Well, it’s a new year and you know what that means, opportunities for new music abound!
Before I dig in to another awesome show review, I’d like to take a second and give thanks to everyone who supported Stories From The Crowd in 2018, first and foremost being my amazing wife Virginia. There were a lot of late nights writing and photo editing and she was there pushing me every step of the way. Without her love and support none of this would be possible!
Another group I have to thank is Corey and the crew from 89.7 The River. Local radio support can be a game changer for your brand and they came through in a big way last year. Also, to all of the promoters and publicists that granted me photo access to shows, you have my utmost gratitude!
Alright, now that 2018 is in the rear-view let’s talk about new shows in 2019!
One of my favorite Omaha venues The Waiting Room is putting on free shows Monday nights in January and February with a focus on new local music. This week I caught three great bands Lucida Dark, The Credentials, and Xaiiya (formerly Midwest Depressed).
Lucida Dark was up first. As I arrived, I saw the stage was lit only by glow sticks and a few light ropes on the band’s keyboards and drum kit. I suppose the name makes sense as their presence was very dark! There was doomy riffs and hard-hitting double bass, but the overall vibe was actually pretty layered and ethereal.
That’s what I love about seeing new music, you never know what you’re going to get! Lead guitarist Spencer Rosenberg is a family friend and I’ve always known him to be into heavy stuff. So when I didn’t get screaming vocals and shredding guitars I was a little surprised.
I love all types of music including metal and hardcore, but I typically lean more spacey than screamo, so the zoned out vibes were right up my alley. You can find Lucida Dark on Facebook.
Next up were some young guns from Lincoln, The Credentials. Take notice folks, these guys are kicking butt in a major way, and they’re just getting started.
As soon as the first song started I knew these dudes were totally in my lane. They had a mixture of everything I love, surfy garage riffs, tight drums, funky bass and some whoa-oh vocals. Just imagine The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes all took a summer trip to California to record an album, and you end up with The Credentials.
Being from Lincoln, I asked lead singer Everest if they were going to school at UNL thinking they sounded like they had been playing together a long time, and he said everyone except drummer Seth Beem were right out of high school! I asked how long they had been playing together and Everest said only since June! Talk about fresh new tunes. Had they formed while still in school The Credentials definitely would’ve taken the trophy at the battle of the bands! I’m telling you, keep your eye on these kids. I’ve got a good feeling about this band.
The Credentials have some songs on Soundcloud, and a pending Spotify page. They’re also working on a full length album so keep an eye out for that. You can also catch them during Lincoln Exposed (dates pending).
The last band of the night was Xaiiya (formerly Midwest Depressed). These guys and gal were a lot of fun! They had a great mix of punk, funk, psychedelic, and even pulled out a superb Coheed & Cambria cover!
I really enjoyed one of the songs early in the set “Subteranean Video Store Blues”. It had an upbeat flavor and witty lyrics with references to Ghostbusters, Poltergeist, and “Just needing someone to talk to”.
A few songs later, bassist Carlos announced the only cover in the band’s set and said “If you know this one you’re cool”. As soon as I heard the riff for Coheed’s “Blood Red Summer” I was so psyched. You know I sang every word! They really did a great job with it too. Sometimes bands will cover a song and skip some of the more technical parts, but they had all the solos, and even the backing vocals were on point! I had so much fun with that one.
Shortly after the Coheed cover Carlos announced that the band was changing their name from Midwest Depressed to Xaiiya. I think along with the name change came a style change because the rest of the set was all instrumental psychedelic jams. I still enjoyed the songs, but the dynamic definitely changed. I don’t think the crowd minded though. There was still plenty of applause after every song. You can catch Xaiiya at the Reverb Lounge on Feb 23 with the Real Zebos.
Overall, this show was a great way to kick off 2019! I hope to attend more of these New Music Mondays at the Waiting Room. As a reminder, these are free shows! So you have no excuse not to get out and support local music. I’m really looking forward to covering even more music in 2019 and I hope you’re just as excited to read about it. I’ll be adding more dates to the “upcoming shows” page as I go so keep an eye out for that. Have a great 2019 everyone!
Thanks for reading. If you like what you read, please share! Every share, like, comment, social media follow helps keep the dream alive!
If you would like coverage for your next event please email spencer@storiesfromthecrowd.com. I have a pretty flexible schedule and can travel, but I’m off on Sundays. Thanks!
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