Rock Candy

Rock Candy Interview: Joanna Bolme of Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks

2012-02-17T14:30:00.000-06:00

Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks. Credit: Leah Nash

Fresh off nearly a year of touring with reunited seminal indie band Pavement, Stephen Malkmus jumped into the studio with his main focus: the Jicks.

The result, produced by Beck, was Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks' "Mirror Traffic." As I'm not a fan of Pavement, I have usually shied away from Malkmus' music, but this album has brought me back. "Tigers" is melodic, thumping and singalong-able (it's a word, trust me) track. And "Stick Figures In Love" was another one that just rumbles along.

I also enjoy that many of the songs don't sound so wonderfully perfect. There are little human mistakes, which makes it more endearing.

Anyway, the band comes into town tonight to play Slowdown. Last week, I called Jicks bassist Joanna Bolme at her home in Portland to talk about the new album, the tour and the band.

Q. The last time I saw your band in Omaha was on election night in '08. Do you remember that?

A. Sort of. That was not a typical show night for sure. Obama's a hard act to follow.

Q. So with "Mirror Traffic," what it cool to have Beck as a producer?

A. Yeah. Beck was great. He's a musician first and foremost, so he's got a musician's mentality. He's coming from more of the same place that we are when working on a record. He's kind of listening more for the energy and the feel of a song than getting everything perfect. He was real conscious of what we were feeling, so he kinda just got it.

We blasted through everything real fast. We didn't go stop playing and go into the control room and listen back to see if it was good. We'd play through something a couple times and he'd say, "Great, let's move on."

We didn't have to make any of those calls. We just played. That was liberating.

Q. You and Stephen had done a lot of the producing-type stuff before, so I imagine it was nice to step back and let someone else handle it.

A. Oh yeah, much. We recorded at Sunset Sound in Los Angeles. There's Beck and then an engineer and an assistant and interns at the studio, so there's lots of people to move microphones and amps. We didn't have to do any of that stuff. It can be kinda stressful.

Q. Did you use a different bass on the album? It sounds a bit different.

A. The bass I ended up using mostly - or on half of the songs - was this Musicmaster Mustang bass of Beck's that had flat wound strings on it. It sounded great. It's very Wrecking Crew, Carol Kaye-style, muddy-type bass, which is not what I usually do when i play live. It's more live and loud-sounding.

Now I actually have a Musicmaster bass that I've been taking on the road. I play it on a couple songs. I've incorporated that into the act.

Q. How many do you usually take?

A. Usually, I just take one. If there's room maybe I'll bring a backup. Mine is real sturdy. This is the first time we've really consciously decided to take two basses and use two basses. The nice thing is you don't even have to change the strings on them. It's not really that crucial unless you really like the sound to be bright.

Q. What do you normally play?

A. I have a Fender. It says "Precision" on head headstock, but it's a jazz bass that's sort of been Frankensteined together. It's kinda ugly, but it sounds great. It weighs a ton. I really like it but it's also kind of annoyingly heavy and not really cute. But it sounds pretty cute.

My husband bought me a brand new Precision bass that also sounds good. I use it in another band with Rebecca Gates. It's a lot different sound.

Q. Your husband is also a musician. Is it tough to be on the road at different times?

A. Yeah. He's mastering his record right now so he's out of town. We're both on the road fairly often, which can be a drag not being on the road at the same time. You don't see each other as much as if you didn't do what we do.

The good part of that is that neither one of us gives each other a hard time for being gone. It's part of the deal. We both know that. That's nice. I feel like a lot of people get grief from their spouses. It's not normal, that's for sure, unless you're in the army or a salesman. (laughs)

Q. The album came out quite awhile ago, so I imagine you're pretty comfortable with the songs. Have you guys written more, or are you more of a "one album at a time"-kind of band?

A. We did a tour of the states in October or September. Then we did Europe in November. Yeah, we've been playing these songs for awhile. We've got a bunch of new songs, some weird covers. We play some oldies, too.

Q. What covers?

A. Let's see... Last tour, we played "Love Is Like Oxygen" by Sweet, "Brandy" by the Looking Glass, a song by a band called Stack.

Then the last show of the U.S. tour in San Diego, we played a whole encore of hardcore songs: Black Flag and Circle Jerks and Fear. That was fun. They were pretty excited. There's still a very serious hardcore contingent.

Sometimes we hear songs on the radio and Stephen says, "Yeah, let's play that tonight."

Q. Does he just write all the time?

A. Yeah. He's got a short attention span. Once the record's done, he's sort of like, "OK, whatever. Here's some more songs." He just keeps writing all the time. For as many songs as he writes, maybe half of them end up on a record. Half of them get shelved. Or they'll be turned into new things.

Q. Is that a good thing? Does it keep things fresh?

A. Yeah, kinda. It's great. That's the way I like things to work. I think everyone's sort of happy to have new stuff to work on.

Q. What do you, personally, have coming up?

A. Probably the next thing that I'll be doing when the Jicks have done this tour and are taking a break before summer is touring with my friend Rebecca Gates and the Consortium. You might know here from The Spinanes. I think we're gonna do a little touring in May.

Review: Karmin on Saturday Night Live

2012-02-13T14:54:00.002-06:00

If people thought Lana Del Rey shouldn't have been on Saturday Night Live, I wonder what they think of Karmin.

If you don't know the duo, Karmin's famous for doing covers of pop songs on YouTube. But Saturday night, they played two original songs on SNL.

Also of note: Karmin lead singer Amy Heidemann graduated from Seward High School in Seward, Neb. She met Nick Noonan and Berklee College of Music where they formed Karmin.

The first of the band's two songs on SNL, "Brokenhearted," was really poppy and will appeal to fans of Katy Perry or Pink. It's mostly innocuous and the band did sound pretty good with a full band behind them.

What wasn't so great was the rapping verses. Heidemann kind of went into this Nicki Minaj-style tone and it came off totally goofy. She sounded OK, but when she bent at the knees and started dishing rhymes, she looked very out of place.

Heidemann kept her goofy poof hairdo during the second song, "I Told You So," where she did even more rapping. The song was much more of a rap jam, and I think they'd do better to stick with the pop hooks.

Honestly, the whole thing feels a little forced from the rapping to the overall look. It's like they're trying to take everything that's popular right now (Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, etc.) and jam them all together. Both Noonan and Heidemann are really talented (and their covers are clever), but their originals end up coming off as imitations of other artists that are neither as as interesting nor as well-made as those they're imitating.

The Grammys: The best show I've seen in years

2012-02-13T11:35:00.001-06:00

Last night's Grammy Awards telecast was the best I've seen in years. Most of the performances were fruitful, they actually gave out awards every once in awhile and some of the performances were incredible.

Let's start with the awards. No surprise, Adele and Foo Fighters took home almost everything, but deservedly so. I predicted 20 of the main categories and I ended up getting 14 out of 20 correct. The song that screwed me up the most was "All of the Lights," which isn't all that good but one a bunch of hip-hop awards anyway.

I was happy to see Foo Fighters win so many awards. They definitely had one of the best rock albums of 2011. Bon Iver also took home two trophies and I liked hearing Justin Vernon both be grateful and make a comment on how many worthy artists would never even be nominated.

Unfortunately, Omaha recording legend Tom Ware didn't win. He was nominated for his work on Lady Gaga's album, "Born This Way." Adele couldn't be stopped last night and she took the trophy for album of the year ahead of Gaga (and Ware, who was among 17 people included in the nomination for "Born This Way").

As for the performances, let's break down the best and worst.

THE BEST

Paul McCartney's performance of his song "My Valentine" was a total yawn-fest, but his telecast-ending performance of the medley from "Abbey Road" was incredible. Best of the night, in my opinion, although if you were watching in Omaha, you saw KMTV unceremoniously interrupt it with the evening news. I haven't gotten comment from the station as to what happened, but I'll post as soon as I do.

I was most skeptical of pairing the reunited Beach Boys with Foster The People and Maroon 5 because I thought they'd do a weird mashup of "Pumped Up Kicks," "Moves Like Jagger" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice," which would have been a total travesty. But it was actually a medley of all Beach Boys songs performed by each group. It ended up being a great tribute and the Beach Boys looked pretty good even though Brian Wilson looked a little overwhelmed.

I was also really skeptical of the "dance music" segment that was going to include David Guetta, deadmau5, Foo Fighters, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown. It ended up being like a live version of an electro mashup and it was pretty cool if not awkward at moments. I think most viewers probably wouldn't get it, but it was certainly a step in the right direction.

Jennifer Hudson's tribute to Whitney Houston was appropriate and moving.

I also liked that Foo Fighters got a big slot to play "Walk," but why were they stuck in the outside tent? It appeared that the edgy stuff wasn't allowed inside the actual ceremony, so they had to stick it outside. Weird. (Also, did anyone else think that it was weird to hear a guy who's voiced two animated panda films, Jack Black, talk about having indie cred?)

THE WORST
Nicki Minaj, what were you thinking? Ugh. Whomever told her this performance would be a good idea should be fired. Instead of doing something people knew, she went with newer track "Roman Holiday" and a Lady Gaga-imitating performance that will/did offend just about any Christian watching it.

Chris Brown needs to learn how to sing and dance at the same time or how to lip sync better. Either way, it was completely obvious that he was lip syncing the entire performances, which looked like a life-size version of the video game Q-Bert.

Grammy Awards live chat!

2012-02-12T15:06:00.002-06:00

Hey! Yeah, you. The Grammy Awards telecast starts in a little while and we're going to talk about it.

Tune into CBS and join us starting around 6:30 p.m. to talk about the performers (Beach Boys, Foo Fighters), the host (LL Cool J... really?) and wonder what in the hell it is that Lady Gaga is wearing.

<p><p><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=4d13aa68a3" >Grammy Awards</a></p></p>

Weekend Candy: OEA Awards, Grammys, Ranch Bowl Orphans and a ton more

2012-02-10T14:20:00.000-06:00

I'm not going to do OEA Award predictions because I already know who's won. No, I can't tell you. It's a secret. Go to the awards and find out yourself. They're Sunday night at the Hilton Omaha. You can get tickets here.

Speaking of the Grammy Awards, I have written a whole column of predictions, which you can check out in the paper and on Omaha.com on Sunday. I also talked to Omahan Tom Ware, who's nominated to win a best album Grammy for his work on Lady Gaga's "You and I." Others nominated with Nebraska ties are jazz singer Karrin Allyson and the Chiara String Quartet. It would be great for Ware to win, but I'm guessing Adele will take home just about every trophy she's nominated for.

On Sunday night just before the Grammy telecast (it starts at 7 p.m.), I'll be doing a live chat right here on the blog and on Omaha.com/music. Tune in with me and we can talk the awards and performances. We can also mock people. It's fun.

Now, on with the shows coming this weekend:

• Tonight at the Waiting Room is a hard rock show headlined by The Wreckage. Show's at 9. $7 at the door.

• Slowdown is closed tonight, but reopens tomorrow with Pert Near Sandstone and The Big Deep. Expect a lot of banjo and toe-tapping. 9 p.m. show. $8 tickets.

• I like the lineup at O'Leaver's on Saturday night. It's Dirty Fluorescents' one-year anniversary show with Techlepathy, Comme Reel and Melissa Dundis. As usual, show starts at 9:30 p.m. with a $5 cover.

• If I were to pick a show for the weekend, I'd go to the MS Society benefit Saturday at the Waiting Room. Not only will Rock N Roll Suicide play David Bowie's "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars" in its entirety, but a band called the Ranch Bowl Orphans will play a bunch of songs by bands that played the old bowling alley's stage a bunch of times. Bands such as Grasshopper Takeover, Clever, 5 Story Fall, The Fonzarellis and Blue Moon Ghetto are groups I saw there a lot.

• Singer-songwriter Jenny Owen Youngs plays the Waiting Room on Sunday. 9 p.m. show. $10 tickets.

• On Sunday after the OEA Awards, Slowdown also hosts an after-party. Snake Island! and BASSthoven play starting at 9:30 p.m. It's free with an OEAA ticket or $5 at the door.

Head And The Heart video features the Waiting Room

2012-02-09T17:40:00.001-06:00

The Head And The Heart

The Head And The Heart is one of my favorite bands from last year. I probably saw them more times than any other band (twice at SXSW and twice in Omaha) in 2011.

The folky Portland band's show at the Waiting Room was fantastic. Apparently, the cameras were rolling since you can catch some shots of the Omaha rock club in the band's new video for "Down In The Valley."

The video shows the band in its van, loading equipment, doing sound check and performing at various places. You can see the the Waiting Room's loading ramp for a beat at the 1:23 mark and then a little more of the inside of the club at the 1:59 mark.

There also appear to be a couple of shots of the backstage room at the Waiting Room, too. It's not much, but it's still cool.

Watch the video below.

New happenings at Saddle Creek Shop

2012-02-06T14:33:00.001-06:00

Saddle Creek Shop, the little indie record store run by Saddle Creek Records, is starting two new music event series.

The first is Record Club @ Shop. Though I hoped it would be a club that sends out regular, limited-edition releases from the label, it's still a cool idea. Like a book club, the record club will involve listening to a classic or recently-released album and talking about it. The first installment will naturally be Cursive's upcoming "I Am Gemini." Tim McMahan leads the discussion Tuesday where the album will be available for sale. That's early considering the album's official release date is Feb. 21. The club is bi-monthly.

The next event was supposed to debut last weekend, but the snow pushed it back to this Saturday, Feb. 11. Songs @ Shop is presented by Saddle Creek and Slumber Party Records and is an acoustic, hootenanny-style performance featuring a rotating cast of musicians. On Saturday, you'll hear from Jasong Mountain of Talking Mountain, Andy Cubrich of Family Picnic, Anna McClellan of Howard, Sam Martin of Capgun Coup and "more," or so says the shop's website. Performances start at 3 p.m.

They sound interesting, but I wonder if they'll be a big draw. Will you be checking it out?

Live Review: Craig Finn of the Hold Steady at Slowdown

2012-02-06T12:35:00.000-06:00

Finn performs with his band on Slowdown's front room stage.

With a big snowfall iminent, I wondered how many people would actually show up to see Craig Finn on Friday night. Granted, the snow wasn't supposed to start falling until after the concert would be over, but people in this town kinda freak when they see a few white flakes fall from the sky.

When we arrived at Slowdown at about 8:30, only about 10 people (not including the club's employees) were milling about. I was surprised to see it was a front room show, but it probably would have felt empty in the main room.

As I feared, there were very few people there. But when the frontman of The Hold Steady took the stage more than an hour later, it was very full.

With little grandiosity but lots of applause, Finn took the stage with the band from his solo album, "Clear Heart, Full Eyes."

"Hey Omaha. The last time I was here was in the parking lot outside here on a night much nicer than tonight," Finn said, mentioning this summer's outdoor show at the venue. "These songs - or most of these songs - are off my solo album. Thanks for coming out tonight. Thanks for being a part of it."

To be sure, there wouldn't be any songs by The Hold Steady. Holding an acoustic guitar instead of his usual Les Paul, Finn started into the leadoff track off of his new album, "Apollo Bay."

In an interview, Finn described this music as being much less celebratory than what you'd normally get from The Hold Steady. That's for sure. These songs were more subdued, more singer-songwriter style, but still good. The guys:girls ratio was about on par for a Hold Steady concert, but there was no fist-pumping, fewer people singing and no tallboys raised in the air.

A lot of these songs are about being an adult and dealing with transitioning from your teenage/twentysomething shenanigans to being an adult while still staying true yourself. Of course, nothing changed in your personality: you didn't stop liking whiskey or staying up late with your friends, but you're expected to grow up.

That was pretty well summed up by Finn before he and the band played the song "Rented Room."

"You know when you're in college or you're just out of college - whatever you do - late teens/early twenties and you live in a house with all these roommates? And all these fun things happen. You're drinking, you're carrying on. You have all these inside jokes. It's funny," Finn said. "But when you're 35 and you have a whole bunch of roommates, it's not funny at all. Take it from me."

No, it's not funny, but it still did get some laughs. Finn was a lot more talkative than he usually is and had a lot of good anecdotes like the one above.

He played every song from the album as well as some stuff that didn't make the cut. Some of those songs were the best ones he played, such as "When You're Going To A Show," "Some Guns" and "Sarah, I'm Surrounded." (Check out the full setlist.) Hopefully he releases an EP of extra songs sometime.

Other favorites of mine were "Honolulu Blues" and "No Future," which you can listen to below.

Also of note was opening band Mount Moriah. The North Carolina band was fronted by tiny woman with a big, melodic voice, which was matched up well with their very melodic lead guitar player. I highly recommend you listen to their song "We Don't Need That Much."

After the show, Finn took at seat at the merch table to sign autographs and meet fans. I always like to meet artists I've interviewed in person, so I made my way back there while my friends snagged a booth in the emptying club.

Finn signed merch items, talked to fans and posed for a few photos. He was cool enough to let me bug him for a minute, and sign a vinyl copy of "Clear Heart, Full Eyes" for me. Since he played several songs that weren't on the album, I asked if he had plans to release an EP of those songs. He said he'd really like to, but there were no definite plans.

Finn also mentioned that mentioned how awesome Slowdown is compared to other venues he's played at. I said I think he's the only artist to ever play the front room, main room and outside stage there, and he laughed. He said it's a fantastic venue, especially compared to the place they were at the night before, whih may have been his number one worst place to play at.

I appreciate artists that hang out and talk to fans (and me, too). It takes little effort and it's a memory that people will have for a long time.

Setlist
Apollo Bay
Balcony
Jackson
No Future
When No One's Watching
Some Guns
??
My New Friend Jesus
Sarah, I'm Surrounded
The Man Around Your House
Dudes From St. Paul
When You're Going To A Show
Honolulu Blues
Rented Room
Terrified Eyes
Not Much Left Of Us

Weekend Rock: Craig Finn, Digital Leather tonight; Blue Bird and more tomorrow

2012-02-03T16:17:00.000-06:00

Craig Finn

Tonight's big show is over at the Slowdown, with The Hold Steady's Craig Finn taking the stage for his solo act. I'm a big Hold Steady fan (no surprises there) and I like his solo album a lot, though it's not really the same. Of course, don't expect to hear any Hold Steady songs tonight. Finn told me about that in this interview.

Also tonight is the kick off of Digital Leather's tour that kicks off tonight with a show at O'Leaver's. Well, the next show isn't until Feb. 9 in Seattle (full schedule here), but the band will travel down the west coast, through the Southwest and to Austin to play at Beerland. I wish I could be in Austin for that one. Cool venue.

Blue Bird plays Lincoln tonight with Cowboy Indian Bear at Zoo Bar and then they hit up Slowdown on Saturday (also with CIB as well as Skypiper and El Valiente). I talked to Blue Bird's Rob Matthews earlier this week about their bid to make it to SXSW this year. You can read all about that (and the band's forthcoming new album) in my column.

Also Saturday is local funk/disco legends Satchel Grande at the Waiting Room.

Sunday is the Super Bowl. If any local bands are playing a show opposite of the Super Bowl, I wish them good luck and the fortitude to perform in front of only a few people.

Rock Candy Interview: Craig Finn of The Hold Steady

2012-02-02T10:00:00.006-06:00

Craig Finn (Photo by Mark Seliger)

Normally when Craig Finn steps up to the mic, the crowd raises cups of beer, sings along about characters like Sal Paradise and girls that predict winning horses and belts out lyrics such as “we’re good guys, but we can’t be good every night.”

But Friday night will be different. Finn will be without his celebrator, raucous and literate rock band The Hold Steady and instead will perform songs from his debut solo album, “Clear Heart, Full Eyes.”

The songs are more intimate than anything we’ve heard from The Hold Steady. “Honolulu Blues” mentions a wavering faith in Jesus, how we’re all good and evil and how troubles still follow when you’re trying to get away from it all.

[Listen to "Honolulu Blues." ]

Intimate and personal? Yes. And still rocking without the soaring riffs of The Hold Steady’s Tad Kubler? Definitely.

We called Finn in Brooklyn as he geared up to head to Europe and then strike out on tour in the U.S.

Q. What should fans expect from your new album compared to The Hold Steady?

A. It’s quieter for sure. That’s the first and simplest answer. It’s also a little more narrative. It’s able to be a little more intimate and vulnerable.

With The Hold Steady, there’s high highs and low lows. My writing for that tends to be more cinematic. The solo stuff has more to do with the everyday and the mundane and those human moments.

Also in The Hold Steady, I really don’t write much music, if at all. Rarely do I contribute anything. With this, I come up with everything including lyrics and chords and melodies.

Q. Have you enjoyed doing things a little differently?

A. Yeah. I wouldn’t say they’re bad habits, but there are habits and ways you get of doing things. There’s a level of comfort there. One of the goals for me as an artist was to break out of those. To plug in with some other people and see if I could get somewhere with them.

Q. And you have never worked with this band before?

A. They were people I hadn’t met before. I remember the night before I left, I was really scared. I’m far from an accomplished musician. These guys, I had to shake their hands and then try to make a record with them. I learned a lot from it.

They’re all staring back at you and writing notes down. “This is the song in its most basic form. Where can we go from here? What is everyone hearing?”

It was nerve-wracking. It still was like you’re halfway through the song and you’re thinking, “Do they hate this?”

The producer (Mike McCarthy), he really produced the record in the true sense. He was sort of the leader, and he hand-picked some of the musicians.

Q. How did you end up working with Mike McCarthy?

A. We met through a friend. It must have been 18 months ago. I had a drink with him and he said some things that stuck with me. Also Britt (Daniel) from Spoon, he said a lot of the ways they made some of those Spoon records were very one-on-one.

I called him and talked about what I was thinking and played him some rough demos. I’m not a great musician and he said, “If you can sing me the song over the phone, like if you have a vocal, lyrics and melody, the rest of it can be my problem.” That was a really liberating thing to be said.

Q. Was it weird to be with a whole group of people you’d never worked with before and also to be recording in Austin instead of New York?

A. That was part of the whole concept; tying myself to a new concept and new people. It would have gotten weird if I was hiring people in New York or even Minneapolis. It was nice to separate and plug in down there.

Q. Is it the same band touring that was on the album?

A. Some of them. The touring lineup. I hired all Austin people because, spiritually, they live (in the mind set of these songs).

Q. Obviously, these shows have quite a different feel from what people may be used to seeing with you.

A. It’s more subdued, I’d say. There’s something about The Hold Steady that’s very celebratory. This record is sort of a break from being celebratory. There’s hours in the day where you don’t feel like that. This taps into a different part of my own human nature.

Q. How do you usually write? Do you sit down with a guitar or do you jot in a notebook?

A. It can go a lot of different ways. A lot of times, it’s the first line of the song or a phrase.

With this solo project, I really tried to write every day and write a song every day. I have a friend who wrote for Letterman. He’d say, “I don’t really have time to have writer’s block. We write a show and then we try to make it good.”

You probably know something about this feeling.

I though, “Maybe that’s a new way to approach songwriting.”

So, I started out with a song. A lot of them were terrible. But I gave them time and went back to them and got an idea of what was good and what wasn’t. Maybe the first verse was alright and then I’d build from there.

I liked putting a little more craftsmanship to it and punching the clock every day.

