YOU HAVE 8 CHANCES TO WIN $1,000,000! Stop by the Rewards Center Kiosk each Friday and Saturday in March and play for a chance to win points, Free Play and a chance at $1,000,000.
You must be a Backstage Pass Rewards Club Member to play.
Not a Backstage Pass Rewards Club Member?
Sign up for FREE today.
YOUR CHANCE AT
1,000,000
$
Valid Fridays & Saturdays in March | 12pm-10pm
111 3RD STREET
I SIOUX CITY, IA 51101 I HARDROCKCASINOSIOUXCITY.COM
Must swipe your Backstage Pass Rewards Club Card at a Rewards Center Kiosk to play the game. See Backstage Pass Rewards Club for complete details. Must be 21 or older. If you or someone you know needs gambling treatment call 800.BETS OFF.
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
3
The World of Online Job Guides One of the Best Ways to Network and Hone Interview Skills
A
nyone who’s conducted a job search in the last 15 or so years can tell you that the Internet is full of career resources. Whether you’re looking to make a change or looking for a place to start, there are nearly countless websites dedicated to your purpose. Increasingly, online is becoming the only way to search and apply for jobs. Not to mention it’s one of the best ways to network, get resumewriting tips and find practice interview questions. Sifting through the information out there can be more work than you’re reasonably able to take on. Fortunately, there are a select few
websites on which you can zero in to help make things easier when it comes time to looking for work. Social Media, etc.
Think “common sense” websites - those sites where you can easily be found. In the digital age, employers can look up who you are beyond your resume. Carefully review these sites and make sure you’re represented exceptionally well. ■ Facebook, Instagram and Twitter – Make sure you adjust your privacy settings. Then, just for good measure, clean up any inappropriate
Explore your Design, Interactivity and Media Arts Interior Design Photography Studio Art Theater Video and Audio Communication Arts Discover the arts at MCC: mccneb.edu/arts
side
4
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
omaha jobs
pictures or posts. ■ Google – Google yourself. What are the results? If what you see makes you cringe or brings up bad memories, think what it would do to a hiring manager (who will almost assuredly Google you). While you may not be able change some of your Google results, you can be one step ahead on things you can change. ■ LinkedIn – Headhunters as well as individual employers are using LinkedIn. Set up a profile and fill out as much information as you can, and provide your most professional-looking headshot.
Blogs and Advice
There is no shortage of blog sites, ranging in topics and author expertise. In 2012, renowned magazine Forbes compiled a list of the 75 best sites for job seekers. The Forbes list is in alphabetical order and includes many job search engines, but it also points readers to what it finds to be the best and most reliable career advice blogs, some of which include: ■ About.com/Careers – About.com holds itself out as one of the largest publishers of expert content. Almost anyone who’s searched “how to …” has read an accurate About.com article, so it should come as no surprise when Forbes put it on the list. ■ Career Change Central – This subscription service embraces the idea that people don’t stick with one company or profession for their
entire working lives. Don’t let the name fool you – no matter where you are in your career path, you can find useful resume and cover letter writing tips, among other info. n Evil HR Lady – How could anyone resist that name? This blog tackles reader questions and issues from a human resources/management perspective, giving sarcastic yet honest answers to myriad corporate problems. n Interviewing.com – Perhaps one of the trickiest aspects of finding/getting a job is the interview. This site is dedicated to tips and technology suggestions to help both job seekers and employers. n Payscale – One of the most interesting sites on the Forbes list, Payscale provides free salary data to subscribers in return for information about their salaries. It’s for both employers and employees who want to make sure pay rates are fairly priced. In addition, Payscale provides articles such as a salary negotiation guide and a best compensation practices report.
n United States Department of Labor – It’s not just about improving poor working conditions. The DoL is also here to improve the lives of “wage earners, job seekers and retirees of the United States.” Its website allows visitors to subscribe to email updates on a variety of topics. It also provides information on the rules and regulations surrounding working in this country. n Nebraska Department of Labor – On the local level, the NE DoL provides important information for both job seekers and employers. And just in case you’re wondering what Nebraska’s unemployment rate is versus the national, you can find that here too. Whatever online resource you choose, try to vet the content. Many pages have an “About Us” or “Our Story” page that explains who’s providing the info and how qualified he or she may be. Not all job sites are created equal.
The Government Can Help
AURSTAFF Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
ALEGENT HEALTH Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
OMAHA STEAKS Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
LEGACY DESIGN STRATEGIES Administrative Assistant. Contact Jamie Kratky at Jamie@ldstrategies.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information
INFOGROUP Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
MID-CONTINENT PROPERTIES Marketing Manager and Office Associate. Contact Doran at jpost@min-continentproperties.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information. ENVISIONS Life Skill Instructor. Contact Bridgett at bridgett6815@ aol.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information. NEW VICTORIAN INN & SUITES Maintenance. Contact Kristen Kotik at Kristen.nvi@hotmail. com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
MANAGEMENT REGISTRY Nursing. Contact CJensen@ managementregistry.com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information VINTAGE FINANCIAL GROUP Client Directives Coordinator. Contact Heather Burwell at brad@vinatagefinancialgroup. com. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information. NELNET Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information. BUDGET CAR RENTAL Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
Mixed Media Collage with Sara Sumnik Wamsat ($35) SATURDAY, MARCH 21 @ 10 AM
Cold Wax and Oil Painting with Lori Elliott-Bartle ($50) INFO & REGISTRATION
Privately-run blogs and job boards are great, but don’t forget resources provided by the government. WEST CORPORATION Now Hiring Multiple Positions. Go to OmahaJobs.com for more information.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7 @ 10 AM
Visit OmahaCreativeInstitute.org 1516 Cuming St., Omaha, NE 68102 (651)373-6662 Questions: Rachel@OmahaCreativeInstitute.org
INSIDE SALES We are a market leader & a highly respected distributor in tile & stone. We have been in business for over 50 years. Full time position, compensation based on experience. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information. COLD STONE CREAMERY Crew Members. Contact Cynthia Clark at cynthiaclark519@ gmail.com. Go to OmahaJobs. com for more information. OMAHA DOWNTOWN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT Communications Coordinator. Contact Holly@omahadowntown.org. Go to OmahaJobs. com for information. DRIVER 3-4 nights a week, 4:30-9:00pm. Knowledge of Millard area a plus. Personal vehicle required, good driving record a must. Go to OmahaJobs.com for information. TECHNICAL SUPPORT REP Do you have outstanding customer service skills & enjoy helping people? We want you! Go to OmahaJobs.com for information.
omaha jobs
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
5
S Y M P HO NY R OC K S
S Y M P H O NY P OP S
Symphonic Blockbusters
The Best of the ‘70s
Symphony Pops Series Sponsor
Saturday & Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2015
Matt Catingub, conductor Anita Hall, vocals | Steve Moretti, drums
Presenting Sponsor
FAMI LY
MAS TER WOR KS
The Holland Center heats up with the greatest hits of the Doobie Brothers, Paul McCartney and Wings, the Carpenters, and The Eagles. Grammy-winner Matt Catingub returns after his sold-out 2014 Symphony Rocks concert.
Mermaids, Minions and Dragons
Mozart & Schubert
Ernest Richardson, conductor
Howard Shelley, conductor and piano
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Heartland Youth Ballet
|
Voices of Résonance
Your favorite music from How to Train Your Dragon, The Little Mermaid, The Incredibles, and other family movie hits! Brought to life through exciting performances of song, dance, and spectacle.
Concerts take place at the Holland Center.
6
Artist Sponsor
Saturday, March 21, 2015
Thomas Wilkins, conductor
From the 1812 Overture to the Ride of the Valkyries to Boléro, your Omaha Symphony performs a rousing program of the most popular, exhilarating, and grand orchestral blockbusters.
Symphony Rocks Series Sponsor
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Friday & Saturday, March 27 & 28, 2015 MOZART: The Marriage of Figaro Overture MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 20 SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 9, “ The Great”
MasterWorks Series Sponsor
MARCH2015VOLUME21NUMBER49 08 COVER STORY THE DESIGN ISSUE 16 MUSIC MATTHEW SWEET 20 ART KRISTIN PLUHACEK 24 HEALING THE GENE BUSINESS 26 SPORTS MAVERICK HOCKEY HEATS UP 27 SPECIAL SECTION OMAHA FILM FEST 33 EAT FAMILY DRAMA AND LASAGNE 36 CULTURE SALVAGING THE PAST 40 CULTURE BOMB GIRL 42 PICKS COOL STUFF TO DO 44 FILM MOVIE POSTER MANIA
48 FILM OMAHA FILM FEST 50 HOODOO MEMPHIS MEMORIES 53 OVER THE EDGE PODCASTS 54 MYSTERIAN DOCTOR IS IN
MOREINFO:WWW.THEREADER.COM Publisher John Heaston john@thereader.com Creative Director Eric Stoakes eric@thereader.com Assistant Editor Mara Wilson mara@thereader.com
music: Chris Aponick backbeat@thereader.com over the edge: Tim Mcmahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater: William Grennan coldcream@thereader.com
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
METRO BUS DESIGN BY DREW DAVIES AND OXYGEN DESIGN
heartland healing: Michael Braunstein info@heartlandhealing.com arts/visual: Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com dish: Tamsen Butler crumbs@thereader.com film: Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo: B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com
contents
SALES
Dinah Gomez dinah@thereader.com Kati Falk kati@thereader.com DISTRIBUTION/DIGITAL
Clay Seaman clay@thereader.com OPERATIONS
Kerry Olson kerry@thereader.com
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
7
PATRICK LEAHY
Director of planning, research & innovation - healthcare studio & strategy team at Holland Basham Architects
BUF REYNOLDS Fashion designer
T
he concept of design carries different meanings in various fields, but it’s fundamentally about what brings together the elements of form and function. From the clothes on our back to the layout of our cities, from the smallest of logos to the most complex facilities, the work of designers in a multitude of disciplines is everywhere you look. The Reader surveyed five design professionals from different disciplines to get their insight—with respect to their particular fields— on how design touches, influences or even controls our lives individually and as a community:
8
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
JED MOULTON
Urban design manager for the City of Omaha
JEFF DAY
Min|Day architecture practice; director of the UNL architecture program
What drew you to your particular field? Leahy: In college, what I liked about it is that it was always changing, the multiple skill sets, and a complexity that would continue to challenge and stimulate me... Now it’s even more than that: I have the ability to improve people’s lives. Davies: Even as a young child I was always fascinated by icons, symbols, logos, and the like. I’ve always been interested in art, but design was the way I found to bring my need for order and direction to that aesthetic world.
cover story
DREW DAVIES
Owner/design director of Oxide Design Co.; national co-president of AIGA
Day: Beyond the enjoyment of making things and drawing and designing, I think that architecture spans a huge range of social and culture issues and brings together everything from philosophy through very pragmatic concerns like keeping the rain out of the building. Moulton: I’ve always been drawn to very large, messy, complicated problems. Because I’m ultimately an optimist, I feel that through applying yourself to any problem, we can come up with solutions. Reynolds: It was something I always appreciated. I loved shopping, I loved looking at clothes and style and how
PAUL CROSBY
BUCKTOWN HOUSE, CHICAGO
BOX CAR 10-BLUEBARN THEATRE RENDERING
cover story
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
9
DREW DAVIES
tured for pedestrians...You can’t have a great, livable city and have only vehicular transportation. Davies: I tend to look outside of the traditional industrybased sources, and instead get my inspiration from stepping out of the design mind and doing other things in the world. I get inspiration from everyday activities, nature, streetscapes, interactions with close friends and family. Leahy: There are great things in nature you can look at for innovative solutions to environmental challenges. And the other thing I do is learn from different buildings: what’s been done and what’s great and try to do it in an even better way and take it one step further.
things were worn. I remember seeing a fashion show in kindergarten, and I couldn’t look away from it; it was just the coolest thing.
Day: I look to contemporary art quite a lot and conceptual art—not in the way a lot of people would think, looking at art to look at different ways of making form—but more about how artists approach the world...I think architects are always looking at other architecture; it’s hard not to do that. My wife calls me the Terminator because when I walk into a building, I scan around and I instantly notice everything.
What has changed most over the years in your particular field? Davies: Really just the prevalence of the digital world. When I started Oxide Design Co. 13 years ago, probably 90 percent of our work was print—brochures, business cards, direct mail—and 10 percent was websites and other digital design. Now it’s probably the opposite of that ratio. Day: At first (new) technology simply replaced an older technology...but now it’s actually changed in a much more fundamental way: the way we think about buildings, the way buildings are made, the way they’re managed in terms of facilities management has become very digital, and it’s opened up a tremendous amount of possibilities for architects to be able to have a much greater sense of control over their projects than they may have had in most of the 20th century. Reynolds: The thing that has changed in the industry here locally (is) there’s an actual infrastructure building in Omaha. There are people who support it, there are other designers now, there’s this whole community that wants to see you thrive. Leahy: We do so much more with computers, we have 3-D printers now. Environmental responsibility and sustainability has been a huge change. And even more in the last five or ten years, Lean planning in the family of
Why do aesthetic qualities matter as much as practical qualities in design? Six Sigma. Rapid prototyping. EDAC, which stands for evidence-based design accreditation and certification, it’s mostly for healthcare and came out of healthcare treatment, but looking at evidence of what really works; we’re not doing things just that are beautiful but really improve the outcome for patients. Another one has been Charrette (collaborative process) planning. Moulton: It’s called the Great Inversion; for 65 or 70 years or so we moved out to the suburbs and now it’s the opposite trend, everybody’s moving back in. It’s not going to be the same city: we do things differently, we have new technology, we have different understanding of how things function, we have new transportation ideas.
Where do you turn for design inspiration?
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Davies: Information can be as clear as possible, but it still won’t do any good if no one wants to read it. I believe that in order for design to be truly effective, it must be a balance of clarity and aesthetics. The exact proportion depends on each situation. Day: There’s no question that architecture has a pragmatic basis, it’s there to solve problems for people. But it also connects the culture and I think that’s through the aesthetic qualities of the building.
Reynolds: A lot my inspiration comes from just everyday life. Things that happened to me, experiences, memories, my surroundings.
Leahy: We need to inspire people...If it doesn’t uplift the spirit, we really haven’t done anything out of the ordinary. Good architecture is all about creating that experience; the lighting, the feel, not just the value and return on investment.
Moulton: You start by look at older cities and older parts of our city. They were all originally designed and struc-
Reynolds: From my perspective, they’re trying to evoke a feeling or they want to make somebody feel like they’re
Do you remember the times of your life? 10
Moulton: I think the choice between practicality and aesthetics is a false dichotomy...I think everything is aesthetic and we just have different personal aesthetics.
cover story
FRIDAY, MARCH 20 9 PM TO MIDNIGHT
Storz Brewing Company • 345 Riverfront Drive • $ 6 Cover
ALL ITEMS ONLY 99 CENTS! $0.99
FIND LOTS. SPEND A LITTLE
GOOD FOR YOU. GREAT FOR THE COMMUNITY!
501 S. 13TH STREET • OMAHA, NE 68102 MONDAY-SATURDAY 11AM-9PM, SUNDAY 11AM-7PM
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
11
JEFF DAY
Midwest tends to be broad as a region and we tend to look at a lot of different things. Davies: I think that Omaha’s best design firms are influenced by the same sources that influence designers nationally and even globally. Reynolds: You’re all over the scale in Omaha as far as fashion goes and there’s no one set style.
