by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Here comes the weekend. Try as I might, I couldn’t find a single thing to do tonight show-wise, though Saturday is packed. It’s usually the other way around. So, here’s the line-up.

Friday night is a wasteland. Go to a movie.

Saturday you’ve got options. 

Our old pals Oquoa are headlining at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night, no doubt still playing songs from they 2019 LP Timesquares. It’s indie awash in shoe-gaze awash in frontman Max Holmquist’s brassy tenor voice. Joining them on the bill are Steady Wells featuring Jordan Smith of Twinsmith. Singer/songwriter Alexis DeBoer, whose vocal style is more than a little reminiscent of Angel Olson, opens the show at 9 p.m. $10.

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Meanwhile, across town at Reverb Lounge in Benson, Violenteer headlines a three-band bill Saturday night that includes the band Glow and Max Trax Records artist Leafblower.  $10, 9 p.m. 

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Just around the corner at The Waiting Room, gothy industrial instrumental band Lucida Dark headlines a bill that includes Minor Movements, metal monsters Living Conditions and hot new indie sensation Bug Heaven. 8 p.m. $15.

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And now for something completely different…

Sunday night, The Slowdown is hosting Kenyan-Ugandan industrial grindcore/noise act Duma. Their music is brutally heavy, downright punishing. Just listening to the below track makes me jittery and anxious. Imagine how it’ll sound live. Opening is Masma Dream World, the solo recording project of multi-disciplinary artist/healer Devi Mambouka. Kicking things off is Nebraska’s own leather-clad noise gimp Plack Blague. $20, 8 p.m. In the front room.

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If noise ain’t your thing, our old pals Guster are back in town, this time at The Admiral (a.k.a. Sokol Auditorium). I still remember seeing them play at the old Ranch Bowl back in 1999 when they were just getting going (Here’s a fun Lazy-i interview from back in the day). Not sure what brings them back to Omaha as they don’t have new material coming out (that I know of). Still, should be a great show. Chicago band Ratboys opens at  7 p.m. $30 or $75 balcony.

And 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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

There will come a time where Friday’s will be dedicated to previewing the weekend’s shows. That time is still a ways off.

That said, there is a performance that’s being streamed live at The Trap Room (the bar across the sidewalk from The Slowdown) featuring McCarthy Trenching, which at the very least will feature singer/songwriter Dan McCarthy and (I’m guessing) sideman bass player James Maakestad, though there could be more to the band.

Dan and Co. no doubt will be playing songs off the latest McCarthy Trenching album, Perfect Game, which you can buy here on Bandcamp. Sunday night’s streamed performance begins at 8 p.m. and can be watched for free via Facebook Live.

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The Reverb Lounge is hosting an album release show for rock band The Long Awaited tonight. Gallivant and The Party After open at 9 p.m. $10. No doubt masks and social distancing protocols will be firmly enforced. If you haven’t checked out the new Reverb Lounge, this is your chance.

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I leave you with this new video from Omaha indie-punk band Leafblower. The song, “Yes Men,” comes from the 7-inch released right when Covid was getting started early last spring. The band will be making a second push of the record next week for Bandcamp Friday. Until then, check out yet another video interpretation by band member Craig Fort. It’s weird, but I bet the “making of the video” video would have been even weirder.

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Next week is March. It’s warming up. Covid numbers are down. People are getting vaccinated. We’re getting there, people. It’s just going to take a little more time.

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 © 2021 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s looking like an all-Sydney weekend (when have I ever said that before?).

Tonight at The Sydney in Benson a sweet Benson First Friday show is headlined by Little Brazil (Max Trax Records) with Those Far Out Arrows (High Dive Records) and Eric in Outerspace. $5, 10 p.m.

And since you’ll be in Benson before the show to get some grub (or whatever), drop by The Little Gallery at 5901 Maple (just across the street from The Sydney in the east bay of the Masonic Lodge Building) for “Hatch” by artist Pecha. The opening reception runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Come by, say hi.

Also tonight, Lookout Lounge has an old-school punk show with The Shidiots, Cordial Spew, Old Empires and Wyldra. $5, 8:30 p.m

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to The Sydney for Leafblower (Max Trax Records) celebrating the release of a new 7-inch with Lincoln pals Her Flyaway Manner and Omaha grinders Living Conditions. $5, 10 p.m.

Also Saturday night, The Dive Kings return to fabulous O’Leaver’s with Side Piece and Faded. 9 p.m., $5.

