by Tim McMahan,  Lazy-i.com

Professional musicians play music for a whole variety of reasons – whether it’s for the love of song, to meet chicks (or dudes) or to try to make a living (the true dreamers!). 

And some do it for the sheer joy of sharing a moment with their family, friends and fellow musicians. 

Midwest Dilemma falls into that last category. Frontman/singer/songwriter Justin Lamoureux always has surrounded himself with friends when performing on stage, all the way back to the very early days of his career 20 or so years ago. That again was the case Friday night when his band played an album release show at The Benson Theatre. There, center stage, was Justin, surrounded by 10 fellow musicians, all having the time of their lives. 

Instrumentation varied from cello to flute to tuba to stringed things I didn’t recognize. Musicians either intensely focused on their sheet music or danced alongside Lamoureux as he played songs from his new album, whose style ranges from upbeat indie rock to baroque shanty tunes to folk in its purest form, all seemingly powered by their glowing smiles. While below, seated or dancing, an adoring capacity crowd shared in the joy of the moment. It wasn’t so much a rock concert as a community gathering of friends, family and fans, brought together to celebrate Lamoureux’s music. 

Sharing in the evening were openers Kyle Harvey and Brad Hoshaw. Kyle brought his classic moody acoustic folk that highlights simple song structures and his brilliant voice for a collection of mid-tempo heartbreakers accentuated by his own funny between-song storytelling. 

Like Harvey, Hoshaw used the show to unveil a number of new songs that, while in keeping with his knack for creating hook-filled melodies, stretched their stories beyond the usual whiskey-soaked elegies that characterize his early songwriting. The former Omahan has found new life in Nashville, no doubt to the lament of an army of Benson barkeeps. 

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To my surprise, they moved this year’s Little Bo Backyard Bash from last year’s location in the parking lot and green space east of 13th Street to a blocked-off William Street west of 13th stretching to 14th. I preferred last year’s location to the rather tight confines of the caged-in street. Tents and picnic benches were crammed between the curbs overlooked by abandoned buildings, with the Omaha Mobile Stage parked on one end.

Not to be outdone by Midwest Dilemma, Head of Femur boasted seven musicians for their set, all crushed inside the tiny converted shipping container. Maybe it was the great weather or the mixed drinks or the overall camaraderie from the middle-aged hipster crowd (and their children) but it was one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve heard from Matt Focht and Company.  A standout was the amazing violin that added soaring solos that lifted the entire set. Hey, who needs a lead electric guitar when you’ve got that in your arsonal? No doubt we’ll be seeing more of Femur as Focht said from stage that the band will soon be getting a retrospective box set released by a very reputable indie label, who also will be releasing new material. 

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Finally, last night someone on the Friends of the Drumstick Lincoln, NE Facebook page posted that singer/songwriter Charlie Burton passed away yesterday morning. 

I only knew Burton from having seen him perform at the Howard Street Tavern in the ‘90s and having interviewed him after he had moved to Austin. Though far from over, Burton reflected on his career in that interview, conducted in 1998, summing it up in this story about a run-in with a record exec following an appearance at the annual South By Southwest Festival in Austin.

From the article:

Burton sums up the festival with a story that is so good, he was afraid it would dominate the article. At first, he didn’t want to tell me, either because he doesn’t want to come off as glum or because he doesn’t want it to be a metaphor for his entire career. 

“It was right after last year’s South by Southwest festival,” he said. “We played very well, and my friends from all over came to see me. It inflated my ego, stroked it, and then it was over. Suddenly it was Sunday and I had to go back to work at ABCD’s (an Austin CD store). As I opened up that morning, these lyrics just kept running through my mind — the line from P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction,” as sung by Barry McGuire: ‘You might leave for four days in space, but when you return it’s the same old place.’ It was like the day after Christmas, when you’ve opened all your presents and are already bored with them.

