by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Picking through some newsy bits I missed in the in-box:

The Fizzle Like a Flood Kickstarter campaign for the new album, Black Walls (which I wrote about here), met its fundraising goal in just 15 days – impressive. The campaign continues through the end of the month, however, so go there and check out the rewards and/or order your copy of the new album. 

I’ve always liked Kickstarter as a pre-sales program, though it must be a pain in the ass for the artists who have to do fulfillments!

. 0 0 0 .  

Yesterday Neva Dinova, the project from post-Omaha singer/songwriter Jake Bellows, announced a 6-date West Coast tour for December. The band’s latest, Canary (2024, Saddle Creek), stood at No. 154 on the latest College Radio Charts. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you really should. It’s their best album to date (imho). 

. 0 0 0 . 

What other notable albums are on the latest College Radio Charts?

• – Well, Cursive’s latest, Devourer (2024, Run for Cover) stood at No. 74. The band plays two shows this week – Friday and Saturday – at The Waiting Room. 

• – Bright Eyes’ latest, Five Dice, All Threes (2024, Dead Oceans), currently stands at No. 13 on the charts. The fact that Bright Eyes was taken of the road for the balance of the year due to Conor Oberst’s “vocal problems” no doubt isn’t helping album sales.  Bright Eyes’ 2025 tour kicks off Jan. 16 in Phoenix…

• – Midwest Dilemma’s self-released album, Searching for the Cure for Loneliness, came in at No. 261, which is impressive considering the band isn’t touring. How does that happen? 

. 0 0 0 .

The latest single by Omaha’s favorite alt-country band, Clarence Tilton, features country music icon Marty Stuart on vocals guitar. The song, “Fred’s Colt,” explores the legacy of a Civil War-era Colt Dragoon passed through Tilton frontman Chris Weber’s family. 

The band opened for Stuart when he played in Omaha in 2019 and at some point played the song for him. “I loved this song the moment I heard it. It is a breath of fresh air, real writing,” Stuart said in the press release.

Weber said Stuart’s contribution to the song “really blew our minds. What he did was so cool — not just the solo but all the little parts in between. It was a real lesson for us from a real pro who gave our tune his undivided attention.”

The single, which dropped last Friday, will be on Clarence Tilton’s upcoming full-length, Queen of the Brawl, slated for 2025. 

. 0 0 0 . 

Soak in the next few weeks of shows, because we’re rounding a corner and the road ahead looks rather barren. Like I always said: if you have a chance to catch a touring indie band, catch it, because you never know when the next one will be coming through town. 

Here’s the latest and greatest touring indie shows coming to Omaha through the end of November: 

• Oct. 16 – Mdou Moctar @ The Waiting Room 
• Oct. 17 – Superchunk @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 18-19 – Cursive @ The Waiting Room
• Oct. 20 – Color Green @ Grapefruit Records
• Oct. 20 – Jeff Tweedy @ The Admiral
• Oct. 20 – Taylor Hollingsworth @ Pageturners
• Oct. 22 – Psychedelic Furs/Jesus and Mary Chain @ The Astro
• Oct. 23 – Kate Nash @ The Slowdown
• Oct. 26 – Porches @ Reverb
• Oct. 26 – Griefcat @ The Sydney
• Oct. 31 – Lunar Vacation @ The Slowdown
• Nov. 4 – quickly, quickly @ Reverb
• Nov. 8 – The Ivory Claws @ The Sydney
• Nov. 10 – The Sufrajettes @ Reverb
• Nov. 11 – Dusk @ Reverb
• Nov. 12 – The Rev. Horton Heat @ Waiting Room
• Nov. 13 – Sorry Mom @ Reverb
• Nov. 29 – VIAL @ Reverb

Am I missing something? Let me know…

. 0 0 0 . 

Tonight at The Waiting Room, Nigerian band Mdou Moctar headlines. He’s considered one of the most innovative artists in contemporary Saharan music “His unconventional interpretations of Tuareg guitar have pushed him to the forefront of a crowded scene,” according to his Bandcamp page. The band’s last album, 2024’s Funeral for Justice, was released on indie giant Matador Records and received Pitchfork‘s “Best New Music” designation along with its 8.4 rating. Opening this show is personal fave, Rosali, a band that includes members of our very own David Nance Band. Her sublime new album, Bite Down, was released this year by Merge Records. $25, 8 p.m. 

Also tonight, Boston post-punk band Kal Marks headlines at Reverb Lounge (Exploding in Sound Records) with frickin’ four openers: NightoSphere, Missouri Executive Order 44, Nowhere and Western Haikus. Talk about your late nights! 8 p.m. $15.

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Who remembers Fizzle Like a Flood, the bedroom project by Omaha singer/songwriter Doug Kabourek?

