Before we get to tonight's show schedule, here are a couple updates on items that ran this week in Lazy-i:

Jamie Massey, one of the new proprietors of The Sydney -- the bar that's taking over where Mick's used to be (story here) -- wrote to say that his new bar will indeed host live music.

"We will be doing some shows at some point … maybe not full-time like the Waiting Room, but keeping the option available since we have the means," Massey said. He went on to explain that the name wasn't derived from his love of Australia. "It was just an old bar in Sioux City that my grandparents would kick it at... For now we want to open as a place to hang out with decent prices and hopefully a good atmosphere."

Jamie still hasn't replied as to whether The Sydney will be serving Rolling Rock. Mick's didn't (and look what happened to it).

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Chris Kramer, vocalist/guitarist in Stolen Kisses (reviewed here) and synth/guitar player in Talking Mountain, wrote to say that he's moving to Chicago at the end of February and that this past Tuesday's Darren Keen show was his last with Stolen Kisses. "I talked to the other guys in Stolen Kisses, and gave them my blessing to keep the band going," he wrote. "I think we've created a good happening, and I'd hate to see it end just because I had to leave."

Talking Mountain also will continue without Kramer, just as it did before he joined the band. His last show with TM will be next weekend at Box Awesome in Lincoln.

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There are at least four good shows happening tonight. Here's the run-down.

-- The most crowded gig will be at O'Leaver's tonight for Little Brazil and The Dinks. Will this be the first show since Har Mar where there's a line outside the door of people waiting to get in? $5, 9:30 p.m.

-- A night of indie is in store at The Barley St. Tavern tonight with It's True, Oui Bandits, Adam Haug, Beati Paoli and Spring Acres. $5, 9 p.m.

-- Greg Loftis and his band Malpais is playing tonight at Slowdown Jr. with Flight Metaphor. See if any of the Kevin Costner vibe from last night wears off on the set. $7, 9 p.m.

-- Maybe the most interesting show of all is at The 49'r, where The Ettes are playing with Brimstone Howl. The Ettes are a New York trio with a garge-y sound that has toured with acts as diverse as New York Dolls, Holly Golightly, The Constantines, and The Black Keys. I'm digging their new album, Look at Life Again Soon. No idea on the cover. Show will probably start at around 9:30.

Saturday night is much quieter. The legendary Dereck Higgins is playing at The Barley St. with Paper Owls and Agronomo. $5, 9 p.m.

As for Sunday? My money's on Arizona. Don't let me down, Mr. Warner.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

I've been following Darren Keen's career for years, since 2003 when I first interviewed him as The Show Is the Rainbow. TSITR shows are mad, freak-out events, part dance party, part performance art, part AV extravaganza. TSITR recordings and performances have been inaccurately compared to Har Mar Superstar because of their sheer mad-cap quality even though TSITR leans more toward experimental-noise-rap than HMS's comedy-dance-underwear shows.

That said, last night's CD release show for Darren Keen -- not TSITR -- was the most entertaining thing I've seen/heard Keen perform -- a straight-up psychedelic rock show with a bit of standup/personal confession/monologue tossed in between songs. Keen approaches songwriting in a way that so few non-Creek local singer-songwriters are able to -- he writes about his life and how he's living it. His songs aren't cliché, made-up rock fantasies, but small scenes from his personal reality. We got about 45 minutes of Keen singing about crushes suffered at Urban Outfitters, being broke and in debt, drug fantasies in Germany, messages to his mother, bizarre love triangles and other moments from his everyday sordid life.

TSITR fans may not be aware of this, but anyone who remembers Musico knows that Keen is something of a guitar virtuoso -- a real showman. And he's smart enough to surround himself with other virtuosos on keyboards and drums. So while his new record is a somewhat restrained, stripped down, keyboard-dominated affair, the live rendition is pure rock spectacle. And I loved it.

The irony (to me, anyway) is that Keen as TSITR just signed to Retard Disco Records (Gravy Train!!!, Hawnay Troof) and has a new TSITR album coming out this spring, which means he'll be stuck touring his one-man show for the next six months or so, and neglecting the music that I heard last night. Is this merely a Keen side project in the vein of Sean Na Na? If so, it'd be a shame.

I did catch most of the Stolen Kisses' set. Here's a four-piece that consists of guys dressed in collared shirts and sweaters, tweed jacket and turtleneck, playing '60s-style garage rock that recalls early Velvets and MC5 and the bands that influenced them. We're talking stuff like "This Magic Moment," and "My Baby Does the Hanky Panky." I thoroughly dug it, but from what I gleaned by comments made on stage, some of the band's members might be moving away. I don't know that for a fact, but if it's true, it's another shame.

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Column 207 -- about Twitter -- will appear tomorrow. Sorry about the delay.

BTW, if you were thinking of going to that Kevin Costner show at Slowdown tomorrow night, you're all out of luck.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

How to describe Slumberparty, the new album by Darren Keen, the mastermind behind The Show Is the Rainbow… Personal? Introspective? Homemade? Tuneful? Glistening? All those words seem to fit, but not really.

In Keen's interview with Kevin Coffey in the OWH (here), he said he was trying to make a singer-songwriter record, but that Slumberparty wasn't it. "It's kinda like psychedelic singer-songwriter music," he said. It's experimental, but in its own way, less experimental than TSITR. In fact, tunes on the album sport more-focused central melodies, my favorite being "Fun Buddy," with the line, "Well I don't know what I did / Would you show me?" I can't wait to see how Darren belts it out tonight at the album's release party at The Waiting Room. Joining him will be Slumber Party label mates Honeybee, Stolen Kisses & DJ Kobrakyle. $7, 9 p.m.

Speaking of the OWH, I just noticed that another article appeared in the paper last Friday announcing that Mick's is closing and reopening as "The Sydney," a "neighborhood bar." The new owners were identified as Pinkerton Properties, which includes Jamie Massey of Ladyfinger/Race for Titles fame. The owners reiterated that although they're keeping the PA, The Sydney (Aussie theme?) won't be a music venue. I recently discussed the wisdom of opening a new neighborhood bar in the already crowded Benson market with one of the area's bar owners. His take: It'll be a huge success. We'll see.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

The review of Saturday night's Cursive show will be this week's column (about the plusses and minuses of Twitter), so look for it on Wednesday. If you can't wait that long (and who could?) the review's skeleton is on Twitter now, here. The Twitter entries were written in "real time" as a sort of experiment. I'll probably begin to do this at most shows I attend (though detailed reviews will end up blogged at Lazy-i the following day). If you have a Twitter account, go ahead and "follow" me.