What are some classic examples of good design locally?
What are the benefits of good design?
Day: The repurposing of that into what the Old Market is now, in a lot of cases it’s simply an updating of the pragmatism of the original building. The specific examples kind of deviate from that, they tend to be the monument buildings like the state capitol, NBC Bank that’s now Wells Fargo in Lincoln, the Sheldon Museum in Lincoln; these are really great buildings that are nationally and internationally known. In Omaha, the Joslyn and the addition to the Joslyn are important projects.
Day: Whether we’re talking about a public space or a work space or a residence, architecture and design in general is really about improving lives...I think that’s why architects tend to be optimists, because we’re always thinking we can make things better.
Moulton: (In) the older parts of the city, one interesting example are these little commercial nodes that are there because the streetcar lines used to run through them... all of them connected together and downtown was kind of the anchor.
different or they set themselves apart, it’s sort of a costume for every day. They need to be able to live their life in the garments but they need to also make it so that they can be individual in those garments.
Reynolds: You want to be able to have something you feel good in; you want to have something that is wellmade and you want something that pleases your eye. It has to be appealing to all of your senses. It has to be able to last and carry over into the future; it should be transcendent and carry on through time. Leahy: Good design does not cost more money. Often it can cost less, especially operationally and maintenance and cost-wise...It’s about brand, improving the bottom line and profits and happy more productive staff or guests, or students or patients, or whatever your building type has. People do better or come back often to great places. Moulton: (With) good urban design, there’s physical health (walkability). There’s also economic benefits; if you actually design better, more compact, denser environments in existing parts of the city you grow the tax revenue pie and your infrastructure costs are much less.
Davies: Good design can literally increase the bottom line. It can get more people to hear an important message and take it to heart. It can drastically raise awareness.
What are the primary influences on design in Omaha? Leahy: Omaha By Design. Design Alliance Omaha, and this sub-thing they do, Pecha Kucha Night, it’s from the Japanese word that means “chit-chat”. Another one is AIA (American Institute of Architects) Omaha Chapter. Design firms, enlightened clients. Metropolitan Community College; I was on that board and helped them get their first comprehensive strategic plan...There’s also these great preservation groups that keep the best of the old. And then the University of Nebraska College of Architecture; that’s where I got my education. Moulton: It’s public, it’s political, it’s regulatory. Your public governance influences (urban design) significantly. Day: Omaha has a lot of influences from the outside. I’ve been here for about 15 years and I’ve found that the
Get back to where you once belonged. 12
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
cover story
Leahy: Union Station, I worked on restoration. Joslyn Art Museum, I worked on the addition and restoration there, too. The capitol/Central High School, St. Cecilia’s Cathedral and the Gold Coast neighborhood. The 1891 public library. The 1889 Omaha National Bank building and New York Building. The Burlington Station—not the one that’s there now, the 1898 original design by Thomas Kimball.
What are some contemporary examples of good design locally? Leahy: Midtown Crossing...it created a destination where the community comes together. Village Pointe, a great little commercial development. The Holland Performing Arts Center. SAC Federal Credit Union headquarters. Mammel Hall. The Community Engagement Center, what goes on inside is just a really great space.
DESIGNED BY WORLD RENOWNED ARTIST
JUN KANEKO
fidelio by Ludwig van Beethoven Friday, April 17, 2015 | 7:30 pm Sunday, April 19, 2015 | 2:00 pm Orpheum Theater
19
TICKETS $ START AT
MONDAY MAR 2 WEDNESDAY MAR 11 Mike Gurciullo and The Persuaders his Las Vegas Big Band THURSDAY MAR 12 The 9’s TUESDAY MAR 3 Scott Evans FRIDAY MAR 13 Rough Cut WEDNESDAY MAR 4 Pam and the Pearls SATURDAY MAR 14 Lemon Fresh Day FRIDAY MAR 6 On the Fritz MONDAY MAR 16 Mike Gurciullo and SATURDAY MAR 7 his Las Vegas Big Band The 402 Band
FRIDAY MAR 20 Finest Hour
TUESDAY MAR 17 MONDAY MAR 9 Billy Troy Mike Gurciullo and his Las Vegas Big Band THURSDAY MAR 19 Thunder Sandwich
SATURDAY MAR 28 Hi-Fi Hangover
MONDAY MAR 23 Mike Gurciullo and his Las Vegas Big Band TUESDAY MAR 24 Scott Evans WEDNESDAY MAR 25 Grease Band FRIDAY MAR 27 Soul Dawg
MONDAY MAR 30 Mike Gurciullo and his Las Vegas Big Band
402-345-0606 | ticketomaha.com
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
13
JED MOULTON
BUF REYNOLDS
Davies: From a graphic design standpoint, one of the things I am proud of about being from Omaha is that there are a bunch of people doing great graphic design work here in town. Reynolds: Fashion in Omaha doesn’t go back very far...It’s hard to draw the line between classic and contemporary because it’s all sort of contemporary at this point.
If Omaha had a design aesthetic, how would you define it? Davies: From a visual design standpoint, I don’t really think that Omaha has a “design aesthetic”. What I’m seeing locally is a lot of good work inspired by all kinds of sources from across the country and around the world. Reynolds: A lot of people’s knee-jerk reaction here is “Oh, yeah, Husker gear” or something like that, but I see so much more because the people I’m with every day, I see so much variation in style...How would I label it? Individual, varying. Day: You don’t find a lot of speculation and crazy sort of experimentation like you might in Los Angeles. You find things are really rooted in a kind of pragmatism of solving the problem. Moulton: If Omaha had an urban design aesthetic: grassroots. It starts from the ground up.
Where do you see Omaha’s design aesthetic going? Leahy: I think part of it is individual voices--designers, community leaders, property owners, the clients--and several complementary organizations working together to preserve and improve urban spaces. Moulton: I think we’ll improve because everything ultimately comes to Omaha that starts somewhere else, but it takes 15 years. Do we want to continue that or actually show by example what we can do? Reynolds: We have this growing infrastructure of people who are so supportive of current designers. It’s definitely changing and turning into something where people are beginning to realize we have something here.
14
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Davies: I believe that Omaha is right there in the national mix from a design aesthetic standpoint. Day: I hope it evolves to a point where it’s not just about an aesthetic but thinking about how we want to live in the city...I think we also need renewed understanding of the value of public space and interface between private space and public space; that’s something that has not been considered very well here.
How do the different design disciplines interact? Leahy: To do any kind of major project well, you have to do comprehensive, strategic and facility planning. It’s the business as well as the buildings and the parking and the spaces in between them...It’s getting the right team put together, but it’s also that everybody on the team realizes how important everybody else is so we think of every aspect. Davies: Some of the best cultural experiences we can have are when architecture, interior design, branding and graphic design, wayfinding and information design, etc., all combine to make something truly special. Day: (At UNL) we have architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, planning, and we’re going to start an industrial design program, and all those students take the same classes in the first year. Those classes are really about creative problem solving and teamwork. We’re teaching them to interact and collaborate from a very early age.
What do you wish non-designers knew about design? Davies: That visual aesthetics are just a small part of great design. Really successful branding and design involve huge amounts of thought about clarity, accurately conveying information, tactical considerations, messaging, and the like.
cover story
PATRICK LEAHY Reynolds: From a fashion design perspective, having somebody local make something for you, don’t assume it’s going to be really cheap. Fast fashion has ruined that for designers. If you want something like that, talk to your grandma. Moulton: Cities are the way they are not because of randomness but because of very well-established sets of policies, regulations and practices. Leahy: Good design takes longer than a 30-minute HGTV episode. Day: Every manmade object that you touch is designed by somebody--that doesn’t mean they’re all good, but design decisions are being made every day that impact people and I think they should think more about that impact and interact with that production at some point and be intelligent about making choices. , For the full text of the interviews, please visit thereader.com.
Omaha Performing Arts Presents
313 N. 13TH STREET / LINCOLN, NE
SHOWING IN MARCH
Thursday, March 19, 2015 | 7:30 PM Holland Center | Scott Recital Hall Tickets: $25 Advance / $30 Day of Show | TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606 All productions, performers, prices, dates and times subject to change.
Omaha Downtown
CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES
Hospitality Sponsor
Omaha Performing Arts Presents
Sponsor:
Fran & Rich Juro
Friday, March 27, 2015 | 7:00 & 9:30 PM Holland Center | Scott Recital Hall
Hospitality Sponsor:
Tickets: $35 Advance / $40 Day of Show | TicketOmaha.com | 402.345.0606 All productions, performers, prices, dates and times subject to change.
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
15
music
‘Sweettalk:
Somewhere along the way Matthew Sweet must have gotten home sick. What drew him back to The Good Life state? The Reader caught up with Sweet to find out.
16
sweethomecoming M
atthew Sweet is back. And not just in a musical way, but literally. He’s back here, in his home state of Nebraska. Sweet and his wife, Lisa, moved to Omaha in the winter of 2013 after spending 20 years in Los Angeles. He bought a house in which he built a small studio (that he says isn’t really a studio) and with the help of a Kickstarter campaign began to pour the foundation for what will be his first new album of original material since 2011’s Modern Art.
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Matthew Sweet headlines a fundraiser for Hear Nebraska March 28 BY TIM MCMAHAN
What direction that new album will go is still a mystery to Sweet, who always has taken the road less traveled when it comes to his musical career, and it’s made all the difference. Sweet reinvented power rock in the 1990s with the release of one of the most memorable albums from that decade, 1991’s Girlfriend. The collection spawned a top-10 hit with the title track, which was nestled among 14 other songs just as good, from the grinding guitardriven “Devine Intervention” to the soaring “I’ve Been Waiting” to the country-tinged heartbreak of
music
“Winona” — every track on the record was a certified full-blown, windows-down sing-along. Girlfriend was followed two years later by the harder, psychedelic sound of Altered Beast and the power rock of 1995’s 100% Fun, which featured guitar work by Richard Lloyd of Television. From there, Sweet released six more albums of original material, along with three cover albums performed alongside The Bangles’ Susanna Hoffs. While doing all that he also was a member of supergroup The Thorns and Austin Powers’ band Ming Tea,
America's Greatest Big Band Show “A meticulously researched recreation of the Swing Era” —The Mercury Review: Hobart, Australia
ORPHEUM THEATER Monday, April 20 3 pm Matinee & 7:30 pm
1200 Douglas Street, Omaha 402-345-0606 www.TicketOmaha.com
When my soul was in the lost and found. | THE READER |
MARCH 2015
17
and last year, alongside Lisa, was a research consultant on the Tim Burton film Big Eyes, that traced the life of ‘60s West Coast artist Margaret Keane. Somewhere along the way Sweet must have gotten home sick. What drew him back to The Good Life state? We caught up with Sweet Feb. 24 to find out. Matthew Sweet: We had a house in Los Angeles we
bought a long, long time ago and were there for 20 years. We don’t have any kids and didn’t have any family out there, and we sort of always felt like we’d sell our place and move from right in the middle of Los Angeles, where it’s really expensive. When the (housing) market came back we looked throughout California and the West Coast -- we didn’t leave because we didn’t like it. We were excited to do something more radical, and moving here made a lot of sense because we both have a lot of family here. Lisa is from Scottsbluff. Both of us don’t come to Nebraska that often, and so it was a chance to get to know our families a little more before we become the elderly relatives that no one knows about. My mom passed away in September and we were here for that, but I’m very much a loner and a home body, so in a way it doesn’t matter where I am. The weather here is the really awesome thing, how the weather changes and how much more you feel it. In Los Angeles there are times when it’s gorgeous, but there’s also a lot of time when it’s really hot and where it’s a monotony of unbearable things. But a lot of that is life itself no matter where you go. Plus these days you can make music anywhere. I hear you have studio in your house here.
It’s a studio but not a real studio. I’ve been writing the new record and did a Kickstarter campaign for it last year. I’ll record the album in my house. When we do the Hear Nebraska event, I’ll keep some of my guys from my band here and we’ll start the recording. The Kickstarter campaign was interesting. You raised more than $55,000 for recording the album. Why Kickstarter?
I was curious what it would be like. I talked about trying it for a long time. It seemed like time to try it. I had a hard time making myself do it because I’m not that outgoing, which sounds weird doing what I’m doing. I’ve never been a look-at-me kind of person. It worked out well time-wise because I went on the road after we launched it and could talk about it. I ended up selling a lot of 30-minute Skype talks (as a campaign premium). In reality it could take me three solid months to do all those. I think maybe I wouldn’t do that again. But it’s empowering to think that you can have an idea and there’s some magical place where people can believe in you and help make something happen. Some people in the music business have polarized ideas that Kickstarter is just begging or whatever, but I don’t really see it that way. If you’re going to do a project you have
18
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
to pay for it somehow, from somebody. Why not from the people who actually like what you’re doing? The last time I interviewed you was 10 years ago. You prophetically said that things are going to change in this business, and that if you could make your music and just give it away and somehow make a living that would be the best scenario. Well, we’re almost there with the “give it away” part when you consider how much Spotify pays for streaming.
The big concern early on was the conflict between commerce and art. Now there’s just no commerce, comparatively. We didn’t know how good we had it. We’re all just micro-business owners now, trying to do our thing, you know? Which is where Kickstarter comes in.
I especially want to please all those people (who took part in Kickstarter), more so than I would a business man. With Kickstarter I feel like I can’t be willy nilly about it. I want to focus and deliver something whole. They’ve already bought the record, so they probably would like it to be decent, you know? Last year you did an intimate show with your band at tiny O’Leaver’s, which has a capacity of around 100. What was that like?
I love that we were playing to people standing and sitting right in front of us. We were coming off a grueling tour where there was a lot of long drives and our van broke down and we could never get another one so we ended up traveling in two vehicles. When we landed here I felt like I was going to collapse because we knew we had to go to Chicago after we did our shows here. That show was kind of a blur. I remember it being good, but didn’t know if I was good. I really wanted to be good because I was playing in Nebraska. Tell us a little about your contribution to the film Big Eyes and collecting pop art.
We had a couple Margaret Keane prints in the early ’90s. When we got interested in her art it was the inability to find out anything about it that made it interesting. A lot of our collection is made up of artists who were working around Keane or working around that time in the late ‘50s and early ‘60s in LA and San Francisco, where Margaret was doing her work. We thought it would make a good movie for a long time, and we told a lot of people and eventually the folks we hoped most would make the movie did. We went up to Vancouver to see some of the filming right before we moved, and I swear once the movie got filmed, we thought ‘Our work was done here in Los Angeles.’ Give us an idea what your new album will sound like.
I want to do it really old school — collect a bunch of songs, make some demos, pick the best of those
music
closest to me and record them. I don’t get a sense of what (the album) is like until I’m into recording. It’ll be simple; it’ll be a good variety of things, but will feel like a whole effort. It’ll feel like a human being and be brave enough to say something with feelings. I love playing electric guitar and making gnarly guitar riffs, which I could do all day. That’s why I’m trying to not just write a bunch of riffs. I want them to be songs. The fact that I’m waiting to combine all those elements makes it fun for me. You said in 2004 that Girlfriend was sort of an albatross when it came to dealing with record labels. You also said ‘92 and ‘96 were career peaks, but that they weren’t necessarily the best times in your life. How do you look back at those times now?
