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| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
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Three ways to keep employees happy and more
E
mployees want to know the truth about their status and the status of the company. It makes them happier, motivated and more productive and motivated. As an employer, you start the trend with transparency. Employees also want recognition and rewards. This goes beyond salary, but doesn’t have to be costly. Many employees just want recognition for their achievements. Finally, employees are usually happy to be asked for their input. If you do these things, your workers will feel they have a stake in the company’s future. All of these things can be delivered in one-on-one conversations.
the laptop and make connections face to face. You can start this process with a head hunter – a professional whose job it is to get you a job. But remember, a head hunter works for several candidates, not just you, so you may be in stiff competition. If you attended college, your alumni office may post job openings specifically for graduates. An in-person visit may give you some good job leads. You also could set up meetings with companies you want to work for. Even if a company is not hiring, or not hiring for a role right for you, you can make valuable connections simply by meeting people there.
Take the job search offline Although a job search in 2015 requires an internet connection, it’s often just as important to close
Improve your hiring decisions The most important function of a recruiter or hiring manager is to choose the right candidate for
BUSINESS Senior Business Analyst for Kiewit Corporation, (Omaha, NE). Coord & comm w/ cust’s rgrding app’n supp, maintenance, config’n & deploy’t in our SAP fin’ls environ’t. Req’s: Mast’s* deg in MIS, Finance, Acct’ing or Bus Admin + 3 yrs exp as a Proj Lead or Consultant. Post Bach’s exp req’d (3 yrs w/ Mast’s or 5 yrs w/ Bach’s) & must incl: config’g & troubleshooting SAP to PeopleSoft syst interfaces using IDocs, TRM, IHC, BCM & banking proc (incl. DMEE, ACH, VPAY, PPAY, PCARD, EFT); integ’n of FICO new GL w/ MM, SRM, SD, ETM, ALC, Payroll, Project Systems, Hard Dollar, Workflow, ICR Tool, & Intercompany IDoc proc; config’n, troubleshooting & support of Vertex, LCR Dixon, Apay, Kofax, GLSU, Concur, Dassian ALC, & BPC/BW; & must incl 3 yrs exp of Reqs Gathering, Config’g & ABAP Debugging/Trouble Shooting SAP FICO (using ITIL Incident Mgmt processes & ServiceNow svc mgmt sw). *Emp will accept a Bach’s deg & 5 yrs exp in lieu of a mast’s deg & 3 yrs exp. Apply on-line at https://kiewitcareers.kiewit.com/job/Senior-Business-Analyst-NE/295217300/
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OCTOBER 2015
SERVERS NEEDED Part time servers and hosts, serving and providing exceptional customer service for customers looking for and expecting to create “forever memories” for themselves and their families while providing a great dining experience. For more information, visit OmahaJobs.com. TEACH ENGLISH ABROAD! 4-week TEFL training course in Prague, Czech Republic. We have over 2000 teachers in 60 countries. No experience or second language required. Teach & Travel with TEFL Worldwide! www.teflworldwideprague.com AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get started by training as FAA certified Aviation Technician. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance (800)725-1563 (AAN CAN) HELP WANTED!! Make $1000 A Week!! Mailing Brochures From Home. Helping home workers since 2001. Genuine Opportunity. No Experience Required. Start Immediately. www.nationalmailers.com (AAN CAN)
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| THE READER |
job openings. The decision may not come easy; it may help to review your interview notes. When you meet with candidates face-to-face, you may have jotted down an impression you have since forgotten. If you conduct the interviews with fellow interviewers, go back for their thoughts. Even if you discussed a specific candidate once, it won’t hurt to ask again. Review any background checks, drug tests or other assessment. One candidate’s results may be slightly better than another. Reference checks are another good source for info. What HR can do for you Human Resources departments can get a bad rep. But if you set clear boundaries for your HR team, your business can run more efficiently. Recruiters and employment specialists belong in the HR de-
The next Job Fair is Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2015, at the Comfort Inn, 7007 Grover Street, Omaha, NE 68106, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.omahajobs.com for more information.
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partment. These people develop your workforce and fill job openings. HR is also responsible for workplace safety and any training required to create a safe environment. Internal conflicts that arise in your staff should be handled by HR, as well as any employee satisfaction issues. Salaries, benefits and compensation packages are set by HR. This can also spill into retirement accounts. The world of employment law falls under HR’s purview, too. The HR team should have at least one compliance specialist on staff. HR also handles training and career development.
T
he second annual IN (Iowa/Nebraska) the Neighborhood Conference is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, at Metropolitan Community College’s South Omaha Campus, 2902 Babe Gomez Avenue, from 8:30am to 4:30pm. The keynote speaker is Mayor Bob Dixon of Greensberg, Kansas. His presentation, “Working Together As a Team,” will focus on his experiences following the rebuilding of his community after it was ravaged by a tornado in 2007. Since that time, Greensburg has rebuilt itself as a “green” town. It is: • Home to the most LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings per capita in the United States; • The first city in the United States to use all LED streetlights; • Has single stream curbside recycling. All of the electricity used in the City of Greensburg is generated by wind energy, and water is conserved via low flow fixtures and native plantings in its landscaping. The city also collects rainwater for use in irrigation and in some facilities as grey water in toilets. For a photo tour of the new Greensburg, visit http://www.greensburgks.org/ visitors/photo-tour. Variety of breakout sessions The conference will begin with opening remarks from Mayors Jean Stothert and Matt Walsh. Julie Smith, One Omaha program manager, will serve as the conference emcee. “This is a great opportunity for neighbors to take home ideas to jumpstart activities in their corner of the city,” Smith said. “It’s also a great opportunity for attendees to get to know other people who face the same type of neighborhood challenges they do. We, as a community, can prevent neighbors from having to reinvent the wheel by talking with one another, sharing best practices and collaborating when it makes sense to do so.” The conference features six tracks – green community, health and safety, economic growth and development, empowering neighborhood initiatives, Spanish, and community partnerships. Attendees choose from 24 breakout sessions on topics ranging from community policing to reimagining vacant land and houses in east Omaha to how to work with landlords. Smith said one of the common issues neighborhood groups face is how to market themselves. One of the economic growth and development track sessions focuses specifically on that topic – marketing your neighborhood. It will be led
by Diana Failla, president of the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance and the Elmwood Park Neighborhood Association, and David Rathburn from Old Millard East. The day will also include entertainment by Compassion in Action’s R.A.W. D.A.W.G.S. Youth Corps Gang Prevention Program and informational booths from a variety of exhibitors. It will wrap up with a networking session featuring the leaders of Omaha’s six neighborhood alliances. Neighborhood Tour Sunday Conference attendees are cordially invited to continue their knowledge collection Sunday, Oct. 4, by attending the Hanscom Park Neighborhood Tour. The event, hosted by Restoration Exchange Omaha (REO), will run from noon to 5:00pm. Nine homes and two churches will be featured on the tour, which is sponsored by the American Institute of Architects-Omaha and the Midtown Neighborhood Alliance. A tour booklet that includes the histories of the featured homes is included in the admission price. Andrew Hanscom and James Megeath donated the land for Hanscom Park in 1872, and the city developed it in 1889. Several tour homes are a century old or older, and a few are of the mid-century variety. Tickets for REO members are $10 each or two for $15. Non-member prices are $15 per person or two for $25. Those who join or renew their Restoration Exchange Omaha membership for 2016 will receive their tour ticket free. Tickets are available online at www.restorationexchange. org or on the day of the tour on the east side of the Center Mall, 40th and Center. Tour participants can drive, take the shuttle or bike an easy route.
One Omaha has a number of scholarships available for those who would like to attend the conference but can’t afford the registration fee. For more information, contact Smith at 402.547.7473 or julie.smith@oneomaha.org.
One Omaha, founded in 2015, is dedicated to actively facilitating the development of neighborhoods in the City of Omaha through communication, education and advocacy. For more information, contact Julie Smith, One Omaha program manager, at 402.547.7473 or Julie. smith@oneomaha.org.
Conference Fee, Scholarships Available Who should attend IN the Neighborhood? Anyone with an interest in improving their neighborhood, including concerned neighbors and families, community activists, governmental and nonprofit community service providers, and businesses that offer services/products related to community programs and projects. The cost is $35 per person, which includes lunch and refreshments. For more information, visit www.intheneighborhood.org. If you are unable to register online and wish to pay by check, make your check payable to:
Family Housing Authority Services 2401 Lake Street Omaha, NE 68111
| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
OCTOBER2015VOLUME22NUMBER7 08 COVER STORY THE MUSIC ISSUE 22 PICKS COOL STUFF TO DO IN OCTOBER 25 HEARTLAND HEALING TONGUE TIED 26 THEATER GHOST HOUSE 28 ART MIND ESCAPE 30 ART CONTRAST STUDY 32 CULTURE EARLY CHILDHOOD DEV 38 CULTURE OMAHA LITFEST 44 EAT ISA’S WORLD OF VEGAN 46 FILM MOVIE MUSIC 52 OVER THE EDGE TRUMP TIME 54 MYSTERIAN DOCTOR IS IN
Publisher John Heaston john@thereader.com Creative Director Eric Stoakes eric@thereader.com Assistant Editor Mara Wilson mara@thereader.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS heartland healing: Michael Braunstein info@heartlandhealing.com arts/visual: Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com dish: Sarah Locke crumbs@thereader.com film: Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo: B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com music: Wayne Brekke backbeat@thereader.com over the edge: Tim McMahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater: William Grennan coldcream@thereader.com SALES & MARKETING Dinah Gomez dinah@thereader.com Kati Falk kati@thereader.com DISTRIBUTION/DIGITAL
Clay Seaman clay@thereader.com OPERATIONS
Kerry Olson kerry@thereader.com INTERNS Tara Spencer | Courtney Bierman | Ashley Bles PHOTO BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
MOREINFO:WWW.THEREADER.COM
contents
| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
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A
s we do every year in our Music Issue, The Reader lists the top bands in the area as chosen by the publication’s music writers. We did things a bit different this year, allowing writers to list all bands they felt had the biggest impact over the past year based on recordings and live performances without limiting them to a specific number — i.e., they were allowed to list all the bands and not just the top 20. Each band appears only once on all lists. Even more, we’ve spotlighted the venues we dig most (with a special nod to the legendary O’leaver’s) and those that have influenced Omaha’s dynamic music scene.
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
cover story
STORIES BY
TIM MCMAHAN B.J. HUCHTEMANN W AY N E B R E K K E TA R A S P E N C E R
ORIGINAL PHOTOS BY
DEBRA S. KAPLAN
BY
TIM MCMAHAN
The Intimate Underplay
M
y, how O’Leaver’s has grown. Or maybe “evolved” is a better word. When the bar, located at 1322 S. Saddle Creek Road., changed from being a Nascarloving hole-in-the wall to a pseudo music venue way back in September 2002, no one expected it to be more than a place to host an occasional local rock show. Owners Chris Mello and Sean Conway made their money off the facility’s expansive sand volleyball courts and booze sales to locals looking for a place to escape their dreary lives for a few hours. But despite only having a sub-par sound system and virtually no stage, O’Leaver’s quickly became a go-to spot for young, hungry indie and punk bands looking for somewhere to play on their first or second tours. Within their first five years of booking shows, the bar hosted some of the best small touring indie bands in the country, including Har Mar Superstar, Bettie Seveert, The Rosebuds, Two Gallants, NOMO, The Silos, Okkervil River, Tristeza, Scout Niblett and Matson Jones as well as local legends like Cursive, Criteria, Ladyfinger, Tilly and the Wall and Little Brazil. But things really took off in December 2012 when O’Leaver’s was purchased by members of indie rock band Cursive — Matt Maginn, Ted Stevens and Tim Kasher — along with fourth partner Chris Machmuller of the bands Ladyfinger and So-So Sailors. The crew of musicians saw potential for O’Leaver’s to become something more than just a dive bar with a PA. “It’s good for bands to experience an audience in a smaller room,” said owner Maginn. “O’Leaver’s is a place for young bands to cut their teeth. We can provide them with a good sound and a good experience until they grow into a band that needs a larger space.” But in addition to being a destination for up-andcomers, O’Leaver’s continues to book the occasional big-name indie band. Recent acts include The Dead Meadow, Matthew Sweet, Beach Slang and Speedy Ortiz, with local monsters Cursive and Desaparecidos slated to play in the coming weeks. Maginn says O’Leaver’s is a convenient outlet for larger touring bands looking for “an underplay.” “An underplay is when you’re not confident that you’re going to fill a big room,” he said. “Bands want a smaller room because the experience is going to be better than playing an enormous empty room -- for both the band and the audience” The club’s sound system now includes 32 inputs and a digital console that allows for four mixes. “We wanted to put enough power into the system so we could overpower the room if we need to,” said owner Ted Stevens. continued on page 10 y
cover story
| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
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y continued from page 9
“There’s an energy and intimacy bands feel when they play here,” said O’Leaver’s booking manager Craig Dee. That’s because despite pouring thousands of dollars into the club’s sound system, O’Leaver’s still lacks a proper stage and lighting. Instead, bands continue to perform in the corner beneath a plasma TV surrounded by the club’s tattered record collection staple-gunned to the walls as if it was a teenager’s bedroom. Fans walk right up to the bands while they’re performing and stand nose-to-nose with the lead singer. Playing O’Leaver’s is more like playing at a house show than at a formal concert venue like The Waiting Room or The Slowdown. But O’Leaver’s now offers something those large clubs don’t. Tucked in the building’s basement is a studio of elaborate digital recording equipment used to capture live performances. The project, called Live at O’Leaver’s, is focused on recording as many live shows as possible for posting on the club’s website, liveatoleavers.com. Maginn said the effort is sort of cross between the popular Daytrotter sessions (recorded at the Horseshack studio in Rock Island, Illinois, which have become a staple for touring indie bands) and the legendary Peel Sessions that were recorded by BBC Radio host John Peel. “We were looking for a way to help bands that choose to play at our place so they’d have something after they leave the building,” Maginn said. “The recordings also give us something we can use to promote them when they come back, and something bands can share with other venues when they outgrow us.” O’Leaver’s sound engineer Ian Aeillo said typical live sessions have between 10 to 12 recording tracks, with some boasting as many as 18. Aeillo has been archiving the live recordings for two years, and only recently launched the website with sessions by more than 70 bands including Cursive, J Fernandez, Big Harp, Bob Log III, Planes Mistaken for Stars, The Kickback, Orenda Fink, Simon Joyner and the Ghosts, Twinsmith, Matthew Sweet, Iska Dhaaf, Deleted Scenes and Digital Leather. “We have 10 hours of music online right now,” Aeillo said, “with another 30 hours ready for posting and 50 hours waiting to be mixed.” “We’re looking for partnerships with other websites and publications to get the music more widely heard,” Maginn said. “It provides exposure for these bands and for the venue.” But that’s not the only improvements that O’Leaver’s has undergone. Late last month the club added a feture no other music venue in Omaha offers — a first-class outdoor beer garden. The project began when O’Leaver’s purchased the property directly behind the building in May 2014. The enormous patio includes long wooden benches covered by a massive pergola structure, gorgeous landscaping, a glistening new bar and something that O’Leaver’s has always been missing: clean, fresh bathrooms that haven’t been covered with graffiti (yet). For long-time bar patrons, the beer garden was a shocking surprise hidden just beyond an exit door. Or as one patron put it, walking out to the new beer garden from the dark confines of the main bar was like entering Narnia. Initial plans call for staffing the outdoor bar Friday and Saturday nights and “whenever it makes sense.” They’re still figuring out if -- or how -- they’ll use the space during the winter months. “We’ve definitely been eccentric in our business choices,” Stevens said. “When we started putting the beer garden together people thought we were out of our f—-ing minds.” “We liked the idea of expanding,” Maginn said. “We’re trying to be smart with our decisions, but right now, we’re just trying to make O’Leaver’s a place that we love.” ,
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
cover story
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| THE READER |
9/21/15 OCTOBER 2015
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1:52 PM
BY
Lupines
Mercurial four-piece garage “super group” fronted by former Brimstone Howl leader John Ziegler includes veteran axman Mike Friedman (Little Brazil, Simon Joyner and the Ghosts) and bass legend Mike Tulis (too many bands to mention, including Fullblown and The Monroes), balanced out by fellow ex-Brimstone drummer Calvin Retzlaff. Look for a two-song 7-inch from the band in the coming weeks.