“So this guy walks in the store and asks for the Charlie Burton CD. ‘Do we have it?,’ I said, ‘as a matter of fact I am Charlie Burton!’ He says, ‘I saw your first 45 reviewed in Cream magazine in 1977. You sent me an autographed copy. I ordered more and gave them to all my friends. It’s still one of my favorites of all time.’

“He walks up with a copy of Rustic Fixer Upper and I offer to sign it for him. He gives me his card so I know who to write it to and the guy’s the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. I said, ‘How come I have all these big fans in the record business and I’m starving out here?’ His response, basically was ‘You’re not 24 anymore, are you Charlie? And that’s what I’m looking for.'”

Burton sold him the CD and also sent a copy of the single “Spare me the Details,” (which will be on the One Man’s Trash compilation) along with a letter. “I realized that I had an opportunity to kiss the guy’s ass, but missed it. I haven’t even received so much as a ‘thank you.’

“I don’t know what those guys want anyway. Back when I was a kid, you either liked the Beatles or the Stones or both. Now the music buying public is so fractionalized, they want lounge or swing or urban… Yesterday’s gothic Trent Reznor kid is tomorrow’s rockabilly Dale Watson fan. The trends are run down their throats. They haven’t figured out they are being taken advantage of.”

Despite the angst, Burton knows that there’s no other kind of music he can — or wants — to play. “I still believe in myself, but the bottom line is that the industry wags know when they see a money-losing proposition. Maybe they’re right; maybe I never made it because I don’t deserve to.”

No, Charlie, they were wrong. And judging by the avalanche of loving rememberances pouring out over social media this morning, you definitely “made it.”

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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 © 2024 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Let’s start off with the fact that it’s Bandcamp Friday, the one day per month wherein Bandcamp waives its fees and hands over money spent on sales directly to the artists. Some record labels also participate via Bandcamp, so it’s a great time to acquire the tracks or even physical albums you’ve been waiting for. 

Omaha legend, singer/songwriter Simon Joyner, always takes advantage of Bandcamp Friday by releasing something special, and this month is no exception. One Carried a Lantern is a new LP by Simon Joyner and The Echoes, released today. 

The 10-track album was made using some of Joyner’s old home recordings. The band overdubbed tracks to create new, full-band reinterpretations of songs from across Simon’s catalog, including a cover of Loudon Wainwright III’s “Hospital Lady.” The Echoes consists of Mychal Marasco on drums, Sean Pratt on guitar, bass and various instruments, and Megan Siebe on strings, keyboards and various instruments. 

Joyner said all sales from the new release will help fund a tour at the end of March, including renting a van and paying the band. The digital version of the album is available immediately; CDs will begin to ship in mid-March once they are handmade and prepared. Purchase here.

Wandering poet and ex-Omahan Kyle Harvey also has a new album dropping today on Bandcamp, called Bloom. This one is more feedback drenched and rough than his earlier releases. Buy it here. When is Kyle going to marry his poetry with his music again to form… songs?

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It being the first Friday of the month means it’s also Benson First Friday — the venues along Maple Street in Benson are hosting art opening all evening. Ming Toy Gallery at 6066 Maple St. — the hot new art space run by my wife — is no exception. You’re invited to tonight’s opening reception for Denise Levy’s show, Rural Routes, which runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come on by, have a beer and say hello. Details about the artist and the show are here.

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Now, onto the music part of the post.

The weekend’s big show is tonight at The Waiting Room where Los Angeles-based post-punkers Militarie Gun headlines. The band draws inspiration from Fugazi, Robert Pollard, Black Flag and Born Against, among others. Their sound definitely is reminiscent of early ‘00s emo. Joining them for this four-band bill is the amazing Nathan Ma Band, along with Bliss and red hot Omaha punk band Cat Piss. $12, 8 p.m.

Also tonight, a blast from the past as Lincoln instrumental prog-punk band The Machete Archive headlines at The Sydney in Benson. Joining them is Pagan Athletes. 9 p.m., $10.

