The crowd on the second day of the 2023 Maha Music Festival.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Was the last Maha Festival to be held at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village the best one ever? No, but last weekend’s festival definitely was in the top-3, and as far as operations goes, went off with only a couple hiccups…

Look, you can’t do anything about the weather, right? Friday’s blistering heat and wilting humidity was only topped by the rainstorm that divided the evening’s festivities. Actually, the rain wasn’t the problem; it was the massively long line to get back onto the festival grounds that was a major bummer. The 4-person-wide line stretched for blocks, from the park entrance to the Residence Inn and then around the corner. But whaddaya gonna do? Security is security, I suppose. And though it seemed like it would never end, it only took about a half-hour to get back inside after the gates reopened, but by then Icky Blossoms already had begun their set. But I’m getting ahead of myself….

BIB on Day of of the 2023 Maha Festival.

I was pleasantly surprised at the crowd size when BIB took the stage at 4:30 – despite a heat index well past 100. The humidity was brutal and yet there was at least a couple hundred people gathered around the second stage – one of the larger audiences I’ve seen for a Maha-opening band. 

And BIB delivered. The Omaha-based hardcore act played a honed set of bonebreak punk that even had a couple dudes aimlessly trying to start a pit by the stage. This was the first time I’ve seen them live, and they were intense despite the small crowd and crazy heat. One photographer asked why they weren’t playing later in the day.

I’ve said this all before — it’s nice to include local bands in the festival, but I’m not sure how much they’re being helped exposurewise when playing to a mostly empty field. I’ve been told by organizers in the past that my solution of having one of the touring acts open the festival to draw a large initial crowd is impracticable for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that no touring band would voluntarily take the time slot. That said, I promise you if Guided by Voices opened the festival you’d have a big-ass crowd on hand – a crowd that would hang around the rest of the day Just sayin’…

Anyway… 

HAKIM plays as the storm begins to form in the background.

BIB was followed by another local act, rapper HAKIM, which I learned is always ALL UPPERCASE. If you want to find HAKIM on Spotify, use that caps lock key. This was another introduction to the band and their impressive sound, production and flow. Very groovy stuff that deserves more research. 

Throughout HAKIM’s set, the edge of the frontal boundary crept closer, eventually blocking out the sun and cooling things down. Just over HAKIM’s shoulder majestic thunderheads loomed like a scene from Oppenheimer. The end was nigh.

Sure enough, just as Icky Blossoms finished their soundcheck the festival was “officially closed” temporarily because of the imminent storm. We were told to shelter in nearby parking garages until the coast was clear. I high-tailed it to a well-air-conditioned Pauli’s and watched the wind and rain sweep through. As quickly as it started, the storm was over. Figured I could just walk right back in where I went out, but no – I was directed to the main gaits where the aforementioned line of humanity was in the streets. 

The line to reenter the festival after the storm passed went on for blocks.

In addition to security screening, everyone had to rescan their tickets – sure hope everyone held on to their stubs. As the line inched closer to the gates the rumble of Icky Blossoms echoed off the buildings. For many including myself, seeing the band’s reunion was a festival highlight not to be missed. But missing it we were.

Icky Blossoms takes the Maha Union Pacific stage.

In the end, I only missed about half their set. By the time I was back to the stage, the Ickies were just finishing “Babes” and about to crank into “Sex to the Devil,” and they were killing it. The triumvirate of Derek Pressnall, Nik Fackler and Sarah Bohling was joined by Sara Bertuldo on bass. The band never sounded harder, faster or louder, and was absolutely on point. “Why aren’t they together anymore?” asked a dude to my right. Because life has a way of going on, I said. No doubt if they wanted to, they could make a go of it again. 

They ended their triumphant set with their traditionally set-closer, 2011’s “Perfect Vision.” It was like a rainbow after a storm. 

Ekkstacy on the second stage at Maha 2023.

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. Ekkstacy played next on the small stage. The band is somewhat known for their single, “I Walk This Earth All By Myself,” a synth-driven quick-beat thumper that sounds like something right out of ’80s college radio. Live, however, the band was all guitars and reminded me Standing On the Beach-era Cure — riveting, chiming tones and straight-on drums capped by Ekkstacy’s crisp vocals. Something tells me we’ll be talking about this set in years to come…

Alvvays at Maha 2023.

That was it for the small stage. Alvvays took the big stage next and played a flawless set, if not somewhat uneventful. There wasn’t much to see. I did notice was how many great songs Alvvays have in their song book, one after another, I caught myself saying, “Shit, I forgot they play that one, too.” Frontwoman Molly Rankin has a pure, flawless voice; it was like listening to a recording. 

Maha had announced after the storm that all the bands would still play full sets despite losing an hour of festival time. That meant Turnstile wasn’t going to go on until well past 10 p.m.  An incredibly long stage switch out pushed that start time past 10:30, and by then the crowd had ballooned in size. I don’t know the attendance numbers yet, but Friday night’s crowds seemed larger than Saturday night’s. 

Turnstile closes out Day 1 of Maha 2023.

