Column 111: Englishmen in Omaha
Of Target, Chili's and large knives

So I get this e-mail from UK label Domino Records telling me that one of their bands, Lightspeed Champion, was in Omaha recording with superstar producer Mike Mogis at ARC Studios -- the new mansion studio that replaced Lincoln's Presto! studios. Having seen the bands I've covered in the past, would I like to do an interview for Lazy-i?

Devonte Hynes, the mad genius behind Lightspeed, used to be the vocalist in Test Icicles, a band that only a couple years ago was on the verge of exploding across the London musical landscape, thanks to a rowdy style that combined noise with hardcore dance beats. After only a few club gigs around London in '05, Test Icicles became the subject of a fierce label bidding war. Domino won, but a year after the release of their debut, For Screening Purposes Only, Test Icicles broke up. Here was a chance to find out why, while also getting a glance inside what I've been told is the sweetest recording studio in the region.

Domino set up the interview for last Monday. I was to meet Dev at the studio at 7 p.m. It was colder than hell the night I drove up to the large, '60s-style house right on Dodge St. Sure didn't look like a studio. I walked up to the door and knocked, certain that I had the wrong address. But no. Answering the door was Mike Mogis, spoon in hand. He was in the throes of making dinner for his family -- a smiling wife appeared at the stairs, an adorable child skipped across the floor, and even Mike's Brother, AJ, was there, standing next to the kitchen island by a large bowl of salad-looking food. I felt like an ass.

Dev? Oh, he's over in the guest house. Mike pointed out his back window to another house across the compound. He kindly let me cut through his kitchen and out the back door. As I made my way across the frozen tundra, off to the right was the recording studio building, glowing in the night. That was the closest I got to it.

Instead, I made my way to the guesthouse where I was met by Tom Clarke, a cello player and part of Lightspeed. Inside, Dev sat behind a Powerbook near a kitchen table overflowing with sugary Halloween candies. Tiny empty boxes of Nerds littered the table. From upstairs came Ian Aeillo, an engineer who works with Mogis and is working on the Lightspeed project.

"They want to go to Target," Ian said. "I'm sorry about all this." There's nothing like Target in London -- at least not in the part of London where Dev and Tom are from -- and the duo had become obsessed with it, having walked to Crossroads a number of times since arriving a week earlier to begin recording. So we all piled into my dirty Sidekick and headed to the mall.

So far, the English duo's Omaha experience had been like Bowie's in The Man Who Fell to Earth, aliens discovering mysteries in the most mundane things that we take for granted. Tom and Dev's other memorable shopping experience: USA Baby, which they had mistakenly pronounced USA, Baby! and hence, expected a mod fashion boutique instead of a store filled with baby goods. "We have nothing like that in London," Tom said. Nor do they have stores dedicated to cowboy gear, like Wolf Brothers next door -- a store they were too intimidated to enter. "But we're going back," Tom said. "I want hats and spurs."

"I could happily stay here for awhile," Dev said, sipping his tea. "I'm quite content. I don't need much."

Omaha couldn't be more different than the poverty-laden area where Dev lives, an East London borough called Hackney. "It's one of the worst places in the UK," he said. In fact, a few days before leaving for Omaha Dev was jumped by a gang brandishing guns and knives. He recounts the story nonchalantly. "The guy said, 'You want your life to end right now?' and I said, 'I don't fucking care.' My friends had to pull me away, and pull me into my place so I didn't get shot in the face."

"We live there because our friends live there," said Tom, who lives a few blocks from Dev in the nearby borough Towers Hamlets. "London isn't like here. It's so big. Here, it's so small. Literally everyone is in this small place. It's surprising, this Saddle Creek thing. There are a lot of bands in East London, but it's not a connected scene, just a lot of people in bands. Here, it's all local and integrated, it's so awesome."

Becoming part of that scene was the last thing on Dev's mind when he made the demo that ended up with Mogis, who agreed to produce their debut album. "I was quite shocked," Dev said. "He's done some pretty awesome stuff, like Cursive's The Ugly Organ."

So far, Clark Baechle, Nate Wolcott and Mogis all have contributed to the Lightspeed recording. "The Tilly girls might do some percussion," Dev said. "The music scene here is a bunch of friends. That doesn't happen anywhere else. Ian and Mike don't think twice about it. The other day they were talking about asking Tim to come over to watch football. I turned to Tom and said, 'Is he talking about Cursive?' It's the way everyone wants their music scene to be."

For the next hour over peppermint tea at Target, Dev and Tom talked about the recording and explained what happened to Test Icicles.

"We'd been saying we would split up for ages," Dev said of his former band. "We didn't like the music, we didn't want the money, we didn't want to be famous, why were we doing it? So we just split up. Everyone was saying, 'Man, you could have played Brixton Academy.' Well, wouldn't you rather make music you like? People around London didn't understand. Now they do."

Dev said Lightspeed Champion gives him a chance to do what he wants. "The music shifts between country, folk and grunge, with a running story line," he said. "And we're doing this comic book with it. It's all completely selfish. Being here now, recording it, it blows my mind.

"It's going to be the best album in the world," he added, half-joking. "Sometimes I'm recording and I hear a whisper in the distance, and that whisper is saying 'Grammy, Grammy, Grammy…' I'm aiming for the shelves of Target, the ones with the picture above it."

Certainly the indie scene could use a savior to lift it from its current doldrums. Dev and Tom seemed skeptical that a savior is coming from London or anywhere else any time soon.

