The Decemberists at The Holland Performing Arts Center, April 17, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

At one point I closed my eyes and thought to myself, “This is all a dream…”

Things were getting out of hand down in the pseudo pit that formed just to the right of the DVD rack, next to the cut-out bin. Two of the Homer’s guys huddled together behind the cash register and wondered out loud if maybe it was time to call the cops. But it was too late for that. The mob had taken over 20 minutes earlier, pushing aside the heavy CD and record bins to make room for more more more people who kept pushing through the door like desperate strangers trying to get into a fallout shelter seconds after the bomb went off. I tried to ignore the chaos and focus on the turntables, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the crowd — hundreds of people — all ages — bouncing in unison to the downcast Smog track that only fanned the flames I had innocently ignited with my latent skills. No one had expected anything like this. Just a moment earlier during the Justin Warfield track (“K Sera Sera”) they had coaxed me to the top of the counter waving their arms and yelling in unison “Jump Jump Jump…” And that’s exactly what I did, falling into their outstretched arms that glided me over their heads, around the T-shirt rack and above the “smooth jazz” section. I looked up at Mike Fratt, the one who had gotten me into this, and he just shrugged his shoulders. He was as shocked as any of us when a small group of the topless women blacked-out the windows and mounted the strobes to the walls, creating a makeshift disco. Things had gotten out of hand all right, but the real shock didn’t come until I pulled back a corner of the black vinyl film window covering and looked outside and saw Howard St. filled like a soccer stadium — thousands of people with their hands in the air bouncing to the music that was piped into the street. Music that I had “selected.” Me. The DJ. Aponick, tears in his eyes (but smiling), croaked over and over “I didn’t know. I didn’t know. I didn’t know…” No one did, I said as I pulled him from his knees… No one did….

Actually, my DJ stint as part of Homer’s Record Store Day this last Saturday wasn’t quite that exciting. The fine folks at the store set me up behind the counter next to a CD player and a couple turntables supplied by DJ Kobrakyle, who had “spun” earlier in the day. I brought in a bag of records and CDs and played songs for a little over an hour to a crowd of at least 20 people, none of whom knew or cared who I was. I did get a couple “bites” from listeners who asked about a few songs (“Saturn” by Evil Tambourines, “Woman King” by Iron & Wine, “Step Off” by El Fino Imperials (Mousetrap)). In my defense, I had asked before I started if it was OK to play “adult material” — stuff with cussing in it. Aponick said, “Sure, play whatever you want.” So I went ahead and played “Please Be Quiet” by Digital Leather, whose pseudo-refrain is “Shut the fuck up.” After about 30 seconds of that I was told nervously that maybe we should switch songs. So I played Yo La Tengo’s cover of Sun Ra’s “Nuclear War,” having forgotten about the choir of children who chanted, “It’s a mother fucker.” Store manager Eric kindly asked if I had any songs that weren’t laced with obscenities, but he didn’t ask me to cut it (after all, it’s a classic).

Fratt told me that RSD was a huge business day for both the downtown and Orchard Plaza stores. It’s impossible not to recognize how successful RSD has become for music retailers — it’s starting to gain a “Black Friday” vibe, at least among collectors. That said, I’ll ask the same question that I asked after last year’s success: How do you make RSD last all year long; how do you keep the fever high week after week? I think it could be done, but it’d take extreme coordination between the retailers, the labels and the artists. Too bad labels couldn’t move their national release day from Tuesdays to Saturdays, helping create a weekly RSD…

* * *

I don’t know if Sunday’s Decemberists show at The Holland ever finally sold out. The day before, One Percent had posted on Facebook that they were just 50 shy of a sell-out. I assume the problem was the $35 price point. I can tell you that the show was worth every penny, and this comes from someone who’s not a big Decemberists fan. In fact, the only album of theirs that I own is the new one, The King Is Dead. I’ve listened to their breakthrough, The Crane Wife, a few times and just didn’t feel it. Live, the music was transformed…

The show began dead-on at 8 p.m. when Justin Townes Earle strolled on stage in front of the Decemberists’ band set-up with an acoustic guitar and a violin player and proceeded to play 30 minutes of amazing honky-tonk style acoustic country. The guy has an incredible voice, as did his violin player. He also had a handful of personal stories, many centered around his drug history, that got the crowd laughing.

I should point out here that Earle and Decemberists were the best sounding shows I’ve heard at The Holland. From my perch in front of the first balcony, the mix was unreal it was so good, and that hasn’t always been my experience at The Holland.

Decemberists’ frontman Colin Meloy is a pure entertainer in addition to a helluva singer and songwriter. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand throughout almost two hours of music, which included most of the songs off the new album and plenty of old stuff from Crane Wife. My favorite moment was when the band brought out drums and banged along to “The Rake’s Song” lit by blood red stage lights. But that moment was eclipsed during the first encore,  “The Mariner’s Revenge Song,” where the audience was prompted to scream as if being eaten by a whale, and actually did. By then, the crowd had come to its feet, a few songs after Meloy had chided them for sitting in their seats, which he said (and I’m paraphrasing) were “paid for with insurance money.”

Should the crowd have stood up the entire show, especially at a place like The Holland? If Meloy expected/wanted them  dancing, he should have returned to Sokol Underground or taken it Slowdown. It just wasn’t going to happen at The Holland. I wasn’t about to stand up and block two rows of middle-aged people sitting behind me who paid $35 a ticket to sit down and enjoy the show.

Meloy and Co. finished the night with a second encore of “June Hymn” and a standing ovation. Top-10 show of 2011…? Maybe…

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Conduits at The Slowdown, April 15, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

When it comes to the four-band record release show at Slowdown Friday night, instead of dwelling on the one unfortunate negative, let’s instead dwell on the positives. Positives like the big crowd (+200?), the impeccable sound quality and, most of all, the performances.

