The Reader - February 2020 by PioneerMedia.Me

4 First Tuesdays Left before the General • Primary

 MAY 12

F E B R UA RY 2020 | volU M E 26 | I SSUE 12

e v i t a l s i g e L e h T t c A g n i Balanc efty h a e c fa s r e k a m Law could slate of bills thatska reshape Nebra

w l in g b y C h r is B o

JOBS: Blueprint Nebraska ART: Concert for Birdland BUZZ: Mardi Gras in Omaha FILM: Best and Worst Movies of 2019 DISH: Are You Fan Enough? HEARTLAND HEALING: Metals of Honor HOODOO: Blues Heats Up BACKBEAT: The New Pornographers THEATER: Backstreet’s Back in the Day OTE: Winning The Election Quiz 25TH: Remembering the Unforgettable Eric Stoakes

FEBRUARY 2020

publisher/editor........... John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designers........... Ken Guthrie Sebastian Molina copy chief....................Robyn Murray copy@thereader.com associate publisher........ Sal S. Robles sal@pioneermedia.me

COVER: Legislative Balancing Act

THE BUZZ: Best Places to Celebrate Mardi Gras

JOBS: Blueprint Nebraska

25th: Remembering the Unforgettable Eric Stoakes

PICKS: Cool Things to Do in February

DISH: Testing Omaha’s Food Challenges

ART: Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

healing...............Michael Braunstein info@heartlandhealing.com arts/visual.................... Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com eat.................................. Sara Locke crumbs@thereader.com film.................................Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo................. B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com music..................... Houston Wiltsey backbeat@thereader.com over the edge..............Tim McMahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater.................... Beaufield Berry coldcream@thereader.com

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THEATER: Backstreet’s Back in the Day

HOODOO: Blues Heats Up

BACKBEAT: Interview with The New Pornographers’ Frontman Carl Newman

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FILM: Best and Worst Movies of 2019 / Cutting Room

HEARTLAND HEALING: Metals of Honor

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Love Your Job by Steve Kerschke

f you’re in a phase where you absolutely hate your job and can’t stand to start the workday because of it, take solace. You’re probably not alone. Of course, switching jobs remains an option, but one with potential hassles that include lost benefits, seniority or even unemployment if you don’t find another job right away. According to experts, it’s entirely possible to switch your attitude with-

out actually switching your job. There are steps you can take to like – or even love – your job again so you don’t have to find another one.

Are people the problem? Sure, clients and customers can be a big reason a job seems unbearable. Sometimes, however, the problem is more about

February 2020

the people with whom you work. Gossiping coworkers, tense bosses and unreliable team members can make an otherwise enjoyable job miserable. Look at your surroundings and decide whether it’s the people you work with who make things difficult for you. If yes, seek a change. Perhaps switch teams or telecommute from home where you can do your work without facing stress-creating co-workers.

Your request for a change should focus on what enhances your productivity. Don’t blame everyone else for being hard to work with.

It’s not them – it’s you. Maybe the problem isn’t actually your work. Maybe it’s a result of not taking care of you. Before you decide your job needs to go, take a close look at

February 2020

J yourself. Inventory how everything is going. Do you eat right and get enough sleep and exercise? If you’re run down and unhealthy it’s only a matter of time before you try to blame something outside yourself. You might decide outside circumstances, like your job, make you unhappy when it’s actually your own doing. Make some healthy changes to your lifestyle and see if this makes you feel better about your life – and your job.

Climb the todo mound. It’s no wonder you hate your job if every workday

entails a pile of tasks you can’t shrink no matter how hard you try. If “too much work” is caused by too much procrastination, get a grip on your productivity and focus on what’s possible now. But if “too much work” is caused by your boss’ unrealistic expectations, it’s time to have a frank discussion to show your workload is unmanageable. An effective supervisor will respect your concerns and help you delegate or step away from parts of your unmanageable workload. An ineffective supervisor, however, will likely just get mad things don’t get done and toss blame around. If you get no help after you ask for it, the prob-

February 2020

lem’s not your workload – it’s ineffective leadership. Bottom line – get organized however you can to assure you don’t fall too far behind.

Leave work at work. It’s hard to not allow work to permeate your life. People are far more accessible than they used to be. Work calls and emails can pop up regardless of the time of day or night. Telecommuters may find they’re quite literally unable to step away from their work because it’s always there, even at home. Set firm boundaries with your co-workers. For example, don’t answer

work emails late at night. Instead, save them for when you’re actually “at work.” To unwind and forget work is an important defense against hating your job. Not vacationing is detrimental to your health and also to how you feel about the way you earn your living. If you’re always on the clock and thinking about work, you’re more likely to resent it and feel unhappy. After all, distance makes the heart grow fonder. If you never distance yourself from the job, how will you ever grow to love it?

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We have multiple openings for Software Engineer in Omaha, NE; travel and/or relocation to various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S. is required. Responsible for designing, programming, coding, and analyzing new computer programs and data structures in accordance with specifications and user needs. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering (any), or any technical/ analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus five (5) years of experience in an IT/Computer-related position. Alternatively, will also accept an Associate’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering (any), or any technical/ analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus six (6) years of experience in an IT/Computerrelated position. Requires Five (5) years of experience with the following: Java, J2EE, APIGE EDGE, Java Script, and Node.JS. Any suitable combination of education/training/experience acceptable. To apply, email Resumes via email to postings@prokarma.com with Job Ref #089007 in subject line.

ProKarma, Inc. Software Engineer #088260

We have multiple openings for Software Engineer in Omaha, NE; travel and/or relocation to various unanticipated locations throughout the U.S. is required. Responsible for designing high-level architecture to implement monitoring and alerting solutions for customer services on ICINGA server. Design serverless Node-JS applications and work with development teams. Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering (any), or any technical/analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus five (5) years of experience in an IT/Computer-related position. Alternatively, will also accept an Associate’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering (any), or any technical/ analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus six (6) years of experience in an IT/Computer-related position.. Requires Five (5) years of experience with the following: Java, J2EE, JMS, SOA, Weblogic server, Oracle or SQL server, Maven, and HTML. Any suitable combination of education/training/experience acceptable. To apply, email Resumes via email to Postings@ProKarma.com with Job Ref #088260 in subject line.

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February 2020

C O V E R

The Legislative

Balancing Act by CHRIS BOWLING

orning light floods the hallway, soaking polished stone floors and rough masonry walls in a harsh glow. Bronze busts of Nebraskans, such as Chief Standing Bear and author Bess Streeter Aldrich, look out opposing windows onto a snow-covered courtyard at the Nebraska Legislature in January. In that stillness, State Senator Megan Hunt, who represents Midtown neighborhoods, including Benson and Dundee, is animated. On her feet, punctuating sentences with her hands, she talks about issues from food insecurity to abortion. But just as she’s hitting her stride, a man pops around the corner.

they’d shuffled the schedule. Now she’s on deck. “What?” she exclaims, already turning to run down the hall, her blue suede shoes clacking on the floor behind her. Things move quickly in the Nebraska Unicameral. Even as senators jump between meetings and legislative sessions, there’s always competition for their attention. A swarm of lobbyists, journalists and others waiting to carve out a slice of their time. Research to hack through that never stops piling up. Fundamental differences of philosophy and personality to bridge.

while each year it ultimately inches toward some end, many say this year’s path looks uncertain. “I mean, it could just completely break down,” said State Senator Wendy DeBoer, who represents an area that includes northwest Omaha and Bennington. “If we don’t find ways to negotiate with each other and work together in the next couple weeks, then it’s going to be a long session.”

In the 10 minutes since she left the legislative chamber

Whether balancing time, interests or bottom lines, every session is a tightrope act. And

This year, evergreen issues, such as property tax reform, are coming to a head against heavy hitters, such as a bill to give tax breaks to businesses, titled ImagiNE Nebraska, and funding for a massive $2.6 billion University of Nebraska Medical Center project that would position UNMC to be the nation’s leader in disaster management. They’re geared

Photos courtesy Nebraska Legislature

Megan Hunt

Wendy DeBoer

“Senator, your bill is up.”

Balance, it turns out, is a senator’s greatest asset.

February 2020

up to not only be the biggest issues, but also to have their votes linked. Last year, a group of mostly rural senators blocked ImagiNE Nebraska following failure to pass property tax reform. A similar fight is expected this year with both bills returning, largely unchanged, as well as the addition of a separate bill to provide UNMC funding, which would come from ImagiNE. Among Omaha senators, a variety of strategies has emerged to find a solution this time around. But it’s also raised anxieties about how large the shadow of these issues will loom — whether other bills will get their time and how the debate will affect existing tension between rural and urban senators.

Lou Ann Linehan

C O V E R For experts like Renee Fry, executive director of the Nebraska think tank OpenSky, the tension and linking of major proposals are far from typical. “I’ve never seen anything [like this] where you have such huge policy implication,” she said. “I mean big, big, big proposals that have been tied this way. I don’t remember a time where we’ve been looking at something like this.” And that doesn’t even touch the more than 500 other bills, resolutions and amendments also introduced, all of which need to find some conclusion in this short 60-day session that ends April 23. But in the face of that challenge, many Omaha area senators share an optimistic outlook. Because, while there’s no predicting the session’s outcome, there’s generally an understood expectation that everyone is working toward a common goal: a better Nebraska.

But, for some, that process, as messy as it is, contains the magic of the Unicameral. “It’s almost like a ballet or dance when things are working well,” Hunt said. “It’s so graceful and smooth. It always surprises me when that happens.” ‘This is going to take all the oxygen out of the whole session’ In recent years, property taxes have evolved into a central issue of the state, taking a toll on rural areas especially. What’s more, the state’s dependence on property tax revenue to fund its programs has increased in recent years as tax cuts since 2006 have cost the state $900 million, according to Fry. “We’ve had this gradual shift where we’ve put more and more on property taxes,” Fry said. “Without revenue to address that shift, nothing changes.”

What that means for each individual varies, and the path to that end goal is filled with political maneuvers, hardfought compromises and an always-on-your-toes readiness.

Efforts to solve this issue have fallen into a seemingly unbridgeable divide of rural versus urban interests that’s pitted school spending against property tax relief.

John McCollister

Tony Vargas

But this year, some say the issue feels like it’s hit a tipping point. The primary bill to address property taxes, introduced by State Senator Lou Ann Linehan, who represents northwest Omaha, Waterloo and Valley, is informally tied to ImagiNE Nebraska. That program would give billions in tax breaks over its lifespan as well as to the $2.6 billion UNMC project, which would receive $300 million in state funding — $50 million each year for six years. The remaining funding for the project, which could create 87,000 permanent jobs, would come from city, private and other sources in a bid to eventually win federal funding of possibly $1.5 billion. Fry said it’s not uncommon to tie bills together to achieve compromise. However, she added, to do it with issues this colossal with far-reaching policy implications hurts the overall debate.

DeBoer introduced her own legislation to address property taxes with an emphasis on maintaining strong school funding by preserving the current funding model and doing away with an inflation cap proposed in Senator Linehan’s bill. “Ultimately, the biggest difference in our bills is whether we fundamentally believe schools spend too much money or not,” DeBoer said. State Senator John McCollister of central-west Omaha said property tax woes concern both rural Nebraskans and Omahans. “Pressure from our constituents is so intense that minor differences can be ironed out,” McCollister said. “You go door to door like I’ve gone and that’s the topic that everyone talks about.”

Among Omaha senators, the issue’s elicited a variety of responses. For some, it’s a call to action to jump into the debate.

Hunt said she’s made it clear she’s not going to get into the nuts and bolts of the property tax debate. When she sees a good plan, she’ll support it. Hunt won’t support ImagiNE Nebraska, however, because the bill doesn’t include language to protect discrimination based on sexual orienta-

Mike McDonnell

Renee Fry

“In terms of process,” she said, “it’s terrible.”

February 2020

C O V E R tion or gender identity, she said. “When you’re talking about developing workforce and giving people jobs, but you’re voting for discrimination in these jobs,” she said, “I don’t think you’re taking workforce seriously.” Hunt’s main focuses are backing bills to allow college athletes to make money off their likeness, expand the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and reverse a bill concerning education around a two-step chemical abortion treatment. She knows those controversial bills will take serious muscle to pass, which isn’t surprising. What is surprising is the effect issues like property taxes and ImagiNE Nebraska are having on even the most non-controversial bills. One bill Hunt introduced would allow for the creation of arts districts in Nebraska, a federal designation that opens opportunities to funding and grants to support creative endeavors. Hunt said Nebraska is currently the only state without these types of districts. Any other year, Hunt said she’d expect this bill would get fast-tracked to approval given its uncontroversial nature. However, the larger debate puts that in jeopardy. “This is going to take all the oxygen out of the whole session,” she said. DeBoer agreed. Though she’s jumped into the property tax debate, she recognizes there are issues getting shortlisted. As a member of the judiciary committee, DeBoer said prison overcrowding has specifically caught her attention.

