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HOODOO: Fall Goes Blue: Must See Shows in September 32 FILM: Fall Movie Preview: 15 Must-See Movies to Round Out Your Year 33 CUTTING ROOM: Fangs to Youtube, Old Vampire Hunt Gets New Life
HOODOO Soul Connections
HigH-poWErED Soul, BluES aND rooTS MuSiC pluS NEW CollaBoraTioNS aND NEW MuSiC FroM olD FavoriTES arE oN Tap For SEpTEMBEr
By B.J. HuCHTEMANN
There are plenty of great club shows filling the early fall schedule, starting with the Blues Society of Omaha weekly shows that rotate among several venues this month. Thursday, Sept. 1, 6-9 p.m., Omaha’s own
Nate Bray & The Soul Supremes
perform at The Strut. Thursday, Sept. 8, 6-9 p.m., it’s the Brotherhood Tour featuring Kevin Burt and Ken Valdez at Rathskeller Bier Haus. Iowa’s Burt is the 2018 International Blues Challenge (IBC) winner in the solo/duo category whose spellbinding performance swept the audience up and earned a standing ovation along with the IBC award that included the Cigar Box Guitar Award and the Lee Oskar Harmonica Player Award. A sensation in his own right, Burt teams with blues-rocker Ken Valdez, who was raised in New Mexico before relocating to Minneapolis. Valdez has most recently opened for ZZ Top and played with Billy Gibbons. Friends for over a decade, Burt and Valdez have joined forces for this tour.
The BSO joins The B. Bar for a special show Friday, Sept 9, 5:30 p.m., with Hurricane Ruth featuring Eddie Turner. Hurricane Ruth grew up in her father’s tavern and often sat with him while he played drums during jam sessions. She grew up surrounded by musicians from many roots genres and has built a career with vocals that draw comparisons to Big Mama Thornton, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. Willie Dixon gave her the nickname because “no one believed that such a large sound could come out of such a small woman,” according to her press materials.
Thursday, Sept. 15, 6-9 p.m., the blues returns to Rathskeller Bier Haus for Orphan Jon & the Abandoned. The dynamic singersongwriter has become a favorite of local blues fans. He returns in support of his new CD release, “Over the Pain,” produced by blues guitarist Alistair Greene.
Thursday, Sept. 22, 6-9 p.m., the music moves to Philly Sports Bar & Grill, 8116 S. 84th St., La Vista. The Avey Grouws Band, a Quad Cities group receiving recent national recognition, takes the stage. Featuring vocalist Jeni Grouws and guitarist Chris Avey, the band was nominated for four awards in the 2021 Independent Blues Awards, including Best New Artist, Best New Artist Album.
Lincoln’s popular rockabilly quartet The Mezcal Brothers are set to take the stage Friday, Sept. 23, 5:30 p.m. at The B. Bar.
Keep up with the BSO’s latest events at facebook.com/ bluessocietyofomaha and find show listings and a curated calendar of area blues events at omahablues.com.
ChiCago’s eCleCtiC Combo the Claudettes release their latest reCording of “sultry, CinematiC noir-pop” with a show at sunday roadhouse at reverb lounge at 5 p.m. sept. 18. Photo CREDIt: CouRtEsy thEClauDEttEs.Com
Zoo Bar Blues
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar is ramping up its schedule. For the latest listings and pop-up shows follow facebook. com/zoobarblues or check out zoobar.com. Highlights include roots-rocker Sarah Borges on Monday, Sept. 12, 7 p.m. Borges’ high-energy, rock-fueled shows have long been favorites of local audiences. Expect more highoctane fun, because Borges’ band “now includes famed guitarist/ producer Eric “Roscoe” Ambel and Bottle Rockets’ bassist Keith Voegele. “Cosmic country” artist Daniel Donato is set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, 6 p.m. Dale Watson & His Lone Stars are back Thursday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Blue House’s New CD
Omaha’s own Blue House with the Rent-to-Own Horns have been making original, horn-driven blues music for decades. They’ve just released their latest recording, “Can’t Sit Still - Live at Rainbow Studios.” Check out their new music video on their Facebook page and visit bluehouseblues. com for details, including their September show dates: Zone 6 at Sonny’s in Aksarben Village on Friday, Sept. 9, 8 p.m.; Philly’s Sports Bar & Grill on Friday, Sept. 16, 8 p.m.; and ACX Cinema Backlot Pizza, 6200 S. 205th Plaza, Saturday, Sept. 17, 8 p.m.
