The Sky Drops at The Barley Street Tavern, May 3, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It was a late start at last night’s show at The Barley Street Tavern. I would find out later that it was because opener Pastel Pistol canceled. That meant sitting alone in the bar, quietly stewing over a Rolling Rock while playing Tiny Bird on my iPhone for an hour. Us working types are taking a chance going out on a “school night” to see a show, hoping that it’ll wrap up at least by midnight so that the 5 a.m. wake-up call isn’t quite as painful…

The touring band, The Sky Drops, finally got started a little after 10:30. With all the bands jumping on the “shoegaze” bandwagon these days, this was the first that actually had that classic guitar sound that I identify with the subgenre — that shimmering, rainy-day woozy drone made famous by bands like My Bloody Valentine. Guitarist/vocalist Rob Montejo pulled it off with a Fender Jaguar, a small stack of amps and an array of effects pedals that bent the notes in an off-kilter, underwater sort of way. Meanwhile, drummer Monika Bullette merely kept the beat on her small kit, nothing fancy, and provided sweet harmony vocals. Yeah, they could have used a bass, just like every two-piece out there. Still, Montejo’s guitar tone did a good job filling in the void. I was thrown by his clear, unaffected voice. He has one of those very American voices — sort of Lou Barlow meets Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) meets Dan Wilson (Semisonic) — that provided a distinct contrast to the feedback. Definitely worth losing sleep over.

Eli Mardock at The Barley Street Tavern, May 3, 2011.

The impressive thing about Eli Mardock, who followed The Sky Drops, is that he writes actual songs. That sounds funny/stupid I know, but it’s what has always distinguished him and his projects from the rest of the crowd. Good songs, good arrangements. Nothing wasted. The set up was Mardock, who switched between acoustic, bass, and electric guitars; Carrie Butler on space synths and keyboards, along with a bassist and drummer who I didn’t recognize. Mardock still has that slightly affected, showy drawl, which has become his trademark. A good voice, and certainly memorable. But back to the songs — Mardock has a way with strong, catchy melodies and equally cool counter melodies that are, for the most part, uniquely his own. There were a couple moments in the short, 5-song set (though long songs) that crept dangerously close to Radiohead territory, but every time he managed to throttle back his Thom Yorke tendencies, shifting to a synth or guitar solo. Gorgeous stuff that outshines his work with Eagle Seagull. Call it pop music of the best kind, songs that are just fun to listen to. It’s True has a similar, though obviously different, quality. Mardock said he’s finished recording an album’s worth of material and is off to New York to mix it. More to come…

A quick note about The Barley Street’s sound: I was told that the system had been retooled around the time that Brad Hoshaw took over the venue’s booking chores. I’m not sure what they did, but the bands sounded quite good last night. Credit goes to the sound guy who took his time balancing everything during sound checks and adjusted throughout the set. I’m sure the dozen or so other folks who turned out appreciated the effort…

BTW, I got home a little after midnight…

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There are two hot shows going on tonight. Down at Slowdown Jr. it’s Hunx and His Punx with Shannon And The Clams & Talking Mountain. Chris Aponick has the skinny on H&HP’s man-love rock in this interview in The Reader. $8, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, up at The Waiting Room, it’s the return of The Felice Brothers with Shovels & Rope. Kevin Coffey’s got the lowdown on the band in an interview with the band’s bass player at his Rock Candy blog, right here. $13, 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

More interesting than yesterday’s announcement that Bright Eyes has added dates to his seemingly endless tour for The People’s Key is the list of opening bands that Conor and Co. are bringing along for the tour. Saddle Creek bands always have been generous when it came to helping their friends out by offering opening slots on national tours. In this case, it not only helps the bands, it helps the label.

Maybe more than any other instance, adding Mynabirds to this tour will have a quantum impact on growing that band’s following, even if it’s only for a week (March 10-16, Boston to Champaign, IL). Fact is, Mynabirds’ frontwoman Laura Burhenn will be along for the ride anyway as a member of Bright Eyes, so it made sense to find a way to add the rest of her band when possible. Adding Cursive to four dates (March 3-6) makes this a sort-of Saddle Creek “Supertour” (Who remembers the Bright Eyes / Faint tour all those years ago?).