“This summer we’ll have an overcrowding emergency declared,” DeBoer said. “And there’s no indication from anyone that we think we’re going to actually get below the 140 percent designed capacity threshold that we’d need to [in order to] solve the emergency.” Others, such as State Senator Tony Vargas, who represents downtown and South Omaha, say while property tax reform is a huge issue in the state, it ranks very low on the priority list for his constituents. Instead, his constituents have made clear their priorities lie in education, health care, housing and workforce development. This session Vargas is introducing bills that would lower cell phone taxes, which he said disproportionately affect poorer people who rely on phones for the now-fundamental need to access the internet. On housing, Vargas said he has bills that could incentivize development of old homes in his district — a process that could equalize access to affordable housing. “If we’re able to pass a lot of these different middle-income housing bills or affordable housing bills,” he said, “we’re going to create the type of environment that is creating a community that has multiple options of housing rather than further segregating our cities.” Others are optimistic that their bills will find space in the debate. State Senator Mike McDonnell, who represents South Omaha between 72nd Street and I-480, has introduced a bill to allocate money to establish language assessment tests for deaf children. He’s also introduced legislation to

February 2020

fund added positions within the Department of Corrections that connect young offenders with education and workforce development programs. McDonnell said it’s true issues such as property tax reform and ImagiNE Nebraska will take up a lot of time. However, he said, senators work in good faith and understand opening the conversation for issues beyond their own constituency is essential to the big picture. “You take care of your own backyard, but you also look out for the state,” he said.

Bridging the divide In 2018, state legislatures across America took a hard turn. For the first time in a century, all but one state lawmaking body were controlled by a single party. To many, the revelation was a sign of increasingly uneasy times. Since 1994, both parties’ political antipathy toward the other has nearly tripled, according to a study by the Pew Research Center. In 2016, Pew also found not only had the division widened, but it also became more vitriolic. A full 45 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats said the other party’s policies were a threat to the nation’s well-being. And while the Nebraska Legislature isn’t free from those societal trends, its position is unique. Since 1937, the Nebraska Legislature has been the country’s only nonpartisan state lawmaking body. That means officials are elected without their party affiliation on the

ballot, and there’s no formal party leadership in the legislative body. While it may seem superficial, as most senators don’t try to hide their party affiliation, it has an impact on lawmaking. Hunt remembers talking to a lawmaking friend in Pennsylvania whose bill was taken off schedule because he supported a Republican’s bill. “If that happened here,” she added, “people would flip shit.” Indeed, party influence in the Legislature can be limited. In August of last year, McCollister, a Republican, began tweeting his frustration with his party. He said the GOP had “enabled white supremacy” and was “complicit to obvious racist and immoral activity,” and he called out other Republican senators and representatives for looking the other way. Suddenly, the suburban Omaha senator’s face was plastered across Twitter and network television feeds with talking heads on both sides weighing in. Back home, the Nebraska GOP told McCollister to leave the party. But McCollister, who’s caused party friction in the past by supporting legislation for climate change, Medicaid

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C O V E R

expansion and reproductive rights, hasn’t stopped. He’s still a Republican, still in the Legislature and still tweeting his dissatisfaction with the GOP. And how has that stymied his ability to work in the Legislature? “So far not much that I can tell,” he said. McCollister still holds positions on key committees, such as revenue, legislative planning and executive board, and doesn’t believe his tweets will jeopardize any of the 11 bills he’s introduced this session. The reason being, without a party leader looming over him, McCollister said he feels free to vote his conscience and stand up for what he believes in. “Nobody objects to somebody standing up for principle,” he said. “But you can do it in a way that antagonizes people, and you can do it in a way that respects the other senators in the body.” And that sentiment, following conscience before party, is echoed throughout the body, especially in electing committee chairs, which often feature a mix of Republicans and Democrats. It was also apparent when the Legislature defied expectation in 2015, abolishing the death penalty and then overriding the governor’s veto. It stems from a mutual respect for your colleagues, which Hunt said is inevitable in a 49-member lawmaking body.

“I like my colleagues,” she said. “I like them because I hang out with them, and I get drinks with them, and I can ask them, ‘Why do you think that, dude?’ We can really talk directly about these things.” But not everyone sees the Legislature so free from influence. Lobbying still plays a big role in Nebraska politics. Fry said that influence is visible in the ImagiNE Nebraska bill, for which some senators are feeling pressure to vote a certain way. “They’ve had lobbyists tell them, if you don’t support this, we’re going to find an opponent and run them against you,” she said. And while it’s not uncommon for those conversations to happen, Fry said they became more widespread last session, particularly around this issue. “It’s made a lot of folks who are up for reelection pretty nervous,” Fry said. Others worry how term limits have affected the partisanship of the Legislature. Since their introduction in 2000 and implementation in 2007, term limits have caused more polarization around issues and between senators, according to a University of Nebraska study in 2015. The study found this made it harder to form trusting relationships and that there was a significant increase in sup-

February 2020

porting bills along party lines in sessions between 2006 and 2010.

Others have their attention on issues such as abortion, health care and prison reform.

However, senators say division on recent issues is less a function of party beliefs than geography. And even those aren’t impassable.

Also in the purview is next year’s redistricting process. With U.S. Supreme Court cases and national media coverage, redistricting and gerrymandering promise to engage senators and the public and reignite familiar frictions.

“There is a different set of issues for urban senators and rural senators,” DeBoer said. “It doesn’t mean that urban senators don’t care about doing things to support rural Nebraska and vice versa. But there’s a different perspective.” Hunt, a self-described leftist progressive, knows she’s got strikes against her when it comes to bridging political and cultural divides. But she’s been surprised how willing people are to listen, meet in the middle and respect one another. “It’s because of those good relationships that maybe they’ll drag my bill through the mud,” she said, “but they won’t drag me through the mud.”

What to watch Along with property taxes, business tax breaks and proposed funding for the UNMC infectious disease center, there are plenty of other controversial and wildcard bills that throw the fate of this session into question. Fry said OpenSky’s biggest concern is about how rigorous debate will be.

“There is a rural, urban divide,” said McCollister. “It’s going to be particularly acute when we do redistricting in 2021 because rural Nebraska could lose two to three seats.” It’s a lot to unpack, especially in a 60-day session, and promises the kind of fight that’s both exciting and secretly anxiety-inducing for senators like Hunt. At the end of last session, Hunt said she left the Unicameral feeling dismayed. Nothing moved fast enough, and no issue ever felt resolved. But she’s still here, still willing to stay up all night working on bills and hunting down senators to iron out legislative nuances. Because, despite their differences, she’s found most senators share a common directive — one that trumps ego and political theater and keeps the cogs turning year after year. “As cynical and pessimistic as I can be,” Hunt said, “it’s almost always the case that people are working in good faith.”

February 2020

Blueprint Nebraska

New jobs, people and income: how to reimagine Nebraska, solve its biggest problems and get it done by 2030 by Chris Bowling

or years, Nebraska has lagged in terms of retaining and attracting young talent. Recently, the problem’s become more pronounced as thousands of residents are leaving every year for jobs and opportunities in other states. In April 2018, a group of private and public partners, called Blueprint Nebraska, gathered to find out why and piece together a plan that could make Nebraska’s economy nationally competitive for years to come. After 15 months of research, the group, started by then-president of the University of Nebraska Hank Bounds and Governor Pete Ricketts, released its plan last summer. The result,

which included input from about 7,000 people either online or in-person at 60 different statewide events and oversight by 320 advisors, set goals for drastic change by 2030. Over the next 10 years, leaders of Blueprint Nebraska aim to attract 43,000 young adults, add 25,000 more jobs and increase per-capita annual income by $15,000. Former State Senator Jim Smith of Papillion heads the group as executive director. The organization also includes a 21-member steering committee co-chaired by Union Pacific Chairman Lance Fritz, of Omaha, and 21st Century Holdings Pres-

February 2020

ident and CEO Owen Palm, of Scottsbluff. Among high-priority steps to achieve that: realigning Nebraska’s tax strategy, promoting diversity and inclusion, upgrading transit, expanding internet access and rejuvenating community centers from the Main Streets of small towns to cultural hubs in major cities.

The details of that plan are contained in a 100page report released on Blueprint Nebraska’s website, blueprint-nebraska. org. A 10-page summary is also available.There is no estimated cost in the report or explanation of how these initiatives could be paid for. In forecasting Nebraska’s economy and building a long-term roadmap, re-

February 2020

Blueprint Nebraska New jobs, people and income

searchers looked to make changes in four categories: people, places, government and industry.

People Developing workforce and improving quality of life for minority populations are the two pillars of the “people” category. Included in workforce development is the growing issue of thousands of jobs going unfilled due to workers having mismatched skills. The report estimates that employment gap costs $11 billion in would-be wages and $824 million in tax revenues. Blueprint Nebraska’s solution is to have the most internships and apprenticeships per capita of any state in the Midwest to build skills and advance career paths. Blueprint Nebraska also proposes to increase state funding for early childhood education and improve academic standards for students from kindergarten through college. Aside from workforce development, the plan also focuses heavily on how to bring people to the state and make it more welcoming to minority communities. Blueprint Nebraska cites studies from U.S. News & World Report, Move.org and

Wallet Hub that rank Nebraska 48th in citizen equality, 40th in income gap by gender, 43rd in education gap by race, 48th in employment gap for disabled people, 37th in racial and ethnic diversity and 28th in inclusivity for LGBTQ+ families. Solutions for the “people” category include establishing mentor programs, encouraging companies to make diversity a priority and improving programs for disadvantaged people — enhancing services for mental health, child care and homelessness being a few. On the back of that, Blueprint Nebraska also wants to start a “Choose Nebraska” campaign that would work in tandem with other state advertising to attract and retain 18- to 34-year-olds.

Places For the “places” category, Blueprint Nebraska calls for a big investment in arts, entertainment and recreation across the state but specifically in rural towns, pointing to the success of Broken Bow’s multimillion-dollar revitalization as a model. The report also mentions increasing internet connectivity as well as building 30,000 to 50,000 new affordable homes. Less than half of people in ex-

February 2020

treme poverty have access to affordable housing, the report says. It also notes transportation as a key issue. The report lists thousands of bridges that are either deficient or poor in quality while also stating the need for Omaha and Lincoln to have more modernized transit systems that include all-electric, bus-based rapid transit with dedicated lanes, driverless shuttles and shared electric car fleets. It also calls for an increase in in-state air travel as well as national service to tech cities such as Boston and Austin.

industries that already have strengths in Nebraska as well as cultivate new ones where there’s weakness. Though agriculture is Nebraska’s greatest economic asset, adoption and innovation of ag tech has trailed. The report’s plan includes marketing, infrastructure development and increased research and development to make ag tech a priority in the state. In an effort to grow the state’s tech industry, Blueprint Nebraska also imagines creating tech clusters that will promote local entrepreneurship.

Government For a report replete with big-picture goals, its aim for government is no exception — make it simpler, more efficient and more effective. The report proposes a comprehensive review of all taxes and how to optimize them for growth. In addition, the report calls on government to tighten up on incentive programs to both increase efficiency of business tax breaks and pass savings along to the state.

Sectors Among the goals of the report’s last category is to take advantage of existing

In 2020, Blueprint will enter its next phase — delivering concrete strategies based on proposals in its report. Six regional teams will devise these strategies and work in communities to bring even more volunteers and partners into the fold to develop concrete solutions to their goals. On Feb. 14, project leaders will meet with community members in Kearney to share information about their initiatives and seek guidance in prioritizing action. To get involved or educate yourself on the plan, visit blueprint-nebraska. org.

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Remembering the

Unforgettable Eric Stoakes

by Leo Adam Biga | Photos by Debra Kaplan

hen Eric “Big Daddy” Stoakes died at age 51 on Feb. 16, 2018, the local journalistic community lost a charismatic original. The affection expressed for this dancing bear of a man made those of us who didn’t know him envious of the bond others shared with him.

tor of the Tomahawk student newspaper. He galvanized his career ambitions at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where the honors student helmed The Gateway.

As The Reader’s 25th anniversary celebration winds down, remembering Stoakes is apt since he helped shepherd this paper’s mid-life maturation as its creative and promotions director. His contributions extended beyond The Reader to Kidz Magazine and Omaha Magazine. He co-founded the distinctive Medium, which folks still fondly recall decades after its short run. Most recently, Stoakes was managing editor of Encounter.

Though I was a contributing writer for many of the pubs Stoakes served, our paths rarely crossed — a function of my never being an intern, a staffer or a section editor. Plus, I was several years older. Our sparse contact was limited to bloodless phone calls or emails. Thus, he was an enigma to me, and I suppose I was to him.

Omaha’s print media fraternity is small. Anyone who spent any significant time in it the past three decades either worked with or for Stoakes. The Wahoo, Nebraska, native caught the journalism bug at Millard South High School, where he was edi-

He soon became a familiar name and face in Omaha’s professional publications circles.

