Kansas at Memorial Park, July 3, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The above photo isn’t of the main stage at Friday night’s Grampa-rock-fest at Memorial Park. In fact it’s a photo of the south side of the park — the overflow crowd that couldn’t find a place to stand in the park’s west bowl where the main stage was actually located. The organizers wisely set up a large, high-def screen that projected live footage of the bands playing just over the ridge, and even that area filled to capacity. The published crowd estimate was 80,000. How someone came up with that number is a mystery. I will say that the crowd was larger than the estimated 50k supposedly on hand a few years ago for 311 (and about 79k more than were there for last year’s Gomez concert). Omaha does love its arena rock, even if the bands are 40 years old.

We walked to the park at 6 to see Kansas with the intention of turning around after their set, walking back home for dinner than returning for the fireworks. We ended up seeing most of Styx and more than enough of Foreigner’s set. Of the three bands, Kansas sounded the most authentic, pulling out songs that I haven’t heard in 20 years. Other than “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind,” Kansas isn’t heard much on your favorite classic rock station these days. Styx got the best crowd response because Styx had the best songs. Without Dennis DeYoung, Tommy Shaw has become the band’s ad hoc frontman, for better or worse (mostly worse). Looking like a bleach-blond, bearded trailer park woman, Shaw has managed to maintain a pretty good voice over the years. But despite Styx having one of the larger catalogs of hits from the ’70s, the crowd was subjected to at least one Damn Yankees song, I’m assuming on Shaw’s insistence — proof that he could make it without Styx, even though that was the band he was fronting that evening. The guy filling in for DeYoung wasn’t awful — he certainly could win a karaoke contest — but songs like “Lady” underscored his, um, lacking abilities. Foreigner got the headliner slot, and was the weakest band of the evening. Without Lou Gramm the band has become a glorified tribute act, and a weak one at that. Hits like “I Want to Know What Love Is (the dangling participle song)” and “Hot Blooded” sounded limp and old. The whole evening was very casino, and so was the crowd. It was a white trash fantasy camp, where shoes were most-definitely optional despite a sidewalk littered with broken glass, snot and other bodily fluids. The crowd in front of the stage seemed genuinely focused on their arena heroes, and to be fair, even a large portion of the rest of the audience had their head bobbing to “Sweet Madame Blue.” As the sun began to set, out came the glowsticks-on-a-string, like carny jewelry lighting up an army of unwashed, tattooed necks. The next morning, small piles of the milky-plastic cartridges gathered along the curbs like empty drug vials. Their glow was fleeting, and you could say the same thing about these bands, except in Omaha where decades after their fame has passed, they continue to burn brighter than any other star, 80,000 fans strong. Either that, or everyone was there for the fireworks.

* * *

Well the big show that everyone was talking about last week is now official. One Percent this morning announced the “Concert for Equality” July 31 in Downtown Benson. And it’s a Saddle Creek Records all-star line-up featuring a reunited Desaparecidos, Cursive, Bright Eyes, and a reunited Lullaby For The Working Class, and that’s just for starters. Don’t be surprised if a gaggle of Conor Oberst’s pals also show up. All proceeds go to the ACLU Nebraska’s effort to repeal Fremont’s “Anti-Immigrant” Law. Tickets for the Concert for Equality will be available July 10 — this Saturday — at onepercentproductions.com. General admission is $20. There also is a limited number of Deluxe Tickets available for $50 that includes access to an additional show inside The Waiting Room the night of the event.

I’m not sure how something like this sells out, but if it can, it will.

* * *

Speaking of big shows… there’s one going on tonight at The Slowdown when The Hold Steady take the stage with The Whigs. Their performance the April before last was rather flat (see review), but I’ve been told by a number of their local mega-fans that it was just an off night. Too bad I won’t find out if that’s true (as I’m not on the list this time!). $18, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers are playing at The Waiting Room with Brad Hoshaw and Vago. $15, 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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i

Son of 76 and the Watchmen at The Waiting Room, July 1, 2010

Son of 76 and the Watchmen is one of those bands that plays spot-on renditions of the music on their CD — impeccably, almost note-for-note. They can do this because they’ve got some of the most talented musicians in the area — seasoned pros backing Mr. Sixer himself, Josh Hoyer, who held court last night at The Waiting Room like a guy who has been singing these songs for years instead of just for the past few months. If I had a quibble with their set, it was with the relentless mid-tempo pace of every song and the generally unchanging arrangements, which didn’t lend themselves to a lot of dynamics — the end result could be a lulling effect, with me anyway. Not, apparently, with the rest of the 120 or so on hand — a “blues crowd” I’m told, which I guess means it was a lot of people from the Omaha blues scene. Whether what Hoyer and Co. were playing was blues or not, they all were digging what they were dishing out, and a few were even swinging in front of the stage. If you missed it, you can catch the band Saturday night at Stir Lounge. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

The streets of Benson were abuzz last night with talk of an upcoming benefit concert for the ACLU. I can’t give any details because the details aren’t set in stone. But I can tell you that one of the artists involved is Conor Oberst, who has taken a very visible stance against immigration laws passed both in Arizona and, more recently, Fremont, Nebraska.