"Nothing's happened on a world-scale since The Strokes, and before that, Nirvana," Dev said. What about Arcade Fire? Dev and Tom both lit up with the mention of the Canadian band, having loved Funeral, but said a lot is riding on the band's follow-up, the forthcoming Neon Bible. "I like to think that no one cares about this sort of thing, but if Neon Bible doesn't sell as much as Funeral, it's instantly going to be deemed a failure. You see it all the time. People are now talking about the downfall of The Arctic Monkeys. How can that band fall from grace without even having released a second album or touring?

"Shit like that is why (Test Icicles) broke up," Dev said. "Things got to a really weird point. I'm sure there are a million bands doing what Test Icicles was doing. It wasn't groundbreaking."

Still, songs like the brazen "Circle. Square. Triangle." were pure dance-floor candy. "I was listening to Dance Macabre at the time that came out," Dev said. "We were listening to Ex Models a lot, and the first Rapture stuff. When we wrote it, we said, 'Wouldn't it be cool if this gets played and the club reopened? -- The song is an ode to the club we played in, kind of like a joke."

Did Dev outgrow his former band's clubby sound? "We didn't grow out of it, we weren't into it as much," Dev said. "You kind of change between 17 and 20. At the time, we all were making new bands every week out of complete enjoyment. We'd play a gig and break up. We did it repeatedly, constantly."

Dev said that after the Lightspeed Champion sessions end -- probably in the next few weeks -- he's going to disappear. "Mike will mix the record. I guess it'll come out in the fall -- it's not up to me. After this is done I'm just going to lock myself away for awhile. I'm going to stay inside and chill until it's time to tour."

Before heading to Chili's to pick up a "to go" order, the four of us strolled through the half-dark, dying mall to Ala-Ka-Zam, a store that features giant, 60-pound Final Fantasy "Buster Swords" (a best-seller, according to the store's proprietor who was happy just to have someone to talk to), along with a collection of bizarre decorative weaponry inspired by comic books and role-playing games -- the kind of stuff you see sold on cable shopping channels at 3 a.m. by guys who sound like trailer-park hillbillies.

Of course Dev and Tom had never seen anything like Ala-Ka-Zam, and took the opportunity to snap pictures holding the gigantic cheaply made metal swords. In a few weeks, they'll be back in London, thousands of miles away from Omaha and Target and our dying mall. Ah, but they'll always have the memories.

Motion Commotion, self-titled EP, (Piermont Records) -- What an incredibly strange juxtaposition of genre and sound. Though a combination of angular math and indie rock, these guys found a way to sneak some pop melodies into the mix, along with clarinet, violin, accordion and tape loops. Regrettably, some of the more intricate aspects of their musicianship are buried. And for some reason, the album concludes with a long, unintelligible story that really kind of freaked me out. Rating: No -- Brendan Greene-Walsh

Tim sez: I will say these New Yorkers are ambitious, and talented, and not afraid to throw in some gorgeous instruments that add gravitas to what would be run-of-the-mill rock songs ("Sunshine," "Make Love"). Still, there's an overall wonkiness about the EP that makes it difficult. Too many ephemeral noises and proggy oddities get in the way of the delicate moments, like the piano / violin / clarinet instrumental "Motion" that sounds like it came off an indie film score. And Brendan's right, the final song was a mistake. Rating: No.

I think it's becoming evident that Eagle*Seagull may be the next indie band from Nebraska to "strike it big" on an (inter)national level. I say this based solely on their new sound and the fact that they've managed to build a sizable following in Omaha and elsewhere. I've been told that their debut album has sold multiple-thousand copies (some say 5,000, some say 20,000). And now they're headed to Europe on a tour that is selling well. To top it off, there are various rumors as to who the band will be working with on their next CD. But the real key to me was the vibe at Friday night's show -- it had the essence of a Creek show, every table was filled and people were crowding the aisles. No, it wasn't "sold out," but it was impressive.

I missed opener Kite Pilot, but was told that their set was "daring" from a person who doesn't make those statements lightly. Like E*S, KP has changed their sound, cutting away the proggie tendencies heard on their last record for a more stripped-down punk approach. From the feedback I've been hearing, the change is for the better. I did get there in time for Landing on the Moon -- one of their last shows for a long time, as drummer/vocalist Oliver Morgan is poised to hit the road with Little Brazil in support of that band's new album. LotM took the opportunity to roll out a handful of new songs (including, I'm told, a cover of an old Reset number) that were darker and denser than anything on their debut EP. Perhaps it reflects the shift that I'm hearing from so many other bands away from lighter, jangly indie music to stuff that borders on heavy rock or punk (more evidence of a wilting indie sound? Maybe…). To appease those looking for the old stuff, LotM closed with the crowd-favorite ballad, "She's Moving Out," from the EP.

Last up was E*S, and now is a good time as any to pass on a quick note about the house sound. The venue continues to tweak their set up, and every night is a different experience. Friday night the levels were high bordering on brash with tons of low-end. I blame the bands as much as the PA. Interestingly, on either side of the stage stood a stack of EV speakers that had yet to be hooked up. Owner Mike Coldewey said he didn't want to mess with what they'd set up soundwise for the weekend. When hooked up, the new speakers will add "inside coverage," he said, rounding out the bottom end and making the place even louder.

Eagle*Seagull was plenty loud as it was. I've said it before, but I'll pile on here: They're evolving into an indie dance-rock band. I read their interview in The City Weekly where they say their new sound is influenced by Eno, and I have to admit, I heard it in the new stuff, which had a similar rhythmic trance quality as Eno's early work with Talking Heads (Fear of Music). That cyclical rhythmic style has been incorporated into everything, including songs from their first album. On the other end of the spectrum is that strut-rock rhythm that I've compared to Franz Ferdinand -- a comparison that still kinda/sorta fits. Fact is, the most out-front aspect of the band is Eli Mardock's quivering vocals -- it's something you either enjoy/tolerate or drives you away. I find it interesting… initially. Then it can get tiresome (especially on the record). The good news is the quiver is less pronounced on stage these days, certainly less than heard on the debut CD. Eli could smooth it out even more (like Conor seems to have done over the years), but would be losing something if he filtered the quiver out altogether (one assumes the vocal affectation is purposeful, and hence, could be eliminated if desired). The other standout is the violin, which is front-and-center in the new arrangements. One patron told me the combination of Eli's vocals and the violin reminded him of Dexy's Midnight Runners (1982's "Come on Eileen"). I kind of see what he was saying, but I don't buy it. Anyway… next stop Europe. God only knows what effect that'll have on the band.

