Atmosphere at The Maha Music Festival, 8/15/15. He plays tonight at Sokol Auditorium.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Maria Taylor’s press people announced this morning that the former Omahan and member of Azure Ray will be releasing a new album called In the Next Life on her own Flower Moon Records label.

Says the press release: “Maria co-produced In The Next Life alongside Nik Freitas (Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band), which features guest vocals from Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Joshua Radin, Macey Taylor (Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Jenny Lewis, AA Bondy), Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova), Louis Schefano (Remy Zero, Suspicious Light), Morgan Nagler (Whispertown), and Tiffany Osborn.”

Quite a list of guest artists. No tour listed. Looks like Maria will be hosting her album release show at The Troubadour in LA. Very che’che’ …

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This article written by The Thermals’ Hutch Harris has been making a lot of waves on social media. Harris outlines six reasons why he no longer will tour (which should be a bit of a downer for Saddle Creek Records, who released the last Thermals album).

If I had to sum it up, I’d say Harris is just tired of the grind of the road after 14 years.  You can’t blame him. What I find ironic is that there are so many young bands who would kill for his situation — to be able to play their music for a living. A lot of young bands who desperately need to tour struggle because they either don’t know how to book a tour, don’t know how to promote a tour (or their band), and simply can’t afford it. Fourteen years ago, record labels played a larger role getting bands over those hurdles.

Well, no ones buying records anymore, and being on a label (especially if you’re a new band) provides few of those benefits. As labels decline, we’ve got to figure out a way to help bands get their show on the road. As for Hutch Harris, we’ll miss seeing you, bro, but something tells me we haven’t seen the last of you.

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Lincoln Calling 2016 kicks off this evening. Some might say it’s the start of a new era for the festival, which has been going strong for more than a decade. This year, Hear Nebraska took over the reigns and expanded the band offerings to more out-of-towners than ever before. With its multiple venues/stages and A-list indie and local talent, could this be the start of a Nebraska version of SXSW?

The schedule for tonight’s line-ups is online right here. Highlights include performances by Conny Franko (M34n Str33ts), Icky Blossoms and Halfwit. It just gets better over the next two days. Get your one-day passes or three-day wristband (the best value) at the lincolncalling website.

Meanwhile, back here in Omaha, there’s a couple outstanding shows going on.

Matador recording artist Steve Gunn headlines at Reverb Lounge. Gunn’s new album, Eyes on the Lines, (which Pitchfork gave a massive 8.0 rating) has a similar laid-back feel as the last few Kurt Vile albums, which makes sense when you consider Gunn used to play guitar in Vile’s band. They’re calling this folk rock, but its more of a throwback to carefree ’60s rock that sounds like Jackson Browne fronting Grateful Dead, especially on tracks like “Full Moon Tide.” Opening is Omaha’s own Kate Berreckman. $13, 9 p.m.

The huge show is at Sokol Auditorium where indie hip-hop goliath Atmosphere will perform along with a slew of acts including Brother Ali, deM atlas, Plain Ole Bill and Last Word.  Atmosphere wowed the Maha Festival audience a couple years ago with the most upbeat set of the festival. $25, early 7 p.m. start time.

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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 © 2016 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.