Baby Tears at The Sandbox, Dec. 10, 2011.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Was it only a matter of time before The Sandbox got busted? The loft apartment at 2406 Leavenworth, formerly known as The Faint’s Orifice practice space, apparently had a visit from Johnny Law last week, effectively shutting down the space as a live music outlet for the foreseeable future. I’ve heard a variety of reports, including one that involved a full premises search and people in handcuffs. The only thing I know for certain is that The Sandbox is out of business. Black Heart Booking, who used the space for many of its shows (including the metal show that got busted), is now looking for new venues for six upcoming gigs.

What amazes me is that The Sandbox lasted as long as it did. Here’s a narrative snapshot of the venue from Dec. 2011. The fact that you could buy a beer for a “donation” was common knowledge, and could be considered selling alcohol without a liquor license. The whole legality of the “donation for booze” thing at events is rather foggy. Add the fact that it was considered an “all ages” venue where booze was available, and that the facility likely wasn’t zoned for group occupancy, and you’re asking for it.

No doubt cops have seen dozens of kids going into that building late at night, wondering what was going on. I’ve been told they were aware that The Sandbox was hosting shows (and selling beer), and didn’t care. Apparently that wasn’t the case. Or did someone tip off the cops, forcing their hand? If so, you have to wonder who else is on OPD’s radar screen, and what impact this will have on the emergence of house shows in an era when independent music continues to be headed back underground…

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The Sons of O’Leaver’s at O’Leaver’s, Nov. 16, 2012.

The only thing stopping The Sons of… from being billed as Omaha’s version of The Replacements is that the band doesn’t play shit-stroke drunk. Their musical resemblance to The ‘mats can be uncanny, though I also hear elements of Spoon (specifically Kelly Maxwell’s vocals) and Wilco (a touch of classy twang). No doubt this group of local heroes’ sound is deeply rooted in those bands and a thousand others. Their songwriting puts them on the upper tier of local acts, playing music that feels as comfortable and familiar as a well-worn pair of motorcycle boots. No, they’re not breaking any new musical ground, nor are they trying to (nor would you want them to). I’m told they’re actually doing some recording, and that they’ve got a couple upcoming gigs scheduled at venues they’ve never played before (though is there really any better place to see the Sons of O’Leaver’s than O’Leaver’s?).

Also playing Friday night at O’Leaver’s was North of Grand, who played a number of songs off their nifty new album A Farewell to Rockets (Brolester Records), which is worth checking out.

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The first song off Big Harp’s upcoming Saddle Creek release, Chain Letters, premiered this morning right here at rollingstone.com. Down load the mp3 for “You Can’t Save ’em All” absolutely 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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Going through the ol’ mailbag…

James Reilly of Pharmacy Spirits tapped my shoulder via Facebook to say that he’s got a new band called Life Is Cool. Among the members: Eric Bemberger (ex-Beep Beep), Eli Mardock (ex-Eagle Seagull), Mike Elsener, Ben Armstrong and Kendra Campbell (Cat Island). They’ll be debuting Oct. 14 at Duffy’s in Lincoln, but you can check out a track from their SoundCloud page, below.

So is this a prescription for the end of Reilly’s other band, Pharmacy Spirits? Not at all. In fact Reilly said PS is recording a new EP right now with Mark Wolberg. And look out for PS drummer Courtney Nore’s new band Tubetop, which is the best new band name I’ve heard in a long time.

Life is Cook, JDWYD

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/57924407″ iframe=”true” /]

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What else…

Lincoln Calling announced its second round of bands for this year’s festival, slated for Oct. 9-14. You can see the current list and get other pertinent info at the Lincoln Calling website. The geographic breakdown:

Acts by city (21 cities total):

73 Lincoln

14 Omaha

5 Kansas City

4 Chicago

4 Omaha/Lincoln

2 Des Moines, San Diego

1 Baltimore, Denver, Kansas City/Lincoln, Lawrence, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York, Paris, FR, Portland, OR, Provo, UT, Quincy, IL, Seattle, Springfield, IL, Stillwater, Twain Harte, CA

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Lots of early buzz about tomorrow night’s show at The Sandbox — Wild Nothing and Diiv. Both bands are red hot in the Pitchfork/indie world right now, and as a result of the interest, I’ve been getting questions about the venue.

