This being a pseudo drinking holiday, you'd expect at least a few shows going on tonight. Nada. I guess Omaha started lent a little early this year. The rest of the week is dominated with shows: Voxtrot and Kite Pilot tomorrow; Nada Surf on Thursday (the weekend, on the other hand, is looking a might bit thin).

Those who might be wondering, I did go to the Past Punchy and the Present show Saturday night at The 49'r. My quick exit will be discussed ad nauseum in this week's column, which will be online either tomorrow or Thursday, depending on the amount of news worth passing on (No feature article this week, drat it). Suffice to say, what little I saw of Past Punchy was revelatory. I missed almost their entire set. Unsure of when the band was supposed to go on, I took a shot in the dark and missed, only catching the last two songs. Thornton Will was seated behind the trap set wearing a New York Yankees stocking cap (apparently it was stocking cap night, as Kyle Harvey and Alex McManus also wore them) while Thornton Bob was right out front in a suit. An apparently exhausted Reagan Roeder played seated on one of the steps. These guys make a big messy noise that is undeniably catchy. In a certain way, the ensemble had the same loose garage-band vibe of Crazy Horse but with punk overtones. I managed to catch the entire final song, an odyssey of dynamics that saw the band rise and fall from verse to verse -- loud than quiet than loud -- with the audience fooled at least twice into thinking the song was over when it wasn't. Dynamics and momentum are the lifeblood of this band. Listening to them is like watching them run madly across the surface of a frozen lake only to stop all at once and lean back in their shoes, sliding forward almost to halt before taking off again in an all-out sprint. Something tells me that Bob is the type of guy that likes to gun it then hit the brakes in his car just to see his passengers lurch forward and back in their seats. There was a lot of that going on in the Niner last Saturday night. Here's hoping they play again in the near future so I can hear their entire set.

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That's it. I'm not going to post CD reviews the day before a band's CD release show anymore. Makes me look like an idjit.

Yesterday I said Life After Laserdisque's new disc reminded me of Blood Sweat and Tears, which it does at times. Then I go see them live and they sound nothing like BS&T. In fact, they sounded nothing like their CD. Good thing nobody reads this blog. LAL just sorta tossed out most of the retro posing and amped up the modern edges at last night's O'Leaver's gig. The arrangements were more uptempo than on the record, with brash guitar and keyboard lines glowing at new angles to a sound that bordered on post-punk prog rock. Still, there was plenty of jam-band stuff going on, including probably the first drum solo I've seen since my concert-going days at the Civic Auditorium. There was even a blitzed guy in the audience that looked like Trey Anastasio doing a pseudo hurdy-gurdy dance -- it doesn't get more hippie than that. Frontman John Klemmensen looked relaxed belting out his yodel-like vocals all evening, pulling the capacity audience into a fun-loving party stance -- yeah, this is one of them "good-time bands." Xtra-special features included a video reel that played on the plasma TV -- a conglomeration of stuff that included a hilarious safety video (Safety Only Takes a Second), an NBA slam-dunk contest, martial arts demonstrations and a long sequence from a cheesy horror flick that just seemed to go on and on and on.

Opener Landing on the Moon played a relaxed set in preparation of a mini-tour that takes them to Denver tonight and Lincoln tomorrow. The evening was also the unveiling of O'Leaver's upgraded PA. Sure enough, mounted from the ceiling were two big, beefy JBL speakers. The overall sound was indeed better, fuller, etc., but the vocals still sounded somewhat awful. The mikes were an ongoing topic of discussion throughout the evening. Was it the microphones themselves? Some said yes, but almost everyone pointed to how the microphones were wired into the PA. Theories varied. Look, I don't know anything about the science of sound engineering, all's I know was that the vocals sounded like they were coming out of a megaphone. Not good, but once they get that figured out, O'Leaver's sound will have entered the big leagues where it belongs.

Tonight, Past Punchy and the Present at The 49'r with Midwest Dilemma and The Ointments. $5, 9:30 p.m. Expect an over-capacity crowd. Look for me. I'll be the guy standing in your way.

The agenda is in the headline. Please update your calendars appropriately. The details:

Tonight, O'Leaver's will be hosting Life After Laserdisque's CD release show for Laser of Justice. Niz wrote a nice little story on the band in the OWH yesterday (it's here, but you'll have to register to read it). The five-piece features Scott Klemmensen on guitar and vocals (brother of Landing on the Moon frontman John Klemmensen), guitarist Shawn Cox (Landing on the Moon) and irascible bassist Brendan Greene-Walsh, who you might recognize as the sound guy at O'Leaver's (He's the dude with the ponytail and trademark suspenders -- yes, that guy). LAL is rounded out by drummer Jason Koba and keyboardist Ian Simons. I've been listening to Laser of Justice for the past few days on my iPod. The six-song EP, recorded by Mike Saklar, has a distinctively retro R&B vibe that comes by way of funk guitar lines and Klemmensen's soaring howl. The band prides itself on its varied style from song to song. The opener is a funk deal, while the next two tunes sound like Blood Sweat and Tears ("Working in the Garden" even has a guitar lick that reminds me of "Ride Captain Ride"). "Stay Awhile" is a meandering stroller with no central melody (at least none that I could hum for you if asked), while the last two put a modern face on traditional back-beat album rock. I think there's something hippie-esque about LAL that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's because I'm not an aficionado of today's jam bands. That said. LAL isn't a jam band, though with a slight push and the right weed, I think it could become one.

Also playing tonight with LAL is Landing on the Moon (Shawn Cox will sleep well after pulling double duty) and Someday Stories. $5, 9:30 p.m. Also of note, Brendan from LAL left a post on my webboard saying he spent most of yesterday evening replacing O'Leaver's main speakers with "some very nice, vary large JBL's." If there's one thing that's been missing from O'Leaver's since it became a bonafide rock club (other than enough space) it's been a decent PA. I'll check it out tonight and let you know tomorrow how it sounded.

Tomorrow night's marquee show is at The 49'r with Past Punchy and the Present (read yesterday's blog for details) along with Midwest Dilemma and The Ointments. Bob Thornton e-mailed me yesterday letting me in on a surprise tune that they'll be playing during their set. Here's a hint: I mentioned it yesterday. It's either $3 or $5 and starts at 9:30.

Column 65: Band of Brothers
Past Punchy keeps it in the family

The Brothers Thornton are at it again.

What they're up to is the same thing they've been up to on and off since the mid-'90s -- playing music the way they want to. And to be honest with you, I don't think they really give a damn if you're listening or not.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Bob Thornton contacted me about writing this column weeks ago. He wanted the press in hopes of drawing a crowd to this Saturday's Past Punchy and the Present gig at The 49'r. He wants it noisy. He wants it riotous. He wants his drummer to be distracted from the matter at hand.

