The Hussy at O’Leaver’s, June 27, 2015. The band returns Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tonight is looking pretty thin. Only one show — Relax, It’s Science opens for White Wolf T-Shirt and The Bedrock at The B Bar (right to Barrett’s on Leavenworth). $5, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow is packed.

Bobby and Heather Hussy (and Tyler Fassnacht) — better known as The Hussy — return to fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night. The Madison band used to play here all the time. If you don’t have Galore, their 2015 album on Southpaw, you’re really missing out on some seriously blazing punk. The last thing they put out was a 7-inch called, “I See Just Fine.” We need more Hussy and we’re gonna get it Saturday night. If that weren’t enough, David Nance Band and Dross also are on the bill. This has all the makings of a classic night at OLeaver’s. $8, 10 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Barley Street Tavern Saturday night, Lodgings headlines. They have a new album called Water Works that dropped a couple weeks ago, recorded and mixed by the legendary Steve Albini at Electrical Audio. Get it. Mere Shadows and Tom Bartolomei open. $5, 9 p.m.

And earlier in the day Saturday, Almost Music is having a record show at Reverb Lounge from 3 to 8 p.m., which will be followed by music from the Almost Music DJs. And it’s free!

One last Saturday night show: Mike Schlesinger opens for Win/Win and Field Club at The Sydney in Benson. $5, 10 p.m.

Finally Sunday, Captured Tracks band Reptaliens headlines at Reverb Lounge. $10, 8 p.m. No opener listed!

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 © 2019 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The Vibrators play at The Brothers Lounge tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Seems like I’ve been writing a ton about O’Leaver’s lately. It’s not by design (and I’m certainly not getting paid for it!). It’s merely the fact that the bulk of local indie music news is emanating from O’Leaver’s these days, whether it’s their programming, or in this case, Live at O’Leaver’s, which yesterday released three more live-session recordings from three of the hottest national touring indie bands.

All three sessions are remarkable in their own way. The Speedy Ortiz songs capture the band better then what they’ve laid down in the studio. We hear why Cursive is so ga-ga over Beach Slang. And we get a look inside the madness that is The Hussy on a recording that captures that evening’s madness.

I was at two out of the three shows that were captured below, missing only the Beach Slang gig, which it looks like I’ll get a chance to make up for as Beach Slang is headed back to O’Leaver’s Nov. 5 (with Tim Kasher, Lithuania (members of Dr. Dog) and Worried Mothers).

Check out the new Live at O’Leaver’s sessions below:

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Tonight legendary ’70s British punk band The Vibrators are playing at legendary Omaha club The Brothers Lounge. Opening is Tiananmen Squares and Heavy Lungs. $8, 9 p.m. Slap on your Doc Martins and go.

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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.

Digital Leather at O’Leaver’s, June 27, 2015.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

O’Leaver’s updated their sound system, again. I don’t know the specifics behind the technology.  Sound engineer Ian Aeillo can tell you. What I can tell you is there are now two massive stacks of speakers on either side of O’Leaver’s “stage,” and they sound good and loud (though one stack, on stage left, now blocks my view from one of my favorite leanin’ spots. Oh well…).

This is the third or fourth time O’Leaver’s has upgraded their sound system since the boys from Cursive and Chris Machmuller took over the venue a few years ago, and it just keeps getting better. The only thing they could do to make the place even better would be to take out the ceiling, add a band riser, knock out the partial wall that divides the raised seating from the hallway that leads to the bathroom and, of course, open that second outdoor patio. Or maybe just nuke the building altogether and build a new club, but that would take away all of O’Leaver’s craptacular charm…

The festivities that brought me to The Club Saturday night was the Digital Leather album release show for their new FDH album All Faded, where we got to see DL perform as an 8-piece — that’s like an entire bucket of chicken, but I’ll get to that in a minute.

The Hussy at O’Leaver’s, June 27, 2015.

First up was the The Hussy, the duo of Bobby and Heather Hussy, who were sort of celebrating the release of their own new album, Galore (Southpaw Records), their first release since 2013’s Pagan Hiss. Their one-sheet declares the new record “may be the catchiest and pop-iest record to date.” The record’s range and structure go way beyond your typical “garage rock” album but lacks none of that genre’s attitude. It’s the kind of rock record that Jack White could only dream of making. That said, the album sounds nothing like a White Stripes guitar-and-drum duo sort of record. The tracks are a full-band affair. This is the first Hussy LP with bass guitar added to the entire record, marking it as something of a turning point for the band. You need to hear it.

Anyway, The Hussy performed as a duo Saturday night, losing some of the depth heard on the new record but accentuating Bobby’s crazy-ass guitar gymnastics and Heather’s massive stick work. The duo shared vocals while Bobby bounced high kicks off the monitors and poked out the ceiling tiles with his guitar. Blistering and frantic.