The last time I was at the Sandbox was December 2011 for The STNNNG. Here’s the write-up/description of the venue. I’m told that since then they’ve added a new stage, new sound and professional lighting. But unless they’ve remodeled the entire upstairs of that building, it’s still going to have a warehouse/loft vibe, and as such, this gig could feel like a loft show. Depending on what you like, that’s either a good thing or a bad thing (from my point of view, it’s a good thing).

I’m told venue capacity is around 200, but as I’ve said, this isn’t your typical venue. Tickets are available online at mooseriot.com. As for parking, you’re on your own…

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Could the description of Pageturners Lounge in today’s OWH make the bar sound any more boring? “The sunken bar and dim lighting are reminiscent of retro Omaha neighborhood bars like the Holiday and the Interlude — places where (Phil) Schaffart and his friends have spent a lot of time over the years. And the menu is no-fuss — 10 beers on tap, another 25 in bottles and cans, four house cocktails (a fifth is coming as soon as one of the spirits comes in), and several dozen wines.” *yawn* Sounds like your run-of-the-mill hole-in-the-wall neighborhood bar, but maybe that’s what Phil and co-owner Conor Oberst were after. Mayhaps I’ll find out for myself this weekend…

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Tonight at The Waiting Room, Providence, RI noise-rock duo Lightning Bolt takes the stage. They’re one of those bands that bring the party to you,  playing directly on the floor instead of the stage. We’ll see if they follow suit tonight. Opening is Touch People (Darren Keen, ex-The Show Is the Rainbow). $10, 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 © 2012 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

The STNNNG at The Sandbox

Column 354: Red Light Special: Inside the Sandbox

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

I could see the blue-and-red strobe lights erratically pulsing in the distance as I drove down Leavenworth Street Saturday night looking for a place to park my POS Geo Tracker where it wouldn’t get gutted. Four, maybe five police cruisers had surrounded a convenience store just down the block past the building that houses The Sandbox. I tried not to look as I slowly glided by the hysteria, but couldn’t help myself. The cruisers were parked in a semi-circle, another parked at the corner. I expected to see some shirtless redneck or meth-head with his torso buried in the sidewalk ice, hands behind his back, plastic cuff bands biting into his wrists, trying desperately to breathe as a cop pushed his face onto the cold concrete. But instead, nothing. Just the flashing party lights signaling the drama going on inside.

I thought about turning around and going home. Instead, I drove around the block and coasted to the curb right in front of the place. A guy was standing on the sidewalk smoking, and I asked if it was okay to park there. “I don’t see any ‘no parking’ signs,” he said. I figured the small army of hookers that make this part of Omaha their home would never consider rummaging through my SUV here, where the street lights were so revealing. Still, I made a mental note to check the back seat before heading home up St. Mary’s.

When I was a teenager back in the ‘80s, we used to drive around this area and hassle the working girls, one night even giving two of them a ride in my buddy Ross’s Capri. “You boys are a little young for this sort of action,” said the younger of what we were told was a mother-daughter team. “Maybe you could buy us some Old Milwaukee.” Instead, we let them out of the car by Kountze Memorial. Ross played it cool, but I was scared shitless. Being scared is part of the fun.

I told that story Saturday to a guy who said a hooker had rolled up to him on the way to the show that night and asked if she could “play his banjo.” He told me I was lucky I didn’t get killed back then. I said we were too young and stupid for something like that to happen, but now, 20-some years later, I realize he was right.

I write the above because The Sandbox could be an amazing music option if it wasn’t located in such a seedy part of town. It’s the kind of place that Omaha has needed since the concrete bunker known as The Cog Factory — located just a couple blocks down the street — closed its doors for good. The room is a large open loft space covered in graffiti and spray paint with a makeshift stage constructed along a back wall. Couches surround the perimeter beneath windows that overlook the street below. In one corner sits a homemade bar with a small refrigerator filled with Pabst and BOXER, a beer that resembles beer only in name. Walk toward the back of the room and the floor ramps downward to a large dock door that opens into a back alley where people smoke, talk and piss. The Sandbox has a functioning bathroom, but it’s more like a bathroom you’d find in a college kid’s apartment than in a place of business. Bath towels were piled on the floor as if someone had just taken a shower in the bathtub that was concealed behind a mildewed curtain. A peek behind it revealed a patchwork of mold, filth and shampoo bottles. Later that evening, someone would take a dump in there.