"Usually I don't do this sort of thing," Bob said over Americanas at The Blue Line last week. "But I really want our first show to be big and packed, because when you get even 60 people at the Niner it's a madhouse and you don't care anymore. This is the first show Bill will be playing drums, and if no one's paying attention, that would be a good thing for him."

Fat chance of that happening.

Methinks the majority of people will be at the Niner Saturday night just to see and hear Bill Thornton on stage again, even if he's playing drums instead of bass or guitar. There are those of us who fondly remember seeing him sling guitar licks next to Gary Dean Davis and Joe Kobjerowski as part of the legendary Omaha tractor-punk band Frontier Trust. But if we're gonna go back, let's go back all the way.

Bob and Bill (or Will, depending on who you are) first played together in a little band called Bamboozle way back in '91. Bob had been playing in bands since he got a guitar after graduating from Millard North. No, he's not a product of suburban West Omaha. He spent most of his childhood in Saudi Arabia, where his father was a member of the Corp of Engineers. By the time his family moved back to the U.S.A., big brother Bill was already living in Nashville. Bill didn't make it to Omaha until he was 26 and Bob was 20.

Beyond Bamboozle, Bob kept busy playing in punk band Say No More (which later became Clayface) and in noise band Culture Fire. He also performed solo as Past Punchy, a name that came to him after a co-worker commented on his grouchy demeanor working late nights. "She said I was punchy," Bob said. "I said I was past punchy." Purveyors of rare Omaha recordings will find Past Punchy listed along with such acts as Vic Chestnutt, The Mountain Goats, The Bruces and Conor Oberst on the 1994 You and What Army? compilation tape released by Sing! Eunuchs.

But it was in Bamboozle that the two brothers first played together, debuting at the old Lift Ticket Lounge in Benson. That band didn't last long. And despite touring and critical acclaim, neither did Frontier Trust, which dissolved in the mid-'90s when Bill took off to Manhattan. Bob spent the next few years drifting from band to band. "And then at one point, I sold everything I owned, all my musical equipment," Bob said. "It was around '96 or '97. I didn't want to do it anymore. I lost this drive I used to have. I thought other people should be using my gear. Now I'm sorry I did it."

It wasn't until three years ago that he picked up an acoustic guitar again and started writing pop songs. He quickly realized how much he missed playing and joined the short-lived old-school punk band Carmine with Marc Phillips. Shortly afterward, Bill, who had moved back to Omaha after living in Portland, told Bob that he wanted to learn to play drums. "I was already putting together another band and had a drum kit set up downstairs," Bob said.

So with friends Kyle Harvey, Reagan Roeder and Alex McManus, Past Punchy and The Present was born. Fans of the brothers' past adventures will recognize the classic Thornton style -- messy and honest, loud and brash, with plenty of rural flair.

You can check out some of their home recordings on Myspace, but don't go looking for any Past Punchy CDs. Bob isn't interested in making the band anything more than a fun project. "I might have sabotaged bands before because they were getting big," he said. "It not unlike finding a favorite hangout that becomes extremely popular; it's almost like it's not yours anymore. So then you have to find another place and then another, and then you get sick of it and stay home all the time, and that's the point where you get rid of your gear."

That won't be happening with Past Punchy. "We have no plans to record for real," Bob said. "We just want to play shows and write more songs. It's really fun just to be able to hang out with my brother, Kyle, Reagan and Alex and maybe play every once in a while."

And there ain't nothing wrong with that, as long as we can be there to listen.

There's a nice little feature on Nada Surf that just went online (read it here). Drummer Ira Elliot compares and contrasts life on a major (Elektra) vs. life on an indie (Barsuk). They prefer the latter (and who wouldn't?). He also talks a little bit about Ric Ocasek, who must be one intimidating mofo when it comes to recording. I like Nada Surf and I like their new record. It took awhile. Actually, it took awhile just getting past their name. You hear Nada Surf, you immediately think jam band or hippie music. These guys couldn't be further from both. Bad name, Nada Surf. Oh well. They're succeeding in spite of it.

Stuff that didn't make it into the story: When it came time to release the follow-up single to the hugely popular "Popular," Nada Surf got the first glimpse at what they were in for at Elektra. The label wanted to push the somewhat milquetoast "Treehouse." "We knew it wouldn't work and it didn't," Elliot said. "We didn't even like playing it. We were into a song called 'Sleep,' with a killer riff in the middle. It blew up when we played it on stage and we knew it would sound smashing on the radio." Of course, the label will always win that argument.

What was it like working with Ocasek, who produced their debut, vs. Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, who produced their latest release? "Ocasek was a huge presence," Elliot said. "He was older, we were all awed by him when we met him. You can't help but be. Chris is a peer. He's younger than we are and at the same time was like another guy in the band. Chris was more of a peer and had a different energy. Ric's energy was quiet and reserved. Chris was manic. He has a childlike quality. He's always firing on all cylinders."

Nada Surf has a song included on Music from The OC: Mix 2 called "If You Leave." Some might consider that a subject of ridicule, unless they glanced at who else is on the album: Eels, Death Cab for Cutie, Interpol, Dios Malos, The Walkman, to name a few. They're also on the recently released collection from the WB show One Tree Hill (that one is a little more embarrassing). Have they seen an impact being on the kid-show soundtracks? "People are not calling that song out ("If You Leave")," Elliot said. "I do suspect it brought us a number of fans. I'm getting a sense of that looking at the audience. You can tell who's down front. At Chapel Hill, it was a college audience, but there were real young kids up front that would be into The OC and One Tree Hill. It has a lot of impact on kids getting into music and looking at new bands. We haven't gotten too many shoutouts for "If You Leave," and we wouldn't play it, anyway. I don't think there was any credibility downside. It's just a new outlet for bands to reach an audience."

Finally, does the band still play "Popular"? "Sometimes toward end of a set or when we do an encore, or on a hot not and we're doing a second encore, we'll pull out the heavy guns," Elliot said. "The other night, we overheard a conversation between guys from the other bands. One said, 'I heard they do,' and the other was absolutely certain we didn't. We do play it, but we don't play it as a matter of course every night. That night we did just to prove everyone wrong. We play it every three or four shows. One day we should open the show with it." Read more here...