In reading the tributes assembled for this piece, I feel I missed out not knowing this creative. Those who did describe a bigger-thanlife presence with a colorful style all his own and an insatiable appetite for life. He was, by all accounts, a generous sage and mentor and a crackling storyteller, tastemaker and thought-leader. He liked instigating fun in the pressure cooker world

February 2020

of media but remained a real stickler for getting things right. He openly, unapologetically cared about the craft. Deeply connecting with a fellow traveler in journalism, especially one so passionate for the work, is a gift to be treasured. I was impressed to discover that wherever he worked he fashioned a creative salon environment built on curiosity and collaboration, and he delighted in cultivating and encouraging young talent. Though a mystery to me in life, it’s fallen to me in his death to memorialize this irrepressible dude about town. I regret not having known him better, but I’m honored to share the impressions he made on others. Photographer Bryce Bridges recalls when Stoakes, then editor of Omaha Magazine, paid him ultimate respect. “I suggested a slightly ‘sexy’ image to be the cover. He liked the idea, but when he took it to the editorial meeting it was shot down. He told everyone at the ta-

ble they were wrong, stood up, gave his notice and went home. I was caught completely off guard. I had never had anyone believe in me so much and back one of my suggestions so vehemently, much less quit their job.” Stoakes was coaxed back, the photo ran on the cover, and he and Bridges “began working ever closer” as “a creative team” — later launching Medium together. Former Reader editor Tessa Jeffers recalls Stoakes having her back. “The most important thing he gave me was friendship. Right behind that … inspiration. Eric was a lover of life with an open heart matched by an ability to dream and the fearlessness to act on it. In my time at The Reader, Eric was the person I was closest to. We were thick as thieves and looked out for each other like extended family. He was a brilliant collaborator because he thrived on the possibilities of yes and who cares about no. “The man had a style and a vision all his own. Among my fond memories is seeing the cover illustrations and

2020

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February 2020

“Eric’s vision, creativity and spirit will continue to live on in all of us whom he developed, mentored and lifted up.” graphic visuals he would create every week out of thin air or being part of the wildly fun events he coordinated. “Eric was gentle with people and could get along with anyone, but he had a backbone, and I respected his opinion and trusted him. I knew he believed in me and would always support me. We had a kindred spirit in that way. I believed in him, too. He was a mentor to me in my first ‘real’ job as a reporter and editor.” L e s s - t h a n - t e c h - s av v y comrades, such as Reader art editor Mike Krainak, valued his patience. “Being something of a luddite as the paper screamed forward with its digital presence, I dominated his emails with a constant flood of basic questions. But Eric never flinched, never faltered. And in our phone conversations he was the calm, cool, collected one.” Many now-veteran journalists, like Jeffers, editor of Premier Guitar, got their professional starts with Stoakes because he gave them the

opportunity. Sarah Wengert, who worked with him across many platforms, is another. “He taught me endless unscripted lessons about publishing, journalism, creativity, communication, kindness, grit, the ability to always just ‘make it work’ no matter what,” Wengert shared in an Omaha Magazine article. She noted “his extraordinary knack for uncovering and nurturing talent in others.” “Eric’s vision, creativity and spirit will continue to live on in all of us whom he developed, mentored and lifted up.” You really get to know someone when you’re pulling all-nighters to beat deadlines and kicking back a few to let off steam. Melanie Clark, president of Clark Creative Group, knew Stoakes from UNO, Kidz and Today’s Omaha Woman. “He was passionate about his work, and this showed in every one of his writing and design projects. He was passionate about the issues of the day and always sided with those he felt mistreated

February 2020

or struggling. He was passionate about music, art and artists, and endlessly supported them. He was passionate about animals and raised money for their care. Most of all, Eric was passionate about his friends. If Eric loved you, you could do no wrong in his eyes, and he would move mountains for you. I was fortunate enough to be one of Eric’s beloved people for 31 years.” Stoakes’ Omaha Magazine colleagues valued the wealth of sources, insights and skills — from editing to design — he brought to the table. But what they most admired was his investment in people. “He pushed people to be their best, whatever that meant to them,” said senior editor Tara Spencer, “and you couldn’t be mad at him because it always came from a place of love. He just wanted the best for all his friends. Because of Eric, I went back to college and got a degree in journalism. When I graduated, he hired me at The Reader. Eventually, he went to work at Omaha Maga-

zine, where he’d worked previously, and got me a job there. I literally would not be where I am in my life if it weren’t for Eric.” Reader publisher John Heaston so admired Stoakes’ work from afar that he wooed him to join the team. “We worked hard to bring him to The Reader, where we felt he had a real home in alternative news,” Heaston said. “Together, we navigated some really tricky waters in the publishing business. Eric was instrumental in our shift towards digital services, while making sure our media operations shined and new talent developed. “He is a publishing lion and legend that is truly missed. No one had a bigger heart, and even with a strong mischievous streak he was always a thorough professional. His legacy goes on in all the former interns now emerging or standing as leaders in our community.” Rest easy, Big Daddy, your peeps are paying forward what you gave them.

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D I S H

Are You Fan Enough? Is too much of a good thing a great thing? Omaha eaters put their stomachs to the test with these local food challenges. by Sara Locke

ebraska is more than simply nice. We are utterly abundant. What better way to experience that abundance than through MASS CONSUMPTION? Food challenges are more fun to watch than to participate in, and it is this voyeuristic sickness that brings you this month’s article. The difference between the food challenges in Omaha and those in several other places I’ve visited is the foods you are expected to eat in gargantuan proportion here are generally truly appetizing. It’s not simply a mass quantity of food; it’s a ridiculous amount of food you’ll be happy to take home after humiliating yourself with public failure.

And so, in no particular order, we bring you some of Omaha’s favorite food challenges.

Porkasaurus Challenge

vy with your choice of three silver-dollar pancakes or two slices of buttered toast. (Ragged deep breath.) The meal weighs a whopping 3 lbs. 0.7 ounces and must be finished in one sitting. An episode of Man v. Food featured the challenge in 2019.

Where: Bailey’s Breakfast and Lunch | 1259 S. 120th St., Omaha

Prize for Completion: T-shirt and a photo on the wall of fame.

What: In 30 minutes or less, you’ll have to finish: two strips of thick-cut bacon, one sausage patty, two sausage links, one piece of quartered andouille sausage, one ham steak, six rashers of Canadian bacon, three eggs and a stack of home fries covered in grilled onions and cheddar and jack cheeses served beside biscuits and sausage gra-

Challenge Level: Novice. This is one of the more achievable items on our list today, but not one those with blood pressure or heart conditions should attempt!

Stellanator Where: Stella’s Bar & Grill 106 S. Galvan Rd, Bellevue What: You’ll have 45 minutes to stomach six burger patties, six fried eggs, six pieces of cheese, 12 rashers of bacon, along with lettuce, tomato, fried onions (but, like, a LOT of fried onions) pickles, jalapenos and peanut butter between two buns with a generous portion of fries.

One of the most obtainable challenges on our list, the Porkasaurus, is no slouch. Jules Winnfield would not approve. Photo credit: Bailey’s Breakfast and Lunch.

February 2020

Prize for Completion: While those who fail will shell out $35 for the behemoth mouthful, anyone who can come in under the buzzer has

their meal (or what would account for six meals for any normal human) comped, a T-shirt declaring their victory and a photo on the wall of fame. Fame doesn’t elude the losers, however, and their pictures adorn the adjacent wall of shame where they can be booed at on the regular. Challenge Level: Intermediate. While the expert eater will believe this is a breeze, 20 minutes in most will be in way over their heads. As the food begins to cool and, dare we say, congeal, none of it slides down quite as easily. To those with the stomach for this mission, it has become a battle of the quickest, with one contender defeating the meat in only three minutes and 40 seconds!

The Big Joe Where: Frank’s Pizzeria 711 N. 132nd St., Omaha What: Choose your fighter! You and a friend have 60 minutes to crush 12 pounds of pizza. You heard right; the pizza is measured in pounds. That means that while you can choose your own toppings, leaving off mushrooms

D I S H What: 12 scoops, 12 toppings, 20 minutes. Can you defeat the Dundee Dozen? Contestants are offered warm or cold water to wash it down, and the 12 toppings are entirely up to you. According to Claire Benedix at eCreamery, that’s what gets many contestants into trouble. “A lot of people go for things like sprinkles, thinking it’s small so it won’t be filling. They don’t realize until too late that that many sprinkles start to get really chalky and slow you down. People have better luck choosing sauces like the chocolate or strawberry sauce.” Prize for Completion: A photo on the wall of fame and a victory tee.

Fans of Stella’s signature burger may think they’ll never get enough. But they often change their minds less than halfway through this towering butcher’s counter of a meal. Photo credit: Stella’s Bar & Grill. results in more mozzarella. Picking off pepperoni means piling on the peppers. No matter how you slice it, the 30-inch pie must weigh a full 12 pounds. Prize for Completion: Your $65 meal will be on the house, your photos will live forever on the wall of fame, and you’ll walk away with a T-shirt declaring your victory. Photos of losers will be plastered and blasted on social media for failing to finish. Challenge Level: Expert. While those first few slices of Frank’s finest go down like hot mozzarella, it’s hard to fathom just how much pizza

it takes to make a 12-pound pie. While there are many who come within spitting distance of victory, they generally find themselves closer to hurling over the finish line than gingerly stepping. This challenge isn’t for the faint of heart. Literally. Have your cholesterol checked and get clearance from a doctor before you try to put this much meat and cheese inside you.

The Dundee Dozen Where: eCreamery | 5001 Underwood Ave., Omaha

Challenge Level: Intermediate. Benedix and a coworker concurred that about one in six attempts results in a victory. The wall features 112 photos, but several are “honorary wins,” groups of children who have taken on the challenge and earned a spot through team effort.

Pig Wing Challenge Where: Starsky’s Bar N Grill | 7812 F St., Omaha What: Five pounds of fried “pig wings,” a bone-in tender cut near the shoulder of the pig. Doesn’t sound that challenging, right? Half of that weight is bones… right? But, in addition to that stack of meat, contestants have to finish a pound of corn nuggets and a pound of fries. Prize for Completion: Your $51 bill is comped, and

a Starsky’s tee will declare your victory. Challenge Level: Expert. As of this publication, Starsky’s Tommy Kirkman has informed me that only two people have successfully completed the challenge. An episode of Man v Food was filmed on location in October 2011, wherein contestant Matt Price attempted the feat. In spite of coaching from Adam Richman himself, Price is not one of the two faces gracing the wall of fame.

Eat Heat Challenge Where: Quaker Steak & Lube | 3320 Mid America Dr., Council Bluffs What: All they ask is that you consume six regular-sized chicken wings without water. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy! Except that lemon is squeezing directly into your eye because these wings are covered in Atomic Sauce at a whopping 150,000 Scoville units. Don’t worry my mild Readers, this challenge has been replaced … with the Triple Atomic Challenge, whose sauce reads at a dizzying 500,000 Scoville. Prize for Completion: Photo on the wall, bumper sticker, crippling acid reflux. Challenge Level: TBD. I was unable to contact anyone who had attempted the upgraded challenge. Medically speaking, however, this challenge would be taken against medical advice for anyone with stomach, esophageal, digestive or reflux issues.

February 2020

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Mon: Closed Tues: 11AM - 9PM Wed: 11AM - 9PM Thurs: 11AM - 9PM Fri: 11AM - 2AM Sat: 11AM - 2AM Sun: 11AM - 9PM

What: Two 1 ½ lb. beef patties, 10 slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions, between two pieces of Indian fry bread resulted in 4 lbs. of burger. Eaters also had to consume a full pound of fries, all in one hour or less.

RECORD STORE All Ages Welcome

Mon: Closed Tues: 11AM - 9PM Wed: 11AM - 9PM Thurs: 11AM - 9PM Fri: 11AM - 9PM Sat: 11AM - 9PM Sun: 11AM - 9PM

Prize for Completion: The wall of fame, perpetually named for the current record holder, was peopled with winners. Anyone able to displace the record holder walked away with a cool $100, in addition to the comped meal. Competitive eaters need not apply, as they could win the free burger, but not the prize money. Sinful wanted to keep this a civilian competition after

renaming the wall for more than one professional. The owners did, however, offer a $300 tab to anyone who could convince Man v Food to film an episode at the location, but Sinful has not yet made the list of Adam Richman’s Omaha stops. Challenge Level: N/A — This challenge was mentioned numerous times in my research for this piece, but it no longer exists. With the last winner announced less than a year ago, a call to the establishment confirmed the challenge was no longer available to diners. No other information was given.

Have you participated in any of Omaha’s food challenges? Let us know in the comments, or drop us an email at crumbs@ thereader.com.

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February 2020

Randy Santel, a professional eater, smashed the Pig Wing Challenge in 2011, before owners took the challenge down a notch by switching out one pound of corn nuggets for fries. Photo credit: Starsky’s Bar N Grill.

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B U Z Z

Mardi Gras in Omaha Ditch Valentine’s Day and Find Your True Love: Mardi Gras by Salvador S. Robles

lthough it seems like Jan. 1 was yesterday, and my resolution for a dry January dried up on Jan. 5, I decided to let the chips fall where they may and embrace the 2020 festivities all year long. Sounds like a hedonistic way to start the decade off, right? I have decided, however, to forgo one holiday this year: Valentine’s Day. Instead, I will focus all my pent-up energy into what really matters in February. Not love, but Mardi Gras! I have been to The Big Easy before, but unfortunately never during Mardi Gras season. My Februaries have been spent in good ol’ Nebraska, where I have passed the time by figuring out where the best Mardi Gras parties are. Omaha does share some love with our fellow Louisianans. This year, Fat Tuesday is Feb. 25, which gives you a whole month to check out my picks and find the best spots for your krewe!

Crescent Moon Dubbed Mardi Gras on Beer Corner USA, this has

been one of my favorite places to enjoy Fat Tuesday for the past couple of years. The party that never stops giving, Crescent Moon is packing a whole lot of specials, which include Cruzan Rum Hurricanes on tap in all three bars, Southern Voodoo cocktails and Pint Night, featuring Abita Brewing Company’s Mardi Gras Bock, which starts at 4 p.m. Adding to the atmosphere, Mardi Gras partyers can expect free beads, my personal favorite and a staple of any Mardi Gras celebration, and festivities that kick off at 7 p.m. and run to midnight. A DJ and live music will entertain at this Krewe de Vie Fest.

Upstream Brewing Company Although more of a restaurant than a bar, Upstream Brewing Company in the Old Market deserves a second look for your Fat Tuesday festivities. Besides having a magician and face painting for all, food and drink specials

February 2020

will be featured all day long starting with $7 Hurricanes. Live music will start at 3 p.m. and run through 9 p.m.

