O’Leaver’s is partying all weekend to ring in the fall season and to celebrate a brand new addition. The Omaha concert venue will throw O’Leaver’s Fest’s second year this weekend, with live music headlined by Digital Leather and M34n Str33t Saturday night.
Music kicks off Friday with Bonehart Flannigan’s Nebraska return, plus Rebecca Lowry, Brad Hoshaw and McCarthy Trenching. Six bands play Saturday night, including Lupines, Dumb Beach, Worried Mother and Stephen Nichols.
A Sunday Social caps off the weekend, with a $5 cover for early music and inclusive food service. Members of the Press, Bloodcow and Baltimore band darsombra will perform (RSVP here).
Just last week, O’Leaver’s officially wrapped construction on its new outdoor beer garden, ongoing for about eighteen months. Co-owner Chris Machmuller says that this weekend’s festivities will provide a chance to feature the space, which is roughly the size of the venue itself. Having the extra outlet provides a little elbow room for concert-going patrons that need a break from what can be a cramped indoor space.
“Music is a huge emphasis down here, but we did see a need,” Machmuller says. “This idea that it would be cool to hang out here if you’re not in the mood for music.”
In addition to live music Saturday, O’Leaver’s will tap German brewery Hacker-Pschorr’s line of Oktoberfest beers, and serve sausages. It opens at 11 a.m., and will show the Nebraska football game at 2:30 p.m. before live music starts at 7:30 p.m.
“It’ll be a great opportunity to hear some great music and hang out in a new outdoor space that we want to feature,” Machmuller says.
RSVP to Friday night here, and Saturday’s main event here.
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With Lincoln Calling just two weeks away, organizers have announced the official schedule.
Over six nights, the festival provides something for all tastes. Tuesday features a non-music showcase at The Bourbon, with Homegrown Film Festival and Lincoln Call-medians. The first taste of music goes that night with DJ Relic, Andy Butler and What the Fuss at Zoo Bar, and Buffalo Rodeo and Thirst Things First at Duffy’s Tavern.
From there, it’s a mix of indoor and outdoor venues, with many homogenous lineups. Zoo Bar hosts a folk billing Wednesday that includes Jack Hotel and the Bottle Tops. Duffy’s Tavern hosts a hip-hop showcase with Both, Psalm One and The Rapper Chicks.
The most diverse lineup looks to be Thursday night’s KZUM showcase at Zoo Bar, with Mesonjixx, Bud Heavy & the High Lifes, Once A Pawn and Better Friend. Also notably, Halfwit and Universe Contest take their customary closing spots at Duffy’s Tavern Friday and Zoo Bar Saturday, respectively.
See the full schedule below. Ticket info comes at the end of the week, and will include individual night and week-long passes. RSVP here to keep abreast of changes.
Tuesday, Sept. 29
Bourbon Theatre
7 pm – Homegrown Film Festival – $3, all ages
9 pm – Lincoln Call-medians at the Bourbon
featuring Audrey Farnham, Brad Stewart, Grant Parsons, Annie Hildebrand, James Lindsay, Joshua Vossler, Will Dougherty, Andrew Hanus and Jimmy Putnam
$5, 18+
Duffy’s Tavern
11 pm – Buffalo Rodeo
12 am – Thirst Things First
donations appreciated for bands, 21+
Zoo Bar
9 pm – DJ Relic w/ Andy Butler and What the Fuss, 21+
Wednesday, Sept. 30
Bodega’s Alley
9 pm – Bassthoven w/ JMNM; no cover, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
9 pm – Psalm One w/ The Palmer Squares, The Rapper Chicks, BOTH, Shark Week and MC TEACH & Trev Taylor; 21+
Knickerbockers ($6, 18+)
9 pm – The Gov’t
10 pm – Clementine
11 pm – The Inner Party
12 am – Bandit Sound
Tower Square
CJ Mills
The Wildwoods
no cover, all ages
Zoo Bar
(early show)
6 pm – Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal
$6, 21+
(late show)
8:30 pm – The Bottle Tops
9:30 pm – Jack Hotel
10:30 pm – Joshua Powell and the Great Tain Robbery
11:30 pm – The Mezcal Brothers
Thursday, Oct. 1
Bodega’s Alley
9 pm – Inflect w/ $pencelove, Teetah and ridgelines; no cover, 21+
Bourbon Theatre
9 pm – Edison
10 pm – Gerardo Meza Band
11 pm – Communist Daughter
12 am – Walk By Sea
$5, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
9:30 pm – The Dancing Dead
10:30 pm – Vamos
11:30 pm – PONYSHOW
12:30 am – Red Cities
$5, 21+
Knickerbockers
9 pm – The Matador w/ Bloodrail, Beaver Damage and A Different Breed; $5, 18+
Tower Square
Walk By Sea
I Forgot to Love My Father
no cover, all ages
Zoo Bar – KZUM Showcase