And 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 © 2020 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

This morning the folks at the Maha Festival announced its 2020 concert will be held Friday and Saturday, Aug. 7-8 at Aksarben Village — i.e, the same place they’ve been holding the festival for years. They used to say “Stinson Park” but the Maha footprint has continued to grow to the point where it practically encompasses the entire Aksbarben Village business district.

From the press release: “The 2020 festival will take place one week earlier than it has in past years. This eliminates any potential conflict with back-to-school dates, so that more attendees from near and far can experience this wide array of Omaha-centric programming.”

Rachel Grace, who’s handling media for Maha, said while event times won’t be released for a bit, for what’s happening at Stinson Park expect times similar to last year, which would be Friday night only and Saturday afternoon/night.

Maha also will have programming on Wednesday, Aug. 5, in Little Bohemia and Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Blackstone District at “multiple venues.” What that entails we’ll have to wait and see, though I’m guessing they’re going to feature local acts on small stages on those days and (hopefully) will have at least one national indie act play somewhere Thursday night like they did last year with Pinback at The Waiting Room.

Moving the festival up a week will place it in the height of the summer festival season, which could make bookings more difficult. Will one week make a difference in terms of the heat index? Unlikely, though the first week of August can be a mother-f___er for humidity.

Maha has a big challenge in that last year’s sold-out Lizzo-fueled Saturday helped generate a record-breaking 14,500 attendance. How will they top it, or can they? Booking Lizzo was a stroke of luck. Can they capture lightening in a bottle two years in a row?

More importantly, will they move away from their indie-directed programming to something more pop-flavored (such as a likely out-of-reach Billie Eilish or any other Grammy performer) in an effort to sell more tickets? You can read my thoughts on that here.

So who’s on your Maha wish list? No doubt they’ve already signed their headliner (or are about to). My wish list includes DIIV, Sharon Van Etten, Orville Peck, Strand of Oaks, Big Thief, Caroline Rose, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks and/or Pavement, Pet Shop Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Tame Impala, King Krule, Algiers, Pinegrove, Frances Quinlan, Haim, Jarvis Cocker and Phoebe Bridgers.

A few of those seem financially out of reach (Tame Impala, for example). With last week’s announcement, Bright Eyes also would seem like a shoe-in for Maha, though I’ve been told that isn’t in the cards. Would Bright Eyes be big enough to headline anyway?

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Here’s another one to add to the Maha list: Yesterday Omaha garage-rock vets Leafblower released a new video produced by the fine folks at Love Drunk. It’s a one-take live performance of the band’s single “Still Lazy After All These Beers.” Imagine DMax, Fort and the rest on the big Maha stage belting that one out dressed as their aged mascot, complete with fog-machine leafblower!

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Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s the return of The Anniversary. The Lawrence, Kansas, indie band enjoyed a heyday in the early aughts, and includes singer Adrianne Verhoeven, a former member of Flowers Forever and Orenda Fink’s Art in Manila. Twinsmith kicks things off at 8:30. $25.

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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 © 2020 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

What’d you get on Record Store Day? This is the first year I didn’t go shopping on RSD. It’s not as if there was nothing I wanted (Anyone score that Devo box set? It’s going for $140 today on eBay). I assumed the decline of Omaha record stores (Three closed just this past year, including icons Drastic Plastic and Almost Music) that the interest in RSD was waning, but sure enough, images began showing up on Facebook hours before Homer’s opened Saturday of huge lines outside scrolling around the block, a testament to ongoing interest in this twice-a-year promotion (Black Friday is sort of RSD Pt. 2).

I find that while I listen to more music now than ever before, I listen to vinyl less and less (mainly because I mostly listen to new music). One of my last vinyl purchases was the Red House Painters box set, an old RSD offering — I found an unopened copy on Discogs. Very likely I’ll be buying that Devo box set, too… from Discogs… eventually.

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Speaking of new music, a couple new local releases caught my attention.

First, Matt Whipkey has a new side project called Unexplained Death that’s his take on punk. The first two songs, “Four More Years” b/w “Think For Yourself” (a cover of the Beatles classic) went online a week or so ago. It’s just part of what will likely be an Unexplained Death LP that’ll be released sometime in the near future.

Of course we’re all waiting for Unexplained Death’s first stage appearance.

The other release is a two-song stoner-rock release by Leafblower — “Yes Men” b/w “Still Lazy After All These Beers.” The tunes are available on Spotify now, and will be released as a 7″ later this year by Max Trax Records. Heavy, heavy shit.

