popwreckoning

As PopWreckoning’s Music Editor, I strive to post things that may or may not have been heard by the world. Most of the time, the posts on this site reflect the musical taste of each writer, I love that. We are a creative site that works toward bringing music to your ears and we hope that you enjoy it. With that said, here is a list, including silly notes, of some of my favorite bands right now (that you may not have heard of, yet).

Millions of Boys (Omaha, NE) – a three-piece with an attitude. quick, poppy, and so much fun. It’s like lo-fi punk and catchy imperfection, all while being perfect.
Noteworthy lyrics, “that girl is the bomb/that girl is the bomb/but that bomb was a DUD” – from “Dudcats”
Download their Demos for free:
millionsofboys.bandcamp.com

Night Beds (Colorado Springs/Nashville) – slow, ambient harmonic vocals meet pedals with soothing tunes. perfect driving music through mountains and amazing scenery.
Download both of their EP’s for free:
nightbedsmusic.bandcamp.com
www.nightbeds.org 

Sleeping Bag (Bloomington, IN) – upbeat rock that includes claps and deep vocals. think a bit like Cake without all of the horns. the entire album keeps heads bopping and feet tapping along.
Buy their self-titled album!
sleepingbag.bandcamp.com
sleepsleepingbag.com

Last Year’s Men (Chapel Hill, NC) – garage rock with traces of blues and soul. see these guys live if you have the chance, the energy and emotion will blow you away.
Sidenote: super nice guys all around. talk to them at shows and buy them sandwiches.
lastyearsmen.bandcamp.com

Dowsing (Chicago, IL) – soooo emo. soooo awesome. songs about friends, and girls, and life. on Count Your Lucky Stars (who also has great emo bands).
Digital download for whatever you want to pay, vinyl for $5:
dowsing.bandcamp.com

More than Skies (Long Island, NY) – side project of Adam Tomlinson from other LI band, Sleep Bellum Sonno. acoustic with his heart poured into the lyrics. there’s happy lyrics, and sad. something for any mood.
Noteworthy lyrics, “if not for you, I would have given up by now/I wouldn’t have made it to the door./If it was for me, I’m sure I’d mess things up.”
Get the EP with a tape:
morethanskies.bandcamp.com 

I also know it says new music but these aren’t necessarily new releases, these are bands that I hope are new to you as a listener and reader of our site. Enjoy!

Long Beach, Calif. band, The Fling is getting a taste of the Midwest during this chilly month with Yukon Blonde. Both bands will be playing this upcoming Friday, December 2 in Omaha at Slowdown Jr and the very next day in Kansas City at the Riot Room.

Being on the road since October with David Vandervelde and Floating Action, they’re finishing up the third leg of tour with Canadian rockers, Yukon Blonde.

The Fling are currently supporting their recent seven song EP released on Dangerbird Records, What I’ve Seen. Along with the EP, you can view a video from their single “Dogpile” here.

Yukon Blonde also has a new EP out, Fire//Water, released in September on Dine Alone Records. Watch the “Water” video here.

These are both two bands you won’t want to miss especially on the same bill together. Check out their tour dates below, websites, and other cool things.

Tour Dates:
Thu, Dec 1    Ames, IA  @  The Maintenance Shop
Fri, Dec 2    Omaha, NE @   Slowdown Jr
Sat, Dec 3    Kansas City, MO @   Riot Room
Sun,Dec 4    Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
Tue, Dec 6    Little Rock, AR  @  Juanita’s Cantina
Wed, Dec 7    Dallas, TX  @  Double Wide
Thu, Dec 8    Houston, TX  @  Fitz Downstairs
Fri, Dec 9      Austin, TX  @  Emo’s Inside
Sun, Dec 11    Denver, CO  @  Larimer Lounge
Tue, Dec 13    Salt Lake City, UT  @  Kilby Court
Wed, Dec 14    Boise, ID  @  Neurolox
Fri, Dec 16    Spokane, WA  @  A Club
Sat, Dec 17   Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Café
Sun, Dec 18  Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
Wed, Dec 21 San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar
Thu, Dec 22  Los Angeles, CA @ Echo

The Fling | website | facebook | twitter
Yukon Blonde | website | facebook | twitter

Omaha’s Maha Festival has started to reveal details of its lineups and its headliner announcement already has us pretty excited. Guided By Voices will headline the Maha Festival on August 13. 