Turnstile finally hit the stage with the same energy captured in their YouTube performances. Their music — an intense, riff-driven rock that borders on ‘90s Nu-Metal crossed with modern emo (but with better vocals and better melodies) — forces listeners to bounce, and so they did. 

And while the sound throughout the entire day earned an A+, Turnstile’s set was hampered by technical problems, including something wrong with the lead guitar, which kept cutting out. Frontman Branden Yates, whose vocals are booming on their recordings, oftentimes was lost in the mix. Despite this, the band sounded somewhat awesome… for the five songs I saw them perform before heading to the gates. 

Ebba Rose kicked of the second day of the 2023 Maha Music Festival.

Saturday’s line-up was less interesting than Friday’s. I made an effort to be there at 2:30 to see Ebba Rose. About 100 folks were on hand to catch the performance by singer/songwriter Erin Mitchell and her band. She’s surrounded herself with first-class musicians, including a great drummer and lead guitarist. Her music is more pop than indie, more Jewel/Sheryl Crow/Taylor Swift, and nothing like the current female-led indie movement heard on college radio. It’s a matter of musical style, and that doesn’t take away from the fact she’s got a voice clear as a bell and can belt out modern rock as well as anyone on American Idol. 

Terry Presume at the 2023 Maha Music Festival.

I left the park after Ebba Rose’s set and didn’t return until after 6 when Terry Presume was on stage finishing his performance of by-the-numbers hip-hop that had the crowd moving. I’m not familiar with his music, but it sounded good, though nothing I hadn’t heard before. 

It was just before The Beths took the small stage that I noticed how small the crowd seemed — smaller than the crowd Friday night at the same time. But halfway through The Beths’ set, the crowd seemed to double in size. 

The Beths closed out the small stage on Day 2 of the Maha Music Festival.

Of all the bands that played Maha, I heard more compliments about The Beths than any other. Folks just loved their songs. Very much like Alvvays, they’re first and foremost masters of infectious indie pop songs driven by great hooks and great vocal lines. Indie rock candy. 

That was the first time (other than a headliner) where a band came back and played an encore. 

Peach Pit at Day 2 of the Maha Music Festival.

Then on came Peach Pit, a peaceful easy-feeling band that bordered on jam territory. At one point during a song the guitar lines morphed into the harmony guitar solo from The Eagles’ “Hotel California.” Not my thing, but there’s no question a lot of folks were at Maha to see them because after their set it looked like a mini exodus to the gates as lines of folks picked up and left. 

That said, the crowd on hand for Big Thief was enormous, and what a lucky crowd it was. While I dig this band— from their early Saddle Creek Records releases right up to their recent double-album — I questioned their status as a festival closer. Well, I was wrong.

Big Thief closed out Day 2 of the Maha Music Festival.

With a stripped down mostly empty stage that held the four members and their instruments, the band came out and crushed their set, opening with a couple new songs that were just gorgeous before tearing into “Certainty,” the single from their last album and one of my favorites. 

Frontwoman Adrianne Lenker has a star-quality voice that stands right up there with Tammy and Loretta and Kitty — just a pure voice rich in soul, sounding even better on stage than on her records. The entire band – Buck Meek on guitar and backing vocals, Max Oleartchik on stand-up bass and James Krivchenia on drums, were somewhat amazing. 

It was about halfway through “Certainty” that the band stopped so medics could go into the crowd and help someone out, then the band picked up right where they left off. I’m told the same thing happened later in their set as well. While it was warm out, it was nothing like the day (and night) before. 

Usually when acts just come out and play — just stand there — it bores me to tears, but there was something about Big Thief and Lenker’s voice that is mesmerizing. So, in the 15 years that I’ve seen Maha, that was one of my favorite headliner sets. 

As I made my way back to the parking garage I thought about how much I’m going to miss Stinson Park as the venue for Maha. It’s just so damn… comfortable. Everything about it, from the access to set up, from the staging to the peripheral areas, was going to be difficult to beat when the Maha Festival moves downtown next year for what is bound to be an even bigger concert experience. Let’s hope it doesn’t lose any of its charm. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Blondshell at 7th St. Entry, July 11, 2023.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

When you think of First Avenue and 7th St. Entry what immediately comes to mind is the iconic club scenes from Prince’s Purple Rain; this venue was voted among the top 3 in the country (according to their signage). But that’s First Ave you’re thinking of, not 7th St. Entry. 7SE is a tiny shithole of a venue located in the same building as First Avenue, and really that’s its only connection.

That said, the room wasn’t without its charm. After showing your ticket you pass through a thick velvet curtain into a room that is shockingly small, with a small bar tucked into one corner adjacent to a tiny stage. The all-black room feels like it slopes down to the stage, but that may just be an illusion. Capacity couldn’t be more than 100 (wiki says it’s 250, but that cannot be right), though there were at least 150 in there last night.