Acadian Grille Sporting a new location in Dundee, Acadian Grille dubs itself as Omaha’s authentic Cajun experience. Besides the Cajun menu, Acadian Grille’s Tuesday special will stay the same, offering halfprice wines and Hurricane specials in the good spirit of Mardi Gras. Acadian Grille still has plenty of craft cocktails and local brews to try in a funky yet vibrant atmosphere. They will also have a traditional live crawfish boil, a house band in the evening at the Dundee location and beads and feathers galore. Expect expanded hours at both the Dundee and Miracle Hills locations.

Shucks Fish House and Oyster Bar

Shucks has long been known for serving up some of the best seafood in Omaha. They also have many Cajun-inspired dishes and drinks. Boasting three locations in Omaha, Shucks brings the Mardi Gras party to all three restaurants on Fat Tuesday. With raffles throughout the day, Shucks will offer customers a chance to win gift cards, T-shirts and beads. Shucks is known to serve some great Bloody Mary’s with the perfect amount of spice, tasty margaritas and their signature Wild Watermelon punch. Disclaimer: two per customer. Bottoms up: If you have the chance to celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans, I highly suggest you jump on that opportunity; but if you’ll be in Omaha for the biggest party in February, check out these places because Mardi Gras only comes once a year.

Remember to have fun, drink responsibly and tip your bartenders. Tweet us bar suggestions and follow The Buzz at thereader.com. Your bar suggestions could be featured in The Buzz.

P I C K S January 31 to February 16

February 4

Mamma Mia!

(Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh)

PART Crossroads Mall

Performing Arts Repertory Theater continues to impress local audiences with their modern and well-chosen seasons. They’re kicking off this new year with the show more than 60 million people worldwide have fallen in love with, Mamma Mia! ABBA’s feel-good hit musical is set in idyllic Greece and tells the story of Sophie, a young woman searching for her birth father, and Donna, her mother with an exciting past. Donna relives that past when three men, each claiming to be Sophie’s father, show up the night before her wedding and emotions and notes run high. Shows run Thursdays to Saturdays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $35 general, $30 for seniors and $25 for students. Call 402-706-0778. —Beaufield Berry

Post Malone CHI Health Center

There are two prominent artist portraits tattooed on Austin “Post” Malone’s left arm. The first is of Johnny Cash, head balanced on the palm of his hand, staring off pensively into the distance. Below that is the late Lil’ Peep, Malone’s fellow Soundcloud upstart who rose to fame for his combination of emo sensibility mix and trap production. Over the past four and a half years, Malone has conquered the pop world by trying to split the difference between the two. Since he burst onto the scene with “White Iverson,” the Dallas-bred pseudo-rapper has become famous for his ability to weave his lean-glazed warble into everything from disco (“Circles”) to bubblegum pop (“Sunflower”) to bare-bones country balladry (“Stay”). Like Drake, he succeeds not because he is able to master each of these genres, but because he can’t. Instead, he’s got an incredible knack for pulling out the most easily digestible bits, crafting mind-numbingly catchy hooks

around them, and then slathering on a layer of his signature bleary-eyed haze. By most metrics, the formula is working. On Spotify alone, he raked in 6.5 billion (yes, billion with a b) streams in 2019. Omaha is lucky enough to have the kickoff date to the second leg of his Runaway Tour so Posty should be fresh and ready to give his rabid fan base (Postmates? Maloners?) one hell of a show. —Houston Wiltsey

February 5

Jacquees

Sokol Auditorium

Jacquees is a chameleon. I’m not able to describe his style because, frankly, I don’t think he has one. The R&B artist from Decatur, Georgia, has been cranking out mixtapes for the better part of the decade, each of them distinct in their own way. On Round of Applause, he does a serviceable Usher impression over beats that sound like they were produced by The-Dream (they weren’t). A half-decade later, he’s ceding the spotlight to Dej Loaf on their collaborative mixtape, Fuck a Friend Zone. More recently, Jacquees has turned himself into an R&B singer modeled after his fellow Atlanta stars. His croon has been clipped to fit within the still-popular triplet flow, and you can hear the requisite ad-libs floating in the nether-regions of the production. Not to say that this is bad — in fact, some of the tracks accomplish 80 percent of the artists he’s lifting from — it’s just not original. Considering how few R&B concerts Omaha gets, this show should still scratch the itch. —Houston Wiltsey

FEBRUARY 2020

P I C K S through the Lens February 7 of Rudy Smith Work in

February 6

Curly Martin & Friends

1200 Club | Holland Performing Arts Center

Great Plains Black History Museum | 2213 Lake Street

Progress Petshop Gallery

explores the natural environment, often incorporating organic material into his pieces. Kranker’s multimedia work reflects places fixed in memory, including domestic settings that may be reflected through her imagery or her use of home construction supplies. Sculptor Swain works in a Dadaist vein, fashioning detritus with a discomfiting aesthetic. The exhibition continues through March 27. Petshop is located in downtown Benson. Find it on Facebook.

Curly Martin is trying to revitalize jazz in Omaha, whose Northside jazz scene once made this burg a vital stop for the idiom’s hottest players. North O also produced its share of musical talents. Martin, a drummer, was among a dynamic cohort of musicians with serious chops who emerged here in the 1950s and 1960s. Most, like him, pursued their careers outside Nebraska, collaborating with legendary names in the industry. Since doing a series of symposiums at the Hi-Fi House, Martin’s performed concerts at the Holland and The Jewell featuring cats he came up with on the scene. He’s recorded and performed here with his star producer-player son, Terrace Martin. Now this old lion of Omaha jazz is back with his mates for a sampling of classic and contemporary tunes for a new 1200 Club gig. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. Reserve your seats at www.ticketomaha.com. —Leo Adam Biga

February 7

The Black Experience 28

—Janet Farber The late photojournalist Rudy Smith long envisioned a book featuring his images of the African-American diaspora in Omaha. Though he died last December before publication of The Black Experience through the Lens of Rudy Smith, he worked hard selecting photos for the project from his vast archive with help from the Omaha World-Herald’s book editor, Kristine Gerber. The volume is a testament to his legacy as an award-winning chronicler of his times and people and to his role as a civil rights champion. Smith made images with history in mind, and his respect for preserving momentous events and figures in the black community is why he served on the board of the Great Plains Black History Museum (GPBHM). The museum is displaying a free exhibition of his work during Black History Month. The exhibit’s opening reception is at 6 p.m. His book will be available for purchase at GPBHM, and part of the proceeds from its sale will support the museum. –Leo Adam Biga

FEBRUARY 2020

February 7 It’s still the sad state of affairs that no universities in Omaha offer an MFA program, usually considered an essential qualification for professional visual artists. Amplify Arts has stepped into that breach with its Work in Progress program, and the art from its first cohort of “students” — Travis Apel, Elizabeth Boutin, Anne Dovali, Holly Kranker and Tyler Swain—will be on view at Benson’s Petshop with an opening on Feb. 7 from 6 to 9 p.m. During the 10-month program, the artists received feedback through critiques, practiced critical writing and participated in collaborative, interdisciplinary endeavors. Boutin creates emotionally resonant paintings inflected by her experience with the military. Conversely, Dovali works in mythic and fantastic realms, combining sacred and baroque iconographies with rhinestones and googly eyes. Sculptor Apel

Origins

Modern Arts Midtown

Modern Arts Midtown will host a second opening for their current group exhibit, Origins, on Feb. 7. The exhibit features artwork from six of this gallery’s varied roster. Each of the artists creates works that are not immediately evident as to their unique medium or their creative inspirations and outcomes. Look for mysterious mosaics of unidentifiable colors and shapes, as in Graceann Warn’s encaustic wax and oil paintings, or Michael James’ contemporary take on quilts. Jason Papenfuss’ elemental, cryptic photographs exemplify how non-representational subject matter can alter perceptions of the medium.

P I C K S The exhibit, which runs through Feb. 28, also includes work by Paul Konchagulian, sculpture; James Freeman, collage; and Edgard Camacho, painting. Find more at modernartsmidtown.com. —Kent Behrens

February 8

Fact and Fiction in

Contemporary Photography Joslyn Art Museum

artists in a variety of media from photograms to images exposed on film and printed in the darkroom to compositions constructed from multiple digital captures. Fact and Fiction in Contemporary Photography is open during all regular museum hours: Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; late ‘til 8 p.m. on Thursday. General admission to the Joslyn Museum is free. However, there is an additional charge for special exhibitions. For more details, go to joslyn.org. —Elmer Ellefson

February 8

Magu-

EP Release Show Drips 2205 N. 24th St.

Magu- ’s latest effort, titled Renovate, is easily its most confident and focused yet, sustaining a familiar sonic palette that emphasizes soundscape-building over anything else. McInnis’ voice is definitely still central to the record’s mood-building, but the many instrumental detours Renovate takes are what impress the most. Guitar solos abound, as do dreamlike synths and tone-setting basslines. A lot of it feels heavy and dark, like an acid trip gone wrong, leading you to wonder whether you’ll still come out of the experience the same. The album’s title suggests otherwise. The release show features DJ Kethro and Mr. E & the Stringless Kite. A $7-10 donation is suggested. More information is available by searching “Magupresents Renovate EP Release Show” on Facebook. —Sam Crisler

February 8

The Bel Airs The time-honored expression “A picture is worth a thousand words” suggests that we can communicate complex ideas through one single image. In the pre-digital world of photography, these images were believed to be factual and unaltered. Fact and Fiction in Contemporary Photography, organized by Toby Jurovics, chief curator at Joslyn Art Museum, explores and challenges that perception in a new exhibition opening Feb. 8 and continuing until May 10. The exhibit examines “pictures intended to convey insight or careful observation,” according to Joslyn’s show statement. Featuring several

The Jewell

What began as longtime Omaha musician Dave McInnis’ first foray into solo songwriting, Magu- has quickly become one of the most talked about names in the Omaha underground. McInnis launched the project in 2018 with the tight, earnest and impactful EP, Change of Heart, and a split EP with Omaha singer-songwriter Jacob James Wilton. To this point, the band’s music has largely been an enjoyable grab bag, ranging from piano-pop to sexy sax-rock. But

The Delta blues, mid-century rock ‘n’ roll and classic rhythm ‘n’ blues of The Bel Airs take center stage at The Jewell on Saturday, Feb. 8, 6 to 9 p.m. in a Blues Society of Omaha presentation with the downtown nightclub. The Bel Airs offer up both deep soul and heavy grooves. They continue to deliver incendi-

ary shows while wrapping up their third decade of entertaining enthusiastic fans. See this month’s Hoodoo column. —B.J. Huchtemann

February 12-15

Lincoln Exposed 2020

Various venues

Another new year brings another edition of Lincoln Exposed, the annual downtown Lincoln music festival featuring a majority of the city’s music scene, i.e., 100plus bands at five different venues. The festival lasts four days — starting Wednesday and ending Saturday — with each venue hosting five or more acts every night. Among the lineup’s highlights are folk-punk band The Killigans, country crooners Jack Hotel, hard rockers Freakabout, prog-punk band Bogusman and dance-rockers A Ferocious Jungle Cat. There’s always something exciting happening at Lincoln Exposed, and it’s always less than a block’s walk away. See full schedule and ticket information by searching “Lincoln Exposed 2020” on Facebook.

FEBRUARY 2020

—Sam Crisler

P I C K S February 13

February 14

Tennessee Redemption

OEAA

Visual Arts Showcase

Stocks ‘n’ Bonds

Roberta & Bob Rogers Gallery

The Visual Arts Showcase will run until Feb. 22. Gallery hours: Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information: www. rbrg.org, info@rbrg.org or call 402-496-4797. —Elmer Ellefson

February 14 to March 1

The latest blues supergroup to hit the national scene comprises some of the brightest rising stars working right now. They make their Omaha debut at the BSO Presents show at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds Thursday, Feb. 13, 6 to 9 p.m. Tennessee Redemption’s members include Memphis-based Brandon Santini on lead vocals and harmonica and fellow Memphian, guitarist and vocalist Jeff Jensen. The band is rounded out by Timo Arthur, Bill Ruffino and David Green. See tennesseeredemption. com and this month’s Hoodoo column. —B.J. Huchtemann

February 14

Valentine Farewell

Fred Simon Gallery Multimedia artist Tim Guthrie will share a moving Valentine’s Day tribute to his late wife, Beth, when his new solo exhibit opens Feb. 14 at the Fred Simon Gallery. Best known for his new media exhibits (Nuclear Dichotomies, Extraordinary Rendition, The

Playboy of the Western World

Museum of Alternative History), Guthrie has returned to pencil and paper to create a series of personal portraits of Beth who passed in 2015 from Parkinson’s disease. “There’s a reason to return to it,” Guthrie said in an email. “I wanted to use intimate media and do delicate drawings if I was going to recall our first years together. It only made sense. When I first started dating Beth, I was painting and drawing. I did many portraits of her back then.” Guthrie estimated the exhibit will include six small drawings and one large painting. “I may not be able to resist a little new media, a short video — the flower from the film (the artist’s loving tribute to Beth, “Missing Piece”) as well as possibly some quiet audio.” This exhibit, which continues through April 9, also marks Guthrie’s return to true solo shows as he left the artwork intentionally to care for his wife during her long illness. He refers to the new body of work as his “farewell to her.” For more details, go to www.artscouncil.nebraska. gov.

FEBRUARY 2020

—Mike Krainak

First Central Congregational Church | 421 S. 36th St.

To whet your appetite for the category of visual art before the winners of the 14th annual Omaha Entertainment & Arts Awards are announced Feb. 16, the Roberta & Bob Rogers Gallery on Vinton St. will host a reception for its nominees Feb. 14, from 5 to 9 p.m. More than 30 artists nominated from 10 categories will exhibit samples of their artworks. This is a prime opportunity to view local art in a wide variety of media and styles. According to RBR G Director John Rogers, “It will be the state of visual art in the metropolitan Omaha area.” Categories in the arts awards include: Visual Artist, Emerging Artist, New Media, 2-D, 3-D, Group Show, Solo Show, Two Person Show, Public Art and Non-traditional Format.

