Uh Oh premieres “Try To Stay On My Side” from forthcoming EP

The urgency in Uh Oh’s songs, both lyrically and instrumentally, is the kind that sucks a listener directly into the moment. It often feels like standing right next to vocalist/guitarist Joe Champion as the situation unfolds in front of him.

“Hey!” he shouts, as if grabbing is partner’s arm to get their attention. Crowds dissipate and the scene dissolves as Scott Ausdemore’s synth and Erik Trent’s bass come together and separate in kind, fighting to keep things together.

As his psyche seems to come apart in the Omaha band’s new single “Try To Stay On My Side,” its frenetic, choppy rhythms straighten out upon the stark admission that “it’s all in my head.” It’s still cyclical, though, the ending of each day a searing reminder of failure. The song’s title and final refrain — backed by The Way Out’s Mari Crisler — clings to the one bond that might ground him.

“Try To Stay On My Side” appears on the band’s forthcoming EP You’re Not Dead, which drops Dec 17 at Barley Street. Before that, Uh Oh plays house show venue Lucy’s Pub on Dec 3 with The Way Out and MAGU. RSVP here.

Listen below:

https://soundcloud.com/hearnebraska/try-to-stay-on-my-side-by-uh-oh

At the Dec 3 show, donations will be collected for the Omaha ACLU. Here’s Champion on the pledge:

“We’re super lucky to play music in such a supportive community, and we think it’s more important than ever to use our little place in the world to give back. We and the Lucy’s Pub crew want friends, family, and strangers whose rights are being threatened to know that we are with them. And instead of doing what felt natural last week and balling up into the fetal position for the foreseeable future, we want to stand up and do as much good as we can while having as much fun as we can too.”

* * *

Photo Coverage: NOFX, PEARS, Useless ID at Sokol Auditorium

HN multimedia intern Connor Lepert went to Sokol Auditorium last night to catch legendary punk band NOFX, on tour in support of its 13th studio album First Ditch Effort. Hardcore band PEARS and Tel Aviv-based punk band Useless ID opened the show. The house was packed. the pit was raucous. See Lepert’s photos below:

NOFX

PEARS

Useless ID

Photos by Conor Lepert

* * *

Photo Coverage: Standing Rock Benefit at The Commons LNK

HN multimedia intern Tarah Dawdy went to The Commons LNK last night to catch Fargo, N.D. band Baltic To Boardwalk, acoustic act Not Ben Shin, Omaha riot grrrl band Boner Killerz (playing its first Lincoln show) and post-rock band Timecat.

The show was a benefit for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and those protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline, which, if built, will run directly through tribal lands and the Missouri River, potentially threatening clean water supply (read more here). All concert proceeds and merch sales were donated to the Stand for Standing Rock No DAPL gofundme campaign to help with supplies for on-site protestors.

Last night’s concert came one day after a nationwide protest, during which thousands took to streets in cities across the country, including Omaha and Lincoln.

Mechelle Walker, president of Red Nation Resilient Generation, spoke of the need to get Nebraska involved.

“It’s going to hurt our crops, its going to hurt the farmers, it’s going to hurt the people in Nebraska.” said Walker

Walker also urged the crowd to remember that opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline is a peaceful movement and that the message is much more effective if carried out through peaceful means with a united front. She said she hopes that in addition to providing support and raising funds, Red Nation will work toward drafting legislation that will enforce the federal laws that protect the tribe.

“We are connected to the river,” she said. “That is my goal, to protect our tribe and to get more people aware that this will affect all of us.”

See Dawdy’s photos from last night below:

Not Ben Shin

Boner Killerz

Timecat

 

Baltic to Boardwalk

Photos and reporting by Tarah Dawdy

* * *

HN’s 2016 Nebraska music Spotify playlist

As the end of 2016 draws near, we’re taking stock of all that’s happened in Nebraska music. First and foremost, that includes new releases, of which there are many strong candidates.

We’ve put together a Spotify playlist sampling as much of it as possible. It includes tracks by the likes of Conny Franko, Bogusman, David Nance, Josh Hoyer and Soul Colossal, Oquoa, The Faint and many more, comprising an eclectic, genre-rich 90 minutes.

Listen to it below. If we missed yours, let us know at news@hearnebraska.org

Also, we realize not all new Nebraska music from this year appears on Spotify. While we’ve covered a ton of those releases too, message us if yours slipped by our radar. We’d love to get a word in on it before the year is out. Again, news@hearnebraska.org.

* * *

Concert Round-Up

Tonight, The Hottman Sisters and CJ Mills play O’Leaver’s, 1322 S Saddle Creek, with indie/soul act Jennifer Hall. It marks the first of three concerts in four days for the sisterly duo, who will open for Lydia and Motherfolk tomorrow night at The Waiting Room before heading to Lincoln to play Duffy’s Tavern on Sunday, again with Jennifer Hall and singer/songwriter Kyra Sallans. RSVP to tonight’s show here.

Also tonight, Omaha singer/songwriter The Sennator releases his debut EP not at a show, but via Facebook Live event on his artist page. On releasing it this way, The Sennator (who requested we use only his artist name) cited Michigan act Vulfpeck as inspiration, saying his prior military experience has cast his friendship network wide. “This is the only way that I can include everyone to be part of this event,” he says.

The five-song EP, named Charlie Graham after an Omaha car-wash, is funk and soul flavored and features guest musicians from Virginia and Washington D.C., as well as Omaha artists vocalist James Goode and woodwind players John Carlotto and Henry Myint. The Sennator says it’ll be just him in his home studio, taking questions and playing from the EP. Tune in here at 8:30 p.m. Listen to “Virtual Reality” below:

https://youtu.be/1Il4qPS-zng

 

Have news tip or story idea? Send to news@hearnebraska.org.