Turn back the hands of time to November 2000 – just 24 years ago – when Kabourek released what was arguably his masterpiece, Golden Sand and the Grandstand – a tribute to the good ol’ Aksarben thoroughbred horseracing track that used to exist in the area where Aksarben Village currently stands (Think about that the next time you watch a movie at Aksarben Cinema or dine at the Inner Rail food court!).

It was a time when Nebraska and Omaha were just emerging at the center of the indie music universe, thanks to Saddle Creek Records. Kabourek even played a role in the origins of one of the label’s most famous acts.

From a 2000 Lazy-i interview with Kabourek: Kabourek has anonymously played a role in the Omaha and Iowa City music scene for six or seven years, first jamming with the band that would become Norman Bailer (an early incarnation of The Faint). He left Todd Baechle and company after they recorded a cover of Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.” “I didn’t think they’d get anywhere,” he said.

Oh, how wrong you were, Doug.

It was also a time when musicians were just beginning to make bedroom recordings, and Kabourek as Fizzle Like a Flood was a sterling example. The lush, sweeping sounds heard on Golden Sands were all recorded and mixed in Kabourek’s home using a small multi-track recording and a PC – quite a feat at the time. 

But even more impressive was the music, which was first released (as a CDR) on boutique cassette label Unread Records, and later on Earnest Jennings.  Kabourek had a knack for creating great indie pop reminiscent of acts like Sebadoh and Flaming Lips.  

Over the years, Kabourek as Fizzle (and other incarnations) released more music, most only on Earnest Jennings. And now Fizzle Like a Flood is back with a new record – Black Walls and William Hall, a sort of sequel to Golden Sands about the now defunct Mystery Manor, an Omaha-based haunted house that opened in 1984. Kabourek says the “10-song album will create an immersive and positively screamadelic songscape!”

He talks about the new album and its origins on the homepage of his Kickstarter campaign. Kabourek is trying to raise $3,500 to cover the cost of pressing vinyl for the already-recorded album. He’s offering a variety of kooky and cool Kickstarter rewards for patrons, including custom coozies, art prints by Megan Thomas, artifacts from his homemade haunted house, not to mention a copy of the new record on red splatter vinyl.

The Kickstarter campaign runs through the end of the month, and as of this writing, Kabourek was already more than a 1/3 the way to his goal. Head on over and throw some money at this project. Check out a preview track of Black Walls and William Hall below. 

* * *

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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Speedy Ortiz plays tonight at The Slowdown.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

That headline is a like a movie trailer that gives away the whole movie, except there are little bits and pieces missing that you must know to enjoy your weekend.

First in line is Speedy Ortiz at The Slowdown tonight. You read the interview with Sadie Dupuis on Wednesday, right? You didn’t? Well what are you waiting for? Tour mates Spacemoth is a tuneful post-punk project by Maryam Qudus. Their latest, No Past No Future, was released last year by Wax Nine Records, and is just dandy, as the kids say (They say that, right?). Omaha Girls Rock product UN-T.I.L. opens this show at 8 p.m. and is definitely worth getting there on time for.  This one’s tonight in the front room and will run you $20. See you there.

Also tonight, Brooklyn alt rock band Slothrust headlines at Reverb Lounge. They came through town back in 2019 (at O’Leaver’s!) and just dropped a new album last month called I Promise (on Dangerbird Records) that further galvanizes their cred as the second coming of Garbage. It’s just a matter of time before alt-rock stations discover a banger like “Maybe Maybe” and ascend Slothrust to FM stardom (if such a thing exists anymore). Fellow Broolynites Pronoun (self-proclaimed emo-pop auteur Alyse Vellturo) opens the show at 8 p.m. $20.

Tomorrow night (Saturday), Omaha punk power trio Bad Bad Men headlines at Reverb for their final show of 2023. Two KC bands join them — The Utilitarians (w/Omaha’s Billy Guifoyle on drums) and Dan Jones & The Squids (with Season to Risk’s Steve Tulipana on bass). 8 p.m., $10. Come on, go to the show. The last thing you need to do is stay at home and watch the Huskers lose again.

Finally, Sunday night sees the return of Township & Range (featuring the talented Travis Sing), with Willoughby (Corey Stroud of 89.7 The River). But opening the gig is none other than the legendary Fizzle Like a Flood, one of my all-time favorite local singer/songwriters who the dang lemmings at Saddle Creek Records should have signed back in 2000. Will Doug play “Believe in Being Barefoot”? Show up at 7 p.m. at Reverb Lounge (this is an early show) and find out. $10. 

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

* * *

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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday, The Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie announced a 2023 co-headlining tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of PS’s Give Up and DC’s Transatlanticism. Ben Gibbard is in both bands.

