by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Well, after Sunday it’s back to five-day work weeks for most of us as we try to navigate through this long, cold, dark January. Let’s try to make the best of it, because we’re all stuck here together…

Top show of the weekend is tonight at The Waiting Room where former Nebraskan Maria Taylor returns. Her latest Saddle Creek Records release, Something About Knowing, is an ode to motherhood, or as she said, it was influenced by “the life-changing joy and newfound responsibility of being a first-time parent.” Taylor said she recorded it during her son’s naps and that it’s brimming with “bliss and contentment.” Opening is New Jersey’s PJ Bond, whose Elliott Smith-influenced acoustic style blends well with Taylor’s own laid-back ways. $10, 9 p.m.

If case you forgot (and I know I did), it’s Benson First Friday.

Also tonight, Lincoln indie-dance-rock act Life Is Cool headlines at Slowdown Jr. with The Brigadiers and All Young Girls Are Machine Guns. $7, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night, Omaha’s favorite C&W band, The Electroliners, hosts a CD EP release party at The Waiting Room. Opening is none other than Mariachi Zapata (that’s right, a full-blown mariachi band) and The Love Technicians. $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile fabulous O’Leaver’s boasts a 3-band bill Saturday night with headliner Timecat, Lodgings and Manic Pixie Dream Girls. $5, 9:30 p.m.

And that about does it for the weekend. If I missed something, put it in the comments area. Have a good weekend and try to stay warm…

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Lazy-i Best of 2013

We’re still taking entries in the drawing for a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2013 compilation CD! The collection includes songs by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Gardenheads, Destruction Unit, Lloyd Cole, Pet Shop Boys, Daft Punk, Jack Bugg and a ton more.  The full track listing is here. Entering has never been easier: To enter either: 1. Send an email with your mailing address to tim.mcmahan@gmail.com, or 2) Write a comment on one of my Lazy-i related posts in Facebook, or 3) Retweet a Lazy-i tweet. You also can enter by sending me a direct message in Facebook or Twitter. Hurry, contest deadline is midnight Jan. 6!

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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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m starting with the Doom Town show because I feel that the so-called “above-ground media” dropped the ball on this one (i.e., me and The Reader).

Justin O’Connor, one of the guys behind Doom Town Records, e-mailed back in October asking if I’d be interested in writing a feature story in support of this Saturday night’s (tomorrow night’s) show at The Sandbox, and I said “yeah,” even though I’m not responsible for assigning feature stories at The Reader (music editor Chris Aponick is). In the end, I got assigned a feature on So-So Sailors, and Aponick apparently mentioned the Doom Town show in his Backbeat Column (which I haven’t seen yet).

“Ethan Jones and I are releasing Doom Town USA, a compilation and ‘zine we’ve spent the last year putting together (we’re slow),” O’Connor said in his e-mail to me. “To celebrate we’ve set up a show at The Sandbox on December 10 featuring STNNNG, Blind Shake and Baby Tears. This will also double as a release show for Baby Tears’ new 7-inch on Rainy Road. The ‘zine has a pair of articles written by Chris Harding-Thornton and Chris Besinger. The bands on the comp are Skin of Earth (IA), Yuppies, Metal Tech (Chris Fischer of Unread Records), Ed Gray (IA), Nymph (NY), This is My Condition (KS), Blind Shake (MN), Baby Tears, L.U.N.A.R. Revolt (PA), STNNNG (MN), Bottom Jobs (MN), and Vverevvolf Grehv.”

Besinger (who writes about Danzig in the ‘zine), as you may or may not know, is in the leather-gloved frontman of STNNNG; Harding-Thornton (who writes about “the industry” and life in general) is a music industry veteran who used to work at Saddle Creek and (and was involved in The Cog Factory back before she had a hyphenated last name). Also included is a short intro essay by O’Connor, who among other things is one of the funniest writers from around here (whether he knows it or not). And lots of clever drawings by Chris Fischer and other talented artists.

So here’s the deal. For $6 you get a 36-page ‘zine with a screen-printed cover and a compilation cassette with the above-mentioned bands. Limited to a mere 100 copies. Will this comp’s music ever be available as a “download”? I have no idea. Fact is, my POS ’96 Chevy Sidekick has a cassette player in it, so I’m already in business. If you can’t make the show, you can buy a copy of the package online right here at the Doom Town Records website.

But you’re better off just coming to Saturday night’s show at The Sandbox, 2406 Leavenworth, which features Blind Shake, STNNNG and Baby Tears. Show starts at 9:30 and costs $6. Go!

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Tonight, of course, is the So-So Sailors CD-EP release show at Slowdown Jr. (which you read about here).  Also on the bill are Kevin Pike & John Kotchian and Sam Knutson. Everyone who pays the $10 cover gets a copy of the S-S S EP, Young Hearts. Seriously, you can’t lose. Show starts at 9 p.m.

So what else is happening this weekend?

The Nadas return to The Waiting Room tonight with Witness Tree. $15, 9 p.m.

Snake Island is at The Barley Street Tavern tonight with Travelling Mercies and Dan Tesdesco. $5, 9 p.m.

And tonight is the final night for Depressed Buttons‘ residency at House of Loom. The trio of Baechle, Fink and Thiele will be taking time off to tour and produce new music. Opening set from Cake Eater. Starts at 10  p.m., $5.

Saturday night’s other big show is Blue Bird at The Barley Street Tavern with Edge of Arbor and the debut of Electroliners – a band-spankin’ new band featuring guitarist/vocalist Pat White of The Third Men, Travis Sing (bass, vocals), Staphanie Krysl (fiddle, keys, vocals) Wayne Brekke (drums) and Corey Weber (pedal steel, guitar). They describe their sound as “old stylie country western.” Show starts at 9 p.m., $5.

Finally, omahype.com celebrates completing its first year of online business with its second annual Holiday Throwdown at Slowdown. The mammoth musical line-up includes Honeybee & Hers, Laura Burhenn (Mynabirds), McCarthy Trenching, Brad Hoshaw, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, Great American Desert, Jasong Mountain, James Maakestad, Sean Pratt, April Faith-Slaker, aetherplough, Anniversaire, The Benningtons and Jordan Elsberry. In addition to vendors selling their wares, Blue Sushi Sake Grill and Roja Mexican Grill will have snacks available. It all starts at 5 p.m. and entry is a suggested $5 donation. Find out more here.

Close out your week with Bad Speler a.k.a. Darren Keen as he celebrates the release of Jesus, the powerless liar presents: Another Bad Speler Christmix at House of Loom Sunday night.

“This is the second christmix I’ve released, and it’s amazing,” Keen says. “I sample Ru Paul, William Hung, Star Wars Christmas, and even Bright Eyes, while still maintaining, and ever perfecting my now bass heavier post breakcore club sound. Listen to the re working of Bright Eyes’ ‘Little Drummer Boy’ in the Bad Speler original masterpiece ‘Come on my Drum, (below).

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/29468703″]

Keen said the release is digital only, though he’ll have CDR’s of the album available at this show, which is free and 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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.