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Once upon a time, there was a Memphis band that formed in the early '90s called The Grifters. You may remember them. They put out their seminal album in 1995 on Shangra-La Records, a head-trip called Crappin' You Negative. They switched to Sub Pop in '96 for Ain't My Lookout and Full Blow Possession in 1997. In '96, Grifters guitarist/vocalist Dave Shouse formed Those Bastard Souls, which released one of my favorite records, Debt & Departure on V2 records in 1999. Shouse followed that project with Bloodthirsty Lovers, which put a self-titled album in 2003 followed by Delicate Seam on Frenchkiss Records in 2004.

Then Shouse sort of disappeared. Or at least I lost track of him. I sent him an e-mail a couple years ago, asking what he was up to, and he replied saying he was working on something that wasn't quite ready for public consumption. Then this weekend, I got another e-mail from Shouse, saying:

Scott Taylor & I are back playing together in The New Mary Jane. Just got a few tunes up on MySpace page & soon to post more. Just wanted to let you know that we're still making music down here.

In addition to Taylor, who also was a member of Grifters, New Mary Jane includes John Argroves on drums/vocals, and James Godwin on bass/vocals/synth. The tracks on their myspace page have that same trippy, psychedelic yet almost slacker-heroic indie rock style that The Grifters were known for. Looks like they're currently unsigned (labels, get your checkbooks out).

There's two bands from the '90s that I regret never having seen play live. The first was Silkworm. Well, a couple surviving members of that band, guitarist Andy Cohen and baritone guitarist Tim Midgett, went on to form Bottomless Pit with drummer Chris Manfrin of Seam in 2007. I'm told they're working on a new album as we speak, so maybe we'll get them to come through town in this new incarnation. It's not the same, but it's the next best thing.

The other band I regret having never seen live was The Grifters. Now somebody needs to book New Mary Jane when they finally get their album out and hit the road.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

For those of you heading to Cursive tonight and tomorrow at Slowdown (both shows are sold out), here's sort of a preview in the form of a sweet review of their Jan. 18 Union Hall show in NYC, published in Punknews.org, that includes a set list. Looks like the band is playing five songs from their forthcoming album Mama, I'm Swollen. The question that comes to mind: What's the status of this new album? There's no mention of a specific release date on cursivearmy.com or even more curiously -- saddle-creek.com. In fact, is Saddle Creek even releasing this album? I've yet to see anything indicating that they are in any of their email newsletters or on their site. Let's hope for Creek's sake that my prediction isn't coming true…

***UPDATE: Saddle Creek's Jason Kulbel just confirmed that Mama, I'm Swollen will indeed be released on Saddle Creek Records, though the release date has yet to be set.***

Tonight's show sold out first and rather quickly. I didn't even get a ticket. The reason could be because the openers -- Son Ambulance and It's True -- are more well-known than tomorrow night's openers, Bald Eagle and Fortnight (I did get tickets to that one). Both shows should be legendary.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Three Omaha bands are listed on the South by Southwest website as "official showcase bands": Beep Beep, Cursive and Yuppies. I think this list will only get bigger as we get closer to the event, which is March 18-22 in Austin. You can keep track of the list as it grows right here. No word yet as to whether Saddle Creek or Team Love will be hosting a showcase this year…

* * *

The Modern Age and Rock, Paper, Dynamite are at Slowdown Jr. tonight. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

This week's column is a consolidation of three or four blog entries from the week prior, so if you're a regular Lazy-i reader, you've seen it all before. I include it here merely for documentarian purposes…

Column 206: Headline Rippers
News from the 'net

Here’s a recap of some news that went down last week that's been burning up the Interwebs.

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Sounds like the Box Elders -- everyone's favorite Omaha garage-punk trio -- annihilated Brooklyn music venue Market Hotel Jan. 10, according to brooklynvegan.com. "Box Elders left a lasting impression and had the whole, sold-out, Brooklyn room going crazy," said the reviewer. And apparently Gerard Cosloy was in the house. Cosloy, who started Matador Records with Chris Lombardi in 1990, listed Box Elder's "Hole In My Head" 7-inch on his year-end list of favorite recordings. Will the trio become label mates with Times New Viking? Stay tuned.

* * *

According to a press release from Nettwerk Music Group, Maria Taylor's third solo album, LadyLuck, will be released April 7 on Nettwerk. "Teaming up with producer friends Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Azure Ray and a host of Saddle Creek label mates), Mike Mogis and Lukas Burton and featuring collaborations with Michael Stipe, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes and Mckenzie Smith of Midlake, LadyLuck showcases Taylor's ability to pull at your heart strings while proving she's not a woman down on her luck," said the release. Two tracks from the album became available on iTunes Jan. 13.

I'm told Nettwerk has handled Taylor's management for years. A Canadian company, the label has released music by Great Lake Swimmers, HEM, Guster, Sarah McLachlan, Skinny Puppy, Ladytron, Josh Rouse, and Single Gun Theory, among others. Interestingly, Nettwerk has a history of fighting the RIAA, and has even offered to pay legal fees to defendants being sued for downloading. According to Wiki: "Nettwerk is one of the first major music companies to abolish DRM, releasing songs in the unrestricted MP3 format, as well as the lossless FLAC and Apple Lossless formats."

It's a shame to see any act leave Saddle Creek, but this shouldn't be a big surprise to the label, considering Taylor's past relationship with Nettwerk. I figured Orenda Fink/Art in Manila would be the first to jump ship. Is this a body-blow to Saddle Creek? Well, anytime you lose a performer of Taylor's caliber, it's gotta hurt.

* * *

Speaking of Orenda, up until this past week, Saddle Creek continued to secretly market (now there's an oxymoron for you) a project called O+S. Creek's December e-mail update listed a full-length from O+S as a future release. At the time, I asked Creek who/what O+S is, and was told "More info to come" from Creek exec Jason Kulbel. Meanwhile, Saddle Creek twittered cryptic messages to its followers, like: "can't wait for you to hear the new O+S album! you're going to love it!"

