by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Welcome to 2011. I hope you had a good NYE. Mine was spent watching the wig drop on Bravo after a fine dinner at the Indian Oven. I couldn’t ask for anything more…

Moving on…

Dave Leibowitz, the host of New Day Rising on 89.7 The River — the only listenable two hours of local music radio programming — says that those two hours are about to expand. “Beginning Sunday, Jan. 9, New Day Rising will follow NPR’s All Songs Considered on The River,” Dave wrote. “All Songs Considered starts at 2 p.m., then New Day runs from 2:30-5 p.m. (on Sunday afternoons). This expands the show by 30 minutes.”

New Day Rising was launched on The River way back in 2005 as a 2-hour all-indie music show that ran Sunday nights at 11 p.m. The show eventually got moved forward to 9 p.m., and now will be on at the vastily more listenable 2:30 p.m., which will only make its following grow. Though its air times have changed, the quality of programming has always stayed the same. Check out the New Day Rising website for the latest playlist. You’ll find tracks by Superchunk, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Decemberists, Cursive and — like every week since week 1 — a closing song by Sonic Youth. In radio’s desert of shit — including the usual, dated goon-rock that makes up The River’s regular weekday playlist — New Day Rising is an oasis of modern sounds, modern music, curated by a music veteran with impeccable taste. Tune in.

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Speaking of modern sounds and NPR, English post-rock originators Wire announced that its new album, Red Barked Tree, is now available for streaming at NPR.com (right here). The new album comes out next Tuesday on the band’s own Pink Flag Records. It features the original lineup, minus guitarist Bruce Gilbert.

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, Omaha hip-hop artist Conchance headlines a show with Nik Fackler’s InDreama (debut reviewed here), along with No I’m the Pilot and Dapose (from The Faint). $7, 9 p.m. Fackler recently did an emotional Full Monty on the pages of Omahype, where he wrote about his constant struggle to maintain his creative vision — a vision that runs from film to music. There are those who say he’s stretching himself too thin, that he’s trying to do too much. Don’t listen to them, Nik. No artist should never have to choose one medium over another.

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A small handful have dropped their names into the hat for the drawing to win a copy of the highly coveted and collectible Lazy-i Best of 2010 Sampler CD!  You can enter, too, by sending an e-mail to tim@lazy-i.com with your name and mailing address. Tracks include songs by Perfume Genius, Arcade Fire, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, The National, Tim Kasher, Hot Chip, Sally Seltmann, Belle and Sebastian, Titus Andronicus, The Mynabirds, Zeus, The Black Keys, Pete Yorn and more. Full track listing is here. Deadline is Jan. 18.

Bonus: Winners also get a 2011 Lazy-i Sticker!!! Enter today.

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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.