Lazy-i

Preview: Under-the radar indie bands take the stage at Farnam Fest…

2025-10-10T15:13:15Z

Before we get to Farnam Fest, there are a couple other shows happening this weekend worth a look.

The Cotton boys’ noise-rock project Violenteer returns to Reverb Lounge tonight with Lafayette, MIJO and Dead Poets. 8:30 p.m, $10.

Tomorrow night, fabulous O’Leaver’s has a 3-band bill headlined by Sweats with The Obscurants and French Bangs. This free show starts at 9 p.m.

Now onward to Farnam Fest, which takes place Saturday afternoon and evening in the parking lot behind Scriptown Brewing in the Blackstone District. The lineup when first announced left me scratching my head. Other than Heavy Clippings (which is one of my favorite Omaha bands), I hadn’t heard of any of the acts. But upon doing research, I’m convinced this could be one of the most interesting gatherings of under-the-radar national indie acts we’ve seen in Omaha on one bill.

The only band I can’t find a word about on the interwebs is the opening band, Talent Show. I did find a band called TalentShow (no space in the name) from Birmingham, but I highly doubt it’s the right band. I guess we’ll just have to show up at noon, which is the event’s start time, to find out.

Heavy Clippings comes on at 1:30 p.m. Fronted by singer/songwriter Noah Sterba with Jeff Sedrel, Vince Franco and Tanner Rogerson, they sound like a cross between early Feelies and latter-day Velvet Underground with plenty of Antiquarium lo-fi history thrown in for good measure. Garage-psych rock and great songwriting — do not miss. Their 11 other monthly Spotify listeners know what I’m talking about.

Dog & Bird in Grass by Heavy Clippings

Chicago four-piece Petsit, which is scheduled to hit the stage at 2:45, only has a two-song single on Bandcamp and a third tune captured live on YouTube. It’s slacker-indie at its finest. Reminds me of low-key Silkworm. They’re bound to be signed to a label like Cosloy’s 12XU imprint if he ever discovers them.

All Done/Velvet by Petsit

Samuel Aaron and Glass-Beagle, the 4 p.m. act, appears to be a combo of two acts. Samuel Aaron is a Chicago-based Portland-born singer/songwriter who has a style reminiscent of MJ Lenderman or Alex G. Glass-Beagle is a Chicago folk rock outfit that twangs things up with a pedal steel. Together, Samuel Aaron and Glass-Beagle just released a gorgeous new single “Home Again” b/w “Storm Chaser.” So I guess they’ve joined forces.

Home Again / Storm Chaser by Samuel Aaron & Glass-Beagle

Groovy Nashville-based folk-rock band Future Crib has been at it for more than eight years, releasing five LPs including their most recent, Impossible Songs, which dropped this past May. They hit the stage at 5:30.

Impossible Songs by Future Crib

Finally, headliner Ethan Tasch performs at 7 p.m. The LA-based singer/songwriter with the biggest following on this festival’s bill (237k monthly listeners on Spotify) has a laid-back acoustic-driven indie-pop sound. His latest EP, Mixtape (Edit), was released last month by R&R Records (Racing Mount Pleasant, Mt. Joy).

Mixtape (Edit) by Ethan Tasch

One Percent Productions apparently helped put this together. The reason for at least three of these bands being on this bill probably has something to do with them being booked to play The Sydney in Benson later Saturday night — Samuel Aaron & Glass-Beagle, Future Crib and Petsit. So if you miss them at Farnam Fest you can pay $18 to see them at The Sydney starting at 9 p.m. Or if you caught them at Farnam Fest, you can see them again.

In addition to live music, Farnam Fest will have a plethora of vendors, food trucks and, of course, plenty of Scriptown beer available for purchase. Entrance is free. For more info, go to farnamfestival.com

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2025 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.

