Conor's the one on the left...

Column 325: Chasing Conor: A look back on 13 years of interviews

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

We were driving downtown in my Mini Cooper this past weekend when a Bright Eyes song came on the iPod connected to my car stereo. I leaned forward and skipped past it. Teresa shot me a glance, and I said, “I’m mad at him right now.”

I’d been going back and forth with Bright Eyes’ publicist, Press Here Publicity, since last December trying to line up an interview with Conor Oberst in conjunction with Bright Eyes’ latest album, The People’s Key, which came out on Saddle Creek Records in February. At the time, Oberst was talking to any member of the national press that was willing to listen. Interviews appeared in all the usual magazines, Rolling Stone, SPIN, etc. It wasn’t until February that I got a response: “Conor generally doesn’t do much press while on tour, so it’s safe to say he will likely wait for a local date” — i.e., until the S.S. Bright Eyes docked in Omaha or thereabouts, in this case, the Westfair Amphitheater June 4.

I’ve interviewed Oberst upon the release of every full-length Bright Eyes album since 1998’s Letting Off the Happiness, his first record after leaving seminal local-that-became-national emo band Commander Venus. CV was one of those bands that I remember playing at places like the Capitol Bar and Grill, a shrieking trainwreck of a band that thrived on its unique energy. We’re all still waiting for the inevitable Commander Venus reunion, which I’ve been told will never happen.

Anyway, it was Dave Sink, who ran the Antiquarium Record Store in the Old Market, who suggested that I interview Oberst. It seemed like Conor and his ever-changing cast of sidemen played at a different club every weekend back then, to crowds that numbered in the 30s. Some nights it was just Oberst struggling through the set with his acoustic guitar, a twitching mess of angst constantly pushing his eyeglasses back up his nose.

That first interview took place in an apartment that would go by a dozen names, including Gunboat and The Jerk Store. Always a gracious interview, Oberst, then 18, recalled his musical origins, Commander Venus and its breakup, and took me right up to the present.

“The hardest part is the touring — setting up the gigs and affording it,” Oberst said back then. “I’d love to make a living playing music, but the easiest way to do that is to compromise what you’re doing. You cease caring about what you’re doing and caring more about what people think about what you’re doing. All’s I want is to make enough money to live – which is having an apartment and a shitty car. I don’t need a house, but it would be nice.”

Fevers and Mirrors came out two years later. By then, Bright Eyes had emerged as a national force. The first “young Dylan” comparisons began popping up. The album was threatening to break the CMJ top-20 — a big deal. Road trips included whirlwind tours of Japan. Our second interview took place on an upper-floor balcony area of his parents’ midtown home. He was already getting annoyed by fame, or so he said.

“But then there’s all these drawbacks you never thought of, like the press and the whole idea of so many people knowing about you and what you do and your opinions,” Oberst said during the interview. “And then there’s the money people. It can get bad. It comes down to making smart decisions and playing with people who seem honest and good, and trying to ignore the rest of the shit. Some people succeed with that and a lot go crazy and decide to go hide in a cabin. Now I can understand why.”

Two years later, Saddle Creek released Lifted, or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground, considered by many (including myself) to be his masterwork. We met over coffee at Caffeine Dreams. Oberst seemed nervous and out of sorts the whole time. He talked about his guilt toward long-time fans.

“It gets hard,” he said during the interview. “You feel like an asshole for forgetting people over time. For the most part, everyone understands. It was way easier in the past. You could roll into a town and play for 100 kids and ask for a place to stay and get taken to someone’s house and party. Now it’s not like that. There’s more of a barrier between us and the audience. I want to make relationships with people, but I don’t even have time to be good friends with my actual friends.”

By the time of our 2004 interview for I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn, the writing was on the wall. Oberst had moved to New York City and was hob-knobbing with the likes of Springsteen and Michael Stipe. Despite being a phoner, he was candid and open.

“Music is still the main thing. I feel the best when I’m playing and recording,” he said during the interview. “The rest of the world just kind of washes away, and I feel good and safe and happy. That’s what I do it for. The rest of it… it gets crazy and sometimes unpleasant; exhilarating and sometimes terrifying. But that’s what living is — all that stuff at once, and you have to do the best you can with it.”

Our 2007 interview for Cassadaga took place in an empty Saddle Creek Bar late in the afternoon. Along for the ride was Neva Dinova frontman Jake Bellows. Oberst never seemed more relaxed. Having recently moved back to Omaha, it was as if he’d come to some sort of peace with his career.

That was the last time I spoke to Oberst. The final response to my interview requests came a couple weeks ago: “Conor is taking a break between legs of the Bright Eyes tour and is not doing any promo,” the e-mail said. “Unfortunately, we won’t be able to accommodate your request this time around.”

So I guess this is where the story ends, for now.

* * *

And in case you were wondering if Conor simply quit doing interviews, here’s one that he did with The Denver Post that went online this morning, conducted May 21.

