofer at The Slowdown, Nov. 6, 2012.

As for the concert, first up was Oberhofer, a randy five-piece from Brooklyn who fall into that playful, high-energy youth-indie category dominated by bands like Vampire Weekend, Islands and Shout Out Louds. Like them they play frenzied up-rhythm music with bright vocals and indistinguishable melodies that get lost in the sound and beat. Frontman Brad Oberhofer riddles every song with a lot of bird-call “oooo’s” (in fact, the band’s first single was called “o0Oo0OoO”) as well as high-kick histrionics — distinguishing factors, along with the music’s unpredictable drops that kept things interesting. The more you watched, the more interesting (and better) they got. “We’re not a band with a big stage or a big light show, we just love to play,” sayeth the frontman. Oberhofer is the perfect band to play at the coolest high school prom in the world.

The whole time I was watching and listening, I tapped my iPhone for election updates, watching  numbers slowly climb. Right before Matt & Kim, MSNBC called the election for Obama. A small clutch of girls yelled and pointed at the TV screen and hugged each other, it was like Christmas in November.

So how did Matt & Kim get so friggin’ big? Two years ago they were playing The Waiting Room with Honey & Darling. Now they’re selling out Slowdown’s big room. Why? Yeah, I know they’re good, but what makes one band sell out a room quick while another one limps along? I do not know. I asked a high-powered music exec in the crowd and he told me that Matt & Kim’s popularity had everything to do with the couple’s rep for putting on over-the-top high-energy shows. Judging by the first song, I got what he was talking about.

Matt Johnson plays keyboards while his “partner in crime” Kim Schifino plays drums (seated, standing, climbing atop the set). The second they ran on stage they were INTO IT, attacking the young crowd to get them cranked to their red-line-on-crack energy level. Big lights, big sound, big fun dance music. Matt looked and sounded like a young, hyperactive Ben Folds as he crooned one pop nugget after another. But it was Kim that mesmerized, playing big-beat rhythms from somewhere on top of the world while the entire audience bounced with their hands in the air. Ah, to be young again…

But after four songs I hit the door hoping to make it home in time to watch Obama’s acceptance speech…

* * *

Speaking of the election, this week’s column is a post-script on last night’s election results written yesterday morning for reasons that were beyond my control. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here

. I usually post this on Thursday, but it will seem a little more “fresh” coming the morning after.

* * *

Tonight it’s back down to Slowdown (Jr.) for red hot indie Lansing band Cheap Girls (think Replacements if they were from Denton) with The Front Bottoms and The Thunderbolts. $10, 9 p.m.

If you’re hankerin’ for some more-agressive shit, The Toadies are playing tonight at The Waiting Room with ’90s phenoms Helmet (who remembers Meantime from ’92?) and metal-pop band Ume. $20, 8 p.m.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Cursive at The Slowdown, Oct. 28, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Last night’s Cursive show at The Slowdown was the tightest, strongest set I’ve seen the band play. I credit weeks and weeks and weeks on the road (with more weeks to come). Has Cursive ever toured an album this hard? Probably. Is it paying off? I honestly don’t know. From all the reviews I’ve seen online, they’ve consistently drawn sizable crowds, like last night’s, which wasn’t a sell out but must have been darn close. I have no idea how well I Am Gemini has sold. In this Spotify era, no one (especially indie bands) has any expectations about record sales.

The band (performing as a five-piece) went on stage at around 9 p.m. and proceeded to jump right into their set, stringing song after song reaching back to Domestica and including a couple off the new record. When I Am Gemini came out at the beginning of the year, I had slight doubts that it would fit in with the rest of the Cursive oeuvre. Those doubts were erased last night, as the band seamlessly slipped in tunes “This House Alive” and “The Sun and Moon” among classics like “The Radiator Hums” and “Art Is Hard” as if they were just two more greatest hits. I couldn’t help but think how broad Cursive’s catalog has become. Kasher’s prolific songwriting is ominous, with seven full lengths to choose from spanning over a 15-year career (not to mention all those Cursive EPs and singles, along with four more LPs as The Good Life and his recent solo material).

Since their set was an opener for Minus the Bear, they kept it to a tight 45 minutes, closing out with “Dorothy at Forty,” and then abruptly leaving the stage — no encore. Even Kasher’s between-song patter was kept to a minimum, leaving only room to tell the audience to keep Nebraska’s Democratic spot alive next week. And, he confessed that he was a “Mother’s Milk

guy.” Unfortunately no one from the RHCP was there to appreciate the comment.

