And so, it’s that time of year again, when Jason and his team roll out the big, fat money-printing machines that they keep in The Slowdown’s secret basement and begin cranking out the Benjamins.
That’s right, it’s College World Series time at The Slowdown. Well actually, it starts on Thursday, but The Slowdown has already begun setting up the tents and putting away the indie music to make way for the drunken rubes with the big wallets.
I remember a time back when The Slowdown first opened in 2007 when there was nothing in the NoDo area but the Slowdown compound. And then along came the ballpark, followed by hotels and bars and businesses and now The Slowdown is just another stop on the CWS bar crawl.
Glancing at their schedule, The Slowdown appears to have foregone the cover bands during CWS season, with DJs on the first weekend (including the impeccable Tyrone Storm Saturday night) and Satchel Grande on the 23rd.
We’ll miss you, Slowdown, but we know you’ll be back. specifically for Julia Jacklin July 25 and Youth Lagoon July 26.
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In the midst of the grunge era circa 1993 Counting Crows released August and Everything After, which was lauded by the then-significant Rolling Stone magazine and included a song named after our fair city. I will not lie – I bought that CD and sang along just like everyone else to “Round Here” and “Mr. Jones” and most of the other songs on the T Bone Burnett-produced hit album that sold 6 million copies.
Counting Crows would go on to release six more studio albums, but nothing new since 2014’s Somewhere Under Wonderland, which I’ve never heard.
Tonight you, too, can sing along with Counting Crows as they play a selection of their “greatest hits” at Steelhouse Omaha. Main floor tickets are still available for $75. Show starts at 7:30 p.m.
Philly indie band Grocer plays tonight at Reverb Lounge.
I woke up to shocking news that sound engineer Dan Brennan is leaving Slowdown for a production manager position with Omaha Performing Arts. Brennan has been a part of Slowdown since the club opened 14 years ago and has galvanized the venue’s reputation as one of the best sounding live rooms in Omaha.
Could this move have something to do with the construction of OPA’s new 3,000-capacity Steelhouse Omaha live music venue slated to open downtown in mid-2023? It’s rumored that Live Nation will be booking bands coming through Steelhouse, which could have a real impact on Slowdown and the new Admiral (formerly Sokol Auditorium). We shall see..
Dan will be leaving the Slowdown control board duties in the able hands of Charlie Ames, who’s work history includes Front of House sound at The Jewell, and who is also quite familiar with Slowdown’s sound system having worked there in the past.
We’re gonna miss you Dan. Charlie, you’re up!
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Philly indie band Grocer headlines tonight at Reverb Lounge. Their latest EP, Delete If Not Allowed, was released in May and recorded during the lock-down, and is quite a leap from their last full-length. The band has an edgy, throbbing punk sound reminiscent of early Pixies. Check it.
Also on the bill is local noise rock trio Cat Piss and the indie pop fun of Bad Self Portraits. $10, 8 p.m. start time.
And How performing outside at The Slowdown, Oct. 3, 2020.
The weekend weather took an autumn turn that required bundling up for Saturday’s outdoor show at The Slowdown, the last gig of the three-week outdoor festival co-sponsored by the Maha Festival organizers.
The event had a sort of festival feel, thanks to the enormous outdoor stage planted against the south end of the Slowdown parking lot. As advertised, concert-goers were allowed to pick one of many holding cells to social distance in, some of which were separated by metal fencing. When we arrived at around 6 p.m. a number of the sections were occupied but plenty remained open including the spray-painted two-person section where we flopped down our lawn chairs.
Everyone in the crowd of around 75 or so was wearing a mask at this ultra-safe event. Even with my hood up on my light jacket, a small north breeze blew right through me, making things a bit chilly. Certainly it must have been cold up there on stage, or so And How frontman Ryan Menchaca said at the start of their set.
Despite the massive stage and huge sound system, Saturday’s And How set sounded a bit disjointed compared to their set at Petfest a month or so ago. At that one, held on the crushed rock lot behind Pet Shop in Benson, the band huddled under a small tent (fully masked) with sound powered by a tiny PA. No doubt the close proximity and low-powered system helped make the band sound more cohesive than the spread-out stage and mammoth, booming system used Saturday that was augmented by the proximity of concrete buildings surrounding the stage.
