O’Leaver’s all-country weekend, Satchel Grande tonight; Drugs & Attics, Hussies, Trunkweed Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 1:55 pm February 9, 2018

Satchel Grande at River’s Edge Park, May 27, 2013. The band plays at The Waiting Room tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Not much to talk about from an indie-music perspective this weekend. No national touring indie shows, no real local indie, either.

Fabulouis O’Leaver’s is going all-country this weekend. Tonight Township & Range, who describes their sound as “rural music,” headlines a show with The Empty Sky and Evan Bartles. $5, 10 p.m.

Tomorrow night O’Leaver’s has Matt Cox, Ragged Company and The Electroliners. Wear your shit-kickers. $5, 10 p.m.

Also tonight, Satchel Grande returns to The Waiting Room with Carson City Heat. $8, 9 p.m.

Lo-Fi Balitimore surf-rock/garage band Trunkweed headlines a show at Pet Shop Gallery Saturday night. Time Cat and Death Cow also are on the bill. $5, 8 p.m.

Also Saturday night, The Sydney has KC garage act Drugs & Attics with Hussies. $5, 9 p.m.

And 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 © 2018 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

 

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The English Beat, Matt Whipkey tonight; Satchel Grande Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , , — @ 12:00 pm November 24, 2017

Tommy Keene at O’Leaver’s, July 30, 2014. Keene passed away last night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Listening to Tommy Keene this morning, specifically his 1989 release Based on Happy Times, which you can find on Spotify. Keene passed away yesterday, reportedly in his sleep, which may be the best way to go. He opened for Matthew Sweet at O’Leaver’s back in 2014, and opened for him again on a recent tour. Keene might be one of the most overlooked singer/songwriters of the ’80s, ’90s, today. He was a power-pop master and a great guitarist.

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Another light weekend for shows. Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s the return of The English Beat, a band that’s made Omaha a second home (or so it seems, considering the number of times they’ve played here over the years). Opening is local ska band The Bishops. $25, 9 p.m.

Also tonight Matt Whipkey and his band are playing around the corner at Reverb Lounge. Tonight’s show will be a sort of sneak preview of Whipkey’s latest release, the double LP Driver, out Feb. 23. Whipkey just released a single from the album, which you can check out below. Opening is Travelling Mercies. $10, 8 p.m.

Saturday night Satchel Grande returns to The Waiting Room with Funk Trek. $8, 9 p.m.

And that’s all I got for this weekend. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section.

For those of you doing the Black Friday treasure hunt, good luck. I’ll likely be hitting the racks this afternoon, so don’t take all the good stuf.

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.

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Satchel Grande, The Hollands, Low Long Signal, Scott Severin tonight; The Joy Formidable, Radkey Saturday…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , , — @ 12:52 pm June 16, 2017

Satchel Grande at River’s Edge Park, May 27, 2013. The band plays at The Slowdown tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Judging by the white tents that have risen from the concrete in the NoDo area around the ball park, it’s College World Series time again.

While I applaud the City of Omaha for continuing this fine collegiate tradition, I personally could not give two f—s about the CWS. But The Slowdown does, and who can blame them? Their complex, prime real estate just west of the stadium, hosts a large outdoor beer garden with a stage. Ah, but their live music almost always features cover bands. Because the folks who come to see the CWS care about as much about indie rock as I do about college baseball.

That said, tonight original music band Satchel Grande is playing on Slowdown’s outdoor stage starting at 9 p.m. If you can find a place to park — and you’re not afraid of the impending thunderstorms — the free concert could be crazy and weird. And Satchel Grande always is worth catching.

What else is happening tonight and this weekend?

There’s an interesting show at The Milk Run headlined by The Hollands. According to their Facebook page they’re “a 21st century nomadic family based in the US via Australia and frolic in the Americana, folk revival scene.” They count among their influences The Pogues, Carter Family and Woven Hand. Also on the bill: Madison Growler, Not Ben Shin, and Druce Campbell. $5, 9 p.m.

Fabulous O’Leaver’s is hosting Low Long Signal, Armful of Tiger Lilies, Barrows and Towering Rogue. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Lincoln singer/songwriter and former NYC scenester Scott Severin headlines at Barley Street Tavern tonight. Joining him are Deven Cadwell and Brikwondo. $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night’s marquee event is The Joy Formidable at The Waiting Room. You remember them from Maha2016. Radkey, another Maha refugee, opens. $18, 9 p.m.