Twinsmith
One of Saddle Creek Records’ recent signing, the Omaha four-piece led by singer/guitarist Jordan Smith, with Oliver Morgan (drums), Matt Regner (guitar, synths) and Bill Sharp (bass), earlier this year saw the release of its debut full length, Alligator Years, that highlights an indie-pop style reminiscent of Vampire Weekend.
Icky Blossoms
The electro-dance party band has at its core the trio of vocalist/synth player Sarah Bohling, guitarist/vocalist Dereck Pressnall (of Tilly and the Wall) and guitarist/vocalist Nik Fackler (who’s also a visionary filmmaker), along with a handful of talented contributors. Their sophomore effort, Mask (Saddle Creek, 2015) charted in the College Music Journal top-20. Pronounced Mean Street, the project of rapper Conchance, producer Haunted Gauntlet and DJ Really Real emerged in 2014 as one of Omaha’s central hip-hop projects thanks to the release of its debut full length Mutants of Omaha. The crew combines recorded beats with sound and music collages with a distinctly old school charm.
Simon Joyner and the Ghosts
Longtime Omaha singer/songwriter Simon Joyner continued to evolve his sound in 2015 with the release of his 13th full-length, Grass, Branch & Bone (Woodsist Records), one of his strongest outings in his 20+ career.
OCTOBER 2015
BOTH
The hip-hop duo of emcee Scky Rei and producer INFNTLP made a splash in 2015 with the release of their Make Believe Recordings debut BOTHSUCKS as well as live appearances with Desaparecidos and at the 2015 Maha Music Festival.
Desaparecidos
The poli-punk band fronted by Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst returned to the lime light after releasing Payola (Epitaph, 2015) 13 years after the release of debut Read Music, Speak Spanish (2002, Saddle Creek), sounding as if they never left. The band, which includes guitarist Denver Dalley, bassist/vocalist Landon Hedges, keyboardist Ian McElroy and drummer Matt Baum, played a number of festivals this year including Coachella, performed on Late Night with Seth Meyers, toured throughout the summer and will close out the year with a tour that runs through November.
Domestica
The Lincoln power-punk trio saw its sound evolve when frontwoman/bassist Heidi Ore was joined on lead vocals by husband, guitarist Jon Taylor, on the band’s 6-song EP Domestica 3, an album that carried on legacy (with the help of drummer Pawl Tisdale) that began in the ‘90s as the band Mercy Rule.
Digital Leather
M34N STR33T
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TIM MCMAHAN
| THE READER |
Though primary Digital Leather singer/songwriter Shawn Foree has been releasing music under the moniker since 2003, All Faded (FDH Records, 2015) marked the first full band Digital Leather effort to date. Joining Foree on the recording is bassist Johnny Vrendenberg, synth player Ben VanHoolandt, drummer Jeff Lambelet and the band’s newest member, synth player Todd Fink of The Faint. The band will join Desaparecidos on a string of West Coast dates in late November.
Sam Martin
First known as the central figure behind Omaha band Capgun Coup, Martin released an endearing low-fi solo album A Notion in an Ocean late last year on Make Believe Recordings. His solo acoustic appearances have pushed him to the top of the local singer/songwriter food chain.
cover story
Sucettes
The five-piece retro-garage band is the latest project by one of the city’s most dynamic musicians, Dave Goldberg (Fullblown, Carsinogents). Goldberg is joined by his old Box Elders partner Jeremiah McIntyre, who shares lead vocals with relative newcomer Genie Molkentine , who was last seen on stage with fellow Sucette’s guitarist Todd VonStup in Killer Blow. Balancing out the group is guitarist CJ Olson.
Miniature Horse
The solo project by singer/songwriter Rachel Tomlinson Dick combines her heart-stopping voice with poignant lyrics and gritty, feedback fueled electric guitar that recalls Neil Young as much as 4-Track Demos-era PJ Harvey. One of the hottest new talents to emerge from the Omaha music landscape in 2015.
John Klemmensen & the Party
A fixture of the Omaha / Benson music scene and central member of indie band Landing on the Moon, Klemmensen released Party All Night, his first vinyl LP, in 2015 with his band The Party. On the album Klemmensen lets it all hang out, singing with a brazen honesty rarely heard in modern pop songs.
The Good Life
Formed as a side project for Cursive frontman Tim Kasher in 2000, The Good Life released its first new album in eight years this past August with Everybody’s Coming Down (Saddle Creek Records). The four-piece, which includes bassist Stephanie Drootin-Senseney, guitarist Ryan Fox and drummer Roger Lewis, kicked off a summer tour at the 2015 Maha Music Festival, which will be followed with a West Coast tour in November.
High Up
The soulful, bluesy rock band emerged in 2015 fronted by Christine Fink in the role as an indie version of Amy Winehouse fronting a band that includes sister Orenda and a handful of local heroes including GG Elsasser, Josh Soto, Eric Ohlsson and Jason Biggers. The music is stylish but not too polished, an earthier version of neo-soul that strangely feels grounded in the Midwest.
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| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
13
BY
B.J. HUCHTEMANN All Young Girls are Machine Guns
I HATE LISTS.
I don’t really read them and I hate compiling them. That said, our owner-publisher-editor John Heaston loves lists and think others do too. When it comes to music lists, I think they are just as likely to be divisive as to be helpful. So, this list is just a starting point if you are interested in local roots music. I’m sure there are some bands out there I haven’t heard yet, or bands that are on other writer’s lists here. There are some perennial favorites that are not on The List because right now they have slipped out of my brain or because of space, including Lincoln’s Mezcal Brothers, Omaha’s Brad Cordle Band and guitarist Dave Steen, who put out a CD of original material with a hand-picked band earlier this year but isn’t really performing with that material. Part of the criteria for Reader music lists has always been current artistic activity and I’ve tried to keep that in mind too. Omaha and Lincoln have an impressive amount of roots music talent, if this List gets you out and experiencing some of the local players, then I guess it was worth it. Here in no particular order is the Hoodoo Music Issue List:
Rebecca Lowry is a multiple OEA Award winner who has evolved from a solo-balladeer to bandleader, and whose band has morphed from a pop-tinged approach to include soul, R&B and a slot on this year’s MAHA stage. In August 2015, Lowry organized the first annual Benson First Friday Femme Fest, which put over 40 acts featuring female performers ranging in age from teens to scene veterans on stages at seven venues in Benson. It’s a long-overdue idea that this writer hopes to see become an annual event. See allyounggirlsaremachineguns.com.
Shawn Holt & The Teardrops
Calling the Lincoln area home, in 2013 Shawn Holt and fellow Lincolnite Levi William began fronting the rhythm section that backed Holt’s father as Magic Slim & The Teardrops (one word or two) after Slim’s death in that year. Shawn Holt & The Teardrops recorded a celebrated debut for Alligator Records and received the prestigious Blues Music Award for 2014 Best New Artist Debut. Both Holt and William can be found fronting their own bands in Lincoln when not on the road. See shawnholtandtheteardrops.com.
Kris Lager Band
Josh Hoyer’s current band has just wrapped up their forth recording session in three years, after undergoing a recent name change and some personnel shifts. Hoyer’s vocal style is distinctive, a rich throaty soul roar that really sounds like no one else on the national scene. With Hoyer’s thought-provoking and dance-floor friendly original tunes and a top-notch band, they got the attention of Wilco drummer and celebrated producer Ken Coomer. Their latest disc Running From Love was recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium in mid-September with Coomer in the producer’s chair. See joshhoyer.com.
This band has evolved from blues to roots-rock and beyond, describing their sound as “thirft store funk,” even though it’s not exactly R&B either. They do put down a seriously life-affirming, party sound that has kept them doing mostly road touring again this past year, both on their own and also as part of Andy Frasco’s band. At the beginning of 2015, KLB released their latest disc Heavy Soul & Boogie Trance, recorded in California, with Monophonics’ Kelly Finnigan and Ian McDonald and mixed by Orgone’s Sergio Rios from Los Angeles. A personnel change found Funk Trek’s Tom Murnam joining the band on bass this year, joining longtime bandmates Lager, Jeremiah Weir and John Fairchild. See krislagerband.com.
Cryin’ Heart
Tijuana Gigolos
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal
This Lincoln-based band brings straight-up blues to the stage with the talents of a veteran rhythm section, Dave Wagner and Gary Williams, plus two accomplished young guitarists with serious blues chops in Tim Budig and Michael Wheeler. WIth a mix of traditional blues covers and originals, this quartet gets an enthusiastic nod from young fans who encounter them at venues like the Harney Street Tavern as well as from established blues fans. See cryinheartband.com.
Hector Anchondo Band
Anchondo left rock behind for blues and has dedicated himself to learning his craft as a bluesman. His trio won the 2014-15 Nebraska Blues Challenge and represented the Blues Society of Omaha in the 2015 International Blues Challenge in Memphis where they played to enthusiastic responses, took advantage of the networking opportunity and garnered a regional booking agent. They are two-time winners of the OEA for Best Blues. See hectoranchondo.com.
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A mainstay at The Zoo Bar, where their Friday FAC gigs are legendary house-rockers, this roots band has been around since 2001 and showcases some of the best musicians in Lincoln. Their roots-rock set lists are mostly original songs that are excellent and dance-floor-filling. Marty Steinhausen is the main songwriter and Steinhausen and Tony Meza share the vocal duties. Rounding out the band are Dave Robel, Jeff Boehmer and Tom Harvill. You can generally catch them the second Friday of every month, 5-7 p.m. at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar. See Facebook. com/The-Tijuana-Gigolos-48121983910.
40SINNERS
Guitarist Steve Byam celebrates traditional, old-school blues material that you seldom hear performed live, at least locally, covering classic blues like Slim Harpo’s “Shake Your Hips” or Son House’s “Death Letter.” The tunes are presented in a raw, gut-bucket, take-no-prisoners style with a rotating cast of rhythm section players. Byam’s angular, passionate playing is never the same twice and is a must for real guitar fans to check out. See soundcloud.com/stv-byam.
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Sam Ayer & The Love Affair
A new band on the local scene, watch out for Sam Ayer & The Love Affair, I expect them to be a quick favorite of local soul-R&B music fans. The group features original songs, a horn section, a high-energy drummer who gets the crowd going and a sense of showmanship. Frontman Sam Ayer drives this soul-R&B band on vocals and guitar. See Facebook.com/ samayermusic.
Mesonjixx
This new young Lincoln quartet has got something special going on with groove-laden, jazzy R&B and soul sounds laid down by band members who are both talented and expressive on their instruments. At the center of the band is Mary Elizabeth whose sweet, emotive vocals are graceful and mesmerizing. The band name is an amalgam of the four players names. Find them on Facebook and see soundcloud.com/mesonjixx.
Matt Cox
Cox released his fourth album, Nisnabotna, in 2014. He has garnered an impressive number of OEA awards for his original Americana-roots music. He’s equally adept as a songwriter, guitarist and singer, with a mature. old-soul vocal style that is gritty and emotive. Whether playing a solo gig or fronting a band, Cox is one of the top local roots music artists. See mattcoxmusic.net.
Michael Campbell
A veteran of the local music scene, singer-songwriter Michael Campbell released his first CD in 5 years, My Turn Now, in 2015. Campbell’s observant, sometimes humorous, lyrics and fine presentations include great turns on acoustic guitar. See michaelcampbellsongwriter.com.
Blue House & The Rent To Own Horns
Celebrating 25 years of playing in the metro, Blue House has consistently been making original blues music and entertaining a devoted fan base. The band is led by vocalist and drummer Joe Putjenter and, as the name implies, complete with horns. Their 2015 release, At The Pit, marked their musical anniversary with style and has them pointed towards the future of the band with fresh enthusiasm. See bluehouseblues.com.
OCT. 16–NOV. 15, 2015 By dog & pony dc
Part civic ceremony, part theatrical pageant, dog & pony dc’s Beertown explores the dynamic and tenuous relationship between individuals and their community. Beertown casts the audience as citizens of the eponymous imaginary town during its Quinquennial Time Capsule Day Celebration. Beertown creates an imaginative, neutral space for audience members to engage in values-based conversations about what is important in our community. Audience members form a community, articulate that community’s identity and values, and defend the values they deem most important. Patrons are encouraged to bring a dessert to share.
At the Iowa Western Arts Center: Sunday, November 22, 2 pm artscenter.iwcc.edu or call 712-388-7140 At Omaha’s Orpheum Theater: Saturday, December 5, 2 and 7:30 pm Sunday, December 6, 2 pm www.TicketOmaha.com or call 402-345-0606
balletnebraska.org Season Sponsor:
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6915 CASS STREET | (402) 553-0800 OMAHAPLAYHOUSE.COM
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| THE READER |
OCTOBER 2015
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BY
Matt Whipkey
If you haven’t heard of Matt Whipkey you’ve been living under a rock. Whipkey is tenacious with his media and serious about his music. Known for his raucous live shows and his work with Anonymous American and the Whipkey 3, he recently did multiple shows opening for Dwight Yokam. Brandishing his Fender guitar, Whipkey offers a sound that showcases his thoughtful lyrics about love, leisure, and life in the Midwest. He’s released a couple vinyl records in the past year or so and always has a gig or two on the calendar. With a few Omaha Arts and Entertainment Awards under his belt, Whipkey’s tenacity and prolific songwriting has put him firmly on the forefront of Nebraska/Midwestern-Americana genre. It seems Whipkey is hell bent on showing the world that if you choose to flyover our state, you’ll be missing out on some of the most important music in the country.
See Through Dresses
If this band is playing anywhere near you, drop what you are doing and get the show. You’ll never see another female guitarist put on a performance like Sara Bertuldo. When she’s not giving herself whiplash on stage with this band, you might be able to catch her slinging the bass for her other band Millions of Boys or Tim Casher and his band Cursive. Currently, Bertuldo is heading up a band of killer rockers that have a signature sound that blends indie rock with Midwestern sensibilities. Their “End of Days,” 12-inch EP is slated to drop October 23rd and will be available in opaque red, clear, and black vinyl. For you retro only audiophiles, you’ll be happy to know it will also be available on cassette so you can look insanely hip in the coffee shop with your soy latte and 80’s era boom box. At least you’ll be listening to some seriously good music.
