The Reader Sept. 22 - 28, 2011 by Pioneer Publishing

Sept. 22 - 28, 2011 VOL.18

dish14 Bar Chat

fall fashion the trends of the season cover story by sarah lorsung tvrdik cover photo by jason mcclaren

art19

Gotta Serve Somebody

fashions by denim saloon (above) and chocolate peacock (right inset) hair by icon studio for hair (above) and paul kenney (right inset) makeup by rachel anderson (right inset)

music24

The Rapper Next Door

sports36

Hail, Hail, The Descendants OMAHA JOBS 2

Weird 34

MOjo 36

FUNNIES 4

Full-time Full-time BCS Granite. Warehouse/Showroom Assistant & Bookkeeper/Secretary/Showroom Assistant. Contact matt@bcs-usa.net. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Coreslab Structures Omaha Inc. Drivers & Safety Coordinator Bilingual. Contact hgreiner@coreslab.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Star Enterprises. Outside sales persons and project Managers. Contact staromaha@gmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Pawz Pet Services. Pet Services Specialist. Contact Nicole@pawzpetservices.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Full-time

Full-time Full-time

Director IT (First Data Technologies, Inc. - Omaha, NE) Direct a large (250+ employee) Command Center that monitors company-wide platforms, systems & servers that process financial transactions industry products, i.e., credit, debit, prepaid, giftcard, & cheque transactions. Reqts: Bachelor deg or foreign equiv in Comp Sci, IT, Engg (any), or rel + 5 yrs of exp in pos. offd or rel. Must have exp w/ financial transactions industry, Mainframe, Web & Unix, operations mgmt, crisis mgmt, return to service mgmt (production support), Incident Mgmt, CICS online applics, SAS b a s e d . . . C O N TI N UE D

Director IT, CONTINUED: File extract prgms, VSAM tuning, OS/390, DB2 & CA Products. Must have exp managing budgets & recommending strategy. Apply at www.firstdatajobs.com. Go to "Search Openings" & enter Req. No. 19467BR.

The Work Connection. Sales Professional. Contact jseibert@theworkconnection.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

TenderHeart ChilDcarE Seeking Help! Must be bilingual. Have flexible hours. Please apply in person at 12315 Westwood Lane.

Peak Pathways. Independent Marketing Director. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Sylvan Learning Center. Teacher/Tutor. Contact LoriRoh@NebraskaSylvan.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

Streck. Inside Sales Representative. Contact tpreister@streck.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. Nebraska Technical Services. Sales. Contact joe@nts.omhcoxmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. Assembly Position. Seeking to fill two positions. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Lifetime Fitness. Contact jberg@gmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.

LAST chance for discounted prices!

Full-time

P h y s i c i a n . For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

L a b o r - U t i l i t y For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Nursing FacultY For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

1027 Jones Street - Old Market Lofts 402-991-2333

OPEN HOUSE

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

| THE READER |

omaha jobs

Saturday September 24th and Sunday September 25th

Want your school to win a share of $1,000,000? Start voting. Help your school be one of 18 winners in the U.S. Cellular Calling All Communities program. ®

Education is facing lots of challenges. So we’re giving the school with the most votes $150,000 and the next 17 schools $50,000 each. To vote for your school, go to a U.S. Cellular® store and get an online voting code. Vote daily from 9/9 through 10/6/11. It’s a great way to get involved with your school and community—and be with the happiest customers in wireless.

Nettelhorst Elementary used last year’s Calling All Communities winnings to renovate their science lab. Here students enjoy the improvements.

To learn more, visit U.S. Cellular’s Facebook® page and uscellular.com or call 1-888-BUY-USCC. Calling All Communities: NO PURCHASE OR SERVICE NECESSARY TO PARTICIPATE. Must be 18 or older (19+ in Alabama and Nebraska) and legal resident of the 48 eligible United States/D.C. Void in Florida and New York, outside the eligible states and where prohibited. Other restrictions on participation apply. Any public or private school (K–12; home schools excluded) within the 48 eligible states and D.C. is eligible (except previous winners). One vote per person per day. Voting ends 11:59:59 p.m. (CT) on October 6, 2011, at which time codes expire. The 18 winning schools with the most votes will be announced by November 2011. School with highest number of votes wins $150,000; others win $50,000 each. Ends October 6, 2011. This offer is subject to the complete Official Rules, by which all participants are bound. See Official Rules at uscellular.com or in-store. ©2011 U.S. Cellular.

USC-PH-11-001

Document

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Burst_10_Upper_A

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

PUBLICIS & HAL RINEY

5IVE

MINUTES INTO THE FUTURE bit.ly/mUdjj3 | SEPT. 22, 2011

The future of architecture is one of

digging deep into the earth. These

vaulting imagination and previously

buildings will often be built to

impossible structures. With the

maximize energy efﬁciency and

explosive economic growth of many

contribute as little as possible to

countries, such as China and the

polluting the environment, and

Unites Arab Emirates, these

some will be built to be linked with

locations will become testing

the natural world, covered with

grounds for some of the wildest

trees or gardens and using soil as a

architecture yet conceived.

building material, so that the

Computer modeling, new building

building itself contributes to the

materials, and rapid prototyping

health of the environment.

will allow for the creation of

Tomorrow's buildings will look

structures that seem to defy physics,

nothing like today's.

some climbing to unimaginable heights, some twisting and turning like an enormous serpents, some

SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

by: DR. QUENTIN MARK MYSTERIAN and BUNNY ULTRAMOD

| THE READER |

news

topnews

On the Move Master Transportation Plan gets a makeover

by Jessica Clem-McClaren

n a wave of bike helmets and Velcro gloves, more than 70 cyclists pedaled to a public forum hosted by the City of Omaha Planning Department. The two-hour presentation discussed a proposed revision of Omaha’s Transportation Master Plan. The cling of bike shoe clips and rattling car keys could be heard as motorists, walkers, bus riders and others filled 250 seats in the Scott Conference Center. Activate Omaha, Metro Area Planning Agency and others were represented. City council members Chris Jerram, Pete Festersen and Jean Stothert attended. The atmosphere was rich with excitement and relief because finally, 14 years after the City established the existing plan, changes may be coming. The revisions proposed by the City and its consultants will address urban commuter ills like traffic congestion, degraded roads and inefficient streets. Updates will be made to existing transportation policy and will address all possible modes of transportation, including creating more bike lanes and creating a more efficient bus system. The City hopes to move away from a vehicle dependant transportation system and create safe options for residents who choose to commute without an automobile. These revisions have been adjusted to make transportation as efficient as possible from now until 2035. The focus of the revision is to give motorists, bus riders and cyclists’ options when leaving their homes. “The plan will look at fixing and replacing existing infrastructure,” said Paul Moore, principal consultant for the project and lead speaker for the evening. “We will be filling the gaps in development and revitalizing property.” The idea and vision for the revised transportation plan was developed after a series of meetings between Moore’s team and the City of Omaha through November and December of last year. “We created four goals,” Moore said. “We wanted to provide balanced options for all commuters, create a safe and healthy environment, help make neighborhoods livable and connected, and see economic returns to the city with fiscal sustainability.” Through February and March of 2011, committees were formed by the City and members began looking at proposed transportation projects in

north and south Omaha. The third leg of planning, from April until now, included determining how to efficiently implement chosen goals. Proposed projects were spread in ten areas throughout the metro within existing streets and properties, minimizing new development. Public input has been made a top priority for the city and its partners during the revision process. Advocacy groups have been born out of the hustle of the last few months. ModeShift Omaha, representing commuters, says public input is crucial. “Doing nothing is no longer an option,” according to the organization’s blog. “We can no longer afford to deny people real transportation options. The cost of continuing with car-only transportation will bankrupt our city and deny real freedom of choice to every Omahan.” Moore cited statistics gathered by ModeShift. “For every car on the road, it costs the City of Omaha 5.6 cents in road maintenance. For every bike, it is 1 cent,” he said. If the current plan is not revised to make biking and roads safer, and buses more efficient, the 130,000 new residents expected in the Omaha area by 2035 will be incredibly staggered: 120,000 west of I-680, and only 10,000 in the core, resulting in even more traffic congestion. “If the current plan is not revised, this is a fairly realistic picture of what will happen with congestion if nothing changes,” said Moore. Though the vision for the revised plan has been set by the City and its consultants, The City of Omaha Planning Department will need to approve the plan before it moves to City Council. Once it is passed by both entities, funding for the plan will need to be secured before implementation can begin. The funding for the current revision project through is through the “Communities Putting Prevention to Work” grant from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Funding for actual implementation of the proposed projects is yet to be determined. The City will announce another public meeting in the next month to continue to hear the voices of those who will benefit the most from the revisions: the residents of Omaha. “Now that they are near the end of the planning process, we need to get the message out about the importance of public input,” said Kevin Flatowicz-Farmer, ModeShift Omaha member. “We want to make sure everyone has a chance to see the Plan and make their voices and opinions heard.” “After all,” said Farmer, “without public participation we can hardly say we live in a true democracy.” ,

N E W

heartlandhealing

A G E

H E A L T H

A N D

W E L L N E S S

Songs in the ey of healing

irst, a Stevie Wonder story. In the mid-1970s, Stevie was pretty much a fixture at the historic Record Plant recording studios at 8456 West Third Street in Hollywood. That’s where he recorded the albums Innervision, Talking Book and Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Wonder swept Grammies for years but one of his most remarkable performances was on the air hockey table in the Record Plant’s Studio C hallway at his 1975 birthday party. Stevie would challenge newly arrived partiers to a game of air hockey. Since they had just got there, they had not yet witnessed his skill … or his unique strategy. To “level the playing field,” Stevie asked his opponent to don a blindfold. Of course, it was only fair. Or so they thought. What the opponents didn’t know and couldn’t see was that Stevie’s game strategy was simple: He leaned forward and blocked his goal slot with his left forearm while flailing away with the hockey paddle in his right hand. Sooner or later, he’d score and the opponent didn’t have a chance since Stevie’s goal slot was blocked. No one caught on and Stevie claimed it was his ESP. Naturally, the “victim” earned their way into the joke when they joined the crowd of observers when the next newbie arrived. Stevie went undefeated for the day. Wonder’s records during that time often wove mystical and spiritual themes into the music, aware of higher ground. Decades later, the pulsing rhythms and uplifting vocals still resonate. Ancient roots of healing. We know the power of music, the power of sound. Sound affects the body, as all energies do. Coherent, aligned tones in a pattern that can be discerned by the intellect are often called music. Random, unpredictable square waves are often called noise. Music is usually considered to have a pleasing effect and noise to have an annoying effect. Music is just part of a bigger picture called sound. Sound is everywhere. Sound can be palpable. Military experiments using low frequencies at high amplitude have been used to kill test animals. Subsonics can turn internal organs to mush. (Judging by cars pulling up to stoplights with subwoofers blaring, the first organ to go is the brain.) The message of music and health was written long ago. Gandharva veda is an ancient form of Indian raga music recognizing patterns of energy flow we experience based on the time of day and year. There are morning, afternoon and evening ragas. These forms are described in Vedic texts dating to 3000 B.C. Around 600 B.C., Greek academician Pythagoras taught more than geometry. He explored the time and space of music. Searing for personal harmony, he taught that music and diet were the key ingredients for maintaining a healthy and long life. “Music hath charm to soothe the savage breast.” — William Congreve: Modern research of music and

B Y

M I C H A E L

B R A U N S T E I N

its positive effects include the work of French physician Alfred Tomatis of the French Academy of Science and Medicine. His research and that of others demonstrated the obvious: Music can relax you. It can lower blood pressure. It can decrease heart rate. It can help with insomnia. Some music has been shown to increase IQ. Author Don Campbell has written The Mozart Effect, a book highlighting some of the effects of the sound we call music. Researchers found that listening to Mozart prior to exams improved test scores significantly, and that Baroque music is preferable for enhancing intelligence. Baroque was popularized in the 17th and 18th centuries. The best way to associate with it is to think of Johann Sebastian Bach. As composers go, he is considered the primary force behind the form. Others are Handel, Haydn and Mendelssohn. To pick a popular classical composer one could choose Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart’s music was often the most effective. A famous application of music as medicine is documented in the Goldberg Variations composed by J.S. Bach in the 1700s. The luckier artists and scientists of the middle centuries were funded by the aristocracy or wealthy patrons like the Catholic Church, much as corporate giants and pharmaceutical companies sponsor creative research today. The good side of that arrangement was that artists and scientists were paid to go about their work. The down side was that artists and researchers become beholden to benefactors. Like today, if a job was requested, the results must satisfy the client or funding is lost. Biographers of Bach describe how the Goldberg Variations came about. Russian Count Kayserling, ambassador to Dresden, had recurrent insomnia. He commissioned Bach to compose a series of variations to soothe and lift his mood during such nocturnal bouts. Bach composed them and Kayserling enlisted his house harpsichordist, a virtuoso named Goldberg, to perform them from an adjoining room. Bach admitted he wasn’t happy writing variations, but funding is funding. Thus, one of history’s most enduring tales of the application of musical medicine was born. Centuries later, an infamous insomniac also sought musical relief. Adolf Hitler played recordings of classical music late into the night. He commissioned engineers to develop high quality tape recorders using a new technique. The tape recorders became spoils of war, were shipped to post-war California and spawned the modern recording industry with machines that displayed technical lineage traceable to Hitler’s engineers. Years later, Stevie Wonder became well known for the characteristic clickety-clack sound of the wah-wah pedal-modified Hohner D-6 clavinet on his classic hits recorded on the same type of analog tape recorder. He was less well known, though just as successful, with his clickety-clack performances on the air hockey table. Be well. ,

HEARTLAND HEALING by Michael Braunstein examines various alternative forms of healing. It is

VILLAGE POINTE FARMERS MARKET

V Harvest FestV Saturday, October 1 • 8am -1pm

End-of-Season Celebration Join friends and neighbors for a

celebration of nature’s bounty with festive fun for the whole family. Shop the final Farmers Market of the season and stock up on farm fresh goodness.

Free Festivities For the Kids: Hayrack Rides

Pumpkin Decorating • Bounce House • Giveaways For Everyone: Live Music • Arts & Crafts • Community Booths

VoteRealFood.com

168th & West Dodge Road • 402-505-9773 • villagepointeshopping.com

SPONSORED BY:

IC E AGE

The Real Story

Now open through Sept 30 Fontenelle Forest Nature Center

The Real Story Learn why the Ice Age was much more than snow and ice! Meet extinct creatures on a forest walk. Investigate the life of a saber-toothed cat. Discover a baby mummified mammoth. Explore a bone hut and creativity cave. Dig for fossils.

Open Daily Fontenelle Forest Nature Center 1111 North Bellevue Blvd Bellevue, NE 68005 402-731-3140 fontenelleforest.org

provided as a source of information, not as medical advice. It is not an endorsement of any particular therapy, either by the writer or The Reader. Access past columns at HeartlandHealing.com

heartland healing

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SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

coverstory

fall into FASHION Fash Flood’s Fall 2011 Fashion and Style Guide

by Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik

ash Flood’s guide to fall fashion and style includes everything from retro styles reborn to the bondage inspired eccentricities that hit the runways this past spring. Join us on a journey through the most buzzed about trends in womenswear, hair and cosmetics. Fur Real From shaggy faux fur jackets at Prabal Gurung to thinly strapped sandals with bursts of fox fur grazing the toes at Alexander Wang, fur in psychedelic hues is a top trend this fall. If you grew up in the ‘90s you may be able to dig into your storage for that monstrous Mongolian faux fur coat from Gadzooks you saved up for and couldn’t bear to part with. If not, try this trend with an oversized faux fur vest available at most department stores this season. Hot Spots Seeing spots? Have no fear; you’ve probably been stricken with the same polka-dot fever seen at Marc Jacobs, Lanvin and Gucci. The color palette? Black and white with sheer fabrics paired with pops of color like persimmon and ultramarine. Chaley Chandler, owner of local boutique Chocolate Peacock recommends, “Trying this trend out on accessories as a fun pop, instead of all over. On a scarf, for example.” Mod Mama From TV shows like “Mad Men” and “Pan Am” to the runways of Prada and Victoria Beckham, ’60s inspirations are everywhere with no sign of withering away. Peter Pan collars, brightly colored pea coats in solids and

Boutique Bonanza

espite a dismal ecomony many new boutiques have popped up around the Omaha metro. You can read about some of our favorites — Chocolate Peacock, Icy Pink Boutique, Tog’s, Statement — on page 12. Following are a few other local clothiers that have caught our fashionable eye:

beyourself Boutique 307 North 78th Street www.beyourselfonline.com “No sizes, just colors.” Locally owned and operated

plaids and knee-high boots are all trends to keep in mind for those channeling their inner Betty Draper this season. Check out secondhand boutiques like Scout: Dry Goods & Trade for authentic vintage ‘60s pieces or Banana Republic’s Mad Men-inspired collection to try this trend. Crack the Whip Love it or hate it, fetish-inspired accessories are everywhere for fall including Vogue Nippon and Nylon magazines. The daring should go straight for the harness, an accessory seen everywhere from the bare chests of Lady Gaga’s dancers on Saturday Night Live by designer Zana Bayne to Omaha Fashion Week runways from designer Kaleigh Moynihan. Not so bold? Push boundaries with a thick, corset-like leather belt or a choker. In Living Colour Generally reserved for spring, bright hues were seen all over the fall runways this year. “For fall we saw the presence of bright, near neon hues along with jewel tones and ruby reds” stated Trocadéro Assistant Stylist Jared Spence. The shade du jour? Rich crimson, burgundy and blood red as seen on the runways of everyone from Gucci to Diane Von Furstenberg. Try this look with limited-edition ’40s inspired rogue-colored lipsticks from Lancôme or with a pair of ruby tights to make a va-vavoom statement. Secretary Chic With the high loafer trend for fall, shoppers can pick their (heel) poison

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

photo by jason mcclaren fashions by denim salon hair by icon studio for hair

for 6 years, beyourself has encouraged self-esteem through unique fashions and accessories to women of all shapes and sizes. You won’t find typical numbered sizes, rather the sizing system is organized by colors. No matter your color or personal style, beyourself has something just for you.