At the time I was really not able to see the global picture of my life and what kind of person I was. It was this turbulent, kind of crazy thing. I worked very hard. There was always something to do and somewhere to go, and someone we had to talk to or sing for. And when I say ‘we,’ I really mean ‘me.’ I enjoy playing live a lot more now. Back then it was more of a crap shoot. It was just hard. It was what it was. Girlfriend has been so great. It’s been great to connect with people. It’s awesome how much they care about it. It’s touching and rewarding to sing it for people, and it’s fun for me. The great thing is I never felt like ‘Oh God, I have to do Girlfriend,’ not even the song. It feels like me when I sing it. The 20 year anniversary of Girlfriend made me think, wow, I’m actually grown up and older and I’m through the hardest part in a way. It’s always hard being a musician, I mean just the kind of person you probably are emotionally means you’ll have a hard life. And then having it as a career is also so perilous. But when you get older, you have a leg up that you don’t have when you’re young. The older I got the more I liked it, and the further you are from anyone telling you what to do. That’s what I loved about music when I was just a kid in Nebraska in the closet, embarrassed to have anyone hear me sing, trying to make up songs. When you find something that you love, if you’re lucky enough to have that, it stays very dear to you in a deep kind of place. And understanding life and seeing where that feeling came from is very powerful when you get older. When we play shows and people come and say, ‘My dad played your stuff all the time,’ that’s awesome. When we go out and see the crowds from back then, it’s like we all grew up. None of us have anything to be ashamed of because it happened to all of us. In a way that’s a great thing about life — we’re all headed to the same place. , Matthew Sweet plays with So-So Sailors Saturday, March 28, at The 1200 Club inside the Holland Center for Performing Arts, 13th and Douglas streets. Showtime is 8 p.m. General Admission is $45; VIP tickets are $100. The performance is a fundraiser for Hear Nebraska. For more information, go to hearnebraska.com.
30 years
Presented by
Register Today! May 1st - 3rd Parade
Fiesta & Exhibitors
Saturday, May 2, 2015 10:00 AM
Saturday & Sunday, May 2 - 3, 2015 12:00 PM
Register at CincodeMayoOmaha.com
All 2015 Baseball Season Tickets Include All Session Tickets to the 2015 BIG EAST Baseball Tournament
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
19
art Artist
Kristin Pluhacek at work in her studio.
20
SecretGARDEN
Kristin Pluhacek’s figure drawings share a ‘plot’ with her familiar botanicals at Garden of the Zodiac Gallery BY MICHAEL J. KRAINAK
O
maha artist Kristin Pluhacek has a Secret Garden. No, It’s not an unknown, unseen plot of annual or perennial “city flowers.” Nor is it a hidden cache of her popular botanical drawings that have made Pluhacek one of the most popular visual artists in the Metro. Her “secret” is a hothouse group of figure drawings that are hardly of the garden variety. They, along with a set of her more familiar city flowers, pods and seeds are currently on display through Mar. 9 in the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery in the Old Market Passageway. Despite their different subject matter, Pluhacek said in a recent interview that all the works seen in this exhibit sponsored by the Moving Gallery share a similar aesthetic and sensibility. “I don’t invent. I observe,” she said. “My biggest challenge with this body of work is keeping my focus while working so intensely. I approach all my subjects this way, so the figures speak to the flowers, as vibrant and temporary life forms, as beautiful lines, as excellent designs.” Given Pluhacek’s background as a drawing instructor at Metro Community College, it’s no surprise that her disciplined regimen, as well as powers of observation, inform all her drawings regardless of medium and subject. Add to that a distinct sense of being and creating in the moment, one shared by artist and audience. True to this code, she continues to spend time drawing on site a few days a week during the exhibition, putting into practice what she teaches and what she has learned, and practices even more.
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
art
BILL SITZMAN N
“Georgetta”
top left, a figure drawing from Pluhacek’s ‘Secret Garden’ sits in quite repose and sharp contrast to her more abstract, familiar botanicals, “Castor Pod,” top right.
Not content to just draw as an artist, Pluhacek is the costume shop foreman for the Rose Theatre where she sows garments, knits and/or makes quilts on an almost daily basis which she says her friends call “… cross training. I think of it as relaxation.” “I consider myself to be especially tactile for a person whose art is primarily two dimensional,” she said.
“To drape a form, one manipulates flat planes into patterns and forms. So, when I draw, I see the surface as dimensional, and I use the language of design to propel the act.” “Design” is the operative word here as its principles of balance, emphasis, proportion and unity in particular, inform all her work, flora and figure alike. It’s this attention to detail and one thing more that raises the former above the merely decorative and the latter beyond an academic exercise. “For many years…in an effort to confront the cliché of pastel botanicals, I have been making studies of items from my garden. I address each individual or grouping as unique and consider many of these drawings to be portraits.” In this exhibit, what’s readily apparent is that botanicals and figures are paradoxically studies and portraits, as they share Pluhacek’s aesthetic of intricate design, grand gestural mark-making and bold, expressive palette. Her figure drawings are the real surprise here, but it’s her city flowers and more that continue to build a following. Her series of four “Hydrangea” pastels may be the best example of what distinguishes Pluhacek from other artists who create in the same genre. As striking as her sunflowers, irises and tulips are with their vibrant color and seemingly effortless representation, it’s her Hydrangea’s that raise the bar. This grouping, along with her pods and seed renderings, transform ordinary botanical drawings into sophisticated abstractions of form, color, line and continued on page 8y
“Hydrangea V” one of a series of such in this exhibit, is a fine example of Pluhacek’s ability to combine the abstract and representational in a pleasing design.
art
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
21
Top: pastel drawing, “Tree Seed & Clover.”
To the right: one of Pluhacek’s pastel botanical drawings that is transformed into a sophisticated abstraction of form, color, line and movement.
22
y continued from page 6
movement. Pluhacek’s more minimal studies manage to deconstruct the essence of all things flora into moments of pure sensual pleasure. But just as Whistler famously categorized his work as “arrangements,” “nocturnes,” “harmonies,” and “symphonies,” so could Pluhacek’s studies be similarly titled as they too emphasize key elements of drawing and design, not to mention the senses of touch and smell. Yet, while the artist believes her figure drawings have that same studied detachment, careful viewer attention reveals not only a similar style but also a more personal tone and point of view consistent with her technique and process. That in itself is no secret. Perhaps what her figures reveal most is that while her botanicals are light, airy, even joyful, the former are moodier and mostly disengaged from the viewer. But not from Pluhacek who freely admits that her process of observation and repetitive drawings of each of her studies is more than just technique “because I know what really changes in each equation is me…and that in the end I am only documenting myself.” Whatever these drawings say about her emotionally, Pluhacek remains true to her artistry as her figures are unified in a way that eludes many others working in the
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
art
same mode. It’s one thing to document a mood in the visage of a subject. Quite another to observe that the same emotion is reflected in one’s body language and then capture and render this connection in an evocative design that unifies all three. For example, on the north wall of the Zodiac’s main gallery, there is an interesting study in contrast with three separate drawings. In “F,” a woman’s angst is reinforced by her sagging breasts and shoulders and dark brow all rendered in rough patches and irregular, unfinished lines. The figure is unraveling literally and figuratively before our very eyes. Compare that with her opposite, “Georgetta,” a portrait of quiet before the storm, so to speak, whose bosom seems to well up in passionate orange—her face nearly flush with it all. While reclined she braces herself with one hand, her trunk bathed in a cold shadow. Oblivious of the viewer, Georgetta appears on the brink of some extreme decision or action. Not so with the regal, nearly arrogant “Sanford,” defying the viewer with nose upturned, lips curled, and muscular pose. Sanford’s mass and lines are more sculptural than drawn and the image’s vibrant palette rages more than radiates. Two additional favorites in the gallery are another study in contrasting tone and design. One is simply
titled “Figure Study” (One wishes for less understatement) and the other is called “Alan,” presumably the name of the model. The first is in pastel, exclusively, the second includes charcoal in the mix. Ironically, “Figure Study,” a female to be sure, is less of a study and may be the most finished piece in the exhibit, due in no small part to its more painterly style. The design is less reliant on line and more on colorfully nuanced shading and contouring to create character and mood. This is a beautifully expressive work, asymmetrically balanced in shades of red (her tortured torso) and preternatural green (her aggrieved face and soul). There is no escape at the top of the cramped frame for what ails her, but neither can the bottom contain whatever passion consumes her as her torso spills over the frame in this head vs. heart composition. Lastly, we have the aloof, diffident “Alan” sitting conveniently away from the viewer. A cool blue dominates this minimalistic image, as the subject seems almost surprised that anyone would care enough to disturb his space. So neutral is he that the artist is careful to compose him symmetrically, and unlike others in this “garden,” she keeps him at a distance, man-spread and non-committal. It’s not that he has anything to hide. “Alan” is a virtual study in the fine art of Pluhacek’s mark making. That’s no secret to those already familiar with her oeuvre. Now add to that pleasure, a relatively unknown garden of delights, figuratively speaking. , Kristin Pluhacek: Drawings continues through Mar. 9 at the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery in the Old Market Passageway, 1054 Howard St. For details, call 402-341-1877.
“Alan”
sits manspread and at a distance from the viewer.
A past piece by Pluhacek, “Pacific Street Lights.”
To the left: a figure study titled simply “F” sits with the weight of the world on her shoulders and brow.
art
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
23
‘nicegenes
I HEARTLAND HEALING is a metaphysically based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet by MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com. .
24
Breaking the genetic code BY MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN
was excited to read The Double Helix when I was young. That was the account by James Watson of the discovery of deoxyribonucleic acid as the building block of life. I was always looking for explanations and causes in those days and it seemed Watson and Francis Crick had identified DNA as life’s foundation. It was indeed a landmark scientific moment in understanding the biological sequence over time; how worms, monkeys, insects, humans and all living things shared a blueprint. DNA explained it all: why one person has blue eyes and the other brown, one was tall and the other short, one person slim and another hefty. Everything, including how we behaved, could be found in that coded strip of adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine locked in the nucleus of each cell. Those nucleotides made up the cryptic instruction for all that is life. How they were sequenced determined the function of the 20 thousand or so genes found along that double helix. Creation had a new god and its name was DNA. It seemed like fate was predetermined. DNA was, is and shall be, from birth, the guiding force for the
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
human experience. Soon, scientists were looking at genes as an indelible map. But genetic programming may not be permanent or unchangeable. Little did we know. Dr. Watson, I presume. A genome is an organism’s complete set of DNA material, made up of all the genes that code how that organism will develop. With much ado, the United States Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health joined forces and finances to start the Human Genome Project in 1988, with the goal to map all the genes in the human genome. The project’s first Director was none other than Nobel Prize-winning Watson. At first, HGP said humans have about 2 million genes. As of 2014, the number has revised downward to 19,000. That’s science for you. One decade it’s fact; the next it’s fiction. OMG, TMI? One promise of knowing and isolating genes is to figure out the blueprints of human life and then be able to remodel or change things. For science, the expectations were huge. Genetic medicines were predicted. Advanced knowledge of the presence of genes linked to certain diseases
heartland healing
and disabilities (or abilities, for that matter) could be revealed. A modern-day example of presumed genetic prediction was made public when celebrity Angelina Jolie revealed she had both breasts removed because a private medical testing firm in Beverly Hills identified a gene in her DNA possibly linked to breast cancer. Jolie chose a radical double mastectomy, also removing lymph nodes in the breast tissue. She believed that her genes predestined her fate. A response like that assumes that the blueprint is unchangeable. That is what geneticists believed at first. Well, that, too, has been revised. Epigenetics. Just because a gene is present in a person’s DNA sequence does not mean the result of that gene’s associated reality will show up. There are literally millions of factors and though odds may appear in one direction, things change. Are genes a permanent blueprint or not? Science initially implied that a genetic stamp was permanent. Now science says genetic predisposition can be altered. What I’ve found is that, like many things, the facts lie somewhere in between. When we’re born with a complement of genes, many things are predetermined. And some of those predetermined things may change. It comes down to what many call the new science of epigenetics. On or off? Epigenetics confirms that having a gene is one thing. The expression of that gene’s associated trait is another. Genes exist in our DNA and there are tags that tell each gene when to “turn on” or “turn off.” For example, a gene may determine the pattern that a man’s beard will assume, how it grows or the shape of his hairline. But those whisker genes aren’t going to express until the tags on them are instructed to by adolescent hormones. Those tags themselves can be subject to environmental forces: lifestyle choices can trigger or un-trigger the expression of certain genetic traits. For over 30 years, Dr. Dean Ornish has been researching the affect that changes in diet, exercise, meditation and social interaction have on disease. His findings first reached the public with the Ornish Heart Disease Reversal Program. Now he is applying those lifestyle changes to epigenetics. In a recent interview, he summed it up. “In most cases, our genes are only a predisposition; they are not written in stone,” Ornish said. “And if we have a strong family history for diseases such as prostate cancer, breast cancer, or heart disease — ‘bad genes’ — then we may need to make bigger changes in lifestyle in order to help prevent or even reverse chronic diseases. In the centuries-old debate about nature vs. nurture, we are learning that nurture affects nature as much as nature affects nurture. It’s not all in our genes.” So genes don’t make you look fat? Having a certain gene associated with obesity, cancer, diabetes and other traits doesn’t always mean our future is predetermined. We may change the effect of genes by changing diet, thoughts, activity and other behaviors. The upshot is, there is much we can do to alter the predisposition of our genes. We don’t have to cut off our nodes to spite our fates. Be well. ,
Preserving historical traditions of Latino music in Omaha, Nebraska
SouthOmahaArts.com 402.734.3240
I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now. | THE READER |
MARCH 2015
25
COURTESY UNO ATHLETICS
‘powerplayers:
sports
UNO hockey fans have waited for a breakout year like this, when the Mavericks are contenders late in the season and perhaps finally emerging as a legitimate power and title threat. With the regular season winding down UNO looks to make a run in the conference and NCAA tournaments. They’ve never advanced past the NCAA’s first round. UNO plays its last home series this weekend looking for momentum into the postseason.
26
‘mav’max S
UNO hockey making bid for national relevance, program hitting its stride BY LEO ADAM BIGA
ince launching hockey in 1997 to subsidize its non-revenue generating sports UNO’s netted a nice return on investment. Maverick hockey crowds rank among the best nationally, with annual ticket revenues of $2 million. When the school dropped football and wrestling in 2011, it added pressure on hockey to be the signature sport. The University of Nebraska at Omaha has enriched the city’s hockey legacy. The minor league professional Omaha Knights (1939 to 1975) began the love affair. The amateur Omaha Lancers (1986 through today) continued it. UNO found its niche as Neb.’s only collegiate hockey team. Despite gritty performances and many upsets its first 18 seasons. UNO didn’t emerge as a title threat. Until perhaps now. Coach Dean Blais, tasked with making Mav hockey nationally relevant when hired in 2009, has guided UNO through conference changes, player suspensions, stars leaving for the NHL and solid if not stellar play. Now, for the first time this late in the season, he has UNO contending. His team’s defeated several highly ranked clubs, splitting four games, three in overtime, with perennial power North Dakota, where Blais won two national titles. His best offensive player, sophomore forward AllAmerica candidate Austin Ortega, recently tied the NCAA single-season record with his nation-leading 10th game-winning goal. UNO, 17-10-3 at press time, climbed to No. 4 in the Division I ratings. It’s led the powerful National Collegiate Hockey Conference most of the year. Entering the final regular season home series versus Colorado College at CenturyLink Center, UNO hopes for momentum that carries into the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and the NCAA tournament. As UNO hockey enters the local sports conversation reserved for Husker football and Bluejay basketball, it may establish itself as a must-see attraction and traditional power. The timing’s apt since it gets its own facility next year when the UNO sports arena opens on the Ak-Sar-Ben campus, where the Knights played.