* * *

BTW, tix are still available for Saturday’s Westfair Amphitheater show, which in addition to Bright Eyes includes Jenny & Johnny, David Bazan, and Con Dios. They’re $25, and available online here. Show starts at 5:30 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tomorrow is the day all you vinyl lovers have been waiting for – Record Store Day! You can read my recap of what Homer’s has in store for this celebration of music right here. This cold April rain should end by tomorrow morning, which means you will be high and dry while waiting in line to get first dibs on the really exclusive, limited-edition stuff. In fact, the Homer’s Orchard Plaza store will open a half-hour early tomorrow at 9:30 a.m., giving you time run your shaky hands through their vinyl bins before hysterically driving downtown to the Old Market store opening.

And don’t forget The Antiquarium and Drastic Plastic also will have a selection of RSD vinyl on sale tomorrow. RSD is kind of like a treasure hunt — you don’t know exactly what you’re going to find, and product will vary from store to store, though I know Antiquarium’s selection will likely lean heavily toward major indie labels like Matador, Sub Pop and Merge.

To help commemorate the occasion, Homer’s is featuring a few highly sought-after DJ’s tomorrow afternoon at the Old Market Store. DJ Kevin “King” Coffey will be behind the turntable at noon, followed by Gunkmeister DJ Kobrakyle at 1 p.m. while yours truly will take the rear at 3 p.m., long after the RSD excitement has worn off. As an homage to High Fidelity, perhaps I’ll play “Dry the Rain” by the Beta Band… more likely you’ll hear a collection of crusty old vinyl and new mp3s. I still haven’t figured it out yet.

* * *

Some impressions of last night’s Bright Eyes’ performance of “Beginner’s Mind” (above) on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno:

— A trench coat in LA? A smart fashion statement, yes. Teresa’s comment: “He sure has big feet.” Indeed he does, and we all know what that means.

— Who was the guy behind the drum kit? I thought Clark Baechle of The Faint was playing drums for this go ’round of Bright Eyes. Whoever it was, he sounded terrific. In fact, the drums dominated last night.

— I wonder if everyone could hear themselves in the studio, because there were a few vocal bloopers which may or may not have been intentional.

— Leno’s comment as he went to shake Oberst’s hand after the song ended: “I missed you on the bus.” Not sure what that meant because I DVR’d the show so to fast-forward past Leno’s natterings.

— Overall, an interesting BE performance that rates up there with the rest of the band’s and Oberst’s network appearances, which you can see right here at twentyfourbit.com.

* * *

There are outstanding shows every night this weekend.

Tonight at The Slowdown is what I’m calling the “Fantastic Four” showcase (which you read about here yesterday) featuring (in this order) Touch People, InDreama, Icky Blossoms and headliner Conduits. Get there early for Touch People (the show is slated to begin at 9 p.m.). And make sure you get a copy of the duo single as sort of a pre-Record Store Day vinyl purchases. Judging by the listing at theslowdown.com, this appears to be a “big room” show. Tix are $7.

For you Lincolnites, tonight is the second night of Omaha Invasion. Check out the schedule at the bottom of this blog entry.

Meanwhile, Brad Hoshaw is doing a set tonight at O’Leaver’s with Ashley Raines and the New West Revue. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Speaking of O’Leaver’s, tomorrow night the “bar that time forgot” is hosting a benefit show for Love Drunk Studio, the red-hot video production company that began taking the scene by storm late last year. The Love Drunk team is headed on the road the first couple weeks of May for a tour of central and eastern United States, where they’ll be creating videos for bands they meet. Details of the excursion are right here. Help support the cause by going to tomorrow night’s show, which features The Photo Atlas, The Answer Team, Masses and Ketchup and Mustard Gas. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Also tomorrow night, Beat Seekers headline a show at The Barley Street with Blue Bird, and Travelling Mercies. $5, 9 p.m.

Finally, Sunday, it’s the big Decemberists show at The Holland. Tix are still available for $35 right here at ticketomaha.com. I suspect it’ll be one for the record books. Opening is Justin Townes Earle. Show starts at 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A couple things to pass along before the weekend…

Mike Fratt, who runs Homer’s, says Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key moved 3,311 units last week, enough to put the album at No. 148 on the Billboard charts. Sales to date for The People’s Key total 66,454 units.

Interestingly, Fratt says last week was the fifth week in a row that total industry records sales exceeded the same week in ’10. Year-to-date sales are down 6 percent compared to last year. Check out Mike’s column in Shout! Weekly for more perspective on these numbers.

* * *

Now let’s take a look at the weekend.

Tonight at The Barley Street Tavern The Whipkey Three headlines a show that includes Better Days and  a new line-up for At Land, Doug Kabourek of Fizzle Like a Flood fame’s new band, which now includes guitarist Matt Rutledge, along with good ol’ Travis Sing. $5, 9 p.m.

Also tonight The Envy Corp headlines a show at The Waiting Room with Thunder Power, My Pal Dragon and Lonely Estates. $8, 9 p.m.

Lots happening Saturday night:

First at O’Leaver’s, it’s the return of Poison Control Center with New Lungs (DMax from Little Brazil/Corey Broman/Craig Fort) and Brass Bed. $5, 9:30.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., Setting Suns headlines with Millions of Boys (Sara from Honey & Darling), The Plurals and Mint Wad Willy. $8, 9 p.m.

