by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Just like yesterday, click here to read my recap of Day 3 at SXSW at thereader.com. FYI, the festival is closing out today, even though I closed it out yesterday (three days is enough). So go read, then come back and check out my photos from Day 3. I’ll be posting all three day’s worth of write-ups here at Lazy-i on Monday.

Two Gallants at the 9th & Trinity parking garage, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Grimes at the 9th & Trinity parking garage, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

The Men at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Icky Blossoms at Lambert's BBQ, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Big Harp at Lambert's BBQ, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Eleanor Friedberger at Frank, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Crooked Fingers at Frank, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Imperial Teen at Frank, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Bob Mould at Frank, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

Bob Mould at Frank, SXSW, March 16, 2012.

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Same routine as yesterday: Go here to thereader.com and read my Day 2 recap of SXSW featuring reviews of performances by Neon Trees, Glen Hansard, and Gardens & Villas, and the amazing Jesus and Mary Chain, then take a look at my photo diary, below.  And if you really want to know about the pain that is SXSW, read my column in this week’s issue of The Reader, online here.

Inca Abraham at Antone's, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Neon Trees at Antone's, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Glen Hansard at Antone's, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Cults at 1100 Warehouse, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Gardens & Villa at Mohawk Patio, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Purity Ring at Central Presbyterian Church, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

Titus Andronicus at The Belmont, SXSW, March 15, 2012.

The Jesus and Mary Chain at The Belmont, March 15, 2012.

The Jesus and Mary Chain at The Belmont, March 15, 2012.

Tomorrow: Day 3. See you then…

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So here’s the deal, my 2,500 word summery of my first day at South By Southwest is online right now, right here at thereader.com. Nine bands, includes reviews of Sharon Van Etten, Fiona Apple, Zola Jesus, The Ettes, Blood Orange and more. Read it NOW, then come back and look at the following photo gallery from yesterday’s gigs.

The Ettes at The Ginger Man, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Dev Hynes of Blood Orange (center left, hat) talks to Alexa Chung of 24 Hour Catwalk fame, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

The Violin Monster on 6th St. is among the "colorful" sights. SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Puffy Aureolas at Beerland, SXSW, March 12, 2012.

The Wedding Present at Red Eyed Fly, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Fiona Apple at Stubb's, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Sharon Van Etten at Stubb's, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Zola Jesus at Elysium, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Freedy Johnston at Hilton Garden Inn, SXSW, March 14, 2012.

Check back tomorrow for Day 2!!! My back is killing me….

* * *

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.

Criteria at The Waiting Room, March 9, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It was another great weekend of shows, starting with Friday night’s 5-year birthday party at The Waiting Room.

I arrived in time to catch one song by The Photo Atlas — their usual high-energy dance rock a la The Rapture left me wondering why these guys have yet to catch on nationally.  By the time Little Brazil came on stage The Waiting Room was crowded, though not a sell out. LB lit it up as per usual, using the opportunity to play some new material which fell in line with their older stuff but somehow felt more modern. Frontman Landon Hedges continues to galvanize his role as indie music’s Freddy Mercury with his soaring, high voice and overall stage bombasity. Before closing their set, Hedges suggested that Criteria’s Stephen Pedersen would have to come out for their last song, a fiery rendition of a Smashmouth tune — not the “Walking on the Sun” Smash Mouth, but Pedersen’s old old band. Sure enough, out came Steve to share vocals on the final chorus, and the crowd went nuts.

Moments later, he was back on stage fronting Criteria. Here’s a band that hibernates for months only to pop their collective head out once a year (or so) to thrill its fans and generate unfounded speculation that perhaps this time they’re back for good (though we all know better).

I’ll say what I’ve said every time this band reunites — they haven’t lost any of their chops. The band still shreds, and Pedersen can still hit those high notes with a mighty fist in the air. His rockstar moves and his movie-star good looks have always made him an indie version of Rick Springfield (“…paging Dr. Noah Drake…“), though these days he’s in Hard to Hold

territory.