Touch People at Slowdown 4/15/11.

Touch People started off the evening at the stroke of 9, playing to an empty floor in Slowdown’s big room. On stage, a costumed Darren Keen played a small stack of technology veiled two ways — one, behind a curtain that hid him from view, and two, behind a mask and hood, though everyone knew that only one person in the Nebraska music scene bears his stature. Just as unmistakable is Keen’s sound. Even though this project stands at a distance from his main gig — The Show Is the Rainbow — there were distinctive Keen-isms that dotted a sonic landscape littered with enormously loud bass lines, jittering break beats and trippy synth tones. Touch People is the most experimental of Keen’s projects, and as a result, the most challenging to the listener. The music isn’t so much an attempt to get people dancing as to get them to step into whatever dimension Keen is occupying over the course of the 40-minute set. The music was as entrancing as it was disjointed and, at times, disturbing, which I have believe is just the way Keen wanted it.

InDreama at Slowdown, 4/15/11.

It only got trippier with InDreama, In this, their third live performance and perhaps their most ambitious, frontman Nik Fackler and company navigated through a mine field of technical problems to take yet another step forward in crafting their sound and vision. And what a weird vision it’s turning out to be. Fackler is at his best when he’s crafting songs with specific melodies and ideas, such as the track from the single, “Reprogram,” (which he opened with) and the set’s closing two numbers. In between were shades of Jim Morrison and Jim Carroll. Fackler has said that his goal is to create a new persona on stage. At this point, that persona is still only half realized, though no less entertaining.

Icky Blossoms at Slowdown 4/15/11.

By the time Icky Blossoms hit the stage at around 11, the crowd had arrived. The floor in front was mostly filled and jumping. Of all of Derek Pressnall’s projects including Tilly and the Wall, this one is the most satisfying and the one with the most promise. I got the feeling that there was nothing stopping the band from hitting the road tomorrow and getting any out-of-town crowd to become fans. Yes, the music is that good — a modern take on straight-up dance rock with an ’80s flair. Of the four bands, Icky Blossoms is easily the most commercially embraceable of the bunch. They’re also the most fun.

Conduits closed the night with grand aplomb — just an absolute wall of sound — thick slabs of droning feedback, subtle synth tones, and throbbing, tribal rhythms a la Slowdive, MBV and all the other shoe-gaze masters that obviously influenced their style and that we all know and love. The beauty of Conduits is its sonic dynamics. The Achilles heel may be its lack of rhythmic variety — one mid-tempo song after another. Frontwoman Jenna Morrison couldn’t be more statuesque in beauty and style. She has amazing tone that cuts through the dense layers of sound. But somewhere in the morass she’s become merely another instrument. I could not understand a word she was singing (how much is the soundman’s fault, I do not know). It’s an advantage Icky Bossoms had over all four bands — you could understand just about every word Pressnall was singing, and that made his songs that much more interesting (and easy to sing along to). With Conduits, all you get is beautiful, beautiful drone. When you think of a band like Low, you can hear every heart-breaking word that comes out of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker’s mouths. Those words are what help make their music that much more memorable. I know there are words underneath Conduits’ music as well, I just need to find out what they are.

And now that one negative I mentioned earlier — one thing was missing that is crucial to the success of any record release show — the records themselves. I don’t know if there was some sort of production problem that kept the delivery from happening, but there was no product on hand to sell. Instead, the band was selling “pre-orders” of the single, with a promise that a member of the band would hand deliver the record when it arrived (you also received a free download). How many people took them up on the offer, I do not know. I do know that they had 200 or so people on hand that wanted to buy a copy and who went home empty handed, myself included. Maybe they should have another record release show, but this time in Lincoln (and with records to sell).

* * *

Things are running a bit long here today. I can’t expect y’all to sit through 3,000 words of copy. So come back tomorrow for my take on Record Store Day and my first “DJ” gig, as well as a look at last night’s Decemberists’ show, which was “all that” and more.

* * *

Nik Freitas is kind of a big thing around these parts. But despite that, he’s the opening act tonight at The Waiting Room for a band that I’ve never heard of — The Submarines. The $12 show starts at 9, so you better get there early.

Also tonight, Dim Light plays with Slow Skate at O’Leaver’s. $5, 9:30 p.m. And Pharmacy Spirits makes a trip from Lincoln to play at Slowdown Jr. tonight with Cat Island, Dangerous Ponies and Shipbuilding Co. $5, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Biters at Slowdown Jr., April 8, 2011

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

What to say about Biters, who played at Slowdown Jr. last Friday, other than they brought the big-guitar glam-pop rock like no one since maybe Butch Walker at TWR last year and certainly like no band from around here. Their sound was pure Cheap Trick meets T. Rex meets The Stooges meets The Boys meets… well, you get the picture. One could argue that the sound is at its very core derivative, and that derivative is exactly what the crowd was there for. With the shag cuts, skinny-leg black pants and rock Ts, they certainly were trying to look the part of a NY glam punk band circa 1980-something. And you could toss them off as just another modern tribute if they weren’t so darn good at what they do — wet-leather tight from the duo guitars to the amped-up rhythm section and the too-wordy frontman with the inane between-song (or in some cases during-song) crowd patter. After the last few years of somber-dream-vibe and/or country-hick indie, I could use more of this.

