2011 Overview: A great year for music

It has been one exciting year for me personally. This past year, I turned 18, graduated from high school, and started my freshman year at Creighton University as a Finance/Marketing double major. Musically, this has also been a great year. Some of my favorite bands put out new albums, I discovered great new artists, and saw probably 75+ artists perform. I also got a taste of working a music festival; I was on the production team for MAHA Music Festival. That was one of the coolest experiences I have ever experienced and I am all ready psyched for next year. To top it all off, I fulfilled a dream of going to my first major music festival, Lollapalooza in Chicago. The festival was so remarkable, I plan to make it a yearly thing.

Top songs of 2011

10. Lonely Boy - The Black Keys

9. Romance - Wild Flag

8. Rope - Foo Fighters

7. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

6. You Are A Tourist - Death Cab For Cutie

5. Get Burned - Sleeper Agent

4. Young Blood - The Naked and Famous

3.Paradise - Coldplay

2. Lost In My Mind - The Head and The Heart

1. Don't Carry It All - The Decemberists

Top Albums

10. Afterlife - Paul Simon

9. Nine Types of Life - TV On the Radio

8. Angles - The Strokes

7. Wild Flag - Wild Flag

6. Celebrasion - Sleeper Agent

5. Mylo Xyloto - Coldplay

4. El Camino - The Black Keys

3. Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

2. The Head and The Heart - The Head and The Heart

1. The King Is Dead - The Decemberists

Top Shows of 2011

5. Queens of the Stone Age

April 2, 2011 at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha, NE

4. Bright Eyes

June 4, 2011 at Westfair Amphitheater in Council Bluffs, IA

3. Foo Fighters

May 23, 2011 at Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs and August 5th at Grant Park in Chicago, IL

2. The Head and The Heart

July 26th in Cleveland, OH and October 9, 2011 at The Waiting Room in Omaha, NE

1. The Decemberists

April 17, 2011 at Holland Performing Arts Center in Omaha, NE and July 26th in Cleveland, OH

Monday, October 3

A quick blog post for the week...

This weekend, 1% Productions announced that Smashing Pumpkins were playing a small club show at The Slowdown on October 11th. The last time Billy Corgan and crew were in Omaha was for a show at Civic Auditorium on January 15, 1997 with Fountains of Wayne.They played to over 7,800 people. The Slowdown holds right around 500 people, so as many speculated, tickets went extremely fast. (estimated to have sold out within 10 minutes) If you are still looking to go, your best bet is Ebay or Stubhub. Look to pay $100+

This week in Omaha

Wild Flag will be in town tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at The Waiting Room. Tickets are $14 at the door, it looks to be a great show.

Blue October is playing a Low-dough benefit show at the Mid-America Center.. tickets are $8.97 and available at the door.

The Head and The Heart return to Omaha on Sunday night. I saw them open up for The Decemberists in Cleveland, they played a phenomenal set. This show is sold-out, which is awesome for this great, up-and-coming band.

My band, The Abstract, is opening for Mike Got Spiked and Rock Paper Dynamite on Sunday evening at The Sandbox. I have grown to love RPD and I have heard great things about Mike Got Spiked. This will be a fun show.

My Summer in Music

It has been awhile since my last blog. I'm finally settled into college life at Creighton University, and ready to resume my blogging. Lets start out with a review, not of a specific artist, but of my summer of music as a whole in a few paragraphs or so.

I saw some great performances over the summer. This was sort of my first summer officially done with high school, and I saw myself presented with more freedoms and endless possibilities. From rock to pop, from indie to southern rock, I saw more music than I could have possibly imagined. Some bands I saw this summer included Alkaline Trio, REO Speedwagon, 311, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Foo Fighters, Ben Harper, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, The Head and The Heart, Los Lonely Boys, Cee-Lo Green, Lynyrd Skynryd, Sublime with Rome, Smoking Popes, and many others. Too many to list.

My family and I then took off to Chicago for possibly the most exhilarating, fun-filled weekend of my life. Lollapalooza 2011, the sold out 20th anniversary bash of one of the things that changed music forever. Of course came the sore feet, ruined shoes, and sunburned forehead, but it was worth it. Totally worth it.