I stuck around for only a handful of Minus the Bear songs. They sounded slightly more mainstream (and accessible) then I remember them being all those years ago. I feared they might get “Omaha’d” last night, but that clearly wasn’t the case.

* * *

Speaking of songwriting, Kasher talks about the process in this rather interesting Q&A at playbackstl.com. Check it out.

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Athens band The Whigs (ATO Records). Opening is local guys Lonely Estates. $10 (a steal!), 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., it’s Polyvinyl Records band Stagnant Pools with Kite Pilot. $8 (cheap!), 9 p.m.

* * *

Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Judgement Day at O’Leaver’s, Oct. 18, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Maybe it was the shitty weather, but there weren’t very many people at O’Leaver’s last night for Judgement Day, which was a shame because the trio was amazing. Driving, pounding, throbbing rock as intense as metal but without the pain. The Pantzer brothers played souring mini-orchestrations blending violin and cello atop a bed of drums.

As you may be aware by the better quality photo I’ve posted recently, I acquired an iPhone 5, and figured I’d test its video capabilities last night. This is a far cry from a Love Drunk or Ingrained video, but you can at least get a general gist of what Judgement Day was about by watching/listening to this amateur video. Hey Judgement Day guys, if you want me to yank it from YouTube, just let me know.

* * *

I suspect O’Leaver’s will be more crowded for tonight’s show: Destruction Unit with Digital Leather and Solid Goldberg. Who is Destruction Unit? This from the Chicago Reader:

Ryan “Elvis Wong” Rousseau’s impressive band resumé (the Wongs, the Reatards, Digital Leather, Earthmen & Strangers) has earned him the right to do whatever he wants, including release a 2012 cassette of fried lo-fi solo material called Hello! Mr. Cactus Man, which sounds like a handful of barbiturates laced with David Lynch. His work with Destruction Unit — a band whose former members include Jay Reatard and Alicja Trout—has morphed since its founding in 2000 from more-or-less straightforward garage into sweeping desert rock inflected with Krautrock and psychedelia. The six enveloping songs of jamming fuzz and synth swashes on the upcoming Void LP (Jolly Dream) are mostly loud and abrasive and dirty, but it’s their subtleties—distant bubbling murmurs of noise, faint guitar noodling—that make for the best hooks.

In other words: Don’t miss it. Digital Leather you already know about, but Hear Nebraska

has a brand spankin’ new interview with DL mastermind Shawn Foree to give you even more technicolor. Shawn talks about Omaha, drugs, music and his records and how they’re all connected. Read it here. Solid Goldberg is Omaha legend Dave Goldberg’s solo electronic project that must be seen to be believed. This show could go down as the stuff dreams are made of. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight is a benefit for the Antiquarium Record Store, which recently announced that it was closing due to debt issues. The show, being held a The Sandbox, features Witness Tree, The Decatures, The Sub-Vectors and Pyrate. $5, 9 p.m., all proceeds go to The Antiquarium. More here.

Finally, over at The Barley Street Tavern, The Whipkey Three opens for CB band The Eightyseven. $5, 9 p.m.

I don’t see much happening Saturday or Sunday. If you’ve some ideas for shows, post ’em in the comments section.

Later.

* * *

online pharmacy buy inderal no prescription with best prices today in the USA

The Dodos at The Waiting Room, Oct. 6, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Did the Huskers bite into the draw for Saturday night’s Dodos show at The Waiting Room? Maybe. Probably. There were 70 people tops in the crowd when the band went on stage after 11.

I’m traveling today so I only have time for a brief review…

online pharmacy http://solidgroundpsychotherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/backup/2024/02/imodium.html no prescription pharmacy

Maus Haus at The Waiting Room, Oct. 6, 2012.

With a projection system that featured (at times) ’70s animation from Robert Abel (the guy who created those funky old Levi’s and 7up commercials — look him up on YouTube), Maus Haus played modern indie rock that while well performed, didn’t stand out as much as the films they were standing in front of. Two members switched between guitars and keyboards. I kept waiting for something to grab my attention, instead I got lost in the animation.

