by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

Professional musicians play music for a whole variety of reasons – whether it’s for the love of song, to meet chicks (or dudes) or to try to make a living (the true dreamers!). 

And some do it for the sheer joy of sharing a moment with their family, friends and fellow musicians. 

Midwest Dilemma falls into that last category. Frontman/singer/songwriter Justin Lamoureux always has surrounded himself with friends when performing on stage, all the way back to the very early days of his career 20 or so years ago. That again was the case Friday night when his band played an album release show at The Benson Theatre. There, center stage, was Justin, surrounded by 10 fellow musicians, all having the time of their lives. 

Instrumentation varied from cello to flute to tuba to stringed things I didn’t recognize. Musicians either intensely focused on their sheet music or danced alongside Lamoureux as he played songs from his new album, whose style ranges from upbeat indie rock to baroque shanty tunes to folk in its purest form, all seemingly powered by their glowing smiles. While below, seated or dancing, an adoring capacity crowd shared in the joy of the moment. It wasn’t so much a rock concert as a community gathering of friends, family and fans, brought together to celebrate Lamoureux’s music. 

Sharing in the evening were openers Kyle Harvey and Brad Hoshaw. Kyle brought his classic moody acoustic folk that highlights simple song structures and his brilliant voice for a collection of mid-tempo heartbreakers accentuated by his own funny between-song storytelling. 

Like Harvey, Hoshaw used the show to unveil a number of new songs that, while in keeping with his knack for creating hook-filled melodies, stretched their stories beyond the usual whiskey-soaked elegies that characterize his early songwriting. The former Omahan has found new life in Nashville, no doubt to the lament of an army of Benson barkeeps. 

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To my surprise, they moved this year’s Little Bo Backyard Bash from last year’s location in the parking lot and green space east of 13th Street to a blocked-off William Street west of 13th stretching to 14th. I preferred last year’s location to the rather tight confines of the caged-in street. Tents and picnic benches were crammed between the curbs overlooked by abandoned buildings, with the Omaha Mobile Stage parked on one end.

Not to be outdone by Midwest Dilemma, Head of Femur boasted seven musicians for their set, all crushed inside the tiny converted shipping container. Maybe it was the great weather or the mixed drinks or the overall camaraderie from the middle-aged hipster crowd (and their children) but it was one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve heard from Matt Focht and Company.  A standout was the amazing violin that added soaring solos that lifted the entire set. Hey, who needs a lead electric guitar when you’ve got that in your arsonal? No doubt we’ll be seeing more of Femur as Focht said from stage that the band will soon be getting a retrospective box set released by a very reputable indie label, who also will be releasing new material. 

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Finally, last night someone on the Friends of the Drumstick Lincoln, NE Facebook page posted that singer/songwriter Charlie Burton passed away yesterday morning. 

I only knew Burton from having seen him perform at the Howard Street Tavern in the ‘90s and having interviewed him after he had moved to Austin. Though far from over, Burton reflected on his career in that interview, conducted in 1998, summing it up in this story about a run-in with a record exec following an appearance at the annual South By Southwest Festival in Austin.

From the article:

Burton sums up the festival with a story that is so good, he was afraid it would dominate the article. At first, he didn’t want to tell me, either because he doesn’t want to come off as glum or because he doesn’t want it to be a metaphor for his entire career. 

“It was right after last year’s South by Southwest festival,” he said. “We played very well, and my friends from all over came to see me. It inflated my ego, stroked it, and then it was over. Suddenly it was Sunday and I had to go back to work at ABCD’s (an Austin CD store). As I opened up that morning, these lyrics just kept running through my mind — the line from P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction,” as sung by Barry McGuire: ‘You might leave for four days in space, but when you return it’s the same old place.’ It was like the day after Christmas, when you’ve opened all your presents and are already bored with them.

“So this guy walks in the store and asks for the Charlie Burton CD. ‘Do we have it?,’ I said, ‘as a matter of fact I am Charlie Burton!’ He says, ‘I saw your first 45 reviewed in Cream magazine in 1977. You sent me an autographed copy. I ordered more and gave them to all my friends. It’s still one of my favorites of all time.’

