Welcome to Lazy-i, an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the indie music scene. Yes, there’s a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area, but Lazy-i also offers interviews, stories and reviews about national indie bands.
Preview: John Bellows, McCarthy Trenching highlight a sparse indie weekend…
A quiet indie weekend still offers a couple local options at O’Leaver’s and Pageturners Lounge.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Welp, we got an indie festival last weekend and have the huge Sideshow benefit next Saturday, so it only makes sense that this weekend is sort of a blank in the indie music calendar. No touring indie shows anywhere. C’est la vie. I’m told that The Surrogates, who are headlining at fabulous O’Leaver’s Saturday, is a punk-rock cover band. No idea who opener The Escape Goat are other than they’re local. This one is free and starts at 9 p.m. A bright spot this weekend:...
Interview: O-pa’s Erika Hansen on Matchbox Omaha, supporting local bands and bringing more indie to town…
O-pa’s Erika Hansen explains how Matchbox Omaha will support local musicians, bring more indie acts to town and complement the city’s existing music venues.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Back in 2013, Omaha Performing Arts (O-pa) did what, at the time, seemed unthinkable for what was considered a rather stuffy organization: It hosted edgy Omaha proto-punk band Digital Leather at the 1200 Club inside the Holland Performing Arts Center as part of a Hear Nebraska Live showcase series. Located on the Holland's second level, the 1200 Club was a gorgeous sit-down space — round tables and candles on polished oak floors. Upon entering, a member of the crack...
Tim Kasher Dundee screening/solo performance Wednesday; motion picture soundtrack includes new Cursive track…
Tim Kasher’s horror film Who’s Watching is headed for a national release, complete with a soundtrack featuring a new Cursive song.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Have you been following all this movie news involving Cursive’s Tim Kasher? His horror movie, Who’s Watching, which premiered in October 2024, has apparently found a distributor. The film will open in select theaters and become available digitally via Dark Sky Films on Sept. 18. IMDB.com describes the film this way: “Caleb is a metal-head loner who becomes obsessed with his new coworker, Krista. He begins invading every aspect of Krista's life. As his infatuation...
Live Review: Despite the storms, Maha brings Omaha’s music community together…
Storms, lightning and shortened sets battered Saturday’s Maha Music Festival, but Omaha’s giant musical block party still proved why it matters.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Seasonal thunderstorms and the lightning that comes with them marred Saturday's Maha Music Festival held downtown at The RiverFront. And let’s not forget the downpours earlier in the afternoon. The plan was to take an ORBT bus downtown in time to catch part of Whitney and all of Blondshell, who was scheduled to perform at 5 p.m. Maha had kicked off at 1 p.m. with Carver Jones, followed by David Nance and Mowed Sound — two acts I’d seen countless times before. The...
Maha Festival Preview: Who to see, Maha responds to IATSE Local #42; Benson First Friday, Uh Oh, David Huckfelt tonight…
Who's worth seeing at Maha, what to expect from Wet Leg and Bright Eyes, pickets, and where else to go this weekend.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com It’s Maha Music Festival week and speculation is running high — at least from me — that this will be the biggest year ever. The forecast looks good; Wet Leg is headlining, and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes is currently riding a wave of national publicity for reasons I do not understand. Bright Eyes hasn’t released a new album and hasn’t been on tour in months, but nonetheless is on the Maha lineup. Lately, Oberst has been blowing up my Google Alerts. First it was the...
Will this be the biggest Maha ever? Only if people can get there. And what about the food?…
Maha returns to the RiverFront Saturday with a blockbuster lineup, but getting there could be the festival's biggest challenges.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com With a stellar lineup and perfect weather forecast, Saturday’s Maha Music Festival could be the biggest ever, that is if anyone can figure out how to get there. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this city is falling apart. Omaha has always had bad roads, but seemingly every street in the city is surrounded by orange cones and barricades, and nowhere more so than downtown. Oh, if we only had a streetcar to take us to the Riverfront where the festival is returning...