Biters were followed by fellow Atlanta rockers The Booze, who put on a clinic of how to ape Exile-era Rolling Stones right down to wee frontman Chaz Tolliver’s Jagger strut. With their unintentional hippie-era costuming, it would be easy to make fun of — or simiply discard — this band if (again) it wasn’t so good. Makes you wonder why the focus in Altanta isn’t on these two fun and amazing acts…

* * *

Over the weekend, the ol’ Twitter account finally topped 500 followers, thanks to @autopilot_art a.k.a. Alexia Thiele, who as Lazy-i’s 500th Twitter follower wins nothing except my humble gratitude and my suggestion that everyone who reads this should check out autopilot-art.com, Alexia’s small but mighty Omaha-based clothing business. I met Alexia once while shopping for hoodies down at American Apparel, wherein I suggested that all long-sleeve T-shirts should have a hood sewn on them (and inwhich she agreed). As for what it means to reach the 500 mark — well, not very much. As we watch the not-so-interesting evolution of Social Media, Facebook is clearly coming out on top, and will remain so, while Twitter will always be a tool for promotion moreso than conversation. Anyway, thanks Alexia and the 499 others who follow @tim_mcmahan. 1,000 here we come.

* * *

Finally, and briefly, I’ve had a few people ask what I think of the Stir Cove concert series line-up that Harrah’s announced last week (which is listed here). My initial reaction is that Harrah’s seems to be oh so gradually getting interested in the big name indie acts, and as a result, could provide some competition for the one important music promoter in our neck of the woods. Black Keys was announced in February, and sold out a few weeks later. Mumford & Sons, a band that has caught the attention of folks into formulaic Euro-ethnic rock, sold out within hours of its show announcement. Good for them. Something tells me Flaming Lips will be next. As for the rest of the line-up, well, there’s a reason why they call them “casino acts” — almost all are bands that had their best days a long time ago, except for apparently Eric Church, who I’ve never heard of. Last year the Stir folks dipped their toe in the indie waters with Phoenix. How long before they realize that major CMJ performers are good for their business? And if they ever do, what will it mean for those Omaha venues that depend on the big indie acts for their livelihoods?

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

It's True (full sequence) at The Waiting Room, April 1, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There are two reasons why there was a lot of chatter in the audience during Friday night’s It’s True “reunion” / “CD release” show at The Waiting Room. Reason 1: The show was “sold out.” I put that phrase in quotation marks for a reason, which you may understand by looking at the crowd in the above photo, perhaps the largest crowd I’ve ever seen in TWR. And Reason 2: Said crowd was made up of a lot of friends and fellow countrymen who spent the past couple years becoming fans of It’s True, and conversely, became a sort of extended family. And since that family hasn’t been together since last summer, they had a lot of catching up to do.

That explanation isn’t going to help those who just discovered the band, however, one of which complained to me that he couldn’t find a place to hear them without having to also hear yelled conversations between two, three, four other people. He had a right to be pissed, but who expects to really “hear” the band when they go to something akin to a wedding reception?

That said, I had no problem hearing them — no crowd can drown out TWR’s mighty sound system. And what I heard was at times angelic, explosive, violent, angry, loving, lost, lonely, funny, happy and familiar. Yes, there were 12 people on stage at the beginning of the set — the breakdown included back-up singers, two percussionists, and lots of guitars — but everyone seemed to have a reason for being there, which is more than I can say for some of the ridiculous everyone-and-their-best-friend ensembles I’ve seen/heard over the years. The first half of the show focused on reproducing the depth of sound and substance heard on the band’s EP, Another Afterlife, for sale for the first time that evening. And for the most part it was spot on. Hawkins ran through the album with little spacing between songs, intent (it seemed) on getting through the set list as efficiently as possible. I assume playing with 11 musicians is a trick not unlike juggling cats — everyone thinks it’s fun to look at except for the guy tossing the kitties, who would just soon get it over with before one of them plunges to its death or sinks its claws into your wrist.

It's True (first sequence) at The Waiting Room, April 1, 2011.

Hawkins seemed more comfortable when the band switched to the stripped-down version heard on the previous album. The crowd seemed more responsive as well, as the band dipped into the more familiar material that they’d been waiting to hear again. Certainly the old stuff — with its lengthy, bombastic feedback jams — lends itself to stage heroics, while the newer, more compact (i.e., shorter) material is in many ways more direct and more effective in a pure songwriting vein. I like the new stuff better, and maybe the crowd did as well, as it thinned oh so slightly during the encore.

A final note: Hawkins kept his glasses on for the full 12 rounds. In the past, the specs were either violently whipped off or set on the stage three or four songs into the set, but Friday night they stayed firmly affixed to the bridge of his nose all evening long. Read into that observation whatever you will.

The only opener I caught was Cowboy Indian Bear, who did a pretty good job capturing an audience that wasn’t there to see them.

* * *

Quite a singer/songwriter showcase going on tonight at Slowdown Jr. Brooklyn’s Sharon Van Etten’s latest album, Epic

, was released on Ba Da Bing in ’10 and received a whopping 7.8 on the Pitchfork meter. You might know her for her guest-spot work on The Anters’ last album Hospice. In the middle slot is Little Scream. Her new album, The Golden Record (Secretly Canadian), reminds me more than a little bit of St. Vincent. Opening the festivities is Simon Joyner. This is a pretty “epic” line up for $8. Starts at 9.

Also tonight…. Seems like there were as many people excited about tonight’s Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears show when it was announced a month or so ago as there were when the upcoming Sharon Jones / Dap Kings concert was announced . Well here we are, a month or so later, and BJL still hasn’t sold out. Not yet, anyway. Opening is Tennessee’s Those Darlins. $12, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I have no photos from Saturday night’s O’Leaver’s show because I couldn’t get close enough to the band to take pictures. It was an old school crush mob of gigantic proportions, and I was lucky to find a place to stand out of the way back by the “soundboard.” The main attraction was New Lungs, a new band that features Danny Maxwell of Little Brazil on guitar and vocals backed by returning drummer Corey Broman and the ubiquitous Craig Fort on bass. The trio blazed through SST-style ’90s punk rock anchored by Maxwell’s earnest, earthy howl — he can now count himself among the top Omaha frontmen, all he needs is a pair of leather pants.