(early show)
6 pm – Cryin’ Heart
7 pm – All Young Girls Are Machine Guns
8 pm – Tijuana Gigolos
$5, 21+
(late show)
9 pm – Mesonjixx
10 pm – Bud Heavy and the High Lifes
11 pm – Once A Pawn
12 am – Better Friend
$5, 21+
Friday, Oct. 2
Bodega’s Alley
9 pm – Linear Symmetry
10:45 pm – 3 Son Green
12:30 am – The Midland Trio
$5, 21+
Bourbon Theatre
9 pm – The Renfields
10 pm – Oquoa
11 pm – Twinsmith
12 am – Head of Femur
$10, 18+
The Cask
9:30 pm – Alli and I
11 pm – Ro Hempel
no cover, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
9:30 pm – Domestica
10:30 pm – See Through Dresses
11:30 pm – Bummer
12:30 am – Halfwit
$5, 21+
Knickerbockers
9 pm – Gordon
10 pm – Hyborian
11 pm – Desir Decir
12 am – Powers
$5, 18+
Single Barrel
9 pm – Belles and Whistles
10 pm – Matt Cox Band
11 pm – Dylan Bloom Band
$5, 21+
White Rabbit
5 pm – Emily Bass
no cover, 21+
Zoo Bar
(early show)
6 pm – Red Elvises
21+
(late show)
9 pm – Laughing Falcon
10 pm – Rock Paper Dynamite
11 pm – American Pinup
12 am – FREAKABOUT
$6, 21+
Saturday, Oct. 3
Bodega’s Alley
9:30 pm – A Ferocious Jungle Cat
11 pm – Pure Brown
12:45 am – Life is Cool
$5, 21+
Bourbon Theatre
9 pm – Sleep Sinatra
10 pm – The Undisco Kids
11 pm – Motion Trap
12 am – AZP
$5, 18+
The Cask
9:30 pm – Martini Tiny w/ Hana Zara and Jack Rodenberg; no cover, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
8 pm – Jay Kutcma
9 pm – The Heather Berney Band
10 pm – blét
11 pm – Mike Semrad
12 am – The Allendales
1 am – Desert Noises
Knickerbockers
9 pm – This Machine Kills Vibes
10 pm – Scruffy and the Janitors
11 pm – Westside Proletariat
12 am – Night Push
Single Barrel
9:30 pm – Lazerwolfe
White Rabbit
9 pm – Luke Polipnick w/ Max Stehr; no cover, 21+
Zoo Bar
9 pm – Ebony Tusks
10 pm – Ghost Foot
11 pm – Cupcake
12 am – Universe Contest
$6, 21+
Sunday, Oct. 4
Tavern on the Square
12 pm – Brunch on the Square
$10 per person includes a drink ticket and food, 21+
Duffy’s Tavern
9 pm – Omni Arms
10 pm – Glo Worm
11 pm – State Disco
12 am – Powerful Science
$5, 21+
Zoo Bar
8 pm – Zoolarious featuring Ross Brockley, Brad Stewart, Audrey Farnham, Jordan Kleine, Grant Parsons, Drew Bohlke, Chris Hinkle, Corey Brewer and Ariel Sinha
$5, 18+
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Omaha rock band See Through Dresses has announced an official release date for its upcoming EP release.
End of Days — which we’ve known about for months now — drops Friday, Oct. 23 on North Carolina indie/punk label Tiny Engines. Vinyl copies are currently available for pre-order in opaque red, clear and black. Cassettes will be released on tape label Sludge People.
See Through Dresses shared the EP’s first single, “Haircut,” last month via Noisey. The band plays Lincoln Calling Friday, Oct. 2 at Duffy’s Tavern (RSVP here).
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Tonight, Cleveland indie rock band The Lighthouse and the Whaler plays Slowdown with New York alt rock band Born Cages and Omaha’s State Disco. The Lighthouse and the Whaler has evolved since its formation in 2008 from folk trio to rock quartet. Over the course of three EPs and three full-lengths — including this year’s Mont Royal out on Roll Call Records — the band has honed in on a sunny, dreamy indie pop similar to Local Natives, with shout-vocals similar to Omaha’s Twinsmith, to give a local comparison. RSVP to the show here.
Elsewhere, Los Angeles garage punk band FIDLAR plays The Waiting Room with DUNE RATS. Since forming in 2009, FIDLAR quickly rose to local prominence on the strength of its rambunctious live shows, often involving heavy audience participation. The band released its second full-length album Too Sept. 4 on Mom + Pop Music. RSVP to the show here.
Also tonight, Omaha hard rock band Sherry Drive plays Shamrock’s Pub as part of the Project Independent World Tour Nebraska stop. Sherry Drive recently won runner-up at the NOW Omaha Battle of the Bands in September, which earned them the opportunity to open for Skid Row.
“It had really helped motivate us to make our upcoming album the best it can possibly be and to make our live shows more entertaining,” says bassist Jeremy Meyer. The band is currently working on its new album, which will release sometime early next year, and will likely unveil some new tracks tonight. Find more info on the show here.
As always, head to our statewide calendar at hearnebraska.org/events for a fuller listing of shows. 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.