#BFF, Bandcamp Friday; Violenteer, Lodgings Saturday; Simon Joyner Band Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 9:54 am December 6, 2024
Simon Joyner at O’Leaver’s, July 1, 2016. Simon and his band plays Sunday evening at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The weekend is finally here, so let’s review…

It’s the first Friday of the month, and that means Benson First Friday. Local artists will be showing their wares in art openings up and down Maple Street tonight, including at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, where we’re hosting the 2024 Dragon Invitational Open House featuring the works of a whopping 25 artists. Full list of participating artists is right here. I currently am busy this morning baking cookies for this event (Chinese Almond Cookies, Classic Toll House). The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, have a glass of wine (or whine) and say hello. See you there. 

It’s also Bandcamp Friday, which means it’s the best time to purchase music from your favorite artists as today Bandcamp is waving all fees and passing your hard-earned rubles directly to the bands. So whether it’s the Violenteer debut or the latest from Simon Joyner or this groovy new track from Max Holmquist’s Dream Ghoul, now is the time to buy and download.

And, though not a ska fan (except for The Specials, of course), there’s a three-band ska show happening tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. They’re calling it “A Plastic Holiday Special,” featuring Omaha skacore band Plastic Presidents, Minneapolis ska/punk/jazz fusion act Runaway Ricochet and Omaha ska/rocksteady act The Bishops. It’s free and has a published 8 p.m. start time. Wear a checkered neck tie and your top-siders!

Saturday night is the big Violenteer EP release show at Reverb Lounge. I wrote about the album here. The four-band bill also includes Dance Me Pregnant, Lodgings and Bad Bad Men. It’ll be a crowded room fer shure. $12, 8 p.m. start time.

Meanwhile, just down the street at The Sydney, Dave Goldberg’s new(ish) metal band Prolapse is headlining a show with Blood Tower and GLOW. $10, 9 p.m. (Sydney Time).

That brings us to Sunday and Simon Joyner’s album release show for Coyote Butterfly. As mentioned in yesterday’s write-up, this will likely be the only time the album is performed in its entirety. It’s also a seated show, so get there early to both get good seats and hear opener Megan Siebe. This early show (6:30 p.m. start time) could be a gut-wrencher. $15. PS: The Waiting Room will be featuring an NA-only special menu. All the profits from the tickets will be donated to the Arch Alumni Association, a non-profit organization whose mission is supporting former members of the Arch Halfway House.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great 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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Dream Ghoul, #BFF tonight; Tiny Moving Parts Saturday; Chat Pile, Quickly, Quickly Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , , — @ 8:38 am November 1, 2024
Carver Jones opens for quickly, quickly this Sunday at Reverb Lounge.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Expect some Halloween hangover tonight and this weekend at the clubs – Omaha loves its costumes… Certainly there will be costumes galore tonight in Benson during Benson First Friday (#BFF), that monthly event where local artists show what they’ve been working on in galleries and venues up and down Maple Street.

If you’re out doing the #BFF thing, stop by the Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, for The Jenowe Show, featuring the work of David, Jack and Julie Jenowe. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. See you there.

Afterward, head on over to The Sydney for the stage debut of Dream Ghoul, the new project from Max Holmquist (Oquoa, The Great American Desert). Opening the show are Face and GoodView. $10, 9 p.m. (Sydney Time). 

Speaking of costumes, there’s a costume party going on at fabulous O’Leaver’s tonight, along with performances by Frankie Chiaro, BB Sledge, Edward Spencer and Oh God Damn. $10, 9 p.m. 

Saturday night Minnesota emo/pop-punk band Tiny Moving Parts headlines at The Slowdown. Joining them are Action/Adventure, Greywind and After Arizona. It’s a mini pop-punk fest and should make for a crowded front room show. $25, 8 p.m. 

Also Saturday night, folk artist Mariee Siou headlines at Reverb Lounge.  Donnie Coco opens at 8 p.m. $22. 