On the first day of Lollapalooza, I camped out to see one of my favorite bands, Muse. This was tough to do; sticking around one side of Grant Park meant missing out on some great acts, but I also saw some great shows. I saw The Vaccines, The Naked and Famous, Delta Spirit, Foster The People, White Lies, Two Door Cinema Club, A Perfect Circle, and Muse. All were good, but Muse was spectacular. They have been a band I have wanted to see for a long, long time and it was definitely worth the wait.

Sore feet aside, Keith and I walked to Grant Park early Saturday morning. We eventually split up during the day (he was camping out for Eminem) but we both saw some fabulous shows. I personally saw Grouplove, Walk The Moon, Fitz and the Tantrums, Big Audio Dynamite, Ween, Cee-Lo Green (just as awful as the first time I saw him this summer), My Morning Jacket, and Eminem. Both Eminem and MMJ blew me away. Eminem still had it and Jim James sounded better than ever. This all made for a spectacular second day.

Sunday was more of a chill day. It was raining profusely throughout the afternoon and evening, making Grant Park a soggy mess. Besides finding shelter during the rain storm, I managed to wander to some wonderful stages throughout Grant Park. I saw Iration, The Joy Formidable, Ryan Bingham and The Dead Horses, The Cool Kids, City and Colour, Flogging Molly, Cage The Elephant, Portugal The Man, Arctic Monkeys, Manchester Orchestra, and Foo Fighters. Two bands blew me away (besides Foo Fighters of course). The Joy Formidable absolutely killed it. I hope to see them again, sooner rather then later. Flogging Molly were also great; their Irish rock caused a frolic of dancing throughout the crowd, I even did a little jig myself.

I am already surfing through the Lollapalooza forums longing for information on next year. Plan on seeing me there.

I then returned home (after a trip to Milwaukee to see Josh Groban of course) and began my help with MAHA Music Festival. I fell in love with this fest in 2010, not as a volunteer but as a spectator. I spent friday breaking drink tickets and then a walk-around Stinson Park. Though I preferred Lewis & Clark landing, Stinson Park definitely offered a great atmosphere and definitely a great place to work with as far as a festival setup goes. After my walk around, a few of my fellow volunteers ran errands for artist riders.

After a few hours of sleep, the big day began. Filled with last minute setup, errands, and hotel pickups, my first part of the day was fairly hectic but a whole TON of fun. My biggest task was picking up Matisyahu himself. Now generally a pickup is not that stressful. However, Having to pick up an artist and have him on stage in a matter of fifteen minutes wasn't a big bundle of fun, especially when Matis (what I was told to call him) was running late himself. After texts like "in route?" and "where is he?" I finally had him to the venue. Mission accomplished. My night ended with a two hour trip to pick up his wife and basically help her pack up every piece of luggage she had for Matis and the rest of their family.

Although I didn't hear a complete set, what I did hear of Matisyahu, J. Mascis, Cursive, and Guided by Voices was phenomenal. Such an eclectic lineup really put MAHA far and above many other indie festivals. That being said, I am already excited for helping out next year!

So what is next? Well currently Manchester Orchestra and The Head and The Heart are on the docket for the remaining months of 2011. My current list of must see artists includes Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Mumford and Sons, The Avett Brothers, and many more. My music-filled summer will be hard to beat, but it will be topped next summer. Hopefully I will find myself at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, and again working at MAHA Music Festival.

My Top Ten Albums of the Year (so far..)

Some great music has been released since January, and here is a list of my favorites so far; One being my favorite. Below the album and artist is my favorite song off the album.

1. The King Is Dead - The Decemberists

"June Hymn"

2. Wasting Light - Foo Fighters

"Bridge Burning"

3. Angles - The Strokes

"Machu Picchu"

4. Codes and Keys - Death Cab For Cutie

"Stay Young, Go Dancing"

5. Circuital - My Morning Jacket

"Victory Dance"

6. Barton Hollow - The Civil Wars

"Barton Hollow"

7. Helplessness Blues - Fleet Foxes

"Helplessness Blues"

8. Several Shades of Why - J. Mascis

"Is It Done"

9. Lasers - Lupe Fiasco

"The Show Goes On"

10. The People's Key - Bright Eyes

"Jejune Stars"

Red Sky Music Festival update and more 6/11/11

Red Sky Music Festival has failed us once again.

Kevin Coffey of the Omaha World Herald broke the news yesterday that MECA and their partner Live Nation had failed to find an act to headline the final evening (Saturday Night) of Red Sky Music Festival. Red Sky's Saturday will now compose of local bands playing their B and C stages.