Q. And you recorded a lot of it live, right?

A. Even the vocals were recorded live, which is pretty unique. That’s one thing that I love about it. The musicians were in the room watching me sing. So when I step up to the mic, they back away, even imperceptibly. It’s the kind of thing you don’t get from overdubbing. I like the way it breathes.

Q. Do you think you’d ever do that with The Hold Steady?

A. It definitely makes me think of it. The volume that we operate at may not make that possible. (Laughs)

Q. Have you played much of this stuff live?

A. We just did one in Austin. It’s funny. When I got offstage, I felt like I hadn’t played a show yet — compared to what I’m used to. It’s mellower. I wasn’t tired and I wasn’t sweating and all wet.

Q. Is it tougher to keep people’s attention? It’s gotta feel different.

A. The audience energy is different. No one’s climbing on top of each other and throwing beer. It’s subdued material but it’s also keeping people’s attention. That’s a nice challenge to face. It’s a different one. It’s kind of cool.

Q. Will you be sticking to the solo stuff?

A. We won’t do any Hold Steady songs. We have 15 songs so far and we’ll be picking stuff up along the way. There’s 11 songs that made the record plus four outtakes. I might do a few songs alone without the band. I kind of want to keep things fresh. There’ll be plenty of material.

I don’t think it would feel right to play Hold Steady stuff. That doesn’t feel right to do.

Q. How many songs did you write for this album?

A. I have a lot of song that I wrote. I gave McCarthy 23 songs and he narrowed it down to 14. There’s plenty of songs. There’s more than that even. It’s just a matter of the band picking them up.
And they learn very, very quick.

Q. We’ve talked in past interviews about how you’ve taken up running a lot. Are you able to do it on tour?

A. I do. It’s actually a wonderful thing. It’s become completely necessary. I’ve got one of those iPod things that tells you how long you’ve run. There’s something about setting off on a run and not knowing where you’re going that helps me stay sane and focused and healthy.

I get kind of lethargic if I don’t run a few times a week.

Q. And you’ve talked about doing another Hold Steady record soon. What’s going on with that?

A. We have Steve Selvidge (on guitar) and we’re really committed to writing with him for this record. It takes a little extra planning because he lives out of town, but he’s coming to New York for all of next week.

I’d love to say that we’re in the studio in the end of the spring. I’d like to get back to the U.K. for the solo thing and then it’s back to The Hold Steady.

I’d love to have a record out in 2012. But that’s not always within our grasp. A lot of people have different things to say about that.

Cursive premieres another new track: "Wowowow"

2012-02-01T16:06:00.002-06:00

Vinyl pressings of "I Am Gemini" were revealed yesterday by Saddle Creek on its Facebook page.

Over at Stereogum, Cursive premiered another new track from its forthcoming album, "I Am Gemini."

You can also download the song, "Wowowow," below by giving Saddle Creek Records your e-mail address. (Did you know that a lot of companies put an actual dollar amount on each e-mail address they have?! As in, "Each e-mail we get is worth $10." You learn all kinds of stuff talking to marketing people.)

The track lurches along like a song from a trippy musical. The best part, of course, is Tim Kasher screaming "Wow, wow, wow!" juxtaposed with the serene vocals of two female singers singing "Without a me/there is no you."

I received my promo copy of "I Am Gemini" yesterday. It's another concept album from Cursive, but I was intrigued and thought it was very cool that the album came with a play book.

I assume it's a copy of the lyrics sheet that will come with the album, but it's laid out like a play with characters, acts, scenes, scene descriptions, character motivation, etc.

It's pretty damn cool.

The section that goes along with "Wowowow" is mostly from the perspective of Pollock, one of the twins at the center of "I Am Gemini's" story.

Saddle Creek is doing pre-orders now, which will ship out on Feb. 7. I'd do the "I Want It All" bundle, which has some awesome swag. The colored vinyl (pictured above) is cool, as is the 10" picture disc. And it's only 50 bucks, which is a steal for all of that stuff.

Conor Oberst And The Mystic Valley Band releasing outtakes album and film

2012-02-01T13:19:00.000-06:00

Via Twitter, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band announced it's releasing "One Of My Kind," a film about the band as well as an album of outtakes.

The film was shot by Phil Schaffart - a friend of Oberst's, his guitar tech and the leader of the band Con Dios - who recently performed a secret show with Oberst.

When the Mystic Valley Band got together to record in Mexico, Schaffart had a camera with him. He filmed the process, the resulting tour, the band's second album and the tour after that, too.

"One Of My Kind" is being released by Oberst's Team Love Records label and will be in stores on May 15. You can pre-order it now. Pre-orders will be sent out on May 1.

The tracklist features songs released in other formats by the band and Oberst as well as some (such as"Central City" by Taylor Hollingsworth) released at some point by other members of the band, but this is probably the best place to get it all. The song "Kodachrome," I would assume, is a cover of a Paul Simon song.

Disc 1 (CD or LP)
ONE OF MY KIND
GENTLEMAN'S PACT
CORINA, CORINA
SYNESTHETE SONG
BREEZY
CENTRAL CITY
I GOT THE REASON #1
PHIL'S SONG (LEARN TO STOP TIME)
NORMAL
KODACHROME
WHITE SHOES (REPRISE)

Disc 2 (DVD)
ONE OF MY KIND: THE STORY OF THE MYSTIC VALLEY BAND - A DOCUMENTARY BY PHILIP SCHAFFART

The Mynabirds are in the studio now, on tour in March

2012-01-18T15:55:00.001-06:00

Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds (Photo courtesy Saddle Creek Records)

You may already know this from following The Mynabirds' Twitter, but singer/frontwoman Laura Burhenn has been in the studio recording once again with Richard Swift.

Swift produced The Mynabirds' first album, "What We Lose In The Fire We Gain In The Flood," which is fantastic and was one of my best albums of 2010.

The Mynabirds recently performed "Roses While I'm Living" for The 78 Project, a video project that films breakout artists singing songs from the past and recorded on old technology. The song is by Dock Boggs, an influential singer and banjo player. You can watch the video below, which includes the soulful song and a bit of an interview.

The Mynabirds are also going out on a short tour, including to SXSW. Big Harp will be supporting them starting on March 10. An Omaha date comes shortly thereafter on March 23 at the Waiting Room. I'll be there. Will you?

The Mynabirds Tour Dates - Spring 2012
Mar-07, Denver, CO, The Walnut Room
Mar-08, Salt Lake City, UT, Kilby Court
Mar-10, Los Angeles, CA, Hotel Cafe
Mar-13, Tucson, AZ, Solar Culture
Mar-21, Des Moines, IA, Vaudeville Mews
Mar-22, Minneapolis, MN, 7th Street Entry
Mar-23, Omaha, NE, The Waiting Room

Icky Blossoms sign to Saddle Creek

2012-01-16T17:08:00.001-06:00

If you've been around the Omaha music hangouts, you've probably already heard the rumblings about Icky Blossoms getting signed.

Now, it's official. Icky Blossoms has signed with Omaha's indie label Saddle Creek Records and is going to record with Dave Sitek from TV On The Radio in Los Angeles.

Icky Blossoms is Tilly And The Wall's Derek Presnall, filmmaker/musician Nik Fackler, and vocalist Sarah Bohling. The band formed from Presnall's former band Flowers Forever, which had one release on Team Love and performed at Conor Oberst's Concert For Equality.

I really dig the song "Perfect Vision," which is streaming on the bands website. It - along with other songs from the band - is hazy, dreamy pop that you could either space out during or get up and dance to. Listen over here.

More info is coming on the band's album and some tour dates and the like. (I'm a little surprised they didn't wait to release this info until they had a release date or an album title, but what do I know about running a record label?)

What do you think about the signing? I like that Saddle Creek has gone with another Omaha band.

Conor Oberst and Phil Schaffart play a secret show in Omaha

2012-01-16T11:59:00.000-06:00

Conor Oberst (Credit: Alyssa Schukar/The World-Herald)

"Phil and Conor are playing at Krug Park tonight. Don't tell too many people..."

That was the text I got at about 6 p.m. last night. The "Conor and Phil" in the text were, of course, Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes and Phil Schaffart, a member of Bright Eyes' road crew and frontman of Omaha band Con Dios.

They were playing a secret show at 9 p.m. in Omaha.

Cool.

Secret shows are a somewhat regular occurrence in locales such as New York where there are enough "name" bands to be able to fill small clubs and bars at a moment's notice.

Read more »

Weekend Roundup: Lots going on this weekend

2012-01-13T11:09:00.000-06:00

There's some good shows going on this weekend, all of them local.

Who's going out this weekend?

• Omaha rapper Jimmy Hooligan takes the stage tonight at Slowdown. $10 tickets

• See rockabilly band the Blacktop Ramblers tonight at the Waiting Room. $7 at the door.

• It ain't a concert, but O'Leaver's will have its Men Of O'Leaver's 2012 calendar available on Saturday. I've seen some of the images and they are both glorious and disturbing. There's a release party/signing at 9 p.m.

• Also at the Waiting Room this weekend is the Hootenanny on Sunday. A bunch of local musicians will be playing and jamming to raise money for the Gifford Park Teen Market Garden. $5 at the door.

• If you like the Doors, you should head to Slowdown's front room on Sunday. The Lizard King, a Doors tribute band, features a lot of talented, local guys. $7 tickets.

311's Nick Hexum broke his elbow, will have surgery

2012-01-12T11:07:00.001-06:00

311 is, from left, Chad Sexton, SA Martinez, Nick Hexum, P-Nut and Tim Mahoney.

Today on Twitter, 311 singer/guitarist Nick Hexum dropped some news: he broke his elbow riding his bike and walking his dog at the same time.

The Omaha native said he broke his bone cleanly, is in a cast and will have surgery.

He says he'll be fine for 311 Day, the March 11 concert (3-11, get it?) the band puts on every other year or so. This year it's a three-day event (fan event and two nights of 311 concerts) in Las Vegas.

Tickets to the event, $102 to $135, get you into both concerts and are still available.

"I'm going to make a full recovery and be burning up the fretboard in no time!" Hexum said in his post.

I know I have some 311 fans that hang around this blog. Are any of you headed to 311 Day this year? Let's talk in the comments!

Conduits' self-titled album will come out on Team Love

2012-01-11T14:01:00.001-06:00

Team Love - the New York-based label co-founded by Conor Oberst - has cut back in recent years with the economy taking a dive, but that hasn't stopped them from releasing Omaha band Conduits' upcoming, self-titled album.

You can pre-order the album over at Team Love's store.

The band is also out on tour in March and April with Cursive, which will be a big boost for the group.

~~(Note: Conduits says on its Facebook page that the album comes out on March 20. Team Love's website says it comes out on March 30. When is it actually available? I'm trying to find out.)~~

Update: The album does indeed come out March 20. Team Love will ship pre-order copies about two weeks before that date, so get to ordering!

You can download the band's "Top Of The Hill" from its BandPage on Facebook and also listen to it below.

Anchor Inn closing. What does it mean for Omaha music?

2012-01-06T14:19:00.002-06:00

[UPDATE:] Here's the full news story from the OWH's Roseann Moring, who has all of the details concerning the city planning director and Omaha's zoning laws (which state the Anchor inn can't be rebuilt).

And the land lesees responded with a statement saying they think they're not violating zoning laws.

So, the city is telling the Anchor Inn that it can't rebuild and re-open. The nitty-gritty details have a lot to do with FEMA money, flooding, city land leases and all that.

But the short story is that the bar (and occasional concert venue) won't be re-opening even though they've started rebuilding the property.

I dropped a line to Marc Leibowitz at 1% Productions to ask him what he thought of it.

Marc told me that 1%'s lone 2011 booking at the bar's riverside stage - Yonder Mountain String Band - had to be moved because of flooding problems.

Leibowitz wasn't planning on booking anything at the Anchor Inn this summer.

"There's no reputable agent that would book a venue that doesn't exist," he said. "It (currently) has no stage and it hasn't been open so it doesn't exist as a venue."

Anchor Inn had been used in the past primarliy because promoters couldn't find a similarly-sized venue. Other outdoor locations such as Westfair Amphitheatre east of Council Bluffs are cost-prohibitive for small concerts. ("You can't put 1,000 people at Westfair," Leibowitz said.)

Leibowitz said 1% is looking at places including Sumtur Amphitheater in Papillion for outdoor shows. Lewis & Clark Landing in Omaha (where Maha Music Festival debuted) is another option, but Leibowitz said it's booked just about every weekend.

What do you think about the closure? Do you have any epic Anchor Inn memories?

Video: My top 10 albums of 2011

2012-01-04T14:28:00.000-06:00

In case you missed my top 10 albums of 2011, I have a new video version of it.

It's myself and Omaha.com online editor Randi Stevenson doing a quick rundown of the list.

Enjoy.

Download Cursive's 'The Sun And Moon'

2012-01-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

Today, you can download "The Sun And Moon," the first track from Cursive's upcoming album "I Am Gemini." Get it below.

Cursive also announced even more tour dates. Their first leg ends in Omaha on March 3. They head back out on March 22 with Omaha band Conduits in tow, which is a fantastic gig for an Omaha band. Let's hope they make the best of it.

Anyway, "I Am Gemini" comes out on Feb. 21. You can pre-order the album starting today from Saddle Creek Records' online store or from iTunes. Pre-orders will be shipped two weeks early on Feb. 7.

"I Am Gemini" is another Cursive concept album, this time about brothers Cassius and Pollock, one good and one evil that were separated at birth. It was written by Tim Kasher from start to finish and recorded at Omaha's ARC Studios and mixed at Red Room in Seattle, Wash., with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Minus The Bear, Isis), who also did Kasher's solo album.

Tour dates are after the jump.

FEB. 12 DENVER, CO LARIMER LOUNGE*

FEB. 14 SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUNGE^

FEB. 15 BOISE, ID NEUROLUX^

FEB. 17 SEATTLE, WA NEUMO'S**

FEB. 18 VANCOUVER, BC MEDIA CLUB**

FEB. 19 PORTLAND, OR BUNK BAR**

FEB. 22 SAN FRANCISCO, CA GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL**

(Noise Pop festival)

FEB. 24 LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR**

FEB. 25 POMONA, CA GLASSHOUSE**

FEB. 26 SAN DIEGO, CA CASBAH**

FEB. 27 TEMPE, AZ CRESCENT BALLROOM**

FEB. 28 ALBUQUERQUE, NM LAUNCHPAD**

MAR. 1 WICHITA, KS ABODE**

MAR. 2 KANSAS CITY, MO RECORD BAR**

MAR. 3 OMAHA, NE SLOWDOWN**

MAR. 22 IOWA CITY, IA THE MILL#

MAR. 23 MINNEAPOLIS, MN 400 BAR#

MAR. 24 MADISON, WI HIGH NOON SALOON#

MAR. 25 CHICAGO, IL LINCOLN HALL#

MAR. 26 CHAMPAIGN, IL HIGH DIVE#

MAR. 27 ANN ARBOR, MI THE BLIND PIG#

MAR. 28 PITTSBURGH, PA MR. SMALL'S#

MAR. 29 CLEVELAND, OH GROG SHOP#

MAR. 30 BUFFALO, NY MOHAWK#

MAR. 31 TORONTO, ONT HORSESHOE TAVERN#

APR. 2 BOSTON, MA MIDDLE EAST#

APR. 3 NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM#

APR. 4 NEW YORK, NY BOWERY BALLROOM#

APR. 5 PHILADELPHIA, PA UNION TRANSFER#

APR. 6 WASHINGTON, DC BLACK CAT#

APR. 7 RALEIGH, NC KING'S BARCADE#

APR. 8 ATLANTA, GA THE EARL#

APR. 9 ST. AUGUSTINE, FL CAFÉ ELEVEN#

APR. 10 ORLANDO, FL THE SOCIAL#

APR. 11 TALLAHASSEE, FL CLUB DOWN UNDER#

APR. 13 HOUSTON, TX FITZGERALD'S#

APR. 14 AUSTIN, TX MOHAWK#

APR. 15 DALLAS, TX TREES#

APR. 17 MEMPHIS, TN HI TONE#

APR. 18 LEXINGTON, KY COSMIC CHARLIE'S#

APR. 20 ST. LOUIS, MO OFF BROADWAY#

APR. 21 COLUMBIA, MO MOJOS#

* Ume support

^ Ume and M. Moriah support

** Ume and Virgin Islands support

# Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits support

Top 10 albums of 2011

2011-12-29T09:39:00.000-06:00

Some of us document our lives by the music that surrounds us.

Songs come on the radio that conjure up memories of decades gone by. A band reminds you of the time you saw them in concert. A single song makes you recall a specific person, a date you went on, a night out or a family gathering.

That's how 2011 was for us.

March was seeing bands such as The Head and the Heart at SXSW that I knew people back at home would love. Then there was that summer day when it seemed everyone wanted to talk about Bon Iver.

2011 was a diverse year with great music from all genres.

10. NOAH AND THE WHALE, "LAST NIGHT ON EARTH"

(Island Mercury)

With this record, Noah And The Whale moved beyond folk to become something more pop and rock — like Coldplay — but with deft lyrics that paint stories — unlike Coldplay. The music of "Tonight's The Kind Of Night" captures the energy and hope espoused in its lyrics while "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." is a song that's at once sad and about heart and leaving behind regrets.

9. JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST, "WATCH THE THRONE"

(Def Jam)

This collaboration could have been disastrous, but it produced, front-to-back, one of the best hip-hop albums in years — as well as a song with maybe the most ridiculous title ever (N***** In Paris). The combination of amazing production — samples of the Will Farrell comedy "Blades Of Glory" as well as Otis Redding are so ridiculous they're awesome — are coupled with incredible rhymes and tons of boasting. Kanye West and Jay-Z say they're the illest, um, gentlemen alive on this record. I'd think that was too much if I didn't think they were right.

Read more »

Column: Gift ideas for that music fan on your list

2011-12-14T13:45:00.000-06:00

It's Christmas season, so you're probably frantically trying to round up gifts for everyone you know.

If there's a music guy or gal on your shopping list, they may enjoy some of the things that come across my desk.

Here are my picks for great music-related gift items in case you need some ideas (or in case anyone in my family happens to be reading).

"Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge" by Mark Yarm ($25)

Most people know Nirvana and Pearl Jam and probably Soundgarden, the three enduring acts from the Seattle grunge scene. But you don't know the whole story. Mark Yarm interviewed tons of people that were part of the grunge scene to tell the story from the early days with bands you've never heard of to the legacy of groups such as Pearl Jam and Alice In Chains. This is the best book on music I've read this year.

Read more »

What are we gonna do with all of these arenas?

2011-12-14T13:38:00.000-06:00

An artist's rendering of the new Pinnacle Arena coming to Lincoln in 2013.

On Sunday, I wrote a front-page story on how the Omaha/Lincoln publicly-owned arenas (including Pinnacle, CenturyLink, the Civic, MAC, Pershing and Ralston arena) are going to compete for concerts.

Concerts are only a fraction of the events that go on in an arena, but they mean giant paydays (i.e. a $1.6 million gross for one Lady Gaga concert).

You can read the whole article, which includes lots of facts and figures. The long and short of it is the following: Lincoln and Omaha are going to compete for lots of shows, but no one really knows exactly how it will play out until Lincoln's Pinnacle Arena opens in 2013.

Pinnacle will be the cute new baby that everyone wants to play with while CenturyLink Center up in Omaha is the trusted (slightly) older sibling that everyone knows it can count on.

I think that one of them will win out in the end and the other will suffer for it. It will be tough to operate two similar-sized arenas within 60 miles of each other and have them both be profitable. Fans will have their favorites, but its concert tours and promoters that will make the decisions.

In my book, CenturyLink already has the edge. Fans know it, promoters know it and its got quite a nice operating profit. The "shiny new toy" (as one official put it) down the road in Lincoln won't be shiny forever.

Breathless was dead, but now she isn't

2011-12-12T15:35:00.000-06:00

Popular local hip-hopper Breathless was thought to be dead today. Social media posts made it to sound like she had died over the weekend and an outpouring of support came from fans and friends on her Facebook page.

Based on that, several organizations (as well as myself) posted about it. The Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards, in particular, posted a heartfelt message and a video of Breathless performing at the awards ceremony.

Well, she's not dead. Not hardly.

The whole thing was a publicity stunt for her new album/video called "Reincarnation." A promo video shows her lying in a hospital bed. Then the video for "It's Ya Girl" (her new song) has her in a casket and people mourning her. (Creepy?)

As of 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday people were still posting their "RIP" messages to her Facebook wall even though the news was out that she's not deceased.

Some people sound pretty mad about it and I don't blame them. I heard second-hand about people crying and others driving from out of town already for her funeral.

SXSW: Two Omaha bands confirmed

2011-12-06T12:54:00.002-06:00

Orenda Fink, left, and Nina Barnes of Harouki Zombi.

Around this time of year, South By Southwest starts sending out preliminary lists of bands. Usually, groups from Nebraska don't pop up this early.

Today, two made the cut. Tilly and the Wall and Harouki Zombi will both be performing at SXSW.

Harouki Zombi is credited as hailing from "Athens, NE," which must be a combination of Athens, Ga., and Nebraska.

Have you heard of the group? It's Orenda Fink (Azure Ray, O+Sl wife of The Faint/Depressed Buttons' Todd Fink) and Nina Barnes (Apollinaire Rave Art Collective, wife of Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes), a DJ/VJ duo and sort of art performance/musical collaboration.

Here's the story (via a press release): While watching Orenda's husband, Todd, DJ on Orenda and Todd's last night in town, Orenda turned to Nina and said "Let's be fucking DJs" Nina said "Yes! But let's do it dressed as geishas." Orenda agreed and Harouki Zombi was born."

They've done some big shows, which includes a cast of zombie geishas that interact with the crowd.

If you're interested in the troupe, the video for "Harouki Swamp Theme" premiered on Rolling Stone. You can download the song, too.

Anyway, that's two bands down for SXSW. Add one journalist (that's me!). Now, who else?

Live Review: "Color Me Obsessed" screening, Q&A and performances

2011-12-01T11:43:00.086-06:00

Anonymous American performs covers of songs by The Replacements.

Slowdown was the place to be on Wednesday night for a screening of "Color Me Obsessed: A film about The Replacements," which included a Q&A with director Gorman Bechard. That all was followed by performances of 'Mats songs by local bands.

It was a pretty good night, especially so for fans of The Replacements. If you don't mind, I'll jump right into the reviews.

THE MOVIE

Have you ever read an oral history? If your answer is "no," you should know that they're basically a series of quotes from people that were involved in the story. In my recent favorite book on grunge, "Everybody Loves Our Town," people involved in the Seattle grunge scene talk about what it was like and what happened.

That's what this film is. It's a series of people (almost 150 of them) talking about The Replacements, going to their shows, being married to them and what the band meant to them (both as fans and as friends).

"If you claim not to be moved by 'Sorry Ma,' you're either a liar or comatose," read one press quote.

That would probably be the opinion of Greg Nelson and Grant Hart of Hüsker Dü, Colin Meloy of The Decemberists and Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem, who are just some of the people who talk about The Replacements, which one person described as "a janitor, a crazy drunk and a little kid." Others interviewed include the band's sound guy, Bob Stinson's wife, DJs from 89.3 The Current and music critic Robert Christgau.