The difference between this performance and all the other Criteria reunions was the crowd response — I’ve never seen their fans so animated and into the music. And we’re not talking about oldsters from “back in the day” — there were plenty of youngsters screaming back the lyrics who couldn’t have been around when Criteria was first hitting the stages of America a decade ago. How this happens — how a new generation discovers a band that rarely plays and hasn’t released an album in years (and obviously doesn’t get any airplay) — is indeed a mystery.

Icky Blossoms at The Slowdown, March 10, 2012.

Saturday night was the send-off concert for Icky Blossoms at The Slowdown. The show, originally slated for the Jr. room, was moved to Slowdown’s main stage due to the anticipated crowd size. It turned out being the right call.

Here’s my takeaways:

— The band seemed tighter than usual, maybe they were nervous?

— With the new songs, Derek Pressnall appears to be taking a back seat on vocals to Sarah Bohling, who still doesn’t seem completely comfortable in that lead role. It’s either that, or the sound mix was poor, because I couldn’t hear her on half her songs as she struggled to project above the booming rhythm section.

— Ah, that new rhythm section of Saber Blazek on bass and Clark Baechle on drums is bad-ass. Anyone who’s seen Machete Archive knows about Blazek’s chaotic ballet when he’s deep in a groove, and years of playing in The Faint (and in Bright Eyes) has made Baechle arguably the best drummer in Omaha. HUGE.

— If Sitek has had an influence on their sound, it may be in their new emphasis on deep beats. Icky always was a dance band, but now they’ve pumped up the volume to new levels, reminiscent of The Faint.

The more I see them, the more they remind me of The B-52s and Public Image Ltd (PiL), with Derek divided somewhere between Fred Schneider and John Lydon. Meanwhile, Bohling continues to fill the Nico role. Nik Fackler’s guitar textures continue to impress me, as does his knee drops. When he’s wigging out next to Blazek the whole room feeds off the energy.

In retrospect, I do think Bohling was simply tight at the beginning of the set, because she laid it on toward the end, especially on a new tune that she shared with Pressnall, whose name presumably is something like “Riding Around in My Car Forever.” And then there was the closer, the always huge “Perfect Vision,” which never fails to get the crowd bouncing. It’ll be interesting to see how well the tune translates to a South By Southwest audience this week. I’ll let you know.

* * *

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.

Icky Blossoms

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here’s the story: Icky Blossoms is headed to SXSW next week. They’re driving. The distance from Benson, Nebraska, to Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas, is roughly 770 miles the way the Google flies. Gas currently costs around $4 a gallon. They’ll be driving a van that probably gets (if they’re lucky) 10 miles a gallon. If you use the above numbers:

770 / 10 x $4 = $308

That number does not include the cost of roadside junk food and other assorted “necessities” to make the 14-hour non-stop drive tolerable. Nor does it include the cost of lodging (substantially more than $308 if they’re staying at a hotel) and meals needed while in Music City.

Icky Blossoms just returned from Los Angeles where they recorded their debut album with TV on the Radio’s David Sitek to be released on Saddle Creek Records in early July. If you’ve ever been to LA and know how expensive its pleasures cost, than you know the band very likely is tapped out.

That’s where you come in. This is an early heads up for this Saturday night’s Icky Blossoms show at The Slowdown. In an effort to generate as much money as possible to cover costs, the band has moved the concert from Slowdown Jr. to Slowdown’s big stage.

Icky Blossoms needs you. Change whatever you had planned for Saturday night. Buy your tickets now. $7, here. You will be watching the birth of Omaha’s Next Big Thing.

To entice you even further to come to Saturday’s show, Icky Blossoms’ guitarist/vocalist Nik Fackler offered to answer some questions about the new album, touring and the future of the band.

What did Dave Sitek do to improve these songs? Did he act more like an engineer or as a traditional producer, and what’s the biggest change we’re going to hear in these songs from what we’ve heard in the past?

Nik Fackler: Sitek produced a creative, experimental and pro atmosphere for us to work in. I personally haven’t worked with many music producers, so for me he was kind of like a film director. He orchestrated the flow, experimented with ideas, created beats and analogue synth sounds and kept us all on schedule. He had an ear for what would work on the dance floor and kept a continuity between all the songs. The biggest change to previously released songs is quality, clarity and bigness.