Well, O+S was revealed last week as a new project by Orenda Fink -- the "O" -- and Scalpelist, aka Cedric Lemoyne of Remy Zero -- the "S." College Music Journal reported on it Monday: "The collaboration originally began with Fink's residency at the Bemis Center of Contemporary Arts in Omaha," CMJ said. "As part of the residency experiment, Fink collected odd sounds on travels from Omaha to Haiti, and eventually asked LeMoyne, her friend for nearly 20 years, to help organize it all. LeMoyne was soon sampling and looping the recordings, ultimately crafting the disparate noises into pop song structures for the two to write songs around."

Look for the album on March 24. The reaction? Disappointment by those who were hoping the O stood for Oberst.

* * *

Flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone (which now resembles a copy of Us magazine, I still haven't figured out how to cancel my subscription) I noticed former Omahan Mike Jaworski's Mt. Fuji label mentioned in David Fricke's column. Fricke was shelling out praise for the Whore Moans, a Seattle band that just released its new album -- Hello from the Radio Wasteland -- on Mt. Fuji. Said Fricke, "...the Whore Moans are steadfast believers in loud-fast salvation, or what they call in one power-cord catapult, 'The Holy Fu**ing Moment.' This album has plenty." Nice.

* * *

Tim Kasher talked about getting older in an interview with the Youngstown Vindicator. "Why do people have to act so old?" said Kasher, in the article. "The problem is we all get older, but generally for Americans -- and not myself -- going out to see shows becomes something younger people do, which it doesn't have to be that way. So I think it means more to us when 30-year-olds are into [our music]. Not to dismiss teenagers: When you write and play this umbrella genre of rock ’n’ roll, that’s who listens to it, teenagers."

Kasher went on to say in the article that, believe it or not, he and his band mates were once teen-agers but are now in their 30s. "And it’s not like we’re playing some antiquated music that we don’t believe anymore," he said. "We’re still doing the same things that we believed in then. So I guess it means more to us when there are 30-year-olds who actually have been with us the whole time. I don’t think there are many of them, frankly."

Well, something tells me Kasher will see more than his share this weekend as he and the rest of Cursive play sold-out shows at The Slowdown Friday and Saturday nights. This old guy will be among them.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Some music news on a sleepy Wednesday after Obama...

Dutch Hall Records has released a split 7-inch by Yuppies and Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship. Catalog No. 002 joins No. 001 -- a single by Perry H. Matthews called "From the Brohouse." Copies are available at The Antiquarium and, of course, at the respective bands' shows. According to their Myspace page (where you can also order the singles), Dutch Hall also is affiliated with The Pistol Brothers, Civil Ground, My Dream Scientist, Ryan Prinz, Paul Hansen, Conchance and Noah Sterba. Seems like new labels just keep popping up around here.

Speaking of record labels, Slumber Party Records just posted the third of its weekly "New Thing" downloads at their website. The song by Stolen Kisses, "My Oh My Hanky Panky," is Chris Kramer of Talking Mountain doing his best Tommy James and the Shondells tribute. Nice. The free download joins singles by My Pal Dragon (Matt from Thunder Power) and Honeybee. Get 'em; they're freakin' free.

While you're on the SP site, check out a couple tracks from Darren Keen's new LP, titled Slumberparty Records (here). Keen will be celebrating the CD's release (on his own It Ar Good label) at TWR next Tuesday with Honeybee, Stolen Kisses, & DJ Kobrakyle.

And speaking of upcoming release shows, here are three more to add to your calendar:

-- Hyannis's CD release show for In a Car is Feb. 6 at Slowdown, with Brimstone Howl, Outlaw Con Bandana and The Night Gallery. $5 gets you in the door and a copy of the disc.

-- Ladyfinger will be celebrating the release of their latest Saddle Creek full-length, Dusk, Feb. 21 at Slowdown. The disc actually hits the bins Feb. 3. I've heard it -- it's smokin'!

-- Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies will celebrate the long-awaited release of their debut CD Feb. 28 at Slowdown.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Nothing to report as we all celebrate Obama Day, other than... I caught the Obama pre-inaugural music bash last night on HBO. There, standing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, was Little Johnny Cougar, Bon Jovi, Garth Brooks, Little Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow, Herbie Hancock, Springsteen, U2, and I was starkly reminded what generation Obama comes from. I wonder who put together the program's line-up. Something tells me the new Commander in Chief had nothing to do with it. I hope I'm right.

And is it me or is Bono starting to look like Robin Williams?

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

M83 last night at Slowdown went down pretty much as expected. Actually, that's not true. I went thinking that there may be a bit more theatrics in their staging. After all, they're competing with acts like Sigur Rós, Godspeed! You Black Emperor, and considering the dance/pop nature of some of their songs, The Faint. So it was a bit disappointing to see the only stage accoutrement was a large M83 curtain hanging from the rafters. I also expected a smaller turnout. Someone posted on the webboard last week that only 100 tickets were sold. I would guesstimate that there was maybe three times that number in the crowd -- a respectable turnout except when you consider that M83 is selling out in other cities on this tour.

Their sound, however, was no surprise at all. At the center was mastermind Anthony Gonzales on keyboards, electric guitar, Mac (judging by the glowing Apple logo that stood out like a beacon atop his hardware rack) and vocals. Standing across from him behind an opposing battery of synths was the amazing Morgan Kibby. Add a drummer and bass and you've got a full band that made a note-perfect recreation of the dense, atmospheric, dreamy music heard on M83 albums. M83 is a must for anyone into synth-powered ambient shoe-gazer stuff from bands like those mentioned above as well as The Cure, Roxy Music, Eno, My Bloody Valentine, Cocteau Twins, and stylized synth-dance acts like Ladytron and Junior Boys. Their sheer enormity and their unabashed penchant for '80s synth sounds make them stand out from the crowd. There is a tension and drama to M83's music, which makes the Mogwai/Sigur/Kevin Shields comparisons easy; there's also a knack for Eno-esque repeated phrasings that build to glittering, crashing crescendos. In fact, their music is so naturally theatrical that a complementary lighting show is a must. It certainly would have helped get the crowd into the music -- the bowl in front of the stage was filled with blank-eyed, mesmerized stares, seemingly oblivious to the dance beats.