The weekend’s biggest show is Sunday night at The Waiting Room: Oklahoma City indie-metal band Chat Pile is basking in the limelight these days. Their new album, Cool World, continues to get critical huzzahs from the likes of Paste (“The OKC noise rockers expand their sonic and subjective scope to prove just how desperate of a situation we’re all in” to The Needle Drop (“Cool World hits hard as fuck.”). Even Pitchfork said the album “paints a panoramic view of human suffering.” It is, indeed, heavy stuff, so bring your earplugs! Opening are LA black metal act Agriculture and Austin noise-rock band Porcelain. $27, 8 p.m. 

Also Sunday night, Portland bedroom psychedelic soul act quickly, quickly (a.k.a. Graham Jonson) headlines at Reverb Lounge. His last LP, The Long and Short of It, was released on Ghostly International to somewhat critical acclaim. Get there early for singer/songwriter Carver Jones, who opens at 8 p.m. $18. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

Psymon Spine, King Gizzard Lizard Wizard, Geese, #BFF tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 10:04 am September 6, 2024
Geese at Maha 2022. The band opens for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard tonight at Astro Amphitheater.

by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

Okay, two shows worth mentioning this weekend, both happening tonight.

Down at Slowdown’s frontroom, Psymon Spine headlines. I never heard of this New York band prior to bumping into the listing this morning while perusing the Slowdown website. The core members  — Noah Prebish, Peter Spears and Brother Michael — have collaborated with the likes of Joe Goddard of Hot Chip and Nick Millhiser of LCD Soundsystem and Holy Ghost. Their dance-punk sound reminds me of DFA acts like The Rapture, and their latest, Head Body Connector, released by Northern Spy Records in February, carries on that tradition. Opening act Wedding is Anna Schulte, who was backed by Nate Van Fleet, Michael Frederickson, Ben Brodin and Nick Costa on her 2023 recordings. Sgt. Leisure also is on the bill. Just $15. Bring your dancing shoes.

Meanwhile, at The Astro Amphitheater in La Vista, Aussie experimental psych-proggers King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard headlines. Very Lips-ian. You might remember the show’s opener, NYC’s Geese, who played a drummer-less set at the 2022 Maha Music Festival. $50-$99, 7 p.m. 

Oh yeah, and I almost forgot – It’s Benson First Friday! If you’re in the Benson area tonight, drop by Ming Toy Gallery (6066 Maple) where we’re hosting Vox Humana, a special art show curated by Mari Dailey that features art from 14 local artists including Jamie Burmeister, Anna Stoysich, Mike Eggert and Eduardo Gardea. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF in the dark; Orville Peck moves to The Astro…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 10:21 am August 2, 2024
BareBear at fabulous O’Leaver’s, Aug. 16, 2019. They’re playing at O’Leaver’s Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I just walked the dog through our neighborhood. Good god, it still looks like a war zone, with downed power lines lying in the streets. With that in mind, who knows when the 90,000 folks without power this morning will be back up and running. That includes Benson’s business district, which was still in the dark as of 10 a.m. Friday morning.

Despite that, it’s still the first Friday of the month, and by all accounts, still #BFF, though I don’t know which galleries or businesses will be open tonight. 

There is one gallery I know will be open: Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, where we’re hosting an opening for artist Lew Lunbeck, titled “Seeing Greatness + Kicking It in the Teeth.” Lew’s post-impressionistic paintings revolve around dreamlike characters in imaginative places, a sense of style he developed while traveling as a self-described vagabond. Of course we don’t have power at Ming Toy, either, so we’ll be hosting by afternoon light and battery-powered boombox, with a cooler of beer and other drink-stuff. The show runs from 6 p.m. to whenever it’s too dark to see (probably around 8 or so). If you’re in Benson, drop by and say hi.