Did you guys write any new material in LA for this record? Will we hear new songs on Saturday? What is the scheduled release date for the new record?

Nik: We wrote three new tunes when we were out in LA and we will be playing all three at the show on Saturday. The record is going to come out in early July.

What’s the lineup for Saturday night’s show? Is it the regular “live band” lineup?

Nik: The live lineup has shuffled a bit. Saturday’s show will see Saber Blazek (Machete Archive) on bass, Clark Baechle (Faint, Depressed Buttons) on drums, Nik (Fackler), Sarah (Bohling, keyboards, vocals), and Derek Pressnall (lead vocals, guitar) take stage.

How is Derek going to tour with: 1) a new baby in the house, and 2) Tilly and the Wall releasing a new record (and, presumably, touring as well)? Is that going to limit the amount of touring that Icky will be able to do this year? 

Nik: We are planning on touring and promoting the record as heavily as we can. How much that will actually be will be determined in the way the record is received and what kind of offers come in. If all goes well it definitely will be a balancing act, but not one we can’t handle. Our main focus right now is to continue to make our best songs and as many of them as we can so we can build a fan base. Scheduling stuff can always be worked out.

What about your schedule? If funding comes through for one of your major film projects, won’t you have to put Icky on hold? Does one project (music or filmmaking) take precedent over the other?

Nik: Creation is my soul.  The goal for me is to never limit the amount of things I can create. I think we live in an age where artwork like film and music can be accomplished quickly. The digitizing of the world has removed some of the hands on aspects of art, but created the ability to produce things more quickly and with just as much quality. Right now, I am in a mode of work. Trying to forge a path for myself where I can do everything and not have to put anything on hold. Right now, it’s about coming up with a balanced and positive process to execute all these different ideas I have.

Neither takes precedent over the other. In a way I see them as all part of the whole.

How many times is Icky going to perform at SXSW? I know of only two gigs currently scheduled.

Nik: We are playing three shows. Thursday: The Waterloo Records Party, Waterloo Records Parking Lot, 2 p.m.; Friday: Saddle Creek Showcase at Lamberts BBQ, 7:30 p.m.; Saturday: Mad Decent/ Check Yo Ponytail/ Fool’s Gold Super Party at Emo’s East, Noon.

Opening for Icky Blossoms this Saturday at Slowdown is Midtown Marauders and Pony Wars. 9 p.m. $7. See you there.

And this just in: Rolling Stone is featuring the first track off the new album, “Babes,” right here. Or download it here

.

* * *

online pharmacy wellbutrin over the counter with best prices today in the USA

Midwest Dilemma at Slowdown Jr., March 7, 2012.

Last night saw a much stripped-down version of Midwest Dilemma at Slowdown Jr., at least compared to the last time I saw Justin Lamoureux’s band, where there were something like 16 people on stage. Last night MD played as a 4-piece with Lamoureux on guitar backed by cellist, flautist and brass player (tuba, bass trombone). I know he likes the big ensemble (hey, who doesn’t want to be surrounded by their friends?), but I much prefer this slimmed-down format which strips the songs to their bare essentials with just enough unique accoutrement for added flavor. Years of performing have aged Lamoureux’s voice like a fine Bordeaux. He’s discarded any vocal affectations (at times in his career he used to sport an Oberst bray) and now sings with a purely unique folk voice that would be appealing to anyone who likes, say, M. Ward’s style of music. Among the highlights was an ode to The 49’r and Lamoureux’s pre-song take on the role the bar played in his life (spoiler alert: booze). He hinted that a new album could be ready to go in a couple months, but quickly added that he’s been saying that for the past four years. Maybe it’s time we all put a collective boot up his ass?

Headliner Water Liars came on at around 10:30 to play a short set in front of about 10 people (including myself, bar staff and Lamoureux’s bandmates). Despite the lax crowd, their songs sounded heartfelt and full for a duo in the classic guitar-and-drums design. I love this guy’s voice, which reminded me of Will Johnson on songs that reminded me of Will Johnson as well. Gorgeous stuff.