Red Sky has posted the schedule of the six day event:

Monday, July 18:

Stage C

Sister Hazel 3:45-5:00 p.m.

Better Than Ezra 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Stage B

The Fab Four 4:30-5:45 p.m.

Five For Fighting 6:15-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Journey with Night Ranger 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, July 19:

Stage C

Kids These Days 2:20-3:00 p.m.

Cornmeal 3:30-4:30 p.m.

George Clinton 5:15-6:30 p.m.

Stage B

To Be Announced 3:15-4:15 p.m.

STS9 5:00-6:45 p.m.

Main Stage

311 and Sublime with Rome 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, July 20:

Stage C

Tonic 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Soul Asylum 5:15-6:45 p.m.

Stage B

To Be Announced 4:15-5:30 p.m.

The Charlie Daniels Band 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Kid Rock 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, July 21:

Stage C

10,000 Maniacs 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers 5:15-6:30 p.m.

Stage B

Michael Williams Band 3:00-3:45 p.m.

Eric Johnson 4:15-5:00 p.m.

Buddy Guy with Quinn Sullivan 5:30-6:45 p.m.

Main Stage

Zac Brown Band with Blackberry Smoke and Sonia Leigh 6:30 p.m.

Friday, July 22:

Stage C

To Be Announced 3:45-4:45 p.m.

Randy Rogers Band 5:15-6:45 p.m.

Stage B

Ingram Hill 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Cowboy Mouth 6:00-7:15 p.m.

Main Stage

Jason Aldean with Chris Young and Thompson Square 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, July 23:

B and C stages

Showcase Bands 12:00-close

Hopefully Red Sky Music Festival will move tickets and have a beneficial effect on Omaha. Though the lineup is less than appealing to me, I am sure some will enjoy the lineup.

Lollapalooza Update

Lollapalooza's schedule was released on Tuesday. Muse, Coldplay, Bright Eyes, A Perfect Circle, and Girl Talk play on Friday, Eminem, My Morning Jacket, Cee Lo Green, Ween, and Death From Above 1979 play on Saturday, and the festival closes out with Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, Arctic Monkeys, The Cars, and Flogging Molly playing on Sunday. The complete schedule can be found here: http://bit.ly/igmCRT

Nebraska State Fair

The Nebraska State Fair has announced its initial lineup:

Friday, August 26: The Band Perry

Sunday, August 28: Larry the Cable Guy

Wednesday, August 31: Crystal Gayle

Thursday, September 1: Jeremy Camp

Friday, September 2: LeAnn Rimes

Sunday, September 4: Willie Nelson and Family

Monday, September 5: Cheap Trick

Other news:

Yonder Mountain String Band is performing at The Anchor Inn on August 18. Tickets are $20 and available at Etix.com

All Time Low is playing Sokol Auditorium on August 21 alongside Mayday Parade, The Cab, and We Are The In Crowd. Tickets are $23 and available at Etix.com

Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Far East Movement, Keri Hilson, and Lloyd are coming to the Qwest Center on September 7. Tickets go on sale June 17th at 10 a.m.

Tim Kasher (of Cursive) is playing the Waiting Room on September 10th, tickets are available today at Etix.com

Austin City Limits 2011 lineup announced!

This year's Austin City Limits lineup will include

Stevie Wonder

Arcade Fire

Kanye West

Coldplay

My Morning Jacket

Fleet Foxes

Allison Krauss and Union Station

Nas & Damian Marley

Cee Lo Green

Bright Eyes

Social Distortion

Empire of The Sun

Cut Copy

Santigold

Pretty Lights

TV On The Radio

Shrillex

Big Boi

Randy Newman

Iron & Wine

Ray Lamontagne

Ryan Bingham and the Dead Horses

Broken Social Scene

Chromeo

Old Crow Medicine Show

Death From Above 1979

Cold War Kids

The Airborne Toxic Event

Fitz and The Tantrums

and more!!!

click here for the full lineup!

5/16 Additional MAHA Music Festival bands announced!

On April 25th, the MAHA crew announced their initial lineup for the 2011 edition of MAHA Music Festival; those bands included indie rock royalty Guided By Voices, local gone big Cursive, and the grammy nominated jewish artist Matisyahu. This initial lineup was great, but with edition of two more bands, this is looking to be MAHA's best lineup yet!

