Time only to tell you that Dave Goldberg and the McIntyre brothers' band, Box Elders, are opening tonight along with Dim Light for touring post-punk band Times New Viking at The Waiting Room. $7, 9 p.m. Go!

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What's not to love about Benson these days? Friday night I parked my car along Maple St., strolled down and chatted with the guys that run The Waiting Room who were outside getting some fresh air, then walked down to Mick's (passing Espana along the way, which was jumping with some sort of event) to catch The Matt Whipkey Three before high-tailing it at 11:30 to The Barley St. Tavern for Dereck Higgins' set. The only thing missing from Benson/Maple St. is a place you can duck into (or that has a window that opens to the sidewalk) that sells pizza by the slice (like they have on 6th St. in Austin). That would be pure Nirvana and a no-brainer business for some ingenious entrepreneur.

Back to our story. I can say with all certainty that the line-up surrounding Matt Whipkey Friday night was clearly the best since The Movies. The trio format forces Whipkey to strip the arrangements to the bare essentials and refocus melodies in a way that edits out the excesses of Anonymous American while going beyond the simple acoustic strumming heard in his solo sets. It's more subtle, more direct, more dynamic. As a result, the rocking parts rock more, the ballad-y moments are more ballad-y. With Benck adding backing vocal touches and Zip's perfect, simple drumming, this could be the configuration that pushes Whipkey to the next level if he can pen some memorable songs and get all of them out on the road.

My take after stepping inside The Barley St. for the first time: O'Leaver's has a rival for the crown of dumpiest, smelliest music venue in Omaha. That said, the bar does have a vibe (and odor) all its own. The music room is located in a separate chamber behind the bar. Like O'Leaver's, there's an overall rec-room appeal to Barley St., with assorted junk tacked to the walls and a capacity that I would guess-timate at around 40. Also like O'Leaver's, there's no question that the people who first built the tavern never intended to host live music there, but somehow it works, and works fairly well. It was SRO Friday night for Dereck Higgins and his band that included Gary Foster on drums and Bill Eustice on bass. Like Whipkey, the trio configuration really complimented Higgins' performance and breathed new life into a set that featured a number of songs off his last two CDs. A tiny crowd of groovy hippies danced in front of the faux stage throughout the set, while Higgins introduced songs with lines like, "We're going to space on this next one." Charming and appropriate. Barley St. obviously doesn't need much in the form of a PA to pump out rock music with the crowd mere feet from the performers (and with Foster's crisp, cracking, precise drumming style). With the right booking, the club could become an important venue for acoustic and just-getting-started touring indie bands that are too small even for O'Leaver's.

Onto Saturday... We walked up to Dundee Days late Saturday afternoon, past the fenced-in staging area where Oxygen was busy playing their version of alternative rock. We intended to at least pick up a hamburger or Italian sausage in the beer garden, but noticed that one of the burly security guys was taking money. I wasn't going to spend $3 for the opportunity to spend another $5 for a cheeseburger (Subway, here we come). I'm curious at how an event sponsored by my neighborhood association and the surrounding local businesses can charge a cover when it's being held on the streets that are maintained by my hard-earned tax dollars. Why wasn't admission free?

It also costs $3 to get into Dario Days, but that event was held on private property and wasn't funded by any association money. Dario was putting this on all by himself, and one assumes the $3 per head was being used to pay the bands.

When we got to Dario's there was maybe 30 people sitting behind tables in the pseudo beer garden parking lot. A variety of Belgian beers was being served at $5 to $7 per draw. At first this sounded like an extreme rip-off, considering the cups were so small. I realized after drinking two of them, however, that this beer was a lot more potent than my Rolling Rock, and a lot tastier. Foreign Elfest -- another in an endless series of drum-and-electric guitar duos -- came on at around 7 and played a set of rather minimal indie rock. A few of the melodies were sort of pretty, though the mix was too muddy to understand anything being sung. Considering the simplicity of the songs' chords, I wondered why the lead guy didn't just play an acoustic instead of his electric guitar. I blame The White Stripes for this ongoing disdain for bass players. Bands like the Stripes, Black Keys and Two Gallants can pull it off because their guitar players are performing aural gymnastics. Most other duos, however, don't have that luxury and the result is a sound that's half-finished.

After Elfest, Jake Bellows performed a surprise solo set (Dave Goldberg joined in on drums for a few numbers). Jake's forlorn, king-of-the-road laid-back style perfectly augmented the down-low feel of the whole event and made me wonder what's going on with that Neva Dinova disc. We left and grabbed our sandwiches at Subway. When we got back, Jake was still playing. Quite a long set. It was starting to get dark when Outlaw Con Bandana came on -- they were playing entirely in silhouette, back-lit by fluorescent lights blaring from the open garage door behind them. The only lighting in the crowd were the floods from the beer trailer and a single flood light mounted on the side of the Blue Line building. Outlaw -- performing as a trio with no drummer -- did their usual set of woody, Folkway's style old-time music made all the more haunting by the lack of light. By the time we left at around 9:30, the entire beer garden area was filled -- a sizable crowd, but nothing like the rowdy nightmare taking place outside Trovato's that we avoided on our way home.

Tonight at Slowdown Jr., Omaha touring band Go! Motion (see live review) plays with Louisville rockers People Noise. $6, 9 p.m.