* * *

Tonight at House of Loom it’s the homecoming of nefarious hip-hop artist Buck Bowen, returning from California and places beyond. Hear Nebraska has the story of where Buck’s gone and where he going, right here. His hop-hop set tonight is part of Loom’s Midtown Marauder Showcase, which runs from 9 p.m. to 2 and costs $5. More info here. Bowen also will be manning the turntables at Loom Saturday night for a DJ set. Info on that showcase is here.

Also tonight, a live performance by KMG and Birthday Suits — I have no idea who these dudes are, but it don’t matter cuz the show’s at O’Leaver’s, which means it ain’t nothing but a party. $5, 9:30 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, March 3, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

You have to hand it to Cursive. It’s one thing to play songs from your new album to an adoring sold-out crowd who want the hits. It’s another thing to end the show with one of the album’s more obscure tracks. But that’s exactly what Tim Kasher and Co. did Saturday night at The Slowdown.

The crowd began to arrive early for the opener, Virgin Islands, a band fronted by former Omahan now Seattle-ite Mike Jaworski (or just “Jaws” as he’s known by the inner circle). Like his other band, The Cops, Virgin Islands has a punk esthetic that recalls ’90s post-punkers like Bad Religion and Rocket from the Crypt. The style is straightforward, but unlike The Cops, there’s more variety between songs and more room for the rest of the band to stretch out, like on the set closer that turned into an extended punk jam centered around a blazing guitar. While the audience stood mesmerized, Jaws grabbed a tambourine and ran through the crowd.

Fellow tourmates Ume came next. A trio fronted by guitarist/vocalist Lauren Larsen, I had no idea what to expect and was pleasantly surprised by the band’s take on metal — yes metal, or at least a milder form of metal. Larson knows her way around a fretboard, though her Nancy Wilson (Heart)-style coo seemed out of place among all the abrasion. I tried to imagine a classic metal vocalist singing the words and was transported to an arena circa 1982. Ume’s sound had just enough angular elements to complement the headliners, but as much fun as it was watching Larsen toss her gorgeous blond locks while committing first degree riffage, the music was (for the most part) unmemorable.

Cursive came on shortly before 11 to an adoring crowd packed into the bowl in front of the stage. All this talk about the band’s “older crowd” is nonsense. I was surrounded by people in their teens and early 20s, though there were also plenty of “old folks” there who were around when Domestica came out more than a decade ago. Kasher, sporting the beginnings of a wilderness beard, was in fine voice as he ran through a set list that wove songs from the new album with most of the bands “hits” including “Art is Hard” “Mothership Mothership, Do You Read Me?,” “Big Bang,” “Dorothy at 40,” and, of course, “The Martyr” (strangely “Sierra” was missing).

I was surprised at how seamlessly the new songs fit in with the old stuff, nothing seemed awkward or out of place, but at the same time, none of the new songs, including the first release, “Sun and Moon,” stood out. The new album is the most divisive of their catalog — you either like it or you hate it. It’s a classic “grower” of an album that will take time and multiple listenings before it catches on with the fanbase. Taken out of context as they were Saturday night, the songs were pretty good; they have much more depth when taken as a whole with the rest of the album, which is yet another reason Cursive should consider doing at least a few shows where they play the entire album in order, and in full costume (just kidding about the costumes part).

The band obviously has great faith in this new record, judging by their encore, which included the highlight of the evening — a stellar version of “From the Hips” from Mama, I’m Swollen, an album that flew under the radar but is bound to be remembered in years to come as one of Cursive’s all-time best. By the third verse of the song, the crowd erupted into a pseudo-mosh pit — the first time I’ve seen anything like that at a recent Cursive show. There were even a couple guys hoisted up in the air crowd-surfing style. But instead of riding out that energy to the end, the band closed the encore with “Eulogy for No Name,” the challenging closer on I Am Gemini. It couldn’t have been the end, especially when Ted Stevens played off Kasher with a sound collage of feedback and loops. But then, just like that, the lights came up, and the guy next to me said, “I guess that’s it.” No one expected them to end on that song, but glancing at their tour sets on setlist.fm, they’ve been ending with “Eulogy…” at all their shows. I guess it’s a classic case of leaving the audience wanting more.

