Omaha noise-rock four-piece Violenteer is headlining tonight at The Sydney in Benson. They top off a four-band bill that includes Kansas City noise/art-rock band Jorge Arana Trio, Lawrence Kansas punkers Jackoffs and Omaha art-noise duo Pagan Athletes. 8:30, $10. It’s gonna be a long night.
And that about does it for shows. No touring indie shows. Nineties rockers Primus and Coheed and Cambria are playing at The Astro Sunday. Who remembers “Jerry was a Race Car Driver”? Great song. I bought Primus’ Sailing the Sea of Cheese CD in ’91 on that strength of that song. It was an era when buying albums was a gamble, and I certainly lost on that bet. $55, 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, Benson Days is going on this weekend — it’s the usual parade Saturday morning, pancake feed and street vendors. I don’t see anything about live music. More info here.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great, hot weekend.
Conor Oberst closed out his residency at NYC’s Bowery Ballroom last Thursday with a large cadre of guest stars, including Desaparecidos’ Denver Dalley, which I’m sure had something to do with the band playing for four Desa songs during the show. I can’t tell from the videos if Ian McElroy also is on stage during these songs; the Brooklyn Vegan coverage doesn’t mention him. I fear this may be the closest we ever get to a Desaparecidos reunion, but you never know. Oberst sure looked like he was having a good time singing these old Desa tunes…
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Austin band Cherubs was part of that early-‘90s noise-punk movement that included acts like The Jesus Lizard and Steel Pole Bathtub and, yeah, Ritual Device. Just prior to the release of their ’94 studio album Heroin Man (Trance Syndicate), the band broke up. They reunited in 2014 and signed to Relapse Records, who released their most recent studio album, Immaculada High, in 2019. And tonight they’re playing at The Sydney in Benson. Joining them is Omaha’s own current-day noise-punk band, Violenteer, along with Moon Pussy. 9 p.m. $12. LOUD.
No doubt the Cherubs show is really drawing fans away from tonight’s Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit show at The Astro (j/k, obviously). Their latest studio album, Weathervanes, was released last year on Southeastern Records/Thirsty Tigers. Jobi Riccio opens at 7 p.m. $65-$125.
It’s the first Friday of April and that means Benson First Friday (#BFF). If you’ve driven down Maple Street over the past few days you already know the entire length of Downtown Benson is coned for road construction. The city is replacing the old metal curb ramps with new ramps, and decided to do it during the district’s busiest day of the month both for car and foot traffic. Coincidence?
Anyway, the parking situation is essentially the same, just drive around the cones and construction equipment.
ADDENDUM: The city has cleared the cones! Proceed with confidence…
BFF highlights local artists in galleries and other businesses up and down Maple Street tonight. Among them is the opening at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street, with feature artist Karen Linder. Drop by, say hi, grab a beer/wine and check it out. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. See you there.
As part of BFF, The Sydney in Benson is hosting Pasadena duo System Exclusive along with Madison Wisconsin electronic artist Carrellee and Omaha’s Jeff in Leather and Specter Poetics. $12, 9 p.m.
Saturday is noise rock day in Benson.
Starting in the afternoon (3 p.m.) and running into Saturday night is ClüsterFüst 2, a metal/noise concert at The Waiting Room with 15 bands, headlined by local heroes BIB and including acts Ex Lover, Cult Play, Prolapse (Dave Goldberg metal odyssey) and Nowhere, among others. “15 bands playing 15-minute sets.” All for $15, with proceeds going to Youth Emergency Services Omaha. More info and full lineup, here.
Also Saturday night, Omaha double-bass noise-core band Violenteer headlines a four-band bill at Reverb Lounge. Word on the street is Violenteer has a new album coming out soon, with recorded tracks already in the can. Maybe we’ll get some of the new stuff Saturday. Joining them are Leafblower, Radical Sabbatical and Aircraft Grade. This show is sort of being held in conjunction with ClüsterFüst 2 in that entrance is only $5 with a Waiting Room wristband – smart marketing! Otherwise, entrance is $10. Starts at 8:30.
Also Saturday night, there’s a three-band bill at fabulous O’Leaver’s with Jar, Box Eats Miah and Pretty Beige. Box Eats Miah is sort of emo-ish? Not sure on the others. This one starts at 9 and is absolutely free.
