You’ll have a chance to celebrate the New Year early with two shows happening tonight — and check it out: They’re timed so you can catch both.
Tonight at the Waiting Room Oquoa headlines a three-band bill that includes David Nance & Mowed Sound in the opening slot. Mesonjixx also is on the bill. Not sure what Oquoa has been up to lately recording-wise, though they continue playing live. As for Nance, he’s always releasing something new. On Nov. 30 he quietly released Mowed Sound Vol. 1 on Bandcamp (and cassette), a collection of live cuts from shows in Philly and LA, which includes the new funkified version of “Credit Line.” Show starts at 9 p.m., $10.
Earlier in the evening, hep-daddies The Mezcal Brothers are bringing their brand of rockabilly to The B. Bar (4330 Leavenworth, right next to Barrett’s). No price listed for this one. This super-early show starts at 5:30 and should wrap up by 8:30, giving you plenty of time to get to The Waiting Room for Nance.
There are no indie shows slated for the remainder of the weekend. As for New Year’s Eve, well, what’s the old saying about it being for amateurs? See you in 2023, with the release of the annual Predictions column…
You have to be strategic when picking which weekend to leave town, and this turns out to be a good one. No touring indie bands are playing anywhere (What else is new?).
One show of note is The Sydney’s monthly Benson First Friday bash, this time featuring local indie bands Oquoa and Bad Self Portraits. Teetah also is on the bill. $10, 9 p.m.
Saturday, Dr. Jack’s Drinkery a.k.a. the old Brass Knocker, is hosting their annual Punk Rock BBQ. Looking at the line-up, I’m not familiar with any of these bands, but that doesn’t mean anything. $40, show starts at 4 p.m.
Look, it’s a lousy weekend for shows, but you’ve got Pageturners’ big weekend of shows next weekend (Sept. 9-11) celebrating their anniversary, and you’ve got Lincoln Calling coming up Sept. 22-24.
So take the weekend off.
BTW, the next touring indie shows are Gary Numan Sept. 10 at The Waiting Room, Sunny Day Real Estate Sept. 14 at The Admiral and DEHD Sept. 22 at The Slowdown. So don’t fret, pet.
If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Why has Lazy-i been so deathly quiet this week? Maybe because like all of you I’m still recovering from the Maha Festival (that, and the fact that nothing has been happening this week).
Some post-Maha info: The folks at Maha reported attendance of more than 11,500 over the two-day event, that breaks down to 4,100 on Friday night (headlined by Car Seat Headrest) and 7,400 on Saturday (Princess Nokia/Beach House). That total attendance number includes an army of 850 volunteers, which is the secret sauce that makes Maha such a well-oiled machine.
Last year, Maha recorded attendance of 6,400 for the single day. The attendance was capped at around 70% of full capacity to allow for social distancing.
I can confirm Maha will again take place at Stinson Park in Aksarben Village next year. The real wild card is what will happen in 2024, when the new downtown river landing is completed. Now that would be a mammoth change for Maha…
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The Outlandia Festival released a site map on their website, and based on everything I can see it looks like it could be a blast, especially if you have VIP tickets.
Two head-scratchers — where exactly is the off-site parking (which is $15)? It’s shown as an arrow that leads somewhere off the map, and may have a different driving route than the on-site and VIP parking. Actually, I don’t see how off-site patrons enter the festival on this map. If there’s a shuttle from off-site, where does it load and unload or do you just have to walk from the off-site parking? I’m sure there will be a map update or more clear directions in the coming week.
Also missing is Outlandia’s performance schedule, which one assumes could drop at any moment now. (UPDATE:They just posted it here). It appears at least one act has fallen off the Friday night line-up, Caroline Spence, who no longer is mentioned on the Outlandia website. That leaves four bands for Friday’s concert (unless there’s a last-minute addition).
The underlying message throughout the Outlandia FAQ — BRING CASH. They won’t have a POS system, likely due to connectivity issues. There will be an ATM on the festival grounds.
