Which upcoming O’Leaver’s billing features a one-time member of Guided by Voices?
Today, we’re partnering with the Omaha club to give away two tickets to this upcoming show. To win, email your answer to our trivia question to news@hearnebraska.org. We will select a winner randomly from the people who answer correctly.
We’ll pick a winner at 4 p.m. today. See all the upcoming shows here.
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Speaking of O’Leaver’s, first-time Hear Nebraska contributor Russell Lane caught the club’s Friday night show with Stonebelly, Mint Wad Willy and Commander Kilroy. Check out some quick coverage below:
Friday night at O’Leaver’s Pub was the epitome of concerts with a familial vibe. Even more so, it felt generational. Although Stonebelly, Mint Wad Willy and Commander Kilroy are at different stages in their evolution, they all seem to be cut from the same ska/funk/rock cloth.
Stonebelly, a well-known local entity between Omaha and Lincoln, ended the night with absolute control and confidence. Still riding the wave of its eclectic sophomore album, Perspectives & Perceptions, Stonebelly knows exactly who they are. Even more importantly, they know who their fans expect them to be. Belting lyrics as if declaring war, lead vocalist Mike Hollon led the set without reservation. “I am rising — you cannot hold me down,” became more a battle cry than a chorus by night’s end.
Mint Wad Willy won the night simply due to their apparent excitement and diverse style. Not only was there a spectrum of vibes from song to song, this quartet appeared to change styles within each individual song. Powerful ska-style chucks (see the beginning of “Stir it Up” by Bob Marley) cascaded into blues riffs, followed by pure vocals from both Nick Johnston and Derek LeVasseur. Listen to “Nowhere to Go” off Mint Wad Willy’s album wonferdul, and then go check out one of their shows.
The Lincoln trio Commander Kilroy set the tone for the night. Led by vocalist/bassist Casey Fink, Commander Kilroy looked as though it was playing in a friend’s basement. There was an unmistakable Sublime influence in everything the band did (down to the juxtaposition of lime green sunglasses and Mohawk). Having a guitarist as a capable of shredding as Dylan Fink never hurts, either.
—Russell Lane
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Is Omaha’s Urban Outfitters becoming the place for touring bands to play alternative-space shows? It sure seems like a trend this month, at least.
On Wednesday night, Chicago’s White Mystery plays a show with a to-be-announced local before heading to Lincoln to play Duffy’s Tavern (RSVP). The hard rock duo played Omaha two weeks ago at Reverb Lounge with Calm Fur and Digital Leather.
On April 10, Peach Kelli Pop plays Urban Outfitters with Eric in Outerspace. Peach Kelli Pop takes the stage at O’Leaver’s later that night (RSVP). Both White Mystery and Peach Kelli Pop are on Burger Records, a California-based label that has also released music for The Growlers.
Mike Johnson, who manages the Omaha store, says they’re having a Burger month. Urban Outfitters Omaha has a converted cigarette vending machine in the store that sells Burger Records cassettes. It’s the only one in existence.
Cassette recordings of the Peach Kelli Pop show will be mailed to everyone who attends. Urban Outfitters will record the show using an 8-track then mastering it to one tape.
“We’ll then send it to our Home Office to duplicate and package and they will mail a copy to everyone who attended,” Johnson says. “They have made a few UO mix tapes so far and the finished product has always looked really sweet.”
And of course, there’s our monthly First Thursday showcase at Urban Outfitters. This week, Lincoln’s Better Friend plays with Omaha’s Super Ghost (RSVP). As always, the show includes free beer and pizza. It also features art by Deon and nail art by Just Imagine Nails.
All three shows are free and, perhaps most importantly, all ages. Since Urban Outfitters is not a bar like Slowdown or The Hideout, the store can forego Omaha’s notarized parental permission slip for entry for minors. There are few spaces in Omaha that offer that.
Maybe these next two weeks are particularly busy for the store, in terms of the occasional show. But maybe Urban Outfitters will position itself as the place to see all-ages shows.