“He walks up with a copy of Rustic Fixer Upper and I offer to sign it for him. He gives me his card so I know who to write it to and the guy’s the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. I said, ‘How come I have all these big fans in the record business and I’m starving out here?’ His response, basically was ‘You’re not 24 anymore, are you Charlie? And that’s what I’m looking for.'”

Burton sold him the CD and also sent a copy of the single “Spare me the Details,” (which will be on the One Man’s Trash compilation) along with a letter. “I realized that I had an opportunity to kiss the guy’s ass, but missed it. I haven’t even received so much as a ‘thank you.’

“I don’t know what those guys want anyway. Back when I was a kid, you either liked the Beatles or the Stones or both. Now the music buying public is so fractionalized, they want lounge or swing or urban… Yesterday’s gothic Trent Reznor kid is tomorrow’s rockabilly Dale Watson fan. The trends are run down their throats. They haven’t figured out they are being taken advantage of.”

Despite the angst, Burton knows that there’s no other kind of music he can — or wants — to play. “I still believe in myself, but the bottom line is that the industry wags know when they see a money-losing proposition. Maybe they’re right; maybe I never made it because I don’t deserve to.”

No, Charlie, they were wrong. And judging by the avalanche of loving rememberances pouring out over social media this morning, you definitely “made 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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A couple newsy items to pass along…

Other than the initial announcement, Outlandia Festival information has been sparse. Last Wednesday, Falconwood Park (where Outlandia is held) announced it created an Executive Director position and hired former Lincoln Calling executive director Shannon Claire. 

“Claire brings 15+ years of event organizing and business management experience to the grounds and will focus on securing nationally renowned and emerging acts in hopes to produce more single-day live music events,” according to the press release. “In addition to entertainment, she will also concentrate on community outreach opportunities and managing the park’s public relations.”

Clair will work alongside Falconwood Park owner Brandon Miller, who said he wants to “grow the caliber of concerts we hold during the season.” 

Clair said she wants to make Nebraska a viable destination for live music and national talent. “Nebraska is very much known as a flyover state, or a drive-thru state when it comes to artists touring,” she said. “Providing an opportunity for people to take in concerts closer to home, versus traveling to places like Denver, Chicago, or Minneapolis to see some of their favorite national acts, is the goal.”

Falconwood Park, which is located at 905 Allied Road in Bellevue, boasts three stages — two outdoor and one indoor — that range incapacity from 500 to 10,000 attendees, according to the release. Last weekend they hosted a handful of classic-rock cover bands, and upcoming gigs include “An Orchestral Rendition of Dr. Dre: 2001” on July 8. The Outlandia Festival is Aug. 11-12 and headlined by Lord Huron, Modest Mouse and Jimmy Eat World.

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Singer/songwriter Brad Hoshaw, who moved from Omaha to California a few years ago, announced last Thursday that he’s moving to Nashville.

“I’ve accepted a job transfer to Nashville that’s going to unlock some incredible music career opportunities for me,” he wrote in a letter to his mailing list. “I genuinely believe that now is the perfect time for me to dive into Nashville’s vibrant music scene and discover where my music can take me.”

I’ve always believed that Hoshaw could make a go of it as a songwriter in Music City. Getting embedded into that work stream could be… challenging. No doubt he’ll be bringing copies of this two stellar albums, 2009’s Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies and 2021’s Living on a Sliver. 

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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

One of the best songwriters to come out of Omaha, Brad Hoshaw, celebrated a homecoming and (sort of) album-release party last night at the brand-spanking new Benson Theatre. It was an appropriate stage for the occasion as Hoshaw once was one of Benson’s most visible artists, for years performing along Maple Street. These days, Hoshaw lives in a rural town in central California, but he’s still writing his classic brand of love-sick folk songs.

The first half of the set was just Hoshaw and his acoustic guitar, sitting center-stage playing a number of songs off his new album, Living on a Sliver, including personal favorites “My Dying Day” and broken-hearted lovesong “Lonesome Fool,” which he explained from stage really has a happy ending because after he wrote it, he first texted his now long-time girlfriend (Awwww.). 