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New Bright Eyes EP gets Pitchfork-ed and Christgau-ed and my 2 cents…

2025-10-09T22:18:28Z

Bright Eyes, Kids Table (2025, Dead Oceans)

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Pitchfork, the once-arbiter of hipster taste, this week published a review of the new Bright Eyes EP, Kids Table, giving it a generous 5.8 rating. “Generous” because after reading Arielle Gordon’s non-stop damnation, you’d expect the rating to be closer to a 3.8.

In her review, Gordon declares “Oberst relies here on overburdened metaphors and obvious rhymes, burying the few needles of wisdom in a haystack of heavy-handed platitudes” and “It’s not just that his couplets beget eye rolls, but that they feel like retrodden territory without any new insights, moving backwards on his board game of life without any nuance or self-reflection to show for it.” Ouch!

Gordon does praise Alynda Segarra of Hurray for the Riff Raff for her contributions and compares Bright Eyes’ foray into ska, “1st World Blues,” to Desaparecidos — a stretch, to say the least. Still, it’s ironic that the song that’s viewed by many as a novelty is the best track on the EP.

It should be noted that Pitchfork didn’t review Bright Eyes’ last LP, 2024’s Five Dice, All Threes, so from that standpoint, I guess this is an improvement. But Gordon also throws a stone at that album, saying “These misfit recordings suffer from the same problems that plagued that album — namely, many sound lifeless, deflated, as if Oberst can barely pick his head up to sing into the mic—exacerbated by the EP’s abridged format.”

On the other hand, in the October 2025 installment of his Consumer Guide, the grand poobah of rock critics, Robert Christgau, gave Kids Table a B PLUS grade, calling it “oddly tuneful.” Curious is the last line of his review, where he (as is his way) points out lyrics: “…and one called ‘It Always Feels Good and It Never Hurts,’ an instrumental that nevertheless turns up online with a lyric that reads in its entirety ‘Heroin.’” That “heroin” lyric isn’t listed in Spotify, and the only place I see it referenced is at lyrics website Genius. I’ll have to ask Conor about it the next time I see him.

My thoughts on Kids Table: It’s for Bright Eyes completists. The tracks are essentially extras from the Five Dice sessions that, in years past, would have been released as an EP prior to the LP (just like the Four Winds EP preceded Cassadaga).

Never having the most complex melodies to begin with, it seems like some of Five Dice and Kids Table repeat melodies heard on 2020’s Down in the Weeds… and especially Oberst’s 2016/17 solo albums Ruminations and Salutations. Lyrically, there’s a world-weary quality to much of his lyrics, and Oberst sings with an energy to match.

What’s missing from his most recent albums (since, say, 2011’s The People’s Key) is the what-the-fuck cockiness and self-assured irreverence heard on those early recordings (Who remembers “Can I get a goddamn timpani roll?”). Those early records felt more broadly collaborative, even though Oberst continues to work with a plethora of musicians. Of course his collaborators today are the utmost professionals; whereas it seemed like the guys and gals collaborating on the early records consisted of friends and whoever was living with him at the Gunboat house. Everything seemed effortless.

It’s hard — maybe impossible — to capture the flame of creativity and thought-free exuberance of one’s youth. Dylan said in that famous 60 Minutes interview he didn’t know how he wrote his early songs, saying they were “almost magically written.” He said he didn’t think he could write like that again. I’m more hopeful Oberst can still capture that early spark. These days, he does his best work when surrounded by collaborators — be it Segarra or Bridgers or Alex Levine. In those moments, it sounds like he was having fun. Maybe that’s the key.

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Live Review: Cursive looks back without slowing down at The Waiting Room…

2025-10-08T15:40:47Z

Cursive at The Waiting Room, Oct. 7, 2025.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Last night’s Cursive concert at The Waiting Room was divided by more than the material performed. The program featured the once-from-Omaha legends playing two of their most admired albums recorded early in their 30-year career — Domestica and The Ugly Organ — separated by a set from their old friends and tourmates, The Appleseed Cast.

The band took the stage at 8 p.m. to the opening strains of “The Casualty,” the first song off Domestica. The Peter Pan-esque Tim Kasher was in his usual fine voice, sporting a haircut that made him resemble Conor Oberst circa 2003.