Big show tonight at Sokol Underground: Appleseed Cast is headlining, but it's the openers that really pique my interest. Little Brazil likely will be running through tracks off their soon-to-be-released CD, Tighten the Noose. That alone is worth $8. But after LB is Asobi Seksu, which I wrote about last week (read the story here). You like your music shimmering and trancelike with a chanteuse cutting through the sonic haze? You're in for a real treat. This is one of the hottest bands in the country right now. See them while they're still opening shows instead of headlining them. Too bad I'm going to miss it as I'm under the weather today...

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Column 110: Goodbye Someday Never
Promoter Joe Vavak calls it quits.

Rock band Ideal Cleaners summed it up from the stage: "This goes out to Joe. He's helped us a lot over the years."

There was one aspect of last Saturday night's show at O'Leaver's that didn't quite fit the evening's theme: The place was packed. That's something that can't be said about a typical Someday Never show. Leaning against the railing, I turned to Joe's old comrade, Mike Perry, and said maybe tonight Joe will actually make some money. He just looked at me and we both smiled. No. Joe will give the door money to the bands. Two of them -- Rent Money Big and Ideal Cleaners -- made the trip from Lincoln on sloppy roads. It's the least he can do.

Joe Vavak -- a.k.a. Joe Someday of Someday Never Productions -- never did it for the money, and that's one of the reasons he was saying goodbye to the whole dirty business Saturday night at the last show he says he'll ever book.

What's he leaving behind? Long drives to the venue from his West Omaha home. Late nights dealing with belligerent sound guys, clueless door guys and the anxious bands with the endless problems. Worrying if the bands will show up at all. The choking cigarettes (Joe doesn't smoke), the drunks (Joe doesn't drink), the loud music (which wasn't always good). The nights when no one showed up, leaving Joe to explain to the out-of-town band that there's only 20 bucks from the door (and nothing at all for the locals). Twenty lousy bucks, a pauper's sum for a bunch of musicians who will be packing up their gear and either looking for a floor to sleep on, or hitting the road to get a jump on Chicago or Kansas City or, god forbid, Denver.

No, when the plusses and minuses are totaled, Joe says he never made a dime from promoting shows. If there's one thing you can say about him -- good or bad, depending on your viewpoint -- it's that Joe is idealistic, maybe to a fault. He believes in his heart in supporting the local music scene for the scene's sake. Or at least he used to.

Joe explained that Someday Never wasn't always just him. It was also partners Mike Perry, Jimmy Winter and a handful of others who helped get the ball rolling almost a decade ago. It began in the summer of '98 as a punk website (originally gotpunk.com). Over the years it evolved into a booking agency, beginning with a gig featuring punk bands Strike Anywhere, Boycaught and Putrescene at the old Farnam St. venue in 2002 -- 110 shows ago. In its heyday, Someday Never even became a record label, releasing Rent Money Big's debut, Proper Flesh Suit. There were always more records on the horizon, but they never materialized due to lack of funds.

"We had momentum at one point," Joe said. "That momentum's been lost. Someday Never used to be me and other people, then it became just me. And now it's coming to an end. I need a break. I'm pretty burned out on the whole thing."

Beyond fatigue, Joe's disillusionment stems from a music scene that's become "too much about the money." When Someday Never began, Omaha music was just beginning to garner national attention. It quickly ballooned. Joe couldn't compete with other local promoters (one in particular) who, quite frankly, had a better business sense than he did -- and really were in it for the money. And what's wrong with that?

Then there's Joe's burgeoning career as a fine art photographer. His work -- quietly powerful static images of commercial buildings, homes and objects -- has been exhibited at Hot Shops, the Public Library, and Corning, Iowa (You have to start somewhere). His plan is to build a name for his photographic style and develop commercial work to augment his paycheck from Sears.

"I have to make money somehow."

After the last guitar chord of the evening, I left Joe talking to a beautiful young girl that had her arm around him, but who was "just a friend." Same ol' Joe. Why doesn't the nice guy ever get the girl? He wants better. He deserves better. Maybe he'll find it, in his photography, in something else. But 28 isn't 18. I recall Saddle Creek Record's Robb Nansel once telling me that if you stay involved in music until you're 30, you'll be involved in it the rest of your life. Joe missed it by a couple years.

I asked Joe if he just outgrew the whole thing, and he nodded. Yeah, maybe he has. The new stuff isn't doing it for him anymore, and nothing looks promising on the horizon. Funny thing about getting old, sometimes you outgrow music.

Just placed online, an feature/interview with Yuki of Asobi Seksu (read it here). Yuki talks about the inevitable comparisons to shoegaze bands, as well as her Japanese heritage. Lots of the interview didn't make it into the story (which was limited by The Reader to 600 words). Among the outtakes:

What do you do on stage during the performance of "Red Sea" while guitarist James Hanna is making droning noise for five minutes? "Hopefully I'm not just standing there," Yuki said. "I don't go back stage. I've got a keyboard that makes some cool noises, so I try to add to the guitar and bass squalls. What I'm doing isn't as interesting as what James is doing. It's his moment to shine. I give him cartes blanche.