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Touted underclassmen helping drive this special season were recruited to the new venue. Sophomore center Jake Guentzel is enjoying the ride, “We’re more on the map, more fans are coming, so it’s pretty special.” He’s not surprised by the success. “I thought we had the players to do it, I just didn’t know if we had the experience. We’re bottom-heavy with freshmen and sophomores but we’ve adapted pretty well. We’ve been fortunate we’ve had the opportunity to play and we’ve taken advantage of it.” He says preseason predictions of UNO finishing sixth in the league provided motivation. He credits an early road trip to Western Michigan, where UNO got a sweep. as a confidence-booster and bonding experience. The right mix of leadership has team chemistry just right. Senior goalie Ryan Massa has waited four years for UNO to break out. “It’s nice to finally see all the hard work pay off for the guys.” He feels a humbling exhibition loss to Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in October was a necessary rude awakening. “It kind of opened the new guys’ eyes to understand the level we’re playing at and helped them grow and mature a little bit faster than maybe anticipated.” Senior forward Dominic Zombo likes this team’s make-up. “I do see a component I haven’t seen in the past. We’ve got a really tight-knit group. We don’t have any passengers here, nobody’s just going through the motions, everybody’s here to get better, to win games. Every single guy’s committed to their job. That’s what makes us so competitive as a team.” Blais doesn’t know if UNO’s truly arrived but he’s confident it soon will. “I would think so but you never know from year to year. This is a special group of guys and for them I hope we win a league championship, get to the Target Center (home to the Frozen Faceoff), advance to the national tournament. Those are benchmarks for a program and our seniors know they’re paving the way for the underclassmen. Hopefully getting to the tournament isn’t a big accomplishment, it’s an expected ac-
sports
complishment every year. “We have a new arena coming that’s going to take the program to another level.” UNO athletic director Trev Alberts says the arena signifies that Mav hockey matters. “You can tell people hockey is very important to your school but if you don’t even have a place you can call home and practice in, it’s difficult to get the kind of talent in here you ultimately need.” He says the arena will put the program on near equal footing with its stiffest competitors. “When I hired Dean I really wanted to have somebody who’d been there, done that, who knew what it took to win at the highest levels. There’s built-in disadvantages to being in Omaha, so far from hockey hotbeds. I just feel good we’re finally able to give he and his staff some tools necessary to assemble the kind of talent we hope to have here.” Having its own intimate space will benefit UNO, which shares the huge CenturyLink with Creighton. The average hockey crowd of 8,000 downtown still leaves the venue half-empty. That same crowd fills the new arena. It should spike demand from fans and corporate sponsors. Die-hard hockey fan Ernie May, who’s never missed a UNO home game, says, “I can’t wait to get into our own building. I think that’s going to be fantastic and make the interest grow.” “Clearly this will be the best opportunity we’ve ever had to have a branded-out facility of excellence our student athletes can compete in,” says Alberts. Omaha hockey historian and former UNO sports information director Gary Anderson says, “They’re going to go into an arena exactly the right size they need for the fan base they’ve created.” He says there was never any doubt Omaha could sustain college hockey. “When the program was born you still did have a lot of old-time hockey fans and the Lancers were around the peak of their success, so consequently UNO built a really good fan base right from the start.” That loyal base bodes good times ahead. “I’ve been absolutely amazed and humbled by the support UNO hockey fans give to this team, even in some pretty poor years,” Alberts says. “Our fans are hungry and we’re hungry to give them what they want, which is a consistent winner on the ice.” May enjoys that the Mavs are meshing to put themselves in position to make history: “For me this year almost has as much excitement as the first years we had hockey.” Blais is trying to ensure his team attends to all the details heading into the intense post-season, where little things become magnified and championship teams find ways to win. Getting swept on the road at St. Cloud State (Feb. 20-21) resembled the late season swoons UNO’s suffered in past years. “I don’t know if we have any more than we’ve given already,” he says. “How many times can you go to the well? My teams at North Dakota could operate at 70 percent and still win. We’re not there yet. Our margin for error’s slim. We’ve got to be all engines going, we can’t have one engine not running. We’re darn close. It starts with recruiting and we’ve been lucky enough to land some dandies.” Even if UNO should reach the top, he says, “it’s one thing to get there, it’s another thing to stay there.” First things, first. Massa says, “Every single one of us believes in our potential. None of us doubts we can be playing at the Boston Garden (site of the Frozen Four) competing for a national championship this year. We’ve played against the best all year and we’ve done well against the best.” Zombo can’t imagine what a UNO hockey title would mean. “I wouldn’t be able to explain. I’ve never been a part of anything like that that’s a dream.” , UNO’s dream ride continues at home Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. Listen on 1180 The Zone 2. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com. o the next Drew Struzan and to the next “genitalia in an animated movie poster” scandal!
10th Annual
March10 -15,2015
Village Pointe Cinema th 304 North 174 Street omahafilmfestival.org
SLOW WEST
OPENING NIGHT FILM 10th Annual
March10-15,2015
Tuesday, MAR 10 6:30PM Action/Thriller/Western United Kingdom/New Zealand - 84 minutes Writer/Director: John Maclean Producer: Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Conor McCaughan, Rachel Gardner Executive Producer: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Butler, Zygi Kamasa Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Michael Fassbender, Ben Mendelsohn, Caren Pistorius, Rory McCann “Slow West” follows a 16-year-old boy on a journey across 19th Century frontier America in search of the woman he loves, while accompanied by mysterious traveler Silas. Winner of the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. th
Village Pointe Cinema 304 North 174 Street
WRITERS THEATRE and FILMMAKERS CONFERENCE omahafilmfestival.org Saturday and Sunday, MAR 14 - 15
KILL ME THREE TIMES
SPECIAL SCREENING omahafilmfestival.org
Thursday, MAR 12 8:45PM
304 North 174 Street th Village Pointe Cinema
(Action/Thriller) USA/Australia - 90 minutes Director: Kriv Stenders Writer: James McFarland Producers: Tania Chambers, Laurence Malkin, Share Stallings Cast: Teresa Palmer, Simon Pegg While on a seemingly routine job, a jaded hit man (Simon Pegg) discovers that he's not the only one with his target in the crosshairs.
CLOSING NIGHT FILM
CUT BANK
March10-15,2015
Sunday, MAR 15 5:00PM
(Thriller) Rated R for violence and language Iceland - 93 minutes Director: Matt Shakman th Writer: Roberto Patino Cast: Teresa Palmer, Liam Hemsworth, Billy Bob Thornton, John Malkovich, Bruce Dern, Oliver Platt
10 Annual
A young man's life is unraveled after witnessing a murder that he filmed in his rural town of Cut Bank.
SAVE THE DATE 12th Annual DOWNTOWN YMCA Reception & Auction Event Thursday, April 9, 2015 - 6:00 pm Omar Building 4383 Nicholas Street . Omaha, NE 68131 Reception - 6:00 pm Program & Auction - 7:00 pm Proceeds benefit the 2015 YMCA Strong Communities Campaign | THE READER |
MARCH 2015
31
32
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Mission: Possible
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
Robert Irvine, the formidable host of Restaurant Impossible, is instantly put off by the cafeteria feel of the restaurant, the noise pollution of the arcade, and the portion sizes being offered. He watches a woman fill two to-go boxes with her leftover lasagna, essentially walking away with three meals for the price of one. Robert calls out Jon for the cost and is informed that the lasagna is mostly filler. He is further turned off by the frozen appetizer, but the restaurant isn’t struggling because of the frostbitten mushrooms. For more than a decade people have enjoyed the food at Bene, and so he continues to dig into the cause. He thinks out loud about whether the noisy arcade is actually benefiting the restaurant and is met with anger and ultimatums from the family, who suddenly seem to forget that they invited
‘MISSIONIMPOSSIBLE: Well-loved restaurant seeks help from Restaurant Impossible. Is the Game Over for Be’ne Pizza and Pasta?
lasagnadrama
men did what they could from opposite corners to sabotage one another’s day.
him there because they needed his help. A pattern begins to emerge. Designer Tanya is the bubbly counterpart to Robert’s eye-rolling seriousness, and the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down. She brought with her a few bold colors, some slightly more sophisticated furniture, and a better eye for the use of space. She fills the dining area with a fresh feel, while maintaining the retro, family-friendly vibe the owners intended the place to have all along.
The Final Straw
Local Volunteers Shape this Ship Up
BY SARA LOCKE
Bene Pizza’s feuding brothers get a dose of reality (TV)
eat
I
t’s the stuff truly happy stories are made of; A family opens a restaurant around one brother’s love of culinary arts and the other’s passion for vintage style and video games. Everyone eats pizza and they all live happily ever after. It sounds like a fool proof formula, yet the owners of Bene Pizza and Pasta on West Maple road were calling on Robert Irvine and the cast of Restaurant Impossible for help in late 2014.
The Nightmare
After 11 successful years in business, brothers Jon and Bobby Lanphier found the restaurant they coowned with their mother Ginger suddenly struggling about 2 years ago. Bobby was in ill-health, Jon had to move back in with his parents, and Ginger and Bob Senior’s retirement fund was being fed into the failing business. The seemingly volatile relationship between the brothers kept them working opposite shifts to avoid having to see one another, and the lack of communication caused further chaos. As the animosity grew, the
In what should be filed under the requisite heartwarming part of the story, Bobby is struck with kidney disease. Dialysis left him too weak and tired to play an active role in his own life, let alone in the business. In a made for TV twist, Jon’s wife Kelly steps in and donates a kidney. Kelly’s selfless act should have helped heal some of the bad blood between the brothers, but instead of gratitude, Bobby takes to teasingly referring to his sister in law as “Big Kel” (not that it matters, but she isn’t) and belittling her intellect. I don’t know Kelly or her IQ, but maybe he only questioned her intelligence because she was willing to donate a vital organ to someone who repeatedly sends her home in tears. You know that nobody has a “spare” kidney, right? They come in pairs for a reason. Or perhaps “Big Kel” is a reference to how she’s just a much bigger person than I would have been in a similar scenario.
eat
Area residents who helped with the remodel worked hard during the two day shoot. Chores like painting, cleaning, and laying new floors by hand continued well into the wee hours of the morning. I spoke with Karen Mardi, who volunteered for both days of the remodel. “Robert is as mean as you think he is, but twice as caring. There was a lot of yelling! He really wants to see this family find success again, and was very particular about the work we were doing. He had me show other volunteers how to razor all of the excess paint off of the table top without cutting into the black rubber that was already down. He told me that if someone messed up, he was coming after me! It was only because he didn’t want it to just look good for a day or for the reopening, he wanted it to look perfect and to last.” At one point, Karen was tasked with painting a long black wall with a miniature
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
33
paint roller. Nothing was to be done in a rush, or the easy way. After someone noticed that all of the work was leaving streaks on the brand new floor, the entire crew had to take off their shoes and join Robert on the floor to polish the scuffs. “It was two days of hard work, but it was gratifying to know we were helping this family.” Food Fixes
I asked several people about their impressions of the food before the episode was filmed and didn’t hear a single criticism. I questioned these same people after the reopening and was told that the food tasted fresher, brighter, and that even with the smaller portions, they didn’t leave hungry. Robert tweaked a few of Jon’s recipes and gave him a few tips to help create satisfying meals without using “filler” to stretch the budget. The new recipe for stuffed mushrooms included fresh mushrooms and sausage instead of their standard frozen pre-stuffed appetizer. The chicken parmesan benefited from the addition of broccolini to brighten and bulk up the dish. The changes were welcome and the clients seem to enjoy them, but again, food was never the issue. I spoke with loyal Bene diner Amy Churchill about her experiences at the restaurant. She told me that while the environment was new, she was grateful that the pizza remained essentially unchanged. “They still had that same great customer service. I suppose that is following their motto: Peace, love, and family. The atmosphere was very unexpected. Very retro-contemporary.” So we hear again that the food was never the issue. Enter Doctor Rob
A quick Google search of the restaurant shows that peppered among the loyal customer raves are several mentions of the brothers’ tempers. Online complaints are often followed by an offer to make things
34
MARCH 2015
right, and the staff generally seem to want people to enjoy their experience at the restaurant. It is becoming more clear that the animosity between the guys is affecting people’s opinion of the establishment and Robert does his best impression of an amateur family therapist in the time allotted by the sponsors. The brothers promise to try a little harder to communicate and to create a more positive working relationship. To drive home his point, Robert decides to give Bobby a taste of his own ‘teasing’ medicine. The family is on pins and needles waiting to see if the beloved games are still in place after the remodel when Robert stages a truck to pretend to pick up the machines. Bobby verbally lays out the innocent driver, sending him on his way with some choice words, some of which are not as family friendly as the restaurant wants to be. “How does it feel?” Robert asks, hoping to have scared a little of the clown out of Bobby. Rest assured Pinball Fans! The games remain, not because they make the Lanphiers money, but because the Lanphiers want you to come eat, play, and feel at home. Comfortably Crowded
After several calls to speak with the owners were unsuccessful (due to how incredibly busy they have been) I finally nailed Jon down for a few seconds to ask if he feels the family was well represented in the episode and if they were happy with the changes. “It was a great experience” he tells me over the bustle of the crowd around 1:30 pm. “Everyone at Food Network was great! We kept the menu mostly the same, but use more fresh ingredients now” His attention is grabbed by a hungry customer, which seeems a fitting answer to the question: How’s business? Ginger sums up the problem and the solution in one perfect sentence: “It’s just four walls. We are the restaurant.” ,
| THE READER |
eat
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
35
sometimes risks life and limb to rescue architectural remnants of Omaha’s past. It’s all in a day’s work for this history salvager who for more than 30 years now has been saving bits and pieces, sometimes entire facades, of old buildings being torn down. Along the way he’s assembled quite a collection of things that he stores and displays in a warehouse he dreams of turning into an educational museum.