Sunday night Tommy Prine headlines at Reverb Lounge, and yes, he is the son of legendary singer/songwriter John Prine. They call his music “alt country,” but it leans more toward the Americana spectrum (though there’s plenty of twang on his latest LP, This Far South (Thirty Tigers)). In fact, if you squint your eyes it sometimes sounds like Mystic Valley Band music. Opening for Prine is Kiely Connell. $22, 8 p.m., and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if it sells out the smallish Reverb.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Last Friday (maybe for Bandcamp Friday?) David Nance released his rendition of The Cure’s seminal 1989 album Disintegration, which he called Shameless Kiss, and which I’m listening to as I type this. As one local music aficionado and singer described it, it sounds like David Nance playing Disintegration. I’m sure there’s an interesting story behind it, and I’ll try to find out what it is before Nance’s upcoming gig with Icky Blossoms Dec. 26 at The Waiting Room… Until then, here’s a highlight:
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Busy Friday, quiet rest of the weekend.
Tonight at The Sydney in Benson, Lodgings opens for Violenteer and Sun-Less Trio at The Sydney in Benson. It’s been too long since I’ve seen Lodgings, a band that includes Bryce Hotz on guitar/vocals, Eric Ernst on drums, Michael Laughlin on bass and the illustrious Steve Micek on guitar – or at least that’s who played on their 2019 album, Water Works, which was recorded and mixed by studio legend Steve Albini. I’m not sure who’s in the band these days. Let’s find out tonight! $10, 9 p.m.
Also tonight, Omaha’s No. 1 alt country / country band, Clarence Tilton, headlines at The Waiting Room for a bill that also includes Watson & Co. and The Electroliners. Cowboy hat, boots, you know the drill. $10, 8 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
There have been rumblings for weeks that The Jewell, a jazz club located in the Capitol District, has closed its doors for good. The events calendar at the club’s website lists no scheduled shows, and shows that had been scheduled for the last week of September had been cancelled.
A couple days ago Jewell operator Brian McKenna posted a photo of the club’s shiny logo on Facebook, which generated dozens of condolences and thank you’s in its comments, but no definitive statement. So has The Jewell closed?
If it has, it’s a shame. Though I only went to the club a few times, I always thought it was a classy, comfortable room with great sound and sight lines. The club opened a year before Covid in early 2019 and was a living tribute to North Omaha’s jazz history, which was apparent just looking at its walls. It was among the “jewels” of a new Capital District in downtown Omaha.
With recent and upcoming investments in downtown Omaha — the new park, the Steelhouse, the Illuminarium, the new Mutual of Omaha HQ, the proposed streetcar, Millworks Commons, etc. — the Jewell’s (alledged) closing leaves questions as to what did it in: Was it increased overhead costs? Low ticket sales? Challenges booking touring jazz artists?
While I don’t know anything about the local jazz scene, I do know a number of people who love the genre, including a few who make regular trips to Kansas City solely to attend jazz shows. And while there’s been a number of jazz rooms in Omaha over the years, The Jewell was certainly at the top of the list…
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We’re about to enter Rocktober. Lots of shows are on the horizon. It’s going to be a busy month for music.
It starts tonight at The Slowdown with Chicago post-punk noise band Djunah (pronounced “JUNE-uh”) headlining in the front room. The duo consists of guitarist/vocalist/Moog bass organ player Donna Diane and drummer Jared Karns. Their latest, Femina Furens (2023, self-released), is a punishing collection, but on stand-out tracks like “Phaethon,” Diane almost sounds like she’s channeling early, noisy PJ Harvey (if Harvey was fronting The Melvins).
This is a loaded show with locals Violenteer (the Cotton Brothers’ double-bass attack) and Las Cruxes also on the bill. Bring your earplugs because it’s gonna be LOUD. 8 p.m., $20.
One other show of note: New York-based composer and guitarist Rafiq Bhatia is playing at Low End at The Bemis. Lauded as “one of the most intriguing figures in music today” by The New York Times, Bhatia joined Son Lux in 2014. He’s touring on a collection of covers, but his latest original full-length, Breaking English, was released in 2018 on Anti-. Lovely stuff. The show is free and starts at 8 p.m.
Violenteer’s old hook used to be their double basses and the trippy, almost Floydian quality of some of the mostly instrumental music. But now with the addition of new vocalist Steve Tulipana, the KC guy you might remember from noise rock bands Season to Risk and Roman Numerals, Violenteer has transformed into something that’s not wholly different but not the same, either.