Coriander 1028 Howard Street hellocoriander.com Located in the historic Old Market Passageway, Coriander has original vintage pieces as well as reinvented items designed by proprietor Cora Rasp. While it’s only been around since last fall, the community has caught on and discovered

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continued on page 8 y

the beautiful shoes, jewelry, ties and local art displayed in the store.

store credit. The colored-sizing system still holds true for the sister store.

The Giving Tree 16902 Wright Plaza #195 acebook.com/thegivingtreeboutique

Nouvelle Eve 1102 Howard Street www.nouvelleeve.com

Owned and operated by the same owners as beyourself Boutique, The Giving Tree believes in giving as well as receiving. That’s why every time an item is purchased, the customer has the option of picking a local charity to donate a portion of the store’s profits at the end of the month. The merchandise is a variety of new pieces, as well as lightly-loved. The store has a buy-sell-trade program that allows people to bring in items in exchange for cash or

Nouvelle Eve is practically an Omaha institution. They’ve been open for 35 years in the Old Market, and have set the mold for local boutiques. They pay attention to trends but continue to provide a classy, unique experience for customers. The space, location, garments and accessories are all equally gorgeous and will make you feel you’re transported to a different place. They sell fracontinued on page 8 y

photos by jason mcclaren fashions by chocolate peacock hair by paul kenney makeup by rachel anderson styling by niamh muphy

photo by jason mcclaren • fashions by icy pink • hair and makeup by mikal vandenbroucke

cover story

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sept. 22 - 28, 2011

coverstory y continued from page 6

with wedges, chunky stacked heels or even skinny stilettos. Almost every major shoe designer came out with a version of this shoe for the season from silver mirrored loafers at Alexander Wang complete with tassel to Nine West’s version in combinations like camel and yellow or chocolate and purple. Metallic Details In addition to the metallic high heeled loafers Alexander Wang sent down the runway were strappy sandals in rose gold, the top dog of autumn’s metallic trend. A highly coveted accessory to be on the look out for are rose gold watches, available locally at Younkers from designer Michael Kors’ collection. Shining stars can also rock this trend with glitter-covered footwear from designers like Miu Miu, Kate Spade and Jeffrey Campbell in heels, ballet flats and yes, even sneakers. Midi/Maxi When asked about some of his favorite womenswear trends for fall, Jared Spence stated “Ladylike dressing” among his top picks. “On the runways this year we saw more sophisticated, well put together looks inspired by the ‘40s and ‘50s that I loved, with pinched waists and longer skirts.” Indeed, hemlines have grown over the past year and landed just past the knees, known as midi length; or at the floor, known as maxi length. Kelly Newell, Owner of Scout: Dry Goods & Trade recommended “Pairing mid-calf skirts y continued from page 6 grances from Creed, clothes from Free People and Michael Stars and statement jewelry that demands to be seen.

Oolala! L.A. Boutique 1219 Applewood Drive Suite 101 www.myoolala.com Inspired by West Coast fashions, Oolala! has everything from Betsy Johnson bags to Miss Me jeans to clothing from Wildfox Couture. They even have Husker shirts for the fans who don’t want to skimp on style. Located in Papillion, Ooolala! had its grand opening this past spring. There’s nothing quite like them in Papillion, and they will no doubt set the example for other local boutiques. Ooolala! stays on top of the trends and ensures that every shopping experience is personalized and exciting. After all, they believe fashion should be fun.

Paperdoll 6607 Maple Street facebook.com/heypaperdoll

Paperdoll is a vintage and one-of-a-kind boutique that’s anything but cookie cutter. In under three years, Owner Kelsey Riewer turned her personal

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

or dresses with shoes or boots that are not flats” and to “Show some skin or tights between the shoes and bottom of the skirt/dress so it’s not a continuous flow of fabric then shoe. If your skirt is flowing or loose pair it with a body skimming top.” Get Graphic Proenza Schouler, Thakoon, Marni, Prada and countless other designers utilized graphic prints in their collections this season. Try out this seemingly “mismatched” trend by mixing bold patterns, magnified prints and bright blocks of color. Say No to Straps The oversized clutches trend is peaking this season with portfolio sized bags being seen in all the major street style blogs. Get trendy with envelope clutches in textures like faux ostrich, alligator and snakeskin or neon hues such as highlighter yellow. Beautiful People Last but not least are our top beauty trends for fall. Hair stylist Rebecca Forsyth of BUNGALOW/8 reported that, “Ombré and different dark-to-light looks are still highly requested for fall, as well as deconstructed, shattered bobs. We’re moving obsession with vintage clothing into both a standing and online boutique. “I love vintage so it started out as something I just bought for myself,” said the shop owner. Soon, she started buying for friends and then selling on Etsy, an online marketplace for vintage and handmade items. “Etsy was perfect for me. I love writing, photography and buying vintage, and I did that for a full two years before opening my shop.” After becoming an Etsy seller, Riewer opened a pop-up shop for the holidays with a friend from Curbside Clothing (now located in the Old Market). “It was my first taste of setting up a store, and after the holidays I started to take everything down and wondered what to do next.” From there, she rented the space now known as Paperdoll, located in Benson. On top of selling vintage and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories, Riewer slowly started carrying one-of-a-kind items from local and independent designers. Handbags, wine vines, wire-wrapped jewelry, framed art and of course, clothing, were among the original items carried in-shop. “Some of my favorite items in the store are from an independent line called Pin & Hem; it’s one of the bestselling collections in the shop.” Riewer showed off some of her favorite items from the line, such as fanny packs, an asymmetrical button-up jacket and a fabulously versatile black maxi skirt.

| THE READER |

cover story

away from severely graduated bobs like Victoria Beckham’s.” For nails, top trends include a shift from acrylic nails to a naturally shaped nail. “Shellac is a huge trend that’s been building over the last year and it’s really starting to take off ” stated An Vu, Owner of VuVu Nails & Spa. “People are choosing to remove their acrylic nails permanently and moving towards less high-maintenance nail trends, like shellac.” Makeup Artist and Clinique Counter Manager Amber Jacobsen described the biggest cosmetic trend for fall in two words: “Bold lips”. In addition she stated, “Bright, red-orange lips are the most requested color choice, along with smudged-out metallic eyeliner with lots of mascara. And as always, healthy radiant skin never goes out of style.” , Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik is a stylist, costumier, wife and freelance writer based in Omaha, Nebraska. Her style blog can be found at fashflood.com.

photos by matt warburton fashions by statement

Runway Boutique 2504 South 132nd Court www.runwayomaha.com

Trocadero 1208 Howard Street www.shoptrocadero.com

Fashionistas on a budget, listen up: Runway Boutique has exactly what you’re looking for. From popular brands such as Miss Me, Jessica Simpson, Kensie and Collective Clothing, Runway has you covered. They have their finger on the trend pulse, but Runway carries unique pieces that ensure you’ll never see someone else in the same outfit.

Owned and operated by New York native Alice Kim, Trocadero is a truly special store. They focus on accessories from L.A.M.B, MZ Wallace, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Dolce Vita and Giuseppe Zanotti. The pieces are all chosen by Kim herself. Her expertise with accessories stems from her days as an accessories editor at InStyle magazine. It’s clear she has quite the eye for shoes, jewelry and bags. One step inside, and you’ll swear you were in a store in New York City.

Scout: Dry Goods and Trade 5019 Underwood Ave. ilovescout.com Bring your items you no longer wear and receive cash on the spot or store credit to find new treasures at Scout. Located in the heart of Dundee, Scout is constantly receiving new items from shoes to jewelry to vintage pea coats. They support local artists and designers and recently introduced their mobile shop, Li’l Scoutie which makes its way to local events around town. They’re also a friend to the environment, as they’re BYOB (that’s, Bring Your Own Bag). As if the shopping experience couldn’t get any better, every Sunday Scout has a $1 sale. Hurry in and find some gems just waiting to be discovered.

Roots & Wings 8712 Pacific Street hwww.rootsandwingsomaha.com They’re located in Countryside Village and one of the few stores in town that carry the highly-coveted TOMS shoes. They also have a wide selection of dresses and casual garments from amazing brands such as Free People, BB Dakota, LeSport Sac, Kensie Girl and Blank Jeans, just to name a few. The clothes and accessories they carry are guaranteed to make a statement and aimed for girls who dare to stand out in a crowd. — Jessica Stensrud and Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

Death of Auto-Bling Kristen Geissinger of statement

Fall’s FAshionable Colors Salon Fusion

beyond the brand chocolate peacock

Not Your Boyfriend’s jeans denim saloon

he jeans with the bedazzled backs are O.V.E.R. I can’t believe I just said ‘bedazzle.’ Can you imagine Karl Lagerfeld ‘bedazzling’ couture? ” Kristen Geissinger, a petite woman with a fantastic smile, tugs at the cap of her water bottle as we glance at the soft animal prints spotting the walls of her store. “This fall is going to be about clean lines and feminine flare.” Statement is a personalized boutique offering fashions that extend beyond current trends, mixing feminine with an edge, staying fashion forward in Omaha with an ‘old school’ style of service. This fall the feminine edge makes a comeback. “I’m excited for Omaha to start wearing flare denim; this fall is all ’70s,” she said. “The maxi skirt is back with a big sweater and boots,” pausing, with a wide smile. “I LOVE that look!” The ‘mullet’ cut will be everywhere; short in the front, party in the back. Fall trends can help keep Omaha’s frozen as well-dressed as possible. “When the weather gets bad, longer skirts will be paired with tights instead of shorter dresses. This winter season will be about staying comfortable and stylish.” Statement also keeps a fashionable hand on the classics. “Blazers have turned into everyday wear,” she said. “I love that they’re not only for professionals but also the fashion-conscious crowd. Women will be paring a blazer with clean cut jeans, with booties instead of rocker boots.” Omaha has become more fashion forward thanks to the hard work of local designers, new businesses and an indie subculture. Statement is not a place for the uber-thrifty, but rather a store where quality takes precedence over how many pieces can be bought at one time. Kristen and Megan pride themselves in having all price points in their store. “We want to stress that our products are pieces you will have in your closet for a long time,” she said, gesturing towards intricate dresses and jumpsuits. “It’s important to have pieces that you will use this fall and the next.” l

ew trends are helping make the style possibilities endless for hair. “Texture and dimension are going to be huge for fall,” said Cindy Schwery, Salon Fusion. Gone are the bright pinks and greens of a younger crowd. A clean, voluminous head of hair are what stylists are looking forward to for fall. Color trends are staying subtle, with summer blonds and honey tones being darkened into chestnuts and chocolates. “We have been seeing a lot of natural colors, people are staying away from super bright tones,” said Fagan. “We are seeing lots of color on color, deep earth tones and warm purple dresses and blouses,” said Schwery. “There is a lot of subtle hair colors but with a 60s mod face, subtle eyes and bold lips.” These tones help keep hair looking less intense, letting style speak for itself. “It’s interesting to see how styles have switched,” said stylist Doug Treadway. “Women seem to be wearing looser fitting blouses and wide jeans, and men are wearing fitted tops and skinny jeans.” Salon Fusion’s ever-training, customer-focused team will go where you want. “We are getting a lot of requests for Brazilian blowouts,” said Fagan. “Women want natural curls and shiny hair. If they want straight hair it’s stick straight and super shiny. It’s all about that clean, natural look.” Curly haired women who have fought endlessly with their tresses can relax this season; natural curls will be as fashionable as classic straight hair, and make perfect compliments to a vintage dress or blazer. Both style and color are complimenting one another, and darker colors are making a comeback as the seasons cool off. “I’m excited for a color style for fall called Ombre,” said Jenny Fagan. “Ombre is dark roots fading into lighter ends, giving it a two tone style that is fresh.” l

his fall is going to be about the 70s. The flowing tops, the wide sleeves. I love faux leather on sweaters and dresses, just little hints of it throughout the piece. There are going to be lots of spicy tones as far as color, like rust and teal.” Nearly hidden in a tiny corner next to Rockbrook Village, Chocolate Peacock is a studio style boutique offering incredible clothing, great service, feathers and chocolate. “Women love bringing their kids here,” laughed Chandler. “The kids actually will say to me, ‘I like coming to your store’ because we have chocolates.” “Jackets have been selling like crazy,” Chandler motioned. “We have been trying to offer lots of layering pieces, which will be important as the weather gets colder, such as dresses that can be worn with leggings, cutout pieces and blouses.” She motioned towards a plum colored blouse with cutout squares along the shoulders. “People in the Midwest tend to shy away from major trends, so by offering blouses with just a little skin showing, people can still be conservative but edgy.” Covered with a blazer for work, it transitions from day to night. “People will be wearing the wide flare jeans, jackets, fun sweaters and coats. I always sell lots of coats. The must have accessory for fall is going to be snakeskin bags,” said Chaley. “Lots of fun prints, leather and structure bags, animal prints. Texture is going to be huge.” “We try to focus on affordability for women,” she explained. “I don’t carry major designers or department style brands. We are very trendy and try to focus on what is wearable. This way, we are appealing to a wide range of shoppers.” l

his fall will be all about colored denim and fun tops. Any fun color can be coordinated with this fall’s denim,” said Jenny Galley, owner of Denim Saloon in Dundee. “Lots of billowing, flowy blouses this fall, paired with skinny jeans. 70s trends will be large, lots of color blocking and deep reds, purples and oranges. There will be lots of spicy, deep tones.” Jeans are their staple, but they also offer bags, accessories and tops for men and women. Galley and Sarah Troia just celebrated the first anniversary of the store. “We sell denim for men and women of all sizes and fits,” said Galley. “From extra long jeans, to petites up to a size 38. And if we don’t have it, we will help you find it. We want to be the denim specialty store in Omaha.” Just as fall trends seem to be pushing cleaner lines for women, the same holds true for men. “We want to make colored denims and fitted jeans really wearable. Skinny jeans will be huge, along with sweaters and boots.” Layering will be huge. “We are excited for the non plaid sweaters and outwear,” said Galley. “There will still be plaids, but as the designers are going cleaner, we are seeing sweaters that men and women can wear to work and then out afterwards.” “We really tailor our denim to what our customers need. 98 percent of people that come into our store are successful when they are looking for specific jeans.” l continued on page 12 y

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By Jessica Clem-McClaren

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

| THE READER |

fashion

“T

Steve Gomez: Bass Instructor

Steve Gomez is a full time freelance bassist and instructor. Steve has been playing professionally for over 30 years and continues to be in high demand. In addition to his more than 25 year position as bassist for Luigi Inc., Steve also plays bass for The Omaha Big Band, The Brews Brothers, has toured nationally with Billy McGuigan in Rave On, and frequently performs with the orchestra of the Omaha Community Playhouse. Steve’s style ranges from Jazz to Rock and Classical.’ “Steve Gomez has been a teacher, colleague, friend, and mentor to me since the 6th Grade. His patience and kindness are only outweighed by his unflinching dedication and passion for music. I have been taking lessons from him for the past 15 years and I feel that I am constantly learning something new. Whether in or outside the “classroom,” there are always lessons to be learned. Steve Gomez has been an incredible inspiration to me.” — Chad Rosinecki, professional bassist and owner of the Lauter Tun Steve teaches Jazz, Funk, Rock and Classical techniques for both upright and electric bass. Steve has taught Jazz Ensemble and Bass at Creighton University, and helped facilitate Music Workshops at the High School and College both locally and regionally.