Organizers also revealed local alt rock heroes Cursive would be on the bill along with rapper Matisyahu. More band announcements are soon to come.

Maha Festival is at the Lewis and Clark Landing in Downtown Omaha. Tickets go on sale here at 10 a.m., April 30.

For more information, visit mahafestival.com.

Normally I wouldn’t think to describe a tour that has shoegaze and lo-fi garage rock as the type of show that gives warm fuzzies. But warm and happy was exactly what I was feeling when my night with Best Coast, Wavves and No Joy at Omaha’s the Waiting Room was over. Sure, the show marked the start of the temperature climb in the Midwest, but the music itself was just full of good, happy vibes.

No Joy started the night off. The group describes their sound as “party anthems for depressed people.” Now, I don’t think you have to be depressed to like them, but you do have to like shoegaze. So expect a wash of instrumental music with a mumble over it aka no discernible lyrics – which for this act is beneficial since I don’t know how you would hear the lyrics through the mop of hair covering their faces even if they were trying to enunciate. I’m not really a huge shoegaze fan because it can get a little tedious, but for the brief opening set this act played, I could get behind it. I love seeing women wield a guitar and these girls and guy could play some mean riffs.

Cali’s noise pop act, Wavves, followed No Joy. The band is a trio, but it is essentially the brainchild of Nathan Williams.

“You know, the guy from Wavves is dating the Best Coast girl,” I heard one guy whisper to his friend.

Normally I don’t care for music relationship gossip, but his fact is fairly well-known and I think adds yet another reason for the whole good vibe of the show. Plus, if you didn’t already know it or hear it from those guys in the crowd, it wasn’t long before Nathan was sharing the information himself. His stage chat consisted of him giving out an insane amount of dedications before songs or rushedly saying the title of the next tune – “This one’s for the shout-y gut up front…This one’s for Steve…This’ one’s also for Steve,” but it worked for his personality and came off as quite charming.

My main quip with Wavves is that there isn’t enough variation between the style of the songs. They start to blur together and the chorus to one could easily still be the chorus for the next, but with different words. However, I still loved the music and it did make me want to dance and sing along to hits such as “King of the Beach,” “Green Eyes” and more.

Remember how I said earlier that I love seeing girls who can wield a guitar? Well, if you’re like me and you like ladies that can rock then you must see Best Coast at some point in your life. The indie rock trio has two ladies that just own their parts. You have the fantastic frontwoman, Bethany Cosentino on vocals and guitar joined by drummer Ali Koehler (you might know her from her previous work in Vivian Girls), and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno who is just as talented as the girls.

Best Coast headlined the show playing all of Crazy for You and a few new songs, as well as some great covers. I especially loved the Loretta Lynn song they performed – I’m sure it is floating around YouTube. If you haven’t heard Best Coast before, the sound is fuzzy, surf rock – fitting for a band with the word ‘coast’ in its name. You can’t go wrong listening to any of the tunes, but “I Want To” really stood out live and of course, the single, “Boyfriend” is a must listen.

Omaha’s Bright Eyes has announced additional dates to its Spring Tour in support of seventh studio album, The People’s Key.

The dates added include two Missouri shows, an additional Cali date, an Iowa show just outside of Omaha, Idaho and a Washington show. They’re in bold below. All other tour dates, including a SXSW stop, and openers are also listed.

Dates are selling out fast. Details and tickets can be found at www.conoroberst.com.

The People’s Key is out on Saddle Creek on February 15.