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A friend of mine (the good Dr. Sheehan, to be exact) pointed out to me that the short film, "Omaha Rocks," is now online at Current TV (click here to view). The 7-minute video, produced by Rob Walter (who, along with Jason Kulbel, produced the recently released (on DVD) documentary "Spend an Evening with Saddle Creek"), takes a stab at what's driving the Omaha music scene, specifically the Saddle Creek scene. It includes brief interviews with the boys from Beep Beep, Dapose and Joel Petersen from The Faint, a special segment on The Cog Factory with shots from both outside and inside the bunker (good stuff). There's also shots taken inside what appears to be The Faint's rehearsal space (as well as some live Faint footage from a Sokol Auditorium show), shots of Tilly and the Wall rehearsing, and a microbrief comment from Ladyfinger. The given discription on the Current TV site: "Is Omaha the new Seattle? VCC Producer Rob Walters examines the explosion of independent rock music in, of all places, Omaha, Nebraska." The underlying theme: Omaha is a cheap and easy place to start a band, with both the necessary friend- and fanbase to keep it going even in the rough times. Omaha is a curiosity in the eyes of the national press. Omaha bands have a good work ethic. Consider it extra footage from the original Creek documentary, complete with the same pan-shots of the city skyline used from that film. Nicely done.

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A busy Monday, putting stuff together for the rest of the week including a feature on Nada Surf (online Wednesday) and a column with Past Punchy (online Thursday). Good thing I have the day off in honor of past and present presidents. Check out the live review that went online over the weekend (below). There's a rare Monday show tonight at Sokol Underground featuring Tooth & Nail band MAE with Lovedrug and The Audition. MAE plays keyboard-driven nerd rock, sort of an emo version of Ben Folds. Lovedrug is more of the same but without keyboards. Chicago's The Audition is on Victory and sounds like the kind of band that would be on Victory. It'll be all emo, all the time. Bring the kids. $12, 9 p.m.

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Despite my better judgment, I went to The 49'r last night even though it was brutally cold out and I knew I'd be parking three blocks away (if I found a parking spot at all) and that the walk alone would be treacherous because no one along 49th street apparently has time to shovel their sidewalks, which had turned to sheets of ice. I knew that the place would be packed to the gills, that it would take a minimum of 10 minutes to get a beer and that after I got the beer, that I would walk around puzzled as to where I was going to stand to watch the band. I knew all of this, but I went anyway because I haven't seen No Blood Orphan before and I wanted to hear how their CD sounded performed live.

And, of course, all my arguments against going were fully realized. The place was packed, it took forever to get a beer (thanks again, Oliver), and there was nowhere to sit or stand to watch the band. I suppose if you're 5'7" you're okay to stand in front of other people, but if you're 6'2", you're going to feel more than a little bit "in the way" and worried that you're being a rude a-hole. But what else are you supposed to do? The 49'r is simply not designed for live shows. There is no stage so the band plays at the same level as the crowd, which means someone is always going to be in the way. There are too many tables so there's nowhere to stand. The only places you can stand are along the bar (in the way of people seated in stools or those trying to get a beer), in the back (in the way of people trying to get to the bathrooms), along the opposite wall (actually, there's no standing room over there) or right in front of the band -- where you'll effectively block everyone's view. Guess where I ended up.

I can, however, see why bands like playing at the Niner -- there literally is no line of demarcation between the band and the crowd, as if the band is playing within the crowd itself. The guy standing next to me, for example, put out his cigarettes in the ashtray that sat atop of the keyboard while the keyboardist was playing it. The keyboardist didn't mind at all -- why would he? At that point, he was literally playing inside the crowd. I assume this gives the band a feeling of not performing at all, but of actually being just another patron. That relaxed vibe results in some very comfortable performances, and last night's was no exception. Mike Saklar and company were in a groove from beginning to end. Just seeing Saklar's set-up, by the way, is worth the price of admission -- he has a panel on the floor with what appeared to have more than a dozen different pedals attached to it. To Saklar's left was a gizmo mounted three feet off the ground on a metal stand that looked like a piece of World War II-era medical equipment. Behind the keyboard player spun a large cylinder that looked like an ice-cream maker. I have no idea what any of these gizmos were for.

I can tell you that the set sounded good and somewhat different than the recording thanks to the extensive use of delays on the vocals and the warm keyboards that shifted beneath every song -- keyboards that I never noticed before on the recording. Saklar uses so much delay that it gives his voice an almost Peter Murphy-esque quality (You can tell he loves Bauhaus). The visible differences from song to song on the new album were somewhat glossed over live. All of it -- even the twangy stuff -- had an almost gothic sheen to it reminiscent of '80s bands like Teardrop Explodes, Joy Division, The Cure and Mission UK (Again, I have to point to the vocal effects). The highlights included a throbbing version of "Insect" from the new album, and the set-closer that featured solos by keyboardist Chris Esterbrooks and lead guitarist Steve Bartolomei. Saklar himself provided a number of flowing guitar solos throughout the set.

The sound quality, incidentally, was never better. I have no idea why that is. Perhaps The Niner has added a few things, or the band added their own stuff (the ice cream maker?) or the sound guy just did a good job (though I could have used more Bartolomei in the mix). After the set, Jake Bellows was supposed to perform. I'm told he had also played a set last night in Lincoln as Cocoon (without Todd Fink, who was in the Niner audience last night) and was headed back to Omaha right afterward for the solo set. I have no idea if he made it. With my beer long gone, I took a look at the crowd I'd have to work through to get another and thought better of it. As uncomfortable as last night's set was, I know I'll be back there again next weekend for Past Punchy and the Presents. But you'll be reading more about them here later next week.

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From a pure concert standpoint, this is one of the best weekends of the year... if you live in Lincoln. Tonight it's Nine Inch Nails and Moving Units at Pershing; tomorrow night it's the sold-out Jeff Tweedy show at The Rococo while The Elected and Cocoon (The Todd Fink side project) are at Duffy's.

The pickin's aren't so bad for the rest of us stuck in this iceball called Omaha, except for tonight maybe. The only show worth mentioning is former M.I.J. frontman Jeff Hanson at Sokol Underground with Southerly and Tim Perkins. Hanson's solo debut, released on Kill Rockstars, was produced by the Mogis Brothers at Presto! And yes, for those of you who remember M.I.J., Hanson's that guy that sounds like a girl. In fact, his new album sounds like a girl singing Elliott Smith songs. Southerly also keeps with the acoustic, earnest, emo theme. $7, 9 p.m.

Tomorrow night is the bonanza night. At The 49'r you have the No Blood Orphan CD release show, which also features Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova), Microphone Jones, Lee Meyerpeter (Bad Luck Charm) and a number of "surprise special guests." I suspect this will be a madhouse, as all 49'r shows are. The problem with The 49'r, as I've written a million times before, is that there is no place to stand in the venue without being in someone's way, which makes for one pain-in-the-ass evening. Someone needs to rethink the venue's set-up for live shows. $3 (or $5, I'm not complete sure), 9:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, just a few blocks away, Outlaw Con Bandana is hosting its album-release show at Don Carmelo's on 35th and Farnam. How they'll pull this off in the pizza joint is anyone's guess, though frontman Brendan Hagberg said it'll be something to see. Opening the show is none other than Omaha icon Bill Hoover. And you can't beat the price -- it's free.

