Twinsmith adds fall tour dates; Omaha-native Potash Twins to headline Toast of the Old Market; Photos of M34n Str33t, Gloom Balloon, Christopher the Conquered; Sci-Fi for Cy Fi benefit at this weekend

Twinsmith has announced a slate of fall tour dates in support of May 2015 release Alligator Years.

It starts Sept. 10 in Lincoln, as the Omaha indie pop outfit plays Zoo Bar with The Olympics and I Forgot To Love My Father (RSVP here). Then they hit the upper Midwest for a seven-day run. After a month off, they’ll head south through Kansas, Texas, Tennessee and Missouri.

Alligator Years was released May 4 on Saddle Creek Records to generally positive reviews. The band has since seen a spike in publicity, playing larger festival dates and touring with the likes of Cursive and Reptar.

See Twinsmith’s upcoming tour schedule below.
SEPT. 10 – Zoo Bar, Lincoln
SEPT. 12 – Des Moines Social Club, Des Moines
SEPT. 13 – Bedham Theater, St. Paul, Minn.
SEPT. 15 – The Frequency, Madison, Wisc.
SEPT. 16 – Township, Chicago
SEPT. 17 – The Lift, Dubuque, Iowa
SEPT. 18 – The Washington, Burlington, Iowa
SEPT. 19 – Tri-City BBQ Fest, Denison, Iowa
OCT. 24 – Barleycorn, Wichita, Kan.
OCT. 25 – Outland Ballroom, Springfield, Mo.
OCT. 26 – Rubber Gloves, Denton, Texas
OCT. 27 – Hotel Vegas, Austin, Texas
OCT. 28 – Limelight, San Antonio
OCT. 29 – Walter’s Downtown, Houston
NOV. 1 – Foo Bar, Nashville
NOV. 2 – Hi-Tone, Memphis
NOV. 3 – Social Room, Columbia, Mo.
NOV. 4 – Gabe’s, Iowa City
NOV. 5 – Record Bar, Kansas City, Mo.

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The Omaha-native brass duo of Adeev and Ezra Potash will headline next Saturday’s second 11th Street Festival at Toast of the Old Market.

Dubbed by NPR as “Twin Horns of Joy,” the Potash Twins are on tour in support of their self-titled EP, released Aug. 11. The 11th Street Festival lineup also features Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal, Omaha jazz outfit Luigi Inc., Hegg Brothers with Matt Wallace and Iowa’s Polka Police. Music starts at 2 p.m. (RSVP here).

Toast of the Old Market immediately follows the farmers market, and will feature food and drink from Upstream Brewing, Spaghetti Works and Berry & Rye. Additional activities include Shopping Showcase, Restaurant Taste Tour and the Last Saturday Art Walk.

The Potash Twins have reached #9 on the iTunes Jazz Charts after working with Funkytown producer Steven Greenberg. They released the EP to sold-out Minneapolis club Icehouse last week.

For more information on the second-annual Toast of the Old Market — next Saturday, Aug. 29 — visit toastoldmarket.com.

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While Stinson Park was bustling with festival sights and sounds Saturday, Omaha singer/songwriter Chris Atkins recorded an entire live Memory Mines set at Barley Street Tavern.

The solo acoustic concert checks in at just less than 35 minutes. It features a handful of original Memory Mines songs, as well as a cover of the Beatles “Golden Slumbers.”

The show is streaming now via Atkins’ Memory Ghost Podcast Soundcloud page here.

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Our Nickolai Hammar and Chris Dinan ventured to Slowdown last night for front room performances by M34n Str33t and Des Moines natives Christopher the Conquered and Gloom Balloon. Christopher Ford and Patrick Fleming (together comprising Gloom Balloon) bring their wacky, endearing performance art to Lincoln tonight to play Knickerbockers with Little Marais (former HN managing editor Chance Solem-Pfeifer — playing his final show in Lincoln before departing for the Pacific Northwest) RSVP here.