36
MARCH 2015
fiFRANK’SFINDS
PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
culture ‘treasurehunter: Frank Horejsi
Omaha history salvager Frank Horejsi devotes life to rescuing remnants of city’s past BY LEO ADAM BIGA
S
outh Omaha native Frank Horejsi doesn’t care if he’s called caretaker, curator, historian, picker, salvager, architectural remnants archeologist or his favorite, urban miner. Just don’t call him late to a salvage site. For 30-some years he’s scavenged vintage buildings slated for demolition. His keen eye spots ornamental details of historical and artistic value before they hit the rubble heap. He rescues carved finials, corbels, gables, cupolas, columns and assorted hand-crafted items. He sometimes reclaims entire facades. He saved the upper two stories of glazed terra cotta on the 14-story Medical Arts Building before it was imploded. A crew working 100-plus feet off the pavement dismantled the facing piece by piece. Some was reassembled inside the atrium of the First National Bank tower that rose in the razed building’s place. Parts of the facade adorn a Lauritzen Gardens’ Victorian floral display. “You have to have some sort of appreciation for art, history, plus you’ve got to be pretty strong and willing to take risks, too,” Horejsi says of his work. He’s found several decorative elements for Dave Lanoha, who’s integrated many into his southwest Omaha garden center, including an
| THE READER |
culture
Italian imported frieze from the long-gone Rialto Theater. What Horejsi doesn’t sell or donate goes into his private collection. It’s housed in a 14th and Marcy warehouse he envisions as an Omaha history museum. The by-appointment facility, whose open-span layout and truss ceiling resemble the Kaneko, is adjoined by a four-story brick building he owns. It all sits directly east of the factory-studio of designer Cedric Hartman, an Old Market
pioneer who champions Horesji’s single-minded focus on saving history before it’s lost. What Horejsi describes as “a hobby” is clearly a passion, “This is Omaha history. You can’t replace this. The stuff I’ve got is very high-end and historical,” he says while giving two guests a tour of his 10,000-foot space, Its contents are like pieces to a giant jigsaw puzzle of Omaha landmarks. Item by item, he describes the objects, the buildings they came from and any anecdotes about their salvage. Each has a story. The Medical Arts project stands out for sheer audacity. “That was a very challenging job. Cold, hard, tedious. Risky. It took two months to do it. We had to label each piece, photograph it, crate it up – so it could be reassembled. There was close to 500 pieces, some weighing 500 pounds.” The direct, personal provenance he has with most pieces separates what he does from many other salvagers. “I document mine. Taking pictures to me is important to tell where the piece was. I like people to see a picture of the building we worked on and to know I was there to salvage it before its demolition.” continued on page 38y
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
37
parties for Restore Omaha and the Ak-Sar-Ben He traces his appreciation for holding onto his- Foundation and people are curious, they ask questory to his father, who junked-out old buildings. tions, they want to see these things. It’s really satisA young Frank assisted him. Downtown’s historic fying to see people happy and that’s what this stuff does – it makes people happy.” Everyone from buildings captured Frank’s fancy as a kid. elected officials to celebrities – “Alexander Payne “I grew up around it,” he says. Then, as a young man working for Anderson loves this place” – to students and historians are Excavating, which won most bids razing Omaha’s fans of what he’s assembled. “Telling people where all this stuff came from is old buildings in the 1970s and ‘80s before historic preservation took hold, Horejsi found his calling to part of the fun for me.” Omaha interior designer and preservationist Jill save history. “It was just a matter that something should be Benz admires Horejsi’s “heart and will from a very done. In some cases I went in and fought to save young age to save Omaha’s treasures,” adding, the stuff. It wasn’t going to be saved. I did whatever “We wouldn’t have these incredible fragments and facades from our past if it wasn’t for his hard work I had to do to get it. I was on my own.” When fire gutted an old streetcar barn in North and determination.” She first met him in the late ‘70s, when the ruins Omaha except for an ornately inscribed facade he of early Omaha were being auctioned off. took it upon himself to rescue the front. “Everyone was saying someone should be saving “That was the first time I pursued something hard. To get that was just a miracle. We had only these. Frank came through and pursued saving our a little area to work on top. Back then all I had heritage.” Horejsi says, “This is all about preserving the was a pickup, pulleys and rope. We lowered piecstuff for future generations. It es down. I didn’t even know what needs to be kept intact.” He sugI was doing back then,” he says. gests he’s taken it as far as his He’s since graduated to cranes. resources can. “I’ve invested a He has remnants from iconic lot of time, money and sweat in Omaha structures, including Jobthis building just to get it to this bers Canyon warehouses, the point. I’m not saying I’m burned Fontenelle Hotel and the Brandeis out or anything but I’ve put in Theater, and from vanished landa lot of effort and sometimes marks outside Omaha, too. you wonder, Is it worth it?. I’m Retrieving items can be hazard60 years old, I’ve done this for ous. He nearly lot his life on a job a number of years, I ain’t got he prefers not to specify except to much time left.” say, “I fell 25 feet, hit the cement He hopes a benefactor or inon my side and broke my hip.” vestor shares his vision for makNot everything he owns is ing his warehouse into an edusomething he’s taken off a buildcational center. He has plans for ing himself. An 8,000-pound a sculpture garden out front and sandstone sculpture of Atlas from a condo in back. the old downtown YMCA buildHe just wants to know his hising razed in 1968 was saved by tory crusade’s not been in vain someone else. He says, “It got moved around here and there ‘roadshowworthy: and to prove the skeptics wrong. “I’ve heard over and over, ‘What’s up with and it ended up in Mount Pleas- “Treasures” Horejsi ant, Iowa on a farm in the weeds. doesn’t sell or donate Frank?’ When I bought this building it was, goes into his private ‘Why and the hell do you want to go down I was aware of its travels and so I collection, It’s housed there? That’s a blighted area, it’s dangerous,’ convinced the guy who owned it in a 14th and Marcy blah, blah, blah.” it needs to come back to Omaha. warehouse. He’s been stubborn enough to stick it out. So then I had this problem of how “Nobody’s going to change my mind – I’m a am I going to get it to Omaha.” Enter Frank’s 15-minutes of fame on the A&E stupid Bohunk. Once I get onto something, I keep Network reality series Shipping Wars that has pushing forward.” Besides, he likes that his 1880s building was haulers bid on oddball jobs. The trucker who won Frank’s gig, Jenn Brennan, enjoys a following for home to Chicago Lumber when the transcontinenher model good-looks. Last year a crew captured tal railroad ran through. “They’d offload lumber, stone, whatever. All her and fellow trucker Jess strutting and preening these materials went to different building sites as they transported Atlas to its new home. Horejsi welcomes any attention to his hoped-for to build early downtown Omaha, so it’s ironic it museum. Citing City Museum in St. Louis as an came out of here and now I’ve brought it back.” Horejsi wants to ensure this history is secure attraction with a similar concept, he says, “This once he’s gone. With no wife or kids, his legacy would be a neat thing for our community.” is his collection. With a sweeping gesture at his There’s much work to be done though. “It’s not at the level I want it to be. Things aren’t bounty, he says, “I’m married to this building. I’m displayed on the walls as they should be. There’s married to all this.” , no heat or running water in here.” Despite its rough shape, he says “this building’s To arrange tours or to rent his space, contact Horejsi at 402-699got a really good feel to it,” adding, “’I’ve hosted 0845. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com. y continued from page 36
38
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
culture
s e m a D r e ll o R y it C x u io S s. v A ll - S ta rs
y b r e D r Rolle D o u b le H e a d e r
St ar ts At
6PM APRIL 4 Ge ner al Kids 10 and under Admission
FREE
$12
Medical Services Appreciation Night* at th e M AC
Floor Seats
1 Ar en a Wa y Co un cil Bl uff s, IA
$15
Next Game
APRIL 25 North Star Roller Girls
vs.
Ticketmaster.com OMAHA.ROLLERGIRLS
OXRXG
of Minneapolis, MN Military/Police/Fire (Service) Appreciation Night* OMAHAROLLERGIRLS
OMAHAROLLERGIRLS.ORG
*Buy one general admission ticket at the Mid-America box office, get one FREE with ID | THE READER |
MARCH 2015
39
ERIC DAVID HERRERA
culture ‘poetpower: Zedeka Poindexter is taking Omaha and other cities by storm with her work as a slam and published poet. When not coaching Louder Than a Bomb teams through the Nebraska Writers Collective, she’s developing collections of poems and hosting Omaha slam events. She credits poetry with saving her and as her career blows up she’s grateful for the opportunities that emerging and established poets have to express themselves.
40
fibomb’girl T
hree-time Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards poet nominee Zedeka Poindexter envies the performing outlets high schoolage poets have today. The March 17-April 20 Louder Than a Bomb is a case in point. There wasn’t anything like it when she was in school. “I was working in a notebook, I always did, but there was no place to go with these things,” says Poindexter, 39, who’s blowing up with her personal anthems about race, family, relationships, loss and blessings. But as a teen her thoughts didn’t find a voice outside her private journals. That’s a far cry from today’s young poets, who have platforms galore for their innermost musings. Poindexter should know since she coaches LTAB teams from Blackburn, Westside, Millard West and her alma mater, Omaha North. “These kids are doing things that blow my mind and all I have to do is facilitate a space for them to do what they were already going to do anyway and help them figure out the best way to present it. These kids are fearless, they will tell you any personal story they have. They are incredibly courageous and just all by themselves so cool. It kind of fuels you as an artist, you’re like, if you’re doing this and you’re 16, what the hell’s my excuse.” Just as LTAB gives youth an expressive arena, Poindexter uses slam and other opportunities to evolve
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Poetry at core of Zedeka Poindexter’s life as coach, competitor, host and published author BY LEO ADAM BIGA
her own work. For example, her Union for Contemporary Art fellowship will culminate in a new collection of poems that revolve around family recipes and food as focal point and bridge for familial divisions. She plans a May 2 reading and tasting. “It’s a very different thing trying to write a series of poems that interconnect and relate to one another,” says Poindexter, who’s used to crafting slam’s more instinctive, one-off performance pieces. In 2012 she became Omaha’s only female city slam champion. “It has almost always been a white man. I might also be the only person of color who’s won, but I know I’m the only woman, so that’s a huge honor for me. I was a cranky woman that year because there was only one other woman and there wasn’t anybody else brown. I was like, ‘C’mon, y’all, can do better than this.’ I was pissed.” She represented Omaha at the 2013 Women of the World Poetry Slam in Minneapolis, where she was voted an audience favorite. “It’s all women, it’s all storytelling, it’s very affirming.” Her work appears in the WOWPS anthology, Alight. She’s not inclined to leave her slam roots. She has a long history with the Nebraska Writers Collective, whose head, Matt Mason, is the godfather of Omaha slam. He considers her “a cultural treasure for our community.”
culture
“Zedeka is a nationally-known performance poet. You wouldn’t know by meeting her as she doesn’t name-drop or talk about all she’s accomplished, but her work is among the best in the country,” he says. “It’s been great to see her expand her role by publishing more lately as well as taking on the role of running Omaha’s poetry slam. She really does it all. She’s also a great presence in classrooms.” In turn, Poindexter’s proud of her Collective family. “We’ve been a force for a good long time. We really had a pretty good run as far as accolades in the slam community. A lot of writers have grown beyond that and published work I really love.” Beyond her Collective circle she’s studied with former Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration poet laureate Stacy Dyson and with storyteller A-Nanci Larenia Stallworth. Recently, she joined novelist Joy Castro and poet Roger Gerberling for a Backwaters Press reading and paired with Nebraska state poet Twyla Hansen at the Kaneko Feedback Reading Series. Being matched with Hansen gave her pause. “Being a slam artist is very different than being somebody who’s devoted their life basically to craft and teaching, which I have not done,” says Poindexter, who’s a thesis away from completing her master’s in communication at UNO. “But it turned out to be amazing. I think there are some people who exist strictly in the performative world and some who
y continued from page 6
exist strictly in academia, but there is a lot of crossover. “I think the bigger separation or chasm I noticed for awhile was a white scene and a black scene. Myself, I just went wherever the baddest ass readings were. They were different things but vitally important to how I grew as a writer and performer. The perception that anybody is not welcome at either place worries me.” She appreciates the diversity of the OEAAs and enjoyed doing her thing at last year’s awards show. “The fact I got to perform poems really important to me before a roomful of artists and everybody got quiet was absolutely one of the most magical things.” She often writes about the dynamics of her large African-American family. The Great Migration brought her people from the South to Chicago and Omaha. She mines their rich vein of idioms and imbroglios, delighting in food as a bond that nourishes and heals. Her poem “Poor Relations” discusses her Omaha family line being branded inferior by their affluent Chicago relatives. “There were struggles, we had our own personal dysfunctions but we were strong and we were happy. It’s been really cathartic to try to tell these stories and be honest about them.” Born into a family of matriarchs who were “voracious readers,” Poindexter immersed herself in books and writing from an early age. “Poetry’s been this thing that’s sustained me spiritually but it kind of existed outside regular life.” She dabbled in theater and journalism but discovered her artistic home in the emergent slam and spoken word movement. “I always wrote poems but I kind of started finding a community when Matt Mason ran readings at Borders years ago. There were Pop Tarts for prizes.” She followed the local slam scene to the Om Center, where it’s still based. Slam slayed her the first time she saw Def Jam. “I didn’t know what that thing was but I was going to figure out how to do that thing.”