Look for a live review or two right here this weekend.

Column 64: Scars for All the Hear
Outlaw Con Bandana has nothing to hide.

Funny thing about the liner notes tucked inside the new Outlaw Con Bandana 12-inch, Life Without Outlaw. The Xerox paper containing the lyrics has been haphazardly trimmed -- either accidentally or intentionally -- so that some of the words are missing, forcing you to either listen more closely or fill in the blanks yourself.

This column has the same sort of requirements. There are a lot of missing pieces in this story of Outlaw singer-songwriter Brendan Hagberg that are left out mostly on purpose by the request of Hagberg himself, who gave me the details on a background-basis only. Unfortunately, those missing pieces make up the central theme that inspired his new album. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

A chain-smoking Hagberg, along with girlfriend and Outlaw member Pearl Lovejoy Boyd, met me at an almost-empty 49'r Tavern last Sunday afternoon to tell not only the story behind the record, but the story behind this sad-faced, curly-haired son of Woody Guthrie.

It starts at Hagberg's youth. Growing up in Minneapolis and Omaha, Hagberg joined a class of musicians that includes Conor Oberst, Simon Joyner and Bill Hoover who got their start at the now legendary Kilgore's on 32nd and California St. (now the Shelterbelt Theater). Hagberg's debut came at the tender age of 15 as the result of some prodding by Antiquarium records store owner and Omaha music scene patriarch Dave Sink. Hanging with that group of musicians gave Hagberg the big idea that he, too, could be a troubadour.

Music wasn't his first love. Baseball was. Hagberg had dreams of playing baseball in college, but growing up in a broken home killed the idea. "My dad's career failed, his marriage failed, and me and my sisters were left without a stable home," Halberg said. "I wasn't going to sink, so I headed out on my own, infatuated with beat poets."

He dropped out of school at age 15 and hit the road on a series of trips that took him to New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle and points in between, learning about Woody Guthrie and Robert Johnson by busking on the streets in front of St. Peter's Cathedral. "That's the music you play if you're a singer down there," he said of New Orleans. "I've lived there three times over the years. I generally go for about four months before I burn out. It's a real tough place to stick around."

He moved back to Omaha in '98 after having a child with a girlfriend and took on the job of running a baseball club -- the Omaha Haymakers. Though only a summer league for college students and washed up big leaguers, it was a chance to stay involved in baseball when he wasn't out wandering. Finally, after returning from a stint in Europe, Hagberg formed Outlaw Con Bandana with upright bass player Matt Rooney. "Through all that time, I never stopped songwriting," Hagberg said.

Which brings us to the part of the story that I can't talk about. The part that inspired Life Without Outlaw. I will say that it's a story of desperation and futility, harrowing and grim. "I wrote almost all of this record in February of last year," Hagberg said. "I was writing songs trying to work though (the situation). It's better than having a rage directed at the people that hurt me."

So desperate was Hagberg's circumstances that he said he considered suicide. It's only very recently that the matter finally came to a conclusion. "I didn't think I would fall in love or make a record again," he said. "These things are really surprising. There are some people looking out for me."

Among them, Ted Stevens of Mayday and Cursive fame, who heard the demos for Life Without Outlaw and signed on to produce the album after Joseph Tingley of Grotto Records agreed to release it. The album, which also features Chris Fischer on drums and a slew of guest performers including Stevens, Dan McCarthy, Pat Oakes and Pete Weimerauner, is one of the best traditional folk recordings to come out of Omaha, driven by gritty lyrics that cut to the heart and bone.

Do you still want to know what happened to Hagberg? Just check out the record, available at the Antiquarium. Or better yet, hear the band perform it at the record release show Feb. 18, 9:30, at Don Carmelo's on 35th and Farnam. It's free.

Or just ask Hagberg yourself. He'll tell you.

"Sometimes you get a scar from a really troubling time," he said. "This one just happens to be right across my face. It's not on my belly or somewhere covered up. It's important to interpret that experience. Letting other people in on it will cast some light on some of the unmentioned tragedies. There's not a lot on the front page of the paper about recovering deadbeat alcoholics and the falsely accused. I just want a chance to explain what happened. Hopefully people will give me a listen, as opposed to deciding on hearsay."

One of the ways I originally wanted to approach this feature on No Blood Orphan (read it here) was to talk about the nature of guitar-playing with frontman/guitarist Mike Saklar, a living legend among local musicians. The problem, of course, was that Saklar is way, way too humble to talk about his skills. I commented that he was one of the most versatile ax-wielders in the scene today and he just sort of quietly, shyly said "Thanks" and indicated non-verbally that it was time to move on, that there's nothing to see here. It's sort of what I expected. As long as I can remember, Saklar always has deflected any attention to himself, preferring to let his guitar speak for him, and speak well it does.

What Mike was willing to talk about (beyond what's in the story) was the nature of digital and analog recording. He recorded Your Ship Sales the Seven Seas with NBO guitarist Steve Bartolomei and mastered it at Ant Studios, the name of Saklar's home studio in Ralston. "The studio is my whole house," he said. "It's like a rehearsal studio, we basically practice down there and I try to keep everything miked up all the time. I generally record every practice and we go back and fix things that sound weird."

For the actual recording sessions, however, Saklar unplugs the computer and plugs in an 8-track tape recorder. "The album was recorded entirely on analog equipment," he said. "Everything went to tape. I've been recording stuff since '96; actually I started recording albums in '89 or '90. If nothing else, I've learned the ropes a little bit."

Why analog? "It just sound better," he said. "Me and Steve (Bartolomei) talk about this every day. There's a richness and level of harmonics you can perceive when you compare digital to analog. It's just different. Seems like a lot of digital recordings can punch you. With analog, you get a cushy low end; everything sounds better."

"It's like putting a layer of varnish on the recording," added keyboardist Chris Esterbrooks. "You're also hearing the sound of the tape itself."

Saklar is also becoming a go-to guy when it comes to mastering, having recently handled the mastering chores on new albums by Life After Laserdisque and Landing On the Moon, among others. "I've been mastering since Ravine," Saklar said. "I mastered all my records and a little bit of Ritual Device. It makes sense to me since I feel really close to the music as the engineer."

Saturday's No Blood Orphan CD release show at The Niner falls on a busy weekend for shows. The Jeff Tweedy show is the same night in Lincoln, indie band MAE is down at Sokol and Outlaw Con Bandana's album release show will be going on at Don Carmelo's on Farnam. More on that band tomorrow.

