photo by Daniel Muller

In Love Drunk‘s 117th session, Criteria comes out of the woodwork to perform “This Reign is Ours” at MTRL Design in Omaha’s Mastercraft Building.

Arguably Omaha’s best rock band that hardly ever plays, Criteria will perform at Saturday’s Maha Music Festival, sandwiched between The Thermals and Bob Mould.

“I am quite stoked to be rocking Maha,” says frontman Steve Pedersen. “Workbook, Mould’s first solo record, is a hugely important album for me.”

Pedersen’s brother introduced him to Hüsker Dü when he was 14, and he says he was blown away by the intensity of the songs.

“Playing in the same zip code as Bob and John Wurster (drummer) makes Maha extra special,” he said.

“This Reign is Ours” is a new song Pedersen says is about all sorts of “stations/moments in our lives; love, family, friends, contentment, work,” and of course, “playing rock music.”

But when questioned about whether this means the band has a new album in their sights, Pedersen keeps it simple:

“Criteria is ‘writing new music.'”

No guarantees.