Tour Dates:
3/2 Miami, FL Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater *
3/3 Lake Buena Vista, FL House of Blues *
3/4 Atlanta, GA The Tabernacle *
3/5 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium *
3/6 Richmond, VA The National *
3/8 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall ^
3/9 New York, NY Radio City Music Hall ^ SOLD OUT
3/10 Boston, MA House Of Blues # SOLD OUT
3/11 Portland, ME State Theatre#
3/13 Toronto, ON Sound Academy#
3/14 Royal Oak, MI Royal Oak Music Theatre # SOLD OUT
3/15 Chicago, IL Riviera Theatre # SOLD OUT
3/16 Champaign, IL Foellinger Auditorium #
3/17 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium #
3/19 Austin, TX SXSW Ground Control Touring Showcase Auditorium Shores**
4/2 Kansas City, MO Uptown Theatre ^^
4/3 Milwaukee, WI The Riverside Theater @
4/3 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue @
4/5 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue @
4/8 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballro0m @
4/9 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom @
4/10 Arcata, CA Arcata Community Center +
4/12 Oakland, CA Fox Theater +
4/13 Pomona, CA Fox Theater ## + SOLD OUT
4/16 Indio, CA Coachella Festival SOLD OUT
4/28 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival
6/1 Boise, ID Knitting Factory Concert House ##
6/3 Denver, CO Filmore Theatre ##
6/4 Council Bluffs, IA WestFair Amphitheater ##
6/6 St. Louis The Pageant %

* w/ Cursive
^ w/ Superchunk and WILD FLAG
# w/ Mynabirds
**w/ The Felice Brothers, Middle Brother and Man Man
@ w/ Titus Andonicus
^^ w/ Conduits
+ w/ Farmer Dave Scher
## w/ Jenny And Johnny
% w/ Dawes

With Conor Oberst‘s many side musical projects and activism efforts, the future of perhaps of the band that made him famous, Bright Eyes, has been a little questionable. Good news! Bright Eyes is still very much alive and in February 2011, Bright Eyes will release a new album.

On February 15, 2011, Bright Eyes will release its 7th studio album, The People’s Key, on Saddle Creek Records. The band has also confirmed two shows at Radio City Music Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Key players Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott return as Bright Eyes, but the guys are also joined by a rotating cast of musicians in the studio that include: Andy LeMaster (Now It’s Overhead), Matt Maginn (Cursive), Carla Azar (Autolux), Clark Baechle (The Faint), Shane Aspegren (The Berg Sans Nipple), Laura Burhenn (The Mynabirds) and Denny Brewer (Refried Ice Cream).

Live shows & on sale info:
March 9th New York, NY Radio City Music Hall*
June 23rd London, UK Royal Albert Hall#
*Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: December 4 at 10AM EST
# Pre-Sale Begins: December 1 at 12PM EST. Public On-Sale: Saturday, December 4 at 9AM

Tracklisting:
1 Firewall
2 Shell Games
3 Jejune Stars
4 Approximate Sunlight
5 Haile Selassie
6 A Machine Spiritual (In The People’s Key)
7 Triple Spiral
8 Beginner’s Mind
9 Ladder Song
10 One For You, One For Me

Calling all dancers or anyone who likes in-your-face, mind-blowing music; Bad Speler, the new project of Nebraska’s Darren Keen, has released a free mixtape.

Darren Keen is perhaps best known for his work with The Show Is a Rainbow – an act well-known for Keen’s crazy live shows featuring him, his macbook, erratic dance moves and crazy video backdrops.

The mixtape called Bill$ Gate and His Michael Soft Umpire Present: The Babble iFad is the second of several 100% live mixes (no edits!) that will be released exclusively on the Illegal Art site every few months (pay what you want).

You can download the mixtape here.

Bad Speler is touring throughout November.

Tim Kasher, the front man of Omaha’s The Good Life and Cursive, is set to release his debut solo album on Saddle  Creek Records.