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Sorry about not updating the site yesterday, but I was waist-deep writing a profile on No Blood Orphan (online tomorrow) and a column about Outlaw Con Bandana's Brendan Hagberg (online Thursday). Lots of interviews last weekend. Not enough shows. I missed Shelley Short and Dan McCarthy. And despite the fact that we're midway through February, there are still very few mid-week shows on the ol' rock calendar (not that Valentine's Day was ever considered a good night for shows anyway). That won't change until we reach March. Anyway, here are a few newsy things:

-- The SXSW website updated their "confirmed band list" last Monday. Still the same Omaha bands as before listed: Criteria, Tilly and the Wall, Broken Spindles, and Neva Dinova. Criteria and Tilly, along with Two Gallants, are part of the combined Saddle Creek/Barsuk Showcase March 16 at the Parish Room. Creek press materials don't list Neva and Tilly at their showcase but I wouldn't be surprised if they made a guest appearance. Why Neva? Because Creek finally confirmed to me last week the news that everyone already knows -- the label is indeed putting out the next Neva Dinova album. Congrats and welcome to Saddle Creek, fellers.

-- MusicOMH has a 4-star review of Two Gallants' What the Toll Tells. "It's not really an easy listen, but it is an exciting one, even if the math-rock element seems, as it tends to, a little cold." Math rock element? Huh? I have yet to hear this, so I can't comment (where's my copy, Saddle Creek?). The release date is next Tuesday.

-- There's an item in PopMatters about a new Wrens documentary. The filmmakers apparently tagged along with the band for a year and recorded more than 100 hours of live concert footage and interviews, including with Cursive's Tim Kasher and Head of Femur's Ben Armstrong. The time-frame isn't given, but I don't remember seeing a film crew at the March 14, 2004, Wrens show at Sokol Underground.

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It was one of the funniest, weirdest moments in O'Leaver's brief history. Outlaw Con Bandana came on at around 10:45, performing as a trio with frontman Brendan Hagberg, Matthew Rooney on upright bass and Pearl Lovejoy Boyd providing additional vocals. Chris Fischer, who's listed as a band member on the band's just-released 12-inch, was curiously absent. The absolutely packed crowd was respectful as Hagberg and Co. launched into a rich acoustic set of rural, turn-of-the-(last)-century-flavored folk ditties. Hagberg has a buttery croon that accentuates his Kerouac-meets-Guthrie road images. More on Outlaw in the near future…

Then came Mi and L'au. Looking like a pair of strung-out Western European refugees, the duo took a seat on stage with Laurent Leclère (the L'au part) quietly plucking his guitar. When I say "quietly," I mean he was barely touching the strings. O'Leaver's fell into a silence suitable for funerals and libraries as Mira Romantschuk (the MI part) leaned forward and whispered into the microphone. That's when the reverence turned into the absurd. Everyone began looking around, startled by the level of silence. So quiet was it that you could hear someone whisper-hiss to Chris the Bartender "Shot of Jaeger please." The absurdity turned to hilarity when an unassuming couple walked in and said "What's the cover?" and was met with SHHHH!!! followed by lots of restrained laughter. That's when everyone in the back of the bar realized how ridiculous the moment had become. We were in frickin' O'Leaver's, for God's sake. The phone of the guy standing next to me suddenly came alive. He fumbled to get it out of his pocket when Chris hissed "Turn that thing off!" The guy answered the cell in normal tone "What's up dog?" and everyone around breath-hissed in restrained laughter. Remember when you were in church as a kid and your brother or sister got you started laughing and trying to stop only made you laugh harder?

On one level, I was proud of O'Leaver's and the usually rowdy patrons for showing so much restraint. On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder what MI and L'au were thinking playing a bar that only moments early was blaring Van Halen over its jukebox. Laurent knows that their music is a hard-sell in clubs, and says it's he and Mi's responsibility to keep the crowd focused. And they did for about two more songs, then people began to talk quietly among themselves again. It got louder but never really to normal O'Leaver's sound levels. Frankly, it couldn't or you would not be able to hear a note they were playing up there huddled over their microphones. Their music, which is somewhat monotone and tuneless in the first place, became even more uninteresting by a performance that wasn't as much restrained as it was just plain strained. It could have been pretty if the music were played and sung with just a little more umph. Instead the duo sounded like they just took an overdose of sleeping pills and decided to slowly pass away together playing their music, not alone but instead surrounded by a roomful of people who didn't understand what they were singing.

Tonight. Shelley Short with McCarthy Trenching and Steve Bartolomei as Mal Madrigal, though I'm told Steve will be performing solo. At O'Leavers, 9:30 p.m., $5. Leave your earplugs at home.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Gee, I wonder if there's any interest in Cursive's new album?

Judging by the enormous amount of traffic to my site yesterday, I'd say that there very well might be. Double the usual hits? Triple? You're in the ball park. I received an e-mail from O'Leaver's soundman yesterday afternoon saying that there was to be a repeat "secret" performance last night. I haven't confirmed this, but I wouldn't be surprised. I didn't go, having already heard the set and knowing that I'm going to be spending tonight and tomorrow night at O'Leaver's. There is such thing as too much of a good thing.

One last comment about Wednesday's Cursive performance that I forgot to mention yesterday: It didn't dawn on me until I was in bed with my ears still ringing that Gretta Cohn wasn't there. Unlike their two-night stand at Sokol Underground last November when the effect of Cohn's absence was a topic of fervent conversation at the venue that night, Cohn was never mentioned Wednesday, and wasn't missed in the band's arrangements. I don't think having a cello in the middle of these more traditional, more rockin' songs would have made sense. Plus, there wouldn't have been enough room on O'Leaver's dainty stage.

I can almost guarantee that there won't be any secret Cursive performances at O'Leaver's tonight. The venue resumes regular programming with the quiet, romantic acoustic music of Mi and L'au and the coffee shop folk of Outlaw Con Bandana. $5, 9:30 p.m. Meanwhile, there's more folk going on over at Mick's with Caron Easley and the Gentiles (consisting of Austin Britton and Adam Weaver), along with Brad Hoshaw and Adam Weaver and the Ghosts. If not for Mi and L'au I would be at this show drawn by the sheer attraction of Easley's myspace tunage -- I like her voice and the simplicity of her songs. Maybe if O'Leaver's ends early I'll be able to catch it. $5, 9 p.m.