“I know for a fact I will never have a year again like 2003,” Gibbard said in a press release. “The Postal Service record came out; Transatlanticism came out. These two records will be on my tombstone, and I’m totally fine with that. I’ve never had a more creatively inspired year.”

Exciting news, except that (of course) Omaha isn’t a stop on the tour, which plays Minneapolis Sept. 24 then veers to Denver for a two-day stint Sept. 26-27 at Mission Ballroom, leaving a wide open Sept. 25 date. Who knows why our fine city was overlooked, especially considering that Omaha was a tour staple 20 years ago for Death Cab for Cutie. I can’t count the number of times they played to a half-full (smoke-filled) Sokol Underground. And, of course, Jenny Lewis (who’s in Postal Service) practically lived in Omaha in the early 2000s when she was in Saddle Creek Records band Rilo Kiley.

Omaha, with its plethora of enormous stages, continues to be flyover country for the best indie tours.

Anyway, to celebrate another NOmaha event, let’s turn on the Wayback Machine and relive Omaha circa 2003, when The Postal Service played at Sokol Underground. I wrote a feature on Postal Service for The Reader in support of that show (which you can read here).

The openers, Fizzle Like a Flood a.k.a. Doug Kabourek is still making music. His latest release is a preview of his forthcoming LP, Black Walls and William Hall, which you can check out at his Bandcamp page. And despite an outdated Wiki entry that would imply he’s no longer around, Baltimore performer Cex continues to release music on his Bandcamp page, which, in addition to having his latest release from this past January, also includes his 2003 album Being Ridden, which he was supporting that night in 2003.

Now… let’s go back, back, back….

From Lazy-i, April 27, 2003

I was back in the country to make it to last night’s Postal Service / Cex show at Sokol Underground, but not quite in time to see Fizzle Like a Flood, who had just finished their opening set when I arrived. Sounds like I’ll get another chance to see them in a few weeks as they’re playing May 12 with Matt Whipkey’s new combo at The 49’r.

Next up was Cex. A disembodied voice said, “Don’t look up on the stage, I’m not gonna be up there anytime soon.” There he was, in the center of the floor surrounded by the audience, taunting people to come closer, “Don’t be pussies!” Cex, a.k.a Rjyan Kidwell, is a blond rap kid from Baltimore with a microphone and a laptop, who sounds like a cross between MC 9000 Ft. Jesus (who remembers that guy? I do.) and an angsty Trent Reznor. He spent the entire set in the crowd, trying to eke out audience participation with call-and-response lyrics, going as far as giving instructions before the song (“When I yell ‘I promise!’ you yell ‘We promise!'”) One guy I talked to likened him to a lite version (in every way possible) of Har Mar Superstar. I didn’t catch that at all. Sure, his electro-pulse hip-hop ditties all-too-often were sex driven, but for the most part, there was no over-the-top escapades, just Kidwell and his microphone, bouncing in the crowd, screaming into faces, trying to get a rise out of them. His 30-minute set was pleasant but not altogether very interesting. We’ve heard it all before.

Finally there was The Postal Service. The stage was adorned with a large bed sheet taped to the rafters, acting as a screen for the overhead projector mounted on the ceiling stage left. Unlike the recent Faint show, where the band’s videos were so good they totally consumed your attention, the video projected during The Postal Service’s set was little more than looped snippets that acted more like a screen saver or tonal visual backdrop — they didn’t distract, merely adding color to the sensual palette — images of clouds, people’s shoes, a microwave oven, someone drinking a pint of beer, etc. A guy was sitting just below the side of stage-left with a Powerbook, keyed up the vids for each song. Nothing really synched directly with the music, so if a song ran long, the vid could just cycle back and start over.

Enough about the visuals, the music was what the 250 were there to hear. Death Cab for Cutie fans had to be pleased. Fact is, The Postal Service sounds like Death Cab with a beat box and some female backing vocals. Gibbard consumes every arrangement he touches with his simple melodies and warm, cooing voice — one of the more distinctive voices in indie rock. As a result, it’s impossible not to make the comparison to Death Cab.

It was a long set — they played almost (if not every) song off their just released Sub Pop CD, Give Up. It felt more like a duo, with Gibbard and Jenny Lewis center and stage left playing in the dark (no stage lights to distract from the projector, hence no way to really see the band other than as silhouettes), and Jimmy Tamborello dimly glowing behind another Powerbook, its white Apple logo shining in the dark. Occasionally, Gibbard would step away from his microphone or set down his guitar and slap on a pair of headphones behind a kit and add some kicky drums, a microphone was set up next to it so he could sing along Don Henley style.

