KZUM reveals Blues Blowout fundraiser concert
by Sam Crisler
KZUM has announced its second-annual Blues Blowout benefit concert, which will happen Sept. 1 at Zoo Bar. Chicago’s Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials headline the show, with Kansas City’s The Heather Newman Band and Lincoln’s Levi William Band adding support.
The concert kicks-off KZUM’s last fundraising event of its 2017 fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Over the course of its Fall Fund Drive, the station is hoping to reach its annual goal of $300,000. If it does, KZUM remains eligible for a grant program through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (read our feature detailing the program and KZUM’s efforts here).
A silent auction will also be held, featuring a guitar signed by Charles Musselwhite, members of The Paladins and more.
In addition to the show, the blues are set to take over KZUM’s airwaves the weekend of Labor Day, with only blues music receiving air time from Sept. 1-4.
Tickets for the Blues Blowout are $15 and are available at The Zoo Bar and KZUM’s offices at 3534 S. 48th St. in Lincoln. Find more info at KZUM’s website, and RSVP here.
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Song Premiere: “Game Changer” by Producers of the Word
by Andrew Stellmon
When we saw Producers of The Word’s dynamic Lincoln Exposed set February at The Bourbon, the band was in the midst of a slight reinvention. With a psychedelic bent as strong as ever, the fivesome flashed a glint of cheekiness and a swarm of diverse sounds, all revolving around vocalist Chanty Stoval.
In its brand new track “Game Changer,” which premieres today, Stoval maintains his central role within Producers’ surfy chaos. The two-minute title track to the band’s new EP winds up quickly and dissonantly into a jangly ‘70s pop-hop, the kind you can imagine Steely Dan playing to a screaming studio audience. It eschews that kind of conventional repetition at the midway point, lurching into a key change and becoming fuzzier and fuzzier until its conclusion.
Producers of The Word release Game Changer tonight at a Zoo Bar show with Brazen Throats and Tragic Martha. It starts at 9:30 p.m. and costs $5. RSVP here.
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Waking The Neighbors debut heartfelt “Brushed Aside” video
By Sam Crisler
If one failed relationship isn’t enough, the compounded effects of multiple flushed lovers can end up taking a toll. But when the right partner comes around, it makes all the doubt and inner turmoil worth it. In their new video for “Brushed Aside,” Omaha pop-punk trio Waking The Neighbors debut a track that’s not only a well-crafted rager, but an ode to the wait for true love and the catharsis that follows.
In the video, directed by Omaha video producer Wabi.Sabi, the three-piece crowds into a dimly lit living room, serenading a painter as she fills out a canvas in a back corner. Guitarist/vocalist Drew Kohler details the grief of past relationships in each verse before finding his soulmate in the chorus, singing “I’ve been waiting on you my whole lifetime.”
Sonically, “Brushed Aside” calls back to the pop-punk and emo of the early-2000s, with bassist Shawn Weers’ and Kohler’s high-flying harmonies over chugging, crunchy guitars. The track bursts with angst-fueled energy that pushes the band on a dime from a hooky chorus to a bass-driven breakdown, which slowly builds with Kohler’s screaming octave bends before erupting into one final refrain.
Then, appearing satisfied with its work, the band sets down its instruments and continues with its day before the sun sets, with no chance of receiving a noise complaint.
The band formed back in 2010 as an acoustic pop duo rehearsing in various apartments around Omaha. When they added drummer Dan Richardson in 2012, the band found its realized pop-punk sound with occasional hints of hip-hop.
“Brushed Aside” is set to appear on Waking the Neighbors’ upcoming debut full-length Welcome to the Neighborhood. Catch Waking The Neighbors next week at Lookout Lounge with Carson City Heat. RSVP here. Until then, check out the “Brushed Aside” video below.
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Photo Coverage: Taking Back Sunday at The Bourbon
Emo legends Taking Back Sunday stopped at The Bourbon on Wednesday night after dropping its seventh studio album Tidal Wave last September. The record saw the band experiment by blending their emo roots with Springsteen-inspired heartland rock. TBS brought along metalcore titans Every Time I Die, which released its acclaimed eighth LP Low Teens last fall. Texas alt rock band All Get Out opened the show. See HN contributor Ben Semisch’s photos below.
