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Home - Music
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Hammer-Down and Highballin’ - |
Watermelon Slim’s personal approach to the blues keeps him going
by Joshua Hoyer
With a low, gravely voice remindful of Tom Waits, Bill Homan, also known as Watermelon Slim, says the heart of his music comes from living the life of a bluesman. He said a bluesman is one who has known work and sweat and blood and loss.
“I have failed more things than most people have tried,” he said. “I have done most everything wrong and learned from it, and that’s part of what the blues is. It is trial and error. It is really screwing up. It is getting your head beat in, literally, and learning from it.”
It can be argued that good music, or any art, comes from a life rich in experience, the music itself an extension of the soul who writes and plays it.
Having been a Vietnam veteran, long-haul truck driver, forklift operator, saw miller, petty criminal, firewood salesman, collection agent, dock worker and watermelon farmer, Slim has emerged as an international blues artist. His growling voice, soulful slide guitar and versatile harmonica have, for the second year in a row, earned a record-tying six Blues Music Award nominations. This puts him in the company of only B.B. King, Buddy Guy and Robert Cray.
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Three Kings - |
Dead Meadow explores new territory with Old Growth
by Chris Aponick
Dead Meadow looks to find something new in its sound every night it takes the stage. That’s why the band has returned to its original lineup of three members. Singer/guitarist Jason Simon said working as a trio fits his band perfectly, as their stoner rock traces through country rock and psychedelic vibes.
“It leaves the songs open,” Simon said. “There’s plenty of room to play how you feel.”
It’s not jam-band territory, he said. For Simon, it came from noticing night-to-night changes on ’60s and ’70s Rolling Stones bootlegs.
Dead Meadow had toured with an additional guitarist and used other players on past albums, but Simon said the band is committed to staying a trio, especially since it gives all three members freedom to explore on stage and recording.
“We’re staying as a trio. That’s the way it always was,” Simon said. “A trio’s more epic too, you know. Like three kings taking the stage.” |
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Anti-Rock Star - |
Josh Ritter is doing things his way, and it’s working
by Andrea Heisinger
Those attending the Josh Ritter show in Omaha Saturday should be briefed on a couple of things.
First, the 31-year-old singer/songwriter and his five-piece band will not debut new material. This is partly for selfish reasons, and partly practical.
The selfish part, Ritter explained by phone from Asheville, N.C., has to do with not wanting his new creations heard before they’re fully formed.
“I feel like these days if you try out a new song, it’s immediately out there in the world,” he said. “I prefer to have that stuff be more of a surprise. You work on songs to have them just right.”
The practical part is that Ritter and his band have five albums’ worth of songs to draw from. They can play so many, he says, that there’s always room to change things around.
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Ace of Stage - |
Former KISS guitarist rockin’ hard and livin’ well
by Wayne Brekke
Contrary to last year’s rumors, Ace Frehley is alive. He didn’t commit suicide via a drug overdose, a rumor that swept the internet last year. In fact, the legendary guitarist who helped make KISS one of the biggest rock bands in history seems to be in better shape now than he recent years.
“I’ve been clean and sober for 19 months now,” Frehley said. “It’s nice to wake up in the morning and remember what you did last night.”
Recent photos from Frehly’s new tour shows the guitarist trimmed down with a goatee, longer straight hair and black shades. Wielding his signature Starburst Les Paul, Frehley’s appearance is a far cry from the makeup days or the “unmasked” years of the late ’80s and ’90s. Known for his issues with substance abuse, Frehley sports a new band and a new outlook on performing live. |
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Backbeat - |
Fronted by Vancouver mastermind Dan Bejar, the five-piece Destroyer expertly churned out many of its lesser-known indie-pop tracks May 2, despite continuing pleas from the Waiting Room crowd that the band play “Beggars Might Ride” and other such fan favorites.
While unable to commandeer the set list, the majority of the crowd seemed perfectly pleased with the trademark top-drawer lyricism delivered via Bejar’s distinctive vocals, as well as the ensemble’s punchy, energetic performance. The band seemed just as grateful for the crowd, particularly when presented with a tray of shots.
“I’ll always remember Omaha now because, believe it or not no one’s ever tried to feed us alcohol before,” Bejar said. Viva la Good Life, Destroyer!
The highlight of the show was the blistering and seemingly endless one-song encore during which show opener Toronto’s Andre Ethier (about whom the crowd raved) joined Destroyer on stage to form an ensemble whose instrumentation included a keyboard, organ, sleigh bells, tambourine, drum set, bass, flute, saxophone and two guitars. As Destroyer shut the place down, much of the crowd missed this fantastic display. Ever grateful, Bejar again expressed his gratitude saying, “Thanks for coming out, I know you have cartoons to watch in the morning.” |
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Folk Meets Beats - |
A DJ is one of the new parts of Steve Earle’s current live show
by Chris Aponick
The ideas at the heart of Steve Earle’s 2007 album, Washington Square Serenade, are following him to the stage.
The album saw Earle emerging not just into digital recording, but into beats and plenty of production tricks borrowed from the world of hip-hop. Earle said the record was prompted by the idea that hip-hop is a kind of folk music.