It was probably the best-sounding show I've heard on Slowdown's big stage -- gorgeous and balanced and not too loud. They played for about an hour before coming back for one 15-minute encore that ended with a shimmering fade played from an empty stage.

* * *

Flipping through the latest issue of Rolling Stone (which now resembles a copy of Us magazine, I still haven't figured out how to cancel my subscription) I noticed former Omahan Mike Jaworski's Mt. Fuji label mentioned in David Fricke's column. Fricke was shelling out praise for the Whore Moans, a Seattle band that just released its new album -- Hello from the Radio Wasteland -- on Mt. Fuji. Said Fricke, "...the Whore Moans are steadfast believers in loud-fast salvation, or what they call in one power-cord catapult, 'The Holy Fucking Moment,' This album has plenty." Nice.

* * *

Tonight, a special Martin Luther King Jr. spectacular at O'Leaver's featuring Reagan and the Rayguns, Local Natives, The Union Line and Voxhaul Broadcast. One wonders if Reagan will recite the "I Have a Dream" speech over a sample of Wil.i.am's "Yes We Can." Now that's hope I can believe in… 9 p.m., $5.

* * *

And last but not least, here are the winners in the Lazy-i Best of 2008 Sampler giveaway:

Ryan Hinderaker, Chicago
Helen Gassmann, Hamburg, PA
Bart L. Parks, Omaha

Congratulations! I'll be dropping your CDs in the mail tomorrow. And thanks to everyone who entered.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

First, within an hour after posting yesterday's blog entry, Lincoln music expert and man-about-town Jeremy Buckley posted a comment on my webboard with all the details about O+S (here). Judging by the number of profile views on their myspace page, I'm the last to know about Orenda's new project. Lord only knows why Saddle Creek is keeping them on the down low -- there's no mention of O+S on the Creek site, despite the fact that the album hits the streets in March.

* * *

Tim Kasher talks about getting older in a new interview at the Youngstown Vindicator (here). From the article: "Why do people have to act so old," said Kasher, laughing while calling from Santa Monica, Calif. "The problem is we all get older, but generally for Americans — and not myself — going out to see shows becomes something younger people do, which it doesn't have to be that way. So I think it means more to us when 30-year-olds are into [our music]. Not to dismiss teenagers: When you write and play this umbrella genre of rock ’n’ roll, that’s who listens to it, teenagers.
"We were teenagers, and now we’re in our 30s. And it’s not like we’re playing some antiquated music that we don’t believe anymore. We’re still doing the same things that we believed in then. So I guess it means more to us when there are 30-year-olds who actually have been with us the whole time. I don’t think there are many of them, frankly."

I remember when I was a teenager listening to albums with my headphones and thinking how much I'd miss music when I got older because there was this thought that "old people" don't listen to music, that rock was for teen-agers only. Certainly my dad didn't listen to rock music. The same backward thinking applies to rock shows -- when are you too old to go see a band (other than a dinosaur act at the Qwest Center)? Is it when your friends quit going to shows? Or when you have kids and reprioritize your life so that music no longer plays a role? Well, my old friends don't go to shows anymore, so I made new friends. I can't speak to the issue of getting married and having a family. I can say that a lot of people I know put music away when their children arrived and use their family life as an excuse for not going out any more (or doing anything creative, for that matter). So be it. Chances are even if they didn't have kids they would have quit going to shows anyway. Rare is the person who can continue to "get into" new music (and not just what they grew up with) after they reach their 30s. That's just the way it is.

* * *

Which is a good segue into letting you know that today is the last day you can enter to win a copy of the Lazy-i Best of 2008 CD Sampler! I started putting together samplers 12 years ago as a way of sharing new music with friends and family who either don't have the time or the resources to hear new music. And now you can become part of that "inner circle." Just send me an e-mail (to tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you'll be entered into a drawing for a free copy. Tracks include songs by Silver Jews, David Byrne/Brian Eno, Conor Oberst, Jenny Lewis, UUVVWWZ, Deerhunter, M83, Taking Mountain, Neva Dinova, Dan McCarthy, Tilly and the Wall and more. Full track listing is here. Enter today. Deadline is tomorrow, and I'll be announcing the winners on Monday.

* * *

There's a very special show tonight at Slowdown Jr. -- the last-ever performance by Sleep Said the Monster. I got an email from Karl Houfek of SStM a couple weeks ago saying the band may return in a different incarnation at some point, but that Chris Rivera (drummer) is moving to Miami soon and "we're either going to pack it in as a band or get a fresh start with a new name." Houfek is pretty busy these days as a member of both Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies and It's True. Helping send off SStM in style will be Deleted Scenes and Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship. $7, 9 p.m.
Also going on tonight, The Filter Kings play at The Waiting Room (headliner Joe Buck Yourself cancelled). With Weezil Skweezins Or Whatever. $5, 9 p.m.

Over at The Saddle Creek Bar it's John Klemmensen (Landing on the Moon) with Jes Winter and Black on High. $5, 9 p.m.

* * *

Tomorrow night at Slowdown Jr. it's the victorious return of Box Elders after a successful East Coast tour. Also on the bill is Girls of Gravitron, Yuppies and The Contrails. $7, 9 p.m.

It's another night of punk at the Saddle Creek Bar Saturday night with The Upsets, Jealous Lovers and Cordial Spew. $5, 9 p.m.

OEA winner for best cover/tribute band The Song Remains the Same plays at The Waiting Room Saturday night with Tenclub, a Pearl Jam tribute band. $7, 9 p.m.

Finally, Sunday night is M83 at Slowdown with Fine Fine Automobiles (Landon Hedges). Tickets are still available for $15.