CJ Mills
She only needs a guitar to convert casual listeners into rabid followers so imagine what CJ Mills can do with a full band. Her strong vocal work has a signature style that spans the
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genres of soul, funk, and R&B. If you’re looking for a performer that solidifies the fact Omaha has more musical talent than most cities, you’ll find it in CJ Mills. Her latest album “Quiet,” is a shining star of funky soul that’s sure to be a constant repeat on your playlist. When you hear this local Omaha artists for the first time, you’ll quietly double check to make sure she’s straight outta O-Town. National quality in a local package, this girl brings it to every performance, solo or otherwise. Believe.
Bloodcow
This rock/metal/new-age band take themselves just seriously enough to make you smile while giving yourself whiplash. No matter what style of music you listen to (even if you despise metal and turn your man-bun head up to anything that wouldn’t be at home in Urban Outfitters), once you see them live, you’ll fall deeply in man-love. It’s kind of their superpower granted by the all-knowing Xenu. After a successful Kickstarter run this year, their album Crystals and Lasers on vinyl is finally on its way. You don’t have to wait though, the album is out and you can check out the band’s latest tunes on Spotify or get a copy at one of their shows. Like many of the best bands in the Midwest, these Council Bluffs rock icons must be seen to be truly appreciated.
Little Brazil
Fresh off tour with the Desaparacidos, Landon Hedges switches back to guitar in this iconic Omaha band. Sure they’ve had some member changes, but the band forges on, creating music that has become symbolic of the Omaha sound - born from the bowls of basement rehearsal spots, local dive venues, and plenty of beer. It’s a band that keeps going and with each new song, finds new facets of itself. Songs are still crafted from Hedge’s life experiences, both good and bad, but now from a slightly more mature view of the world. In case you’re wondering if they still tear up the stage with each live show, the answer is a resounding yes.
Rock Paper Dynamite
Fresh off the release of their latest record “Teeth,” RPD create music that blends a touch of Midwestern swagger with a southern twist. Their energetic live shows are fueled by the Janousek brothers’ vocal harmonies and backed by solid riffs and ultra-catchy songs.
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The SuperBytes
Videogame-punk is probably the best way to sum up the sonic assault of this quirky band. Now, one might think pairing retro video game themes and tones into a full blown band wouldn’t work, but somehow the SuperBytes have combined some of their favorite pastimes into a band that achieves a high score every time they take the stage.
The Willards
In every scene there’s always a band that you hear about for months, then when you finally see them you wonder why you never went before. Their sound is a soulful Americana-tinged Honkey-Tonk with a Texas swing chaser and their quality songs and live performances make them a hidden gem in the Omaha Americana scene.
Clarence Tilton
The Weber brothers know how to wrangle up some killer players and put together a band that puts the spotlight on Midwestern twang. Highlights include stellar guitar work, pedal steel, and thoughtful harmonies that showcase the skills of their veteran lineup.
Hand Painted Police Car
Need some punk-inspired guitar rock and screaming vocals in your life? This Omaha quartet fits nicely into the punk scene here in Omaha. Songs are simple, short, and full of attitude, a formula that works well for four dudes with a long history of local rock behind each of them.
The Sub Vectors
Pretty much the center of the Omaha surf scene (yes, there is one), the Sub Vectors are a band inspired by the legendary sounds of California surf punks. They may be landlocked, but that fact doesn’t stop them from creating a tidal wave of sound. Each song is done in classic surf-rock instrumental style, striped down to the bare elements of drums, bass, and guitar.
BY
B.J. HUCHTEMANN
Fresh Commitment
B
efore you read the words “The Blues” and turn the page, check out what Scott Kirk (left) wants to tell you. “I have been saying for years now that the music world is starving for a change,” Kirk, owner of The 21st Saloon, says. “This is where I believe that the blues has never gotten the credit it deserves. People have a misconception of the blues. It’s not what I thought it was. It’s all genres mixed into one. All music comes from the blues, if you ask this guy’s opinion. We have bands come through The 21st that play all variations of blues, young and old, chill and rock your face off. You will be amazed at some of the younger musicians out there that are putting on some of the best shows I’ve ever seen. In the last few weeks we have had artists performing ranging in ages 21 to 70 years old! The blues ain’t diein’! So if you’re starving for something appetizing for those eardrums, come out and give it a chance.” Scott Kirk bought the venue in 2013 and learned the business working under Terry O’Halloran for over a decade. A conversation with Kirk quickly reveals that a man with passion for live music is back in charge at the 96th & L venue once owned by O’Halloran. Kirk’s background in the service and entertainment industries dates back to a stint at McDonald’s Hamburger University in his teens. He also played percussion in school jazz ensembles and other bands when he was younger. The 21st Saloon hosts touring blues acts every Thursday, 6-9 p.m., a tradition that began in the late 1990s under O’Halloran’s ownership. The venue also is home base for the 3D in Your Face tribute to hair bands during the winter months. “I’ve observed, listened and believe there is a need for a venue like what The 21st Saloon has to offer. Not just a place for great music, but a place where everyone knows your name and cares more about the experience then getting intoxicated. The music business is based off passion not riches. You have to live music to keep it alive.” After football season ends, Kirk plans to start a Saturday night music series that will draw from touring blues artists, probably once a month, and also feature other genres. Kirk also wants to work with local bands to give them a more consistent place to play. Keep up with The 21st Saloon on Facebook. ,
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The Waiting Room 6212 Maple St. waitingroomlounge.com
Though not the first music venue in Omaha’s Benson entertainment district, the massive concert stage and bar — and its owner/operators Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson — are credited with sparking the revitalization of a business district that had been dominated by empty store fronts and thrift stores prior its opening in 2007. The estimated 400+ capacity Waiting Room shares bragging rights with The Slowdown as arguably the best rock concert venue in Omaha, thanks to a state-of-the-art digital sound and lighting system and the city’s largest rock
stage. Patrons enjoy a full-service bar with one of the largest selections of tap beers available at any Omaha music venue. The Waiting Room’s open concept design allows for unencumbered sight lines from any of its many tables, high tops, booths, even the bar; though true rock fans are more likely to crowd the large dance floor in front of the raised stage. Beyond The Waiting Room’s creature comforts, the venue’s biggest advantage is its programming. Years before the club opened, Leibowitz and Johnson established themselves as the primary bookers of indie rocks shows in the area with their company, 1% Productions. They carried their promotion prowess to The Waiting Room, booking every significant local indie act — including Omaha’s crown jewels of Bright Eyes, Cursive and The Faint — along the best touring indie bands such as St. Vincent, Yo La Tengo, Beach House, Serena-Maneesh, Best Coast, Of
The Slowdown 729 N. 14th St. theslowdown.com
The creation of Saddle Creek Records executives Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel, The Slowdown opened in 2007 as part of an effort to revitalize Omaha’s North
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Montreal, Future Islands, A Place to Bury Strangers and Titus Andronicus, to name a few. More recently, The Waiting Room has expanded its booking palette to include a broader music genre selection, from hip-hop to pop to Americana and roots, as well as the finest indie acts. — Tim McMahan
Downtown district. The music venue, along with the headquarters of Saddle Creek Records, was part of a new construction complex that also included Film Streams’ Mary Riepma Ross Theater, Urban Outfitters and multi-unit living spaces. A few years after it opened, the massive TD Ameritrade Park was built literally across the street. The stadium is the home of the annual NCAA College World Series. Despite that, The Slowdown has maintained its non-sporting cool, with nary a TV screen in the house. The venue hosts two stages. Its large main stage stands above a bowl-like dance floor sunken below raised aisles overlooked by a balcony. The main room has an estimated capacity of more than 700. The building’s modular design allows for closing off the main concert hall and hosting shows in a more intimate smallstage club setting, where the
facility’s bar resides. These small “frontroom” shows have an estimated capacity of around 200. Both the main hall and frontroom stage areas enjoy state-of-the-art digital sound and lighting systems, which makes The Slowdown — along with The Waiting Room — among the best rock concert venues in Omaha, with plenty of table and booth seating throughout. From the day it opened, the club has booked large-market indie rock bands, including all of Saddle Creek Records’ biggest acts, such as The Faint, Cursive, Jenny Lewis, Tokyo Police Club and Azure Ray. National touring bands that have graced The Slowdown stage include Of Montreal, Iron and Wine, Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks, M83, Mogwai, Daniel Johnston, Dvotchka and Iceage, among others. Bookings are generally handled by club owner Jason Kulbel and 1% Productions. — Tim McMahan
The Sydney Brothers Lounge
3812 Farnam St. brothersloungeomaha.com So, for the heading-down-the-street-to-see-a-punk-band folks, this is it. Always has been. No list of Omaha venues would be complete without Brothers on it and many local bands may not have made it without the help of owners Trey and Lallaya Lalley. You may even find them in some of the liner notes of your favorite local artists.Basically, if you’re looking for something weird, in the best possible way, you’re looking for Brothers. When they don’t have live music, they have the best eclectic, mostly punk, selection of music on their jukebox. Just don’t ask why they don’t have whatever song it is you’re used to hearing from a particular band. It’s their jukebox. Learn it, like it, and expand your tastes.
Sokol Auditorium/Underground
2234 S 13th St. sokolunderground.com Like Brothers, Sokol is a well-known name in the Omaha music scene. But it would definitely fall into the larger venue category. From orchestras to metal groups to rap artists, Sokol Auditorium/ Underground has played host to a wide-range of musical acts. Built in 1926, the venue offers a unique, old-school feel to the concerts held there. The auditorium has an almost ballroom-like charm, while the underground is exactly the kind of place a punk kid growing up in a small town might dream about seeing their favorite bands play. The Sokol name is so synonymous with music in Omaha, it has been mentioned in several artists’ songs, including They Might Be Giants and hometown favorites The Faint. The only bitch about Sokol is the parking. But sometimes, that’s just part of the fun.
The Down Under
3530 Leavenworth St. thedownunderomaha.com/music-events/ If you haven’t been to The Down Under in a while, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Now located in the old Side Door Lounge, the Leavenworth hangout is looking better than ever. For those afraid of change, don’t worry! There’s still karaoke and plenty of live music, including one of the best open mic nights, hosted by Aly Peeler. You can hear plenty of acoustic artists here, not to mention a little polka just to mix things up. Plus, the drinks are good and the patio is sweet. What’s not to like?
The Zoo Bar
136 N. 14th St., Lincoln Lincoln’s home of the blues for 42 years and counting, The Zoo Bar is in a very small category of long-running music bars devoted to live blues and roots music, drawing celebrated national touring artists who are often showcased at the weekly early Wednesday 6-9 p.m. time slot. There’s also a vibrant scene of excellent local players who have cut their teeth on the bar’s stage and can be seen there regularly. See zoobar.com and Facebook. com/ZooBarBlues.
Sunday Roadhouse
Concert Series Since 20013, this moveable Americana-roots concert series booked by Dean Dobmeier and Gary Grobeck has brought a remarkable cross-section of artists from Austin, Nashville and beyond to Omaha. The concert shows currently can be found at either The Reverb Lounge or The Waiting Room in the Benson neighborhood. See sundayroadhouse.com.
5918 Maple St. thesydneybenson.com/shows A Benson staple, The Sydney has a lot to offer. It’s a great neighborhood bar with good old rock shows and delicious cheap drinks. Plus, the staff is super cool. Fair warning, the shows can be pretty loud, so don’t plan on going there for a conversation if there’s music going on that night. For those of you who aren’t interested in the music scene, they also have Pub Quiz, pool, pinball and Krazyoke. With an eclectic mix of patrons, The Sydney is a great place for meeting new people or just doing a little voyeuristic people-watching.
Ozone Lounge
7220 F St. ozoneomaha.com/events Boasting a 17-piece jazz band every Monday, Ozone Lounge offers a wholly different kind of experience than the other venues on this list. Not only can you listen to a different band every day of the week, you can enjoy a steak dinner while doing so. While the crowd here tends to lean toward the mature side, everyone can have a good time out on the dance floor. Yes, many of the bands are cover bands and may seem a bit staid to some, but the people who go here always seem to be having a great time. So next time you feel like going to a show, but you don’t want to deal with all the shoe-gazers and too-cool-for-you crowds, give Ozone a shot. You just might be surprised at the good time you’ll have.
Chrome Lounge
8552 Park Dr. 402-339-8660 facebook.com/pages/The-Chrome-Lounge If you like loud, live rock and roll, Chrome is right up your alley. While it is considered a biker bar, don’t let that deter you. Everyone is welcome here, and the staff and patrons are friendly to all. But if you’re looking for a place to have a quiet conversation, you’ll want to get there before the bands start playing! Chrome also offers a pool table, darts, a decent dance floor and a patio for smokers. Overall, a great place for those who are fond of just having a good time.
Omaha Lounge
1505 Farnam St. theomahalounge.com/music-1.html If you’re feeling a need to get out and listen to some live jazz and blues, you can do that any night of the week at The Omaha Lounge. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Monday evening or a Saturday night, there will be live music happening here. This lounge lives up to its label, with comfy chairs and an old-school, jazz club vibe. With flavorful cocktails, attentive staff and a laid-back atmosphere, this is the perfect place to unwind after a long day at work or a long night out.
Havana Garage
1008 Howard St. thehavanagarage.com/events/ If it was the fear of heading home drenched in the smell of cigar smoke has kept you from checking out Havana Garage, it needn’t be any longer. The bar boasts an impressive humidor, though patrons are no longer allowed to enjoy the sweet smelling rolls of tobacco inside the establishment. Don’t worry, though. They still have swinging jazz bands every Friday and Saturday night and pipe tobacco is still allowed. While there isn’t much of a dance floor, the regulars still manage to get their groove going with the space available. They also have an impressive selection of booze, especially bourbons and rums, and the bartenders know their stuff. Plus, the cocktail servers are some of best in the Old Market.
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The Dubliner
1205 Harney St. dublinerpubomaha.com/music.html This Irish pub will satisfy your craving for both a perfectly-poured Guinness and the Irish music that you should be listening to while drinking it. With live music every Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it can get crowded in this inviting basement bar. Luckily, their friendly bartenders and attentive wait staff can usually get your drink pretty quickly. There’s always a cover, but at only $3 a person, it’s worth it. This little slice of Ireland has been pouring pints for over three decades, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you definitely should.
Two Fine Irishmen
18101 R Plaza twofineirishmenomaha.com/event-page/ In keeping with the Irish theme, we couldn’t leave out Two Fine Irishmen. On the opposite end of Omaha, this bar and grill isn’t exactly authentic in its Irish-ness, but they do serve up some live, often loud, music. The food is good bar food, although the only “Irish” items seem to be their Irish nachos. There’s a definite sports bar feel to the place, and it can get extremely loud on the weekends. But with a good patio, reasonable drink prices and free live music, it’s definitely worth adding to the list.