This band wasn’t the same one that played on the original recordings; it was even better. Three of the original four members (Clint Schnase’s stick work is now sturdily handled by my favorite printmaker and ex-Ladyfinger drummer, Pat Oakes) have been augmented with cellist and hardest working musician in Omaha Megan Siebe (replacing the long gone Gretta Cohn) and keyboardist/horn player Patrick Newbery.

Playing straight through with no breaks, it was one of the best performances of Domestica I’ve heard (and brother, I’ve heard these songs played a lot). The sold-out crowd erupted with the echoing strains of “The Martyr” and stayed entranced throughout the performance of this rather short album (only nine songs and 32 minutes in length).

After the last crashing note of “The Night I Lost the Will to Fight,” Kasher finally broke character and gleefully thanked the crowd and said he was proud to still be playing music from albums released more than 20 years ago.

The Appleseed Cast at The Waiting Room, Oct. 7, 2025.

After about a 20-minute intermission, on came The Appleseed Cast looking like The Duck Dynasty Cast. Sporting beards and trucker caps, I could see these guys starring as bowhunters in a Scheels commercial. The Lawrence band plays a grinding heavy form of indie-emo with a sound structured around a handful of chords that pound forward like a monster through their dense, mid-tempo songs.

They opened with an instrumental before playing about a half-hour of material from throughout their career. Unfortunately, Chris Crisci’s vocals were so buried in the cacophonous mix that he could barely be heard and certainly not understood. Having seen a million shows at The Waiting Room (and having heard Kasher just moments earlier clear as a bell), I have to think being indecipherable was Crisci’s intention.

After another 20-minute stage change, Cursive returned, but instead of roaring straight into The Ugly Organ, they reversed things and opened with what I assume would have been the three songs they would have played as an encore: “Batch Job” from Devourer, “Fairytales Tell Tales” from Burst and Bloom and “Dorothy at Forty” from Happy Hollow.

Kasher then thanked the crowd again “for showing up” and introduced The Ugly Organ, explaining that they would play it straight through with no breaks. It was like saying “goodnight” to the crowd before waking up.

Like the three songs that preceded the intro, “Some Red-Handed Sleight of Hand” and “Art Is Hard” were played at breakneck speed, sounding rushed and losing any swing heard on the recording. The band relaxed a bit as they leaned into Cursive’s most popular song (according to Spotify), “The Recluse,” and kept an even keel for the rest of the set.

For the Domestica portion of the program, I stood just off stage left and the sound was fantastic, but for The Ugly Organ portion, I stood next to the sound board and suddenly Matt Maginn’s bass was overpowering, burying all but Kasher’s crystalline vocals. Was it where I was standing or did they mix the band differently for their second set? Who knows.

This wasn’t the first time I’ve seen Cursive end a set with “Staying Alive” (which features guitarist Ted Stevens handling the lead vocals). With its fade-out recall/repeat of the line “The worst is over” (from “A Gentleman Caller”), it’s the perfect way to close out an evening with each band member walking off the stage to that echoed refrain. The problem is that the crowd wasn’t sure when to applaud. It would have been awesome if the band came back on stage and took a bow. Instead, it was lights up and stage music, indicating the night was over.

Judging from the two sold-out nights, Cursive could take The Faint’s lead and simply tour playing these two classic albums. But unlike that band, who hasn’t released a new studio album since 2019, Cursive continues to make vital music. Devourer, released last year, was Cursive’s best and most varied album since 2009’s Mama, I’m Swollen, even though it didn’t garner a hit as big as “From the Hips.” I can’t imagine a band this prolific ever resting on its laurels.

A note for those attending tonight’s sold-out Cursive show at The Waiting Room: As mentioned above, published showtime was 7:30, but the band didn’t take the stage until 8 p.m., probably to ensure those waiting in line got in before the first song. The venue was cleared of tables and chairs, which made getting around much easier than the typical sold-out show at The Waiting Room; however, the only remaining seating is along the stage-right rail, the booths and a few stools near the soundboard. Wear comfortable shoes!

