The May issue of The Reader is out and in its pages is my column that features an interview with Omaha Performing Arts President Joan Squires and Steelhouse booking director Erika Hansen.
The lengthy article covers a wide range of topics, including their recent legacy-act bookings and how they fit into one of their missions of bringing younger people downtown, why they chose Live Nation as their exclusive promoter, their thoughts on Ticketmaster, fan discontent over The Killers quick sell-out, using local acts as openers and the options for booking touring indie acts. And more.
The interview took place late last month via Zoom and I decided to put the story online now since people would be buzzing about last night’s insider Steelhouse sneak preview. There’s more to the interview than made it into the article, and I intend to put a bow on the story sometime next week in Lazy-i. Until then, here’s the story…
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.
Las Cruxes at O’Leaver’s, April 29, 2023.
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.
Crocodiles at O’Leaver’s, April 29, 2023.
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!
My bit of advice to you, the indie music fan: If you have a chance to go to a show when it’s happening, you better go. It’s no secret that, despite having more music venues than ever, fewer indie rock tours are coming through Omaha these days. If you don’t go to one of them happening tonight, who knows when you’ll get another chance.
Tonight’s pretty loaded for shows. The best of the bunch is at The Waiting Room where The New Pornographers return. The band’s latest, Continue as a Guest, is their Merge Records debut and includes contributions from A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, John Collins, Todd Fancey and Joe Seiders. New Pornos regular Dan Bejar only provides “co-writes” on this one, which means you won’t be seeing Bejar on stage with the band tonight.
Opening the show is dreamy NYC band Wild Pink, whose latest LP, ILYSM, was released last October on Royal Mountain. Really pretty stuff that reminds me of Nick Drake or early Iron & Wine. 8 p.m., $35.
Also tonight, Brooks Nielsen, former lead singer to So Cal indie band The Growlers, headlines tonight at The Slowdown. The Growlers was one of the surf bands caught up in the whole Burger Records controversy in 2020. Nielsen’s solo work is more synthy but still has some sunset California touches. No opener listed. Starts at 8 p.m. in the big room. $35.
Meanwhile, down at The Sydney in Benson tonight (Friday), Specter Poetics headlines a show that also includes New Obsessions and Jeff in Leather. $10, 9 p.m.
As for the rest of the weekend, well, like I said, get it in tonight because who knows when you’ll get another chance to see a live indie music. Have a great weekend!
First off, I thought The Hard Times only published Onion-like parody articles about the indie and punk lifestyle. Then last week these two article showed up, both well written, though their content (and opinions) were a bit sketchy.
The first was “Every Bright Eyes Album Ranked.” At the bottom is A Collection of Songs Written… the collection of very early Bright Eyes tracks, many written and recorded when Conor was in middle school (or younger), and they sound that way. I can’t quibble with this opinion. The collection was for completists only.
At the top of the list: 2000’s Fevers and Mirrors. Says writer Corey Montgomery, “If anyone ever tells you this album isn’t the best one, politely tell them to eat shit and die. Just be sure to turn around before they see the single tear running down your cheek.” So yeah, maybe this article was a joke after all, though Corey certainly has listened to these records before.
Of course his ranking is wrong, imho. He has Lifted… listed in the six hole, saying it “feels overcooked and desperate to please.” In fact, along with I’m Wide Away It’s Morning, ranked No. 2, will stand as Bright Eyes’ magnum opus(es).
A few days later, Mr. Montgomery ranked “every Cursive album” and while he got No. 9 correct (2012’s I Am Gemini is, uh, a difficult listen), he ranked 2007’s Happy Hollow No. 1, and with a straight face said “Not enough can be said about this record’s accidental timelessness.” While I can get behind this pick — Happy Hollow is a great record — everyone knows The Ugly Organ is the top classic, followed closely by Domestica, which most others would place in the first spot.