Those two bands are The Reverend Horton Heat and J. Mascis!

For more information on The Reverend Horton Heat, click here.

For more information on J. Mascis, click here.

I've decided to do some math, and these are the prices to see any of the 2011 MAHA bands at their own headlining show:

Guided By Voices- $35

Matisyahu- $26

Reverend Horton Heat- $20

Cursive- $14

J. Mascis- $12

Those totals added together equals $107, plus add in all of those additional service fees.

MAHA Music Festival also added local bands The So-So Sailors, Noah's Ark Was A Spaceship, and The Machete Archive to the local stage.

MAHA Music Festival offers all of these great artists on one bill for the low price of $30. Plus, MAHA was nice and eliminated service fees! They also plan to add more acts to the lineup, which just adds to the great value of MAHA.

So why wait!

MAHA Music Festival tickets are on sale now, click here for the link.

05/10/11 Red Sky Festival and more

Red Sky Music Festival is slowly announcing their lineup and so far it looks like this:

July 18th- Journey with Night Ranger

July 19th- 311 and Sublime with Rome

July 20th-

July 21st-

July 22nd- Jason Aldean with Chris Young and Thompson Square

July 23rd-

This leaves three headliner slots open, I (along with many others) believe these spots will be filled by Jay-Z, Jimmy Buffett, and Kid Rock.

MECA has also announced three of the many B/C stage acts to be announced. The announced acts include George Clinton, Better Than Ezra, and Cowboy Mouth.

Hopefully more Red Sky acts will be announced today.

More announcements:

Alkaline Trio and Smoking Popes will be playing The Slowdown in Omaha on July 10th. Tickets go on sale Thursday.

Lil Wayne is returning to the Qwest Center on September 7th with the summer leg of I Am Music Tour. Lil Wayne will be joined by Rick Ross, Keri Hilson, Far East Movement, and Lloyd. No ticket information available yet.

LOLLAPALOOZA 2011 LINEUP

Full Lollapalooza 2011 lineup

Eminem
Foo Fighters
Coldplay
Muse
My Morning Jacket
A Perfect Circle
The Cars
Cee Lo Green
Ryan Bingham & The Dead Horses
Arctic Monkeys
The Mountain Goats
An Horse
Sleigh Bells
Young The Giant
Manchester Orchestra
Beats Antique
Tennis
Los Bunkers
Smith Westerns
Imelda May
deadmau5
Death From Above 1979
Best Coast
Grouplove
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Wye Oak
The Drums
The Joy Formidable
Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley & Nas
Black Lips
Lord Huron
Fitz & The Tantrums
Ween
Two Door Cinema Club
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Gold Motel
Bright Eyes
City and Colour
Iration
Cults
Ryan Leslie
Big Audio Dynamite
TAB the Band
Deftones
Noah & The Whale
Skylar Grey
Beirut
Sam Adams
Christina Perri
Explosions in the Sky
J. Roddy Walston And The Business
Black Cards
Tinie Tempah
The Pretty Reckless
Ratatat
Lissie
Disappears
Boy & Bear
Crystal Castles
Dom
Patrick Stump
Flogging Molly
The Vaccines
Kids These Days
Atmosphere
Foster the People
Young Man
Cold War Kids
Titus Andronicus
The Kingston Springs
Lykke Li
Mayer Hawthorne & the County
Lia Ices
Cage the Elephant
Chico Trujillo
The Chain Gang of 1974
OK Go
The Naked and Famous
Ximena Sari&ntild;ana
Local Natives
Phantogram
Typhoon
The Kills
Rival Schools
Electric Touch
White Lies
Friendly Fires
Kerli
Portugal. The Man
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.
Ruby Jane
Reptar
Julia Easterlin
Ellie Goulding
Maps & Atlases
DJ Mel
Delta Spirit
Fences

Playing at Perry’s

Girl Talk
The Glitch Mob
Jackmaster
Pretty Lights
Busy P
Collie Buddz
KiD CuDi
Joachim Garraud
Savoy
The Bloody Beetroots
Death Crew 77
Super Mash Bros.
Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite
Afrojack
Jay Electronica
Ana Tijoux
Modeselektor
12th Planet
Midnight Conspiracy
Skrillex
Daedulus
L1ght
PerryEtty vs Chris Cox
Feed Me
Lady D

MAHA Music Festival 2011 Initial Lineup announced!