For a couple songs (the duet “Nothing Better” and the encore) Gibbard and Lewis did their best Neil Diamond / Barbara Streisand impersonations, trying to look lovingly into each other’s eyes while Gibbard did his typical, weird monkey dance thing. As they came to the last song of their set, something went awry with Tamborello’s Powerbook, who knows what. Gibbard kept apologizing about the computer losing power and saying, “That may be it, folks.” Lewis added, “That’s what you get when you use that high-tech computer shit.” No one in the audience knew what was going on — everything up to that point had sounded fine. After a few moments, they started playing again. Maybe he rebooted?

They came back for a one-song encore (“It’s all we have prepared for you”), a cover of Phil Collins’ “Against All Odds.” As you might expect, scenes from the 1984 Taylor Hackford romance were shown in the background — shots of Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward making out on the beach and snorkeling. It started as a relatively straight-forward reading of the song, but Gibbard changed the ending, repeating “Take a look at me now” over and over into distortion — a nice moment.

Lazy-i, April 27, 2003

. 0 0 0 .

No touring indie shows this weekend.

The Sydney has Lincoln instrumental band Turquoise Saturday night with Good Morning Midnight and Guilt Vacation. $8, 9 p.m.

And there’s a record show at fabulous O’Leaver’s this Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. that includes an “interactive vinyl experience.” Stop in for a drink and a cheeseburger and take home some tunes.

That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

* * *

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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Weekend recap:

Friday night Doug Kabourek, a.k.a. Fizzle Like a Flood, re-emerged from a long performance hiatus to play a six-song solo-acoustic set at B-Side in Benson opening for Frederick Julius, a.k.a., Matt Geiler, who was celebrating the release of a new album. 

Kabourek’s six songs spanned his career, from new to old, capping it with “Believe in Being Barefooot” off his masterpiece, Golden Sand and the Grandstand. I bet Doug see from stage all the people in the audience who were singing along. 

He’s one of those people (and I know lots of them in Omaha) who doesn’t realize how talented he his. It’s almost like a sickness around here — running into musicians and artists who create works of art and then move on to something else, leaving us wondering why they’re not doing it anymore (I assume the need to pay bills has something to do with it). Kabourek’s voice sounded the same as the first time I heard him perform nearly 20 years ago. So if he just wants to play opening slots, I’m all for it, as long as he keeps playing. 

Geiler has put together a cracker-jack band that embodied the vision he’s created on his new album, Fixers and Elixers. The music is pure ’60s Beach Boys fun-in-the-sun pop, and what gave it wings was the harmony vocals provided by a couple guys (one being his brother?) who augmented Geiler’s embraceable voice with authenticity, and by that I mean they sounded like Beach Boys harmonies.

The songs ranged from those beachy numbers to more indie-fied pop melodies, many augmented by a doo-wap counter. Fun stuff and Geiler clearly was having a blast on stage — a natural performer whose quick wit was as abundant as his melodies, interspersing small bits and stories between every song. Often funny, there were times when I wish he’d just play a few songs in a row before doing the next schtick. That said, the crowd ate it up. 

This was the first rock show I’ve seen at B-side, and the sound was very bright — lots of high end bouncing around the room, powered by a light-duty PA that left out the bottom of the mix. It’s a good stage that could be even better with a little investment in the sound system. 

I felt lucky to be among the 20 or so people at Slowdown Jr. last night for the Omaha debut of Madison band Disq, one of the best live indie acts I’ve seen in a long time. The 5-piece powered by Isaac deBroux-Slone and Raina Bock released their first 7-inch as part of the Saddle Creek Document series and has since become one of indie’s “buzziest” bands, for good reason. 

With three guitars, bass and drums, and everyone but the drummer providing vocals, they sounded like a modern-day combination of all your favorites from the ’90s — from Teenage Fanclub to Weezer to Pavement to No Knife. But one glance at this motley crew, most of whom look like they’re too young to be in a bar, and you realize they likely have never heard of any of those acts. 

The highlight was a burning version of “Communication,” the A-side of that Saddle Creek single, though the B-side sounded just as good live. After looking on Spotify, I see their debut was released in 2016. They’ve come a long way in three short years. 

Disq is putting finishing touches on a new full-length. After the show I asked one of the guitarists what label is putting it out, but he wouldn’t say. Whoever it is, they better be ready for the onslaught. At a time when electronic music seems to be powering everything, Disq could be rock ‘n’ roll’s last great hope. 

You could see how headliner Diane Coffee got his reputation for being an over-the-top performer. He came on stage in a green bodysuit costume surrounded by a costumed band, all wearing white masks (which they quickly threw to the side), and ripped into the title track off his latest album, Internet Arms (Polyvinyl, 2019). 

