BRIGHT EYES & CURSIVE Live at The Astro! Review / Live Clips & Photos (VIDEO)

This week's video is my review of the recent Bright Eyes and Cursive show at The Astro Theater. I've seen both of these bands, individually, many times over the years -- but never on the same bill. The two bands were wrapping up their tour together with a show in their joint hometown of Omaha.

The history of these two bands dates back to the mid 90s; that history was on display as each band joined the other onstage for some very special performances.

BRIGHT EYES and CURSIVE at The Astro, Omaha, NE 4/27/25 (PHOTOS)

It was a bit of an old school Omaha rock scene reunion on April 27 at The Astro as old buddies Bright Eyes and Cursive ended their joint tour with a hometown show.

 

Cursive played an amzing set; it was actually better than when I saw them a few months ago at Waiting Room. Back then, the band did two nights and each night they performed a separate album in its entirety. This set was more career inclusive. Everything from "Shallow Means, Deep Ends" to songs from the band's most recent, Devourer.

Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes joined Cursive on stage

Conor joined Cursive on stage toward the end of the set for a song dubbed, "Recluse I Don't Have To Love." This was something of a mash-up of Cursive's "The Recluse" and Bright Eyes' "Lover I Don't Have To Love." It was really cool.

Conor Obert and Bright Eyes played a rousing, over 2 hour set at The Astro

The last time I saw Bright Eyes in Omaha it was also the last night of the tour (which makes sense considering the band is based here), but Conor was in rough shape that time. His arm was in a sling, and his voice was shot. This time, however, he was in amazing form -- the voice was great, he seemed in good spirits, and the band was tight. Very glad to see Conor back in action.

Tim Kasher of Cursive joins Bright Eyes on stage

I really appreciated the set list from Bright Eyes. Of course, he played cuts from the newest album, Five Dice, All Threes. But I loved the inclusion of songs from Cassadega and Digital Ash in a Digital Urn as well as the usual classics like "First Day of My Life." 

At the end of the show, members of Cursive joined Bright Eyes on stage. Cursive's Ted Stevens led the band in a version of Lullaby For the Working Class's "Hypnotist." Stevens and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes were both Lullaby members. It was quite night for old school Nebraska indie fans!

Outlandia 2023 Day One (PHOTOS)

 

Minne Lussa

The Envy Corps

The Good Life

Gregory Alan Isakov

Lord Huron

Here are my favorite photos from Day One of the Outlandia 2023 Music Festival. 

All photos © thedarkstuff.com. 

The Dark Stuff Podcast 107: See Through Dresses

The Dark Stuff Podcast #107 features music and an interview with a brilliant, new band called See Through Dresses. STD are a new band from Omaha that has just released its debut, full length album, and is about to embark on its first national tour. The band's music has drawn comparisons to groups like Joy Division, The Cure, Lush, My Bloody Valentine, and many other greats from the late 80s/early 90s. 

I sat down with band members Sara Bertuldo and Matt Carroll to discuss how the band formed, the making of the album, and the band's goals for the future. Both Bertuldo and Carroll have played in bands in Omaha for years, and both feel that See Through Dresses is the band that best represents what they have been trying to achieve for many years. 

In addition to working in their own bands, both Sara and Matt have done touring stints with other bands, with the most notable example being Sara's time as the bass player for Tim Kasher's (Cursive, The Good Life) solo band. 

The following songs were used with permission: "When Summer Ends""Glass""Happy" and "Johnny." All music ©See Through Dresses, and all songs appear on the band's self-titled debut LP. The album can be purchased from the band's Bandcamp page: seethroughdresses.bandcamp.com. 

Thanks for listening. Enjoy.
©2014 The Dark Stuff Podcast

Download/subscribe through itunes.

Download/subscribe through Stitcher.

The show can also be found at Spreaker, TuneIn, and Youtube.

My (Better Late Than Never) Wrap-Up of MAHA 2011

The mid day crowd at MAHA 2011 during Rev. Horton Heat

This year's annual MAHA Music Festival is history, so I figured I should get my two cents in on the event before it becomes ancient history, and talk turns to MAHA 2012. This year's festival was great, despite the mixed bag of a line-up, and the strange use of the "local" stage. I will explain what I mean later on.

The weather was beautiful for the festival, and I really could not have asked for more. Well, actually, I could have, but it is doubtful I would have gotten anything different. Stinson Park at Aksarben Village was a great spot for the show. It was my first time to the area, and I liked it. The only drawback is that the park is so new that all of the trees are infants. There was literally no shade in the entire park. In 20 years, this won't be an issue, but in the meantime, bring sunscreen! Because the entire area is covered in grass, it is a better spot for sitting and watching the show than Lewis & Clark Landing where previous festivals were held (before the flooding).