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Preview: Cursive begins two sold-out nights at The Waiting Room…

2025-10-07T21:09:10Z

Cursive at The Waiting Room Oct. 19, 2024. They return for the first of two sold-out nights tonight.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

At some point yesterday, tonight’s Cursive show at The Waiting Room with Appleseed Cast sold out. With tomorrow night’s show also sold out, we’re talking back-to-back sell-outs, which is pretty impressive.

The shows were announced months ago as warm-up gigs for Cursive’s performances at this year’s Best Friends Forever Festival in glittering Las Vegas this coming weekend. The three-day event, which takes place at the Downtown Las Vegas Event Center, features a treasure trove of indie and emo acts whose heyday was in the early aughts.

Among them are Jawbreaker, Rilo Kiley, Pedro the Lion, Texas Is the Reason, Mineral, Superchunk, Knapsack, Mates of State, These Arms Are Snakes, Hey Mercedes, J. Robbins playing Burning Airlines tunes, and Minus the Bear. It’s as if someone took a time machine and transported all the best emo bands who played Sokol Underground back in the day.

Cursive will be playing Domestica on Friday and The Ugly Organ on the closing day, Sunday. The two nights of shows at The Waiting Room will allow them to hone their chops, so to speak, playing songs from two albums released 50 years ago. Just kidding. Domestica was released in 2000, while The Ugly Organ was released in 2003.

That said, songs from these two albums, like “The Martyr” and “The Recluse,” have been Cursive set staples for decades. It’s the deep cuts like “A Red So Deep” and “Shallow Means, Deep Ends,” from Domestica and “Harold Weathervein” and “Bloody Murder” from The Ugly Organ that likely need some reexamination.

The Appleseed Cast, who are playing these Omaha gigs, also are playing Best Friends Forever.

Tonight’s and tomorrow’s shows, which they’re calling “You’re In My Web Now,” will be a three-act program. Act 1 — Cursive performing Domestica starts at 7:30 p.m. After an intermission, The Appleseed Cast will play a retrospective set selected from their entire catalog. Finally, after another intermission, Cursive returns to perform The Ugly Organ and a few other selections.

BTW, Cursive’s latest LP is Devourer, which was released in 2024 on their new label, Run for Cover Records, who is also rereleasing special colored vinyl versions of Domestica and The Ugly Organ on Nov. 14. As we all know, both albums were originally released on Saddle Creek Records.

The Ugly Organ by Cursive

The End Of The Ring Wars by The Appleseed Cast

One other notable show is happening tonight. Scottish indie rockers Franz Ferdinand are headlining at The Admiral. Their single, “Take Me Out,” from their 2004 self-titled debut on Domino Records, was a huge hit. Their most recent studio album is The Human Fear, which came out in January. London’s Master Peace opens this show at 8 p.m. $40.

The Human Fear by Franz Ferdinand

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News: The Bay breaks ground on multi-million dollar Benson youth center…

2025-10-06T16:15:15Z

Artist rendering of The Bay Omaha, which celebrated its groundbreaking last Friday in Benson.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It was a swing-and-a-miss weekend for me show-wise. Hours before the gig, One Percent Productions posted that the French Police show at Reverb was SOLD OUT. Shoulda-coulda-woulda.

Then I drove my Yamaha down to Porchfest yesterday and saw the crowds walking along the sidewalks and standing beneath the performance porches, but before I could park it began to rain, which sent me back home. Boo! Congrats on another successful Porchfest!

So no rock shows for me this past weekend. I hope to make up for it tomorrow with Cursive at The Waiting Room (I already got my ticket this time, and note there’s a LOW TICKET WARNING for the show. Wednesday’s Cursive show has been sold out for months).

One news item to pass along as we start the week:

Nebraska-based youth-focused nonprofit The Bay held a ground-breaking ceremony last Friday afternoon for its $20 million makeover of the former Larkin’s Parkin’ building located across the street from Reverb Lounge in Benson.

