Criteria at O’Leaver’s March 2, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Let’s start with the tiki bar.

It’s amazing that O’Leaver’s could create this alternate reality in a club that used to be as well known for its smell as its music. Tucked away in the space just behind the main bar (take a left right after you go through the front door), the room used to house a punching machine and other assorted junk. Bands stored their gear back there between sets. It’s now been transformed into a dimly lit tropical paradise complete with cabana grass and a sunset mural. Classy, very classy.

Manning the tiki bar Saturday night was none other than Cursive guitarist/vocalist and Mayday/Lullaby for the Working Class frontman Ted Stevens. Dressed in a grass skirt w/coconuts Stevens took to his bartender role like he’d been slinging cocktails his entire life, and before you know it, I was holding my first O’Leaver’s umbrella drink — a Mai Tai — and it was damn good. Too good. Going-straight-to-my-head good. Dangerously good. I could get used to hanging out back there, but who knows what the hours will be for the tiki bar. I assume it’ll be manned on weekends and/or show nights. Time will tell.

As for the rest of O’Leaver’s, well the place isn’t that much different. You’ll notice the new baby-poop-brown paint job for the ceiling tile and that any holes in the walls of albums have been properly filled. And the smell is gone. There were other new touches throughout I’m sure, but after that Mai Tai, things became a blur.

Saturday night’s crowd was one of the largest I’ve seen shoe-horned in that place. Tables and chairs has been removed to make more room near the “stage,” and as a result, unless you were in the melee, you couldn’t see who was performing. I’m told that Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship has become a power trio — they certainly sounded like one — lean, mean, in top fighting shape. This new, tight ensemble brings more focus on their Sonic Youth/Pixies-flavored indie songs.

They were followed by the all-powerful Criteria. A note about O’Leaver’s sound — normally it’s impossible to talk to the person standing next to you while the band is playing without shouting a hole in a person’s eardrum. Not Saturday night. The mass of humanity was part of the reason, acting as a natural sound buffer from my perch next to the (new) soundboard in the back of the room. Don’t get me wrong — it still sounded loud, just not painfully so. If Criteria was a test of the bar’s improved sound system, it passed with flying colors.

Criteria rolled out two or three new songs that showed a progression for a veteran band that rarely plays these days. The songs were riff-heavy in a good way; fierce and anthemic as anything they’ve done before. Of course the question is what will they do with this new material. Judging by the rather large contingent of Creekers in the house, could a new release be in the making?

For my ears, O’Leaver’s ranks just behind The Waiting Room and Slowdown in sound quality — it’s  a really balanced room considering it’s just a dive bar. The deficit (at least Saturday night) is the sightlines since the band is standing on the same floor as the crowd in front of it. With no head room to add a riser, the only solution is to get off your ass and join the crowd. Maybe it’s not such a bad problem to have after all.

Sharp-eyed fans noticed that the upcoming Tim Kasher dates at O’Leaver’s (March 20 and 21) are promoted by One Percent Productions. Giving the club the ability to pre-sale tickets is only part of the reason. Will One Percent view O’Leaver’s as a viable venue for smaller touring acts that are ill-suited for the much larger TWR and Slowdown? If so, we could see a new beginning for a club with a legendary past.

BTW, weekends at the club are booked through the balance of the month…

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Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Utah Valley band Desert Noises with Omaha’s own John Klemmensen and The Party. $7, 9 p.m. Check out some Desert Noises below…

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

O’Leaver’s new tiki bar menu. I see trouble…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

No, I’m not getting paid by Cursive to promote the grand re-opening of their new bar — the old O’Leaver’s on south Saddle Creek Road. I’m merely highlighting that the bar’s next three days of music out-classes most of the area’s “festivals” and multi-band special events.