* * *

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 Slowdown Jr., March 1, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A brief conversation from Thursday night’s Bleeding Rainbow/Crocodiles show at Slowdown Jr…

Shortly after Crocodiles finished their set I made my way back to the merch table, not to buy their stuff, but to buy some music from the opener, Bleeding Rainbow. Blond, perky frontwoman/bassist Sarah Everton was more than happy to oblige.

Me: “Which of these is your most recent album?”

Sarah: “Well, none of these are really very recent.”

Me: “Well, which one has the last four or five songs you guys just played?”

Sarah: “Well, none of them. That was all new material. We don’t really sound like that on these records.”

Me: “OK then, when are you putting out a new record?”

Sarah: “We don’t know. We don’t have a record label.”

Me (What I wanted to say): Well then why are you on bloody tour with Crocodiles?

Sarah ended up pointing me to a 7-inch called “Color the Sky” that came out last April, which she said was the most current recording available and the closest to sounding like the band currently sounds, and which I quickly snatched up. Strangely, it’s a one-sided 45 — the flip side is literally groove less (how much more could it have cost to press a B-side?).

Turns out Bleeding Rainbow used to be called Reading Rainbow, and among the wares that Sarah had on her table were a couple 12-inch albums, including one that was released on the amazing HoZac label, who they apparently are no longer aligned with (though they’re playing a HoZac showcase at SXSW in March).

I bring you this long diatribe (and two days after the fact) because Bleeding Rainbow was absolutely amazing — one of the best bands I’ve seen in a long time. The set-up is simple — two guitars, drums and bass, with Sarah and one of the guitarists sharing vocals and creating flat-toned harmonies on songs that are jet-fueled by guitar riffs and loud as fuck. Their songs were fast and hard and often ended with those two guitars fighting each other in a symphony of blinding power. There was nothing terribly innovative about what they were doing. In fact, their sound heralds back to ’90s’ post punk. They (strangely) get compared to Dum Dum Girls and Wavves, who they don’t resemble (though their music is much better). They’ve also been throttled with a “low-fi” label, though there’s nothing low-fi about the sound.

I wasn’t alone in my adoration. One rather well-known local musician gushed even more than I just did, completely blown away. And yet, as good as their music was, we’re not going to hear it played on our stereos anytime soon if what Everton said is the case — no label, no plans to record. Maybe that’s where this tour comes in. Maybe some label flunky will come to one of their shows on this tour and will hear what I heard and offer to help them get their music recorded. Or, the way things are going with labels these days, maybe not…

Crocodiles were good, too, in a sort of The Cure-meet-Brian Jonestown Massacre sort of way. Not bad, but not memorable, and they paled in comparison to the opener. As that local musician/fellow gusher said after Bleeding Rainbow ended their set, “How would you like to follow THAT

.” No kidding.

* * *

If you’re reading this Saturday night, you’re either off to Cursive at Slowdown or off to The Brothers for White Mystery. White Mystery is a punkified, garage version of the classic guitar-and-drums two-piece a la The White Stripes. Opening is The Lupines and Snake Island.  The show is $5, and starts at 9 or shortly thereafter. White Mystery is headed to Lincoln tomorrow night for a show at The Zoo.

As for Cursive, if you haven’t gotten your tickets yet you’re out of luck as the show is SOLD OUT. Opening is Omaha expatriate now Seattle-ite Mike Jaworski’s new band Virgin Islands and Cursive tour mates Ume. 9 p.m., see you there.

* * *

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.

Tennis at Slowdown Jr., Feb. 22, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tennis (the band, not the sport) epitomizes the whole idea of bands coming through a town again and again, slowly building up a following each time. When they played here to 2010, there was maybe 50 people at Slowdown Jr. despite the fact that the band had already been reviewed in Pitchfork and other publications. The crowd grew when they returned last year. And then… last night. There was well over 200 people at Slowdown Jr. — it was packed.

