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Tonight at the Slowdown brings Dan Deacon and his crazy in-the-crowd insanity back to Omaha, with Flowers Forever opening. There are a few things you have to know about this show – for one, it’s free. All you have to do is go >>here<< and print off a ticket, and be there before it fills up. I’m not sure how many people showed up for Dan Deacon earlier when he was at Sokol Underground, but $$free$$ always seems to bring the kids out. It’s an 8pm show, and you do not want to miss Flowers Forever. So here is what you do – click the above link, print it off, show up early and just hang out, then rock out to Flowers and dance out to Dan Deacon.

If you’re in Lincoln and looking for something to do, early show (6pm) at Box Awesome is Darren Keen/Adam Robert Haug and I’m sure that’ll be well worth checking out for $5 or whatever.]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080903-101505 ]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080829-093958 Ladyfinger the Stay Awake, Techlepathy, Perry H Matthews, and Private Dancer (from St Paul). That’s $7 9pm, and should be great based on that lineup.

Of course, there is something going on at Slowdown too – The Show is the Rainbow doing a punk rock show. I guess Darren has the usual laptop/video setup, but plays guitar over prerecorded songs. Opening is UUVVWWZ (Lazy-I has a great interview with Teal right >>here<<), who are always hard to top. I’m gonna post a mp3 below. If you don’t have the record, go out of your way to get a copy tonight. Even if you don’t like the music, the cover makes me go cross eyed (in a good way). Playing first is Stolen Kisses, and this is going to be the final Stolen Kisses performance as a full band, which is kind of weak. Make sure you get your hands on that tape they put out. Maybe Talking Mountain can do even more Stolen Kisses “covers”. $7 9pm

UUVVWWZ – Jap Dad]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080827-144659 http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080825-193553 Quick notes on the openers:

Even as the second act of the night, it was clear that Ghengis Tron had a following. As the first throaty shriek's emerged from the front man's mouth, a hole opened in the middle of the crowd soon to be filled with amped up 20-somethings crashing into one another. The Philadelphia-based band proved to be an appropriate opening act for the Faint. The band's leanings on electronic music and a simple light show gave it a familiarity to the main act, but their obvious roots to metal made them distinguishable.

Even for someone who doesn't know the nuances of the metal genre (and would prefer not to), I could tell that Ghengis Tron was doing something different. They provided a modern deviation to the basic screams and driving baselines that I associate with metal music. It's fair to say that while these guys might never show up on my iPod, their live show was entertaining enough to convince me see them again.

Taking the stage next was Jaguar Love. When front man Johnny Whitney strutted onto the stage in true diva fashion, it appeared that the band just might deliver an entertaining set. The illusion continued as the union of musicians from Pretty Girls Make Graves and The Blood Brothers set up equipment and finished their sound check.
Then Whitney opened his mouth.
Apparently, his voice has an "either you love it or hate it" quality, but it was hard to imagine how anyone without serious hearing problems could enjoy listening to the shrieking mess that came from his mouth. Was the crowd supposed to be able to understand what he was saying? Because I didn't. Did the rest of the crowd cover their ears for fear of hearing loss? Because I did. Maybe this is harsh, but I was hard pressed to find almost anything positive in their performance. From Whitney's ear-bleeding shrieks and affected stage persona to the uninspired background instrumentals, it seemed that this band was a big bag of clichés minus the irony.

The Faint:

Few bands get an Omaha crowd going like The Faint, and in the minutes before the hometown digital heroes walked onto the stage at Sokol Auditorium, the rowdy crowd jacked up on pretty pills, caffeine and booze chanted their name fervently, fists flying in the air.

As a town that takes pride in its solid music scene, it's not uncommon for local bands to draw decent sized crowds. But The Faint, more than seven years after they released their breakout album "Danse Macabre," still has the ability to sell out show after show in their hometown.

The wood floor of the spacious Sokol was mostly invisible from a balcony view as people filled every inch and spilled into the concession and merchandise area. And as the first notes of "Agenda Suicide" blared through the speakers, the mass of stationary concertgoers suddenly burst to life, giving the floor the appearance of a can of worms.
The Faint is known for its high energy performances, and this night was no exception. Front man Todd Fink, dressed in a labcoat-esque jacket and goggles, sprang about the stage, only constricted by the length of the microphone cord. The rest of the band mirrored Fink's on-stage electricity, which was inevitably matched by the audience.

