Tennis at The Waiting Room, Nov. 5, 2014. The band returns to tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One of Hear Nebraska’s last forays into music journalism (for now, anyway) was a video interview with Digital Leather’s Shawn Foree about his just-released LP Pink Thunder. Read it here.

It’s a straight-up interview by HN’s Lauren Farris, and when I look back at what HN did in terms of music reporting, this was the kind of stuff I liked best. Because there simply isn’t anyone interviewing local bands anymore in a way that HN approached these interviews — in depth, professional, with the writer staying out of the copy and out of the frame.

It makes me miss what I used to do at The Reader back when it was a weekly and I was hustling an interview a week (plus a column). HN’s recent departure brings up the question of  music journalism’s relevance to the general local music audience. I personally think it’s important; that it still needs to be done. We just need to find a place to do it (in addition to in ol’ Lazy-i).

Wouldn’t it be awesome if someone started a music weekly with interviews, album reviews, live reviews, photos and a gig calendar?? I’d subscribe.

Anyway, I finally got my chance to interview Foree a couple years ago when Digital Leather released All Faded. He’s an interesting dude and one of the most talented musicians and songwriters in Nebraska. It’s appropriate that HN went out by interviewing him. Check it out and check out Pink Thunder, which you can order online here and, I believe, is available in its vinyl incarnation at Almost Music.

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Two shows going on tonight…

At The Waiting Room it’s the return of Tennis, who just played here this past summer when they headlined Farnam Fest. New York electro-pop duo Overcoats (Arts & Crafts Records) opens at 8 p.m. $18.

Also tonight, Pageturners’ Winter Concert Series continues with Nathan Ma and the Psychic Readers. This one is free and starts at 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Digital Leather, Pink Thunder (2017, self-release)

Out of the blue, Digital Leather today dropped a new LP titled Pink Thunder in Bandcamp. It’s a strong return to form from a band that I thought had hung it up last year. Since then, they’ve played a handful of shows when the gig money was right. Still, when the pre-announcement came out about Pink Thunder I had no idea DL mastermind Shawn Foree was working on new material.

The LP is stripped down, very electronic but with nice guitar touches. I assume it’s a one-man show, with Foree on all the parts but I don’t know for sure as I haven’t received a one-sheet (I found out just like you, on Twitter). Listening through the tracks a few times this morning, it reminded me of Blow Machine, though it’s not as racy lyrically. My favorite track so far is an instrumental called “One to One” — a real digital grinder.

Foree mentioned this would be coming out as an LP in the fall. Don’t wait to download the digital tracks right now, though…

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Just got a press release from Nasty Little Man:

“Arcade Fire has released a third track from its forthcoming fifth album, Everything Now, due out July 28 on CD, cassette, digital download and heavyweight black vinyl LP through an exclusive 360-degree partnership with global media and e-commerce platform Everything Now in synergy with the Sony corporation.”

Included was their North American tour dates, of which there are many. Their closest pass to Omaha, however:

10/25/17 – Denver, CO – Pepsi Center
10/27/17- Kansas City, MO – Silverstein Eye Centers Arena
10/29/17 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
NOmaha

Anyone surprised? Their tour starts Aug. 6 in Chicago at Lollapalooza. Meanwhile, I swivel my chair and look out my window and see a 25,000 seat baseball stadium that will sit vacant until next June…

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Onto the weekends…

Kansas at Memorial Park, July 3, 2010. Tonight it’s Kool & the Gang. Blurg.

Tonight is the dreaded Memorial Park Concert. Imagine if we had gotten last night’s hail storm tonight? Devastation. Well, Kool and the Gang will be handing out the devastation tonight. The city really blew it with this booking, as they just played down by the river last year. Someday someone with some knowledge of music will help the city book this concert (Who am I kidding? No one goes to this for the music)…

Cover bands and such start at 6. K&tG probably won’t be on stage until 8:30 or 9. Fireworks usually around 10 or 10: 30, which is worth the hassle, I suppose. If you go, park at UNO and stay the hell off my lawn.

Other than that, there ain’t shit happening tonight, though Lincoln singer/songwriter Scott Severin is taking the plunge and playing a free gig at the new, and rather controversial Hotel RL on south 72nd Street. This place has been lambasted in social media for booking bands and not paying them. No doubt Scott negotiated something sweeter. Starts at 7.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) is the big Shipwrecked! fest.

What’s Shipwrecked? It’s a concert on the River City Star river boat, but instead of rolling up and down the Missouri, the boat will be docked all night. We’re talking two floors (or two decks) of music with bars on each deck, with fireworks (courtesy of TD Ameritrade Park’s home run derby).

The line-up is impressive:

A Giant Dog (Austin, TX) — One of Merge Records’ hottest new bands returns to Omaha.
HIDE (Chicago, IL) — Gritty, big-beat punk from Chicago, on Joyful Noise Records.
Leggy (Cincinnati, OH) — Self-proclaimed “bubble-gum punk” on Manic Static Records.
Plack Blague (Lincoln, NE) — Starcity electro-geek leather fetish noise band.
David Nance Band (Omaha, NE) — Low-fi garage punk dynamo about to blow up.
Cult Play (Omaha, NE) – Dark, electronic dance rock.
Winstons (Brooklyn, NY) — No-frills garage soul.

Music starts at 7 p.m. Runs ’til midnight (but since it’s docked, leave / come whenever you wanna). Tickets are $15, sorry kids, 21+ only. I’m told plenty of parking near the landing. Should be a blast.

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 © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.