So why doesn’t Bright Eyes simply fill the rest of this tour with these and other Creek bands? Certainly the bands’ fans know and love fellow Creek artists, and having them along for the tour is like surrounding yourself with family. Everybody wins.

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BTW, just like I figured, Bright Eyes has announced its first appearance at South By Southwest since 2000. The date is March 19 — the last day of SXSW — at Auditorium Shores as part of  The Ground Control Touring showcase, which also featuries The Felice Brothers, Middle Brother and Man Man.

Still no word whether Saddle Creek is hosting a showcase at SXSW this year.

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Eli Mardock can now add “ex-Beauty in the Beast” to his “ex-Eagle Seagull” name description. He e-mailed his Facebook fans Saturday saying, “I’m no longer performing as Beauty in the Beast or Eagle Seagull, but instead just as ELI MARDOCK.” In addition to having a new glamour photo, Mardock has posted a new song to his fan page, “The King of Crickets.” I dig it. Check it out.

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Tomorrow: 2011 Predictions, Pt. 2 — get ready to be astounded.

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Lazy-i Best of 2010

Your entry into this year’s drawing for a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2010 sampler isn’t going to send itself. It’s up to you  click on this e-mail link: tim@lazy-i.com and compose a small message that includes your name and mailing address. It’s pretty frickin’ easy, and it’s free. Tracks include songs by Arcade Fire, Jenny and Johnny, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, A Weather, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. If you’re lucky enough to win, you’ll also get the new limited edition Lazy-i Sticker to stick on something. Deadline is next Tuesday, Jan. 18. Better do it now. These things sneak up on you…

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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.

Beauty In the Beast at The Waiting Room, Oct. 7, 2010.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The marquee outside The Waiting Room last night said “Eagle Seagull,” but everyone knew better. Maybe it was a marketing ploy. After all, why would anyone know who Beauty In the Beast is, especially seeing as the gig was their stage debut? Regardless, the ruse didn’t work and fewer than 50 people showed up — maybe the Huskers had something to do with the low turnout, or maybe the time is right to stick a fork in E*S…

First up was A Lull, a Chicago five-piece with two primary drummers but where everyone had some piece of percussion equipment to bang on. As you’d expect, the music was all very rthymic, almost tribal, with a guitarist adding distinctively Fripp-ian touches (no chords) while another guitarist sang in a dry, tonal sort of way. When it wasn’t droning it did remind me of latter-day King Crimson, and when all five members were pounding out rhythms, it became a celebration.

Our old friends Cowboy Indian Bear were next, doing their usual thing with the usual panache. It was suggested that the Lawrence band might be over-playing Omaha since they seem to perform almost weekly. Overexposure is never a good thing, but then again, people can’t seem to get enough of CIB.

Then came the debut of Beauty in the Beast — a three-piece featuring Eli Mardock and Carrie Butler, both formerly with Eagle*Seagull, and drummer Andrew Tyler. Mardock played acoustic and electric guitar and bass, switching between the three from song to song, while Butler played synths, and both handled vocals, though Mardock is still clearly the group’s “frontman.” The seven-song set started with an acoustic-powered ballad reminiscent of The Church, while the second song sounded very E*S; then Mardock switched to electric and things began to take off.

Unlike their recordings on their Facebook page, Mardock still has his warble-y, Bowie-esque affectation on stage though it’s much less pronounced on music that is more laid-back, more swinging (in a midnight sort of way) than E*S. I guess the word I’m looking for is “groovy.” Butler took over the lead vocals on the third song, and while her voice is pretty, it’s still not quite strong enough for the stage — that’ll improve over time. She was at her best when she shared vocals with Mardock in tight harmony. On the whole, Beauty’s arrangements are simpler and more straight-forward than E*S’ over-the-top dance explosions, with Tyler stripping the percussion to its bare essentials.

They closed with an upbeat New Wave number featuring Butler’s Gary Numan synths, while the seventh and last song featured Butler (on bass) and Mardock (on electric guitar) playing over a ghostly looped synth march that made for a dramatic Ennio Morricone moment.