About her Japanese lyrics: "My mom will call me and say there's a grammatical mistake in your song. I said, 'I know, I know.' My Japanese is not perfect. I pretend to know what I'm doing. Still, other family members call me up, too, and correct me."

I read that your music hasn't been discovered in Japan. Is that surprising to you? "I don't know if people in Japan know about us or not. Japanese bands that I like, like Guitar Wolf and Melt Banana, aren't big in Japan but are huge in the U.S. We're under the radar, but the CD will be released in Japan later this year (distributed by Disc Union), so we'll see. It's a dream of mine to go there and play. I haven't been there in years."

Asobi Seksu will be opening for Appleseed Cast. Little Brazil also is on the bill. It should be a helluva show even if it's a Monday night.

It's hour-zero -- the last day to enter the Lazy-I Best of 2006 Comp CD giveaway. The disc includes tracks by Yo La Tengo, Simon Joyner and the Fallen Men, Scissor Sisters, Junior Boys, Cursive, Cat Power, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Royskopp, Ladyfinger, The Terminals and more (see the track listing here). All you have to do is e-mail me (tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you'll be entered into the drawing. I will announce the winner online right here. Good luck!

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1090 Club, Shipwrecked on Shores (Side-Cho) -- SOS is the debut from the four-piece rock ensemble 1090 Club from Billings, Montana. I use the term "ensemble" instead of "band" quite intentionally. At first listen, this album doesn't sound like it was made by a rock band. It is meticulously orchestrated between violin, guitar and piano. The parts flow fluidly between one another and are locked into time and place by extremely technical and spot-on drumming. When you add 3-and 4-part vocal harmonies, it only gains strength and momentum. The culmination is a wonderful rock album with catchy pop riffs that will stay in your head for days. Rating: Yes -- Brendan Greene-Walsh.

I'm writing a column based on Joe Vavak's last show under the moniker of Someday Never -- it was Saturday night at O'Leaver's -- which is why I didn't post a live review of it yesterday. I realized after I started writing the column, though, that I wasn't going to get too much into the performances because I was too busy lauding Joe as this great, flawed humanitarian who's lost his vision only to find another...

So, how were the bands? I missed Rent Money Big because I was busy watching the Philadelphia Eagles blow it. I got there just in time for Ideal Cleaners. It was jam-packed. Yes, a lot of people there were Joe's friends on hand to wish him well, but the bands were the major draw (sorry Joe). Ideal Cleaners is quickly gathering a substantial fan base in Omaha for their rugged brand of post-punk. For whatever reason, they remind me of Bad Religion, Jesu and Fugazi these days, though their music only barely resembles those bands. I think it's time for a new record (or a rediscovery of their old ones). Along with Ladyfinger and The Stay Awake, they're my favorite local hard-rock heroes.

Race for Titles was the perfect band to headline a show that honors one of the scene's originators. They've been around about as long as Vavak has been putting on shows. And just like Joe, style and soundwise they haven't changed much, though drummer Matt Baum (wearing a pair of red headphones) sure beats that old drum machine they used to have. If there's an evolution in their sound, it's in the layering. When I saw these guys last April at Sokol, they seemed more stripped down and raw. Last night they sounded like a well-lacquered machine, glistening under layers of guitars. Their weakness (to me) has always been their lack of sonic diversity, especially in the vocal lines, which act more as an additional layer of sound than as a communication tool -- who knows what their songs are about. I doubt they care if anyone knows. They lock into a trance-like groove and hope the crowd hangs on for the ride. What is the future of this band? Are they recording again? Do they plan on touring? No idea. I do know that they have a serious fan base -- clearly they were the central draw of the evening (sorry Joe).

Look for the Someday Never column online Thursday. Wednesday I'll be posting an interview with Asobi Seksu, who are opening for Appleseed Cast Jan. 22.

Finally -- I've said it before, I'll say it again -- you'll never have a better chance of winning a copy of the Lazy-i Best of... Compilation CD than you have this year. Despite the fact that readership has never been higher, the fewest number of people have entered the annual drawing. That means the odds are in your favor. This year's disc includes tracks by Yo La Tengo, Simon Joyner and the Fallen Men, Scissor Sisters, Junior Boys, Cursive, Cat Power, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Royskopp, Ladyfinger, The Terminals and more (see the track listing here). All you have to do is e-mail me (tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you'll be entered into the drawing. You can't win if you don't enter! Deadline is Wednesday, Jan. 17.

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

It's 7 degrees out right now. Why do we subject ourselves to this, this Ice Station Zebra weather? Meanwhile, my friends in sunny LA and south Florida are chuckling to themselves while they walk along the ocean in their shorts...

Anyway, it's cold outside but it's a hot weekend for shows (How's that for a catchy segue?). Tonight at Sokol Underground it's the Capgun Coup CD release show with Bear Country, Outlaw Con Bandana and Flamboyant Gods. Capgun Coup count Archers of Loaf and Pavement as influences. Yeah, that sounds about right. The track I'm listening to now, "Adorable Doorsteps," is a cute go-go rocker with lots of people yelping in the background, as if it were recorded during a party in the band's basement. Bear Country is a 6-piece with a lot of local buzz for their style of acoustic indie featuring male and female lead vocals. You already know about Outlaw Con Bandana. $7, 8 p.m. (Note earlier start time).

Also tonight, over at O'Leaver's, Midwest Dilemma plays with Paleo and Run On Sentence. $5, 9 p.m. More info here.

Tomorrow night is the grand and glorious goodbye to Someday Never Productions at O'Leaver's with Race for Titles, Ideal Cleaners and Rent Money Big. The event will likely be the subject of next week's Lazy-i column. Show up and maybe you'll end up in print. Considering everything that Joe Vavak has done for the music scene over the past decade, the least you can do is show up and say goodbye. $5, 9:30 p.m.