Nebraska Public Media’s Cathy Bradberry on NPR competition and Omaha’s new indie music station…
Nebraska Public Media’s Cathy Bradberry explains why 101.9 FM is about more than news programming — and why indie music fans should tune in.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com I’ve awakened to Morning Edition, broadcast on Omaha public radio station KIOS 91.5 FM, for nearly 40 years, dating back to that basso-voiced know-it-all host, Bob Edwards. And for more than 30 years, I drove home from work listening to All Things Considered followed by Fresh Air’s Terry Gross interrogating politicians, athletes and celebrities, also airing on 91.5 on your FM dial. So why should I switch my National Public Radio listening habits — nay, my NPR loyalty...
Violenteer tonight; Dinosaur Jr., Band of Horses, Ash Rayne Boe, Punk Rock BBQ tomorrow…
From Band of Horses and Dinosaur Jr. to local punk and indie shows, here's what's happening on Omaha stages this weekend.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com The weekend before Maha, we’ve got dinosaur showcases and a couple local shows of note. Let’s take a look. Tonight at Shakedown Street — the Benson bar formerly known as The Barley Street Tavern — the Cotton brothers’ band Violenteer headlines. Heavy, heavy stuff. Joining them on the bill are Circling Over and Dedications, whose members include Ryan McLaughlin (ex-Race for Titles, ex-Coffin Killers). $10, 8:30 p.m. V.V. Volume I by Vinyl Vagabonds - Volume One And...
Preview: Austin TV, Las Cruxes, Radical Sabbatical tonight at Slowdown…
Masked Mexican post-rock outfit Austin TV headlines a sneaky good bill tonight at Slowdown featuring Las Cruxes and Radical Sabbatical.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com There’s a sneaky good show happening tonight at Slowdown’s front room for anyone into instrumental post-rock. Austin TV is a Mexico City-based five-piece who were around in the early 2000s and recently reunited. They definitely fit into the style of indie instrumental acts such as Tristeza, El Ten Eleven, Tortoise, even the reincarnated Unwed Sailor, all who briefly thrived during the early part of the century. And in an era when wearing masks on stage is becoming...
Live Review: Feeble Little Horse packs Slowdown with next-generation indie fans…
A sold-out Slowdown, a room full of young fans and a crowd-surfing frenzy showed Feeble Little Horse may be Saddle Creek's next breakout act.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com I was pleasantly surprised to discover upon arriving at Friday night’s Feeble Little Horse show at Slowdown that it had sold out. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen a recent Saddle Creek Records artist sell out the front room since, well… maybe I haven’t ever seen that. Big Thief was the label’s last act with that kind of drawing power, but I can’t remember them ever playing the front room. More on that later… As expected, once through the doors I was met with a...
Preview: Feeble Little Horse Saturday; Ten Questions with Death Cab for Cutie, w/Nation of Language Sunday…
This weekend: Feeble Little Horse brings their gloriously noisy indie rock to Slowdown, while Death Cab for Cutie and Nation of Language hit Stir Cove.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Two major touring shows and a handful of local shows are happening this weekend. Let’s start with Feeble Little Horse Saturday night at Slowdown. I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around the Pittsburgh band’s latest album, Bitknot, released earlier this year on our hometown label, Saddle Creek Records. Whenever I had it on it was if I was listening to it, but not hearing it. The band’s sound is an abrasive brand of indie post-rock, sort of a spazzy, droning version of...
New music: Protomartyr, Russian Circles, Nigel Godrich, Uh Oh; Thelma and the Sleaze, Las Cruxes tonight…
A handful of new releases were delivered to my in-box today. Let’s review...
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com A handful of new releases were delivered to my in-box today. Let’s review: It’s been a while since Protomartyr played in Omaha, and judging by today’s press release, they’re not coming back any time soon. The Detroit post-punk band just announced their new album, Hotel Usona, comes out Sept. 25 via Domino. The first single, “Sounds We Cannot Hear,” also dropped today, along with their fall tour dates, with the closest stop to Omaha being Nov. 19 at Chicago’s Metro....