The album, The Game of Monogamy, hits stores October 5, and is now available for pre-order. One of the songs, “Cold Love,” is also available for streaming and free download. Go here to either pre-order or download the song.

Kasher told Spin.com about “Cold Love” that it is: “Mostly, (the it’s about) really boring sex, couples who have run out of steam in their relationships, whose sex life is reduced to going through the motions.”

On the day of their Lawrence show, The Faint‘s Jacob Thiele tweeted, “Eating biscuits and veggie gravy at Java Break & Worked Up So Sexual came on the stereo. Awkward! Mostly cuz its strange music 4 breakfast.”

I beg to differ, Mr. Thiele. There is never a strange or wrong time to listen to your band’s music.

I was only 8 when the Faint formed up in Omaha. I wish I could that I was savvy enough at 8 to have started listening to them then, but it would be almost another 8 years when I would discover Danse Macabre and learn that there was a world of musical genres that existed outside of what I heard during my middle school years at the roller skating rink. At that point in my life, I did start listening to the Faint at all hours of the day…even during breakfast. Two and a half years later, I had my first chance to see the band live in Lawrence at the Granada. It was the first time I ever danced at a show.

Suffice it to say, I was ecstatic when a co-worker offered me her extra ticket to the evening’s show. I couldn’t wait to return to the venue where the band first blew me away five years prior.

The band has come along way since when I first saw them. They had some sweet lights, but the set up was modest. A few years ago, I saw them in Omaha and the set up had expanded to three times as many lights and singer Todd Fink donned a lab coat and goggles (looking like Dr. Horrible). Tonight, the stage had been taken over by eerie, foil-covered robots. Their arms outstretched like at any moment they’d attack the band and the audience. The almost looked alive as the strobe lights reflected off their metallic sides, creating the illusion of movement. Fortunately, they were stationary, which was nice because they gave me the heebie jeebies without needing animatronics.

The audience wasn’t as filled as past shows, but for who did show up, they were all packed into the pit throwing their arms up and dancing with the band. It was a party, as any The Faint show should be. A big electronic, indie rock, dance party. The band didn’t play a single song that I felt stopped the energy level or was a dud to the fun. Of course, some tunes stood out more than others such as “Get Seduced,” “Worked Up So Sexual,” “Paranoia,” and “Geeks Were Right.” At one point, some girls from the crowd even hopped on stage and put a hat on Fink. He went with it, but a roadie didn’t look as pleased as he escorted the girls off.

Now, as much as I love dancing, I think I love watching the Faint more. Remember when I said I was 8 when the Faint formed? These guys are over twice my age, but they have more energy than a preschool classroom. They all feed off each other and if they’re not busy playing an instrument (yes, this band is electronica, but they still play actual instruments!), then they’re dancing. It is fantastic! It’s crazy to me to think that a couple days from now, they’re opening for Spoon in their hometown. I’d hate to be the band to try and follow The Faint. Good luck.

I got to the show late after work, so I wasn’t able to snag photos. However, my awesome friend, Fally, also blogged about the show and she does have photos and video that you can check out here.

Set List:
Mirror
Dropkick
Agenda
Conductor
Psycho
In Concert
Southern
Hospital
Machine
Desperate
Seduced
Centipedes
Worked Up
Paranoia
//
Geeks
Glass Disappear

At a recent show in their hometown, It’s True announced they would soon be breaking up.

The band was playing Slowdown Jr. in Omaha, Neb. when they announced that was their third to last show. Their last show will be July 24 at the Maha Festival alongside The Faint and Spoon.

The band made a stunning debut into the music scene just barely a year ago. In the late Spring/early Summer, they released a 7″ Split with Lawrence’s Cowboy Indian Bear.

PopWreckoning got to see them in action a few times and while the smooth vocal harmonies and the walls of guitar fuzz impressed us, the band’s excessive drinking habits were less than exhilarating (You might recall the Sailor Sequence fiasco). That being said, the early break up is sad, but not too surprising.