The following contains adult language. Reader discretion is advised.
This year’s Maha Music Festival returned to Omaha’s Aksarben Village on Aug. 19. KZUM programmers were on hand to document the two stages of music that featured both local and touring performers heard on KZUM, including Run The Jewels, Built To Spill, High Up and more.
Photos by James Dean and Kyle Gibson. View on Flickr.
The Hottman Sisters
Omaha natives Heather and Jessica Hottman, with drummer Ed Getzlaff opened the Maha Music Festival last Saturday. With the sun directly overhead, and not a cloud in sight, it seemed like a perfect day for a music festival. The Hottman Sisters provide the perfect setup for the rest of the lineup. With the perfect blend of alternative, punk, and pop sounds you get the perfect show-opener for any music-lover. The sisters’ vocals ring out perfectly over the open air.
Four songs in, the group established a casual rapport with the audience; “Can I trust you to clap?” Jessica asked. “Ya’ gotta wake yourselves up.”
The Hottmans were great at getting the audience participating and revved-up for the music ahead. The set was so fun, though, that it was over before I even knew it. Not only was the music great, but you could feel the passion for the group; they were psyched to be playing the Maha. The dynamics of their announced “favorite” song, “Katz,” was the perfect closer.
-Steffan Decker
Downtown Boys
From Providence, R.I., the Downtown Boys are an anti-capitalist punk band with a simple message: fuck the cops, fuck the racists, fuck the rich and fuck anyone or anything else that keeps people divided, disenfranchised or otherwise ground down under the boots of oppression. They delivered this message from the Weitz Investment Management Stage at Aksarben Village, a shopping playground for Omaha’s affluent. There is a patent absurdity in this juxtaposition, and certainly a joke is being played on someone. But who? Downtown Boys’ second LP was called Full Communism. Maha, with its security checkpoints (“do not put your bag on the table!”), strictly structured commerce (“they don’t allow us to sell our own drinks.”) and “Maha Money” drink tickets, may be accurately described as “Full Capitalism.” Is it an affirmation that a band with Downtown Boys’ message can play at Maha and make that message so loudly known? Or is it more telling that even with such a message, the capitalist forces of Maha can allow it in their midst without having to worry about it?
“The economy is not recovered,” said Downtown Boys vocalist Victoria Ruiz from the stage. “People in positions of power need to realize this. The banks of justice are full. They are not empty. They are waiting for us to cash our check.”
The Weitz Investment Management Stage is 8 feet tall, and separated from the crowd by at least 10 feet of media pit and security guards. It was apparent that Ruiz is more comfortable being able to touch her fans and interact with them more than this setup would allow, as she tried to bridge that gap to get people in the front row to sing into the microphone. It didn’t work out, but it’s the thought that counts.
“This is an amazing festival,” she said from the stage. “Thanks to everyone who put it on.”
Sociopolitical screeds aside, Downtown Boys rocked.
-Casey Welsch
High Up
Omaha indie soul band High Up, fresh off playing KZUM’s Stransky Park series, took to the Omni Stage early in the day. While a few of the artists in this group are no stranger to large scale outdoor festivals and playing after sunset, recently added guitarist, Todd Fink (The Faint) and founding High Up member/trumpeter, Orenda Fink (Azure Ray), it is lead singer Christine Fink’s timeless and impressing performance that leaves one in awe that she hasn’t broken the major festival circuit time and time again.
One could say this group is a family affair, to which it is if you took a DNA swab of the above mentioned members, however, watching the entire group perform together you see a house of organically orchestrated artists that produce strong, soulful music while all along dropping knowledge of our current political and sociological times. Playing their well known tracks “Your System Failed You” and “Two Weeks”, Christine Fink didn’t hold back any punches and laid it all out for everyone to see and hear.
The group’s Maha set was tight and thoughtfully planned. From bringing out a backup singer to support Christine Fink’s vocals, which isn’t typically heard at most High Up shows, down to the attire and interactive stage performance from all members of the group, it was rewarding to witness a Midwest indie soul band follow an East Coast bilingual punk band. Both served up intense dishes of raw, in your face, performances.