The interviews for the Matt Markel/Ranch Bowl story (which I placed online this morning, here) were conducted on two separate occasions -- once in June 2006, and a second time last week. The No. 1 question that people ask when I tell them that I talked to Markel: How's he doing? People know about his stroke, but few have actually spoken with him in a long time. My personal non-medical assessment is that Markel was much more alert and fluent last week than he was a year ago, when his speech was still choppy and hesitant. The improvement, Markel said, was the result of speech therapy, which he received at Lakeside, along with other therapy as part of his recovery. He said Lakeside is only a temporary home, and that he eventually will be returning to his house.

The story covers Markel's history with The Ranch Bowl, from its purchase through its glory years, the radio station, the studio, and finally his stroke and the venue's eventual sale to Mike Brannan and Dan Crowell. The plan was for Wayne Brekke to pick up the story from there, with interviews with Brannan and Crowell, but Wayne didn't have any luck getting in touch with them. That being the case, you can get a glimpse at what happened next by reading this interview with Brannan from back in 2002, and this follow-up column I wrote few years later, when it was announced that the property had been sold for development by Wal-Mart. Did Brannan ever really intend to fix the place up and make it into a first-class venue? We may never know, though I've always had my doubts.

It's fun to speculate what would have happened if someone else had bought The Ranch Bowl. Would it still be open today? Depending on the owners, probably. Had Brannan actually followed-through on his original intentions, I think it would have been a huge success. The location was absolutely prime. And now it's going to be just another Wal-Mart, a store that I refuse to shop at. What a waste, what a shame.

FYI... the photo used at the top of my story was taken from behind the Ranch Bowl property looking east. You can sort of make out where the sand volleyball courts used to be (to the left).

* * *

An update on yesterday's item regarding Dundee (Dario) Days, I'm now told that Capgun Coup will not be performing at the outdoor event. I'll pass on more details as I get them.

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Just placed online, an interview with Magnolia Electric Co.'s Jason Molina (read it here). It's brief. The reason: The publicist sent me a link to Molina's Pitchfork interview, which couldn't have been more comprehensive. I read it and thought, 'What more is there to ask?' So my few questions, delivered via e-mail, focus on Molina's Nebraska connections, Mike Mogis and Roy Orbison. Check it out, and check out the show this Sunday at The Waiting Room with No Blood Orphan.

Here's an early head's up about an impressive outdoor show this Saturday as part of Dundee Days. The gig, which will be performed in the parking lot next to Blue Line Coffee, has a line-up that includes:

Box Elders
Bear Country
Foreign Elfest
Capgun Coup
Outlaw Con Bandana
The Lepers

I'm told Dario's is one of the event's sponsors, so expect a beer garden with a good selection of Belgian brews. When does it begin and what's it cost? I don't know. The band lineup has been posted on the Foreign Elfest myspace page. In fact, that's the only place online that I've seen this show mentioned. If it takes place at the same time as Dundee Days' always-lame rock show, there could be some sound-quality issues, as Dundee Days' stage is super-loud (and located right across from Trovato's). I'll post more when I find out more.

Speaking of shows, tonight at The Waiting Room the always-entertaining Filter Kings are taking the stage, along with glam punkers The Designer Drugs, The Deformities and The Goddamn Rights. $7, 9 p.m.

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I'm not avoiding blog updates, I'm just buried under writing assignments, all of which will appear on this site throughout the rest of the week. The main event is a story focused on The Ranch Bowl -- specifically the Matt Markel years -- based on an interview with Markel that took place last Thursday, the same day Markel went out to the site and watched his old club get torn down. It's part of a cover story in this week's issue of The Reader, but I'll have my portion online here Thursday. Also this week (tomorrow, to be exact), a brief interview with Magnolia Electric Co.'s Jason Molina. This week's column is a rehash of last week's The Song Remains the Same live review, with some additional comments about the virtues of cover bands. Look for it Friday.

A couple noteworthy shows are going on tonight. Down at Slowdown Jr., it's Capgun Coup with Or, the Whale. By now, we all know about Capgun. Or, the Whale plays music in the same vein as Okkervil River, a band that seems to be riding a well-deserved wave of hype based on their new album. $6, 8 p.m. Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, Hydra Head recording artist Pelicans (from Chicago) plays with Clouds and Your Black Star. $10, 9 p.m.

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I thinking of going to this Yardbirds show down at Lewis & Clark landing (also featuring Matt Whipkey and Anonymous American and two other opening bands). Here's what I could dig up on how the event works: Admission to the show is free, however, fans are encouraged to donate a few dollars to the Omaha Food Bank. Volunteers will be on-hand during each show to collect donations. Gates will open at 4 p.m. and music begins at 5:15 p.m. Vendors will be available to sell food and beverages (outside food, drink or pets are not allowed). You are allowed to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Visitors can park in a limited number of free spaces or take a retro Metro Area Transit bus from downtown city parking garages to the landing. You can also park and ride for free at the Gallup Campus located 1.25 miles north of the concert site. The "landing" is located directly next to Rick's Cafe Boatyard and across from the Heartland of America park.

Also tonight, an evening of artsy indie noise rock with Fromanhole (myspace) at O'Leaver's with Minneapolis band Self Evident (myspace) and Life After Laserdisque. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Thunder Power!!! plays at The Saddle Creek Bar with New Jersey indie band Fairmont (myspace) and Sight Unsound. $5, 9 p.m.