You get a sense that some of the people couldn't exist without The Replacements. Indeed, all of the stories are fantastic, but also paint a wonderful, but ultimately sad and tragic, arc for the band. The band was so loved, but couldn't keep it together long enough to find commercial success. It made me cringe when sales numbers popped up on the screen and the best-selling music during The Mats' time included REO Speedwagon, Asia and MC Hammer. Ugh.

Some of the best stories told include how Tommy Stinson used to wear ankle weights in an effort to help him jump higher onstage, how every time the band screwed up at one show they would play "Help Me Rhonda," shaving their eyebrows for an MTV interview,

One of the most interesting things about the film is that it doesn't include any music by the band and none of them are interviewed. Additionally, no pictures are ever shown of the band until just before the credits. For me, it didn't matter. I could picture the guys in my head and when they started talking about "Bastards of Young," I could hear the song in my head. For fans of the band, I don't think the movie needs the music.

Whether you like/love/loathe the Replacements or just want to hear people passionately talk about music (or crazy band antics), you'll like this film.

THE Q&A

As soon as the film was over (at two hours long, it could stand to be trimmed down a bit), director Gorman Bechard took the stage. He was asked quite a few questions that were pretty rote and were answered in a Q&A that was published in GO a week before.

But he was asked some interesting ones:
Q. Have you heard from anyone in the band? A. Peter Jesperson is a fan. Chris likes it. Heard Tommy had seen it and likes it.

Q. What about Paul? A. "Paul Westerberg is the JD Salinger of rock 'n' roll." Bechard said that even if Paul had seen it that he'd never comment on it.

Q. How many interviews did you do? A. 145.

Q. (my question) How did you first get into The Replacements? A. Bechard saw them open for R.E.M. at Toad's Place in 1983. "They were the worst band I'd ever seen." He said he came back to them later, then "Let It Be" came out. "Then that was it," he said.

Q. You interviewed a lot of DJs from the Current. Paul's sister (Mary Lucia) is a DJ there, too. Did you interview her? A. She didn't want to be interviewed.

THE PERFORMANCES

I'm surprised more bands didn't jump at the opportunity to play this show, but sadly some probably don't know The Replacements or couldn't learn a few new songs before the show.

Anyway, the final lineup was Aaron Paker of Scratch Howl, The Traveling Mercies, Anonymous American and Witness Tree.

Though he was a little off, Parker had some giant balls to get up in front of a room full of 'Mats fans and play "Here Comes A Regular" and "Can't Hardly Wait" on an acoustic guitar. Bravo.

Traveling Mercies played one country sort of song that I wasn't that into, but then finished with a pretty faithful version of "Little Mascara."

Anonymous American played third and was my favorite. They did "Color Me Impressed," "I'll Be You" and "Left Of The Dial." Led by Matt Whipkey, the band tends to throw themselves into performances and this one was no different. Even though a lot of people don't like "I'll Be You," I thought it was cool to hear the band's biggest hit. And then "Left Of The Dial" is a pretty sweet song.

The night closed out with Witness Tree, a rock band from Elkhorn. They did "Valentine," "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Merry Go Round." I didn't know much about this band before, but I'd probably go check them out again.

Record Store Day's Black Friday shopping

2011-11-25T16:08:00.000-06:00

I took home some swag from Record Store Day's Black Friday sale.

As a general rule, I do not go shopping on "Black Friday." I like saving money on Christmas shopping as much as the next guy, but I can't handle all of the people and the frenzy.

But for the last two years, I make sure to brave the madness to go to record stores. Record Store Day is in April, but in 2010 they started doing a smaller version of the event on the day after Thanksgiving.

I like vinyl. I like music. So, off I go.

I did decide to skip the lines and frenzy that takes place in the morning. Homer's Music and Drastic Plastic employees told me that each store had a line before the stores opened at 9 a.m. and it was a little crazy.

I hit up both of those stores as well as Saddle Creek Shop to see what was available. I did write up a wish list in this week's column, and most of what I was looking for was still available.

I ended up going home with Craig Finn's solo single, "Honolulu Blues;" Silversun Pickups' "Seasick;" and Wilco's "Speak Into The Rose" 10-inch. (see the photo above)

I didn't really want to drop all the money for the Black Keys' single (about $10), Iron & Wine (about $15) or the Beatles singles (more than $50... sheesh). The Civil Wars record had sold out and then, according to Mike Fratt at Homer's, The Rolling Stones single had a pressing problem, so I put my name on a waiting list for that.

The most interesting aspect, to me, was over at Saddle Creek Shop. There, I was the very first person to buy any of the RSD exclusives. This was at 3 p.m. and they had been open all day.

SC Shop had most of the RSD stuff and I ended up buying the Wilco record there because everywhere else had sold out. It's a great little store. They have lots of stuff on vinyl and every single Saddle Creek Records release that's in print.

A friend bought some non-RSD vinyl including the Magnetic Fields's "69 Love Songs" box set. They have tons of other great vinyl there, too.

Did you go out for Record Store Day? What did you take home? Where did you go?

Cursive's new album: "I Am Gemini"

2011-11-16T12:32:00.003-06:00

Ted Stevens, Tim Kasher and Matt Maginn are Cursive.

Cursive was in the studio recently, and now they have a new record.

It's a concept album called "I Am Gemini" about twin brothers Cassius and Pollock that were separated at birth. The album will be out Feb. 21 on Saddle Creek Records.

"One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head," read a press release.

I last talked to Tim Kasher when the band was in the middle of making the record.

"It's going really well," he said back in August, right before the band played Maha Music Festival. "We're done with all of the basic tracking with drums and bass and my guitar and keys and various odds and ends. I'm working on vocals nightly and Teddy's working on guitar."

The record was produced and mixed with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Minus The Bear, Ladyfinger), who also worked with Kasher on his "Bigamy" EP.

"This is kind of my year of working with Matt Bayles," Kasher said.

Since it's a concept album, Kasher apparently wrote the tracks in order. A press release said it's the heaviest Cursive album in years.

The band's set to head out on tour just before the record is released, with a finale date in Omaha.

Track listing for "I Am Gemini:"
1. This House Alive
2. Warmer Warmer
3. The Sun and Moon
4. Drunken Birds
5. Lullaby for No Name
6. Double Dead
7. Gemini
8. Twin Dragon/Hello Skeleton
9. Wowowow
10. This House a Lie
11. The Cat and Mouse
12. A Birthday Bash
13. Eulogy for No Name

Cursive tour dates:
FEB. 12 - DENVER, CO LARIMER LOUNGE
FEB. 14 - SALT LAKE CITY, UT URBAN LOUGE
FEB. 15 - BOISE, ID NEUROLUX
FEB. 17 - SEATTLE, WA NEUMO'S
FEB. 18 - VANCOUVER, BC MEDIA CLUB
FEB. 19 - PORTLAND, OR BUNK BAR
FEB. 24 - LOS ANGELES, CA TROUBADOUR
FEB. 25 - POMONA, CA GLASSHOUSE
FEB. 26 - SAN DIEGO, CA CASBAH
FEB. 27 - TEMPE, AZ CRESCENT BALLROOM
FEB. 28 - ALBUQUERQUE, NM LAUNCHPAD
MAR. 3 - OMAHA, NE SLOWDOWN

Home Recording: Mike Friedman gives his advice

2011-11-11T13:55:00.000-06:00

In tomorrow's World-Herald, we're taking a look at home recording since just about anyone can do it now.

One guy I turned to was Mike Friedman, who plays in Simon Joyner's band and records a whole lot of stuff in his basement.

While I used several of Friedman's quotes in my story, his stuff is pretty technical and not all of it fit in my story about getting started. But it's still full of info, so I thought I'd include it here.

Again, be sure to check out the main story in the paper and on Omaha.com tomorrow.

Q: How is your recording operation typically set up? What equipment (or software) are you using to capture audio?

A: My basic set up for the recording is an old version of ProTools with an M-Audio Digi 001 Interface running on an IBM PC that I had built specifically for this purpose. You have a ton have a lot of RAM make things run smoothly. I also recently added a Tascam 48 8-track ½” tape machine. This can be used independently of the ProTools set up, or I can record to tape and then dump it into ProTools for editing, mixing and mastering. I run my mics into a Soundcraft board to boost the signal with the preamps before going into either the Digi 001 or the Tascam tape machine, depending on what I’m doing. I keep this all set up in my basement with all my instruments: guitars, bass, drums, piano, organ, etc, so it’s ready to go whenever.

Q: Are you demoing tracks first? And how are you doing that?

A: As far as “demoing” goes, I guess I don’t really think of it in those terms. When I’m recording, if it comes out good, it doesn’t really matter if it’s the first take or the 10th as long as it’s good. That sort of goes with the question about what home recording offers that the studio doesn’t. The main benefit is that you’re not paying for the studio time, so you can take as much time as you want messing around with your tracks until you get what you want. In a way, you might call that demoing. Especially with ProTools, since you’re not paying for tape and there is not degradation of the sound quality for recording parts over and over again, you can just keep trying stuff out. And there is also the benefit that if you do want to go into a studio, you can work stuff out before hand at home so when you are on the clock you aren’t still experimenting.

Q: What does recording at home offer versus doing it in a studio?

A: So I’ll expand. As I said, the most often perceived benefit or recording at home is that you’re not paying for studio time. But it’s not like it’s really free, because you can spend a lot getting your home studio up and running. Between mics, preamps, a board, tape machine and/or computer and software, it adds up. And once you start putting a studio together, you’re always looking for more pieces. But much like owning a home instead of renting, the money you spend is benefiting you, not the landlord. What I like most is that I am familiar with all my equipment and I have access to it 24/7. The more projects I work on down there, the more I learn about what works and what doesn’t, so it’s a constant learning process. As opposed to paying an engineer at a studio to turn the knobs for you. And I am a very hands-on person who has a tough watching someone else turn the knobs anyway.

Q: Do you do the mixing yourself or have someone else take care of that?

A: I do all that myself, with the input of the artists I’m recording, of course, but like I said before, I really enjoy the engineering aspect of it all and for me it’s a rather fluid process where as I am recording I’m also mixing. Both for the benefit of wheover is laying down tracks – because the better it sound to them, the better they are going to play, and also to satisfy myself. I’m always trying to figure out ways to make things sound as good as possible during the process. So by by the time I’m don’t tracking, it’s already sounding pretty close to how it should sound.

Q: Say I'm a beginner and want to record some pretty basic stuff for a few songs. What would you recommend?

A: Well, if you are a beginner with a Mac you don’t need to do much because it comes with Garage Band which a good program to get started on. If you want to record more than one track at a time you need to get a new interface, but if you just want to record some guitar and then ad vocals later you can just plug in a mic and go. Or very not much money you can get an MBox which allows you to record 2 tracks at the same time. All you need is a couple mics, say a SM57 for your guitar and a SM58 for vocals and you’d have a good start.

Also many company’s make “all-in-one” digital multi-track recorders that are sort of the new versions of the old cassette tape 4 tracks. I have never used one personally, but if they are as easy to use as an old Tascam 4-track, then they should be fine for a beginner. But I’d rather use a cassette 4-track. You’d be surprised at how much you can do with that.

Q: I'm assuming you've recorded for Simon. What else have you recorded?

A: I have recorded tons of Simon stuff at home, but nothing that will see the light of day. This sort of relates to your “demo” question. One of the nice things about having the studio set up all the time is that I am able to record rehearsals and burn discs of the songs we are working on for the rest of the band so they can learn them and work on their parts. For example, we are currently working on some recordings for Simon’s new record. We built a studio in a warehouse are tracking it on 16-track 1” tape. But we demoed them first at my place so we could get the arrangements worked out before we went to do it on tape, again saving money and time. I think the first thing I did at my place was for an old band I was in called Hubble with Reagan Roeder, although as happens too often, the band broke up before we ever released it. I have also made a record for local singer/songwriter Dylan Davis, which is also yet to be released, and I finished up Lonnie Methe’s “Calendar Work” which was started on 8 track tape, then bounced into Protools for additional tracking and mixing. That will be released on Simon’s Grapefruit Records imprint.

I really just record myself and my friends. I don’t run it as a business. I don’t charge anyone. With places like ARC and The Warehouse in town, I don’t really have any delusions about competing in that market.

MAHA returns in 2012

2011-11-01T11:14:00.002-05:00

Maha Music Festival is coming back in 2012 as we all knew (or at least hoped) that it would.

It's the little indie festival that could and, so far, it's proven to be the best rock festival going in Omaha. Here's hoping it continues to grow to bigger names and expand to multiple days.

Anyway, the fest will be returning to Stinson Park at Aksarben Village. Maha organizer Tre Brashear tells me that the festival was a lot more difficult to put on at Stinson Park (setting up fences and such was probably a lot more work), but fans loved the spot so much that they decided to move the fest there.

From people that went to the festival (I was, unfortunately, absent), I heard almost nothing but good things about the new venue. In fact, only one person said they didn't like Stinson Park but that guy felt it should be somewhere downtown. But an actual suitable location? He couldn't think of one.

In other news, the festival will take place on Aug. 11, 2012, which is about the same weekend as last year. It should keep them from getting pushed by Red Sky again, but that late date also seemed to cause Maha to struggle with lining up talent they wanted (a lot of artists head to Europe after their summer tours end in late July/early August).

Then again, Maha's running a week after Lollapalooza (Aug. 3-5, 2012), so maybe they'll be able to route around their giant, older brother and grab some of the same names.

What's next then? The lineup, of course. Who would you want to see play Maha? (Please think realistically.) I have a few thoughts, but I'll only share if you do.

To the comments!

OEA Awards: Comments from Marq Manner

2011-10-17T14:07:00.001-05:00

There's been some issues with the comments system on the blog (and just problems with Blogger in general) today. Marq Manner, music man about town and an OEA Award organizer, had some comments for my blog post about the nominees and the OEA Awards in general.

Instead of hiding it on the comments section of that post, I wanted to break it out and make it bigger.

He makes lots of good points here and explains some of the ways decisions are made for the awards.

Hello Kevin,

Thank you for the announcement. I would like to comment on some points. Comments, suggestions, and perception of the awards show from both the press, public and musicians have played a huge role in shaping this event and the categories over the years.

-Until this year we have not gotten a response back from you or any OWH music reporter. I just assumed that employees of the OWH may not be able to be involved. if I missed a response back from you last year, I apologize. We still ask every year. I am glad that you will be involved this year as your opinion is valued. The nominees are decided by a small group who go over the public ballots that are compiled by an accounting firm. The full academy votes on the winners.

-There is no "alternative" category (we dropped that I think two years ago to go with just "indie" music. Adult Alternative is a radio format that six years ago was something that a lot of bands in Omaha fit into. It evolved into a songwriter category-and I will be suggesting it just be a singer-songwriter category next year. I personally am not a fan of that tag either and understand the confusion involved with it. It was skipped this year when talking about other changes that we were making.

-These are not my words-but this is what was decided by the board (of which there are more music members than ever before). "We felt that this was a way to open up the categories and competition a little more. Progressive and Funk feature tendencies that are similar in structure so we felt this would be a great combination. Again we made some changes this year that we felt would increase the interest of the awards. Moving Funk from the Soul/R&B/Gospel category into a group that we felt was a better representation of the scene seemed like a positive move. I hope this clarifies. More feedback is always appreciated."

-Every year things evolve in the Omaha music scene and we try to evolve with it. We also listen to comments from the press, public, and musicians and take those comments seriously. Some other changes that we have made this year based on suggestions/complaints are that we "dropped" easy listening from the Jazz category. This is in response to members of the jazz community and because a "vocal standards/easy listening" contingent is not making an impact in Omaha at this time. We have dropped best "Christian" and moved gospel into the soul category. We added EDM (Electronic Dance Music) to the DJ category to try an represent more of the dance music scene in Omaha. We also shortened the Country/Americana category from four words to two. :)

-Some nominees are public nominees. Some bands and artists get their fan bases active and thus you may see some bands and artists on the list that many might not be familiar with. In the past some names have come out of the public nominees that might have fallen under the radar had it not been for the top public nominee. I would love to say that I know everything happening in every age group or scene in town-but I do not. People like Daniel Christian, Ember Schrag, and others have come out of these nominations. Both of those artists tour more and are/were more active in their "scenes" than many of the nominated bands by the academy in those given years.

-The OEEA's are about the region. A band like the Minnahoonies play many shows in Omaha proper and have played OEAA showcases. We do not feel it is fair to exclude bands from the area. Shenandoah, Iowa is not going to have a music awards show nor is any other town around them. The closest one is Omaha and this is where they play.

-Many city and state awards shows around the country recognize artists after they have "made it". We choose to do so as well. The Minnesota Music Awards always did (I think this is defunct), The Minnesota Black Music Awards do this, The Boston Music Awards do this (heck they named the ancient Peter Wolf of the J. Geils band as album of the year last year), City of Music (Seattle) awards major artists (Brandi Carlisle, Fleet Foxes, etc. though it is a different format than ours), as does the Austin Music Awards.

I appreciate the announcement andyou having a section where are able to comment. Thank you.

MarQ Manner
Music Nominating Co-Chair Omaha Entertainment And Arts Awards

OEAA's announces music nominees

2011-10-17T10:44:00.004-05:00

It's time to name the best in Omaha music. At least, that's the intention of the Omaha Entertainment And Arts Awards.

On Saturday, the nominations were released. And, after some voting, the winners will be picked in February.

While I think this is one of the better nomination lists I've ever seen from the OEA Awards, it's still flawed.

Why is "best adult" combined with "alternative" and "songwriter? And why is there a category that just says "indie?" Those bands would fit under rock, alternative and singer/songwriter. Why is "funk" paired with "prog" and "experimental?" And who are the Minnahoonies and why are they voted one of the best rock bands? I've never heard of them. (Upon further research, they're from Shenandoah, which should also disqualify them.)

Most pressing of all, why are Bright Eyes and Tim Kasher even in this fight? Yes, they are two of the biggest names in Omaha music, but they're not in the same league as these other guys (nor are Emphatic, which released a major-label album).

Putting those guys in the same category as Matt Cox Band and Galvanized Tron is like nominating the Yankees and the Omaha Stormchasers for "best baseball team." They're not on the same level. I think I know who's going to win.

Also, when Bright Eyes wins best artist, will Conor Oberst finally show up to pick it up his award?

Of course, it comes from the process by which nominees are picked. Nominations are submitted by the public. Then "the academy" votes on the nominees to choose the winners.

(Note: I'm supposedly an academy member, but I've never voted. I've also never received a ballot to vote, so that explains that. Hopefully, this year I'll be able to participate.)

Still, the nominees are mostly right. There's a lot of good music on that list. And it's a great starting point for someone not familiar with the scene to maybe familiarize themselves.

Anyway, the 2012 awards show will go down ~~on Feb. 12 at Harrah's~~ sometime in February. The awards are moving back to Omaha (they've been in CB in recent years), but the venue hasn't yet been decided.

You probably want to see the nominees. Check them out after the jump.

Read them and let me know what you think in the comments.

Best New Artist
• Gus and Call
• Icky Blossoms
• We Be Lions
• The Big Deep
• Snake Island
• The Seen

Best Artist
• Galvanized Tron
• Emphatic
• Tim Kasher
• Bright Eyes
• Matt Cox

Best Cover Band
• Secret Weapon
• Hi-Fi Hangover
• Yesterday & Today
• Lemon Fresh Day
• Jerry Pranksters

Best Ethnic
• Omaha Guitar Trio
• The Bishops
• Vibenhai
• Donneybrook
• Mariachi Luna y sol

Best Progressive/Experimental/Funk
• Funk Trek
• In Dreama
• Blue Martian Tribe
• Machete Archive
• The Midland Band
• Satchel Grande

Best Jazz
• Steve Raybine
• Robot Baklva
• Matt Amandus
• Jazzocracy
• Jorge Nilla and The Jazz Ninjas

Best Blues
• Kris Lager Band
• Brad Cordle Band
• Lil’ Slim Blues Band
• 112 North Duck
• Mojo and The Mofos

Best Hip Hop
• Galvanized Tron
• Jimmy Hooligan
• Conchance
• Pflames
• Scru Face Jean
• Purveyors of the Conscious Sound

Best Soul/R&B and Gospel
• JaSoulo
• Lucas Kellison and the Assembled Soul
• The 9’s
• Second Chance
• Voices of Victory

Best Country/Americana
• Kanesville Boys
• Matt Cox Band
• Platte River Rain
• Jaymie Jones
• Filter Kings

Best DJ/EDM
• Somasphere
• Brent Crampton
• Gunk DJ’s (Kobrakyle and $pencelove)
• Icky Blossoms
• BASSthoven

Best Indie
• Lonely Estates
• Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship
• Conduits
• So-So Sailors
• Dim Light
• Blue Bird

Best Hard Rock
• Against The Artificial
• Broken Crown
• The End In Red
• The Wreckage
• Aurasing

Best Rock
• Rock Paper Dynamite
• Voodoo Method
• Vago
• Mitch Gettman
• Kris Lager Band
• Minnahoonies

Best Adult/Alternative…Songwriter
• Tara Vaughan
• Mitch Gettman
• Manny Coon
• All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
• South Of Lincoln
• Eli Mardock

Best Album
• Bright Eyes - "The People's Key"
• Tim Kasher - "The Game of Monogamy"
• Matt Cox - "Tracks in Sound"
• Galvanized Tron - "Galvanized Tron"
• Emphatic - "Damage"

This week in GO: Widespread Panic and more

2011-10-14T15:01:00.001-05:00

This week in The World-Herald's GO entertainment magazine, you'll find a whole bunch of entertainment readin'.

• My column was on nothing exciting, just fake rock 'n' roll tweeters that make me laugh.

• I also wrote a video game review on "X-Men: Destiny." Despite my love for the X-Men, this game wasn't too great.

• Widespread Panic is making a stop in Omaha on their last tour before a long break. I talked to percussionist Sunny Ortiz.

• While it's not really musical, Josie Loza wrote about the zombie walk going down in Benson on Saturday. You may spot me all undead-like, shuffling around at the Waiting Room afterparty.

• And, as always, you can check out our live music calendar and Ticket Booth, our list of upcoming shows with tickets on sale (or sold out).

First song from First Aid Kit's new album (recorded in Omaha)

2011-10-12T11:37:00.002-05:00

Back in May, I wrote about Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit recording in Omaha with Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes. Mogis, Nate Walcott and a variety of other Omaha musicians recorded with the band for the album.

Today, the first fruits of that collaboration can be heard. The album's title track, "The Lion's Roar," is available today for streaming. (Listen below.)

Sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg told NPR that the song was written during a drive through a Scottish moor and the song changed the shape of the record.

"During the tour, we listened a lot to Townes Van Zandt in the car. We were inspired by this mystic scenery, as well as Townes Van Zandt's beautiful melodies. By far our darkest song to date," they said. "The mystic feeling of this song came to characterize a big part of the new record."