Saturday night at O'Leaver's it's Shelley Short w/ McCarthy Trenching and Mal Madrigal. When Chicago singer-songwriter Shelley Short entered the studio to record her latest LP, Captain Wild Horse Rides the Heart of Tomorrow (Hush Records), she brought a few talented friends with her. Among them violinist Tiffany Kowalski (Bright Eyes, Mayday, M Ward), Rachel Blumberg (Decemberists, M Ward), and Andy Rader (Pinetop Seven). The result is a record that switches from shimmering, Tonya Donelly-style haunters to simple Patsy-colored waltzes, all perfectly suited for some fancy two-steppin'. It's a shame O'Leaver's doesn't have a dance floor. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Look for live reviews here in the blog all weekend.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

"We're going to play 14 songs from our new album."

And so began last night's "secret show" at O'Leaver's featuring Cursive. How secret was it? I was told by a Saddle Creek Records executive that he didn't even know about it until a few hours before it went down. I found out via an e-mail yesterday morning from Sean, the guy who runs the venue, and was told "It's a secret. Nothing, zero, zip." The gig was originally supposed to happen Thursday night. Then later that afternoon I got another e-mail saying it was happening last night instead.

Obviously the word got out, because it was jammed in O'Leaver's (though to my knowledge, there was never a line to get into this free show). All the usual suspects were there -- most of the Creek staff and tons of local band people -- past and present. Everyone seemed to know it was a special occasion -- will there ever be another free Cursive show at a venue with a capacity of around 100? Unlikely (but I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again before their next tour).

The set got rolling at around 10:30 and lasted for about an hour. I don't know if they played 14 songs or not, but everything was brand new… and different.

About three songs before the end, the Creek executive asked what I thought. "It swings," I said. He laughed, but I wasn't kidding. Cursive's new music has a swagger to it not heard on their previous material. By contrast to the usual straightforward, arch, "angular" sound, the new material has an undeniable bounce, a swing, almost as if the band has been listening to a lot of jazz lately. Some songs were distinctly proggy, with breaks and syncopation and the usual breakneck time-changes. But all of it had a big-shouldered strut that felt more relaxed and, quite frankly, funner than the usual furloughed-brow Cursive stuff.

Perhaps he's always done this, but Ted Stevens handled more lead vocals than I've ever noticed before, and I liked it. Kasher, unfortunately, was strapped with a microphone that sounded like a toy, as if he was singing through one of those steel mikes they used to use at the Burger King front counter (Whopper. No Mayo). Don't ask me what he and Stevens were singing, you couldn't make out the lyrics in the din. Regardless, the music was profound, an obvious step in a new direction that looks back to an earlier ('80s?) version of punk. Two or three songs sported huge breaks where Kasher whispered into the mike before the band exploded with the usual response. The last song was fueled by a pounding a riff shared by both guitars and bass. Big and brash.

Was last night's gig an indication of what we'll get on the next Cursive album? I hope so, but there's no telling what we'll hear when the CD rolls out later this year. I remember hearing an early version of The Good Life's Blackout CD lent to me by a band member. When the record came out six months later, it was completely different. No doubt the same rules apply when it comes to arranging and mixing this CD, which will clearly be the centerpiece of Saddle Creek's 2006 releases.

* * *

Which brings us to this week's feature on Mi and L'au (read it here). The quaint European couple roll into O'Leaver's this Friday night for a quiet acoustic set. I asked Laurent (he's the L'au half) what he thought of the sometimes-noisy American audiences. "It's a part of the game," he said. "You just change when it happens. You have to grab the mood and make them listen. I don't mind people talking as long as they're listening. If they come and just talk, I don't understand why they came. We play a lot of finger-picking and faster songs, so it's not just quiet (songs). If the patrons complain about us, they would have to complain about folk singers in general."

I struggle with accents, by the way. Whenever I travel to Europe, my girlfriend has to translate -- even for people who speak English. It's a lot of me going "Huh? I"m sorry?" And her going (in a loud, slow, deliberate voice): "HE'S ASKING YOU IF YOU WANT SOUP OR SALAD." It happens in London as much as Paris. Anyway, the point is that it was a tough interview, and I'm sure I missed about half of it because I couldn't make out what he was saying over his cell phone. To illustrate this, here's more of Laurent's replay taken directly from my notes: "It's like usual life. Happens that day and good day. Play many gigs with silent people and people listening to us and even offer us bed and house to stay. My feeling is the kindness and hospitality of people." See.

* * *

Oh yeah, and the Grammy's were on last night. Well, if you were following along, you know that my picks (posted yesterday) went awry thanks to U2 (I did manage to get Clarkson and The White Stripes). It would have been more embarrassing had I gotten more of my picks right. The saddest part of the show beyond the overall lack of talent (as I said throughout the evening -- If you spend enough money you can even make a turd shine, at least to the eyes and ears of the academy) was poor Sly Stone. If you haven't seen it you probably already read about what happened. A bent-over Sly, looking regal in a huge white mohawk, stumbled on stage rather disoriented or maybe disinterested, joining the bands during the tribute number. With one hand wrapped up like a cast, he pounded on a huge Korg keyboard and tried singing along a couple times before waving to the crowd and leaving the stage well before the song was over. Steven Tyler almost looked concerned.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Column 63 -- And the Winners Are…
Bright Eyes Honored at The Plug Awards

Ah, the Grammy's.

By the time you read this (the paper is supposed to be distributed on Wednesday) you'll already know the winners of the 48th Annual Grammy Awards. Or maybe not. Maybe you won't be watching the broadcast with pulse-pounding anticipation as I will. Yes, I watch the Grammy's. In fact, I watch all the major award shows -- The Oscars, The Golden Globes, The Tony's, some years when I've had too much to drink, I even catch the People's Choice Awards (I have, however, sworn off any award shows involving MTV by doctor's orders).

So like a time traveler, I'm writing this column last Monday morning (at 5 a.m., no less), so confident in my amazing clairvoyant abilities that I'm providing the list of winners two days in advance for your perusal.

And the winners are: Bright Eyes, Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah!, Sufjan Stevens, Dangerdoom, Sleater-Kinney, M83, Iron & Wine, Bloc Party and Sub Pop.

Waitaminit. Those aren't the winners of the Grammy Awards. As a matter of fact, unless I'm mistaken, none of those artists were even nominated! That's right, those are actually the winners of the 2006 PLUG Awards.

What is PLUG? Well, according to their website, PLUG is a collection of music lovers -- writers, DJs, webmasters, bloggers, artists, filmmakers, managers, indie retailers, and most importantly fans -- who gather each year to celebrate "the artists who live and flourish in the margins," whatever that means.

Part of the gathering is the annual PLUG Independent Music Awards, held Feb. 2 at Webster Hall in good ol' NYC. I know what you're thinking -- just what we need, another awards show. Well, the difference between this one and all the others is that it actually seeks out and recognizes the best of the indie music world, be it rock, rap or experimental. It's an idea that I always thought would be cool to host in Omaha. After all -- Omaha is the center of the indie music world, isn't it? Wasn't it?