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Non-Led Zeppelin fans, please skip to the * * *

I'm not someone who is prone to hyperbole (that means "extravagant exaggeration" for all you word-power wonks out there). In fact, I'm often accused of going the other way -- of being too negative, too nit-picky. That said, last night's performance by The Song Remains the Same was a freak-of-nature quality thing of extreme beauty. I say this having literally been raised by Led Zeppelin -- John Paul Jones used to help me pick out my clothes for school in the morning while John Bonham made me waffles and Robert Plant helped me brush my teeth. Jimmy Page was the lazy dad who always ran downstairs with a newspaper in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other while struggling to put on his suit jacket as he kissed my mother goodbye.

You get the picture. I know Led Zeppelin. It's just about all I listened to in high school. That said, The Song Remains the Same is the next best thing to being there. Consisting of drummer Javier Ochoa, bassist Bunny Geist, guitarist Corey Weber and singer Jason Pollard, the band is a dead-on sonic replica of Led Zeppelin -- in fact, a few people who've seen Zeppelin in person said they might be even better. Believe me, I've seen more than my share of lousy covers of "Rock 'n' Roll" over the years. These guys are eerily good, almost too good for their own careers, unless their goal in life is to be in the best Zeppelin tribute band in the world.

It's all there. They know every lick of every song, but are smart enough to avoid trying to duplicate it. In other words, they capture the essence of Zeppelin instead of providing an exact replica. Still, any Zeppelin fan would marvel at what I heard at The Waiting Room last night. Ochoa's muscular style and technical process is impeccable, as evidenced by their cover of "When the Levee Breaks" and Bonham solo tool "Moby Dick." Geist's bass playing made me rethink John Paul Jones' role in the band -- absolutely integral (The only thing missing was a keyboard).

Which brings me to Weber and Pollard. Weber is no Jimmy Page, but there can be only one Jimmy Page, and Weber knows it. He doesn't do a note-for-note dupe of Jimmy's solos, instead he makes his solos work enough to push the songs forward. More importantly, he nails the Page riffs that defined the band's sound. Unbelievable guitar tone. Powerful. Accurate. Groovy.

Finally, Pollard. The story I was told last night is that he was discovered by Geist singing karaoke at Grandmother's. Pollard is a freak. He even physically resembles Plant (with a little Kenny G thrown in). I promise if you see this band you will marvel at his vocal prowess. He has the full range of a Robert Plant at age 20. He knows every nuance, every vocal riff, every little touch that any Zeppelin fan would recognize. You expect him to disappoint you during the high notes on the classic songs off I and II, but he never does. It left me shaking my head with my mouth wide open. He even does some the telltale gestures that we all know from hours of live Zeppelin footage that we've all seen in the movie the band is named after. The pointing hand, the side slouch, the mic-chord wrist whip. He prances, he preens.

Look, I'm not overselling here. People around me, people I talked to afterward, were agog. Yes, they're that good. In fact, I'm certain they could tour the country doing this if Pollard's voice could handle singing like that every night (and I don't know how it could).

You could criticize them for their stage presence -- Weber was wearing an untucked western-cut shirt, Bunny wore a Thin Lizzy T-shirt. On the other hand, if they wore ruffled velvet suits or if Pollard was shirtless and wearing a vest, it might push the whole thing into campy/kitsch territory… that is, until they started playing. Once you heard them, you wouldn't care what they were wearing.

Wisely, they selected mostly songs from the early albums (Pollard said II is his favorite). The high point was "The Ocean," the low point was "Dazed and Confused" (but even that sounded respectable). Between sets (that's right, they did two long sets), Weber asked for requests and I said anything off III, but specifically "Tangerine." They didn't have that one ready, but instead did "Out on the Tiles." Awesome.

Yes, I know I'm going on and on about a tribute/cover band. I don't care. I haven't had that much fun at a show in long, long time.

* * *

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming, already in progress. But wait, before we do, I can't forget The Third Men, who played a set of covers before TSRTS with new drummer Matt Bowen. Pretty awesome stuff. I've heard a number of these songs performed by them before, specifically Wings' "Jet" and Richard and Linda Thompson's "Wall of Death." Both better than ever. The set also included some Bowie, Soft Boys, The Necessaries, Status Quo and The Knack, among others.

OK, on to tonight's marquee shows: First, Eagle*Seagull and Kite Pilot at Slowdown Jr. E*S's new stuff is top-drawer indie dance rock that's irresistibly catchy. It'll be interesting to see how well it goes over with the Slowdown crowd. This will be one of the last times you'll get to see Kite Pilot with guitarist/vocalist Austin Britton before he heads back to the left coast. $5, 9 p.m.

or

The Terminals and The Shanks at The 49'r. You could argue that these bands play too often, except for the fact that you never know what'll happen at one of their shows. Terminals are always easing in new material. This being at The Niner, I suspect that someone will probably get hurt during The Shanks' set (and boy, will it hurt so good). Shanks will be hawking a new 5-song limited edition (only 50) CD EP, unpleasantly titled Urine Heaven. I assume (and you know what happens when you assume) that it's out-takes from same sessions that produced their new "Big Feelin" 7-inch, which is a violent and abrasive joyride. Translated: A must have.

Over at O'Leaver's, it's Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship w/ The King Hen. $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, over at The Saddle Creek Bar (they've been busy lately), it's The Screens, Paper Owls, Seymore Saves Saves The World, and Shiver Shiver. $5, 9 p.m.