The Reverb Lounge
6121 Military Ave. The Reverb is a One Percent Productions’ venue that has created a music room separate from the bar space. The music room can be a true listening room with tables and chairs, a standingroom-only style rock club or something in between. Co-owner Jim Johnson says the venue is going to continue booking the interesting mix of artists that have been seen on the club’s stage this year, which included personal favorites like jump-blues and swing vocalist Johnny Boyd and rockabilly queen Kim Lenz along with national and regional acts playing surf, acoustic music and soul. Folks who just want to hang out in the beautiful, mid-century themed bar can do so without paying the cover while enjoying beverages ranging from craft cocktails to Hamm’s beer and the separate music room lets music fans enjoy the artists with a minimum of distracting audience conversation. See reverblounge. com and Facebook.com/ReverbLoungeOmaha. — Tara Spencer and B.J. Huchtemann
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The Lookout Lounge
320 S 72nd St Lookoutomaha.com As a rock and roll club, the Lookout Lounge is somewhat of an oasis in an area of town that’s virtually a musical desert. Packed with businesses and one of the busiest cross streets in Omaha (72nd and Dodge) isn’t quite on the top of the list for places to catch live music. Being venue loners didn’t bother Lookout owners Kyle Fertwagner (below), his brother Keith, or partners Ryan de la Garza and Louis Stites. It only gave them more street cred, as they put together a venue inspired by other, now defunct venues like the Cog Factory and Ranch Bowl. Which makes it fitting as the Ranch Bowl was located just a few blocks south of their location. After purchasing the business (formerly the Hideout), owners refurbished it just enough to be a clean and welcoming place to see a band, while still maintaining an honest rock and roll edge. They upgraded the sound, made a few cosmetic changes, painted, and then expanded the beer and liquor selection. Customer service was also on the list of priorities. The owners wanted to ensure patrons not only have a good time at shows, but are treated well, served properly, and feel comfortable being there. This extends to the bands as well. They are selective of the bands they book and provide loads of info on their website for groups, agents, and promoters. After renovations were complete, the Lookout reopened its doors with a goal of creating their own unique extension of the Omaha Music scene, picking up where the Ranch Bowl and the Cog Factory left off. Focusing mainly on rock, indie, metal, and punk bands, the Lookout Lounge is finding its niche as a haven for Omaha’s underground and alternative bands. — Wayne Brekke
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The Harney Street Tavern
1215 Harney St. Facebook.com/harneystreetavern It’s been quite a few years since the Old Market had a real music scene. With the revitalization of some areas, especially NODO, live music has seeped back into our downtown as new bars attempt to appease a diverse crowd. Recently bars have opened their doors to live music and the trend is taking hold. A few venues play it safe with cover bands that encourage drunken sing-alongs, dancing, and boozy hookups, which are great activities for downtown club-hoppers, but not so much for those looking for something more akin to the Benson music scene. The foundation of this live downtown music resurgence was, of course, the Slowdown. After they paved the way, the Old Market has seen live music introduced to the Havana Garage, Parliament, and the Hive, among others. The new kid on the block is the Harney Street Tavern, a homey lower level tavern that’s been showcasing a variety of musical acts for just over a year. Owner Brady Bock (above) has been a longtime resident of the downtown area and recognized a musical void that needed filled. With the demise of the beloved Antiquarium, he felt the building longed for something special that would enhance the entertainment aspect of the downtown area while honoring the legacy of the historic building. Bock recruited longtime friend and Napa Valley resident Lucas Qualley to help. The two were committed to bringing something special to the table. They wanted an approachable, comfortable, and viable place that would work as both a bar and music venue. The partners started with renovations. They worked with the historical society to keep the nostalgic aesthetics of the building in line with its 100-year old history. The interior was constructed using all reclaimed wood from downtown buildings, creating a welcoming, on-trend atmosphere. They opened their doors in February of 2014 and are now on the road to becoming a hot spot for live bands and solo performers of varied genres. The Harney Street’s approach to hosting music is uncommon. The venue offers live music 4 times per week and doesn’t charge a cover. Bands get a guarantee and most times, a full house to go with it. The crowd is diverse with those looking for a good time, and receptive to the quality bands the venue books. Bock’s focus is mainly centered on Americana, singer/songwriter, blues, soul, and indie music of mostly original material, where other venues in the area employ strictly cover bands to appease the masses. Since their opening in February, reports from bands that have played there have shown it to be a favored among local musicians. Acoustics get better as the venue fills up, of course, but the sound system is quality and Bock and his staff take care to ensure that performers and patrons are happy. Only time will tell if the Harney Street Tavern makes it on the list of iconic venues that make our scene one of the best in the country. So far they seem to have made a good start, showing a passion for keeping the history of the venue intact while supporting the musical expansion of the Old Market area. If you’re a band looking to find a new audience, the Harney Street Tavern is the stage to play. If you’re looking to enjoy the downtown scene without the trappings of meat-market madness, then this is the hidden gem you’re looking for. But check it out soon, as it won’t stay hidden for long. — Wayne Brekke
BY
W AY N E B R E K K E
Day Gig: Local Musicians Teach Their Trade
I
t’s a well-known fact that the music scene in Omaha and the surrounding areas is thriving on a national level. Live music fans can catch bands performing almost every day of the week in a variety of venues both large and small. Our local pool of musicians includes a wide variety of genres and more talent than many cities across the nation. They work hard on their creative endeavors, but most musicians don’t make a living from their art. So what do they do to maintain their rock and roll lifestyle when not performing? Many local musicians support themselves by taking their talents off stage and sharing their knowledge with others through music lessons. Kids and adults can take advantage of the massive talents of our local musicians through lessons taught by qualified instructors who actively hone their chops on stage. If you or someone you know wants to learn how to play, why not get schooled by those who actively make our music scene one of the best in the country? Below is a partial listing of active local musicians who also work as music instructors, complete with contact information and musical background. Listen to the Worlds of Wayne Podcast at worldsofwayne.com to hear an interview with several of our local music instructors and their experiences teaching others the joys of learning to play an instrument.
Scott “Zip” Zimmerman Ocean Black, The Whipkey Three, Citizen’s Band What: Drum set, marching percussion (snare & tenors), concert/school percussion (snare/ bells), mallet percussion (bells/vibraphone) Where: Dietze Music (132nd & W. Center) Age Range: 5 and older Contact info: 402-617-0884 or zipdrum2001@yahoo.com Other info: Zip has a Bachelor of Education in Music Teacher Education from UNL Matt Whipkey Whipkey band, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies What: Guitar Where: Private Studio Age Range: Any Contact info: matt@mattwhipkey.com Glen Smith Mannheim Steamroller, Yardapes, Taxi Driver, Musico, The Labels, Omaha Symphony, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Symphony, Russ Morgan and Bobby Layne orchestras What: Guitar, Bass, Double Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Music Theory Where: Dietze Music (132nd & W. Center) Age Range: Any Contact info: Glencecilsmithmusic@gmail.com Vern Fergesen The Willards, Brad Hoshaw and the Seven Deadlies, Travelling Mercies, Matt Cox Band, Steve Byam, Bonehart Flannigan, the Talbott Brothers, John Klemmensen and the Party, Molly and the Mother May I’s What: Piano, guitar, bass, uke, mandolin, drums Where: Millard music house (136th & Q) or private house calls Age Range: 8 and older Contact info: 402-658-9352 Kait Berreckman Kait Berreckman Band / Solo performer What: Guitar and voice
Where: Private studio Age Range: 10 and older Contact info: kaitberreckman@gmail.com Craig Balderston The 9s, Sailing in Soup, Brad Cordle Band, The Jailbreakers What: Bass Guitar Where: Home studio / private lessons Age Range: Any Contact info: 402-208-1068 – cbaldy1172@gmail.com Kevin Sullivan Omaha Guitar Trio, Rock and Roll Suicide, Belles & Whistles What: Guitar Where: Dietze Music (132nd & W. Center) Age Range: 7 and older Contact info: 402-880-9949 / ksully87@gmail.com Zachary Adkins Narcotic Self What: Guitar Where: Private instruction / Remote (Skype) Age Range: Any Contact info: 402-429-4172 / www.facebook.com/adkinsguitarlessons Jacob Duncan Rock and Roll Suicide, Robo Dojo What: Guitar, bass, voice, bass, mandolin, piano, and composition instruction Where: Private instruction / Studio Age Range: Any Contact info: 402-301-8014 / jacobbduncan@gmail.com Other info: Bachelor’s degree from UNO in classical guitar performance Jason Ferguson Tucker Hill, Citizen’s Brigade, Solo performer, Yesterday and Today, Sarah Benck and the Robbers, Filter Kings, Soul Trigger, Musical Theater What: Guitar Where: Dietze Music (20th & Cornhusker Rd, Bellevue) Age Range: Any
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Friday, October 2 COMMON ORIGINS Modern Arts Midtown, 36th and Dodge Street Opening: 6:00-8:00 p.m. Gallery Hours: Tues.-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m www.modernartsmidtown.com “Common Origins” features Jacqueline Kluver and Larry Roots, sister and brother. Both artists share the commonality of working abstractly and of starting directly on each canvas, “following the paint” in the development of their work. Both also focus on color as their main vehicle of expression. Kluver’s approach is to use acrylics to investigate design possibilities in a patchwork/mosaic style from an aerial perspective. The smaller size of the many explorations of her pieces, called “bits” may well appeal to local collectors. It’s fun to study the gorgeous color combinations and the huge array of interacting shapes and harmonies in each piece. Her work may also be more accessible to observers because of the focus remaining on design. Because of the advantage of blending attributes and color layering possibilities with oil paint, Root’s large works in this show promise to have moved to a much more expressive level. The colors can stay mute, can sing, can slip forward and back as directed by this artist, achieving the often phantom and elusive goal of timeless art—This is a show to see. — Eddith Buis
ing 56 entries from more than 120 submissions. Works include drawings, prints, paintings, photography, 3D art, mixed media and more. The goal of the exhibit was designed not only to showcase the work of local artists, but also use the artwork as a basis for bilingual conversations between citizens across the city. “We expect to learn about and discover artists and artistic expressions not yet known in our community,” explained Gerardo Vazquez, a UNO graduate who helped coordinate the exhibit with UNO art students like Hugo Zamorano. “It is important to nurture the arts in your community, whether it is by encouraging your own child or being involved yourself in the arts,” Zamorano added. Latino Artists was funded in part with help from the Nebraska Arts Council and Humanities Nebraska. — Michael J. Krainak Friday, October 2 CAMERALESS Petshop Gallery, 2725 North 62nd Street 7:00-10:00 p.m. www.bensonpetshop.wordpress.com Working with natural forms and various processes, Joe Addison creates one-of-a- kind photographs. A time inundated by images depicting idealized fragments of
Friday, October 2 LATINO ARTISTS Bancroft Street Market Gallery, 2702 South 10th Street 6:00-8:00 p.m. Latino artists from the Omaha metro area will close their art side-by-side in a one-of-a-kind exhibit. The closing reception will feature poetry readings and an open mic. The juried exhibit, Latino/Latin American Artists: Exhibitions & Conversations, which is free and open to the public, is the result of a partnership between the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s (UNO) Office of Latino/ Latin American Studies (OLLAS), UNO art students, graduates and faculty; and community leaders. Local artist Mike Giron served as the juror for the exhibit, choos-
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“THE FIRST MYTH,” A PAINTING BY HUGO ZAMARANO
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everyday, external visions are the inspiration of Cameraless. Emphasizing a view that is not solely interpretive but also imaginative, these works reject contemporary conceptions of what a photograph is. Rather than making images that show one single viewpoint, these works concentrate on internal vision—one that is void of temporal context. Using sourced materials such as plants, glass, and physical markings, Cameraless iterates the significance of chemical process and the tangibility of print. These contemplative photographs invite the viewer to consider the broadening horizons of photography. Addison lives and works in Omaha, NE. — Michael J. Krainak Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4 OMAHA NORTH HILL POTTERY TOUR Four stops between Omaha and Herman, NE Hours: Sat. 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and Sun., 10:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., Free www.omahanorthhillspotterytour.com The annual Omaha North Hills Pottery Tour is back for its eleventh year. This self-guided tour offers pottery tourists a chance to meet 18 nationally recognized clay artists and purchase their work at four stops between Omaha and Herman, NE. In addition, visitors can glimpse the inner workings of two clay studios, explore the history of the Florence Mill, and sample regional wines and beers of Too Far North Wine and Wine Tasting. Organizers Liz Vercruysse and John Martelle at Big Table Studios, and John and Carol Dennison at Dennison Pottery will warm the atmosphere with fire pits, homemade treats, and beautiful earth-toned vessels. In addition to the hosts, 15 additional potters will exhibit their work at one of the four stops along Highway 75 between Omaha and Herman. Taking the tour is easy. Download a map from the tour’s website, and load up your car with friends. Go to any or all stops. — Michael J. Krainak Tuesday, October 6 STUART BAY Connect Gallery is at 3901 Leavenworth Street Reception: Friday, Oct. 16, 5:30-9:00 p.m. Gallery Hours: Wed.-Sat., 1:00-5:00 p.m.