Knowing the show had sold out, we purposely arrived late to cut down on the amount of time we’d have to suffer in what I assumed (correctly) would be a crush mob of people in a tiny space. In the end, it didn’t matter because the opening act, an NYC trio called Hello Mary, started 45 minutes late — which meant standing in the hot hellhole of a stink zone for a half an hour, shoulder-to-shoulder, listening to a drone pre-set track on the PA. It was ungodly uncomfortable, and I started to consider skipping the gig altogether except for the fact that we were literally surrounded by people who were years (decades) older than us who were gutting through the experience. Here I thought I’d be the oldest person in the room. Whoda thunk that Blondshell would attract such a geriatric audience?

Hello Mary at 7th St. Entry, July 11, 2023.

Well, just before giving up, on came Hello Mary. As shabby as 7SE is as a club, the sound was pristine, driven in part by a talented band of players who really knew their way around their instruments, especially the rhythm section. The bass player, Mikaela Oppenheimer, was particularly awesome, working her hands up and down the fretboard, all the time looking bored out of her skull. Maybe it was because of the songs, which were pure ‘90s indie girl rock (everything from The Spinanes, Squawl to Helium came to mind) powered by That Dog-style vocal harmonies between guitarist Helen Straight and drummer Stella Wave. Despite going on 45 minutes late, the band played an excruciatingly long set, which only got better the longer it went.

After a quick equipment swap out, on came Blondshell, playing as a four-piece with frontwoman Sabrina Teitelbaum standing alone instrument-less, behind the microphone backed by a super-tight band that had me thinking they must be hired studio musicians who’ve come in to handle the tour or who played on the record. You never got a sense that they’re actually her band, though they killed on every note of these hook-filled indie tunes. I wish I could tell you Teitelbaum did as well. Throughout the set, her vocals were a mere facsimile of what’s heard on the album, which is a studio-produced masterwork. Live, the voice is there but it’s nowhere near as powerful.

What Teitelbaum does have is a solid set of songs, which the crowd spent most of the set singing back to her. While most of her album is downcast, she wisely brightened the set with a couple covers, including a tasty take on Le Tigre’s “Deceptacon.” The night’s highlight was a sterling rendition of “Kiss City,” the best performance of the night, though she struggled to pull off the high notes during the song’s intense last chorus. Don’t blame road fatigue; this was only their third night.

Despite a luke-warm performance in a smelly, tiny venue, the trip was worth it if only to say I’ve been to this legendary club next to the one Prince made famous.

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Her Flyaway Manner at Scriptown, July 8, 2023.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Scriptown in the Blackstone District again hosted bands this past Saturday as part of the district’s Second Saturday event wherein performers performed in venues along Farnam Street. 

Her Flyaway Manner was already set up and playing to a good-sized crowd at Scriptown when I arrived after 3 p.m. Like last time, the trio was set up in the back corner of the bar near the door that leads to the their back patio, where a small team of personnel was busy stuffing hotdogs and sausages into buns, the smoke from the barbecue wafting through and into the venue – it looked and felt like a Fourth of July picnic, except for the music, of course.

HFM, out of Lincoln, has been around for well over 20 years, powered by frontman/guitarist Brendan McGinn, drummer Boz Hicks and bassist Adam2000. In all that time, their sound hasn’t budged much from its initial brittle, post-punk recipe, and that’s a good thing. The crowd formed a circle around the band as the barkeeps tried to keep everyone’s glasses filled.

Leafblower at Scriptown, July 8, 2023.

They were followed by Omaha band Leafblower, each member of the four-piece adorned with their trademark rubber, old-man-in-a-gray-ponytail mask, which they only wore for the first song (and last). Fronted by guitarist/vocalist Danny Maxwell and bassist/vocalist Craig Fort, with Jahn Clark on second guitar and Tab Tworek on drums, this really was the first time I soaked in what they were after sonically. I’ve seen this band at least a half-dozen times but never paid much attention to what they were doing because I was always derailed by whatever gimmick they were using for their stage show (giant leafblower smoke machines, old-dude mannequins, etc.). Not so Saturday afternoon, as they tore into a set of good old-fashioned heavy metal. 

I’m not now, nor have I ever been, a metal fan; on the other hand, I dig Heavy Metal. The difference: HM is slower, has better hooks, better grooves, is just funkier than metal’s “need for speed,” which usually translates (for me, anyway) into insect-noise fronted by the Cookie Monster. Heavy metal music has more nuanced vocals (or at least better yelling) and is just more fun. And this was, indeed, fun. 

Like all good heavy metal, the proof is in the riffs, which power everything, and that was certainly the case here. The vocals, unfortunately, were next to non-existant from my vantage point behind the speakers (since there was nowhere else to stand), and the fact that Fort’s mic seemed to  only be working half the time. And, goddamn, was it loud. I was happy I had earplugs. 

Good times. Scriptown needs to host bands more often. They could corner the market on live indie rock if they wanted to, as no other business in Blackstone seems so inclined to host these kinds of shows.

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Fleet Foxes at Steelhouse Omaha, July 2, 2023.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m unsure where Fleet Foxes fits on the spectrum of today’s popular music. They are indie for sure, releasing records on Seattle super-indie label, Sub Pop Records, and their music is anything but radio friendly, or is it?