* * *

One final non-music-related note: The closing of the Cinema Center yesterday garnered a lot of coverage in the local press that included dollops of nostalgia and reminiscing, and that's fine. Missing from the coverage, however, was the fact that Cinema Center had one of the largest (if not thee largest) movie theater auditorium in Omaha, designed to old-school specs that made going to a movie feel like going to an event. Cinema Center's huge No. 1 aud could fit well over 600 patrons and was only rivaled by the long, lost Indian Hills for sheer size. There's nothing like seeing a movie in a sold-out theater that enormous. These days, the average theater auditorium capacity is miniscule in comparison, thanks to the advent of stadium seating. Sure, we're more comfortable, but it just ain't the same.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

According to a press release from Nettwerk Music Group received this past Monday, Maria Taylor's third solo album, LadyLuck, will be released April 7 on Nettwerk. "Teaming up with producer friends Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes, Azure Ray and a host of Saddle Creek label mates), Mike Mogis and Lukas Burton and featuring collaborations with Michael Stipe, Nate Walcott of Bright Eyes and Mckenzie Smith of Midlake, LadyLuck showcases Taylor's ability to pull at your heart strings while proving she's not a woman down on her luck," said the release. Two tracks from the album will be available on iTunes Jan. 13, and listeners can get a sneak peak right now at myspace.com/mariataylor.

I'm told Nettwerk has handled Taylor's management for years. A Canadian company, Nettwerk has released music by Great Lake Swimmers, HEM, Guster, Sarah McLachlan, Skinny Puppy, Ladytron, Josh Rouse, and Single Gun Theory, among others. (Interestingly, Nettwerk has a history of fighting the RIAA, and has even offered to pay legal fees to defendants being sued for downloading. According to Wiki: "Nettwerk is one of the first major music companies to abolish DRM, releasing songs in the unrestricted MP3 format, as well as the lossless FLAC and Apple Lossless formats.")

It's a shame to see any act leave Saddle Creek, but this shouldn't be a big surprise to the label, considering her past relationship with Nettwerk. In all honesty, I figured Orenda Fink/Art in Manila would be the first to jump ship. Is this a body-blow to Saddle Creek? Well, anytime you lose a performer of Taylor's caliber, it's gotta hurt.

Meanwhile, Creek continues to secretly market (now there's an oxymoron for you) a project called O+S. Creek's December e-mail update listed a full-length from O+S as a future release. I asked Creek who/what O+S is, and was told "More info to come" from Creek exec Jason Kulbel. Meanwhile, Saddle Creek twittered the following message to its followers this morning: "can't wait for you to hear the new O+S album! you're going to love it!" The plot thickens...

* * *

The weekend starts early tonight at The Waiting Room as XL recording artist Tapes 'N Tapes performs with Wild Light and our very own Little Brazil. $12, 9 p.m.

And speaking of shows, last night I bought my ticket to the Jan. 24 Cursive show at Slowdown. For Just $5. If you want to go you better get your ticket toot-sweet. The Friday, Jan. 23, show has already sold out.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Here's part 2:

Column 205: Visions of '09 (Pt. 2)
The lightning round.

Someone came up to me at the bar after reading Part 1 (which appeared in last week's issue of The Reader) and painstakingly tried to explain why my first installment of "Visions of '09" was pure balderdash, how my prediction that terrestrial radio would perish in the flames of Wi-Fi/3G/WiMax-enabled Internet radio was impossible because not only would it require that the RIAA and record labels agree to let SJs (which stands for Stream Jockeys, the modern-day DJs who program internet radio and podcasts) play "their" music unhindered, but that ASCAP and BMI and every other music mafia organization would have to acquiesce as well, not to mention bands like Metallica, which have been fighting to get every spare ruble out of its trailer-park-loving fans' pockets since back in the Napster days and blah-blah-blah-blah-blah…

At which point I had to explain, again, that although these predictions can be uncannily accurate (check the scorecard for the '08 predictions), they are written for ENTERTAINMENT purposes; that I don't actually have a crystal ball or reverse Wayback Machine or closet of magic fortune cookies filled with riddles that reveal the future. It's all for fun, see. And maybe if I know something that you don't know and happen to slip that into the mix along with the obvious crazy stuff, well so be it. Sometimes visions are guesses, sometimes they're warnings, sometimes they're hopes, but once in a while they're dead right.

So last week was the more cerebral predictions; this week is the lightning round. Hold on, here we go:

-- Saddle Creek watched as two of its three crown jewels flew the coop in '08 – The Faint and Conor Oberst (though Bright Eyes probably will release something on Creek again, some day). To add to their woes, one of Tim Kasher's bands – either Cursive or The Good Life – will release an album somewhere other than Saddle Creek. But don't worry. The label will pull out a secret project this year that will not only blow your mind but also outsell every one of its past releases.

-- The economy will continue to take its toll on Omaha's music venues as another well-known club will switch hands (and yes, someone will eventually buy Mick's, but not this year). Meanwhile, an already-established venue will become red hot by hosting the ultimate celebrity open-mike night. PS: A West Omaha club will catch traction among the indie crowd.

-- Just as Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson began to book shows in the shadow of the Ranch Bowl's Matt Markel, another young entrepreneur will launch a promotion company to compete with One Percent Productions, booking underground, fringe and indie acts that have eluded the Omaha market. Initially the new "company" will focus on venues not locked down by Marc and Jim, but eventually it will nose its way into downtown and Benson clubs.

-- Bands we'll be talking about this time next year: Box Elders, Pavement, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies, Cursive, U2, Titus Andronicus, Spoon, The Show Is the Rainbow, Replacements, Outlaw Con Bandana, Liz Phair, Talking Mountain, Alessi's Ark, Jake Bellows, Little Brazil, Denver Dalley, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Fullblown.

-- Bands we won't be talking about this time next year: Girl Talk, Okkervil River, The Faint, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Nickelback, Britney, Kanye, Animal Collective, Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Of Montreal, Metallica, British divas.

-- Conor Oberst will break the hearts of thousands of his female fans.

-- One of the city's three renowned downtown record stores – Drastic Plastic, The Antiquarium or Homer's Old Market – will close its doors. Meanwhile, huge national retailers like Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target will continue to reduce shelf space for CDs as they quietly get out of the music business.

-- One of Omaha's under-the-radar record labels – Slumber Party, Slo-Fi, It Are Good, I'm Drinking This, Boom Chick, Speed! Nebraska or a new label TBA – will gain national attention when one of its bands breaks on a national level.

-- Due to the death of one of its members, we will say goodbye to one of the few remaining all-time classic rock acts that originated in the '60s and is (was) still performing today. The loss will be recognized as the passing of an era.

-- ARC Studios will host an arena-level superstar to record his/her next album.

-- Yet another 2-hour radio show will launch on one of city's stations that will feature locally produced music along with top-flight indie bands.