BTW, the Friday night VIP tickets, which were sold out, are no longer sold out. In fact, all VIP packages are still available as well as GA tickets from the Outlandia etix website. VIPs look like the way to go — great access, great facilities and VIP parking is included…
Speaking of Petfest, it’s the first Friday of August which means it’s Benson First Friday. The full event map is here: https://www.bffomaha.org/map.html
Saturday night, so-called “gothic singer-songwriter” Marissa Nadler headlines at Slowdown. Her most recent LP, The Path of Clouds (2021, Sacred Bones/Bella Union) received a 7.5 on the Pitchfork meter, where they said, “The thrills of The Path of the Clouds are far richer than most true crime fiction, but like the best examples of the genre, it leaves you breathless.” Whoa. The music is, indeed, haunting. Opening is Omaha indie band Oquoa, playing for the first time in long time. $20, 8 p.m.
There are no 1% shows worth mentioning this weekend.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Super quiet weekend. Well, it is the holidays, after all. And considering we had no shows at all last year at this time, we shouldn’t be whining. At least there’s one.
See Through Dresses is playing their first show since 2019 Sunday evening at Reverb Lounge. And I mean early evening — Oquoa opens this show at 6 p.m. which means it’ll probably wrap up by 8 p.m.
Of note with this show: It’ll be their last performance for the foreseeable future, as drummer Nate Van Fleet is headed to Los Angeles next month. My understanding is the band isn’t breaking up and Nate ain’t leaving the band, but with members strewn across the country, well, who knows when they’ll play live here again.
So, 6 p.m., $10. Easy peasy.
That’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas, and all through the town, three shows to choose from, because we know you’ll be around…
…and most of you/us don’t have to get up tomorrow morning for work. So…
Over at The Waiting Room it’s the Drive for the Heart Ministry. The annual event raises money for the Heart Ministry Center, an organization that assists people with life’s basic necessities. Headlining tonight’s benefit is Omaha alt-country band extraordinaire Clarence Tilton. Joining them are Stephen Sheehan (ex-Digital Sex, The World) and his band, Andrew Bailie and Dan Olsen from Sack of Lions. Tickets are $10 or a minimum 3-item donation (stuff like toothpaste, toothbrushes, soap, shampoo and deodorant). Music starts at 8 p.m.
Also tonight, Slowdown Jr. is hosting Oquoa (that’s right, Roger Lewis is back for the holidays). Joining them are Mesonjixx and Tonina. $10, 9 p.m.
Finally, Mitch Gettman is hosting something he’s calling “A Decade of Obscurity,” at Cedar, 8726 Countryside Plaza. It’s three hours of Mitch. No price listed, but it starts at 9 p.m.
And that’s going to do it until after Christmas. Most bars are going to be open Christmas Eve, but many will be closed Christmas Day. Your best bet is to call ahead (or get loaded at home).
Today Omaha indie act Oquoa dropped the new video “Sunshine” off their just-released album, Timesquares. The band celebrated the album’s release during O’Leaversfest last Sunday.
In some ways, the show was a farewell party for Oquoa drummer Roger Lewis, who is moving in the coming days/weeks to Seattle. This is more than just another example of the Great Migration of local musicians from Omaha (mostly to the West Coast). Roger has been one of Omaha music’s cornerstones for as long as I’ve been covering music in this city. His loss is a pretty deep wound to the music scene.
Some of my earliest interactions with Roger were back in the ’90s when he was a fixture at shows down at Sokol Underground as well other venues that hosted indie rock shows. As a drummer, Roger’s played in a number of great Omaha bands, not the least of which include The Good Life, Neva Dinova, Conduits, Artsy Golfer and a ton more including Oquoa (not to mention his stellar work as DJ alias Tyrone Storm).