The guys rolled through a set of more than 20 songs including favorites from "Danse Macabre" and "Wet From Birth." But regardless of whether or not the crowd wanted to accept it, the purpose of the night was to introduce the material on their recently released album, "Fasciinatiion."

After releasing "Wet From Birth," in 2004, The Faint has come back with a new effort, on its own label Blank.Wav. Like most bands who have experienced a sort of meteoric success with their past two albums, there's a certain expectation and hope from the audience for them to play the songs they're familiar with. The Faint seemed to respect that expectation without sacrificing its own agenda of getting the new music out there.

While the new album has its share of thumping dance songs like "The Geeks Were Right" and "Get Seduced," without the instant charm and danceability of the songs from their previous albums, the "Faciinatiion" tracks proved to be a little more flat and a lot less familiar to the Omaha crowd.

Each time an unfamiliar tune reverberated through the room, the dancing mass of people slowed, almost as though they had to think through how to move to these new sounds. It was probably only the psychological trappings of the unfamiliar that lowered the energy level from completely insane to just insane when the new material was played, but the difference was noticeable.

Even still, the crowd was as sweaty and drained as ever as they walked out into the unusually chilled night air, giving hope that with time and a couple more stops in Omaha along their tour route, The Faint's new additions will be as epic as the old standbys. - Liz

Thank you for the great review, Liz!]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080823-103841
As far as the sold out Faint show goes, it's an 8pm show, so make sure you're there early, because the openers are almost as exciting as the Faint themselves. According to TMac and their own myspace, Box Elders have been added to this show. I'm not sure if that means another band canceled or what, but you should be there in time to see Ghengis Tron and Jaguar Love if you can. Jaguar Love features the dude from Blood Brothers with the voice that you either love or hate, and of course I love it. Otherwise expect a classic show from the Faint with a new crazy light show. Should be memorable, like usual. 8pm $SOLDOUT$]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080822-092217

Arms is the solo-type project from Todd Goldstein who is also in a couple of Brooklyn bands - Harlem Shakes and the Sea and the Gulls. Both are cool bands, but Arms is where his best songs end up. Tons of catchy guitar playing all over this record. I've actually been waiting what feels like forever, Todd sent me a copy of his self released Shitty Little Disco EP about two years ago and I've been in love ever since. Kids Aflame has four of those EP songs, including the great 'Whirring' and 'Shitty Little Disco'. The title track might be the best, although it doesn't really sound like much else on the CD. Most of the tracks build to some pretty epic moments, well about as epic as a one man multi instrumentalist writing songs in his bedroom can get. Infinite replayability. If you dig it, buy it from Melodic and get a free 7 inch.

Arms - Kids Aflame
Arms - Whirring
Arms - Shitty Little Disco
Arms - Neighbors (from the Shitty Little Disco EP)]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080820-223345 http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080819-140250 Lauritzen Gardens, for the last night of their Tempo of Twilight concert series. It should be a beautiful event. Brad Hoshaw opens, he opened for Frank Black last month, and the legend said that he has "a very seductive voice." I love that quote. Anyway, we saw Orenda on Saturday at the Peace Benefit concert, and her voice is just as incredible as I remembered. $7, 6pm. Plus, it's looking to be a gorgeous evening for outdoor concerts...

Which brings us to My Morning Jacket @ Stir Concert Cove in Council Bluffs. MMJ is renowned as one of the best live acts in the world, and you'll never find a poor show review. The deal is, their newest CD, Evil Urges... sucks pretty bad. I'm not a big enough fan to drop $26, but I know I'll be kicking myself after the show passes, just like usual. If you go, tell me how awesome it was. $26 730pm?]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080816-112512
Peace Center Benefit featuring Baby Walrus, McCarthy Trenching, Bear Country, Orenda Fink, Simon Joyner, Outlaw Con Bandana, Bill Hoover, and the Watch @ the Waiting Room $10 SEVEN PM

Dereck Higgins, White Elephant Gift Exchange, Agronomo, and Stolen Kisses @ the PS Collective 9pmish, $3-$5?