The acoustic set showed off Benson Theatre’s acoustics — you could hear every fine wrinkle of Hoshaw’s vocals and guitar. What more to say about the theater except that you could see every dollar of the millions that went into its refurbishment — it’s gorgeous and surprisingly cozy for its size – which is a nice way of saying it’s smaller than I thought it would be. The room’s acoustics were so good that between songs I could clearly hear conversations at tables across the room. 

After about 45 minutes and a brief intermission, Hoshaw came back on stage with his band, The 7 Deadlies, for an hour-plus set of oldies, this time highlighted by killer versions of “It Falls Apart” (from 2014’s Funeral Guns) and show-stopper “Powdernose” from the 2009 debut, each featuring scorching guitar solos by lead guitarist Matt Whipkey. Rounding out the Deadlies were drummer Scott Gaeta and bass player Craig Balderston.

The band came out for a lengthy encore that included a solo-electric version of “Coma” and Hoshaw’s go-to cover, “Purple Rain” (No matter what I do, I can’t get him to cover “Please Come to Boston”). The crowd of around 80 gave Brad and the band a well-deserved standing ovation.

Afterward, I headed down to The Slowdown for Dehd.

Dehd opened with “Bad Love,” the hit single off the band’s most recent album, Blue Skies, and the youngish crowd of maybe 200 went nuts. Live the trio is even more minimal sounding than on record, with each player making the most out of his or her instrument. Frontwoman Emily Kempf sang and snarled her way through the set while holding down the bass line. Guitarist Jason Balla leapt and danced, warping his guitar’s sound in trademark fashion. There was a sort of underwater vibe to everything. Holding it all together was percussionist Eric McGrady standing between a couple large kettle drums and little else. As they moved through the set, songs did begin to blend into each other, creating one surfy, punky song, but what a fun song it was.  

Opener Exum was just Antone Exum singing and dancing alone with microphone over pre-recorded tracks. Initially, a bit of a let-down, especially considering the instrumentation heard on his albums. Still, he made the most of what he had, getting the crowd to dance and even sing along to his music. Exum’s music ranged from rap and R&B to industrial and punk. If he only had a band behind him.

Onto the weekend, and Lincoln Calling is the premiere event.

The full schedule is at lincolncalling.com. If I had to pick one night to attend it would be tonight. The highlights include a reunion of classic ’90s Lincoln post-punk band Sideshow; ’80s NYC post-punk legends Live Skull, as well as Together Pangea, Uh Oh, BIB, Las Cruxes and Thirst Things First. Saturday’s line-up ain’t bad, either, with David Nance, Catpiss, The Machete Archive, Domestica and The Menzingers among the highlights. There is a variety of ticket options, including venue-specific access. Study the LC website and plan your strategy.

Beyond that, back here in Omaha all the shows are bunched together on Sunday night.

Top of the order is The Cult at The Admiral Theater (formerly known as Sokol Auditorium). Expect a big, loud production from these ’80s first wave dynamos. Goth-heavy Oakland band King Woman opens at 8 p.m. Tickets are $64.50 for GA, and $125 for balcony access.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, Dinosaur Jr. returns with Chicago singer-songwriter Ryley Walker. 8 p.m. $30.

Around the corner at Reverb Lounge Agent Orange heads a punk ticket that includes local heroes R.A.F. and The Scabby Ghouls. $22, 8 p.m.

And last but not least, Melbourne band Quivers is doing an in-store at Grapefruit Records, 1125 Jackson St., in the Old Market at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Opener TBD. I’ll be posting a Ten Questions interview with Quivers tomorrow.

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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tonight we say goodbye to Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies as the band perform its farewell concert at Slowdown Jr. Brad’s moving to the West Coast in the coming weeks. The show is part of Brad’s “Farewell Tour.” 

But I think it won’t be the last we hear from Brad. Hoshaw just wrapped up a new album and (likely) will be on the road supporting it, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t roll through his old stompin’ grounds at some point. Hoshaw will always stand as one of my favorite singer/songwriters not only from Nebraska, but from anywhere. Here’s hoping he can break into the crowded California music scene.