Standing in the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd at Steelhouse Omaha Sunday night as the band rolled into their fourth song, the mid-tempo pumper “Can I Believe You,” I was reminded if only for a moment of ’70s feel-good FM-favorite Chicago, thanks to the ensemble’s mini-brass section.

A trumpet, trombone and sax player, all of whom did double duty providing harmony vocals or playing assorted other instruments, was part of an 8-person ensemble that was far from crowded on Steelhouse’s enormous stage. The sax player was particularly versatile, swapping out tenor sax with stand-up bass, flute and tambourine. 

At other moments, I was reminded of CSNY, Cat Stevens and, yeah, Air Supply. Hey, I love two out of three of those bands. The evening’s high point was a pretty rendition of one of Fleet Foxes’ most familiar songs, “White Winter Hymnal” from their 2008 self-titled debut, sounding like an indie barber shop quartet building layer upon layer of glimmering harmonies.  

The performance was a rote set of mostly older music. Fleet Foxes have done just about everything they can with this style of Americana-inflected indie folk and could keep riding the wave to larger and larger audiences I suppose, though I have to believe it’s going to get boring for them after awhile. They’ve already rereleased their debut in a sort of omnibus collection with an early EP and B-sides, and frontman Robin Pecknold released yet another version of these old songs on A Very Lonely Solstice. Where they’re headed next is anyone’s guess…

A few side notes…

• – I’m forever astounded by the need of some concertgoers to carry on full-blown yell-conversations during concerts like this one. Fleet Foxes’ music is somewhat delicate, and having three women yell to each other about their day while standing right up by the stage is the height of self-centeredness. And is just plain weird. Look around, folks. People are trying to enjoy a concert that cost them $$$. Take your convo to the prison-yard patio.

• – Speaking of which, after fielding complaints from patrons, Steelhouse security is now segregating smokers out in the prison yard patio. Smokeheads were pushed all the way to the far fence by an imposing dude with a walkie talkie. He told me Steelhouse is looking for ways to better utilize the enormous outdoor space. Maybe more tables and chairs; maybe use it for wedding receptions (!). 

• – One beer and one vodka lemonade. Cost w/tax and tip: $41.48. These are Broadway bar prices, folks, which I guess Steelhouse can get away with in their early days, but if they want to continue to attract large crowds, they’re going to have to offer more reasonably priced drink options or drop their prices (highly unlikely). 

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Melissa Etheridge tears it up at Memorial Park June 30, 2023.

Speaking of cheap nights of music, I strolled up to Memorial Park Friday night to catch the last half hour of Melissa Etheridge and was pleasantly surprised at how good it sounded – like a real rock concert. Nice job, audio people (whoever you are); it must be a real challenge to make a large field situated next to a highway sound like a concert hall. 

Etheridge was in good voice, no surprise there, as she ended the evening with her “hits” from 30 years ago, though instead of closing out on a grand high note, she drew out a song with a drum solo(?) followed by an extended end-play that just sort of petered out. Kind of weird, especially with a crowd salivating for their fireworks to begin…

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Tonight at The Blind Spot, Bar None recording artist, San Francisco’s Pardoner, who All Music (accurately) describes as “Noisy slacker pop quartet that marries angular heaviness with indie rock catchiness.” On their just released album, Peace Loving People (Bar None), they remind me a lot of early Parquet Courts mashed with early low-fi Pavement. 

The Blind Spot is a new all-ages venue in / near downtown Omaha around where The Cog Factory used to be. The organizer asks that you DM Morgan Goldsberry for the address, though the address is clearly stated on the Nebraska DIY Facebook post (click through the post’s images to event “Vintage Clothes and More!!!,” where you’ll find the address). 

Hey folks, I realize DIY is all about keeping things on the down-low to control your audience, but you’re a venue now. Just print the freakin’ address on your flyers. 

Based on past and future bookings, The Blind Spot will be the home for hardcore and metal shows. Such is life. The fact that they’ve let this indie show sneak in is a positive sign. We need another place for young touring indie bands to perform besides Reverb, which these days is only booking breadcrumbs. Tonight’s show is a four-band bill with Fire Sign, Glow and Western Hairus, and kicks off at 8 p.m. $10. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Violenteer at Reverb Lounge June 24, 2023.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Violenteer’s old hook used to be their double basses and the trippy, almost Floydian quality of some of the mostly instrumental music. But now with the addition of new vocalist Steve Tulipana, the KC guy you might remember from noise rock bands Season to Risk and Roman Numerals, Violenteer has transformed into something that’s not wholly different but not the same, either. 