The song will be released as a single digitally on Nov. 8. A 7-inch can be found at the band's shows currently and will be at record stores on Dec. 12. Then on Jan. 24, "The Lion's Roar" album will be available through U.K. label Wichita Recordings.

The band recently toured with Bright Eyes and is currently out in Europe and the U.S. with Lykke Li.

Live Review: The Head And The Heart at The Waiting Room

2011-10-10T17:46:00.001-05:00

The Head And The Heart

Sunday was at least my fourth time seeing The Head And The Heart have made its toe-tapping campfire dance songs get better and better each time.

The Waiting Room Lounge was sold out on Sunday night, and while I've been there for many a sold-out night, I've never seen it packed up against the stage like that. And I've never heard a crowd go that wild for a band, especially a new band who was on its first ever headlining tour.

They sing songs about reading good books, playing music and enjoying the good life. "Heaven Go Easy On Me" personifies these themes the most (and carries the band's name in its lyrics) with the line "Don't follow your head/Follow your heart."

From the first song, the crowd knew the words and belted them out. It reached a crescendo with the end of "Rivers And Roads" where the band's harmonies and the crowd's shouts were so thick that I got chills down my back.

"Lost In My Mind" was the biggest number. From the first words, the crowd was into it and opening band Thao + The Get Down Stay Down jumped onstage to make for 14 performers.

Another highlight was the encore, which started with Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell performing "No One To Let You Down" and ended with the whole band performing "Down In The Valley." (Watch video.)

Only one part of the show was unfortunate. It was short. But that's no surprise considering the band has one album and a few new songs, which is what Mumford & Sons ran up against at this summer's Stir Concert Cove show.

Wait until this band has another album under its belt (you shouldn't have to wait long... they already played a bunch of new tunes on Sunday). You'll see them rise even higher, taking a course similar to Mumford or The Civil Wars.

They're incredibly talented, somehow able to take folk songs and make some into something you'd dance to and others that you'd be comfortable singing at church with a lot of other pretty voices. I mean, if my 2-year-old nephew knows the band well enough to say "rivers and roads" repeatedly whenever the band comes on, they must be doing something right.

They were on of my favorites at SXSW earlier this year and I can't wait to see where they go. Should be a fun ride, especially if crowds keep loving them like this.

Setlist and video come after the jump.

Setlist:
"Cats And Dogs"
"Couer D'Alene"
"Ghosts"
"Honey Come Home"
"When I Fall Asleep" *
"Heaven Go Easy On Me"
"Grandfather's Charm" *
"Lost In My Mind"
"Winter Song"
"Sounds Like Hallelujah"
"Rivers And Roads"
ENCORE: "No One To Let You Down"
"Down In The Valley"
- Songs marked with * were new and don't have official titles yet.

Rock Candy Interview: Girl Talk

2011-10-06T12:10:00.000-05:00

Girl Talk (real name: Gregg Gillis). Photo by Paul Sobota.

A few years ago, Gregg Gillis was an engineer working an office job.

On the side, he was making music with his laptop by cutting apart popular songs and making new songs out of their pieces.

Now, you'd know him a lot better by the moniker Girl Talk. He's a mashup artist, taking loops and samples from different songs and smashing them together to make one big, amazing track.

At his shows - including the one tonight at Stir Concert Cove - Gillis does this live from a pair of laptops. (Listen to "Triple Double" by Girl Talk.)

Last week, I called Gillis to talk about Girl Talk. We got through a lot of tidbits including how many samples he actually uses, the rise and rise of electronic music and what the first Girl Talk show was like.

Kevin Coffey: This is your third trip to the Omaha area in three years and yours shows have gotten bigger and bigger in size. What do you attribute that to?

Gregg Gillis: I feel like kind of the cycle to hit up most major cities about once a year. It's the only true indication of how the project is doing or how many people it's reaching. I don't have a song on the radio or record sales or anything like that. The only actual numbers in my life is attendance.

Pretty much every city, it's been growing. Along with that, we've been pushing for the show to grow. I've been paying more attention to what we're doing on stage because that's kind of become a major part of doing this now.

KC: With how big the show is now, it makes me wonder what the first Girl Talk show was like.

GG: The general idea and attitude was very similar, but it was very small scale. I was very serious about the project musically and conceptually. I was playing with other electronic artists. It would be a DIY show space with a bunch of other people.

Back then, to a certain degree, I wanted it to be a production and reference big stadium shows. But back then, I was trying to entertain people and have a fun show, but poking fun at myself to a certain degree. This grand laptop spectacle show, you know?

The attitude and a mentality was always there. I was just operating at a very small level and with a much smaller crowd. It was also more of a raw thing early on. I was interacting with the crowd and jumping on top of them physically - anything to have a real human element to the electonric music.

The show is really now a blown up version of that.

KC: It seems that electronic music is growing and growing. I saw you at this tiny rock club a couple years ago and then at Lollapalooza in the Perry's tent, which has also blown up in size. Why do you think that is?

GG: It's really exciting. Going back to what I was saying with the early days, I always liked that idea and people had definitely done it back in the day, all the way to Kraftwerk. Around 2000, there was a negative stigma attached to live electronic music that it would be boring or not entertaining.

I wanted to have a show that's entertaining and push electronic music. An entertaining show and not just something that's a dance party. A multi-level show. That's always been a big goal of mine.

At a lot of the venues I was playing at, it was primarily rock bands and hip hop groups. Touring at this level with various shows, it still is relatively new enough ranging to deadmau5 to what I'm doing.

I feel like it is an open book. Wide open for people dong whatever they want to do. It's hard to come up with solutions to make their shows visually entertaining, but a lot of these electronic musicians are drawing as much as large rock bands.

It's definitely happened over the years. Before this generation, there was the Chemical Brothers or Prodigy doing it. There's been different waves of it but it's hitting harder now than ever. The creative energy behind the shows is amazing, too.

All styles of music are competitive. You know, 'Do it bigger than the other person.' I love checking out these other artists to see what they're doing. Definitely excited to see where they've gone.

KC: Do you get to see a lot of shows, rock or electronic or otherwise?

GG: Not so much shows but festivals definitely. A lot of times at festivals, I get to see all kinds of stuff.

I feel like a lot of the electronic artists that I know, I'll catch on YouTube. I've seen a lot of stuff through video. When I'm home, I see local bands in Pittsburgh and friends' bands. Going to a festival, I can see all kinds of stuff.

KC: What do you listen to when you're not searching for a sample?

GG: Stuff that I listen to but I won't sample. (Pauses) When I'm looking for a sample, I like it to fit within top 40 or familiar songs. Do something with them because that's what people will recognize.

The mixtape scene out of hip-hop is really big with me. The mixtape world, there's so much content and it's exciting for me and raw. Rappers will put out one mixtape per month. There's this constant stream of songs. A lot of that stuff is far from what I would sample, but I really like keeping up with that.

Otherwise, it's random stuff. Yuck, their CD. I've been listening to a lot of soul and Motown recently. Yo La Tengo, too. I plow through a bunch of CDs.

KC: Is it hard for you to not be looking for a sample? Can you turn it off?

GG: Definitely. I feel like I can kind of get in and out of it. When I put on the new Wocka Flocka Flame tape, I'm interested in it, but knowing it's outside the world of things I'm going to sample. So yeah, usually I can turn it off a little bit.

I'm in my set currently and I really wish I had more early 80s synth pop. When I'm hunting for a sample, I'll turn on the radio or something. That's just a different style of listening. It's not really listening, but hunting. I enjoy that process. Different sort of experience than listening to me.

Even when I am just listening to the radio, it doesn't ruin that experience. Things pop out of every song. It's not something that takes away from it, though.

KC: I think a lot of people don't realize it, but you use a ton of samples, not just one music track and one vocal track. How many do you typically use in a set?

GG: Typically - this is an estimation - maybe in an hour of playing it's maybe 400 or 500 loops. You might recognize the main pieces, but not everything. I like the shows to be as isolated as possible. It sounds like two or three things playing at once, but in reality it might be 12.

The more I do, the more I've gotten interested in making it more complex. It's very thick and layered. There will be little vocal samples and tiny pieces of one song.

I am super impressed that there are people who recognized that Silverchair snare drum. That's kind of part of it.

KC: One reader wanted to know how many laptops you had gone through?

GG: I've been good in the last couple years because I've been using these Panasonic Toughbooks. Prior to that, in between 2003 to 2008 it was probably two a year. The shows were raw and I didn't have the money to blow back then on nice laptops.

As the show's gotten bigger and more orchestrated, it's a little better. But it used to be a total free for all and night-to-night people were spilling beer or falling on them.

KC: From your tweets, it seems like you go out a lot after shows. Does that happen a lot? Plan on doing it in Omaha?

GG: It depends on the night. I love doing weekend show schedule where I'm doing a Friday-Saturday show. If I'm not on tour, I'm at my house every day keeping it low key. But I tour with a lot of my close friends and people who live in different states from me.

If I'm not feeling completely ready to throw up after a show, which does happen, I love checking out a city. It's my night to have fun. When the show ends it's a good time to catch up with people.

I'm trying to think of what we did in Omaha. What was that club? Slowhand?

KC: Slowdown.

GG: Yeah, Slowdown. We just chilled there at the end of the night. Nothing really stands out.

KC: Are people from your hometown or your old job ever surprised at your success?

GG: Less weird about the coworkers because I was only at that job for 2 or 3 years. People from college and people from high school, it's definitely weird.

In the music scene though, there was always people in bands or trying to get in bands and trying to break it big, trying to fuck shit up.

Back then, my project was all about 'fuck the world' sort of mentality. 'I'm here to wreck shit and get out.'

They would all be like this is very weird about what's happened to him.

All of the music back then and even the first six years of being Girl Talk, there was never any career ambition whatsoever. A lot of my friends were doing electronic stuff, too. We weren't living off it. It was such a subculture. It was so small at the time.

Honestly, this is very surreal that this is gong on and I'm able to sell out those venues.

KC: Is it strange to be doing this professionally?

GG: The opportunity was given to me then, and I pushed it as much as I could. Where it is at now is definitely insane. I've been doing it professionally for four years.

When this project started, I was so far removed from making a living off of it.

If you're in a band, you might just be doing it for fun but you know in the back of your head that you want to make it big. In my world there was truly no precedent for this level of success as far as the people I was looking up to.

So, I didn't think it would actually happen to any degree.

KC: I notice that you always refer to it as "the project." Why is that? Do you envision yourself doing something else?

GG: (Laughs) It's just weird for me to call it 'me.' Girl Talk represents a specific side of me, plus there's so many other people involved.

If you're Lady Gaga or something, I think that's not you. It just represents a part of you.

So, I have a hard time referring it to Girl Talk as myself. It's more of an 'it' than a 'me.'

Of course, I'm the main person behind it, but a lot of other minds are involved in it.

It feels like a project. I think though if this wouldn't have become something of a career then I would still be doing it, but probably at a different level.

But there's no doubt in my mind: Girl Talk would still exist.

Girl Talk, "Triple Double"

This week in GO: McCarthy Trenching, Head And The Heart, Girl Talk, LeAnn Rimes

2011-10-06T11:16:00.001-05:00

It's a busy week for music coming up, which is why I wrote a whole bunch of stuff for GO. Here's what you can read from me this week:

• Tonight, Girl Talk will turn Stir Cove into a big old dance off. I talked to Gregg Gillis last week.

• LeAnn Rimes starts a three-day stand with the Omaha Symphony on Friday.

• On Sunday, The Head And The Heart will play a sold-out show at The Waiting Room. I spoke to bassist Chris Zasche about the band's start and rise.

• Local singer/songwriter Dan McCarthy releases a new album with McCarthy Trenching, "Fresh Blood," next week with three shows. He welcomed me into his home with coffee and ragtime.

• After you see McCarthy perform at Saddle Creek Shop on Tuesday, you can go next door and see The Smashing Pumpkins play at Slowdown (if you were lucky enough to get tickets, that is). I'm told by 1% Productions that all tickets were in an online shopping cart within 30 seconds. All transactions were final within 20 minutes.

Bright Eyes covers White Stripes' "We're Going To Be Friends"

2011-10-04T11:19:00.001-05:00

Conor Oberst - Photo by Alyssa Schukar/The World-Herald

For part of a charity project, Conor Oberst and his pals in Bright Eyes covered the White Stripes' "We're Going To Be Friends." (Listen over at Pitchfork.)

The female singing parts are provided by First Aid Kit, which was recording with Mike Mogis at ARC during a break in Bright Eyes' tour this year.

It's interesting to me because back when "We're Going To Be Friends" was released in 2002, Jack White and Oberst were being called the great songwriters of a new generation and were often compared to each other. The sentiment was more or less that Oberst was the folk half of Bob Dylan and White was the rock half. Neither ended up really fitting that description, but that's what critics were saying at the time.

Anyway, the song is part of a compilation called "Cool for School: For the Benefit of the Lunchbox Fund." The Lunchbox Fund is a non-profit org that provides daily meals to poor students in South African high schools.

Not sure when it will be released, but the tracklist follows below:
01. Bright Eyes (feat. First Aid Kit) – “I Can Tell We’re Gonna Be Friends” (White Stripes)
02. Jenny O. – “The Happiest Days of our Lives/Another Brick in the Wall” (Pink Floyd)
03. Gabe Saporta (Cobra Starship) & Louis Epsterin (Jump Into The Gospel) – “Futures So Bright” (Timbuk 3)
04. Albert Hammond Jr. (The Strokes) – “Thirteen” (Big Star)
05. Alexander (Edward Sharpe) – “Teacher/Student”
06. Joseph Arthur – “Rockin’ In The Free World” (Neil Young)
07. Luke Rathborne – “I Hate My School” (Redd Kross)
08. Fences – “School” (Nirvana)
09. Angela McCluskey – “We Rule The School” (Belle & Sebastian)
10. Rain Phoenix & Jonathan Wilson – “Coat of Many Colors” (Dolly Parton)
11. Craig Werden + Pink Ape (Shudder to Think) – “Headmaster’s Ritual” (The Smiths)

Rock Candy Interview: Phil Cook of Megafaun

2011-09-30T14:18:00.000-05:00

They're pals (and former bandmates) of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, Rolling Stone named them one of its "bands to watch" and their latest album is taking praise from everyone, including Pitchfork and Spin.

Many think Megafaun is going to break out (though Phil Cook explained to me how that it's impossible to predict) and I think they just might with the self-titled album, "Megafaun," released on Hometapes.

I was pleasantly delighted by the album, which sits somewhere between a regular folk record and an super-indie-sounding folk/pop album like Bon Iver's recent self-titled effort.

On its current tour, the band stops at The Waiting Room Lounge on Saturday ($10). While they were on the road, Cook subjected himself to my questions.

KC: What’s different about “Megafaun” compared to your past releases? A lot of people have said this album is a “reinvention.”

PC: We feel that way as well. We see it as a shedding of old skin in that we basically found a momentum in our process of writing and recording that we never had before. It yielded a work that was much truer, inspired and focused than our last records. We really flew in the studio and gave one another a lot of space to lead and grow with as well as quickly unified group decision making. It was incredibly rewarding.

KC: Do you think you’ve grown with this record?

PC: The way our band has always operated is by measured growth. If we're not growing with each record, show or rehearsal then we'd fall apart. It's that jazz mentality we grew up with: always striving toward mastery but never reaching it. Endlessly indebted and devoted to the process.

KC: The album feels a little more straightforward and very organic, including the songwriting. Is that something you were going for this time out?

PC: The intuitions and tenancies never change. What changes with us is the clarity with which we convey and unfold those intuitions. We've collectively written 40-some songs, ever. It's not that many but it shows you a scope of our arc. Completing any single idea leads you to the next one and along the way, you already know what you will do differently and better next time as soon as you put the cap on the last one.

KC: You recorded the album in Justin Vernon’s studio. What was that like?

PC: It's was Bon-tastic and falsetto-y! No, all joking aside, it was three weeks of laughing and grinning with my brothers, eating supper with our parents every night and trying to use our time wisely.

KC: Eau Claire’s getting some attention since you guys and Justin Vernon are from there. Is that cool for you?

PC: Eau Claire has always has the potential there. All it took was a general awareness to be heightened amongst the community itself. People realizing they not only wanted the same things from their community, but that many were already working on the pieces separately. Now they're working together. I credit Volume One, the local free weekly that started back in 2002. Great folks.

KC: The band’s gotten a bigger and bigger over the past several years and the praise seems to keep coming for “Megafaun?” Do you think the band’s on the verge of something big? Or is that something you don’t even think about?

PC: Well that's a silly question, admit it. (Editor's note: Yeah, OK.) When has the congruency of critical and mass praise ever been a predictable channel? It's one huge gamble and the odds have never been anything but ludicrously daunting. The only way to make any sort of sure bet is to try to follow your principals and keep yourselves in check. We play for anywhere between 12 and 600 folks a night. What does THAT fantasy football spread leave you with?

If you're in it to get big, you're well on your way to becoming a full fledged asshole. If you're in it to get by, well then welcome to America.

Listen to "Get Right" from "Megafaun:"

Smashing Pumpkins to play Slowdown

2011-09-28T12:08:00.001-05:00

Billy Corgan performs with the Smashing Pumpkins in 2007, at the Orange Peel in Asheville, N.C.

Alt rock fans should get our their calendars and cash. Another band is coming to town and the show looks to be quite a special performance.

Smashing Pumpkins will perform Oct. 11 at Slowdown. Yes, Slowdown, the 470-capacity rock club in north downtown, not a theater or arena.

The last time the band played in Omaha was in 1997. To more than 7,800 people.

Read more »

Photo by The Associated Press

Eric Church records "Drink In My Hand" video at Stir Cove

2011-09-26T12:01:00.001-05:00

If you were at Eric Church's concerts at Stir Concert Cove over the summer, you may have been aware that something special was happening.

As it turns out, the concert was being filmed for a music video of "Drink In My Hand."

“I’d went there for the sole purpose of getting live footage and maybe doing a video, but just filming the show. The crowds were so great there that we just kind of decided on the fly that we would shoot the video. It wasn’t really planned out," Church told tasteofcountry.com. "It’s really just showing our live show and showing some of the stuff that went on during those shows in Council Bluff, and really just trying to show what ‘Drink in My Hand’ looks like live. We got some shots of the crowd, and at one point I jumped off into the crowd a little bit … it was pretty damn crazy! It was something that was fun to get on camera.”

He obviously loves the crowds here as he keeps coming back. And he sells enough tickets to his shows that he always sells the place out.

The video's pretty awesome because it features a ton of local people.

Were you at the show? Did you spot yourself?

Thanks to Marq Manner for the tip.

Gear Up: iFrogz headphones and earbuds

2011-09-23T14:25:00.000-05:00

You can imagine how happy I was last week to find a box at my desk full of headphones. iFrogz asked me if I'd like to take a look/listen at some of their products and I was happy to oblige.

So, I bring you the inaugural edition of Gear Up wherein I review music and audio gear of all kinds. This time, I'm taking a look at three models of headphones by iFrogz.

To test these puppies out, I picked two pieces of music. The Beatles' "Abbey Road' and this year's self-titled album by Bon Iver. Both have lush soundscapes, sweet melodies, vocals and deep bass and drums. Especially Bon Iver's "Perth," a song heavy with sound.

Mogul headphones

These babies are just about the top of the line from iFrogz. They retail for $69.99, but sound like they should cost more. Wearing them the first time, I could tell these were incredibly superior to the earbuds I've been using for the last year or so.

These headphones delivered both nuanced and rich pieces of music with incredible clarity as well as a good amount of low-end from the bass and drums. You really don't know how much of the music you're missing until you plug in with a good pair of headphones.

I could easily pick out different instruments and felt like I was getting the full experience of a song.

The headphones are mostly comfortable, but a bit heavy even though the body is constructed from plastic. They're not flimsy, but don't feel super-sold either, but I do enjoy the addition of the headphones' DJ-style mounting (the speakers rotate outward making it easy to hold just one speaker to your ear).

Rating: ★★★½ (out of four)

Vertex headphones

The Vertex headphones were comfortable, lightweight and had a sturdy metal construction as well as a full sound. They didn't quite have as much bass as the Moguls, but were still miles better than your standard earbuds.

These bad boys retail for $49.99 and that's about right. The addition of the inline microphone (great if you're listening to music on your phone) is also pretty slick.

One thing that I noticed that's neither a plus nor a minus: These seemed to be set at a higher volume than other headphones I've used.

Rating: ★★½ (out of four)

Timbre Pro earbuds

Easily the best earbuds I've ever used. The Timbre Pros have a speaker chamber made out of wood, which gives them a much more rich and warm sound compared to regular earbuds. At $49.99, these cost quite a bit more than standard earbuds, but they do sound better.

Of course, they're earbuds, so they don't have as much bass and everything sounds more blended together than listening on a good set of stereo speakers or standard headphones. But they're a great option if you're looking to upgrade.

The Timbre Pros have an inline microphone that I used several times with my iPhone 4 and seemed to pick up my voice a little better than the earbuds included with the phone.

Rating: ★★★ (out of four)

Gear Up is a regular column to review audio and musical gear and accesories including stereo equipment, earplugs, instruments and anything else music-related you can think of.

Have a product that you'd like us to review? Send it to Kevin Coffey, 1314 Douglas St. Suite 700, Omaha, NE 68102.

This Week in GO

2011-09-22T13:27:00.001-05:00

Every Thursday, the World-Herald puts out its GO magazine inside the pages of the paper. You can also find free copies on a rack near you.

In each GO is a bunch of music stuff written by yours truly. For your perusal, I give you the following.

• Rock Candy: Next week has plenty of chances to check out bands - Lots of great local music is happening including Conduits and It's True!

• CD Review: Nirvana, "Nevermind" 20th anniversary reissue

• Live Music Calendar - Live concert listing from 09/22/2011 to 09/28/2011.

• Ticket Booth - Ticket information for upcoming concerts, including those just announced.

Guns N Roses coming to town

2011-09-21T13:18:00.001-05:00

Yep, you read the headline right. GNR in Omaha.

Sadly, it won't be the Guns N' Roses you see above, but the Axl-fronted, Slashless version that's together right now.

There's no date or venue listed with the Omaha date, but "Omaha, NE" is clearly on the list in between Nov. 5 in Texas and Nov. 12 in Kansas City.

I would assume the date would be something like Nov. 9 or 10 at CenturyLink Center Omaha.

Most cities on the list don't have a confirmed date or venue. The press release says more information (dates, venues and more cities) is coming soon.

The dates:
Oct 28 Orlando, FL @ Amway Center Arena
Oct 29 Miami, FL @ American Airlines Arena
Oct 31 Greenville, SC @ Bi-Lo Center Arena
Nov 2 Atlanta, GA @ Phillips Arena
Houston, TX
Nov 5 Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavillion
Omaha, NE
Tulsa, OK
Nov 12 Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center Arena
Nov 13 Minneapolis, MN @ Target Center Arena
Chicago, IL @ All State Arena
East Rutherford, NJ
Hartford, CT
Wilkes-Barre, PA
Worcester, MA
Camden, NJ
Detroit, MI
Cincinnati, OH
Nashville, TN
Indianapolis, IN
Denver, CO

Update: GNR is coming to Omaha on Nov. 8 at CenturyLink Center. More details here.