Connect Gallery’s October exhibit will feature a retrospective exhibit of artist Stuart Bay’s work from the 1960’s until his death in June 2015. Bay was an accomplished artist that worked in multiple media such as 16mm and 35mm film, video, photography, collage, layered collage and sculptural assemblage. After teaching at the University of Minnesota, he came to Omaha in 1991 to fill in for Fr. Don Doll, S.J. at Creighton University. He moved to Omaha in 1993 and taught at Creighton University, Metro Community College and Iowa Western Community College, as well as being a producing artist well into 2015. This retrospective will show the gamut of Bay’s creative work over the years, with videos, sculptural work and photo-collages all of which are for sale. Bay was both a beloved teacher and a warmly regarded friend of local artists in the Metro Omaha Community. — Eddith Buis Friday, October 9 EAGLE SEAGULL, LITTLE BRAZIL, SO SO SAILORS O’Leaver’s, 1322 South Saddle Creek Road 9:30 p.m., $5 -- 21+ www.facebook.com/oleavers
ONE OF CERAMICIST JOHN DENNISON’S SIGNATURE MASKS
stage with a more melodic hard rock edge showcased in their self-titled 2014 release. — Wayne Brekke
EAGLE SEAGULL
Through October 23 LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR & GRILL Performing Artists Repertory Theatre, Crossroads Mall, 7400 Dodge Street 7:00 p.m., $35 www.performingartistsrepertorytheatre.org
Celebrating 10 years of music, Eagle Seagull takes over O’Leaver’s for the first show that founding member Eli Mardock has played under that name since 2010’s LP release. Teaming up with Little Brazil and So So Sailors means a packed house and some amazing music all night long. Go early to enjoy the new O’Leaver’s patio. When the downbeat hits, venture inside for some inspired performances by a few iconic bands that have helped shape the music scenes in Lincoln and Omaha over the past decade. — Wayne Brekke
boarding, during each stop and after. The tour guide will take you through an exploration of the cemeteries and permanent residents with cryptic commentary and stories. You will also receive a souvenir booklet on cemetery history. If that’s not enough to convince you, don’t forget about the toast at each cemetery stop to commemorate the memory of those who have gone before us. For more information or to reserve your spot, visit the website. And just remember to breathe, otherwise they may visit you next year. —Mara Wilson
Sunday, October 11 and 18 DOUGLAS COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S ANNUAL TOMBSTONE TOUR General Crook House Museum, 5730 North 30th Street 1:30 p.m., $50-$55 www.douglascohistory.org
Saturday, October 17 THE SWORD WITH KADAVAR AND ALL THEM WITCHES The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple Street 8:30 p.m., $18 ADV/$20 DOS www.waitingroomlounge.com
Have you ever heard of the superstition where you have
“REACHING FOR NATURE’S ESSENCE” BY STUART BAY
to hold your breath when you pass a cemetery? Some say it is out of respect for the dead. Others believe it is so as to not let any spirits into your soul or awaken them from their graves. Whether you believe in this urban legend, or not, you will not want to hold your breath if you join the Douglas County Historical Society during this event. The annual Tombstone Tour will explore new cemeteries this year and take you through some of Omaha’s oldest past. The first tour on Oct. 11 will visit Prospect Hill, Omaha’s Potter’s Field and the Mormon Pioneer Cemetery. The second tour, on Oct. 18, will stop at Temple Israel, Holy Sepulcher and the Bohemian National Cemetery. Refreshments will be provided pre-
Retro fuzz-metal with a synth edge makes Austin, TX rockers The Sword a band you can both dance and headbang to. With a new record out called “High Country,” The Sword hits the stage at the Waiting Room, bringing with them the equally fuzzy rockers Kadavar who are also on tour supporting their latest release “Berlin.” All Them Witches kick off the show with a heavy dose of noise that will set the stage for a night of killer jamming, heavy riffs, and pounding percussion that go perfectly with whiskey and cheap beer. If you don’t know these bands, hit up Spotify and do your homework as all three have new records out that define the genre. — Wayne Brekke
Tiffany White-Welchen’s appreciation for the late Billie Holiday has deepened since steeping herself in the famed jazz vocalist’s aching song interpretations tinged by personal heartache. For this one-woman show set near the end of Lady Day’s life, White-Welchen is reunited with Gordon Cantiello of Performing Artists Repertory Theatre (PART). The two go back to Duchesne Academy, where he was her drama teacher. He’s since cast her in professional productions, including Beehive. “I couldn’t ask for a better performer, actress, singer than Tiffany,” says Cantiello, the show’s producer-director. When not on stage, White-Welchen is a behavioral therapist. That expertise gives her deep insight into and empathy for Holiday’s struggles with abuse and addiction. As an Omaha’s soul sister queen, White-Welchen brings a big voice and personality to the role. The show christens PART’s new venue at Crossroads Mall. Access it via the parking garage on the lower level and enter the Northeast doors. — Leo Adam Biga Through October 25 THE SINGULARITY Shelterbelt Theatre, 3225 California Street Opens Thursday, October 2 Fri.-Sat. 8:00 p.m., Thurs. 8:00 p.m., Sun. 6:00 p.m (Oct. 25 2:00 p.m.), $12-$15 www.shelterbelt.org The term “singularity” (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Technological_singularity) suggests a potential for science fiction or, alternatively, a look into real things to come. Mathematicians and physicists use that word to posit that, as technology keeps moving forward, so too will changes in human life and that human behavior, as we know it now, might cease to exist, possibly as early as 2030. Spinning off from this whirling, troubling theory,
“288” PLATES,” A “CAMERALESS” PHOTO BY ARTIST JOE ADDISON
present-day elements like artificial intelligence, human biological enhancement and brain-to-computer interfaces could bring about such an alteration in our existence and that of our progeny. Playwright Crystal Jackson delves into the ideas percolating within singularity in a play of the same name. There, a previously-young woman connects to mysterious “dark matter” to make herself reproduce progeny. Her body rapidly alters exceeding nature’s pace. You’ll have to plan your own future to decide what may be to come when you go to find out at Shelterbelt. — Gordon Spencer Wednesday, October 28 and Thursday, October 29 ONE-WOMAN, ONE-ACT OPERA THE HUMAN VOICE (LA VOIX HUMAINE) House of Loom (Oct. 28), 1012 South 10th Street Fontenelle Forest Brewster House (Oct. 29), 1111 Bellevue Blvd. North Times TBA, Free www.operaomaha.org Mary Carrick is that rare vocal artist who swings from cabaret to opera and back again. In this spirit of exploration, she’s performing a one-woman opera by Francis Poulenc in two nontraditional spaces. She and frequent creative collaborator J. Gawf, Opera Omaha music director, along with director James de Basis, have adapted this intense one-act drama into English. “My initial idea for this opera was to make it intimate and immersive for the audience, which is not the norm for opera. It’s going to be very cool and different,” Carrick says. “Being
Thursday, October 22 SEVENDUST WITH WOVENWAR Sokol Auditorium, 2234 South 13th Street 6:00 p.m., $22 www.sokolunderground.com Since the mid-90’s Sevendust has secured a thriving musical career, releasing several albums that showcase their heavy metal edge with songs that blend heavy riffs with melodic vocals and intricate song arrangements. Their sound has evolved over the years with each album release, exploring various styles that have kept the band musically current in the 2000’s. Sevendust bring with them Wovenwar, a relatively new band composed of instrumental section of metalcore giants As I Lay Dying. These veteran rockers bring a different sound to the
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a crossover singer is really very challenging on multiple levels. I’m really a singer who blurs the lines. People often don’t know how to classify me and that’s okay – I really don’t know how to either. I just work on what moves me and what I think will also move people.” She says she’s excited to be singing the role of Elle in “this piece that has become very close to my heart.” Presented by Opera Omaha in conjunction with National Opera Week. — Leo Adam Biga Through October 31 YANKEE TAVERN First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street Opens Friday, October 16 Fri.-Sat. 8:00 p.m., $10-$15 www.circletheatreomaha.org Steven Dietz’s words keep circulating around this town. There’s his stage take on Dracula at UNO. Now witness another Dietz mystery. It’s 2007’s Yankee Tavern, where the jukebox died strangely on 9/11. In that hangout, ever-flourishing American conspiracy theories have lives of their own, especially when a mysterious stranger en-
“WIND ACROSS THE SANDBAR,” PAINTED BY LORI ELLIOTT-BARTLE
ters the premises and states that that World Trade Center tragedy, not far off from where he stands, came about through nefarious complicity. Evidently the bar owner has previously undisclosed hidden connections to international counter-terrorism. Wild card? Or expert? But then, what’s he doing dispensing beer? What’s in those glasses? What machines are hidden behind the bar? Which answers ring true amid the four expounders in these intense conversations? Of course some conspiracy theories endure, have lives of their own, despite what seem like facts. Some of those ideas may remain outlandish. But, ask yourself, do you think our government always tells the truth? What is reality? And what is fantasy? Uh-oh. Here we go with the questions. Circle Theatre takes this on. Amazingly, even with shoestring budgets, it has its feet on the ground and regularly presents true performing talent in complex, challenging stuff. — Gordon Spencer Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1 CIRQUE D’OR Orpheum Theater, 409 South 16th Street 2:00 p.m., $24.50-$54.50 www.ticketomaha.com Cirque D’Or will be in Omaha for two days and you won’t want to miss out on this spectacular performance. It is
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not only an event perfect for entertaining the entire family, this show brings the whole package. With extravagant costumes, dynamic sound and lighting, and some of the world’s greatest talent this is one powerfully packed stage. The show features an international cast of over 30 world-champion acrobats, contortionists, and aerial artists. If you have never seen a Cirque show, it will be a thrilling spectacle beyond your imagination and it has been said this newer generation will leave you breathless. — Mara Wilson Through November 1 DRACULA Chanticleer Theater, 830 Franklin Avenue Opens Friday, October 23 Fri.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2:00 p.m., $10-$20 www.chanticleertheater.com Just when you thought it’s safe to open the windows to let in the night air, take down the garlic and nail the crucifix again to the wall, that sucker is back. The Transylvanian Count is stalking the halls anew. In Council Bluffs this goround, not content with having curdled the blood at UNO in Steven Dietz’s take. Vampires are all over the world’s screens these days (True Blood, Twilight) causing screams of terror and delight. So, when the deathless daddy of them all surfaces again, circa Halloween, why would you be shocked? Chanticleer Theater proclaims that it aims to bring to life this legendary terror by exploring Hamilton Deane’s 1924 stage manifestation (revised by John L. Balderston) of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Do not doubt that you will remember the mirror-avoiding image embodied by Hungarian actor Bela Lugosi whose oily swirl remains for many of us interchangeable with the character. Never say die, eh? — Gordon Spencer Through November 7 LOS DIAS DE LOS MUERTOS OMAHA: THE MARIGOLD THEATER St. Cecilia Cathedral and Sunderland Gallery, 3900 Webster Street Variable hours, Free Opening reception: Sat., Oct. 17 6:00-9:00 p.m. https://es-es.facebook.com/losdiasdemuertos America may be inching closer to when Day of the Dead festivities supplant Halloween traditions. At least that’s what Jose Francisco Garcia believes. He and his wife, art-
DRACULA PLAYED BY ACTOR BELA LUGOSI
ist and storyteller Linda Perez Garcia, are co-founders of Mexican American Historical Society of the Midlands. For their fifth annual Los Dias de Los Muertos exhibition and celebration, the couple’s partnered with the Cathe-
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dral Arts Project at St. Cecilia Cathedral and its adjacent Sunderland Gallery. The Spanish-themed architecture provides a fitting backdrop for diverse work, including Ofrenda installations, by local visual artists. Related programming will feature poetry readings, storytelling, live music, dance, face painting and family workshops in paper art and sugar skulls. “I believe this may be the first time a non-Mexican diocese in the Midwest has invited this 2,500 year-old Mexican-Catholic tradition as a featured event rather than as a niche,” says Jose. He’s pleased, too, it “has crossed over into mainstream culture free of exploited intentions.” — Leo Adam Biga Through November 13 WAXING POETIC: VISUAL ODES TO THE PRAIRIE Fred Simon Gallery, 1004 Farnam Street Opens Friday, October 9 Gallery Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Artists Kristine Allphin and Lori Elliott-Bartle both find inspiration in the grasslands and farmscapes that dot rural Nebraska, and their latest works are featured in an upcoming exhibition at the Fred Simon Gallery. Beyond their mutual sympathy for their subject, they also share the love of a particular medium—wax—with which Allphin makes batiks and Elliott-Bartle creates paintings. “Waxing Poetic: Visual Odes to the Prairie” opens at the Nebraska Arts Council gallery. Hastings resident Allphin makes her images in batik, a form of creating designs on cloth using dyes and wax. Using this centuries-old craft, Allphin employs batik in a more contemporary, pictorial way, much in the same manner that quilting has evolved from piecework into an alternate form of wall-hung narrative picture-making. Elliott-Bartle is a familiar figure in Omaha, connected to the ongoing work at its Artists’ Cooperative Gallery, where she has shown her paintings and prints for many years. On view are works in oil and beeswax that provide a soft and often intimate view of the landscape and its cultivars.
— Janet L. Farber
Through November 15 BEERTOWN Howard Drew Theatre, Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass Street Opens Friday, October 16 Thurs.-Sat. 7:30 p.m., Sun. 2:00 p.m., $18-$36 www.OmahaPlayhouse.org Should you take a seat to experience Beertown at Omaha Community Playhouse, don’t think you’ll be as invisible as the floorboards. Because you or someone near you will underpin what happens in this interactive performance whose conclusion depends on audience decisions. Someone will be interrogated by a reporter and everyone will hear. Busybody business. Watch your step. Nope, there’s not much privacy in this ever-changing, sometimes vaudeville- decorated examination of small-town people who make history. Actually they revise history. Maybe they even mistake gossip for fact. Aye, there’s the rub in this heady brew with a taste of mystery and an undercurrent of pungent provocation. Beertown’s motto is “creating community and revising its history.” This community plays a part. In fact, audience members are encouraged to express opinions tangential to the play and, conceivably, meaningful close to home. Memories play tricks, wouldn’t you agree? But, if you find this memorable, it may be because you had a hand in making it so. — Gordon Spencer
lessmeat
Your Tongue Can Save the World BY MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN
heartlandhealing
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o you want to save the planet? You recycle plastic and consider your carbon footprint but don’t know exactly what that means or how to change your shoe size. You want to leave a better place for your kids so you try not to waste water or electricity, you carry a designer tote bag to the store. But really, how much impact can you have doing laundry with “green” detergent, driving fewer miles, using LED bulbs or buying that gas-sipping eco-car to visit the recycling center? The truth? Not much.The greatest thing you can do to save the planet is to put your tongue to the task. What you choose to eat has greater impact than any other choices you make, bar none. America wallows in a diet of cheap, questionably obtained, industrially produced animal protein that restaurants, supermarkets and schools provide under the nickname of “meat.” Assembly line, confined animal production has been the target of scathing reports at least as far back as Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle, first published in 1906. No other sector of individual human endeavor impacts climate as much as eating meat. Livestock production steals 70 percent of all agricultural land, over one-third of all ice-free terrestrial surface of the planet, is responsible for 55 percent of our surface erosion, 37 percent of pesticide use, 70 percent of all antibiotics used and one-third of the nitrogen and phosphorus load that pollutes our freshwater system. The annual amount of manure produced by animal confinement facilities exceeds that produced by humans by at least three times. Untreated animal waste is spread over the landscape, sprayed into the air and toxic chemicals, drugs and heavy metals leach into the soil and water supply. A Pew Charitable Trust report stated clearly: “The current industrial farm animal production system poses unacceptable risks to public health, the environment and the welfare of the animals themselves…changes must be implemented and must start now.” Confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs) congregate tens of thousands of animals together in buildings, with conditions as bad as you can imagine. Employees venturing into vast windowless buildings housing 10, 20 or 30 thousand chickens wear Haz-mat suits or die.
“I’m not sure that the system we have for livestock can be sustainable,” Dr. R.K. Pachauri has said. He suggests that an individual lifestyle change of one meatless day a week can be as good for the environment as driving a hybrid car. Consider this example: a meat-free meal of three cups of mixed vegetables (broccoli, eggplant, carrots and cauliflower) over rice has 25 times less carbon impact than a single six-ounce beefsteak. The traditional method of raising livestock in pastured, grazing settings may hold some hope. Not only is the environmental impact much lower but the nutritional profile of the livestock products — meat, eggs, milk — has been shown to be healthier. Eat less meat but better
Steve McDonnell of Applegate Farms is a meat producer of products humanely raised without antibiotics or processing chemicals and sold in grocery store chains across the United States. “I know it raises eyebrows when a meat producer says we should eat less meat but it’s true. It should be better meat though,” he said. McDonnell is one of many who feel that the meat-centric diet should be a thing of the past. Public demand for higher quality, traditionally raised meat and livestock products is growing. The number of farmers markets in the country has doubled in the past few years and the organic food sector is the most robust part of the retail food industry. It’s disheartening to hear someone suggest that the historians of the future will be shocked to see how we treated the environment. Really? Does no one realize there will be no “historians of the future.” Our historic record will not be observed by anyone. There will be no species to dig up the ruins of our suicidal civilization. In less time than it took for Europeans to settle North America, the Earth will more closely resemble the thick, fuming atmosphere of Venus with its 800-degree constant temperature. No Earthly species will survive that. There’s no running away from it now. The planet is in dire straits. Yet no major public figure is promoting or even noting the single-most effective way we can make change and possibly avert the death of a planet. Be well. ,
Eating meat is deficit spending
Livestock uses more human food than it gives back. Worldwide, livestock consume 77 million tons of protein (grain, corn etc. that could feed humans) but produce only 58 million tons, a net loss of 19 million tons. The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. By 2007, it was 284 million tons; last year, 309 million tons. Per capita consumption has more than tripled over that period. In China, India and Brazil, consumption of red meat has risen 33 percent in the last decade. It is expected to double globally between 2000 and 2050. But Americans are still King Carnivore. We average nearly half a pound of meat a day — about twice the global average.