Nonetheless, the band gave another good performance, which closed with a new song that was the best of their set. There’s talk of a new album coming out in the near future and possible touring, but I guess COVID will have something to say about that…
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Last week Tom Ware, one of Omaha’s most respected sound engineers and producers, announced via Facebook that after 30 years of running Ware House Productions recording studios he’ll be closing the doors and retiring. He pointed to ongoing heath issues combined with the impact of COVID-19 as some of the factors that drove his decision.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with so many talented people from all over the world. While I might miss the fun aspect of the studio, I am eager to relieve myself of the pressure of running my own companies,” he said in the post.
Ware’s production and engineering credits are impressive. A glance at his AllMusic credits includes work with such acts as Lady Gaga (Ware was nominated for a Grammy for his engineer work on 2011’s Born This Way) and a long list of local acts including Digital Sex, For Against, Mousetrap, Mulberry Lane, Tom May, Stephen Sheehan and Mimi Schneider.
And How at Petfest this past August. The band is playing at The Slowdown’s outdoor festival Saturday.
It’s another Bandcamp Friday wherein the online music store passes along its profits to the artist, meaning your buck goes further to support your favorite bands in These Days of Covid.
So are you looking for something to buy on Bandcamp today? Look no further than Good Music to Avert the Collapse of American Democracy, Volume 2, a 77-track compilation made up entirely of previously unreleased recordings from some of the most important names in music today. The album features never-before-heard new songs, covers, remixes, live versions and unreleased demos, and will be available for 24 hours today only, exclusively via Bandcamp.
Among the indie artists represented are Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis, Perfume Genius, Arcade Fire, Bob Mould Band, Faye Webster, Charly Bliss, Guided By Voices and tons more. Cost is $20.20 (or more) and 100% of the net proceeds from the album’s sales will go to Voting Rights Lab, a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization that brings state advocacy, policy, and legislative expertise to secure, protect, and defend the voting rights of all Americans.
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The first Friday of the month has snuck up on us and with it comes Benson First Friday (#BFF). There are a few art openings happening in Benson, not the least of which is the one at The Little Gallery, 5901 Maple St. “Ramble,” by Lori Elliott-Bartle, features paintings and handmade prints inspired by the prairie. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. Slap on a mask and come on by.
Also opening tonight in Benson — or I should say Grand Opening — is the new improved Reverb Lounge. You read about the improvements here, now check them out yourself. Lowercase Tres will DJ from 8 to midnight. It’s free but you have to wear a mask! If you want to see a live band on the new Reverb stage, Norfolk band The Begats plays Reverb tomorrow night (Saturday) at 9 for $5.
Also happening this weekend…
The Slowdown concludes its outdoor concert series hosted in partnership with the Maha Festival folks tomorrow night. Cover band Pet Rock was originally scheduled to play tonight but cancelled due to someone in the band getting COVID. Saturday’s show is the prime jewel in this concert series, featuring Masonjixx, And How, Cameron Logsdon, Angi Sada, Those Far Out Arrows and J. Crum, all for just $18.
The same rules apply as before — you’ll be cordoned off into a cattle-fenced 10 x 10 area where you’ll have to stay unless getting drinks. Masks are a must, except when in your veal-fattening pen. Bring a lawn chair unless you want to sit on the concrete. Smaller 2- and 3-person spaces also will be available. Read all the rules here. The show starts at 3 p.m. in the afternoon.
Also going on tonight and tomorrow is the virtual version of Lincoln Calling. The all-streamed event is free but they’re looking for your support. Find out more including the schedule at lincolncalling.com.
And that’s all I got. If I misses something, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Comments Off on Another Bandcamp Friday; #BFF; Reverb grand opening; virtual Lincoln Calling; Slowdown outdoor festival concludes (And How, TFOA) Saturday…
A view of the cattle-pen social distancing precautions used for The Slowdown’s summer music series, happening tonight and tomorrow.
This morning Kevin Coffey signed off as the music reporter at the Omaha World-Herald. Kevin’s been covering the scene for 15 years, interviewing national touring acts coming through town, reviewing their concerts and keeping up with what’s happening music-wise locally. He posted on Facebook that he’s starting a new gig at Creighton University, where I’m sure he’ll kick much ass. Kevin continued a long line of OWH music writers that included Niz Proskocil, Roger Catlin, Tony Moton, Christine Laue, Steve Millburg, Jim Healy and Jim Minge.