Over at The Waiting Room, Satchel Grande does a victory lap after returning from South By Southwest. Joining them will be John Klemmensen & The Party. $7, 9 p.m.

And if you’re in Lincoln, don’t forget Lincoln Exposed tonight and tomorrow:

Lincoln Exposed Day 2 – Friday, March 25

Lincoln Exposed Day 3 – Saturday, March 26

That’s all I got…

* * *

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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Inside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, photo by Bart Parks.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted this year’s crop of honorees this week, which included Alice Cooper, Neil Diamond, Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Dr. John and Leon Russell.

While Conor Oberst obviously is not in the Hall of Fame (maybe in another 20 years, if he’s lucky), Lazy-i reader Bart Parks shared the above photo he took while visiting the Hall a couple weeks ago.

“I was looking at the Midwest rockers exhibit, and right next to the Replacements stuff was Omaha’s own Conor Oberst,” Bart said, “his silk jacket from Mystic Valley Band and also an acoustic guitar.” Also in the photo, above the jacket, you’ll notice a copy of Bright Eyes’ I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. That also looks like a copy of Freedy Johnson’s This Perfect World, and (of course) The Replacements’ Please to Meet Me.

* * *

Speaking of Bright Eyes, Mike Fratt, who runs Homer’s Music, said BE’s latest release, The People’s Key, stayed in the Billboard top-100 again last week, but just barely. With unit sales of 4,908, the record sits at No. 99 on the charts. Total unit sales since its release is 63,143, Fratt said. Meanwhile, “Shell Game,” the first single from the album, continues to inch its way up the Triple A radio airplay chart, coming in at No. 24 this week (up from No. 25 last week).

By the way…”Industry beat last year again last week, by 2%,” Fratt said. “That’s four weeks in a row.” Something’s happening here…

* * *

Tonight at The Barley Street Tavern, Midwest Dilemma plays a warm-up gig before they head to Austin for South By Southwest. Also on the bill are The National Reserve, Christopher Bell and Ian Aeillo. $5, 9 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Providenciales, March 4, 2011

Column 313: Paradise Lost

Bright Eyes from 30,000 feet…

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Dateline, Providenciales.

We walked between the red stripes painted on the hot tarmac as we headed to the loading ramp, a long line of tanned Americans leaving this third-world vacation destination to return to whatever frigid lands we had escaped from, if only for a week. On a short hillside to my left, next to the tiny airport, was a wall of unpainted cinderblocks stacked in a stair-step row, a half-built something that would never be completed sitting next to a salmon-colored fortress of pillars and concrete latticework.

A young blond woman in a concert T-shirt who had waited with us in the infinitely long security line had said that only a few years earlier, the island had been dirt roads and little else except for the resorts, of course, which had been built along the coastline like modern-day palaces. Since then, Providenciales, part of the Turks and Caicos chain of islands in the North Atlantic, had grown up. The roads were now paved and shops had sprung out of the dirt.

The island certainly had outgrown its airport, which was bursting at its water-stained seams, unable to handle the tidal wave of tourists all scheduled to leave at the same time because the airlines hadn’t bothered to stagger the departures. It was like every chaotic train station scene from every war movie ever made, but with costumes provided by Tommy Bahama. An hour later, the check-in and security lines were gone. The uniformed staff sat in plastic chairs with nothing to do until tomorrow’s departures.

I write this aboard Delta flight 548 while listening to the new album by Memphis, Here Comes a City, as the smell of the soiled diaper sandwiched to the ass of the child in the seat in front of me wafts through the cabin and into my unfortunate nostrils. Much of the past week had been spent listening to Bob Marley piped from the hidden sound system of the Cabana Bar where everyone drank ice cold bottles of Presidente beer and watched the sun set on the ocean. I thanked the Sun God that at least it wasn’t Jimmy Buffett. Memphis was an oasis.

Some notes while I’ve been gone:

Homer’s head honcho Mike Fratt said that Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key came in at No. 40 on the Billboard charts during the record’s second week of sales, moving 11,314 units. Normally that would have landed Conor and Co. higher on the chart, but it was “another BIG week at Soundscan,” he said, “sales are on a roll. Adele did over 350k.” Yikes.

Despite the launch of the Bright Eyes Global Domination Tour, that number should slowly decline until the band’s next network appearance. I’ve been told that once a band plays on The Late Show with David Letterman or any other competing late-night show, that they’re blackballed from appearing on Saturday Night Live, which is a shame because BE would do real damage on SNL, and deserves the spot.

But you take what you can get, I suppose, and Letterman has been a faithful supporter of Conor for years. Oberst certainly knows who has been in his corner since the beginning. Let’s hope he remembers when it comes time to schedule local interviews surrounding the June Westfair date.

I get these psychic visions every now and then, and the most recent one told me that overall music sales are bouncing back. Fratt said my hunch was correct. “The two previous weeks both beat last year’s sales,” he said. “That’s the first time we have had consecutive back-to-back weeks that have beat last year since 2006.”

Fratt thinks the music industry, which has been spiraling ever downward since the Napster days, has finally touched its toes in the mud of a very deep lake.  “I’m thinking we may have finally reached bottom,” he said. “Album sales (full length) remain 74 percent physical, 26 percent digital at this moment. A pretty staggering stat. Only small sellers — under 1,000 units — have digital sales greater than physical. And once sales cross 500,000 units, digital falls below 18 percent.”