Bright Eyes covers Felice Bros.; new Rowena Wise; Wavves tonight at Slowdown…
Bright Eyes takes on The Felice Brothers, Rowena Wise delivers a gorgeous new indie-folk album, and Wavves return to Slowdown tonight.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Bright Eyes contributed to the upcoming 26-track Felice Brothers tribute album, Felice County Fair, slated for release Oct. 16 by Free Flight/Sun Mountain/Sony. BE’s cover of “Wonderful Life” has already dropped on all the digitals. Others contributing covers to the project include Dawes, Deer Tick, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Lumineers. By the way, if you think you’ve seen BE frontman Conor Oberst around town lately it’s probably because you have. He’s been...
The Black Keys at The Astro tonight; a look back at their 2003 Sokol Underground gig…
Twenty-two years after packing Sokol Underground, The Black Keys return to Omaha as arena-rock veterans—here's a look back at their 2003 performance and how little their sound has changed.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Early in their career, The Black Keys — the duo of guitarist/vocalist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney — played here all the time. As proof, below is the Lazy-i live review of their Oct. 29, 2003, show at Sokol Underground. They had played in Brighton, England, the night before and would head to Gabe’s in Iowa City the following day. Who would have thought they would grow into such a big act 22 years later? Thickfreakness (2003, Fat Possum) was the album they...
The Weekend: Mason Jennings, Sean Pratt, Mitch Gettman tonight; Wilderado, Bad Self Portraits, Frankie Chiaro (goodbye?) Saturday…
A couple touring shows, a couple local shows (including a farewell gig). Let’s take a look...
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com It’s gonna be a long, hot weekend. A couple touring shows, a couple local shows, let’s take a look: Down at Slowdown, singer/songwriter Mason Jennings plays a return engagement. The Minneapolis troubadour has had a long and storied indie career and has consistently made Omaha a regular tour stop. He’s on the road supporting his latest LP, Dark Wings, dropped just last week on Seattle’s Loosegroove Records, a label run by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard. The album is a...
The Beths, El Ten Eleven, Schizophonics, Deerhoof added to the touring-indie rockshow schedule…
A few late additions have rounded out Omaha’s indie concert calendar, so here’s an updated look at the touring shows worth catching through the rest of summer and into the fall.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com A few more shows have been added to the touring indie calendar, but I get the feeling our summer is pretty much scheduled along with most of the fall. We may still get one or two more big indie show announcements for the balance of the year, but I’m not holding my breath. The Beths show Oct. 9 at The Slowdown was a surprise. Their last album, Straight Line was a Lie, came out a year ago, so I guess they’re going back and playing the cities they skipped the first...
Live Review: Retirement with earplugs — Wagon Blasters, Domestica, Black Cat Rodeo at O’Leaver’s…
Earplugs were mandatory as Wagon Blasters, Domestica and Black Cat Rodeo celebrated Brad Thiel's retirement with a night of classic Nebraska punk and post-punk at O'Leaver's.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Throughout the evening Saturday night, everyone in O’Leaver’s felt it was their duty to find Brad Thiel a job, even though Brad was celebrating retiring from his old job. RETIRING. That means he’s done working and can enjoy afternoon checkers matches with his wife on the deck of their condo at the Shady Lane Retirement Villa. Brad doesn’t need a job; he needs to figure out how to stop having to get up to pee in the middle of the night. Saturday night’s show was also...
The Weekend: Housewares, Self-Evident tonight; Domestica, Wagon Blasters, Black Cat Rodeo, Emma Ogier, Dedications Saturday…
Your weekend concert calendar is packed with everything from punk, noise and indie rock to singer-songwriters and one gloriously rowdy marching-band benefit.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Yikes, a busy-busy-busy weekend for local shows. It starts tonight at The Sydney with the punk-noise band Housewares. The group consists of Doug and Daryl Kiser (ex-Fromanhole), Jason Koba (ex-Thunder Power) on drums, Scott Klemmensen (ex-Reset) on vocals, and Andy LaChance on keyboards. This will be a good chance to try out those new earplugs, because Minneapolis experimental band Self-Evident also is on the bill. The more melodic sounds of Mike Saklar’s The...