But if you never liked Joe (and who doesn't? Just kidding...), there are other options tomorrow night, specifically at The 49'r where Prostitute, Life After Laserdisque and Thunder Power will be playing, starting at around 10 p.m. $5 gets you in.

That's all I got, but that's enough for this weekend. I'll leave you with this new photo of the Slowdown construction project (click here). I figured I'd take a pic before the big snowstorm slides into town this weekend and wreaks havoc on the construction crews who are feverishly trying to button up the site before the real deep freeze moves in. They've been lucky with the weather so far, lucky enough to stay on schedule for a summer launch.

Column 109: Odd Bedfellows
The OEAs bring them together.

And so, a week after the occasion of the first-ever Omaha Entertainment Awards, we reflect on its necessity and ask ourselves, "Was it all worth it?"

The night after the OEAs at O'Leaver's where unlikely-to-be-nominated-though-worthy bands Cloven Path, Kite Pilot and Latitude, Longitude were playing, the topic of conversation was whether there should be music awards at all. The consensus from members of the local punk and indie scenes was that the OEAs were nothing but hype, that the best award any band could possibly receive was to sell their CDs and get people to come to their gigs. In the end, the crystal phallic symbol doesn't mean jack if your band is playing to crickets in O'Leaver's or Sokol or Mick's or any other venue in -- or out of -- town.

They're right, of course. It's impossible to argue against that logic. Award shows are, for the most part, a marketing ploy designed to sell advertising and promote bands that generally already have more than enough press. And you could quickly discard the whole thing as a giant ego-stroke except for one thing: Never in Omaha have I seen such a diverse group of creative people together in one place at one time.

In the lobby of the Holland Center prior to the show, while a Mariachi band played on the steps leading to the auditorium, Mayor Mike Fahey nattered with an elegantly dressed member of the local theater guild, while a few feet away two guys wearing Mexican-style wrestling masks sipped drinks through straws just a few feet from a stately older gentleman in a tux and his wife who faced a guy in jeans wearing a satin bar jacket who was a few feet from two young ladies in gorgeous ball gowns who whispered in the direction of a gaggle of slam poets looking too cool to be there who were a stone's throw from a 40-ish guy and his pre-teen son who leaned against a wall a few feet from one of the city's best punk bands who moments earlier stood next to a blues guy from Lincoln who stood in line at the bar next to folks from Tilly and the Wall who were standing next to Mayor Mike Fahey.

Where else would -- or could -- such a diverse crowd ever be brought together?

One of the flaws of the Omaha music scene is how it segregates itself from itself. Go to a blues show at Shag and you'll see a completely different crowd than you'd see at an indie show at O'Leaver's or a play at The Blue Barn or a metal show at Shea Riley's or a hip-hop show at Sokol or a Dixie Chicks concert at The Qwest Center. We don't hate each other, we just don't understand each other very well, nor do we want to. People in this city know what they like -- and what they don't like -- and are more than happy to leave it at that. Any effort to at least try to expose people to something alien to their every-day existence is an achievement in my book, even if, afterward, everyone goes back to their private little corners. At least for one night they shared the same auditorium and maybe even heard something that they wouldn't have heard otherwise.

So, was it worth it? Yeah, even with all the flaws that comes with any first-annual event. It was too long (What awards show isn't?), the sound wasn't quite right, some of the theater people left after their awards had been handed out. There was the problem with the music categorization, specifically jazz and R&B/funk, where the winner was one of the evening's few performers to take home more than one crystal trophy, The Jazzwholes.

The problem, of course, was that The Jazzwholes aren't exactly known for their jazz, R&B or funk chops. They're an alt-pop rock band with a horn section that also happens to have one of the largest followings in the city, thanks to regular Sunday night gigs at Shag (and before Shag, The Goofy Foot Lodge). No one's arguing that The Jazzwholes aren't a talented bunch of guys, but the best jazz band in Omaha?

The error undermined the entire reason for the evening -- to honor the best and brightest of Omaha's music scene in their respective categories. For the OEAs to grow into a respected platform for recognition, the organizers must find a way to guarantee that it doesn't happen again. Someone with some music knowledge has to draw a line and throw out bands that don't belong, or else the whole thing becomes embarrassing both for the misnominated bands and for the Academy who votes for them (of which, I am a member).

Next year, I'm told, this will be fixed, along with the other glitches. In their place will be new ones. But hey, it's all in good fun, right? Now if we can only get those guys at O'Leaver's to lighten up, put on a dinner jacket and join the rest of us, at least for one night.

Everything Absent or Distorted (A Love Story), The Soft Civil War (Needlepoint Records)-- Plodding grunge may be the most inaccurate, yet to-the-point way to describe this album. This 7-piece comes from Denver with a certain approach to simple songs that makes them sound much more alive and full than one is accustomed to hearing. The song structures are loose and dirty, and somehow melodic. Imagine Snuffalufagus slowly moving down the street, but with a backing band in tow providing theme music for such a ridiculous spectacle. The lyrics are what really caught my attention. "Its too hot for murder/Lets go to the creek instead" was a gem on "Its' This Way." An all-too-real picture is created on "Closer Than You Think, Pt.1" with "Monday morning / Give us our razors / Feel like dying / But we'll just shave and go on." Rating: Yes -- Brendan Greene-Walsh.

Tim Sez: I don't know about "plodding." I'll say this: They know how to play melodic '90s indie rock, sounding at times like they spent too much time with their Echo and the Bunnymen discs (when they weren't playing their Pixies records). They've been compared to Elephant Six bands, and I can hear it, especially Neutral Milk Hotel on the songs that sport the most intricate arrangements ("Burial of Yards and Docks," "Buried in Guitar") which feature the occasional horn part. Other than that, they don't have that sense of nostalgia that characterizes most other Elephant Six bands (and which I generally don't like) They're at their best when they leave their earnestness locked up and let the groove take over. Rating: Yes.