O’Leaver’s already had a reputation for being a veritable pickle-tank of booze-soaked humanity, a place where any beer-fueled madness could happen and usually does. But now they’ve added a tiki bar. The only thing more destructive to mankind than nuclear fission, television and high-fructose corn syrup is rum drinks. Most people (me included) just can’t resist the fruity temptation of a Zombie, Singapore Sling or everyone’s favorite liquid porn, The Mai Tai. Needless to say, I’ll be sipping on an umbrella drink instead of my usual Rolling Rock this weekend while I enjoy the musical festivities.

It starts tonight, at O’Leaver’s. Simon Joyner and The Ghosts headlines a show that also features So-So Sailors and the mega-talented McCarthy Trenching. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tonight, it’s Friday, March 1, which means it’s also Benson First Friday, the day of the month where there’s absolutely no parking anywhere on Maple St. (and which has been declared a holiday by those greedy, car-towing bastards at The Fullhouse Bar). The highlight event is (as per usual) at The Sweatshop Gallery, which tonight features Powerful Science, Gordon, Mint Wad Willy and Austin band Luchuguillas. And, apparently, there will be some boxing action going on “in the ring.” Admission is free but donations are encouraged (all cash goes to support Sweatshop). 7 p.m. start time.

Up the street, The Waiting Room tonight is hosting the Javier Ochoa memorial benefit concert featuring a slew of tribute and cover bands. $7, 9 p.m.

Saturday night, it’s Day Two of O’Leaver’s grand re-opening, featuring Criteria (wow, three shows in as many months, I guess they really are back) and Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship. The usual $5, the usual 9:30 start time.

Also Saturday night marks the return of garage legends White Mystery to The Brothers Lounge. Opening is Snake Island and the incomparable Solid Goldberg. 9 p.m. start time. No posted cover price but probably at least $5.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, Modern Lovers’ Jonathan Richman returns. $15, 9 p.m.

Sunday is the final day of O’Leaver’s grand re-opening, and it starts in the afternoon with an opportunity to dine on a wide selection of smoked meats courtesy of Smoke Buds — the culinary duo of Danny Maxwell and Craig Fort. Get your meat on. Bands start at 5 p.m. with Ladyfinger and Rock Paper Dynamite.

Missing anything? Put it in the recently fixed comment section. Have a a glug-glug weekend…

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Nice write-up in The New York Times on Desaparecidos’ concert at NYC’s Webster Hall Tuesday night. And by famed NYT critic Jon Pareles no less. There isn’t much actual “review” in the review as Pareles spent most of the write-up explaining who Desaparecidos is, but there was this bit of technicolor toward the end:

“Mr. Oberst is not, after many years as a bandleader, a guileless punk novice. He shouted his way through the songs and interspersed his between-song banter with four-letter words, because that’s what punk as a genre requires. Band members did as much headbanging as they could. (The audience did its part too, churning and moshing and crowd surfing.)”

If you’re wondering, NYT

 “style” is to use courtesy titles on all references, which explains why Oberst is referred to as “Mr. Oberst,” unless Pareles knows something we don’t. Desa played their last show on this tour last night, again at Webster Hall, which means the boys should be back in town in time for…

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O’Leaver’s poster…

O’Leaver’s is celebrating its grand “re-opening” this weekend with three nights of music and booze that’s bound to get someone arrested.

The sched:

Friday, March 1 — Simon Joyner and the Ghosts, The So-So Sailors and McCarthy Trenching
Saturday, March 2 — Criteria and Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship
Sunday, March 3 — Open at noon and special early performances by Ladyfinger and Rock Paper Dynamite at starting at  5 p.m.

“Sunday is just kind of a party during the day,” said one of O’Leaver’s proprietors, Matt Maginn. “(We) will probably have some of Craig Fort’s smoked meats and other snacks, and obviously drinks before the early show.”

Each show is $5, with the money going to the bands (of course).

Looking at their show calendar, O’Leaver’s is going to be jumping with a capital “J” over the coming weeks, which is good because lately there has been a severe drought in indie shows around here.

