Dilly Dally at Reverb Lounge, Nov. 7, 2015.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

More proof that a high rating from Pitchfork doesn’t necessarily equate to big crowds, PF darlings Dilly Dally played to a grateful crowd of around 50 Saturday night at Reverb Lounge. The band’s latest album, Sore, scored a massive 8.0 on the Pitchfork meter which doesn’t matter if no one’s heard your music.

Dilly Dally front woman Katie Monks channeled Courtney Love’s gravel-growl throughout the 45-minute set that included a lot of songs off that new album. But maybe more than Courtney, Monks reminded me of a younger version of Thalia Zedak of bands Come and Live Skull, but playing music that isn’t nearly as stark an desolate as either of those bands. Dilly Dally’s sound is a hybrid of ’90s post-punk mixed with some modern-day touches. The song “Get To You,” for example, carried a funky-grungy bassline that was pure Breeders territory.

Monks sounded younger on stage than what we hear on the record, probably because she looked like a teenager on stage wearing a sideways ball cap covered in bedazzle-bling. After seeing the songs performed live, I love the record even more.

It dawned on me that Monks is among a galaxy of young women punk performers who are making the biggest mark on indie these days. Why haven’t we seen a modern-day punk Lilith Fair featuring Dilly Dally, Bully, Hop Along, Savages, Speedy Ortiz, Courtney Barnett, Sleater-Kinney, etc.? Or maybe it’s time we got away from organizing gender-specific festivals.

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A couple big shows happening on a Monday night (more proof that we’re not the destination, we’re the drive-through on the way home).

Pure Bathing Culture sans drummer at The Waiting Room Nov. 5, 2014. The band plays tonight at Reverb.

Top of the list is Portland band Pure Bathing Culture at Reverb Lounge. I’ve seen this band on three separate occasions and have been underwhelmed three times, but maybe it’s a personal thing, as people who were in the same audiences raved about the band’s performance. Opening is fellow Portlanders Wild Ones (Topshelf Records). $12, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at fabulous O’Leaver’s, NYC band BOYTOY hits the stage. They’re on the road supporting a new EP called Grackle. Also on the bill are Bien Fang and The Morbs. $5, 9:30 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 © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Tennis at The Waiting Room, Nov. 5, 2014.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tennis continues to grow. Every time the Denver band comes to Omaha the crowd gets bigger. No doubt the crowds will continue to grow as more people discover their new album, Ritual in Repeat (Communion), which hits a sweet spot between their usual airy indie songs and new rhythm-centered tracks.

In fact, the best songs of the night came from that new album. Three songs in, tiny frontwoman Alaina Moore coaxed the crowd to come closer to the stage before introducing the new material, highlighted by jump-beat track “Never Work for Free.” Moore’s voice is a cross between Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays and Olivia Newton John. Tennis’ lighter moments resemble The Sundays mellow rapture or Camera Obscura, while the upbeat numbers, like the disco-thump “I’m Callin'” are pure Xanadu, thanks in part to the subtle guitar funk of bandmate Patrick Riley, who if he wore a white V-neck T-shirt, could pass as Denver Dalley’s older brother.

These days it’s rare for bands to evolve past their first album, but Tennis has only improved with age. Their music certainly has gotten more interesting, and if Moore and Co. ever commit to a full-out dance party who knows how far they’d go. They’ve already come pretty far.

Pure Bathing Culture sans drummer at The Waiting Room Nov. 5, 2014.

I’m not sure what was going on during Pure Bathing Culture’s set. The Portland band was without their drummer for reasons unknown. When the band acknowledged his absence, someone in the smallish crowd asked if he got fired. “No, but if he misses more shows…”

The trio sounded off-kilter, as if something was wrong with their tuning, and the whole performance listed under water, leaving me a tad bit seasick. The fill-in pre-programmed beats didn’t help matters, nor did the mud-quality mix which masked frontwoman Sarah Versprille’s vocals, making them undecipherable. Or maybe it was just me. I talked to one guy afterward who said he loved their short 20-minute set.

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In this week’s column, the 3rd Quarter 2014 Album Reviews Round-up, with reviews of new ones by The Gotobeds, The Heart Wants, Ty Segall, Josh Hoyer and the Shadowboxers, Twin Peaks and more. You can read it in the new issue of The Reader or online right here.

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Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s the return of local indie super-group Oquoa, along with LA instrumental band Dylan Ryan / Sand and Hotlines. $5, 9:30 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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Tennis at Slowdown Jr., Feb. 22, 2012. The band plays tonight at The Waiting Room.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

My one comment on last night’s election results (seeing as this is a music blog and not a political blog):

I won’t pretend I know anything about politics, but I thought I knew history. As a country, we’ve watched unemployment drop consistently over the past four years. The stock market is at record highs. Gasoline prices are below $3 a gallon for the first time in I don’t know how long. Historically, these issues have benefited the party in office, but President Obama’s approval ratings are at historic lows for any period during his presidency, and Republicans, as of last night, control both houses of Congress. My only observation is the same observation I made in this blog on Oct. 23.

But let me add one more comment to the mix, one that has implications that involve the Nebraska music scene: I believe one of the reasons quality musicians (who also are quality people) move away from Nebraska to places like Los Angeles and New York and Chicago and the Pacific Northwest is the political climate here. Nebraska politics are a natural repellant to anyone who values creativity over greed. If Nebraska faces a challenge in nurturing and keeping its talented “creative class,” it faces an even bigger challenge attracting those who look at our state from a distance, see who represents it, and wonder, “Why in the world would I want to live there?”

Actually, after last night, you could say the same thing about the United States (except for the presidency, of course). Hilary is going to have her hands full when she takes over the office in 2016.

Anyway…

Tonight Tennis returns to Omaha, this time to The Waiting Room. The band’s new album, Ritual in Repeat (Communion), is a departure of sorts for a duo whose music has always been a bit too simplistic and run-of-the-mill for my tastes. Their new record is more eclectic, more upbeat, more interesting then their previous releases. So will their live show, which historically has been pretty dull, be more interesting as well? Find out tonight.

Opening is Pure Bathing Culture, who had a ton of buzz at this year’s South By Southwest music festival. I had to go to the Wayback Machine to see what I thought about their performance in Austin. From The Reader‘s website…

We emerged on 6th Street later than expected to catch PURE BATHING CULTURE, one of the most talked-about acts at this year’s SXSW. Seems everyone had caught their set and loved it. We found them at Hype Hotel, a makeshift club with an alley entrance that gave away sponsored drinks (Miller Fortune for me) and Taco Bell.

The Portland band’s music has been compared to Kate Bush and Cocteau Twins, two bands they don’t resemble. Instead, PBC strives for a Lilith stage with its feature-less music. They were amazingly boring, still people were nodding their heads to the streamlined, lite beats.

Ugh, now I remember. Maybe that was just a bad show? Get there early and see. $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 © 2014 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.