She immersed herself in slam in Colorado, where she moved after losing her grandmother and anchor. She returned to Omaha a few years ago to be close to her spoken word soul sister, Felicia Webster, and to her slam girls, Katie F-S and Sarah McKinstry-Brown. “Slam has saved me in more ways that I can think of. It feels right. If I migrate away from performance and writing I feel the atrophy of it. I like the fact I have a passion, that there’s this thing that drives me. I don’t know what I would do without that as a rudder.” She wouldn’t know what to do without her creative community. “I don’t know if I could function without having that sense of support. It’s afforded me most of the close friendships and safety nets I’ve experienced the last 15 years.” She’s encouraged by the camaraderie LTAB students display. She’s still struck by what happened a few years ago when a Lincoln High team member lost her mother. “As a team they decided they wanted to come to finals with all new work, including a piece that the girl who’d just lost her mother had written. And so they scrapped everything. There was no strategy, they were not worried about winning, they were like, This is the work we want to feature. They believed in it and they won, and it was so good. The thing that was so cool was they were willing to sacrifice to do this thing intrinsically personal to them. I’ll take that any time over people who live for the scores and stuff.” She calls LTAB coaching “the best job ever.” She feels confident about one day supporting herself as an artist and teacher. She may next pursue a master of fine arts degree. “I don’t know many artists who value themselves for the work they do because it’s always something that’s never fully supported them,” says Poindexter, who works a corporate day job. “Being valued for my artistry is something I’ve learned to do a lot better.” , Zedeka hosts the Om Center poetry slam the second Saturday of every month. Visit OmahaSlam.com. View her performing at buttonpoetry.com. For Louder Than a Bomb details, visit ltabomaha.org. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away. culture
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
41
Tuesday, March 10 OMAHA FASHION WEEK Omar Arts & Events Building, 4383 Nicholas Street 6:00 p.m., $40-80 www.omahafashionweek.com
Friday, March 6 BENSON’S SWEATSHOP AND PETSHOP GALLERY EXHIBITIONS Sweatshop, 2727 North 62nd Street, 6:00 p.m. Petshop, 2725 North 62nd Street, 7:00 p.m. www.sweatshopgallery.com and www.bensonpetshop.wordpress.com Spring is nearly here, and for the Benson scene that means more art shows, thawing vomit puddles and larger crowds for their monthly Benson First Fridays celebrations. So, wash those pretty eyeballs of yours and plan on more regular participating spaces to be opening their doors this March featuring new art shows from around the region. As usual, next-door neighbors Sweatshop and Petshop Galleries have come out in front of the pack with a pair of exhibitions that already look to be two of the most intriguing and well-organized shows of the year so far. Leading the way is a group exhibition at Sweatshop Gallery featuring the work of Angela Drakeford, PETSHOP Carolyn Falkner, Sara Sumnick Wamsat and Millee Tibbs. Titled deviance teaches; charm will make you sick and curated by Alex Priest, the text on this exhibition leads one to believe this show will hold surprise after surprise within its work. The exhibition runs through April 27. Another show to look out for is Ben Swift’s The 1%ers at Petshop Gallery. Swift plans to exhibit new paintings, prints and objects that imagine a world where the fat cats of the financial industry wear their affiliations as proudly as Hell’s Angels. Based off of the promotional image used by the gallery-- a blue suit coat back covered in patches boasting the wearer as a swindler and featuring a skulledout Monopoly Man, this exhibition looks like a seriously good time poking fun at two groups of criminals in our country from both ends of the spectrum. — Joel Damon
42
MARCH 2015
The Midwest’s Premier Fashion Event debuting Fall/ Winter Collections will take place March 10-15. Omaha Fashion Week was founded in 2008 and this new idea quickly grew into a tradition that has not only stuck around, but grown. Each night of the week has a theme, the full schedule and more information about the event can be found on their website. Here is a quick look into the week, the first night kicking off the fashion shows is Student Night. The second is something special as 80 cancer survivors take the runway for the Methodist Hospital Survivor Show. The third, fourth and fifth night are dedicated to the Designer Showcases where new collections will be presented. The final night is the Develop Model Management Beauty Show. The doors open at 6:00 p.m. with the shows starting at 8:00 p.m. and concluding at 10:00 p.m. If you miss this event, do not fret because you will be able to attend the next Omaha Fashion Week debuting the Spring/Summer Collections in August of 2015. — Mara Wilson MICHAEL CAMPBELL
Friday, March 6 MICHAEL CAMPBELL’S CD RELEASE PARTY & RECEPTION WITH KOREY ANDERSON & VERN KATHOL Old Market Healing Arts Center 1216 Howard Street, 7:30 p.m., Free www.michaelcampbellsongwriter.com Omaha’s Michael Campbell is a life-long musician, steeped in the classic acoustic folk-pop singer-songwriter tradition. Friday, March 6, he’s hosting a cocktail reception and musical party for his long-awaited new disc. On My Turn Now, Campbell showcases some of his most eloquent and thoughtful songwriting yet. The lyrics are served up with helpings of Campbell’s sharp, snappy humor. The production features some of Omaha’s best musicians in supporting roles. Expect a variety of musical styles from ballads, waltzes and zydeco to a bossa nova. Performing with Campbell are Korey Anderson and Vern Kathol. Campbell is also an accomplished writer and in 2010 released a book of humorous essays. His love of music led him to open Mick’s Music & Bar devoted to acoustic singer-songwriters. From 2003-2009, it was one of the early venues that helped revitalize Benson as a music destination. — B.J. Huchtemann Saturday, March 7 CASSANDRA WILSON: COMING FORTH BY DAY: A CELEBRATION OF BILLIE HOLIDAY Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas Street, 8:00 p.m., $17.75-$39 www.omahaperformingarts.org Cassandra Wilson, “America’s Best Singer” said Time Magazine when she was 46, keeps on exploring new realms of American music. She has a new project exploring the legacy and the soul of Billie Holiday. With the 100th birthday of that Lady but one month on the near
| THE READER |
picks
horizon, Wilson seeks to invoke and honor the spirit that became a legend in a concert called Coming Forth by Day, a “collection of musical spells, prescriptions for navigating the myths surrounding her life and times,” Wilson says. She’ll perform in “…iconic songs associated with this incomparable, charismatic, and revolutionary tone master, inspired by the Kemetic texts that give guidance through the afterlife.” By “Kemetic” Wilson, no doubt, refers to afrocentric-based spiritual training seeking to reconnect with traditions. It may be that Wilson doesn’t aim to sound like Billie. But rather, with the what the New York Times describes as “…the earthy majesty of her voice, a contralto as rich and supple as vintage leather.” Hearing is believing. — Gordon Spencer Sunday, March 8 SYMPHONY JOSLYN CONCERT SERIES Joslyn Art Museum’s Witherspoon Hall 2200 Dodge Street, 2:00 p.m., $33 www.omahasymphony.org
Tuesday, March 10 THE KING KHAN & BBQ SHOW WITH MILK LINES, AND SUCETTES The Slowdown, 729 North 14th Street 9:00 p.m., $15 www.theslowdown.com Arish Khan and Mark Sultan are masters of low-brow garage rock and own their unique stylistic tics. Khan is a maestro of translating his simple songs into full soul band excursions with his band King Khan and the Shrines, while Sultan is a prolific song machine, contorting 60s pop in twisted lo-fi rock as BBQ. But there’s a strange, wonderful alchemy that ensues when the two join forces as the King Khan & BBQ Show. The doo-wop colored garage punk is a direct hit of melody, delivered with loose limbs but knowingly precise songcraft. The interplay between the duo’s vocals, BBQ’s simple drum beats and two broke-ass guitars is a rock’n’roll treat. The two just ended a six-year layoff between album’s releasing Bad News Boys earlier this year. There’s still a vibrant heartbeat in the body of garage rock as long as Sultan and Khan are kicking out this stuff. — Chris Aponick
What the Devil? The Omaha Symphony performs “Conga-Line In Hell”? Huh? The answers to these questions and more lie in wait at the next Symphony Joslyn concert. Re that title, it comes from Uruguayan composer Miguel del Aguila who wrote the piece in 1994 evidently just for kicks. It’s bound to seem grotesque and wild because, given where the dancers are “they have no reason to hold back” says program-book annotator Paul Schiavo. As for what this item is doing here, something by Franz Schubert may prompt it. On tap is his overture to a spooky opera Des Teufels Lustschloss (“The Devils Pleasure Castle”) which concerns a young bride and groom trapped in such a haunted place where a temptress tries to get her claws on the young man. The music can get rather intense. No surprise there. — Gordon Spencer CASSANDRA WILSON
Sunday, March 15 THE OMAHA CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY PRESENTS “CONNECTIONS” Jewish Community Center, 333 South 132nd Street 7:00 p.m., Free www.omahachambermusic.org Omaha Chamber Music Society has assembled nine artists to perform youthful pieces by two famed composers plus something by one of our time, something new. The concert embraces more than 225 years, demonstrating “…inspiration, transformation or redefinition” the Society’s press release says. The contemporary element is from 2010 by then-31-year-old Judd Greenstein. Born in Greenwich Village, his career began while a teen-ager, turning out Hip Hop. He believes that what he has penned since reflects that time as well as his training as a pianist “combining an urban, “CONNECTIONS” beat-oriented sensibility with a late Romantic classical harmonic language.” As for transformation, you can hear a wind and string quintet by Sergei Prokofiev derived from his own ballet Trapèze which he was commissioned to write not long after his move to Paris in 1920, age 29. His 1924 quintet Opus 39 spins off from that and has been described as having an almost eerie circus feel. Inspiration-wise Joseph Haydn’s groundbreaking string quartets causing Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to express his admiration in similar ways, in fact, dedicating six quartets to the older Austrian genius. Among them is the so-called “Spring” quartet, K. 387. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that these three composers created such remarkable pieces at nearly the same age? — Gordon Spencer Through March 15 ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST Chanticleer Theater, 830 Franklin Avenue Opens Friday, March 6 Fri.-Sat. 7:30.pm., Sun. 2:00 p.m., $10-$20 www.chanticleertheater.com What happens when the inmates take over the asylum? The answer lies in wait within Ken Kesey’s outstanding, brilliant and original 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. But, for Kesey, that was not the major question nor the impulse to write it. And, although he considered himself a countercultural link between the Beat Generation of the 50s and hippies of the 60s, he was not trying to make points about tuning in, turning on and dropping out, nor about revolution for the hell of it. Rather, after spending much time as an aide in a veterans hospital where psychoactive drugs were experimentally used on residents, and talking extensively, privately with many of them he concluded that they were not insane, that society had pushed them out because they did not fit conventional ideas of human behavior. That prompted his book. In it Randle McMurphy, an anti-authoritarian criminal, is transferred to a mental institution for evaluation where he soon bonds with men confined there. Be prepared for strong language, disturbing developments and crazy laughter should you commit yourself to being confined in your seat. — Gordon Spencer
Monday, March 16 OF MONTREAL WITH DEERHOOF The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple Street 9:00 p.m., $18 ADV/$20 DOS www.onepercentproductions.com Kevin Barnes, the ringleader of the long-running psychpop act Of Montreal, is guided by a restlessly creative spirit. It’s been the force that’s kept Of Montreal relevant since its inception in 1996 through this year’s new album Aureate Gloom, the band’s lucky thirteenth album. The discography, while anchored in indie pop signifiers, has incorporated tons of stylistic shifts and lineup changes as Barnes’ whims have dictated. It’s also led to an impressive prolificacy. There’s lots of Barnes’ material but rarely anything worth ignoring, even as he’s shifted from bedroom pop to layered orchestral pop, incorporating trips to dense electronics and straight up 60s psych-folk band set-ups in-between. So it makes sense that Aureate Gloom marry heavy riffage with shimmering psychedelia. In Of Montreal’s world, it all makes sense mixed together. — Chris Aponick
Through March 29 HARBOR SNAP Productions, 3225 California Street Opens March 5 Thurs-Sat. 8:00 p.m., Sun. 6:00 p.m. and Sun. March 29 2:00 p.m., $10-$15 www.snapproductions.com Broadway musicals books and lyrics writer Chad Beguelin has had lots of praise and award nominations. In 2013 he tried his hand at social satire off-Broadway in Harbor. Critics praised the play’s character development and its transition from lightness into darker zones. In the New York Times Rachel Saltz called it “biting and touching comedy about the constantly shifting nature of the meaning of family.” The title refers to the upscale Long Island town of Sag Harbor where a newly married gay couple, Ted and Kevin, get a visit from Kevin’s uninvited, pregnant, gay-baiting sister Donna and her 15 year old daughter Lottie. You can predict bitchiness, right? But evidently things become less obvious the more these people tangle, with solid ideas about relationships and compromises surfacing. Michal Simpson is the director of this production at SNAP. The cast: Noah Diaz, Kaitlyn McClincy, Joshua Mullady, Ryleigh Welsh. “This ‘Harbor’ is not safe for anyone,” Saltz said. — Gordon Spencer Through April 4 JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street Opens Friday, March 6 Wed.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2:00 p.m., $20-$40 www.omahaplayhouse.org
OF MONTREAL’S NEW ALBUM AUREATE GLOOM
Through March 28 KEEN OBSERVATIONS Modern Arts Midtown (MAM), 3615 Dodge Street Opens Friday, March 6 at 6:00 p.m., Opening Free to the public Hours: Tues.-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. www.modernartsmidtown.com Modern Arts Midtown will open Keen Observations, March 6th, 6-8 p.m. Artists showcased in this show are Iowa-educated Merrill Peterson from Lincoln and include Justin Meyer from Blair with graphite drawings, Omahan Charles Novich with both drawings and paintings, and Jane Pronko from Kansas City with painting. The common thread through the work of all these artists is a dedication to the careful rendering of subject matter with painted or drawn means. Peterson is the focal artist in this exhibit. His goal is to challenge what he initially sees. Then by repeatedly observing his subject, “the odd and unexpected shapes and color on a reflected surface, almost nothing is what it first appears to be.” Rendering carefully in a trompe l’oeil oil technique, these unexpected, even paradoxical shapes and colors within objects seem to become the subject of the paintings, and quite beautiful to behold. — Eddith Buis
This musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice will be directed and choreographed by Kimberly Faith Hickman, and music directed by Jim Boggess. The rock opera that’s traveled the world since 1970 arrives in Omaha with John Gajewski as Jesus and Roderick Cotton as Judas. The raw treatment of Christ’s last seven days on earth including his betrayal by Judas Iscariot and his crucifixion and ascension features such memorable songs as “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” by Mary and “Superstar” by Judas and the ensemble. — Warren Francke
THOMAS PRINZ
Through April 11 THOMAS PRINZ AND HIS SON CHRISTOPHER Gallery 72, 1806 Vinton Street Opens Friday, March 13 at 5:00 p.m. Hours: Wed.-Sat. 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. www,gallery72.com An exhibition of works by well-known Nebraska artist Thomas Prinz and his son Christopher, opening March 13, provides a litany of quiet moments in which to ponder the expressive potential of material and form. Trained as an architect and occasionally employed as an adjunct instructor of visual literacy at UNL, the elder Prinz’s work suggests an effort to squeeze as many dimensions and layers as possible into the space of a single work. Often this is accomplished with strips of paper (sometimes newsprint or fragments of digital images) layered upon one another in colorful geometric patterns that sometimes recall the abstracted California landscapes of Richard Diebenkorn (1922-1993), but I dare say with more going on to engage the eye. The younger Prinz shares his father’s interest in form, but he explores it via industrial materials, such as metal and corrugated cardboard, and emphasizes variations in texture more than color. The pairing of these two artists would seem natural even if they weren’t related. There will be a gallery talk Wednesday, March 18 at 7:00 p.m. — David Thompson
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR PHOTO BY ANDREW MARINKOVICH LEFT TO RIGHT: JOHN GAJEWSKI AS JESUS AND RODERICK COTTON AS JUDAS
picks
| THE READER |
MARCH 2014
43
‘poster’passion
FILM
N
44
MARCH 2015
ot to get all Running Man up in this joint, but considering how many of y’all strap on Fitbits that measure and record, like, every bodily function, it’s safe to say that technology has officially gotten downright “Jetson”ian. And yet, somewhat implausibly, the paper-based, luddite-beloved movie poster has survived, remaining largely unchanged in the last hundred-plus years. Hell, even the size of the theater-display “one sheet” has only changed a whopping one inch (going from 27” x 41” to 27” x 40”) since Thomas frickin’ Edison set the standard back in the day. Why have these posters endured? I have no idea. So let’s try and figure it out.
History
Hollywood may be top cheese in cinema now, but it was the French who first delivered “le movie poster.” Until the promotional image for L’Arroseur arrosé arrived, theaters didn’t advertise individual films in their lobbies; they promoted the technical features of cinema because it was such a novelty.
| THE READER |
film
Floating heads and butt shots: The enduring legacy of movie posters B Y R YA N S Y R E K
“Come, watch soundless footage of people falling down while you sit in a smoke-filled room!” or something like that. But Marcellin Auzolle’s poster changed everything, depicting an audience watching L’Arroseur and having whatever the French version of a “good time” is. Viola, the movie poster was born. Using the same logic that has allowed us to have five Scary Movie installments, studios quickly figured “if one is good, more is better.” Thus, the singular movie poster gave way to a series of movie posters, beginning with a teaser poster, which is typically just the movie’s logo or title and some suggestive but vague image. Then comes the main one sheet (or multiple one sheets, depending on the marketing budget), followed by character posters, which have gotten freakin’ ridiculous. Seriously, for some big-budget franchise films, like The Hunger Games series, everybody including “guy eating at table behind heroes” gets their own promotional image. Nothing gets me less hyped for a movie than a poster for “guy eating at table behind heroes.”