And get this: “The indie sector is actually back to gaining market share,” Fratt said, “1 percent in 2010. Not a lot, but 1 percent of 430 million (units) is decent money.”

He thinks the new Bright Eyes album will float sales of the band’s entire back catalog. We’ll see. Music website Spinner.com reported that Oberst and his crew have decided to make another record, (probably) putting an end to speculation that Bright Eyes will die after its year-plus-long tour ends. The band’s demise was a silly premise to begin with, when Oberst is Bright Eyes and will continue to work with fellow BE members Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott in one form or another regardless of the name of the project.

That said, somewhere the folks at Saddle Creek Records breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone knew Conor would continue to write and record music, but none of his non-BE stuff is released on The Creek. Far and away, Bright Eyes is the label’s only remaining cash cow (in addition to the label’s dynamite back catalog). The release of The People’s Key may be enough to give Saddle Creek a year-over-year increase in revenue when compared to 2010. But even with their golden goose safely within the stable, Saddle Creek needs to find another Bright Eyes to add to its roster.

And with that, the wheels tapped down on a different, much colder tarmac. My vacation was over, and it was time to get back to work.

* * *

That column was written this past weekend. Since then, sales numbers have come out for week three of The People’s Key. According to Fratt, the album sold 5,738 units last week, putting it at No. 84 on the charts. The three-week sales total: 58,237.

Last week also marked the third week in a row that Soundscan numbers for all records sold beat last year’s sales, but only by 1 percent. Still…

* * *

Jon Pareles of The New York Times weighed in on Bright Eyes’ March 8 Radio City Music Hall concert. His conclusion: “But the concert had a strange, unsatisfying disconnect between the sound of the music and its flashy, defensive staging. It was as if Bright Eyes were delivering confessions and frailties via fire engine.” You can read the full review here.

* * *

Tonight at O’Leaver’s, it’s the long-awaited return of Talking Mountain. Joining them are Mammoth Life and The Benningtons. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, it’s SF electro-disco act Sugar & Gold (Antenna Farm Records) with Athens’ Yip Deceiver. Good-time party dance music for $8. Starts at 9.

* * *

Speaking of the Waiting Room, yesterday was the venue’s fourth birthday. Relive those early days with this Lazy-i feature on Marc and Jim from March 8, 2007.

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m back from beautiful Providenciales, tanned, rested and ready to go.

A couple random notes from the inbox….

Spinner.com ran an item today where Conor Oberst tries to put to bed the ongoing question as to whether there’s going to be another Bright Eyes album. This exchange was at the end of the Q&A:

Will Bright Eyes make another record?

Conor Oberst: We have no plans right now. But I guess it’s not that unusual because we just finished one.

Mike Mogis: I think it’ll come up more naturally. “Oh, I have these new songs let’s do something with them.”

CO: Let’s just agree right now.

MM: We’ll make another record?

CO: What do you guys say?

[Band members shake hands]

The interaction was as silly as the initial premise that there wouldn’t be another Bright Eyes album, when Oberst is Bright Eyes and will continue to work with fellow BE members Mogis and Nate Walcott in one form or another regardless of the name of the project. That said, somewhere the folks at Saddle Creek Records are breathing a sigh of relief. Everyone knew Conor would continue to write and record music, but none of his non-BE stuff is released on The Creek. Far and away, Bright Eyes is the label’s only remaining cash cow (in addition to the crown jewels’ back catalog sales). The release of The People’s Key may be enough to give Saddle Creek a year-over-year increase in revenue when compared to 2010, which would be a miracle in these days of record industry decline. Even with their golden goose safely within the stable, Saddle Creek needs to find another Bright Eyes to add to its roster…

* * *

Experimental gronk noise-band shitmeisters Primus, who hasn’t released a decent song since “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” back in 1991, announced its summer headlining tour today, and among the dates is a May 28 show at “Downtown Benson St.” No idea what that means unless it’s another Benson street gig similar to last summer’s Conor-fest held just outside of Jake’s on Military Ave. I’d love to say I’m looking forward to the show, but I can’t stand Primus. Maybe the folks at One Percent Productions will be able to find a slate of decent opening bands. Tix are $32.50!!

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Column 312: Quarterly Report

CD reviews for the first quarter 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

And so ends the first quarter of ’11. If there’s an early, detectable trend in the world of indie music, it’s a subtle move away from “static-y, vibe bands” (as one local genius put it) like Animal Collective and Sleigh Bells to more-classic songwriting. Music auteurs will confuse this shift with retro or rehash, and in some cases they’re dead right, but the healing has to start somewhere.

Poor But Sexy, Let’s Move In Together (self-released) — Self-proclaimed re-inventors of “Yacht Rock” (their first misstep), this combo of D.C. post-punk veterans (including members of Dismemberment Plan) do their darnedest to translate Steely Dan to these Modern Times, but wind up sounding more like Pablo Cruise or Leo Sayer or Gino Vannelli, which ain’t necessarily a bad thing if you’re into that sort of white-guy disco funk (attention, Satchel Grande fans). It has its moments, like the roller skate handclap groover “You’re Hotter than a Poptart,” which sums up the lyrical deftness of the entire collection. Imagine what they could have done with a horn section.