So who will be covering music at the OWH in Kevin’s wake? That remains to be seen. The Omaha World-Herald historically has played an important role covering the arts, but the way things have been going at the paper the past few years… It would be a shame if they cut back on coverage. Reminds of what musician/stock broker Matt Whipkey once told me: “Getting a story about the band in The Reader is great, but getting a story in The Omaha World-Herald… I mean, my parents read the Herald.” It’s true, oh so true.
At least Kevin says in Facebook he hopes to continue as a freelance contributor to the OWH. And he has other music-relate stuff up his sleeve that he’ll reveal when he’s good and ready. I have no doubt I’ll continue to bump into Kevin as shows, once we get past all this pandemic nonsense…
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The Slowdown continues its summer concert series its hosting in partnership with Maha Music Festival. The gigs are being held on the Slowdown’s parking lot with enforced social distancing in the form of cattle fencing! We’re talking 10’ by 10’ pods, each holding 10 people. There’s also some small pods for two or three people. Bring a lawn chair if you want to sit down on something other than pavement. And of course, wear a friggin’ mask!
Comments Off on Music writer Kevin Coffey leaves the OWH; Slowdown summer series continues (Kolby Cooper tonight; Andrea Von Kampen, Matt Cox Saturday)…
Mere Shadows plays Saturday night at Reverb Lounge.
It’s been about six months since I wrote a weekend shows preview; it seems like six years. There are two actual live indie shows happening — one tonight and another tomorrow, each showcasing a venue that’s making its way through COVID-19.
Tonight is the premiere of The Slowdown’s outdoor concert series I mentioned in yesterday’s blog. It’s a joint effort with the folks from the Maha Festival and is being held in the parking lot behind the Slowdown. Indie country rock/alt-country band Clarence Tilton headlines. Pony Creek opens the hootenanny with an early start time of 6:30. $15. Don’t forget your mask. Read all the COVID rules for entry right here at the Slowdown website.
The Slowdown fall outdoor concert series continues Saturday afternoon with Rhythm Collective, Ro Hempel Band and Dereck Higgins. $15.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) I’m planning my return to Reverb Lounge for the first time since COVID to see the new, improved bar/venue. They’ve blown out the walls of the old music performance space to make Reverb one large open music venue/bar.
The remodeled club has been operating since the end of last month, but tonight is the first indie show they’ve booked since their return. Headlining is Mere Shadows, a post-punk 4-piece framed by the twin guitar attack of John Kestner and guitarist/vocalist Michael Johnson.
In the center slot tomorrow night at Reverb is Las Cruxes, the Spanish-language punk outfit that’s releasing a new full-length on cassette tape from CINTAS in Mexico and digitally from Afonico/Sony U.S. Latin in the states.
Get to Reverb early Saturday night (show starts at 9) for the stage debut of Dead Letters, a new project from Koly Walter (Well-Aimed Arrows, The Protoculture) with Brian Byrd (Well-Aimed Arrows) and Mark Johnson (Places We Slept). Koly is always entertaining and full of surprises.
You get all three bands for $7. Due to COVID, all shows at Reverb are seated and the club will only be at 25% normal capacity, which means you may want to get your ticket in advance. Of course masks are required everywhere except when seated at your table.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
When The Slowdown posted their announcement that they’ve teamed up with the Maha Festival folks for an outdoor concert series to be performed in the Slowdown parking lot, I tripped over the COVID stipulation that your $15 ticket gets you access to an outdoor “pod.”
WTF’s a pod?
“A pod is a 10-foot by 10-foot U-shaped space made with sections of 3-foot-tall fence (called ‘bike rack’ in the biz),” said Slowdown’s top banana Jason Kulbel. “These are spaced six feet apart. We’ll have about 40 of them in the lot.”
Ten people maximum per pod. So does that mean I could end up sharing a pod with very hip but total strangers? Could I get my own private pod for my $15 ticket?
“Maybe if you took one at the back,” Kulbel said. “We decided to do these GA instead of a ‘you need to spend $120 and buy the whole thing’ approach. We’ll have staff to help sort/seat (and note that if you like that seat, bring along a lawn chair).”
