Omaha, Neb -- The next Seattle????

[Defenestration]

much has been made about this burgeoning new music scene.

the bands:

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst)
Desaparecidos (Oberst)
The Faint
Cursive
Azure Ray
The Good Life

so, is omaha the next seattle of the early 90s? here are some articles that tackle this very subject.

http://www.time.com/time/archive/preview/from_redirect/0,10987,1101020318-216309,00.html
http://www.rollingstone.com/features/featuregen.asp?pid=947
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0240/levy.php
http://www.startribune.com/stories/457/3207247.html
http://www.nysun.com/sunarticle.asp?artID=202
http://www.psycho-jello.com/omahastuff.html

so....have at it you industry experts ;)....

[wcgcapone]

Don't forget 311 and the great heroin...

[Red Harvest]

Originally posted by Defenestration
much has been made about this burgeoning new music scene.

the bands:

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst)
Desaparecidos (Oberst)
The Faint
Cursive
Azure Ray
The Good Life



Who??

[Jawz10]

Cursive, for me, is the best band on earth right now. For me, at least.

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

jeremy, you forget about Thrice.

and no, for the love of humanity omaha is not the next seattle. omaha is nothing. please shoot me if i ever am living there, whether forced or otherwise. especially if otherwise.

[peledre]

The Faint are a decent punk-techno mix of sound, they definitely put on a good show when you are under the influence of some stuff. Check out a couple of their goodies, The Conductor, and Worked Up So Sexual.

[peledre]

If you're looking for a good punk scene, Minneapolis holds its own fairly well.

[Own Goal Hat-Trick]

Originally posted by peledre
The Faint are a decent punk-techno mix of sound, they definitely put on a good show when you are under the influence of some stuff. Check out a couple of their goodies, The Conductor, and Worked Up So Sexual.


they arent punk at all.

or techno.


theyre darkwave. think depeche mode.

i prefer violent as one of thier songs. also, call call, and glass danse.

[Footix]

Industry mooks are certainly treating it like the next Seattle. Any band from that region is getting priority listening time by A&R guys, for no other reason than "it's a hot scene".

I actually had a conversation with a major label guy about a month ago where he mentioned "the Omaha Sound". He also told me a funny story about another industry guy (not from his label) attempting to concoct a "Fischerspooner is Missing/Dead" story to plant in order to get some press over here. These guys are shameless.

Cursive is cool. My kid loves Desaparecidos and said they ripped live this summer.

[TheLimeChicken]

Haven't heard anything from Desaparecidos, but absolutely love Bright Eyes. Similar sound? Seeing as both projects are Conor Oberst I'll have to check out Desaparecidos.

[bmurphyfl]

I'm also a big Bright Eyes fan. The album "Lifted..." is one of the best albums of 2002.

Isn't Lullaby For the Working Class also from Nebraska? I'm not sure if they are from Omaha but their sound is similar to Bright Eyes' sound. A great album from Lullaby For the Working Class is Blanket Warm.

Murf

[Chris_Bailey]

Cursive is ok, but it's depressing to me. Where can I find a 311 clone? I'm still playin' there ************, but I need a new dose of something close to it.

[jamison]

I remember reading Play..err..a men's magazine about 8 years ago that was saying Asheville, NC was going to be the next Seattle.

I think they are still waiting. If Omaha wants that mantle, go ahead, but I think it is about time people (in the industry) stopped looking for "the next Seattle" and started looking for better music to play. Being from Seattle didn't make any of those bands good, being good bands did. Sir Mixalot was from Seattle. Did that make him a "peer" of Cobain? I'm not a huge believer in the "one city gets 3 good bands and becomes a hot music scene" theory. Liverpool, NYC and Seattle each have had good runs at times, but enough already.