Destroyer, Kaputt (Merge) — The band hasn’t remade its sound (you heard this coming on Trouble in Dreams) as much as given into its influences. “Savage Night at the Opera” is the best clear-cut homage to New Order you’ll ever find, right down to the “Bizarre Love Triangle” guitar cues. Other, more disco-y moments will make you think you picked up a Pet Shop Boys album, while the dreamy stuff is pure Roxy Music. The differentiator is the gorgeous trumpet and saxophone that slides in and out at the best moments, like the title track, where frontman Dan Bejar croons “Wasting your days, chasing some girls all right / Chasing cocaine to the back rooms of the world all night” over a warm, twilight LA summer disco melody he calls his “song for America” (circa 1988).

MEN, Talk About Body (IAMSOUND) — Fronted by Le Tigre’s SD Samson and Johanna Fateman, this thump-thump-thump electronic dance collection with a feminist edge would have benefited from a tad more (or a lot more) variety, but who’s looking for variety on the dance floor (other than Peaches, who did this better with I Feel Cream)?

Chikita Violenta, Tre3s (Arts & Crafts)

Chikita Violenta, Tre3s (Arts & Crafts) — From Mexico City by way of Canada’s Dave Newfeld (Broken Social Scene, Los Campesinos!) you won’t find a hint of south-of-the-border flavor. Instead, they sound like another member of the Arts & Crafts clan, hashed out and shimmering, complete with strutting vocalists that Feist and Stars’ Torquil Campbell ain’t got nothing on. Hot center track “ATPG” feels like revved up Yo La Tengo, while opener “Roni” is revved up Jesus and Mary Chain. Kick those influences to the curb and you have something that could be glorious.

The Decemberists, The King Is Dead (Rough Trade) — They can no longer be marginalized as just another twangy indie band, now that they’ve broken through with a collection that defines modern-day, above-ground Americana. The rural stomp-rock of “Down By the Water,” with its soaring harmonica and squeeze-box solo, is better than anything John Mellencamp has produced since Pink Houses; while the fiddles, banjo and honky-tonk piano on “All Arise!” could get any boots scootin’ at your local 2-step parlor. They’d be radio stars if radio hadn’t died a decade ago. I’ll take them over Mumford and Sons any day (but that’s not saying much).

Yuck, self-titled (Fat Possum) — That the album opens with a song that could be mistaken for classic Dinosaur Jr. is no mistake at all, as these British lads are channeling the best of the ’80s/’90s college rock scene almost note for note. Is that Pavement I hear? Yes, son, it is. How about Teenage Fanclub? Right you are. Is it a sin to emulate your heroes? Take a listen and decide for yourself.

Radiohead, The King of Limbs (XL) — As Thom Yorke’s music became more and more dehumanized and faux-modern (opening tracks “Bloom” and “Morning Mr. Magpie” are prime examples), I assumed this would be just another soulless escape into sterile, forced beats and drone-tones. But Yorke pulls it off with his brilliant voice, which he layers upon the layers upon the layers, and thankfully leaves clean without electronic effects (for the most part). When he tries to make it swing (“Little by Little,” “Lotus Flower”) I wonder if he simply forgot how to rock. He still struggles to find melodies; or maybe he just isn’t looking for them any more. He comes closest when he slows it down at the end. Tracks “Codex” and “Give Up the Ghost” are the closest thing to what we loved about OK Computer (and redeem the entire collection). It’s not as good as that landmark album, but nothing he produces from now on ever will be.

Toro Y Moi, Underneath the Pine (Carpark) — They’re calling one-man band Chaz Bundick’s style “chillwave,” which I guess means that it’s music to chill to, and I can see that. Both synth-y and beat-heavy, the shimmer is dreamy, the vocals breathy and echoing, the melodies intentionally loungy (a la Stereolab); it’s all very pretty and easy to listen to, and even easier to ignore.

The Dirtbombs, Party Store (In the Red) — Don’t know anything about the Detroit techno scene that this album supposedly honors? Doesn’t matter. I didn’t, either, and I still don’t. Take the record for what it is — a dirty, filthy, garage-punk dance album that recreates the beats and action of electronic acid house with guitars, bass, drums and Mick Collins’ brazen yowl. As for the 21:22 rehash of “Bug in the Bassbin” that stops the album dead in its tracks at the halfway point, well, that’s what the delete key is for (but only after you’ve endured it a couple times). Coolest album so far this year.

* * *

Homer’s head honcho Mike Fratt reports that Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key came in at No. 40 on the Billboard charts last week with sales of 11,314. Normally that would have landed Conor and Co. higher on the chart, but it was “another BIG week at soundscan,” he said, “sales are on a roll. Adele did over 350k.” Yikes. Despite the launch of the Bright Eyes global domination tour, you should see that number slowly decline until the band’s next network appearance. I’ve been told that once a band does Letterman or any other competing late-night show, that they’re blackballed form appearing on Saturday Night Live, which is a shame because BE could do real damage with an SNL appearance, and deserves the spot. But you take what you can get, I suppose, and Letterman has been a faithful supporter of Conor for years. Oberst certainly knows who has been there since the beginning. Let’s hope he remembers when it comes time to do local interviews surrounding the June Westfair date…

* * *

The Bonacci Brothers’ new band The Benningtons plays tonight at Slowdown Jr. They recently finished recording a new CD, which I’ve listening to while on the road (more details about that later). You should go to this show tonight. With Sun Settings and Sour Babies, it’s only $7.