It sounds cozy. It sounds fun. Most of all, it sounds safe. And, of course, all the specifics about pods and other COVID-related regulations surrounding the live concerts are online right here on the Slowdown website.
The first in the concert series is tomorrow (Friday) at 6:30 p.m. with Clarence Tilton and Pony Creek. In addition to your lawn chair you may want to bring a cowboy hat.
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Yesterday the folks at National Independent Venue Association (NIVA), who have been lobbying you to send a plea to your Congress-person to get on board with the Save Our Stages Act, cc’d me on a letter sent to Congress with this dire message:
“We write to express our dire need for assistance, and to urge you to move quickly to pass additional COVID relief. Absent a deal by the end of September, our businesses will disappear, millions of Americans will permanently lose their jobs, and entire industries will take decades to recover, if they do at all.“
Some stats to back it up: According to Yelp, more than 163,000 businesses have already closed, 60% permanently. That number rises daily. More than 22 million jobs have been lost due to the pandemic and less than half have been recovered. The National Bureau of Economic Research estimates that 42% of recent layoffs will be permanent losses.
Along with NIVA, the letter, which was headed with this hashtag: #DoNotAbandonUs, was co-signed by organizations Arthouse Convergence, ExtendPUA.org, International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association, League of Historic American Theaters Live Events Coalition, The Main Street Alliance, National Association of Theatre Owners and National Independent Talent Organization.
Things are getting scary. They already were scary for these guys, but now they’re getting very real and very permanent. If you want to do your part, go to the NIVA website and fill out the letter that will automatically be sent to your representative in Washington. Let your voice be heard before it’s too late.
A screencap from the WOWT-TV report that shows how The Slowdown could be configured once it reopens.
You will begin noticing (if you haven’t already) a heavy push to write your congressmen and ask them to co-sponsor or support pending legislation designed to help save the live entertainment industry through the COVID-19 pandemic.
As I mentioned last week, the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) along with a ton of musicians and promoters are pushing for a couple pieces of critical legislation, and need to get something passed before The Hill’s the August recess, which begins Aug. 7.
First thing’s first: Go to https://www.saveourstages.com/ and voice your support for the Save Our Stages Act (S. 4258, introduced by Sens. Cornyn and Klobuchar) and the RESTART Act ( S. 3814/H.R. 7481, introduced by Sens. Young and Bennet in the Senate and U.S. Reps. Golden and Kelly ). Adding your voice involves filling out a simple form (or writing your own heartfelt text in the space provided) that automatically goes to your respective senator/representative based on your zip code.
Gotta do it TODAY, as in RIGHT NOW, as in it will only take a minute. If you’ve already done it, do it again.
And here’s a bunch of venue owners talking about being on the verge of going out of business.
As The Slowdown says in a grim Facebook post: “There is no way we want Slowdown to end. It is too soon. It is also not too late.”
People are making this sound like end-of-the-world stuff, because quite frankly, it is. You are going to be shocked at the number of venues that will shutter as a result of the pandemic, and then you’ll wish you’d have done something about it. Here’s your chance.
The above picture was posted on the Reverb Lounge Facebook page last week and shows that there no longer is a wall separating the venue’s music performance space from the bar. The remodel is one of the reasons why Reverb hasn’t reopened yet.
Marc Leibowitz, who runs Reverb along with business partner Jim Johnson, said the wall coming down is the biggest part of the venue’s remodel. “We are doubling the PA that covers the whole space, but not many other changes really,” he said. “Reverb will now be a full-time venue. It will only be open when there is an event.”
While Reverb’s separate performance room was unique, it was also strangely antiseptic, almost clinical in nature, as if you were entering an examination room, whereas the rest of Reverb felt like a (clean) lived-in corner bar. Making the venue one large room will be as dramatic a change as when The Waiting Room “opened up” its stage area a few years back — a huge improvement. With the wall down, Reverb’s performance-space capacity will increase, which could mean larger, more popular bands playing its stage.
Leibowitz said Reverb will reopen sometime in August. Now what about The Slowdown?
Jason Kulbel, who runs The Slowdown, said the reopening date for the downtown venue is still up in the air, as the club is in the process of moving all its scheduled August shows. “The two touring shows we had postponed late last week, so that forced the hand,” he said.
