Musicwise, we continue to flounder deep in the the heart of the the holiday doldrums. No big “reunion” shows this year as we had in the past (last year it was Icky Blossoms). Oh well, them’s the breaks.
However, there are a few local shows worth checking out this weekend (though nothing tonight).
Saturday night, the sax-swinging combo Magü opens for Bad Self Portraits and headliner Cable Network at The Waiting Room. The last time I saw Magü was at Petfest way back in 2021. We were at the tail end of the pandemic and everyone was freaking out about the Delta Variant, except for those sunning on the white-rock Petshop parking lot.
Back then, I described Magü this way: “Stylistically they describe themselves as psych rock / shoe gaze, but I’d peg them as modern indie with touches of classic rock. I loved the sax player’s tone and style, which merely augmented the songs and didn’t get in the way.” Ah, but that was three years ago. What do they sound like now?
Cable Network is fronted by familiar sound engineer Charlie Ames; and everyone knows Bad Self Portraits by now. Just like old-school rock shows before the pandemic, this one only costs $5. Starts at 8 p.m.
Speaking of old-school rock shows, the holidays will be in full effect Saturday night at fabulous O’Leaver’s where local shit-kickers Lightning Stills headlines a show with Lincoln electronic duo Vempire and Spurney’s Hawk. Expect lots of Santa/elf hats donned by leather-clad drunks. What more could you ask for? How ’bout it’s FREE and starts at 9 p.m. (O’Leaver’s Time).
Sunday night is the long-awaited (by me, anyway) performance by Carver Jones and the American Dreamers at Reverb Lounge. I interviewed Carver back in early November upon the release of his single, “Hit the Road (Jack),” wherein I asked if he could be the “next big thing” out of Omaha. Below is his latest single, released just a couple weeks ago. I dig his music, but can he bring it on stage? Penny and the Dimes opens this one at 8 p.m. $12.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section.
For those wondering, I’ll post my annual Year in Review round-up (recap, favorite albums, favorite shows) early next week.
Bright Eyes’ frontman and Omaha native son Conor Oberst blitzed the indie music media yesterday with news that he’s recovered from his reported “vocal problems” that forced the band off the road a few weeks ago.
In a video posted on the @brighteyesofficial Instagram account, Oberst, wearing a Tracks Lounge T-shirt (world class chicken!), thanks people who “reached out,” said he’s “feeling a lot better” and that the band plans to resume touring in 2025 “if all goes well as planned.” Still no date for a rescheduled Steelhouse Omaha show, but something tells me that’s pending…
On the cusp of the release of her fourth studio album, yesterday Anna McClellan dropped a video for the single “Omaha,” described as “a complex tribute to her Nebraska roots.”
“Omaha is smoking cigarettes and drinking beers on the porch until 4 am any day of the week,” mused when asked about the song. “Omaha, at least to me, is being so completely known and utterly lonely. Omaha is driving around. It’s a beautiful thing really.”
The track, written during her move to Los Angeles, concludes with the line: “Wilting ‘til I rot / Is it me or is it Omaha?” One must look inside for the answer to that question. See if you can spot your favorite Omaha hangout in the video. McClellan’s Electric Bouquet LP drops tomorrow via Father/Daughter Records.
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Doug Kiser of seminal Omaha punk band fromanhole has a new band, Housewares, that’s making their stage debut Nov. 16 at The Sydney.
In addition to Doug on bass, the band is rounded out by a lot of familiar faces (to those of us who went to shows in the ’00s): Doug’s brother, Daryl Kiser (also ex-fromanhole) on guitar, Jason Koba of Thunder Power on drums, Scott Klemmensen of Reset on vocals, and Andy LaChance on keyboards.
Says Kiser about the band: “It’s melodic, probably technical, with elements of post whatever, jazz, blues and maybe some country. There is a lot of counting, that’s for sure.” We’ll see about that Nov. 16!
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Speaking of new songs, Lincoln act Vempire released a cover of The Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” last Friday. The single is the first from their upcoming EP, Fumes, slated to drop on Halloween. Check it:
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Here’s the latest list of touring indie shows coming to Omaha through February (just so I could include the just-announced Real Estate show (We have to have something to look forward to)). This list gets shorter and shorter…
In year’s past I compared Petfest – the annual bacchanal held in the parking lot behind the Petshop Gallery in Benson – to South By Southwest day parties, where Austin locals get together outside the “festival establishment” to drink Lone Stars and eat breakfast tacos while listening to great indie bands perform in parks and strip-bar back lots. Those Austin day parties typically eclipse the staid, programmed, corporate-sponsored, formal showcases SXSW is/was known for.