The 40,000-square-foot, three-level youth center will house an indoor skate park, electronic-sports arena, music venue, creative labs for media, textiles and emerging technologies, and multiple classrooms. It’s expected to open in “early 2027” according to the press release. The Bay has a similar facility that they’ve operated in Lincoln for years.

The project was financed via a public-private partnership that included funding from some of the state’s biggest philanthropic organizations and state-sponsored programs.

News broke about this project way back in June. Work began on the project weeks ago, judging by the barricades along Military Avenue that block my alley shortcut to Reverb. It’s the type of project that could have a major positive impact on Benson, which is a district known for its nightlife and bar scene.

Find out more about The Bay right here.

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VV Vol. 1, #BFF tonight; French Police, Matt Whipkey Saturday; Porchfest 2025, Sunday Mourners, Starcrawler Sunday…

2025-10-03T16:29:57Z

A moment from Porchfest 2024. This years festival takes place Sunday in the Gifford Park neighborhood.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

It’s a super-busy weekend of shows and events, including some very interesting touring indie bands coming to town. Let’s get to it.

Tonight, The Sydney in Benson is hosting another showcase for V.V. Volume 1, the vinyl project that includes seven local performers each contributing one song. I wrote about the project here when they held their first showcase at Slowdown back in June. Tonight’s showcase features five acts: Ashley Rayne Boe, Custom Catacombs, Violenteer (as a duo), Sun-Less Trio and Jake Bellows of Neva Dinova. That’s a lot of talent for $10. Show starts at 9 p.m.

And since it’s the first Friday of October, it’s also Benson First Friday (#BFF), the monthly event when businesses up and down Maple Street host art openings. Among them is Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. (next door to Legend Comics and Au Courant), which is hosting an opening for Danielle Emsick. Part of the La Casa family restaurant on Leavenworth, Emsick has experimented with cardboard pizza scrapers and ziplock bags when applying paint to her canvas of choice. The opening runs from 6 to 9 p.m. Drop by, say hi, see some great art, and have some wine and pizza!

And it’s also Bandcamp Friday, so if you’ve been thinking about buying a record, now’s the time to do it as Bandcamp waives its share of fees today.

Tomorrow night, Chicago post-punk trio French Police headlines at Reverb Lounge. Formed in 2018, the synth-fueled project has the usual New Order/Joy Division sonic tropes with a gothic edge and lyrics in both English and Spanish by way of frontman Brian Flores. Their latest EP, Espera, was self-released this past January. Los Angeles-based synth-pop songstress Riki opens at 8 p.m. $25.

BULLY by French Police

Gold by Riki

Also Saturday night, Matt Whipkey and Mike Friedman headline at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining them is the country rock sounds of Lightning Stills (duo) and maybe the best pure solo singer/songwriter in Omaha, Mike Schlesinger. And it’s free. Start time is 9 p.m.

Mike Schlesinger – Live at The Sydney by Mike Schlesinger

And then Sunday, it’s the 9th annual Porchfest, the free community festival with more than 80 performances that takes place on 14 “porch” stages throughout the Gifford Park neighborhood around 33rd and California Street. In addition to music, there’s food, a beer garden at California Bar, local merchant booths and other fun stuff. The festival runs from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Full schedule, maps and other info are available on the the Porchfest OMA Facebook page.

Then on Sunday night over at The Sydney in Benson, Sunday Mourners headlines. The Los Angeles-based power pop band cites Richard Hell and the Voidoids and Television among their influences, but I hear a lot of The Strokes on their latest EP, Boyfriend/Girlfriend. Also on the bill are Amphibaphobia, Wedding and Trees with Eyes. $15, 8 p.m.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend by Sunday Mourners

Meanwhile, up the street at Reverb Lounge, LA-based glam rock band Starcrawler headlines. Powered by dynamic frontwoman Arrow de Wilde, the five-piece is known for its over-the-top shows, having opened for Jack White, Foo Fighters and Beck, among others. Their last formal studio LP appears to be She Said, which came out back in 2022 on Big Machine. Ex Lover opens at 8 p.m. $18.