Presenters at this year's Pluggies (or whatever they're called) included Matisyahu, TV on the Radio, El-P, Laura Cantrell, Rob Crowe, and Gang Gang Dance, while performers included The National, Chad Vangaalen, Celebration, Mr. Lif & Akrobatik (The Perceptionists), and Beans w/ Holy F**k. Not a bad line-up.

But like any good awards show, the centerpiece is the awards themselves, and everyone's favorite Son of the Plains, Conor Oberst, was the big winner, taking home both Artist of the Year and Song of the Year honors for "When the President Talks to God." Too bad ol' Conor wasn't there to accept his awards.

Other winners included:

Album of the Year: Sufjan Stevens, Illinois
New Artist of the Year: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Female Artist of the Year: Neko Case
Male Artist of the Year: Sufjan Stevens
Hip-Hop Album of the Year: Dangerdoom, The Mouse And The Mask
Punk Album of the Year: Sleater-Kinney, The Woods
Electronic/Dance Album of the Year: M83, Before The Dawn Heals Us
Americana Album of the Year: Iron & Wine/Calexico, In The Reins
Indie Rock Album of the Year: Bloc Party, Silent Alarm

Label of the Year honors went to Sub Pop, who indeed had a very good 2005, while Live Act of the Year went to The Arcade Fire. Other categories in which a Saddle Creek band was nominated included Live Act of the Year (Bright Eyes), Male Artist of the Year (Conor Oberst) and Label of the Year (Saddle Creek). Strangely, neither of Bright Eyes' full lengths was nominated for Album of the Year.

Is there any relevance to the PLUG award? Not really. It's nice to see some of the best bands in the land of indie get a pat on the back, but none of them are really in it for that, and certainly winning a PLUG award isn't going to amount to a hill of beans when it comes to album sales. On the other hand, as any music retailer will tell you, winning a Grammy is worth at least a million additional unit sales -- just a blip for Maria but more than the combined sales of the last albums by Bright Eyes, Sufjan Stevens and Clap Your Hands…

These days, The Grammy's are almost universally disappointing, safe and predictable. So much so, in fact, that I will do as I said I would at the beginning of this column. Here are the winners of the top categories, named with blind firmly folded. If I'm wrong, well, you're laughing at me right now:

Record of the Year: Kanye West, "Gold Digger"
Album of the Year: Maria Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi
Best New Artist: Fall Out Boy
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: Paul McCartney, "Fine Line"
And last but not least, Best Alternative Album: The White Stripes, Get Behind Me Satan

Now for my next act, I will pull Rob Thomas right out of my…

Here's a bit of web trolling:

-- I can't tell if this New York Times review of Sunday night's Jenny Lewis concert in a converted church on the Lower East Side is a pick or a pan. "Unfortunately, rather than projecting gutsy gospel sass, the Watsons' intermittent 'ooohs' remained mostly a ghostly echo. When Ms. Lewis defaulted to her prettiest mode, as on her cowpoke clomper 'Happy,' she too disappeared. Her more upbeat songs fared best, accompanied by Rhodes organ and lap steel guitar, and Johnathan Rice's second guitar. The pub-friendly "You Are What You Love" showcased her near-tears resilience." Conor was there, as was M Ward, but they didn't sing "Handle With Care." Why not? Probably because that's what the fans wanted to hear.

-- Compare and contrast this review of the same Jenny Lewis concert that appeared in SPIN online (interesting how writers of both reviews are women). "The crowd was silently captivated during the performance except for the lone fan who shouted "Great album!" -- a comment the singer bashfully acknowledged." The Times photo is better. So is their review. Better get your tickets to the March 11 Scottish Rites Hall show ASAP.

-- Personal writing mentor/guru Robert Christgau has another in his series of Consumer Guide entries in the latest Village Voice (read it here). He likes The Go Team (A-) and the new Neil Young (A-), gives Andrew Bird the "Dud of the Month" (but it still gets a B) and puts last year's Low album and the new Neil Diamond on the "Duds" list (I disagree about the Low and Diamond dud-ifications. I have the new Neil D. It's good, but it's no Jonathon Livingston Seagull).

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

I've got 10 minutes over lunch so I thought I'd mention a couple quick things. I didn't make to any shows this week, even though Saturday was a great night for shows. I blame general malaise. If anyone saw anything worth mentioning over the weekend, by all means give us a brief comment on the Webboard. Next weekend is shaping up to be a good one as well, with Mi and L'au Friday (look for a feature story on the duo online Wednesday) and Shelley Short Saturday -- both playing at O'Leaver's.

I did watch the Superbowl (The Seahawks got robbed) and caught the Stones at halftime. Say what you will about them being in their 60s and Mick being too old to wear a mid-riff T shirt, but the band sounded pretty good, especially on their new song, which accentuated their strengths -- i.e., Keith, Charlie and Ronnie. Mick didn't sound bad, just a bit froggy... and old.

I also caught Prince on SNL. His guitar work on the first number was (shall I say it?) Hendrix-esque. His vocals also have become Hendrixian in that he sounded more like he was talking than singing. The second song, a duet with a woman I've never seen before, sounded sloppy. Much more interesting is Prince's new single, "Black Sweat," which may be the best song he's released since "Sexy MF." You can see the video here. Wonder if the rest of his upcoming release, 3121, is as good.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

I'm feeling a bit under the weather today, which is good timing because a glance at the usual calendars shows there ain't nothing going on tonight anyway. Hopefully I'll be feeling better by tomorrow, when The Third Men, Anonymous American and Tomato a Day play at O'Leaver's. This is something of a homecoming for Anonymous American, who hasn't played at O'Leaver's in a long time. $5, 9:30 p.m. If you're in Lincoln Saturday night, Criteria, Ideal Cleaners and Little Brazil are playing at Duffy's. Surprisingly, this show also is just $5 and starts at 9:30 p.m.

Maybe the most noteworthy show of the weekend is Saturday night at Sokol Underground. The headliner is Back When, a metal band that plays dark, doomed lullabies sung by a growling Jonathan Tvrdik (who I believe has toured as part of Statistics). What I hear on their myspace page reminds me of current-day Swans but with lots more screaming. Opening are bands Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship, Paria and Father, a noise-metal project that includes Dapose and Clark Baechle of The Faint. Dapose also has been busy recording his side project, Precious Metal, with Joel Petersen. $7, 9 p.m.