Brigit Saint Brigit continues their tradition of annual Irish plays with J.M. Synge’s classic Irish comedy, Playboy of the Western World. The play was originally performed at Dublin’s Abbey Theatre in 1907, the national theatre of Ireland, which is still going strong. Set in a public house on the Isle’s west coast, we meet Christy Mahon, a young man on the run after killing his father. The locals are more entranced by Christy’s wild story than they are concerned about his morality; he even finds love. But it all may be too good to be true as Christy’s story unravels in unpredictable and hilarious ways. Enjoy the craic at this classic inundated with gorgeous Irish language, lots of laughs and a controversial past. During its first Ameri-

P I C K S can tour in 1912, Synge was arrested for producing an “immoral and indecent play.” Tickets are $30 general admission, $25 for students, seniors and military. Shows run Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Visit bsbtheatre.com. —Beaufield Berry

February 15

Seed Share Gifford Park Elementary School | 717 N. 32nd St.

available. Those sharing are asked to label all seeds. You don’t have to bring anything to participate. There will be plenty to go around. The 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. community event will also feature handouts on gardening topics, art projects for kids and healthy drinks and snacks. –Leo Adam Biga

February 15 to March 8

The Little Engine That Could The Rose Theater

Urban farmers and gardeners preserve the resilience and integrity of what they grow through good dirt, smart planting practices and naturally occurring seeds. Join fellow green thumbs for this time-honored tradition of neighbors sharing seeds. Organizers Big Garden, City Sprouts, Big Muddy Urban Farm and Omaha Public Library promote this as a form of social and environmental activism since seed sharing resists the privatization of plant genes by keeping seed-making in the garden and out of the laboratory, thus protecting local biodiversity. The practice not only preserves this age-old tradition and lets you connect with others, it also strengthens food security. Empty seed packets will be

If you’re interested in getting your littles into theater-going but are concerned about short attention spans, then the Rose’s First Stages is perfect for you. Created intentionally for young children ages two and up, First Stages creates memorable, entertaining, gentle and usually interactive theater that parents and caregivers can enjoy, too. They’re bringing back The Little Engine That Could, adapted by the Rose’s artistic director Matt Guttschick, which is a reimagining of Watty Piper’s classic book celebrating confidence, perseverance and helping others. I’ve taken my kids to many of the First Stage shows and would definitely recommend it as a beginning to falling in love with theater. Shows run Saturdays and Sundays at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and Mondays at 10 a.m.

The 11 a.m. show on March 7 provides ASL interpretation. Tickets are $12 for non-members and $10 for members. Call 402-345-4849 for more information or visit rosetheater.org. —Beaufield Berry

February 16

14th Annual Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards

you-really-love-me gushes. Cocktail hour and red carpet begin at 5 p.m. Awards show at 7. VIP, reserved seating offered. Tickets $35 to $60 and available via Eventbrite. —Leo Adam Biga

February 19-22

Blood at the Root

Weber Fine Arts Building | University of Nebraska at Omaha

Slowdown

Every year, creatives gather to love on their local art and entertainment crushes at Omaha’s version of the Oscars. Friends, fans and family mingle with nominees and insiders to celebrate the metro’s emerging and established visual and performing artists. This is a chance to express appreciation for hometown favorite winners across 50-plus categories. A lifetime achievement award will also be presented. Live music and stage performances complete the evening. As with any unscripted, live spectacle, expect some awkward moments, fashion hits and misses, and acceptance speeches ranging from graceful to hilarious to

Dominique Morrisseau has built a fruitful career writing about the unexamined black life. Blood at the Root is her latest ensemble drama based on the true story of the Jena Six, six black students charged with attempted murder for a school fight, initiated by nooses hung from a tree on campus. This play is a powerful view into miscarriages of justice, racially charged class crises and their many repercussions. Morrisseau’s other work includes the evocative and slice-of-life plays Detroit 67 and Skeleton Crew. Blood at the Root runs Feb. 19 to 22 at UNO, with 7:30 p.m. showings, and continues with performances at the Union for Contemporary Art through March 8. General admission is $16. UNO students get in free at the UNO performances. For tickets, visit unomaha.edu/unotheatre or call 402-554-PLAY.

FEBRUARY 2020

—Beaufield Berry

P I C K S February 19-23

band has stripped back the needle-in-the-red fuzziness (think The Exploding Hearts) in favor of a more streamlined approach à la the Cars or the Knack. When they do let loose, like on “Ring” or the solo at the end of “Hard Luck,” it’s more controlled. That will definitely not be the case for their show at Slowdown.

Language of Angels

Lied Education Center for the Arts | Creighton

—Houston Wiltsey Naomi Iizuka is known for her work in nonlinear plays that incorporate tradition, culture and the supernatural. Language of Angels takes the best of all of those and creates an eerie atmosphere for Iizuka’s paranormal play set in the cave country of North Carolina. A young girl goes missing in a cave, and one of her friends may be responsible. As no one steps forward, they find themselves more and more entwined with her tragic fate, maybe enough so it becomes their own. This show has roots in the Japanese Noh style of playwriting, bringing two worlds (Japan and Appalachia) crashing beautifully together. It will leave you with much to think about and likely sleeping with the light on. Performances are Wednesday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18, $15 for seniors and $5 for Creighton students, faculty and staff. Visit boxoffice.creighton.edu or call 402-280-1448. —Beaufield Berry

February 20

Eclipse Trio The Jewell

February 23 Kansas City’s Eclipse Trio returns to the Jewell for two shows, 6:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20. Eclipse Trio is Everett Freeman, DeAndre Manning and Mike Warren. Freeman is a recipient of Hallmark’s recognition as a young Kansas City musician performing in the tradition of the late, influential Jay McShann. Expect a mix of contemporary jazz, R&B and soul from some veterans of the current Kansas City jazz scene. For more information see jewellomaha. com.

Art & Soup lease press. One of Alligator’s more recent signings and an equally fiery guitarist, Jarekus Singleton , also performs. See tinsleyellis.com and this month’s Hoodoo column.

Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center, La Vista

—B.J. Huchtemann

February 20

White Reaper Slowdown

—B.J. Huchtemann

February 20

Tinsley Ellis Stocks ‘n’ Bonds

Blues-rock guitarist Tinsley Ellis celebrates his new CD, Ice Cream In Hell (Alligator), with a CD release party as part of the BSO Presents series at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds Thursday, Feb. 20, 6 to 9 p.m. The disc dropped Jan. 30, and Ellis describes it as a tribute to the “three Kings” of the blues, B.B., Albert and Freddie, and promises “more guitar than ever,” in pre-re-

FEBRUARY 2020

With the title of their 2017 album, the Louisville band White Reaper declared — in a very tongue-in-cheek manner — that they were The World’s Best American Band. With this year’s You Deserve Love, the Kentucky quintet is showing that they mean business by pushing the power-pop sound they perfected on the last record to new heights. However, the

The Visiting Nurse Association is able to put a nurse in every local homeless shelter from the proceeds of this annual event that presents a sumptuous feast of signature soups, breads and desserts by star Omaha chefs and restaurants and original art by local artists. This event embodies what food for the soul is all about. VNA’s Shelter Nursing Program provides nursing services in all Omaha and Council Bluffs homeless and

P I C K S domestic violence shelters and to youth living on the streets. These nurses, who are the first and sometimes only health care contact for at-risk individuals and families, provide physical and mental health assistance, referrals to community partner services and navigation of the health care system. The event starts at 2 p.m. General admission tickets ($50) and Patron Party tickets ($100) are available online at vnatoday.org/artandsoup or by calling 402-930-4170. Patron Party attendees get first dibs on sampling the event’s gourmand treats, previewing the silent auction and buying original artwork. —Leo Adam Biga

February 24

Ceremony Reverb Lounge

and frontman Ross Farrar delivering the lyrics in a voice that felt like more of an inspiration than evocation. If The L-Shaped Man was their Closer than In the Spirit World Now is their Movement – slightly brighter, synth-focused, but not a complete departure. If we’re being honest, the record has more in common with Gang of Four than the Manchester new wave band. Regardless, it will be interesting to see how the new material is presented. Last time the band played Omaha, its members were crammed inside Sweatshop Gallery, thrashing around with the fans. Are five years and a change in venue enough to mellow the group out? I sure hope not. Show opens with Jocko and No Thanks. —Houston Wiltsey

February 27

Juanjose Rivas

Low End | Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts

California punks Ceremony return to Omaha to support In the Spirit World Now, their first album on Relapse Records. On their last record, The L-Shaped Man, the group created their best approximation of a Joy Division record, full of murky bassline and simple, sticky guitar lines,

Part artist and part mad scientist, Juanjose Rivas manipulates electronic media to create speech from the translation, error, obstruction and interference inside

artistic languages. The visual-sound artist is in the midst of a sound art residency at the Bemis, where this new performance from his Plexus series will present an alphabet in which each letter is a sound action based on different body movements. In his work he’s attempting to do nothing less, he says, than define the impossible, reveal the hidden, articulate the unspeakable and evidence the truth as an instituted lie. Only he knows what that means, but it will be worth seeing-hearing his creative concept come to life. His work has shown across the world and now graces the Low End, the new music venue at the Bemis. The 7 to 9 p.m. show is free. –Leo Adam Biga

tion? The heartwarming story told by the surprise indie film hit written and directed by John Carney is very much the story of the play. In the throes of love, the couple write, rehearse and record songs that celebrate their union. The score is performed entirely on stage, with the actors doubling as orchestra musicians. Like the film, music and lyrics are by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, including the Academy Award-winning “Falling Slowly.” The book for the musical is by Enda Walsh. In this Playhouse production, Jay Hanson plays Guy and Melissa King plays Girl. The director and choreographer is Playhouse Artistic Director Kimberly Faith Hickman. The opening night show is at 7:30 p.m. —Leo Adam Biga

February 28 to March 22

February 28

Hawks Mainstage Theatre | Omaha Community Playhouse

1200 Club | Holland Performing Arts Center

Once

The source material for Broadway musicals can come from anywhere: popular songs, comic books, poems, movies. So why shouldn’t a 2007 modern-day film musical about an Irish busker guy and a Czech immigrant girl finding romance one week in Dublin inspire a Tony Award-winning stage adapta-

Stefon Harris & Blackout

The Los Angeles Times calls Stefon Harris “one of the most important artists in jazz.” Stefon Harris & Blackout’s most recent release, Sonic Creed, was cited as “Jazz Album of the Year” by WBGO, the world’s preeminent jazz radio station. Harris is a virtuoso vibraphonist who expands on the traditions of greats Lionel Hampton, Milt Jackson and

FEBRUARY 2020

P I C K S Bobby Hutcherson. Harris has recorded as a member of the SF Jazz Collective and The Classical Jazz Quartet. Sonic Creed reunites Blackout for the first time since 2009. At that time, NPR called Blackout “a troupe of music mercenaries adept in the language of jazz, the strut of soul music and the raucous ruckus of breakbeats, go-go and new-jack rhythms.” See this critically acclaimed jazz group Friday, Feb. 28, 7:30 p.m. in the intimate 1200 Club at the Holland Performing Arts Center. Tickets at ticketomaha.com. —B.J. Huchtemann

February 28

Spontaneity: 10 Abstract Painters from Nebraska Gallery 1516

Although the many “isms” that arose with the birth of non-representational art little more than a century ago have passed, the urge to create without specific reference to that which we see remains an impulse shared by many artists. Spontaneity: 10 Abstract

Painters from Nebraska focuses on the continued resonance of abstraction, and in particular the drive for the personal and gestural nature associated with abstract expressionism. Spontaneity features the work of contemporary artists James Bockelman, Diane Lounsberry-Williams, Ann Pape, Larry Roots, Mark Sabaliauskas, Nancy Teague, JK Thorsen and Beverly Todd, as well as the late Dan Howard and Jerry Jacoby. This exhibition brings together artists who share what the organizers describe as “the qualities of spontaneous expression, vibrant color, and unique use of line and form.” Collectively, they illustrate the virtual playground the canvas can become when working freely with the purely formal aspects of art. Spontaneity runs through May 17. The gallery is open Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more details, go to galler y1516. org. —Janet Farber

February 29

In Our Other Lives – 34

FEBRUARY 2020

Ted Wheeler

Book Release Party OutrSpaces

Celebrate with new Nebraska literary star Ted Wheeler (Kings of Broken Things) the release of his new novel. It centers on an FBI/NSA investigation into a family whose son disappeared in Pakistan while evangelizing into terrorist-controlled territory. “It’s a domestic-spy novel I started while contemplating how much of what we think of as our private lives is recorded on government servers,” said Wheeler. This work about abandoned faith, heartbreaking loss and intrusive invasions in a post9/11 nation is garnering strong praise. “With the pace of a thriller and the patience of a psychological study, In Our Other Lives depicts ordinary people consumed by tragedy and obsession. Wheeler skillfully depicts the struggles of mothers, missionaries and spies, while always paying attention to the small, beautiful impulses that make them human,” writes Jennie Melamed (Gather the Daughters). Wheeler, a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship winner, is a Creighton University grad. He teaches at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, covers a national news service civil-law beat, co-directs Omaha Lit Fest and helms the Dundee Book Company’s roving book cart. He will sign copies at the 7 p.m. OutrSpaces event and at a 1 p.m. Bookworm event on March 1. –Leo Adam Biga

“Counting Birds for Five Minutes,” 2019, still from video of John McCarty and LaReese Wolfenbarger, Ph.D., founders of the Laboratory of Avian Ecology at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Filmed at Glacier Creek Prairie Preserve.