American Watercolor Movement, It Takes Fifteen to Tango in My Book, What Book Do You Read? (self-released) -- A strong beat keeps a song moving, pulsating and gyrating. But a strong beat can only carry you so far. A song (an album, more so) needs substance. It needs layers. It needs to be interesting. There must be something that can captivate the attention of the listener. This album fell flat. The "layers" turned to mud in the mix. The focus of the songs became lost. The addition of vocals that switched between singing and spoken word were a mystery. I had no idea what the goal of this album was. If it was techno beats with weirdness surrounding it, then success is theirs. Unfortunately, I cannot allow myself to believe that that was their aim. Rating: No. -- Brendan Greene-Walsh

Tim Sez: Clearly an homage to Eno, these guys also throw in a little Prodigy and PiL to their brand of electronic proto-punk dance music. The CD's experience is summed up on the opening tracks. The title, when frontman Jason Cieradowski does an earnest speak-talk shtick, is pure PiL Johnny Rotten. When he actually sings, like on "Flowers for Catalan," he sounds like Peter Gabriel backed by guitars and rhythms lifted off early Gabriel records. Sound good? Then you might really dig this disc, and in fact, I liked it enough to recommend it even with its considerable drawbacks -- a little of Cieradowski's whimpering goes a long way and becomes tedious as early as the fourth track. And then there's the muddy mix. Still, interesting programming and smart dance rhythms derived from Eno make it worth a spin. Rating: Yes.

Emily: Really Charles, people will think--
Charles Foster Kane: --what I tell them to think.

• At The Brothers, it's Now Archimedes with one other band, whose name escapes me. Thornton says his band will play first and should get started after 10.
• Right across the street, at 3821 Farnam to be exact, Bombardment Society is playing a benefit gig with Outlaw Con Bandana and Oui Bandits (details here).
• While, over at The 49'r, it's OEA nominee Little Brazil with No Blood Orphan.

A few random thoughts about last night's Omaha Entertainment Awards at the Holland Center…

I was both pleasantly surprised and impressed at the turn-out (even though no one I spoke with actually paid for a ticket). We showed up at the VIP pre-party at the downtown library just after 6 p.m. and found the place packed to the gills with one of the most odd, eclectic mixes of people I've seen at any local event, everyone decked out in suits, sport jackets, tuxes and dresses, with a few rebels exceptions in jeans and the usual Midwestern rock gear.

When we got to the Holland at 7, the place, again, was jammed. My first impression: Somehow, some way, John Heaston -- the main guy behind the award show after organizer Tony Lange flew the coop -- pulled it off. High-brow, storied public figures and dignitaries stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the bar line with the cream of the Omaha and Lincoln music scenes. When was the last time that happened?

The program started at the stroke of 7:30 -- on time thanks to television. And for the first 45 minutes -- maybe an hour -- I felt like I was at a real, big-time gala awards show. Despite the usual technical glitches and miscues (the TelePromTer was either broken or poorly operated) the presenters were professional, the voice-over announcer was first-class and the stage direction kept things rolling along. Spotlights, music, glam.

The entire first half of the show -- the better-produced, better-run half -- was dedicated solely to theater awards. Unfortunately, I know nothing about local theater, having not seen a stage play since Hedwig and the Angry Inch at the Blue Barn a couple years ago. So while the awards were classy and the acceptance speeches perfectly sincere, I had no idea who I was being honored, nor did I care.

Conversely, those on hand for the theater awards obviously did not care about the live music awards that would follow, because after the theater portion of the program concluded, about half the audience got up and left. The live music awards got Omaha'd. Note to Heaston for next year's show: Stagger the categories between theater and live music throughout the entire evening, forcing everyone to sit tight 'til the end.

I guess I can't entirely blame the theater folks for leaving early. Just like a real awards show, after about two hours the whole thing became tedious and boring, and I, too, just wanted to get the awards awarded and go home. You can't really expect people to sit tight for three and a half hours. If Heaston keeps this format, next year I shall arrive at around 9 p.m.

Of the music performances, the stand-outs were Little Brazil, who unveiled a new song from their upcoming album that blew up the stage (literally having blown out an amp during the rehearsals the day before). All LB band members wore shirt and ties, except frontman Landon Hedges, who wore his uniform-like white underwear T-shirt and black jeans -- the same get-up you'll see him in on any given night at O'Leaver's. The other stand-out was the entry (and winner) for the night's best cover band honor, Acoustic Groove. On the whole, half the acts were pretty good, the other half was real amateur-hour fodder, but that's what you get when you put a show like his together. I wasn't surprised to find, when I stepped out during the Jazzwholes song, that the lobby filled with people drinking, chatting, smoking outside, missing the entire performance.

Anyway, as far as the awards themselves, I batted around .500 on my guesses in yesterday's blog. Here are last night's winners:

Adult Contemporary: Sarah Benck. The Robbers got left off the nomination announcement and the graphic used on the huge big screen over the stage. They came up and accepted the award with Sarah anyway.

Alternative Indie: Bright Eyes, much to the consternation of the presenters. Conor Oberst came on stage (a surprise in itself that he even showed up) and thanked Satan, "who's responsible for all of this." This was a response to a previous winner's acceptance speech, which thanked God for the same reason. Oberst also took a moment to recognize the performers who are just getting started, the ones playing two-dollar shows or the kids with the demo CDs. It was the nice sentiment.