Someone compared them to Polvo, and I nodded. Another mentioned faster/angrier Dinosaur Jr., and I nodded again, but none of those comparisons really fit. There were moments that reminded me of Archers of Loaf, Minutemen and classic Mission of Burma, but I could never convince myself that that’s what DMax and Co. were after. There’s a unique purity about their dark rock that defies comparisons. This was only their second show, and they only had five or six songs (though they were longer jams than your standard punk rock tune). Imagine the places they’ll go if they decide to stick together…

I chatted with one of the many local celebrities in the crowd throughout most of headliner Poison Control Center’s set and was rewarded both with deep knowledge and righteous tuneage. Whenever I looked toward the dirt-spot “stage,” the only thing visible was the guitarist/vocalist’s feet, which he’d kicked in the air from his position lying on the floor — in other words, it was your typical PCC show. The band has a new album coming out June 7 on Afternoon Records called Stranger Ballet that could push them to a new level. Let’s hope it doesn’t make them too big for O’Leavers.

* * *

During our PCC discussion, the local celeb passed along some interesting news, which I ran home and verified as well as I could. If you look at the April 16 entry of The Barley Street Tavern music calendar you’ll see that the bands listed are The Beat Seekers, Blue Bird, Traveling Mercies and… Kite Pilot. That’s right, apparently Kite Pilot is back, including Austin Britton. The band’s 5-song EP was one of the best local releases of 2004. I don’t know the particulars, but I have a feeling this could be a crowded show — I mean, who doesn’t want to hear “Tree Caught the Kite” again?

* * *

Amazon today announced that it’s launching its new “Cloud Drive” music service, which allows users to upload their music to a “cloud server,” which they’ll be able to access from any web-connected computer or Android phone. This is similar to what Lala.com used to offer, though Lala’s service was much more streamlined than Amazon’s clunky browse-to-upload process. Nonetheless, Cloud Drive facilitates access to your music library from anywhere including a smart phone. Can the iTunes’ version of the cloud music service be far behind? Those of you wondering about the significance of this development, re-read the Lazy-i 2011 Predictions Column. In summary, this could be the first step to something that could change everything.

* * *

It’s a busy night for a Tuesday show-wise. At The Waiting Room, Landing on the Moon unveils its new line-up minus guitarist Matt Carroll (Honey & Darling). Expect to hear some surprising new tunes. Also on the showbill is Bazooka Shootout, Birds & Batteries and No I’m The Pilot. 9 p.m., $7.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., Capgun Coup headlines a show with Cleeman, Platte River Rain and Nicole LeClerc. Cleeman is the out-of-town act and features Copenhagen-based singer-songwriter Gunnar Cleeman and a band that includes legendary Omaha bass player Dereck Higgins (InDreama, Digital Sex). $8, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Gus and Call at Slowdown Jr., March 12, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

At first glance, there’s not much difference between Bear Country and Gus & Call. Most of the folks on stage Saturday night at Slowdown Jr. looked familiar, though vocalist Susan Sanchez was gone, and I’m sure there were other personnel changes that I missed at what was their debut performance in front of a rather healthy crowd of at least 100.

They started out in yee-haw territory, real bucket o’ chicken-style country rock that made one guy in the back of the room who hadn’t seen them before snipe “This is what I’ve been missing?” The tune did sound more hoe-downish than your typical empty-prairie-at-dusk-in-the-depths-of-winter Bear Country tune; I expected someone in the crowd to start bucking around the dance floor on an imaginary horse, slapping his ass.

But as the set wore on, the band toned down its C&W and turned up the feedback, creating a new form of psychedelic, droning, alt country. Instead of “shoegaze,” call it “bootgaze” — a slower, denser sound that still held a hint of twang. I was reminded, again, of those forlorn Cowboy Junkies’ Trinity Sessions (I wonder if the band ever looked up that album after we talked about it back in December ’09). The five members formed a circle on stage and spent most of the set intensely watching each other for visual cues, a sort of human symbiotic organism formed around a nucleus of rhythm. What kept them from drowning during the quietest moments were the vivid lead vocals shared by guitarists Mike Schlesinger and James Maakestad, each with his own earthy style.

And then toward the end of all this, the band tossed a stick of nitro into the crowd called “To the Other Side of Jordan,” which is hands down the best new “rock” song I’ve heard from an Omaha band (actually, from any indie band) in a long time. Think of it as a retooling of all your favorite ’70s Ameri-rock into a crisply pressed indie package. The song started with a slide guitar part that mimiced the opening of Led Zeppelin’s “In My Time of Dying” before shifting gears with a riff that’s pure Allman Brothers meets Lynyrd Skynrd. It will make even the most stone-hearted indie music fan grin. In fact, I was looking across the crowd at one local musician notorious for his barbed shots at just about every local band that doesn’t play math punk — most of you know him, some have recorded with him — and even he couldn’t control himself, letting out a “Whoop!” toward the end of the tune along with the rest of the usually laid-back Slowdown crowd. It was an electric moment, a complete surprise, the highlight of the evening, and I was happy I was there. Welcome to the party, Gus & Call.

Simon Joyner and the Parachutes at Slowdown Jr., 3/12/11.