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In this week’s column, part 2 of “the house project” series. It’s in this week’s issue of The Reader, or you can read it online right here.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Johnny Vredenburg of Digital Leather dropped a note to say he’s excited about his new project, called PRO-MAGNUM. Comprising of Paul Hansen (Perry H. Mathews, The Fucking Party) on guitar, Pat Oakes (Ladyfinger) on drums and Vredenburg on bass AND vocals, Vredenburg described their music as “loud, aggressive, yet tight, rock ‘n roll, taking my bass settings back to the screaming tone of that which I used in Dance Me Pregnant, while Paul rips inhuman-like riffs and thunderous backdrop of the heaviest drummer this side of hell. Collectively, we roll out hard rock riffs on par with Motorhead, Iron Maiden, Torche, Converge…” Setting the bar kind of hard, aren’t you Johnny?

PRO-MAGNUM’s first show is March 9 at O’Leaver’s with Flesh Eating Skin Disease and Buildings from Minneapolis.

While I had Vredenburg on the horn, I figured I’d ask how he likes working with Todd Fink. The Faint’s frontman recently joined Digital Leather.

“Todd is a fellow professional who loves making music. That’s why he’s a perfect fit

,” Vredenburg said. “It’s all been very casual working with him. Most of the time we get side tracked talking about food or obscure ’80s movie songs. All in all, real excited to be playing in a band with him. And excited to be in a band with Jeff and Shawn too. Ha.”

You can check out that new Digital Leather line-up the night before the PRO-MAGNUM debut — March 8 at O’Leaver’s.

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That new Replacements track, “I’m Not Sayin’,”  is pretty frickin’ good. Check out the stream here at Pitchfork. The Songs For Slim EP is out digitally March 5 and will be released as a commercial 12-inch on April 16.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Happy Birthday, Johnny!

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday everyone’s favorite blog about ’80s and ’90s college music culture, Slicing Up Eyeballs, reported here that Morrissey has rescheduled a leg of his U.S. Tour, including the show at the Rococo Theater in Lincoln, now slated for Tuesday, March 19. The Rococo website confirms the new schedule. Let’s see how long this one lasts until it’s rescheduled. BTW, this show has been sold out since last fall.

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Low has a new single available for free download from this Sub Pop Soundcloud page called “So Blue.” Listen to the stream below. The new album, The Invisible Way, produced by Jeff Tweedy, comes out March 19 on Sub Pop and is bound to be one of the year’s best.

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Speaking of free downloads, Desaparecidos’ single “Anonymous” is available for download at Mother Jones. Below is Desa covering Joyce Manor’s “Constant Headache” during their Allston, MA, show. Conor’s getting downright shaggy.

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Today is Johnny Cash’s birthday. If he was still alive he’d be 81 years old and very likely raising living hell.

To honor the Man in Black, the Barley Street Tavern is hosting a very special tribute night tonight featuring a bevy of local musicians including Josh Dunwoody (The Filter Kings); Mike Bechtel, Ira Hughey and Scott Norman (The Bishops); Stephanie Krysl and Travis Sing (The Electroliners); Jeremy Mercy and Vern Feregesen (Travelling Mercies); Matt Whipkey, Matt Cox, Scott Severin, Dane Sybrant (The Debts) and your master of ceremonies, Brad Hoshaw.

Cover is $5, but if you dress in black, you’re in for free! Show starts at 9.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Domestica at The Sydney, Feb. 22, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Who remembers these guys, circa Nov. 1994? Tisdale is the one in the hat.

Domestica unveiled a lineup change at the Sydney Friday night with the addition of Paul Tisdale on drums. The last time I saw Tisdale play live was way back in ’93 with his classic band, Sideshow. Back then, Tisdale became a slashing, violent blur every time the guitars kicked in. Twenty years later and time hasn’t diminished Tisdale’s insane percussion skills. Not in the least.

