The Cult of Lip at O’Leaver’s, June 15, 2019.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Walking up to O’Leaver’s Saturday I noticed they painted the building black, and then upon walking in… new carpeting! When’d this all happen? I asked the kindly young lady taking my $5. Oh, about a month ago. What? Has it been that long since I’ve been to O’Leaver’s? I guess so… 

Double Grave at O’Leaver’s June 15, 2019.

Anyway, the place never looked better, but it’s still the same ol’ Club we all know and love. Double Grave took the stage moments after arrival / Rolling Rock’d. The Minneapolis three-piece sounded closer to ’90s slacker rock / Pavement than I remember on their latest recordings. Frontman/guitarist Jeremy Warden has a loopy vocal style but knows how to punch out cool guitar lines atop a solid rhythm section. 

Fellow Minneapolis trio The Cult of Lip was next-level good. I’d love to tell you who’s in this band but there’s no info about them anywhere (that I could find). A young dude in a Greek sailor’s cap surrounded by two panels of floor pedals absolutely destroyed on guitar, playing an array of effects, many sounding like Loveless-era My Bloody Valentine (his Loveless T-shirt was the first clue). His vocals were deep and thick with reverb, real voice-of-god stuff. He shared vocals with a bass player, whose voice was as distorted and, as a result, lyrics were undistinguishable, more tones than words. 

Two songs into the set they shifted to Sonic Youth territory, and again, blew the place away, before heading back to that distorted MBV style. The drummer also played in Double Grave — and kept it solid in both. One of the coolest bands I’ve seen this year…

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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.

Minneapolis band Double Grave plays O’Leaver’s Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Unless you’re submerged in an isolation tank you already know that the College World Series kicks off this weekend. As a result, downtown has become a dead zone for the next two weeks. The Slowdown will be hosting cover/party bands for the duration, playing (I assume) either on stage or under a big white tent in the parking lot. Meanwhile, a number of conference rooms in the Slowdown Compound have been secured and converted into high-tech “counting rooms” used to sort the overstuffed trashbags filled with money that will drop like manna from the heavens for all businesses surrounding TD Ameritrade park… at least for these two weeks. 

For the rest of us, there’s always fabulous O’Leaver’s… which is hosting a couple hot shows tonight and tomorrow. 

Tonight’s show at The Club is headlined by Ratboys, which you read about Wednesday (right here). Omaha rock band (indie band?) Uh Oh and Bedrest kick it off at 10 p.m. $10.

Also tonight, Omaha’s favorite alt-country band Clarence Tilton opens for Grammy Award winning C&W artist Marty Stuart at the Scottish Rite Hall downtown at 202 So. 20th St. 8 p.m., $45. Watch out for scooters.

Meanwhile, The Sydney in Benson tonight is hosting “Queer Night” with Cult Play, Pittsburgh’s Hot Pink Satan and Richmond VA band Gothic Lizard. $5, 10 p.m. 

It’s a Minneapolis invasion Saturday night at O’Leaver’s. tion 

Double Grave is a Minneapolis trio that calls their sound “prairie grunge.” They just released a 6-song EP on Forged Artifacts called Ego Death Forever that concludes with an 8-minute track called “Sunlight” that’s reminds me of early Luna. You can find it on their Bandcamp page (below).  The Cult of Lip is another Minneapolis band, this one with a serious My Bloody Valentine vibe, at least based on their 2018 release Sleep Receiver (Records DK). There are moments on the EP that sound like they were recorded under water (literally). This four-band bill kicks off at 9 p.m. with Jacob James Wilton (ex Super Ghost) and is headlined by Hussies. That’s a lot of bands for just $5.

Also Saturday night, Lawrence act JC and the Nuns plays at Brothers Lounge. The band just released a 5-song EP called God Did Weed. And as you can imagine, it’s pretty trippy. Cat Beret headlines; Tame Suns opens at 10 p.m. $5. 

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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.