* Film Streams, 1340 Mike Fahey St., will hold a special screening of the new Big Star documentary Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me Tuesday, August 13th at 7 p.m. The movie profiles the power pop band, fronted by Memphis legend Alex Chilton, who was also in the Box Tops. Big Star never achieved commercial success in their original 1970s run, but have become one of the most influential cult bands in rock ‘n’ roll.
* Make Believe Recordings and Make Believe Studios are expanding into a new realm Friday, July 19th, when they open the Make Believe Music Shop, 1704 South 10th St. The store aims to sell Nebraska artists and is looking for local bands to bring down merchandise to help stock the shelves. The festivities will also include free BBQ and ice cream, courtesy of 2nd St. Creamery.
* Pleasure Adapter and Touch People are joining forces for a weeklong Midwestern tour, kicking off Monday, August 5th in Lawrence, Kan. The dates include shows in Chicago and Minneapolis before the band returns Sunday, August 11th.
* Even stripped bare to acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals, Josh Rouse is still a convincingly first-rate pop songwriter. The Nebraska native, who now resides in Spain, played a low-key set to a seated club crowd Friday, July 12th at the Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. The audience was an even split between fans and family, all knowing the words to much of his material. Newer material split the different between his pastoral, hushed Spain-recorded material and the 70s pop/blue-eyed soul feel of his two most-known albums, 1972 and Nashville. Fans of subtle, sophisticated pop songs were well-served by Rouse’s seasoned acoustic set.
* Snake Island! brought a respectable crowd to the Waiting Room Saturday, July 13th for a show celebrating the release of their new full-length vinyl album, Evil Music. The local psych garage combo impressed with a mix of projected video and live oil projector art, while playing their heavy mess of fuzz guitar and pummeling caveman rhythm. Opener Plack Blague provided his own dark-hued fringe sounds to the evening, playing his set of electronic blackness while dressed in leather bondage gear. The crowd also seemed to pack in around Universe Contest, whose appearance at the show almost got derailed by one of its members getting injured earlier in the day. Thankfully, the band still worked through a full set.