All Get Out
Every Time I Die
Taking Back Sunday
Photos by Ben Semisch
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Photo Coverage: Shit Flowers with Ghost of a Dead Hummingbird and Dead Split Egos
HN multimedia intern Lauren Farris went to 1867 Bar last night to catch local indie rock band Shit Flowers alongside a pair of touring Chicago hardcore acts in Dead Split Egos and Ghost of a Dead Hummingbird. Dead Split Egos is fresh from its second album Ecdysis, which dropped this past February.
See Farris’ photos below:
Shit Flowers
Dead Split Egos
Ghost of a Dead Hummingbird
Photos by Lauren Farris
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Conor Oberst opens up to Noisey in new feature
by Sam Crisler
In a new feature interview with Noisey, Conor Oberst opens up about his brother’s death and the false rape allegations against him that surfaced online in 2013.
“I don’t really do anything with the internet, ever, and it’s always been this thing that I’ve avoided or kept at a distance—interacting with fans or having comments on anything,” Oberst says in the interview. “So to have this outside force appear in my life, and having to deal with it, it was one of the most surreal experiences in my life.”
Read the full story here.
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Concert Round-Up
Hit a packed weekend of shows with a plan by checking out our picks below. Head over to our events page for an even more comprehensive list of shows, and if a show is missing, add it using our contribute feature here.
Friday
Hear Lincoln with Evan Bartels and Orion Walsh – Hear Lincoln moves into its second week tonight with local folk artists Evan Bartels and Orion Walsh taking over Tower Square. Bartels did an interview with HN earlier this week discussing isolation while touring, his faith and his appreciation for Nebraska. Read the interview here. Hear Lincoln is free, and music kicks off at 5 p.m. RSVP here.
Edem Soul Music’s African Body, Soul & Movement at KANEKO – Tonight at KANEKO, Omaha vocalist Edem Soul Music presents her African Body, Soul & Movement performance, which will take audience members through the sounds they’ve experienced through their lives with African-style percussion and Edem’s stirring melodies. Read our preview of the event here, and RSVP here. 7 p.m. $15. All ages.
Saturday
The Way Out’s Hear Nebraska Benefit Show – This Saturday at The Commons LNK, Ashland indie rock four-piece The Way Out is hosting a Hear Nebraska benefit show with four young Nebraska acts, including Bach Mai, Histrionic and CJ Clydesdale Band. As part of a raffle featuring prizes from Relentless Screen Printing, Salt Creek Mad Dog and the 20/20s and Lefty’s Records, HN is pitching in a copy of the HN Compilation Vinyl, Vol. 3, a bundle of Good Living Tour merch and a pair of passes to Lincoln Calling. Find more information about the show and RSVP here. 6 p.m. $5 suggested donation. All ages.
BLVD Brothers with Middle Folk and Stavro at Slowdown – A trio of bands featuring Creighton Prep students and alumni hit the Slowdown’s front room Saturday night. The show is an extension of the Creighton Prep live music prom night in 2015 that Middle Folk guitarist Ben McLaughlin coordinated. The performance was Creighton Prep’s first prom with live musicians in more than thirty years, and the new tradition has continued in the two years since 2015. Four of the seven musicians performing in Saturday’s show played in McLaughlin’s cover band at that 2015 prom night. RSVP here to see the musicians take the stage together again. 9 p.m. $5. All ages.
Oketo with Chemicals and The Grand Poobah at Reverb Lounge – Olympia-via-Lincoln indie pop band Oketo is back in Nebraska for a run of shows in July and August. The band played Milk Run last month, and they’re hitting Reverb Lounge on Saturday night with Omaha psych rock band Chemicals and Lincoln art rockers The Grand Poobah. 8 p.m. $6. All ages. RSVP here.
Sunday
Spine, Stone, BIB, Jocko and Loud Minority at Milk Run – Five bands descend on Milk Run for a night of hardcore dancing and punishing riffs. Kansas City’s Spine, which is gearing up to release a new record, and Milwaukee’s Stone headline the show. Punk bands BIB, Jocko and Loud Minority add local support. 9 p.m. All ages. RSVP here.
Back 2 School: A Concert for Hartman Elementary at Reverb Lounge – Five Omaha hip-hop and R&B artists come together on Sunday night to benefit north central Omaha’s Hartman Elementary School. Rapper TKO headlines and is supported by Enjoli, J. Crum, Mola-B and E-Rawq. Dominique Morgan is coordinating the show, and all of the show’s proceeds go to providing school supplies for Hartman’s students. $5 or a new backpack gets you into the show. 8 p.m. All ages.
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