[nicodemus]

Originally posted by Defenestration
Azure Ray


This article says Azure Ray is from Athens, GA. I know at least Maria Taylor from that group is from Alabama. I went to elementary school with her.

http://www.thewarmsupercomputer.com/AZURERAY.html

[sebakoole]

Originally posted by jamison
I think they are still waiting. If Omaha wants that mantle, go ahead, but I think it is about time people (in the industry) stopped looking for "the next Seattle" and started looking for better music to play. Being from Seattle didn't make any of those bands good, being good bands did. Sir Mixalot was from Seattle. Did that make him a "peer" of Cobain? I'm not a huge believer in the "one city gets 3 good bands and becomes a hot music scene" theory. Liverpool, NYC and Seattle each have had good runs at times, but enough already.
Amen. The last time I took indie rock seriously (1994) they were clamoring about San Diego with bands like Tanner and Drive Like Jehu. A few months later and those who were so eager to be ahead of the crowd were on to ...where exactly? I don't remember, who cares.. Like the man said, music is organized noise and like the other man said, there are two kinds of music: the kind you like and the kind you don't like. Screw the scene, screw the hipsters. Think and listen for yourself.

[Defenestration]

Originally posted by nicodemus
This article says Azure Ray is from Athens, GA. I know at least Maria Taylor from that group is from Alabama. I went to elementary school with her.

http://www.thewarmsupercomputer.com/AZURERAY.html no, you're right. they moved to omaha when they were signed by saddle creek records. that's the tell-tale sign, when bands actually relocate to be a part of the label. la, ny, chicago ... not surprising. but omaha? there must be something...

[Defenestration]

Originally posted by Footix
Industry mooks are certainly treating it like the next Seattle. Any band from that region is getting priority listening time by A&R guys, for no other reason than "it's a hot scene".

I actually had a conversation with a major label guy about a month ago where he mentioned "the Omaha Sound". Originally posted by jamison
I think they are still waiting. If Omaha wants that mantle, go ahead, but I think it is about time people (in the industry) stopped looking for "the next Seattle" and started looking for better music to play. Being from Seattle didn't make any of those bands good, being good bands did.
Originally posted by sebakoole
Like the man said, music is organized noise and like the other man said, there are two kinds of music: the kind you like and the kind you don't like. Screw the scene, screw the hipsters. Think and listen for yourself. good thoughts, people. i personally think the focus on omaha is kind of a backlash to the plastic, overhyped, overproduced music that has characterised the mid to late 90s. that music had no soul, no substance. so, where do you go when you want to get back to the basics? the heartland of america, of course. the pilgrimage to omaha is symbolic of an overall desire to get back to a more simple, innocent time IMO. you can criticise these bands for being "whiny" or whatever, but at least they stand for something.

[hangthadj]

I hate Connor Oberst's whiny ass.
Screw Omaha.
Screw Bright Eyes.

But I do like some faint stuff and quite enjoy cursive and the good life.

[Defenestration]

Originally posted by TheLimeChicken
Haven't heard anything from Desaparecidos, but absolutely love Bright Eyes. Similar sound? Seeing as both projects are Conor Oberst I'll have to check out Desaparecidos. actually, desaparecidos is quite a bit harder. this is actually a rock band. a lot of people favour it over the bright eyes stuff (even though the bright eyes stuff is very, very good). they only have one album (9 songs), but the whole thing is a diatribe against the suffocating commercialism in their home town, omaha. it's quite good.

just to show you how young this band is (and where their core fans are), this band doesn't even have a home page, and the de facto homepage is done by some guy in the UK:
http://www.thedesa.fsnet.co.uk/

they don't tour that much or promote the album that much because oberst makes bright eyes his top priority (understandable). but if they ever decided to go full bore, this band could be significant...

[Defenestration]

Originally posted by Own Goal Hat-Trick
omaha is nothing. please shoot me if i ever am living there, whether forced or otherwise. especially if otherwise.
Originally posted by hangthadj
Screw Omaha.it's funny how people from other midwestern towns (with sh1tty music scenes) feel the need to chime in with their immature, jealous responses. because you somehow feel that your city is superior to another city. funny. remember, it's not about the city, it's about the music.