In an open letter written to Charlie Levy, the owner of Stateside Presents, an independent concert-promotion company based in Phoenix, posted on Billboard.com (here), Oberst references the Fremont law, saying he’s “outraged, saddened and embarrassed for their town and my state,” and mentions that he’s in the process of organizing  the fundraiser. Here’s an excerpt from the letter:

“Just this past week, the little town of Fremont Nebraska passed a very similar, almost more radical, city ordinance.  It was co-authored and championed by Kris Kobach of Kansas who helped write SB1070.  I was outraged, saddened and embarrassed for their town and my state.   I am already in the process of organizing a fund-raiser for the NE chapter of the ACLU who is suing the town of Fremont.  Our situation requires immediate legal action and a campaign for public awareness (there has been very little press on this).  Charlie, I promise you, if this Fremont law had been passed Statewide instead of in a rural town of 25,000 people, I would be the first to call for a boycott of my home state. This way of thinking and legislating is so dangerous, and such a threat to our basic ideals as Americans and Humans, that we cannot stand by and do nothing.  We cannot play on as if nothing is wrong.  This is not just about Arizona.  I am not just skipping a tour date.  This is not going to be easy for anyone.”

Read the whole Billboard article — including the full text of the letter — here. Among the rumored performances at this benefit is a reunion of one of Oberst’s former punk bands. I’m sure we’re going to be getting all the details in the next few days.

* * *

I was 13 when I went to my first concert at the Civic Auditorium. The band was Kansas, who was out on one of its later, post-peak tours, but still had the same core talent that released Leftoverture. What do I remember? Hmmm… I remember there were green lasers lights everywhere — something I hadn’t seen before. I remember the stink. Concerts at the Civic Aud were the closest things to hippie scenes that I ever witnessed first-hand — teen-agers on the concrete floor sitting Indian style passing around a doobie while Frisbees flew overhead across the smokey auditorium (yes, kids, you could smoke in auditoriums back then). All seats were general admission, so fights were common when people stole each other’s seats. It was hot and dirty, and most of the people were pigs, but it was fun, especially if you were 13 and without your parents. And yeah, as proggy and cheesy as they were, I dug early Kansas back then.

Of course the band that calls itself “Kansas” that’s playing this evening in Memorial Park isn’t the same band that played at the Civic all those years ago — no Kerry Livgren, no Rob Steinhartd. Still, Steve Walsh continues to sing with them, so most people won’t notice, and of the three legacy acts playing tonight, Kansas will probably sound closest to the original. Styx, on the other hand, no longer has Dennis DeYoung; and Foreigner is without classic frontman Lou Gramm. But considering the crowd, I doubt anyone will notice that, either.

Anyway, after the fireworks, once you’ve finished packing up your blanket and get back to the car, you can head on over to The 49’r for The Filter Kings, Killigans and Ron Emory (TSOL). No idea on the price, but probably around $5, and starting at 9 p.m.

Saturday night Honey & Darling play with Everyday/Everynight and Cat Island at The Waiting Room, $5, 9 p.m.

And them comes the Fourth of July. At The 49’r, Simon Joyner and the Parachutes play with Hubble. Joyner and his crew are getting ready to head out on the West Coast leg of their tour. $5, 9 p.m. Also on the Fourth, O’Leaver’s is hosting a “Salute to America” featuring Peace of Shit, Mosquito Bandito and Lite Lion. $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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Column 277: A modest proposal…

An unbiased review of It’s True’s debut album.

It's True, self-titled

Here was the problem: Everyone knows somebody in It’s True, and very likely is friends with that person.

Maybe it’s affable keyboard player Kyle Houfek, the veteran of a thousand bands (or at least a few). Or frontman Adam Hawkins, who seemingly greets everyone with a warm miss-me? hug (Yeah, he’s one of those). And then there’s bass player Kyle Harvey, the George Washington of the Benson music scene whose bartending gig at The Barley Street Tavern — including “soup and song” night every Monday — has kept the place alive. Not to mention good-guys guitarist Andrew Bailie and drummer Matt Arbeiter.