Many of you have been waiting patiently for the MAHA Music Festival lineup, I know I have been. The date for MAHA was pushed back to August 13th due to a scheduling conflict with Red Sky Music Festival. After a solid lineup last year, MAHA is back with a kick ass lineup and a lower ticket price. Who's playing?

Matisyahu will bring his blend of rock, reggae, and hip-hop to Louis & Clark landing. Since 2004, he has released three studio albums, two of which charted in the United States upon release. Matisyahu has been known for infusing his Jewish beliefs into his music. His song "One Day" and "King Without A Crown" were certified Gold. His most recent performance in Omaha was at a sold-out show at The Slowdown on November 5, 2009.

Guided By Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Ohio. The band formed in 1983 featuring frontman Robert Pollard. GBV is most known for their low-fi aesthetic, progressive rock influences. Guided By Voices have released 16 studio albums. Recently reunited in 2010, GBV continues to play select festivals throughout 2011 including MAHA Music Festival.

Cursive is an indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. Considered "a local band gone big," they have toured with the likes of The Cure, Bright Eyes, and Alkaline Trio. Cursive has released six studio albums to date, five of which have been released through Omaha-based Saddle Creek Records. Cursive made their network television debut on March 13, 2009 on the Late Show with David Letterman.


Three more main stage bands will be announced in the near future along with the announcement of the local stage lineup. Tickets go on-sale Saturday, April 30th at the price of $30.

New Festival Alert: KANROCKSAS Music Festival

Kanrocksas Music Festival is a new festival that will hit the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on August 5th and 6th. They announced their initial lineup today; it features

Eminem

Muse

The Black Keys

A Perfect Circle

The Flaming Lips

Kid Cudi

D12

Girl Talk

Primus

Flogging Molly

Jacks Mannequin

Arctic Monkeys

Fitz and The Tantrums

with more to be announced.

Early bird tickets for Kanrocksas Music Festival are $159 and go on sale April 26th. Once sold out, ticket prices go up to $179. VIP tickets are also available for $359. Click the link here for more information on tickets.

This Kanrocksas Music Festival lineup is extremely similar to the expected Lollapalooza lineup that is to be released at midnight tonight. Hopefully Perry Farrell and C3 Productions have something big up their sleeves for Lolla's 20th anniversary.

Stay tuned for lineup announcements from MAHA Music Festival (it's going to be good) and Lollapalooza (hoping for the best)

RED SKY MUSIC FESTIVAL 2011

Red Sky Music Festival was originally announced in December and the lineup was expected to be announced in February. It is now mid-April, and many people (including myself) are wondering who is playing the the fest in its first year. I've got some lineup confirmations and rumors that you can find below. By the way, Red Sky does have their website up and running, you can find that by clicking here.

Also I must add that the dates have been shifted, rather than July 19-24, the festival will run July 18-23.

Rumors and Confirmations

Jason Aldean will be at Red Sky, his website lists a show in Omaha on July 22.

311 is a lock for Red Sky, they have a July 19th show listed as TBA on their website. (Sublime with Rome is on tour with 311)

Jimmy Buffett has plenty of gaps in his July tour schedule to play Red Sky.

Kid Rock has plenty of room in his tour schedule for Red Sky, so look for him to be hitting the festival as well.

Journey is going on tour with Night Ranger and Foreigner, so you very well may see them at TD Ameritrade in July.

Also look for a hip-hop act such as Jay-Z or Kanye West to play.

4/21 More Information-

Earlier this week you could access: http://www.redskyfestival.com/schedule.aspx where it would show a blank page with the red sky website design. This portion has since been blocked, making me believe the lineup is being added to the website and will be announced this week.

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New Concert Announcements 04/12

Couple shows to announce today....

Good Charlotte will be performing at Sokol Auditorium on June 16th. Support acts include Yellowcard and Runner Runner. Tickets are 32.70 and will be available on 4/15 at Ticketmaster.

Jack's Mannequin will play Sokol Auditorium on June 20th. Opening act is Steel Train and tickets are 39.29. Available 4/16 at Ticketmaster

More Stir Cove news: opener for The Flaming Lips show is......

