by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

So, two separate album release shows vie for your attention tonight. You read about V.V. Volume 1 yesterday (here). Now here’s a little something about tonight’s show at Reverb Lounge celebrating the release of Leafblower’s Burn Cruise LP.

The eight-track album has indie rock veteran Danny Maxwell (a.k.a. DMax of Little Brazil and New Lungs) at its core on guitars and vocals with bassist vocalist Craig Fort (The Fucking Party, Lightning Stills), guitarist Clark Jahn and drummer Tab Tworek. The album was recorded by sound engineering extrodinaire Ian Aeillo at Make Believe Studios with additional tracking by Leafblower at Studio D. Ian also mixed it at A Sun Room.

Only two tracks from the album have been made available – early singles “Unsatisfied” and the title track – both heavy post-punk rockers that border on metal. You’ll have to go to tonight’s show at Reverb to hear the rest and buy the album (it’s not available on their Bandcamp page). Order it direct from the label’s website – Max Trax Records – right here. Formats include badass Limited Smoke (and/or black) 12-inch vinyl. 

Joining Leafblower tonight at Reverb is O’Leaver’s good-time punk monsters Dance Me Pregnant featuring Chris Machmuller, Johnny Vredenburg, Corey Broman and Jeff Ankenbauer. Opening is Gary Dean Davis’ tractor punk extravaganza, Wagon Blasters. It’s gonna be loud. Show starts at 8, $12.

. 0 0 0 . 

By the way, it also just so happens to be the first Friday of the month, which means tonight is Benson First Friday! Galleries and businesses up and down Maple Street will be featuring works by local artists.  Among them is Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. (right next door to Legends Comics), where we’re celebrating the opening of JJ Carroll’s Head Shot. You can read all about JJ In this little ol’ profile I wrote in support of the show (Did you know he once worked as an animator in New York City?). The show runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, say hi, and have a piece of birthday cake because it’s also Ming Toy’s 10th Anniversary. See you there. 

. 0 0 0 . 

Like I said, the V.V. Volume 1 album was covered yesterday, but again, here are the details on tonight’s album release show at Slowdown’s front room. Performers include Lodgings, Custom Catacombs, Neva Dinova, Ash Rayne Boe, Stephen Bartolomei and The Sun-Less Trio — all of whom have songs on the album. Tickets are $15, show starts at 8 p.m. 

. 0 0 0 . 

As for the rest of the weekend, punk bands Spurney’s Hawk, Plastic Presidents and Dip Tet perform at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night. And as per usual, the show is free and starts at 9 p.m. 

Also Saturday night, the annual Midwest Tacos and Tequila Fest is happening at Falconwood Park in Bellevue. We’re talking tacos, tequila, art and music, including a performance by Latin punkers Las Cruxes. The event runs 3 p.m to midnight and costs $20. More info here. 

. 0 0 0 .

Finally, Sunday night it’s back to Slowdown for Panchiko. The UK band’s claim to fame involves the story of having a copy of their unlabeled demo CD discovered in a thrift store bin, uploaded by a random fan onto 4chan and going viral. Legend has it that it took four years for fans to finally discover who was behind the demo. The song that started it all was “D>E>A>T>H>M>E>T>A>L,” which became a viral hit. 

Well, all of the above took place way back in 2000. The band reformed in 2021 with original members Andy Wright (keyboardist and producer), Owain Davies (vocalist and guitarist) and Shaun Ferreday (bassist), alongside new members Robert Harris (guitarist) and John Schofield (drummer). The band’s latest, Ginkgo, was released last April by Nettwerk Music Group. Their sound vacillates between dream pop and indie rock and at times reminds me of aught-era Gomez. 

Opening the show at 8 p.m. on Slowdown’s main stage is Tempe dream-pop band Alison’s Halo. Tickets are $35.

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

* * *

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Tomorrow night’s V.V. Volume 1 album release show at Slowdown will be a veritable showcase of Omaha indie music talent, featuring six of the seven bands represented on this first-ever compilation album. 

Mike Saklar, from the band Sun-Less Trio (and one of the driving forces behind the album), said the project dates back seven or eight years — before the COVID pandemic — with numerous bands falling out or joining along the way.

In the end, the Volume 1 lineup consists of local bands Lodgings, Custom Catacombs, Neva Dinova, Ash Rayne Boe, The Sun-Less Trio, Violenteer and Stephen Bartolomei. All but Violenteer will perform tomorrow night, though the band intends to take part in future out-of-town release shows later this summer. Saklar said plans are in the works for Volume 2 with additional bands, and it could even become an annual affair.

The 12-inch audiophile vinyl comes by way of Furnace Record Pressing. Saklar said the test pressings sound better than anything he’s purchased in the past few years. “LPs seem to be dirty, poppy or dull as of late,” he said. “This one sounds like what we grew up with.” 

The bands put together a mini-documentary that includes sounds from the album as well as archival footage. Check it out below. It’s the only preview unless you’re going to the show, as the album’s Bandcamp page (where you can order your copy) doesn’t include sample tracks, which is kind of a throwback to the pre-digital days when you didn’t know what you were getting until you got home and put the record on the turntable. That “mystery” was part of the fun. 

In addition to 12-inch vinyl, the album’s Bandcamp page offers cassette, compact disc and digital download options. No doubt all formats will be available to Slowdown tomorrow night. Tickets are $15, showtime is 8 p.m. More info here. 

* * *

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 © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.