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Home - Music
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Piano Man - |
John Tesh is that
and so much more
by Jesse D. Stanek
John Tesh wears many hats. Many of us remember him as co-host of “Entertainment Tonight” from 1986 to 1996. Prior to that he was a sportscaster and an anchorman. His music career landed him two Grammy nominations (not to mention he has sold over seven million albums). Tesh now hosts a nationally syndicated radio show “Intelligence For Your Life” (airing locally on KGOR 99.9 FM Monday through Friday, 5-10 p.m.).
“‘Great’ is not hyperbole when speaking of the opportunities I’ve had,” Tesh said by phone recently after wrapping up his radio work for the day. “We all want to have a voice; we all have something valuable to say
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Preparing a Little Shame - |
Philly’s Dr. Dog eager
to unleash new rock
record this spring
by Chris Aponick
Dr. Dog may have reverted to some old ways on the forthcoming album Shame, Shame, but singer/guitarist Scott McMicken promises his Philadelphia band has plenty of new tricks to share, too.
“It was a cool sort of marriage of an old way and a new way,” McMicken said. “Those new wrinkles are only in proportion to other Dr. Dog records.”
The new way came first, as the band traveled to upstate New York in August to work with producer Rob Schnapf (Elliott Smith, Beck). It was the first time the band had enlisted an outside producer to work on a Dr. Dog album. |
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Back Beat - |
Last week’s big ticket was Slowdown’s A Benefit for Haiti. According to Slowdown House Manager, Val Nelson, the evening netted more than $10,000 for the relief effort, to be donated to Doctors Without Borders. If you missed out you can still donate at doctorswithoutborders.org.
The evening featured Tilly and the Wall, Bright Eyes, It’s True, Simon Joyner, The Mynabirds, Bear Country, McCarthy Trenching and Brad Hoshaw each playing 20-minute sets. Outside of closers Tilly and Bright Eyes, the acts stuck to the time limit, giving just enough of a taste to make you want more. So, it was a fast-paced hodgepodge, but such a good one that it worked. |
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Common Thread - |
Hip-Hop heavyweights Zion I bond with the
reggae of Rebelution
by Kyle Eustice
As emcee for Bay Area hip-hop duo Zion I, Zumbi was as surprised as his fans to pair with reggae artists, Rebelution, for their upcoming tour.
“It’s kind of crazy for us, too. Our tour manager met Rebelution at a show. They said they were fans of our music and were into the idea of touring together,” Zumbi said. “Our styles are way different. Ours is a little more aggressive.”
Along with super-producer AmpLive, Zumbi earned Zion I a reputation for delivering boomin’ bass, vicious word play and rowdy hip-hop anthems while Rebelution falls towards the more mellow side of the musical spectrum. But look a little deeper and there’s a common thread. |
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Keeping Funk Real - |
Ivan Neville and Dumpstaphunk funk it like it is
by Jesse D. Stanek
New Orleans is a city on the mend. The Big Easy has long been recognized as an iconic American destination rich in local flavors and bursting with musicians and old world charm. After Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005 many wondered if it would or could ever be reclaimed from the swampy floodwaters.
Less than five years later things are looking up. The city’s NFL franchise is set to play in the Super Bowl for the first time, the Ninth Ward is receiving a much-needed influx of cash and effort, and longtime artists like Ivan Neville (with his Dumpstaphunk) are making music that stays true to the city’s rich musical legacy, but also manages to move beyond stale stereotypes and offer something new and interesting. |
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Back Beat - |
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In a localized version of George Clooney’s celeb-studded global telethon to benefit Haiti, Slowdown presents A Benefit for Haiti, Thursday, Jan. 28, with Tilly and the Wall, Bright Eyes, It’s True, Simon Joyner, The Mynabirds, Bear Country, McCarthy Trenching and Brad Hoshaw each playing 20-minute sets. Proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders. At press time the benefit had just sold out; look for more in next week’s Backbeat on the amount raised. If you didn’t plan ahead you may miss the show, but you can still donate at doctorswithoutborders.org. |
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Instant Everything, Constant Nothing - Untied States CD Review - |
Instant Everything, Constant Nothing
Untied States
By, Derrick Schott
For a generation fueled by sensory overload, Untied States’ third studio LP, Instant Everything, Constant Nothing, harnesses the confusion of our times with a soaring sound blended with Colin Arnstein’s etheral vocals. Not Fences, Mere Masks is the song that sums up the band’s effort best. |
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Dreaming Up Music - |
Creating new instruments and new music
by Brent Crampton
“The show was like a wild throw-down,” said NOMO bandleader, Elliot Bergman, recalling the group’s first performance in Omaha one summer night in 2006.