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

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New Fizzle Like a Flood, Dead Poets, Kyle Harvey; Gary Numan, Thyroids, Leafblower tonight…

2025-10-09T12:40:38Z

Gary Numan plays tonight at The Admiral.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Yesterday’s Las Cruxes post generated a couple emails letting me know about other new music that dropped in the past few days – something to keep in mind with Bandcamp Friday happening again tomorrow.

Fizzle Like a Flood, a.k.a. Doug Kabourek, yesterday released a new single on Spotify. The track, “Wellness,” comes from his Black Walls and William Hall recording project, which drops later this month. Kabourek is hosting a free Black Walls and William Hall album listening party Oct. 19 at Reverb Lounge. In addition to getting to hear the record (and buying it), he’ll be showing five “movie-themed” Fizzle videos and the Great Monsters Walk These Halls Mystery Manor documentary. More info here. And here’s the ongoing saga of Fizzle Like a Flood.

Black Walls and William Hall by Fizzle Like A Flood

Keeping with the spooky stuff, Omaha electro-punk darkwave act Dead Poets just released their 2+1 Three Way Pleasure Pack EP. The trio consists of Chad Lottmann of Filthy Few, Aaron Gum from Glow in the Dark and Jesse Otterson from Flux Amuck. Their next gig is opening for Violenteer at Reverb Oct. 10.

2+1 Three Way Pleasure Pack EP by Dead Poets

Then there’s our old pal, singer/songwriter/poet and former Omaha bartender Kyle Harvey, who this week released another single, “A Poem in Your Hair,” off his upcoming full length, Anywhere But Here, which comes out next Tuesday, Oct. 7.

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Tonight at The Admiral, synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan headlines. Seems like he’s always on the road and never forgets his fans here in Omaha. A glance at his setlist from last night’s show at Denver’s Fillmore Auditorium indicates you’re probably in for a 12-song evening that includes songs from throughout his career as well as a Tubeway Army song. Get there early for dreamy Los Angeles duo Tremours, who opens the show at 8 p.m. $40.

Fragments by T R E M O U R S

Also tonight, The Sydney in Benson is hosting a 4-band punk show headlined by Dallas garage band Thyroids. Their latest LP, A Word With You…, came out this past spring on Vomitoruim Records. Joining them are Leafblower, Nesting Doll and Titus Groaners. Starts at 9 p.m. (It’s gonna be a late night) and costs $15.

A Word With You… by THYROIDS

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New Las Cruxes single drops on Oberst’s Million Stars label; new Bright Eyes EP…

2025-10-01T14:54:30Z

Las Cruxes released their first single today on Conor Oberst’s Million Stars label.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Anyone who follows Omaha’s indie and punk music scene knows Las Cruxes. The Latin-flavored psych-rock band, whose songs are sung in Spanish, is fronted by Yayo Trujillo who plays this giant Union Jack electric guitar on stage and has a swagger like a Midwestern Elvis by way of Mexico City.

The project’s been around for years, recording their first EP, Casa, in 2017, released via AFONICO and Monterrey’s CITAS, followed by their full-length debut in 2018. And now the band is the latest addition to the Million Stars Records roster, the label run by Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes.

Their Million Stars debut, Esta Vacio, is slated for release on Halloween, but the first single, “El Gran Ray Nada,” dropped this morning.

The band’s bio has been added to the Million Stars website. According to the write-up, Oberst met Trujillo through friends after seeing Las Cruxes live a few times in Omaha. “Their shared love of Lucha Villa, along with a heavy hitters list of mutual faves, led to a deep musical bond,” it says.

Trujillo was born and raised in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles. “While Spanish Rock wasn’t on the menu at home, Yayo was exposed to the legendary sounds of Soda Stereo, Fobia, Mana, Duncan Dhu, Danza Invisible, Caifanes/Jaguares among other hugely influential Spanish rock bands, at backyard parties in the shadow of Dodger Stadium,” the one-sheet said.