Concert for Birdland Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing is an artful ‘science project’ for the senses on behalf of aviary ecology. by Kent Behrens

ne of the most popular destinations in Omaha’s Old Market is the Old Market Passageway. Once a simple urban alley, for several decades now it has been home to a variety of shops, restaurants and offices. The cozy space draws many local visitors and tourists, an occasional dog and, sporadically, a misdirected bird finds sanctuary. At any time throughout the year, an adventurous nighthawk or cowbird might locate a gap in the roof. Water is divinely provided by the Er-

innyes Fountain, and food is supplied by kindly staff and restaurateurs. It is just this intriguing interspecies cohabitation that is at the center of an equally interesting exhibit currently on view at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts. Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing is the creation of Canadian artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens. The illuminating, multimedia installation examines various ways in which human activity directly and indirectly affects avian

ecology. The show was curated by Sylvie Fortin, curator-in-residence at the Bemis, as part of her ongoing research into habitat, cohabitation and hospitality. Birds are found in art, folklore and myth across the globe, representing birth (stork), death (raven, crow) and rebirth (phoenix). They are often used as symbols of freedom and power. Humans have used birds as sentinels, as in the coal miner’s canary, hunters, communication tools, food and pets. For millennia, interaction between

humans and birds has been deep and complex. The exhibit, which continues through Feb. 15, consists of numerous small sculptures on nine tables placed around the room, with several video screens mounted on the surrounding walls. Each table contains a grouping of quietly simple wooden-block sculptures that, on initial assessment, appear to be child’s toys, mobiles and board games. Affixed to each of the nine tables are handwritten labels identifying each

February 2020

A sculpture and its “parts.” Primarily fashioned from wooden blocks of various uncomplicated shapes, some of the wood is painted or stained, and the pieces are arranged into individual abstract-looking sculptures, pinned and pierced with wire and occasional pieces of colored acetate. The video screens appear to be running videos of humans working with birds. It is not immediately evident as to what these abstract constructions represent. First impressions recall visions of a late-60s middle school science fair. Actually, the sculptures are three-dimensional, graphic representations of tables, graphs and charts. The blocks, wire and acetate form to the axes, columns, bars and charts.

The data presented in each sculpture are statistical and based on research from studies such as “Mergers and Acquisitions in Seed and Pesticide Markets (2017-2018)” or “Volume of Futures and Crop Production (Wheat, Oats, Barley, Rye).” Nightmare images of a failed Statistics 101 class aside, most of the sculptures bring the data and relative comparisons into the light. Since the artists have a reputation for collaborating with universities and scientists, we assume the data is accurate. The scores of individual sculptures are each part of two larger groups. “Futures” examines the intersection of biological and social systems with economic and technological changes in agriculture. Identifying

labels cite parameters, such as pesticide toxicity, landuse considerations, commodity prices and biofuel production. The second group, “Survival Editions of Popular Wooden Games,” reconstructs iconic wooden games, substituting labels referencing species and natural systems’ health, survival and demise. The geometric constructions mirror the concise graphics of well-designed and researched, two-dimensional presentations of statistical data and comparative analysis — the type we are so used to seeing in textbooks or early Power Point presentations. The unpretentious installation is accessible and enhances

the substance and poignancy of the data. The sculptures are accompanied by seven video screens placed around the room. Although it is not immediately evident as to the route one should follow, it does seem to matter much as each video is its own entity. They are part of a larger piece called “The Violence of Care” and are between two and 20 minutes long. Each portrays some aspect of human involvement with birds. These videos illustrate examples of ways in which humans interact with birds; more specifically, they highlight some important ways in which humans gather data and steward our avian cohabitants. For example, in “Feeding Juvenile Crows,”

Untitled installation from Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing.

February 2020

we are invited to eavesdrop on a meal and playtime for eight young crows, from the point of view of a stationary camera placed in their roomy, leafy enclosure. According to accompanying printed material, each of the crows suffered trauma of some sort, such as being attacked by a cat, abandoned in the wild or subject to unethical, long-term captivity. Their convalescence appears to be successful, as they are quite animated and even playful at times. Another of these, “Counting Birds for Five Minutes,” shows two researchers standing in the middle of a meadow, surrounded by grasses and wildflowers. One diligently records data as the other peers through the field glasses, searching for more elusive participants for their study. The scale is such that we don’t really see the birds; but the two researchers continue, diligently sighting and recording over the six-minute video. There is a bit of a humorous veil to the show — not mockingly, but more in response to the Sisyphean task or futile resignation about the many ways in which humans attempt to collect data and manipulate nature in order to help another species thrive. Several of the videos in this collection are filmed locally. For example, “Counting Birds for Five Minutes,” mentioned above, was filmed at Glacier Peak Prairie Preserve in Omaha. “CleanFebruary 2020

Untitled installation from Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing.

ing the Atlantic Puffins, Tufted Puffins, and Common Murres’ Exhibit” was filmed at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. Providing another respite from the seriousness of the message is the video running in the small room in the southwest corner of the gallery. “What Birds Talk About When They Talk” examines the calls of various birds by offering English translations of their songs and calls. The translations are humorous, touching and poignant. This one is a bit long at 27 minutes; but if

February 2020

you take the time, it is engaging. So, for that matter, is the overall exhibit. Ibghy and Lemmens have collaborated on works for more than a decade and are known for their multimedia projects involving the creative synthesis of complex and abstract ideas and data. Look, It’s Daybreak, Dear, Time to Sing runs through Feb. 15 at the Bemis Center, 724 S. 12th St. Further information can be retrieved from the artists’ website, ibghylemmens.com, or at bemis.org.

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February 2020

T H E A T E R

Backstreet’s

Back in the Day Howie D’s new musical makes its world premiere at the Rose by Beaufield Berry

illions of people across the globe have been inspired by the wildly successful pop hits of the Backstreet Boys, whose music has graced radio airwaves for more than 20 years. Howard Dorough, aka Howie D, has been one-fifth of that musical powerhouse since the beginning, signing on when he was just a teenager. Now Dorough is going solo and hitting a different kind of stage: musical theater. This month, Omaha’s Rose Theater is home to the world premiere of Dorough’s newest venture, Back in the Day, a coming-of-age musical pulled from Dorough’s own adolescence. Back in the Day, written by Dorough and his musical partners, Tor Hyams and Lisa St. Lou, opened Jan. 31. Directed by Matt Gutschick, the musical also stars Dorough — no doubt

prompting the show’s soldout status. (According to show organizers, some tickets sold as far away as Japan!) For true Backstreet Boys fans, this Omaha production is the first opportunity to see one of their favorite stars on stage in a more accessible way.

the creative team was workshopping an early draft of the script at New Victory Theater, which showcased the work to a broader theater audience.

Back in the Day chronicles Dorough’s early life, long before fame, as a middle schooler navigating life’s challenges. Raised by two loving parents, with different ideas about what Dorough should do in life and an overachieving older sister, young Dorough faces the question, “What do I want?”

“We conducted two workshops here in Omaha that focused mostly on elements of story that needed sculpting to either provide sharper humor or more authentic voice in the dialogue,” said Gutschick. “Finally, we held a workshop in New York to hone in on the music and the really important work of ensuring the dialogue bridges into and out of the songs logically.”

I got to sit down with Dorough and his creative team to discuss this exciting show and its path to Omaha. Gutschick, the Rose’s artistic director, first discovered the musical while on a panel in New York, where

In a musical workshop, the script can change rapidly. Songs and ideas are brought in or thrown out, and the show becomes a true collaboration between the team, which includes the partnering theater.

February 2020

“For a show that only runs for about an hour, it takes a lot of line-by-line testing to ensure the piece is hitting the mark,” said Gutschick. “Those changes will continue throughout rehearsals — a line that doesn’t sound right here, a lyric that needs an update there, etc.” For the writing team, the end result was a jump from where they originally started. “We started working on Howie’s new album and just mid-through we were, like, this is something bigger ... which coming from our background just made sense,” said Tor Hyams, alluding to his and St. Lou’s extensive experience in writing for musical theater. “I asked them, ‘What should we write about?’ and they were, like, ‘Well, your life story is pretty interesting,’” added Dor-

T H E A T E R

The world premiere of Back in the Day runs through Feb. 16 at the Rose Theater. ough. “So we went that direction, dealing with everything from being shy to being bullied to being in a multiracial family, being in an older sibling’s shadow ... we started creating a record that was very current and relevant for kids, and as we were doing it we realized we had something more than an album. We had a musical on our hands.” “The songs borrow beautifully from a lot of pop music sounds — everything from Lenny Kravitz to Wicked, to Ariana Grande, Florida Georgia Line. All of those pop music languages make their way into the piece, and it makes it so much fun to listen to,” said Gutschick, referring to the

original songs penned by Hyams, St. Lou and Dorough. “The story is so relatable to anyone, so that’s where we started writing from. And, along the way, we discovered more and more experiences we all shared,” said St. Lou. Dorough, like many performers, found his early beginnings in live theater. “I think my first musical was with my older sister, Pollyanna, who’s actually a character in the show,” he said. “That was the Wizard of Oz, and that’s how I got my start in the business. I was always doing a ton of children’s theater. That’s really come full circle now, doing this at the Rose, where you guys have such a great chil-

dren’s educational department here. I wish I had this level of education available to me as a little kid.” The catalyst for writing Back in the Day was Dorough, who is the father of three sons, finding himself having a hard time connecting musically to his children. “I could connect with them through movies that were out and things, but with music it was harder. It made me want to write music with kids in mind.” The result is the show, and it’s corresponding album, dubbed Which One Am I? The first video single from the album featured three generations of the Dorough family: Dorough’s mother and his oldest son,

who has also been bitten by the performance bug. “He’s taken voice and dance lessons, he’s been in musicals and now choir. He tossed between wanting to be an entertainer and be on his tablet. He even asked if he could play young Howie in the show,” Dorough said with a laugh. “He had a great time on the music video. He had a little anxiety, just like Daddy, but I explained to him that I get nervous every day before I go on stage, but it’s OK. I’ve learned to channel the creative butterflies to help keep me on my toes, so I got to share that with him.” Although set during Dorough’s childhood, long before he had his own children, Back in the Day is all

February 2020

T H E A T E R about family, specifically Dorough’s, whose mother is Puerto Rican and father was Irish-American. This biracial identity was at the root of many adolescent insecurities and confrontations. Wondering “Which one am I?” leads to some deep reflections on identity and weaves itself throughout the show. Finding the right actors to play Dorough’s parents and siblings in a culturally correct way was no easy feat, but the Rose was up to the challenge. “The cast is a mix of Omaha-based performers and professionals from around the country,” said Gutschick. “Most of them share an Omaha connection, which is exciting as we think about how to take a universal story about a kid finding his voice and translate that into a production for our specific community. “Howie identifies as bi-racial, and this forms a significant element of the story, which focuses on how he found a solid group of friends in the performing arts club at his middle school. We have an audience that spans the entire city, and it excites us to know that many children are going to see their experiences reflected on that stage.” Not only connecting identity to their performers but also being able to meet the stage stamina of a Backstreet Boy night after night was a requirement. “Howie has incredible stage presence after spend-

Howie D takes a selfie in the Rose’s main stage theater. ing so many years performing around the globe,” said Gutschick. “Backstreet Boys concerts are incredibly fastpaced, athletic events. So we wanted to bring that energy into the production of Back in the Day. That meant finding actors who could build out the world of the play while matching Howie’s performance energy and vocal skill.” When asked what he’s most excited to share with Omahans from this

February 2020

show, Gutschick said, “I’m pumped that our arts scene in Omaha is at a place where someone of Howie’s experience and stature in the entertainment industry thinks it’s a cool place to share his work. We want audiences to see themselves in this story and confidently pursue the activities and the people that make them the best versions of themselves. “We are thrilled to be sharing Howie’s story with

our audience, and to bring the Backstreet Boys fans to the Rose, some of them for the very first time.” Dorough said he’s been impressed with Omaha creatively. “I’ve always wanted to get back to being on the stage,” he said. “Never did I think it’d be a children’s musical of my own or in Omaha, Nebraska … but I’m excited about both of those things. I feel like I can really spread my wings here.”

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H O O D O O

Blues Heats Up

The popular Playing with Fire summer concert series announces a new venue for 2020, ZooFest and In the Market for Blues are back, and the club shows are going strong. by B.J. huChteMAnn

t may still be winter, but plans are already underway for this summer’s bluesroots festivals. Playing with Fire founder and organizer Jeff Davis shared plans for the 2020 Playing with Fire concerts, announcing a new venue for this summer’s shows. In an email to The Reader, Davis said the concerts will be held at the Capitol District, and the shows will take place Friday, July 24, Saturday, July 25, and Saturday, Aug. 22. Davis said “Bands will hail from: Amsterdam, Paris, Ottawa, Minneapolis, Memphis, New Orleans, Sydney and Omaha. Lineup will be announced mid-February.” Start times and further details will be released later, and fans can check the website for announcements or sign up for the email newsletter to stay in the know. See playingwithfireomaha.net. Davis also asked fans to note that at the new Capitol District venue “NO outside food or beverages will be allowed, as well as NO pets please,” adding, “Still gonna be free.” Since its start in 2004, Davis has kept Playing with Fire a free event for the whole community. Davis scouts festivals in Canada and Europe for top new talent. Then he works at

Jeff Jensen, left, and Brandon Santini, right, debut their new project, Tennessee Redemption, in Omaha at BSO Presents at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds Thursday, Feb. 13, 6-9 p.m. Photo courtesy Endless Blues Records. getting the artists he is most excited about booked to play for Omahans. More than 350 bands have played the series in its first 16 seasons, including top national artists. Take a look back at playingwithfireomaha.net/past-artists. Mark the dates for 2020 on your calendar and watch for the updated website with lineup announcements.

founded as a music venue in 1973, has announced dates for the annual ZooFest anniversary celebration, which will take to the streets at 14th & P in front of the bar Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11. Watch for the anniversary band lineup and keep up with all the latest at The Zoo Bar at zoobar.com and at fb.com/zoobarblues.