Those two basses are still there, along with a new drummer who I didn’t recognize, but now Tulipana is at the heart of the matter, a showman vocalist who sings as if he’s standing on the edge of an arena stage instead of in front of about 75 people at Reverb Lounge last Saturday night. Ranging from post-grunge yell vocals to simply spitting out lyrics over Barry and Randy Cotton’s riffs, Tulipana was like a ringmaster emoting to the crowd, switching between a standard microphone and hand-held CB radio microphone that distorted his vocals through the magic of pedals or a synth,
Also controlling some electronic gadgetry, Tulipana and his voice provided another instrument that cuts through the bass sludge at times like a lead guitar, rounding out the heavy metal. On the one song that wasn’t a minor-key stomper, Tulipana sounded like a latter-day Daltrey. Alas, the mix was too rough to make out any of the words, which no doubt would have added another layer to the dark matter. All in all, they’re like a new band playing that old heavy metal punk we all remember from the ‘90s.
Little Brazil at Reverb Lounge, June 24, 2023.
Little Brazil had a tougher night. While the band was on point as per usual, frontman Landon Hedges struggled hearing himself in the monitors, or so it seemed as he continued to signal to the soundboard, resulting in some uncertainty in his usual high-wire act vocal delivery, unlike the stellar vocals heard at that recent Maha announcement gig. Oh, Landon still has it, he just needs to be able to hear himself while he does it.
No touring indie shows again this weekend. What else is new?
However, there’s a couple local gigs worth checking out.
Tonight at the Harney Street Tavern, 1215 Harney Street (not to be confused with the long-gone Howard Street Tavern), Jeremy Mercy and the Rapture Orphans will take the stage. More country than indie, Mercy’s last release (that I’m aware of) was a 3-song EP, Heavyweight: Vol. 1, self-released in 2021. No info on tickets or cover, which leads me to believe the show is free. You’re on your own. Starts at 9 p.m.
Saturday night, one of Omaha’s longest-running indie bands, Little Brazil, headlines a four-band show at Reverb Lounge. LB has been playing out a bit lately, most recently playing the Maha Festival “announcement” gig in the park downtown last month. Also on the bill is Violenteer featuring new vocalist Steve Tulipana (Season to Risk, Roman Numerals). Playing right before Violenteer is Mike Saklar’s The Sun-Less Trio. And kicking things off at 8:30 is Fleek and Foust, a new band that includes Scott Klemmensen and Matt Reinarz. Tickets are $10 today, not sure if that’ll go up at the door. This will be a crowded gig that could sell out (it’s the only indie show of any kind happening this weekend), so consider getting your tix in advance, here.
And that’s it for this weekend. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Yeah, Unsane music is intensely hard, but unlike traditional hardcore or modern death-metal, the band’s music carries an undeniable thread of melody and counter-melody that glows through the depths of the ricochet-hand grenade rhythms. Start with a hard-fast guitar riff, layer on top a feedback-fueled lead guitar, and then sing-scream electro-distorted lyrics about alienation, fear and retribution while the drums/bass lay down a strangely funky groove and you’ve got the recipe for an Unsane song. It’s a recipe I heard repeated by many, many bands since Unsane kicked things off with their 1991 self-titled debut album on Matador Records — you know, the one with the decapitated dude on the cover.
Unlike mega-popular metal acts Metallica or Slayer that reveal a cheesy/campy center to their fist-pump rock, Unsane music feels and sounds dark, groovy and sinister. Their music is technically smarter and more compact than your typical goon-rock growl metal, which I can only listen to for about 10 seconds before saying “Turn that shit off.” The fact that Unsane is still touring today is somewhat amazing.
Randy Cotton, who’s band Violenteer opens tonight’s Unsane show at Reverb Lounge, tells me Unsane recently obtained the rights to their early material, and they’ve remastered and re-released their first S/T record, as well as an album of previously unreleased material recorded before that. “This tour mainly focuses on that early material,” Randy said.
Violenteer will be unveiling a new singer/noisescape artist at tonight’s show. “His name is Steve Tulipana (Season To Risk, Roman Numerals, Slights, or Drop A Grand), and he resides in Kansas City,” Cotton said. “We are super-stoked about it. He will be entering the studio next month to record on our album as well.”
Tulipana is bringing his KC friends Big Water to open tonight’s festivities. The band includes Matt Perrin, formerly of the band Bummer. “Bummer had really blown up nationally in the last few years,” Cotton said. “They had a sense of humor somewhat reminiscent of Killdozer, yet it was all their own. One writer described Bummer as being sort of like Nirvana on meth.”