Earle is traveling with a DJ, who manipulates the backing tracks from Washington Square Serenade songs with a digital turntable.
“It was one of those not obvious, but natural developments,” he said.
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Avoid Eye Contact - |
The Night Marchers are looking for you
by Kyle Tonniges
Those familiar with the prolific John Reis, whose complex guitar work in Drive Like Jehu, and propulsive riffs in Rocket from the Crypt, the Sultans and the Hot Snakes made those bands so memorable, may be surprised to learn that the impetus behind his latest endeavor, The Night Marchers, was the humble ukulele.
“I had been in a lot of bands in the past and put an end to all my musical endeavors in 2005,” he said from his home in San Diego.
“After taking a couple weeks off I met some friends in a ukelele class that I was taking and decided to start writing songs on the ukelele and it turned into what we’re doing now. Which is not on ukelele.” |
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Grassroots Folk - |
The Starlings de-grunge Seattle
by Patricia Sindelar
You could say Joy Mills is country when country isn’t cool. After all, she is trying to propel folk/roots/Americana group The Starlings in grungetown Seattle.
“There are some challenges to it,” she said by phone from the home of Starbuck’s. “Seattle is definitely more of an indie rock town, but there are little pockets of support. There are little bands like us around, but there really aren’t that many venues for our type of music. Definitely, in our neighbor to the south, Portland, there’s a huge amount of support for our type of music, and I think we’re seeing a bit of a trend from the indie rock side of the roots influence, so, things can change.” |
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Backbeat - |
The new “music venue” ordinance that allows those under 21 to be admitted to shows at Slowdown and other music venues with proper permits went into effect April 30. The biggest change is that those under 18 will now be required to have a notarized permission slip from their parent or legal guardian before being allowed into all-ages shows at those bars. That’s right, notarized.
Slowdown, one of the ordinance’s proponents, doesn’t have a notary on staff. To help ease the transition, the club is hosting an open house — with a notary present — Saturday, May 3, from 2-5 p.m. Slowdown is encouraging parents with children 17 and under to come down, check out the club and get a permission slip filed.
Most banks also have notaries on staff who can provide the service either for free (if you have an account) or for a small fee.
Slowdown said the ordinance requires those 18-20 years old to present a valid driver’s license, state ID or passport to get in. For anyone under 21, admission will not be granted until one hour before show time, and minors must leave immediately following the performance.
Marc Leibowitz at The Waiting Room Lounge said the same permission requirements also will apply to his club.
Find out more at theslowdown.com, where links to the consent form are available to download.
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Old-Timers - |
Anti-folk with timeless twist
by Jesse D Stanek
Drakkar Sauna just might make the perfect music for drinking heavily around a campfire. The two-piece from Lawrence, Kan., uses a multi-instrumental approach to old-timey folk music set to foot-stomping guitar, piano, organ, harmophone and tambourine shoe. Add that to semi-insane lyrics most of us wouldn’t breech on our weirdest days — cannibal metaphysics, the etiquette of dueling, Spanish cinema — and the end result lies somewhere between deconstructed folk music and an Old West saloon circa 1912.
“Really we play this kind of music mainly out of an appreciation for the beautiful harmony of the human voice,” guitarist/vocalist Wallace Cochran said. “We’re big fans of Sam Cooke, The Kinks, The Louvin Brothers obviously, Hazel Dickens, Thin Lizzy, really anyone who harmonizes. [Multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Jeff Stolz] and I can harmonize pretty well together and there’s not many things we can do well together so that’s why we do what we do.” |
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Obscene History - |
Ill Bill dodges Reader barrage
by Brett Wertz
For more than a decade Ill Bill has been part of a loose affiliation of extreme East Coast rappers including Jedi Mind Tricks and Immortal Technique, proving regularly that he will say almost anything on wax. Drugs, violence, gore and porn — his body of work boasts a little of everything. But as much as Bill loves to speak on the mic, it’s hell to get the dude on the phone.
It may simply be tour weariness that kept Bill from answering, but as his celly rang incessantly April 20, it dawned on me that something else was likely afoot.
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Backbeat - |
April 24 marks the appearance of the biggest name to ever DJ at loom, Kevin Yost. (above). The Waynesboro, Pa., native (who still lives in that small town with a full nine stoplights) has gained notoriety through his mixing of, get ready, jazz and electronica. In an interview with The Reader, Yost discussed his small-town mentality on a big-city tour, his thoughts on Omaha and his musical inspirations. |
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Come Hooch or High Water - |
Surviving booze, near breakups and biblical floods,
Neva Dinova is back with its best record ever
by Tim McMahan
Neva Dinova drummer Roger Lewis assumed that the series of delays and disasters that marred the completion of the band’s just-released album, You May Already Be Dreaming, was an act of God.
“I began thinking this record should not be made,” he said from the darkened confines of The Underwood Bar, surrounded by bandmates at a table filled with ashtrays and quart-sized bottles of Miller Lite.
“There had to be a reason this was happening. But somehow we fought through it,” he said. “It got to a point where we believed in what we were doing and nothing was going to stop us.”