Those two basses are still there, along with a new drummer who I didn’t recognize, but now Tulipana is at the heart of the matter, a showman vocalist who sings as if he’s standing on the edge of an arena stage instead of in front of about 75 people at Reverb Lounge last Saturday night. Ranging from post-grunge yell vocals to simply spitting out lyrics over Barry and Randy Cotton’s riffs, Tulipana was like a ringmaster emoting to the crowd, switching between a standard microphone and hand-held CB radio microphone that distorted his vocals through the magic of pedals or a synth, 

Also controlling some electronic gadgetry, Tulipana and his voice provided another instrument that cuts through the bass sludge at times like a lead guitar, rounding out the heavy metal. On the one song that wasn’t a minor-key stomper, Tulipana sounded like a latter-day Daltrey. Alas, the mix was too rough to make out any of the words, which no doubt would have added another layer to the dark matter. All in all, they’re like a new band playing that old heavy metal punk we all remember from the ‘90s. 

Little Brazil at Reverb Lounge, June 24, 2023.

Little Brazil had a tougher night. While the band was on point as per usual, frontman Landon Hedges struggled hearing himself in the monitors, or so it seemed as he continued to signal to the soundboard, resulting in some uncertainty in his usual high-wire act vocal delivery, unlike the stellar vocals heard at that recent Maha announcement gig. Oh, Landon still has it, he just needs to be able to hear himself while he does it. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The crowd last Saturday night for Ondara at Slowdown Jr. was unusual in that almost all of the mostly older folks were seated at high-top tables that filled the room. I don’t remember ever seeing a set-up like that at Slowdown. Opener Kiely Connell was finishing her set when I walked in and noticed not a soul standing in front of the stage. It felt like a formal jazz lounge.

Before he took the stage, I stood back along the edge toward the door that leads to the patio, having spent the between-set time sitting alone outside. Ondara stood in the make-shift “backstage” area behind the curtain off of stage left, not quite pacing next to the pool table, but looking down as he quietly sang to himself in a sort of pre-show voice-warmup ritual. Then he stood up straight and strolled onto the stage to warm applause.

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard anyone with a voice as strong and sure as Ondara’s. He started his set with an a-cappella number that had the crowd mesmerized. And then he methodically went through a set list of a little over a dozen songs, all accompanied by his simple acoustic guitar, all reminding me of early Tracy Chapman — both in melody and vocal style — and it just so happens that I adore Tracy Chapman.

The difference between Ondara and Chapman is in his lack of variety – most of his songs have a similar mid-tempo four-chord style – and his lyrics that, while personal, are nowhere near as gut-wrenchingly confessional as Chapman’s early material, which was revelatory for its time. That said, his songs are no less depressing, introducing them with “Here’s another sad one” and closing out the evening by saying “Time goes by quickly when you’re sad,” though he looked anything but sad as he rifled through the set list, explaining how some of the songs came along. This one is a lock-down song; this one is about aliens, and so on. 

Really beautiful stuff and, like I said, sung with a strong, confident voice so unlike the style of singing I’m accustomed to hearing at indie shows where vocals hold a distant third behind the lyrics and instrumentation, almost as if an after-thought (“hey, someone has to sing these lines.”). 

Not Ondara. His voice alone is a treasure. To underscore this, the first of his three-song encore was another a-cappella number, sung perfectly, unwavering, again mesmerizing the strange, seated crowd. 

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In the early 2000, one of the staple indie acts that toured throughout the country and into Omaha was Say Hi to Your Mom, a one-man act consisting of singer/songwriter Eric Elbogen. We used to call his kind of records “bedroom recordings” because the artist typically recorded the albums themselves on computer. playing all the parts. Thus was how Elbogen did it for his first album, 2002’s Discosadness, and for many that would be released over the next 20 years, some on the PNW label Barsuk Records, whose massive roster also included Mates of State, Death Cab for Cutie, Rilo Kiley, Starlight Mints, Viva Voce, Ra Ra Riot and a ton more of bands I love. 

Sometime over the course of that 20 years, Say Hi to Your Mom became just Say Hi. I guess Elbogen outgrew that earlier name. And now you’ll have a chance to see Say Hi yourself, as Elbogen brings his one-man show to a home in Dundee this Wednesday as part of his Undertow Tour – a tour played entirely in people’s homes. So where is the actual location? All I know is that it’s somewhere in Dundee and that you’ll be notified when you buy your ticket, which is $25 and available for purchase online at this website. Don’t worry, it’s probably a super nice place. Hurry, there are only 18 tickets left as of this writing, and Say Hi shows have a way of selling out. Starts at 8 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In case it slipped your mind, The Killers are from “fabulous Las Vegas” and they’ll never let you forget it. 

Frontman / telethon host Brandon Flowers reminded the crowd multiple times throughout Friday night’s set at the grand opening of Steelhouse Omaha, strutting across the enormous stage in a purple tux jacket, leading the confetti-covered crowd through a tight, well-choreographed evening of fist-pump anthems.

But before I get to that, first Steelhouse Omaha itself. Located at 11th and Dodge St. only a stone’s throw from the Holland Performing Arts Center, the new facility is destined to become a landmark for live music. From the ground up, it is an ultra-modern concert hall that appears to have erupted right out of the concrete in downtown Omaha. 