And believe it or not, 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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Cursive’s Domestica was reissued by the band’s label, 15 Passenger Records, earlier this year; now the band is hitting the road playing the album in its entirety. The record turned 20 in 2020, so better late than never, right? 

Unfortunately, so far this is a NOmaha tour, as Omaha is not among the 20 cities the band will be visiting throughout December. But waitaminit… the tour doesn’t list anything after Dec. 21 and we all know what the X-mas holiday could bring us… Come on, Santa, we want to hear the “The Casualty” played on an Omaha stage…

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Those who came to last month’s Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies gig at Benson Theater were treated to a couple great covers of songs by Omaha ex-pat Kyle Harvey. 

Kyle is now living somewhere up in the Colorado Rockies. He’s a mountain man; a wandering poet, as good with a long-iron rifle as he is with a Bowie knife. But it turns out, Kyle is also good at creating electronic ambient music. 

In fact, Kyle has released two albums of lush soundscapes — Distances and Disjecta Membra. Both are available on Bandcamp. 

About Disjecta Membra: “Scattered fragments recorded to 4-track cassette in my garage during the COVID lockdown of 2020. We had moved into a new house and everything felt completely strange. I didn’t have any sort of DAW for recording digitally at the time, so I set up my Tascam 4-track in the garage and made dozens of recordings. This EP, Disjecta membra, is a peek into that time.”

Check out the links below and consider buying a copy (BTW, Bandcamp Friday is just the day after tomorrow). And if you’re missing Kyle’s lyrics, check out his recently published book of poetry, Cosmographies (2022, Cuneiform Press). 

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Two hot shows going on tonight…

Top of my list is the smaller of the two — Illuminati Hotties at Reverb Lounge. The LA indie band is on the road touring their 2021 album Let Me Do One More (Hopeless Records), which garnered a solid 8.0 rating from Pitchfork. Reminds me of ‘90s girl-powered indie rock. Fun! Also on the bill are Tacoma indie band Enumclaw and LA band Guppy. $20, 8 p.m. Don’t sleep on this one – sometime tells me it could sell out…

Also tonight, North Welsh alt band The Joy Formidable headlines at The Waiting Room. You might remember them from the 2016 Maha Music Festival (and they’ve been through town a few times since). LA post-punk band Cuffed Up opens at 8 p.m. Surprisingly, this show also is $20. 

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

What a crazy Sunday night. It felt like a Saturday with all the shows going on and with everyone having Monday off…

Over at fabulous O’Leaver’s Jon Langford of The Mekons performed a cracking set that included songs from his upcoming album as well as some Mekons gold and songs from his Waco Brothers project. I was expecting a C&W set, but Langford’s style was more of a rootsy British folk meets rock mix. He started off with a handful of acoustic tunes, including a fantastic version of “Millionaire,” which happens to be the only Mekons EP I own.

A storyteller at heart, Langford filled time between tunes with charming quips and anecdotes that reached back to his early punk rock days. Oh, the stories he must have. He said he was in town to visit inlaws that live in Omaha. That said, this show, along with a special gig at Hi Fi House the night prior, were the first times he’s played in our fair city.

Next, Langford brought up a “local super group” that included Mike Tulis on bass, Matt Rutledge on guitar and Sue Hendrick on drums. Great stuff, as you can hear from the embedded Facebook Live video, above. I’m told the band had a head’s up in terms of what they’d be playing, and did their best to learn the numbers before Langford showed up. They sounded like they’d been playing with him for years.

I didn’t catch the end of this set because I had to head off down Leavenworth to the Down Under Lounge where everyone’s favorite wandering poet musician Kyle Harvey was playing a solo set. There was Kyle and his beard on stage belting out songs from his new solo album surrounded by a packed room of fans and friends. It makes you wonder why he ever backed away from music in the first place. While the material stands strong as a solo presentation, I’d love to hear these songs fleshed out with a full band. Dare to dream…

This was my time inside Down Under since it switched over from being The Side Door Lounge. The room has a more laid-back, lived-in groove to it than its more refined previous self. It feels more inviting and less pretentious, which is what you want from a live music spot.