The African Queen 1951 Composition
It used to be that movie stars were all you need to fill seats with butts. Hence, from the silent era onward, the bulk of posters simply showed you a movie star, slapped their name above the film’s title and figured “that’s that! Time for a unionmandated break!” Gradually, the framed shots of casts gave way to more artistic endeavors. Patterns arose, and suddenly posters could be divided into crazy fun categories. These are not officially sanctioned categories mind you, just what us ridonkulous cinephiles call them. Let’s take a look at a few, shall we?
Katharine Hepburn: Icon, Iconoclast February 14 - March 30
A repertory series celebrating an icon in the worlds of film and style, presented with
continued on page 46y
March 1 & 4 Holiday 1938
March 21 & 23
March 7 & 9
March 22 & 25
March 8 & 11
March 28 & 30
Woman of the Year 1942 Adam’s Rib 1949
Suddenly, Last Summer 1959 Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner 1967 The Lion in Winter 1968
March 14, 15 & 17
The African Queen 1951
All showings at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater. Info & tickets at filmstreams.org.
film
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
45
For some reason, studios feel that dangerous, bad-ass characters have no time to actually look into a camera, not when there’s so much killin’ to be done… Back to Back It’s practically a legal requirement that all romantic comedies must feature the leads posed back to back. It shows that they are not quite on the same page but will likely, at some point, totally bone. Never mind that this is a position from which sex is physically impossible, the pose allows them to touch (implied intimacy) while reminding audiences there’s much work to be done first.
y continued from page 45
Between a Woman’s Legs Easily the classiest subgenre, nothing says “wacky fun” like grown men posing where babies come out.
Giant Floating Head Beware! Beware! It’s a giant floating head! For some reason, studios believe that this is appealing and not horrifying and creepy. The formula is always the same: take a major star, decapitate them, stretch their face out to haunting proportions and slap some inspiring quotation that sounds vaguely ominous on it. Giant floating heads are only used for films with mega-watt superstars. Butt Shot with Weaponry A celebration of both tush and impending carnage, the “character facing away from the camera while holding a weapon” is a staple of action endeavors.
It’s obviously an effort to squeeze in both sex appeal and star power, but it comes off as trashy and amateurish. They keep making them, though… Terrifying Mega Eye A close cousin of giant floating head, terrifying mega eye is typically used for serious drama or horror. There are almost always huge words printed on the eye (which would have to hurt). There aren’t any stats to back this up, but I have to believe this is the least collectible genre. Who would hang this in a house? “Let me give you the tour! That’s the bathroom. Over here is the kitchen. Oh, and this is the living room, where everything we do is under the watchful eye of Lord Sauron.” There are so many other subgenres out there. There’s “Ensemble Cast Standing in a Line,” “Yellow-tinted Indie Poster,” “Hero Standing on Top of Rubble” and many many more.
46
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
film
Legends
Right, so back to our original question: What has allowed movie posters to survive and thrive? Part of that answer has to be Drew Struzan. In the 1970s and 1980s, right when emerging computer technology should have sent the movie poster packing, Struzan became a living legend. If you loved a movie poster from that era, chances are that Struzan did it. Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Back to the Future, Blade Runner, Goonies… In his prime, Struzan produced as many as 10 airbrushed works a year. His work was epic and enthralling, capturing cinema’s ability to use your imagination as a chew toy. I know that no less than five of his works have graced my walls at various points in my life. Although he can’t solely be credited for saving the medium, he undoubtedly played a massive part. Not only did his popularity at the height of the initial modern techno-boom stave off any changes, nostalgia for his work is likely still at play in preserving the practice today. For more on this underrated talent, check out Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, a documentary that’s currently on Netflix. That said, Struzan was by no means alone in his influence. I guarantee you know the work of Tom Jung. Jung created iconic work for legendary films like The Deer Hunter, Dr. Zhivago and Apocalypse Now. Saul Bass, whose poster for Vertigo may be the single greatest movie poster of all time, sparked a minimalist trend that remains popular to this day. Robert McGinnis brought smoldering pulp to even the classiest of films. The list of legendary poster artists goes on and on, from Frank McCarthy (The Ten Commandments) to Boris Vallejo (National Lampoon’s Vacation). Even today, while some studios take the easy way out and cobble together Photoshopped tripe, manipulating existing images with sometimes goofy, physics-defying results, there remains a vibrant culture of movie poster art. Mondo, a company dedicated to celebrating and preserving this medium of artistic expression, offers high-quality, alternate posters for films past and present.
The Internet, in all its grody glory, has allowed for the widespread distribution of alternate posters, some sanctioned by studios and some simply the product of rabid fans. Even if theaters or executives were to do away with this century-old practice in favor of some techno-voodoo in which 3D images of characters assault your senses, the genre will survive and thrive online forever. Controversies
But where’s the fun in ending on such a positive note? This is America! We end on scandals, dammit! Over the last century, scores of minicontroversies sprung up in response to various movie posters. Here are a few of my favorites: The Outlaw While the poster for Howard Hughes’ The Outlaw is less titillating than an Old Navy catalogue these days, when it came out in 1943, pearls were clutched. Jane Russell’s illustrated bosom desperately attempting to free itself from the tyranny of clothes caused an uproar...which only helped fuel ticket sales. The Little Mermaid If you don’t know this somehow, allow me to shatter your world: A “clever” animator at Disney drew a schlong into the movie poster. It wasn’t noticed for quite some time, long after VHS cassettes were in practically every American home. It’s still funny to me. I don’t care how juvenile it is. “Man junk” smuggled into a castle illustration is just the best. Spider-man This one was just incredibly awful, unfortunate timing. I also own it. Reflected in our hero’s eyes are the twin towers of the World Trade Center. Whereas today the image would be positively received as a celebration by one of New York’s most famous fictional characters, there was a time in 2001-2002 when you couldn’t even make a glancing reference to the incident. Many controversies stem from unintentionally hilarious sexual innuendo (seriously, seek out the original poster for Yogi Bear) or intentionally explicit fare (every Saw poster). Regardless, any scandal that arises from a poster still does the work it was set out to do, raising awareness for the associated film. Sorry Darwin, without evolving hardly at all in the last century, movie posters remain a beloved outlet of cinematic art destined to continue into the foreseeable future. Here’s to another hundred years, to the next Drew Struzan and to the next “genitalia in an animated movie poster” scandal! ,
! w o h s e h t y o j En
When we tell you,
...we mean it!
“Unlike some other theaters, we don’t believe in gimmicks to get you here. Instead, we focus on the motion picture experience. My family and I love movies, and we hope your event here is enjoyable.”
Bill Barstow, Owner 2110 S. 67th Street 402-502-1914
www.AksarbenCinema.com
WARNING HOT GUYS! FREE TO LISTEN & REPLY TO ADS!
Omaha
402.341.4000 FREE CODE: Omaha Reader For other local numbers call:
1-888-MegaMates 24/7 Customer Care 1(888) 634.2628
18+
©2013 PC LLC
TM 2562
You can tell everybody this is your song. | THE READER |
MARCH 2015
47
‘indieaction:
FILM
The metro’s maturing cinema scene includes the Omaha Film Festival. It sometimes gets lost in the shuffle amid Alexander Payne doings and Film Streams programs, but OFF has a niche all its own. Ten years running. The March 10-15 fest at Village Point Cinema features a diverse lineup of features and docs highlighted by Patty Dillon’s new documentary “There Will Be No Stay” about the trauma exacted on two executioners.
48
MARCH 2015
fishow’off T
he metro’s work-in-progress cinema culture has lately come of age due to a montage of things. Alexander Payne making movies and bringing world-class film artists here. A surge of indigenous indie filmmakers. The advent of Film Streams. The slate at Omaha’s “original art cinema” – the Dundee Theatre. Often overlooked as contributing to this invigorating mix is the Omaha Film Festival, celebrating 10 years with the March 10-15 edition at Marcus Village Pointe Cinema. OFF showcases work by indie writer-directors from near and far. Three short film blocs are dedicated to Neb-made films. To commemorate the fest’s history there’s a separate bloc screening audience favorite shorts from the first nine years, Among the feature-length documentaries is a moving and provocative work about the death penalty, There Will Be No Stay, by Omaha transplant and former stuntwoman Patty Dillon. The pic recently had its world premiere at the Big Sky (Mont.) Documentary Film Festival and will be making the national festival circuit rounds. CNN’s Death Row Stories will feature Dillon and her project in an
| THE READER |
film
Omaha Film Festival offers showcase for indie writer-directors from near and far BY LEO ADAM BIGA
upcoming segment. Series narrator Susan Sarandon champions Dillon’s film, calling it “a powerful and unique perspective on the death penalty.” The film flips the typical death penalty debate by profiling two men, Terry Bracey and Craig Baxley, who worked as executioners in the same state prison and by charting the trauma that carrying out those awful duties caused them. They’re still paying the price today. This is Dillon’s debut film as a director and getting to its premiere was a five-year endeavor. About the experience of Big Sky, she says, “It was truly a warm and gentle place to birth a first film. It was a bit surreal. You work on a project for so many years, revolve your life completely around it, then let it go for the world – hopefully – to see. You have taken your subject’s trust and just hope you have served their stories. It is such a controversial issue and I think the assumption is agenda or activism and that is certainly understandable. The foundation of the film is really more about dissolving human opposition, period. I was pleasantly surprised how receptive the audiences were. It’s intense watching people watch your film. They laughed, gasped,
shook their heads and greeted me with many unexpected hugs and hand shakes.” On getting the blessing of Sarandon, whose role in the death row dramatic film Dead Man Walking earned her a Best Actress Oscar, Dillon says, “Susan and her camp have been incredible. She was initially going to narrate the film and after the final re-writes she insisted I do it. She felt it served the story better. I had just received two festival rejection letters when I got the email from her assistant she had posted the trailer on Facebook and Twitter. Irony. It’s been a crazy ride indeed and I intend to keep riding it with loads of gratitude.” OFFs roots are squarely in the state’s small but robust and ever expanding indie film scene. Founders Marc Longbrake, Jeremy Decker and Jason Levering have a history making or working on indie projects. A decade ago they saw a gap in the Omaha film scene, which never really had a full-fledged annual festival before, and they filled it. Now that Omaha has its own version of bigger, better known festivals, area residents can see work unlikely to play cineplexes otherwise.
Festivals are the take-what-you-get buffet of cinema-going. There are choices representing different cultures, styles, genres and influences. But the menu wholly depends on what films are entered and curated for this screen feast. Some entrees (features) and sides (shorts) are safer bets than others. Some come with a track record and others are unknowns. With upwards of 100 films in play there are hits and misses, and so the operative advice is watch-at-your-own-risk. However, if you’re a film buff with an appetite for something different, then you owe it to yourself to try this cinema smorgasbord. You can always design a sampler menu of your own choice. Longbrake says there is a place for a midsize festival like OFF that lacks world premieres of marquee industry and indie titles. “There’s a ton of people out there making movies that aren’t part of the Hollywood system,” he says. “The only way to really see independent films in a theater, except for the off-chance they’re picked-up by a Hollywood distributor, is by going to film festivals. So you’re seeing a different kind of movie. Sometimes low budget, sometimes without a recognizable star, although familiar faces do turn up. “People sometime think indie-low budget are code words for lesser quality. I would argue independent filmmakers tend to worry a bit more about the art and the story than the makers of big budget Hollywood pictures. Indie filmmakers are putting their passion, their guts, their heart, their soul and their grandpa’s money into making a film that’s personal to them as opposed to Hollywood studios that tend to be motivated to make something that needs to make them money back.” The fest’s not all about the voyeuristic ritual of viewing movies either. The art and craft is explored at the OFF Filmmakers Conference and Writer’s Theatre program. A slate of OFF parties bring film geeks, fans and artists together for celebrating and networking. In addition to Dillon’s film, others to check out include: Documentaries
Shoulder the Lion This self-conscious art film portrays three disparate people whose physical disabilities don’t stop them from being fully engaged artists. Alice Wingwall is a much-exhibited Berkeley, Calif-based photographer and filmmaker who happens to be blind. Graham Sharpe is a musician with a severe auditory condition. In his native Ireland he writes
and performs music and runs a major music festival. Katie Dallam is a Spring Hills, Kan. visual artist who suffered traumatic brain injury in a boxing match that inspired Million Dollar Baby. Her art before and after her injury is markedly different. In the spirit of Errol Morris, filmmakers Patryk Rebisz and Erinnisse Heuer-Rebisz use assertive techniques to create a visually stunning if sometimes overdone palette that gets inside the head of its subjects. On Her Own Morgan Schmidt-Feng’s portrait of the dissolution of a Calif. farm family, the Prebliches, plays like a dramatic film as tragedy and ill-fate befall the clan. The troubles of these salt-of-the-earth folks symbolize what happens to many small farm families. The story’s emotional heart belongs to Nancy Prebilich, who carries on despite losing it all. Narrative Features
The Jazz Funeral When an unhappy man fears his adult son may be turning into him, he concocts a scheme to spend a week with him in New Orleans to set him straight. As the pair’s insecurities and resentments come tumbling out, their relationships with the women in their lives come undone. James Morrison and Bobby Campo find the right notes as this awkward, strained yet loving father and son, respectively. Slow West This opening night film debuted at Sundance. It follows the adventures of 16-year-old Jay, who travels from Scotland to the 19th century American frontier in search of the woman he’s infatuated with. Newcomer Kodi SmitMcPhee stars as Jay. Co-starring are Michael Fassbender as Silas, the mysterious man Jay hires to protect him, and Ben Mendelsohn as one of the hard characters Jay confronts. Cut Bank The closing night film is another young man in peril story, this time set in contemporary Montana. In his rural town Dwayne (Liam Helmsworth) captures something on video he shouldn’t have and bad men with mean intentions come after him and his girl. Co-starring Teresa Palmer, Billy Bob Thornton, John Malkovich, Bruce Dern and Oliver Platt. , For tickets and festival schedule details, visit omahafilmfestival.org. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.
film
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
49
21st Saloon Music
GRINKIE GIRL PHOTOGRAPHY/CHRISTIE WILLIAMS
hoodoo
H
ere are some things on the horizon for live shows this month. Remember you can check out my weekly updates with more shows and late-breaking news in the online-only Hoodoo updates at thereader.com.
CHIP DUDEN
Zoo Bar Blues
HOODOO focuses on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who received the Blues Foundation’s 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.