Announced at the height of COVID in November 2019, many thought it could be a fool’s dream — no one knew what was going to happen with the pandemic. At the same time, it was a beacon of hope, assurance that somehow we’d get through all this sickness and death, that Omaha Performing Arts and its patrons must know something or they wouldn’t commit north of $110 million in a new facility designed to host a crowd like a herd of cattle, standing shoulder-to-shoulder in a windowless, confined hall – the absolute last place you’d want to be in the middle of an airborne-spread pandemic.

Yet, here we were, three-and-a-half years later, Covid all but eradicated, waiting to dive head-first into a maskless crowd. Ain’t humanity amazing?

I arrived at around 7:15 and stood in the short queue to get in. The first checkpoint was an ID check for an alcohol wristband, located outside the facility. Through the door and some sort of high-tech metal detector (no need to empty your pockets), I made a beeline to the box office, where my ticket was waiting in will-call. Most older box offices  have multiple windows – this was one walk-up hole in the wall, which made me think they must really want to sell advance tickets because if they ever have a large walk-up crowd, this small ticket window would be a challenge (and you know what they say — Omaha is a walk-up city).

From there, it was right into the venue. Booking The Killers – a band that usually plays 20,000-seat arenas — was like learning to swim by being tossed into a deep, dark lake. I guess if you’re going to pressure-test the system, do it right out of the box. To their credit, Steelhouse passed the hospitality portion of the test with flying colors, thanks to a massive phalanx of smiling, crew-shirted staff at every turn (reminding me of the Maha Festival, whose success has floated on its own massive volunteer staff). No gruff, overworked bouncers here, these folks all looked like they were having a good time. 

The lobby held a large merch area and bar, then through the doors on your right and you entered the enormous main hall cram-packed with T-shirt-clad fans holding plastic cups. Stairs on either side were well-guarded to keep riff-raff without club tickets (like me) from going upstairs. 

Bars (concessions) were built into the walls on either side of the hall, and in back – seemed like they were everywhere. Even with a sold-out crowd, I had no problem buying my $13 pint of wheat beer. All purchases are cashless, so grab your credit card and ID and leave your wallet at home. 

With my beer in hand, this was when things got tricky. The main floor was already crush-filled. I stepped into the mass of humanity a couple times just to check out the sight-lines. Instead of being sloped, the main, standing-floor area seemed flat, but the stage was raised high enough that sightlines would only be a problem for the most height-challenged. 

Somehow, I ended standing on one of the elevated decks along stage right, where I noticed a guy manning what looked like a battery of T-shirt cannons.

“Confetti cannons?” I asked. He nodded, smiling. “When will those go off? At the beginning? At the end?”

“All night,” the guy said. “The Killers love their confetti.”

We all discovered this shortly after 8 p.m. when the band took the stage and – bamf! — off went the cannons in a glittering cloud of paper as the Killers slammed into their opening number, “My Own Soul’s Warning.” And the crowd, as they say, went nuts.

It’s here that I should tell you I’m not a fan of The Killers. I think their music is fine if not a bit generic and by-the-numbers for my personal taste. With their hooks and their sing-along choruses, I understand why the mostly older crowd loved them. Frontman Flowers has a stage presence that seems to emote “We’re here all week with two shows a day on weekends,” ticking off the hits the fans so desperately want to hear. 

The room sounded overall pretty good, if a bit tinny and oversaturated on the high end. Volume was even throughout the entire facility. The arsenal of lighting was impressive, as was the giant backdrop video that augmented every song, as if The Killers had brought a Las Vegas stage show to Omaha (because they sort of did).

Problems began when I turned around to make my way to the back of the room. There were no walk-throughs and people were smashed all the way across the aisles, requiring that I shoulder my way against the current of flesh. Still, I never really felt trapped. The main auditorium is designed with large exit doors that open into a secondary lounge where the bathrooms are located, which then exits into a large patio area — both nice touches and areas to escape to when you feel overwhelmed by the sound and noise. 

Sunday I went to the Steelhouse Open House to get a look at the facility without all the people, and yes, it does feel rather sterile in the cold light of day. But you go for the rock show, not the feng shui.

Flowers and Co. slammed through one song after the next, never slowing down and only briefly acknowledging that they had the honor of playing the grand opening. “We’ve been asked to christen The Steelhouse,” Flowers yelled. “Usually we’re asked to blow the roof off the place!” 

Yeah! the crowd roared, and then they fired right into one of their more lyrically in-ept songs, “Human,” with the robot chorus, “Are we human or are we dancer?” (sic). Lots of air punches ensued. 

Later in the set, Flowers brought the vibe down.  “We usually play larger rooms than this,” he said. “This next song is perfect for this room. We made a Bright Eyes record during Covid called Pressure Machine. Wherever Conor is tonight, this is for him.” Little did he realize few in the audience knew who he was talking about as he sang the acoustic-guitar-drive “Runaway Horses,” a song that sounds nothing like a Bright Eyes song. 

After about 75 minutes, they closed out their set with another fan favorite, “All These Things That I’ve Done,” where the crowd sang along to the repeated line, “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier.” OK. Instead of a typical encore, the set ended with about five minutes of low-end hum and smoke from smoke machines. 