The opener of The Flaming Lips show at Stir Cove on August 4th will be Fitz and the Tantrums!

Saw them last summer at Saturday in the Park in Sioux City, they put on a great show.

Check out this video of them playing on Jimmy Kimmel!

"Moneygrabber" by Fitz and the Tantrums (live on Jimmy Kimmel)

Stir Cove 2011 lineup:

May 26 — Hinder with Red, Kopek & Royal Bliss

June 10 — Big Head Todd & The Monsters and Toots & The Maytals

June 14 — Mumford & Sons with Nathaniel Rateliff & Fairchildren

June 25 — Gary Allan

July 3 — The Monkees

July 5 — The Black Keys with Cage the Elephant

July 8 — Ben Folds

July 15 — Goo Goo Dolls with Michelle Branch & Parachute

July 17 — Stone Temple Pilots

July 21 — Melissa Etheridge

Aug. 4 — The Flaming Lips

Aug. 26 — Eric Church

3/28 Vans Warped Tour, Lollapalooza, and More

Some different shows to announce today!

Big Head Todd and the Monsters will be playing at Stir Cove on June 10th. This show has not been officially announced by Stir Cove, but it is listed on the band's website.

Dropkick Murphys will being playing Sokol Auditorium on July 7th, tickets are $25 and available on Ticketmaster.

Vans Warped Tour is coming to Westfair Fairgrounds in Council Bluffs on August 4th. The lineup includes A Day To Remember, Gym Class Heroes, The Devil Wears Prada, Less Than Jake, Against Me!, and Asking Alexandria. Unfortunately, no 30H!3 or Pepper on this date.

Lollapalooza is announcing its lineup on April 26th! Early bird tickets go on sale April 5th for $185. Lollapalooza is also releasing secret sale tickets at a secret time this week; those tickets are $60. The festival runs August 5-7, 2011.

Semi-confirmed artists for Lolla 2011 include:

Eminem

Muse

Foo Fighters

Girl Talk

Bright Eyes

The Decemberists

Lykke Li

and so many more.

As you can see, I'm going to enjoy myself August 5th, 6th, and 7th.

02/15/11: Bonnaroo Lineup announced, Divots Concert Series, and more.

I waited patiently for the Bonnaroo lineup to be announced during lunch today, and I was overall impressed with the lineup. Here is Conan O'Brien with the announcement.

Divots Concert Series in Norfolk, Nebraska announced a portion of its summer lineup this week. Shows include:

June 24th: REO Speedwagon

June 25th: Lynyrd Skynryd

August 6th: Creedence Clearwater Revisited

September 4th: Look for an announcement soon!

Recent Concert Announcements:

April 2nd: Queens of the Stone Age at Sokol Auditorium

April 7th: Franz Nicolay (of The Hold Steady and Against Me!) at The Slowdown

April 9th: Miranda Lambert at the Pershing Center (Lincoln)

April 17th: The Decemberists at the Holland Performing Arts Center

May 4th: The Felice Brothers at The Waiting Room

May 6th: Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry The Cable Guy at Qwest Center Omaha

May 20th: Silverstein and Bayside at The Slowdown

May 22nd: Usher with Special Guest Akon at Qwest Center Omaha

June 4th: Bright Eyes with Special Guests Jenny and Johnny at Westfair (Council Bluffs)

Taylor Swift will be playing Omaha on 5/27 and 5/28, tickets haven't gone on sale yet, which makes me wonder if they are planning to have the concerts take place at TD Ameritrade Park.

Sugarland will be in Omaha on August 6th, venue TBA.

Keith Urban will also be in Omaha on August 20th at Qwest Center Omaha.

Other news:

Bright Eyes' "The People's Key" album came out today. Really enjoying it so far.

Eminem, Foo Fighters, and Muse have all been confirmed to be Lollapalooza headliners this year.

