This past weekend bands from Lincoln played at three venues over two nights in Benson. The Lincoln Invasion event didn’t put hordes of people on the streets, but it was a successful event with about 300 in attendance over the weekend. I am not sure if it was mainly people coming up from Lincoln or if the event just piqued the curiosity of music fans that don’t typically come out to shows, but there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in the crowds over the weekend.

I was working at The Waiting Room during the entire event so my observations are limited to that venue and the bands that played there. I did get to see some bands for the first time including Machete Archive, an intense progressive instrumental band with an entertaining Energizer Bunny-like bass player. Singer-songwriter Manny Coon opened up the Saturday night festivities and stated that he was playing Omaha for the first time. Coon was a highlight for me as he is a good storyteller and songwriter. It has me wondering if there are more good singer-songwriters in Lincoln that I am missing out on. The best band on the lineup, ex-Mercy Rule members Domestica, put on a stellar set in front of a modest crowd. I figured they would be the main draw of the event and people would flood into the Waiting Room as they were playing. That didn’t happen, but those of us that were there sure got a treat. Organizer Jeremy Buckley was buzzing a little bit about doing this again next year, and I hope that it happens and the event grows.

Lincoln’s Box Awesome venue will be closing on June 30. The venue has been having disputes with the landlord, who allegedly wanted the venue out of the building. The people running Box Awesome went to court and it was decided that they would just leave the premises rather than dealing with the headache of being where they were not wanted. The people running the venue will be taking a couple of months off, and promoter Jeremy Buckley will be working with a new venture in Lincoln called the Bourbon Theater. They do expect to eventually relocate Box Awesome. The final show will be Lincoln bands Somasphere, Triggertown and Plack Blague.

Omaha band Midwest Dilemma got some good news this week. The Omaha Arts And Entertainment Award winners for Album Of the Year were announced as a band that will play the annual “Saturday In The Park” in Sioux City. Midwest Dilemma front man Justin Lamoureux is originally from Sioux City and he stated during a phone call that he has been trying to get onto that festival for years now. Other performers playing the July 4 free event are the Counting Crows, Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing and Shemekia Copeland. Midwest Dilemma will be playing at noon.

Some recommended shows for this coming weekend include the return of the Pornhuskers to Omaha for a show at the Sydney. The Friday show will also feature Bloodcow and the Coffin Killers. The Waiting Room on Friday has popular touring band Pomeroy along with local artists Anchondo. On Saturday at the Sydney is Mal Madrigal along with Chicago’s Box of Baby Birds. Also on Saturday local buzz band Little Black Stereo will be opening for national touring act White Rabbits at the Slowdown. And next Tuesday at the Slowdown is what could be the sleeper show of the year with Canada’s Japandroids performing there with locals Dim Lights. The Japandroids debut full-length “Post Nothing” is one of the most talked about albums this year amongst critics.