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Cloven Path return to O'Leaver's (their roost, their stomping grounds) for a show tonight with Nymph and Demon Attack. It could (will) get messy. $5, 9:30 p.m. Meanwhile, over at The Waiting Room, it's the unveiling of the The Third Men, V 2.0 with Matt Bowen (ex-Magic Kiss, ex-The Faint) on drums. We won't get a chance to see how Matt does with Third Men music, however, since the band will be playing a set consisting entirely of covers (exactly which covers, I don't know). It's part of an evening of cover bands at TWR that features The Song Remains the Same -- a Zeppelin tribute band -- in the headlining position. To say I'm well-versed in all things Zeppelin is an understatement, so I'll be approaching their set with a critical ear (if I go). There was originally supposed to be a Van Halen tribute band on the bill tonight as well, but I'm told they weren't ready for prime time. $7, 9 p.m. Finally, over at the Saddle Creek Bar, Oklahoma City singer songwriter Ali Harter takes the stage with fellow Oklahomans The Non. Harter has a vocal and songwriting style that's sometimes reminiscent of Feist (her myspace). The Non plays indie rock instrumentals (or so I assumed based on their myspace page). Both bands will also be playing at The Zoo Bar in Lincoln tomorrow night. $5, 9 p.m.

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Almost nothing to report today except rumors buzzing about a possible Jeff Beck/Jimmy Page appearance in Omaha (possibly in the crowd) for this weekend's Yardbirds show down on the Lewis & Clark Landing. The duo is said to be checking out the band for a possible reunion. It all flies in the face of this Billboard article from July 20, where Beck's manager denies that he'll be joining the band on tour. Ah, but people have been known to change their minds. And what else do Beck and Page have to do, anyway?

Tonight, long-time writing partner of Gillian Welch, Dave Rawlings, is playing at The Waiting Room with his band, The Dave Rawlings Machine. No opening band is listed for the show, which starts at 9 and costs $15.

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I dropped in on the Memorial Park concert yesterday at around 4 p.m. and already the storm clouds were beginning to form in the west. The brutal heat had been somewhat abated by the overcast skies, but it was still muggy and uncomfortable. On stage was Pomoroy, a band no better or worse than Plain White T's; they just happened to have gone unnoticed with their bleatings. It was by far the loudest concert I've ever heard in the park -- painfully loud, earplug loud. Maybe it was so loud because there were no warm bodies to muffle the noise. The place looked empty. I talked to a cop at the top of the hill, who estimated the crowd at just over 1,000 and at its zenith up to that point in the afternoon. He said they'd all been informed of the oncoming storm, and expected it to hit at around 6 p.m., but even then it looked like it could start raining at any moment. I rode back home and battened down the hatches. By 5:30 our house had lost power and we fumbled around in the dark until 2:30 in the morning before the lights came back on. Apparently after the initial storm passed, the show went on, or at least that's what I assumed based on the muffled echoes of the band heard from my house at around 7 p.m. I figured they'd cancel the show, but I suppose the city was going to pay The T's whether anyone was there to see them or not, so why not make them play anyway?

The moral to this story: Don't host concerts in the park in the middle of August when the heat index is over 100. Why not have these concerts in early October or late spring when it's cooler outside? There must be a reason...

Sad news from Europe: Tony Wilson, the father of Factory Records and the Hacienda in Manchester died of a heart attack Friday. Wilson was a visionary who signed such bands as Joy Division, Durutti Column, Section 25, A Certain Ratio, New Order and Happy Mondays. In some ways, Saddle Creek Records seems to be paralleling Factory Records, right down to the opening of Slowdown. A BBC report on Wilson, complete with interviews, is on YouTube here: Pt. 1 and Pt. 2.

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The draw for The Rentals at Slowdown last night was disappointing, or as it was described by one of the venue owners, the place was half empty… or half-full, depending on how you looked at it. The management decided to close the balcony in an effort to make the crowd look larger and more compact. "You don't like seeing bands play to an empty room, do you?" I don't mind, as long as I'm not sitting on the floor, which was where I sat most of the evening between bands because there were no seats available (except up in that closed balcony area). I guess sitting on the floor makes it more like a "real concert experience" circa the 1970s and the days of festival seating. I suppose.

Goldenboy came on at 8:30 playing a somewhat vanilla set of adult-alternative rock. I wish I could tell you more about their sound, but the band left virtually no mark on my memory other than the fact that all the members wore hats. Apparently a number of people came to the show to see Coldplay…er, Copeland, judging by people walking around with Copeland T-shirts. Frontman Aaron Marsh mostly played keyboards, sometimes switched to acoustic guitar, and had a voice reminiscent of Bryan (not Ryan) Adams. They played the kind of unadventurous smooth-indie rock that compliments bland TV shows like Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. Bands like The Fray come to mind. Kudos to their drummer, who was a fill-in guy playing only his second show with the band. He was phenomenal. I can only imagine how their full-time drummer must sound in comparison.