Hot Notes
William Elliott Whitmore plays Reverb Lounge on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 8 p.m., with his original, hard-driving folk-roots sounds that are rooted in the Iowa farm country. Local Honeys open.
The Sunday Roadhouse concert series hosts Chicago’s The Claudettes on Sept. 18, 5 p.m., at Reverb Lounge. With a sound described as “sultry, cinematic noir-pop,” their newest record “The Claudettes Go Out!” is set for an Oct. 14 release on Forty Below Records. The band has just been invited back for a second appearance on NPR’s “Mountain Stage” radio show Oct. 2. See theclaudettes.com. Early Warnings
Acclaimed Austin-based bluesman Gary Clark Jr. plugs in at The Admiral (formerly Sokol Hall) on Sunday, Oct. 2, 8 p.m. Details at onepercentproductions.com.
Two of roots music’s most celebrated singer-songwriterperformers, John Hiatt and Lyle Lovett, each with a celebrated song catalog, bring their fall duo tour to Lincoln’s Rococo Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 8 p.m. Tickets are on sale at rococotheatre.com.
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar presents the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 6 p.m. The souljazz trio was seen opening for Jack White this summer.
And make a note now: The powerhouse blues of Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band gigs at Reverb on Thursday, Dec. 1, 8 p.m.
FILM Autumn Can Get Some: FALL MovIE PREvIEW
15 MuST-SEE MovIES To RounD ouT YouR YEAR
Seasonal movie previews are fun because they remind us of when we used to have “seasons” and not just changes in the style and form of climate concerns. We’re nearing the end of “everything is on fire” months and approaching the two weeks of relative calm before triple-digit, below-zero air burns our faces. Why, it’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Because our attention spans can’t handle an ongoing pandemic, studios have decided to forge ahead with a robust release schedule this year. I haven’t found the right review in which to insert this, so this seems like a fine time to mention I still always wear a mask in theaters. I will for as long as is necessary. I’ve had only one person be a jerk about it, but that person also laughed a lot at “Black Phone.” Here are the 15 films that will get me to mask up until 2022 goes gentle in that aggressively shitty night.
The Woman King
(Sept. 16)
Who on this Earth is not going to see a movie with Viola Davis as the leader of a real-life, all-female warrior unit from the African kingdom of Dahomey? It looks like the only good parts of “Wonder Wom- an” but also features (this needs to be italicized) Viola Davis as a warrior (end italicize). Italics very much for emphasis there, y’all.
Don’t Worry Dar-
ling (Sept. 23)
Nothing about director Olivia Wilde’s “Booksmart” suggested her next film would be a hallucinatory thriller set in the 1950s. Then again, few things do. Putting Florence Pugh’s name on a movie poster activates my blood oath to support it, and that’s before throwing Chris Pine in as a nefarious schemer. I’m also told this one has hairy style or something…
BY Ryan SyRek
Bros (Sept. 30)
Billy Eichner is bringing the world the raunchy, gay rom-com that may finally cause the Ron DeSantises of the world to spontaneously combust. If it is simply half as funny and sincerely sweet as it looks, that would be enough. But if hate-filled politicians around the world pop into plumes of bigoted ash, it should be bumped to the top spot of that American Film Institute list.
NamOr? Say NO mOre! the year’S remaiNiNg mOvieS feature SuperherO gOOdNeSS aNd mOrtal humaN
badNeSS IMAGE: A stIll froM BlAck PAnthEr: WAkAndA forEvEr froM MArvEl
Smile (Sept. 30)
You see a weird, smiling person and then die within a week or something? Look, I’ve got a thing for rule-based horror B-movies. Think “The Ring,” “The Grudge,” or even “Nightmare on Elm Street,” in which the supernatural nonsense is bound by some hyper-specific set of guidelines, and survival means figuring out a loophole. I now see that I am describing riddles or board games … It’s like that, but a movie!
