Destroyer at The Waiting Room, Feb. 3, 2018. The band returns to The Waiting Room Sunday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The million dollar question: Will rock shows currently scheduled still happen this weekend? That’s what everyone’s wondering. Top of mind is the Destroyer/Nap Eyes show at The Waiting Room. There’s no indication the show is (or will be) cancelled, so one assumes it’s all systems go. (Wrong: Destroyer just CANCELLED).

The next question: Will anyone be at the Destroyer/Nap Eyes show? Omaha is a notorious walk-up city — as in a lot of people buy their tickets day of show (because with fees, there’s no advantage to buying advanced tickets unless you think the show will sell out in advance). I know people who have tickets and are on the fence about going, so afraid are they of COVID-19.

I had another person who works at a different club ask if I thought his venue should cancel shows for public health reasons. I said I thought the problem would solve itself — if no one goes to shows because of fear, it’s only a matter of time before venues temporarily shut their doors just to save operating expenses. And there’s the issue of bands cancelling their tours…

Anyway, as of now, the shows I’m listing below for this weekend are still on. Will they be an hour after you read this? Who’s to say?

The folks behind the Midtown Art Supply two-day closing festival have said their shows will go on tonight and tomorrow, and I have no doubt they will. Ten acts are scheduled to perform starting at 6 p.m. tonight at the venue, located at 2576 Harney St., including Effluvium, Las Cruxes and Histrionic. Sixteen bands are slated to perform tomorrow starting at 3 p.m., including Conny Franko and Digital Leather.

Tickets are $7 per day or $10 for a 2-day wristband. For more information, check out the invite at Facebook.

Tonight The Slowdown has its big sold-out Thundercat (of Flying Lotus fame) concert. Joining them are Guapdad 4000. 8 p.m.

Meanwhile, back in Benson tonight, punk trio Radkey is headlining at Reverb Lounge. Joining them are The Many Colored Death and Gallivant. $12, 9 p.m.

Nothing is holding back the fine folks at The Brothers Lounge, which currently has shows booked tonight and tomorrow night. Tonight’s show features Matt Whipkey’s poli-punk project Unexplained Death, who opens the show at 10:30. Laughing Falcon also is on the bill. $5.

Then tomorrow night (Saturday) Silversphere headlines at The Brothers. Our old friend Darren Keen (of The Show is the Rainbow fame) also is on the bill along with a tba. 9 p.m., and no price listed (but probably $5).

Finally, Sunday night is the aforementioned Destroyer show at The Waiting Room. Nap Eyes, who you read about yesterday, opens the show at 8 p.m. $22. THIS IS CANCELLED!

Now as I said, cancellations can happen in a moment’s notice. The only way to know for sure if the gig is still happening is to call the venue or check their website. If I hear of a cancellation, I will update this page with strikeout text over the listing and the word CANCELLED, so check back if you wanna.

Will I be at any of these shows?

Have a great weekend and WASH YOUR HANDS!

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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.

A photo of the Midtown Art Supply basement taken in November 2014. Milk Run is slated to move to this space starting Friday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The mystery has been solved. Milk Run, which left its old Leavenworth St. location last month, has moved to Midtown Art Supply, 2578 Harney St. This according to a post on Facebook:

“Starting March 31st, Milk Run will operate in the basement of Midtown Art Supply. After looking at several different spaces, MAS’s modified skatepark basement was the best choice for us. We are excited to continue as an independent entity, but this time alongside the gracious MAS crew. Our first show is this Friday, March 31st, with Atlas, Dereck Higgins Experience, Mint Wad Willy, and Jack McLaughlin!“

Former Milk Run operator Sam Parker confirmed the move. The cavernous basement has been used in the past for secret raves and other sordid events. Here’s a description of that space from a Nov. 26, 2014 Lazy-i entry:

“…While the (upstairs) performance space isn’t much to look at, the interior of this building is cavernous and covered with eye-popping graffiti — huge spray-painted murals, which might explain the headache-inducing acrylic smell that hung over the back rooms. The building continues down into a basement where a skateboard ramp leaned against a wall. Down it went to another huge space broken up by support poles where I was told massive thousand-person raves had been held in years past. Another opening led to a blackened room filled with hundreds of doors leaning in stacks against each other. I was told there were more passages somewhere through the darkness that led who knows where…”

If my memory servers, access to the space could provide some interesting challenges. I guess we’ll  find out Friday night…

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Pleasures at O’Leaver’s, Aug. 6, 2016. The band plays tonight at Pet Shop Gallery in Benson.