“While musical influences range from The Sex Pistols, The Cure, Pulp and At The Drive-In, Las Cruxes see themselves as defying stereotypes: bringing a Spanish-language rock presence that transcends expectations like ‘timbales and congas,’ as he put it.”

Las Cruxes at Porchefest 2022.

I’ve seen the band a number of times. At one O’Leaver’s show, they played as a trio; during Porchfest a few years ago, there must have been a half-dozen musicians on stage. That variety is the way Trujillo likes it. He collaborates with different musicians depending on where he finds himself. At times, the group has had up to 20 contributors across cities like LA, Omaha, Chicago and Mexico City, according to the one-sheet.

It reminds me how Bright Eyes was back in the old days, when the band was basically Oberst and Mike Mogis and whoever was hanging out at the Jerk Store (the apartment on 40th and Farnam) that week.

In addition to the EP, Trujillo said look for their debut LP in February.

Speaking of Bright Eyes, the band just released a new EP, Kids Table, via Dead Oceans this past Sunday. The 8-song collection came out of the Five Dice, All Threes sessions and includes Oberst’s first dabble in ska-style pop, “1st World Blues,” and “Dyslexic Palindrome,” featuring Hurray for the Riff Raff.

A Bright Eyes/Las Cruxes tour would make a wild double bill.

Kids Table by Bright Eyes

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Nation of Language, Greet Death, Samia tonight; upcoming touring indie rock shows…

2025-09-29T15:21:12Z

Nation of Language headlines tonight at Slowdown.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Brooklyn synth-pop trio Nation of Language is one of the hottest indie acts on the road these days, so it’s a bit of a surprise that tonight’s show at The Slowdown hasn’t sold out.

The band formed back in 2016. A few years later, then-local promoter Sam Parker, who ran the short-lived Milk Run with Chris Aponick, clued me on their series of singles. That was followed by their debut, Introduction, Presence, self-released in 2020. Thanks to constant touring and solid recordings, the band continued to grow. Their latest, Dance Called Memory, came out last month on Sub Pop.

Also on the bill are dreamy, shimmery shoegaze act Greet Death. They hail from Flint and Alt Press says they’re from Detroit; who knows where they’re really from. They play gorgeous, dense, tonal pop. Tickets are still available for $32. The show starts at 8 p.m.

Across That Fine Line by Nation of Language

Die In Love by Greet Death

Meanwhile, singer/songwriter Samia, a.k.a. Samia Najimy Finnerty, returns to The Waiting Room tonight. She played TWR back in 2023, the year her single “Honey” was played what seemed like every half hour on Sirius XMU. Her latest LP, Bloodless, was released this past April on Grand Jury. Brooklyn-based indie singer/songwriter Renny Conti opens at 8 p.m. $25.

Cinder Block by Samia

Renny Conti by Renny Conti

Now is as good a time as any to update the touring indie band show list. The most notable additions (other than Ben Kweller Nov. 15 at The Waiting Room) are the plethora of under-the-radar indie shows being booked at The Sydney in Benson. Both The Syd and Reverb are doing a nice job filling in the small-indie tour niche.

Let me know what I’m missing:

