*Omaha hip hop duo BOTH are setting up a run of tour dates leading them down to Austin, Tex. for the South By Southwest music festival. The dates will put the band is Tulsa, Okla. March 16 and Denton, Tex. March 17, before a week of shows at SXSW. The duo will play a pre-tour show with Oketo at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theater Friday, February 20. They will also play in Lawrence, Kan. on February 21.
* Oketo’s show with BOTH will also serve as the Lincoln indie-progressive act’s own tour kickoff, as they trek out for a few weeks of Midwestern tour dates. The six member band is seeking to raise $5,000 utilizing an online crowdfunding campaign to pay for a van to use during the February tour, as well as for tour dates out to the West Coast in April. To donate, visit indiegogo.com/projects/oketo-spring-and-summer-tours. The band recently released their self-titled EP, produced by Lincoln production team BZZZ and recorded at Studio F and Silver Street Studios.
* Hear Nebraska, the non-profit website that’s doing an amazing job for the state’s many diverse musical scenes, is planning one great fundraising event, especially if 90s power-pop appeals to your ears. Hear Hear Hear: An Intimate Evening With Matthew Sweet is the organization’s inaugural fundraiser. The event is scheduled for Saturday, March 28 at the 1200 Club, inside of the Holland Performing Arts Center. The highlight, of course, will be a performance by Matthew Sweet. Local act the So-So Sailors will open the event. The event also includes a silent auction of Hear Nebraska concert photography. General admission tickets are $45, while a meet-and-greet package will be $100.
* Reptar, the Athens, Ga.-based indie act, has announced that they have signed to Joyful Noise and are celebrating the news with a single. The “In Through the Eyelids/ Delusional” 7-inch record is available for pre-order through the Joyful Noise website. The band will also spend the entire month of April on the road, stopping in Omaha Tuesday, April 14 at the Slowdown. The band’s singer/guitarist Graham Ulicny also pulls double duty these days as a member of Omaha’s own Icky Blossoms.