So everyone knows someone in It’s True, especially the tiny circle of local music “critics.” And everyone knows that everyone knows someone in It’s True. Which brings up the question: Can anyone write a review of the band’s debut full-length and have it be considered unbiased? Even me — the tell-it-like-it-is a-hole who is merely tolerated (and certainly not loved) has been accused of being a homer for It’s True. When I didn’t make it out to their CD release show at the end of April, someone affiliated with the venue asked where I had been. “Of all people, you should have been there. You’re the band’s biggest supporter.” I am? I’ve never even interviewed the full band before — only Hawkins way back in February ’09 when It’s True was really still a solo-acoustic project.

To be honest, people who know my writing know that I don’t play favorites or pull punches for anyone. But still, there would be those who would read a positive review as favoritism, or a pan as a despirate reach for credibility (“He’s only saying it’s shitty because he wants people to think he’s unbiased“).

It was a quandary both for the band and local music journalism in general, but I had this idea: Have someone from outside of our scene write the review, someone who never even heard of the band (which, quite frankly, would be just about anyone outside of Omaha as the band isn’t on a record label and has only done a couple brief tours).

So, early in June, I did a little research with the help of the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies website to find a newspaper somewhere in the country with similar demographics as The Reader. I quickly discovered Flagpole Magazine, “everybody’s book on what to do in Athens, GA.” The publication’s verified circulation as of March 2009 was 14,825, very near The Reader‘s unverified 18,500 (as of Dec. 2008). But more importantly, the paper covered Athens — home of R.E.M., Pylon and the B52’s — it’s a town renowned for its music scene.

With a target in site, I sent an e-mail titled “A modest proposal from a fellow alt newspaper,” that explained the situation and simply asked if anyone on the staff would be willing to review the new CD by It’s True. “The review would run word-for-word — fully attributed to the author — as part of my column,” I wrote. And yes, I would even pay for it.

The next day, Flagpole Music Editor Michelle Gilzenrat replied, saying she would reach out to her writers. Critic David Fitzgerald took the challenge. He’s written reviews of CDs by Gorillaz, Titus Andronics, The Black Keys and Tobacco, and will have an interview with Mates of State in the next issue.

So I sent Fitzgerald my one and only copy of the disc. And despite being buried under his own deadlines, I promptly received his draft this past Tuesday. Here it is, uncut, unedited, in its entirety:

IT’S TRUE, self-titled (self-released) — Hello Omaha, thanks for having me! Writing from Athens, Georgia, and charged with the task of crafting an objective review of a band that everyone in Omaha apparently loves, I am glad to say that IT’S TRUE! have a really nice thing going. Something tells me that lead singer Adam Hawkins has heard enough Ben Gibbard comparisons to last him several lifetimes, but, and I intend no pun here, it’s true. Hawkins’s silky smooth vocals, bathed in warm, chiming guitar and summer-y synths, took me back to the early aughts in the best possible way, and while the vaguely emo, indie pop strains of The Postal Service, The Shins, and my hometown’s own Andy LeMaster were never far from my mind, IT’S TRUE! have created a truly lovely record that can stand proudly beside its peers. The opening track, “Take This One from Me,” is a Beach Boys-inflected, dream pop gem that acts as the initial push to this swaying, seaside hammock of an album. The biggest intrusion into an otherwise light and wistful collection of songs is the bluesy, two-chord lament “What Have I Done,” which revels in the power of a smartly rendered refrain, without straying too far from the album’s breezy, radio-friendly aesthetic. Closer “I Think It’s Best (If I Leave)” serves as a near-perfect bookend, striking a melancholy tone that suggests a downward slant to the record as a whole, without letting it slide into legitimately depressing territory. All in all, these guys aren’t doing anything terribly original, but they’re confident, talented performers keeping a particularly accessible brand of indie rock alive, and there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s true. — David Fitzgerald

Bravo, Mr. Fitzgerald. I couldn’t have said it better myself. With that out of the way, I will add just these two cents:  The CD is the best local release so far this year. And I’m not just saying that…

* * *

Speaking of It’s True, the band is playing tonight at Slowdown Jr. with our old friends from Ames Iowa, Poison Control Center, and Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship. $8, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, The Young Veins open a show at The Waiting Room for Rooney, along with Black Gold. Rooney is fronted by Robert Schwartzman, the brother of actor Jason Schwartzman (and an actor himself, having appeared in The Virgin Suicides, among other films). Formerly on Geffen, the band is now self-releasing its material. They fancy their style as “brit-pop,” which seems wrong (more like an American Franz Ferdinand). Openers The Young Veins have a very obvious “Please Please Me”-era Beatles sound that is endearing in its nostalgia. Their latest, Take a Vacation, came out on One Haven Music, but their PR is being handled by Press Here (seems anymore, your publicist is more important than your label). $15, 9 p.m.

* * *

Tomorrow: An interview with Son of 76 and The Watchmen.