Helping say goodbye are Brad’s old pals Midwest Dilemma and Matt Cox. This is an early show — starts at 7:30 p.m. $9. 

BTW, Brad’s also doing a solo farewell show July 28 at The Trap Room…

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Is GoFundMe the newly accepted way for bands to generate money for their recording projects? I ask because over the past week, two new GFM projects have scrolled past my Twitter feed from two local musicians.

Omaha singer/songwriter Brad Hoshaw is trying to raise $5,000 via a GoFundMe campaign to support his upcoming recording project.

“On January 9th I will begin recording my new album and I need help covering the initial costs,” he wrote on his GFM campaign page. “I’ll be working with producer Nicholas Frampton (Field Division, The River Monks) as well as four world-class musicians who have recorded with the singers from Band of Horses, Travis, Franz Ferdinand, Grandaddy and Midlake. We’ll be spending five days at Redwood Studio (Denton, TX), recording this new batch of songs.”

Hoshaw says funds raised will partially cover costs associated with paying musicians and the producer as well as studio, mixing and mastering fees. “Everyone who donates will be invited to a private concert and listening party, where you can hear the new recordings before anyone else,” he said.

Lincoln band EddyMink — the project of singer/songwriter Kerry Eddy — launched a GoFundMe campaign for its debut album, Open Container Heart Surgery — a collaborative effort between Eddy, guitarist Patrick Hargon, bassist Darryl Rivers and drummer Ben Armstrong.

“We are very proud of this album and can’t wait to get production completed,” Eddy said on her campaign page. “We just have to finish mixing, mastering, pressing some records, and producing promotional materials. We’d like to wrap up production and get this record out to you by March, so we need to have funds together by the end of December.”

They’re seeking $3,000, and though GFM campaigns don’t typically offer premiums to donors, Eddy is, including “a hard copy of the record, cool stickers and a sweet t-shirt” for a $30 donation.

I’ve always associated GoFundMe with money-raising efforts to help people cover ungodly medical bills or for a memorial fund for a dead family member. It never dawned on me you could use it to raise funds for recording projects, but I guess it really isn’t much different from Kickstarter. The diff may be in the premiums situation, or the fact that GFM campaigns don’t have to meet goals — i.e, there are no “all or nothing” requirements.

I’ll likely give to both. I’ve followed Brad for years and would love to see what he does working with a new band. I’ve never met Kerry Eddy, but I dig the track included on her GFM page.

So is GFM the new Kickstarter? Regardless of the crowdfunding channel, how bands can afford to put our records barring landing a record deal, saving up cash from gigs for years to come or taking on huge debt?

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tuesday is becoming mail-bag catch-up day…

Speedy Ortiz’s third album, Twerp Verse, came out last week on Carpark Records. As part of the media blitz, Speedy’s Sadie Dupuis did an interview with The 405 where she declares her undying love for ARC’s Mike Mogis, who mixed the new album.

From the interview:

You worked with Mike Mogis on this album, how did he come into it?

Dupuis: Yes! We’ve been in touch with Mogis for years about doing a record. We became friends, probably three years ago, and I obviously am such a big fan of his. Maybe that’s not an obvious thing, but my holy trinity when I was in 9th and 10th grade were Bright Eyes, Cursive and Rilo Kiley, and I would order by mail Saddle Creek records. He was the first producer that I remember knowing the name of, so it was really very cool that we found out he was a fan of Speedy, and had invited us to come see his studio, and now every time we go through Omaha we stay with him.

So we’d been wanting to do this record for a few years and the timing didn’t really work out for him to record it, but we were able to carve out some time for him to mix it. It’s the longest time I’ve ever spent in Omaha, normally I’m there for one or two nights, and we were there for close to three weeks. He’s obviously a thorough producer, but working with him as a mix engineer was so much more involved than any mixing process we’ve gone through; he really pays attention to the tiniest thing. For me, someone who’s an aspiring producer, it was really educational to see what kind of things he picks up on. Lyrics really matter to him in a way that I don’t think they always do to producers, especially when they’re strictly focused on the mixing. He’s automating every word so that everything’s audible, and just thinking very hard about the tone choices we made and how he can improve upon them. He has such an amazing assortment of gear that he’s collected over his however-many years of producing stuff, so that was really fun, to see what cool toys he’d be putting my guitars through on this particular track or day. So, yeah, only amazing things to say about Mogis, I really hope that we get to do a record from start to finish with him, maybe next time around. And what a childhood dream accomplished it was to do anything with him.