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Very cool rock show is happening tonight at Slowdown Jr. — Seattle rock psych-rock band Night Beats (Heavenly Records) headlines with DROSS (members of Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship) and Sun-Less Trio. 8 p.m. start time, $15.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m back from New York.

Actually, I’ve been back since Wednesday. It was the usual fun of US Open (Federer won!), Yankees (They lost!) and Broadway (Dear Evan Hansen!). As with every trip to NYC there were celebrity sightings. The first was Saturday Night Live “featured player” Mikey Day (the guy who plays Donald Jr.), who we spied sitting under a tree with a young lad (his son?) outside Yankee’s stadium prior to the game. The second was an almost unrecognizable Sandra Bernhard sitting across from me on the No. 1 train headed downtown. She got off a couple stops before 28th St. Celebrities, going about their lives like the rest of us.

Anyway… looks like I got back just in time for the weekend.

Tonight marks the return of Femme Fest, the annual celebration of women in rock, Omaha edition. This year’s festivities seem to have been limited to one Benson venue, the Waiting Room. The line-up: SAS, Domestica, Uh Oh, La Guerre, Jocelyn, Histrionic and Queerniverse Burlesque. The show starts at 6 p.m. and costs $10.

It’s also Benson First Friday (#BFF). So if you’re in the neighborhood come on by the Little Gallery, 5901 Maple St. (bottom fo the Masonic Lodge building) and check out this month’s show: Ricky Powell Jr.’s portraits of Wonder Women of Omaha. We’re there from 6 to 9 p.m. Booze and food. Yum.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) it’s back to fabulous O’Leaver’s for Leafblower with In the Whale and DROSS. 10 p.m., $5.

Also Saturday, Omaha hip-hop artist Buck Bowen celebrates the release of his new book(!) at Reverb Lounge with a handful of artists including Microphone Elements, Ryan Lucas and The Wolfman. $8, 9 p.m

That is 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Every year around this time I head to NYC, and this year is no exception. Which means I’m going to miss some very cool events this weekend (but you’re not).

The first one is tonight along Military Ave. in Benson where Jake’s Just Because We Can Block Party will rise again. The mini-fest features booze and food outdoors for an entrance fee of a mere $5. This year’s lineup:

— Gerardo Meza and the Dead of Night
— Leafblower
— I Forgot to Love My Father
— Little Brazil
— Cult Play

The fun starts at 5 p.m. and runs until midnight.

Saturday former actor Alejandro Rose-Garcia (Friday Night Lights, Spy Kids) turned Americana performer Shakey Graves headlines at Sokol Auditorium. But more interesting is the opening act: Twin Peaks. Why these two are paired together I cannot say. Tix are $27 Adv./$30 DOS. 8 p.m.

The weekend’s oddest show is the return of Lawrence, Kansas, grunge rock band Paw at The Waiting Room Saturday. I interviewed these guys way back in 1998 (You can read the story here). Paw will celebrate the 25-year anniversary of their album, Dragline, by playing the whole damn thing. It’s all part of the Corn King Music and Arts Fest, which features five additional bands I’ve never heard of. 5 p.m. $12 Adv/$15 DOS.

Then Sunday it’s the Black Votes Matter Concert for Change. The location is 2205 No. 24th St. in the heart of North Omaha. The event, which runs from 2 to 9 p.m., will include Get Out the Vote speakers, workshops, vendor boots, and, of course, live music.

The line-up includes The Dilla Kids, Dana Murray, BXTH, Mesonjixx and Dolores Diaz & The Standby Club — the nine-piece project that includes indie vets Mike Mogis, Matt Maginn, Roger Lewis, Conor Oberst and Dolores Diaz a.k.a. Corina Figueroa. We’re talking Country & Western covers of songs by the likes of Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Randy Newman and more.

This looks to be a free event, or at least no price is listed. More info at the event’s Facebook listing. Good fun and a good cause.

And that about does it. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend and I’ll see you sometime after Labor Day!

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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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

We’ve entered “avoid downtown” season as the College World Series gets under way this weekend. Funny thing about CWS, it does make life around the so-called “No Do” area unbearable, but the rest of downtown — the Old Market, etc. — is usually pretty quiet during CWS as the fans seem to be content congregating around the tents. Let’s keep them there, shall we?

There isn’t a thing going on (that I could find) indie-music wise tonight.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) get ready to get smoked out at fabulous O’Leaver’s when Leafblower returns to the stage. They’re opening for Nashville indie band QuicheNight. Sidewalkers kicks it off at 10 p.m. $5.