Turns out The Sandbox isn’t really a venue at all, but someone’s home, and that this “show” was really just another in a series of house parties. There was probably a kitchen hidden somewhere, maybe behind the huge plastic tarp that blocked off an area near the stage. Whatever the Sandbox is, it’s a fun place to see a rock show – very laid-back despite looking like a squatters’ flat. In the crowd of 50 or so I recognized a lot of faces from nights at O’Leaver’s and The Brothers, midtown punks and rockers away from their usual haunts to support a trio of great bands: Baby Tears, The Blind Shake and The STNNNG.

Lucas Wright of Black Heart Booking books parties at The Sandbox, which turns out to be his pal Joe Benson’s apartment (and The Faint’s old practice space, The Orifice). Wright books larger punk shows at The Waiting Room and Slowdown, and uses The Sandbox for small gigs. Anal Cunt played there in April. So did Nappy Roots. And local band Snake Island! is hosting its CD release show there New Year’s Eve.

“A lot of people like the place,” Wright said. “The sound is usually pretty good (depending on who’s running it), the atmosphere is very casual and the space is just plain rad. It’s a nice alternative to the other spots in town, and all shows are all-ages with no notary BS to worry about.”

True, but what kind of parents would let their kids go to Whoreville to see a show late on a weekend night? I guess the same kind of parents that let kids go to the Cog Factory back in the day. Actually, what kid asks his parents permission to go to a punk show in the first place?

Despite its rep, there’s no reason to fear “Destination Midtown.” Probably. Besides, being scared is part of the fun.

By the time I left the Sandbox at around 1 a.m., the cops that had surrounded the convenience store were long gone. But like cockroaches hidden in the shadows, I’m sure the hookers were still out there in the cold, looking for someone’s banjo to play.

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Tonight at fabulous O’Leaver’s it’s James Leg a.k.a. John Wesley Meyers of Black Diamond Heavies out on a solo tour in support of his latest album, Solitary Pleasure, released in April on Alive Records. Check out “Drowning in Fire” below:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/16787633″]

Show starts at the usual 9:30 and will run you $5. O’Leaver’s lists no other artist on this bill but Leg…

Also, it’s the third night of the December Gus & Call residency at Slowdown Jr. Tonight’s theme: Carmina Novum. Joining Gus & Call on the small stage are Dim Light, Laura Burhenn (of The Mynabirds) and Howard. $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 © 2011 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There will be a more in-depth review of Saturday night’s Doom Town show in this week’s column in The Reader. For now, here are some pics from that show and Friday night’s So-So Sailors EP release show at The Showdown, along with some brief comments.

So-So Sailors at Slowdown Jr. Dec. 9, 2011.

If there’s a criticism to be leveled at So-So Sailors, who enjoyed a packed house at Slowdown Jr. Friday night for their EP release party, it’s that their music sounds rushed when performed live, at least compared to the recorded versions. Slow it down, boys. In addition, the Sailors played a number of songs that aren’t on the new EP, including a set opener that was a straight-up pop song. And if you had any doubt about their pop leanings, Machmuller and Co. closed with a dead-on cover of “Give Me Just a Little More Time,” by the Chairmen of the Board that smoked.

Baby Tears were first up at The Sandbox Saturday night. This view gives you a bit of perspective from the back of the room.

I was told after their set that Saturday night’s show at Sandbox wasn’t actually Baby Tears’ official release show for their “Homeless Corpse” 7-inch. That’s going down this Friday night at O’Leaver’s with The Fucking Party; a show that will also mark the beginning of that band’s tour with The Yuppies. Baby Tears will replace The FP for the second leg of that tour starting Jan. 4 in Kansas City.

Blind Shake at The Sandbox Dec. 10, 2011.

Minneapolis The Blind Shake practically burned a hole through The Sandbox’s homemade stage with their brutal punk and double-barreled vocals.

The STNNNG at The Sandbox Dec. 10, 2011.

The Doom Towm comp and ‘zine release show closed with a blazing, groping set by The STNNNG that ended with Chris Beringer wearing a plaid paperboy hat a la Brian Johnson for a couple grinding AC/DC covers.

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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 © 2010 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.