In fact, Tisdale is the first drummer (including Ron Albertson) whose drumming was so big that it drowned out Jon Taylor’s and Heidi Ore’s usual mammoth roar… at least during the first part of Friday night’s set. Tisdale hits those friggin’ drums hard hard hard, and as a result, they’re loud loud loud. So loud that two songs in, the sound guy passed a message to Taylor, who responded with: “Those are the words I love to hear.” The “words” (I think) were “turn your guitar up,” because that’s exactly what Taylor did, and would again a couple songs later.

Does any band really need to be that

loud. The answer, of course, is yes. With Taylor pushing it to 11, the earth’s tilt was restored and all was right with the world once again.  Now if only the Sydney could have turned up Heidi’s vocals, which were lost where I stood on the opposite side of the room from the stacked PA and on the other side of Tisdale. It’s a balancing act that’s been around as long as I can remember seeing Heidi and Jon play. Add Tisdale and the equation becomes that much more difficult. Something tells me that over time, they’ll work it out. So is Tisdale a permanent part of Domestica? Let’s hope so.

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Last week the folks in Travelling Mercies launched a Kickstarter campaign for their sophomore full-length album Motel. They’re trying to raise $4,000 to help cover their recording and production costs. After one weekend, they’re already 1/4 of the way there.

I’m trying to remember the last time I saw this band perform and think it had to have been years and years ago, way back in the old Saddle Creek Bar days. Back then, the band was sort of a laidback Americana/Folk band. That, apparently, no longer is the case, based on the couple demos that frontman Jeremy Holan passed along. We’re talking breakneck buzzsaw rock with a hint of Americana to give it a rural tilt. Holan sees Kickstarter as a simple way to presale the record, and to me, that’s the best way to use Kickstarter (if you’re a musician). Check it out.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I have no idea if shows are cancelled tonight. Frankly, I don’t know why they would be as the streets are fine, just fine.

Anyway…

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Birthday Suits

Two shows of note tonight: Asian Man recording artist Birthday Suits is playing at Slowdown Jr. with a band called “opk.” According to their label, Birthday Suits is “2-piece psychedelic garage-punk from the Twin Cities. Big riffs and high energy complimented by a wild live show.” Find out if they’re lying. $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Barley Street tonight, Country & Western band The Electroliners plays with The Ronnys and the Sub-Vectors. $5, 9 p.m.

Highlight show of the weekend is at The Sydney Saturday night. Our old friends from Lincoln, Domestica, open for The Filter Kings and The Killigans. The twist here is that Domestica will be debuting a new drummer — the legendary Pawl Tisdale, who some of you codgers might remember from his work in seminal ’90s Lincoln power trio Sideshow. Sydney shows typically start at 9, so better get there early. $5?

Meanwhile, over at O’Leaver’s Saturday night, it’s Millions of Boys with Schwervon and Well Aimed Arrows. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also Saturday night, Omahype (check out their fancy new website) presents Back When at The Barley Street Tavern with Worried Mothers and the humorous styles of OK Party Comedy. $5, 9 p.m. More info here.

See you on the red carpet…

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yeah, it does get tiresome seeing all those school teachers gloat on Facebook about having a “snow day.” You lucky sots. I’m more bitter about your summers off.

Needless to say, some shows are likely to be cancelled tonight. Fer instance, that Pleasure Adapter show (w/Touch People and Life Is Cool) slated for Slowdown Jr. tonight has been rescheduled for March 28, well past any threat of snow (right?). Wherever you go, you best call ahead to see what’s up.

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Word began spreading last night of the death of Lincoln and Zoo Bar blues legend Magic Slim. Here he is with the Teardrops doing “Crazy Woman.” Last chance to dance, baby.

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In this week’s column, my wise-ass take on the Oscar’s Best Picture category (based mostly on movie trailers). You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader

or online right here.

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Drive safe, y’all.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Saddle Creek Records is returning to South By Southwest this year, hosting a label showcase at The Parish (Underground) Wednesday, March 13.