That comparison remains apt.
In the calendar of Omaha summer music festivals, Petfest is the one I look forward to most, not necessarily because of the music line-up — which is always first-rate — but because it’s easy. Petfest is a laid-back, end-of-summer gathering of local music aficionados, art freaks, neighbors and friends enjoying a perfect late-summer afternoon with the best local music the state has to offer.
This year’s Petfest was no exception. Maybe (or likely) the fine weather was the reason this year’s festival felt more lively than last-year’s 100-plus-degree endurance test. The festival footprint actually felt smaller, though if anything there was more space to spread out on the white-rock parking lot. Like last year, bands performed on two “stages” – an outdoor stage and a small stage set up in the Petshop garage – with bands alternating between the locations for their (scheduled) 20-minute sets. The sets’ brevity meant never getting tired of any one band, and in most cases, leaving the crowd wanting more.
Vempire in the garage at Petfest, Aug. 17, 2024.
That was the case with Vempire. It was the debut performance by the synth duo of Lindsey Yoneda and Thirst Things First frontman Mike Elfers, whose debut album, Your Steps, dropped last Friday on Bandcamp. The music’s stripped down dance vibe at times has the same manic energy I remembered from Thirst Things First, especially after the first three underpowered songs. The soundguy eventually made necessary adjustments, and by the end of the set, Vempire was pumping.
Sound was a challenge throughout the day, as the sound dude made the best of what he had to work work with, which was limited, but, hey, this is a neighborhood festival, not Outlandia.
Saving Fiona on Petfest outdoor stage.
Vempire was followed by another Lincoln band – the five-piece Saving Fiona. Their debut album What a Shame caught a lot of people’s attention when it was released this past June. And while the songcraft was still there, the band was woefully underpowered throughout its set, especially the three vocalists. But again, as the set went on, adjustments were made and the band was shining by the end.
Devil horn tribute care of a Petfest fan during The Dirts set.
That theme continued with The Dirts, an act that really needs (and deserves) a big sound system to float their dense, trippy, shoe-gaze rock. They definitely made the best of the situation, pulling a pro move when the lead guitarist broke a string and came back on stage with one of Size Queen’s guitars. This is the most promising new band I’ve seen in years.
Heet Deth tear it up in the Petfest garage.
Then came Heet Deth, a Chicago-based drum-and-guitar duo that blew up the garage stage with their edgy psych rock reminiscent of the heavy early days of Yeah Yeah Yeahs — a Petfest highlight.
Darren Keen rocking the gear as PROBLEMS.
I stepped out of the festival compound for a couple hours to get some grub and returned for PROBLEMS, the one-man electronic/dance/synth project by Darren Keen. Keen always knows how to bring the party, but Saturday night’s set really showcased how he’s grown in creating deep, thick beats and almost orchestral synth arrangements that get a crowd moving.
Flamboyant Gods playing mostly in the dark under the outdoor stage tent.
Darren was followed by the Flamboyant Gods, a punk act fronted by Icky Blossoms’ Dereck Pressnall that includes a number of local superstars who I don’t know (though I recognized CJ Olson from Saddle Creek Records on one of the guitars!). The frenetic, kick-ass set of hard, fast punk songs was like Pressnall’s Flowers Forever on speed. They’ve been around for years (check out their Youtube videos) but they rarely play out these days. I’d love to see a full set of this chaos.
Dance Me Pregnant’s Chris Machmuller and Jeff Ankenbauer.
Speaking of chaos, Flamboyant Gods were followed by the return of Dance Me Pregnant, a punk band whose origins date back to the heyday of O’Leaver’s rock shows, featuring many of the faces that made The Club famous more than a decade ago — Johnny Vredenburg on bass, Chris Machmuller on guitar, Corey Broman on drums and frontman Jeff Ankenbauer, who I barely recognized when he walked up and said hello prior to the gig.
DMP is more metal than punk but has a much groovier sound, thanks to rock riffs that go beyond typical metal structures. They swing but keep their punk edge thanks to Ankenbauer’s full-throated yell vocals and up-close-and-personal approach that brought him out of the garage and in the faces of the thrashing crowd. A great set.