Halloween Ends
(Oct. 14)
Speaking of risky horror movie picks, this is a gamble after “Halloween Kills” was such a turd. Normally, I’m a huge fan of repetitive chanting and disappointment, as I’m a Chicago Bears and Cubs fan. Here’s hoping the final part of this trilogy is more like the first and less centered on a group of townspeople hurling slogans at a slasher.
Decision to Leave
(Oct. 14)
Park Chan-wook makes a movie, I see that movie. It’s similar to the Florence Pugh rule, but there’s a lot less risk of an accidental Timothée Chalamet. Park’s latest is another Hitchcockian jam about a detective getting entangled with a suspect who maybe killed her husband. I don’t know the full story, but I’m inclined to say “Good for her” and 100% ready to cram this flick in my eye holes.
Black Adam (Oct. 21)
poorly as the canceled “Batgirl” film. But this one has the Rock and the other one had a lady hero and was helmed by a pair of Muslim directors. Weird how one will open in a bajillion theaters and the other is now an IRS con job. Anyway, the trailers look bland and inert, but I’ve gotta see it if only to make sure the DC fans who threaten me online don’t get bored!
The Banshees of Inisherin (Oct. 21)
This reunion of the gang from “In Bruges” that features another take on a weird friendship dramedy is low-key my most anticipated flick remaining this year. Adding Barry Keoghan to a movie that has nothing to do with comic books is a bold move. Can this recapture the Brugesy magic? If it gets even close, it’ll make my top 10.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(NOV. 11)
Whether or not you agree with the way Marvel is handling the tragic loss of Chadwick boseman, you gotta admit that trailer was one of the single best ever made. Who knows if this franchise can function without the beating heart at its center. but I believe in director Ryan Coogler, who has yet to make a single misstep. And again, did y’all see that trailer? We’re all gonna cry so much.
The Menu (NOV. 18)
We simply do not get enough “black comedy horror” films, maybe because it feels like we live in one? Anya Taylor-Joy and Nicholas Hoult play a couple who eat at a restaurant run by Ralph Fiennes. I wonder what the terror-filled twist is? Gluten. The twist is that all the food just has so much gluten. All the gluten from the gluten-free foods has been made into monstrous dishes made exclusively of gluten. The horror…
She Said (NOV 18)
Whether or not we’re ready for a movie about the Harvey Weinstein atrocities, it’s already almost here. Featuring the insanely talented Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, and Andre braugher, this film theoretically could give us an “All the President’s Men” and not a “bombshell.” It helps that this one is actually written and directed by women. I swear, though: If they give a bunch of Academy Awards to this movie after everyone in the Academy looked the other way during the actual Harvey Weinstein debacle, that’s just a level of dissociation that should be physically unattainable.
Women Talking
(DeC. 2)
I love that writer/director Sarah Polley’s latest is named something that sounds like a horror movie to more than half of our elected officials. With a knockout cast that includes Jessie buckley, Rooney Mara, and Frances McDormand, this Mennonite monster story is the real-life account of women systemically being drugged and raped. Will it be a hard watch? Sure. Will Polley and company deliver something remarkable? I am as sure of that as I am that ads will not run on Fox News.
FILM
CUTTING ROOM
by Ryan SyRek
Avatar: The Way of Water (DeC. 16)
you remember “Avatar,” right? That’s the White savior cartoon movie with stretched-out Smurfs who have sex with horses through hair. I may have some of that wrong … I do find it hilarious that this is considered “live action,” but if we were in the business of telling James Cameron what to do, Kathryn bigelow probably would have had her Oscar earlier. This is another one I’m less excited about and more contractually obligated to attend and discuss. Here’s to making it the new top-grossing movie of all time for no reason!