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One Percent has a couple interesting shows happening in their properties tonight, both are on NYC label Hardly Art.

Over at Reverb Lounge NYC artist Black Marble headlines. The project, fronted by Chris Stewart, is out their latest, It’s Immaterial. Very cook, jangly post rock. This one looks sneaky good. Cult Play and Effluvium open. $12, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, NYC dude Ian Sweet headlines. Last year’s Shapeshifter LP is kind of dreamy. Just as dreamy is opening band Thick Paint. $10, 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 © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Ah, the proverbial first weekend of summer…

It starts tonight at Brothers Lounge with a show headlined by Omaha garage super-group Sucettes. Opening is Lazy Wranglers and red-hot noise-punk band BIB. $5, 9 p.m.

That’s really the only show on my radar for tonight, and there’s virtually nothing happening from an indie music standpoint Saturday. How did that happen?

Things turn around on Sunday.

We welcome back long-lost musician, poet and bartender Kyle Harvey. He’s in town for a CD release show at the Down Under Lounge Sunday night. I’ve been listening to Kyle’s new record and it’s pretty much what we’ve come to expect — warm-hearted songs about life and love with a mountain twang and a bearded croon. I assume there will be some sort of beard-off early in the evening between Kyle and the opening acts Brad Hoshaw and Justin Lamoureux. This is an early show — starts at 7:30. And it’s free!

The other big show happening early Sunday evening is Jon Langford at fabulous O’Leaver’s Langford is the founding member of the Mekons, Three Johns and Waco Brothers. The Electroliners open. This one starts early, too, at 6 p.m. and costs $5.

And that’s all I got for this Memorial Day weekend. 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 © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Friday night’s Brad Hoshaw & the Seven Deadlies concert at The Waiting Room was more of a victory lap than a CD release show. Hoshaw’s new record, Funeral Guns, was produced partially through a Kickstarter campaign, so 100+ people already have been in possession of the CD for a few weeks.

The evening began with a solo set by Kyle Harvey, the former musician and Benson resident now poet from Fuita, Colorado (who just so happens to have a poetry reading tonight at Pet Shop Gallery in Benson, see below). The last time I saw Harvey perform was on the same stage a few years ago surrounded by no fewer than a dozen people, none of whom were standing on the floor in front of the stage. Last Friday night that same floor was almost filled. It was the largest crowd I’ve ever seen at a Harvey performance, and that fact didn’t escape Kyle, who said, “I guess you waited until I moved away to finally show up,” or something like that.

Harvey preceded to play a short set of the introspective acoustic folk he was known for back when he lived in Benson — dark, sad, confessional ballads with a double-helping of lonesomeness for good measure. The irony, of course, is that Harvey is one of the more upbeat guys I’ve known from the scene; his between-song patter was warm and funny and anything but depressing. Harvey says he’s giving up music, but that would be a shame, especially since one of the best songs on the new Hoshaw album was written by him.

Though they’re called the Seven Deadlies, there were only three “deadlies” joining Hoshaw — Vern Ferguson on bass, Scott Gaeta on drums, and guitarist Matt Whipkey, your 2013 “Artist of the Year.” When it comes to this band, Whipkey and Hoshaw have a sort of symbiotic relationship. Yes, Hoshaw’s songwriting and voice are at the center of everything, but it’s Whipkey’s guitar fireworks that add the Technicolor, the panache, the drama.

While I like the new record, there are few things that, uh, left me scratching my head. The production is at times a bit heavy handed. There’s too much organ on too many tracks; and the layered harmonies on a few numbers are reminiscent of dusty Dan Fogelberg albums. There are moments on this record that sound like a product of an El Lay recording studio circa 1975 (to some people, that’s a plus).