I stood in the back, taking it in, when a short, young, bearded guy came up to me and asked, “Did they do ‘Brightside’ yet?” I said I didn’t know. He shook his head and walked off before I could add, “because I have no idea what that song is.” 

The band then came back for the visually homo-erotic “The Man,” followed by, you guessed it, “Mr. Brightside.” And Bamf! more confetti! And there you have it. I walked out to the patio and escaped into the night. All in all, a big success for Steelhouse. I’m looking forward to going back to see a band that I actually want to see. Now if they would only book one.

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Speaking of standing-room shows, there’s one tonight at Reverb Lounge. Quirky ‘90s-era surf rock act Man or Astro-Man? headlines a four-band bill that includes the always-amazing Solid Goldberg. Also on the scorecard are laughingthrush & B.Sonnier. $28, 8 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by TIm McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Way back in 2016, I went to a show at the now long-defunct Milk Run featuring a Sub Pop band called Arbor Labor Union. Milk Run was a venue located around 20-something and Leavenworth that was the size of a large walk-in closet. Despite its size, they put on a number of interesting shows in their tiny lifetime. 

I left that show back then with a copy of Arbor Labor Union’s Sub Pop debut and a premonition that they could maybe one day be huge, and I could say I saw them play first at the closet-sized Milk Run.

Well, seven years later, Arbor Labor Union is no longer on Sub Pop, but still exists (in fact, they released a new album in January on Sophomore Lounge Records), but they’re not the huge hit I thought they could be.

So, here we are in 2023 and along comes Deeper, who played last night at Reverb Lounge. The band recently released a single on Sub Pop – their first with the label — after receiving accolades from Pitchfork about their previous album released on Fire Records. I hadn’t heard of them before this show, but, hey, they’re on Sub Pop, so… Any time any Omaha club hosts a traveling indie band that’s on a recognizable, nationally distributed indie label, I’m going to try my darnedest to catch their show.

Deeper was musically everything I’d hoped they’d be – a solid post-punk band clearly influenced by Joy Division / New Order with a modern, chiming guitar sound in line with an act like Preoccupations, which they’ve been compared to. I was also reminded of early French Kiss guitar bands and acts from my youth, like Manishevitz.

Frontman/guitarist Nic Gohl has a throaty vocal delivery that sort of sounds like David Byrne during his weirder moments, barking out lyrics that, unfortunately unlike Byrne (who is a great enunciator), were impossible to understand. The basic formula for most songs was drummer Shiraz Bhatti creating a throbbing beat to be joined in with a groovy bassline from Drew McBride, a repeated acidic guitar riff by Mike Clawson and then in comes Gohl with his own guitar part and his distinctive bark. As the songs went on, they locked into a hypnotic groove, with Clawson occasionally adding a New Order-ish synth line.

Very cool stuff, but they’re one of those “stand up there and play” bands, which was enough for the 50 or so in the very young crowd (likely there to see the openers and sticking around for the headliners). Arbor Labor Union’s performance back in 2016 was pretty much the same – stand up and play – and that’s fine because like Deeper, their music, played with extreme precision, carried the day. 

Still, I have to wonder if I just saw a band on the verge of becoming huge or another Arbor Labor Union, who will be around in seven years, but on a different label doing different things somewhere far away from Omaha. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I have no idea how they determine when a show is “sold out.” One assumes they keep count of the ticket sales and when they reach a certain number, that’s it. They must have reached that number Friday night for The New Pornographers show at The Waiting Room because it sure felt packed in there. I can’t remember a show more packed with people, and yet, when I checked the website or looked at the front door, there was no indication the show had sold out. 

So crowded that once inside there was no where to go except the corner of the bar right in front of the door, where I got my usual tallboy of Rolling Rock, and then somehow squeezed through the crowd while opening band Wild Pink finished their set. Part of the crowding on this side of the bar was due to a huge, long table set up next to the booths where people were handing out Amnesty International literature. I stood next to it, looking like one of the volunteers, though no one asked me any questions about human rights violations. 

The cramped crowd seemed to ease a little when Wild Pink wrapped things up, and I was able to make my way to the sound board area, where I found a cubby space that would be my home for the next two hours. The New Pornographers came on stage at around a quarter after nine, opening with “Marie and the Undersea,” from their new album Continue as a Guest.

The seven-piece band was fronted by Neko Case, looking more and more like a middle-aged Stevie Nicks, and Carl Newman, who is starting to resemble a short version of Steve Martin. Whenever I see Neko sing I want to run on stage and lower her microphone because it always looks like she’s stretching to sing into it. I guess that’s her style. Maybe it was the mix, but she sounded a bit lost early in the set but hit her stride five songs in singing the band’s first single, “Really Really Light.” 