That album is more synth-driven then guitar-driven, but on stage last night the guitars had the upper hand, turning it into a rock show rather than dance show (which it could never be, anyway, with most of the patrons sitting down). The person next to me said, “He sounds like Steve Perry,” and afterward I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. Not Journey, mind you, Steve Perry solo, especially on the more straight-forward pop numbers.

There were moments when Coffee strayed into manic, quick-verse territory that matched his million-mile-an-hour between-song stage patter. I have to hand it to him, despite the small, rather dead audience, he put it all out there. And his band was absolutely killer in all positions (incredible rhythm section, soaring lead guitars, and keyboards that would make Elton proud). There was even a drum solo… and a keytar solo. 

The whole time I was thinking this guy belongs on Broadway. He’s got the glam Hedwig stance down to a science. Imagine how he’d come off in a packed room, which is what he deserves.

* * *

Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s Thick Paint returns with Olympia band Oh, Rose and Oakland’s Painting with Statue. $5, 8 p.m.

* * *

And thanks, everyone, for the birthday wishes!

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Looks like we might get some great weather this weekend, so go out and see some music.

Starting tonight at the B-Side in Benson (right next to Virtuoso Pizza). Omaha funnyman Matt Geiler (he’s the dancing pumpkin man we’ve all seen on various Halloween-related memes) is having a CD release party for his band Frederick Julius, whose new album Fixers & Elixirs, drops today. His sound has been compared to Beach Boys and Gin Blossoms, which is pretty straight on.

Opening the show at 7 p.m. is the return of Fizzle Like a Flood. Frontman Doug Kabourek, whose 2000 album Golden Sand and the Grand Stand is among the finest albums released by an Omaha artist during the previous decade, is pulling himself out of a self-imposed stage exile for one night only, apparently to return a favor for Geiler, who opened for Kabourek at one of his CD release shows. Tickets are $10 and as mentioned this is an early show with a 7 p.m. start time.

On the complete opposite end of the sonic spectrum, San Jose doom metal act Sleep headlines at The Slowdown tonight. I’m more excited about the opener, Big Business, whose latest, The Beast You Are (2019, Joyful Noise) rips. $30, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s off to fabulous O’Leaver’s for Chicago punkers Jollys with our very own No Thanks and The Regulation. $5, 10 p.m.

Then comes Sunday and Diane Coffee at Slowdown Jr. You read the Ten Questions interview yesterday (right here). Opening is Disq, a couple Wisconsin folks, Isaac deBroux-Slone and Raina Bock, who count Todd Rundgren, Weezer, Big Star and The Beatles among the musicians whose records helped inform their own creative process. Their last single, “Communication” b/w “Parallel,” was released this past January as part of Saddle Creek Records’ Document Series. Can the Creek get this red-hot outfit signed for a full-length? Disq kicks things off at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

* * *

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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

If last night’s sold out The Head and the Heart show at The Waiting Room taught us anything, it’s that in this age of endless “vibe” bands, people are thirsting for songs that they can sing to.

I mean, seriously, who wants to sing along to Animal Collective or Toro Y Moi or Neon Indian or Girls or Grizzly Bear or even St. Vincent? The current wave of indie is more about setting a mood than songwriting. So when a band like The Head and the Heart comes along and creates simple songs with simple lyrics about simple things like love and loss and longing — all sung to super catchy choruses and refrains — well, people just can’t help themselves but join in. And that’s exactly what they did during last night’s show.

The six-piece band was joined by a chorus of a few hundred who sang along to almost every song, sounding like a warm ocean lapping gently on the shores of the band’s acoustic folk. I haven’t heard so much singing since Dashboard Confessional circa 2003, only these songs weren’t cheesy heartbreak anthems sung by children. Instead the crowd was mostly in their mid-20s, with more women mixed in than I’m used to seeing at typical indie rock shows. Credit the nature of their music, which is more soothing than rousing, though it had its moments of exultation.

I leaned over and asked one music pro in the crowd if this was the coming of the next Arcade Fire. He said more like the next Mumford and Sons. I think they meet somewhere in between, with enough modern touches to please Arcade fans, and those song-along choruses for the Mumford crowd (but, thankfully, without the brogue and side order of Gouda). Where they go next is anyone’s guess, but who knows what happens after they perform on Letterman Oct. 28.

By the way, word going ’round last night before the show was that the band had a little meltdown the night before in Minneapolis, where one of the guitarists/vocalists walked off stage in anger, forcing the band to finish without him. Maybe last night was a “healing set” for them.