Live Review: MC Chris at the Waiting Room

2011-09-19T17:44:00.001-05:00

I'm a music guy, but I'm also a big nerd, so when the two worlds collide in nerdcore hip-hop, I'm pretty excited. (For the record, I'm not one of those people that try to apply the "nerd" badge in an effort to be cool. My giant comic book and action figure collections speak to my geek cred, if there is such as thing.)

Probably the biggest nerdcore artist is MC Chris. His songs play in Honda commercials and whenever Blink-182 or Kevin Smith take the stage. And it's not just that he raps about Star Wars and Batman, it's that he's good at it.

So, I finally took the plunge and got to see him at the Waiting Room on Sunday, where he's performed a bunch before, but I've always missed it.

Not this time. I unfortunately missed the openers (I've heard good things about both MC Lars and Adam Warrock), but made it just before MC Chris took the stage.

For starters, it was a good show, though pretty short (an apt way to describe both MC Chris and his songs as well).

He kicked things off with "I Like Candy" and then tried three separate times to do "Nerd Cave" from his latest album, but he couldn't quite keep up with the backing track. So, to get it right, he started the entire set over, and from there was flawless.

He queued up songs from an iTunes window on a laptop and launched into excellent rhymes in songs such as "Hoodie Ninja," "Motorbike," "Nrrrd Grrrl," "Pizza But" and his "Star Wars" anthem, "Fett's Vette."

My personal favorite was "OMC," in which he rapped over a combo of the "Back To The Future" theme, "Power Of Love" and "Axel F."

A couple times during the show, I thought MC Chris came off as kind of a jerk to his fans. He made one kid who was using his phone during the first song go to the back of the crowd. Later, he asked another fan not to sing along so loudly. To be fair, it's his show and you have to have a little respect for him vocalizing frustration with obnoxious fans, but it certainly takes balls to tell a fan exactly how they can or cannot enjoy themselves at your concert especially when those people paid $13 to see you perform.

Still, the audience respected and adored him. He had total control as the crowd calpped, waved and sang along with whatever he asked. He also silenced the backing track during one song and the crowd shouted back every word.

A big part of is love by fans is evidenced by how he stays after every show - including Sunday's - and stands by the merch booth to talk to every last fan. Very few artists (Ben Kweller and Matt & Kim are only ones that come to mind) do that, but it's an excellent way to build an audience and I love when artists do that.

Between his songs, he also cracked a lot of jokes about video games, obscure movies and all the stuff that nerds love. He's genuinely hilarious and I was laughing hard, which made me wonder why there's not a group of stand-ups that riff on pop culture and nerd stuff. They'd sure have my support, but I've never heard of any. (Of course, feel free to tell me I'm wrong and direct me to someone to check out.)

In the end, it was a perfectly excellent hybrid of geekiness (especially with the costume contest mid-show) and music that I'd love to see replicated more often.

Column: Big Harp returns for CD release

2011-09-01T19:07:00.000-05:00

Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin-Senseney of Big Harp.

Big Harp is about to embark on a family road trip.

The band featuring husband-and-wife duo Chris Senseney and Stefanie Drootin-Senseney is touring this fall, and the couple are taking their two young children along.

Former Baby Walrus drummer John Voris will join them, both because of his musical skills and his "awesome fit" with their kids.

"We have a minivan. We're gonna get a trailer," Stefanie said.

Read more >>

Rock Candy Interview: Craig Finn of The Hold Steady

2011-08-26T15:46:00.001-05:00

The Hold Steady

Over the last few years, The Hold Steady has become one of my favorite bands. No surprise, as I tend to get giddy like a child when they come to town.

For me, it's that the Hold Steady are a direct line to what the hell is going on. Frontman Craig Finn’s lyrics paint a picture of good times and laughs as well as desperation and drunkenness. Meanwhile, Tad Kubler's guitar riffs are so huge, they're bumping against the ceiling.

I can't get enough of the band and I'm looking forward to Finn's upcoming solo album and the next Hold Steady record, which Finn told me is coming soon.

In anticipation of the band’s rocking set coming tonight at Slowdown’s annual block party, we called Finn during a break with the band’s rehearsals in Milwaukee.

Check out the show tonight for free by heading to main sponsor Toyota's website and submitting an RSVP.

We talked about the band's current tour, his recently-recorded solo album, whether girls really do go for status and how he's proud that he doesn't look anything like The Strokes.

Kevin Coffey: What’s The Hold Steady’s lineup like right now?

Craig Finn: It’s a five-piece. No keys. We did a few shows with it earlier this year and it really energized us. We really liked it. Once we added the second guitar player, there felt like there wasn’t a ton of room for everything.

The guitars were playing so well together that we decided to kind of take it in that direction.

We had to reinvent a couple songs a little bit to cover the keyboard parts, but we’ve really liked it.

KC: There’s a few of those songs were the keys are the main melody.

CF: I think you’d be surprised. There’s even some keyboard breakdown parts that we had to rethink but it caused us to be really creative. It’s been fun. It’s pretty cool. We’re really happy with it.

KC: You just got done recording your solo album, right?

CF: I did a record down in Austin, Texas, in July and hopefully that will come out probably just after the new year. It’s still being mixed. That was super fun.

KC: The Hold Steady was on break from touring. Was that something to do or did you have some material you wanted to put out?

CF: Yeah, I had kind of some material that was really, I don’t know, simpler than the Hold Steady. It was kind of like real lyric-driven things that were pretty mellow, maybe more narrative, more story-telling kind of things.
I kinda wanted was something like that.

We had a four month break which was the longest by far we’ve ever had in this band. I thought, ‘Hell, this is a good time to do it.’

I went down there and it was a lot of fun.

As we’re gonna start writing the new Hold Steady record this fall. I kinda thought I was like forced into some creative growth, just trying to do new things with new people. That was kind of an unintended benefit, I guess. Or maybe an intended benefit, too.

KC: How do you usually write? Do you sit down with a notebook?

CF: I write like a notebook that’s separate. I just write. Then Tad comes in with riffs and stuff and I say, ‘You know, I’ve got soemthing that works with that.’ That’s kind of how we piece everything together.

It’s sort of separate and then he’ll come up with riffs individually. He writes pretty much all the music. I’m pretty much bringing all the lyrics.

KC: A lot of your songs reference real places and real songs, but are the stories real, too? It’s hard to believe someone could live through all that.

CF: Yeah. I always say that if I ever wrote the stories that were really about my life, they’d be really boring songs. But there’s certainly some relation to it.

But I’ve always really liked as a music fan really specific lyrics. That’s always something that I think is important and cool.

You always make the music that you want to hear yourself. That’s what I like — things like city names or street corners or even songs or musicians come into my lyrics.

KC: Rarely are you lyrics vague.

CF: Yeah, at least that’s sort of what I like about the lyricists that I like. Often times, (it’s) their specificity. Specificness? Something like that. You know what I mean.

KC: Who are some of your favorite lyricists?

CF: You know, the classics. There’s Dylan and Springsteen and Paul Westerberg was a huge one growing up in Minneapolis.

But more recently, I think John Darnielle from the Mountain Goats is a great lyricist. John Samson from the Weakerthans is one of my favorites.

Anything can come and surprise you. The Drive-By Truckers are a great one.

KC: Do you still go to a lot of shows?

CF: Yeah. All the time. I go a lot. I really still love music. Even though I’m on the road and surrounded by music. I really do enjoy going out. In New York, I’d say at least a show a a week. Maybe more.

KC: Do you go out a lot in Austin?

CF: I saw Alejandro Escoveda. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen all year. I saw him at the Continental Club and it was super Austin. It was everything I wanted Austin to be when I went there.

KC: What do you do when you’re not doing The Hold Steady?

CF: I read a lot. I ran a half marathon. I trained for that. I’ve always been a runner but I’ve never done a distance like that. I’ve always done like 3 miles. I upped that game little bit. I spent a little bit of time in Minneapolis.

But mainly I tried to rest up because I knew that touring and all the craziness that comes along with it would crank up starting right now.

KC: You’re 40 now. Is it harder to do now than it was 10 years ago?

CF: Yeah, definitely. It’s harder, but you get better at it.

Put it this way: It would really hard to do the way I was behaving 10 years ago. It might be easier to do now that I’ve gotten it under control, so to speak. (Laughs)

KC: Have you calmed down?

CF: Yeah. I think when we first went out, we thought they’d take it all away from us so we had to go to every party and drink every bottle of booze.

Three albums in, it’s like wait a minute, we’re going to be doing this for awhile, maybe. You gotta pick your battles.

We still have a good time but it’s nothing near where we were. It used to be kinda crazy.

KC: You always seem to enjoy touring. At least, you seem really happy onstage when other artists sometimes look bummed out. It’s like they enjoy the tour, but not the actual performance.

CF: Personally, this is easily the best job I’ve ever had. It is fun. I think I’m blessed to be able to do this.

I don’t really get that, that sort of pouting on stage.

KC: What are some of the other jobs you’ve had?

CF: I worked at some Internet companies. I worked in wealth management for American Express Financial Advisers.

I had my licenses and all that in my 20s. That was tough. That’s the one I look back on and sort of shudder. We were really overworked and it was pretty tough. It was definitely a job that I had a hard time getting excited about going to.

KC: At your shows, it always seems like there’s a lot of guys and beer cans raised in the air. But the more times I see The Hold Steady, it’s becoming a little more female friendly.

CF: I think it couldn’t get more male, so we’re moving in the right direction.

KC: What do you notice about your fans?

CF: I think one thing that’s kinda interesting is that we have a classic sound. One thing that I think is always kinda cool is when you see fathers and sons or people of different generations showing up at the show together, which is really cool.

It makes me happy to see that.

There is a really big age difference. We skew older, but that allows us to get a big range.

KC: Did you ever go to shows with your parents?

CF: My dad took me to some concerts when I was younger. Styx “Killroy Was Here” tour was my first concert and my dad took me to that. He wasn’t a huge rock fan, but it was just him being a cool dad. I’ve seen the Stones with my dad and Springsteen, I think.

My parents do love The Hold Steady and they definitely come to every show we play in their area.

KC: I’ve always wondered about the story with “Girls Like Status.” Is that a story that your dad actually told you?

CF: Sort of. It was actually a conversation that both of my parents shared with me that they had at a dinner party the night before. It was sort of a consensus that this dinner party reached.

It’s funny. While I definitely tended to disagree when I heard it, it only took moving to New York to see it in action every day.

KC: You talked about another interview that you liked seeing Paul Westerberg because he looked and acted like people you knew. The Hold Steady also seems to give off that vibe. Do you agree? Is that something you’re proud of?

CF: Yeah, it is. I think it’s obvious that our audience sees a lot of themselves in us. I think that’s why we exist. That’s part of the story. Our fans are kind of cheering for us because it’s like ‘Wow, you don’t necessarily look like the Strokes, but you’re out there making good rock music and living this life.’

I think that’s something our fans find attractive in us.

KC: “Heaven Is Whenever” feels a little different from “Stay Positive” and other Hold Steady material. Was there a different approach to that record?

CF: I think it’s kind of what happened. One of it is was writing without the keyboards opened it up. I think there was a little more space or a little more room to breathe.

I think we were trying to do something a little different. “Boys and Girls” and “Stay Positive” sounded really similar to me. We worked with the same producer and they seem like companion pieces to me.

We were somewhat consciously trying to get a different sound in “Heaven Is Whenever.” And with Franz leaving the band, it was sort of a transition period too.

It’s hard to know what comes next what sonically it will be like. We really haven’t starting writing, but that’s going to reveal itself soon.

KC: I really like the lyric in “Our Whole Lives” that goes “Gonna make like a preemptive strike/Hit the 5:30 Mass early Saturday night.”

CF: Someone else just told me that today. Someone literally told me that today and said that it was her mom’s favorite Hold Steady lyric.

I do that, too. I’m like, “Tonight’s going to be pretty fun, so I’m just going to get it out of the way.”

KC: Were you raised Catholic?

CF: No, not raised Catholic. I have my own version of Catholicism. I go in like waves of going to church a lot and not going. In this year, 2011, I’ve been on a pretty lame schedule of going to Mass. I’ve probably gone six times this year.

It goes in streaks. I don’t know. I’ll probably be that way my whole life. I don’t have a wife or kids or anything. When you have kids, you start to really make the effort. If it’s just me, I don’t know. That’s when I get really streaky.

KC: You guys have had a big musical output with five albums in seven or eight years. How do you put that much music out?

CF: I think because we’re a little older, I think that our work ethic might be maybe a little more... You know going back to we’ve all had worse jobs.

I just feel like in this day and age, people consume music quickly. If you got ideas, it’s worth sharing and keeps people interested.

So much of what we do is the live thing and my releasing albums it gives us more different songs to throw into the set, which can kind of make for varying sets, which has become more important to us.

With all of the material that we have out there, it’s good to mix it up for the fans.

KC: Other than maybe a few songs, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you guys play the same thing.

CF: That’s really a point of pride for us. There’s some songs that we play a lot: “Chips Ahoy,” “Sequestered in Memphis,” “Stuck Between.” But the ones that round out the set tend to be way different each night.

Column: Spotify is great, but not perfect

2011-08-25T18:08:00.001-05:00

All of the talk you hear about clouds and streams may not be about Mother Nature.

It could also be about music.

Google and Amazon already have cloud music storage services and Apple is following up soon. For those that don't know, they allow you to upload your music to "the cloud" (one of their servers) and then access your music anywhere

Spotify is doing something similar, but you can access any of their 15 million songs, not just the ones that you already own.

Read more >>>

Homer's Music to close one of its two stores

2011-08-22T16:54:00.000-05:00

Homer's, which marks its 40th anniversary in September, plans to close its Orchard Plaza store at 2457 S. 132nd St., leaving the independent music store company with only one location.

At its peak, Homer's had as many as 15 stores in three cities, including Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines.

Read more >>>

CD Reviews: Tim Kasher, Maria Taylor

2011-08-22T16:24:00.003-05:00

Tim Kasher, “Bigamy: More Songs From The Monogamy Sessions”

Saddle Creek
★★★☆

Tim Kasher and Cursive are for many the musical representation of teenage angst. Now that Kasher's aged a bit (and so have we), he's singing about middle age, which is fitting.

This is a short EP, only seven songs to "Monogamy's" 11. It pays off for Kasher with each song being a short vignette that's about one aspect of middle age life or another. "A Bluer Sea" has repeated references to being "adrift" and "without anchor." "The Jessica" recalls an old relationship and its downfall after seeing some photos. Lead-off track "No Harmony" is my favorite and it ponders cruising the bars for ladies, with Kasher resisting growing into and adult so much that he calls himself "Mr. Peter Pan." He goes on to wonder if he should date a woman his own age, perhaps "a spinster or a divorcee," and then recalls being a divorcee himself.

Fans should know this isn't a Cursive album and rarely sounds anything like one. It's more akin to Kasher's solo debut "The Game Of Monogamy, ("Bigamy" and "Monogamy" were written at the same time) and the stripped-down sound without the crashing guitars adds even more emotion to Kasher's already impassioned songwriting.

Maria Taylor, “Overlook”

Saddle Creek
★★☆☆

Other Maria Taylor solo albums have seen her armed with an acoustic guitar and maybe some string arrangements. "Overlook" is dripping with music, whether it's psychadelic guitar and xylophone ("Matador"), jazzy vocals and guitar strumming ("Bad Idea"), up-tempo bluesy guitar ("In A Bad Way") and vocal harmony (freakin' everywhere on this album).

It's an expansive album, but instead of feeling like she can't find a genre to settle down in, she feels at home in all of them.

"Happenstance" laments her "suitcase full on the bedroom floor" always there, which references her recent relocation from LA back to her Birmingham, Ala., home. (The album also features her sister, brother and father on various tracks.)

Get downloads from both after the jump.

A Note On My Ratings System

2011-08-22T16:00:00.003-05:00

Albums are reviewed on a scale of one to four stars, four being excellent and zero being just plain awful. More explanation follows below.

★★★★ - Phenomenal. Infinitely relistenable and one of the best of the year if not several years.
★★★☆ - Very good. Mostly great from start to finish. Will find a place in our car's CD changer for some time.
★★☆☆ - Decent. A solid output with a few standout tracks, which are the only ones we may listen to again.
★☆☆☆ - Forgettable. A stumbling block of an album.
☆☆☆☆ - Terrible. Why did they even make this album? So bad we might light our copy on fire.

Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" is NOT about Omaha

2011-08-17T13:07:00.004-05:00

Photo Credit: Williams + Hirakawa

A pop song’s true meaning can change the way you think about it.

That’s certainly the case with Foster The People’s latest single, “Pumped Up Kicks.”

The tune is all over radio and is currently No. 2 on iTunes’ top-selling singles.

It's an awesome groove and it’s no wonder that the song’s a hit with its simple, but groovy bassline and dreamy, melodic vocals.

But it’s a violent song.

The poppy tune includes lyrics about guns, bullets and a kid named Robert, which some have claimed is meant to depict Robert Hawkins, the gunman who killed eight and injured six people before taking his own life at Omaha’s Von Maur store in 2007.

I first heard about it when several people contacted me over the weekend to ask me what I knew. Namely, "Is it true that it's about the Westroads shootings? That's totally going to ruin the song for me.

So, are the rumors true?

“This is completely false. The character name in the song is just a coincidence,” the band’s publicist wrote in response to The World-Herald’s questions.

The first verse contains lines such as “Robert’s got a quick hand,” “found a six shooter gun in his dad’s closet” and “he’s coming for you.”

And then there’s the chorus: “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run, outrun my gun/All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run, faster than my bullet.”

It's also not about Robert Butler Jr., the Millard South student who killed his vice principal, shot his principal and killed himself. The song came out in early 2010. Butler shot up his school in 2011.

The song is violent enough, anyway, to cause MTV to ask the band to submit a version of the song without references to guns or bullets. The band complied, even though singer Mark Foster told “Time Out Chicago” that the song’s not actually about killing people.

“Kids are just getting younger and younger and losing their minds and going on killing sprees. It really was bothering me, and I was trying to figure out why that was happening more and more. I wanted to tell that story and get inside the head of a kid going crazy,” he said. “The song’s about isolation, being an outcast, and seeing the world through the character’s eyes. It’s not about him actually physically going and doing anything, it’s about his mental state.”

It seems the Internet — Wikipedia in particular — and its tendency to proliferate rumors have struck once again.

On SongMeanings.net, a poster posited that the Robert in the song might be Hawkins. An Omahan’s reply to his post said that the song is definitely about the shootings, though his only claim to holding the truth was that the poster went to high school with Hawkins.

Additional blog posts on CityUnlisted.com, Tumblr.com and even prominent alternative newsweekly Seattle Weekly all have referenced Hawkins.

Perhaps the biggest offender (and possibly the source of all of the other rumors) is the song’s entry on Wikipedia, which states “The lyrics refer to the shooter Robert A. Hawkins in the murder-suicide at the Westroads Mall in Omaha, Nebraska on Wednesday, December 5, 2007.”

Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and often contains mistakes. Facts are often cited with links to other articles.

The citation next to the note about Hawkins? There isn’t one.

Watch the video for "Pumped Up Kicks" below.

Maha Festival: Get yourself to Stinson Park

2011-08-13T10:22:00.001-05:00

Should be a beautiful day for a music festival.

Maha kicks off it's third year over at Stinson Park at Aksarben Village today at noon with an amazing lineup of indie legends, great Omaha bands and a helluva lot of fun (go visit the photobooth).

Unfortunately, I'll be elsewhere today (a wedding out of town) but others will do a great job of covering it in my stead.

Check out my preview coverage over at Omaha.com/go, which includes interviews with Reverend Horton Heat, Cursive's Tim Kasher and Guided By Voices' Tobin Sprout.

Lollapalooza 2011: The Five Best Sets Of The Fest (and more)

2011-08-11T15:42:00.001-05:00

Once again, I spent three precious days soaking in the sun (and getting soaked by the rain) while I caught band after band perform at Lollapalooza.

In all, I saw at least 22 bands play (by my count) and passed by stages or stopped in quickly to hear even more. Over those three days, I saw everything from hip-hop to surf pop and giant stars to obscure little indie bands.

As always, it was an incredible weekend. To wrap things up, here's a look at my five favorite sets from the weekend, a few I wasn't too fond of and some of my other favorite moments from the festival.

BEST OF THE FEST

Eminem

Back from performing after several years (and rehab), Eminem is completely on his game. He can still bust rhymes with as much ferocity as ever. Actually, more than ever.

The Mountain Goats

John Darnielle's an incredible songwriter and seeing him in person solidified that to me. Old songs such as "This Year" and brand new ones such as "You Were Cool" were amazing.

Best Coast

This would have been just a normal set if it hadn't been for the downpour that came right when the band started playing its sunny California surf pop. I'll remember this festival moment forever.

The Joy Formidable

I'm still amazed how much musical ferocity is packed into every ounce of Joy Formidable frontwoman/guitarist Ritzy Bryan. I'd watch her smash a guitar into a gong any day.

deadmau5

I really didn't think I'd be that into deadmau5, but I danced so much my legs were sore the next day

NOT SO GREAT

Cee Lo
One of the artists that I was most excited to see was Cee Lo. But he didn't deliver. Cee Lo didn't have much energy, the crowd wasn't giving him much in return, his set was all over the place and he claimed technical issues brought everything down.

Death From Above 1979
Nothing wrong with loud, noisy jams, but these ones didn't seem to go anywhere. Every song sounded the same: crashing bullshit madness. Why people were excited for these guys to get back together is beyond me.

BEST DISCOVERY

Noah And The Whale

I was actually waiting to see another band when these dudes caught my ear and led me to them. They're poppy, bouncier than a trampoline and so catchy that I haven't been able to keep "L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." out of my head for days.

WEIRD PHENOMENON

Puppets on sticks
I don't know why these were so popular, but dozens of people were carrying around puppets (or stuffed animals and other characters) on sticks that they'd hold in the air. The two most prevalent I kept spotting were an elephant and a dinosaur. I guess the idea is to hold it up and shake it around?
I can't imagine it would be anything more than annoying to carry, but they were usually pretty funny. The elephant guy kept making the stuffed animal dance to the music.
Others mocked the phenomenon. One guy carried a tree branch with a Bud Light can and his sunglasses attached to it.

BEST FOOD

Garlic and Provolone Stuffed Italian Sausage

While Lou Malnati's deep-dish pizza is always a good choice (whether you're at Lolla or just in Chicago), this sausage hit the spot after days of eating chicken fingers and pizza. It was flavorful and mighty spicy, but it was perfect. I originally walked up to the Tuscany On Taylor Street so I could get an Italian beef sandwich, but this caught my eye. I'm glad I went with it. (Photo by me.)

MOST AWESOME ACCESSORY

Earrings from Coco Loco

I kept seeing these kickass earrings being sported by guys and girls throughout the festival. They're handmade from wood, bone, shells and other natural materials. I asked the girl sporting them above where she got them from and she directed me to Coco Loco, a jewelry maker that had a stand in the festival. No wonder they kept popping up.
I'm not huge into jewelry, but these were wicked cool. They're sort of expensive (visit Coco Loco's webstore) but they have tons of designs.(Photo by me.)

deadmau5 Heads

Other than his music, deadmau5 might be best known for the giant, globular, Mickey Mouse-like head masks he wears while DJing. On Sunday, I saw homemade masks in all shapes and sizes (and quality levels) on fans. While some were paper mache, others (including the one above) were way cooler than the ones deadmau5 himself wore onstage. These people are dedicated.