Bluegrass Country: Forty Twenty. I don't know if the music they play could be categorized as bluegrass, but regardless, I like what they do.

Blues: Kris Lager Band. The crowd seemed pleased.

Classical/Symphony: The Omaha Symphony. Nice acceptance speech. Where was Thom Wilkins?

Coverband: Acoustic Groove. They thanked their rhythm section.

Folk Americana Roots: The surprise winner, to me anyway, was Anonymous American. I knew Whipkey and Co. were going to snag at least one award last night. I didn't think it would be this one, since their music isn't folkie, rootsie or Amiericana-y. Whipkey beseeched people to go to more shows.

Gospel: Heidi Joy. Eek. She said she was shocked. She should be. She also announced that The Jazzwholes are her backing band, which explains a lot.

Hard Rock/Metal: Venaculas. Again, the presenters sounded disappointed when they read the name.

Hip-Hop/Rap: Another big surprise, the award went to a bleach-blond-headed Buck Bowen. Bowen seemed rather out of it when he accepted his award, saying that it should have gone to Surreal for everything he's done for the scene. He then went on to mumble through a list of names before being cut off by the music and then forcibly removed from the stage. (Seriously).

Jazz: In one of the more bizarre wins of the evening, The Jazzwholes took the prize, even though the band all but admitted in their acceptance speech that they don't play jazz music, and their performance on the stage earlier that evening underscored their sentiment. The win wasn't the Jazzwholes fault, it was the Academy's fault, and it was an embarrassment to them and the OEAs, especially when you consider that jazz legend Luigi Waits was in the house and hadn't even been nominated.

Live Music Event: Bright Eyes in Memorial Park. Oberst accepted the award saying, "You're off to a good start…" even though it came at Hour Three of the shows. It would be the last we would Conor on stage that evening.

Punk: Straight Outta Jr. High.

R&B/Funk: The Jazzwholes. Ironic, again, when you consider that they also don't play R&B or funk.

Rock: Perhaps the most surprising win of the evening, the award went to Grasshopper Takeover, a band that hasn't produced an original album in a few years. Grubb and Co. graciously accepted, saying something like "I didn't think anyone gave a shit about us anymore…"

Slam Poetry: Johnny Tornado

Techno/Electronic (DJ Category): Brent Crampton

Traditional/Indigenous: Ellis Island

In the academy-chosen categories, the winners were:

Lifetime Achievement Award: Luigi Waits. Waits, I'm told, had to fly in from Atlanta to accept the award. He seemed genuinely touched by the recognition.

New Artist of the Year: Ladyfinger. Accepting the award, front man Chris Machmuller said, "I'm happy I wore my award cardigan." Nice.

Best Musical Ambassador: The Omaha Blues Society's Terry O'Hallaron.

Artist of the Year: Bright Eyes. By this time in the evening, Oberst apparently had tired of going on stage to accept awards, and who can blame him? No one seemed to mind that he wasn't there, though. I saw him afterward in the hallway carrying around his hardware.

Album of the Year: Cursive's Happy Hollow. Tim Kasher and Matt Maginn graciously accepted the award.

So in retrospect, was the event a success? It's hard to argue that it wasn't. People seemed to be having a good time, everyone I talked to was impressed (initially) with how everything was handled. I didn't hang around to ask anyone their impressions after the show, as all I wanted to do was get home and get out of my shirt and tie.

The biggest flaw from the awards standpoint was in the categorization of bands. Again, it wasn't The Jazzwholes' fault that they got nominated -- and then won -- an award in the jazz category (and the R&B category for that matter). The nomination process itself is flawed. While public input is the right thing to do, it shouldn't matter if 2,000 people write in to nominate Indigenous -- a blues-rock band from South Dakota -- in the Indigenous music category. Someone with some knowledge has to draw a line and throw out bands that don't belong or else the whole thing becomes embarrassing both for the nominated band and the award process. In the end, Indigenous was thrown out. Unfortunately, a number of miscategorized bands were overlooked.

As for the program, next year they should only have performers, musicians, actors and actresses present awards -- not media members, business owners and sponsors. One presenter was the guy who runs a local formalwear shop -- what does that say about the award he's presenting? It makes the whole thing look cheap, commercial, shoddy.

See you next year.

Tonight at O'Leaver's, perhaps one of Omaha's biggest buzz bands, Cloven Path, opens a show for Latitude Longitude and Kite Pilot. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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The Omaha Entertainment Awards presentation is tonight at The Holland Center. If you can't afford a ticket, you can watch along at home (if you have Cox digital cable) by tuning into Cox 248. In the interest if full disclosure, as an academy member, here is who I voted for in each category, along with who I think will win:

Adult Contemporary: Singer-songwriter Scott Severin got my vote. Of all the candidates, he reaches the furthest in his music and lyrics. The winner, though, will be Sarah Benck, who has the largest following among the nominees.

Alternative Indie: With the nomination timeframe going all the way back to January 2005, I had to vote for Bright Eyes, whose dual releases in January 2005 were probably the best records released out of Omaha in the past two years. The rest of the academy will agree.

Bluegrass Country: Of the nominees, South Paw Bluegrass band is probably the closest to what the genre should represent. The academy will likely agree (if they listened to all the nominees' music).

Blues: I consider blues bands to be defacto cover bands, and taking that approach, it's impossible for me to not vote for Blue House. The award, however, will go to Sarah Benck, again based on sheer popularity.

Classical/Symphony: The Omaha Symphony is top of the list. The academy will agree.

Coverband: A category that shouldn't be included and likely won't be next year, I didn't cast a vote having not seen/heard any of the nominees. The winner will be Acoustic Groove.