In advance, see photos from last night’s show below:

M34n Str33t

M34N STR33T | Slowdown |8.20.15M34N STR33T | Slowdown |8.20.15

Christopher the Conquered

Christopher the Conquered | Slowdown |8.20.15Christopher the Conquered | Slowdown |8.20.15

Gloom Balloon

Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15Gloom Balloon | Slowdown |8.20.15

photos by Chris Dinan

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We often hear stories of the problems in third world countries: hunger, poverty, homelessness. Panning shots of trash-filled streets and children looking longingly at the camera fill the screen.

In Shake the Dust, a documentary directed by Adam Sjoberg and produced by Nasir “Nas” Jones, viewers are given a snapshot of how breakdancing has impacted several ghettos, favelas and slums around the world. The feature plays at Film Streams on Sunday, August 23, at 7 pm, as part of its continuing “Sights On Sounds” music documentary series (RSVP here).

Narrated by individuals living in less than desirable conditions, the feature tours the slums of Uganda, Colombia, Cambodia and Yemen, focusing on how hip hop and breakdancing has impacted these communities. From getting children off of the streets to teaching students about chasing their goals, breakdancing has played an integral role in the survival of the human spirit in these countries.

“We have been taught that the life of the street is all about survival,” the narrator of the trailer says, “but we are doing more than just surviving. Our dream is to change the slums.” Focusing on this dream, the film follows several different people in several different countries brought together by the idea that music, predominantly hip hop, will change their lives. The narrator even goes so far as to call his group of breakdancers “the real kings and queens of hip hop.”

Before the 7 p.m. screening, if weather permits, True X Crew will perform outside Film Streams. True X Crew is a breakdancing collective hoping to show the positive side of hip hop culture and the arts.

— Andrew Samson

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This weekend brings a veritable smorgasbord of shows, so let’s get to the details.

Tonight at The Waiting Room, a quartet of Omaha bands will play Sci-Fi for Cy Fi, a concert benefitting the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) campaigns of Alexis Stansbury and Meghan Zimmerman, both of whom are battling cystic fibrosis. Zimmerman recently received a double lung transplant, while Stansbury is on the waiting list for the same procedure.

Sci-Fi for Cy Fi features performances by All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, The Subvectors, The Superbytes and Robo Dojo. Attendees are encouraged to sport their best sci-fi costumes. The two best-dressed will receive a pair of weekend passes to next summer’s O Comic Con. There will also be a raffle for prizes from Legend Comics & Coffee, Dragon’s Lair Comics and Krypton Comics. Finally, a band-swag prize pack will be awarded to the contestant who best emulates the sounds of Chewbacca (for the record, we’d try to play up his more restrained side).

Tickets to Sci-Fi for Cy Fi are $8. RSVP here. For more information about Alexis Stansbury’s campaign, visit COTAforAlexis.com. For Meghan Zimmerman’s, visit COTAforMeghanZ.com.

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Also tonight, Omaha singer/songwriter Tara Vaughan plays Slowdown with The Derby Birds and The Hottman Sisters. Entry to the all-ages front-room show is $7, and the doors are at 8 p.m. RSVP here.

And tonight at 9:30 p.m., O’Leaver’s hosts Portland rockers Summer Cannibals. Omaha’s Low Long Signal and singer/songwriter Miniature Horse join the bill. Entry to the show is $5. RSVP here.

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Tomorrow night, See Through Dresses plays O’Leaver’s with Omaha’s Sidewalkers. This will be the last stop for See Through Dresses on its August tour before a much-deserved break. New EP End Of Days is set to drop this fall on North Carolina label Tiny Engines, to which the band signed in May. RSVP to the 9 p.m. show here.

Also tomorrow night, The Sydney hosts its final edition of Benson Soul Society. The monthly event — curated by Andrew Monson, Eric “EZ” Ziegler, and Roger Lewis — moves to Reverb Lounge in September. The party starts at 10 p.m. RSVP here.

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Check out the rest of the weekend slate at hearnebraska.org/events, where you’ll find out statewide calendar of events. If you do not see your show or one you plan to attend, email us at news@hearnebraska.org, or add it yourself. And keep those song submissions, story ideas and news tips coming. See you out there.