* * *

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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Deerhoof at The Waiting Room, June 25, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Deerhoof was amazing last Friday night at The Waiting Room — an explosion of music that fused rock, jazz, prog and noise into one throbbing, powerful sound. While frontwoman/bassist Satomi Matsuzaki provided her share of cheerleading energy, jumping and kicking while chirping in Japanese, it was drummer Greg Saunier who fueled this rocket, with his drum kit set up right along the front of stage right (reminiscent of that crazy drummer for John Vanderslice oh so many years ago). Saunier is one of the best drummers I’ve heard on TWR stage (or any stage, for that matter). The band was rounded out by John Dieterich and Ed Rodriguez both playing what appeared to be 12-string electric guitars, while behind them was projected a nightmarish pastiche of old film — most of it purposely damaged and/or deranged. As a live band, Deerhoof eclipses their restrained, measured recordings with sheer ferocity, transforming from an art band into something that more closely resembles punk. Ironically, their one cover was a spot-on version (minus flute, of course) of  Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country,” featuring Saunier on vocals and Matsuzaki on drums. A top-five show of the year? Yes. Opening was Athens band Southeast Engine (on Misra by way of The Wrens), whose subtle folk rock and two-part harmonies sounded like Two Gallants crossed with The Delta Spirit.

If Only He Had the Power, a new five piece from Lincoln, played for a small gathering (20?) at the Barley Street Tavern Saturday night. Their rough, aggressive, noise rock was helmed by a female vocalist who began the night with her hands in her pockets but ended it unrestrained, flailing, lost in the moment. The band’s keyboard and bass anchors its sound — the guitar was barely audible, and the drums sounded more like an afterthought. What would they sound like on a larger stage with a real PA? Keep an eye on this one…

* * *

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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Sleepover at O'Leaver's, June 18, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Friday night boasted two CD release shows — the highlight of the weekend — and thanks to fortunate scheduling, I managed to catch parts of both.

The first was Lincoln band The Sleepover at O’Leaver’s. The four-piece, fronted by Cory Kibler, played spot-on versions of songs off their new CD Oceans of Ice, Island of Terror. Nice stuff. If there’s a quibble, it’s that Kibler seemed a bit vocally restrained, but maybe that’s his natural style. In last week’s CD review, I compared Kibler to Mark Kozelek and there were moments on O’Leaver’s non-stage that kept me from sounding like a liar, but Kibler’s timidity and the overall thinness in the vocal mix made the comparison a stretch most of the evening. Add to the quibble list Kibler’s guitar — I wonder if he could find it in his heart to rough up his rather formal guitar tone to something a bit more… dirty, or angry. The contrast between a feedback-drenched guitar and Kibler’s shy, mewing voice would be startling, and fun. And while I’m making suggestions, I’d love it if the band could take the leap and draw out a couple of the songs to extended-play length on stage. I guess I’m just trying to turn them into Red House Painters, which ain’t gonna happen.

Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque at The Waiting Room, June 18, 2010.

I left before The Sleepover finished their set and headed across town to The Waiting Room (a longer drive than you think) to catch Scott Severin and The Milton Burlesque. Here again, I only caught part of their set because by the time I got there, Severin and his band of seasoned professionals were already on stage belting out songs from Birdhouse Obbligato. These guys sounded like they’d been playing these songs together for 30 years. Tight, heavy, completely on point. Despite all the press, the show only drew around 75 — very disappointing. Maybe there was something to that theory that the CWS would draw fans away from shows.

Listening to the band, it got me thinking that in addition taking the show on the road, The Milton Burlesque (just like The Filter Kings) would make the perfect house band in the right club, playing a couple nights a week every week for fans who just want to let go for a night of unpretentious blues-flavored rock. Is there a bar out there willing to give these guys a shot?

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room, it’s London-based four-piece One EskimO. They signed with Shangri-La last year — the record label run by a zillionaire that counts Monsters of Folk among its roster. They say they’re shoegaze, but really they’re just straight-up laid-back indie pop. Mitch Gettman opens. $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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Scott Severin and I got into an online discussion via Facebook about his new album recorded with his band, The Milton Burlesque, called Birdhouse Obbligato, the disc that’s being celebrated tonight at a free show at The Waiting Room. Severin insisted that the CD is an excellent example of indie music, while I argued that there was nothing indie about it.

Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque - Birdhouse Obbligato

Upon reflection Severin was right and I was wrong. Birdhouse is an indie album — it’s not associated with a major record label, which is “indie” by its most generic definition. In fact, the album is really indie in that it’s not associated with any record label as Severin paid for its recording (with Joel Petersen at Enamel Studio), mixing and mastering (by Tom Ware), pressing and, conceivably, its distribution. The term is “self-released,” which sounds like a euphemism for being “born again” or having reached a higher mental state — “I’ve been self-released.” We need a better term for projects like Severin’s, since more and more music — whether created by MTV stars or van-imprisoned bands — is going to be self-released as labels erode and provide fewer reasons for anyone to use their services.