The eight-person instrumental band was on the last show of a five-week tour and feeling a bit frantic when they walked into the closet of a music venue known as O’Leaver’s. The bar was partly full with those interested in what NOMO had in store, while others fell in with the free-for-all folly volleyball patrons.
“Everyone was drinking a lot,” recalled Bergman. |
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Bigger and Better - |
The Waiting Room
reopens after a
major facelift
by Tim McMahan
When you step into the newly remodeled Waiting Room at 6212 Maple St., the first thing you’ll notice is the sheer openness of the room.
What once was a ’70s-style low-ceilinged lounge that led into a broad (though smaller) open area with a stage is now one large, open area from the moment you step through the entranceway. The ceiling tiles have been removed, exposing rafters and gleaming silver ductwork. Incidental barrier walls are gone. Two rooms have become one. And it feels huge. |
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Back Beat - |
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This week in Midtown, prepare for what’s probably the only pageant at which you can scarf a Cuban sandwich while checking out the goods. In what’s sure to be the pageant to end all pageants, local music venue and dive bar extraordinaire, O’Leaver’s, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd., hosts its Mr. O’Leaver’s pageant Friday, Jan. 22. The event’s Facebook page beckons: “Come and witness 12 O’Leaver’s Man-Studs putting it on the line in a competition of brains, body and booze, to be crowned Mr. O’Leaver’s.” The cover for this manly spectacle is just $1, or pageant-goers can opt for the $3 “Double Dang!” VIP seats which come with a gift bag. |
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One-Man Show - |
Keller Williams continues to evolve with his latest release, Odd
by Jim Morrison
When it comes to today’s notable one-man musical acts, Keller Williams is invariably mentioned as among the most dynamic of the 21st century. His music is intricate, laid-back, light-hearted and well arranged, yet energetic with an air of spontaneity. And if you converse with him you realize that what you hear in the music is a fairly solid representation of his character, making him more down-to-earth than most of the people who have gained his level of success by his age.
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Good Vibrations - |
Metro music mainstay releases two new singles
by Jill Bruckner Robberts
For Steve Raybine, it’s so much more than music. An Omaha-based, nationally known virtuoso vibraphonist, composer, record producer, performer and educator, Raybine is one of the Metro’s most respected artists, thanks to a musical commitment that extends far beyond his singles, and reaches wider than Nebraska’s plains.
“I love creating my own music and having people listen to it,” said Raybine, who was inducted into the prestigious Independent Artist Registry (IAR) in 2006. “There is no comparable experience for having audiences react favorably and passionately to something you’ve created.” |
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Simply Simplified - |
Brandi Carlile works streamlined magic on
her latest album, Give Up the Ghost
by Chris Aponick
From the road, to Nashville, to Los Angeles and finally straight to tape, Brandi Carlile’s analog-recorded Give Up the Ghost is touched by a decidedly live, loose feel.
The album began under Rick Rubin’s eye, as Carlile and her two main hands, twins Phil and Tim Hanseroth, wrote and recorded demos and sent them to the renowned producer.
Carlile and cohorts then settled down with Rubin in Nashville and revamped the songs. Rubin’s style was very understated, so even though he’s also an executive with Carlile’s label, Columbia Records, it never felt like they were working with a bottom-line-focused executive. |
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Tales from Pine Ridge - |
A little rough
around the edges:
Christmas in Evergreen
by L.L. Dunn (Lash LaRue)
Some of the older boys were snickering and pointing to the corner of the room. I looked over, then down. Nothing to snicker at there. About 3-feet tall, small blue hoodie, angelic little face that comes with being 3-feet tall — and is gone forever by 4-feet — holding in his little hand … ah, the reason for the older kids’ laughs. A doll. Dammit, there’s plenty of footballs, basketballs, G.I. Joes, nerf guns, tranform-a-thingys — you know, dude toys.