There’s more at The 405.

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Mystic Valley Band member Nik Freitas dropped his first single, “What A Mess,” from his upcoming solo album Dark & Day out June 29. Among the guests on the record is Azure Ray’s Maria Taylor.

Freitas is also slated to play at fabulous O’Leaver’s June 8 with Miwi Laupa.

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Former Omahan Mike Jaworski’s latest project SAVAK dropped a new video from their sophomore album Cut-Ups (out now on Ernest Jenning Record Co.) called “Christo’s Peers (Soon We’ll Be Floating).” The band is headed to Europe next week for a handful of dates.

 

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As you may or may not know, Brad Hoshaw is moving away to the West Coast. I’m not sure of the dates or reasons, just that he’s leaving. Which makes tonight’s opening gig at Reverb Lounge for Charlie Parr all that more important. Get yourself some Hoshaw while you can. $10, 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

 

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Before you read the answers to his Ten Questions survey, let me try to explain singer/songwriter Kevin Morby’s connection to Omahan Simon Joyner. Morby may be best known as the bassist for indie band Woods (though he also formed a band called The Babies), which has recorded seven albums on Woodsist Records, which has released albums by Kurt Vile, The Oh Sees, Real Estate aaaand... Simon Joyner. In fact, Joyner performed at the label’s “Woodsist Festival” a couple years ago.

So it’s a shame that Joyner won’t be at Morby’s show Aug. 28 at Reverb (because Simon’s currently on tour with David Nance). The good news is you’ll be able to hear Morby perform songs off City Music, his new LP on Dead Oceans Records. The album is an urban counter-point to his 2016 rural collection Singing Saw. That record pulled from Dylan and Cohen for influences, while City Music was influenced by Lou Reed and Patti Smith (and has similarities to Kurt Vile’s output).

1. What is your favorite album?

Kevin Morby: Skeleton Blues by Simon Joyner.

2. What is your least favorite song?

Any song not by Simon Joyner.

3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?

Having played with and met Simon Joyner.

4. What do you hate about being in a band?

That I’m not as good as Simon Joyner.

5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?

Simon Joyner

6. In what city or town do you love to perform?

Omaha, Nebraska, because maybe Simon will come.

7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?

Last night and everywhere that Simon Joyner was not in the audience.

8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?

I am a full time musician to cover the bills, and devout Simon Joyner fan as hobby.

9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do? 

Simon Joyner guitar tech is attempt. Something I’d hate to do is be a cop.

10. What are the stories you’ve heard about Omaha, Nebraska?

That Simon Joyner lives there.

Kevin Morby plays with Shannon Lay Aug. 28 at Reverb Lounge, 6121 Military Ave. Tickets are $12, showtime is 9 p.m. For more information, go to onepercentproductions.com 

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Last night Brad Hoshaw played an acoustic set as part of the Mode Shift Membership Kickoff outside of Ted and Wally’s in Benson (you can still sign-up for Mode Shift here). It was good weather, a good crowd and a good time.

Moments into his set, I thought of capturing Brad’s performance via Facebook Live (with Brad’s nod), which you can view below. It dawned on me that if an artist were to tap into the right Facebook channel, FB Live sessions could be an effective way to get their new music heard in a format unique from their recordings. Maybe after hearing a couple new songs from Brad’s just completed Four New Songs EP listeners will wander on over to bradhoshawmusic.com and buy the CD. The following live acoustic version couldn’t be more different than the well-produced studio recording (that features a full band, strings, piano, etc.).

It’s also cool to see fans tap into the feed during the broadcast, from around town and around the country. There was close to 100 views during the live session; the session now has about 300 views… Check it out 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 © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

What’s becoming a common occurrence (even with more established artists — Eric Bachmann just played a show at a house a couple blocks from me), Omaha singer/songwriter Brad Hoshaw announced he’s put together a “Summer House Tour.”