So, Birdhouse Obbligato is indie from a business perspective, but from a music perspective — how indie has become defined as an aesthetic — it doesn’t quite fit, at least not in my opinion. Instead, the record falls under a more conventional rock ‘n’ roll definition. It rocks just like the rock music I remember from the ’70s and ’80s; it has an old-fashioned, comfortable FM radio vibe.

I wouldn’t call it “retro,” since that would imply that the artist was purposely targeting a specific style from a bygone era. Only Severin — or a guy who’s lived a life in music like Severin — could write and record an album that sounds like this. There is a matter-of-fact honesty in the approach — a modern band of teen-agers or 20-somethings who grew up with indie music simply could not pull this off without sounding kitschy or phony or “ironic.” But then again, it’s unlikely that someone from that group would want to write this kind of music to begin with. Severin’s sound harkens back to a simpler — arguably better — time when verse/chorus/verse/key change/chorus was the modus operandi. A song like “I Don’t Know,” with its heavy metal chops, Jerry Lee Lewis piano riffs, and cock-rock guitar solo, predates the dawn of grunge, and something tells me Severin wouldn’t want it any other way.

And then there’s the more mellow “Farshtaist,” one of those songs that — after hearing it for the first time — you wonder if it always existed. It’s timeless in the same way that songs we grew up listening to on FM radio seemed to have always been there, and will likely be there after we’ve all gone deaf and senile. The best track on the album, it could easily fit onto any MOR playlist — MOR, as defined in Wiki, is “broadly popular music, but not technically avant-garde; generally, it is strongly melodic and often features vocal harmony technique and orchestral arrangements.” The modern equivalent is the “Soft AC” format.

Severin is not breaking new ground with this album, and I doubt that he wanted to. Instead, Birdhouse Obbligato is a collection of rockers and ballads by a man that is content simply getting his ideas and melodies recorded for all time. In the end, this is who Severin is, and he should be proud of that.

* * *

So tonight’s marquee draws are two CD release shows. The biggest is Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque at The Waiting Room with Big Wheel (Sarah Benck) and Platte River Rain. 9 p.m. and absolutely free.

Meanwhile, over at O’Leaver’s, it’s Lincoln’s The Sleepover, with Techlepathy and Fortnight. $5, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, Lawrence indie band Cowboy Indian Bear is playing in the Stir Lounge at Harrah’s Casino in Council Bluffs with the one and only Jake Bellows. $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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There are two CD release shows tomorrow night. The one with the most pre-show hype is the Scott Severin and the Milton Burlesque show at The Waiting Room. Severin has managed to nab big write-ups today in the big three media outlets: The Reader, The Omaha World-Herald, and Shout! Weekly. I have no doubt that all of his media work will pay off.

The Sleepover - Oceans of Ice, Island of Terror

At the same time tomorrow night over at O’Leaver’s, Lincoln band The Sleepover will be celebrating its CD release show for Oceans of Ice, Island of Terror, one of the best locally produced indie albums I’ve heard this year. Fronted by guitarist/singer/songwriter Cory Kibler and released on Lone Prairie Records (Ember Schrag, Loup River Band, the label is run by Lincolnite Eric Wickizer) it’s recommended for anyone who digs melancholy, brooding bands like Bedhead/The New Year or Red House Painters/Sun Kil Moon. Kibler has a soft, mewing voice that at times is a spot-on match to Mark Kozelek, especially on songs like “Island of Terror” and “Glowing New-Century Town.”

Not surprisingly, Kibler references none of these bands on his one-sheet, and told me he is only vaguely familiar with Kozelek. I’ve heard a lot of bands purposely reach for this sound and fail because they don’t understand how to write these kinds of hooks and return to them over and over (There, indeed, is joy in repetition). But unlike Kozelek, who can drone on and for more than 10 minutes per song, Kibler keeps these at pop-song length (nothing over five minutes) without losing any power. Like Bedhead’s Kadane brothers, Kibler’s arrangements are deceptively simple and lean. But he strays from their formula with his bouncier, more upbeat and slightly fey songs — I guess a guy can’t be depressed all the time (though when it comes to Bedhead (especially on What Fun Life Was) you never want to wake from the stupor).