Why’s the kid got a doll?
I went over and kneeled down next to him. “Hey buddy, how’s it goin’?”
“Good,” eked his tiny little voice.
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Visions of 2010, Pt. 2 - |
by Tim McMahan
The biggest change of 2010 will be in how bands and musicians react to the continued demise of the music industry. Dreams of living off CD sales have become just that — merely dreams with no basis in reality. That means everyone, including the local high-fliers, have to figure out ways to better leverage their performance income. |
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Ch-ch-ch-changes - |
SWEET HOME CHICAGO: Nick Moss & The Flip Tops featuring Lurrie Bell hit the New Lift Lounge (96th & L) on Thursday, Jan. 7, 5:30 p.m. Photo by Kate Moss.
by B.J. Huchtemann
At its heart, this time of year always seems to be about beginnings and endings. The Omaha blues-roots music scene is sure to undergo changes in 2010, but how these will play out is beyond my ability to predict. Scene mainstay, venue owner and Blues Society of Omaha President Terry O’Halloran is pursuing his long-range plan of relocating to the West Coast. Playing with Fire founder and organizer Jeff Davis continues working to secure funding for the 2010 Playing With Fire summer concert series. |
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backbeat - |
When it comes to predictions for the local music scene in 2010, I just don’t have the foresight of The Reader’s sage vet Tim McMahan (see page 38 for installment two of his annual predictions), nor the cosmic wisdom of this week’s cover boy, MojoPo. My forecast is centered on a basic, simple optimism that even seemingly bad times are but a pathway to better times than ever.
So, I choose to look at the intersection of an already flagging music industry and the economy’s domino effect crunch as the perfect opportunity, not for the demise of an industry, but as the opening for an evolution. It seems humanity is constantly in fear of all that which we love “going to hell in a hand-basket,” but I’m sure glad for opposable thumbs, and the written word, and Internet radio, evolutions all. Plus, local and regional music acts have always had a DIY spunk and verve that could make this admittedly wretched economic climate a perfect Petri dish for championing locality, originality, change, and yes, Obama, I still believe in it, hope. |
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Now Where? - |
The end of a century is the end of an industry
by Tim McMahan
Everyone says it’s the end of the decade, so why does it seem like the end of the world?
It began with the rise of George W. Bush and a new phrase in our vocabulary — nine-eleven. It ends with two wars still in progress, near record unemployment and an economy flickering like a 40-watt bulb. And I haven’t even gotten to the part about the music industry’s degeneration from a healthy young stud with a twinkle in his eye to a bent and broken patient tethered to life support waiting for some gracious soul to take pity and pull the plug. |
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BACKBEAT - |
I have a couple of belated Holiday Wishes from two music-related minds:
“I wish Omaha the courageous and enthusiastic civic confidence which will allow people and organizations the chance to grow and demonstrate the strength of character I’ve witnessed in my first year here,” said Garnett Bruce, Opera Omaha’s Artistic Adviser and Principal Stage Director. He also said, “When I asked around the office, the snappiest reply was ‘Nordstrom’s!’ See you at FIGARO in February!”
“There are two things I wish for, almost every day. One: just that people are good to each other. Two: that people would use their blinkers,” said Sarah Hall, owner of TOPS Boutique. |
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The Curse of Mal Madrigal - |
Bartolomei and crew
persevere for new record
by Jesse D. Stanek
You can’t talk about the new Mal Madrigal record, From The Fingers of Trees, without mentioning the curse that befell its recording process. The album was recorded in a weekend, and almost entirely live, to a half-inch 8-track tape recorder at D-Rocks in Papillion. When the band started mixing the songs everything sounded great, but before long, instruments began to disappear and the sound became unusable. Then the actual tape began shedding; Steve Bartolomei and crew had purchased a bad batch of tape. This was just the beginning of the curse.
Local producer and musician Mike Mogis offered the band use of his studio to create copies of the reels and Bartolomei made digital and analog copies of the defective tapes and began anew mixing the songs at home. |
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