by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’m not, nor have I ever been, a Ryan Adams fan. I just never cared for his music. So I wouldn’t have gone to tonight’s Ryan Adams show at the Holland Center regardless of the controversy that surrounds him (and for some, always will). That said, if I had been listed for this show, I might have gone just to see if he mentioned the controversy from stage (or to hear what Bright Eyes song he’ll be covering). 

Certainly Adams will be surrounded tonight by people who either have forgiven his past abuses or have looked beyond them because, regardless, they still like his music. Incidentally, if you want to know where I stand on Adams, you can read my column in The Reader from 2019, here. When I wrote it, Adams was clocking in with 1.4 million monthly Spotify listeners. Today, that number has risen to 1.5 million. Where that number stood before The New York Times is anyone’s guess, but rest assured, it was probably higher. BTW, Adams has self-released four digital-only albums this year alone.

I have no doubt, had this concert been scheduled before the Times article was published, the Holland would have sold out. Today, there are still plenty of tickets available on the Ticket Omaha website. 

Moving on… Who’s up for an Arcade Fire concert?

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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 © 2022 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Love Language plays tonight at The Sydney in Benson.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I’ve never been a fan of Ryan Adams. Not sure why, but his music just never resonated with me. And though I’ve listened to a few of his albums, I was more aware of his odd stage antics and past erratic behavior than his music.

So when The New York Times published this article last Wednesday with the subhead: “Several women say Adams offered to jumpstart their music careers, then pursued them sexually and in some cases retaliated when they spurned him. He denies the claims.” it had no material impact on how I felt about his music. But I can see where it would for his fans, even though not a note of his songs changed one iota from what they were before the article came out.

I’m a Woody Allen fan. I’ve loved his films all my life. But as one allegation after another gets hoisted in Allens’ direction — all of which he’s denied — they cannot help but echo in the back of my mind while I hear his voice narrating during Radio Days or see him flirt with Diane Keaton in Play It Again, Sam. Allen is now fighting with Amazon who pulled out of a deal for future Allen films. He’s suing, of course, and Amazon will likely settle for an ungodly amount if only to rid themselves of the perceived stigma of being associated with Woody Allen.

That said, I still laugh out loud whenever I see the “Coke Scene” in Annie Hall. Should I feel guilty? Because I don’t.

This is a long way of asking what will Ryan Adams’ fans do with all those albums? Will they still listen to and enjoy Heartbreaker as much as they did before last Wednesday? Is it OK to still like his music? Or now that he’s been unveiled, is his music unlistenable? Because they’re the same songs they were before last Wednesday…

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Merge recording artist The Love Language plays tonight at The Sydney in Benson. The Raleigh, N.C., band fronted by Stuart McLamb has been kicking around since 2009 playing a free-wheeling style of indie pop that sits well alongside bands like The Rosebuds and Arcade Fire. Except for the yacht-rock-flavored single “Juiceboxx,” the new record, Baby Grand (2018, Merge), is more layered and spacier than past efforts, one might even deploy the overused term “shoe-gaze” to describe it. Locals Bokr Tov open at 8 p.m. $10.

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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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.