Now a four-piece, Tennis came on a little after 10 and played about an hour’s worth of what can only be described as roller rink rock — cute, punched-up sock hop music with a 2-1 back beat. Most of the evening, tiny Aliana Moore with a waist no larger than a coffee can stood behind her keyboard and sang while her hubby bounced around next to her riffing on electric guitar. A third guy switched between guitar and a second keyboard. Their music was pleasant and hookless, easy to listen to and easy to ignore. Maybe that’s the appeal, though the band had its share of listeners doing a half-hearted grind near the stage.

So what explains the big crowd? Someone said it was a Pitchfork effect, which doesn’t quite work because Pitchfork 

gave their new Patrick Carney-produced album only a 6.3 (the debut garnered a 6.2) — well below the hipster must-see radar. They don’t have anything that you could mistake for a “hit,” and I’ve never heard their music used in a commercial or movie. The only explanation that I can come up with is the model in which all bands build their dreams — constant touring. That said, there are countless stories of local non-Saddle Creek bands (and a few Creek bands, too) that have toured consistently for years and still play to empty rooms (though they haven’t been reviewed in Pitchfork). Who knows, maybe Tennis also is hearing its share of crickets on the road, though I doubt it.

* * *

For those of you who are wondering, my new column launched in The Reader two weeks ago. The latest installment came out in today’s issue, and takes you on a wondrous journey through fabulous Crossroads Mall. Pick up a copy at your favorite bar or convenient store.

* * *

Tonight Brad Hoshaw and Travelling Mercies play at The Side Door Lounge, 3530 Leavenworth. Also on the bill are traveling folkies I Hate You Just Kidding, who count among their influences Mayday’s Old Blood album. 9 p.m., 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.

online pharmacy order tenormin online with best prices today in the USA

buy kamagra-oral-jelly online kamagra-oral-jelly online generic

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks at The Slowdown, Feb. 17, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

We got there early for last Friday’s Stephen Malkmus show at The Slowdown so we could sit along railing, but as 9 o’clock began to roll around and opening band Nurses took the stage, I realized that this would probably be another in a series of disappointing turn-outs for an act who’s following is anchored by his past in a classic ‘90s band. Malkmus has been doing his own thing for a decade now, putting out solo albums along with his backing band, The Jicks, that can hold their own with anything Pavement released (or at least released toward the end of their run). He’s made a name for himself, but he still can’t sell out The Slowdown, or even draw a crowd large enough to require opening the balcony.

Or maybe everyone was just arriving late. Nurses came on just after 9 playing to a half-filled floor.  We sat around after their set trying to figure out who they reminded us of. The consensus: Vampire Weekend meets Tokyo Police Club with the vocalist from Band of Horses. There was nothing terribly unique or striking or identifiable about their sound, other than it epitomizes the same sort of “vibe” music that was popular a couple years ago (and I guess still is today, at least on Sirius XM).

Malkmus and Co. hit the stage at their scheduled 10:15 start time. Despite being in his mid-40s, he still looks and acts like a guy in his late 20s, early 30s fronting a northern California indie rock band in his worn T-shirt, jeans, Adidas and winged, fly-away haircut. He opened with “Jenny and the Ess Dog,” a song he had waited until the encore to play the night before in Denver. And other than “Tigers” and “Gorgeous Georgie” off the new album, I couldn’t tell you the names of many of the other songs he played, though they all sounded familiar and good. Live vs. recording, Malkmus takes short songs like “Tigers” and “Senators” and “Baby C’Mon” and stretches them into longer jams that lean heavy on his own slinky guitar solo prowess. With three backing Jicks, the songs sounded lean and mean, with plenty of room to breathe.

By the end of his set, I’d noticed the floor was now completely filled. He came back and did a couple more songs including a loose, half-ass version of “Wild Thing” that reflected the loose, half-assed — and above all — fun vibe of the entire evening, a casual set of music played by one of the better indie songwriters of his generation.