Believe it or not, that’s all I got for this weekend. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a good one…

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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

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Live Review: Skypiper, Cowboy Indian Bear; Ideal Cleaners breaks up (last November); Bloc Party, Songwriter Death Battle tonight…

Category: Blog,Reviews — Tags: , , , , — @ 12:46 pm May 28, 2013
Skypiper at The Waiting Room, May 25, 2013.

Skypiper at The Waiting Room, May 25, 2013.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I might have put my finger on who Skypiper reminds me of. I had to dig around in my feeble brain through most of their set at Saturday night’s EP release show at The Waiting Room, but (I think) I finally figured it out: Frontman Graham Burkum’ s voice bears a striking resemblance to David Baerwald’s.

Who is David Baerwald? Well, once upon a time in 1986 there was pop band called David and David. They had an album called Boomtown that was a huge hit. I loved that record, which today is all but forgotten despite the plethora of pop anthems it provided. David and David was a songwriter’s band; I don’t know if they even performed live. Skypiper also borders on being a songwriter’s pop band, though its songs aren’t as lyrically sophisticated (or as darkly personal) as Baerwald’s. That lack of lyrical intimacy might be what separates Skypiper from folks like Dan Wilson or Jeremy Messersmith, who have a similar embraceable pop style.

Saturday night’s show felt like a homecoming event, with the band creating its own stenciled stage backdrop complete with hand-made decorations. I didn’t realize Skypiper was simply going to give away their new EP. Sure enough, the Burkum Bros. told the crowd to take as many copies as they wanted from the back merch table. How are you ever going to become rich rock stars that way?

Opening band Cowboy Indian Bear put on their usual tight set. Their music seems to be constantly evolving, stretching to keep up with indie le style actuel, and while there’s plenty of sonic resonance to their sound, I’m beginning to lose the songs amidst their colorful noise. I walked away remembering the cacaphony, but not knowing what they were trying to say. Simpler is (almost) always better, which means you don’t need three people on stage pounding on a drum.

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Satchel Grande at River's Edge Park, May 27, 2013.

Satchel Grande at River’s Edge Park, May 27, 2013.

In other weekend coverage, look for a review of River’s Edge Park in my column in this week’s issue of The Reader. Needless to say, the park is going to be a gamechanger in terms of live outdoor facilities. I only caught Satchel Grande (the usual feel-good dance stuff) and Josh Hoyer’s new band, the Shadowboxers, which sounded like the reincarnation of James Brown. Get on the good foot, Josh.

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News from Lincoln: Ideal Cleaners broke up… last November. In an email that arrived in my old AOL account, Dan Jenkins announced that the Cleaners’ Nov. 24, 2012, show at The Waiting Room was the band’s finale. “We sure had a good time in that band and played together for 9 1/2 years or something like that,” he said.

On the plus side, Jenkins announced that his new band, Halfwit, will be debuting June 7 at The Sydney. Fellow band members include former members of Mother Pile, Life of a Scarecrow and Machete Archive.

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Two shows of note tonight:

Down at Slowdown, it’s the Bloc Party (yes, that Bloc Party) with Vancouver band Bear Mountain (Last Gang Records). $25, 9 p.m. Tickets are still available.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room tonight, it’s John Klemmensen’s “Songwriter Death Battle,” an intriguing concept wherein 30+ local songwriters take a turn playing one song on stage using Mr. K’s acoustic guitar. Among the battlers: Dane Sybrant, Greg Loftis, Jon Jerry, Kendra Senrick, Sam Houser, Edward Spencer, Koby Good, Sarah Benck Tardy, Bret Vovk, Andrew Janousek, Scott Severin, Tara Vaughan, Jessica Errett, Jeremy Mercy, Nick Carl, Vern Fergesen, Reagan Roeder, Justin Neal, Justin Lamoureux, Stephanie Krysl, Doug Kabourek, Matt Cox, Rebecca Lowry, Matt McLarney, Eliza Doo, Brad Hoshaw, Matt Whipkey, Landon Hedges, Sara Bertuldo, Michael Wunder, and John Klemmensen. That’s a lot of entertainment for $5. Show starts at 9.