Folk Americana Roots: Folk to me is either interpreting classic/traditional folk songs by Guthrie, Dylan and others, or writing songs in the folk style. Since none of the candidates perform traditionals, my vote goes to the best songwriter of the bunch, Simon Joyner. The academy will select Charlie Burton, who is another local hero and pals with a lot of the academy members.

Gospel: Again, I didn't vote here (We were instructed not to vote if we didn't know what we were voting for). The winner will be Heidi Joy, who I think is one of the worst performers in the area, but who has the largest following among the candidates.

Hard Rock/Metal: Just based on momentum, I had to vote for Stigmata, who have solid backing from The River and from live shows (and they played the OEA show at Shag). The winner will be Venaculas, however, based on their longevity in the scene.

Hip-Hop/Rap: Buck Bowen is the only one that really speaks in a voice that represents the world I live in. Is Omaha a gangsta haven? Hardly. The winner, however, will be Surreal the MC, as an acknowledgment of everything he's done for the local music scene.

Jazz: Again, a no-vote for me. I would have voted for Luigi Waits had he been nominated. Steve Raybine will likely win as he's the closest of all the nominees to playing real jazz.

Live Music Event: Bright Eyes in Memorial was the most important of the five nominees. The winner will be the Jazzwholes Whole-a-ween show.

Punk: None of the nominees are punk bands. That said, I voted for JV Allstars. The winner, however, will be Straight Outta' Jr. High based on their exposure on The River.

R&B/Funk: Satchel Grande, which isn't really an R&B band, still got my vote. The winner will be The Jazzwholes.

Rock: For pure beer-bottle rock, you can't beat Anonymous American. The rest of the academy will agree.

Slam Poetry: I have no idea why this is a category. Slam Poetry is like a sad, sick combination of amateur poetry and stand-up comedy. Horrible. No vote. No idea who'll win.

Techno/Electronic (DJ Category): Having heard none of the nominees, I didn't vote. No idea who will win.

Traditional / Indigenous: Again, I did not vote. The winner will be Mariachi y Luna based on the exotic quality of their name.

Finally, the six academy-only categories. There was no list of nominees, we were instructed to give our top two or three in each category. Here's what I put down:

Best Live Music Event of the Year: 1. Bright Eyes in the park, 2. Whole-a-ween.

New Artist of the Year: 1. Ladyfinger, 2. The Terminals, 3. Eagle*Seagull

Best Musical Ambassador: 1. Conor Oberst, 2. Tim Kasher, 3. Thomas Wilkins

Artist of the Year: 1. Bright Eyes, 2. Cursive, 3. Tilly and the Wall

Album of the Year: 1. Bright Eyes, I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning; 2. Cursive, Happy Hollow; 3. Simon Joyner and the Fallen Men, Skeleton Blues.

Lifetime Achievement Award: 1. Preston Love, 2. Luigi Waits

See you at the show.

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

Here it is, bigger and better than ever -- my annual music predictions for the coming year (read it here). The story is split in two in this week's issue of The Reader, with the "look-back" segment used for this week's column. They're joined as one here, for your convenience. Someone once asked me how many of these predictions are pure shot-in-the-dark guesses, how many are rumors and how many do I already know as a fact will happen. The answer: There's a little truth to everything, either based on what I know or my intuition (which is probably more accurate than my general reporting). Regardless, it's all done in fun... isn't it? Take a look.

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

Could there be a quieter way to start the new year? There's nothing going on this week. Well, almost nothing. I would be remiss if I didn't mention Omaha's own awards pageant extraodinaire -- the Omaha Entertainment Awards this Thursday at The Holland Center. A little bird (named Greg Edds) told me that the featured band for the night's final performance is none other than Little Brazil, who will be capping off an evening that will include performances by The Jazzwholes, Chris Saub Trio and... well, I've never heard of the rest of the performers... Regardless, it should be a fun evening filled with pomp and circumstance, gleeful winners and sad, heart-broken losers (at least four losers for every winner), as well as lots of booze (They sell booze at The Holland, don't they?). Tickets, believe it or not, are still available from ticketomaha.com for $25, or you can watch it live on Cox Channel 248. Expect a full run-down of what happened the next morning at Lazy-i.

A little Bright Eyes new to pass along: Seems you won't be hearing Conor Oberst crooning on an iPod of Chevy commercial (or any commercial for that matter) anytime soon. According to this piece in The Houston Chronicle, Oberst doesn't license his music for commercials or TV, which was a problem for the producers of crappy NBC series Friday Night Lights. They loved Bright Eyes' cover of Daniel Johnston's "Devil Town" so much that they wanted to use it on the show. Unfortunately for them, Oberst said no. So instead, they hired California musician Tony Lucca to cover Bright Eyes covering Daniel Johnston -- making it perhaps the first cover of a cover to ever air on national television.

In other Bright Eyes news, NME is reporting (here) that Bright Eyes will perform at "Bring 'Em Home Now," an anti-war benefit to be held March 20 at NYC's Hammersmith Ballroom. Also performing are Michael Stipe, Chuck D, Rufus Wainwright, Fisherspooner and Peaches.

Tune in tomorrow for what has become the year's most popular feature on Lazy-I: The annual "predictions" article, where I'll look back on how well I predicted '06 (catch up here) while showing you lucky readers what will happen in '07. Don't miss it. And while we're talking about '06, you may want to take a moment to enter the Lazy-I Best of 2006 Comp CD giveaway. This year's disc includes tracks by Yo La Tengo, Simon Joyner and the Fallen Men, Scissor Sisters, Junior Boys, Cursive, Cat Power, Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Royskopp, Ladyfinger, The Terminals and more (see the track listing here). Judging by the number of entries I've received so far, you'll never have a better chance of winning this valuable collector's item! All you have to do is e-mail me (tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you'll be entered into the drawing. You can't win if you don't enter!

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