Samia, Sept. 29 at The Waiting Room
Nation of Language, Sept. 29 at Slowdown
Father John Misty, Sept. 30 at Astro Theater
Gary Numan, Oct. 2 at The Admiral
Thyroids, Oct. 2 at The Sydney
French Police, Oct. 4 at Reverb
Starcrawler, Oct. 5 at Reverb
Sunday Mourners, Oct. 5 at The Sydney
Franz Ferdinand, Oct. 7 at The Admiral
Cursive, Oct. 7 at The Waiting Room
Cursive, Oct. 8 at The Waiting Room -SOLD OUT
Farnam Fest, Oct. 11 at Blackstone District
Samuel Aaron/Glass+Beagle, Oct. 11 at The Sydney
Marc Rebillet, Oct. 13 at Steelhouse
Goon, Oct. 15 at Reverb Lounge
Shiner, Oct. 17 at O’Leaver’s
Doom Gong, Oct. 18 at The Sydney
Elvis Costello & The Imposter, Oct. 22 at Steelhouse
Pixel Grip, Oct. 22 at Reverb Lounge
Sir Chloe, Oct. 26 at Slowdown
Color Green, Nov. 2 at Reverb
Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band, Nov. 5 at Reverb
Maria Taylor, Nov. 6 at Slowdown
Teen Mortgage, Nov. 7 at Slowdown
The Faint, Nov. 9 at The Admiral
The Frights, Nov. 11 at Slowdown
Ariel Pink, Nov. 12 at The Waiting Room
Ben Kweller, Nov. 15 at The Waiting Room
Hayden Pedigo, Nov. 20 at Reverb Lounge
Being Dead, Nov. 22 at The Slowdown
Neva Dinova, Nov. 22 at Reverb Lounge
Algernon Cadwallader, Nov. 24 at Slowdown
Ratboy, April 15 at The Waiting Room

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The post Nation of Language, Greet Death, Samia tonight; upcoming touring indie rock shows… appeared first on Lazy-i .

The weekend: House of Harm, Sculpture Club Saturday; Swans Sunday…

2025-09-26T15:06:10Z

Boston band House of Harm plays at The Sydney in Benson Saturday night.

by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

Rock music has a way of eating itself and then shitting out a new version for the next generation to discover, while listeners from past eras are left to pick through the sonic turds, looking for something new or different among the peanuts and corn. Ah, but hasn’t that always been the way since Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry strapped on their first guitars?

I say this because a few revisionist bands are coming through town Saturday (and next Monday) whose music is ensconced in very recognizable past sounds.

The first is Boston electronic trio House of Harm, who are headlining at The Sydney in Benson Saturday night. They’ve been pigeonholed as a goth group, but a brief listen to any of their most popular songs and you’ll spot the obvious influences – primarily Depeche Mode but also New Order and The Cure. They also cite early 4AD bands, The Chameleons and early Interpol. If you’re gonna pick through the bones of the past, you could find few better sounding skeletons. The band’s most recent LP is 2023’s Playground (Maison du Mai Records), though they’ve released three singles this year, which you have to assume precedes a new album.

Vicious Pastimes by House of Harm

Opening band Salt Lake City’s Sculpture Club has similar ‘80s “first wave” influences (Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure again), though guitars play a more prominent role in their sound. Their 2024 self-titled LP (though not their debut) was released by Born Losers Records.

Sculpture Club by Sculpture Club

In many ways, these two bands do a better job grabbing at the dance-post-punk past than the band playing at Slowdown Monday night – Nation of Language.

Saturday night’s show is $25, which is uncommonly expensive for The Sydney, especially for two bands that are very likely flying under the radar in our fair city. 9 p.m. start time.

Also Saturday night, Jeremy Mercy and the Rapture Orphans headlines at fabulous O’Leaver’s. Joining them are Watson & Co. and Frankie Chiaro. This free show starts at 9 p.m.

While Saturday and Monday night’s shows are sort of facsimiles of the past, Sunday night you get the real thing when Swans headline at The Waiting Room. Does it seem like Swans were just here? That’s because they were, almost two years ago to the day (Sept. 18, 2023). Emerging from the so-called ‘80s No Wave scene in LES NYC, the band plays a brutal, gothy, post-apocalyptic style of rock that has influenced a couple generations of noise bands including Napalm Death, Neurosis, Nirvana, Melvins, Isis, etc. Their sound is dark and can even be meditative. On their latest album, Birthing (2025, Young Gods Records), six of the seven tracks are over 10 minutes long, with two coming in over 20 minutes. Recent shows have been six-song sets (with only one song from Birthing).

Opening for Swans are NYC avant-garde R&B artist Little Annie and Paul Wallfisch, who’s played in Swans in the past. $40, 8 p.m

And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.

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