Domestica and the Third Men @ O'Leavers 930 $5


I missed the Thunder Power CD release show last night (well, and Flamboyant Gods) and donuts and whatever else, and I'm jealous of all who were out and about. It's all thanks to me eating chili dogs and falling asleep. I'm a dirty, lazy glutton and I apologize. Pretty sure I just admitted to three deadly sins in that paragraph.]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080815-064103 Thunder Power celebrates the release of their EP Love Yourself. It seems like they've had this scheduled for a long time, but it's still hard to believe it's the 15 the August, isn't it? I haven't heard the full EP yet (but I'm sure I will after tonight) but it features such favorites as 'Why Don't You Go Take a Hike' (video below) and 'Lucky To Be Alive'. I know they plan on releasing another EP later this fall/winter, so plan on hearing a bunch more from these folks over the next few months.

But hey, the rest of the bill is sweet too! Omaha's Midwest Dilemma is playing, no clue how big of a crew Justin will have with him tonight, but they seem to bring to goods regardless of how crowded the stage gets. Playing second to last is a very very cool band from DC, These United States. They self-released a pretty awesome CD earlier this year called A Picture of the Three of Us at the Gate. I'm excited to see them in town. Oh, and of course I can't not mention Honeybee, who will be playing first. I'm not sure if they have copies of Quilt left, but if they do you should really get yourself one. I've been planning to type a little about it if I get the chance, I love it. Honeybee first, then Midwest D, followed by These United States, and finally Thunder Power. Sounds like a good bill to me. 9pm $5

Also, I'd like to mention that they'll be a notary on hand at Slowdown tonight before the show, from 5pm - 7pm. If you're still in high school/dropped out and still under 18/super smart and already a doctor but under 18/uh under 18, you should take your Mom or Dad or legal guardian to Slowdown, check out the venue and get your permission slip signed and put on file there. It's free and easy, plus your parents can check out a cool place to hang out with a free jukebox and a Donkey Kong machine for those nights when they leave you with your grandma so they can unwind away from you rotten kids. It's a win/win situation!

Oh yeah, here is that Lindsay Trapnell directed super awesome video for 'Why Don't You Go Take a Hike'. Go ahead and try to name a cooler video from an Omaha artist.

]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080813-112855
Anyway, tonight has a good show going on down at the Slowdown. I'm not sure who is playing last, but the big draws should be local I'm Drinkin This Monster Barfers Talking Mountain and Brooklyn's Deleted Scenes. I'm sure you all know about Talking Mountain at this point, it's gotta be obvious that we dig them. Shoot, you have like a 1 in 7 chance of seeing them in a header graphic above. Deleted Scenes are pretty great too, I think they'll go over really well here. Also playing is the band featuring the Bonacci Bros, Hyannis, who should be playing some cool new stuff from their upcoming LP, PLUS an Omaha favorite, Florida's one woman multi-instrumentalist White Elephant Gift Exchange. 9pm $6.]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080809-141426 Yuppies are going to tour a bit around the midwest, hitting the road sometime tomorrow. Tonight at Ted and Wallys in the Old Market at midnight or thereabouts they'll be playing a show with the Frustrations from Detroit. Since it's kind of a tour support show, if you've got $3 or so to donate that'd be awesome, if you've got a few more bucks that'd be cool too since the Frustrations are here from MI. Should be way fun. 11:59pm $3!]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080808-094807
Conor Oberst has been busy the past few days, doing both LA late shows. Here are some kind of crappy yootoobs!

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Get Well Cards (Late Show)


Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band - Moab (Late Late Show)
]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080807-075001
Guess what? Two pretty good bands open! One is Sub Poppers Ruby Suns, who released a really great record earlier this year called Sea Lion. Also playing is Omaha's Go Motion, who had a cool record a few years ago and need to play more more more. Should be a sweet show. Also make note of the EIGHT PM start time. Tickets still available for $13. Oh, I think the tape release of 'O' should be available at the show, with sweet custom art no less! See you there!