Rockshow-wise, it’s gonna be a hit-and-miss weekend. No idea what’s happening at The Waiting Room, The Sydney and Reverb – it depends on if they have power. Slowdown does have power, as does The Astro in La Vista, but The Admiral in south Omaha appears to be in the dark, or so it seems as tonight’s Admiral show has been cancelled and the Orville Peck show, scheduled for The Admiral Saturday, has been moved to The Astro. 

The Gin Blossoms/Toad the Wet Blanket show at The Astro is still listed as happening at The Astro Amphitheater tonight, according to the One Percent Productions website. The Kros Strain Outlandia Beer Launch with The Eye and 3BX also is listed as happening tonight at Reverb Lounge. 

As mentioned, Saturday’s Orville Peck concert at The Admiral has been moved to The Astro. Jaime Wyatt and Gold Star open at 8 p.m. This show is long sold out. Tickets are now available for what was a sold-out show.

Back in Benson Saturday night, KC post-punk band Shiner headlines a show at Reverb Lounge with Healer and Violenteer (which shares a frontman with Shiner). 8 p.m., $20, that is if they have power, right?

It appears they have power at fabulous O’Leaver’s, and as such, The Wrinkles in Time w/ Sgt. Leisure and Bare Bear are playing Saturday night. 8 p.m., $10.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Try to have a great weekend…

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF, Zepparella, Bad Bad Men tonight; Lucinda Williams, The Crane Wives Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 9:11 am June 7, 2024
Zepparella at The Waiting Room, July 8, 2014. The band returns to The Waiting Room tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

First things first — it’s the first Friday of the month, which means tonight is Benson First Friday (#BFF). That’s the night when galleries and businesses up and down Maple Street support local art through art openings and showings. Among them is our very own Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St., which is celebrating the opening of William Holland’s “Linear” ink and watercolor works. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by and say hi.

The only other show of note tonight is the return of Zepparella to The Waiting Room. The four-woman band plays Led Zeppelin songs as only they can. Opening the show is indie-punk power trio Bad Bad Men (Wolf, Siebken, Hug). $22, 8 p.m. 

Saturday night has a couple non-indie shows around town. LA fuzz-pop band Alyeska plays at The Waiting Room with Virgin Mary Pistol Grip. $20, 7:30 p.m. Ska pioneers Burning Spear are playing at The Admiral with Kabaka Pyramid; $65, 7 p.m. 

Sunday night rootsy singing-songwriting superstar Lucinda Williams headlines at The Admiral. It’s being marketed as “An Evening with…” and all tickets are reserved seats. Prices range from $54 to $99. Show starts at 8 p.m. 

Also Sunday night, Grand Rapids indie folk band The Crane Wives headlines at The Slowdown. They’re supporting the pre-release of their next album, Beyond Beyond Beyond, out Sept. 6. Hannah Laine opens this main room show at 8 p.m. $25.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend. 

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF, Bob Hall, Chemicals; Lincoln Calling weekend kicks off tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 12:46 pm May 3, 2024
Chemicals performing at Hi-Fi House, April 16, 2016. The band plays tonight at The Sydney as part of #BFF.

By Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The big deal going on this weekend is, of course, Lincoln Calling. I’ll get to that in a sec. First, the reason why I won’t be at LC this weekend….

Tonight is the first Friday of May, which means it’s Benson First Friday (#BFF). That’s the day of the month when venues and art galleries up and down Maple Street open their doors to local artists and their wares.

And that includes Ming Toy Gallery, where tonight we have an opening for Marvel comics artist and Lincoln native Bob Hall. Throughout his career, Hall drew some of the most iconic superheroes of the ’70s, ‘80s and ’90s, including The Avengers, Spider-man, The Champions, Dr. Doom, as well DC hero Batman and many more. We’re featuring Hall’s comic art – including many original, full-page comic book panels. The opening tonight runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. Come by, say hi, see some heroes and have a beer.  