From there it was just another New Pornos show, albeit without Dan Bejar, who I guess is now dedicated full time to Destroyer. The standouts to me was the addition of tenor sax player Zach Djanikian, who added some great solos and fills throughout the set, and the always fetching Kathryn Calder on support vocals. If the band seemed a bit laid-back maybe it was because of the laid-back nature of this enormous crowd – a mix of older folks with what looked like their kids — who spent the set standing and staring at the band, nodding their heads to the beat.  

Halfway through, the band announced it was trying a song they’d never played before. “Let’s see how this goes,” Newman said (Case and Newman chatted calmly between the songs like a couple of NPR hosts doing a podcast). The song, btw, was “Bottle Episodes,” also from the new album. The band wrapped up the set with a fine version of “Whiteout Conditions,” before leaving and coming back for a 4-song encore that closed with “The Bleeding Heart Show” — how they’ve been closing all their shows on this tour. 

So, a 90-minute concert, well played as per usual. When I think of New Pornographers I think of an era in indie music dominated by them, Belle & Sebastian and Yo La Tengo — all acts that continue to thrive 20 years or more after their debuts and who no doubt have been instrumental in helping launch other bands. Case and Newman mentioned this from stage, talking when My Morning Jacket and Vampire Weekend opened for them, and jokingly adding they were happy to give those guys a break. 

Late on Friday, O’Leaver’s announced a last-minute show Saturday night with San Diego indie act Crocodiles. The band has been around since 2008, created by Brandon Welchez and Charles Rowell out of the ashes of punk bands The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower and Some Girls. They’ve got a number of releases on Fat Possum Records. and band members have played with a number of other bands, most notably Dum Dum Girls (Welchez apparently was once married to front woman Kristin Kontrol) and Cat Power.

Before they went on, local punk band Las Cruxes played a set as three-piece rather than their usual crowded stage of musicians. I have no idea if this is their new permanent line-up or a one-off thing, but I really dug the set. Eduardo ‘Yayo’ Trujillo was backed by a  drummer and bassist and played a number of songs off their upcoming album, all sung in Spanish and at times sounding like a cross between The Pixies, Galaxy 500 and Luna. At the best moments, the band rolled on longer numbers where Trujillo would rip on guitar solos, backed by that tight rhythm section, the bass really leaning forward on these songs. Just a great set of rock music.

After much sound checking to fix an errant bass drum that was feeding back through the PA, Crocodiles ripped into their set. I’ve only heard a couple songs online from their Bandcamp page. Frontman Welchez was in fine form playing as if in front of a 1,000 people instead of fewer than 20. This is one of the tightest bands I’ve seen in awhile and they sounded great on O’Leaver’s “stage.” 

Where else can a band introduce themselves between songs and order their after-set dinner? Welchez ordered chicken strips, the guitarist had wings; the bass player, a burger to go and the drummer, tequila. 

It’s been awhile since I’ve said this, but it was another fantastic night at O’Leaver’s. And while there’s no question they’ve gone all-in on the restaurant side of things (a new flat screen monitor has been placed above the booths by the stage that constantly shows a rotation of burgers, fries and other menu items), the Club hasn’t lost sight of its heritage as one of Omaha’s premiere hole-in-the-wall performance spaces. So much so that they’ve got a David Nance show booked for this coming Saturday and I’m told will try to book at least a couple shows a month moving forward. Hear! Hear!

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If it wasn’t a sell out it was the closest thing to it Saturday night at The Slowdown. Water from Your Eyes had just started their set when I arrived at after 9. They played as a three piece – guitarist Nate Amos and vocalist Rachel Brown with a bass player. The drums were prerecorded backing tracks that Amos controlled from a MacBook that sat next to his pedal board — full-on synth tracks and beats, which he cued up throughout the evening. 

Their set was almost identical to what they played at Reverb Lounge late last year opening for Palm, switching between mid-tempo, meandering crooners and harsh, brittle, noise symphonies that saw Amos playing cut-jab guitar riffs over acidic synth tones while Brown either spoke or sang lyrics in beat with the dissonance. Those art-noise experiments were the evening’s highlight, wonky and off-kilter and at times unsettling and/or groovy. I hope this is where they’re headed on their upcoming album rather than the serene tone poems heard on earlier recordings. 

Brown looked like a 13-year-old boy wandering around stage between songs while Amos re-tuned or cued up the next song on the playlist. The seemed like a very young band halfway to figuring out where they want their sound to go. I can’t imagine what Snail Mail fans thought of them.

That said, their set was far more dynamic and interesting than Snail Mail’s, which was low-energy by-the-numbers female-fronted indie rock. Lead singer Lindsey Jordan‘s voice sounded remarkably pedestrian in a mix that only highlighted her limitations. 

Jordan talked about tour bus problems (break-downs, crashes, near-death experiences) and mentioned recently firing a member of the band, which I assume was their guitarist. All this after being on the road for a solid year touring this record. She spoke about having written one song with a difficult guitar part, but thinking “it doesn’t matter because I won’t be the one who has to play it.” I guess the joke was on her. 

A flat performance, but it didn’t matter to the capacity crowd squeezed onto the floor in front of the stage who came to hear these songs and sing along, as they did throughout the night. 

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.