-- In an effort to attract new blood to the OEA's music category, one of this year's OEA showcases will be held at Slowdown.

-- A new online music news source will launch this year that will complement existing online blogs and webboards, but will actively compete with printed outlets for precious advertising revenue. The new website/blog/social media site will offer podcasts, videos, mp3 downloads, live streams and a Twitter feed, and will have a staff large enough to rival the local alt weeklies.

-- In an effort to bring more (younger) culture to the White House, President Obama will announce a one-day concert that will feature some of the hottest indie and hip-hop acts performing alongside the biggest names in rock and jazz. The event will become a cultural touchstone along the lines of Woodstock or the Monterey Pop Festival.

-- Instead of appearing on one of the usual late-night talk shows, a local band will break into television by scoring a commercial that will make one of its songs as notorious as Feist's Apple commercial or Of Montreal's Outback Steakhouse ads.

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Sounds like the Box Elders annihilated Market Hotel in NYC last Saturday night, according to this item at brooklynvegan.com. "Box Elders left a lasting impression and had the whole, sold-out, Brooklyn room going crazy," says the reviewer. Check out the snaps from the show. Apparently Matador's Gerard Cosloy was in the house. We already know that he's a fan. Will Omaha's favorite garage-punk trio become labelmates with Times New Viking? Stay tuned.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Slowdown is back to normal after a rather messy weekend. Bar owner Jason Kulbel confirmed that things got a little out of hand at last Friday night's Girl Talk show. Some geniuses decided it would be fun to shove rolls of toilet paper into the toilets and back up the plumbing. Slowdown personnel and plumbers worked on the problem overnight and figured they had it all fixed the following day. They didn't find out until after show time Saturday that they still had a problem, and had to cancel after it started. Needless to say, the beer was flowing again on Sunday. Good thing, too, because Slowdown will be finishing this week strong with Deleted Scenes, Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship and the last-ever show by Sleep Said the Monster on Friday, Box Elders on Saturday and M83 on Sunday (I'm surprised it hasn't sold out yet).

I missed Girl Talk mainly because it had been marketed as a "dance party." And while I love dance music, everyone is better off if I just kept my dancing to myself. GT's mash-ups are a lot of fun, though they border on novelty (kind of like Dickie Goodman's "Mr Jaws," but without the narrative -- fun the first few times through, but then the joke gets old). I spent Saturday night hanging out at The Saddle Creek Bar, where I heard a dirty set of punkish rock by The Fu*ken Snakes, and what can be described as "ear-piercing experimental noise collage with a static beat" by headliner El Diablos Blancos. Show draw: Maybe 30, not including the performers. I had fun...

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Ah, the OEA's…

A few weeks ago, maybe it was months ago, someone involved in the Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards (OEA's) asked me what they could do to attract the younger indie bands to the organization's events -- specifically their showcases, etc. This guy was referring to the Hotel Frank/Slumber Party Records bands as well as the usual Creek/Team Love bands. I told him I didn't know. That there may be a perception that the OEA's are an "establishment" organization focused on conservative, establishment entertainment. In other words, those bands may think the OEA's aren't "cool," or for that matter, that awards and competition among bands is kind of stupid.

But after last night's show, I think they may be staying away because they think the OEA's are for old people. The average age of the folks on stage last night was probably around 50. Emcee Dave Webber, with his "case of crab" jokes and running updates on the Florida/Oklahoma game, certainly gave the show a "sitting at home with grandpa" charm. Then there was this seemingly endless parade of honorees in their 60s (or older), carefully being led on stage to accept their awards, telling stories of days long gone by. Afterward, Webber would come back to the podium and say something like, "Isn't she wonderful? We worked together in the late early '60s." Even the crowd seemed older. Most of the people seated near us in the balcony were late-middle-aged or older, except for two young girls seated to my left who screamed every time Emphatic's name was mentioned. They left looking rather dejected after the last category inwhich they were nominated.

The whole evening was a contrast to the first two years, where everyone seemed to be having a good time and you never knew what was going to happen on stage. Clearly there was an effort to throttle back on unscripted revelry. The most noticeable and distracting format change was how half of the award winners were announced but were hustled back stage to receive their awards. On the other hand, some winners were allowed to come on stage. It was confusing for everyone involved, including the audience. The unfortunate outcome -- whether it was planned or by circumstance -- was that the majority of those accepting awards on stage were old people.

My primary gripe about the OEA's, however, was that Indie music -- which Omaha and Nebraska is known for NATIONALLY -- wasn't represented throughout the evening -- except of course for winning awards. How does that happen? How do you put together an awards show that's supposed to honor the area's best and brightest musicians and not have a single indie artist perform?

In fact, show organizers somehow managed to have only two of the music category winners perform during the show -- Kris Lager playing music completely out of his genre, and a gospel choir. I'm told that two of the winning bands had been asked to perform -- but that they were told that they could only bring half of their members. To their credit, the bands refused.

Indie wasn't the only music genre left in the dust. There was no hip-hop, metal, punk, i.e., music that appeals to a younger audience.

Why was an entire portion of the music community ignored by this event? Any music critic from outside this state will take one look at the show's coverage and wonder what happened to all the cool indie bands that Omaha is known for. It is, frankly, kind of strange. The most important bands from this scene -- the Saddle Creek acts, Slumber Party/Hotel Frank bands, the Goldberg/garage band scene, the punk scene -- the bands that record and tour nationally -- continue to be conspicuously absent. If the OEAs do not -- or can not -- get these musicians involved, then it's time to reconsider the value of the event. It simply doesn't represent Omaha.

Or maybe I'm just taking this way too seriously. Fact is, any recognition is better than no recognition, right? Here's the run-down of winners:

Best Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Roots/Americana: Black Squirrels

Best Adult Alternative/Singer Songwriter: Brad Hoshaw and Seven Deadlies

Best Blues: Kris Lager Band

Best DJ/Electronic: Brent Crampton

Best Cover Band: The Song Remains the Same

Best Jazz/Standards: Luigi, Inc.