Zoo Bar Anniversary Dates Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar,

In the Market for Blues 2020 The brainchild of Omaha

February 2020

blues musician Hector Anchondo, created with the help of E3 Music Management, In the Market for Blues has put teasers on Facebook for a 2020 event. The multiband, multi-venue event has grown exponentially each year. Last year, it expanded from its Old Market base to include venues in the Capitol District and an outdoor stage. Recent years have added sponsors and supporters, including the Blues Society of Omaha. In the Market for Blues celebrates its sixth year, and the organizing team reports the 2020 date is locked in for Saturday, Aug. 1. Keep an eye on fb.com/inthemarketforblues and inthemarketforblues.tumblr.com for further details.

BSO Presents The Blues Society of Omaha’s Thursday blues matinee concert series continues to flex between several venues; however, all the February Thursday shows are at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds. All Thursday shows are 6-9 p.m. The Paul Nelson Band is up Thursday, Feb. 6. Nelson was a guitarist alongside the late Johnny Winter, also producing the 2014 Grammy-winning recording Step Back (Megaforce/Sony)

HOODOO for the legendary Winter. Vintage Guitar Magazine observes “He’s a soulful player who has chops to burn. The word ‘ferocious’ comes to mind, or ‘take no prisoners.’” The new band Tennessee Redemption makes their highly anticipated Omaha debut Thursday, Feb. 13. The band is the newest incarnation of the ongoing performing and producing partnerships between rising blues stars and longtime Memphis, Tennessee, musicians Brandon Santini (harmonica, vocals) and Jeff Jensen (guitar, vocals). Both are exciting performers on their own but make a dynamite pairing. They have teamed up with other Memphis musicians who have worked with both to form Tennessee Redemption. Rounding out the band are Timo Arthur (guitar, vocals), Bill Ruffino (bass, vocals) and David Green (drums, vocals). The band’s self-titled debut CD dropped in the fall of 2019. American Blues Scene says of the disc, “There are no boxes, no boundaries, no holds barred, or turns unstoned. This is blues music, and roots music, and soul music, and gospel music, and music to stir the soul from every direction.” Find music, videos and more at tennesseeredemption.com. Thursday, Feb. 20, popular blues-rocker Tinsley Ellis has a CD release party for his new Alligator disc Ice Cream In Hell. Guitar fans are in for a special treat as fellow Alligator artist and fiery young guitarist Jarekus Singleton opens the show.

Thursday, Feb. 27, Chicago bluesman John Primer returns. Primer was the longtime sideman and bandleader for Magic Slim, Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon before stepping out on his own. He is a 2020 Blues Foundation Blues Music Award nominee for “Traditional Blues Artist of the Year.” Keep up with all the BSO Presents events as well as a curated list of blues and roots shows at local venues at omahablues.com and fb.com/ bluessocietyofomaha.

Hot Notes One of Omaha’s longest-running original blues bands, Blue House with the Rent to Own Horns, celebrates their 30th anniversary with a show at the Horseshoe Casino’s Whiskey Roadhouse Friday, Feb. 7, at 9 p.m. The band was honored with an induction into the Nebraska Music Hall of Fame in 2018. See bluehouseblues.com. The New Pornographers play Slowdown Thursday, Feb. 13. Veteran country artist Tanya Tucker performs at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theatre Tuesday, Feb. 25, 8 p.m. Highlights of Lincoln’s Zoo Bar’s calendar include The Bel Airs Friday, Feb. 7, 5 p.m., Mike Zito & His Big Blues Band Tuesday, Feb. 11, 6-9 p.m., Chicago’s Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials Thursday, Feb. 20, 6-9 p.m., and Friday, Feb. 21, 5 p.m., and John Primer Wednesday, Feb. 26, 6-9 p.m.

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B A C K B E A T

Q & A. C. Newman The New Pornographers’ frontman on producing solo for the first time, reunion tours and returning to the sound of the band’s early albums by HOUSTON WILTSEY

The New Pornographers play Slowdown Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.

The Reader: I think most people consider you to be the de facto leader of the group but with John [Collins, bassist] not producing this record, did you see a dramatic shift in your role for this album? Carl Newman: The big change was that I became tech-savvy enough to work by myself in the studio, instead of standing behind John saying “Yes,

I like that!” or “Can I hear this guitar backwards?” The change in role involved a lot more solitude, but it was a lot of fun, playing with sound. The Reader: I think there’s this great unhinged maximalism to this record. The opening track has this power-pop edge. Both “Colussus of Rhodes” and “Dreamlike and on the Rush” have these gor-

February 2020

geous string flourishes, and then there’s a gentle psychedelia to “Higher Beams” and “Opening Ceremony.” After releasing two records that were a bit more focused sonically, did you want to create something that was a bit more expansive? Carl Newman: Yes, I definitely wanted it to be more expansive, and that’s why I was into the over-

the-top string sections. I wanted it to be a more overblown take on our earlier style. Some of the songs feel like they could have been on Twin Cinema, if we’d gone in a more aggro direction. The Reader: “Never book your farewell tour unless the reunion is in the books.” That seems like a fairly pointed commentary. Do you think it’s un-

B A C K B E A T fair that some bands are getting these massive offers to do reunion shows while you guys have been cranking out continuously great albums? Carl Newman: I was talking more about the fact that we can’t quit. If we break up, I better plan the comeback immediately. I need the money. The bands that are getting massive offers to reunite are just simply more popular than us. People want them more. Not sure that breaking up would bring us closer to that level. The Reader: Was the barb aimed at anyone in particular?

Carl Newman: No, but it does apply to a few different acts. The Who were the first band to stage a big farewell and then not stick with it. God bless them. The Reader: You guys released Brill Bruisers, which was your most successful album from a commercial perspective and then followed that up with Whiteout Conditions, which I would describe as quasi-krautrock. How would you position this record compared to those two? Carl Newman: I consider this record a throwback to our first three records. Maybe it isn’t, but that was in my head when

we were making it. I never know what record I’m making until it’s done. The Reader: Part of Whiteout Conditions was influenced by the political landscape. Lyrically, it seems like that still permeates Brake Lights. Is it difficult writing about that without getting discouraged? Carl Newman: I think I write to feel less discouraged. Writing can be a form of self-defense, trying to make something good out of the bad. Channeling it. The Reader: This year, the band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mass Romantic, and I was won-

dering what you find to be different between the band that crafted that record and the band you are today? Carl Newman: I feel like we’re the same band. I know we’re not, so much has changed, but we’re still friends. It’s still fun. It still feels like I’m winging it every step of the way. The Reader: Where do you think the band sits in the pop landscape at this point? Carl Newman: I have no idea.

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F I L M

The Best AND Worst Movies of 2019 The Last Top 10 List from Last Year You’ll Need by Ryan Syrek

feel like a broken record, which is such a dated reference. I feel like a glitch in the cloud? A repetitive autocorrect? Our hellishly redundant news cycle? Whatever. The point is that every year I have to explain why my annual best/worst movies list hits later than almost all others. Short answer: A monthly print deadline and the fact that studios simply don’t care about the opinion of Midwestern critics. “The year’s best films” often arrive here in the beginning of the next year, which irritatingly twists my giblets. I’m just saying — given the objectively awful awards nominations and winners

10 Best

Films of 2019 The following half-dozen flirted with my top 10 but never quite fell all the way in love. Kisses though!

I usually list my worst films of the year before the best films, but since my naughty list is likely to make many folks

• Wild Rose • 1917 • Spider-Man: Far From Home • The Lego Movie: Part 2 • Fast Color

10.) Uncut Gems The thing I’ve said the most about this movie: “It’s one of the best movies of the year. You’ll probably hate it.” This nightmarishly unpleasant urban fable about a degenerate gambler/manchild,

February 2020

go Bonkers McBonkface, I’m gonna save that for later. A spoonful of sugar helps my judgmental medicine go down.

At any rate, not a lot of caveats this year, in that I saw pretty much everything I was “supposed” to see aside from Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Clemency and Les Misérables, which still haven’t opened here. Hopefully, by the time they do we Midwestern reviewers will have learned how to read “subtitles,” whatever those are.

• Frozen II

The

thus far, maybe it’s time to rethink ignoring 90% of the country when building a critical cultural consensus.

This is an image from the year’s best movie, and I’m betting you probably still don’t know which movie I’m talking about!

played by Adam Sandler, is pure movie magic. People always assume that phrase —“movie magic”—is a happy thing. This is more cinematic Necronomicon than a boop from Glenda, the good witch. The best art provokes a reaction, and I sure reacted all over the place to this one.

9.) Knives Out Writer/director Rian Johnson’s saucy Agatha Christie-riff is a delightful whiff of murder mystery and light social commentary. Anchored by the aggressively amusing

accent employed by Daniel Craig, it takes itself just the right amount of serious and doesn’t cheat at all in revealing the “who” in the “whodunit.” Its success is proof that movies need not be sequels nor based on existing intellectual property to be a hit. They just gotta be, you know, good.

8.) Us Writer/director Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out may be better than Get Out. “Get out!” you may be thinking, but it’s true! A twisted tale of doppelgangers and

F I L M the duality of human nature, Us is both a sophisticated soliloquy on social morality and an homage to C.H.U.D. A more perfect hybrid hath never been spawned. The only things that kept Lupita Nyong’o from another well-deserved Oscar nomination were the Academy’s ongoing disrespect of the horror genre and their continued confusion that what Scarlett Johansson is doing lately is “good.”

of cartels bounce off American ears like bullets on pavement, but what López does here is impossible to ignore. A warped Walt Disney fairy tale presented like a campfire story and filled with some of the most ugly-beautiful imagery, the moral here is that you really need to watch this.

7.) Out of Omaha

forgot that it treats foreign films like second-class cinema. One family’s explicit and implicit waging of and raging against class warfare is somehow both hyper-specific to the Korean experience and universal. You’ll laugh at the most disturbing, tragic moment and want to weep at all the funniest bits. It’s a treatise against capitalism and cinema as sleight-of-hand. I know that, like, everyone has this in their top films of the year, but that probably means you should see it, right?

When I saw this movie late last summer, I knew it would have a home in my top 10. Director Clay Tweel’s passionate, patient documentary about the ongoing tyranny of urban segregation is as eloquent a treatise as I have seen from a young filmmaker. It gives a voice to the voiceless in a way that so many docs claim to do but don’t. Please understand: If this movie were about Boise, I’d still feel the same. It would probably have more potatoes in it, but it would be no less important and powerful.

6.) Tigers Are Not Afraid A brutal bit of magical realism from writer/director Issa López, this tale of tweens navigating gang violence and the supernatural in the streets of Mexico will absolutely gut you. Facts and statistics about the casualties

a Nazi-centric coming-ofage comedy didn’t resonate with everyone. But I’d argue that in an era when YouTube propaganda is radicalizing children, understanding how to combat that intellectual infiltration is pretty important. Also, imaginary Hitler eats a unicorn.

5.) Parasite 3.) The Writer/director Bong Joon Burial of Ho’s latest is so good that Kojo the Academy temporarily

4.) Jojo Rabbit Lots of people hate this movie, and not because of Scarlett Johansson’s performance, which would be a totally acceptable reason to hate this movie. Writer/director Taika Waititi’s sweet satire about how fascist ideology conquers young brains feels timely and fresh, partially because his turn as imaginary Hitler is funnier than it has any historical right to be. Look, it makes sense that

I could make a convincing argument for any of my top three films as being the year’s best. Since the first images of writer/director Blitz Bazawule’s fever dream hit my eyeballs, since the first notes of the score he provided sank into my eardrums, I have carried it with me. This tale of a woman recounting a fictionalized version of her youth in Ghana is surreal visual poetry that touches on issues of poverty and police corruption while asking how much of what we all remember about growing up is “real.” The overwhelming sameness of so much cinema is exhausting. Netflix gets a lot of shit about various aspects of their film distribution and production. I wouldn’t have seen this one without them, so they get a pass this year.

2.) Midsommar Writer/director Ari Aster is all about two things: repeatedly showing the violent explosion of heads and horror movies where the real terror

comes from our relationships. A trip to see the rituals of a small Swedish town becomes a tension-filled exploration of horrible romantic partners, narcissistic academics and the crucible of anxiety disorders. Its deliberate, plodding pace is sinisterly effective to the point where waiting for people to eat dinner nearly drove me mad. I loved this slow-ass movie so much, I saw the director’s cut in theaters. It was even longer and slower. And I loved it even more. Any other year, this is probably my favorite film.

1.) Aniara The best movie I saw this year is a sparse, Swedish, scifi flick based on an epic poem from the 1950s. I know, I hate me too. Seriously though, what writers/directors Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja have made is a movie that will absolutely stick to my psyche for the rest of my natural life. A ship ferrying passengers from earth to a colony in space runs into a bit of an issue. What follows is a contemplation of the meaning of life, an exploration of imagination and suffering and a reminder to hold tight to the things you love. This is a real thing: Sometimes I think about Aniara and almost start to cry. Many folks are gonna super hate this. But if it resonates with you, it’s really going to resonate. To those folks I say, come board this goofy Swedish spaceship as we drift on together forever. You got the best, now get the worst...

