After a run of Summer shows for Velvet, the year is about to come to a close at Reverb Lounge November 11. Velvet will be joining Wedding in supporting Dusk (WI) and Visual Learner (MN) and will most likely be the final Velvet show of the year. Ticket link below.
Garst is quiet. Too quiet. Foehammer will be forever incubating.
Omaha music is in jeopardy. People simply aren't showing up to smaller scale shows compared to other cities. On their latest national tour, MJ Lenderman sold out every show on the first leg of their run with Ryan Davis and the Roundhouse band, except for Omaha. According to the updated ticket standings on their tour poster, Omaha didn't even reach "low ticket" status. On local bills, attendance is sparse.
On 10/29, Chicago band Edging had to scramble to find a new venue after Reverb Lounge fell through for reasons unknown. Thanks to soundsmith and former Omaha resident Darren Keen (PROBLEMS), the show was relocated to The Tavern, a polished little bar directly off 10th st. The signage for the establishment was limited, so a sharp eye was needed to find the place without map aid. The bill consisted of Keen doing an experimental set using radios which he dialed in simultaneously to create a patchwork cacophony of static and familiar frequencies, followed by local sludge duo Trees with Eyes.
A marked decibel change between Keen and Trees with Eyes was just what was needed to ramp up the show's momentum. Guitarist Adrian Walter achieves new textures on guitar using a number of factors including a stereo amplifier setup, an unconventional chain of distortion and fuzz pedals, and abruptly yet dynamically changing the register of his playing. When synced up with drummer John Staples' no-frills garage stylings, the result is a fine combination of Coachwhips destructive humor and Dinosaur Jr's virtuosic chaos.
The headliner for the evening was Edging, a band from Chicago that has been gaining regional and national attention for their spastic live shows and their unique combination of modern-day hardcore acidic no-wave topped off with candid lyricism about day-to-day Queer life. The set was incredible, the energy infectious by nature. People were beckoned from the streets outside to join in on the celebration, to understand the magnitude of the band they were so fortunate to experience.
Pictured: Edging performing at The Tavern, Darren Keen (PROBLEMS) and Adrian Walter (Trees with Eyes) look on
The final tally for attendance however sat at roughly 30 heads. Of course last-minute reschedules will hurt the outcome of any show, but in other cities bands like Edging are playing to packed houses night after night. Turnouts like last night make me worry about the future of Omaha as a beacon for national acts. The number of DIY venues has decreased to a singular house now, The Foxhole, with a couple additional houses popping up to host friends or residents of the respective houses. Is there enough interest or demand for live music in Omaha? Am I prematurely becoming a crochety old man reminiscing about days past? Only time will tell.
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