Oquoa frontman Max Holmquist agrees that it’s sad that Roger’s moving, but says we’ll still be seeing him ’round here. “We’re going to keep working with this current line-up (with) Roger on the drums,” Holmquist said. “He plans to come back to Omaha semi-regularly to do DJ gigs, and do short Midwest runs of dates and local shows with us for as long as it works for us all. It will force us to be more thoughtful and strategic about our shows, which is never a bad thing.
“We will miss him being nearby, but it’s a shrinking world and it’s worth it to us to keep working with him from a distance.”
No doubt.
What the hell is happening to the Omaha music scene and all the migration? Holmquist chocks it up to the standard ebb and flow of creatives in and out of Nebraska. If that’s the case, we are indeed at low tide.
But we still have Oquoa. Holmquist said the new album is now available at bandcamp for your downloading pleasure. Roger, what are we going to do without you?
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Three hot shows happening tonight:
Over at Midtown Art, 2578 Harney St., Thick Paint is rolling out some new music for what they’re saying is their second to last show of the year. Also on the bill is Oakland band Preening as well as the dynamic duo known as Pagan Athletes. $5, 8 p.m. sharp.
Meanwhile, over at Reverb Lounge, Chicago experimental rock band FACS headlines. The band’s lable is Trouble in Mind Records (home of David Nance Group). Fellow Chicago-ites Dendrons also are on the bill. $10, 8 p.m.
Right around the corner at The Waiting Room it’s the return of alt-country rockers The Nadas. An acoustic version of Pony Creek opens at 8 p.m. $20.
Janet Weiss, the former drummer to Sleater-Kinney as well as a handful of other notable bands, was in a car accident in Portland Aug. 10. The damage was two broken legs and a broken collarbone. Docs say she’ll be OK, but she’ll be in a wheelchair for three months while mending. Her sister, Julie, set up a gofundme page to help raise money to cover medical expenses and other costs while she’s on the mend. You can donate right here.
I know Weiss isn’t a local, but I’ve loved all the projects she’s been involved in, not the least of which includes Bright Eyes.
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A hot new track by a hot new act has been brought to my attention. The act is named Benny Leather and includes members from Omaha and Belgium. Your guess is as good as mine who that Omaha member is (actually, it probably isn’t, since I know but I ain’t telling). Look for the full album release Oct. 25, and then all will be revealed…
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Oquoa, Timesquares (2019, self-release)
Omaha indie band Oquoa will release its new album, Timesquares, Sept. 22. The album what produced by the band and engineered by Matt Carroll of See Through Dresses. The band will tour with Cursive throughout September. BTW, the album release show Sept. 22 will be at O’Leaver’s as part of O’Leaversfest Day 3 BBQ.
And I’m told that show will be a “going away party” for one of the band members who is moving to Seattle…
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Speaking of Cursive…
Punknews.org published their list of the top 100 albums of 2000-2009, and making the cut was Cursive’s The Ugly Organ. Released by Saddle Creek Records in 2003, the album came in at No. 14. “I can’t think of an album aside from The Ugly Organ that actually gets self reflexive and explores the effect that emo songs have on the people they’re written about, let alone their effect on the person writing them,” said PunkNews. “It’s that self-reflection, which runs through the entire album, that makes The Ugly Organ a standout in Cursive’s already strong catalogue.”
In case you were wondering, The Lawrence Arms’ Oh! Calcutta was No. 1.
So they’re saying 3 to 5 inches of snow tonight. That’s not near enough to keep you inside, is it?
Top of tonight’s list is Oquoa at The Sydney in Benson. The band has been working on new material. Let’s see what they’ve been up to. Hussies, who just released a new album (Fast), open at 10 p.m. $5.
Meanwhile, over at fabulous O’Leaver’s, Omaha sludge-rock stoners Ocean Black open for ’80s-style rockers Jump the Tiger. Flux Amuck kicks things off at 9:30. $5.
Earlier in the evening at Hi-Fi House, free improvisation ensemble Screaming Plastic is having a listening party for its debut album. “The album’s seven tracks are selected from a three-hour batch of improvisations recorded at Omaha’s ARC Studios.” The spinning starts at 7 p.m. and it’s free.