COOLEST MOMENTS

Rain
I'll never forget Best Coast's set or when it started pouring at the exact moment that deadmau5 came onstage. That was incredible and one of the crazy, unpredictable things that makes these giant festivals so great.

Dave Grohl's stories
On Sunday night at the close of the festival, Dave Grohl told two quick stories. The first was about his very first rock concert at the Cubby Bear near Wrigley Field. He saw Chicago punk band Naked Raygun and said it changed his life forever.
The second, which you can read here, was about him and Kurt Cobain going to the very first Lollapalooza and how amazed they were.
Both touching stories from a guy who's been a part of rock 'n roll culture for as long as Lollapalooza itself.

All photos © Lollapalooa unless otherwise noted.

Pujol's Saddle Creek release details revealed

2011-08-11T10:46:00.001-05:00

Daniel Pujol

It was revealed awhile back that noisy, garagey, '60s-rockish Pujol would release something new with Saddle Creek Records.

Now, we have some more details. The EP is titled "Nasty, Brutish, and Short" and will be out Oct. 18.

"I wanted to stab at making a narrative that would cyclically feed back into itself, oscillating between the individual's and the cultural lexicon. I finally got to assemble those songs together on a single release," he said.

I don't know what the hell that's supposed to mean, but his music's pretty damn good.

• What do you think of this addition to Saddle Creek's roster? Let your thoughts be known.

• Listen to "Black Rabbit" below, which is an excellent jam.

• Pujol's going on tour this fall as well, but won't come anywhere near Omaha. Dates below.

9/24 - Boomslang Festival - Lexington, KY*
9/30 – Gardner Lounge at Grinnell – Grinnell, IA^
10/17 - Pilot Light - Knoxville, TN
10/18 - Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar - Charlottesville, VA
10/19 – CMJ – New York, NY
10/20 – CMJ – New York, NY 
10/21 – CMJ – New York, NY
10/22 – Panache CMJ Showcase @ Public Assembly – Brooklyn, NY 
10/23 - Kung Fu Necktie - Philadelphia, PA
10/25 – Mojo Main – Newark, DE # 
10/26 – Kings Barcade – Raleigh, NC # 
10/27 – New Brookland Tavern – Columbia, SC# 
10/30 – Churchills – Miami, FL#
11/1 – Crowbar – Tampa, FL# 
11/2 – Downunder Club – Tallahassee, FL#
11/3 – Handlebar – Pensacola, FL# 
11/4 – Spanish Moon – Baton Rouge, LA# 
11/8 – Proud Larry’s – Oxford, MS # 
11/9 – Bottletree – Birmingham, AL#
11/10 – Grey Eagle Tavern & Music – Asheville, NC#
11/11 – Blue Nile – Harrisonburg, VA #

*with Ty Segall

^ with Turbo Fruits

# with Ted Leo & the Pharmacists

Lollapalooza: Deadmau5 closes out the festival with a killer set

2011-08-07T23:00:00.031-05:00

Deadmau5 does his DJ set with a guest spot from singer Sofia "Sofi" Toufa. (Photo by Matt Ellis, © Lollapalooza)

All day long on Sunday, people were walking around with Deadmau5 mouse heads just like the giant, globe-like ones that the DJ himself wears during his sets. And Deadmau5 T-shirts, tattoos (real and temporary), signs and all kinds of stuff.

Deadmau5 (pronounced "dead mouse") was set to close out the festival on the north main stage while the Foo Fighters were on the south end.

While most of the electronica music is confined to Perry's, the DJ tent/enormous pavilion, Deadmau5 got to do his thing on the main stage like Daft Punk a few years back.

I'm not huge into electronic music (or techno or house or DJ music or whatever the hell you want to call it), but I dabble and have enjoyed Deadmau5 when I've heard him. Plus I just saw Foo Fighters at an incredible three-hour set back at home, so north I went.

As the sky began to darken (prematurely, it would seem), we noticed that the ever-visible Chicago skyline was beginning to become obscured.

Rain was coming.

Again.

As it began to sprinkle on us, the lights went down. Deadmau5 wasn't up for 15 more minutes.

As it started to pour down a moment later, the lasers and lights onstage came on and the music started pumping.

It was a perfect festival moment. Pouring rain soaked a wildly cheering and dancing cloud and the exact moment the music started popping off.

A few seconds later, a giant mouse head popped up behind the DJ deck that set up on a giant, lit riser. People went even more nuts.

As I mentioned before, I'm not huge into this music at all, but I found myself dancing my ass off surrounded by a bunch of strangers. No one seemed to mind that they barely knew the people bumping into them, but that's what's great about a festival.

Though I'm not that familiar with Deadmau5's actual albums, I was told he was playing tracks from those records such as "Ghosts 'n' Stuff" and "Raise Your Weapon."

Most of it was straight up electronica, but singer SOFI popped up for "Sofi Needs A Ladder" and "One Trick Pony," which were more straight-up dance pop tracks.

It was a blast and a crazy way to end the festival.

After SOFI left, I was pretty exhausted and had my fill of Deadmau5, so I went and headed back to catch the end of Foo Fighters.

They had just started "Skin & Bones" when I arrived and after the song, Dave Grohl paused to tell a quick story.

"I'm really happy to be here at Lollapalooza on the fucking 20th anniversary. Is that what it is? It's a very special thing. Cuz I went to the first Lollapalooza in 1991. I remember it was in Los Angeles. I came down to Los Angeles to make that record 'Nevermind' with the band Nirvana. We heard there was this big concert with fucking Jane's Addiction and Siouxz and the Banshees and fucking Ice T's Body Count, Nine Inch Nails. It was this big-ass show. (Perry Farrell comes running onstage to give Grohl a hug. And kiss.) And that day, me and Kurt went down and we sat in the audience and we thought, 'Oh my god, music is fucking changing. There is 20,000 people here to see bands that are actually cool. What the fuck?! How did that happen?' I'd like to thank Perry for changing music forever. Thank you, Perry."

He dedicated the next song to Farrell, which was "Everlong."

Ending the festival on a modern classic like "Everlong" was an excellent way to wrap everything up.

After their set, tired and almost completely rocked out, I trudged back through the mud to the train.

Til next year, Lolla.

Lollapalooza: Manchester Orchestra

2011-08-07T19:00:00.006-05:00

At the same stage as Best Coast (but without the rain) was Manchester Orchestra.

I like this band. They rock, they're loud and singer/guitarist Andy Hull has a wailing, sad voice that absolutely cuts into me every time I hear it.

The rain had thinned out the crowd quite a bit, which I was fine with, and I found a great spot to watch. It ended up being a really good set and included a ton of songs from the band's latest album, "Simple Math."

I enjoy the band's previous effort "Mean Everything To Nothing" better and was happy to hear them play the song "Everything To Nothing."

Lollapalooza: Best Coast in the (pouring) rain

2011-08-07T18:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday afternoon had a very rock 'n roll feeling to it. As Best Coast played its sunny California surf pop, the skies opened up and absolutely poured rain down on everybody.

As singer/guitarist Beth Cosentino remarked from the stage, it was one of those festival moments that you'll never forget.

There was no seeking shelter. And after a minute or so, I couldn't possibly have gotten any more soaked, so I just stood there and took it.

Mud pits formed all over the place and everyone rocked out pretty hard while we got covered with buckets of water.

As quickly as it started, it stopped as soon as Cosentino and friends left the stage. After that, I wrung out my shirt, grabbed a bite to eat and got ready for the rest of the night.

Lollapalooza: The Cars still got it

2011-08-07T16:30:00.000-05:00

I really liked The Cars' latest album, "Move Like This," which sounds so much like vintage stuff from the band.

So I headed over to see them Sunday afternoon. I was not disappointed.

They played a ton of old hits, such as "Just What I Needed," "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Shake It Up." They also hit on a lot of the new material and played just about every song from "Move Like This."

I was impressed that Ric Ocasek and Co. sounded just like they always have, even without the late Benjamin Orr (who sang songs such as "Just What I Needed"). That may actually be my only complaint, that they sounded too perfect. But it's not much of a complaint at all.

Lollapalooza: Wherein I discover a new band

2011-08-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

After a short break, I headed to the north end of the park to see City And Colour, the side project of Alexisonfire's Dallas Green.

While I sat on the asphalt waiting for the band to come on (it would be another 45 minutes), I listened to the band playing on a nearby stage.

They were good. So good, in fact, that I left my really good spot in front of City And Colour's stage to go watch them.

The band was Noah & The Whale. Their music is bouncier than a bouncy castle at a state fair and it's plain old fun. Something about it was infectious and that's what drew me over.

Noah & The Whale is definitely my Discovery Of The Festival for this year's Lolla.

I did go back to see City and Colour. Green's a great songwriter and his angsty, manly songs have even more power with a full band behind him.

I didn't stick around the whole time because I wanted to see The Cars (and City And Colour's coming to Omaha soon).

Lollapalooza: Rain, rain go away

2011-08-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

Today's weather caused some havoc. It, of course, destroyed my notebook and made it tough to update my blog.

In fact, I think my phone's suffered a bit of damage.

Anyway, I'll get it worked out though it may take until Monday to get everything posted.

Lollapalooza: The Joy Formidable's beautiful, crashing set

2011-08-07T14:13:00.002-05:00

I started of the third and final day of Lollapalooza with a band I've seen before: The Joy Formidable.

I've described the Welsh band before as Silversun Pickups with a hot female singer. With buzzing guitar, thumping bass grooves and a driven sound, it's not far off.

They played a short set: Just 30 minutes of their allotted 45. But I kept overhearing people say "fucking amazing" and "so fucking good" as we left.

"Fuckin' hell. Yeah!" said guitarit/lead singer Ritzy Bryan after the crowd went wild for their first song. "Lollapalooza! It's nice to see ya."

The band can play softly and poppy, but the slam into other songs. When they hit like that, it's likes Marshall stack brig dropped on you.

They ended the set with an 8-minute version of "Whirring" that saw the petite Bryan smashing her Strat into a gong while the other two members made as much noise as possible.

It was pure cacophony, but still held together with rhythm and purpose.

(I'll post a video as soon as I'm able.)

Lollapalooza: Amazed by Eminem

2011-08-07T10:52:00.001-05:00

"People! It feels so good to be baaaack!"

Eminem shouted the line at the start of "Square Dance." Yeah, it's just one o the lyrics, but he meant it.

And the enormous crowd thought it, too.

Eminem has barely played a show in five years.

Not that you could tell. He's still so sharp that his quick rhymes slice just as deep now a they did ever before.

When I made it down to the south end of Grant Park, I wa amazed by the sea of people. Eminem's stage was on my right and the lawn was so full that the audience mixed in with the one that was watching Atmosphere a few hundred yards to the left.

I've never seen that big of a crowd at any festival, not even for Lady Gaga.

His triumphant return included a healthy selection of "Recovery" songs as well as a bunch of old tunes, some of which were done in quick, one-verse shots.

It was the best hip-hop show that I've ever seen. Eminem's easily one of the best rappers alive and he doesn't need a huge entourage or any gimmicks, just a load of fast verse about hard life.

Fans were hoping for some high-profile guest appearances and got one with Bruno Mars singing "Sky Full Of Lighters." Anyone hoping for Dr. Dre or Rihanna missed out.

The set included "Love The Way You Lie," "Stan" (video below), "Til I Collapse" (a personal favorite) and Em's single verse from B.o.B.'s "Airplanes" as well as a medley of stuff from "My Name Is," "Real Slim Shady" and "Guess Who's Back."

Eminem's best work came with the last two songs. "Not Afraid," his best song in years, was dedicated "to anyone that's in a dark, fucked up place" similar to the one that's kept Eminem from performing. (Speaking of, after a joke about it, the crowd applauded his sobriety, which I've never seen before).

"Lose Yourself" was the finale and Eminem was drowned out by fans rapping right along with him, a testament to how the song (and the artist) has been a part of so many people's lives.

Lollapalooza: Disappointment with Cee Lo

2011-08-07T00:30:00.001-05:00

It's not often that you see a bad show at a music festival. The idea I'd that the band's are curated and must have done something worthy to play a show like Lollapalooza. Also, you have your choice on what to see, so you're likely to miss bands you don't like.

Cee Lo has certainly earned a spot at Lolla. And he doesn't suck.

But Saturday's performance wasn't good.

Part of the responsibility for that laid on the crowd, which was mostly there to see headliner Eminem and didn't give Cee Lo a lot of energy.

But it was also his fault. Instead of starting the set with some familiar songs (say, a Gnarls Barkley tune), he kicked things off with a pair of covers.

Clad in Thunderdome-style football pads and silver spikes, Cee Lo led his all-female band (in S&M-looking outfits) through some unfamiliar solo tunes.

He seemed unenthusiastic and said several times that the crowd should be happy since he was wearing a ridiculous costume.

The crowd kind of got restless and a lot of people yelled out "Fuck You" with a tone that seemed like a combination song title and pejorative.

The set ended early because of what Cee Lo called technical difficulties even though it seemed like he was just giving up.

Lollapalooza: Death From Above 1979

2011-08-06T23:06:00.002-05:00

Since they're indie famous, haven't played in five years and since I really like Sebastien Grainger's solo album from Saddle Creek, I felt like I had to go see Death From Above 1979.

It was loud, raucous, noisy and the sweaty, muddy masses loved it. A giant mosh pit was pressed up against the barriers and covered in mud (it rained earlier and a mud pit formed in front of the main stage).

Me? Eh, I thought it was OK. The music has energy, to be sure, but that translated more to chaos than amazing songs.

Grainger and Jesse Keeler were more noise rock than dance punk this time around and were louder than hell. They were also complete opposites. Grainger's hair was dyed blond and he wore all white while Keeler was in all black.

As they played, I got more into them, especially the song "Little Girl."

Lollapalooza: Fitz & The Tantrums

2011-08-06T23:02:00.001-05:00

Fitz & The Tantrums were once again amazing.

They're another soul and R&B revival band but it of course has it's own twist.

Three years ago, the band didn't exist. In March, I saw the band at a small club at SXSW. And on Saturday, thousands saw them perform on one of the fest's main stages.

Bandleader Michael Fitzpatrick came out in a pink suit and striped t-shirt (I wish I could wear that and be taken seriously) and was joined by his amazing band, which includes incredible singer Noelle Scaggs.

They kicked things off with "Breaking The Chains of Love" and followed with just about every song on their new album. They also did covers of The Raconteurs' "Steady As She Goes" and a soul version of the Eurhythmics' "Sweet Dreams."

Fitz and his pals can turn just about anything into a dance pit and Rey turned up the heat with the set-closing "Moneygrabber."

Lollapalooza: Day two begins with J Roddy Walston

2011-08-06T13:11:00.001-05:00

I made it down to the festival for day two right in the middle of J Roddy Walston and The Business' "Brave Man's Death," my favorite song by the band.

No worries as the rest of the set was pretty entertaining. Walston's an inferno of howling vocals, hair and pounding piano.

It's loud, out-of-control Southern rock that veers into the territory of the Beatles when they got frenzied and Paul McCartney started yelling.

I caught the last half of the set including "Use Your Language" (video above), "Don't Get Old" and "Uh Oh Rock & Roll."

I've also never seen anyone headbang while playing piano. Thank you Mr. Walston for allowing me to check that off the bucket list.

Lollapalooza: Day one is done

2011-08-05T23:30:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I love about Lollapalooza us that it's in the middle of Chicago. It's wide open grass and it has a great festival vibe but then you look up and it's Chicago's impressive skyline.

Watching both Coldplay and Muse Friday night in that setting was a great way to cap off the day.

Coldplay played a lot of familiar stuff such as "Yellow" and "Lost" as well as some songs I didn't know, which may have been brand new or really old.

My guess is new since this is the band's "first proper show back in America," as singer Chris Martin put it.

I know all the Coldplay jokes and, sure, they play a lot of epic pop-rock power ballads, but dammit, I like them. They're even better live.

But I didn't stay. I saw Coldplay a couple years ago, but I've never seen Muse, so I hoofed it back to the other end of the fest.

I made a quick stop at Perry's, the DJ tent named after Perry Farrell. In recent years, Perry's has been a small stage/pavilion that a thousand or so might gather around. This year, it's a giant tent the size of a football field (at least) and it was overflowing with people.

Girl Talk was holding court there when I stopped by. There ain't no party like a Girl Talk party and this one was nuts. So many people were in there dancing that I couldn't even see him.

I didn't stay long (he's coming to my area soon) and went to see Muse.

If there was a volume battle between the two headliners that night, Muse was winning.

I like them because each song has so many ways to be enjoyed. On tracks like "Resistance" and "Uprising," you could alternately dance, mosh, jump, rock out, crowdsurf, make out or sing along. And people did.

It was a fun way to end the night.

Lollapalooza: Ok Go

2011-08-05T22:49:00.001-05:00

Of course Ok Go took the stage in Skittles colors. Why wouldn't they?

They're the goofballs that made the treadmill video and the live video with the marching band and once showed at an awards show wearing custom suits made from couch upholstery.

Anyway, one thing I've always loved about Ok Go is how yet have fun with the music. Why do it normal when it would be so much more fun to be zany.

They certainly had that vibe on Friday. The first few songs were pretty straightforward, but then they turned things up.

They played the entirety of "Return" with hand bells, those bells they use at church. Lead singer Damian Kulash called them "the instrument invented by God himself." He later pulled his guitar and mic stand into the crowd to play a song.

Their last few songs included "Here It Goes Again" and "This Too Shall Pass."

Those were the big guns and people went appropriately nuts or them, including singing the refrain of the latter after Kulash's comments that the crowd wasn't nearly as loud as at Glastonbury (boo!) or Coachella (even more boos).

I also admire the band's music. It's garage punk, but if you put a little bit of thump, swagger and dancey pop in the mix.

Lollapalooza: Bright Eyes

2011-08-05T21:37:00.001-05:00

Bright Eyes performed Friday afternoon to what looked like 20,000 people. The lawn by their stage (one of the two largest at the fest) was an ocean of people.

It's pretty amazing to me to see a band of (mostly) people from Omaha play onstage to that many happy people in attendance.

The set was the same as I have heard from the band twice already this year: new songs from "The People's Key" mixed in with driving, synthy older tunes.

This isn't folky, Americana-style Conor Oberst any more.

A man in front of me said he wanted to hear more slow dirges that made him sad.

I laughed.

Lollapalooza: The Mountain Goats

2011-08-05T21:27:00.001-05:00

Though I've wanted to for a long time, I've never seen The Mountain Goats until today. I've missed out.

TMG's John Darnielle has been heralded as one of the best songwriters in recent times, if not ever. His literary, imagery-filled lyrics are moving, yet simple and relatable.

Darnielle and his band (which included Superchunk's Jon Wurster on drums) played an off-the-cuff set by deciding onstage what they were going to play as they played it.

My favorite moments came during Darnielle's three-song solo stand that starte with "You Were Cool."

The tune made me shiver with a chill. It was good.

A huge crowd was there to watch and they sang along with most of the songs, which is impressive at a sort of singer-songwriter set.

Darnielle noticed, too.

"The first time I played in Chicago, it was to about 30 people at the Empty Bottle," he said. "Thank you so much for being here."

They closed out the set with maybe their most popular song, "This Year," which has the awesome lyric "I'm gonna make it through this year if it kills me."

Lollapalooza: I'm finally here

2011-08-05T16:51:00.002-05:00

After an early rise and a long drive, I've finally made it into the festival. Hooray, me!

At the moment, I'm catching the very end of a set by the Smith Westerns, a band remember not liking at all at SXSW. But I'm digging them right now. They have a slow surf punk sound that's pretty enjoyable on a warm summer day.

Next up is The Kills, a band fronted by Alison Mosshart from The Dead Weather and featuring guitar by Jamie Hince.

That's it. Just them. No drummer or bassist even though apparently pre-recorded drum and bass parts were playing.

Could they not afford to hire two guys? The pre-recorded stuff sounds OK, but I imagine live people would make them even more lively.

Hince is a pretty good player and the songs were good and loud and noisy if not pretty repetitive. I also like Mosshart's voice but have yet to hear her in anything that utilizes her talents to their full extent.

Headed to Lollapalooza

2011-08-04T16:19:00.001-05:00

Once again, I'm making the trek east to see some bands at Lollapalooza.

Who am I most excited for? Eminem, definitely. Guy doesn't play a lot of shows. Then Muse (haven't been to Omaha), DFA 1979 (never seen them before, just Sebastien Grainger solo), Cee Lo (missed him at SXSW), The Cars (new album is great), The Joy Formiddable (sweet band to see live) and a ton more.

I plan on keeping my blog and Twitter updated with lots of reviews, photos, videos and stories (Check out a schedule of who I plan to see.)

Feel free to e-mail me suggestions, or drop posts here in the comments. Or if you're down there, tweet or e-mail me if you want to say hi.

Of course, if you physically see me at Lolla (or any show for that matter), there's nothing wrong with tapping me on the shoulder and introducing yourself. There seems to be a rash of "I see @owhmusicguy" tweets from shows lately. Seriously people, there's nothing wrong with saying hi face-to-face. I won't bite.

If you're not one of the lucky folks that gets to go, you can also watch the webcasts on Youtube.

Cursive's in the studio again

2011-07-26T11:28:00.001-05:00

Cursive

Before Tim Kasher releases an EP and heads out on a solo tour, he's jumping into the studio again to record with Cursive.

Kasher, Matt Maginn and Ted Stevens are picking up Patrick Newbery from Conduits as well as Cully Symington from Okkervil River on drums (even though Clint Schnase is performing on drums with the band at Maha on Aug. 13).

Anyway, they're working with producer Matt Bayles over at ARC Studios right now. Bayles has produced albums by Mastodon and Minus The Bear (he was also a former member) and he was also an engineer on albums by Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Bayles should be a pretty good guy to have behind the board.

The album is a follow-up to 2009's "Mama, I'm Swollen," which was critically acclaimed and saw the band take on an aggressive tour schedule opening for some decently big names.

No release date yet, but my guess is that the album will be released in early 2012 since Kasher's going on tour in August and September behind a new EP, "Bigamy: More Songs From The Monogamy Sessions."

As mentioned previously, Cursive will perform in Omaha on Aug. 13 at Maha Music Festival. Kasher will perform a solo show on Sept. 10 at The Waiting Room Lounge.

Rock Candy Interview: Nick Hexum of 311

2011-07-14T17:17:00.003-05:00

311 is, from left, Chad Sexton, SA Martinez, Nick Hexum, P-Nut and Tim Mahoney.

311's celebrating the release of its 10th album, "Universal Pulse," with a trip back home.

After forming in Omaha 21 years ago to open for Fugazi, the band will play the main stage at Red Sky Music Festival on July 19, the day the album drops.