I said last week that we wouldn’t be hearing my favorite song from the new Fizzle Like a Flood record, “Cutters,” performed at the CD release show as it was recorded. And I was right. Instead, we got a Pixies version of “Cutters” played by Doug Kabourek’s other band, At Land. As much as I enjoyed hearing acoustic Fizzle Like a Flood, the revved up and rocking version was more fun.

When he’s out there with just his guitar, Kabourek channels John Darnielle a.k.a. The Mountain Goats, though Doug’s songs are less story telling and more emoting from the heart. When he’s behind the drum set with At Land, Kabourek pushes the songs closer to territory heard on records, though nothing can compare to those multi-tracked marvels. Despite that, my favorite moment of Friday night’s CD release show, played to only about 20 people at The Barley Street, was Doug solo singing “Believe in Being Barefoot” from his watershed release, Golden Sand and the Grandstand, an album that has still yet to get its due.

* * *

It’s going to be a very tiring week for yours truly and anyone else who loves going to rock shows. It started last night, it continues tonight with Melt Banana at The Waiting Room with openers InDreama and Flesh Eating Skin Disease. $12, 9 p.m.

Then it’s Smashing Pumpkins tomorrow, Portugal. The Man Wednesday, The Matt Bowen Benefit Thursday, and MEN (members of Le Tigre) on Friday. I’m going to need an IV drip to make it through work this week…

* * *

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

It appears that my column has been a week early for the past two weeks. This week focused on Lincoln Calling, which ain’t until next weekend. Last week’s focused on Fizzle Like a Flood’s CD release show, which is tonight. Blame it on The Reader, who dictated those deadlines. So if you missed it, here’s my column/interview from two weeks ago with Doug Kabourek a.k.a. Fizzle Like a Flood, and if that’s not enough for you, Kabourek is the special guest on the latest episode of the Worlds of Wayne podcast, which you can listen to here. And if you’re still wondering what Fizzle’s new music sounds like, check “Cutters,” my favorite track from Choice Kills Response, embedded below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/18997134″]

 

Too bad it won’t sound like that tonight at The Barley Street (if he even plays it at all), because Kabourek will be performing solo without a band or backing tracks, despite my incessant pleading that he do otherwise. Oh well. Opening for Fizzle is The Whipkey Three,  At Land (Kabourek’s other band), and Underwater Dream Machine. All four acts for a mere $5. Show starts at 9.

Also tonight, Saudia Arabia (the band formerly known as The Dinks) is playing at O’Leaver’s with Kansas City’s Dead Ringers and Swamp Walk. Come on down and get stinkin’ drunk. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Down at Slowdown Jr. Gerald Lee Jr. (The Filter Kings) opens for Michael Lee Firkins. $8, 9 p.m.

It’s another Husker football Saturday night, which means slim pickin’s show-wise. Slowdown Jr. has local indie slackers Family Picnic with Cymbal Rush and Dads. Show starts after the game and will run you $7. Meanwhile, at the Barley Street Tavern, Big Al Band is headlining a 5-band bill that starts at 9 (no idea on the cover).

Finally, Sunday night Sub Pop band Head and the Heart plays a sold-out show at The Waiting Room with San Francisco’s Thao with the Get Down Stay Down (Kill Rock Stars) and  SLC’s The Devil Whale. 9 p.m.

* * *

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 343: The Return of Fizzle Like a Flood

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Doug Kabourek didn’t look much different than when I first saw him slumped like a homeless college student in the back of Sokol Underground during a Her Space Holiday show, circa 1999.

I had just begun going to rock shows alone — a big step for me, but one I knew I’d have to take if I wanted to continue seeing the indie bands I loved. I realized after finding Kabourek rolled up like a bum on the floor that others were in the same boat as myself, though he had an excuse for being alone — he’d just moved to Bellevue from somewhere in Iowa, and didn’t know anybody. I wouldn’t discover until months later, when I interviewed him about Golden Sand and the Grandstand that he was the local musician who went by the odd, awkward name Fizzle Like a Flood.

Now here we were, 12 years later, talking about music over a basket of tortilla chips on the outdoor patio of Agave in Dundee. Pop hits of the ’80s (Huey Lewis & the News, The Outfield, Phil Collins) blared from hidden speakers as Kabourek slowly built a crystal wall of empty margarita glasses on the table. The reason for the reunion was the pending release of Choice Kills Response (Nectar and Venom Records), the first new Fizzle Like a Flood CD since 2005’s Love LP, which kind of/sort of marked the departure of Kabourek as Fizzle.

Now available for download via his former record label, Ernest Jenning (home of O’Death, The Black Hollies and Chris Mills, among others) Love should have been Fizzle’s next step. “It was my most impressive record, and it took the most amount of time to make,” Kabourek said. “It was supposed to come out on Valentines Day 2006. But I was paying for everything; the label was only providing distribution. I couldn’t afford the $7,000 needed to actually release it.”