BTW, you can read all about Bob in my first-ever story for Flatwater Free Press, published this past Wednesday. Click here and give it a read.  T

And in case you didn’t know, Saturday is Free Comic Book Day. Joining in the celebration is Legend Comics and Coffee, located right next door to Ming Toy, where Bob Hall will be on hand doing drawings and signing stuff. Ming Toy will be open all day tomorrow, too, in support of Free Comic Book Day. 

Back to the music…

As part of BFF, The Sydney in Benson is hosting a show that features the return of progressive jazz ensemble Chemicals, whose members include bassist Dereck Higgins. Joining them tonight is Agronómo and Heavier Than Air. $10, 9 p.m. 

Now, onto Lincoln Calling. You can read my recap about this year’s LC line-up here. The festival’s full schedule, as well as ticket info, is available at Lincolncalling.com. So if I did go to LC tonight, I’d be checking out Cherry Glazerr, The Dirts, David Nance and Mowed Sound and PROBLEMS. Lincoln Calling’s Saturday highlights (to me, anyway) are Friko, Water from Your Eyes, Dip Tet, Bad Bad Men and Ritual Device.

By the way, if you missed it, here’s my review of last night’s Ritual Device show at Reverb. If you can’t make it down to Lincoln this weekend, you’ll have another chance to see Ritual Device tonight at Reverb Lounge with Bad Bad Men and Gerald Lee Jr. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF, System Exclusive tonight; BIB, Cult Play, Violenteer, Leafblower Saturday; Tommy Prine Sunday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , , — @ 9:39 am April 5, 2024
Bib at the 2023 Maha Festival. The band plays at The Waiting Room Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s the first Friday of April and that means Benson First Friday (#BFF). If you’ve driven down Maple Street over the past few days you already know the entire length of Downtown Benson is coned for road construction. The city is replacing the old metal curb ramps with new ramps, and decided to do it during the district’s busiest day of the month both for car and foot traffic. Coincidence? 

Anyway, the parking situation is essentially the same, just drive around the cones and construction equipment. 

ADDENDUM: The city has cleared the cones! Proceed with confidence…

BFF highlights local artists in galleries and other businesses up and down Maple Street tonight. Among them is the opening at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, with feature artist Karen Linder. Drop by, say hi, grab a beer/wine and check it out. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. See you there.

As part of BFF, The Sydney in Benson is hosting Pasadena duo System Exclusive along with Madison Wisconsin electronic artist Carrellee and Omaha’s Jeff in Leather and Specter Poetics. $12, 9 p.m. 

Saturday is noise rock day in Benson.

Starting in the afternoon (3 p.m.) and running into Saturday night is ClüsterFüst 2, a metal/noise concert at The Waiting Room with 15 bands, headlined by local heroes BIB and including acts Ex Lover, Cult Play, Prolapse (Dave Goldberg metal odyssey) and Nowhere, among others. “15 bands playing 15-minute sets.” All for $15, with proceeds going to Youth Emergency Services Omaha. More info and full lineup, here.  

Also Saturday night, Omaha double-bass noise-core band Violenteer headlines a four-band bill at Reverb Lounge. Word on the street is Violenteer has a new album coming out soon, with recorded tracks already in the can. Maybe we’ll get some of the new stuff Saturday. Joining them are Leafblower, Radical Sabbatical and Aircraft Grade. This show is sort of being held in conjunction with ClüsterFüst 2 in that entrance is only $5 with a Waiting Room wristband – smart marketing! Otherwise, entrance is $10. Starts at 8:30.

Also Saturday night, there’s a three-band bill at fabulous O’Leaver’s with Jar, Box Eats Miah and Pretty Beige. Box Eats Miah is sort of emo-ish? Not sure on the others. This one starts at 9 and is absolutely free. 