And that was the end of my Petfest experience for 2024. It could very well have been the best Petfest ever, but I say that every year. Suggestions for next year? Maybe get a little better sound system, add some non-alcohol drinking options (other than water), add one more food truck, but don’t change much more. Petfest’s charm comes from its quaint size and neighborhood, good-time feel.
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Tonight at Slowdown, get ready for the sludge-metal of King Buzzo a.k.a. Roger “Buzz” Osborne of the Melvins. Opening is JD Pinkus of Butthole Surfers. Things could get loud. $35, 8 p.m.
Petfest 2024 is just around the corner, Aug. 17 to be exact, and among the bands playing is the debut of Lincoln act Vempire. Who is Vempire? It’s Thirst Things First frontman Mike Elfers and Ghostlike’s Lindsey Yoneda, and last week the duo released a new video for the song “Blattodea,” which is below. Their debut album, Your Steps, drops Aug. 16. Don’t forget get your Petfest tickets in advance and save $10 vs. DOS.
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Two shows tonight, which I’m dying to attend, though I’m a wee bit afraid of the hail-storms being forecast…
Snõõperis a freshly minted Nashville five-piece punk band fronted by vocalist Blair Tramel whose debut album, Super Snõõper, was released last year by Jack White’s Third Man Records.
Wiki calls their genre “egg punk,” which is a new one on me, but they say is a subgenre “influenced by new wave band Devo” this is attributed “to a community of DIY midwestern American punk rock artists from the early 2010s, including The Coneheads and Lumpy and the Dumpers.”
It just sounds hard, fast, old-school punk to me, with each song clocking in at a little over a minute or less. Madcap fun. Joining Snõõper tonight at Reverb Lounge is our very own Pagan Athletes and Size Queen. $18, 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, also tonight New Haven, Connecticut, psych-rockers The Mountain Movers are playing an in-store at Grapefruit Records in the Old Market. Consisting of guitarist/vocalist Dan Greene, bassist Rick Omonte, guitarist Kryssi Battalene and drummer Ross Menze, the band has been together for over a decade. Their latest, the double-vinyl Walking After Dark, was released this past May by Trouble in Mind Records. Heavy man! Local hero Megan Siebe opens this show at 8 p.m. $10. Grapefruit Records is located at 1125 Jackson Street.
I mentioned yesterday I’d let you know if Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) responded to questions regarding the May 17 Duran Duran show at Steelhouse Omaha.
Here’s what I sent O-pa:
A couple quick questions regarding the Duran Duran concert at Steelhouse. First, congrats on the instant sell-out! Someone with industry knowledge posted on social media that the concert was an “underplay” and that after such a quick sellout that Duran Duran will be coming back to Omaha soon. Any truth to that?
The other speculation about the concert is that Duran Duran was brought in as a thank you to important donors and corporate sponsors on the one-year anniversary of the grand opening, which is why the club seating wasn’t available. Is that the case?
O-pa’s response:
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the congrats! We’re so excited to have pursued and booked Duran Duran to play our one-year anniversary concert. We only have this performance booked with Duran Duran and do not know their future tour plans or schedule. Club seating is not available for this concert because of a private party.
Thanks for reaching out.
Lee Turkovich, Vice President of Marketing & Communication Omaha Performing Arts
The “private party” comment is consistent with what they’ve posted on social media. Who is the “private party”? We may never officially know.
By the way, after-market (scalped) tickets to Duran Duran are going for $222 at Ticketmaster and as low as $187 at StubHub (not including fees). Yes, that’s more than twice the face value but still a bargain for seeing your bucket-list band at a (relatively) intimate venue. It’s certainly cheaper than driving to see them at the 6,500-capacity WinStar Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
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Over the past couple summers I went ga-ga over Lincoln band Thirst Things First when they played at the annual Petfest Festival in Benson. Well, the TTF frontman Mike Elfers has another project called Vempire with Lindsey Yoneda (of the project Ghostlike). The duo released a new “Dual-Single” this past Valentine’s Day for the tracks “Shake” b/w “Blattodea,” mixed by Jeremy Wurst at B-24 Studios in Kansas City. The release also includes remixes by the likes of Christopher Steffen of StudioPH, Pawl Tisdale of Domestica (and Sideshow) and Minneapolis’ Toilet Rats. Check it out; it’s dance-y, it reminds me of The Faint and Icky Blossoms. Maybe these two could open for Duran Duran?
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