Finally, there was The Rentals, all seven of them tumbling out onto the stage, taking their various positions that they'd switch throughout the evening. It wasn't until they started roaring into their hits that it dawned on me what a flat, monotone voice Matt Sharp actually has. Think about it. Those songs off their first album had a natural charm to them because they seemed to be sung by a droning nerd. Actually, come to think of it, that's also the charm of Weezer's first album, too (There's not a lot of vocal range on "Undone (The Sweater Song)"). The monotone drone is less noticeable and actually somewhat likable on The Rentals recordings, but live, Sharp just sounds like he can't sing. To dress it up, he backs himself with three women, two of which really can sing, especially original Rentals member Rachel Haden, who's vocals glowed above everyone else's. Not surprisingly, the new material off their EP sounded better than the old stuff reinvented (which, at times, was unrecognizable). Sharp has said in a number of interviews (including one with me) that crowd response on this tour has been rousing, with people dancing and pogo-ing and singing along with the hits. Last night's audience, on the other hand, while respectful, hardly moved despite Sharp's aerobic efforts (along with viola/vocalist youngster Laura Chipman) to get them into the set. It just wasn't happening.

A brief note about Slowdown's sound system: This was the first national band that I've seen on their big stage, and as expected, the sound was impressive. It's the first concert I've been to that was really loud without hurting my ears (In fact, hearing protection wasn't needed). Sightlines are impeccable. As Teresa said afterward, this is the place to go to see a band you really like.

Tonight's recap is below (or here). I'm still leaning toward The Stay Awake/Bombardment Society at The Saddle Creek Bar. Whatever you do, try to stay cool.

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Just posted, an interview with Matt Sharp of The Rentals (read it here). Matt talks about how juggling between Weezer and The Rentals drove him to a solo career, the reinvention of The Rentals, and the band's new EP, The Last Little Life. Sharp was such a good interview that I got enough to do an entire column beyond this feature, which will go online tomorrow.

Four, count 'em four shows are (probably) going on tonight, each worthy of your presence.

At The Waiting Room, Ladyfinger and Ideal Cleaners open for Philly band Mountain High, yet another rock band that sports two drummers. Ladyfinger is said to be unveiling some new songs and a new cover, while Ideal Cleaners is always strong. This being a Wednesday night, I'm afraid that Mountain High could get Omaha'd after these two fine bands. $7, 9 p.m.

Meanwhile, down at Slowdown Jr., it's another two-drummer band, Spring Gun, opening for Page Francis and Bishop Allen. $8, 8 p.m.

Over at O'Leaver's, The Terminals are opening for Ames Iowa grooversters Radio Moscow (Alive Records). $5, 9:30 p.m.

Finally, according to the SlamOmaha music calendar, No Blood Orphan is opening for Penang at The 49'r tonight. I was unable to confirm this show at either the Niner's or NBO's myspace pages. Go at your own risk.

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CNN just reported that the Van Halen reunion tour is on again, featuring David Lee Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen. They've ditched Michael Anthony, which is sheer madness. I don't think people realize how much Anthony contributes to the band's overall sound through his harmonies. They'll find out when they hear Eddie's son Wolfgang croaking along to "Jamie's Cryin'." Despite that, I will be in attendance at this show if it comes to the Qwest Center. Whoops. Looks like Reuters has the story now, here.

Other than that, nothing to report. The Waiting Room is hosting a show this evening with a band called The Steed that I've never heard of. Paper Owls is opening, but they also have their CD release show this weekend at PS Collective. Also on the bill is Ric Rhythm and the Revengers. $7, 9 p.m.

This week you'll get a double-dip of The Rentals' Matt Sharp -- a feature story about the band online tomorrow, followed by a column of leftover interview material on Thursday. The show is this Friday night at Slowdown, by the way. Get an early head start by checking out Dave Liebowitz's The Dark Stuff podcast. The special edition is dedicated to The Rentals and includes an interview with Matt Sharp along with lots of music. A great listen, indeed. You can listen to it here.

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I recently quit doing site updates during the weekend, but based on the extreme length of this entry, I might have to start up again. Below is a recap of last weekend's live shows I attended. Busy, busy, busy…

Friday night

Pulling into the Sokol lot, it was just like old times. I hadn't been down there in probably six months, maybe a year. Not with all the other venues going full-bore these days. The Waiting Room has been eating up all the good One Percent shows. And now Slowdown is taking whatever's left on the plate. (O'Leaver's has been delegated to being a drunk shack used to house half-crazy alcohol-fueled local shows that go all-but-unheard by an audience numb and deaf after multiple shots of whatever the bartender feels like pouring that evening -- further building on its already legendary status).

Sokol Underground has become the prime site for all the crank-fueled metal shows and half-ass Jesus-loves-you Christian rock spectacles -- a shadow of what it was just a year ago, but that's not One Percent's fault or anyone's fault for that matter. One Percent has to protect its own, which in this case, is The Waiting Room, a club that, even after the opening of Slowdown, continues to shoulder itself ahead as the main event of Omaha rock clubs.

But I digress…

It'd been a long while since I stepped foot in Sokol -- I missed that dark, musty tomb. I pulled right into the parking lot at around 10:30 -- a bad sign in the old days that still is. If there's space in the lot, that means there's probably no one inside. There was, however, plenty of the usual riff-raff outside enjoying a smoke along with the evening's weather. While walking toward the entrance, up zoomed Denver Dalley in a chopped dune buggy, the chrome exhaust pipe sticking out the back like a giant shiny erection. Smokers gawked from the doorway. I haven't seen a dune buggy in years, and figured the DMV had long made them illegal, but Denver said otherwise, and if it wasn't street legal he'd have been busted long before making it to the Sokol lot.