The Grammy Awards were on Sunday, here is a run down of some of the awards handed out this year:

Album of the Year: "The Suburbs," Arcade Fire

Record of the Year: "Need You Now," Lady Antebellum

Song of the Year: "Need You Now," Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles

Kelley and Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum)

New Artist: Esperanza Spalding

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Bad Romance," Lady Gaga

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Just The Way You Are," Bruno Mars

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group: "Hey Soul Sister," Train

Pop Vocal Album: "The Fame Monster," Lady Gaga

Alternative Album: "Brothers," The Black Keys

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Crazy Love," Michael Buble

Rock Song: "Angry World," Neil Young

Rock Album: "The Resistance," Muse

Rock Performance: "Tighten Up," The Black Keys

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Helter Skelter," Paul McCartney (from

Good Evening New York City)

Hard Rock Performance: "New Fang," Them Crooked Vultures

R&B Album: "Wake up!" John Legend & The Roots

The performance by Mumford & Sons, The Avett Brothers, and Bob Dylan at The Grammy Awards was extraordinary. You can watch the video here: http://dai.ly/f1WPqY

Bright Eyes Concert Announcement!!!

Bright Eyes will be playing the Westfair Amphitheater on 6/4, tickets only $25 dollars!

concert announcements!

Short but sweet post... here we go.

The Decemberists will be playing The Holland in Omaha on 4/17

Lynyrd Skynryd is playing at Divots in Norfolk on 6/25

Franz Nicolay (from The Hold Steady and Against Me!) Will be playing a solo show at the slowdown on 4/7

In other news, The White Stripes have broken up.

Also got some lolla rumors, I'm being told Kanye West, Foo Fighters, Muse, Jane's Addiction, and Kings of Leon are headlining the fest along with another headliner at the #1 slot. I would he happy if the rumors were true.

Enjoy your Monday!

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MAHA Music Festival announces its 2011 date!

This year's edition of MAHA Music Festival will take place at Lewis & Clark Landing on Saturday, August 13, 2011. This indie fest has brought fantastic music to Omaha including acts like Spoon, The Faint, Superchunk, and Dashboard Confessional.

In its third year, I expect the lineup to be better than ever. The MAHA Crew and Marc Liebowitz from One Percent Productions are sure to come up with a great lineup. I'm hoping to see a lineup featuring Mumford & Sons and a headliner such as The National, Bright Eyes, The Decemberists, Phoenix, or The Black Keys.

Hopefully we'll see some artist announcements soon.

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Concert Announcement 1/11/11

MAHA Music Festival alum Old 97's are returning to Omaha, performing at The Slowdown on 3/31/11, tickets are $20.00 and available 1/15.

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Music Monday 01/10/11

News and more:

Free Download of Bright Eyes' "Shell Games" here: http://bit.ly/ee7JLO

New Strokes Album out in March: http://bit.ly/gMRujJ

Of Montreal is bringing its Spring Tour to The Slowdown on 5/6, Kid Sister is opening: http://bit.ly/eLOtCZ

Donate to MAHA Music Festival: http://www.mahamusicfestival.com/mahadonate.html

New albums out tomorrow include

Thank You Happy Birthday - Cage The Elephant

Showroom of Compassion- Cake

A few selections for you to check out on this snowy day:

"Freak Out" by Tapes n' Tapes (see them at The Waiting Room on 2/24) http://bit.ly/fH484n

"Crossed Wires" by Superchunk (MAHA Music Festival Alum) http://bit.ly/efQl2B

"Tighten Up" by The Black Keys (Live from SNL) http://bit.ly/gsn3wo

"Winter Winds" by Mumford & Sons http://bit.ly/17hkeT

Have a great monday, more soon to come!

1/8/11

Concerts announcement:

Nelly, 3OH!3, and more at the Tyson Events Center on March 6, tickets go on sale 1/15

My songs of the week:

"Boy" by Ra Ra Riot - Really great song. This should be a big year for them.

"Machine Gun Blues" by Social Distortion- Social D's new album is coming out later this month, definitely gonna check it out.

1/2/11

Definitely been listening to lots of great music over winter break. As it comes to an end, here are some of my favorites:

Cage The Elephant- Great band, great energy. Had the opportunity to see them this summer, and they didn't disappoint. They are dropping a new album in January. Couple singles off the album are available, one of which is free. With a new album comes a tour, I expect them in the area soon.

The Black Keys- Big year for a awesome band. They were nominated for a few grammies and voted the 2010 XM Alt-Nation Band of The Year. Their old material is excellent as well.

Kanye West- Most people know that im not a huge rap fan, but Kanye's latest album knocked my socks off. He's on my must see list this year, based on his latest material, it'll be one heck of a show.

My Album of the Week is Kings of Leon's "Come Around Sundown."

Check back in this week for more reviews, concert news, and more.

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