Preview: Brook Pridemore, Las Cruxes, Hemlock Chaser TONIGHT at The Sydney…
Brook Pridemore has spent decades making brilliant music just outside the spotlight, and tonight Omaha gets a rare chance to catch them in a small room.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Brook Pridemore, tonight’s headliner at The Sydney in Benson, came onto the scene with 2003’s Metal and Wood (Crafty), a collection of clever, stripped-down story songs reminiscent of Violent Femmes. Pridemore immediately became tied to the new-generation New York “anti-folk” movement, co-producing the 2007 Anticomp Folkilation (Crafty) that included such artists as Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis, Paleface and Jason Trachtenburg. Pridemore’s latest, Only I Can Prevent...
Live Review: Simon Joyner recreates ‘Tough Love’ with a little help from his friends…
Simon Joyner and an all-star Omaha band brought Tough Love to life at Reverb Lounge in a performance that celebrated friendship, community and one of his finest albums.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Last night’s crowd at Reverb Lounge was a veritable Who’s Who of the Omaha music scene spanning more than 30 years. The same thing could be said for the band Simon Joyner assembled to perform songs from his new record. Tough Love, a double album released last month on Grapefruit / Sophomore Lounge / BB*Island Records, was created with a band of out-of-towners. As a result, for last night’s performance, Joyner had to pull together a different band — The Ghosts —...
#BFF, PROBLEMS tonight; Simon Joyner & The Ghosts, David Nance Sunday…
Simon Joyner & The Ghosts celebrate the release of his new double-album, Tough Love (Grapefruit, BB*Island, Sophomore Lounge).
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com It’s the July 4 weekend and as mentioned yesterday, not much is happening. Tonight is also the first Friday of the month, which means Benson First Friday (#BFF), that very special time when galleries and businesses along Maple Street host art openings. That includes Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple (right between Legends Comics and Au Courant) where tonight we’re hosting two openings. “Hello, Goodbye” is a solo show by Amy Webb, while Finn Young’s “Prophetic Dreams” is...
#TBT: What were we doing on Fourth of July weekend 20 years ago? 10 years ago?…
For Throwback Thursday, here’s a look back at my music calendar 20 years ago, beginning (and ending) with July 3, 2006.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Glancing at what’s going on music-wise this weekend, I was surprised to find only one show of note — Simon Joyner & The Ghosts with David Nance Sunday evening at Reverb. See you there. It got me wondering: What was going on during the July 4 weekend back in the day? So, for Throwback Thursday, here’s a look back at my music calendar 20 years ago, beginning (and ending) with July 3, 2006. Only one of the four venues still exists, while virtually none of the local...
The Midyear Report: Favorite records of 2026 (so far), Pt. 2…
The second part of a midyear roundup that spans indie rock, folk, post-rock and experimental music, all worth adding to your collection.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com With June coming to a close, here are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2026. All were submitted to Lazy-i via digital downloads. I uploaded them to my iPhone and listened to them mostly while running or driving, which (for me) are the best times for focused listening. This is Part 2. Part 1 is here and includes more comprehensive write-ups than what you see below. Death Cab for Cutie, I Built You a Tower (Anti-) — What can I say? I like Death Cab,...
Preview: Night Moves, Las Cruxes, Solid Goldberg, Kool 100s, concert in the park tonight…
Night Moves return to Reverb Lounge tonight with their signature smooth '70s-inspired indie rock, while Solid Goldberg, Ghostlike, and the annual Memorial Park concert featuring Cake round out a busy weekend of live music.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com This, from the review of Night Moves’ Oct. 4, 2022, gig at Reverb Lounge: “Night Moves played a modern version of smooth FM ‘70s rock tailor-made for slow dancing. In fact, I can’t think of a better indie band to play at a high school or college homecoming if the goal is to finally make a move and ask that special someone to dance. During their set three couples did the classic arms-wrapped-around-her-shoulders slow sway. It was groovy.” Will the Minneapolis band...
