The Decatures at Dario Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

What to say about Dundee Day a.k.a. Dario Day Saturday? We passed the crowds gathered along Underwood Street to see tribute band Rock and Roll Suicide and proceeded to Dario’s, which boasted a slate of original bands as well as Dario’s gourmet cheeseburgers and pulled-pork sandwiches (not to mention the Belgian beer).

Only 30 or so people were standing around the tables in Dario’s cordoned off parking lot at around 6 p.m. On stage, a three-piece played grunge-infused hard rock complete with guitar solos. The shaggy blond lead singer/guitarist looked like a young Peter Frampton under his curly locks. I tend to shy away from mainstream rock acts, but I have to say these guys were pretty durn fun to listen to — if not a little green. It didn’t help matters that their drummer punctuated every number with a post-song drum fill best left for band practice.

It wasn’t until after their set that I discovered it was The Decatures. and only after I asked the sound guy. Here’s a tip, guys: Unless you’re a known commodity, tell the audience who you are at least a couple times during your set. Even if you only recognize your friends and family, you never know who might be in the audience.

Old Money at Dario Day, Sept. 28, 2013.

We hung out at Dario’s for dinner and beers and waited what seemed like an hour for Old Money to get set up. Old Money was described as “Satchel Grande lite,” which was right on, though their music leaned a little too close to “smooth jazz” territory. By the time we left, the crowd had nearly doubled to around 50 — pretty light compared to the last time we went to Dario Day and had to fight to get a table.

On the way home outside along Underwood, the crowd had ballooned. On stage the band was busy putting down a lousy version of a Bowie’s “Suffragette City.” Ah, how Omaha loves its cover bands…

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A hot gig has sneaked up on us tonight at The Waiting Room. Drag City Records band Blues Control headlines a show that also features Detroit’s Jamaican Queens, Omaha punks Worried Mothers and Rake Kash (Lonnie Methe’s latest project). $7, 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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.