“Although I’ve performed many house concerts over the years, this is my first time trying a full tour of house concerts,” Hoshaw said. “I will be performing 10 shows in living rooms and backyards across six states (NE, IA, WI, MN, SD, KS). The hosts are fans who have invited their friends and family to come enjoy a concert in their home. I’m not charging the hosts any money for the concert, but will rely on audience donations to fund my travels. My goal is to create a more authentic personal experience that will connect and strengthen the community that has formed around my music.”

Hoshaw will be selling an exclusive 4-song EP on the tour, which runs Aug. 3-20 starting in Overland Park, KS, and finishing in Lincoln, NE. The full schedule (including the Omaha date) is at bradhoshawmusic.com/shows.

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Noisey did a nice write-up on Noah Sterba’s new album, 13-Bar Blues. You can read it here.

People are taking notice of the cadre of talent talent surrounding Sterba, consisting of David Nance, Simon Joyner, and the team of musicians who appear on their records. Someone should come up with a name for them — how ’bout the Almost Music Collective, since they all have been known to hang out there…

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I’ve been told that my NOmaha Alerts are little more than whining and are a negative especially in the face of all the other talent local promoters are bringing to town. Maybe so, but more than anything, they point out who’s passing over Omaha on their tour, and maybe one of those promoters can work a miracle and get them to add a local date, who knows?

Top of my NOmaha list is Luna, who just announced a North American tour. The closest pass to our fair city is Nov. 1-4, when they play Minneapolis, Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis. The tour is in support of an album of covers (including songs by The Cure, Mink DeVille and Fleetwood Mac) called A Sentimental Education, and an instrumental EP called A Place fo Greater Safety — the band’s first  output since Luna’s last studio album Rendezvous, released 13 years ago. Someone get them here.

I think I already mentioned the Afghan Whigs NOmaha alert. Today the band released a new single called “You Want One,” which is available as a free download here. Anyway, they’re still not coming here.

And Beach Slang yesterday announced their fall headlining tour. The closest pass to Omaha is KC Sept. 9, Chicago Sept. 17, Denver Nov. 7. NOmaha, though notably See Through Dresses will be joining them on five dates in mid-November.

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Back to what IS happening in Omaha… tonight Closeness, the project featuring Todd and Orenda Fink, opens for Nicolas Jaar at The Slowdown in the big room. Jaar is a Chilean music producer, mixing engineer and DJ based in NYC. Having listened to some of his stuff this morning on Spotify, dancing not only is advised, it’s recommended. $20, 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 © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Notes from Saturday night’s show, please bear with me…

The Shark Club, located at 2808 S 72nd St, felt like the kind of place that was a hip, happenin’ hot-bed of late-night action… about 20 years ago.

Built above a Quality Inn hotel, the first thing you’re met with as you walk inside the ginchy, all-maroon lounge is a humid wave of chlorine, evidence of a nearby swimming pool. I asked the door guy, and he pointed to the adjacent room whose windows overlooked an enormous indoor pool and hot tub salon. Down below kids with yellow floaties on their arms splashed away while their parents enjoyed beverages neck-deep in hot bubbles. Ohh-la-la…

A loud crack! brought me back to reality, and a young ponytailed girl walked through the hall with a 3-stack of billiard-ball racks. I almost bumped into a guy eating french fries staring at a table while Fast Eddie Felson grimaced watching his cue ball drop in the corner pocket.

Back in the bar, Brad Hoshaw tested his microphone, surrounded by high-top tables, flat-panel TVs and 100-gallon fish tanks glowing with coral. His stage was a plywood platform backed by a huge 10-foot by 30-foot mirror. The lighting was weird. Hoshaw looked like an alien covered in odd patterns of cheap green-red-blue digital lights.

But after 10 minutes of futzing around, the sound wasn’t half-bad and Hoshaw began rolling through another high-quality solo acoustic set. He’s one of the few local performers who can entertain a room with just his voice and his guitar, thanks to the strength of his songwriting (first-tier all the way; like I said, if I only owned a label…).