HEARTLAND HEALING is a metaphysically-based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet by MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com. .
heartland healing
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ghoststory:
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Walk the Night walks again at an Omaha Victorian-era house as Blue Barn Theatre and director Spencer Williams re-imagine Shakespeare’s King Lear as an immersive, site-specific experience. A cast of 15 assumes the characters, as ghosts moving and shaking all over the premises, side by side with the evenings’ visiting audience.
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Blue Barn Theatre’s Walk The Night goes through its paces in altered spaces BY GORDON SPENCER
hat way madness lies” says King Lear, reflecting on what has befallen and how hopes for the future of the family have been swamped by misery, even while trying to weather a fierce storm. Shakespeare plunging into the tragic dimensions of old age. Beware, you may be immersed in that torrent of passions and words, up close and personal as Blue Barn Theatre’s Walk The Night goes through its paces in altered spaces. Different realities await you twice nightly within a Victorian mansion where, last year, Blue Barn and director Spencer Williams started along this path.
If you don’t understand those references, fear not. They will become clear, glowing in the shadows of dark doings within the spaces of the vast house. There is no requirement that you know what Shakespeare wrote, or even know about it. “I want people who don’t normally go to theatre to come and be surprised, drawn into the story, to be part of something which shifts expectations,” Williams continues. “And to find relevance within a language which is not today’s. Moreover, for people who think that they know Lear, to come away affected by it differently.” It is the actual story in real time, not a personal extrapolation, despite some ad-libbed Shake-
Hamlet then strode the corridors, the halls, the rooms. Now the woman called Lear does so. This “possession/ghost story” unfolds in a second sitespecific event, to”become part of an experience and join in the rituals” Williams states. “Inquisitiveness is encouraged.” Given the where and how, he prefers not to call it “theatre” due to absences of a stage, rows of seats, spotlights and footlights. He seeks to maintain a feeling transcending tradition, of discovery. And you, as part of the audience, are elemental to the surroundings in which everything unfolds, bends and re-assembles. The Fool may dance at your feet. Cordelia or Edgar/Poor Tom may reach out to you for a sympathetic hand. Brutally-blinded Gloucester may stumble into you trying to find his way.
speare-like dialogue. Throughout the building, scenes emerge in many places simultaneously. The 15 performers, some representing more than one character, move above, about, around, below you in what, collectively, adds up to as many as 21 hours of material. You witness what you wish, where you wish, when you wish. Williams points out, however, that should you choose not to walk around, what happens on the main level of the house is “easy accessibility to the entire concept.” Nonetheless, he encourages all visitors to wear very comfortable shoes. If you were among the multiplying number of attendees last year as Hamlet took over the premises, you may have a sense of what to expect. They multiplied because some people returned,
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encouraged to see what they had missed before. That option exists anew. Williams wants this year’s occurrence to dovetail with its predecessor in “an evolution which hints at deeper mystery.” Yet, even as you needn’t know anything about Lear beforehand, nor have been there for Hamlet, what happens this time stands in its own right, its own light. The deliberate below-Mason-Dixon-Line verbal inflections, Williams feels, work well with the premise of by-gone nobility gone awry albeit speaking eloquently. Plus a sense of a Victorian era, he suggests, even as the house itself emerged in that period. For him, that structure exudes a life of its own. Indeed, given that what happens there overlaps or merges with Halloween, you might feel it’s haunted. Certainly the characters of the tale are haunted. There is dance. There is music. There are no electronics, despite our lives now permeated with technology. “People are becoming more and more cut off for direct human contact,” Williams notes. “This event is alive at the moment, not open to being recreated or reproduced. Anything may happen, including interactions with the humans there at the time.” Williams is an L.A.-based director and producer who’s worked in feature films, TV, and music videos. And been the creator of another such immersive production before, staging Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus in a corn maze near Sacramento in 2013. He was prompted in that endeavor having been amid the walkers and watchers for Sleep No More, Punchdrunk’s equally ground-breaking dance-telling of Macbeth in New York (2011 Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical Experience). “It changed theatre for me,” he enthuses. Last year he came here at the invitation of Blue Barn Artistic Director Susan Clement-Toberer to create the Hamlet event at 3837 Cuming Street in the home built and once owned by Sophia Hoppin-Lowe, the widow of the first mayor of Omaha, Jesse Lowe. Should you choose to arrive before the actual starting time, you will get a few supplemental elements to enhance what’s to come. That’s optional. Still, you might have questions about the background of all of this including the people behind the scenes. They include co-producers/directors Sebastiani Romagnolo and Wai Yim plus (full disclosure) The Reader’s Bill Grennan. Know, then, that many things can be answered at the website (below) , Walk The Night is Oct. 21-Nov.14, at 3837 Cuming St. Weds-Sat. 7 p.m. plus tbd p.m. Tickets :$20; 2 performances $35. www.walkthenightwithme.com
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art darkhumanism: “The Jungle,” is one of several paintings by Italian artist Paolo Dolzan, currently on display in his solo exhibition, mindescape, at the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery in the Old Market.
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he Garden of the Zodiac is a small tucked away gallery in the Passageway known for bringing its owners European sensibilities to the Old Market. The gallery is currently hosting Italian painter Paolo Dolzan, who has shown in the space before (2010, 2013). The artists had spent the two weeks prior to the opening constructing this exhibition, painting at least one painting a day. The result? A macabre sketchbook of dark landscapes, scratchy still lifes, space-less places, and disfigured heads – all of which are as mythological as they are drastic. With their quick aggressive gestures, Dolzan’s acrylic paintings and charcoal drawings consume
the gallery with the grim physiological content of dark humanism. Entering the gallery, immediately to the right are three skeletal charcoal drawings of heads. With a helter-skelter approach to drawing, these moody (and spooky) smears are as provocative as evocative. Huge swaths of ebony create voids on the paper dotted with the artist’s fingerprints, sweat, and erasure crumbs forming just enough contour for a rough face to emerge. As viewers, we instantly get a glimpse into Dolzan’s process and studies. Perpendicular to the heads is “Montagna Rossa con carcassa” (Red mountain with carcass). This
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Artist Paolo Dolzan takes daring leap into myth’s dark side at Garden of the Zodiac Gallery BY ALEX PRIEST
very large painting builds on the principles and mark-making tendencies of the heads while extending into a color field of mystery. Filled with a spectrum ranging from cerulean blue to mauve to ochre to blood red, the gloomy landscape is never fully exposed as either a physical or internal terrain. Possibly depicting Mount Vesuvius or maybe the elephant graveyards in Disney’s The Lion King, bones are stacked in front of the red mountainscape with a storm brewing in the distance. The painting weighs heavy with emotional and physical potency. It’s hard not to connect a few dots with the painted sky and the artist’s sensitive content. Locations change as Dolzan renders what appears to be a crocodile peaking its toothy jaw out of a Joan Mitchell-esque swamp. In abrupt contrast to the previous painting, “Giungla” (Jungle) is tamed with soft lavender and sea foam green tones. This painting is concise in concept, while allowing the artists loose and hurried brush stokes to fill the canvas. Extending this approach, Dolzan has an ability to demarcate space without using perspective. This is most obvious in “Il giarindo” (The garden) where space is flattened and expanded on a large engulfing canvas. Micro and macro views unfold within the painting using Dolzan’s now obvious macabre techniques. With the actual Garden of the Zodiac beamingly on view through the next window, this painting and its associated ephemera, is overwhelming. There is no reason to get too close, as the painting is aggressive and ready to punch you in the face. Who knew a landscape painting could be this assertive? Like the other larger works, the presence of the artist is also on view. Dolzan is ringside ready for a knockout. No moody exhibition is complete without a dense still life. In “Natura morta” (Still life), Dolzan filters
a still life (presumably one of artist Vera Mercer’s velvety still life photographs) through his muddied brush strokes. This image is filled with culinary oddities and known tropes of the genre. Dolzan articulates his depth and ability to articulate physical, mental, and conceptual space with impactful expressions. When thinking about this exhibition as the artist’s Omaha sketchbook, there are, of course, going to be a few pages that fall short to the masterworks. Number 14, “Uomo, Albero, Capra” (Man, Tree, Goat) is one such work. The painting is a heavy-handed gesture filled with obvious forms and banal color choices. It is a large canvas that is largely unsuccessful in content – featuring a sinister goat and shepherd toking away the afternoon under a drippy tree. This one-note painting also lacks Dolzan’s keen depiction of space boring viewers with superficial incongruent brush strokes. Unlike the jungle or mountain-scape, the marks are hurried in manner that come off as elementary not elemental. The rest of the exhibition unfolds as a grab bag of horrifying scarecrows, a cute kitty, several emaciated cattle, a tired (self?) portrait, more charcoal exaggerated heads, and an out of place sculpture; all with the rich color, quick marks and dark demeanor storming through the rest of the gallery. With his shadowy wink, Dolzan complicates “Nebraska Nice” forcing an aggressive outsider’s perspective onto our idyllic #HuskerNation culture. This is no happenstance observation. The artist is a studied professor not shy of sharing a polemic comment under his cool Italian accent. While the contextual work is deep and twisted, the exhibition is, according to curator Fulvio de Pellegrin, “an immense psychological leap into the depths of impressionism.” A leap it is. The full exhibition is exhaustive. An intense CrossFit approach to art making. Like any workout, there are moments of fatigue, success, and those tiny flashes when you cheat yourself hoping no one will notice. Similarly, there is a seemingly impossible time limit to this workout (exhibition): as many reps (artworks) as possible in two weeks. Dolzan is an athlete. He knows how his body moves along with where and how to push himself to the limit. As a scorecard, this exhibition demonstrates short intense bursts of energy. Some works are the warm up, others are the flat line breathless movements in the middle, and others are where Dolzan pushes ahead. Touchdown. , Paolo Dolzan: mind escape is on view through October 31 at the Moving Gallery at the Garden of the Zodiac located in the Old Market Passageway at 1042 Howard Street, Omaha.
The 2015-2016 NATIONAL PERFORMANCE SEASON
presents
cky Martin BeBIG BAND Accompanied by an old school Sinatra-esque big band, Becky Martin’s vocals are powerful, sexy, sophisticated and charming.
The show people are
dying
A live on-stage radio theatre experience of this classic gothic horror story by L.A. Theatre Works.
to see!
FRI., OCT. 16 l 7:30 pm
THUR., OCT. 22 l 7:30 pm TICKETS ON SALE NOW! CALL 712.388.7140 / Purchase online at artscenter.iwcc.edu
Omaha East / Council Bluffs
Iowa Western Community College
at Horseshoe Casino
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art shadows&light: “How to Hug and Other Sublimations of Man” by Jacob Martinez, featured in the current two person exhibit at the Lied Gallery that includes an installation by Tupac Matir.”
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contraststudy
A
Lied Gallery photo, install exhibit varies its focus on light and shadow B Y J A N E T L . FA R B E R
new exhibition of works by two Creighton University fine arts alumni—Antonio Jacob Martinez and Tupac Martir—recently opened at the Lied Art Gallery Aug. 29. It is described as multidisciplinary, but it is best understood as a study in contrasts by artists who use light and shadow as their principle media. Photography, it is said, is the art of fixing shadows. Although there are fewer practitioners of traditional darkroom arts of capturing light on chemically sensitive glass plates or negative film, those who use a digital camera still make use of the same two-step process: snap a picture now, figure out how to take advantage of it later. We don’t as much see the work
hand-altered and varnished pigment prints present balletic images of cage fighters caught in the clenches. “How to Hug and Other Sublimations of Men,” the title of this suite, is described by the artist as “an expressionistic interpretation of the modern sport of mixed martial arts…with emphasis on the hidden merging of violence and intimacy between two men, competing to win the hearts of those in the audience.” Martinez was fascinated by the violence and physicality of the sport and curious about those men of all ages who choose to fight to the finish as a leisure-time activity. Over the course of three years, this Southern Illinois University professor
of its taking as we do the result of its making. If photography arrests time and holds it captive for our consideration, theater is another matter. It typically embraces a storytelling structure that is made more interesting, artistic or profound by the strategic deployment of light, movement, sound, etc. Like photography, it has a capacity to transfix, but takes place in space and time, holding the audience captive for the span of its attention, hopefully to the end of the program. The first room of the gallery is devoted to the photographs of Martinez (BFA 2001) whose 23
trained and took part in mixed martial arts contests, also fixing his lens on other matches. Like the ancient sport of wrestling that forms the basis for the few-holds-barred competitions of cage fighting, Martinez’s photographs have a strong sense of timelessness. He enhances the dramatic moments on the mat by using a variety of editing techniques, including obscuring and darkening backgrounds, enhancing the color of the fighters’ gloves and trunks, and sculpting the light playing on their bodies. Martinez also adds a layer of white-toned varnish, then scratches and scrapes the surfaces of his
OCTOBER 2015
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prints, likening it to the abuse heaped on the body during matches. The resulting photographs feel frozen in time, easily passing for an old lithograph of George Bellows’ 1909 classic “Stag at Sharkey’s” or a hand-colored press photo of some epic prizefight. Though coincidental, it doesn’t go unnoticed that the octagonal shape of the gallery echoes that of the MMA fighting ring. And in the other corner…gallery is a site-specific installation by Tupac Martir (BFA 2000). While at Creighton, Martir was a painting and photography major, but since then has seen his international, star-studded career encompass lighting/ projection, sound design, music composition, choreography and a host of other interests he continues to weave into his expansive portfolio of productions. Unique, the name of the installation requires audience immersion into a nearly blacked-out space, illuminated only by a changing show of patterns projected on the wall. The patterns—and there are dozens of different shapes, symbols and glyphic designs—are cut into two black scrims tucked into a corner, behind which are lights on motorized tracks whose programmed motion continually changes the shadow play on the wall. The projected designs also reveal text adhered to the walls. “I am and you are unique,” proclaims the first. “The future is the birth of others.” “The present is the presence of others.” “The past is the absence of others.” As an artist who works collaboratively with others across disciplines, Martir has said he prefers that his work begin conversations; Unique does seem to provide some starters remarks on the very topical discourse on “otherness.” The installation also features an amplified field of sound. An electronic mixed tape of sorts adds its own rhythm to the visual motion and helps to dull the clanky whirring of the mechanisms that move the light tracks. While there is clearly no interest by Martir in hiding his stagecraft, the noisy machinery is a distraction from the already abundant sensations of visual puppetry, sonic tapestry and narrative construct. Distinctly different as Martinez’s and Martir’s concepts and works are, the pairing nonetheless works reasonably well. Each in his own way shines a light on a fascination for the theater of perception and the nature of human experience by allowing a bigger picture to emerge from the shadows. , The Alumni Exhibition of Antonio Martinez and Tupac Martir continues through October 16 at the Lied Art Gallery at 24th and California Streets. The exhibition will be closed for the University’s fall break, Oct. 8-11. Gallery hours are Monday through Fri-
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flSTARTEARLYSTARTWELL
BY LEO ADAM BIGA
Sam Meisels leads early childhood mission through Buffett Early Childhood Institute
fi sam’splan:
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PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
culture
The landscape of early childhood development in Nebraska entered a new space with the launch of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute in 2013 and since founding executive director Sam Meisels arrived that year he’s become the front man advocating for higher quality programs and a better trained workforce. He and his team are leading the Institute’s work in research, policy and outreach efforts.