Still, there is a Midwestern darkness to the best of Oceans of Ice that reflects a coming-of-age sense of futility. “I will say that the most inspiring recurrent theme on the record is that, as a guy in my late 20s, I have shit WAY less figured out than I thought I would,” Kibler told me in an email. “I thought after grad school (I got an MA in philosophy, ha-ha), I’d have started a really solid career by now, but I’m still getting shit figured out.  Add that to the fact that many of my friends are doing really well because they planned ahead and were more realistic than I was, and there’s some residual bitterness.  Directed at myself, not my friends.” Live and learn, Cory.

The album was recorded last fall by Chris Steffen (www.steffonicrecording.com), mixed and edited over the winter by Eric Medley (www.ericmedley.com), and mastered this past spring by C. Howie Howard (www.mrfuriousrecords.com). “For what it’s worth, it’s awesome that Eric agreed to mix/edit the record remotely from his home in South Carolina,” Kibler said. “He’s an ex-Lincolnite who has been recording for years and years.  He’s worked with a ton of amazing bands including Mercy Rule, The Millions, Bright Eyes, Cursive, Her Flyaway Manner, Happy Dog, Lullaby for the Working Class, and many more.”

Backing Kibler is James Tucci, bass; Bradley Kester, drums, background vocals, and Sarah Korf, piano/keys and background vocals. Steffen is the guy providing the trumpet on a few tracks.

On the surface, the album is somewhat plain-jane, yet I never found myself bored listening to it, which is something I can’t say about most of the music being released locally these days. That said, this is merely an interim step for Kibler and Co. With the clear split in this record’s style between mope and lilting pop, we’ll have to wait and see which direction he ends up going or if, like Bedhead and Kozelek, he can refine a style that turns down into up, black into white, and desolation into power. You can hear four tracks off Oceans of Ice and order the album online here.

The only way this record could be more opposite from Severin’s is if it incorporated a gay choir and an orchestra of vuvzelas. Needless to say, neither CD release show will bite into the other’s draw. More on Severin’s disc tomorrow.

* * *

A couple housekeeping items concerning yesterday’s blog entry: Darren Keen wrote in to say that Bad Speler isn’t going to compile its mixes onto an album, but instead is going to use the money raised from the mixtapes to release an album that will “be a little more focused and produced” then the mixes. Mike Tulis wrote to say that the Soapbox Riot is being brought to you by O’Leaver’s, not Speed! Nebraska (though the press release says both are involved in the event).

* * *

Tonight at The Waiting Room, San Diego Americana band The Delta Spirit (Rounder) performs with Chicago’s Ezra Furman and the Harpoons (Minty Fresh) and LA’s The Romany Rye. $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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Mountain Goats at The Slowdown, June 13, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I reached into my pocket just prior to entering The Slowdown last night and realized that I’d forgotten to bring my earplugs. No matter, I thought. I’ve seen The Mountain Goats before and had nothing to worry about. After all, John Darnielle is an acoustic balladeer of the best kind; he’s no rock star and he certainly isn’t loud, right?

Well, I began to wonder if I’d made a mistake when the MG’s “pre-music” — the music played just before they entered the stage — was some sort of metal Judas Priest/Slayer extravaganza. I took it as a not-so-subtle form of irony. But I was wrong. These days the Mountain Goats is a full-fledged power trio, something they’ve evolved into since the last time I saw them oh so many years ago, and despite the laid-back acoustic sound of their records. They may be acoustic, but they rock nonetheless, with Darnielle spending most of the evening on an acoustic guitar backed by a thunderous bass/drums rhythm section.

I have three Mountain Goats albums — 2002’s Tallahassee, 2008’s Heretic Pride, and their latest, The Life of the World to Come — along with a split single Darnielle made with Simon Joyner called Why You All So Thief? released in 1994 on Omaha’s own Sing, Eunichs! label. I recognized a lot of songs from Tallahassee, an album he was touring last time I saw him. But this time they were revved up and anthem-like and a lot better than I remembered. In between songs, Darnielle did a Storytellers schtick, with bits about life on the road or what inspired the next song, delivered in the rapid-fire style of a well-seasoned stand-up comic or monologist. Funny stuff. It was the combination of the music and the chatter and the overall vibe among the 300 or so in attendance that made last night’s show a top-tenner (or top-fiver) for the year (so far).