Simon Joyner always surrounds himself with great musicians, and his new lineup, called the Parachutes, is no different. The six-piece band included a violin/cello and one of the city’s most under-rated guitarists, Mike Friedman, on pedal steel. Simon’s usual blonde-straw cowboy hat was appropriate for a set of old-style folk-country ballads that would fit on the Opry stage, but still had that classic, desolate Simon Joyner quality that’s one part broken and two parts lonely. This was the first time I’d heard most of these songs before, and as such, they demand further examination. In some ways, the tunes reminded me of the last record (Out Into the Snow), but were shorter and more to the point, less apt to wander. In the crowd were two professional videographers, I assume a pro film crew doing a piece on Simon…

Well Aimed Arrows at Slowdown Jr., 3/12/11.

Opening the evening was Well Aimed Arrows, who played most of the songs off their forthcoming album, Adult Entertainment (which I’m told will be available sometime in May — keep your fingers crossed). WAA is a band that you can’t help but cheer for. With a sound clearly derived from post-punk bands like Fugazi, Jawbox, Wire and Gang of Four, the thinly layered four-piece takes away any scrap of excess, ratcheting their tightly honed math equations to bare white bone for a sound that’s as angular and dissonant as it is strangely infectious. When all four join together to yell out a chorus (on songs like “International Debut”) you want the crowd to yell along, too, and they probably would if they only knew the words. Maybe they will after their new record blows up.

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Column 312: Quarterly Report

CD reviews for the first quarter 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

And so ends the first quarter of ’11. If there’s an early, detectable trend in the world of indie music, it’s a subtle move away from “static-y, vibe bands” (as one local genius put it) like Animal Collective and Sleigh Bells to more-classic songwriting. Music auteurs will confuse this shift with retro or rehash, and in some cases they’re dead right, but the healing has to start somewhere.

Poor But Sexy, Let’s Move In Together (self-released) — Self-proclaimed re-inventors of “Yacht Rock” (their first misstep), this combo of D.C. post-punk veterans (including members of Dismemberment Plan) do their darnedest to translate Steely Dan to these Modern Times, but wind up sounding more like Pablo Cruise or Leo Sayer or Gino Vannelli, which ain’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re into that sort of white-guy disco funk (attention, Satchel Grande fans). It has its moments, like the roller skate handclap groover “You’re Hotter than a Poptart,” which sums up the lyrical deftness of the entire collection. Imagine what they could have done with a horn section.

Destroyer, Kaputt (Merge) — The band hasn’t remade its sound (you heard this coming on Trouble in Dreams) as much as given into its influences. “Savage Night at the Opera” is the best clear-cut homage to New Order you’ll ever find, right down to the “Bizarre Love Triangle” guitar cues. Other, more disco-y moments will make you think you picked up a Pet Shop Boys album, while the dreamy stuff is pure Roxy Music. The differentiator is the gorgeous trumpet and saxophone that slides in and out at the best moments, like the title track, where frontman Dan Bejar croons “Wasting your days, chasing some girls all right / Chasing cocaine to the back rooms of the world all night” over a warm, twilight LA summer disco melody he calls his “song for America” (circa 1988).

MEN, Talk About Body (IAMSOUND) — Fronted by Le Tigre’s SD Samson and Johanna Fateman, this thump-thump-thump electronic dance collection with a feminist edge would have benefited from a tad more (or a lot more) variety, but who’s looking for variety on the dance floor (other than Peaches, who did this better with I Feel Cream)?

Chikita Violenta, Tre3s (Arts & Crafts)

Chikita Violenta, Tre3s (Arts & Crafts) — From Mexico City by way of Canada’s Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!) you won’t find a hint of south-of-the-border flavor. Instead, they sound like another member of the Arts & Crafts clan, hashed out and shimmering, complete with strutting vocalists that Feist and Stars’ Torquil Campbell ain’t got nothing on. Hot center track “ATPG” feels like revved up Yo La Tengo, while opener “Roni” is revved up Jesus and Mary Chain. Kick those influences to the curb and you have something that could be glorious.

The Decemberists, The King Is Dead (Rough Trade) — They can no longer be marginalized as just another twangy indie band, now that they’ve broken through with a collection that defines modern-day, above-ground Americana. The rural stomp-rock of “Down By the Water,” with its soaring harmonica and squeeze-box solo, is better than anything John Mellencamp has produced since Pink Houses; while the fiddles, banjo and honky-tonk piano on “All Arise!” could get any boots scootin’ at your local 2-step parlor. They’d be radio stars if radio hadn’t died a decade ago. I’ll take them over Mumford and Sons any day (but that’s not saying much).

Yuck, self-titled (Fat Possum) — That the album opens with a song that could be mistaken for classic Dinosaur Jr. is no mistake at all, as these British lads are channeling the best of the ’80s/’90s college rock scene almost note for note. Is that Pavement I hear? Yes, son, it is. How about Teenage Fanclub? Right you are. Is it a sin to emulate your heroes? Take a listen and decide for yourself.

Radiohead, The King of Limbs (XL) — As Thom Yorke’s music became more and more dehumanized and faux-modern (opening tracks “Bloom” and “Morning Mr. Magpie” are prime examples), I assumed this would be just another soulless escape into sterile, forced beats and drone-tones. But Yorke pulls it off with his brilliant voice, which he layers upon the layers upon the layers, and thankfully leaves clean without electronic effects (for the most part). When he tries to make it swing (“Little by Little,” “Lotus Flower”) I wonder if he simply forgot how to rock. He still struggles to find melodies; or maybe he just isn’t looking for them any more. He comes closest when he slows it down at the end. Tracks “Codex” and “Give Up the Ghost” are the closest thing to what we loved about OK Computer (and redeem the entire collection). It’s not as good as that landmark album, but nothing he produces from now on ever will be.