For more information on lessons, please contact Steve Gomez at 402-658-4571 or at dillobass@me.com

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

SEVEN AD 5 x 5

y continued from page 10

BRAVING THE COLD WITH COLOR TOGS FALL FASHION

“T Hair and makeup by Seven Salon // three2three photography 3117 N. 120 ST // OMAHA, NE 68164

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www.sevensalon.com

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SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

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eXCeP TI

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fashion

he flare jean is back. The cozy sweaters, fur vests, bright colors like royal blues and purples, and camel are going to be huge this fall.” Walk into Togs Boutique to find an impeccably polished style for women, blending contemporary with a wearable, inviting Midwest flare. Owner Traci Saitta offers personal shoppers, “but people more often will look for advice. They will bring in a shoe or a skirt they haven’t worn for years and ask how they should wear them.” Saitta gave a run down on the classics that every woman should have in their closet. “Military coats and blazers are huge. Everyone should own some type of blazer, and not just black. Colored denim will be huge as well.” Comfort will be key. “Skinny jeans will be a strong wardrobe piece that carries through all seasons, especially fall and winter when they can be tucked into boots,” she explained. “Capes will be huge, thick wool capes are great, and they are one size fits all and you can throw them over everything.” Thankfully, the newest trends are tame this year, and can be worn by any age group. “There are going to be a lot of fur vests, both faux and real,” she smiled. “Leggings are

back with lace and sheer cutouts. Over size tops with the dolman sleeve are everywhere. Fringe is coming back in a huge way; we cannot keep fringe purses in stock!” ●

SOMETHING DIFFERENT ICY PINK BOUTIQUE

ce Pink Boutique is not your typical shop. With pink chandeliers and a winding staircase, the space alone makes you feel as though you are shopping on one of the coasts. It is fitting, since owner Roxanna Padilla hails from Los Angeles. “I visit my family in LA frequently and I would bring back clothes and jewelry to sell on the side,” she said. “With the support of my family, particularly my father, I came to the conclusion that opening a boutique would be a great idea.” From buttery soft bags to silky dresses, all her merchandise comes from the streets of LA, giving shoppers a chance to let their individuality shine through fashions at incredibly reasonable prices. “I carry all sizes, from XS-3X,” she said, gesturing towards the jeans, blouses and sweaters. “I want to make sure to target women in all sizes. I want to make women feel comfortable and let their personalities shine through trendy looks without breakin the bank.” ●

SPECIAL FASHION ISSUE CREDITS SPONSORS: Salon Fusion Chocolate Peacock Icy Pink Boutique Tog’s Statement Denim Saloon

PHOTOGRAPHERS: Jason McClaren Matt Warburton HAIR AND MAKEUP: Team at Salon Fusion Icon Studio for Hair Mikala Vandenbrouke Paul Kenney

Rachel Anderson SPECIAL THANKS TO: Jordan Smith and all our fabulous models STYLISTS: Niamh Murphy Ryan Belman

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

Bar Chat

An interview with Spike TV ‘rescuer” Jon Taffer

by John Horvatinovich

totally broke in most cases. Whereas the clients that typically hire me are close to broke, but at least they have enough money to get me there. What we see on the show is Jon Taffer the intense professional. What do you like to do when you need a break? I have to tell you I am sitting in my office and to my left is an electronic drum set – studio quality – a marshal mini stack and next to that two guitars, so I love music. Sometimes in the middle of my day I get behind my

hrough my own experience in the industry, I have seen a lot. I am never shocked to see the condition of bars and restaurants on reality TV. Truthfully, because there are a lot of bad restaurants and bars. So I was happy to catch a new show called “Bar Jon Taffer of ‘Bar Rescue’ Rescue” on Spike TV. From my bar and restaurant experience and after viewing all of the episodes to date, “Bar Rescue” and host Jon Taffer are the real deal. In fact, Spike TV will pick up a second season of this original series. Last week I spoke with Jon Taffer about the show, the business and future of “Bar Rescue.” The Reader: Jon, out of every 10 restaurants or bars in the industry how many are really like the ones participating in the show? Taffer: That is a great question and nobody else has really asked that question; so, my compliments. It’s different in that I am not cheap, somebody of my experience and caliber, my time is not cheap. So the unique difference is that these operations typically could never afford me, candidly. They are afforded an opportunity of not only my time and work, but also in the work we do to the interior, and it is almost like a gift from the heavens. That is the difference, because the clients are typically a little more desperate than in the real world, because with “Bar Rescue” they are

drum set, I put on my headphones, play some drums or a little guitar to take a break and then just sit back down to my desk. Music is a huge part of my life. I also love comedies, and to pick one of my favorites of all time, I love the Big Lebowski. I am a huge fan of the Dude. Coming up in Hollywood as a musician I saw a lot of people who were like the Dude. Jon you rely on your wife Nicole for recon and input on numerous episodes. Which episodes do you think she enjoyed the most or the least? That question couldn’t be more timely, because episode nine happens to be that one. In all the years Ni-

thursdays

JOSLYN

Late ‘til

CURATOR GALLERY TALKS: Sept. 22, Oct. 27, & Jan. 5 Visit joslyn.org for more programming information.

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

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dish

cole has done this for me, she has never been touched by somebody when she didn’t want to be. She has never had anyone physically get her upset and have her walk out of the bar upset, and that happens in the episode. It is a memorable episode but not in a good way. I never have put my wife in a situation where people before have touched her, and you will see that in the episode. It is pretty darn intense. Have you ever had a client just flat out say, no? Actually, episode ten, which is the last episode we air. I do not want to tell you too much and ruin it for you, but I got up and walked out. The production crew was freaking out and the owners of the place eventually changed their minds. I do not hear that too often. Maybe a couple of times someone did not agree with the strategy or direction I was going and I have stepped aside. But I have resigned from clients five or six times over the years. I do not like getting involved in something that’s going to fail. As a consultant, I am only as good as my last one. Talking about the cameras before the recon, how much notice does the staff have that you are coming into the bar? What happens is our crew arrives and we are on location for about six days. So the cameras arrive about 24 hours before myself or the recon crew. They are following employees around, customers that walk in, so they are not really sure who we are, but by the time we arrive there has probably been 100 people the camera has followed. It is important that the employees get comfortable around the cameras before we get there, and surprisingly they do, believe it or not. I was surprised, because this was my first season, and as an executive producer of the show, I get an opportunity to be involved in all aspects of it. , Check out the interview in its entirety here at DishOmaha. com. Contact the writer j_horvatinovich@yahoo.com

crumbs

dish

Omaha Restaurant Week: A few days remain in the first Omaha Restaurant Week, Sept. 16-25. It is a celebration of the Omaha metro’s unique, exciting culinary scene. Participating restaurants will offer a multi-course dinner for the fixed price of $19 or $29 or $39. Patrons may select from appetizers, entrées and desserts from a special multi-course menu that is unique to each restaurant. The best part: Coupons or tickets aren’t needed. The regular menu is also offered during the promotion; and not everyone has to order the prix fixe menu. Grab some friends, make reservations and support our local restaurants. Check omaharestaurantweek.com for menus and more information. Following is a final list of participating restaurants: 360 Steakhouse, 801 Chophouse, Anthony’s Steakhouse, Baja Grill, Blanc Burgers + Bottles, Blue Agave, Caniglia’s Venice Inn, Cantina Laredo, CRAVE, Dante Pizzaria Napoletana, Jack Binion’s Steak House, Jackson Street Tavern, La Casa Pizzeria, Liberty Tavern, Loft 610, Omaha Prime, Passport Restaurant, Piccolo’s Steaks & Cocktails, Rick’s Cafe Boatyard, Rock Bottom, Ryan’s Bistro, Signatures, Spaghetti Works Old Market, Spaghetti Works Ralston, Spencer’s for Steaks and Chops, Stokes Grill & Bar Miracle Hills, Stokes Grill & Bar Old Market, Sullivan’s Steakhouse, Taste, Texas Roadhouse, The Grey Plume, Trini’s, Tussey’s Casual Grill, Twisted Fork Grill and Bar, and Zurlo’s Bistro Italiano. Dine Out For No Kid Hungry: If you desire a more casual restaurant experience to raise money for a good cause, support Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For No Kid Hungry. It ends Sept. 24 and includes restaurants like Buffalo Wild Wings, Kona Grill, Fazoli’s, Denny’s and local spot Jackson Street Tavern. Check strength. org for more restaurants and information. — John Horvatinovich Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com

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sept. 22 - 28, 2011

8 days TOPTV “Revenge”

Wednesdays, 9 p.m. (ABC)

Many series try to create a juicy soap opera set among the rich and wicked, but “Revenge” is the rare success. Much of the credit goes to Emily Van Camp, who stars as a young woman seeking payback on those who heartlessly framed her father. Our antiheroine adopts the persona of Emily Thorne, a freshfaced newcomer to the Hamptons’ highsociety set. Emily targets queen bee Victoria (Madeleine Stowe), the one chiefly responsible for her father’s downfall. Van Camp makes your skin crawl whenever her expression turns stony. You have no doubt that this seemingly innocent lass can cause grievous harm. The series’ epigram quotes Confucius: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” I suspect Emily will dig a few more than that before she’s through. —Dean Robbins

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

t h e r e a d e r ’ s entertainment picks sept . 2 2 - 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

THURSDAY22 Sept. 22

Jimmy Thackery

PICKOFTHEWEEK

The 21st Saloon, 96th & L St. 5:30 p.m., $10 omahablues.com, 402-339-7170 Jimmy Thackery is a respected blues-rock guitarist known for his exciting playing. Other guitar players see him as among the best. Thackery performed with Muddy Waters, giving him a connection to the roots of the music and the opportunity to learn from a master. As one of the founders of Washington, D.C., area band The Nighthawks in 1972, Thackery recorded more than 20 albums and hit the club circuit hard. The band was part of the blues resurgence of the late ’70s and ’80s. Since embarking on a solo career in 1987, Thackery has become one of the most popular guitarists on the scene. He’s also collaborated with contemporaries like Tab Benoit and Delbert McClinton. —B.J. Huchtemann

Sept. 22

Pecha Kucha Night Omaha #12 Blue Sushi Lounge, 416 S. 12th St. 8-10:30p.m. FREE designallianceomaha.org

Design Alliance Omaha Inc. debuts their fifth season of Pecha Kucha Omaha with 10 creative individuals discussing design and their work. Included in the line-up are Artifact Bag Co. designer and Saddle Creek Records artist Chris Hughes, photographer and Workspace curator Dana Fritz, artist and GoodTwin Design owner Adam Nielsen, b2lab inc. design firm president Brad Brooks, architect Steven Ginn, artist Jamie Burmeister, sculptor Steve Elliot, artist Amanda Swathout, installation/video artist Tim Guthrie and architect Justin Brouilette. —Sally Deskins

| THE READER |

picks

More TOP TV This Week “Terra Nova” Mondays, 7 p.m. (Fox)

t the beginning of “Terra Nova,” Earth is undergoing environmental collapse. So a couple — doctor Shelley Conn and cop Jason O’Mara — take their three kids on a risky trip into the past with a group of pilgrims. They wind up 85 million years ago, where an enigmatic leader named Taylor (Stephen Lang) sets up a colony amid the lush primordial forest. It’s a would-be Eden, but we immediately sense trouble in paradise, both dinosaur- and human-oriented. “Terra Nova” has its share of cheesy plot devices: the leader with a dark secret, the hero who won’t follow the rules, etc. On the other hand, I give it credit for being different from the usual network cop and doctor shows. “Terra Nova” is at once prehistoric and futuristic as it explores the pitfalls of creating a utopia. Plus, I dare you not to flinch when the dinosaurs – aptly called “slashers” – lunge at the camera. In the midst of chaos, Taylor concedes, “You can’t build a civilization in a day.” True enough. I’m going to give “Terra Nova” a full season. —Dean Robbins

SATURDAY24 Sept. 24

Ukulele Hoopla

UNO Strauss Performing Arts Center 6001 Dodge St. Workshops 8 a.m.; public concert 7 p.m. concert and workshops $125, concert $20 omahacreativeinstitute.org All hail the ukulele. The petite stringed instrument has been all the rage lately. Even Pearl Jam’s singer Eddie Vedder has gotten in on the act, releasing the aptly titled Ukulele Songs earlier this

year. The Creative Institute and the 4 Strings of Swing are putting on the second annual Ukulele Hoopla at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The all-day event begins with workshops aimed at beginners and seasoned players. The concert is open to the public and will run a stylistic gamut, showing the ukulele’s diversity as players perform ragtime, modern jazz, traditional Hawaiian, ’60s pop and indie music on the uke. Kimo Hussey, Pops Bayless, Brook Adams, Rebecca Lowry of All Young Girls Are Machine Guns and Spanky Gutierrez of 4 Strings of Swing are among artists set to perform or teach at the event. —Chris Aponick

t h e

r e a d e r ’ s

Sept. 24

Jon Dee Graham

Zoo Bar, 136 N. 14th St., Lincoln 10 p.m., $8 zoobar.com, 402-435-8754 Jon Dee Graham makes his Zoo Bar debut Saturday, Sept. 24. The Austin artist is a legend of the Texas music scene. He is a three-time inductee into the Austin Music Awards Hall of Fame, recognized for his earlier work with Alejandro Escovedo in The True Believers, and for accomplishments as a solo artist. Graham’s remarkable solo work is equal parts realism and lyricism. His songs take on the big topics: love and loss, hope and courage, family and the grace and grit of day-to-day life. His music glows with luminous hope in the face of obstacles and he’s a masterful guitarist. In 2006 he was named Musician of the Year in the Austin Music Awards. At the Zoo, Sons of 76 will follow Graham’s solo set, and there might be a few surprises. Graham also performs Sunday, Sept. 25, 5 p.m., at the Sunday Roadhouse at The Side Door Lounge, 35th Ave. & Leavenworth. (See Hoodoo on page 27.) —B.J. Huchtemann Kimo hussey

entertainment

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THREEUPTHREEDOWN

Sept. 26

Resonant Tide

Creighton University Lied Art Gallery 24th and Cass streets Reception: Sep. 26, 5-7p.m., thru Nov. 4, FREE Creighton.edu, 402.280.2509 Five Creighton University Visual Arts faculty exhibit alongside one of their former students (one of which is also a current CU art professor). The exhibit highlights the artists’ achievements and the importance of the arts in Jesuit higher education as the university inaugurate Timothy R. Lannon S.J. as its 24th president. Artists include renowned sculptor Littleton Alston and his former student, Angie Seykora. She is pursuing her MFA in sculpture at Edinboro Universiy of Pennsylvania. Painter Bob Bosco is showing alongside former student Halley Gallagher, a current artist-in-residence at the Paris Gibson Art Museum in Montana. Fr. Michael Flecky, S.J. exhibits his photographs beside former student Allen Norris, who owns a photography studio in Barcelona. Ceramicist professor Amy Nelson shows with former student and Omaha-based artist Joshua Hebbert. Drawing professor John Thien exhibits alongside former student (and current Creighton new media professor) Tim Guthrie, known for his video and installation work. —Sally Deskins

electric six

Saturday, Sept. 24

Electric Six w/ Kitten and Mark Mallman

Waiting Room Louge, 6212 Maple St. 9 p.m., tickets $13 at the door www.waitingroomlounge.com

he Electric Six’s eccentric and enigmatic front man, “Dick Valentine” wouldn’t be caught dead labeling his band’s latest studio album, Heartbeats and Brainwaves (their eight studio album in as many years) as ’80s but he does admit their heavy use of synthe“dick valentine” sizers harkens back to that era. The Detroit rock city lyrical maestro (whose real name is Tyler Spencer) took a break on his way to Lansing, Mich., where Electric Six will be opening their latest tour to speak with The Reader’ about the bands’s latest release, lifting weights and love. If you had to choose a color that best describes Heartbeats and Brainwaves, what color would you choose and why? Definitely red, very red. Its a color of love. There’s different types of love as you know and I can tell that by talking to you that you’ve loved. When you talk about a red love you’re talking about an unbridled love that may or may not be controlled. Listening back through the Electric Six’s past albums, Heartbeat and Brainwaves does a 180 as far as the sound. An electronica vibe really dominates the album. Was this by design? That was completely on purpose. We looked at our body of work and thought “to many electric guitars.” We needed a way to counteract that. You sound like a weight lifter. You know how it is when you have a barbell and too much weight on one side? You need to put some weight on the other side. You said this will be your 10th time playing in Omaha. Any words for the audience? Tell the people of Omaha: “Don’t take no guff!” — James Derrick Schott

picks

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sept. 22 - 28, 2011

www.oldmarket.com

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SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