Also tonight, Dim Light plays at The Barley Street Tavern with Damon Moon & the Whispering Drifters and South of Lincoln. $5, 9 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday afternoon, Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds and now also of Bright Eyes, posted a photo on her Facebook page of her with Norman the Dog taken shortly after yesterday’s taping of BE’s performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Laura called Norman “the show’s biggest talent,” and other than her band, she was right. Norman, a big shaggy lovable hound, stood on a scooter and pushed it across the studio floor — two paws on handlebars, one paw on scooter, and No. 4 pushing him along. It was part of a Stupid Pet Tricks package that included a border collie that could cook breakfast (an Eggo waffle). The only other part of the show I didn’t fast-forward through was Letterman berating comments from Sen. Rand Paul after coming off of a commercial break, saying how he didn’t understand how anyone could take away collective bargaining while giving tax breaks to “fat cats.” Amen, brother Letterman.

As for the BE performance, these things have become old hat for Conor and Co. A little bird told me Wednesday night that, due to time constraints, they’d be performing “Jejune Stars” off the new album (which Letterman held up in its vinyl format, the sleeve looking irredescent in the studio light), and sure enough that’s what they tore up on stage. Everyone did fine, and the sound was good (as you’ll see on the YouTube version). Laura mostly provided backing vocals as it appeared that Nate Walcott handled most of the keyboard chores. The star of the performance was Clark Baechle, looking like a cross between Anthony Jr. of the Sopranos and Matthew Sweet. Percussion drives this song, and the camara knew it, often focusing on Clark during the frenetic chorus breaks. Very nice, indeed. Next stop for Bright Eyes is kicking off the North American tour next Tuesday night in Miami with Cursive.

The website twentyfourbit.com has compiled a nice online retrospective of Bright Eyes TV performances over the years. Check it out.

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Looks like my whining has paid off. One Percent Productions announced yesterday that Iron & Wine is now slated to perform at Slowdown June 5. Tickets go on sale next Friday.  Yes, yes, you can thank me for the booking (Just kidding, Marc). Iron & Wine was on my list of “why don’t they ever come to Omaha?” bands that I posted Wednesday, here. That post got a bit of feedback, including a “get-your-shit-together” comment from people informing me that Tyvek has played in Omaha the past two years at drug-laden house parties. As I pointed out, I ain’t going to any house parties where I can get my ass thrown in jail because some under-age patrons decided to take a nip of the hooch (or fire up some chronic) when the cops show up to bust the joint. Also the fact that most kids at a house party would think I was a cop and/or an angry father keeping an eye on his daughter is enough to keep me out of Hotel Frank or The Jerk Store or whatever it’s called these days. Someone needs to book Tyvek at a larger space, say O’Leaver’s or The Barley Street or The 49’r…oops, I mean CVS (btw, have you seen the mass destruction of the neighborhood behind The Niner? ’tis a pity.). Someone also pointed out that Ted Leo opened for Against Me… three years ago. Go to the thread and add your “most wanted” bands to the list, or just comment below this blog entry. People are watching…

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And so we made it to the weekend and tonight’s mammoth album release party for Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship’s new LP, Hanga-Fang, at The Waiting Room. This should be a gala event, with opening bands  Yuppies, Ideal Cleaners and The Answer Team, all for a mere $7, so you’ll have plenty of jack left over to pick up a slab of that luscious orange vinyl. Seriously, buy this album, which I believe also comes with a download key that’ll let you add the digital version to your iPhone/listening device. It looks cool (at least in pictures) and is a pretty fantastic collection of songs. Find out for yourself tonight. Show starts at 9. See you there.

What else tonight? Well, Snake Island is playing a set at The Barley Street Tavern with Lincoln band Climates and Watching the Train Wreck. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) there’s a colorful show slated for The Barley Street Tavern — New York band The Forms along with Kansas City band Soft Reeds, the illustrious Kyle Harvey and Dorkas. The Forms have a new song online with vocals by Matt Berninger of The National and another song featuring Andrew Thiboldeaux of Pattern Is Movement. This could be a hot show. $5, 9 p.m.

Also Saturday night, noise rock masters Back When play at Slowdown Jr. with Bazooka Shootout, Dapose (from the Faint) and Feral Hands. $7, 9 p.m.

Then Sunday Heartless Bastards open for Drive-By Truckers at The Slowdown. Seems like HB is always opening for someone instead of headlining on their own. Tix are $20/$23 DOS. 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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Saddle Creek Records reports that first-week sales for Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key were 41,185, good enough to come in at No. 13 on the Billboard charts, behind a ton of Grammy releases (including two Bieber albums). 41k is an impressive number. Remember, Cassadaga sold 58k its first week way back in ’07 at the beginning of the decline of the record industry. According to Mike Fratt, who runs Homer’s Music, 17,796 copies sold were digital — a whopping 43 percent of total sales. You can thank that $3.99 Amazon deal for a big share of those numbers.