And finally, at The 49'r Saturday night you'll have a chance to bid Wichita-bound Reagan Roeder adieu at a going-away show that features Justin Lamoureaux, Steve Bartolomei (Mal Madrigal), Brad Hoshaw, Kyle Harvey and Roeder himself. Should be a drunken mess.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Daily Nebraska music editor and the guy behind the annual Lincoln Calling music festival Jeremy Buckley put together a nice feature on the impact of blogs on music marketing and even quoted little ol' me in the process (read it here). Buckley points out what folks who follow indie music already know, that Pitchfork has become the center of the webzine world, with the power to make or break previously unknown bands. He also got some nice comments from Christina Rentz at Merge, a label that has shouldered its way to the top of the list thanks to some smart, aggressive signings including Bob Pollard, Spoon, M Ward, American Music Club, Crooked Fingers and, of course, The Arcade Fire. It's taken a few years, but labels are actually starting to take blogs -- and more accurately -- online 'zines seriously. I had a chat with a guy who worked at Matador and Beggars a couple years back about why labels weren't interested in online media. He said the bias against them was a matter of not understanding a 'zine's potential reach. Back then, labels would much rather get their bands mentioned in Magnet or AP than in a variety of online 'zines that only get a few thousand unique visitors a week. That attitude seems to be shifting, thanks to Pitchfork and a couple other heavy hitters including Aversion and Drowned in Sound. Pitchfork, however, is still the big prize. I can only imagine the kind of chochkies the editors there are being showered in these days...

Since it's a slow news day, here are a couple rumors that have floated past my ears in the last couple days. That familiar-looking guy that you saw sitting front and center at the Stones concert the other night was, in fact, David Gilmour (yeah, that David Gilmour). I'm told he was in attendance not only to see Mick and Keith play for the first time on this tour but to check out the Qwest Center. No, there isn't going to be a Pink Floyd show here in the near future. Instead, Gilmour will be headed out on a solo tour, and Omaha is on the short list to get a date. The other big name I'm hearing that's headed to the Qwest -- The Who. We'll see if that really happens, but if it does, I'll actually be one of those idiots who rigs up some sort of system to snag a pair of tickets. With the exception of Radiohead, there's no other band but The Who that I'd suffer through the Qwest Center's bad sound and bad seating to see. Keep your fingers crossed.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Column 62: Presto! Change-o!
The Legendary studio is headed to Omaha

Though I listen to a lot of records, I know virtually nothing about the process of recording one. So a couple years ago in a vain attempt to understand the science and art of mastering, I interviewed Doug Van Sloun, the sound engineer/wizard at Studio B who mastered all of Saddle Creek Records' classic albums. That's when I was introduced to Tape Op magazine. Doug had suggested I check it out as an easy way to glean some information about what goes on in a recording studio. What could it hurt? The magazine is free, after all.

He didn't tell me that reading Tape Op can be about as much fun as flipping through a tech manual. Tucked between ads for microphone pre-amps and mixing consoles are meaty reviews of the latest electronic gear. It's here that you can read about the benefits of, say, a Rupert Neve Designs Portico 5042 "True Tape" Emulation and Line Driver ("The coloration of the box is good enough on its own, but add in the two Neve-designed line transformers, and this is one formidable unit ...") or a TFPRO P38 Stereo Compressor/Limiter ("I found the P38 to have no perceivable noise or unwanted coloration, which is extremely rare for a compressor whose street price is only $1,700.").

Thanks, Doug. I've learned a lot.

Actually, at the core of the magazine are long, detailed interviews with famous and up-and-coming sound engineers and producers. Sure, there's the occasional drawn-out discussion about microphone placement, but mostly the talks center around how a specific record was made or what motivates a producer or engineer. Being mentioned in Tape Op is recognition that you're a serious player in the recording game.

So it was no surprise to find in the January/February issue among interviews with Nick Mason (Pink Floyd), Martin Bisi (Eno, Sonic Youth, Iggy Pop) and Ana Da Silva (The Raincoats) a 6-page interview with Presto! Studio's Mike Mogis. Conducted last fall before going onstage to perform at a sold-out Bright Eyes show at UC Davis, Mogis talked about his humble beginnings, all the way back to the pre-teen years in North Platte when he and brother AJ played around with a Radio Shack mixer and a Tascam PortaStudio.

Mogis talked about being the guy behind a lot of instrumentation heard on the albums he produces. But is that producing? "People kept persuading me to play on their records," he said in the interview. "Just little things here and there, and I don't consider that producing, either. But where I started to be recognized as a producer, especially when it comes to the Saddle Creek bands, is where I get involved with the band in a really intimate way, where you almost feel as another member in a creative way. I guess that is taking it a little far."

An example, he said, is his work on Bright Eyes' Fever and Mirrors album back in 2000. "He (Oberst) had songs on his acoustic guitar, but they were kind of unfinished and he'd be like, 'Here's my song. Let's make a rock song out of it.'" Mogis filled in the blanks.

He talked about how he and Conor Oberst are working on a score for Nik Fackler's upcoming feature motion picture, Lovely Still. "It's more of a local movie -- it is being funded through a movie studio, but it's still a pretty low budget film," he said in the interview.

And he talked about the new Presto! Studios, to be located just north of Dodge St. at around 69th. "…I bought this house in Omaha and behind it is a full-size indoor basketball court - so it's 5,000 square feet and the ceilings are thirty-something feet," Mogis said in Tape Op. "We just got permission (to build) because it's not zoned properly. Even though this is not going to be a commercial studio, it's going to be a project-oriented place."

The comment would seem to indicate that the new studios are not zoned commercial, though certainly most of Saddle Creek's future releases will likely be recorded there. Oberst is Mogis' partner in the project "because he wants a studio for personal use and I wanted a studio because mine is going to be torn down eventually," Mogis said, referring to Lincoln's plan to dismantle most of the streets around the facility in the distant future. And with new wife, Jessica, and daughter, Stella Marie, he also wants to live within walking distance of work.

So will long-time partner AJ have a role in the Omaha version of Presto? It's amazing that the two see each other at all these days. Mike spends a tremendous amount of time on the road with Bright Eyes and recently traveled to Stockholm to produce an album for The Concretes. Meanwhile, AJ has been busy touring the country with Criteria.

"In the new venture there's a little grey area," Mogis said in the interview. "We'll figure that out. I want him to be involved in it. I've mentioned it to him and left it out there, saying 'Let me know what you want to do. I need to take some of this gear with me because I own some of it or you can start working in this other place in Omaha.' I just don't know where he wants to live and stuff, but we'll figure it out."

Tape Op interviewer John Baccigaluppi apparently could hear the doubt in Mogis' answer, following up with "That's still up in the air."

"Yeah, as far as the logistics of that, but we work together well because we have very like-minded ways," Mogis replied. Here's hoping there's space in Omaha for that old Radio Shack mixer.