Speed! Nebraska Turns 15

by Tim McMahan

When the invitation went out via Facebook for this Friday night's Speed! Nebraska 15th Anniversary rock show at The Brother's Lounge, the first thing that went through my mind was: Has it really been five years since we did that Speed! Nebraska 10-year anniversary cover story in The Reader?

That story, published June 28, 2006, recapped the history of the vinyl-loving record label that's home...

Third Quarter Album Reviews Roundup

by Tim McMahan

Just like when Christmas decorations begin popping up at your local grocery store, critics know they're on the home stretch when record labels begin sending out reminders of releases to consider in their year-end "best of" lists. Ah, but it's still only the November. We've two months left for records to hit the shelves (digital or otherwise). That said, I think we've probably already heard the...

Baby on Board: Maria Taylor’s Family Plan

by Tim McMahan

Singer/songwriter Maria Taylor is having a baby.

She dropped that bomb during an interview last week with the Arizona State University student newspaper, The State Press. And although the Saddle Creek Records chanteuse, who is also half of the duo of Azure Ray, is on a tour with a new solo album, I couldn't think of a more important topic of discussion.

"Well, I can tell you that I met my...

Re-Magnetized: The Return of Magnet Magazine

by Tim McMahan

About three or so years ago, in what was a reflection not only of the dwindling music industry but the downward spiral of the print magazine world, I received what I thought was the final issue of Magnet magazine.

What is Magnet? Magnet was the quarterly bible of the indie music world, a slacker's guidepost to everything cool, a critical lighthouse in a sea of audio mediocrity. Every issue...

Brother, can you spare five minutes?

by Tim McMahan

You see, it's all about time.

It was about three-quarters through Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's set Sunday night at The Waiting Room, only about an hour or so before The Head and the Heart would take the stage, that I began to wonder how a crowd this size -- a sold-out crowd -- had heard of the bands playing on the night's bill.

It isn't as if local radio plays music by bands like The...

Does Size Matter? Lincoln Calling, Pt. 8

by Tim McMahan

We live in a culture where "bigger" is always perceived as being "better." Some might argue that this concept is The American Way.

Well, Jeremy Buckley, the impresario behind the annual Lincoln Calling Music Festival, isn't concerned about getting "bigger." On the surface, one might look at this year's festival -- the 8th Annual, an achievement in and of itself -- and say that it's a step...