Toro Y Moi, Underneath the Pine (Carpark) — They’re calling one-man band Chaz Bundick’s style “chillwave,” which I guess means that it’s music to chill to, and I can see that. Both synth-y and beat-heavy, the shimmer is dreamy, the vocals breathy and echoing, the melodies intentionally loungy (a la Stereolab); it’s all very pretty and easy to listen to, and even easier to ignore.

The Dirtbombs, Party Store (In the Red) — Don’t know anything about the Detroit techno scene that this album supposedly honors? Doesn’t matter. I didn’t, either, and I still don’t. Take the record for what it is — a dirty, filthy, garage-punk dance album that recreates the beats and action of electronic acid house with guitars, bass, drums and Mick Collins’ brazen yowl. As for the 21:22 rehash of “Bug in the Bassbin” that stops the album dead in its tracks at the halfway point, well, that’s what the delete key is for (but only after you’ve endured it a couple times). Coolest album so far this year.

* * *

Homer’s head honcho Mike Fratt reports that Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key came in at No. 40 on the Billboard charts last week with sales of 11,314. Normally that would have landed Conor and Co. higher on the chart, but it was “another BIG week at soundscan,” he said, “sales are on a roll. Adele did over 350k.” Yikes. Despite the launch of the Bright Eyes global domination tour, you should see that number slowly decline until the band’s next network appearance. I’ve been told that once a band does Letterman or any other competing late-night show, that they’re blackballed form appearing on Saturday Night Live, which is a shame because BE could do real damage with an SNL appearance, and deserves the spot. But you take what you can get, I suppose, and Letterman has been a faithful supporter of Conor for years. Oberst certainly knows who has been there since the beginning. Let’s hope he remembers when it comes time to do local interviews surrounding the June Westfair date…

* * *

The Bonacci Brothers’ new band The Benningtons plays tonight at Slowdown Jr. They recently finished recording a new CD, which I’ve listening to while on the road (more details about that later). You should go to this show tonight. With Sun Settings and Sour Babies, it’s only $7.

Also tonight, Dim Light plays at The Barley Street Tavern with Damon Moon & the Whispering Drifters and South of Lincoln. $5, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday afternoon, Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds and now also of Bright Eyes, posted a photo on her Facebook page of her with Norman the Dog taken shortly after yesterday’s taping of BE’s performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Laura called Norman “the show’s biggest talent,” and other than her band, she was right. Norman, a big shaggy lovable hound, stood on a scooter and pushed it across the studio floor — two paws on handlebars, one paw on scooter, and No. 4 pushing him along. It was part of a Stupid Pet Tricks package that included a border collie that could cook breakfast (an Eggo waffle). The only other part of the show I didn’t fast-forward through was Letterman berating comments from Sen. Rand Paul after coming off of a commercial break, saying how he didn’t understand how anyone could take away collective bargaining while giving tax breaks to “fat cats.” Amen, brother Letterman.

As for the BE performance, these things have become old hat for Conor and Co. A little bird told me Wednesday night that, due to time constraints, they’d be performing “Jejune Stars” off the new album (which Letterman held up in its vinyl format, the sleeve looking irredescent in the studio light), and sure enough that’s what they tore up on stage. Everyone did fine, and the sound was good (as you’ll see on the YouTube version). Laura mostly provided backing vocals as it appeared that Nate Walcott handled most of the keyboard chores. The star of the performance was Clark Baechle, looking like a cross between Anthony Jr. of the Sopranos and Matthew Sweet. Percussion drives this song, and the camara knew it, often focusing on Clark during the frenetic chorus breaks. Very nice, indeed. Next stop for Bright Eyes is kicking off the North American tour next Tuesday night in Miami with Cursive.

The website twentyfourbit.com has compiled a nice online retrospective of Bright Eyes TV performances over the years. Check it out.

* * *

Looks like my whining has paid off. One Percent Productions announced yesterday that Iron & Wine is now slated to perform at Slowdown June 5. Tickets go on sale next Friday.  Yes, yes, you can thank me for the booking (Just kidding, Marc). Iron & Wine was on my list of “why don’t they ever come to Omaha?” bands that I posted Wednesday, here. That post got a bit of feedback, including a “get-your-shit-together” comment from people informing me that Tyvek has played in Omaha the past two years at drug-laden house parties. As I pointed out, I ain’t going to any house parties where I can get my ass thrown in jail because some under-age patrons decided to take a nip of the hooch (or fire up some chronic) when the cops show up to bust the joint. Also the fact that most kids at a house party would think I was a cop and/or an angry father keeping an eye on his daughter is enough to keep me out of Hotel Frank or The Jerk Store or whatever it’s called these days. Someone needs to book Tyvek at a larger space, say O’Leaver’s or The Barley Street or The 49’r…oops, I mean CVS (btw, have you seen the mass destruction of the neighborhood behind The Niner? ’tis a pity.). Someone also pointed out that Ted Leo opened for Against Me… three years ago. Go to the thread and add your “most wanted” bands to the list, or just comment below this blog entry. People are watching…

* * *

And so we made it to the weekend and tonight’s mammoth album release party for Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship’s new LP, Hanga-Fang

, at The Waiting Room. This should be a gala event, with opening bands  Yuppies, Ideal Cleaners and The Answer Team, all for a mere $7, so you’ll have plenty of jack left over to pick up a slab of that luscious orange vinyl. Seriously, buy this album, which I believe also comes with a download key that’ll let you add the digital version to your iPhone/listening device. It looks cool (at least in pictures) and is a pretty fantastic collection of songs. Find out for yourself tonight. Show starts at 9. See you there.