But more than financials pushed Fizzle Like a Flood into an unplanned hiatus. “I never quit,” Kabourek explained. “It’s just that no one ever reacted to anything I did. I wanted it to ‘just happen,’ and it doesn’t ‘just happen’ in Omaha. You have to really try to make it happen, and even then it doesn’t happen.”

Oh, there were a few write-ups, including an All Music Guide review that called Golden Sand “consistently aurally engaging.” The smattering of press caught the eye of Ernest Jenning, who rereleased that album in ’05 with new artwork by Frank Holmes, who did the art for Beach Boys’ Smile. But for the most part, the winsome, multi-layered one-man head trip — an homage to the demolished Aksarben horse track — went unnoticed. But no more so than its followup, Flash Paper Queen (The 4-Track Demos), with its parenthetical joke title that no one (including Pitchfork) got.

After recording the Love LP Kabourek moved on to other things, including The Dull Cares, a project whose music was modeled after “Earth Angel”-style ’60s pop, and At Land, a power trio featuring longtime friends Travis Sing (Black Squirrels) and James Carrig (Sarah Benck and the Robbers).

“At Land recorded at Baseline, but never released anything,” Kabourek said. “I was drunk at every session. It was going to be sloppy, old-man rock, even though we knew we weren’t old yet.”

While those projects kept him busy (and anonymous), Kabourek kept writing Fizzle Like a Flood music. “I finally got an itch to make this record this past winter,” he said. “Some of the songs go back to 2005.”

Fizzle Like a Flood, Choice Kills Response (Nectar & Venom, 2011)

Choice Kills Response is a return to form for Kabourek, and another example of his home-studio recording — and songwriting — prowess. The killer tracks are the ones that depart from his typical heart-on-his-sweater-sleeve approach, like the roaring, hollow-hearted rocker “Cutters.” It is equal parts Pixies and early Weezer, along with an excuse for Kabourek to use the word “masturbation” in his lyrics.

“‘Cutters’ was written for At Land, which to me is a ’90s tribute band but with our own songs,” Kabourek said. “(The song) is about the frustration of not having sex for a long time, which is the perfect theme for every ’90s song. Every big hit from 1994 had ‘masturbation’ in the lyrics.” Other tracks, like opener “Balcony” and “Great,” are Fizzle fixtures with crunching guitars and Kabourek’s trademark bells, while the unpronounceable “Ö[Æ]à[=]É” is a modern surf rocker, complete with horror-movie organ. Kabourek skimps on nothing on this recording, but since he now refuses to use backing tracks on stage, we’ll never hear it performed this way live.

Not bad for a guy who at 38 says he’s fallen out of the music scene. “I’ve gotten to the age where this is my music — the ’90s — I love that stuff,” he said. “If someone plays me something new, that’s fine, but I have enough old music to keep me happy.”

He says he hasn’t been to Pitchfork.com since 2006. “I watched the Grammy’s two years ago,” he said. “What was the band with a thousand members and none of them play anything remotely catchy? Arcade Fire? I don’t get it. It’s OK, but I don’t like their stuff. And Radiohead on SNL last night? What I heard sucks.”

In fact, you’re not going to find Kabourek hiding in the back of rock clubs these days. “We like to go sing karaoke,” he said. “It’s more fun than going to a show.”

Except for his show, of course.

Fizzle Like a Flood’s CD release party is Oct. 7 at The Barley Street Tavern with The Whipkey Three, At Land and Underwater Dream Machine. The show starts at 9 p.m. Cover is $5.

* * *

Tonight’s red hot ticket is Conduits at The Waiting Room with Outlaw Con Bandana, Thunder Power and Wayward Little Satan Daughters (Rachel Tomlinson Dick of Honeybee & Hers). The burning question on everyone’s mind is when (or if) Conduits is going to release their debut album, which has been in the can since early this year. One assumes they’re still looking for a label with decent distro. It’s easy to say a label ain’t necessary in this era of electronic distro, but let’s be honest, you’re almost always better off if you can get on a recognized label rather than just putting the CD out yourself, selling copies to your local fans and hoping someone out there (someone with influence) notices. Unless your band is on a known label or is newsworthy or happens to catch the ear of an influential national blogger or celebrity, it will remain unnoticed and unheard, no matter how good it is. It’s a harsh reality that hasn’t changed despite the rise of the Internet era.

Anyway… Show starts at 9, cover is $7.

Also tonight, Steve Bartolomei of Mal Madrigal is playing at The Barley Street Tavern with Mike Saklar and Ben Brodin. $5, 9 p.m. Good times.

And finally, Cloven Path is playing a last-minute show at O’Leaver’s tonight. 9:30, $5.