Best Ice Cream Shop

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Contempory & Ethnic Inspired Clothing, Exotic Jewelry & Gifts

1018 Howard St. Old Market Passageway (402) 342-2972

Freeman suffers his muse in Studio Stories at Hot Shops

by Mike Krainak

motifs would have commanded attention on their own 360°. But two added sets, a series of floating eyes and paper-boat hats and a group of sketches are a distraction and give credence to less is more. Nevertheless, Freeman’s body of work here represents one of the more creative, original displays seen this year both aesthetically and conceptually. Granted, submissive skeletons, humiliated clowns and a dominating puppet master may not be everyone’s cup of glee, stopping just short of a fetish fantasy.

t’s not unusual for artists to bare their souls on canvas and in public. What is unusual is for one to do so without pandering or exhibitionism. And in the bargain create a body of work that is pleasing aesthetically and maybe even cathartic. In his new work on canvas and paper art by James freeman called Studio Stories, on display at the Hot Shops Art Center through September, artist James Freeman puts his demons on display couched in symbolism that is challenging, uncomfortable and even disturbing. Studio Stories is very personal work as this mid-career artist examines his muse, his role as an artist and his relative success going forward. But if Freeman is having a mid-life crisis, he largely expresses it successfully, and it’s fairly obvious that he isn’t looking for sympathy or wallowing in self pity. He does, however, indulge a peculiar taste for puppets, clowns, skulls and skeletons, and a headless matriarchal figure who appears to be pulling the strings on the above in several of the surreal scenarios that are the most significant pieces in this rather busy exhibit. Meaning that once you pass by what may pass for the show’s signature piece, “Dance Fool, Dance,” a rather spectacular skeleton jitterbugging to his master’s tune--the aforementioned matronly torso—the exhibit’s several sets of similar images compete for attention in what can only be described as a carnival atmosphere. Perhaps that circus mayhem that likely attended his process is what Freeman is trying to recreate here, hence the show’s title. Studio But Freeman’s vulnerability here has lessons for us all Stories is composed of large oil pastels and graphite line drawings that feature “groups of macabre, silly especially when confronting issues of mortality, identity, figures…acting out some of the emotional states of purpose and self esteem. His vision and POV seem to fall the artist…dancing to keep from crying,” according somewhere between resignation and acceptance or delusion and recognition. And the tone varies from the comto the show statement. Stand in the center of the 13th Street Gallery and edy of those who think and the tragedy of those who feel it feels like being in a sideshow mezzanine sampling so eloquently expressed by playwright Horace Walpole. Freeman is the comic jester Woody Allen in and anticipating the freak show within mesmerized by the posters on the tent walls. This is particularly Manhattan, who in an argument with friend Michael true of Freeman’s two best series: four large colorful Murphy over Diane Keaton turns to a skeletal likepastels featuring a Devil in a Blue Dress and her string ness of prehistoric man and says “he was probably of fools and jesters; and an eight midsize pencil and one of the beautiful people, dancing or playing tennis, now look….I wanna make sure when I thin out charcoal set of group portraits of the above figures. Had these two sets plus three larger acrylic and I’m…well thought of.” Or the artist is Shakespeare’s Hamlet who in that two or more additional pieces been more judiciously spaced on the four gallery walls, their several visual pivotal cemetery scene holds a skull of Yorick in his

hand and tells his friend Horatio: “I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy, he has borne me on his back a thousand times.” In either extreme, the comic and tragic hero in each narrative face their mortality and conclude that yes, all is vanity. But instead of defeat, they put their hubris, indecisiveness and brooding aside and soldier on. Roll the dice, play that cards you’re dealt. Or dance with the Devil in the Blue Dress, Freeman’s most accomplished series in this show. In such works as the subtexted ”Strings Were Pulled” and “When God Tells a Joke,” the blue bedeviled matron must be seen as the artist’s muse. The goddess alternately haunts and manipulates Freeman in his various guises as skeleton or clown. Whether he hates, loves, praises or curses her, all the artist can do is serve her or suffer a worse fate. And even if his muse rewards him he may pay with his soul or sanity. Witness the diminished jester in “Shadow of the Fool” and in the last image in this series, “Notes from the Fool,” a picture of the clown now fills the void left by the headless torso of his muse as if all that remains of the artist is as a figment of her imagination. Or to spin it another way, maybe that’s not a bad thing. Freeman has, in his vision, become one with his muse or at least his art. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be? About the art, not the artist? Seen that way regardless of subject, Freeman, whose oeuvre has included botanical abstractions and grid-based collages, is largely at the top of his game in this show aesthetically. He is a master of his expressionistic style and craft here particularly with modeling and proportion that reveal muscle, bone and sinew; the delicate and intricate mark making of facial features, especially eyes and appendages; the dynamic asymmetrical composition and angles that render dominant and submissive relationships. Though admittedly influenced by the expressionism of Jean Michel Basquiat, Freeman’s work is more figurative, especially in the group portraits, including “Anxious, Cautiously Optimistic” and the poignant “The Red Shoes” which rely less on exposition and more upon the mask-like personas of the clown and the skull to reveal more than they conceal of the artist’s psyche. Less convincing are Freeman’s three large acrylics on the north wall, i.e. ”Me in the Year 2080,” that lack the composition and sculptural beauty of his pastel narratives and graphite portraits, truly his media of choice. In the former, the psychodrama seems forced. In the latter, style and subject are unified, suggesting that the best works of his Studio Stories are not only cathartic but a catalyst of even better shows to come. ,

culture

n The Cathedral Arts Projects presents Considering Red: Kansas Art Quilters a juried exhibition featuring twelve national fiber artists in the Sunderland Gallery adjacent to St. Cecilia’s Cathedral through Nov. 18. n Omaha based artist Caolàn O’Loughlin exhibits at the Birdhouse Collectible through Oct. 29. In And He Labored to Realize the Endlessness of the Skies, the Irish native displays new work exploring the notion of uninhabited space via photographs, 3-dimensional objects and paintings. n Modern Arts Midtown’s debut exhibition opened last weekend featuring more than 60 artists in painting, photography, ceramic, printmaking and sculpture, including Wanda Ewing, Catherine Ferguson, Jacqueline Kluver, Larry Ferguson, Colin Smith and gallery co-owner Larry Roots, through November. n Invisible in the City: Lives of Urban Refugees, an international photography exhibition of urban refugees from Colombia, South Africa and Malaysia, at University of NebraskaOmaha’s Mammel Hall and Love’s Jazz & Art Center is up through Sept. 23. n House of Loom hosts Drink n Draw Omaha (full disclosure: I co-produce this event) Sept. 29. Artists are invited to draw from two live models for $5 alongside Honeymoon Happy Hour. For a twist, this event presents the opportunity for artists to display their work produced during the evening at the upcoming Lit Undressed performance in conjunction with (downtown) omaha lit fest Oct. 19. Facebook. com/DrinknDrawOmaha. n University of Nebraska-Omaha art professor Wanda Ewing has been awarded an individual artist’s grant from The Pollock-Krasner Foundation. n In recognition of National Arts in Education Week, Nebraskans for the Arts celebrates their Arts Advantage campaign by collecting personal stories from community members about how art education affected their professional lives. The Nebraska Arts Council Artist Project Grants, Arts Learning Grants and Artists in Schools/Community Residency Program Sponsor Grants are due Oct. 1. n Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts’ artist residency applications for July through December 2012 are due Sept. 30. Summer 2011 artist-in-residence Derek Cote gives an inside look at the Bemis experience on his blog, getyourtook.wordpress.com.

mixedmedia

Gotta Serve Somebody

culture

— Sally Deskins Mixed Media is a column about local art. Send ideas to mixedmedia@thereader.com.

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

knowme

■ Lots of upcoming events squeezed comfortably into my fall preview of metro theater, but that’s no excuse for one enormous omission. While noting that new musicals heavily outweighed drama in September, I overlooked a landmark opening. When the John Beasley Theater presents Radio Golf Friday, Sept. 23-Oct. 16, it marks the completion of the magnificent 10-play cycle by August Wilson. In other words, the theater will have offered all of his award-winning plays that span each decade of African-American life in the 20th Century. Some, such as Jitney, have received encore presentations. Given the company’s proven experience in staging Wilson’s masterpieces, expectations should be high under any circumstances. Add the casting of Tony-nominated Anthony Chisholm to reprise his Broadway role of Old Joe, and it becomes compelling to head south to the theater at 3010 R St. John Beasley will direct a cast familiar with the Wilson scripts, including regulars Tyrone Beasley, Andre McGraw, TammyRa and Raydell Cordell III. Performances start at 7:30 p.m. ThursdaySaturday, 3 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $27, $22 for students, seniors and TAG members. Radio Golf, first on Broadway as recently as 2007, was Wilson’s final work. He returns to the Hill District of Pittsburgh where a developer with big plans

needs to buy the house of a reluctant seller. Omahans never have to suffer without sweet cabaret sounds for long when the likes of Jill Andersen, Mary Carrick, Camille Metoyer Moten and Becky Noble are willing to serenade us with song. ■ This time it’s Mary Carrick, accompanied by Todd Brooks in a switch from his usual play-directing duties, at the PS Collective at 7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 25. She calls her new show in Benson “Songs with a Twist of Lime.” She’ll feature songs that made it on Broadway, songs that didn’t last long on Broadway and some that never made it at all but she finds worth sharing. ■ When I plugged the Blue Barn season in that fall preview, I didn’t mention that they’re calling it “The Rebellious One.” Makes sense when they’re opening with Bug by Tracy Letts and billing it as a “psycho-thriller” before doing one subtitled The Vibrator Play and winding up with the controversial Spring Awakening. You’ll see more about Bug and its visiting guest star in next week’s Reader.

— Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik

Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik is a stylist, costumier, wife and freelance writer based in Omaha, Neb. Her style blog can be found at fash-

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formance on Oct. 19, also at House of Loom. House of Loom is located at 1012 S. 10th Street in Omaha and attendees can email litundressed@yahoo.com for additional details. ■ Omaha restaurant CRAVE, JCI Ralston and the Omaha Jaycees are partnering for a onenight event Friday, Oct. 28 from 5 p.m.-10 pm. Start planning now by busting out your favorite hairpiece for the Second Annual Wig Party, a fundraiser for non-profit organization Locks of Love. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Head to CRAVE, located at 200 S. 31st Avenue in Midtown Crossing in your favorite wig and 10 percent of your bill will be donated to this great cause.

FASHFLOOD

Get

■ Omaha Fashion Week is accepting designer applications for their March 2012 fashion shows. A select few will be chosen to for Oct. 19-20 interviews with a panel of independent industry professionals. Times and locations to be announced. Applicants must be available to interview on those dates to be considered. The panel’s final decisions will be based on the interviews; and designers with the highest scores will be chosen to present their collections at the March 2012 shows. Applications must be submitted by midnight on Oct. 15. Designers can go to omahafashionweek.com for more information and to apply. ■ In celebration of the upcoming Lit Undressed: Fashion in Literature event, artists aged 19+ should attend a “Drink n Draw” event at House of Loom Thursday, Sept. 29 7 p.m.-9 pm. Artists will have a chance to come together to create in collaboration with two local professional figure models dressed in “garb of their choice.” The cost is $5 and artists have the option to submit any works completed at this event to be exhibited at the Lit Undressed per-

—Warren Francke Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information to coldcream@thereader.com.

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| THE READER |

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| THE READER |

SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

art

OpeningS

ANDERSON O’BRIEN FINE ART OLD MARKET, 1108 Jackson St., (402) 884-0911. ON FAMILIAR GROUND NEW HEARTLAND PAINTINGS: New work by Andrew Peters, through Oct. 2, artist talk Sep. 24, 3 pm. BEMIS CENTER - CONTEMPORARY ARTS, 724 S. 12th St., (402) 341-1122. 13TH ANNUAL AUCTION EXHIBITION: A celebration of contemporary art, opens Sep. 16, 6 p.m., Curators and Artists tours Sep. 22, Sep. 29 and Oct. 6, 6 p.m. LAURITZEN GARDENS, 100 Bancroft St., (402) 346-4002. EIGTH ANNUAL ANTIQUE AND GARDEN SHOW: Lauritzen Garden is proudly hosting it’s annual Antique and Garden Show, opens Sep. 23-25, admission is $10. LIED ART GALLERY, 2500 California Plaza. RESONANT TIDE: An exhibition highlighting the creative work of Creighton University studio art faculty. Opens Sep. 27-Nov. 4, reception Sep. 26, 5 p.m. SHELDON MEMORIAL ART GALLERY, 12th & R St., (402) 472-2461. VIET NAM, NEBRASKA: Photographs by Binh Danh, opens Sep. 23-Jan. 8, artist lecture Sep. 23, 5:30 p.m.

ONGOING

THE 815, 815 O St. Suite 1, (402) 261-4905. ARTISTS ON THE EDGE: New work by photographer Eddie Gentry, continues through Sep. ANKENY ART CENTER, 1520 SW Rd., (515) 965-0940. NEW WORK: New work by Jacklin Stoken, this show continues through September. ARTISTS’ COOPERATIVE GALLERY, 405 S. 11th St., (402) 3429617. TURNING AND RETURNING: New work by Doyle Howitt, N. Byram Luth and Margie Schimenti, this show continues through Sep. 25. BIRDHOUSE COLLECTIBLE, 1111 N. 13th St., Suite 123, biz@ birdhouseinteriors.com. AND HE LABORED TO REALIZE THE ENDLESSNESS OF THE SKIES: New work by Caolan O’Loughlin, through Nov. 5. DURHAM WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 801 S. 10th St., 444.5071, durhammuseum.org. GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER: The life and work of an extraordinary man, through Oct. 30. EISENTRAGER-HOWARD GALLERY, Stadium Dr. & T. St, (402) 472-5522. EMBLAZONED CIPHERS: Group show featuring the work of Barry Anderson, Rickey Allman, Julie Farstad and Linnea Spransy. through Oct. 6. ELDER ART GALLERY, 5000 St. Paul Ave.. TWO PLUS ONE: New work by local Lincoln artists, this show continues through Oct. 2. FRED SIMON GALLERY AT THE BURLINGTON BUILDING, 1004 Farnam St., (402) 595-2334. NEW WORK: New work by Janet Eskridge, through Oct. 7 GALLERY 9 PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS AFFILIATION, 124 S. 9th St., (402) 477-2822. CREATURES AND SCENARIOS: New work by Carol Devall and Roy Stoner, this show continues through Oct. 2. GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE EXHIBITION, 1425 H St., (402) 5952334. NEW WORK: New work by Judith Jonston, through Oct. 7. H. DON AND CONNE J. OSBORN FAMILY GALLERY AT CRISS LIBRARY, 6001 Dodge St., (402) 554-3206. THE ART OF THEATRICAL DESIGN: Fantastical set designs, handmade hads and costumes, continues through Sep. 27. HANDMADE MODERN, Parrish Prjoect, 1416 O St., Lincoln, sarabucy.com. PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW: New work by Kelly Smith, through Sep. 30. HISTORIC GENERAL DODGE HOUSE, 605 3rd St., Council Bluffs, 501.3841, dodgehouse.org. IN MEMORY OF... THE ART OF MOURNING: Examines a family’s response to loss and mourning in the late Victorian period, this show continues through Oct. 23. HOT SHOPS ART CENTER, 1301 Nicolas St., (402) 342-6452. NEW WORK: New work by Charlene Potter, through Sep. 27. NEW WORK: New work by Scott Papek,through Sep. 27. STUDIO STORIES: WORKS ON CANVAS AND PAPER: New work by James Freeman, through Sep. 27. THE INDIAN OVEN, 1010 Howard St.. FOOD WINE AND ART: New work by Cameroon born artist Gerard Pefung, continues through September 29. Closing Reception Sep. 29.