Kicking off the showcase is Jake Bellows, who as a solo artist isn’t currently on Saddle Creek (yet?), though the Creek released the last album by his former band, Neva Dinova, 2008’s You May Already Be Dreaming. He’s followed by UUVVWWZ, Big Harp, PUJOL, Icky Blossoms and Harouki Zombi, the brainchild of Nina Barnes (of Montreal, the Apollinaire Rave Art Collective) and Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, O+S) whose EP Objet Petit A was produced by Fink’s husband, Todd Fink (The Faint, Digital Leather) and released on Polyvinyl Records. Will HZ also be joining the Saddle Creek stable in the near future?

Who else is headed to SXSW? Well, I know Satchel Grande has been accepted. So had The Mynabirds, though Laura Burhenn’s participation in the Postal Service reunion nixed those plans.

Alas, I won’t be at SXSW this year. Money’s tight, folks. SXSW is a very expensive vacation and what can I tell you, things are tough all over. I won’t miss the back aches, the sore feet and constant search for vacant porta-potties, but I will miss the music and curry-ketchup hotdogs. Never fear because I know The Reader‘s Chris Aponick will be on the case, keeping an eye on all things indie.

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If you’ve ever wondered what (among other things) inspired Icky Blossoms’ saucy, sexy, subversive approach to the stage and scene, look no further than Kansas City’s SSION (pronounced “shun”). The pop culture icons headed by Cody Critcheloe have been around since the late ’90s. I saw them open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Sokol Auditorium way back in March 2004 dressed in chicken suits. They were the best part of the show.

Anyway, yesterday SSION released the video from the band’s latest album, Bent, called “High,” and as per usual, it’s a freak-out (with a crazy dance beat). Check it out below, and let’s try to get these folks back to Omaha (preferably teamed with the Icky’s).

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Blues rock act North Mississippi Allstars play tonight at The Waiting Room with NYC rockers The London Souls. $20 and an early 8 p.m. show. Get it in while you can, folks, because that blizzard is about to bear down on us.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

“River’s Edge Park” Council Bluffs

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Believe it or not, it’s been a couple years since Playing With Fire’s “grand finale” at Stinson Park featuring Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings. That was one helluva night. So it seems only fitting that Sharon Jones and her band kick off the new Playing With Fire series as it moves from one side of the river to another.

Via a press release that went out this morning:

The City of Council Bluffs along with Con Agra Foods Foundation and the Iowa West Foundation are proud to announce the acclaimed Playing With Fire concert series will bring world-class jazz, blues, soul and funk music to celebrate the Grand Opening of River’s Edge Park at the foot of the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge in Council Bluffs by offering a free Memorial Day concert on Monday, May 27, 2013.

The headliner will be Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings…To complement the headliners, Omaha’s own premier local funk and party band Satchel Grande, and popular veteran of the local blues scene, Mojo Bag, will open the show. Gates at 3:30 p.m. and Mojo Bag kicks off the festivities at 4 p.m.

So where exactly is “River’s Edge Park” (apparently named after the 1986 American drama film starring Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione Skye, Daniel Roebuck, and Dennis Hopper as “Feck”)? Well, according to the park’s website, it will be right on the other side of the Bob Kerrey pedestrian bridge, with the stage backing right up to the river. Could be a very cool place to see a show…

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Among my favorite bands of the ’90s was a little Seattle act called Silkworm.

They were on a number of labels, but did some of their best work while on Matador, specifically 1996’s Firewater (though ’98’s Blueblood on Touch and Go is still my favorite). When their drummer, Mike Dahlquist, was killed in a car accident in 2005, the band called it quits, and a few years later, a couple members went on to form Bottomless Pit.

Anyway, today Matador major domo Gerald Cosloy posted in his blog “Can’t Stop the Bleeding” (a must read for any sports fan (even if you — like me — love the Yankees and Knicks)) that documentary Couldn’t You Wait? The Story of Silkworm is now available online for a mere $5. In addition to footage of the band, the film features interviews with Steve Albini, Stephen Malkmus, Jeff Tweedy and others.  Check out the clip below and then download the film.

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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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.