Digital Leather at O'Leaver's, July 14, 2012.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

The next time you’re feeling the heat for something you’ve done or are sweating a decision you’re about to make, remember this one all-important thing:

No matter what you do or what you say, you’ll always be welcome at O’Leaver’s.

And I’ll leave that for you to decipher.

It was a classic red hot summer night this past Saturday at O’Leaver’s. I walked in about halfway through Worried Mothers’ strong set of sweaty, angsty, dissonant punk. I have no idea who or what this band is other than they are very good, very out there and very in your face. So in your face that the frontman went after someone in the audience during the set closer, both of them tumbling to the floor in a torrid embrace, before he stripped off his clothes Full-Monty style. Which gets me wondering — why are big guys like him and Darren Keen (who, btw, recently lost weight) able to strip on stage without anyone thinking twice about it, whereas if a buff guy stripped it would send a completely different, egotistical message? Let alone a woman. A woman would never go Full Monty at a punk show. Certainly not at a punk show at O’Leaver’s.

Anyway…

Minneapolis band Serenghetto was next — loud, fast punk unafraid of a good, meaty riff. Dueling male/female vocals took it to the next level. Angry. Abrasive.

Finally on came Digital Leather, playing a fast, tight set that included a few new songs. In fact, I’ve seen these guys well over a dozen times and I’ve never heard them play these songs this fast. And while playing that fast naturally amps up the energy level in the club, subtle nuances can get lost, especially on songs like “Your Hand, My Glove,” or even set closer “Deliver Deliver Deliver.” Ah, but I’m merely picking nits now. Digital Leather continues to be my favorite local act and one that could be huge if they ever get “discovered” (and they will, eventually, whether they want to be or not).

I found out at the show that Digital Leather has a new cassette tape coming out on Southpaw Records. Titled Yes Please Thank You, the ship date is this Wednesday. You can pre-order your copy here for a mere $5 plus postage. Check out “Mountains Are Dreaming,” from the new release, below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/51920875″ iframe=”true” /]

While clicking around looking for that cassette, I also discovered that DL has a new single, “Assault,” out on Floridas Dying, which you can order here. Get them both while you can.

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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.