photo by Bridget McQuillan
Icky Blossoms has some new digs to work out its live show — a tasteful room in a tasteful building. Here’s the Omaha band posting about its first rehearsal in the Holland Center last Sunday:
Kendra Whitlock Ingram, the VP of Programming and Education for Omaha Performing Arts, calls Icky Blossoms using a room in the Holland a “special arrangement” — both because of the quiet summer season in the building and because Icky Blossoms has agreed to, in turn, volunteer its time for educational outreach or community engagement activities, a partnership that would likely happen next spring. Within the Holland, the band is working out of the warm-up room behind the concert hall, which is very much what it sounds like: a spot for performers to warm up immediately before taking the stage.
“They’re very creative people,” says Ingram, also a member of Hear Nebraska’s Board of Directors. “I think their music is interesting … they’re a well-established band in the area, so it wasn’t like anyone coming in and saying, ‘Hey, can we use your space?’ And it wasn’t totally altruistic on my part. I want to use them for stuff in the future.”
The Omaha band, which released its debut LP on Saddle Creek in 2012, is revving up to release its second album. Guitarist Nik Fackler said, via email, that the band is currently “finishing” the album, recording in Omaha.
The lineup for the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards Summer Showcase was announced yesterday. The showcase will be held Aug. 22 and 23 in Benson with shows at The Waiting Room, The Sydney, Barley Street Tavern, Burke’s Pub, PS Collective, the 402 Collective. Check out the full lineup here with more than 70 acts performing over the two days.
“Once again we are overwhelmed by the generosity and participation of so many musicians at this year’s summer showcase,” OEA Board President Emily Engles said in a press release. “We have quite a few new bands and artists in the lineup, as well as many past nominees and winners.”
In other news, The Faint are pouring it on with videos from their April release, Doom Abuse. The video for “Scapegoat,” which premiered yesterday on Stereogum, is the fourth song from their latest record to get a video. This is one is directed by Omaha filmmaker Harrison Martin (brother of singer/songwriter Sam Martin). It’s the only video of the four, though, that shows the actual band — this one prominently featuring Todd Fink bouncing around what looks like a red-lit basement show. In the video, they’re performing “Scapegoat,” a two-minute romp that leans more New York, guitar punk than the synth-dominant outings that flavor Doom Abuse. For more, check out our review of the album.
Lastly, Orenda Fink — awaiting the release of her August 19 Saddle Creek album, Blue Dream — wrote a list of 11 things to know about musicians for Ranker.com. It’s pretty harmless, explains a few things, like how musicians sleep, communicate, do and don’t have any money. If you need Orenda to follow up or clarify any of these points, you can see her performing tonight (July 10) at Slowdown at an event for gubernatorial candidate Chuck Hassebrook. More on that here.