#TBT: Who is Lullaby for the Working Class?
As Lullaby for the Working Class returns to open select Bright Eyes tour dates, here's a look back at one of Nebraska's most influential—and most overlooked—bands.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Bright Eyes just announced a fall U.S. tour that will include seminal Nebraska chamber-folk band Lullaby for the Working Class as the opening act at select cities. I think it’s safe to say most people, including a lot of Bright Eyes fans, don’t know anything about the band. With Ted Stevens — who would later join Cursive — on guitar and vocals, the project also included string-player Mike Mogis, bassist A.J. Mogis and drummer Shane Aspegren. But plenty of other...
The Midyear Report: Favorite albums of 2026 (so far), Pt. 1…
A midyear roundup that spans indie rock, folk, post-rock and experimental music, all worth adding to your collection.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com With June coming to a close, here are some of my favorite releases from the first half of 2026. All were submitted to Lazy-i via watermarked digital downloads, which I uploaded to my iPhone and listened to mostly while running or driving, which (for me) are the best times for focused listening. This is Pt. 1 (below). Here's Part 2. Genesis Owusu, Redstar Wu & The Worldwide Scourge (Ourness) — The follow-up to 2023’s insular Struggler, it’s more free-wheeling in...
Live Review: Tim Kasher comes home to a career-spanning set at Reverb…
Tim Kasher returned to Omaha's Reverb Lounge for a lively, career-spanning solo performance that mixed songs from Cursive, The Good Life and his solo catalog with new material, animated storytelling and a few guest appearances.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com I racked my brain trying to figure out who legendary (former) Omaha singer-songwriter Tim Kasher looked like on stage at last night’s headlining Reverb gig. Out of the blue, it hit me: With his long curly hair and recently grown mustache, Kasher resembled Russell Hammond, lead guitarist of fictional 1970s rock band Stillwater from the movie Almost Famous, played by Billy Crudup. No matter what he looked like, he sounded like the same ol’ Tim Kasher, uber-talented...
Preview: Tim Kasher headlines at Reverb with Dream Ghoul, Sean Pratt Sunday…
Tim Kasher, the longtime frontman of Cursive and creator of The Good Life, returns to Omaha's Reverb Lounge this Sunday in support of his new album, Sponges of Experience.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com There’s only one show on my radar this Father’s Day weekend. Before I get to that, I don’t want to step into the same pothole I’ve stepped in before… First, a brief explanation of who Tim Kasher is… In the early 2000s, Omaha attracted the attention of the indie music world thanks to the success of three bands on local label Saddle Creek Records — Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive. Oh, there were other successful bands on Saddle Creek, but those three were the...
Live Review: Midwife delivers a night of stunning slowcore at The Sydney…
Using little more than guitar, pedals and her ethereal voice, Midwife's Madeline Johnston gave a hauntingly beautiful slowcore performance that left the audience entranced.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com I admit I knew nothing about Midwife -- the project of singer/songwriter Madeline Johnston -- prior to the booking of last night’s show at The Sydney. As I do with all the acts coming through town I’m not familiar with, I seek out their recordings to determine if their music fits the very narrow range of material I like and cover on this website. The few Midwife tunes I found online piqued my interest. Then, as the show approached, I did more research and discovered...
Preview: Midwife, Amulets at The Sydney; Amyl and the Sniffers at The Astro tonight…
Midwife brings her atmospheric “heaven metal” to Benson tonight, while Australian punk provocateurs Amyl and the Sniffers return to Omaha for a high-energy show at The Astro.
by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com Midwife is a project from Denver singer/songwriter Madeline Johnston, who calls her style of music “heaven metal.” It’s also been described as “slowcore,” and while her music is indeed slow and you can hear influences from acts like Low and maybe Duster, sonically she reminds me of the latest flavor of the month, Ethel Cain, though Midwife’s music is more interesting. Funny how that goes. Midwife’s latest, Never Die — a collaboration with Don Caballero’s Matt Jencik...
