by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Every morning when I arrive at work, after I feed my pet condors, I gaze out the window of my 15th Floor aerie/office and visually survey the rising waters of the mighty Missouri. These days, Rick’s Boat Yard looks like an island floating above a sea of of mud as the water creeps ever closer to the bottom of the Bob Kerrey pedestrian bridge along the east bank. Ah, Mother Nature, you vex me so…

With reports that the waters will continue to rise and aren’t likely to recede this summer, I began to ponder how the destructive force of nature would impact the MAHA Music Festival. Sure, the “big show” isn’t scheduled until mid-August, but even that may not be long enough for the waters to be clear of Lewis & Clark Landing, where it’s slated to be held.

MAHA Music Festival organizer Tre Breshear said the flooding problem has been on the festival committee’s minds. “Oh, yes, we’ve been discussing,” he said. “Everything through July on the Landing has been told to move, including Playing With Fire. Haven’t heard yet where they will land.  We have not been told to move yet, but are currently investigating feasibility/pricing/liquor issues/etc. of other locations so we are prepared.”

The fine folks at The Omaha World-Herald apparently were reading my mind (again). Tre pointed me to this online story, which has more details about other events being disrupted at the Landing.

With a crowd that likely will be smaller than 5,000, there would appear to be a number of options for MAHA, including moving to various local parks. The obvious choice (to me) would be to move the festival to the brand-spanking new Werner Ball Park in Sarpy County. The Stormchasers will be on the road around the dates of the festival, leaving the facility wide open except for the Selena Gomez and The Scene concert at the stadium the night before. With booze permits already in place, it would seem a natural option, though one would think that the facility’s own vendors would take away some of the booze revenues that MAHA would otherwise have received down at the Landing.

Other options that come to mind are Turner Park (Midtown Crossing) and the Creighton soccer field (Morrison Stadium). One assumes Anchor Inn is submerged and that NP Dodge Park also is unusable. Brashear isn’t saying what MAHA is contemplating, just that they’re contemplating.

Playing With Fire may face a bigger challenge. The concert is slated for July 16 on Lewis & Clark Landing and features a pearl of a band in Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, an act that crosses multiple genres, from blues to R&B to funk to rock, and is a darling among indie music fans. Add to that the fact that it’s a free concert, and you could see north of 7,000 drawn to this show. Where to put it? It has to be an alcohol friendly location since booze sales are a big part of the concert series’ revenue stream. A Stormchasers home game would appear to take Werner Park out of the equation… or would it?

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I’m told Kyle Harvey designed the poster for tonight’s show at The Barley Street Tavern featuring ukulele sensation All Young Girls Are Machine Guns (shown at left). If so, he’ll be hearing from the fine lawyers at Walt Disney Productions any moment now… Also on the bill, Danielle Ate the Sandwich, Adrian Bourgeois & Ricky Berger. $5, 9 p.m.

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Tomorrow’s column: Chasing Conor…

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.