There’s something about the Mountain Goats now that reminds me of The Hold Steady — maybe it’s the way the songs are written or Darnielle’s barking vocals or the story-telling lyrical style.The energy level of their live show certainly rivals The Hold Steady’s. But there are just as many differences as similarities. Darnielle can actually sing. The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn can’t and doesn’t even try. Darnielle mixes his set up well — 20 minutes into last night’s set, the rest of the band left the stage and he asked the crowd if they could handle something slow and sad. He then started singing a pretty, dark tune with the opening line, “They hooked her up to a Fentanyl drip / To mitigate the pain a little bit.” It was “Matthew 25:21” from the latest album, a song that recalls a time when Darnielle broke off from a tour to travel to Santa Barbara to see his mother-in-law before she died of cancer, a song that ends with, “It’s three days later when I get the call / And there’s nobody around to break my fall.” It was a dark, touching moment that helped put the performance into perspective. I heard nothing even remotely close to that at last year’s Hold Steady show at Slowdown — it was just one crash-bash one-note rocker after another sung by a professional auctioneer — and that’s exactly what fans go to a Hold Steady show to see, and why (conceivably) they’re so much more popular than The Mountain Goats. But the fact is, as the years go by, other artists and bands will cover Mountain Goats songs just like they cover Magnetic Fields songs and Neutral Milk Hotel songs and so on. I don’t see that happening with Hold Steady songs, but I could be wrong.

Darnielle and Co. left the stage after about 45 minutes — a fairly short set. When they came back for the encore, the crowd became a mob yelling requests, including one that Darnielle said he hadn’t played in years, but was going to try because it was Omaha and, presumably, we are special. He pulled the rest of the band together in a small side conference, and then started pounding out the chords, yelling the chord names to bassist Peter Hughes because they’d never played the tune together before. The song was “Golden Boy,” a single compiled on 1999’s Ghana, with the catchy line: “There are no pan-Asian supermarkets down in hell / So you can’t buy Golden Boy peanuts.” Who knows why he’s stayed away from that one for so long. Also played in the four-song encore was crowd favorite “No Children” from Tallahassee that featured 200 people singing the touching lines: “I hope you die / I hope you all die.” — what a way to close out the evening.

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Tonight at O’Leaver’s it’s Alive Records band Black Diamond Heavies with Bazooka Shootout and Gyromancer. $5, 9 p.m.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Landing on the Moon at O'Leaver's, June 10, 2010

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

First, some sobering news after a night that was anything but…

Workers Takeout, the sandwich shop next to O’Leaver’s owned and operated by Chris Machmuller of Ladyfinger, shut its doors for good this week. Last night I noticed a “Closed” sign written in Sharpie on the door that said “Thanks for the memories.” I didn’t get a chance to talk to Mach about what happened, though I’ve been told by people close to the business that you haven’t seen the last of Worker’s Takeout, just the last of it from that location. As discussed in this interview/column

, Workers opened at the height of this country’s most recent Great Recession in August 2008 with only a sandwich counter and a helluva menu. They just opened a new dining room this past January. It seemed like the perfect location — right next door to O’Leaver’s, across the parking lot from the Pub’s popular sand volleyball courts. But Workers just couldn’t get the army of toned, tanned athletes to step foot inside their shop, I guess because they feared it as much as they fear the inside of O’Leaver’s, which also rarely seems to attract any spikers. The irony to me is that Workers is the first place that I ever ordered a Cuban sandwich — a sandwich that recently was added to the Panera Bread menu. My suggestion (which has no wings whatsoever) would be to move Workers into  O’Leaver’s old kitchen and turn the bar’s pool table room into an order window. I’m sure it would take many thousands of dollars to get O’Leaver’s kitchen up to code, however. Here’s hoping that Machmuller finds the right location, and that Workers reopens soon…

As for last night’s gig…

I have now seen Students of Crime — Robert Thornton’s new band — twice, but it seems more like I’ve seen two separate bands with the same personnel. They even looked different. For their debut back in April (also at O’Leaver’s), the band was dressed to the nines in suit and tie. Last night, however, they wore the usual O’Leaver’s uniform of jeans and T shirts. Just as different as their costumes was their sound. On night one, SOC leaned toward Americana – almost to alt-country. Last night they were a punk band in the vein of Carmine (one of Thornton’s old bands), but with a harder, SST edge. And without a hint of twang (this definitely wasn’t Whipkey Rock). It was the band I expected to see/hear back in April. I have no idea why they changed styles, and frankly don’t prefer one over the other, though Thornton looked more relaxed playing the punk that we’ve come to expect from him.

Having just returned from a few weeks of touring, Landing on the Moon was as tight as you’d expect. In fact, last night’s performance was the best I’ve ever seen them. I guess that road does something to a band — it changes them. Or maybe it was just the booze because they’ve never felt more cohesive. And for the first time I was able to put my finger on who they remind me of. In fact, LotM has a style that is distinctly its own, especially compared to the rest of the Omaha scene. No one does quite what they do — a fusion of indie and throw-back radio rock with a groove that heralds all the way back to the ’70s. I’m going to get skewed for this, but I was reminded of late-’70s Journey. Someone else in the audience referenced Mates of State, which also was a stretch, albeit a more indie (and realistic, and probably less offensive) stretch.