* * *

Do you think in this day and age that anyone will ponder whether The Faint “sold out” by licensing the use of their 2004 song “Desperate Guys” for use in a new Kohl’s commercial (above)?

My take: Who in the hell cares? How do you expect anyone to make a living making music these days when you can’t sell your CDs and Spotify “pays” you 1/100th of a penny each time someone streams your songs? The Kohl’s commercial is no more or less tasteful than your typical music video, and how else is the band going to get their music heard, especially since they no longer perform live (or at least have no plans to in the immediate future)?

With the music industry on life support, licensing is one of the last bastions of income for bands, and even that will eventually go away when Madison Avenue realizes that bands will pay the advertisers to use their music in commercials. Better get in on it while you still can. Instead of their fellow musicians pointing an accusing finger and saying “How dare you,” they’re more likely to ask “How did you?” or “How can we?”

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cursive, I Am Gemini (2012, Saddle Creek Records)

Since it’ll be discussed tonight at the event at the Shop at Saddle Creek, I figured I might as well share my initial thoughts/questions about Cursive’s new release, I Am Gemini, which comes out in two weeks, but will be available for purchase at tonight’s event.

Here they are: Can a concept album this tightly drawn, where each song is dependent on the other to tell a cohesive story, be successful in this singles-driven iTunes era we live in? Can the songs on I Am Gemini stand on their own, out of context, without the rest of the album? And how will a random, isolated track sound sandwiched between Lana Del Rey and Andrew Jackson Jihad during shuffle mode?

And does anyone even care about lyrics anymore?

Tim Kasher must think they do. The album comes with a “playbook” — basically a script of a play whose dialogue and direction are the lyrics of the album, so you can follow along as you sit down and listen to the album, presumably in its entirety, just like we used to back in the days before iPods.

By now you’ve already heard the album’s “plot:” identical twins — one good, one evil — separated at birth reunite at a house that they’ve inherited.  Along the way there’s angels and devils, Siamese twin sisters joined at the head, alternate-mirror realities and other assorted oddities. In the end (Spoiler Alert) the house blows up along with the main character(s). Many nods to Greek tragedies abound (thank god Tim wasn’t reading Beowulf). Some of you youngsters may want to keep your Google prompt on screen when you come across references to Sisyphus, Dionysus, Cassius, dead albatrosses and other literary tidbits.

I think there’s a Black Swan sort of dual-personality-destroying-your-evil-other thing going on. Only Kasher knows for sure, and I’m sure he’s going to get sick of having to explain it interview after interview after interview as the band tours the globe this year and next. Look, I minored in English (okay, it was at UNO) and I’m still not sure what all of it means. And in the end, does it matter? Will your typical teenager or 20-something give a shit or will they merely be entranced by the album’s meaty riffage? What you’ve heard is true about this being the hardest Cursive album since Domestica. It is brutal, but even more than that, it’s proggy — proggy enough to make the members of King Crimson and Roger Waters blush. At the very least, it’s an about-face from the apparent convergence of Cursive and The Good Life music-wise. There aren’t a lot of sing-along pop songs in this collection.

But there are indeed songs that can stand in isolation from the rest of the record (though lyrically, they don’t make a lot of sense). “The Sun and Moon,” taken completely out of context, can be read as a love song of sorts. “A Birthday Bash”  has one of the better guitar riffs Cursive’s ever put down on tape. That said, there are a few songs that seem to act as bridges between ideas, such as “The Cat and Mouse,” which aren’t so successful by themselves.

I’m going out on a limb here guessing that the band intends to play this album in sequence on tour, just like it was recorded. Maybe they’ll also pass out playbills at every gig. Maybe there will be costumes and a live angel/devil choir.

Anyway, I’m still figuring it out. A full review will come later (probably). In summation, it’s a modern-day indie rock opera more so than a rock musical. It’s also a message to the record-buying public that albums — rather than singles — still make sense and can still provide a holistic, theatrical experience if you’re willing to invest the time and keep your twitchy fingers off the shuffle button for just 43 minutes.

Hear it and decide for yourself tonight at 7 at the Saddle Creek Shop.

* * *

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.