They'll also be doing a midnight record signing at Homer's Music, the same place that sold their local albums and tapes back in the '90s.

As for "Universal Pulse," it's the best thing the band has done in several years. Only eight songs long, the album's more like an EP, but it's lean and without all the filler. (Listen to "Sunset In July.")

Old fans of the band will be satisfied, especially since this record recalls older material that was more rock in its focus and less like the reggaeish stuff featured in some later efforts.

Last week, Nick Hexum called from Los Angeles to talk Omaha and the band's formation, "Universal Pulse," fans and the band's upcoming Pow Wow Festival.

Q. You’re releasing “Universal Pulse” the same day you’re in Omaha. Were you excited when you found out about that?

A. It was a great fortune that that happened. We saw that the routing was going to happen to be in Omaha and we were like, “What a perfect serendipity that that’s how it happened to be scheduled to go back to our home.”

Plus my dad’s 70th birthday, I’ll be home for. It all happens at that same (time). We’re really excited for it.

Q. Is there anywhere you feel like you have to go in Omaha?

A. I just like to walk aroudn the old neighborhood where I grew up because it just really brings me back to walking to school each day and the smells and the sights and to see how everything has changed. I really get a kick out of walking the neighborhood around Swanson Elementary.

Q. It sounds like you guys set up “Universal Pulse” for the live performances?

A. I think there’s been a general revelation within the band that the core of what we do is the live setting. That’s kind of what we prefer because live music — as far as one person performing an instrument and other people listening to it and dancing to it — that’s existed for 30- 40,000 years where recorded music has only been around for maybe 100.

It’s kind of like the core of this non-verbal communciation that we realize, that’s where our heart’s really at. The album’s meant to support and serve the live setting rather than being a studio-focused band.

Q. “Universal Pulse” is also a shorter album, but you took a shorter time in between albums.

A. We realized we wanted to have more of an immediacy — the album’s show what we’ve been doing recently instead of what we’ve been doing over three or four years. We figured that we’d rather have more frequent releases (and) they’re going to have be shorter because it takes a long time to record the songs properly and to the level of quality that we want.

We just placed quality over quantity and that’s what we came up with.

Q. Some other artists have told me they’d prefer to put out shorter albums or EPs frequently instead of a full album every few years. What do you think?

A. I think that attention spans are getting shorter and shorter anyway with iPods and playlists. If I get a new album, I’ll pick my favorite six or seven songs off there anyway and put it on a playlist and listen to it in the car, you know what I mean? To me, we’re kind of doing that for you when we do a shorter album — just picking the very best stuff.

Q. The album doesn’t seem to have any throway songs.

A. That’s a thing that Chad kept saying: “Let’s just make it so you want to listen to it again.” There were a couple songs that we were on the fence about and we said, “If we’re not sure then let’s leave them out.”

Q. You guys went through a few different phases and threw out a whole bunch of songs before you decided on this group of songs.

A. There were some more kind of half-baked ideas that we had played live and there wasn’t vocals to them yet — we rehearsed, rather. It just wasn’t really working so that’s another big part of the album process is to just play through stuff to see what is gelling and what isn’t. Definitely, there were some clunkers in there that never got off the ground.

Q. Do you throw those out and never think of them again or do you hold onto those songs?

A. A little piece of a song will be revisited but to me, there’s no point in — you probably can’t print this — but we say “There’s no point in trying to polish a turd.” (laughs)

You just have to let certain things go and basically if there’s a good little idea in there it will float back to the surface later.

Q. Where did producer Bob Rock come in on the process?

A. In our process, what Bob does that’s the most important is the pre-production. We’ll get in there and put a new song together and he’ll say, “Well, this part gets a little long,” or “This part doesn’t happen enough. It’s the best part, you need to do it more” — rearranging the road maps of the songs.

That really is the magic of the creativity (of Rock). He’ll get in there like a sixth member and grab a guitar and suggest little arrangment things or even a chord. He really was very active in the preproduction.

We worked with other producers that were more of an engineer focus that would just really work on recording whatever we did really well. That, to me, wasn’t as satisfying as having somebody that would help you pick it apart and put it together again. That’s where we worked most with Bob.

He was actually able to leave while we were doing the overdubs and recording the voclas and guitars and stuff. He would just set us up with good micing and getting a good tone and then he would go work on another project, which was fine with us because we’ve already recorded so much that we know how to do that part of it. Then he would come back in and kinda check our work.

It was cool that we could build that kind of trust where he could let us run the show and just kinda check on us.

Q. Everyone always tells me being in a band is like being married to five people at once.

A. You have to be ready to not get your way and put your own interests aside to what serves the band as a whole the best. There’s plenty of times that ego will destroy a band because when a band gets successful and people start telling you you’re great and it can play tricks on your head. We’ve just worked pretty hard to stay out of that whole fame game and just be musicians.

And so far so good.

Q. Do you think that’s one of the things that’s contributed to you being successful?

A. I think that we just always keep the focus on the msuic itself rather than the trappings of the music business.

P-Nut’s fond of saying, “I’m not a rockstar, I’m a musician.” I think that’s kinda the crux of where we keep our heads at. Keep our feet on the ground.

Q. The band just celebrated its 21st anniversary. You guys opened for Fugazi for your first show?

A. At Sokol Hall on June 10, 1990.

Q. That’s a pretty awesome band to open for on your first time ever.

A. Yeah. We were kind of floating around. Tim and me and Chad had a band called Unity before that. And we were all kind of doing different things for a couple months. I talked to Chad on the phone — I was actually in Europe kind of bumming around. He said, “You know, we’ve got an opportunity to open for Fugazi.”

I was like, “OK, I’m coming home. Let’s get the band back together.” (laughs)

Then we hooked up with P-Nut on bass. And P-Nut had the name 311 lying around. I guess he performed in a talent show with that as the band name based on the indecent exposure story.

So, it was a good reason to start the band to get prepared for that show and it was a really great launching point because it was like 1,000 people there and they were moshing. It was like, “Wow, this is really what we’ve been hoping for.” And then we just kept building from there.

Q. The album feels a bit of a throwback to some of the older 311 material. “Rock On,” in particular” feels like it could be on “Grassroots.”

A. Yeah, it’s a very Chad Sexton-style — big, heavy and has sort of a majesticness to it. He’s got a bit more of a heavier background in his background. It is a bit reminiscent of “Hydroponic” or something from our older days.

That song actually had been sitting around. That’s the only song that wasn’t brand new. That song had been available for “Don’t Tread On Me” and “Uplifter” and for some reason didn’t make the cut.

I did take a stab at the vocals on “Uplifter” and it didn’t pan out. I was trying to sing too much, so now we redid it with more of a rap and realized it was something that had been missing that our fans would enjoy.

Q. It sounds like you can pick out everyone’s playing in each song. Is that something that came out from the mixing?

A. That is part of the way we did it — a raw, natural mix. These days, most bands are going for more sizzle and more compression and everything’s loud and you don’t really hear the personality as much. We were like, “That’s not what we would like to listen to” even though that’s what it seems like the trend is going toward.”

When you make it more natural and uncompressed then you can hear the personality. You can hear the wood of the instruments and the fingers and more of the nuance. Even though it might not sound as hard-hitting as a super-modern mix. We just wanted it to be more natural, but it’s still pretty loud and heavy.

Q. Chad Sexton actually mixed it, right?

A. Right. Bob had done a couple mixes and then Scotch (Ralston), our live sound man, took a stab at some mixing. Chad was like, “Let me take a stab at it, too,” and those ended up being really what we wanted to sound like.

Q. With stuff like that, is it nice keeping it in-house?

A. Yep. We realized we don’t necesarilly need to turn things over. We have our own label now and we realized we can design our own promotion. We’ve got videos that are being made for a bunch of songs. We’ve got remixes.

Stuff like that that we know our fans will enjoy that can be sued as a promotional tool. Instead of waiting for some big company to do it for you, we’re doing stuff for ourselves and that feels kind of empowering.

Q. Does the band still have a pretty good relationship with its fans?

A. We do have a direct one-to-one relationship with our fans, and because of the Internet and soforth we keep really in close touch with them.

That makes some of the marketing easier where we keep fostering that relationship. Instead of trying to appeal to everybody, we just keep working on our core.

Q. What’s different about your live show this time?

A. The injection of new material will certainly make it a different show. When we do a setlist ... we know some people are seeing us for the first time and others are seeing us for the 50th time so we try to keep all the points of view in mind.

There’s a new drum part that’s being planned for the new tour as far as the drum line solo. And we’ve been really working hard on getting the new songs ready. We’ve been playing through the whole new album three or four times a week for the past few works. We’re making sure we’re really fluid and as good with the new songs as we are with the old ones.

Q. Is that hard to do now that you have 10 albums?

A. There are some songs that we haven’t played in a really long time. That’s why it’s cool to go and play an album in its entirety like we did with “Music” at the Halloween show and we’re gonna to “Transistor” in its entirety at Pow Wow.

If people want to hear something really rare, they can travel to that show. It’s kind of fun to combine destinations and music, like rock ‘n’ roll tourism.

Generally, we do evolve toward certain songs. The song “Jackpot” off of “Uplifter” turned out to be just amazing live, so we play that almost every night. Other songs, I don’t think we ever played, like “Too Much Too Fast,” I don’t think we ever played that once.

Q. What’s that like to play one for the first time?

A. It’s a slightly nerve-wracking experience to play a song for the first time. We’re going without a net.

Q. Are you guys excited for Pow Wow Festival? Nervous?

A. Yeah. You know, we’ve always wanted to do our own festival and it just seems like the time is right. Doing the different destination-oriented events whether it was 311 Day or the cruise — which was a huge success — or the Halloween show, they’ve all been going really well so far. Now, to combine camping and music and have that be like a really special experience. Picking all the bands, like bands we know we’d really want to see live — Deftones, Ozomatli, G. Love, Sublime With Rome, Dirty Heads, Reel Big Fish.

It’s going to be an amazing lot of music that’s going to be played over that weekend. We also know that we’re asking a lot for people to travel that far and the camping thing — I haven’t been camping in awhile (laughs) — I know it definitely takes some preparation to get geared up for that. We wanted to give them something special to play “Transistor” in its entirety.

Q. How do you get prepared for that?

A. Since we have six weeks to go before Pow Wow, I wouldn’t say we’re completely ready for “Transistor” yet. (laughs) Yesterday, we played four or five “Transistor” songs that we hadn’t played in awhile. I think there’s one song, “Tune In,” that we’ve never played live.

Q. Will you play the secret track that plays before the first song?

A. You know, I think we should. We definitely should play that intro. That’s a pretty fun way to start the show.

Q. The band makes time for a lot of fan meet-and-greets and such. Is that important to you?

A. I enjoy it. You can sometimes be too isolated if you don’t do those kind of things. A lot of times they’ll have something prepared that they want to say or a letter that they’ll shove in our hands that says what our music means to them. You can get a real boost of energy to hear the impact that you’ve had on somebody. I always really look forward to them.

When we were on the cruise, we took a photo with every person that came on the cruise. That was two photo shoots that were two and a half, three hours apiece. It seems like it would be really grueling, but it was so much excitement coming from them that it was kind of like a real high, all the love of all these people that would travel so far to come to the shows.

We loved it.

Q. What do you consider the band’s greatest success?

A. I guess it’s kinda what I’m talking about in the chorus of “Sunset In July” of I look out at the crowd and I would see people so lost in the music with a big smile on their face and with eyes closed — the power of music to take people to another dimension that we really feed off of.

I wouldn’t say there was any one big event, like a platinum album or something, that would define success. I think it’s a lot of little moments of looking out and when you’re really locked in a groove with someone that who you probably don’t even know at all with and that sort of connection you have there.

What an amazing way to make a living. We’re real grateful.

Rilo Kiley is no more

2011-07-13T14:43:00.002-05:00

As Spinner is reporting, Rilo Kiley called it quits. A few years ago.

The former Saddle Creek band hasn't done anything as a group since touring for 2007's "Under The Blacklight," though Jenny Lewis has emerged as a popular solo artist and has been doing great things with boyfriend Johnathan Rice as Jenny And Johnny.

But as RK guitarist Blake Sennett told Spinner, the band hasn't been on hiatus. They're broken up.

"I just felt like there was a lot of deception, disloyalty, greed and things I don't really want to submit myself to," Sennett said. "I had related that frustration to music but I just thought, 'I'm not going to put myself in that position again,' so I said, 'F--- that, I can't do this anymore.'"

It's not terribly surprising to me especially after what Sennett told Consequence Of Sound back in April.

"I would say that if Rilo Kiley were ... Hmmm ... A human being ... Hmmm ... He's probably laying on his back in a morgue with a tag on his toe," he said.

Anyway, I don't think anyone in the band probably has too many complaints. Lewis has shown little desire in interviews with myself and others with her solo career going strong. Sennett's also been busy with his other band, The Elected.

Jason Boesel has been doing all kinds of stuff including a lot of Bright Eyes work on albums and tours as well as releasing his own solo album on Team Love last year. Oh yeah, and supposedly dating Kirsten Dunst.

Pierre De Reeder also has a solo album and has been releasing friend's work (Nik Freitas, Jake Bellows and others) through his Little Record Company.

Anyway, the biggest disappointment is that these four talented folks won't be working together any more. It also sucks that they came as far as releasing an album on a major label before quitting.

Maha gets a new location

2011-07-05T16:52:00.002-05:00

Maha Music Festival, coming on Aug. 13, has chosen a new spot to set up shop: Stinson Park at Aksarben Village.

It's a pretty sweet spot and its location in the middle of town (as well as within walking distance of bars/restaurants, etc.) will be pretty nice.

I think it will also give Maha more of a rock festival feel since it will be on a big, grassy location. All that parking won't hurt either.

Not much else will change for the festival. Guided By Voices, Cursive, Matisyahu, J. Mascis, The Reverend Horton Heat and Envy Corps will still headline.

The local lineup is also (mostly) set: Somasphere, Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship, The So-So Sailors and The Machete Archive. One more band will be chosen by voting at this weekend's OEAA Summer Showcase in Benson.

Tickets already purchased are, of course, good for the new venue. More details about setup, etc. are forthcoming.

311 doing home-town signing on "Universal Pulse" release day

2011-07-01T13:17:00.001-05:00

"Universal Pulse"

311 will just happen to be in its hometown of Omaha on July 19, the release day of the band's new album, "Universal Pulse."

And to celebrate, Homer's will host a midnight sale on July 18 at its Old Market location.

The new album will be available for $9.99 (CD) and $16.99 (LP) and the band will be there to meet fans and sign autographs.

I spoke with Nick Hexum yesterday about the new album as well as the signing.

"We saw that the routing was gonna be in Omaha and what a perfect serendipity that it happened to be scheduled to go back to our home," he said. "We have never done that midnight in-store signing kind of thing. It's gonna be kind of cool to make a special event out of it."

The evening of July 19 will have the band headlining at Red Sky Music Festival.

When Hexum's home, he said, he likes to walk around his old neighborhood.

"I like remembering walking to school each day and the smells and sights and to see how things have changed," he said.

We'll have more from Hexum on 311 in our Red Sky preview coverage.

Listen to the new single, "Sunset In July," below.

Saddle Creek is getting into the record store business

2011-06-29T10:26:00.003-05:00

Saddle Creek Records is opening up a record store. Called the Saddle Creek Shop (or just "Shop" as it will probably come to be known by the logo above), it will feature all of the label's in-print vinyl and CD releases.

Seems natural to have a place to actually sell your own records (and T-shirts, stickers, etc.), but they're also going to sell new releases.

A grand opening will be held July 9 at the store, 721 N. 14th St. Update: It's actually open already, the told me. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday though hours will be extended so the shop's open before big shows, in-stores and other events.

It will be run out of the back of the label's warehouse (right next to Slowdown) and will also sort of be a Saddle Creek museum with old backstage passes, tour posters, album artwork, setlists and other stuff from the label's history.

It makes sense to sell Saddle Creek records, especially when they have the inventory right there, as well as give those searching out the label a destination. It seems like a lot of people who know of the label are looking for it when they come to town, but it's not like the label has a front office you can just walk into.

It's interesting that they're jumping into the murky waters of operating an independent record store though it seems that they'll be mostly focusing on new stuff and there won't be an inventory of used records. Still, I can't remember the last time a record store actually opened, just all the times that Homer's locations and others have had to close their doors.

They'll also be hosting in-store performances (a natural for bands playing the venue already) and they might even do limited-edition vinyl pressings.

What do you think about the label's newest venture?

Update 2: I talked to Saddle Creek's Jeff Tafolla today and took a trip down to the store. Here are some thoughts cobbled together from both of those events.

Basically, the store really is one tiny end of Saddle Creek's warehouse. It's a modest space and is staffed by regular Saddle Creek employees.

It mostly sells Saddle Creek releases, but there's a lot of other vinyl in there, too - everything from Nirvana to T-Rex. Don't expect to get amazing deals just because they're sold by Saddle Creek. It's regular prices or at least pretty much the same thing you'd see in their online store.

The good deals are found on regular merch. If you're aching for that Bright Eyes T-shirt you didn't buy at their last concert, head down to the Saddle Creek Shop. Most shirts are only 9 bucks. Saddle Creek coffee mugs were 5 bucks. The best deals were the selection of promotional posters for just about every recent release for only 3 bucks.

Anyway, go down there and check it out. It's a cool little place.

Your Maha Music Festival is now (mostly) complete

2011-06-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

Maha Music Festival announced The Envy Corps as its last band.

Omaha folks may be familiar with the group, which plays here relatively often.

Maha has one more band to announce: the winner of voting at the Omaha Entertainment And Arts Awards' summer showcase, which takes place July 8 and 9.

Also yet to be announced: The location of Maha. As you may know, Omaha's riverfront is all kinds of flooded. I'm told by Maha organizers that the new location will be announced shortly.

Slowdown's conversion from indie club to sports bar

2011-06-22T16:25:00.001-05:00

Other than the stage in the back of the room, Slowdown could be just any other sports bar.

Directly across the street from TD Ameritrade Park, Slowdown's back parking lot has been converted to a beer garden, food court and CWS merchandise heaven. Inside, the air conditioning offers respite from hot days as well as an enormous projection screen TV that hangs above the main stage.

Slowdown co-owner/operator Jason Kulbel told me that the place has been packed and the clientele was a 50/50 mix of hometown folks that seemed familiar with the club and people decked out in CWS gear that were obviously out-of-towners.

The only other obvious differences that I noticed were a scoreboard hanging from the building and a sign that read "Free Beer Garden AC Live Music."

If I were bumming around the CWS this week, Slowdown would probably be my spot. I'm familiar with it, it's right next to the stadium and it still maintains a cool vibe.

Update: I should have mentioned before that Slowdown resumes its "normal" programming on June 30, the day after the CWS is over. The first of the club's usual type of band will be locals The Beat Seekers on July 1 followed by Toad The Wet Sprocket on July 2.

* * *

Over the weekend, I heard that ASCAP and BMI representatives were in north downtown cracking down on venues with cover bands.

If you don't know how performance royalties work, it goes something like this: businesses that play music (as well as bands that play cover tunes) are obligated to pay something to the original songwriter and/or artist. ASCAP, BMI and SESAC are the companies that control performance royalties in the U.S. They gather annual fees from businesses (radio stations, retail stores, music venues, etc.) and give artists their cut.

If you're not paying the royalties, they'll also occasionally come into your business and demand you pay or file an injunction. That, supposedly, was what was going down at bars around TD Ameritrade Park.

Upon some investigation, it turned out to be just a rumor.

Slowdown, for example, pays an annual fee to ASCAP and BMI much like other businesses. For Slowdown, that fee also covers performances whether its a tribute band playing Led Zeppelin tunes for an hour or an indie group sneaking a cool cover into its set.

Kulbel said no ASCAP or BMI rep had been poking around, though they wouldn't have much reason to since the rock club pays its annual fee.

Over at the Union Pizzeria and Sports Bar, a manager told me no one had bothered them either. Cover bands were playing every night and would continue to through the CWS.

Farrell's and the Old Mattress Factory also appeared to be sticking to their schedules.

Photo © 2011 The Omaha World-Herald

Stir Cove parking info

2011-06-13T14:12:00.001-05:00

For Tuesday's Mumford & Sons concert, Stir Concert Cove at Harrah's Casino is encouraging people to park at the Mid-America Center in Lot B near Hooter's and take complimentary shuttles to and from Harrah's.

The shuttles will run between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. And, in case you were wondering, the Mumford & Sons show starts at 8 p.m.

~~So I'm told, there's some standing water in the Harrah's parking lots~~ The rear parking lot of Harrah's is basically a lake (someone just sent me a picture), but the "cove" itself is fine. I imagine they'll have the shuttles going as long as the parking lots are affected.

OEAA summer showcase lineup announced

2011-06-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

Once again, the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards summer showcase is upon us. Over two nights and five venues in Benson, 58 bands will perform.

You get to see them for $10/night or $15 for both nights.

While you're there, vote for your favorite band. Voting boxes will be at each venue and the band with the most votes will get to perform at Maha Music Festival.

Tons of good bands are on the bill and pretty much every genre is represented, so there's a little something for everyone.

Check out the schedule:

Friday, July 8

Waiting Room Lounge
8:00-8:40 - The Abstract
8:55-9:35 - Jerry Pranksters
9:50-10:30 - Dirtfedd
10:45-11:25 - Rock Paper Dynamite
11:40-12:20 - InDreama
12:35-1:05 - Somasphere
1:15-2:00 - BASSthoven

The Sydney
8:00-8:40 - Kansville Boys
8:55-9:35 - Syke
9:50-10:30 - Mitch Gettman Band
10:45-11:25 -The Seen
11:40-12:20 - Lonely Estates
12:35-1:05 - We Be Lions

Barley Street Tavern
8:55-9:35 - The Cards
9:50-10:30 - Betties
10:45-11:25 - K. Bandit
11:40-12:20 - Cannonista
12:35-1:05 - Big Deep

Burke's Pub
8:55-9:35 - Kyle Harvey
9:50-10:30 - Andrew Bailie as The Moscow Mule
10:45-11:25 - All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
11:40-12:20 - Enjoli
12:35-1:05 - Matt Whipkey

The Pizza Shoppe Collective
8:55-9:35 - Family Picnic
9:50-10:30 - Pharmacy Spirits
10:45-11:25 - Midland Band
11:40-12:20 - Vibenhai
12:35-1:05 - Edge of Arbor

Saturday, July 9

Waiting Room Lounge
8:00-8:40 - Broken Crown
8:55-9:35 - Skypiper
9:50-10:30 - Galvanized Tron
10:45-11:25 - Sister Soliel
11:40-12:20 - Funk Trek
12:35-1:05 - Blue Martian Tribe
1:15-2:00 am - $pencelove

The Sydney
8:00-8:40 - Fizzle Like A Flood
8:55-9:35 - Lepers
9:50-10:30 - Dim Light
10:45-11:25 - Machete Archive
11:40-12:20 - Witness Tree
12:35-1:05 - End In Red

Barley Street Tavern
8:00-8:40 - Dive Kings
8:55-9:35 - Millions Of Boys
9:50-10:30 - Blue Rosa
10:45-11:25 - Scru Face Jean
11:40-12:20 - Bloodcow
12:35-1:05 - The Answer Team

Burke's Pub
8:00-8:40 - 24 Hour Cardlock
8:55-9:35 - Daniel Christian
9:50-10:30 - Tara Vaughan
10:45-11:25 - Manny Coon
11:40-12:20 - E-Rawq
12:35-1:05 - Vago

The Pizza Shoppe Collective
8:55-9:35 - Jus. B
9:50-10:30 - Naked Plywood
10:45-11:25 - Citizen Band
11:40-12:20 - DamonThe Torpedoes: A Tom Petty Tribute
12:35-1:05 - Young Pflames

Live Review: Bright Eyes at Westfair Amphitheater

2011-06-07T17:03:00.000-05:00

Conor Oberst performs with Bright Eyes at Westfair Amphitheater on June 4, 2011. Photo: CHRIS MACHIAN/THE WORLD-HERALD

Sorry that I'm so late in posting this, but better late than never, right?