The 30 or so on hand paid attention in a room not designed for live music. Three folks sat in a large out-of-place red-leather bolstered couch in front of a dormant fireplace that had a large TV mounted over it that showed a courtroom documentary instead if the NCAA tournament which was wall-to-wall in the other room. A group of folks next to the front door erupted in laughter. A family reunion. Hugs all around. Meanwhile, behind where I’m sat, plates of hot wings and nachos cooled untouched in the kitchen’s pickup window. A bell chimed for someone to fetch the victuals, but no one showed.

And so it went, a very different scene from 20 years ago, before cell phones and Tinder, back when a bar like The Shark Club got its name not because of the fish tanks but because of the action happening on the dance floor. Technology has made meat markets obsolete, turning them into pseudo sports bars, pool halls and now, music venues… sort of.

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Lots o’ stuff happening this week. Two shows of note tonight alone.

Lookout Lounge does it again, this time bringing in SWMRS for a headlining show. The Oakland-based punk band features the son of Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong (Joey Armstrong) on drums — don’t hold it against them. From what I’ve heard online, they blow Green Day out of the water. Opening band The Frights has a new album just released produced by FIDLAR’s Zac Carper. Also on the bill are The Beat Seakers and The Way Out. Four bands for $13. Show starts early, at 7:30.

Also tonight, fabulous O’Leaver’s welcomes the cool synth-rock sound of Pleasures. The Florida band lists Battles, Flying Lotus and Tame Impala among their influences. Stephen Nichols opens. $5, 9:30 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 © 2016 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here’s hoping you had a great Christmas. How about that snow, Christmas Eve? What a pain in the ass. The street outside my house still hasn’t been properly cleared. Oh well, it’s inconsequential since I have four wheel drive. It certainly isn’t going to keep me away from the special holiday-tinged shows this weekend.

Top of list is Serial at The Brothers Lounge. Serial is a band that consists of John Wolf (Cellophane Ceiling, Bad Luck Charm, Porn), Tim Moss (Ritual Device, Porn), Lee Meyerpeter (Cactus Nerve Thang, Bad Luck Charm, Filter Kings) and Jerry Hug (Ritual Device, Porn). The show came out of the blue, and is sort of a sequel to last Christmas’s Ritual Device show (though I don’t expect to hear any RD songs tonight). Ron Wax a.k.a. Ron Albertson (ex-Mercy Rule) opens the show at 9:30 (though Brothers’ shows start notoriously late). $5.

Also tonight, Back When reunites at The Waiting Room. The noise-metal-doom band is back with their “We Sang As Ghosts” 5-man lineup. To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the release of that album, Back When will be playing the record exclusively and in its entirety. Co-headlining is the reunion of black-out metal band Paria. Timecat opens. $10, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, down the street at The Barley Street Tavern, a clutch of local singer/songwriters/bands are getting together for a tribute to the late Brad Hoshaw. Actually, the only thing late about Brad is that he’s late getting his next album out (which I’ve been told is a departure from his usual singer/songwriter stuff to new electronic vistas. Really, Brad? Don’t be such a hold-out). Among the musicians/bands scheduled to cover Hoshaw tunes are Scott Severin, Daniel Burns, Elisa Doo, John Klemmensen, Low Long Signal, Mark Sebring, Jeremy Mercy Orion Walsh, Zachariah, Shineys and Vinyl Recliner. This one is free and starts at 8 p.m.

Sunday night it’s back to fabulous O’Leaver’s for a four-band bill: Oquoa, Jake Bellows, Carl Miller and the Thrillers and Field Division. $5, 9 p.m. What’s Christmas without at least one night back at the Club?

And what’s a holiday without a little giving? Sunday night you can do something with that unused coat hanging in your closet when The Waiting Room hosts the Coat Drive for Heart Ministry Center. The line-up is Clarence Tilton (who makes an appearance on this year’s Lazy-i “Best of” compilation), Matt Cox and The Willards. Admission is $8 or a coat. Show starts at 7 p.m.

That’s what I got for the weekend. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Stay warm, 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 © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.