]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080806-103320 Midwest Dilemma, supporting the very good Timelines and Tragedies. They'll be playing early, probably first or second, so make sure you're there early. Plus, they will probably have 7 or 8 folks on stage. Headlining is Darla Farmer from Nashville, and they usually boast about seven members, too. Plus, in between you'll see San Fran's Audrye Sessions and Chicago's Where Astronauts Go To Hide. Pretty solid bill. $7 9pm.]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080803-212600 Deerhoof on the 13th, who to my knowledge haven't ever played in Omaha. Freaking Deerhoof!! The 14th brings back best band ever Broken Social Scene (touring for that Brenden Canning record, don't expect any girls) and new Saddle Creek band Land of Talk. That new BSS Presents CD is pretty great and of course they'll play a bunch of classics too. The next night brings the Mountain Goats back to Slowdown, with Kaki King opening. Nothing listed on the 16th... but tentative plans are to drive to KC to see Broken Social Scene again... which reminds me - I think BSS has an off day on the 15th after the show here in town, right? Perfect time for a secret show at my apartment. On the 17th is Crooked Fingers, who haven't toured around in a few years. Eric Bachmann has played some very cool solo shows here over the past year, but I'm way more interested in seeing Crooked Fingers. As of right now, I'm not sure what will be going on over the few days after that - I mean who knows who will be playing in Lincoln, let alone who might be having a show at O'Leavers during this time, but after a few quick days off we can all relax and see Against Me on the 20th of October. Why would I go see Against Me?? Oh, because mother effing Ted Leo is opening... and even more exciting, playing first is ex-McLusky dudes in Future of the Left. God damn, right? Don't fret, because there is a bunch of cool stuff between now and October 13th, but still, get it in your head that you'll be blowing a ton of a money at shows for that week.

So whats up this week? Huge releases on Tuesday from Omaha artists, the Conor Oberst self titled Merge release, and the Faint's blank.wav debut Faciinatiion. I like both records way more than I expected to (imagine that!) and will be making a stop at the local record store sometime soon to purchase both. Otherwise, you metal dudes can freak out for Witchcraft on Tuesday, and that Darla Farmer show on Wednesday should be fun. Of course the big Tilly and the Wall CD release show @ Sokol upstairs on Thursday should be a crazy party. Plus I've got some mp3s to post and maybe some other site updates if I can figure out this computer doohickey. Email us if something else awesome is happening.]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080731-071014 Alphabet and Hercules. Now you're saying, hey if these are Omaha bands why haven't I ever typed anything about them before... well because they're hardcore bands, and my ears stopped reacting to that stuff about 5 years ago. Maybe I'll fall in love with both bands tonight and totally stop talking about lame indie rock bands, huh? If we could only be so lucky. 9pm $6

Also going down tonight is a listening party at the Slowdown, where you'll be able to get a first listen on the Faint's new record Faciinatiion. I like the album. Worth the wait? I'll let you decide, but I really love the production - everytime I listen to it I hear a new weird noise that I get all excited about. Check it out, the party is free and starts around 9pm!]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080730-110213 Harry and the Potters at Slowdown. In case you don't know about Harry and the Potters, they're a band with two Harry Potters and sing songs about the Harry Potter universe - stuff about quidditch and wizards and Voldemort and all kinds of cool stuff. If you like the Harry Potter books then you kind of owe it to yourself to see these guys. Also - since they'll probably be tons of kids with their parents, this show starts at SEVEN PM. Math the Band and Uncle Monsterface are opening. 7pm $12

At the Waiting Room is Jesse Lacey, Kevin Devine, and Brian Boz. Jesse Lacey is the lead singer and songwriter for Brand New, a band that used to be a pop punk band but now I don't really know what they are. Anyway, the show is sold out so if you're just now finding out about it, sorry dudes. I've heard that he does a decent Neutral Milk Hotel cover, but I'm pretty sure I'm not cool with that. 9pm $SOLD OUT$]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080727-120117



The rest of the week should be pretty busy – we’ve got Alina Simone tomorrow, Jesse Lacey from Brand New or Harry and the Potters on Wednesday, and then a Capgun Coup show on Thursday. Not too bad. Anyone going to see the Faint in Des Moines tonight? ]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080726-021124