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER AND MUSEUM, 1523 N. 33rd St., Lincoln, 472.7232, quiltstudy.org. NEBRASKA QUILTS AND QUILTMAKERS: Group show, through Oct. 2. ELEGANT GEOMETRY: AMERICAN AND BRITISH MOSAIC PATCHWORK: Through Jan. 1, 2012. JOSLYN ART MUSEUM, 2200 Dodge St., (402) 342-3300. AMERICAN LANDSCAPE CONTEMPORARY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE WEST: Featuring the work of fourteen photographers, through Jan. 8 KIECHEL FINE ART, 5733 S. 34th St., Lincoln, 420.9553, kiechelart.com. CONTEMPORARY SUMMER SHOWCASE: Group show, through Oct. 7. KIMMEL HARDING NELSON ARTS CENTER, 801 3rd Corso St., (402) 874-9600. NEW WORK: New work by Nicole Gustafsson, through Oct. 20. KRUGER COLLECTION, UNL Architecture Hall, 10th and R, Lincoln, 472.3560, krugercollection.unl.edu. DESIGN PROCESS: Explores the steps a designer takes, runs through Mar. 16, 2012. LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 48th and Baldwin, Lincoln, 434.2787, luxcenter.org. TREELINE: NATURE’S ICONIC FORM: Group show that pays homage to the noble stature and presence of trees, through Nov. 1. RECLAIMED: ART MADE OF RECYCLED MATERIALS: Group show that examines and questions the state of our throw-away culture/society, featuring new work by Jake Balcom, Elizabeth Frank, John Garrett, Daphnae Koop, Jennifer Maestre and Conrad Quijas, this show continues through October 29. MODERN ARTS MIDWEST, 800 P St., (402) 477-2828. MODERN ARTS MIDWEST: Oil paintings and pastels by Don Williams, through October 1. MORRILL HALL, 307 Morrill Hall, Lincoln 472.3779, museum. unl.edu. AMPHIBIANS VIBRANT AND VANISHING: Photographs by Joel Sartore, through Nov. 30. MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, 308.865.8559, monet.unk.edu/mona. THE NEBRASKA SUITE: New work by Enrique Martinez Celaya. NEBRASKA NOW: Photography by Dana Fritz, through Oct. 2. THE NEW BLK, 1213 Jones St., 402-403-5619, info@thenewblk. com. THE TITLED SERIES: Original Art by Nina Barnes, continues through Sep. OLD MARKET ARTISTS GALLERY, 1034 Howard St., (402) 3466569. NEW WORK: New work by Kris Hammond, Andy Chaudhur and Rhoni Moore, through Sep. 30. Money raised will benefit UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. OMAHA’S CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, 500 S. 20th St., 342.6163. ocm.org. DINOSAURS DAWN OF THE ICE AGE: Stomping and roaring robotic dinosaurs are invading the museum, through Jan. 8. PASSAGEWAY GALLERY, 417 S. 11th St., (402) 341-1910. CLAY, SILVER, & STONE: New work by Paul Nichols, Sandi Nichols and Meridith Merwald-Gofta, this show continues through Sep. 30. PEERLESS, 3517 Farnam St., Ste. 7108, contact@wearepeerless.com. READINESS IS ALL: New work by Ying Zhu, through Sep. 30. SHELDON ART GALLERY, 12th and R, UNL, Lincoln, sheldonartgallery.org. THE HARMON AND HARRIET KELLY COLLECTION OF AFRICAN AMERICAN ART: Works on paper, opens through Sep. 25. NEW WORK: Grant Wood, through Oct. 2. HISTORIES: Works from the Sheldon Permanent Collection, through Jul. 15, 2012. SILVER OF OZ, 6115 Maple St., (402) 558-1307. NEW WORK: New work by impressionist painter Jane Reed, opens Sep. 2, 6 p.m., continues through Sep. 27. TUGBOAT GALLERY, 1416 O St., (402) 477-6200. TUGBOATERS II: Group show featuring new work by Joey Lynch, Jake Gillespie, Peggy Gomez, Nolan Tredway, Alex Borovski, Bryan Klopping and Peter Worth - the original founders and people currently involved with Tugboat Gallery. This show continues \ through Sep. 24. UNO ART GALLERY, 6001 Dodge St., (402) 554-2796. HARDCORE PAINTING: CONFESSIONS AND PREMONITIONS: New work by Julie Farstad and Jessie Fisher, continues through Sep. 28. WORKSPACE GALLERY, 440 N. 8th St., workspace.gallery.lincoln@gmail.com. POSTMORTEM: A STUDY IN DECOMPOSITION: New work by Darryl Baird, this show continues through Nov. 3.

| THE READER |

art/theater listings

check event listings online!

theater oPENING

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING COLOR DREAMCOAT, McDonald Theatre, 53rd St. & Huntington Ave., (402) 465-2384, theatre@ nebrwesleyan.edu. Opens Sep. 22, Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, 7:30 pm, $15; Seniors: $10; Students: $7.50. FERDINAND THE BULL, Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St., (402) 345-4849. Opens Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, 7:00 pm, $16. The classic tale of the bull who would rather smell flowers than fight. THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR, Weber Fine Arts Building, 6001 Dodge St.. Opens Sep. 28, 7:00 pm, $15; Seniors: $10; UNO Students: FREE. CHICAGO, Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., (402) 553-4890. Opens Sep. 21, Sep. 22, Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, Sep. 28, 7:30 pm, Adults: $40; Students: $24 BABES IN TOYLAND, Chanticleer Theatre, 830 Franklin Ave., (712) 323-9955. Opens Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, 7:30 pm. UNBOUND PERSPECTIVE PRESENTS CRAZY JUST LIKE ME, Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple St., (402) 932-9007. Opens Sep. 21, Sep. 22, Sep. 28, 7:30 pm, $18; Students: $15. KILLER JOE, Temple Building, 215 Temple Building, (402) 4722072. Opens Sep. 28, 7:30 pm, $6 CHILDREN OF EDEN, Bellevue Little Theater, 203 Mission Ave., (402) 291-1554. Opens Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, 8:00 pm SONGS WITH A TWIST OF LIME, Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple St., (402) 932-9007. Opens Sep. 25, 7:00 pm, $10 RADIO GOLF, John Beasley Theater, 3010 R. St, (402) 5025767. Opens Sep. 22, Sep. 23, Sep. 24, Sep. 25, 7:30 pm, $27

poetry/comedy thursday 15

SECOND ANNUAL RELIGION AND THE ENVIRONMENT LECTURE, Skutt Student Center 2500 California Plaza. 4:00 pm, FREE. “Why Care For the Earth? Ten Good Reasons” presented by Steven Bouma-Prediger. INTERNATIONAL LAW LECTURE, Mike and Josie Harper Center 602 N. 20th St.. 5:00 pm, FREE. The Creighton University School of Law International Law Lecture will mark the 50th anniversary of the trial of infamous Nazi Adolf Eichmann with a talk by Justice Gabriel Bach, Israeli Supreme Court, the prosecutor at the war crimes trial of Adolf Eichmann. VERBAL GUMBO WITH FELICIA WEBSTER AND MICHELLE TROXCLAIR, House Of Loom 1012 S. 10th St., (402) 505-5494, info@houseofloom.com. 7:00 pm, FREE. BRAD WILLIAMS, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:30 pm, $15. Brad Williams possesses something that everyone can agree is funny: a disability. Brad is a dwarf. BACKLINE IMPROV, Studio…Gallery 4965 Dodge St., (402) 660-0867. 8:00 pm, $5.

FRIDAY 16

BRAD WILLIAMS, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $17. Brad Williams possesses something that everyone can agree is funny: a disability. Brad is a dwarf.

SATURDAY 17

CIVIL WAR BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 392-2877. 10:00 am, FREE. Group will discuss Sherman by Steven Woodworth. MIRACLE ROGERS, W. Dale Clark Library 215 S. 15th St., (402) 444-4800. 12:00 pm, FREE. Local author reads poetry from her books “As Does the Rose, Our Love Grows Also” and “Still the Storm Comes.” PETER ALLMAN, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 3922877. 1:00 pm, FREE. Author will sign Little Me Can Live a Big Life: Integrating Paradoxes for Change.

100 POETS FOR CHANGE, Crescent Moon Coffee 8th & P St., (402) 435-2828. 6:00 pm, FREE. So far, 100 Thousand Poets for Change has over 600 events in 450 cities and 95 countries signed on to organize events, as part of a global initiative to celebrate/demonstrate poetry and address issues of peace and sustainability. BRAD WILLIAMS, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:00 pm, $17. Brad Williams possesses something that everyone can agree is funny: a disability. Brad is a dwarf. DEMETRI MARTIN, Omaha Civic Auditorium/Music Hall 1804 Capitol Ave., (402) 444-3353. 8:00 pm, $45. Star of Taking Woodstock and the Comedy Central series Important Things With Demetri Martin.

Sunday 18

SARAH BAKER-HANSEN, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 392-2877. 1:00 pm, FREE. Author will sign Insiders’ Guide to Omaha and Lincoln. TOM SHATEL, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 3922877. 2:00 pm, FREE. Tom Shatel will sign Shatel: Tom’s Take On 20 Unforgettable Years of Sports. BRAD WILLIAMS, Funny Bone Comedy Club 17305 Davenport St., (402) 493-8036. 7:30 pm, $15. Brad Williams possesses something that everyone can agree is funny: a disability. Brad is a dwarf.

monday 19

WORLD WAR II HISTORY BOOK GROUP, The Bookworm 87th & Pacific St., (402) 392-2877. 2:00 pm, FREE. Group will discuss Flyboys: A True Story of Courage by James Bradley. Group mets every fourth Monday. VISITING WRITERS SERIES FEATURING MARGARET LAZARUS DEAN, Nebraska Wesleyan 51st & Huntington St., (402) 4652395. 5:00 pm, FREE. Dean is the author of the novel The Time It Takes To Fall. CELEBRATING THE 400TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 12th & R St., (402) 4722072. 7:30 pm, FREE. Panel discussion on the creation and legacy of the King James Bible, held in the Nebraska Union, 14th and R Streets. JAMESTOWNE: THE BURIED TRUTH, University of NebraskaLincoln 12th & R St., (402) 472-2072. 7:30 pm, FREE. Lecture with Dr. William Kelso, Director of Archaeology for Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities at Historic Jamestowne. Lecture will be held in Richards Hall Rm. 15.

tuesday 20

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE PUBLIC HEARINGS, Pershing Center 226 Centennial Mall South, (402) 441-8744. 12:30 pm, 4:00 pm, FREE. A discussion of the Keystone XL Pipeline for the public. OPEN MIC POETRY, Indigo Bridge Books 701 P St. Suite 102, (402) 477-7770. 7:00 pm, FREE. An ongoing weekly open mic in Lincoln. FIVE DOLLAR COMEDY NIGHT TUESDAYS: MONTY EICH’S OPEN MIC, Pizza Shoppe Collective 6056 Maple St., (402) 932-9007. 8:00 pm, $5. SHOOT YOUR MOUTH OFF III, The Hideout Lounge 320 S. 72nd St., (402) 504-4434. 9:00 pm, FREE. One of the most exciting weekly open mics in Omaha.

Wednesday 21

OMAHA TOWN HALL EVENT FEATURING LESLEY STAHL, St. Andrew’s Church 15050 W. Maple Rd.. 10:30 am, Season Membership: $80. 60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl will discuss her life and touch on themes that have defined recent history: the changing role of the press in politics, television’s coming of age, and the dilemma of the professional woman. See http://www.omahatownhall.com/ for more information. THE PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL: REMOTE CONTROL, McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe 302 S. 38th St., (402) 345-7477. 7:00 pm, FREE. From Free Speech TV this relatively short film focuses upon the effects of young people spending much of their time on various media. THE MIDWEST POETRY VIBE, Arthur’s 222 N. 114th St., (402) 393-6369. 9:00 pm, FREE. A multi-faceted weekly poetry event.

music

Slug of Atmosphere is just a regular guy

“F

by Kyle Eustice

“I was always confident in the people. I knew Brother Ali would be great. I knew Eyedea would be great. I didn’t’ know how that was going to happen, but I was confident in the artists,” he says. “I think most of us in the Midwest are kind of like sponges. We absorbed everybody and so we’re kind of a mish mash of all of it. You can hear a little bit of Nas and KRS One in us. You can hear a little bit of Ice Cube and Digital Underground in us. It’s like we sound like all of our influences.” Unless you’ve listened to Atmosphere records, Daley can appear to be a bit on the reserved side.

*ck both sides. F*ck the underground. F*ck the overground. F*ck the middle ground. It’s just a bunch of f*cking people trying to find their identities. Once you get comfortable with who you are as a person, you’ll stop complaining about all of that other dumb ass shit,” says Sean Daley, better slug of atmosphere known these days as Slug of Atmosphere. The Minneapolisbased emcee, songwriter and co-founder of Rhymesayers Entertainment is finally at a place in his career where he can relax, at least a little. After two decades in the business, a slew of successful albums, an arsenal of adoring fans and sold-out tours, he’s made a permanent imprint on the hip-hop community. Daley has, well, made it. He has no complaints. “There’s so many more important things to complain about. The sh*t I His lyrics, however, reveal every emotion in the see on CNN makes me cringe. The things that go spectrum, delivered with a brutal honesty and on in the entertainment world are funny to me,” raw aesthetics. Over the years, he’s evolved into he continues. “Everyone is so f*cking insecure a master storyteller. His lyrics are all “fictional,” about their place, ya know? It’s like the backpack- he says, but there are hints of autobiographical ers bitch about the mainstream because the back- material sprinkled throughout his catalog. packers are broke. The mainstream bitches about “It’s coming from your hand, your mouth, the backpackers because the mainstream is afraid your eyes, but it’s not like any of those stories were they won’t be respected in five years.” truly autobiographical. They’re used to exemplify If his statement seems arrogant, it’s not. He the struggle or dichotomy between the genders. makes a good point. People always have something Honestly, half the time I was using that gender to prove. It takes a certain level of success to feel struggle as a metaphor for how I saw other things,” comfortable. After all, Rhymesayers is almost syn- he admits. “Anybody that thinks I had a girlfriend onymous with hip-hop today, especially in the Mid- who was as hard to deal with as Lucy is ridiculous. west, and that’s no easy task. It’s always West Coast I had 15 girlfriends that were as hard to deal with this or East Coast that, but thanks to the talents of as this character, Lucy [laughs]. I stopped doing artists such as Brother Ali, Eyedea and Abilities, fictionalizing in the first person awhile ago. There P.O.S. and, of course, Atmosphere, Rhymesayers are 2 songs I did that are incredibly autobiographihas built an impenetrable Midwest empire. cal while on past albums like God Loves Ugly, all the

songs were metaphors. I adhered to go first person with those 2 particular songs, but everything else I went narrative all the way.” Paired with beats by his partner in rhyme, Anthony “Ant” Davis, Atmosphere is one of the more relevant acts in underground hip-hop to come around in a long time. However, there almost wasn’t a Slug the emcee. His first love was DJ-ing. “I just wasn’t progressing as a DJ. I started DJ-ing in ’87. I learned how to transform and I didn’t really progress beyond that,” he says. “When people started doing flairs and shit I was just like ‘I don’t care about that fancy shit.’ I just wanted to blend and stuff. So I figured I would just chill and rap.” With influences ranging from KRS One to Public Enemy, all he really wanted to do was give back to his heroes. “I guess for the most part it’s like a ritual you do to give back to the people who gave it to you. Aside from the fact that we built a business out of it, we’ve turned it into a vehicle for other people to share their stuff,” he says. “It all come down to this- it’s guided by the governor in me that wants to make sure I give back like KRS and Rakim did to me.” While Daley may seem like this untouchable superstar in the music world, he’s just a regular dude who enjoys online chess. “I stay pretty detached from how many shows I sell out or how many units I move. I focus on the fans and try to be as personable as possible because I understand that’s what they’re here for. At the end of the day when I go back to my house, I don’t think about this sh*t.” , Atmosphere with Blueprint, Evidence, September 27, at Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., 9 p.m. Sold out. Visit www. onepercentproductions.com for more information

music

backbeat

The Rapper Next Door

n So Phil Lynott’s been dead for decades, but a trio of Thin Lizzy alumni (Scott Gorham, Brian Downey and Darren Wharton) are keeping the songs alive. They’ll be performing Thin Lizzy classics in a line-up rounded out by Def Leppard’s Viv Campbell, bassist Marco Mendoza and The Almighty’s Ricky Warwick Saturday, Nov. 6 at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. n Back in 2008, youthful London songwriter Alessi Laurent-Marke took up temporary residence here in Omaha. At the time, she was signed to Virgin/EMI and recorded her debut record Notes from the Treehouse with Bright Eyes producer Mike Mogis. Now the 21-year-old singer, who releases albums as Alessi’s Ark, is preparing the American release of her second album Time Travel. She has left Virgin and is now on the independent label Bella Union. The album was released in the U.K. this April. n By all accounts, HearNebraska’s Take Cover show in Lincoln was an intriguing trip through Nebraska music. The Omaha edition of the show, which features local musicians covering two tracks by other Nebraska musical groups, is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Slowdown. Performers include The Lepers, Eli Mardock, Kyle Harvey and Justin Lamoureux. The show, which is a fundraiser for local music website HearNebraska, is only $5. n Lincoln indie-rockers Once a Pawn will release their new album, In This House, with a CD release show Saturday, Oct. 1 at Knickerbocker’s, 901 O St. in Lincoln. The drums-and-guitar boy-girl duo will be joined by Domestica and Dope Pope. n Buy the new Blitzen Trapper album American Goldwing. The Sub Pop Records band, which often makes Omaha tour stops, have created a classic roadtrip record that fires up the band’s folkrock sound with plenty of guitar. The band has tapped into an Allman Brothers Band vibe without surrendering to cliched Southern rock boogie. n The best hope for an autumnal dose of Southern rock vibes won’t come from Blitzen Trapper, however. The Drive-By Truckers return to the Slowdown Wednesday, Oct. 26, in support of a new greatest hits package. The band has become a regular visitor to the area as well. Their Americana-gothic tales have covered the usual gamut of murder ballads, booze rockers and love-gonewrong warnings, but have always been punctuated with the literary vibe of singer Patterson Hood’s lyrics. — Chris Aponick Backbeat takes you behind the scenes of the local music scene. Send tips, comments and questions to backbeat@thereader.com.