S
ince Sam Meisels arrived in 2013 to head the Buffett Early Childhood Institute, he’s become the academic-based advocate ally to the socially conscious philanthropist who hired him, Susan A. Buffett. The dynastic wealth of the Buffetts has always had a progressive bent, Billionaire investor Warren Bufffett’s first wife, the late Susan Thompson Buffett, gave generously to liberal causes. The daughter has carried on this legacy by supporting quality education for children from low income families. Her Sherwood Foundation is a major player behind programs attempting to bridge achievement and opportunity gaps from birth through college. Her Buffett Early Childhood Fund backs Educare. The Fund created the Institute in partnership with the University of Nebraska. The research, policy, outreach-armed Institute housed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha emerged from her conversations with NU-system leaders about the need to improve early childhood outcomes for at-risk populations. She and
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Meisels say since learning begins at birth any early deficits can contribute to later academic-reading struggles. That’s why enriching activities from infancy on are vital. As the Institute’s tag lines read: “Start Early, Start Well” and “All children need the opportunity to develop, learn and succeed in life.” In Meisels, she tapped an early childhood guru as BECI’s founding executive director and as Nebraska’s new Pied Piper for the cause. “Sam is the real deal. He’s a world-class early childhood leader deeply committed to leveling the playing field for very young children growing up in families facing some very tough odds. Sam’s vision of making Nebraska the best place in the country to be a baby is a vision inspiring more and more people, and I’m convinced we’ll get there,” she says. “Children are born learning. Their earliest experiences set the trajectory for how they will succeed in school and life. Sam has put together a team at the Institute to help him and, really, to help all of us across the state close the student achievement gap and develop an early childhood
workforce to do the critical work of nurturing Nebraska’s youngest learners.” Meisels came from Chicago, where he helped make Erikson Institute the nation’s leading graduate school in child development. Before joining Erikson in 2002, he held senior positions at prestigious schools. The University of Rochester graduate with a master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard Graduate School of Education has ample experience with children both as a parent and as a former pre-school, kindergarten and first grade teacher. As a leading authority on the assessment of young children he’s spent much time observing early child ed programs. Most of his time today is spent with stakeholders, including school district superintendents, education officials, legislators and philanthropists, as well as with fellow experts in devising strategies and policies for better assessment and training. On Sept. 11 the Buffett Institute and the Aspen Institute hosted a panel discussion featuring leadcontinued on page 34 y
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ing early childhood experts about the future of early childhood education and care. Institute staff have traveled the state to meet with and speak to many constituencies. With the Buffett and NU names preceding them, Mesiels and Co. can get in any door and before any audience to advocate for quality, accessible early childhood programs that educate rather than warehouse, that have well-trained staff and that are accountable to state standards. Meisels is impressed by the public-private support
do it in a way that makes sense in a group of 12 or 20 children. “We’re talking also about relying not at all on television but relying instead on what takes place interactively. We’re talking about having art experiences, alphabet letters, displaying children’s work on the walls, having goals in the areas of social problem solving, literacy, math. Even for 3 year-olds and 4 year-olds you should have appropriate goals in those areas.” Meisels doesn’t often see those things in place. He also sees disturbing disconnects in the continuum of
marshaled for early childhood efforts in Nebraska. Those initiatives are in part responses to societal failures. The state faces a crisis of young children living in poverty, a factor posing serious challenges for healthy development. The 2010 census showed 40 percent of all children birth through age 5 in the state meet the Nebraska Department of Education’s general at-risk criteria, including low income, English as a second language, having adolescent parents or being born prematurely. That percentage equates to 60,000 children statewide. The numbers keep growing. These problems are magnified in families and communities lacking resources for quality out of home child ed and care. Meisels sees a need for more such programs wherever he visits. “A lot of pre-schools I go into, not just in Nebraska and certainly not just in Omaha, are places where kids spend time, but they don’t learn very much. They meet in places where there’s very little attention paid to something as simple as transitions, whether it’s from home to school or within school from one activity to another activity. Most very young children have trouble making transitions – being able to change what they’re doing into something else and
early childhood programs. “Right now in this area we have a number of 4 year-old programs sponsored with public dollars but very, very few programs for 3 year- olds. It’s like having sixth grade and fourth grade but no fifth grade. That doesn’t work.” Meisels not only finds it illuminating but rejuventating to visit pre-schools in order to get a handle on what’s happening in settings where young children spend much of their time. “When I go into a pre-school I actually feel transformed, honestly. I’m taken over by the environment. The first thing I do is look around and see how many adults are there and how many children are there. Then I just listen for a little bit to get the tone – how are children talking to each other, how are adults talking to children, how are children talking to adults. I note the interactions and how problems are solved. “Then I start to walk around and note what the materials are like – are children able to reach them, are they in good repair, is there a good variety. Do we just have a few books and counters for math or are there blocks, is there a dress-up corner for dramatic play. On and on and on. That gives me a pretty darn good idea.”
PHOTO COURTESY CEHS.UNL.EDU
y continued from page 32
fi sam’sclan: A former preschool, kindergarten and first grade teacher, he has held positions at the Developmental Evaluation Clinic of Boston Children’s Hospital, the Department of Child Study at Tufts University where he was a professor and the director of the Eliot-Pearson Children’s School, and the University of Michigan, where he is now professor and research scientist emeritus.
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He says while most out of home providers are motivated by the right reasons, some cut corners rather than put children first. “If you’re going to be very concerned about the bottom-line, you’re going to try to have to hold costs down, most of which are for the personnel, and to that extent you’re going to short change everybody.” He says most providers pay relatively poor salaries – on average $28,000 – to child care educators. “That’s a terrible salary given that who’s more important to us in the world than our children. We’re also paying it all out of our pocket. The amount of federal and state dollars that goes into early childhood is very, very small compared to what goes into K-12 education. So who pays for it? Parents pay for it. “Salaries, work conditions and benefits are very, very bad and the status of that profession, my profession, is low as a result.” All of which serves as a disincentive to enter the field, leaving many inner city and rural communities wanting because there aren’t enough early childhood educators to meet the need. With providers charging a few hundred dollars to a thousand dollars or more a month, parents must make hard decisions and sacrifices, perhaps going well out of their way in order to access child ed or care. “These are generally young people and they can’t be stretched very far,” Meisels says. Parents of limited means sometimes choose the more expedient rather than best option, including in-home providers operating off the radar and therefore outside the eyes of regulators. “Many people are unlicensed and then they’re totally unregulated,” Meisels says. Since not all children who receive out of home child care are in licensed-regulated settings, he says, “We have to find ways of reaching out to them through professional development, improving the quality of the programs as a general rule.” He says, “For those programs that do enroll children who receive any kind of state subsidy the state now has a quality rating system and so those programs over the coming years will have to meet certain minimum requirements of quality, not just health and safety, and we will work with that and try to improve that.” The Institute has launched the Early Childhood Workforce Development Program in order to raise the standards and skill levels of early childhood staffers. It is hosting higher education faculty from across the state October 5-6 for the conference “Transforming the Early Childhood Workforce in Nebraska.” Meisels says another challenge posed by the early childhood arena is variable quality in day cares and after school programs. “ Some of them have educational goals, some of them have more fun, play-based goals. It’s a big issue all around. Actually United Way of the Midland here is focusing more of their attention now on trying to improve after school programs.” A formal approach to the issue is the Achievement Gap Challenge through the Superintendents’ Early Childhood Plan mandated by the Nebraska Legislature (LB 585). The plan will be funded for three continued on page 36 y
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Ralston Arena Rockbrook Camera RSVP Sarpy County Customs Scout: Dry Goods & Trade Sgt. Peffer’s Spirit World Stickman Graphics & Signs Studio Konchagulian The Bookworm The Imaginarium The Laurel Tree The Reader The Tea Smith Village Needleworks Villains Tattoo White Crane Gallery
OCTOBER 2015
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y continued from page 34
fi sam’stheman:
DEBRA S. KAPLAN
One of the nation’s leading authorities on the assessment of young children, Sam Meisels has published more than 200 articles, books and monographs.
years by the Learning Community of Douglas and Sarpy Counties. Created in collaboration with 11 metro area school districts, the plan aims to reduce achievement gaps for children birth through age 8. It emphasizes creating more quality pre-school for 3 and 4 year-olds and enhancing teaching and curriculum for pre-K through third grade. Home visits will target at-risk kids up to age 3. The idea is to educate families about activities and resources that aid development in situations where children may not be getting the stimuli they need. “For example, we know if children aren’t exposed to a lot of words early in life that even as early as 18 months they’re going to show a deficit in vocabulary that can persist all the way through third grade,”
Meisels says. “And we know there’s a very tight correlation between vocabulary and learning to read. “So we want to teach people to talk, to read and to sing to their kids. We want to help them learn how to help their children grow in terms of physical well-being, fine motor and gross motor skills, all aspects. We need to communicate to parents – what are our goals for learning, how well is your child doing in terms of what has he learned about this and about that. We particularly want the parent to have a strong relationship with the child. What takes place between the parent and child is the driving force in childhood development.” He says it’s not only parents who can stand to be schooled about children’s age appropriate behavior. “We need to teach parents about why play is a valuable avenue of learning for young children, why there’s always a surplus of activity level in children. We need to teach teachers that, too. Some kids getting expelled are not wanting to sit down all day long
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or for a few hours, which is what we would expect for a 4 or 5 year-old. Some people don’t know that.” He says the Institute will monitor and support early elementary ed outcomes with schools, centers and families. “We’ve got to think in terms of families rather than parents because a lot of children are raised by other family members. We have to think about the family with the child all the time. There’s no such thing as an isolated child because as humans we cannot survive alone. That’s not just our physical needs but our emotional needs, our intellectual needs. We need to be supported, scaffolded all the way, for a long time.” He says education intervention is generally wellreceived. “Because you’re very alone when you’re the parent of a very young child and a new-born especially, you want someone to talk about it with. How you do it is very important. Finding someone from the community who understands what you’ve been through is very important.” He says the early childhood field’s come a long way. “We have learned what to do with kids, we’ve learned how to do it better. We’ve learned that children can learn a great deal. We’ve learned the first five years of life is when the greatest amount of brain growth occurs. All of that is supportive of what we’re doing. We can teach very young children about letters, about numbers, about shapes, about space, about all kinds of things like that. “A more recent revolution is we’ve learned we need to teach them about non-cognitive things, too, like taking responsibility for their actions, relating to others, being cooperative. It’s these non-cognitive factors that have a lot to do with how well they succeed then in life. Much of the evidence behind that has grown out of what we’ve learned from early childhood programs as we follow kids longitudinally through their early adult years.” He says early childhood has more visibility “than at any time” and “the research is pretty clear that if we can be persistent in our effort we will experience the persistence of effect.” When it comes to assessment, Meisels says No Child Left Behind initiated “more testing than we’ve ever seen and most of it has not been useful.” He adds, “A lot of it has been punitive in nature. I think something that is punitive is not educational.” “The assessment work I do,” he says, “is based upon teachers observing, recording and comparing to standards in order to differentiate what they do with individual children. You have to have evidencebased data. We learn how to observe so that we have some reliability and repeatability. Based on that I can see this is a child who learns in this way but not so well in that way and I can use that to help the child develop and have success. “It is more resource-intensive for a teacher but teaching’s a tough job and this actually improves your teaching.” Another punitive thing that happens in pre-schools, he says, is children being suspended or expelled for behavioral issues. “It is a national problem. Boys are more frequently expelled than girls.” Some reports suggest boys of color are disproportionately impacted.
culture
Meisels isn’t surprised it happens given that the overwhelming early childhood workforce is white females. “There are problems of identification with an authority figure who looks so different and is so different. Children from minority backgrounds may not have encountered a white authority figure before.” He says the kinds of behaviors that can lead to disciplinary action are preventable and solvable. “Often a teacher doesn’t know how to structure a physical space for pre-schoolers. Some kids will respond to your saying ‘no running,’ others won’t, they like to challenge, they like to test limits. which is a very natural healthy thing to do. “It’s our job as adults to help the child cross that divide and we have to understand where the child is so we can be successful at that. It’s a huge responsibility for the teacher to bring a child into a learning world and to expel a child at that age is a failure on the part of the teacher.” Meisels sees a largely health early child landscape here. “Some factors that led to the establishment of this Institute help Nebraska stand out in a very positive way. That doesn’t mean we don’t have a lot of work to do, but it means there are points of excellence here. We have combined public-private programs focusing on the first three years of life that very few states have. We have four Educare schools. We have three colleges of education in the NU system. “There are things that need to improve, too. We are a rural, low population state, so as you get into greater Nebraska there are fewer people prepared at a high level. Our standards of qualification for taking care of children are not high. Some say if we made them too high we’d have nobody to serve the kids in need. We want to find ways of improving that situation. We have very few birth to 3 programs and very few programs for 3 year-olds.” Overall, he says, “there’s room for a lot of improvement and there’s a lot of strength to build from.” He says the investment made to support the Institute’s work sends a message that “the lives of young children at risk and their families are important enough that they would rise to be a priority of the university,” adding, “Most universities don’t do that and this is one saying that it’s important enough for us to do it.” The Institute’s interdisciplinary-collaborative work spans across all four University of Nebraska campuses in Lincoln, Kearney and Omaha. “What I say to the deans around these campuses is that we can identify where most of the children at risk are coming from and we want every single one of those children 18 years after they’re born to be eligible to apply and to be qualified to be accepted at the university. “So in a way it’s a jobs program – that these kids should grow up and hold jobs and be real contributors here in this state. Early childhood I always say is not an inoculation, it’s an investment.” , For more information, visit buffettinstitute.nebraska. edu. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.
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flSciencepsych&story
BY LEO ADAM BIGA
Lit Fest delves into what we fear, how we relate in extremis; authors and readers gather for discussions and digressions
‘litup: Every year novelist
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DEBRA S. KAPLAN
culture
Timothy Schaffert pretty much just thinks up what he wants to talk about with his writer pals and that becomes the basis for his free downtown Omaha Lit Fest. Of course, it helps he and his friends are among America’s finest authors. The fest’s 2015 iteration, on Oct. 16-17 at W. Dale Clark Liibrary is themed “Nervosa: Science, Psych & Story.” Panels, readings and exhibits will explore the theme.