The real difference last night came from folks who I hadn’t noticed before. I point directly toward bassist Eric Harris, who has never sounded more up front and important to the band’s sound. His deep groove swing is the secret weapon that is (now) impossible to ignore. So is frontman John Klemmensen. I use the “frontman” moniker loosely, since there are three lead vocalists in the band, with Megan Morgan taking a more prominent role especially on the new material. Still, it’s Klemmensen who stood out — part of the reason is that O’Leaver’s PA simply isn’t kind to female vocalists, who have a way of getting buried in the mix. No single member of the band is ever the center of attention, however. The most “out there” player is drummer Oliver Morgan, who doggedly looks for any and every opportunity to decorate his percussion with fill upon fill upon fill upon roll upon fill. There is nothing unfancy about his drumming style, which will not — cannot — be ignored.

The band announced last night that their latest album, We Make History Now, will be released by Young Love Records Aug.10 (with a Young Love showcase scheduled for The Waiting Room Aug. 12). With a label, distribution and publicity behind them, who knows where they’ll land.

Finally, after midnight, it was time for the dynamic duo of Cloven Path, who apparently was having an off night, as the guitarist mentioned a few times that his pedal was broken. He only played two or three songs before leaving the stage. Their shtick is to play shredding electric guitar and trigger-happy drums over dense, heavily textured electronic tracks — very EDM-meets-metal. It’s dramatic and fun. The only thing missing is a vocalist, preferably a wonked-out bleached-haired goth chick with a Debra Harry voice clad entirely in black latex. Surely they can find someone around this town to fit the bill.

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You’ve got ’til the end of the day to get in on a sweet offer by Digital Leather designed to raise some money to buy sound equipment. The fund-raising project had a goal of $600. They’re currently at $1,695 — a success (that is if shipping costs don’t eat away at their profits). The details again:

There are two levels in which you can pledge:

1. $10. You’ll receive a free download of their new, yet-to-be-released album.
2. $15. You’ll receive a free vinyl with a numbered, super-limited-edition cover, along with the free download. The vinyls are limited to 150.

To get in on it, just go to the site and fill out the online form. The offer ends in just a few hours.

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It’s back to O’leaver’s again tonight for My Pal Dragon with D.L. Diedrich and the Devil, She’s the Fastest and Thunder Power. $5, 9:30 p.m.

If you’re in Lincoln tonight, check out the Son of 76 and The Watchmen CD release show at The Bourbon Theater. Also on the bill are Tijuana Gigolos, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies and The Killigans. $6, 8 p.m.

Saturday night’s main event is the Benson Day: After Dark showcase, featuring more than 30 bands on five Benson stages — The Waiting Room Lounge, Barley Street Tavern, PS Collective, The Sydney, and Burke’s Pub. $5 will get you into all of them all night. Shows start at 9 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night boasts two huge shows. At The Slowdown, it’s the return of The Mountain Goats. The trio of John Darnielle, Peter Hughes and Jon Wurster will be playing songs off their latest 4AD release, The Life of the World to Come.  Opening the show is The Beets. $15, 9 p.m.

Competing with that show are ’80s legends The Psychedelic Furs with frontman Richard Butler at The Waiting Room with She Wants Revenge. $35, 9 p.m.

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

Well, Nick Carl’s new band, The Meadowlarks, was not on hand last Saturday night at The Barley St. Tavern, due I’m told to scheduling and transportation-related issues. No matter. Carl did the show alone, and like the last time I saw him

, laid down a good set of simple acoustic love (or lack of love) songs sung in his easy-going coffee-shop folk fashion. I dug it, and so did the 15 or so people in the room. Singer/songwriter Nick Jaina and his band closed out the evening with a rowdy set of crash-bash folk rock featuring stand-up bass and trumpet along with the usual instruments. Jaina sort of reminded me of Elvis Perkins, though his music swings closer to folk than Perkins’ dusty Americana.

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Tyson Vogel, one-half of Saddle Creek Records band Two Gallants, announced that his solo debut, Devotionals, is being released July 13 by Alive Records. “Devotionals music is based around Tyson’s guitar compositions, with Anton Patzner (Judgment Day, Bright Eyes) invigorating the musical space with his violin mastery, and they are joined by various guests and collaborators,” says the press release. “The result is a unique combination of simplicity and raw emotion that will delight new and old fans of Two Gallants, a kind of street music with nods to Rachmaninov and John Fahey. The recording is entirely analog.” Really? Wonder if it comes in cassette and/or 8-track tape format. BTW, Two Gallants’ last full length for Saddle Creek came out in 2007.

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Tonight at The Slowdown, it’s red hot indie band Blitzen Trapper with The Moondoggies. $12, 9 p.m. It’s also Slowdown’s third birthday (remember this article?). Stop on down and buy the staff a round. They deserve it.