Anyway, I feel safe in saying that Saturday night's Bright Eyes set at Westfair Amphitheater was the best one I've ever seen from the band.

It was very similar to the set they played in Austin for SXSW, which I reviewed then. The set was once again heavy on the band's latest album, "The People's Key," though it also sampled from a lot of old material.

What I enjoyed was the influence that "The People's Key" had on the rest of the set. Since it's a more keyboard-heavy, forceful album, it caused the band to perform the rest of the songs that way.

"Lover I Don't Have To Love" is a great song, but Conor Oberst sang it with more conviction and it had a little more thump with the band that he had assembled, which included permanent members Nate Walcott and Mike Mogis as well as Clark Baechle on drums, Andy LeMaster on bass, Laura Burhenn on keys and backing vocals and Scott McPherson on additional percussion.

Baechle's drumming, which you all know from The Faint, has a drive to it and, coupled with MacPherson on another kit, fueled a lot of the songs.

Additionally, songs such as "Take It Easy (Love Nothing)" fit in the set just as well as "Hot Knives" or "Bowl Of Oranges."

Oberst is way more confident onstage than I've ever seen him. In the past, Oberst had problems performing in front of crowds so bad that he was notorious for his freakouts. That doesn't happen any more, but even in recent years, I wouldn't have described Oberst as "chatty."

But on Saturday, he was playing the frontman role pretty damn well. He owned the microphone and though he mostly stayed behind a mic stand playing a guitar, he occasionally ran around the stage, danced it up and even crowdsurfed during the night-ending "One For You, One For Me."

He was relaxed enough to talk to the crowd a lot, too.

"Thanks so much y'all thanks for comin' tonight," he said. "We're so happy to be here to be here on such a beautiful night. Thank God for that. And we really appreciate y'all coming from wherever you came from, driving here to be with us."

Several people during the show (and a couple I've talked to since) remarked that the sound mix was unbelievably good. Westfair has never been my favorite venue, but it sounded glorious the other night.

I hope the band sticks to a similar formula for future tours, though you never know with Oberst and his pals. They like to change things up.

Good sets also came from the rest of the day's lineup. Con Dios, David Bazan (formerly of Pedro The Lion) and Jenny & Johnny (Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley and singer-songwriter Johnathan Rice) rounded out the day's music.

* * *

World-Herald photographer Chris Machian was also at Saturday's show and he caught some pretty great images of the show. Check them out.

* * *

Bright Eyes' setlist

Firewall
Jejune Stars
Take It Easy (Love Nothing)
Four Winds
Trees Get Wheeled Away
Something Vague
We Are Nowhere And It's Now
Shell Games
Approximated Sunlight
Arc Of Time
Falling Out Of Love At This Volume
A Celebration Upon Completion
Bowl Of Oranges
Hot Knives
Cartoon Blues
Triple Spiral
No One Would Riot For Less
Old Soul Song (For The New World Order)
The Calendar Hung Itself
Ladder Song
ENCORE
Gold Mine Gutted
Lover I Don't Have To Love
Road To Joy
One For You, One For Me

* * *

"Bright Eyes performs "Something Vague" at Saturday's show.

Nebraska Pop Festival initial lineup announced

2011-06-07T15:03:00.000-05:00

The Nebraska Pop Festival, taking place this year from Aug. 9 to Aug. 14 at The Pizza Shoppe, Barley Street Tavern and The Side Door Lounge, has announced its initial lineup.

Nebraska-based bands: Thunder Power, Edge of Arbor, Platte River Rain, The Sleepover, Gloworm, Panda Face, Blue Bird, Glass of Milk, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, Witness Tree, Rock Paper Dynamite, Irkutsk, Hemingway's Lion, Foam Form, Gabe Cahill, The Golden Hour, Mint Wad Willy, Family Picnic, Green Trees, Tara Vaughan, The Big Deep, Murakami, Carrot Carrot, Floating Opera, Strawberry Burns

Other bands: Normandie Wilson (California), Matty Cries (Washington), Since Our First Guitar (Sweden), Biggles Flys Again (Ireland), The River Monks (Iowa), Careful Q (Illinois), Caramel Snow (New York), Demerit Samuel (Wisconsin), Fingers of the Sun (Colorado), The Sunshine Dreamers (Kansas), Met City (Indiana), Lilian and the Harveys (Minnesota), Postal Holiday (Colorado), Kissing Party (Colorado), Hindershot (Colorado), Paper City (California), Sofa City Sweetheart (California), Disasteradio (New Zealand), Faster Than Sane (Wisconsin)

As usual, I haven't heard of any of the non-Nebraska groups. But I trust organizer Christopher Beiermann to pick some good groups. Five days of bands is quite a lot of music and this will be a good showcase of talent.

Proceeds will benefit Arts For All.

Live Candy: Several great shows this week

2011-05-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

A lot of good live shows are coming this week in Omaha, starting tonight.

Portland, Ore., indie punks The Thermals play tonight at The Waiting Room with Kentucky band Morning Teleportation and local favorites (now with keyboards!) Little Brazil. Should be a fun show. $12.

Thursday brings a local show with Mitch Gettman, Moscow Mule (the solo project from talented Omaha multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bailie) and Tara Vaughan at Slowdown. You can get tickets to the front room show for $8 at etix.com or the venue.

Big show of the week comes Saturday with Bright Eyes taking the stage at Westfair Amphitheater in CB. They play with Jenny & Johnny (interview here), David Bazan and locals Con Dios. The show starts at 5:30 p.m. and make sure you can get there early and see Con Dios, which I loved when I saw them at O'Leaver's as part of the band's residency.

Sunday brings a sold-out show to Slowdown with Iron & Wine playing with one of my favorite bands from SXSW, The Head And The Heart. Watch a video of TH&TH performing "Lost In My Mind" live in Austin below.

MAHA Watch: Somasphere added to local stage

2011-05-26T18:00:00.018-05:00

MAHA Music Festival has five spots open on its local stage. Three were already chosen by MAHA and HearNebraska.org: The So-So Sailors, Machete Archive and Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship. Those three were narrowed down from a list of 15 provided by three venues: Duffy's Tavern in Lincoln, The Waiting Room and Slowdown.

The MAHA board also got to choose one band by itself and they went with Somasphere.

The instrumental rock/electronic band is a pretty cool choice. They certainly diversify the indie rock-heavy lineup, and I think they'll provide a pretty cool groove to move it to on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

It won't be the band's first festival appearance. They played Wakarusa in 2010 and are on the lineup there again this year as well as Sonic Boom in Colorado, which is pretty fantastic for any Lincoln/Omaha band.

I'm excited for the showcases that will be curated by the local stage bands, and I'm sure we'll see some interesting choices from the groups.

(Somasphere won't do a showcase like the others, I'm told, but will likely participate in some other Maha-related event.)

The local band portion of the festival has the organizers pretty jazzed about how the whole thing is shaping up.

"It reminds me on a different level just how cool our local indie scene is, and how great it would be to regain some of the regional national prominence the music once had," said Mike App.

Their approach, App said, is to choose accomplished local bands in order to "get our best and brightest prospects on the MAHA stage and maybe someday get them signed to a Sub Pop or Matador or Merge and have them be the next Cursive, Faint, Bright Eyes (or even Superchunk, Guided By Voices or Pavement!). Yeah, yeah, let me dream a little, will you? "

I sort of bashed the battle of the bands approach that Maha used the last two years (and that Red Sky Music Fesitval is using this year), so I'm happy they've gone with this route. Especially with the showcases that will highlight even more local talent than could fit at Maha.

Red Sky Watch: Zac Brown Band

2011-05-23T17:30:00.006-05:00

Who: Zac Brown Band with Blackberry Smoke and Sonia Leigh

When: Thursday, July 21

What’s up: Zac Brown Band have become one of the most popular country groups around with songs such as "Toes," "Chicken Fried" and "Free." And a pair of Grammy wins in recent years haven’t hurt either.

Now only one more headliner remains to be announced: the festival-closing Saturday night spot. Who will it be?

My guess is no longer Jay-Z. He may have been on the table at one point or all but confirmed, but I don't think so any more. I hope they'll be wrapping up all announcements this week, especially the B & C stage acts. A lot of people are interested in day stage tickets (which are pretty cheap), but I think they're missing out on potential ticket buyers the longer they wait to release details.

Two months from today, we'll be experiencing the last day of the fest. It's time to know who's playing.

Tickets to Zac Brown's show go on sale June 3 at 10 a.m.

* * *

You won't see this info on the Red Sky site quite yet because it was released by Live Nation, who quickly took it down and recalled the press release.

Update: Red Sky actually removed some posts (including mine) from its Facebook page. In case you're wondering, we decided to run the story here and on Omaha.com (and in tomorrow's paper) based on the fact that it had already been reported by various outlets, was up on Live Nation's Facebook page for at least an hour and, as a result of all of that, is now pretty much an open secret.

Update 2 (05/25): Red Sky announced the Zac Brown Band addition today. None of the information has changed.

"Toes" by Zac Brown Band

Foo Fighters' Shiflett fondly recalls the Ranch Bowl

2011-05-23T16:40:00.001-05:00

The Foo Fighters are, standing from left, Chris Shiflett, Pat Smear, Nate Mendel and, seated, Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins.

Previewing tonight's Foo Fighters show at the Mid-America Center, Chris Shiflett brought up Omaha.

Back when Shiflett, Foo Fighters guitarist, was a member of No Use For A Name, he was a veteran of Omaha rock clubs. During our interview, he asked if now-closed Omaha venues such as the Cog Factory and the Ranch Bowl were still around

He was sad and reminiscent when I told him that they both, in fact, were now closed.

“When I saw ‘Crazy Heart’ and that first scene (where Jeff Bridges’ character pulls up to a bowling alley), I thought of Omaha,” he said. “I thought, ‘Dude, I ... did that.' It totally reminded me of the Ranch Bowl.”

Shiflett said he loved the Ranch Bowl both because of the gracious crowds and, of course, all of the free bowling

“We’d bowl all day and play all night. Then I’d wake up the next morning with a really sore right arm,” he said, laughing. “When you’re 25, you really shouldn’t be that out of shape.”

Read the full interview over on Omaha.com and check back tonight for a review.

Column: Don’t like Red Sky's lineup? Don’t go

2011-05-19T12:30:00.004-05:00

The following is my column from today's World-Herald, but I thought I'd post it here for you blog readers as well.

* * *

By Kevin Coffey
Copyright ©2011 Omaha World-Herald®

Mention the words “Red Sky Music Festival” to certain people around town and be prepared to have a shoe (or other blunt object) chucked at your head.

People are mad.

A ton of negative feedback has been piled on at the festival’s Facebook page. It’s to the point where people have called for the jobs of those organizing the festival.

I think those folks should chill out. (Suggested activities: Log off Facebook for a minute. Put on a Smiths CD. Go for a walk. Deep breaths.)

Don’t like the festival? Don’t buy tickets. Your message will be heard.

I’ll admit that I’m underwhelmed by the lineup, but I’m not surprised by it.

While in earlier writings I pined for names like Wilco, Jay-Z, Phoenix, Muse and R.E.M. to play the festival, I knew seeing all but maybe one of those was unrealistic.

All along, I’ve seen Red Sky and Maha Music Festival being two separate things: the former with a broader, more commercial reach and the latter with an indie music and arts focus.

I think having both is a good thing and will satisfy music fans of all stripes.

There’s certainly a fan base here for 311 and Kid Rock as sure as there’s one for Guided By Voices and Cursive. (I submit to you as evidence that this music writer owns albums by all four of the above-mentioned groups.)

I hope for bigger and better things for both festivals. I can’t wait for Maha to expand to encompass two days (or maybe three?) and a different, bigger venue. And I hope Red Sky looks at more indie and underground acts beyond STS9.

And they will. Eventually.

* * *

What do you think? Let's talk in the comments.

* * *

One notion that I’d like to put to bed is that “the taxpayers will foot the bill if Red Sky fails.”

That statement has been thrown around a lot and is wholly inaccurate. Sure, the city owns the facilities that MECA operates. But MECA is its own business, uses its own profits and has its own cash reserves, which totaled $12.7 million in the last report by The World-Herald.

If Red Sky were to lose money, MECA and Live Nation are on the hook, certainly not the city.

Your tax dollars won’t figure into the equation at all.

For example, if MECA booked a performer at the Qwest Center and that concert lost money, MECA would pick up the slack. The city doesn’t have anything to do with it.

The same principle applies to Red Sky.

* * *

THE BANDS

As it stands right now, these bands will be playing at each festival:

Red Sky Music Festival

Journey, Night Ranger, 311, Sublime With Rome, Kid Rock, Jason Aldean, Chris Young, Thompson Square, Better Than Ezra, George Clinton, Cowboy Mouth, The Fab Four — The Ultimate Beatles Tribute, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Buddy Guy, 10,000 Maniacs, Sister Hazel, STS9, Five For Fighting

Maha Music Festival

Guided By Voices, Cursive, Matisyahu, J Mascis, Reverend Horton Heat, Noah’s Ark Was A Spaceship, The Machete Archive, The So-So Sailors

Here's to another 1,000

2011-05-17T17:00:00.000-05:00

Last week, I reached a career milestone: 1,000 Twitter followers. OK, maybe not a career milestone, but still kinda cool.

Thanks for following me, friends. And thanks to Anniversaire, the local Omaha band who was the first to click that "follow" button on my page.

One thing I wish more people would do is "like" Rock Candy's Facebook page. I have some different stuff over there in addition to what's on Twitter and here on this blog and you'd do well to check it out.

Thank you, once again. If you keep reading, I'll keep writing.

Maha Music Festival: More main stage artists announced

2011-05-16T21:00:00.033-05:00

More of today's festival news: Welcome J. Mascis and The Reverend Horton Heat to the lineup of Maha Music Festival.

You know Mascis as the frontman of indie group Dinosaur Jr. At the moment, Mascis is supporting his latest solo effort, "Several Shades of Why," which is a mostly acoustic endeavor released on Sub Pop.

The Reverend Horton Heat - both the man and the psychobilly trio - apparently have quite the manic live show and are known for being incredibly entertaining. Honestly, I've never seen them, but I've always heard great things.

While I'm not a Mascis fan (feel free to read either of my posts about him from SXSW '10 and '11), he obviously has a great following. Both are fine additions to the lineup, which also includes Guided By Voices, Cursive and Matisyahu.

That's a solid group of artists from top to bottom. Who's the signature act? Hard to say. Probably Guided By Voices because of the reunion aspect.

Most of these groups' fan bases skew a bit older than other indie rock bands, but I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. People in their 30s tend to be able to buy more tickets than 20-something hipsters.

* * *

In related news, the festival has announced three of its local artists and a new showcase format (which I pretty much love).

Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship, The So-So Sailors and The Machete Archive will all play the Maha local stage AND they will each curate and headline a showcase at one of three area venues before the festival.

Noah's Ark will play the Waiting Room on June 22, Machete will play Duffy's Tavern in Lincoln on June 30 and the Sailors will play Slowdown on July 28.

One additional local band will be selected by winning the OEA Awards' summer showcase on July 8-9. Fans get to vote and the band with the most votes win.

I think the format (picking the local artists and then showcasing local talent by letting the band pick its favorites) is a great way to run the local stage. And it's a great way to build buzz for the festival.

* * *

Certainly all of that is well worth your $30. Seriously, at least a couple of those bands have charged nearly as much to see just them, let alone five other good bands.

Get your tickets at etix.com.

Red Sky Watch: Kid Rock

2011-05-16T17:01:00.005-05:00

Kid Rock is the latest artist to be announced as a Red Sky Music Festival headliner. He'll play on Wednesday of the festival, July 20.

Rock's latest, "Born Free," was produced by superproducer Rick Rubin and didn't include many musicians from his Twisted Brown Trucker Band, instead opting to feature friends like Miranda Lambert, T.I., Bob Seger, Sheryl Crow, Zac Brown and Mary J. Blige.

Also, David Hidalgo of Los Lobos, Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers are members of his backing band on the record.

While many people hate on Kid Rock, he's a guilty pleasure for me. I'm not saying his music is wonderful or cancer-curing, but it's entertaining. And he puts on a helluva live show.

He'll sell well in Omaha. In fact, his last few concerts here have been huge hits, as I recall.

Rock's new album, probably because of Rubin's keen ear, is the best through and through he's made, focusing a lot more his heartland rock styles than the rap/rock stuff a lot of people know him for.

Get your tickets on Friday at 10 a.m. at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail outlets, the Qwest Center box office or by phone at 800-745-3000.

You probably saw this over the weekend, but Blogger was down and I couldn't do a post about it.

Sister Hazel, STS9 and Five For Fighting were added to the Festival Grounds segment of Red Sky.

More '90s radio rock, it appears.

But I certainly am intrigued and impressed with the addition of STS9, a band you'll find on the roster at Wakarusa and Bonnaroo this year.

They're well-known for their festival performances and will probably be a highlight of Red Sky.

Non-existent vinyl now exists

2011-05-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

Remember that vinyl release show recently where they didn't have the vinyl?

Conduits, InDreama, Icky Blossoms and Touch People had a show at Slowdown, but the vinyl wasn't pressed yet.

Anyway, it turns out the vinyl is now in. If you don't remember previous articles, the bands created a double 7" release with one song from each group.

E-mail conduits.sound@gmail.com for order information. The vinyl is $8, plus $3 shipping.

Of course, you can wait to get one directly from the bands at one of their respective shows.

More Red Sky festival bands announced

2011-05-10T17:16:00.002-05:00

This afternoon, Red Sky Music Festival announced four more festival grounds bands: The Fab Four - The Ultimate Beatles Tribute, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Buddy Guy and 10,000 Maniacs.

No idea who the first two are, to be honest.

Update: The Fab Four - The Ultimate Beatles Tribute is ~~an Elvis Presley~~ a popular Beatles tribute band. (No joke.) And now that I looked up Bruce Hornsby, I guess I knew who he was without knowing who he was, so to speak. Hornsby did "The Way It Is," which is probably more famous nowadays for being the sample used in Tupac's "Changes." (Thanks to my OWH pal Jon for pointing that out for me.)

Buddy Guy will be a good addition. He opened for B.B. King in Council Bluffs recently and was amazing.

The one I'm honestly surprised by is 10,000 Maniacs. Good band, but who knew they still existed? As it turns out, the current lineup includes original members, but not Natalie Merchant. Interesting.

Anyway, if you hadn't noticed, Red Sky basically has two components. One consists of six big outdoor concerts. The other is a six-day daytime music festival. Personally, I think that's going to benefit Red Sky ticket sales since they won't be counting on thousands of people buying full festival passes.

More news coming later this week.

Red Sky Watch: Journey and Night Ranger

2011-05-09T17:03:00.005-05:00

Looks like we have another one.

Who: Journey and Night Ranger

When: Monday, July 18

What’s up: Journey, now with singer Arnel Pineda, is behind songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Any Way You Want It.” They’ll perform with Night Ranger, which is probably best known for the power ballad “Sister Christian.”

Of note is that Journey will release a new album, "Eclipse," on May 24. And according to the band's Facebook page, Night Ranger is also working on new material.

Tickets go on sale May 14 at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster and at the Qwest Center box office.

This is continuing the trend of artists that are popular and broad, which I've mentioned in previous posts.

My guess is we'll see a lot more announcements (main stage and festival grounds) on Red Sky this week. Stay tuned.

Mike Mogis in the studio with First Aid Kit

2011-05-09T13:50:00.002-05:00

Klara Söderberg, Mike Mogis and Johanna Söderberg in the ARC control room. CREDIT: thisisfirstaidkit.com

Bright Eyes is on a bit of a touring break right now, but Mike Mogis never stops working.

In fact, he's in his ARC Studios in Omaha right now with First Aid Kit, the Swedish folk duo comprised of sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg.

Last year, the band released "The Big Black & The Blue" on Wichita Recordings. While on tour, they met Mogis and the rest of Bright Eyes at Austin City Limits and sang "Lua" onstage with the band.

"He saw our show there and we got talking about recording an album together," the sisters said. "Bright Eyes was the band that got us inspired to start making music, so working with Mike is quite surreal for us. We feel honored. So far things are going really well and we believe we're in the process of creating something very special. This truly is a dream come true."

Red Sky Watch: Jason Aldean headlining

2011-05-06T17:02:00.002-05:00

We got news on another headliner: Jason Aldean.

No surprise, really. Aldean's website has listed an Omaha date smack dab in the middle of Red Sky quite awhile ago.

Still, he's a big country name with hits such as "Big Green Tractor" and "She's Country" and will sell well to that fanbase, which is massive in these parts.

Aldean will perform July 22, Friday night of the festival. Tickets for his performance go on sale May 13 at 10 a.m.

Opening for Aldean will be Chris Young and Thompson Sqaure. I actually like Young quite a lot. He's a rising star- and will probably have his own headlining tour in a couple years.

* * *

Speaking of tickets, they go on sale tomorrow at 10 a.m. for 311 and Sublime With Rome. $35, $25 at Ticketmaster.

Red Sky Watch: 3 more bands announced

2011-05-04T14:05:00.007-05:00

More bands were announced for Red Sky Music Festival.

Better Than Ezra, George Clinton and Cowboy Mouth will all be playing the festival grounds (not the main stage). Dates and times for their performances haven't yet been announced.

So, that's five artists total. About 45 (or so) more to go.

As mentioned previously, these are about the kind of acts that I've assumed we'd be hearing about.

In my estimation, they'll be popular bands with good followings that reach a broad audience. So far, I've seen nothing to say that indie and edgy groups will have a big place here.

I think that's a fine thing. These are all good bands. But I think people's expectations were more akin to a Lollapalooza or Coachella sort of lineup. That's not what this is shaping up to be nor do I think that's what it was intended to be.

But we shall see.

Let your thoughts be known in the comments.

* * *

So, are we going to see Jay-Z at Red Sky? It's one I've heard thrown around.

And yesterday, DJ Soulman from the Phunk Junkeez tweeted that he's playing at Red Sky with 311 and, you guessed it, Jay-Z.

True or not? I guess we'll find out when the festival announces more.

(I'm wondering: If you have Jay-Z on your lineup, why isn't he the first act you announce?)