Anyway… inside Sokol it was business as usual, as if I had just been down there the night before. The crowd of (what looked like) around 70 was mulling around after a set by The Shanks. Next up was Dance Me Pregnant, a gutter punk band that also includes members of The Shanks. Within a few minutes, the band cranked into their first song. Jeff, the hulking frontman (I don't know his last name, though I've talked to him a number of times at O'Leaver's) was onstage screaming, wrapping himself in microphone chord. Behind the drum kit was super-drummer Corey Broman, who later that evening would be performing at The Waiting Room as part of Art in Manila. But first, he'd have to get through this set, and that wouldn't be easy.

On stage, Jeff carries himself with the same demented panache as a late-'70s So. Cal punker -- guys like The Dickies, The Germs, The Weirdos, maybe even Fear, half-bent dudes who looked like they were about to explode from eating handfuls of amphetamines, snarling at an audience hungry for abuse. Early in the set, Jeff had apparently smashed one of Sokol's microphones, telling the crowd, "You know who's paying for that? I am." He made it through the rest of the set without destroying a second mic, but not without doing himself and someone in the crowd bodily harm.

I don't know exactly what happened. One moment Jeff was on stage bellowing out another trash-punk song, the next he was on the floor in front of the stage, lost in the crowd, before boomeranging back up on stage again, complaining about being kicked in the nuts.

He focused his attention on one guy -- just a shadow with a pony tail from where I stood leaning against one of Sokol's famous always-in-the-way poles. Then (and I can't remember if the band was playing or not), Jeff dived from the stage and (apparently) kicked the guy in the chest or face, breaking a bottle and then falling onto the floor. By the time he got back on stage, blood was rolling down his right forearm from elbow-to-wrist. The scuffle continued on the floor before the guy was either ejected or left (though I thought I saw him walking around in the back moments later). The show continued with Jeff reveling in his own blood, a perfect stage prop.

I've always thought The Shanks and Dance Me Pregnant could both become this town's feature spectacle punk bands if they wanted to. With each passing show, they get closer and closer to that level of unrestrained violence, that unpredictable chaos that characterized punk bands in the '70s, bands that I never got to see in action other than on grainy, poorly lit, porn-quality video tape. For some reason, I have a sense of nostalgia for that time and those bands, and look to Jeff and his band of drunken, angry cronies to bring it all back to life. Someone asked me if the Shanks/DMP spectacle is all premeditated or rehearsed. I think the intent is there, but what happens when these guys take the stage is always unknown to them, and us.

Jeff was back to his lively, happy self afterward, back behind the merch table, where I bought a copy of the new Shanks 7-inch. His face was bruised, and his clothes and skin were still covered in blood, blood that he'd wiped from his gashed forearm and rubbed all over his face while on stage (the gashes and bruises to his forehead, I was told, were self-inflicted and involved crushing a beer can with his face).

Headliner Cloven Path wasn't going to be outdone in the blood department. Moments after the trio's second song -- after the guitarist had taken off his shirt -- the guy standing next to me yelled, "Jesus, look at his chest!" Blood, again, was everywhere, but these cuts were self-inflicted. Cloven Path doesn't need the theatrics, not with their hot new lead singer dressed in short-shorts and biker boots. It'd been six months since I last saw this band, before they got "SinKat" (according to their Myspace page) to handle the vocals -- a much-needed addition if only to have something to look at other than the two bleach-white guys' naked bellies. Take aways from the performance: 1) SinKat sings like a young Debra Harry, a spooky-sweet, almost atonal voice that's a good fit for the band's metal-meets-club-beat sound. 2) It's time to throttle down on the programming. Their drummer handles himself just fine without electronic embellishments. 3) As much as I like trios, these guys still need a bass player -- the programmed bass just doesn't cut it. Too bad SinKat can't handle a bass -- how sexy would that be? Set highlights included a cover of a Cure song ("The Hanging Garden," I think) and the over-the-top closer that got the crowd into a frenzy.

Saturday night

Having had my fill of assault-punk at Sokol the night before, I skipped The Shanks at O'Leaver's and headed over to The Waiting Room for Spring Gun and Eagle*Seagull.

I realize that most bands are in a constant state of evolution, but Spring Gun takes it to the extreme. When I saw them at The Saddle Creek Bar in May, they were a wall-of-sound four-piece heavy on power and light on melody. Saturday night they grew into a 6-piece, sporting three guitars (one guy doubles on keyboards), a bass and two drummers -- enormous sound. But even more impressive was how the lead singer has grown into his frontman role, really capturing the essence of the songs' melodies, belting them out over the din. It left me wondering where I put that copy of their new album, which I didn't remember sounding this good. The guy next to me -- a local music power broker -- said if he had a record label, he'd put out these guys' CD -- he called them Nebraska's version of The Sea and Cake. Not bad, though these guys have an even bigger sound. Somehow, Spring Gun has emerged as one of the more important indie rock bands on the Omaha/Lincoln music landscape. There is an enormous buzz about these guys right now. Check them out when they open for Bishop Allen Wednesday night at Slowdown Jr.

Eagle*Seagull played last and gave their usual superb performance. Their set consisted almost entirely of new material, which I've seen them play three or four times now, and which they announced would be coming out early next year as The Year of the How-to Book (though they didn't say what label was releasing the CD). Two songs always stand out and I don't know the name of either, though one might be called, "We Came to Dance" and the other, "You're the Reason Why." If I had a label I'd put out this record just for its sheer commercial potential, but these days even that doesn't matter if no one discovers the music in the first place (just ask Little Brazil). Yes, Eagle*Seagull could be the next big thing out of Nebraska, but in this era when there are a thousand indie bands releasing new CDs every week, they're going to have to find some way to get their music noticed. Touring, it seems, just ain't enough any more.