Lewis and frontman/guitarist Jake Bellows, bassist Heath Koontz, and guitarists Tim Haes and Mike Kratky, have seen Neva Dinova rise, then almost drown in an ocean of booze and difficulties, only to somehow make it to shore. |
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Exposed Vagenda - |
Kimya Dawson gets famous, remains anonymous
by Layne Gabriel
After attending the Juno premiere, Kimya Dawson blogged on the film and her songs in it.
“Well, it is always nice to hear people say they like my songs,” she wrote. “I just hope things don’t get too different. I like the way I do stuff now. Group hugs, and potlucks, and all that shit. It doesn’t really get better than that, does it? All this other stuff is cool and all, but the community and the closeness and all that is what keeps my heart beating.”
Little did we know that the top of the Billboard charts loomed ahead. It’s a surprising step for someone who considers herself an “accidental musician.”
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Breakthrough Blues - |
Ruthie Foster gets personal, gets Phenomenal
by Patricia Sindelar
Until her latest album, Ruthie Foster’s music focused on traditional soul/blues/gospel topics: spirituality, good times, family and the occasional bad day.
But her 2007 release, The Phenomenal Ruthie Foster, took her foot-stomping, guitar-driven tunes in a far more personal direction. The typical blues sadness melted into wrenching yet insightful, intimate ballads that expressed private anguish. Foster said she was prepared to lay her sorrow on the line when writing her music.
“I think life just kind of takes you in that direction when it’s time to talk about something,” she said by phone from her home in Austin, Texas. “I got to that point where it’s time to show the many dimensions of myself.” |
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Backbeat - |
Man Man’s Ryan Kattner pretty much likes hate mail as much as he enjoys earning new fans.
It’s his band’s pop-smart mind-meld of Tom Waits and Alan Lomax’s Smithsonian folk field recordings that has an uncanny ability to polarize an audience, Kattner said.
He believes there isn’t enough time in life to make music that fails to elicit strong feelings.
“That whole concept is what makes me tick,” he said. “I will forfeit that middle ground to all those Beatles-rehash bands.” |
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New Morning To New Media - |
Tim Wildsmith releases iTunes-only EP
by Wayne Brekke
Tim Wildsmith is surprised that he is getting so much attention. His recent popularity results from a buzz created by a combination of live performances and new media outlets like podcasts, video blogging and social networking with fans on sites like MySpace. After releasing full-length album A New Morning, Wildsmith had written a few songs that he didn’t want to sit on for very long, so he released a virtual EP, Hummingbird, available only online.
“The Hummingbird EP is kind of an afterthought of an idea,” Wildsmith said. “I had about three or four songs that were new but I didn’t know what to do with them as I just released my record [A New Morning], so I decided to record very raw, acoustic versions of the songs and just release them on iTunes.” |
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Poppa Punks - |
MxPx comes full circle for new album
by Chalis Bristol
After 16 years and eight records, the members of MxPx are hitting their 30s, getting married and making babies — but they aren’t slowing down or cutting back on their constant tour schedule. They do make a few concessions, however.
Drummer Yuri Ruley has a stand-in on parts of the tour as he balances time between the band and a new family.
“We are a touring band, that’s what we do,” guitarist Tom Winiewski said. “So we have to soldier on without Yuri sometimes.”
Back in ’92, three 15-year-olds known as Magnified Plaid did a showcase for a scout with Tooth & Nail Records in a friend’s backyard. Their set began a career that has lasted nearly two decades. With the release of 1994’s Pokinatcha, MxPx brought the burgeoning SoCal skate-punk sound to the Bremerton, Wash., area … while they were still in high school. Now, with eight records under their belts, Wisniewski, Ruley and lead singer Mike Herrera return to Omaha to promote their new release, Secret Weapon.
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For the Madmen - |
The Briggs’ 30,000-piece puzzle
by Tim Greenup
Los Angelas punk outfit The Briggs pulled out all the stops for its forthcoming release, Come All You Madmen, engaging nautical metaphors to tackle everything from music industry politics to American foreign policy to touring woes. On select tracks, the group also summoned genre heavyweights Ken Casey (Dropkick Murphy’s vocalist) and Dickey Barrett (Mighty Mighty Bosstones) to do its bidding.
“It’s an interesting record in that we took it a little more folky and quite a bit heavier, too,” guitarist Jason LaRocca said by phone. “We kind of went in both directions in a more extreme way than we ever have before. If we’re going in a certain direction, we try to go as extreme as we possibly can in that direction, if that makes any sense.” |
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Song Machines - |
Prolific Blitzen Trapper revels in ‘raggedness’
by Chris Aponick
Blitzen Trapper may have three albums to its name, but that doesn’t mean the band finds the format very interesting.
“I like songs,” said guitarist Eric Earley amidst spotty reception between Columbia, Mo., and Memphis, Tenn. “I don’t really listen to records or believe in records.”
Earley said that when he writes or records he doesn’t consider how a song will sound on an album. Instead Earley and his Portland, Ore.-based bandmates work song-by-song. The per-song method helps him quickly assess how well a song is assembled.
“If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, I cut it,” he said. |
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