As I said before, the line-up was a mixed bag. I really don't like Matisyahu, and his inclusion on the bill changed the nature of the festival slightly. He definitely put some butts in the seats, as it were, but I doubt his fans were all that into folks like J. Mascis and Guided By Voices.

There was a decent representation of local/regional talent at MAHA this year; but once again, the main stage spot given to a newer local/regional band is the worst time slot of the entire day. For example, Des Moines indie rockers, The Envy Corps, was given a main stage spot (like It's True had been the year before). They went on first with almost no one in attendance. Because the local stage was located just to the left of the main stage, and nothing runs concurrently, locals who played later in the day on the smaller stage, had a much better crowd. If given the choice between the main stage at 1 pm or the local stage at 5pm, the local stage is clearly the better deal. I wish there was some way to fix that and to make an early main stage spot better, but I'm not sure how they could avoid this issue next year, too.

J. Mascis gave an impressive performance despite sitting the whole time

So, I missed The Envy Corps, and any locals who played before the second main stage act, Reverend Horton Heat, took the stage. I've never been a big fan of the Rev, so I hung back and scouted out the park while he played. Local band So-So Sailors played next on the side stage. SSS is the new band featuring Ladyfinger (ne) lead singer, Chris Machmuller. He really gets a chance to show his musical diversity and his vocal range in this band. They were good, and I will definitely be seeing them again.

Indie rock legend J Mascis was up next on the main stage. No one seemed to know, for sure, whether the Dinosaur Jr. frontman was doing a "solo acoustic" or "solo electric" set. Turns out, it was a bit of both. J played sitting down with a music stand in front of him, and strumming an acoustic guitar. However, the acoustic guitar was plugged in with an electric rig which gave him the ability to switch between a more traditional acoustic sound, and one with distortion and effects. Mascis switched back and forth effortlessly. On many songs, he would start off acoustically, and with the help of some sort of digital delay, would loop his rhythm part, turn on the distortion, and rip an electric solo. It was just like having two guitar players up there.

Mascis's set consisted of cuts from his newest solo record, Several Shades of Why, and many Dinosaur Jr. classics. "Get Me" was a highlight, as was his cover of "Friends" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Despite my contention that artists should never sit down during a concert, I still really enjoyed J's set.

GBV's "classic" line-up: Tobin, Bob, Mitch, and Greg

After Mascis and another local on the side stage came Cursive. Living in Omaha, I am able to see Cursive more frequently than most. This show was special in that original drummer, Clint Schnase, returned just for this event. Still, I must admit that I hung back in the concession area and talked to friends during their set. It sounded great (and loud), but visually, I saw nothing.

After a truly awful local jam band called Somasphere (I literally could not tell when one song ended and the next began), Guided By Voices was next up on the main stage. Though GBV was technically the headliner of the festival, they played before Matisyahu due to his unwillingness to play before sundown (in keeping with his religious beliefs). A decent sized core of obsessive GBV fans (myself included) lined up in front of the stage, anxiously awaiting the start of what was said to be the band's third-to-last ever performance.

Robert Pollard and Mitch Mitchell rock out!

GBV hit the stage around 8:15 or so, and the crowd went nuts when they walked out. For an older guy who used to be a 4th grade teacher, Robert Pollard has a serious swagger! The band ripped through hit after hit from their "classic" period (92-97), and rarely slowed down to take a breath. Pollard was a little light on the banter, but he did take time to mention how much he liked Omaha, and to welcome Nebraska into the Big Ten.

The sun went down as Pollard and Co. finished their set

Guided By Voices played until the sun went down and had the crowd eating up every note. As the set went on, Pollard kept up his drinking and joked about the "scientist juice" (aka Tequila) he was drinking before the classic, "I Am a Scientist." Ultimately, the band played for a little over an hour. I would have liked more, of course, but there was a city imposed curfew of 11:00, and Matisyahu had yet to perform.

After GBV's set, I quickly ran to the merch table to see if I could get some GBV gear. Sadly, there were nothing bigger than a "large" left, and it has been a little while since I could fit into something that size. Oh, well. I bailed before Matisyahu even began.