Any other night I’d expect this show to sell out at Reverb Lounge, but the sub-zero windchill could keep folks at home. $15, Big Water kicks things off at 8 p.m.
Here comes the weekend. Try as I might, I couldn’t find a single thing to do tonight show-wise, though Saturday is packed. It’s usually the other way around. So, here’s the line-up.
Friday night is a wasteland. Go to a movie.
Saturday you’ve got options.
Our old pals Oquoa are headlining at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday night, no doubt still playing songs from they 2019 LP Timesquares. It’s indie awash in shoe-gaze awash in frontman Max Holmquist’s brassy tenor voice. Joining them on the bill are Steady Wells featuring Jordan Smith of Twinsmith. Singer/songwriter Alexis DeBoer, whose vocal style is more than a little reminiscent of Angel Olson, opens the show at 9 p.m. $10.
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Meanwhile, across town at Reverb Lounge in Benson, Violenteer headlines a three-band bill Saturday night that includes the band Glow and Max Trax Records artist Leafblower. $10, 9 p.m.
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Just around the corner at The Waiting Room, gothy industrial instrumental band Lucida Dark headlines a bill that includes Minor Movements, metal monsters Living Conditions and hot new indie sensation Bug Heaven. 8 p.m. $15.
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And now for something completely different…
Sunday night, The Slowdown is hosting Kenyan-Ugandan industrial grindcore/noise act Duma. Their music is brutally heavy, downright punishing. Just listening to the below track makes me jittery and anxious. Imagine how it’ll sound live. Opening is Masma Dream World, the solo recording project of multi-disciplinary artist/healer Devi Mambouka. Kicking things off is Nebraska’s own leather-clad noise gimp Plack Blague. $20, 8 p.m. In the front room.
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If noise ain’t your thing, our old pals Guster are back in town, this time at The Admiral (a.k.a. Sokol Auditorium). I still remember seeing them play at the old Ranch Bowl back in 1999 when they were just getting going (Here’s a fun Lazy-i interview from back in the day). Not sure what brings them back to Omaha as they don’t have new material coming out (that I know of). Still, should be a great show. Chicago band Ratboys opens at 7 p.m. $30 or $75 balcony.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
Where did the week go? Sorry about the lack of updates, but I was supposed to be on vacation over my birthday (thanks for the birthday wishes via Facebook), but Delta Airlines had other plans and I never made it out of Omaha. And since last weekend, things have been pretty quiet show-wise.
News-wise, the June 23 Neko Case show slated for The Admiral has been moved to The Waiting Room, again because of “construction delays.” Ticket sales must have been slow, as TWR only has about 1/3 the capacity of the Admiral. Should make for an intimate gig (incidentally, Case is requiring patrons wear masks in the club).
Still no official word on when The Admiral will have its grand opening. The June 13 Tech N9n3 show at The Admiral has been rescheduled, while the June 15 Chvrches Admiral show has been moved to The Bourbon in Lincoln. The next shows slated for Admiral — the July 2 and 3 Bright Eyes concerts.
Today, via The Admiral Facebook page: “We are getting so close! The water main break is all cleaned up, the paint is drying, shipments are arriving, barware, sound, & lighting are getting unboxed, inspections are happening…. and we have loads of dusting to do! It’s almost time!!!” Fingers crossed.
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Which brings us to the weekend, much of it to be spent at The Sydney in Benson.
Tonight at The Syd it’s a triple post-punk bill headlined by double-bass madmen Violenteer, with Mere Shadows and Hussies. For whatever reason, The Sydney doesn’t list ticket prices, so I can’t tell you what it’ll cost at the door (but it’s probably around $10). I can tell you it starts at 9 p.m.
Saturday night, indie punk Jeff Rosenstock (Arrogant Sons of Bitches, Bomb the Music Industry!) headlines at The Slowdown. His latest, Ska Dream, was released last year on Polyvinyl, though he’s most well known for his 2018 album, POST-. His set list from last Monday’s show in Seattle (thankfully) implies he may be playing mostly songs off 2020’s No Dream. NNAMDI and Catbite open at 8 p.m. $20 (main room!).
Then Sunday night it’s back to The Sydney for headliner PAGOTO (members of L.A. Witch) with the inimitable Solid Goldberg and Omaha’s top Spanish-language punk band, Las Cruxes. $10, 8 p.m.
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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