* * *

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

There were those who were disappointed at the turnout for last night’s Grant Hart show at The Waiting Room, me among them. But the crowd of only around 40 wasn’t a huge surprise. There virtually was no press for the show, and Hart’s music — both solo and as a member of Husker Du and Nova Mob — has never had a home on local radio. In fact the number of those who remember Husker Du — and who still go out to shows — is getting smaller and smaller.

The night began with a solo set from Doug Kabourek performing as Fizzle Like A Flood, the name he used for a number of very cool records that came out in late ’90s and early ’00s. Kabourek has performed for the past couple years as At Land, but is revising the old name, presumably because his new music is in the dreamy, sore-hearted Fizzle style. Alone with his acoustic guitar, Kabourek played a split set — half the songs from his new record, the other half golden oldies. And just like that it felt like 1998 all over again, though Kabourek is a much better guitarist and singer than he used to be in the old days. His new songs have that classic Fizzle lilt and heart-on-sleeve appeal. With a high, soaring and sometimes nasal voice, Kabourek is setting himself up as Omaha’s version of John Darnielle a.k.a. The Mountain Goats. I have to wonder if, like on his classic Fizzle albums, he’ll use 20-some tracks to record these new songs. We’ll have to wait and see.

Next up was Bob Thornton’s Students of Crime, a gritty, twanging, punky rock band that was a good fit for a Husker Du night. This is the most straight-ahead band that Thornton has ever been a part of — short, poppy rock songs that lean heavy on the hooks and the band’s rock-solid rhythm section. Thornton has a good voice whether he knows it or not, spending too much time apologizing for it on stage. One of the set’s highlights was a new song just recorded for a 10-inch multi-band compilation being released in support of the Speed! Nebraska Adult Soapbox Derby July 23 at Seymour Smith Park and O’Leaver’s. I don’t know what it was called, but I do know it was about going fast.

Finally, onto an empty stage came Grant Hart with just an electric guitar, an amp and a microphone. I guess I expected a band to back him, I don’t know why. Instead, Hart stood on point and played a 45-minute (or so) set of songs that spanned his solo work, Nova Mob and flecked with Husker Du classics.

The mostly seated crowd stared mesmerized as Hart went from one song to the next without pause. A smattering of applause greeted him when he dived into Husker classic “No Promise I Have Made.” It wasn’t until the end of the set that he started opening up and talking to the audience about Iowa and medical marijuana and missing his cats.

I thought he might end his set and leave, but he was coaxed back on stage for en encore that started with “Flexible Flyer,” before taking requests. Someone yelled out “Diane,” but he said he doesn’t play that one anymore, that it was a bummer trip. Instead, someone yelled “The Girl Who Lives on Heaven Hill,” and off he roared. Next, someone yelled “Evergreen Memorial Drive” and off he went again. Finally he ended the night with “My Regrets,” the closer from his most recent solo album Hot Wax.

Whether you knew his solo material or were just waiting for the next Husker song, you got the feeling that you were watching something special. Will there ever be a Husker Du reunion? Despite being an enormous payday for Hart, Mould and Norton, something tells me if it hasn’t happened already, it probably never will. That being the case, shows like last night’s and Bob Mould’s ongoing book reading acoustic tour (which I wish someone would bring to Omaha) are the closest thing we’ll ever get to hearing those classic Husker songs again.

* * *

If you’ve driven by 60th and Dodge in the past couple of days you’ve seen the enormous stage that has been erected for tonight’s Cheap Trick concert in Memorial Park. How the distraction won’t leave Dodge Street in absolute gridlock is beyond me. Luckily I don’t have to worry about it since I live walking distance to the park.

Remember that contest they held for a local band to open the show? Well, the winner was Take Me to Vegas, a band no one’s ever heard of. Nice job, Bank of the West. Oh well, it’s not entirely their fault. I was told by a couple bands who considered entering the contest that the legal stipulations attached to the show were far too much for what it was worth.

Anyway, the concert in the park kicks off at 6 with the winner, followed by .38 Special and finally Cheap Trick, who probably won’t get on stage until around 8:30, leading up to the after-show fireworks. Expect a mammoth crowd eruption during “Surrender.”

Another classic band, The Meat Puppets, also is playing tonight, this time at The Waiting Room. I saw them play a couple years ago at SXSW and was impressed with the sheer intensity of their set. You (probably) won’t be disappointed. Opening is The Whipkey Three. $14, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night promises to be another “memorable” show at O’Leaver’s. It’s a warmup for The Fucking Party, who are about to head out on tour. Joining them is Qing Jao (featuring Bob Thornton) and Yuppies. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Have a good 4th…

* * *

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.