The Dodos were another story altogether. A drum-and-guitar duo, frontman/guitarist Meric Long played over on-the-fly loops controlled via pedals. I’ve never seen it done quite as well or effortlessly. Fantastic layer upon layer, performed by one of the best guitarists I’ve seen on TWR’s stage. Drummer Logan Kroeber, who apparently usually plays with only a limited kit, had a full setup Saturday night and used every inch of it.

Long has a high, young voice that would be right at home singing Vampire Weekend songs instead of their more intricate, angular indie rock that bordered on post punk. You might even call it “proggy.” I couldn’t tell you what he was singing about, but he sounded good. The band was at its best when Long simply leaned back and fragged his guitar, sending brightly colored sound flares into the crowd. Probably the fullest two-piece I’ve ever heard.  Too bad there were so few people on hand to see it, but I have a feeling it’s going to be this way through the balance of football season.

* * *

It’s a virtual battle of the rock shows tonight. Which will you choose?

Down at Slowdown it’s the return of Beach House. Last time they were here they were nothing less than sonically amazing. Opening is Poor Moon. $20. 8 p.m. start.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, it’s indie darlings First Aid Kit, whose last album was produced by Mike Mogis and featured a tune with Conor Oberst. Opening is Dylan LeBlanc. $15, 9 p.m. If I were in town, I’d probably go to this one.

Also tonight, a very special show at The Side Door Lounge featuring Simon Joyner and The Ghosts, Noah Sterba and out Brooklyn band Woods. $5, 8:30 p.m. Actually, I’d probably go to this one, too. Hell, go to all three!

* * *

Hospitality at Slowdown Jr., Oct. 3, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The presidential debate was still on the club’s big screen when I arrived at around 9:15. I guess it was the socially responsible thing to do, though there’s little doubt who most people performing on stage and in the audience will be voting for in November. About 20 people sat around and flipped through their smart phones, waiting for the debate to end, which it did at 9:30. Moments later, Teen walked on stage and said, “Hi, we’re Teen.”

The all-female 4-piece (guitar, bass, drums, keys) from Brooklyn, USA, plays a distinctly indie-style of VU-influenced rock that at times borders on shoegaze, though it’s not quite as droning and atonal as your run-o’-the-mill shoegaze (and ratchets up the tunefulness with strong vocal melodies from frontwoman Katherine Leiberson (ex-Here We Go Magic)). What it shares with shoegaze, however, is a knack for drawn-out cool sequences that repeat themselves, especially toward the tail-end of songs. It’s kind of jammy, though there’s no jamming going on, just tight, repeated riffs.

TEEN at Slowdown Jr., Oct. 3, 2012.

Hospitality’s set was plagued with a myriad of technical issues. Lead singer Amber Papini broke a guitar string on the first song, and then effectively cursed the rest of their set by saying, “I guess it’s bad luck.” Two songs later the input jack broke on the bass. Then the lead guitarist began having problem with his microphone. “That’s okay, I don’t sing much anyway,” he said.

Despite all these handicaps, the band roared through a fantastic set, raising the intensity of the songs on their debut album to an edgier, more angular level. Hospitality songs seem to come in two flavors — mild and wild. The mild stuff are straight-forward pop songs; but the wild stuff boils over on breakneck guitar riffs that are infectiously groovy. More “wild,” please. I planned on staying for only a few minutes of Hospitality but got drawn in well past my bedtime. Now all they need to do is capture the edge of their live show on their records.

Club note: Slowdown Jr. added a new velvet floor-to-ceiling side curtain to their small stage, cutting off the sight lines from stage left (toward the patio exit, the pool table, etc.). The curtain, which was being used to hide band gear, appears to be retractable. It’s an odd addition, though it does do a good job “framing” the stage…

* * *

This week’s column is a look at the iPhone 5, or more accurately a look at why having an iPhone — or any smartphone — makes life a little easier for us loners. You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader, or online right here

.

* * *
Tuesday night’s Desaparecidos performance on Last Call w/Carson Daly went online yesterday. You can view the clips via the links below:

“MariKKKopa”: http://videobam.com/pzUXf#.UG2xBL0i3fc.email

“Backsell”: http://videobam.com/DWJuU#.UG2xF16_T68.email

* * *

They’re calling it “Occustock 2.” The event, hosted by Occupy Omaha tonight at Slowdown Jr., features Capgun Coup, Quantum Method and 3rd & Delaware as well as handful of comedians. Proceeds generated from the $10 tickets will go toward funding Occupy Omaha’s expenses, such as printing and supplies and food for Occupy Omaha’s food day, according to theslowdown.com. Show starts at 8 p.m.