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

music Coming Full Circle Wood Brothers united by Jesse D. Stanek

he long and winding road of professional music is littered with the wreckage of brothers who tried to do the family band thing: the Robinson brothers from The Black Crowes (who briefly parted ways to mediocre results before reuniting), the Davies brothers from The Kinks, The Fogerty brothers from CCR and the Gallagher brothers from Oasis. It’s often said that being in a band is like a different kind of marriage and with all that stress and all those ups and downs, adding a brotherly relationship to the mix can often times be toxic to the creative process. The Wood Brothers, who recently released their third long player Smoke Ring Halo (Southern Ground), have managed to avoid those pitfalls for more than six years. While drummer Chris is better known as a founding member of avant-jazz outfit Medeski, Martin & Wood and guitarist/vocalist Oliver spent time backing Tinsley Ellis and playing with Georgia rockers King Johnson, the brothers have found some solid common musical ground playing the roots/folk/blues they both grew up listening to and loving in their hometown Boulder, Colo. “We both think it’s great,” Oliver says about playing professionally as brothers. “We don’t have the kind of sibling issues that would make it difficult, other than the physical distance (Chris resides in NYC and Oliver calls Atlanta home). We kind of use it to

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

our advantage. We write songs the wood brothers about family and we use the music we grew up with. When we were working on our second record our Mom was dying of ALS. So we did the record together, we went through that experience together. We dealt with it together by writing songs.” “We both kind of went our separate ways,” he says, “but we’ve come full circle in a lot of ways.” It probably seems somewhat surprising to anyone familiar with either of the brothers previous musical endeavors that they would be playing the Americana/Folk they do, however they both grew up in the same house listening to their father’s (who is an accomplished singer/songwriter in his own right) record collection. Growing up surrounded by their father’s songs, along with heavy doses of Blues, Dylan, influences those guys is roots music, whether it be Joni Mitchell, Jimmy Reed and Lightning Hopkins formed an indelible impression from Africa, American roots music or music from anywhere else in the world. That’s always what I’ve on both brothers’’ musical psyches. “Our tastes have always been quite similar,” Ol- been into as well. Plus, growing up we were in the iver offers. “What bonds us musically is the roots of same household with the same records.” The new record is filled with the kind of what we listen to. Medeski, Martin & Wood is kind of considered more avant-garde, still a lot of what moody, roots-steeped, stripped down music long-

| THE READER |

music

time fans have come to love. And while the sound is similar to the band’s previous efforts, the recording process, the songwriting process and the host of studio guests were something new for The Wood Brothers. They had used John Medeski as Producer on their previous records and while the process was more than successful in many ways, they decided to head to California and enlist the help of Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Wilco) behind the knobs and levers. They also toured with drummer Tyler Greenwood (Tedeschi-Trucks Band) for awhile working up the songs and then brought him into the studio as opposed to working with random studio musicians. The comfort level is apparent and the album is further bolstered by stand-out cameos from the likes of Medeski, Zac Brown, Clay Cook (Zac Brown Band) and others. “As I’m sure you know, you do albums long before they come out,” Oliver says. “So you kind of move on creatively before they even come out. But we’re still playing the songs and I’m really proud of the record. It’s different for us in how we worked and who we worked with. It was definitely more collaborative for Chris and I. We made the first record very quickly and I already had a bunch of songs written so we used those. On the second record Chris did some of the writing and on this record we wrote songs together a lot.” , The Wood Brothers play The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St., with Clay Cook on Thursday, September 27 at 9 p.m.. Tickets are $15. For more info visit onepercentproductions.com.

61531.1_Omaha Reader_09-22-2011

Gordon LiGhTfooT SepTember 25

GirL TaLk ocTober 6

Tickets available at stircove.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Entertainment schedule subject to change. Must be 21 or older to enter Stir Concert Cove. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETSOFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2011, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

9/19/11 11:26 AM

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The (0nline) calendar hung itself

efore we get started, full disclosure: I’m on the “board” of hearnebraska.org. Not that it matters -- I’m not involved in the website’s day-to-day activities, and have little or no input on things like website content or fundraising events. But I don’t want you to think I’m cheerleading when I make this statement: Hearnebraska.org has emerged as the best resource for local rock show schedule information on the web. I say “among the best,” because this here newspaper’s website, thereader.com, (Full disclosure again: I write for The Reader, as you, uh, know) also has stepped up its online music schedule/calendar. Meanwhile, one website I’m completely unaffiliated with, omahype. com, continues to plug away with its comprehensive arts-focused online calendar. The “news” here is that the ol’ tried and true goto place for all things local musicwise -- slamomaha. com -- has fallen on hard times, especially when it comes to its show calendar. In its heyday a few years ago, SLAM Omaha was the first click of the evening when looking for rock show data, mainly because: 1) It was the only game in town; and 2) The calendar was updated by the bands themselves, who were looking for someplace/anyplace to promote their wares. The fact that the site’s simple design has never been updated turned out to be an advantage, because SLAM Omaha still has the cleanest, easiestto-navigate calendar of any local entertainment website. Linked off its homepage, it merely lists dates, bands, venues and times, with brief descriptions and prices. Nothing more, nothing less. But apparently all this new competition for online music news, as well as the rise of Facebook, has distracted bands from SLAM Omaha. Look at its calendar this week and you’ll find very few events listed, despite the plethora of nightly shows. As part of maintaining my website, Lazy-i.com, I check all the online calendars daily, so I can list the best shows happening every evening (Lazy-i ain’t comprehensive, and was never meant to be). With that research in mind, I can declare that the new goto resource is hearnebraska.org’s calendar, thanks to its small army of underfed, overworked interns. Unfortunately, finding the site’s calendar(s) can be … confusing. The website doesn’t have a small homepage “portlet” or section that lists the evening’s hot shows. Instead, users have to “hover “ their mouse over the “SHOWS” rollover link. Skip the wonky, incomplete “Today’s Shows” listing and go straight to quicker/easier to navigate “Calendar” listing. Before getting to the evening’s lineups users must scroll past the month’s outdated past shows, then sort through the double listings. I’m assum-

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ing most of those hungry interns live in Lincoln, because there’s a preponderance of Lincoln shows listed, and usually one or two hidden-gem Omaha shows missing. HN’s calendar would be more useful if it segregated Omaha and Lincoln shows for those who won’t be driving to Lincoln anytime soon (and vice versa). Despite design flaws, HN’s calendar is the most up-to-date and comprehensive, thanks to its unique music-only focus. Next in line is thereader.com, which received a much-needed site redesign this year. Like HN, The Reader also lacks a homepage portlet displaying today’s hot shows. Users must click on a “Calendar” tab. From there, they have to click on an almost invisible “Music Listings” sub-tab, after which a poorly formatted events page is displayed with date headings. The good news is that it’s a (somewhat) comprehensive list (from an Omaha perspective), including shows at smaller venues like The Hole, The Sandbox and O’Leaver’s. Unfortunately, the design is surrounded with outdated news content. Stay away from the page’s confusing sub navigation (today’s events/latest events/choose by day), unless you want to get lost. The most attractive online calendar is Omahype. com. Omahype, with coverage of all things arts and entertainment with a “youth-oriented” spin, is cool and clean, with spiffy fonts and big photos and graphics. But while the Omahype team does a fine job gathering information, clicking on the “Music” tab gets you a hodgepodge of content displayed in no particular order. A music review is followed by an outdated calendar listing, followed by a download link followed by a photo essay followed by a show listing for something that doesn’t happen for a couple weeks. The information you’re looking for is there … somewhere. Let’s not forget the great, grey Omaha WorldHerald. For a newspaper with a multi-million dollar payroll, Omaha.com is one of the worst designed news websites on the www. The hard-to-navigate homepage looks like the Yellow Pages blew up all over it. Stories are interspersed with Husker-related “news,” vapid reader polls and garish click-me-now advertising. Yeah, I realize they have to generate money to cover that multi-million dollar payroll, but they shouldn’t do it at the readers’ expense. Perhaps they purposely made the website ugly to force readers to buy their newspaper? Once found, Omaha. com’s calendar lists a few big events, such as Qwest Center concerts, and ignores small-room shows, making it useless for anyone trying to keep track of the bustling indie music scene. At the end of the day, despite all the new media, finding rock show information online is still a crapshoot. With so many websites now vying for the same sets of eyes, there’s no way all of them will survive. But until someone can come up with a clean, easy, complete listing of shows like SLAM Omaha used to have, the field remains wide open. ,

is a weekly column by long-time Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on the Omaha music scene. Check out Tim’s daily music news updates at his website, lazy-i.com, or email him at lazy-i@thereader.com.

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

| THE READER |

lazy-i

b l u e s ,

r o o t s ,

a m e r i c a n a

a n d

Graham’s wonderful world

f there is one artist I would get everyone to listen to if I could, it is Jon Dee Graham. The Austin-based musician is an extraordinary songwriter and guitarist whose music is as real as it gets. His words come from the heart of a survivor and from an ability to stay optimistic even in the face of adversity. Reviewers praise Graham for his “raw intensity” and say “his songs always sound like truth.” I’ve called his outlook “cynical optimism.” He writes about life and loss with courage. His luminous performances brim with hope and love. In 2008, Graham’s daily life as a working musician, husband and father were profiled in Mark Finkelpearl’s insightful documentary, Swept Away. Graham is an award-winning 30-year-plus veteran of the Austin scene. His earlier work includes seminal Austin punk band The Skunks and co-founding The True Believers with Alejandro Escovedo. Graham can be found most Wednesdays laying down fiery guitar and soul-filled songs at Austin’s Continental Club. Graham launched the JonDeeCo Co-Op this past summer, allowing fans the opportunity to support his creative work on a subscription basis, receiving exclusive deliveries of new songs, artwork and more. See jondeegraham.com. Graham has also been working with

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Freedy Johnston and Susan Cowsill on a side project called The Hobart Brothers & Lil’ Sis Hobart. See thehobartbrothers.com. Jon Dee Graham returns to Dean Dobmeier’s and Gary Grobeck’s Sunday Roadhouse at The Side Door Lounge, 35th and Leavenworth, Sunday, Sept. 25, at 5 p.m. See sundayroadhouse.com. He performs at Lincoln’s Zoo Saturday, Sept. 24, after 10 p.m. with Sons of 76. (See 8 Days.) Benefit for Larry Boehmer: As mentioned previously in this column, Zoo Bar founder Larry Boehmer is fighting stage four lung cancer diagnosed this summer. So far treatments seem to be helping, according to Boehmer, who now lives in Eureka Springs, Ark. The Zoo Bar hosts a benefit for Boehmer’s ongoing expenses this Sunday, Sept. 25, 3-9 p.m. Bands include The Fabtones (3 p.m.), Sons of 76 (4 p.m.), Lil’ Slim Blues Band (5 p.m.), Mezcal Brothers (6 p.m.) and Kris Lager Band (7 p.m.). See zoobar.com. Hot Notes: Last week’s column contained an error, International Blues Challenge winner the Lionel Young Band actually plays Gator O’Malley’s this Thursday, Sept. 22, at 9 p.m. Jimmy Thackery plugs in at The 21st Saloon Thursday, Sept. 22, at 5:30 p.m. (See 8 Days.) ,

Hoodoo is a weekly column focusing on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a Reader senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who has covered the local music scene for nearly 20 years. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com.

hoodoo

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

2234 South 13th Street Omaha, NE 68108 346 - 9802 www.sokolundground.com

livemusiccalendar

SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION — including addresses, dates, times, costs and phone numbers — to The Reader’s calendar editor. Mail to or drop off information at P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107; email to listings@thereader.com; fax to (402) 341.6967. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to issue date.

9/23/2011

sat 9/24/2011

fri 9/30/2011

afton presents: aj the dread, myke gettem, bt, husalot, stolks g, fondue, red city, i-80, red “tha don”, dj joonie c, monsta, lil ace & more show @ 6:30 hookshot w/ the big deep, trevor scott, and kat naughton show @ 8:00 auditorium fraternal order of police lodge #1 annual benefit show featuring: the iguanas show @ 7:00 the white wall static w/ evan rows, learning to fall, everything goes, and dyson hollow show @ 7:00

thursday 22

READER RECOMMENDS

JIMMY THACKERY, (Blues) 5:30 pm, 21st Saloon, $10. NEEDTOBREATHE, (Rock) 8 pm, Bourbon Theater, $20. ANDY PAPPAS, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. BEAVER DAMAGE, DEAD ECHOES, GALLOWS MAJESTY, (Metal/Punk/Rock) 9 pm, Duffy’s Tavern. RAY WILLIAMS, (Blues) 7 pm, Havana Garage, FREE. THE BASTARD SONS, THE GIFT, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers. MATT WHIPKEY, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Myth Martini Bar, FREE.

fri

READER RECOMMENDS

BAD COMPANY, KINDLEWOOD, TRAVELING MERCIES, (Rock) 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5. R-STYLE, (Cover Band) 6 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. PROJEKT LUNA, SAG 7, (Rock) 9 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill. MATT WALLACE FUSION FORCE, (Blues) 7 pm, The Glo Lounge. THE DR. ORPHEUS PROJECT, DIRE GNOSIS, (Rock) 9 pm, The Hideout Lounge. KOSHA DILLZ, PURVEYORS OF THE CONSCIOUS SOUND, HOLLA K & J CRON, ELLMATIQ P-TRO, SURREAL THE MC, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $8. SWITCHBAK, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. SPEEDSWEAT, SONS OF THE SOIL, BONEHEART FLANNIGAN, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

FRIDAY 23

DESPERATE BAND WIVES, (Cover Band) 9:30 pm, Arena Bar & Grill, FREE. RYAN KOSOLA, AT LAND, DIRTY RIVER RAMBLERS, (Folk/ Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5. BLUE HOUSE, (Blues) 9 pm, Brewsky’s Park Drive, FREE. PAUZED, DOUBLE ZERO, (Rock) 9 pm, Chrome Lounge, FREE. ALEX ZAPPALA GROUP, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. JOEY KENDALL, THE GOLDEN HOUR, (Pop) 8 pm, Cultiva Coffee, FREE. BRAD CORDLE GROUP, (Blues) 9 pm, Havana Garage.

auditorium 10/02/2011 mat kearney show @ 8:00 sun

READER RECOMMENDS

Omaha Symphony Orchestra Sunday, 8AM “Beethoven’s 9th”

Your Classical Companion on the FM dial, 90.7 KVNO Since 1972 WWW.KVNO.ORG

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

TROPICAL BASS WITH BRENT CRAMPTON AND KOBRAKYLE, (DJ/Electronic) 10 pm, House Of Loom, FREE. LOLLIPOP, SHOPPE BURLESQUE, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers. TAXI DRIVER, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Loose Moose. TIME GIANTS, LYMPHNODE MANIACS, JOHN KLEMMENSEN AND THE PARTY, (Rock) 9 pm, Louis Bar and Grill, FREE. STAR ANNA AND THE LAUGHING DOGS, FIELD CLUB, (Rock) 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5. HI-FI HANGOVER, (Cover Band) 9 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. ENVY, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5. ST. BALDRICK’S FUNDRAISER WITH EKCOPHONIC, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Red9. ALTER EGO, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill. SOLDIERS OF SOUL, (Cover Band) 7 pm, Soaring Wings Vineyard, $5. AJ THE DREAD, MYKE GETTEM, BT, HUSALOT, STOLKS G, FONDUE, RED CITY, I-80, RED THA DON, DJ

| THE READER |

music listings

JOONIE C, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 6 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, $12.