Pitchfork didn’t exactly go out of its way to help the album’s sales, continuing the website’s tradition of hatin’ on The Creek. Critic David Bevan loved “Ladder Song,” the most depressing tune on the album.  As for the rest of the record, he was not so kind… “But with the plain exception of ‘Ladder Song,’ the slick sonics here make the rest of the pack all the more cavernous and impersonal, a long ways from where the whole story began. Every line is laid with the rich sense of rhythm and texture that he’s mastered over the years, but it still adds up to very little: a wildly spiritual record without any spirit,” he concluded, rating the album a measly 5.0. Read the entire review here.

More notable to those who follow consistent criticism is Stephen Thomas Erlewine’s review at allmusic.com. Erlewine, who is the website’s senior editor, went against the grain dissing Digital Ash (2 stars) and Wide Awake (2 stars) back in ’05.  He was more complementary this time ’round: “Disregarding the lyrics — something that is not easy or necessarily optimal with Oberst, who is continuing to whittle away his overwritten excesses — The People’s Key is Bright Eyes’ poppiest record by some measure, trading anthems with the weight of America on their shoulders for sculptured miniatures.” Erlewine gave the album 3.5 stars. The full review is here.

Conor and Co. will try to get a “Letterman bump” when they appear on Late Night w/David Letterman tomorrow night with Sen. Rand Paul (Will there be fisticuffs? I think Conor could take him).

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There was some chatter at last Saturday night’s Pete Yorn show that Harrah’s was about to announce a huge, exciting show for their summer Stir Concert Cove series. Well, they announced the show yesterday: The Black Keys *thud*. The $37 (I’m not kidding) show is July 5 with opener Cage the Elephants *yawn*. If you’re doing the math, that’s $4 more than last year’s all-day MAHA Festival. And if you’re thinking to yourself, “Weren’t the Black Keys just here?” you’re not mistaken. They played at The Anchor Inn last August.

Is it me or does the Omaha area seem to get a lot of the same bands over and over? Are we part of some sort of déjà vu circuit? Deerhoof, who played at TWR last weekend, was just here in June. Mogwai, who plays here in April, just played Slowdown last summer. Heartless Bastards, who perform at Slowdown this Sunday night, were in Omaha last July. The Nadas, who were just here in December, are coming back in May; and Of Montreal, who plays at Slowdown in May, was at Sokol in October. Will we be hearing an announcement about an upcoming She & Him show in the near future?

Meanwhile, there’s an army of acts that have either never stepped foot in Nebraska or been here in many years. Everyone has their own list of bands they’d love to see that seem to avoid Omaha. Mine includes Belle and Sebastian, PJ Harvey, Sun Kil Moon, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, The xx, Aimee Mann, Beck, Teenage Fanclub, R.E.M., (the late) LCD Soundsystem, Iron & Wine, Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Glasvegas, Dirtbombs, Justice, Tyvek, The Magnetic Fields, Nick Cave, Radiohead, the list goes on and on… I’m sure there’s a very logical, straightforward reason why these bands avoid Omaha while other acts continue to hit Nebraska over and over…

That said, we don’t have room to complain. Just look who’s playing tonight at The Waiting Room. The Smith Westerns just snagged a massive 8.4 rating at Pitchfork for their new album, Dye It Blonde, as well as the website’s coveted “best new music” designation. And the credit is well deserved. Opening is psych rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra (check out some tracks here). $10, 9 p.m.

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Tomorrow: Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Pete Yorn

Pete Yorn: Let’s Get Lost

Indie rock’s golden child returns to the Heartland.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s late in the day; the sun barely blinks over the horizon. The familiar bleached light bounces off the pavement and through the dirty windshied while white stripes flicker below like a busy signal on the highway. The man behind the wheel is lost.

That man is Pete Yorn, his trademark Prince Valiant mane tossing in the wind blowing through an open window. He wears the same T-shirt and jeans he wore earlier that day in ARC Studios, where he stood behind a microphone, “cans” on head, singing, while producer Mike Mogis listened and twisted the dials atop the massive control board, glancing up occasionally to watch Yorn through the window.

It was 2008 when Yorn found himself in Nebraska only a few weeks after finishing recording sessions with producer and living legend Frank Black of Pixies fame for Yorn’s self-titled rock record, which has become known by some as “the Black album.” Between those Frank Black sessions and the release of the “Black album” in September 2010, Yorn released the Mogis-produced Back and Fourth (in June 2009), along with a collection of duets with Scarlett Johansson called Break Up, recorded two years earlier but released in September 2009.

It is only now that Yorn has had a chance to really perform the songs on the “Black album.”

“Ever since I recorded those songs I’ve been excited about the opportunity to play them live,” he said from his home in Santa Monica, California. “I haven’t been out touring in a bus in a year. I’m ready to play some good rock shows again.”