50
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar was recognized for the second year in Austin musician Dale Watson’s Ameripolitan Awards in the venue of the year category. The honors went to Austin’s own Continental Club. See ameripolitan.com for all the winners and nominees. The Zoo Bar was also recognized in Detroit’s Big City Blues magazine’s “20 Years of Nightclubbing the Blues” issue (February-March 2015). The magazine is celebrating 20 years of publication. See bigcitybluesmag.com. This month the Zoo has some great shows. The big blues trio sound and wicked slide guitar work of Eric Sardinas hits the Zoo stage Tuesday, March 3, 6-9 p.m. The always party-starting Bel Airs are up Friday and Saturday, March 6 at 9 p.m and March 7 at 6 p.m. The great Webb Wilder is back March 8, 6-9 p.m. The second week of March the Zoo hosts some of the great up and coming women of roots music. Samantha Fish continues to hone some
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
Rockabilly Night
Rockabilly Night hits Chrome Lounge Wednesday, March 18, 7:30 p.m. with The Red Elvises. See more about the monthly event at facebook.com/ groups/omaharockabilly. ,
National touring bands heat up local venues this month BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN
serious guitar chops that are making her a contemporary blues force to be reckoned with. In December, the K.C.-based Fish joined high-profile artists Tommy Castro and Tab Benoit for the “Six Strings Down” tour. Fish plugs in Tuesday, March 10, 6-9 p.m. Smokin’ rockabilly and R&B artist Nikki Hill hits the Zoo stage Wednesday, March 11, 6-9 p.m. The Russian-inflected rockabilly showmanship of The Red Elvises heats up the Zoo for St. Patrick’s night, Tuesday, March 17, 6-9 p.m. The 24th Street Wailers knocked me out with their first appearance here last fall. The Canadian band is hard-charging and straight-up, with influences ranging from old-school rockabilly to the late, great Nick Curran. Catch the 24th Street Wailers Wednesday, March 18, 6-9 p.m. And on Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, the great Earl Cate from The Cate Brothers brings his band Earl & Them to the Zoo stage. The band features Baby Jason Davis and The Cate Brothers’ and the band’s drummer Terry Cagle. Their repertoire includes some of the tunes that were part of the classic Cate Brothers playlist. Davina & The Vagabonds play the Zoo Wednesday, March 25, 6-9 p.m., in a date postponed from February due to inclement weather.
hoodoo
COURTESY HIT THE ROAD ENTERTAINMENT
rootnews
‘doubletrouble: Davina & The Vagabonds swing into the metro with two local gigs at the end of March.
Too many people still don’t know that The 21st Saloon presents top touring blues and roots acts every Thursday, 6-9 p.m. This month’s shows include guitar wizard Chris Duarte Thursday, March 5. Thursday, March 12, the marvelous and seriously bad ass guitarist Samantha Fish is up. Her musical sister Amanda Fish, who has been leading her own band in K.C. opens the show. Be there on time to catch another young, rising star of the blues. See reverbnation.com/amandafish. Oklahoma bluesrockers Dustin Pittsley Band are back Thursday, March 19. Hoodoo favorites Davina & The Vagabonds return to The 21st Saloon March 26 for their first Omaha show since the release of their latest CD, Sunshine. This band shines with a joyous mix of jump-blues, swing and New Orleans jazz that is irresistible. See davinaandthevagabonds.com. Rising star and Alligator Records’ artist Jarekus Singleton plugs in Thursday, April 2. Singleton has been called “a musical trailblazer from Mississippi with a bold vision for the future of the blues.” See facebook.com/TheJarekusSingletonBand.
‘singledout: Guitarist Jarekus Singleton “blends modern-day blues and emotionally intense soul with melodic, hot-toned lead guitar” (artistecard.com). Check him out at 21st Saloon April 2.
CIGARETTES
MARCHSHOWS
©2015 SFNTC (1)
MARCH 5-8
CHRIS FRANJOLA
Chris Franjola is a writer/comedian born and raised on Long Island who now lives and works in Los Angeles. He’s currently a writer and a regular performer on E!’s hit show “Chelsea Lately.” Chris also starred on the critically acclaimed scripted comedy series “After Lately,” which aired for three seasons on E! He is also the host of the Sons of Anarchy aftershow Anarchy Afterword, airing live on FX. When he isn’t busy writing and acting, he’s performing stand-up on the road, headlining venues all over the country. Before Chelsea Lately, Chris wrote for other shows, including Family Guy, the MTV Video Music Awards, and the original Chelsea Handler Show.
MARCH 12-15 UNTAMED SHREWS Susan Smith and Marge Tackes are the nastiest of nasty girls with a brutal sense of humor.They cover topics from street signs to sex, all with a wicked slant. While their perspective is definitely feminine, they’re not out to bash men. “In fact”, Susan says, “some of our best customers are men...” While the Untamed Shrews are full of fun, they maintain a high caliber of professionalism and never disappoint.
MARCH 19-22 BRAD WILLIAMS
Brad got his start by attending a Carlos Mencia’s live comedy show. While in the crowd Mencia made jokes about dwarfs. The people sitting close to Williams were scared to laugh. Mencia noticed this and asked Brad to join him on stage. Brad cracked a few jokes and impressed Mencia so much that he asked Brad to be his opening act on both the “Mind of Mencia” Tour and the popular “Punisher” Tour. Brad’’s ability to make humorous observations that make everyone comfortable with the differences in people is winning over audiences and proving that anyone can overcome their shortcomings.
* Visit NASCIGS.com or call 1-800-435-5515
MARCH 26-29 TAMMY PESCATELLI
Comedian Tammy Pescatelli is the kind of woman you wish was your sister or your best friend. Like a good sister, she‘s always ready with a good joke or lively quip. Tammy learned her funny skills growing up in a large, crazy, Italian family outside of Cleveland. She went on to marry into an even larger, crazier, Italian family. Her most recent 1 hour special, “Finding the Funny” was released recently in an exclusive deal with the trailblazing company, NETLFIX. Her eye for actually finding the funny in all situations, is what is already bringing the project critical acclaim from fans and peers alike.
PROMO CODE 95552 *Plus applicable sales tax Offer for two “1 for $2” Gift Certificates good for any Natural American Spirit cigarette product (excludes RYO pouches and 150g tins). Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer and website restricted to U.S. smokers 21 years of age and older. Limit one offer per person per 12 month period. Offer void in MA and where prohibited. Other restrictions may apply. Offer expires 12/31/15.
APRIL 1-4
MIKE MALONE
Best known for his Top-10 selling comedy album debut on iTunes and his “rubber face,” Malone is a force to reckon with. His blistering humor and irreverent views on life, love and personal tragedy have earned him recognitions such as Campus Activities Magazine’s Top Comedy Performer of 2013 and “Hot Comic to Watch in 2013,” and winner of the prestigious 33rd Annual Seattle International Comedy Competition in 2012. Malone’s been featured on Bob and Tom Radio and TV, made appearances on WGN TV, National Lampoon’s Operation Comedy Tour, NBC TV, XM Sirius Satellite Radio and the CW. Additionally, Malone has two top selling comedy albums on iTunes and Amazon.
Omaha Weekly Reader 03-01-15.indd 1
2/2/15 10:39 AM
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
51
Look
Down for the PirateunDer in the B St. Pa oat trick Day
Tuesday, March 17 The BoaTyard Beer Garden wiTh The Beer canoe drink inside & ouT live Music wiTh dowlinG Free Guiness irish stew connor 1pM To 2pM Pa Satur rade day!
’s
sTarTinG aT 5pM while iT lasTs
4 pm to 7pm 3$2.50 Wells 3$1.50 Hamm’s cans 3$2 Warsteiner cans Sunday Fun day
Y a d i r F rch13
52
You’re Invited...
MARCH 2015
| THE READER |
ma fficial The O ear One-Y arY anniversnew Of The crew & capTainic Music acOuscTover after 9 PM 6-close
Happy Hour open to cloSe
3/6 3/7 3/8 3/11
Old Man Trucker Polka Police (NO COvEr) Pangea, Before the War Weathered, Township, Waking the Neighbors, Scotchrocket 3/18 Moonraker, DSM-5, Cordial Spew, Suburban Crisis 3/20 DJ Essential6 & Cemetery Gates 3/21 New Leverage, Super Moon, Dogs That Hunt 3/27 Final Friday Comedy (9 -11PM NO COvEr) 3/28 - Dance Floor Tragedy from Noir Omaha with DJ Augustine Strange & 99 Golems
Sat~ March 15 Kingfisher Astro Riot Waking the Neighbors $5 COvEr
overtheedge
serialdilemma T
To Podcast or Not to Podcast? And does anyone listen to those things, anyway?
he first question that came to mind when I contemplated putting together a weekly podcast: Is it worth my time? Case in point: Turn around wherever you’re reading this column and ask the person next to you if s/he ever listens to podcasts. Most will say no. Some will ask what a podcast is, even though they’ve been around almost as long as blogs and certainly as long as iPods (out of which the word “podcast” evolved) -- we’re talking somewhere around 2004, more than a decade ago. And yet, most people don’t have a clue what they are. For the ones that do, the concept of podcasting is so eye-rolling they probably didn’t make it this far into the column or didn’t get past the headline. The only thing that kept some of you reading was the prospect of picking up even the tiniest morsel of new information about Serial. Serial is the National Public Radioproduced podcast that swept the country last fall in a media tidal wave. The series, hosted by Sarah Koenig (one of the producers of NPR’s This American Life), delved into the facts behind the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee, a Baltimore high school student who went missing before turning up buried in a city park. Throughout the course of Serial’s 12 episodes — one new episode was released each week beginning Oct. 3 — we met the guy convicted of the crime, Lee’s ex-boyfriend Adnan Masud, who is either completely innocent or the most charming sociopath since Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The difference, of course, is that unlike Lecter, Adnan Masud is a real person, rotting away somewhere right now in a state prison. Serial already had finished its run by the time I got swept up in the hype. So many people were talking about the podcast in the media and on Facebook that I had to at least try to listen to an episode to see what the fuss was about. I got hooked in the first 10 minutes, and by the end of the first episode had committed to bingelisten to the entire series over the next two days. Though the series was criticized for producer and narrator Koenig’s inability to tie up all (or any) of the story’s loose ends, listeners got more than enough info to draw their own conclusions.
BY TIM MCMAHAN
If you’re a fan of true-crime detective stories, you really need to seek out Serial. Despite the 15-year gap since the murder, Koenig brings the dreadful story to life thanks to countless interviews with Lee’s classmates and friends, the suspects and the legal experts, as well as recounting all the testimony that led up to the trainwreck of a trial. All the while, Koenig weaves in her personal take on every bit of evidence as she desperately tries to get to the truth -- or at least the truth she wanted to hear. The jury is still out as to whether Serial was a podcast about a murder case or a journalist’s obsession with finding the truth. Before Serial went online I pretty much ignored podcasts. The only one I listened to regularly was The Dan Patrick Show, which isn’t so much a podcast as a recording of the former ESPN anchor’s daily radio broadcast, which I miss because it airs while I’m at work. But the fact is, most of the top podcasts aren’t created exclusively as podcasts. Six of the 10 most downloaded podcasts in 2014 were NPR radio shows like Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross, and the amazing Radiolab from WNYC. If you look at those statistics, it’s easy to conclude podcasts are merely a convenient way to listen to what you missed hearing on the radio. Serial, which never aired on NPR, was and is the game changer. The series became the fastest downloaded podcast in the history of iTunes, with more than 5 million downloads, according to an article in last weekend’s edition of The Independent that talked about new ways to listen to podcasts. Because after all, isn’t that podcasts’ biggest problem? People don’t know how to use them or where to find them, even though every smart phone is equipped to bring podcasts right to their earbuds. Another problem -- podcasts require listeners’ time and attention. Unlike a printed article that can be skimmed over in a few minutes, a podcast demands listeners pay attention for an extended period of time — more time than it would take to simply read the content. And podcasts require focus — you can’t soak in a podcast while clicking around on the internet or watching TV, but you can listen to them while driving to work or making dinner or going for a run, which is when I listen the most. What I learned from Serial is that if the content is compelling enough, people will obsessively seek it out and find it. Lord knows I did. So much so that it inspired me to create a music-focused podcast for The Reader, which, if everything goes as planned, will be available every Wednesday at thereader.com. The podcast’s reporting, recording and editing is easy. Listening to myself over and over during the editing process is hard. Painfully so. Perhaps the only thing harder is finding fresh content every week. Certainly that is a problem for Serial. After Season 1 concluded, Koenig asked listeners to speak up if they wanted a Season 2. The response was overwhelming, and NPR quickly agreed to sponsor another season. But as of just a few weeks ago, Koenig had yet to identify a topic for her next story. It would be a shame if the Serial serial left us without another cliffhanger. , Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com
over the edge
| THE READER |
MARCH 2015
53
Bugs, Skin, Internet Bullies and Life Without Cars In the future we eat bugs, dye skin, harrass, and refuse to drive A New Way for Fast Food to Bug You Fast food will continue to be popular for the near future, but will become both more adventuresome and healthier. A slew of “foodie”-style fast food restaurants will spring up, dedicated to making great food quickly and affordably. Often this will mean using unusual ingredients that manage to be both low price but highly nutritious, and, with great frequency, these additives will be insect protein. Moth flour will find its way into most American foods, and, to a lesser degree, supplements made from meal worm, ant, and the like. Initially, all but the boldest diners will find this unappealing, but it will so quickly become an accepted dietary staple people will regularly purchase insect protein for home cooking. The Skin I’m In The next few years will see an enormous break from the past in terms of skin color. Inexpensive dyes will come on the market that will make it possible to have any skin color you like. At first, this will simply
54
MARCH 2015
allow people to lighten or darken their skin, but soon bright primary colors will become available, as will complex dying processes that allow people to put multicolored patterns on their skin. The dyes will be semipermanent, in that they will change a person’s skin color until the next time they get their skin dyed. People will start to dye their skin to identify with peer groups, sports teams, or even popular bands, many of whom will perform in signature dye jobs. The Age of Harassment We are now in what future historians will call the Age of Harrassment. This will be looked at as a time when the explosive growth of social networking and online communications, coupled with primitive moderation technology, joined forces to create a toxic online environment. This is a world of online culture wars, where people who disagree make use of the new technology to bully, badger, belittle, and threaten those they disagree with. These online skirmishes have, and will continue to, become deadly.
| THE READER |
mysterian
Those who are bullied have and will continue to take their lives. Some online harrassment is genuinely dangerous, such as “swatting,” which involves fraudulently sending a SWAT team after someone you have targeted. Some is life-destroying, such as the publishing of intimate photos, or private information, or financial records. The only cure for it is advances in technology that make it easy to report and remove harrassing behavior, and stricter laws that make online harrassment just as criminal as other kinds. These changes will come, but they will be slow to do so, as too many people refuse to take online harrassment seriously, treating it as mere pranking. On the Road to Nowhere The era of the automobile is about to end. Within 15 years, 95 percent of the cars on the road will be gone, replaced by self-driven options. Cities will be finned with tiny, self-directed electric vehicles, some just big enough for one person, that can be summoned from a cell phone and will
drive commuters to their destination for just pennies. The sort of cargo that trucks used to drive across the country will, instead, drive itself, commuting thousands of miles without a single person involved. Packages will be delivered by self-directed drones. Millions of jobs will cease to exist -- the big auto manufacturers will crumble, as will the long-haul trucking industry, the car insurance industry, and hundreds of other industries that are reliant on human-driven vehicles. But the economy will boom -without needing to pay for a car and insurance, the average consumer will find themselves with $9000 per year that would otherwise have gone into their cars. The end of the automobile will solve many of our planet’s gravest environmental issues. When cars have ceased their dominion, the people of the future will look back and wonder why we ever used them. For more on these predictions and others by Dr. Mysterian visit www. thereader.com.