-Shannon Claire
Omaha Girls Rock
If you’ve been following and listening to KZUM this summer, you might have noticed a live remote broadcast that happened in the middle of July at Omaha’s Holland Center, with the non-profit, Omaha Girls Rock. OGR empowers girls through music education and hosts two week long summer camps where campers work with coaches, instructors and each other to form bands and hold a special performance at the end of the week. Each camp usually consists of roughly 50 campers and make up about 10 bands. One band from each week are then chosen to perform at Maha Music Festival.
Groups “Smoking Mirrors” and “The Clearance Section” planted their feet confidently in front of the Maha crowd directly after High Up’s performance. Singing songs with lyrics telling of their experience and purpose of camp, both bands received admirable applause and cheers, and won over other Maha performers you saw watching in the wings backstage. Leaving all with one simple message, “Be You, Be Happy”.
-Shannon Claire
Torres
Brooklyn-via-Nashville artist Mackenzie Scott, better known by her alter-ego, Torres, brought both familiar and new music to the concert festival. Performing a few soon-to-be classics from her 2013 self titled album and 2015’s Sprinter, it was her newest work off her upcoming fall release, Three Futures, that set the tone for her set. Torres was scheduled in between two boisterous bands and should have probably been scheduled after The Hottman Sisters, before Downtown Boys and High Up set the energy level only Priests could respectfully fill.
It was apparent Torres was one of the most unknown artists among the majority of observant festival-goers. But attendees were drawn to the captivating voice that conducts her gothic industrial electro-pop sound. She performed the title track from “Three Futures” as well as “Skim”, both released earlier this summer. The upcoming album is set for a Sept. 29 release date and was produced by Rob Ellis who has worked with PJ Harvey, and mixed by David Tolomei best known for his work with Beach House and Future Islands.
-Shannon Claire
Priests
A friend of mine who had previously seen Priests said they relied heavily on dissonance and noise. They were “that kind” of punk band. Since they hailed from D.C. and had that reputation, and since I had never heard of them prior to Maha, I expected something resembling D.C. hardcore. My friend was wrong and so was I.
Priests has melody. Priests has a message. Priests has an unassuming aesthetic that catches you off guard, unprepared. Priests has a confident sort of sass that makes the band’s music hard to ignore. Friends of earlier performers Downtown Boys, this group of fellow female-fronted punks from the East elicited a similar crowd and response, though without the overt political proselytizing. Volume and violence aside, there was a beauty to Priests’ set, presented as it was against a cloudless blue sky. Frontwoman Katie Alice Greer’s easygoing stage presence was hypnotic at times, masking the band’s unbridled power.
Some kids tried to mosh and got shut down. Just two of them. Most people around them looked annoyed. Why don’t people mosh anymore? Is political violence the only acceptable kind? You could have moshed to Priests. Dial back the clock a decade or two and there would have been a circle pit for the ages during highlight song “And Breeding.”
@insta_priests keep the day rocking #priestsdc #priestsband #maha #mahafestival #maha2017
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-Casey Welsch
The New Pornographers
For those lucky enough to be near the stage, the sun was finally letting up as the crowd nearly doubled moments before The New Pornographers went on. The alt-pop group hit the stage and kicked off their set with “Moves,” following that up with the new single “High Ticket Attractions” from the latest album Whiteout Conditions. And it sounded perfect. Fellow patrons around me nudge me to let me know this is the reason they bought their ticket. Good choice.
With Whiteout Conditions hitting the scene just a few months ago, one could expect to hear mostly 2017 tracks. Songs from the album made up about one-fourth of the set, but there were songs for fans of The New Pornographers new and old. Everything was flawless, and there was joy in the air as the band created a lot to live up to for the rest of the Festival lineup. It was just a damn good time. I was happy to be a part of it.
-Steffan Decker
BUILT TO SPILL
Boise’s Built To Spill took the stage at 5:55 Saturday night. The last time that I attended one of their shows they were a five piece but you could be forgiven for thinking that they gave always performed in the three-piece configuration they did on Saturday. BTS confidently brought choice cuts into the lobes of Stinson Park concert goers.
BTS’s tour looks to wrap up Oct. 8 in their hometown, playing the Moscow Music Fest. The latest of their eight full length albums Untethered Moon, was released in 2015. Keep up with their shenanigans at Builttospill.com.