Also tonight, The Waiting Room is hosting Flint Fest, a fundraiser for the Flint Kids Fund. Cult Play tops a bill that includes J. Crum, On 2 Galaxies, Jocko and Motel Martyr. $10, 8 p.m.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) there’s a three-artist bill at O’Leaver’s headlined by Stathi with Cursive’s Megan Siebe (Cursive kicks off a month-long tour next Friday in Denver) and Steady Wells. $5, 10 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
John Klemmensen and the Party at Reverb, May 1, 2015. Klemmensen returns to the stage tomorrow night (Friday) at O’Leaver’s as a member of The Candy Boys.
Hard to believe it was more than three years ago — May 1, 2015, to be exact — that John Klemmensen & The Party hosted their album release show for the LP Party All Night at Reverb Lounge.
The album was a career benchmark for Klemmensen, who had been performing music for more than 20 years both solo, with The Party and in a slew of bands, the most recent having been Landing on the Moon.
But shortly after that album release show, Klemmensen’s world unraveled. Among the lows was when Klemmensen stole a King Kong poster from a King King fast-food restaurant wearing a panda hat — an act that got broadcast on Crimestoppers. It was just part of a downward spiral.
“The underlying story was depression, massive prolonged intake of HARD drugs, overall bad decision making. A lot of self-sabotage, basically,” Klemmensen said.
“I never planned on taking such a long hiatus, but getting myself out of the trouble I had caused myself took some time,” he said. “I’m still working on being human.”
And among the best parts of his humanity is his music. Klemmensen will return to the stage tomorrow night (Friday) at fabulous O’Leaver’s fronting a new rock band called The Candy Boys. The band consists of Vern Fergesen on bass, Daniel Dean Leonard on drums, and Klemmensen on guitar and vocals.
Klemmensen said it’s “a little more sloppy and loud (on purpose) than ‘the Party.’ I think it’s closer to where I came from, like Reset or Revilo (although I wasn’t in Revilo).”
Tomorrow night’s set will focus on all new music, a reflection of Klemmensen’s new life. “I’m better now,” he said. “Weed, ice cream maybe an occasional shot of whiskey. I’m a good boy now.”
The Candy Boys play tomorrow night (Friday) at O’Leaver’s with Columbus/Omaha punk/folk act Not Funny.
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OK, but what’s going on tonight at O’Leaver’s? Just another stacked bill. Headlining is Oquoa (Max Holmquist and the boys) with Saddle Creek Records band Son, Ambulance. Joining them is Denton, Texas act Claire Morales, whose new record All That’s Wanting, was released June 29. $5, 9 p.m.
Also tonight, The English Beat, who probably plays more often in Omaha than in their origin city of Birmingham, England, returns to The Slowdown. The Bishops open at 8 p.m. $28.
It’s a Matt Whipkey weekend. Omaha’s favorite Uber-driving troubadour is hosting two album-release shows for his double-LP Driver, which you read about right here and in The Reader.
Matt’s first show is tonight at Reverb Lounge with Stephen Sheehan (ex-Digital Sex) opening. Tonight’s show starts at 9 p.m. and costs $10.
Matt’s also doing a second show at Reverb this Sunday evening with Charlie Ames. That one starts early at 6 p.m. and also costs $10.
What else is happening this weekend?
Well tonight, Oquoa headlines at The Sydney in Benson with Dirt House (Annie DiLocker’s joint) and Ojai. $5, 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, at fabulous O’Leaver’s, it’s a long night of hard rock with the debut of The Long Awaited, Sioux City’s Port Nocturnal, Jared William Gottberg and The Ramparts. $5, 10 p.m.
And in addition to opening for Whipkey Friday night at Reverb, Stephen Sheehan is doing a DJ set at O’Leaver’s Saturday night with Tres Johnson. $5, 9 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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