Let's get this out of the way first - as a matter of home town pride, I think it's pretty lame that this is coming out on Merge instead of SC or even Team Love. I understand though, I guess a guy has gotta do what a guy has gotta do. Enough with the bad news - the good news is that I like this record a lot more than I liked Cassadaga. Cassadaga had a few good songs, and one or two great ones, but I had a heck of a time getting over how it sounded. I'm sure it was what they were going for, but it sounded like a mega huge record, production-wise, which I thought was pretty annoying on half the songs. This, on the other hand, is about as far from "overproduced" as you can get. Recorded by Mr. Oberst and friends known as the Mystic Valley Band in Mexico, it's a departure compared to the last Bright Eyes record, but not that far from what you would expect from a Bright Eyes CD otherwise. I guess it reminds me of Wide Awake, without forcing the country issue like that record seemed to do at times. I don't know who is playing electric guitar on these recordings, but I love how crisp and classic the guitar sounds, especially on 'NYC -- Gone, Gone', and 'Souled Out!!!'. I think it's a pretty good CD, perfect for early August nights outside on a couch on your friend's porch. Oh yeah, also included is a Conor Oberst solo song (that I don't know the name of) that he played acoustically on some radio show, and if you were at that Good Life show a few weeks ago at the Barley Street Tavern, you'll recognize it as one he played in his short solo set. Sometimes I think I might like it better than every song on this album, and it gets me excited for the next release, regardless of whatever name he feels like putting on the front of the record.

Conor Oberst - Untitled
Conor Oberst - Cape Canaveral
Conor Oberst - Danny Callahan
Conor Oberst - Souled Out!!!]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080724-075114 myspace sound much more realized than the EP or whatever it is that I have. Exciting. Should be a fun show that then ends with hopefully a totally freaked out weirdo performance from Ariel Pink. $8 9pm.

Chairlift - Bruises

Ariel Pink - Politely Declined

]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080723-103204 Poison Control Center from Ames will be opening. They make fun pop music too, and are sometimes a bit crazy. 9pm $12, should be cool.

Also, I forgot to even mention last night's Boris show, mostly because I totally flaked out and forgot about it. Now I know someone went, and I know it was probably incredible, so if you were there and want to tell me how it was or even send a review, that'd be awesome.

Keep your eyes peeled for some more mp3s this week...]]> http://omahype.com/index.php?entry=entry080722-071936

Earlier this year , Sunset released a really great record called Bright Blue Dream, an album that I whole heartedly planned on sitting on until the later in the year lists come out, and it could be my super cool “look how much bullshit I download, I actually found something amazing” secret pick… and then something really amazing happened. Sunset released another album, The Glowing City, and it’s even better than Bright Blue Dream. Sunset is a project from Bill Baird, formerly in the nearly-the-next-big-thing Austin band Sound Team. The Glowing City feels like both a crazy concept album about a muse, known throughout as Sandy, and as an incredible collection of pop songs. It comes in at 18 tracks which completely fill the full 80 minutes and seamlessly treads tons of ground sonically. Highlights include opener ‘Zombies’, which gets us rolling on this “Sandy obsession” stuff, and ‘Dreams of Sandy’ which has some of my favorite lyrics – your face it comes in flashes/in soft drops of my lashes/your skin so pale with arms so frail/you're pure like snow, like ashes. Damn, son. And - from the sands of creation/bursting through the foam, I'm goin' home - sounds almost Funeral-era Win Butler-esque. ‘Dear Friend (Failing Domino)’ turns into a beautiful, pleading sing along. And then to help top it all off, Sandy actually shows up in 'When Perfect Flames Expire'. I say this all the time, but I’ve become more and more obsessed with this record the more I listen to it, and I really encourage you to check out these tracks, or even fire up your torrents or soul seekers, but more importantly your paypal and order the darn thing. If you're only going to listen to me once this summer, this might be the one to check out.

Sunset – Zombies
Sunset – Your Eyes Are Mirrors
Sunset - Dreams of Sandy
Sunset – Dear Friend (Failing Domino)
Sunset – When Perfect Flames Expire]]>