The chilling frost of metal has swept through Nebraska, freezing all punk and hardcore bands in it's path. Yet another hardcore band in Omaha has disbanded leaving only Relentless Approach in Omaha, and Bent Life in Lincoln to fend for themselves. Omaha’s Pisswalker have announced that the band will be going on hiatus until next summer but still have a string of releases due out before then, including an upcoming split 7” with the Minneapolis fast hardcore band Brain Tumors, a split 7” with Omaha freak grind unit Powerslop, as well as a full length lp scheduled to be released sometime in 2014. With Pisswalker taking a lengthy break, it is expected that there will be very few hardcore or punk shows booked at the West Wing until their return. However, it has been reported that the d-beat influenced hardcore of Relentless Approach will be releasing a yet to be titled lp on the legendary Minneapolis crust punk label Profane Existence, despite trimming down to a 3-piece. Relentless Approach also has plans to release a cassette tape of all the previous records plus a new song. Lincoln mosh masters Bent Life has reported that they have been busy writing their debut full-length record followed by a full U.S. tour scheduled around a stop at Rain Fest in Seattle. It has also been reported that Bent Life is currently booking a European tour around their stop at Ieperfest in Belgium. Expect more news once tour dates are posted.
Metal has taken over the underground scene in Nebraska with Lincoln’s most satanic band Vickers, who are currently working on a split 7” with Funerary Box that will be released on Give Praise Records. Staying in Lincoln, Feeder/Gainer have been playing out and have become a full force death metal unit, leaving behind the doom and gloom style of the past. I have seen them recently, and they continue to improve and have become a powerful force live. Feeder/Gainer have a cd currently available as well. Switching over to Omaha, alien grind freaks, Astral Menace, have a lp planned for release in 2014, as does the heavy blues band Swamp Walk. Both via Nihilism Records. Long running Omaha metal outfit Borealis have returned after a lengthy hiatus earlier this year with a revamped death metal sound, and have been playing out a bit as well. No word on any new recordings though.
In other scene news, Omaha record label Lagerville Records has a new release featuring a 7” version of Houston, TX hc band Glue, some distro items, and an upcoming 7” planned from Iowa City’s hc/punk freaks Nerv. It has also been reported that Lincoln’s disco leather daddy Plack Blague is currently recording his next release, as well as songs for an upcoming compilation. The Blague has really swept through Omaha within the last year with performances happening often throughout the city, infecting many along the way. Recently, Baby Sux By Suxwest, a local noise fest happened at West Wing that was a success featuring many of the local noise talents in both Omaha and Lincoln, plus performances from TX noise acts Breakdancing Ronald Reagan and Dromez.
In Crucial Changes news, I am happy to announce that this blog has surpassed 100,000 views. Not bad for a blog that doesn’t advertise, nor has downloads. It has also been brought to my attention that Crucial Changes in now 5 years old. Thought the years, I have been continually trimming the fat, and keeping the blog as lean as possible with only local scene reports and show photos. Crucial Changes will continue to follow this path for the future. How long will I continue the blog? Fuck if I know. I would also like to announce that I have registered for a table once again for Chicago Zine Fest 2014, making it my 3rd year in a row participating. I will also soon announce a call for bands to submit songs for the 4th volume of the mix CD-r series. The first three months of the year is always the busiest, so expect further news and updates in the near future.