What else tonight? Well, Snake Island is playing a set at The Barley Street Tavern with Lincoln band Climates and Watching the Train Wreck. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) there’s a colorful show slated for The Barley Street Tavern — New York band The Forms along with Kansas City band Soft Reeds, the illustrious Kyle Harvey and Dorkas. The Forms have a new song online with vocals by Matt Berninger of The National and another song featuring Andrew Thiboldeaux of Pattern Is Movement. This could be a hot show. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, noise rock masters Back When play at Slowdown Jr. with Bazooka Shootout, Dapose (from the Faint) and Feral Hands. $7, 9 p.m.

Then Sunday Heartless Bastards open for Drive-By Truckers at The Slowdown. Seems like HB is always opening for someone instead of headlining on their own. Tix are $20/$23 DOS. Show starts at 9

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship

Column 311: Smells Like Noah’s Ark

Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship runs a golden mile.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The scene is O’Leaver’s on a Saturday afternoon. How could a bar so fun and full of life in the evening look so bleak and frightening in the daylight? Flat, winter-afternoon sun glared through the dirty windows, cutting the darkness where a handful of faceless people sat stooped over the bar drinking and watching college basketball. The room’s tiny “stage” in daylight was a patch of dirty carpeting behind a couple tiny monitors that I pushed out of the way while dragging a chair up to the table where the boys of Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship sat drinking a variety of tallboys.

Guitarist vocalist Andrew Gustafson was late arriving from a luncheon with his family. We bided time talking about how the band’s music has been influenced by a handful of acts that these guys are way too young to have heard when first released.

“I was in third grade when I first heard Nirvana,” said drummer Rob Webster. “I had a friend whose older brother was really into that shit.”

Guitarist vocalist John Svatos explained how a friend had made a VHS mix tape of “super ’90s bands” that introduced him to Smashing Pumpkins. While bassist Ricky Black professed to being “super into Weird Al. I’m not as cool as these guys.”

Once Gustafson arrived the interview became chaotic, with everyone talking at the same time, made all the more confusing when the jukebox erupted into Thin Lizzy so loud that I couldn’t hear what anyone was saying. I warned them that I was going to get the story wrong, but they didn’t seem to mind.

Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship, Hanga-Fang (Slumber Party, 2011)

The thumbnail sketch of the band’s history: Gustafson met Svatos during art class at Creighton Prep in 2002. “He had a Nirvana patch on his backpack and was already in (local metal band) Paria at the time,” Svatos said. “We were both into Sonic Youth.”

With bassist Black, the trio played their first gig on the under card of a local metal show at The Ranch Bowl. Drummer Rob Webster didn’t join the band until the winter of 2006, when he was Svatos’ roommate. Back in the old days, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship was an instrumental noise band, very much influenced by Sonic Youth. It wasn’t until Black returned from the University of Iowa that the band added vocals, which changed everything.

Their discography includes a 7-inch on local Dutch Hall Records and an EP on Slumber Party, the record label that’s releasing their debut LP, Hanga-Fang, at an album release show this Friday night at The Waiting Room. I say “album release” because there will be no CDs — just digital downloads and $15 slabs of 180 gram orange vinyl.

You can get the drift of Hanga-Fang

‘s post-punk by playing it on your computer speakers, but you’ll enjoy it much more by dropping it on your Technics turntable hooked to your Harman/Kardon stereo and a pair of beefy Boston Acoustic speakers — or at least wearing headphones — where you can pick up subtle hints of Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Husker Du and Fugazi beneath layers of densely packed guitars and crisp, cracklin’ drums.

Noah’s Ark does more than emulate. They reinvent that ’90s facade in a modern setting without taking their eyes off the past. Their sound reminds me of the Lawrence scene circa 1993 (think Vitreous Humor or Zoom) — noise rock taken to slacker extremes born under a lonely, empty sky.

The album was recorded last spring by long-time Noah’s Ark engineer Mark McGowan at his Suitcase Recording studio, and mixed by AJ Mogis at ARC Studios.

The band pressed 500 copies under the Slumber Party moniker. We talked about the logic of only pressing vinyl, and how they couldn’t afford a distro deal. Money is not high on their priority list. “I encourage bootlegging,” Gustafson said, though I couldn’t talk him into allowing me to post the download link in this article.

Their next step is heading east and south on a tour with pals The Yuppies, followed by a western tour this summer that Black has yet to book. They’ve become renowned locally for their live show, but there also have been miscues, like playing Laslo’s Brewpub last summer, a restaurant where Webster was a cook. He warned them.

“We played to kids and grand parents,” he said. “When we got done, you could hear a pin drop.”

“The guys from Oxygen played after us,” Gustafson said. “They told us, ‘We really love your hard-edged sound.'” Webster quit Laslo’s shortly afterward, and the band never did get paid.

But they made up for it opening for Cursive at a sold out New Year’s Eve gig in Chicago that they nearly missed due to an ice storm. “We almost ran over a cop about a half hour outside of Iowa City,” Webster recalled.

For the band, the best part of the job is touring, and discovering weird new places, like Fairfield, Iowa, “America’s capital for transcendental meditation,” Svatos said, though none of the band knew that when they booked the gig.

Gustafson said Fairfield and that tour stop could be summed up by a conversation between him, a local girl and a guy who had just arrived in the U.S. “We were standing on top of this building, and the foreign guy asked, ‘What is medicine?'” Gustafson said. “I told him it’s like a pill that you take when you’re sick. The girl gave me a stern look and said, ‘NO IT’S NOT.’ And then she pointed at a bird that was flying over and said, ‘Medicine is that.'”

“That turned out to be the best show on the tour,” Svatos said.

* * *

Again, Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship’s album release show is tomorrow night at The Waiting Room with The Answer Team, Ideal Cleaners and Yuppies. $7, 9 p.m.