And then came Digital Leather, sporting three keyboard players. Joining Todd Fink and Ben VanHoolandt on keyboards was Greg Elsasser of Capgun Coup. As detailed in this recent Digital Leather feature in The Reader, Elsasser will be replacing Fink for DL’s upcoming tour dates with Desaparecidos. That meant six people (and three keyboard racks) crowding the tiny O’Leaver’s “stage,” made all the more crowded by the 30 or so people who stood right in front of the band.

They opened with “Styrofoam,” played a few songs off All Faded and closed with a very special rendition of “Studs in Love,” that featured Bobby and Heather Hussy, who recorded their own version of the song released on the Digital Leather/The Hussy split LP that came out last year on Southpaw. So, eight people, one massive sound. “Studs in Love” is becoming Digital Leather’s go-to anthem and regular set-closer because, well, there’s nothing quite like it. Will they pull it out when they open for Desa in front of hundreds? I’d love to see how that crowd reacts.

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By the way, I have yet to see a single review of Digital Leather’s All Faded online anywhere (except Hear Nebraska)… What’s up with that?

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Speaking of Todd Fink, after a lengthy hiatus The Faint are back in action again. The band is playing at The Bottom Lounge in Chicago tomorrow night and Summerfest 2015 in Milwaukee Wednesday. Tickets are available at thefaint.com.

For these shows, The Faint will be adding new keyboard player Graham Ulicny from Reptar  (and part of the duo Channel Pressure with Todd). Ulicny replaces long-time keyboard player Jacob Thiele, but there’s no word if this is a permanent change to The Faint’s line-up, which includes Fink, drummer Clark Baechle and guitarist Dapose.

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Pageturners Lounge summer series continues tonight with the Burkum Boys. Singer/songwriter Jessica Errett opens. 9 p.m., free.

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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.

Cheap Trick at Memorial Park, July 1, 2011. Joan Jett takes the Memorial Park stage tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I just realized it’s been a couple weeks since I’ve been to a show. Not because there haven’t been any decent shows, I’ve just been lazy. BTW, for what it’s worth, (most of) my live reviews will now appear both in Lazy-i.com and thereader.com. Why not? It’s easy and it expands the readership.

And if you haven’t figured it out yet, I quit doing the weekly podcast for The Reader. It was  too much work for too few listeners. Each episode took two evenings of work — one to record, another to edit. In the end, the most listened-to episode received just south of 200 clicks, and featured an interview with Simon Joyner. As a result, I may revisit the podcast format as a pure Q&A thing in the near future. We’ll see.

Anyway, tonight is Joan Jett & the Blackhearts at Memorial Park and I kind of have to go as it’s practically in my back yard. Shitty Des Moines band Bonne Finken + The Collective opens the show at 6 p.m., followed by that dinosaur Eddie Money and then Joan. I realize Jett has played an important role in the history of rock, but I’ve never been a big fan, even back in the day. Still, it’ll be interesting to see how she’ll address today’s SCOTUS ruling, and if tonight’s show will celebrate something more than Independence Day.

BTW, if you’re going, park at UNO and walk to the park. Stay away from my neighborhood to the north, and gawdamit, STAY OFF MY LAWN.

Also tonight, Neon Trees plays at Stir Concert Cove in CB. I’ve seen these folks at SXSW and they put on a helluva show for a pop band. Tix cost around $45, and it starts at 7:30.

There’s also a punk rock show happening tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Seminal local ’80s punk crew R.A.F. headlines with Cordial Spew and Sioux City’s Ruralaurora. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Tomorrow night (Saturday) is the big Dog Party at O’Leaver’s. Free hot dogs served at 7 p.m., followed by karaoke at 8, and then at around 10 p.m. The Hussy takes the stage. I’ve been listening to their new album, Galore, all morning and it’s a scorcher. They’re followed by Digital Leather who will be celebrating the release of their new album, All Faded (FDH Records). Read about the record here. I guarantee this will be a strange show full of surprises. $5.

Also Saturday night, Oquoa plays at Reverb Lounge. Joining them are Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship and Geoff Dolce. $7, 9 p.m.

And Ragged Company plays at The Downunder Lounge (soon to move a few blocks down Leavenworth to where The Side Door Lounge used to be). Also on the bill is Mitch Gettman and Dr. Gnarwhal. $5, 9 p.m.

Finally, with the College World Series now in the books for another year, The Slowdown has returned once again to normal operations. To prove it, the venue is hosting The Helio Sequence Sunday night. The band’s new, self-titled album was released on Sub Pop this past May. Opening is Portland band Lost Lander and our very own John Klemmensen and the Party. $11, 8:30 p.m.