Sunday Night

Briefly, I rolled down to Slowdown at about 9:45, a few songs into Two Gallants' set. Nice crowd, though not a sell-out. The band obviously didn't need to worry how they'd be received opening for Against Me! in Omaha. A large portion of the crowd was clearly there to see them, and the duo didn't disappoint. I like their electric stuff, though I would have liked to have heard the acoustic stuff from their new EP.

I took off right after they finished, at around 10:15. I would have stayed longer, but I had a deadline the following morning (for a Rentals article, that will be online Wednesday) (Actually, if I didn't have a deadline, I probably would have high-tailed it over to O'Leaver's for The 4th of July).

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Tonight at The Waiting Room it's Malpais (formerly known as An Iris Pattern) featuring Omaha's own urban legend, Greg Loftis. Malpais opens for The Cliks. $7, 9 p.m.

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Back in May (here, to be exact) I wrote about how Kite Pilot was bidding Omaha a fond farewell as Todd and Erica Hanton headed for better climes in Portland. Final shows were scheduled; people said goodbye. Only a few weeks later, while enjoying some ice cream at the Dundee Ted & Wally's, Protoculture's Koly Walter informed me that the couple had already returned to Omaha. What? Within a few weeks, Kite Pilot was gigging around town again, this time with a visiting original guitarist Austin Britton, home for the summer from the West Coast.

"We went out there in June to find a place to live," Todd said. "We did a lot of research first -- the rental market, areas of town that we would or would not like to live in. After five days of driving around the city, looking at houses and apartments, waiting for call-backs, this is what we found. Compared to Omaha, you will pay about 30% more in rent for about 30% less in the quality of living. Anything worth renting was snatched up immediately."

The frustrating search to find affordable housing resulted in the couple reevaluating the reason why they were moving to Portland in the first place.

"We had another sit down, each of us writing a list of pro's and con's of living in both cities, what we wish we could do in Omaha that we weren't already, what we wanted to get out of Oregon," Todd said. They discovered that they weren't willing to compromise their standard of living without a good reason. "If we were to move for an awesome job or for the benefit of Kite Pilot, that would be another story. Neither of those were reasons why we wanted to move," he said.

They'd also miss their music. "We missed playing even before we left Omaha. We have the contacts, the players and the music right here, so why start all over again? True, we might have more success in the long-term by playing in a larger market and not having the Saddle Creek (Records) hanging over our heads like every other local band, but success is what you make of it, where you make it."

Saddle Creek hanging over their heads? Did he mean that he feels there's a stigma being from Omaha and not being on Creek? "That is a real good way of saying it," Todd said. "Everyone that is not from here thinks, 'Hey, you guys are great! Why aren't you on Saddle Creek?' They don't have any idea of the social dynamics that goes into something like that."

Todd said he and his wife realized that the real changes they wanted to make were within themselves and not dependent on location. "Living in Omaha can often feel like you are in the movie 'Groundhog Day,'" he said. "We all want new and exciting. We all look for it in different place. We were looking in Portland. But you know what? After a certain amount of time, the allure of a new city wears off, no matter what city. We feel that we have to change our attitude about Omaha, instead of changing where we live."

Now for some points of clarification:

--Kite Pilot will continue as a trio after Austin moves back to the West Coast later this year, with Jeremy Stanosheck on drums. Todd said the band will probably start writing new songs.

--Erica will no longer perform in The Protoculture. "The whole reunion was to put out all of their songs in one compilation," Todd said. "Now that that is complete, she is done. The guys want to continue, though. Erica wants to focus on KP only."

-- The couple got their house back, and Todd even got his job back with Elan. Erica, on the other hand, didn't return to her government job. "She actually started a company called Saque," Todd said. "Right now the only product she has are handmade purses and shoulder bags. She just got them into her first store -- Crane Coffee on Cass St. Having her business started, she is currently looking for a new job."

You can check out Kite Pilot with special guest Austin Britton tonight when they open for Art in Manila at The Waiting Room with The Ladybug Transistor. Show is $7, starts at 9 p.m.

Unfortunately, I'll likely miss that show as one of the most gonzo shows in recent history is happening down at Sokol Underground tonight: The Cloven Path CD release "party" with Dance Me Pregnant, The Shanks and The Little Nastys. I expect mayhem the likes of which haven't been seen on any stage since the days of GG Allin, or at least plenty of drunken debauchery. $7, 9 p.m.

This is a busy weekend: Tomorrow at the Waiting Room it's Eagle*Seagull, Spring Gun and Michael Morris (9 p.m., $7). Also Saturday night, The Shanks play again, with Mosquito Bandito ($5, 9:30 p.m.). Sunday night it's Against Me! with Two Gallants, Gaslight Anthem and Cobra Skills (8 p.m., $14). Also Sunday night, The 4th of July play at O'Leaver's with Thunder Power!!! and Midwest Dilemma ($5, 9:30 p.m.).

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Last Saturday afternoon I chatted with Two Gallants' Tyson Vogel from his apartment in San Francisco. His cohort, Adam Stephens, was somewhere in Paris visiting his girlfriend while the band enjoyed some much needed time off the road. "When we have some down time, we're on opposite ends of the world," Vogel said. "This has been the longest break in the past three months. We finally got two weeks off, and we're both reveling in it."