As a whole, the set was mesmerizing, modern, and somehow strangely stylish. Beauty… is a big step forward for Mardock and Butler, and a step away from a what-could-have-been past that now seems very old-fashioned. That said, I’m skeptical how well this more contemporary sound will translate to traditional Eagle*Seagull fans, not that it matters…

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Time to plan your weekend…

Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s Syracuse indie pop band Ra Ra Riot (Barsuk). File their music under the same college category as Tokyo Police Club, Vampire Weekend, SSLYBS, the usual suspects. Joining them are Chikita Violenta and We Barbarians. $15, 9 p.m.

Tonight also is the first of a two-night reunion of local heroes The Sons of… Tonight it’s the Sons of The 49’r at, well, The 49’r of course. Joining them are our old friends The Filter Kings. It’s probably $5, and probably starts at 9 p.m. Then tomorrow night, the band magically transforms into The Sons of O’Leaver’s (featuring Mike Jaworski of Cops, Hong Gyn Corp., Hello from Waveland), with special guests Little Brazil. This one will be packed. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Back to tonight’s action… Bear Country and Thunder Power are playing at Stir Lounge in C.B. $5, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, there’s a last-minute show (replacing the canceled Justin Townes Earle show) at Slowdown Jr. featuring Strand Of Oaks, McCarthy Trenching, and Fortnight. 9 p.m. and absolutely free.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) in addition to that gigantic O’Leaver’s show, Rock Paper Dynamite is headlining a gig at The Waiting Room with High Art and SFS. $7, 9 p.m.

Down at Slowdown Jr. Saturday Yep Roc band Jukebox the Ghost is headlining a show with Hooray for Earth and AB & The Sea. $10, 9 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night, seminal ’90s alt-metal band Helmet comes to The Waiting Room with Intronaut & Goes Cube. $15, 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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Column 291: These Uncynical Days

Guster’s Ryan Miller has hope for the future of music…

More with Guster’s Ryan Miller that didn’t fit into the feature story, which was posted yesterday, here, and which you should read before you read this. Go ahead, we’ll wait for you…

You’re back? Good. I should point out that I have some familiarity with Miller and Guster. I interviewed him way back in December 1999 in the band’s tour bus before a concert at the long, lost Ranch Bowl. Miller was a whirling dervish, jumping around the bus looking for a lost Wheat CD (you remember Wheat, right?) having just done an in-station performance at KCTY The City, an Omaha FM radio station that, in its day, was sort of ground breaking in that it had no real format, no play list. The DJ’s played whatever they wanted to, and Miller couldn’t believe it.

The KCTY experiment didn’t last very long, and the whole idea of a broadcast radio station that isn’t nationally programmed seems impossible now. Which brings us to the present and Mlller’s take on current-day radio. He and the band have just spent the past two weeks touring radio stations “educating radio programmers about their single,” he said. It didn’t seem much different than back in ’99, when Miller told me one of Guster’s main goals was to break through to mainstream radio. “We like our record label and we’re waiting for our shot,” Miller said proudly, almost defiantly way back then. “We feel we’re a commercial band, that we’re real and we’ve been doing this for a long time. I say congratulations to the Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray and Matchbox 20. They’ve broken through.”

Now 11 years later, Guster still hasn’t broken through, though that goal remains in their sights, sort of. “It’s not thee goal,” Miller said last Saturday. “It’s a goal. We had an opportunity when (our contract with) Warner Bros was up after Ganging Up on the Sun (released in 2006). It was a moment when we said, ‘What should we do? Should we release the next one in-house on our own record label?’ We decided to give the major label thing one more shot.”

In some ways, Guster was bucking the trend when they signed with Universal instead of going indie. Miller said the band had watched how Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails did their successful pay-what-you-want self releases, and realized it wouldn’t work for them. That model “only works for bands that are already hugely established,” Miller said. “For us, it’s really helpful to have the machinery behind us, especially people who understand what we’re doing. Without it, we wouldn’t have been able to make the video for ‘Do You Love Me?'”

That video, a stop-action piece that shows the band performing dressed in long underwear while white-hooded (Klannish?) drones decorate the stage (and the band) with paint, was picked as iTunes “video of the week,” an honor that drummer Brian Rosenworcel called in a Gloucester Times article “The biggest news that ever happened in our band’s history.” Wow.