READER RECOMMENDS

MATT WALLACE FUSION FORCE, (Blues) 8 pm, The Glo Lounge. HOOKT, (Rock) 8:30 pm, The Grove, FREE. PIMER 55, SAINT DOG, (Rock) 9 pm, The Hideout Lounge. MCKENZIE RIVER, (Country) 9 pm, Uncle Ron’s, FREE. QUARTUS, THE MIDLAND BAND, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $7. AVENGED SEVENFOLD, THREE DAYS GRACE, SEETHER, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, ESCAPE THE FATE, SEVENDUST, (Rock/Metal) 2 pm, Westfair Amphitheater, $20-$70. DOWN TO HERE, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. CITY CITY, COLD IN HAND, THE DANIEL JAY FIRESTONE EXPERIENCE, (Rock) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $10. HONEY BOY TURNER BAND, (Blues) 5 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

SATURDAY 24

IT’S TRUE, KATEY SLEEVELESS, PLATTE RIVER RAINE, DRONE CITY, (Rock) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5. DIRTFEDD, SECTION EIGHT, THE WRECKAGE, FREAK ABOUT, IDLEMINDS, (Rock/Metal) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater. DRUNKEN INTENTIONS, (Rock) 9 pm, Chrome Lounge, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS

TODD CLOUSER, ANALYRICAL, BREAKNECK THE MAGE, MERCIES MAY, (Jazz/Hip-Hop/Rap) 8 pm, Cultiva Coffee, FREE. BRAD CORDLE BAND, (Blues) 9 pm, Gator O’Malley’s. THE SATURDAY NIGHT JIG WITH JOSEFF, (DJ/Electronic) 10 pm, House Of Loom, FREE. DUSK BLED DOWN, SHADOW OF INDRA, TAKING STRIDES, (Rock) 6 pm, Knickerbockers. SHERIDAN BREAKDOWN, TOPPER GO, FILTY FRESH AND THE SCUMBAGS, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers. LEMON FRESH DAY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Loose Moose, FREE. DEREK QUINN BAND, ARTILLERY FUNK, (Jazz) 6 pm, Louis Bar and Grill, FREE. CONSPIRACY THEORY, (Cover Band) 9 pm, OzoNE Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, FREE. STACKSHACK, (Rock) 7 pm, Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5. SWITCHBAK, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Red9. PORKBELLY, TENDEAD, NIGHTMARE PARADOX, (Rock) 9:30 pm, Shamrock’s Pub & Grill, $5. THE SEEN, CITYCITY, AVIAN SUNRISE, (Rock) 9 pm, Slowdown, Advance: $10; DOS: $12. HOOKSHOT, THE BIG DEEP, TREVOR SCOTT, KAT NAUGHTON, (Rock) 8 pm, Sokol Hall & Auditorium, Advance: $5; DOS: $7. TALKING MOUNTAIN, (Rock) 9 pm, Stir Live & Loud, $5. SIN AND BLACK ON HIGH, (Rock) 9 pm, Stir Live, $5.

READER RECOMMENDS

UKULELE HOOPLA, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 12 am, Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall, $35. SHOOT TO THRILL, CRY TOUGH POISON, (Rock) 8:30 pm, The Grove, $5. ELECTRIC SIX, KITTEN, (Rock) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $13. JON DEE GRAHAM, SONS OF 76, (Blues) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $8.

SUNDAY 25

BOURBON ON THE ROCKS FEATURING BLACKHOUNDS, FADE TO BLACK, TOPPER GO, THE DOWNFALL, (Rock) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater, $7. O’CONNELL’S BRIDGE, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 6 pm,

Brazen Head Irish Pub. THE KILLIGANS, MF RUCKUS, OLD MAN MARKLEY, (Rock/Punk/Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 9 pm, Duffy’s Tavern. BRAD CORDLE BAND, (Blues) 5 pm, Jewish Community Center. STRINGS AND CHORDS, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 2 pm, Soaring Wings Vineyard, FREE. GORDON LIGHTFOOT, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 8 pm, Stir Concert Cove, $30.

READER RECOMMENDS

SCHOOL OF ROCK THE OMAHA SCHOOL OF ROCK WILL PERFORM MUSIC BY THE BEATLES, (Rock) 5 pm, Waiting Room, $10. AUDITION NIGHT, (Cover Band) 9 pm, Whiskey Roadhouse (Horseshoe Casino), FREE. BENEFIT FOR LARRY BOEHMER WITH FABTONES, SONS OF 76, LIL SLIM BLUES BAND, KRIS LAGER BAND, (Blues) 3 pm, Zoo Bar, $10.

MONDAY 27

MONDAY NIGHT BIG BAND WITH JEFF PATTON, (Jazz) 7:30 pm, Brewsky’s Haymarket, $6. NOAH STERBA AND THE COCKTAILS, HERMIT THRUSHES, FAMILY PICNIC, (Rock) 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5. PLAIN WHITE T’S, THE SUMMER SET, THE DOWNTOWN FICTION, ALLISON PARK, (Rock/Pop) 7:30 pm, Slowdown, $20. BLUE MONDAYS FEATURING THE ZOO BAR HOUSE BAND, (Blues) 7 pm, Zoo Bar, $3.

TUESDAY 27

EOTO, BASSTHOVEN, (DJ/Electronic) 9 pm, Bourbon Theater, Advance: $17; DOS: $20. INTRODUCTION TO DADGAD 90-MINUTE GUITAR WORKSHOP WITH SARAH MCQUAID, (Folk/ Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, CGS Music, FREE. TONY CHURCH, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE. DAVE LEVERETTE, GREAT PLAINS MASSACRE, WALTER ANDERSON, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers.

READER RECOMMENDS

THE FAMILY VACATION TOUR WITH ATMOSPHERE, EVIDENCE, BLUEPRINT, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 9 pm, Slowdown, $25. THE WOOD BROTHERS, CLAY COOK, (Rock) 9 pm, Waiting Room, $15. BATTLE MANTIS, (Rock) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5. THE JAZZOCRACY, (Jazz) 6 pm, Zoo Bar, FREE.

Wednesday 28

PUBLIC ACCESS, NETHERFRIENDS, RAZORS, (Rock) 9 pm, Barley Street Tavern, $5. DICEY RILEYS, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7 pm, Brazen Head Irish Pub. GROUP SAX, (Jazz) 7:30 pm, Brewsky’s Haymarket, $6. JIVE MERCHANT, (Jazz) 7 pm, Crescent Moon Coffee, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS

FLOATING OPERA 20 YEAR RETROSPECTIVE WITH STRAW BERRY BURNS, MARY AND THE GIANT, ACKLEY UNDERSEA, (Rock) 9 pm, Duffy’s Tavern. SARAH MCQUAID, (Folk/Singer-Songwriter) 7:15 pm, First United Methodist Church-Lincoln, $7. \ QWAZZAR, LADY DAISEY, DJ BATSAUCE, ROBUST, MIDTOWN MARAUDERS, (Hip-Hop/Rap) 8 pm, House Of Loom, $8. THE WANDAS, ESCAPE THE FIRE, (Rock) 9 pm, Knickerbockers. ICARUS THE OWL, LEARNING TO FALL, EVERYTHING GOES, (Rock) 6 pm, Knickerbockers. BOOM CHICK, (Rock) 9:30 pm, O’Leaver’s Pub, $5. TRUTH & SALVAGE CO., FAREWELL MILWAUKEE, (Rock/ Country) 9 pm, Slowdown, $10. HELMET, BROKEN CROWN, MEET YOUR MAKER, (Rock) 8 pm, Waiting Room, $15. SARAH AND THE TALL BOYS, (Blues) 6 pm, Zoo Bar, $8. ALL MY FRIENDS ARE DINOSAURS, YOU BEAUTIFUL CREATURE, (Rock) 9 pm, Zoo Bar, $5.

VENUES Ameristar Casino, 2200 River Rd., Council Bluffs, ameristar.com Arena Bar & Grill, 3809 N. 90th St., 571.2310, arenaomaha.com BarFly, 707 N. 114th St., 504.4811 Barley Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St., 554.5834, barleystreet.com Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., Lincoln, 730.5695 Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St., Lincoln, 474.3453, myspace.com/ duffystavern The Hideout, 302 S. 72nd St. Knickerbocker’s, 901 O St., Lincoln, 476.6865, knickerbockers.net LIV Lounge, 2279 S. 67th St. livlounge.com Louis Bar and Grill, 5702 NW Radial Hwy., 551.5993 McKenna’s Blues, Booze & BBQ, 7425 Pacific St., 393.7427, mckennasbbq.com New Lift Lounge, 4737 S. 96th St., 339.7170 O’Leaver’s Pub, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd., 556.1238, myspace. com/oleaverspub

Ozone Lounge at Anthony’s Steakhouse, 72nd and F, 331.7575, ozoneclubomaha.com. Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple St., 556.9090, pscollective.com Qwest, 455 N. 10th St., qwestcenteromaha.com Side Door, 3530 Leavenworth St., 504.3444. Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., 345.7569, theslowdown.com Sokol Hall, 2234 S. 13th St., 346.9802, sokolundergound.com The Sydney, 5918 Maple St., 932.9262, thesydneybenson.com Stir, 1 Harrahs Blvd., Council Bluffs, harrahs.com Venue 162, 162 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs, 712.256.7768, myspace.com/venue162 Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St., 884.5353, waitingroomlounge.com Whiskey Roadhouse, Horseshoe Casino, 2701 32nd Ave., Council Bluffs, whiskeyroadhouse.com Your Mom’s Downtown Bar, 1512 Howard St., 345.0180 Zoo Bar, 136 N.14th St., Lincoln, zoobar.com

UPCOMING SHOWS

In 1989, Page Hamilton co-founded the New York-based Helmet, fusing Zeppelinesque riffing with a vehement post-hardcore precision, augmented by dense chords and offbeat time signatures based in Hamilton’s formal jazz training. The combination was that rarest of visionary creations.

Wednesday, 9/28/11 8:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM

HELMET

SPOtlIGHt SHOW

w/ Broken Crown & Meet Your Maker

ThuRsday, 9/22/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM Kosha dillZ

ThuRsday, 9/22/11 8:00PM @ The BouRBon TheaTeR needToBReaThe

FRiday, 9/23/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM QuaRTus

saTuRday, 9/24/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM eleCTRiC siX

sunday, 9/25/11 5:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM sChool oF RoCK

Monday, 9/26/11 8:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM - 21+ WaiTing RooM MusiC QuiZ

Monday, 9/26/11 7:30PM @ sloWdoWn Plain WhiTe T’s

Tuesday, 9/27/11 9:00PM @ The WaiTing RooM The Wood BRoTheRs

Tuesday, 9/27/11 9:00PM @ sloWdoWn The FaMily VaCaTion TouR

w/ Purveyors of the Conscious Sound, Holla K & J Cron, Ellmatiq P-Tro, & Surreal The MC

w/ Kitten

w/ The Summer Set, The Downtown Fiction, & Allison Park

w/ Adelaide

w/ Clay Cook (from Zac Brown Band)

9/27/11 EOTO 9/28/11 TRUTH & SALVAGE CO. 9/28/11 BLUE OCTOBER 9/29/11 CONDUITS 9/30/11 THE MATADOR CD RELEASE 9/30/11 CIRCA SURVIVE 10/01/11 MEGAFAUN 10/02/11 MAT KEARNEY 10/02/11 GRIEVES / BUDO 10/04/11 WILD FLAG

w/ The Midland Band

w/ Atmosphere, Evidence, & Blueprint

10/04/11 THE CHRIS ROBINSON BROTHERHOOD 10/05/11 NICK 13 (OF TIGER ARMY) 10/06/11 DICK DALE & BAND 10/06/11 WALK THE MOON 10/07/11 BLUE OCTOBER 10/07/11 FUNK TREK 10/07/11 MICHAEL LEE FIRKINS 10/08/11 WE CAME AS ROMANS 10/09/11 THE HEAD AND THE HEART 10/10/11 MELT BANANA

More Information and Tickets Available at

WWW.ONEPERCENTPRODUCTIONS.COM

music listings

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

El Aguila Restaurant

The

BEST margarita in town!

Mexican cuisine

Happy Hour 3 - 6 pm Monday - Thursday

Weekdays Lunch Specials Open 7 Days a Week

1837 Vinton Street (402) 346-7667 30

SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

Patio Open!

| THE READER |

E D I T E D

Alexander Payne’s first feature since Sideways a hit with critics

by Leo Adam Biga

owever you feel about Alexander Payne’s work, the cinema landscape is richer now that he’s back with his first feature since Sideways. That’s certainly the consensus among reviewers who’ve seen his The Descendants. The Sept. 10 premiere of the comedy-drama at the Toronto International Film Festival launched the George Clooney vehicle as a must-see this movie season. The screenings in Toronto, where Payne, Clooney and co-star Shailene Woodley appeared, came one week after a press sneak preview at the Telluride Film Festival. The next big splash comes in October, when The Descendants will be the closing night selection at the New York Film Festival. Payne will be there. It is reminiscent of how his much-lauded Sideways and About Schmidt scored major points at prestige festivals. He will accompany his film at festivals in London, Honolulu, Greece, Turin and Dubai. Bridesmaids (ON DVD) A Come for the vomit, stay for the love. That’s the strangest summary statement ever. READER RECOMMENDS

Contagion B It’s definitely worth catching, so long as you bring Purell. The Guard There’s no pot of gold at the end of this Irish tale.

D+

Hanna (ON DVD) Be glad your tween loves Bieber and not homicide.

Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street) More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook & Twitter: /filmstreams

Payne again teamed with Sideways cinematographer Phedon Papamichael and worked for the first time with Clooney, Woodley, Beau Bridges and Robert Forster. Given Payne’s record and the talent surrounding him it’s no surprise the project’s getting big love, or that his return is being warmly embraced. Though an old hand at the dog-and-pony hype of festivals, and the hype of awards shows, it’s been awhile since he’s been through the media grinder. So, what is it like to unveil your precious creation to the expectant film world? He answered that and other questions by phone from Toronto the day after his picture was accorded a standing ovation there. “I guess you feel a combination of panic and calm,” he says. “Panic, in that people are going to see it for the first time and you really hope it works. And calm in that, well, there’s nothing I can do. I’ve already done the work and it is what it is, and it’s ready to have its own relationship with the public. Now it belongs to the ages. “So it’s panic, morbid curiosity and relief. And the fact that it’s been well-received both at Telluride and here … the big feeling is relief. When a film is well received it doesn’t bring me profound happiness necessarily, but it calms my nerves.” In an out-of-sight, out-of-mind industry, Payne’s relative absence since 2004 amounts to an eternity. “I personally never think about that, only when all the reporters ask, ‘Why’s it been so long?’ and I say, ‘Well,

ALEXANDER PAYNE ON THE SET OF THE DESCENDANTS

The Fox Searchlight release opens theatrically Nov. 18. Payne will help usher in a Nov. 20 “celebration event” for The Descendants at Film Streams. Details pending. Shot in Hawaii in 2010, the film is Payne’s faithful adaptation of the Kaui Hart Hemmings novel. Clooney’s Matt King is a father-husband forced by circumstance and legacy to face some hard truths, such as his dying wife having cheated on him. This rude awakening propels a journey of revenge and reconciliation. Meek’s Cutoff (ON DVD) B You think helping your friends move is hard, try moving via the Oregon Trail. Point Blank BA French blend of Taken and The Fugitive devoid of originality. Rise of the Planet of the Apes A re-imagined reboot that uses real imagination.