Sunday night Tommy Prine headlines at Reverb Lounge, and yes, he is the son of legendary singer/songwriter John Prine. They call his music “alt country,” but it leans more toward the Americana spectrum (though there’s plenty of twang on his latest LP, This Far South (Thirty Tigers)). In fact, if you squint your eyes it sometimes sounds like Mystic Valley Band music. Opening for Prine is Kiely Connell. $22, 8 p.m., and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it sells out the smallish Reverb. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend. 

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF, Uh Oh, Estrogen Projection tonight; Clarence Tilton, GoodView Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 8:39 am March 1, 2024

Kim Darling’s “Unleashed” opens tonight at Ming Toy Gallery as part of #BFF.

by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

Before we get to the limited offerings of indie music this week, a quick reminder that it’s the first Friday of the month and that means Benson First Friday (#BFF) is in effect tonight up and down Maple Street. Check out art from local artists in venues throughout Benson, including at the Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St., where tonight we’ll be celebrating an opening and installation by artist Kim Darling called “Unleashed.”  The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come by and say hi!

As part of #BFF, a new gallery venue, called Floors Floors Floors at 7052 Maple St., is hosting five artists and two bands – Uh Oh and Estrogen Projection. This appears to be the old David’s Flooring place on the north side of Maple before you get into Benson proper driving east. Anyway, bands start at 8:30 and admission is free.

It’s also Bandcamp Friday, which means if you buy your music from Bandcamp today the website will waive its fees and pass all the cash to the artists. Do it!

Saturday night, Omaha’s alt country mavericks Clarence Tilton headlines at Slowdown Jr. Joining them is the elusive B.B. Sledge (“elusive” in that I keep missing these folks when they play). $15, 8 p.m. 

Also Saturday night, “Spacerock” trio GoodView celebrates their album release at fabulous O’Leaver’s. The band Wedding opens the show at 9 p.m. and this one also is absolutely free. 

Finally, The Sydney in Benson has Jeff in Leather Saturday night with Teetah and Ladie Muerte. $10, 9 p.m. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

#BFF, #BandcampFriday, new TIT (Digital Leather, The Hussy); Sun-Less Trio, The Nadas Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , , — @ 8:38 am February 2, 2024

The art of Mari Dailey opens at Ming Toy Gallery tonight as part of Benson First Friday.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Happy Groundhog Day. Our weekend music calendar is like very much like the movie Groundhog Day, in that every year around this time there are no touring indie bands coming through town. And this year is no exception.

That said, it’ll be unseasonably warm this weekend, including tonight, which is Benson First Friday (#BFF) – when the galleries and businesses up and down Maple Street feature art by our talented local artists. If you’re out and about, drop in at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street (right next to Legends Comics) and check out the opening reception for Mari Dailey. The evening will also feature spoken word performances by four poets including Todd (The Toddfather) Robinson starting at 7 p.m. And it’s also our one-year anniversary at this space, so… cake! The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. See you there!

Today also is Bandcamp Friday. That means proceeds from all purchases made today go directly to the artists, as Bandcamp doesn’t take a cut on purchases made today (and in many cases, neither do participating record labels). So go to Bandcamp and support musicians!

Among them, TIT. I’ve been wondering what Digital Leather’s Shawn Foree has been up to lately, and now we know. TIT is the project by Foree and Bobby Hussy (The Hussy, Wristwatch). Today they announced their debut, out April 5 on No Coast Records. According to the Bandcamp page, this one is 10 years in the making and includes a special guest appearance from Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes) handling lead vocals on one track. Preorder the album today to pass along those Bandcamp bucks.

While you’re at it, might as well preorder the self-titled debut by by David Nance and Mowed Sound, which comes out Feb. 9 on Jack White’s Third Man Records. 

Show-wise, tomorrow night Mike Saklar’s band The Sun-Less Trio plays at fabulous O’Leaver’s. It’s part of a three-band bill that also includes mysterious headliner The Radical Sabbatical. White Wolf T-Shirt opens the show at 9 p.m. And guess what? It’s free.