Built to Spill getting Maha packed! #builttospill #maha #mahafestival
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-Velet Devoe
Sleigh Bells
Brooklyn noise pop band Sleigh Bells closed out the Omne Stage Saturday night with a number of Marshall amps stacked up surrounded by strobe lights. The duo added another guitar and brought loudness to Maha that the previous acts at the festival just could not match. Two guitarists, a drum machine and lead singer Alexis Krauss crushed through songs that drew from all four of their albums. The latest, Jessica Rabbit, was well represented throughout the show, including the opening track, “Unlimited Dark Paths.”
“This is a beautiful place” Krauss brought up, speaking of the impressive venue that is Aksarben Village.
Other tracks from the new album included “It’s Just Us Now”, “I Can Only Stare” and “Rule Number One” which was preceded by a reminiscent moment by Krauss, looking back at the time they visited while tornado warnings were going off throughout the night in the Omaha area in 2012.
Sleigh Bells brought the noise, they brought the energy and most importantly, they set the tone for the rest of the evening. They played crowd favorites “Tell ‘Em”, “Comeback Kid”, “Infinity Guitars” and “Crown On The Ground” among others. It was an enjoyable way to transition from the evening into the night as the sun went down during the 14-song set.
-Aaron Vlasnik
THE FAINT
If you are from Nebraska, you know the faint. For over 20 years, The Faint have thrived in the local, national and international music scenes. They have inspired countless local musicians and according to her myspace page circa 2008, Lady Gaga labeled herself as being under the influence. These fellas are used to headlining but with Run The Jewels (marry me Killer Mike) headlining MAHA they narrowed their set to a baker’s dozen of piping hot club bangers. My highlights were “Sex Is Personal” and “I Disappear.” Pro tip: Keep your eyes on Dapose.
The Faint are currently promoting a retrospective of their work, CAPSULE: 1999-2016, and celebrating their return to Omaha’s Saddle Creek records. You can find more at Thefaint.com.
-Velvet Devoe | Photo by James Dean
Run The Jewels
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a bigger name in hip-hop right now than Run The Jewels. The duo consisting of Killer Mike and El-P have been making the rounds in festivals this summer. Hitting up spots like Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, and the FYF Fest just to name a few. At Maha though, they found themselves headlining and closing out the nearly 12-hour festival. Their latest album, RTJ3 has been wildly accepted throughout the music scene and not just within the hip-hop world.
To a crowd of more than 8,000, Run The Jewels brought their intense, hard-hitting brand of hip-hop to the Weitz Stage. Walking out below two giant balloons in the shape of their famous ‘fist and gun’ logo and to Queen’s “We Are The Champions”, the duo jumped right into their energetic track, “Talk To Me” and then into the popular single “Legend Has It” followed up by “Call Ticketron” before acknowledging the crowd.
“Who knew Omaha was so lit?” asked El-P “I did not know that Omaha was this good. It’s an honor to be here.”
With fast-moving, bass-booming beats provided by DJ Trackstar, Run The Jewels spent little time between songs. They dipped into tracks from all three of their albums.
It was clear that a lot of the crowd came to see them and the Jewels did not disappoint. Playing favorites such as “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”, “Blockbuster Night Part 1”, “Don’t Get Captured”, and “Close Your Eyes” just to name a few within their 13 track set.
The show was cut short by about 15 minutes due to a thunderstorm. Killer Mike and El-P were remorseful but still able to finish with their usual closer, “Run The Jewels”.
“This is definitely a crowd. We’ll definitely be back to Omaha.” Killer Mike chimed in. Let’s hope they make their way back to give us a full set soon.
-Aaron Vlasnik | Photo by James Dean
Shannon Claire is KZUM’s development director and host of X-Rated: Women in Music, airing every Thursday, 1:30-3 p.m., on KZUM.
Steffan Decker is KZUM’s office and multimedia specialist and one half of the hosting duo on The ISM Machine, heard every Monday from 6 to 8 a.m. on KZUM.
Aaron Vlasnik hosts Alt Night Long every Tuesday from 9 to 11 p.m. on KZUM
Velvet Devoe is the host of Everything’s Gone Greenheard every Monday from 10 p.m. to midnight on KZUM.
Casey “Polar Bear” Welsch hosts Play That Funky Music White Boys every Wednesday from 11 p.m. to midnight on KZUM.