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (DeC. 21)
It really feels like the studio should have had to pick between this and “black Adam” coming out within a few months of each other. That’s just too many lightning bolts on chests for one season. The first “Shazam!” was tolerable, making it a watershed moment for the DC universe. This looks less so, but I am holding out hope for the ability to give another lukewarm thumbs up. Hooray?
Babylon (DeC. 25)
After “La Land” had its best Picture Oscar yoinked back in what remains the best Academy Award moment in history, director Damien Chazelle clearly plotted his revenge. “babylon” looks like the most self-congratulatory Hollywood movie of all time, as it is set at the transition from the silent films to talkies and features brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and a sprawling cast of big names … including Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers? A three-plus-hourlong celebration of cinema history is practically daring the Academy to deny Chazelle again. Please do it exactly like last time.
We’Re OffiCially lONg eNOugh pOST-“TWilighT” TO embRaCe VampiRe-CeNTRiC CONTeNT agaiN. ThiS iS eSpeCially TRue Of Omaha-baSeD VampiRe CiNema. liKe pRODuCe, all VampiRiSm
ShOulD be lOCally SOuRCeD. IMAGE: COURTESY OF SEAn ROURkE.
Sean Rourke is a film editor who has worked on stuff you love, including various Marvel movies and TV shows. Still, his heart belongs to a nice set of fangs ... “Omaha isn’t exactly known for its vampires,” Rourke explained. “I figured it was time to change that.” As someone who may or may not have but definitely did do vampire role playing in high school, I salute this noble quest. In his spare time, the Rourke runs a YouTube channel (youtube.com/c/TheVampiresCastle) that “celebrates the vampire genre.” Celebrate sounds glittery, but no word on whether he’s the one who applied glitter to Robert Pattinson’s torso. He recently dropped “Black Ambient: Journal of a Vampire Hunter” online (youtu.be/ hqVjWVCZZQk) more than 25 years after it was shot around the Big O. “We shot all over Omaha,” said Rourke, “from the Old Market to Gene Leahy Park, to Olde Mill, to West O, and then the big final confrontation takes place in the old Astro movie theater.” It’s a faux documentary that is perhaps the only Bram Stoker-inspired flick to ever shoot in the alley behind a Spaghetti Works. It’s also a lot of fun and the kind of passion project that wasn’t available to nerds like Rourke and I when we were growing up. “There was no YouTube back in 1996. But there is now, so I’ve remastered the whole thing and released it online for its worldwide premiere!” Few things warm my heart like someone already doing cool things in movies saying, “Hold up, I need to drop my 26-year-old passion project wherein Omahans murder a Dracula.” Give it a spin and smile. Gotta love a month when I can start a column with back-to-back plugs for local filmmaking! Omahow about that?! Too much? It felt like too much. Anyway, good news: Film Streams (filmstreams.org) is still running two of the films from its 13th annual Local Filmmakers Showcase at the Dundee Theater. From Sept. 23-29, you can see Peter O’Brien’s “Drawn Together,” which is the tale of a young boy’s adventures with a pup. From Oct. 14-20, you can spin “Pre-Existing” from Kevin Isaacson. It follows a husband’s quest to buy a life insurance policy for his wife. “Chapters” by Pinaki Modal was the third film in the series. It ran the last week of August and followed a retiree preparing to move back to India. They may not feature climactic, Spaghetti Works-set vampiric battles, but each sounds like its own fresh slice of local yum. I’m only doing this because it’s too thematically great not to mention: Alamo Drafthouse La Vista is doing a brunch screening on Saturday, Sept. 10, and Sunday, Sept. 11 … of the final two “Twilight” movies. See? I got to bookend with vampire stuff! They call that a “Lestat Sandwich.” Absolutely no reason has been given as to why Alamo was like “Yes, 21 years after 9/11, we must celebrate our continued freedom by drinking bloody Marys while watching a fake baby so legendarily terrifying, stories are still told about it 10 years later.” I know there’s never a bad reason to get together for brunch and watch “Twilight” movies. We all do it. I am just thankful they did it this weekend so I had a second slice of bread for this Lestat Sandwich.!