* * *

The Wombats at The Slowdown, Sept. 27, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

My take on The Wombats: In a lot of ways they’re just a meat-and-potatoes powerpop trio, solid in all respects. The problem is that their music just isn’t terribly interesting. Certainly it’s not unique in any way. But maybe that’s why it’s so appealing to the 200+ youngsters who crowded the main floor at Slowdown last night.

Wombats play straight-forward freewheeling power-ballad love songs without a hint of angst, irony or despair. And when you’re 19 and living in Midwest suburbia consuming a healthy diet of reality television with pop stars manufactured on gameshows like The Voice, how much angst, irony and despair do you really need (or want)?

It isn’t that much different than when I was their age. We listened to Van Halen to forget about the rest of the world and live vicariously through David Lee Roth’s crotch conquests — that was what mattered. It seems like the rise of self-obsessed confession rock didn’t come until much later, and even then, it was never very popular. The audience for Van Halen is exponentially larger than the audience for Morrissey or The Cure. You can draw your on conclusions as to why.

But I digress. Wombats reminded me of Weezer, albeit a form of Weezer sung with a cockney accent and completely devoid of irony, self-depreciation, self-consciousness or self-doubt. Instead, it was sing-along anthems about girlfriends, and there’s nothing wrong that, though when it isn’t done with at least a sliver of something different it quickly becomes boring, the kind of music that’s very easy to ignore. Harmless.

As I was watching the girls scream when the lead guy bent down to touch their hands I wondered if angst will ever return to fashion with the Glee generation. How stupid of me. We all know that all it takes is a broken heart.

* * *

After a busy week, it looks like a light weekend for shows.

Tonight at O’Leaver’s ’80s flavored post-punk band Deadwave headlines a show with Lincoln miscreants Plack Blague. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr. Slowdown’s big room, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns celebrates the release of a new CD with Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds and Field Club. $8, 9 p.m.

I got nothing for Saturday. If you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments area. Have a good weekend!

* * *

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I typically don’t run my Reader column in this here blog because it typically doesn’t focus on music (and this is a music blog after all). Sure, I add a line of hype about the column on Thursdays, but then I simply link to it. Well, this week I can’t find the column online at thereader.com. So because of that, and because the focus this week is on music, I’ve included it below. As always, you can also read it in print in The Reader.

Over the Edge: Of Sound Mind (and Opinion)
CD Reviews, YTD 2012

This week’s column is a return to my old indie music criticism schtick. Because I still listen to music — lots of it — and have more than 20 years’ experience writing about it, which I think gives my critical analysis a modicum of relevance.

Or maybe not.

The role of the music critic has become somewhat (mostly) marginalized. Anyone interested in modern music with the available income to purchase it also has access to Spotify or one of the other music streaming services that makes (most) new music available with the flick of a finger from their iPhone/Android/computer-powered listening device.

In other words, if you want to know if the latest buzz band is worth listening to you no longer have to risk your hard-earned ducats and make a blind purchase like in the old days. Now all you have to do is listen to it online. That means the critic’s role has been relegated to: 1) saving you time by pointing you toward an interesting path, or 2) validating your already made-up mind.

Reviews don’t even mean that much from a marketing perspective since artists don’t (and can’t) rely on income from album sales anymore. The ones who want to make a living making music depend on income generated at live performances. Still, if they’re going to get butts in seats, they have to get their music heard in the first place, and maybe that’s where the critics come in. My how the world has changed in just 10 years.

With all that in mind here are my impressions of some recent music, for what it’s worth…

Purity Ring, Shrines (4AD/Last Gang) — Chime-bot sounds from outer-space tone rockers is at its best when melody outdoes beat, but man it can get tiresome.

Thee Oh Sees, Putrifiers II (In the Red) — A crowing cock-a-doodle-doo of a garage punk band, no one does it better or with more style. Stands for Orange County if you’re wondering. So why can’t we get them to come to Omaha?

Digital Leather, Yes, Please, Thank You (Southpaw) — Another in a series of recordings (something like four LP/EP releases in the last couple years?) that sounds like Gary Numan post-wave synth rock bolted to a doped-up garage-punk band. One of Omaha’s finest. BTW, this is a cassette-only release. Yes, you read that right.