Best Ethnic: Rhythm Collective

Best Gospel: Salem Baptist Church Voices of Victory

Best R&B/Funk/Soul: Son of 76 & The Watchmen

Best Rock: Little Brazil

Best Hard Rock/Punk/Metal: Bloodcow

Best Indie: The Faint

Best Hip-Hop: Jamazz

Album of the Year: Midwest Dilemma, Timelines & Tragedies

Best New Artist: Civicminded

Artist of the Year: The Faint

Surprises? Considering who was nominated, not really. Maybe that Oberst didn't win anything, but then again, the Academy voters may be suffering from Conor fatigue, especially since he didn't show up for the OEA's last year and it was assumed that he wouldn't be there last night. Little Brazil was surprised that they won, considering they didn't release an album last year. Civicminded was a bit surprised, too, since they've been around for five years. I knew that Midwest Dilemma would win either Album of the Year or Artist of the Year. I figured Oberst would take Album of the Year because, like I said yesterday, his solo debut is on a lot of national critics' top-10 lists (including mine).

Oh well. Onto Year Four...

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Briefly, what's going on this weekend:

Tonight at Slowdown it's the long-soldout Girl Talk concert with Hollywood Holt and Grand Buffet. The Waiting Room has Sarah Benck and the Robbers, Skypiper and Tim Wildsmith, $7, 9 p.m.

Almost forgot the show I'll probably be at tonight: Kyle Harvey at The Barley St. Tavern with Andrew Ancono of Noah's Ark Was a Spaceship, and Headphones. 9 p.m., $? (It'll be cheap, don't worry).

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

The Omaha Entertainment Awards (OEA's) annual award show is tonight at The Holland Center. If you can't afford a ticket, you can watch it unfold at home (if you have Cox digital cable and aren't glued to the national championship game) by tuning into Cox 120 at 7:30 p.m.

I’ve been told the show will undergo a few format changes this year. Among them:

-- The program is scheduled to run only 90 minutes – if only the Oscars were so brief. If they stay on schedule, I'll be home in time for the second half.
-- The lobby bar will be closed during the ceremony. Last year, as you may recall, there were as many people (or maybe more) in the lounge drinking their asses off as there were watching the actual event in the Holland auditorium.
-- More work has been done to dovetail the categories in an ill-fated attempt at keeping people from leaving right after their award has been announced -- always a problem. Last year the auditorium floor was filled at the beginning of the ceremony, by the last performance two-thirds of the seats were empty.
-- In an effort to “spice things up” or maybe to “show solidarity in the music community” or maybe to “give a nod to those who came before us,” nominated musicians have been asked to perform together as “mash-ups” (which is the wrong use of that word). So, two (or more) nominees will appear together on stage to perform a song by a singer/songwriter/performer from Omaha’s past. My personal take: most people at this awards show don't know who these nominees actually are. Wouldn’t it make more sense to have the nominees play their own songs so that this new audience could be introduced to their music or at least have a better understanding why their music is being honored? Turning Omaha’s singer/songwriters into cover artists for the evening is only going to keep their music a mystery. We’ll see how it goes tonight.

On top of all that, they're handing out awards. So, like last couple of years, here are my predictions as to who will win, and -- in the interest of full disclosure -- how I voted (I am, after all, an "Academy Member" ya know):

Best Adult Alternative/Singer Songwriter: I voted for Brad Hoshaw & Seven Deadlies, with Kyle Harvey as my alternate (We had to provide a “preferred” choice and a “second” choice). There were a lot of obvious people missing from the list of nominees in this category, not the least of which were Conor Oberst, Dan McCarthy, Simon Joyner, Jake Bellows/Neva Dinova, Joe Knapp, Talking Mountain, Capgun Coup, Baby Walrus, Mal Madrigal, well, let’s just say anyone on Saddle Creek or Slumber Party Records rosters.

Nominees are selected by a public voting process, so the lack of the artists mentioned above could mean:

1) Voters think Saddle Creek artists suck,

2) Despite touring nationally and appearing in the national press, folks around town still don’t know who Creek artists are,

3) Creek artists don’t do enough to promote themselves locally or for this event,

4) Creek artists need to play weekly shows around town to get nominated,

5) Creek artists are being boycotted/blacklisted by the people who participate in the OEA’s,

6) The majority of those casting public ballots have shitty taste,

7) The majority of those casting ballots view the OEA’s as a way to give more exposure to artists that they feel need it rather than honor the very best in the music community.

That said, even if all of those Creek/Slumber Party folks had been nominated, I would have voted for Hoshaw, who will win this category.

Best Alternative/Indie: I voted for Conor Oberst. Waitaminit, the guy who’s on a number of national critics' "best of" lists for '09 wasn't nominated. That being the case, I actually voted for The Faint, followed by Tilly & the Wall. The Faint will take this one home. Wonder if someone from the band will even be there?

Best Ethnic: Based solely on their OEA showcase performance from two years ago, my vote went to Mariachi Luna y Sol followed by Mariachi Zapata. The winner will be Rhythm Collective.

Best Hard Rock/Metal/Punk: I voted for Bloodcow, and Bloodcow will take home the crystal shaft.

Best Country/Bluegrass/Folk/Roots/Americana: Geeze, the only thing they left out of this category description was "jug band." For whatever reason, Conor Oberst was one of the nominees here, though he doesn’t really fit the genre. Oberst is more singer/songwriter than country (no real country-loving KXKT listener would mistake Oberst for a C&W artist). Had I been able to write-in a nominee, it would have been The Filter Kings. Instead, I picked Oberst, because even in the wrong category he’s the best songwriter/performer, followed by Hoshaw and his band (also not Country). The winner will be Oberst.

Best Jazz/Standards: Despite the fact that most people only know him from his luncheon gigs at The Dell or his appearances at Mr. Toad, and know nothing about his celebrated past, Luigi, Inc., will win. He got my vote, followed by Steve Raybine.

Best Hip Hop/Rap: I voted for Articulate, followed by Breathless. Breathless will win.

Best Blues: I voted for Kris Lager Band even though I don’t like his music. At least what he does seems bluesy (rather than just sounding like a cover band). Second pick was Sarah Benck and The Robbers, which isn’t a blues band. Sarah will win.

Best New Artist: The thing everyone brings up about this category is that most of the nominees aren’t new at all, but they must fit whatever guidelines the OEA has that define someone as “being new.” My vote went to Malpais even though I’ve never heard their CD . I’ve seen them perform live a number of times last year. My alternate was Shiver Shiver, who I think will actually take home the trophy.