Also Saturday night, Des Moines alt-folk-rock band The Nadas is playing at The Waiting Room. To their credit, the band has been coming through Omaha literally for decades. They were named among The Best College Bands You’ve Never Heard of by Playboy in 2001, or “the Creed era” as it’s known in the alternative rock world. Emma Butterworth (no doubt a relation to Nadas’ frontman Mike Butterworth) opens the show at 8 p.m. $30. 

That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend…

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Lazy-i

The Astro finally opens, Hiss Golden Messenger, BFF tonight; Uh Oh album release Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 10:32 am December 1, 2023
The Astro in La Vista celebrates its grand opening tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The long-awaited grand opening of the new Astro Theater music venue in La Vista finally arrives tonight featuring the craptacular Blue October followed by a performance tomorrow night from 67-year-old country rocker Chris Isaak. The Astro was supposed to open weeks ago; the opening was pushed back due to “construction delays.” I’d love to see the inside of this facility, but judging by the kind of acts being booked there, it seems unlikely, at least in the foreseeable future. 

Of the 16 shows booked through next September at the theater and its connected amphitheater, only geriatric Porno for Pyros comes vaguely close to the kind of band that I cover here at Lazy-i. No surprise there, based on this interview with booker Mammoth Productions.

So now we watch as The Astro competes head-to-head with Steelhouse Omaha for the exact same audience. The venues have similar booking philosophies and capacities, though Astro has that big outdoor space. Steelhouse, booked exclusively by the evil Live Nation, would seem to have an edge, but judging by what they’ve done since opening this past May, maybe not. They hosted Bush last night, but have only two shows scheduled for December, and two shows for January. No doubt they’d blame the time of year for the lack of bookings, but come on, it’s a 100+ million dollar investment that is sitting mostly unused. 

Like I said in this column in the now-defunct Reader in August, while The Astro and Steelhouse no doubt will pull in all kinds of pop, country, metal and comedy acts, these huge facilities serve no purpose for the kind of young indie bands that made Omaha famous 20 years ago — bands that draw only a few hundred rather than a few thousand concertgoers.

. O O O .

OK, so what else is going on this weekend?

Top of the list is Merge Recording artist Hiss Golden Messenger headlining at The Waiting Room tonight. The North Carolina twang-infused folk-rock band is led by singer/songwriter MC Taylor. Kind of reminds me of Wilco; if you’re into that sort of folk-Americana music, this is for you. Adeem the Artist opens at 8 p.m. $31.

It’ll be crowded in Benson tonight as it’s Benson First Friday, which means original local art will be hung at openings being held up and down Maple Street. Among them is the December Invitational Opening at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street (right next to Au Courant). Among the artists being shown are Josh Audiss, Shelby Audiss, Nash Bellows, Jon Bleicher, Mari Dailey, Mark Davis, Ashley DeVrieze, Lori Elliott-Bartle, GBM artists. Amy Haney. Judy Haney. Jamie Heidvogel, Vickie E. Hughes, Josephine Langbehn, Jeanne C. Langan, Chad Leahy, Emily McQueen, John Munoz, Gabriella Quiroz, Jill Rizzo, Brock Stillmunks, John Stillmunks, Anna Stoysich, Howard Thiel, Terrol Thompson, Michael Trenhaile and Grace Weihs. Whew!

The show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come on by and say hi! More info here.

And…it’s also another Bandcamp Friday, which means now is a best time to buy and download those albums you’ve been wanting to buy and download, as Bandcamp will waive their fees today and give it all to the artists!

Tomorrow night (Saturday) Uh Oh hosts the album release show for their year-long Cicada Songs project at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining them is White Wolf T-shirt and The Content. It’s a free show so why not swing by Bandcamp right now and buy a copy of their record? Bands start at 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, local alt rockers Names Without Numbers celebrates the 20th anniversary of Running Marathons/Chasing Ambulances at Reverb Lounge, with Beachmont and Better in Eleven. $13, 8 p.m. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!

* * *

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.

Lazy-i