Here’s one that’s been flying under the radar happening tonight: Florida psych-rock band Pleasures headlines at Pet Shop Gallery (the old Sweatshop performance space at 2725 No. 62nd St. in Benson). The band played O’Leaver’s last August. At that show, “The four-piece drenched everything in technology, from the guitar, which was run though an onslaught of pedals, to the the stack of synths to Katherine Kelly’s vocals that were twisted and stretched and strangled by synths and vocoders and pedals all night. The music dripped in a haze of buzzing distortion cut through by a top-notch rhythm section that kept things grounded and rocking.”

Just like at that August show, Universe Contest will be opening tonight. Joining them is Wolf Dealer, which I’m warned could be their last show for awhile. There’s no price listed for this show, still, you better bring at least $3 to get in (could be more). No time listed, either. I’d get there around 9.

Also tonight, singer/songwriter Canadian Andy Shauf (Anti-, Arts & Crafts) headlines at Reverb Lounge. David Nance opens. $12, 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.

Twin Peaks at Midtown Art Supply, Nov. 25, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Midtown Art Supply doesn’t look like much from the street. In fact, it’s hard as hell to find. I drove past the storefront three times in the dark looking for it, trying to find some sort of indication that a show was going on. I should have just looked for the smokers, who huddled on the sidewalk outside the concrete building on Farnam Street, just a stone’s throw from what we used to refer to as the “loony bin.”

The interior is urban rustic bordering on squatters’ flat, or so it seemed. Playing hidden behind the crowd of about 100 was Twin Peaks crashing through a set of stripped down pop that was too well-written to be mistaken for garage. Since the band was playing at floor level, you could only see the tops of their shaggy heads in the near dark of the barren, cold art space.

A Lazy-i reader spotted me and pointed to a hole-walkway covered by a stapled-to-the-wall vinyl shower curtain that flapped in the cold darkness. “Go through there to get to the back stage and the bathroom,” he yelled.

We crossed into a blackness, a room with echoing high ceilings strewn with guitar cases and pieces of drum kit presumably from one of the opening bands, and walked to another hole in the wall where a half dozen people crowded to watch the band from behind. I leaned through and grabbed some photos of the mop-tops serenading a sea of bobbing heads while people pushed pass me to get to the bathroom.

Twin Peaks’ music is rowdy up-beat rock that borders on garage surf, but as I said before, there is a precision to it that puts it on another level. If you haven’t checked out Wild Onion, you should. Clearly the record has a lot of young fans, in fact judging by the number of eager, shining faces I got a feeling Twin Peaks’ might be drawing a younger crowd than the mob that was currently watching Desaparecidos over at TWR.

Standing toward the back drinking a beer out of a red cup, I suggested to the promoter that in the future he add a riser or something so the band could be seen above the crowd, and he told me there was an elevated stage hidden behind the large projector screen hanging behind the band, but for whatever reason it wasn’t being used for this show. He said with the stage in play, the room could comfortably hold a few hundred people, and has for past shows.

When the lights came up, I saw just how amazing — and monolithic — the space is. While the performance space isn’t much to look at, the interior of this building is cavernous and covered with eye-popping graffiti — huge spray-painted murals, which might explain the headache-inducing acrylic smell that hung over the back rooms. The building continues down into a basement where a skateboard ramp leaned against a wall. Down it went to another huge space broken up by support poles where I was told massive thousand-person raves had been held in years past. Another opening led to a blackened room filled with hundreds of doors leaning in stacks against each other. I was told there were more passages somewhere through the darkness that led who knows where. Anyway, an inspiring space which is now home to a talented local artist…

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Night two of holiday week takes place tonight. Saddle Creek Records band Twinsmith headlines a show at Slowdown Jr. Opening is Lincoln band Oketo and Stephen Nichols. With turkey day tomorrow, this could be a big show. $7, 9 p.m.

Also tonight is the going-away party for local legend Darren Keen at House of Loom. Keen is high-tailing it to Brooklyn in the coming days, and we’re all going to miss him dearly (just wait and see). Tonight’s performance will feature Darren covering Daft Punk live. According to the invite: “He’s rebuilt & restructured some the songs from the ground up. Along with Mark Hinrichs on a trap drum set, Keen has sampled the source material and built up a wall of electronics that really nail the things that are special & amazing about the music of Daft Punk.” Show starts at 9, and the price: “$5 until we fill up / $8 after.” 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.