I have heard crowd estimates in the 4,000 range which is respectable, but lower than last year. This is likely due to the fact that there wasn't a bigger headliner. As much as I love GBV, they are not popular enough to headline an entire festival. Last year had Spoon. This year, indie oriented headliners like The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, etc. were either already booked or had been in the area recently. Hopefully, next year the organizers will snag a headliner early. And hopefully, there will be a next year. Until then...

Yeah...I Suck

I pussed out last night and missed the Cursive show at Waiting Room. Yeah, I suck. But the World Herald was there. You can read a review of the show here.

Cursive Performs 'Domestica' TONIGHT at Waiting Room

Folks in Omaha rarely get to see anything that the rest of the country does not. At least from a music or entertainment perspective. But tonight, a few hundred people in Omaha will get to see Cursive perform its seminal album, Domestica, in its entirety. This is only the second time the band has done this, and supposedly the last.

It's a little bit past the ten year mark since its release, and Domestica holds up very well. The concept album detailing the demise of a relationship served as Cursive's comeback after a brief time broken up. It is also the first full album to feature Ted Stevens on lead guitar (a position he still holds today).

Domestica was the album that truly put Cursive on the national stage. The album gave the band many opportunities and opened a lot of doors. The hard work done in support of Domestica yielded huge dividends when the following record, The Ugly Organ, pushed Cursive to the top of the indie heap.

From what I am hearing, the band will perform select "hits" from its other albums in addition to the entire Domestica record. The show is already sold out, so if you don't have a ticket...you're SOL.

New Day Rising 1/16/2011 Podcast

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Tim Kasher TONIGHT at Waiting Room

Cursive/The Good Life's Tim Kasher

Front-man for both Cursive and The Good Life, Tim Kasher, is performing tonight in his hometown of Omaha. Kasher is not appearing with either of his bands, however, he is wrapping up a leg of his first solo tour in support of his new album, The Game of Monogamy, which is out now on Saddle Creek Records.

Kasher will be performing along with both Darren Hanlon and Conduits for only $10 tonight at The Waiting Room. As of now, the show is not sold out, but that will probably not be the case by showtime.

Here is the video for Tim's new single, "Cold Love":

Tim was just interviewed for Lazy-I.com. Read it here.

Concert For Equality Wrap-Up

I spent much of yesterday and last night at the big "Concert For Equality" in downtown Benson. For this show, I was not merely an attendee, I actually worked at the show. I was right at the entry and tried to keep an accurate count of exactly how many people were at the show at any given time. The Conor Oberst envisioned/1% Productions executed show sold out far in advance, and by all accounts was a tremendous success. I didn't hear exactly how much money ended up being donated to the ACLU (and some civil rights organizations as well), but they had to be happy with the amount.

This is pretty much what I was seeing for most of the afternoon. The crowd was mostly young; and based on my brief conversations with a few who were there first, they were really excited for the Desaparecidos reunion. Me too. The sound check sounded awesome, and the set was even better.

Because I was stationed at the entrance, I didn't take too many pictures. The shot above is from Cursive's explosive set. The band rocked harder than any time I had seen them, and were definitely the loudest band of the event. Tim from Lazy-I.com took more pictures than I did, his twitpics can be found here. Though the event was political in nature, and speakers from numerous civil rights organizations came on stage between bands, very few artists themselves were political while on stage. Cursive came out swinging, and directly called out the city of Fremont, Nebraska, and accused the supporters of the law of being racist. The crowd seemed overwhelmingly in agreement.

Bright Eyes performed earlier in the show, and played a short set that touched on many of the band's best singles. I was glad to hear "Lover I Don't Have to Love" back in the set. Conor Oberst also engaged in some on stage politicking, which was to be expected since he organized the concert in the first place.

A few hours later, Conor returned with his "punk" band Desaparecidos. I never saw the group in its brief, initial run back in 2001-02, so this was a first for me. The crowd freaked, and so did many of the (probably) jaded hipsters standing in the backstage area. Considering it had been eight years since they last performed together, it was amazing how perfect they sounded. They were tight as hell, and seemed like they had never stopped playing. It made me wish Conor would put the next Bright Eyes record on hold and try Desaparecidos again.

After the Desa set, I was ready to hit the showers. I had been on my feet all day, and I really needed to just sit and chill. At one point, I became Danny Glover in Lethal Weapon and thought to myself, "I'm Too Old For This Shit." So, I unfortunately missed the aftershow show inside the Waiting Room, and didn't see Lullaby For the Working Class. After Lullaby, during the "hootenanny" portion of the show, I also missed a second Gillian Welch set, and some additional Desaparecidos. As much as it sucks that I missed that, it felt really good to be away from crowds for a bit and take a freakin' shower. Call me an old fart? Guilty as charged, I guess.