All the over-the-top “smoothness” of the record was gone when the music was performed as a four-piece. Hoshaw and Co. stripped the songs down to bare essentials, raw and unvarnished the songs’ natural elements shined so much brighter. It came down to Hoshaw, his acoustic guitar, his songs, his voice, and Whipkey tossing grenades into the audience in the form of his blazing electric guitar work. Whipkey’s solos — while solid on the record — exploded throughout the live set — gorgeous tone combined with glowing drama that (at times) veered close to being out of control, especially on songs like the title track, the grim, gutteral “New Tattoo” and Harvey cover “It Falls Apart.” Riveting stuff.

The night closed with a sing-along encore that included a surreal re-imagining of John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy,” and a quiet, un-mic-ed edge-of-the-stage version of “Blue Bicycle” that left the 200 or so on hand in a trance.

So I get back to what I asked in last week’s column — what’s this guy have to do to break out of Nebraska and be heard on a national stage? That was a common question being bandied about before and after his set. The consensus: It all comes down to getting out on the road — not as a solo acoustic guy, but with this band or at the very least, with Whipkey, the only consistent member of The Seven Deadlies and the most critical.

Something tells me if you asked Hoshaw, he’d say hitting the road is the plan. But it was the plan the last time, and other than one small tour he never got out of town with the band. He has to this time. He has no excuses, and if he ever wants to be heard outside of Benson, he has no choice.

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As mentioned above, Kyle Harvey reads from his new book of poetry, Hyacinth, tonight at the Petshop Gallery, 2727 No. 62nd St. in Benson. Joining him will be Greg Kosmicki (the 2000 and 2006 recipient of the Nebraska Arts Council’s Merit Award), Paul Hanson Clark (co-founder and operator of the poetry studio SP CE in Lincoln), and Omaha musician and novelist Michael Trenhaile. It starts at 7:30 and as far as I know it’s free. More info here.

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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

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It was only a matter of time before we got the first Bright Eyes song from the new album, The People’s Key, and here it is, “Shell Games.” In various interviews over the past few days, Conor Oberst has been saying that he’s walking away from the played out indie/Americana/folk sound of his past two solo albums for a new rock sound, and for the most part, that’s exactly what he’s done. You’d never mistake this song for Americana. But then again, it isn’t exactly a “rock song,” either. It does, however, sound distinctively Bright Eyes-like, and that’s a welcome sign of things to come. The song feels like something that could have come from Cassadaga, but with the heavy synths toward the end of the track, there are some overtones of Digital Ash in a Digital Urn (an album that got lost beneath the shadow of I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and marketing that stressed its “modern sound.” But with songs like “Take It Easy (Love Nothing)” and “Gold Mine Gutted,” Digital Ash still holds up as one of Bright Eyes’ better albums). This Pitchfork link also includes the album art for The People’s Key, and unless my eyes deceive me, it’s the work of Zack Nipper, who took home a Grammy for the Cassadaga album sleeve. The paper cut-out-style design and color scheme is reminiscent of the gorgeous art Zack did for the Every Day and Every Night EP.

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Tonight at The Barley St., it’s a different kind of Space Oddity when Kyle Harvey hosts the First Annual Merry Christmas From Outer Space. Join Kyle and his fellow space aliens as they celebrate the release of his new holiday album. Songs include “Crop Circle Christmas,” “Happy Birthday Baby Jesus, Merry Christmas Alf,” and “Baby, It’s Cold In Space.” “Come dressed as spacemen, astronauts, aliens, men in black, Santa Claus, or any other galactic or holiday themed gear and receive free admission!” How can you beat that? Show starts at 9.

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Kudos to the fine folks at Silicon Prairie News for today’s shout out. No one in town covers Fast Company-style, next-generation entrepreneurial business quite like those guys. Keep it up, gentlemen. (And yes, Kurt Anderson would call this “logrolling in our times,” but at least it’s heartfelt).

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Tomorrow we take another trip down memory lane with a feature on Slowdown Virginia and Polecat, just in time for Thursday night’s big reunion show…

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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.