We spent most of our interview talking about the Walter's on Washington incident and the aftermath. That part of the interview will go online tomorrow as this week's column.

The rest of the time was spent talking about Saddle Creek, the band's new EP and opening for what would seem to be oddly matched bands, like Against Me! and Les Claypool. Vogel and Stephens bring an interesting perspective to working with Saddle Creek Records. They're really the first band signed to the label that didn't have direct personal ties to anyone in any of the other Creek bands (read about how they got signed here). How happy are they with the label?

"The reason that we stay with Saddle Creek is we enjoy working with them," Vogel said. "We do get frustrated with how hands-off they are. They always have good ideas and opinions, but they really want to keep the artist in control of the art, and we both admire that. That's why we enjoy working with them. They're respectful of our ideas and have a good sense on how to get things done. They also have good distribution and work with the industry without pandering to it -- that's a great thing. They stay true to their nature; they enjoy music and want to keep it that way. It's been really good working with them."

When I pressed him on the frustrations, Vogel clarified his comments. "It's not frustration," he said. "We don't know about this music business stuff. We just know how to play music. One of the reasons we like working (with Saddle Creek) is that they put a lot of consideration and thought into things."

The band's new EP, the 5-song The Scenery of Farewell, was released in June and though it's a departure instrumentally for the band, their signature sound is still there.

"I would hope that (the EP) would have the same feeling," Vogel said. "In the end, it's not that we're purposely trying to do anything different. What makes it different is the songs come from a slightly different place. These songs demand more than the electric bass songs. We're putting this out because it's just as important as electric or loud songs. It's more stripped down in the sense that the songs aren't that complicated and demand a different kind of playing. At the same time, they're just as full or even more so, since we have these other players playing with us and adding other layers."

The band just finished a 3-week acoustic tour of Europe with additional support players -- and it may be the last time they play songs off the EP live. They're going back to their two-piece configuration for the Against Me! tour. "The acoustic shows can be heavy and dark at times. It's not for every night.," Vogel said. "The songs on the EP have opened up both of us internally to let go a bit more, so we can keep on writing songs."

Songs for the new self-titled LP, slated for release Sept. 25, were recorded at a completely different session than the EP. "Originally, the EP was supposed to be a full length, but we took three songs off -- we didn't like how they came out, and it would have been a long, heavy record. One of those songs will be on the new full length. I would say this record is really significant because we never recorded songs without playing them live."

Vogel said the band traditionally spends a year playing songs before putting them down on tape. "For this next album, we haven't played the songs for anyone yet. Not to be too lofty, (Adam and I have) come separately and together into the music more. This next album represents a change for the better, it'll be different than What the Toll Tells and more similar to The Throes."

Combining Two Gallants with Against Me! for a tour seems odd. Against Me! plays relatively straight-up FM alt rock -- quite a contrast to Two Gallants' more traditional sound. Vogel said he and Stephens invited the contrast.

"The Les Claypool tour was a weirder mix," he said, adding that he grew up with the early Primus records. "One night we ran into each other, and Les and I talked and had a good conversation. I admire him for his creative judgement and ideal in life. He invited us to come on tour. We knew it would be a very different audience. With Against Me!, people have told us for a long time that we should tour with them, and we have mutual friends. We thought it would be fun because they always seem to pop up in the periphery. I hope that we're not too much of a downer. The first band (Gaslight Anthem) is more of a punk band. Actually, it's more involved than punk, very melodic and kind of anthemic alternative, I guess.

"The last tour broke us in. The Les Claypool fans are pretty intense. There's a story about Rasputina going on tour with him and getting pennies thrown at them. If the music is so different but comes from a similar place, it can still come off. People there to see Against Me! might find something they can relate to in our music. I'm a proponent for an eclectic show if the mood or energy is right. There are too many shows where the bands are too similar. It's good to be pushed to look at different things."

I told Vogel that, on a certain level, Two Gallants' style seems more mature, more sophisticated and certainly more literate than typical rock music. It seems to have a new classic American style that stands on its own beyond that genre. Did they ever look around at their environment and ask if they're reaching the right audience with their music?

"I don't think he or I really try to think about it that way," Vogel said. "I think if you become too concerned about it that you will always be unsatisfied. And that's not the point. If the honesty and integrity comes off, if certain people are drawn to that, then great. Music is a necessity for us. We'd be doing it anyway. We're honored to be in front of this many people. All we have to focus on is doing it right."

Tomorrow's column: Two Gallants and Walter's on Washington.

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The first time I heard "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups I naturally thought it was a new Smashing Pumpkins song. I mean, it sounds almost identical to "1979" right down to the bouncing bassline and Brian Aubert's Billy Corgan impersonation. The rest of Carnavas is just as Pumpkinesque, which is great, I suppose, if you're a big Pumpkins fan. I never liked the band (other than "1979"). I find it odd how something so derivitive of another band could become so popular unless the kids picking this up never heard Mellon Collie (released in '95) or Siamese Dream ('93) before, which is very, very possible. Anyway, Silversun is playing at Slowdown tonight with Dangerbird Recording artist Sea Wolf, and it's SOLD OUT. Also tonight, at Saddle Creek Bar, it's Lucia Lie, Paper Owls and Civic Minded. $5, 9 p.m.

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