Touring appears to be dead. Just glancing at band promo materials in my in-box, there are no national tours going on this year; in fact, I’m not seeing anything for 2021, either.
And beginning late last week I finally began seeing a few impassioned pleas by artists for people to write Congress to get on board with the RESTART Act (S. 3814), legislation being pushed by the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA). I was going to write a column about it for next month’s issue of The Reader, until I found out from NIVA that would probably be too late.
“We need to have legislation passed by the August recess or we can expect hundreds of independent venues across the country to fold,” said Audrey Fix Schaefer, NIVA’s communications director. The Senate’s August recess begins Aug. 7, and the weasels aren’t scheduled to return until Sept. 8. Never mind that the country is suffering from a 100-year pandemic.
Schaefer said the list of co-sponsors “grows every day,” which is another reason for an all-out push to send a letter to our congressmen. Unfortunately, we live in Nebraska, where our red politicians could give a shit about art, culture and the future of live music.
But that shouldn’t stop you from going to the NIVA “Take Action page” and adding your name to the list of those who sent a letter urging Fischer, Sasse and Bacon to support and cosponsor S. 3814/H.R. 7481, the RESTART Act. If you’re gonna do it, do it now. It takes less than a minute to fill out the form.
You may get back the same form letter I got from Deb Fischer, which boasts about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll.
But PPP loans are only fully forgivable if companies keep all of their employees on the payroll or rehire them within eight weeks of receiving the loan, which most venues can’t do.
Fischer, Sasse and Bacon know this, but do they care?
Every year, more and more talented people, musicians, artists and young professionals are moving out of Nebraska to places like LA, Portland, Seattle and New York, and politicians are left scratching their heads wondering why-why-why?
You have efforts like Blueprint Nebraska, whose “vision” is: “Our people, land, and location will propel Nebraska to be the most welcoming Midwest state for youth, talent, investment, and commerce and a national model for continuous growth and prosperity.“
What a joke. The number one reason young people are leaving this state is its political and social environment. They’re tired of living in a red state that doesn’t care about anything but its perceived “family values,” and which views the arts as some sort of frivolous, childish novelty that has no intrinsic value. The lack of support by our representatives for the RESTART Act is proof of this. Once the young artists, musicians and professionals begin to realize that things will never change, they start looking for a better place to live, a place that values what they can offer. And who can blame them?
Yet another great live streaming event from The Slowdown Saturday night with Noah’s Ark Was a Spaceship and Little Brazil.
As with last Thursday’s Slowdown show, everything looked and sounded like a network television concert production. Both bands were on point. The COVID shutdown apparently hasn’t dulling these musicians’ chops, as they sounded as good as ever.
Anecdotally — i.e., based on what I saw from the view counter on the screen — just under 100 people were concurrently watching Saturday night’s NAWAS/Little Brazil stream concert vs. around 60 for Thursday’s No Thanks/Marcey Yates stream show. Will we ever get to see these two concerts uploaded to the internet for replay? Who knows.
It’s unlikely that The Slowdown will host any more live stream concerts in the foreseeable future, especially when they’re trying to get the place ready for a (hopefully) late-June reopening.
If you didn’t read the comments from Slowdown’s Jason Kulbel last Saturday about what’s involved in reopening his club, go take a look.
One Percent Productions major domo Marc Leibowitz says Reverb and The Waiting Room also won’t be reopening on June 1, but rather sometime mid-June. He said keep your eyes peeled for a new show announcement that will mark The Waiting Room’s reopening, with Reverb possibly reopening at the same time or soon after.
Obviously all the capacity rules outlined Saturday also will apply to Waiting Room/Reverb unless Ricketts changes rules before they reopen. Again, we’re talking bars at a 50 percent capacity, venues at 25 percent capacity, all with 6-foot spacing between groups, limited numbers allowed in bathrooms, all kinds of fun rules that will be a pain in everyone’s ass but necessary until the pandemic is under control or there’s a vaccine.
I’m still waiting to hear O’Leaver’s plans (maybe we’ll find out later this week?) and also when The Brothers will reopen. You’ll know when I know.
No doubt masks will be part of the dress code anywhere you go. I like to think folks around here are smarter than, say, the idiots in that swimming pool in Branson, MO. Yes, wearing a mask is a drag, but it’s what’s going to get us through this pandemic while a vaccine is developed.
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