Cursive, Ladyfinger (ne), The Thermals
September 23, 2006
First Avenue, Minneapolis, MN

It was no ordinary tour stop for Nebraska’s Cursive last night at Minneapolis’ First Avenue. After Nebraska’s Ladyfinger (ne) – a talented group with a Belushi-esque spirit overcoming menial vocals – and The Thermals of Portland, Oregon – a overhyped indie punk act best heard outside during a smoke – left the stage, Minneapolis scenesters gathered in quiet expectation for Omaha’s Cursive and their First Avenue main stage debut.

Touring on their new album, Happy Hollow, the Minneapolis stop was only the second stop on the group’s extensive national tour (Fargo was #1).

With a three-piece horn section, celloist and the usual Cursive crew behind him, Tim Kasher took the stage like a preacher on a pulpit, propagating his “Hymns for the Heathen” and other select tracks from Cursive’s short yet prodigious catalog.

Cursive : “Hymns for the Heathen”

While the band excelled at the harder tracks from 2000’s Domestica and the new album, it was hits like “Art is Hard” and “Some Red Handed Sleight of Hand” from 2003’s The Ugly Organ that engaged the crowd into singing along or standing quietly in pew-like rows while Cursive foretold their musical destiny.

Cursive : “Art is Hard”

After the show, we had the chance to chat with lead singer/songwriter Tim Kasher about the performance, playing First Ave for the first time, and what it’s like to be from Saddle creek in Omaha these days.

What did you think of the Minneapolis show last night?
Oh wow, well we definitely had a great time. I even made the comment that it was great getting to play First Avenue for the first time, and really, we’re all so pumped about the record and the tour that the show couldn’t have gone bad. But headlining at First Ave. was awesome.

Let’s talk about that. One thing that really came across last night was your humility at playing a good crowd at First Ave.
Being a Midwesterner, First Ave is one is a very small handful of elite clubs you know about. Growing up in Omaha I didn’t know about the Troubadour in LA and Bowery Ballroom in New York. So First Ave is the kind of club you aspire to play, and it was just what we hoped for.

So how do you rate the vibe in Minneapolis compared to other cities?
Actually, we consider Minneapolis to be one of our slower going cities. Both Cursive and the Good Life spent a lot of years not getting to the right clubs there. For instance, we’ve done some 400 Bar shows to almost no one.

It’s not a bad thing. But when Bright Eyes and the Faint really took off, it kind of confirmed my hunch that Minneapolis fans tend to embrace indie rock more so than harder rock. But I feel it’s good as a songwriter to be comfortable enough to say maybe a cities’ fans don’t dig what we’re doing.

But especially over the past few years, we’ve been building good momentum with fans. I just feel like we started late. We had to work at building crowds for a few years, and initially our Minneapolis shows would either fall through or we’d end up just playing a record store.

You mention Saddle Creek labelmates Bright Eyes and the Faint doing better in Minneapolis. After all these years, how much do you still compare yourselves and gauge success based on your Omaha peers?
There’s not much of a comparison, really. I really respect what we did in Omaha and what happened in Omaha – but for me it’s a that was then kind of scenario.

Do you still live there?
I do, but really living in Omaha isn’t relative for us anymore. There was a time 10 years ago when we were all a lot younger, plugging away and passionate. We banded together all the bands to make Saddle Creek happen, and it turned out to a great success for all of us. But now there’s a new generation with bands like Ladyfinger (ne) coming up through the ranks. It’s a different time and different sound.

Are the guys in Ladyfinger (ne) part of the same incestuous Saddle Creek musician circle?
Well, the drummer, Pat, is a longtime member of Mayday. I’ll say that the snobbery of indie rock has said that Saddle Creek can be a clique. And it’s not that the other guys aren’t part of it, but it’s a different time. They’ve been playing in Omaha music for as long as I can remember.

And inevitably, we have to ask for a Good Life update.
Well, we’re working on another Good Life record right now. I’ve been writing on the tour and as I go along – I can send songs back. We have the tour broken up so we can be home every two and half weeks so we can write and get in a few practices.

Sounds like you’re going to have a busy winter.
I am. But I like to stay busy. It’s the only way to be.

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