Pete Yorn, self titled (Vagrant 2010)

Yorn recalled the contrast between Frank Black’s recording style and working with Mike Mogis. “They’re both guys who I really respect a lot and enjoy working with,” he said. “Mike is more detailed, more layering and I knew that going in. I also knew with Frank that I’d only have five days (in the studio) to capture something fast and not be too fussy about it. It was the antithesis of what we did in Omaha. That said, it’s all rock and roll, and both have different energies.”

The final products also couldn’t be more different. Yorn’s eponymous album, which will be the center point of Saturday night’s concert at the Whiskey Roadhouse, is barebones and abrasive, a rough ride that, on songs like “Velcro Shoes” and “Badman,” sideswipes garage rock without losing any of Yorn’s songwriting depth. Black’s influence saturates every track, from the chugging guitars to Yorn’s gravelly vocals.

In comparison, Back and Fourth is downright ornate; a soulful, personal album with the subtle touches that Yorn — and Mogis — are known for. Instead of five days, Yorn spent two and a half months in Omaha working on Back and Fourth. Over that time, he became immersed in the Omaha scene, hanging out at a wine bar in Dundee, eating at a Middle Eastern restaurant downtown, becoming involved in the spiritual center of Omaha, and going to rock shows. Maybe you were at one of the clubs on a night when someone leaned over, pointed and whispered: “Pssst… Look. Pete Yorn’s here tonight.”

“I never go out when I’m home; it’s very rare that I go to bars,” Yorn said. “But when I was there, I wanted to take it all in. I went to a number of shows at Slowdown. I remember going to see The Notwist after a group of kids told me about the show. I’d never even heard of them. That night I ran into the guys in Cursive and a bunch of other people I’d met. I started to realize that there was a cool group of really creative people that made up the scene, a tightly knit scene, and from an outsider’s perspective, it was refreshing to see.”

But just as memorable about his months in Nebraska were the times Yorn spent exploring the highways alone. “After we laid down tracks, there was a lot of down time,” Yorn said. “I like to go on drives. I had a car and drove around for hours, exploring the area.

“One time I was driving in the middle of the day and heading south. I was on my cell phone talking to someone in New York and became distracted. I looked around and thought ‘Where the hell am I?’ I was surrounded by cornfields. I love getting lost in cornfields.”

Yorn said for Saturday night’s show, expect to hear not only songs off the “Black album,” but from his full catalogue, including his landmark first album, musicforthemorning after. “When I go see a band and they play 20 songs I’ve never heard before, I think, ‘What the fuck is this?’ I’m not interested in doing that. It’ll be a balanced show. I’m excited to see what the catalyst in every room will be. There are always different people yelling different shit. I love it when people yell at me.”

Pete Yorn plays with Ben Kweller & The Wellspring, Saturday, Feb. 19, at Whiskey Roadhouse at The Horseshoe Casino, 2701 23rd Avenue, Council Bluffs. Showtime is 8 p.m. Tickets are $25. For more information, visit horseshoecouncilbluffs.com.

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Some extra copy that didn’t make it into the Pete Yorn feature:

Just the night before our interview, Yorn stood alone on stage at Carnegie Hall in Manhattan playing a solo acoustic version of “Rockin’ in the Free World” at a Neil Young tribute concert that also featured, among others, J Mascis, Glen Hansard, Jakob Dylan, Shawn Colvin and Patti Smith.

“Evan Dando and Juliana Hatfield did ‘Cinnamon Girl,'” Yorn said. “Both played Gibson SG electric guitars, it was really cool.”

What made Yorn’s performance particularly special was the song choice. “(Rockin’ in the Free World) was the first song I ever really sang in front of a band,” he said, adding that prior to that he sat behind a drum kit. “They coaxed me out front to sing. I was 15 years old in a talent show in New Jersey where I grew up. So it was coming full circle.”

Yorn also talked about what he’s been doing since finishing his last record: “I’ve been working on something loose over at a buddy’s house, a covers record,” he said. “It’s a palette cleanser for me to explore other songs and reinterpret them. We got 10 songs worked out. I don’t know what I’m going to do with it, but it’s fun.”

And he talked about his flight from Omaha after the Mogis sessions ended. “I drove cross country back home on  Halloween,” Yorn said. “I listened to The Shining book all the way through Colorado. I was driving through the mountains listening to The Shining.” It doesn’t get much spookier than that.

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Everything points to strong opening-week numbers for Bright Eyes’ The People’s Key. Mike Fratt, who runs Homer’s Music, said his stores sold a total of 76 copies of the recording yesterday — 45 CDs and 31 LPs. Fratt also said the The People’s Key was the No. 1 seller at indie retailers yesterday. A glance at the iTunes Store shows The People’s Key charting at No. 7 on its albums list. And yesterday Amazon began offering an mp3 download of the album for just $3.99 — a price point that helped catapult Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts for its first week of sales.

Hurting Bright Eyes’ quest for the top Billboard spot, however, are strong sales by artists who performed on Sunday night’s Grammy broadcast. “The grammy spike is REAL big this year,” Fratt said. In fact five of the six spots above The People’s Key on the iTunes top-sellers list are all Grammy performers (Mumford and Sons currently sits at the top).

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Tomorrow: Tennis

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.