Peace of Shit, Business as Usual (Rainy Road) — Local perusers of thee garage aesthetic write songs as clever (or crass) as their name. Also on cassette (I see a luddite trend here).

Two Gallants, The Bloom and the Blight (ATO) — This original snarling guitar-and-drum purveyors of the punk sea shanty waited until they left Saddle Creek to make the best record of their careers. They’ve never been more focused, or ferocious.

Cat Power, Sun (Matador) — Chan Marshall puts aside afternoon-light fragment pop for something more upbeat, trippy, tuneful and almost happy, until you listen to the words.

Azure Ray, As Above So Below (Saddle Creek) — By combining the best of their respective solo projects, the Fink/Taylor duo have (finally) struck the perfect balance between strutting and soulful, sounding (finally) comfortable in their own skins.

TEEN, In Limbo (Carpark) — Maybe the best all-girl indie rock band going. Less self-assured than Best Coast, but better.

Ember Schrag, The Sewing Room (Single Girl Married Girl / Edible Onion) — Local singer/songwriter’s clear-as-a-bell coffee-shop folk ruminations, worth it if only for the perfect jewel of “Your Words.”

Dinosaur Jr., I Bet on Sky (Jagjaguwar) — Everything ‘80s is new again, at least to the young ears that weren’t around the first time. As good as anything they did back then, at times even better.

Bob Mould, Silver Age (Merge) — Everything ‘80s is new again, again. Bob put away his dancing shoes and rediscovered his electric guitar and hasn’t sounded this good since his Sugar days.

The xx, Coexist (Young Turks) — Among the hottest (or most heralded) of the droll vibe bands, no matter how much I try it bores the shit out of me.

McCarthy Trenching, Plays the Piano (Slumberparty) — Half ragtime instrumentals and half ragtime-influenced piano ballads, they say he’s Omaha’s Randy Newman but he’s really just a nice guy lost in better days. And I like his “Solace” better than Marvin’s.

The Intelligence, Everybodys Got It Easy But Me (In the Red) — The best under-the-radar indie rock collection that you’ll probably never find. By the numbers, but it still gets me every time.

PUJOL, United States of Being (Saddle Creek) — Proof that Saddle Creek still has a nose for finding new talent (even though Jack White found it first). All his earlier recordings have been leading up to this. Not anthemic, but epic nonetheless.

David Byrne and St. Vincent, Love This Giant (4AD) — Waters down the best parts of both, it’s not weird enough to be interesting and not straight-forward enough to be interesting.

Violens, True — Everything ‘80s is new again, the dream-pop edition. Lush.

Wild Nothing, Nocturne (Captured Tracks) — Everything ‘90s is new again, the (upbeat) shoe-gaze edition.

Twin Shadow, Confess (4AD) — A dizzying trip back to ’80s electro-pop with a sound that recalls everything from General Public to Fine Young Cannibals to New Order to Peter Gabriel. If you’re gonna steal a style, this is how to do it.

Divine Fits, A Thing Called Divine Fits (Merge) — Better than the last couple Spoon albums (or anything by Wolf Parade).

Various Artists, Just Tell Me That You Want Me: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac (Hear Music) — Unnecessary tribute album’s only highlights are Billy Gibbons’ “Oh Well,” and Antony’s fey “Landslide,” though it’ll make you want to seek out the source material.

Over The Edge is a weekly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com. Published in The Omaha Reader, Sept. 27, 2012.

* * *

Tonight at The Slowdown it’s Liverpool indie-rock trio The Wombats (Bright Antenna). Their sound has been described as “post-punk” but falls much closer to alt-pop or power-pop. Some say they’re destined for Arctic Monkey-level stardom. Who knows… maybe. This one was originally scheduled for the “junior room,” but was moved to the big stage thanks to pre-sales. Opening is Morning Parade and The Royal Concept. $12, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, our old pals Kite Pilot is playing tonight at The Sydney with Betsy Wells and Black Jonny Quest. $5, 9 p.m.

Last but not least, Pony Wars (Craig Korth, Craig Meier, Mike Brannan, Eric Ebers) is headlining a show tonight at O’Leaver’s with I Was Totally Destroying It and Millions of Boys. $5, 9:30 p.m.

* * *