There were a handful of protesters outside the concert, but their numbers were too small to really get any attention. Twelve angry d-bags with signs like "Deport Conor Oberst." Oh well, freedom of speech is for everybody.

Local and national media was present. KETV Channel 7 filed a report and showed where they stand politically (hint: they aren't liberal). The headline reads, "Protesters Rally Outside Oberst Concert." Really? They rallied? There were 12 of them, and there were 2,000 attendees at the concert. Sounds like those twelve really were the story. WOWT Channel 6's headline was a little more neutral, "Concert For Equality In Tune With Illegal Immigration Debate." KMTV Channel 3's headline ("Oberst Protest Concert Draws Protesters") focused on the counter protest (as did Channel 7), but the story was better. The Omaha World Herald's "Indie Rockers Cheered in Benson" focused almost exclusively on the music at the concert, and only briefly mentioned the reason it was being held.

Support the Concert For Equality

It was just officially announced today that on Saturday, July 31, in downtown Benson, Bright Eyes will be headlining the "Concert For Equality." The concert is a benefit for ACLU Nebraska, with the proceeds being used to help fight the new anti-immigrant law passed in Fremont, Nebraska.

Along with Bright Eyes, concertgoers will get to see Cursive, plus reunion shows from Desaparecidos (Conor Oberst's more "rock" band) and Lullaby For the Working Class. Other bands will be announced shortly.

Tickets are $20 and will be available July 10 at the 1% Productions site. A number of Deluxe Tickets will also be available for $50, and they will give entry to another show later that night at Waiting Room.

Buy your tickets early to support this cause. It would be tragic if Nebraska became the new Arizona.

Colossal Stupidity: It's True is Breaking Up

Tim at Lazy-I reported it, and I confirmed it with 1% Productions. It's True is breaking up. The outstanding Omaha band is calling it quits after its performance on July 24 at the MAHA Music Festival. The band is performing on the main stage along with Spoon, The Faint, Superchunk, Old 97s, and Ben Kweller. It is an amazing opportunity for exposure, but sadly, all anyone will be exposed to is a band playing its last gig.

This is colossally stupid. It's True is the best Omaha band to come along since the mighty three of the late 90s/early 2000s: Bright Eyes, Cursive, and The Faint.

This, officially, sucks.

New Cursive Single Coming Soon

Cursive have announced that they will be releasing a brand new, stand alone single next month. The band is currently on another tour in support of its 2009 record, Mama, I'm Swollen, but has found time to record and release the new song.

The single will be called "Discovering America" and will be released via Saddle Creek Records on March 9. Money from the sale of the single will benefit the American Indian College Fund.

Cursive On Letterman - NICE!

Cursive's network TV debut last Friday night on Letterman was pretty cool. Even Letterman, himself, seemed impressed with the performance.

More Omaha Rock News: Cursive on Letterman

Yeah, so Cursive is making its network TV debut this Friday, March 13, on Letterman. They will be performing a song from the brand new, Mama I'm Swollen, which hits stores today.

Sound Opinion's Cursive Show Now Online

Chicago Public Radio's Sound Opinions show recently came to Omaha to record an interview and live performance with Cursive. The show was recorded inside The Waiting Room the afternoon of their most recent concert in town.

The podcast has finally been posted online and can be downloaded as an mp3. The songs performed by Cursive are yet-to-be-released tunes from their forthcoming new album. Good stuff!

Are You Cool Enough For the Omaha Music Scene?

For the record, I am not a Saddle Creek hater. I like a good amount of the bands that the label has released: Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Faint, Two Gallants, Azure Ray, Ladyfinger (ne), and a few others. But sometimes I do think they take themselves a little too seriously, and think they are just a little bit too cool. The former Omaha band Drakes Hotel (who just relocated to Portland) had this hysterical quote on the current state of the Omaha "scene" -- "Three cheers to Saddle Creek Records for building an impenetrable wall around themselves. How indie are you really when you build a shrine to yourselves with the blessing of the city and only book your friends and bands from your ultra cool record collections? Good luck with that."

There is a certain amount of truth to that quote, but it could also be chalked up to envy. There is a lot of backbiting among indie music people.

Wanna Be in the New Cursive Video?

From Saddle-Creek.com:

If you're in the Omaha area, Cursive is requesting extras for their video shoot this Saturday, From 10 to 5 at 32nd and Harney. The place is Called "A Merry Occasion Wedding Chapel". Everyone should dress in white as if they are going to church.