If you’ve never heard Domestica performed live, btw, you’ll get a chance May 16 at The Waiting Room — that is if you have a ticket. The show sold out a long time ago.
One of my all time favorite albums is Damien Jurado’s 1999 album Rehearsals for Departure. I think I lucked into it via a random CD promo mailing sent by his label back in the day and for the longest time, the song “Ohio” made it onto my mix tapes.
Jurado’s latest album, Sometimes You Hurt the Ones You Hate, is pretty good, too. I’m sure you’ll hear songs off this one as well as “Ohio” (which is typically his set-opener) tonight when he plays at Reverb. Opening is Portland singer/songwriter Chris Pureka. $20, 8 p.m.
There are no indie rock shows in Omaha again this weekend. The only event worth mentioning is that this Saturday is Record Store Day. Homer’s, Vinyl Cup and Recycled Sounds are all handling RSD limited-edition merchandise. No idea if Grapefruit is participating, but if you’re out and about buying records, it’s still worth your time. R.I.P. Monster Club.
It was 19 years ago here on this website that I made the following prediction about the future of record stores:
“Independently owned and operated music chains and mom-and-pops will be forced to change their marketing strategy, targeting the high-trend must-have “collectors” and traditional audiophiles who can’t live with mp3-quality sound. Surviving stores will turn into music boutiques, handling hard-to-find limited-edition releases, obscure independent labels, box sets and music fan “gift items” such as T-shirts, posters and assorted memorabilia. And when technology barriers are overcome — eventually allowing for quick, manageable CD-quality downloads — they’ll quit selling pop CDs altogether.”
Well, 19 years later, the prediction is mostly true. With all music readily available online, record stores really are now boutique shops designed to cater to collectors moreso than to people actually trying to discover new music. The last part of that prediction — about the death of CDs — also was true… for awhile. Now CDs — like cassettes — are back as another collectors’ item rather than a necessary vessel for listening to music.
I’ve always thought RSD was cool if only as a way to bring fans together to celebrate a shared hobby – just like Free Comicbook Day. Get out there and buy some vinyl! Support your local Record Stores! But make no mistake about it – if you really want to support the actual artists and musicians, buy your music online at Bandcamp during Bandcamp Fridays…
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Omaha.com yesterday published a story that reports The Astro Theater in La Vista plans to stage its first outdoor show in late summer. Beyond the headline and the lead paragraph, there’s little if any news about the actual theater in the article, which focuses on the overall development. We used to call that “bait and switch.” That said, this is the first new “news” about the project in months. Here’s some older information about the project, which broke ground back in September 2021.
In other news, Maha announced it “sold out” its “Tier I” tickets to its July 28-29 music festival, effectively raising prices for all general admission tickets by $10 per day. Did they actually sell out or is this just the scheduled end of “early bird” pricing? Who knows. I’ve heard very little about ticket demand. Their Friday night line-up is headlined by Turnstile, while Saturday’s headliner is Big Thief. More info at Mahafestival.com
It’s been another quiet period for news and shows as we’ve appeared to fallen into another dry spot for scheduled touring indie gigs. The next 1% indie show is Damien Jurado, April 26, while the next indie show at The Slowdown is Brooks Nielsen, formerly of The Growlers, April 28. Here’s hoping things pick up in the coming weeks as the weather warms…
I don’t know what else to call weekends like this, ones where there are no shows to write about or attend. So, take-a-break weekend. In the old days, I’d suggest hanging out at The Brothers, but The Brothers ain’t there no mo’, so fill in the blank with your favorite rock ’n’ roll dive bar.
The weekend isn’t a complete washout. Sunday night New Jersey indie-punk trio Screaming Females headlines at Reverb Lounge. Their latest album, Desire Pathway (2023, Don Giovanni) got a nice write-up from Ian Cohen, the go-to punk/rock guy at Pitchfork, who called the 6.8-rated record “their most consistent album yet,” which doesn’t say anything. A better description: it’s “their most mainstream album yet.”