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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Video Roundup: Icky Blossoms, UUVVWWZ; Satchel Grande headed to SXSW; Kasher’s ‘other band’; Sock Hop tonight…

Category: Blog — Tags: , , — @ 1:59 pm November 8, 2012
A still from Icky Blossoms' new video for "Heat Lightning."

A still from Icky Blossoms’ new video for “Heat Lightning.”

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Slow news Thursday, so here’s a peek in my e-mail box…

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“Heat Lightning” just happens to be my favorite song off Icky Blossoms’ self-titled Saddle Creek Records debut. And despite the fact that there’s no sex and/or destruction, this video for the song (exclusively at RollingStone.com) is my favorite vid from the band so far. Icky currently is out on the road with Tilly and the Wall, playing the Great American Music Hall tonight in San Francisco.

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I recently got into an awkward discussion about another Saddle Creek Records band — UUVVWWZ. A guy was complaining that the Lincoln band gets too much attention for an act that makes “art noise.” Needless to say, his complaints didn’t come as a surprise as the guy is really into Americana music and mainstream rock. Nothing wrong with that, but he doesn’t hear me complaining about how boring his band is, does he? Anyway, you either “get” UUVVWWZ or you don’t. I’ve dug their music since waaay back in 2008 when I first saw them perform at the long-gone Saddle Creek Bar. Based on this brand-spankin’ new Love Drunk video for the song “No Apart,” I figure they must be working on a new record. Hat’s off to Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler for providing his office (and being a helluva drummer).

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Congrats to Satchel Grande, who were named in the first wave of acts invited to play at South By Southwest in 2013. Which reminds me, I gotta get my lodging figured out if I’m going back to Austin again next year.

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Matador just announced that Cat Power has cancelled her European tour for health reasons. I mention this only because I’d love to see Cat Power play at the Maha Music Festival next year. Wishful thinking I know, especially if she can’t stay on top of this health issue.

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Speaking of cancelled tours, according to his official fan site, Morrissey will announce his rescheduled U.S. Tour dates next Monday, including the Lincoln date.

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There’s another Tim Kasher interview that just went online at Phoenix New Times.  Golden quote:

So, you don’t have a metal album coming out any time soon?
We should, that’d be great. The other band name is Crucifix.

Ha ha! Awesome…

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Every month Reader music editor Chris Aponick busts my balls because I forget to mention the “Sock Hop” event he hosts at Loom. Well, tonight’s the night. In addition to playing sock hop hits of the ’50s, Noah Sterba and the Cocktails will be in the house. “Expect folk-tinged retro-pop nuggets perfect for any chilled house party or in this case, a relaxed Thursday night of music and dance.” At Loom, 9 p.m., free. More info here. Now get off my back, Aponick.

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Also tonight, Michigan-based indie-folk troubadour Small Houses, a.k.a. Jeremy Quentin, plays at Slowdown Jr. with Field Club and Great American Desert. 9 p.m., $7.

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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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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I’m skipping SXSW, but Satchel Grande isn’t (at TWR tonight)…

Category: Blog — Tags: , — @ 5:13 pm March 14, 2011

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

By now you’ve probably already figured out that I won’t be going to Austin for the South by Southwest Music Festival this week. I grudgingly decided to take a year off after having too much fun at SXSW for the past two years. My reasoning: 1) There’s a rather limited Omaha presence this year (no Saddle Creek Records showcase), 2) I just got back from vacation (and my suntan is quickly fading), 3) I didn’t have a hotel room lined up, 4) I just need to take a year off to recharge my SXSW batteries. The Reader‘s new music editor, Chris Aponick, will be in Austin providing plenty of high-quality music reporting. I have no idea if he’ll be blogging, but if I find out, I’ll pass the link along.

Who else will be in Austin this week? Well, none other than the BluBlocker-wearing freaks that make up Satchel Grande, this year’s winner of The Reader‘s SXSW showcase sponsorship. And you can help send them off in style by dropping by The Waiting Room tonight for a send-off gig where every penny of your $5 admission will go directly into their pockets (and they’ll need it because SXSW can be super expensive). Show starts at 8 p.m.

So what happened this past weekend? Find out tomorrow in my review (with pics) of Saturday night’s Slowdown gig…

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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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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