Miller said the video and its exposure is something they wouldn’t have had without the label backing. Still, he’s well aware that there are a lot of bands that are “breaking through” on indie labels.

“I’m not cynical about it anymore,” Miller said. “It’s an amazing time to be a musician. There are so many great records coming out, I download four or five every week and some are so uncommercial. What’s happening with the whole democratization of music is so inspiring, though it’s harder than hell to break into the monoculture.”

Which made me scratch my head and wonder how any band does it. Last week’s sold out Local Natives show at The Waiting Room is a prime example. Hundreds of fans were grouped around the stage singing along to songs that have never been heard on Omaha airwaves outside of small, 2-hour boutique radio shows like 89.7 The River’s stylish New Day Rising show (Sunday’s at 9). If that’s the only outlet, is radio important any more?

“I keep asking myself that same question,” Miller said. “It’s still hanging in there. I live in Brooklyn and never listen to the radio. I listen to (Seattle public radio station) KEXP on my iPhone, which plays a lot of music that I like. We still see popular bands on the radio, so we’re still willing to give it a couple weeks of our lives.”

Miller said these days publications like Pitchfork are acting as tent poles for new bands. “It kind of started with Broken Social Scene,” he said. “That band came out of nowhere and got a 9.2 rating (for 2002’s You Forgot It In People). A great review in Pitchfork can get you to sell-out 400-person venues in 15 cities, and that gets you your shot. If you’re shitty, it all goes away.”

Miller said that’s what helped break Local Natives. “All these bands — indie or blog bands — it helps them crawl up and crawl out of this Internet-only thing and become part of the culture. Today it’s Local Natives. It was Fleet Foxes before that and Vampire Weekend before that. And now Arcade Fire has the No. 1 record in the country. That band didn’t get played on the radio. That’s why I’m so uncynical about the whole thing. All of those bands are great fucking bands and they don’t sound like anything else. It’s all happening based on merit more than anything.”

* * *

It can now be said that Eagle Seagull is no more, just as their best album, The Year of the How-To Book, has finally been released (You can find it on iTunes; I have no idea if it was physically released in the U.S.). Its availability marks the end of years of speculation if it would ever see the light of day. We all heard the Starbucks story (though I’ve never seen it documented) and assumed that after that debacle someone would pick it up. If the waiting seemed like forever for Eagle Seagull fans (the album was recorded in May 2007), it must have been an eternity for the band. When it was announced this spring that [PIAS] was releasing it outside of the U.S., the long nightmare appeared to be over. But it wasn’t. And now, eight months after that, the record is out but the band is no more.

And maybe it’s for the best. Because I just spent the last seven minutes listening to “Theologians Tell Me,” one of the demos available from Beauty in the Beast’s Facebook page, and am now listening to it again. Drenched in delay, frontman Eli Mardock sounds like early Anton Newcombe (Brian Jonestown Massacre) belting out a sinister baroque ballad in 3/4 time, complete with a two-minute instrumental interlude. Carrie Butler does a sly, graceful vocal on synth-fueled popper “If You’re With Me, You’re Against Me.” And while “King of the Crickets” is soft and dreamy (or spacey), there are touches in the effects-laden harmonies that will remind you of Eagle Seagull — but those few moments will be the only ones that do. Rounded out by veteran Lincoln drummer Andrew Tyler (Indigenous), you can catch the trio tonight at The Waiting Room and decide for yourself if Eagle Seagull’s passing is an occasion to mourn or celebrate. I’m leaning toward the latter.

A final little post script on all this: Eagle Seagull will go down as one of the most controversial bands in Nebraska history. They were hated as much as they were loved. For a number of years they were the biggest band from Lincoln and everyone thought they were poised to break through. But it never happened. My only regret is that I never got a chance to see them perform “Twenty Thousand Light Years” on Letterman. That would have been a gas.

Playing with Beauty in the Beast is Lawrence band Cowboy Indian Bear, who has become a local favorite thanks to their almost monthly treks to Omaha. Also on the bill, Chicago avant-pop band A Lull, whose rhythm-heavy style comes by way of no less than three percussionists. The Village Voice compared them to Blitzen Trapper, Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear — talk about your ultra-hip trifectas. $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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.