by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

There’s been very little to report this week indie music wise. I’ll tick through the few things in the ol’ inbox:

Joe Champion from the indie band Uh Oh dropped me a line to say the band has dropped two new songs on Bandcamp and is releasing two songs per month for the next four months, in a series called “Cicada Songs.” 

Check out “Gold at the End” b/w “A Line in Your Book” at their Bandcamp page. 

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An epilogue to last week’s trip to 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis… I mentioned how small the venue was — though it has a capacity of 250 (according to wiki) it felt pretty tight when just a hundred or so people were there to see Blondshell. 

Well, yesterday The Pretenders announced their upcoming tour, which is targeting “smaller venues across America.” Among them is 7th St. Entry, where the band will perform Sept. 7. I can’t imagine how that’ll go. It would be like seeing The Pretenders play at Reverb Lounge or Slowdown Jr.

BTW, this tour follows a short stadium tour where The Pretenders are opening for Guns ’n’ Roses.

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A few indie tours have been announced, two coming here, two passing us by:

Hits:

• – Canadian folkies Great Lake Swimmers are playing The Slowdown Nov. 2; while Squirrel Flower will return to Reverb Lounge early next year – Jan. 21.

Misses:

British band Yard Act, whose debut album The Overload was a favorite from a year or so ago, announced a new single and a fall U.S. Headline Tour. Closest passes:

• – Wed. Sep. 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line
• – Thu. Sep. 14 – Madison, WI @ The Terrace at University of Wisconsin
• – Fri. Sep. 15 – Chicago, IL @ Riot Festival

Low Cut Connie is on the verge of releasing their new album, Art Dealers, on Sept. 8. They’ll be on the road touring it, but their closest passes to Omaha are:

• – Oct. 6 – Madison, WI – Majestic Theater
• – Oct. 7 – Minneapolis – First Avenue
• – Oct. 14 – Chicago – Thalia Hall

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Hey bands and musicians…

As you’re probably aware (or maybe you aren’t), everyone’s favorite local arts and entertainment monthly, The Reader, will be dropping its last issue ever in September. That issue will be dedicated to the newspaper’s legacy, and you can help tell the story.

The Reader is looking for readers to contribute their memories of the paper:

“Be they funny, sad, weird or intriguing, your experiences have kept us going since 1994. And for our final issue, we want to commemorate what this paper has meant to so many people.”

Your contributions are being accepted now through early August. Got a Reader story to tell or just an appreciation of how the paper helped you out or for what John Heaston and his team have done over the past 30 years? You can submit it right here. Help celebrate the end of an Omaha tradition…

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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 © 2023 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.