Thor (ON DVD) B Even Norse Gods can’t defeat romantic comedy cliches.

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■ Despite earlier reports, Kevin Costner has passed on a role in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. In related news, I am now really looking forward to seeing Django Unchained. ■ Although a whole generation may have grown up knowing Spike Lee only as an annoying sports fan, those who remember his early films know the power hiding in that man’s directorial toolbox. So break out the bubbly, because in 2012, Mookie’s back, baby. That’s right, Lee’s new film, Red Hook Summer, has some measure of relationship to Do the Right Thing, one of the most important American movies ever made. Although it definitely features the return of Mookie, the pizza delivery man played by Lee, it is unclear whether this is a straightup sequel or more likely simply related to the classic film. Either way, it’s refreshing to see an artist returning to the canvas he once mastered. I got me the goosebumps, I do! ■ One million people are officially pissed at Netflix. Everyone was wondering what kind of bite the new price hikes would take out of membership to the popular video service, and the answer is about a million frustrated folks. As many as 80 percent of those quitters were only using the DVD aspect of the service, not the streaming option. That’s funny, because the price increase was actually only for people who wanted to do both. Either way, someone at Red Box is smiling. ■ My favorite writer, Harlan Ellison, is suing folks again. This time, he’s accusing the makers of the new sci-fi movie In Time, claiming they ripped off my favorite short story ever, “Repent, Harlequin! Said the Ticktockman.” Given that this is a Justin Timberlake movie, Ellison stands to gain literally dozens of dollars. — Ryan Syrek

CUTTINGROOM

Hail, Hail The Descendants

film

Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/ rss), and also catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

This Week Senna First-Run Directed by Asif Kapadia. Starts Friday, September 23 “A documentary with the pace of a thriller... beyond compelling.” —Kenneth Turan, LA Times “You don’t have to know or care anything about Formula One auto racing, or ever have heard of the legendary Brazilian driver Ayrton Senna, to become fully drawn into this film’s universe.” —Andrew O’Hehir, Salon

Sarah’s Key First-Run (PG-13) Directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner and starring Kristin Scott Thomas. Through Thursday, September 29 Based on the best-selling novel by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Family & Children’s Series Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948 Sep 24-Oct 6 (Saturdays, Sundays, Thursdays)

ﬁlm

Screwball Comedies Ball of Fire 1941 Directed by Howard Hawks. Friday, Sep 23 - Thursday, Sep 29

On Sale Now: The Alloy Orchestra plays Wild and Weird One night only: Tuesday, October 4, 7pm Part of the Silents in Concert series. More info & tickets at filmstreams.org.

| THE READER |

SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

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y continued from page 31 because I’ve been busy; I had a bunch of other stuff going on. It’s not going to be that long for the next few. I’m going to go quickly now from film to film.” He may begin shooting Nebraska, his black and white, father-son road picture, as soon as spring 2012. Meanwhile, Payne is paying attention to reviews. But in an era when, as he puts it, “every Tom, Dick and Harry is an online film critic,” he’s selective about whose criticism he reads. He prefers “the old standby critics,” by whom he means figures like Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter. “I respect him, he’s a real film guy. He’s a cinephile. And I do care what he thinks,” Payne says. “I’d like for him to like it. And I like Leonard Maltin. I like good critics, I want anyone to tell me what I’m doing wrong and what I’m doing right so that I can keep learning.” For the record, McCarthy called Descendants “one of those satisfying, emotionally rich films that works on multiple levels.” Maltin termed it “an exceptionally fine film.”

GEORGE CLOONEY AND SHAILENE WOODLEY IN

September 23rd - 25th Featuring: CBC/MLRA Late Models, SLMR Late Models, A-Mods, B-Mods, GN Late Models, ProAm/Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, & Hornets

$80,000 + Purse www.I-80Speedway.com 32

SEPT. 22 - 28, 2011

| THE READER |

ﬁlm

Payne’s familiar enough with what’s been written that he says, “Some film journalists suggest, ‘It’s like your other work, it has a certain combination of comedy, pathos and following the journey of a flawed protagonist, but somehow this one has more acceptance and less condescension,’ which I personally have never aspired to. But anyway they think it’s more open-hearted and nuanced.” His production company, Ad Hominem Enterprises, acquired the novel before it was published, but not for Payne to direct. He eventually saw it as a project for himself, then rewrote the script by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash. Did Payne’s life catch up with the emotional arc of the story? “It could be,” he says. “I think if you’re trying to do sincere and honest work, then the work you do corresponds somehow to where you are in your life. It has to. I do know that an emotional anchor that kind of made me want to do it are two acts of love or forgiveness in the novel. When Clooney’s character

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decides to track down his wife’s lover, he wants to kill the guy, but tells him she is going to die imminently. He just reckons this guy would want to know. That’s an act of love.” “And then later at the end, when the lover doesn’t show up but his wife does, and she says, ‘My husband was too cowardly to come and that didn’t seem right -- I thought someone from my family should come.’ It’s also an act of difficult love. And I thought those would be nice to represent.” Descendants resonates with Paynesian themes and motifs. “I’m just always drawn to material that remains human and devoid of contrivance, that stays on the credible human plain. I try to somehow explore, express and mock the human heart.” He says a friend who saw the film “enjoyed having a constantly shifting relationship” to the comastricken Mrs. King, who is variously an object of love, hate, pity and indifference -- both for the other characters and the audience. Similarly, the story often shifts from comedy to drama and back again. “One thing I witness with audiences is what someone described as hairpin turns in tone. That within a scene you can be laughing one moment, crying the next and then laughing again. A couple journalists asked me about that and how it’s accomplished and of course I have to say, I don’t really know, but I do think life is like that. Life has laughter and drama all going on at the same time. THE DESCENDANTS “So I don’t really see hairpin shift in tone but rather a thicker tone or fabric of life.” During the Toronto screening at the Elgin Theatre, Payne says he was a portrait of nervous energy. He began the night seated in the middle of the house, then went to the back to request the sound be raised. He watched from the rear, then moved to the balcony. He asked for another sound spike -- before finally returning to his seat. All the while, acutely aware of how the film played. “I just make the films, I don’t really know what they are until I watch them with an audience. It’s just interesting to see how this one functions and what I think I can do better next time and what I think works pretty well this time around ...” As for the marketing, he calls the trailer “OK,” but acknowledges this film, like his others, is hard to summarize. “You just have to see the film.” How Fox positions it is beyond his control. “The studio, I trust, is going to do a great job. I completely trust in their greed.” , Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga. wordpress.com

planetpower w ee k l y

h oroscopes

appy fall, you all! Have a beeeautiful change of seasons! Let’s all be good little Indians and pray for the Great Spirit of the plains, Wakan Tanka, to grant us one last fling before we have to hunker down ’til spring. The spiders have already gone to sleep. The bugs will soon follow, and then the holiest of moments balances over these plains, for just a taste of time. Drink deep. In this moment, I love you all… —MOJOPOPlanetPower.com g LIBRA (9.23-10.22) The Sun enters Libra on Friday, the 23rd, for the Autumnal Equinox. You’ve got 4 short days to be reborn within the music of your life, and the harmony within and without. Be reborn at dawn next Tuesday, the 27th. It’s a beautiful day, no matter what anyone has to say. Thank God for the ability and opportunity to give and receive love, and blame the deva of evil if such evidence of social harmony has yet to be attained. You give love — you get love. You don’t — you won’t. It’ll always be 50/50 with thee… Michael P. h SCORPIO ( 1 0 . 2 3 -1 1 . 2 2 ) Martians: The air gets pretty thin in the company of the “higherups,” doesn’t it? They’re looking for your fiery inquiry and your ability to ruthlessly and relentlessly attain an X-ray, DNA level of investigation. Go get ’em, Sherlock. Show ’em what you see. Plutonians: What happened a year ago is/will be happening again. Pluto’s now direct at 5 degrees Capricorn, helping all the Halloween babies get their treats early. With the Sun in your 12th House, don’t push your attractive qualities too hard through this month-long transit of Libra. i SAGITTARIUS (11.23-12.21) You’re a week away. Musically, yours is the sign of the composer. True art can only take place amidst perfect freedom. The horse is the symbol of freedom. The centaur’s torso represents the mentality of the human, who is aiming arrows at the transcendent stars. You’re a week away. j CAPRICORN (12.22-1.20) Please read Libra. Stand on your head for 5 minutes a day. See what your dad has to say. Make sure you’re straight with the I.R.A. That’s all Miguel Jose has to say today. Mañana, if you wanna…

b y

mo j opo

k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) It’s a slooooow start for you, Boo Boo. The fire and motivation are present, but not yet the muscle. Please read Capricorn, and then Libra, for balance and patience. l PISCES (2.20-3.20) The opposition’s over, but so’s the clover. It’s fall, you all; the hour you start back to your power. If you’ve taken care of the details, then enjoy whatever harmony you’ve accrued. If not, maybe that’s why you’re so rude? There’s still time before the snow… How does the MOJO know? a ARIES (3.21-4.20) Please read Scorpio, and hide during the 26th, 27th and 28th. There’s too much opposition for even you to overcome. f TAURUS (4.21-5.20) Here comes money from work, ’cuz you’re just sooo good looking! Yeah, it’ll work for this coming month, but after 4 weeks of self-indulgence you’ll have the piper (Scorpio) to pay. Oh well, you’ll continue to survive, won’t you? Enjoy your little indulgences while you can. Could there be something more? c GEMINI (5.21-6.21) Where you been? Staying by/at the pad? Cleaning up? Perfect! Finish by the 27th, and then invite someone (you love?) over to show off your resplendent hospitality, wit and environment. Who you gonna winter with? d CANCER (6.22-7.22) Please read Libra, and then Capricorn (for balance). Take care of as much business as possible ’til the 27th…and then read Gemini. e LEO (7.23-8.22) The Moon’s in Leo ’til Sunday; an auspicious start to the fall season — as if you needed a reason? Dress nice. Listen to the tone and act in harmony with the prevalent melody that you’re currently experiencing. It’s all music during this coming month. Participate. First, third, fifth! f VIRGO (8.23-9.22) Now’s the time for it (whatever “it” is or means to you) to pay off. If you’ve taken care of the details (you have, haven’t you?) then all is in harmony, and peace shall yet prevail over hill and dale. Hey Roy, how is Dale? “Happy trails to you, until we meet again…” ,

planet power

| THE READER |

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

newsoftheweird

t h e wo r l d g o n e f r e a k y b y c h u c k s h e p h e r d w i t h i l lu s t r at i o n s b y t o m b r i s c o e

Taxi queen

“W

When I get to Africa, I have to worship him,” said Elizabeth Osei, parttime first lady of the Akwamu people of eastern Ghana, speaking of her husband Isaac, who is the Akwamu chief. “When I get back, he has to worship me” (because Elizabeth is the president of the couple’s New York City taxi company, where they work 12-hour days when they’re not Ghanian royalty). Isaac’s reign, according to an August New York Times report, covers several months a year and requires divine-like wisdom in adjudicating his people’s disputes. Another New Yorker with a prestigious double life is Mohamed Mohamed, a state transportation bureaucrat, who recently returned to his cubicle in Buffalo, N.Y., after nine months as prime minister of Somalia. The Buffalo News reported that the Somali native, though shocked by the level of the country’s dysfunction, at least got to stand up to “terrorists, pirates and warlords” and “address dignitaries from the United Nations.”

Cultural Diversity

The convenient Russian myth that “beer” (up to 10 percent alcohol by volume) is a “soft drink” will end shortly, following the enactment of restrictions signed by President Dmitry Medvedev in July. Beer had been rapidly replacing vodka as the country’s primary alcoholic beverage, as people drank it with impunity around the clock in public places (since they pretended they were consuming nothing more powerful than a “cola”). Until recently, impoverished Indonesians sought to cure various illnesses (such as diabetes and high blood pressure) by lying on railroad tracks as trains approached, thus allowing electrical charges from the tracks to course therapeutically through their bodies. A combination of anecdotal successes and dissatisfaction with the state-operated health care system led to the instances in which hundreds at a time lay on the tracks, according to an August Associated Press dispatch.

sept. 22 - 28, 2011

| THE READER |

weird news

What Goes Around, Comes Around: In February, 12 villagers from a South African shantytown allegedly burned down a pastor’s home and killed him out of anger and fear that he was using an “invisible penis” to seduce women. The accused, who are due to answer for their superstition in court in September, according to African Eye News Service, became 11 in May when one of the men died mysteriously, and those 11 are now terrified that the pastor’s family has placed an active curse on them.

Latest Religious Messages My Rules: The Aug. 6 revival spectacular in Houston, billed as a day of prayer and attended by 30,000 people at Reliant Stadium, was also billed as a day of fasting, which apparently took at least a few worshipers by surprise, and Reliant’s concession stands (which were open all day) only added to the temptation to ignore the fast. One otherwise-devout man from San Angelo, Texas, told the Texas Tribune that it was OK for him to eat because of an “agreement” he “made with God earlier.” Defining “Smite” Down: Fed up with the theft of Bibles from the Basilica of San Salvatore al Monte in Florence, Italy, the Franciscan priests in charge posted signs and spoke prayers urging the pilferer to repent. In the event that he does not, reported London’s Daily Telegraph in August, the prayer asked that the thief be afflicted with “a strong bout of the (runs).”

Questionable Judgments My Kids Live With a Child-Killer? John and Kristine Cushing married and raised two daughters, but Kristine became mentally ill and in 1991 killed the girls as they slept. She was hospitalized for four years and eventually monitored for 10 more. Meanwhile, John divorced her and married Trisha, and they raised two sons, but eventually divorced and reached a sharedcustody agreement. By 2005, Kristine had been approved by California doctors to return to society, and soon she and John reconnected. Understandably, Trisha became horrified at the prospect that Kristine might relapse, in which case her and John’s two sons

COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD. Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com or NewsoftheWeird.com. Send Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679. Illustrations by Tom Briscoe (smallworldcomics.com).

would be at risk. In August, a judge in Seattle (where John and Kristine once again cohabit), influenced by Kristine’s clean record since her release, turned down Trisha’s request for sole custody. Highly Questionable: (1) German Paz, 33, was sentenced in Orlando to 15 years in federal prison in June for sexual exploitation of a minor via the Internet. He had begun contacting a 13-year-old girl and was using the screen name The Delightful Deviant. (2) Gareth Shand, 6, was welcomed into the first grade in San Antonio in August with an immediate in-school suspension. He is growing his hair long for a cancer-support organization, but that puts him in violation of his school’s dress code.

America In Decline Direct Pipelines from the Pentagon to U.S. Enemies: (1) A U.S. military investigation disclosed (according to a July Washington Post report) that at least four of the eight Afghan trucking firms involved in a $2.16 billion Pentagon contract designed to ferry supplies to American troops are likely to have employed subcontractors with direct ties to the Afghan Taliban. (2) United Nations investigators revealed (according to an August New York Times report) that about half of the U.S.-supplied weapons for Ugandan and Burundian troops to battle the Somalian terror group al-Shabab have ultimately wound up in al-Shabab’s hands. (The poorly paid Ugandan and Burundian troops apparently found arms sales more profitable than fighting terrorists.)

People With Issues Ned Nefer, 38, pushed a 6-foot mannequin along U.S. Highway 11 in June, for 65 miles from Syracuse, N.Y., to Watertown, N.Y., because “(The mannequin and I) really love the outdoors.” The mannequin, Nefer said, is his wife “Teagan,” who came to Nefer merely as a head but for whom Nefer constructed a body and “married” in 1986. Said a Watertown social services worker, to the Watertown Daily News, “I wouldn’t classify (Nefer) as dangerous at all. He seemed quite happy in his own little world.” Nefer’s “first” wife

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passed away, and it is possible, the social services lady said, that this is his way of dealing with the loss.

Least Competent Criminals Charged with crimes that could send him to prison for life, Gary LaBon, 50, nonetheless chose to defend himself at trial and told the jury in August that any kidnapping, rape or assault he might have committed on the 69-year-old woman in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2009 was “self-defense.” LaBon insisted that he was in fear for his life because the woman was a “gang member.” Judge Kathryn Solorzano took the unusual step of advising the jury to “disregard most of what Labon said during his argument,” according to the Daily Breeze of Torrance, Calif. (Jurors quickly convicted LaBon on all counts, and he awaits sentencing.)

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