Here’s what I said about them when they opened up for PUP at The Waiting Room back in March 2020, the last show I went to before the dreaded COVID shutdown:
“A New Jersey power trio, their style was reminiscent of Seattle grunge with a hint of metal (by way of that guitar). The songs were powered by Mike Abbate’s base lines that laid the groundwork for Paternaster’s fretboard gymnastics. When she wasn’t playing (or when she was) frontwoman Marissa Paternoster sang with an affected style that sounded like Grace Slick channeling Eddie Vedder on melodies that weren’t terribly memorable. It’s her guitar work that I’ll remember. Why isn’t this band headlining yet?“
They are now. Also on this four-band bill are LA Latin American garage rockers Generacion Suicida, Cincinnati’s The Mimes, and Omaha’s Sazcha. 7:30, $22.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Well, I didn’t go to either show last night because I was busy and I’ve seen both bands countless times in the past. Here’s hoping y’all had a good time. The show calendar is looking pretty light over the next couple of weeks…
About tonight’s Black Flag show at The Waiting Room, according to the 1% website: “Black Flag will be performing 2 sets. In the first set, they will be performing their groundbreaking 1984 album “MY WAR” in its entirety. The second set will have the band performing over an hour’s worth of their most classic material.”
The line-up includes founder and only original member, Greg Ginn, on guitar and Mike Vallely on vocals. No Rollins, obviously.
8 p.m., $40, no opener.
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Yesterday, Saddle Creek Records released a new song by Neva Dinova called “Something’s Out There.” Says Saddle Creek: “Temporarily tabling their signature melancholic guitar tones for a twinkling keyboard and drum pairing, their marked shift toward exploration on this track finds its spacey home alongside an otherwise otherwordly experience.”
This track appears to be more of a Jake Bellows solo project, with Jake getting credit for vocals, electric guitar, bass, drums, percussion and keyboards. Adrienne Veerhoeven (The Anniversary, Art in Manila) provides backing vocals and keyboards. Ian McElroy (Desaparecidos, Rig. 1) produced it with Jake, and Mike Mogis mixed it. Not sure why they call this a Neva Dinova track when it’s just Jake, but maybe they just want it to tie-in to Saddle Creek’s recent reissue of the Neva catalog.
Ah, life is filled with difficult choices. Tonight is no exception as you have two blue ribbon indie rock shows to choose from. Which will you choose?
Over at The Waiting Room, Pedro the Lion a.k.a. David Bazan and his band, returns, this time performing two of his classic albums. It’s Hard to Find a Friend is the band’s debut, released in 1998 on Jade Tree records. I honestly have never listened to that record, having discovered Pedro the Lion two years later with the release of Winners Never Quit, but. strangely, Bazan is skipping over that record and instead also performing 2002’s Control tonight. I’m sure there’s a reason behind it and if you’re curious you can ask Bazan yourself as he usually takes questions during his set.
Opening is Seattle singer/songwriter Erik Walters, who has played guitar for a number of artists including Telekinesis!, Perfume Genius and tonight will be performing as part of Pedro the Lion.
This is the tour kick-off (Hurray!). $28, 8 p.m.
The Mountain Goats at The Slowdown, June 13, 2010. The band returns to The Slowdown tonight.
Also tonight, The Slowdown welcomes back The Mountain Goats. John Darnielle and his band continue to tour their latest studio album, Bleed Out (2022, Merge). There was some question (in my mind, anyway) if this show was going to happen as one of the band members came down with COVID last week, but here they are. Judging by the setlist from their April 4 Baton Rouge show (the last before the break), this will be a greatest hits set with a few songs from the new album thrown in.
I’ve seen these guys a few times over the years and the band puts on a very entertaining, fast-paced show. Knoxville singer/songwriter Adeem the Artist opens at 8 p.m. $45.
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.
Water from Your Eyes at The Slowdown, April 8, 2023.
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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