February 2020

F I L M

The

WORST Films of 2019

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February 2020

Before I do this, it’s really important to me that you know I am neither trolling nor being intentionally contrarian for some narcissistic reason. I legitimately hated these movies. It’s not some kind of symbolic gesture or posturing. It’s that I honestly thought they were very bad for various reasons. There, that should totally prevent anyone from being too mad at me. Right? Here we go…

5.) The Perfection I’ll say this much for Allison Williams’ “sexy” thriller: It goes for it! I almost embraced its grotesque weirdness, until it chose to use a vile plot twist reminiscent of too many real-life, horrific stories. But if body horror and Steven Weber do it for you, go to town.

4.) It Chapter Two Part of the joy in watching a Stephen King adaptation is saving time. Not here! This bloated, boring and frequently offensive turd belongs in the sewer from which it came. I did not care for it, could you tell?

3.) Men in Black: International It’s fitting that a movie that frequently uses a mind eraser is so forgettable. If I hadn’t written a review, I think I would have assumed I never saw it. A waste of Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Emma Thompson, which is an intergalactic crime.

2.) Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood And here we go… What most folks overwhelmingly found to be brilliant, I found exhausting and dull. It’s filled with one-note, silly performances working off a boring plot that ignores Charles Manson’s white supremacy, takes a shot at Bruce Lee for no reason and delights in brutalizing women. I’m not saying that emperor Quentin Tarantino has no clothes, only that what he wears is ugly.

1.) Joker If you can somehow get past the fact that this film’s thesis validates the vilest fantasies of social outcasts who think that violence will get them the attention and fame they desire, you’re left with a repetitive, wholly expected, derivative performance. I don’t know why slapping a popular character onto an amateurish Scorsese impression resonated with folks, but I hated it to the point where I’m willing to take crap for that opinion by putting it out there again.

F I L M If you want to see Ralph Fiennes with this hair making this face, head to Film Streams for their 90s Noir series.

CUTTING ROOM by Ryan Syrek

This February, Alamo Drafthouse will be on fire. Calm down, arsonists, that’s not a challenge. Alamo will be hosting a Cinema on Fire series throughout the month, featuring films chosen to complement the new French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire. On Valentine’s Day, nothing sets the mood quite like a shirtless Armie Hammer, so enjoy Call Me By Your Name. This is followed by Dog Day Afternoon (Feb. 17), Orlando (Feb. 19), and Cabaret (Feb. 21), three films that I’m going to guess have never been grouped in the same series together before. Remember, while these movies should spark emotion in your heart, you should not actually spark anything at all inside the theater.

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Speaking of quirky, themed screenings, Film Streams is ready to paint February and March black with their 90s Noir repertory series. Anybody can put together a good theme, but the maestros at the Ruth Sokolof Theater have given us deliciously divided sub-themes. Talk about joy division, 90s noir is broken into six different categories, including comedic noir, buddy noir, black noir, teen noir, queer noir and sci-fi/horror noir, which features Strange Days. If you don’t remember that amazing, now-spectacularly-dated film, do yourself a favor and “wiretrip” with me on

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March 29 or 31. I’m not saying this series is in my wheelhouse, but I think I had posters for about 75% of the films in the series. See them and understand why I am the way I am! I’m gonna squeeze in a quick roundup and reactions to some TV series news for ya: The very good, slow-burn serial killer TV show Mindhunter is on hold because, apparently, series poohbah David Fincher wants to “make movies” or some nonsense. Boo! That awful-sounding, wholly dangerous Confederate show from GoT murderers David Benioff and D. B. Weiss is officially dead at HBO. Yay! The “cult classic” movie/SNL sketch MacGruber is going to be revived for NBC’s Peacock streaming service. Good news for people who like stuff in butts! And the Dark Tower series is dead at Amazon, because once Matthew McConaughey puts his stank on a project, that project stays stanked.

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NEW RELEASES

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Preview Screening Wednesday, Febraury 12, 7 pm Full run starts Friday, February 28

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Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on KVNO 90.7 on Wednesdays and follow him on Twitter @thereaderfilm.

February 2020

H e a r t l a n d

H e a l i n g

Metals of Honor:

Precious Metals Heal by Michael Braunstein

lesh-eating, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sepsis, organ failure and death — all scary stuff. In a world where our magic bullets against microbial monsters are turning into blanks, those fears become greater. The Antibiotic Age was a thing. Now it seems it’s over. Of all the humans who have died throughout history, and I’m talking history as in the millennia that humans have roamed the planet, most have met their demise at the end of a course of infection. Infectious diseases that have become rare and even unheard of have killed most humans over the ages. With the discovery of antibacterial powers of sulfa drugs and the happy accident that gave us penicillin, it seemed like all our troubles with bacteria were over. Increasingly potent germ killers emerged from the labs and boardrooms of Big Pharma with their properties just beginning to be tapped.

Then, what a goldmine when Big Food and CAFOs discovered that off-label, non-therapeutic use of antibiotics somehow caused livestock to put on weight like nobody’s business. Unfortunately it was somebody’s business and they made billions at it. Now we find ourselves at the end of a soft, cushy amusement park ride called “Freedom from Disease,” waiting to crash into the hard reality of Bacterial Doomsday. What now? Old is new. As early as 4000 B.C., Egyptians used them as a water purifier and healing powder. Romans used them to stop infection from spreading and to heal battle wounds. When French soldiers brought home the plague of syphilis as booty from Italy in the 1400s, the only successful treatment was with one of them. And in just the past few years, hospitals are realizing once again their germ-killing, antiseptic and healing powers. They are the handful of natural metals that include silver, copper, gold and mercury.

February 2020

Now, before going any further, it must be said that metals have toxic properties that can harm or kill humans. They can be downright deadly. But so can just about anything. Healing is all about balance, and without appropriate medical guidance (far beyond the scope of this column) the scale of healing can be tipped in the wrong direction. War lost? Nearly every common bacterium found naturally has shown resistance to the most common antibiotics. We’ve been using the same variation of formulae to vanquish those bugs for nearly 100 years, and it looks like, as usual, natural selection and evolution have won. Bacteria have a short lifespan and multiply so quickly that genetic mutations leading to resistance happen almost overnight. That’s how and why we lost the war. Bacteria are proof of the adage, “What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger.” As a species, bacteria got stronger and now withstand antibiotics.

Copper top. But studies by modern researchers show that natural weapons against bacteria still work. Tests conducted around the world replaced the touch surfaces in intensive care units of several hospitals with copper metal. Copper kills bacteria, even the worst antibiotic-resistant kind. With copper doorknobs, tray tops, railings and so on, occurrence of patient infection was reduced up to 60 percent. A copper doorknob can save a life. The presence of pathogenic super-bugs on copper surfaces is reduced an astonishing 90 percent! Plain and simple, using copper as a touch surface reduces the chances of spreading infection. Mercury. When French soldiers inoculated Europe with a virulent strain of syphilitic STD back in the 1500s after picking it up on the marches of Italy, it proved nearly as devastating as the bubonic plague. It took decades before the populace realized it was transmitted by intercourse. Of course, that didn’t seem to slow anyone down.

February 2020

H e a r t l a n d

Since there was no known cure at the time, experiments prevailed and eventually it seemed that treatment with mercury, both internally and externally, was efficacious. Problem was, mercury was extremely toxic. Syphilis could kill, but so could the cure. Scratch that one off the list. Silver bullet. Silver has been a medical metal throughout history and, unlike mercury, silver has redeeming qualities. On a recent visit to a sick relative in hospital, walking past the nurses’ station I spied a stack of silver-infused bandages destined for a patient’s room for use as a

wound cover. It seems that even modern medicine has retained a place for silver in the healing modalities. Silver is strongly antibiotic. In the face of the growing threat from bacteria that resist our most powerful antibiotics, silver offers a time-tested treatment. For thousands of years, Chinese medicine, Egyptian, Greek, Ayurvedic and even Japanese methods have used silver to heal wounds, illnesses and serious diseases. Western medicine is just now catching up. Modern medicos now add silver to wound dressings and use it as a stand-

February 2020

H e a l i n g

alone medicine and to enhance the effect of antibiotics. Silver alone shows promise in killing the deadliest of the resistant forms when antibiotics are of no use. Astonishingly, but not surprisingly, Western science has yet to even figure out the exact mechanism that silver uses to kill the bugs. All they know is that it works. Each time contemporary medicine finds a “new” plant, herb, metal or method that heals, it’s important for us to remember that those natural, holistic medicines and modalities have been known for thousands

of years. Show some respect. Be well. Heartland Healing is a metaphysically based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet. 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.

O V E R

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Winning The Election Quiz Who you like may not be who you should vote for. by Tim McMahan

t is the morning of Jan. 19, 2020, as I write this.

The world is reeling as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, have given up their royal titles and become mere mortals.

Predictions have become impossible after the 2016 polling debacle, wherein everyone thought the night before the election Hillary Clinton was a shoo-in to become the first female president only to wake up

the following morning with a Trump hangover. No one trusts polls anymore. As of today, aggregate polling website FiveThirtyEight.com has Joe Biden winning the Democratic

Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin the impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump. And in just a few weeks, the Iowa caucuses will have come and gone, and a new frontrunner will have emerged among the Democrats. Very likely by the time you read this, the caucuses will be over since they’re scheduled for Feb. 3, and The Reader has a funny way of not showing up in the racks until late in the first week of the month. So whatever political insight and/or prediction I make in this column is a set-up to make me look like the uninformed rube that I am.

nomination, giving him 2-in-5 odds in the horse race, while his next closest challenger, Bernie Sanders, is a 1-in-5 favorite, followed by “No One” at 1-in-7 and Elizabeth Warren at 1-in-8. Meanwhile, the same website has Sanders ahead in Iowa by less than a point over Biden, followed by Pete Buttigieg and Warren, with Amy Klobuchar a distant fifth followed by Andrew Yang. Billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg were at the back of the pack. None of this matters because you already know who won the caucus. So I might as well go out on a limb and give you my predictions as to who I thought would win Iowa, which was Joe Biden.

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OK, but who did I want to win? If you asked me regardless of political maneuvering, regardless of who I think could beat Trump in November, I would have February 2020

O V E R said I wanted Klobuchar to win. The Washington Post disagrees with my assessment. In what can only be called one of the cleverest online gimmicks of the 2020 election, The Washington Post launched a free online quiz called “Which of these 2020 Democrats agrees with you most?” You (probably) can find it by Googling “Washington Post 2020 quiz,” although that’s not really what it is. The quiz asks 20 policy questions about issues such as gun control, marijuana legalization, federal funding for abortions, health care funding and student debt. The first time I tried the quiz — having stumbled over it on my Facebook feed — was a few months ago when about 20 candidates were still in the race. I was shocked at my quiz’s outcome. It turns out Andrew Yang was the candidate I agreed with most on the issues. While I think Yang is a good dude with good ideas, I never gave him a second’s thought after he announced his “give everyone $1,000 a month with no strings attached” idea. While everyone would like an extra $1,000 a month with no strings attached, the concept came off like pandering to low-income voters. “Vote for me and get $1,000 a month!” So ridiculous did the idea sound that it made me deaf to any oth-

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er ideas Yang might have had. I immediately texted a link to the quiz to my wife, who also ended up matched with Yang. “Maybe we should reconsider Yang?” I asked. “Nah.” Turns out the reason Yang had pushed ahead of everyone else in the quiz was because he’s the only candidate who supports government expansion of nuclear power, an issue I’ve always supported. No other candidate thinks nuclear is a safe way to power our coffee pots. Last week, The Post launched a “New and Improved!” version of the quiz that pared candidates down to just nine. The questions seemed slightly different, or I remembered them differently. Anyway, this time the candidate who most closely matched me on the issues was — oh my god! — Michael Bloomberg. Yang had fallen to fourth behind Biden and Klobuchar. Bloomberg, who I discarded as just another billionaire elitist with a savior complex, matched me on 15 of 20 positions, just one more than Joe and Amy. The fact is, I agreed on more than half of the issues with all but three candidates: Elizabeth Warren, Tulsi Gabbard and Bernie Sanders, who came in dead last, matching me only four times.

February 2020

I guess that officially makes me a middleof-the-road Democrat. What’s interesting about the Post survey is that it seemingly strips away any age, race or gender bias. For example, I desperately would love a woman to become president. (You’ll likely never find a bigger Hillary Clinton fan than I.) And at 77, I fear Biden is too old to take the highest office. My dream presidential ticket is the best of both worlds. Biden will eventually wrap up the nomination but will announce his intention to only serve for a single term. He then brings on Amy Klobuchar as his running mate, in essence laying the groundwork for her nomination in 2024, after Biden has undone all the

dama g e T r u m p generated over his term in office. Call me an optimist, but I think any of the nine remaining candidates could beat Trump in November, so tired and angry is the majority of the electorate over Trump’s antics. Those voters who stood by on the sidelines in 2016 will be the first in line at the polls this time ‘round, understanding the stakes are too high to stay at home again. One can dare to dream… 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.

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The Reader - February 2020

Articles inside

FILM Best and Worst Movies of

OVER THE EDGE

HEARTLAND HEALING

BACKBEAT Interview with

PICKS Cool Things to

THEATER

HOODOO

25t Remember

ART Look, It’s Daybreak

THE BUZZ Best Places to

DISH Testing

COVER Legislative