Best R&B/Funk/Soul: Like last year, I voted for Satchel Grande, who blows away everyone in this category. That said, the winner will probably be the 9’s, who have a lot of friends among the academy members and have been around for years.

Best Rock: Of course, my background is indie music, and indie music is rock music, and the best indie rock band among the nominees is Little Brazil. But other than playing live, LB didn't do much last year (next year is a whole 'nother story). The Whipkey Three got my vote, but really, they fit in better in the Americana or singer/songwriter category. That said, the winner will be Chris Saub.

Best Cover Band: This is a category that doesn’t belong in an award show. Regardless, here it is. My vote, of course, went to Song Remains the Same. Second choice was Secret Weapon. Song Remains the Same will win.

DJ/Electronic: I voted for Brent Crampton, who is the central artist that drives Omaha’s DJ scene. Brent will win unless people construe this category as meaning "best live elecxtronic band," inwhich case The Faint will win. I have no idea why "DJ" and "Electronic" are in the same category.

Local Album of the Year: Conor Oberst again is nominated, this time for his self-titled solo debut. He also got my vote – easily the best album of all the nominees. My second choice was The Faint’s Fasciinatiion. The winner will be Oberst.

Artist of the Year: The winner will be determined by how the academy interprets what the category means. Is the "Artist of the Year" the best performer or the performer who accomplished the most? To me, it means the performer from Omaha who accomplished the most on a local and national scale. With that yardstick in mind, Oberst should win (again), but he's not nominated, so I voted for The Faint, followed by Tilly and the Wall. Considering the make up of the academy (that I know of) the winner will be Midwest Dilemma.

See you at the show.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Here's what you've been waiting for: Part 1 of my 2-part "Music Visions of 2009" article, the uncannily accurate round-up of my premonitions for this year. Part 1 includes a recap of my predictions from last year (and what actually happened) and includes the first half of my predictions for '09 -- a more, shall we say, cerebral list of visions of the future. This is it, folks, the year it all goes down. Take a look. Part 2 -- the usual list of which bands will do what with who and when -- will appear next week in Lazy-i (and will be added to the bottom of the article).

After you're done looking into my crystal ball, enter to win a copy of the coveted Lazy-i Best of 2008 Compilation CD! All you have to do is e-mail me (tim@lazy-i.com) with your name and mailing address and you'll be entered into the drawing. Tracks include songs by M83, Deerhunter, UUVVWWZ, Brad Hoshaw, Jenny Lewis, Titus Andronicus, Conor Oberst, Vampire Weekend, Tilly and the Wall, and more. Details and track listing are right here. Enter today! Deadline's January 17.

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

There's not much to report today, but that doesn’t mean there isn't news, or at least someone trying to get their news online. Here's a sample of the press releases I received in my email box today alone. it's going to be a busy year…

These Arms Are Snakes Announce First US Tour in Support of New Album "Tail Swallower & Dove!"
Glasvegas In Stores Today, Kick Off US Tour
The Boxer Rebellion Set To Digitally Release Sophomore Album "Union" on January 11, 2009
LOW VS DIAMOND NEWS: TOUR WITH NIKOLAI FRAITURE OF THE STROKES & MORE
N.A.S.A. To Tour North America This February ‘The Spirit of Apollo’ To Be Released 2/17 On Anti-
Jones Street Station Announce January Tour & Ben Kweller Northeast Theater Dates In February
Harlem Shakes To Release Debut LP "Technicolor Health" Out March 24th On Gigantic Music
SWAN LAKE to release "Enemy Mine" on Jagjaguwar this March
The Antlers Self-Release New Full Length, Hospice, March 3rd
ANDREW BIRD: NOBLE BEAST NPR EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN STREAMING NOW
Witch ( J Mascis ) and Earthless Set Dates For Winter Tour
Antony & the Johnsons Announce "The Crying Light" Presale w/ Instant Digital Download + Bonus Track!
NCIS: THE OFFICIAL TV SOUNDTRACK SET FOR FEBRUARY 10 RELEASE

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Tomorrow, the long-awaited Part 1 of Visions of 2009 (Predictions for the coming year in music). See you there!

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--

Brad Hoshaw was in his usual fine form and The Whipkey Three cranked it up a few notches on Friday night in front of a hundred or so people at The Waiting Room. Hoshaw performed an acoustic set that included a few new songs (or at least ones that I haven't heard before). He said he's putting the finishing touches on his Seven Deadlies record -- Omaha waits with baited breath. Whipkey and Co. played for more than an hour (90 minutes?). The set included a handful of new songs, most of them heavier than the usual TW3 fodder. In fact, one song started with a reggae beat before evolving into something that sounded like it was off Zeppelin's later records.

I planned on seeing Reagan and The Rayguns Saturday night at Slowdown Jr., but stayed home in fear of icy roads. Poor me. I'll get another chance Jan. 19 when Reagan and the boys play at O'Leaver's.

* * *

Interesting story in the Sunday Omaha World-Herald about the economy's impact on local clubs (here). Nice reporting. My only quibble was that the Mick's portion of the story didn't mention that the bar has been for sale for a long, long time, well before the economy took a bath. In fact, maybe the oddest thing about Mick's recent sale is that he was able to find a buyer at what could be the worst time in history to invest in a new bar (or any new business, for that matter). The discussion about Slowdown now willing to take any band that they think can fill the venue (and not just indie bands) is old news. TWR always has had that business philosophy. Maybe the most interesting part of the story were comments from David Rezak, a Syracuse University professor, who said that small clubs were in a better position than large venues (like the Qwest Center) to thrive during economic downturns, thanks in part because their shows have lower ticket prices. Missing were comments from venue owners other than the Slowdown and TWR guys, but isn't that always the case?

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In some rather unfortunate news, The Barley St. Tavern reportedly was held up at gunpoint Friday night. No one was hurt, but that makes two Benson bars held up in the past two weeks. It may be time for the Benson Business Association to put some money in a hat and hire off-duty cops to patrol the streets at night.

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Tonight at PS Collective, it's Talking Mountain with Oui Bandits, Netherfriends and White Elephant Gift Exchange. 9 p.m., $5. It's arguably the best (if not the only) show of the week, until Friday's Girl Talk show. Go!

--Got comments? Post 'em here.--