Also Saturday night Oklahoma City indie-pop trio Skating Polly headlines at Reverb Lounge. Potty Mouth and Histrionic open. 9 p.m., $12 DOS.

Sunday night Speedy Ortiz returns to Omaha, this time to Reverb Lounge. Their new album, Twerp Verse (2018, Carpark), was originally going to be a collection of love songs by front woman Sadie Dupuis, but with the world the way it is these days, Sadie changed course.

“The songs on the album that were strictly personal or lovey dovey just didn’t mean anything to me anymore–that’s not the kind of music I’ve found healing or motivating in the past few years, and I was surprised I’d written so much of it,” Dupuis said. “Social politics and protest have been a part of our music from day one, and I didn’t want to stop doing that on this album.”

Anna Burch (Polyvinyl Records) and Austin garage giants Xetas (12XU Record) opens this stacked line-up at 9 p.m. $15 DOS.

Finally Mynabirds’ Laura Burhenn opens for Portland indie-folkies Horse Feathers (Kill Rock Stars) at The Waiting Room Sunday night. $17, 8 p.m.

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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m told they did not roll in on motorcycles, but they looked like they could have. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club took the stage in Slowdown’s main room last night to a large, older, darkly clad crowd come to see these ’90s alt rock giants.

Starting out as a trio, they ripped through new stuff and old, including a tasty version of “Beat the Devil’s Tattoo” that had the crowd doing some overhead clapping. Listening to the band what came to mind was how many other acts (including a lot of grungy outlaw-country bands) have stolen their twangy blues-rock style. I could see how people initially compared them to early Led Zeppelin (in their blues-rock song structure) but also heard a Skynyrd and swamp-rock influence.

Guitarist Peter Hayes (who also played a small drum set) and bassist Robert Levon Been (who also played acoustic guitar) shared the mumbled vocals from song to song. A keyboardist joined them about 20 minutes into the set, filling out the sound especially on newer songs. Drummer Leah Shapiro kept the throaty, mid-tempo beat going all night. Fun set, and what little variety came from Hayes and Been switching off instruments or Hayes’ strange vocal microphone used for a few numbers I guess to give him an even grittier growl.

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Lots o’ shows happening this weekend…

Tonight Closeness — Todd and Orenda Fink’s dreamy electronic rock project — headlines at fabulous O’Leaver’s for what could be a spectacle as the Tbd. Dance Collective will perform in the center slot. What that entails within the basement-like confines of The Club is anyone’s guess. Opening is Nik Fackler’s prog-psych-rock project InDreama, who hasn’t gigged in many a moon. $7, 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Brothers Lounge, Max Trax Recording artist Leafblower headlines. Universe Contest opens at 10 p.m. This one’s $5.

Tomorrow night it’s back to O’Leaver’s for Velveteers — Demi and John Demitro out of Boulder playing a style that would have fit right in opening for BRMC. This is a loaded bill with the local stoner-rockers Ocean Black and Bad Bad Men (Hug, Wolf, Siebkin, say no more) . $8, 9 p.m.

What else… oh yeah, there’s a little band called U2 playing at CenturyLink Center tomorrow night (Saturday). I’m seeing tickets as low as $9 for this (behind the stage in nosebleed-land). Still, it’s U2. 8 p.m. start time.

Finally, Wye Oak plays at The Waiting Room Sunday night. Their new album, The Faster I Call, the Faster It Runs (2018, Merge) is a departure from their past stuff in that it actually kind of rocks in an electronic sort of way. Their best record yet? You be the judge. Palm (Carpark Records) opens a 8 p.m. $15.

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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Pre-Thanksgiving Wednesday means a few shows are happening tonight because no one has to get up tomorrow morning. Well, almost no one.

Tonight O’Leaver’s invades Slowdown Jr. for a show headlined by the mighty Leafblower. Consisting of members of Danny Maxwell’s New Lungs, with Craig Fort, Tab Tworek and DMax himself. Stage antics include Tim the Leafblower guy and his leaf-blowing fog machine. Local hip-hop royalty Conny Franko opens along with BareBear. $5, 9 p.m.

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Also tonight Sucettes return to Brothers Lounge for a pre-holiday extravaganza. Joining them are Omaha hardcore punk legends R.A.F. and The Wolfman. $5, 9 p.m.

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Meanwhile, back at fabulous O’Leaver’s, Ojai headlines with The Sunks and Tutti Frutti. $5, 10 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.