* * *

Unknown Mortal Orchestra at The Waiting Room, Feb. 23, 2011.

Smith Westerns’ current hype caught my attention, but it was opener Unknown Mortal Orchestra that got me to The Waiting Room last night for what turned out to be a well-attended show (150+?, maybe). UMO was a trio featuring two Portland guys and a frontman from Auckland (who pronounced the headliners’ name “The Smith Way-sterns” — Frodo would be proud). Marketed as a psych-rock band, their sound was a ’70s throwback (one guy compared them to Love), but with enough throaty rhythms to make me think of Manchester in the ’90s. They were at their most interesting when they went all proggy on their relatively straightforward songs, and broke down the tempos while adding frontman Ruban Nielson’s intricate and sometimes strange guitar lines, before shifting gears into a groove that The Kinks would respect. Virtual unknowns, keep an eye on these guys.

Smith Westerns at The Waiting Room, Feb. 23, 2011.

As for Smith Westerns — I liked their pop-’70s revival stuff more than their pop-’60s surf revival stuff, mainly because of Best Coast and every other band doing that ’60s shtick. When they moved up a decade, and filled their sound with gorgeous, glammy electric-soar guitars and much-needed keyboards, it was like listening to a Titan Records tribute band (more Gary Charlson than, say, Boys) combined with Sweet or T. Rex. They even had some falsetto vocals thrown in for good measure. As for stage presence, it was dominated by frontman Cullen Omori’s tit-length black hair that hung in front of his face throughout the set (a la Joey Ramone), distracting him as much as it distracted the audience. When he pulled his hair back, he looked like a masculine Sarah Silverman. The evening’s highlight was an orgiastic version of “All Die Young,” which would have been a mega-hit in 1974, and hopefully will be the style of song that points their way to the future.

And what’s the deal with no encores these days?

* * *

Tonight at the Waiting Room it’s Minneapolis indie band Tapes ‘n’ Tapes with Oberhofer. $12, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Pete Yorn at The Whiskey Roadhouse, Feb. 19, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Omaha Rollergirls All Stars did something that Pete Yorn could never do — they sold out a 3,200-capacity half-Mac Center arena Saturday night for a match that I almost didn’t get a chance to see.

We showed up at the MAC Center in Council Bluffs at around 7:30, figuring we could walk right up to the ticket window and buy a pair of tickets, and still have time for a couple hotdogs before the roller derby action began. Wrong. The line for tickets snaked from the MAC Center across the walkway and beyond the forest of Kanekos. And though it had been unseasonably warm earlier that day, the north wind had picked up considerably. An army of families with little kids wearing nothing but T-shirts stood shivering as they waited for the snail-paced line to slowly move, powered by only two open ticket windows. By the time we got our tickets, the first match had already begun. Before entering the MAC, I looked back to see that the line had grown twice as long, filled with people destined to be turned away when the match sold out.

Obviously the folks who run the MAC Center hadn’t expected this kind of a turnout.

Roller Derby action at the MAC Center, 2/19/11.

Once inside, I knew the general admission seating was going to be a hassle, but we lucked out with a pair of fold-out chairs at the top of the first section. Down below, the teams were skating on a taped-off portion of the concrete arena floor — no fancy inclined wooden skate deck for this event, a la “Whip It.” The crowd didn’t care, though, as they watched The Road Warriors — Lincoln’s No Coast Derby Girls B Team — annihilate Omaha’s Rollergirls B-Team in the opening match. When I finally got up to go to the concession stands, I discovered they were out of hot dogs, popcorn, even warm cheese for nachos. Get it together, MAC Center!

Anyway. We hung around for the first half of the main event — The Omaha Rollergirls All Stars vs. The Fox Cityz Foxz. Needless to say, the quality of the action was much higher than the opening match — you could actually follow what was going on, and the hits were massive. Unfortunately, the Foxz weren’t much competition for the Rollergirls, and by half-time Omaha was up by well over 100 points. As cool as it all was, we’d seen enough and headed over to The Horseshoe Casino for Pete Yorn.

If you’ve wondered how Council Bluffs can afford all the public art that seems to dot every open median around town, step inside one of the casinos on a Saturday night. It was a tidal wave of human malaise surrounded by a soundtrack of ear-piercing slot machine twitch-noise and chaos. From the front doors we made our way through the crowd of half-lit weekend amateurs losing their mortgage money at the tables while an army of tit-push costumed waitresses fed them watered-down mixed drinks to keep their wallets well-oiled.

And then there is the smell. If you ever for even a moment reminisced about the “good old days” when smoking was allowed in Omaha bars, well, just step inside The Horseshoe for one night. Though smoking is only allowed on the casino floor, there’s no hiding from the omnipresent stench that you know is permeating your clothes, your hair, your soul.  There is no escape.

We got there late enough to avoid the opening band and a Ben Kweller solo set and just in time for Yorn, who took the stage inside the casino’s Whiskey Roadhouse lounge. I had been told that it was a small room, and it indeed seemed that way even with the divider walls pulled out to make room for the sold-out crowd of around 600. Like Harrah’s Stir Lounge, the stage felt like an afterthought to the bar’s design, as if pushed into a vacant corner of the Casino where they couldn’t get any crap tables or slots installed. That said, the sound was OK, and Yorn (wearing a goofy hat) was in a rocking mood, belting out tunes from his new album backed by a three-piece band. I’d like to tell you that I was enthralled, but there was something lackluster — if not flat — about the performance, as if Yorn was phoning it in. We made it through about five songs before heading back over the river.

* * *

Tonight at Slowdown Jr. it’s Barsuk Records band Say Hi (formerly Say Hi to Your Mom), with Blair and Midwest Dilemma. $10, 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.