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 © 2015 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

Cheap Trick at Memorial Park, July 1, 2011. Joan Jett takes the Memorial Park stage tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

In this week’s column, I touch base with Omaha singer/songwriter Scott Severin about Time Out New York’s list of New York City’s Top 10 All Time Greatest Rock Stars. Never one to mince words, Severin provides insight and Technicolor from the perspective of someone who lived there when it was all going down punk-wise. KISS and Richard Hell fans beware.

You can read it in this week’s issue of The Reader or online right here. Many thanks to Scott for sharing his unique, relevant viewpoint.

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Huffington Post premiered what it says is a NSFW (though I’m not sure why) video by The Hussy for their cover of Digital Leather’s “Studs in Love.”

Director Shane O’Neill said in the HuffPost article, “It’s hard for me to get excited about something unless there’s at least a trace element of something funny, and hearing Bobby whine that he likes hairy asses still makes me giggle. I wanted the video to reflect the song’s spirit of hyper-masculinity crossed with absurdity. And I wanted to make a pun on the word ‘stud.’”

Check it out at here at HuffPost.

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There’s a special night of music happening this evening at Almost Music in Benson. New Zealand legends The Renderers are topping a stellar bill that includes The Bruces (this is the farewell show for Alex McManus as he and his family head north) and Simon Joyner and The Ghosts, who will be playing material from the band’s upcoming album.

And if that wasn’t enough, Brad at Almost Music is offering 20 percent off all used vinyl tonight. $5 minimum donation, 7 p.m. start time.

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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.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

One big long yawn this week musicwise.

In the news, Shawn Foree of Digital Leather is teaming up once again with Bobby Hussy of The Hussy to form a new project called TIT. The duo’s debut 12-inch is coming soon on Volar and FDH Records. Here’s hoping it’s not a flop (Get it?). You can follow TIT’s latest news on their Facebook page.

Like I said, this isn’t Foree’s and Hussy’s first team effort. They just released a split 12-inch (as DL / The Hussy) on Southpaw that is must-hear for any discerning synth-pop fan. The DL side is downright… romantic, a kind of/sort of collection of twisted love songs that shines a light on Foree the Balladeer. This is the most serene DL recording I’ve heard (I haven’t heard them all), and it still rocks. I wonder if Foree will ever perform this material live?

The Hussy side is a riot, and includes a cover of Digital Leather song “Studs in Love” that’s playful compared to DL’s original, quirky version (that appears on Blow Machine) and the gritty, brutal, desperate recent live DL performances of the song that could have been used in the soundtrack to an uncut version of Al Pacino’s “Cruising.” When Foree sings it these days, you believe him.

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The Sydney tonight is hosting New Jersey indie band Tawny Peaks along with Jersey roots/garage rockers Pinegrove. MushMouth and The Boy and His Wolves also are on the bill $5, 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.

Art for Underwater Dream Machine’s new CD, Can You See Behind the Moon

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s going to be a busy next few nights.

Tonight at The Barley Street Tavern Underwater Dream Machine celebrates the release of their new CD Can You See Behind the Moon. The album builds on what Bret Vovk started with A Very Lonely Dream About Space a year or so ago, but this one seems more focused. Vovk is one of Omaha music’s best kept secrets, much to the dismay of those of us who believe he needs to be heard on a bigger stage. Opening is the always entertaining Touch People (Darren Keen of TSITR fame) and Cooper Lakota Moon (Dim Light). $5, 9 p.m.

Also tonight, the new project by former The Stay Awake frontman Steve Micek called Adtrita debuts at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Also on the bill is Well Aimed Arrows and Eric in Outerspace. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, pop-punkers The Beat Seekers have a record release show with a number of bands including Bullet Proof Hearts. $7, 9 p.m.

And in case you’ve forgotten, it’s Benson First Friday. I suggest riding your bike to Benson instead of driving.

Tomorrow evening it’s the annual Omaha Girls Rock! showcase at The Slowdown. The star-studded lineup for this go-round:

Contagious Flamingos
Feisty Females
Fire Fusion Five (F3)
Justice Warrior 5
La Real Mrs. Sneakz
Neon Thunder
Tie-Dyed Harp Seals
Trouble Clef
Umm, I don’t know?
Urban Scrunchies

Always a good time, with proceeds going to support the Omaha Girls Rock! project (find out more). One of the funnest shows of the year and a chance to see tomorrow’s stars today! Show starts at 6:30, $5 (but you can add more if you want).

Later Saturday night, at fabulous O’Leaver’s, Digital Leather headlines a show featuring Madison, Wisconsin band The Hussy along with locals Coaxed and No I’m the Pilot. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Check out some Paris Hussy below:

Over in Benson at The Barley Street Tavern, Eli Mardock plays with headliner The Brian Wheat band Saturday night. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally O’Leaver’s is hosting a rare Sunday night show featuring The Seen, Alex Bleeker and the Freaks (a New Jersey-based folky project, led by Real Estate bassist Alex Bleeker), and Lars and Mal. $5, 8 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 © 2013 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.