T
he 2015 downtown Omaha Lit Fest, whose theme is “Nervosa: Science, Psych & Story,” celebrates the reflective power of literature to explore human vulnerability. Worry over terrorism, the economy, climate change, the singularity, genetic engineering and zombie apocalypse dread is backdrop for the free Oct. 16-17 fest at the W. Dale Clark Library. The 6:30-9:30 Friday night opening party, “Anxiety,” features the Poetry Brothel by burntdistrict literary journal, paintings and drawings by Eric and Shari Post and wire and book sculptures by Jay Cochrane. Starting at 1 p.m. Saturday founder-directornovelist Timothy Schaffert (The Swan Gondola) moderates panel discussions and interviews with local and visiting authors. The intimate annual fest plays like Schafferts personal salon. “If you don’t like me you probably
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won’t like the show,” he quips .”I have the freedom to develop it the way I want and I do so with the support of the Omaha Public Library. They let me invite who I want to invite, they provide the space and they promote the event. It’s exciting to take on a project that isn’t mired in bureaucracy.” He arrived at this year’s theme by noting what authors in his lit circle were writing about. He feels these times induce a collective high tension literature’s better prepared to reflect than social media. “Literature is really competing with the social networks for that immediate connection people are seeking with each other and their desire to remain on top of every horrifying incident that occurs in the world. Ultimately there can be this overwhelming sense of everything is treacherous, that there’s terror waiting at every turn.” He says where online communiques incite anxiety, literature brings analysis and rumination.
“We read books differently than we read most other text. We immerse ourselves in the world of the story. We’re looking for authoritative voice, for unique and useful perspective, and that requires a great deal of attention. A book calls for you to put everything else aside to spend time with it and to let the writer speak. I think that has historically been soothing to readers.” For the panel “Diagnosis” two Omaha doctorauthors will discuss drawing on medical backgrounds in writing. Retired transplant surgeon Bud Shaw says, “My essay ‘My Night with Ellen Hutchison’ is about a devastating personal and professional episode in my early career.” “As I sat down to write about it, I discovered just how stubbornly I still held onto a version of that story that blamed others, that let me off the hook continued on page 4o y
Perishable Food Rescue and PRESENT
FREE LUNCH
Feedback
LIVE MUSIC
Cooking Demos by Celebrity Chefs
Kids’ Activities and more!
Sunday, October 4th, 2015 • Noon to 4pm Lewis & Clark Landing • 345 Riverfront Drive
At least a third of the world’s food doesn’t get eaten – and Feeding the 5000 will highlight solutions that everyone can implement. Omaha will become the third U.S. city to join the global campaign to shine a light on food waste with a Feeding the 5000 event. Five thousand lunches made entirely out of fresh food that would otherwise be wasted will be served free to the public! Food Day member non-profit organizations will provide interactive booths designed to educate visitors about food waste and inspire them to take action at home and in their communities.
Help us eat the message that FOOD IS TOO GOOD TO WASTE! For more event info, visit: www.SavingGraceFoodRescue.org
Ways to Get Involved
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
VOLUNTEER (Sign up online - More info on our Facebook Event Page) GET A GROUP TO VOLUNTEER (Reach out to Tiffany Jones @ tjones@hungerfreeheartland.org) ATTEND AND BRING FRIENDS SHARE/PROMOTE THE EVENT ON FACEBOOK (Like Saving Grace on Facebook - Click on Events) TWEET ABOUT IT! #F5KOmaha In collaboration with:
Food Day • VNA Cooking Matters • Hunger Free Heartland • No More Empty Pots • Hunger Collaborative
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litwork: Artwork by
In his new novel Tales of the Master a character deals with the anguish of undermining himself and others. He says writers well fit the outcast bill – “at least if they write the truth.” Ted Wheeler, author of the chapbook On the River, Down Where They Found Willy Brown and the related novel Kings of Broken Things, says, “So much of interesting literature is about social outcasts. I see that as the central duty of a writer – to tell the stories that shouldn’t be told, to make personal demons public, to dredge up buried history or explore the parts of society that have been pushed out to the margins. The literary writer’s job is to say what can’t be said in polite company.” Schaffert says the work of Wheeler, Wesselman and fellow panelist Marilyn June Coffey has “a kind of mythology, whether folklore or historical incident or ancient mythology.” Wheeler explores Will Brown’s 1919 lynching in Omaha. “My main intention was to give it treatment in a way I hadn’t seen done in any history books. The trick wasn’t really in explaining why this horrible event happened here, but more about resisting the urge to rationalize a mass act of treachery by exploring what it was like to be at a race riot and get
Schaffert is “fascinated by any effort to make science more readable and accessible.” At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln he teaches a Humanities in Medicine Minor course, “Illness and Health in Literature.” “We look at everything from science journalism to personal essays.” Another panel with Nebraska writers will consider “Treachery” and outcasts. Novelist Douglas Otis Wesselman, aka radio host Otis Twelve, says, “Treachery is best understood by the old. We’ve had more practice at it – from both sides. We come to know we are betrayed and betrayers by nature. Our human lives seem to revolve around duplicity and it usually comes down to the ultimate deceit – our ability to lie to ourselves.”
caught up it the swerve of violent extremism. “What’s interesting to me and what’s unspeakable about it in a certain way is this point where mundane life intersects with a notorious crime.” Coffey revisited Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate in an Atlantic Monthly cover article. She broke ground with her 1973 novel Marcella for its exploration of female autoeroticism. Her new book is Thieves, Rascals & Sore Losers: The Unsettling History of the Dirty Deals that Helped Settle Nebraska. The panel “Empathy” will examine the psychology of identification. “Reading literature builds empathy,” Lincoln author Joy Castro says. “It asks us to imagine the lives and perspectives of people very different from ourselves, faced with situations we’ve never encountered. En-
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PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
Eric Post (top) and Jay Cochrane (scultpure) will be featured at this year’s Lit Fest.
for the death of a patient during a liver transplant. I had to revisit that night over and over again for weeks to reconstruct a view that wasn’t about the cause of the failure so much as it was about the results. It wasn’t easy. I needed a fresh and far more human perspective, and that required a lot of processing I hadn’t done before. Now I don’t seem able to stop.” His new book is Last Night in the OR: A Transplant Surgeon’s Odyssey. Practicing physician Lydia Kang writes young adult sci-fi novels and scientific thrillers (Catalyst, Control). “I find myself drawn to particular stories and struggles and often there is a medical-forensic-genetics aspect that happens along the way.” Researching a congenital breathing disorder led Kang to cast the hero of Control with that condition. Kang says wanting to “explain the details, whys and hows of things” in prose can result in “too much info-dumping.” “Curating the details for the sake of smooth reading and the storyline must work in concert with doing factual justice to the fictional patient and scenario.” Through her blog she consults writers dealing with health-science matters.
‘litword: ”Literature is really competing with the social networks for that immediate connection people are seeking with each other and their desire to remain on top of every horrifying incident that occurs in the world,” says Lit Fest Founder Timothy Schaffert.
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OCTOBER 2015
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culture
tering into their stories expands our hearts. My new book How Winter Began is a collection of 28 short stories which pivot on the challenge of empathy.” Arizona-based writer Julie Iromuanya, raised in Nebraska by her Igo Nigernian immigrant parents, says, “To write, one has to practice the central feature of empathy – one has to imagine. It’s a complicated business to move beyond one’s subject position in order to inhabit the body of another. To me, beauty is about seeing characters in their most unvarnished form. My way into my characters is through their truth, but it’s a risky endeavor. Veer a little too far left and writing is sterile. Veer a little too far to the right and we’re left with sentimentality. Hit the right spot and there is a backdoor elegance.” For her debut novel Mr. and Mrs. Doctor, she says, “One of the ways I leveraged this was through humor, albeit dark humor, I’m both inside my characters and outside them. They act, they live their lives on the page, but I don’t let them get away with anything.” Seattle writer Jennie Shortridge’s novel Love Water Memory considers the limits of love, trust and knowing through the prism of amnesia. Schaffert will ask Canada native and New York City resident Emily St. John Mandel about the human psychology examined in her post-apocalyptic best-seller Station Eleven. “It occurred to me an interesting way to consider the modern world would be to contemplate its absence,” Mandel says. “I was less interested in writing a narrative of collapse and more interested in writing about what comes next. The question I’ve attempted to address is, What remains? What might we long for and try to recreate if all of the trappings of the modern world were to fall away?” , For more information, visit www.omahalitfest.com. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.
Bruce Crawford presents a 60th Anniversary of
Witherspoon Hall On the stage-wide screen!
Tickets $24.00 on sale NOW at Omaha Hy-Vee grocery store customer service counters
2200 Dodge St., Omaha, NE 68102
Limited tickets also available at the door
Friday, October 23rd 7:00 p.m. Joslyn Art Museum
With Special Guest Actor, Author, Producer
Robert Dix Co-starred as Crewman Grey in the film.
Doors Open at 6 p.m A Benefit for the Nebraska Kidney Association For more information call 402-932-7200.
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OCTOBER 2015
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
Dine Out for the Cure
速
Sunday
Oct. 18 Holiday Parties. Anniversary Parties. Receptions. 42nd & Center-The Center Mall EVERY 2 MINUTES, SOMEONE IN THE U.S. IS DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER.
Catering Kitchen. VIP Room. Spacious Parking. Up to 100 guests.
You can give them hope. Join us at participating restaraunts on Oct. 18, 2015 and a portion of your tab will be donated to support local breast health programs and research to find the cures.
FOR A LIST OF PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS OR TO LEARN MORE, VISIT: KOMENNEBRASKA.ORG
Or, donate anytime by texting NeKomen to 72727
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OCTOBER 2015
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E
very time I drive by chef and cookbook author Isa Moscowitz’s restaurant on Saddle Creek, David Bowie’s “Modern Love” immediately starts playing in my head. Being a huge Bowie fan meant the name always stood out to me, and I imagined the song had to be the namesake of the small vegan place that has been on the lips of all my vegan and vegetarian friends. As it turns out, the tune was not the inspiration for the name of Omaha’s only “swanky vegan comfort food” restaurant. When I asked Moscowitz how she conjured up the name she said it was actually inspired by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ song “Modern Romance.” While driving to check out a possible location for her new venture, she was trying to think of what to name it. The track came on and she thought it would make a great
B Y TA R A S P E N C E R
Sitting at Beansmith Coffee Roasters on Harney waiting to meet up with Moscowitz, I realized that I really knew very little about vegan food. Sure, I’d tried some things before. A friend of mine was always experimenting with cashew cream and seitan, but up until about a year ago, I was still pronouncing it “satan.” Thanks to people like my friend, and Isa Moscowitz, I am now much more willing to try new foods. Foods that don’t include beef, chicken or pork. The questions that came to mind as I prepared for our meeting revolved around who this Brooklynite revolutionizing Omaha’s vegan scene was, and why was she here? I recognized the author of every vegan’s sacred textbooks as soon as she came through the door. She
PHOTOS BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN
eat
love&Vengeance
Chef and author Isa Moscowitz has made her mark in the world of vegan cuisine
romancingbeets: Isa Moskowitz is the former host of the community access cooking show Post Punk Kitchen. She has authored several best-selling cookbooks, including Vegan with a Vengeance, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Veganomicon, Vegan Brunch,Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar and Appetite for Reduction.
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name for a restaurant. She tells me that when she brought it up to people, they thought “Modern Romance” was a bit much, and she should probably tone it down. Eventually, everyone agreed on Modern Love. “The more it marinated, the more it made sense to me. It was classic food with a modern twist, made with love.” With that explanation, the name couldn’t be more fitting. From the incredibly popular “Mac and ‘Shews” to delectable desserts like “Blackberry Bourbon Pie,” the food at Modern Love will remind you of the food you loved as a child, while at the same time making you question why you ever hated beets.
OCTOBER 2015
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eat
wore a faded black T-shirt and her signature black framed glasses. It was like the photo from her cookbook cover had come alive and was now striding toward me. Sitting across from me at a small white table by the counter, she answered my questions quickly, gesturing for emphasis with chipped, sea-foam green tipped fingernails as she spoke. Moscowitz said she moved to Omaha after living in Portland for two years because her boyfriend at the time was from Omaha. The boyfriend may not be around anymore, but luckily for Omahans, Mocowitz is. She said she loves Omaha, especially now that she has the restaurant. It would seem that love is not
unrequited. Business has been great and she’s been happy with all the positive responses. “All the variables were weird,” she said, pointing out that it’s not a big, fancy place and the location might seem a little strange to some, sitting across the parking lot from sandy volleyball courts. She knew she needed something small “just to test the waters.” If things went well, bigger could come later. “It’s weird, because I think like a New Yorker, and I need to think like an Omahan,” she said. “It’s not really about location. People will come to you if you have a good restaurant.” Moscowitz adds that she thinks it is difficult to find a location here. Omaha is known for its abundance of restaurants, and she said it seems like as soon as
one restaurant closes, someone is already waiting to take over the space. Sometimes before the doors are even closed. “It’s just finding the right thing at the right time. I know it will come.” Knowing Nebraskans’ penchant for meat in all forms, the idea of opening a vegan restaurant here might seem like a foolish act to those unaware of the growing vegetarian/vegan market here in Omaha. For Moscowitz, though, the gamble paid off. Reservations are highly recommended, as she says they often have to turn people away. And she “hates the feeling” of turning people away. “I didn’t expect it to go so well, that I’d need to move so fast,” she said. *Recent confirmation of the opening of Modern Love in Moscowitz’s hometown of Brooklyn, New York, might cause panic among the vegan community here in Omaha. But don’t fret, Vomahans. Moscowitz plans to split her time between the East Coast’s newest go-to hipster destination and the locus of the Midwest’s indie music scene. , Modern Love is located at 1319 S. 50th St. 402. 614.6481. Hours: Tuesday - Thursday 5-9:15 p.m. Friday & Saturday 5-10 p.m. modernloveomaha. Her cookbooks are available at The Bookworm, 2501 S. 90th St. 402.392-2877. bookwormomaha.com.
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wannascorewithme?
T
his started because I tried to find suggestions for movie scores to jam out to whilst doing something sexy like calculating how much income I should be putting into my 401K. Every article and post talked about the stuff everybody already knows. John Williams does movie music good. Did I just blow your mind? You know what they say: If you want something done, you have to find a young person or worker struggling to make ends meet and drastically underpay them for their services. Or do it yourself. So, apologies, J Dubs, but this ain’t about your Superman theme or Darth Vader’s march. It’s also not about Elmer Bernstein, Danny Elfman, James Horner, Howard Shore, Bernard Herrmann or Hans Zimmer. Hell, it’s not even Trent Reznor (but don’t tell him I said that, dude has crazy eyes). It’s about mentioning some lesser-known composers and scores that you should totally blast while doing erotic things like sorting through your condiments to throw out the expired ones.
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OCTOBER 2015
The Fountain – Clint Mansell
I almost didn’t put this one on here because Mansell is actually a pretty big deal by now. But then I remembered that you’re not the boss of me, and I can do what I want. Besides, The Fountain is easily one of the best scores ever made by human beings for human ears. Auteurs like Darren Aronofsky seemingly mate for life with one musician, and his union with Mansell has spanned six perfect movies. While most people consider Requiem for a Dream or Black Swan to be Mansel’s signature work, for me, it will always be The Fountain, which remains Aronofsky’s most underrated. With tracks titled things like “Death Is a Disease,” the sound is more than a little heavy. Music has always served as a storytelling shortcut, a crib sheet for audiences to know how they should feel. Here, that’s no easy task. The sound had to be the highest high of love and the lowest low of death at the same time. He had to make the end of life simultaneously terrifying and absolutely magical. For personal reasons, The Fountain devas-
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film
Film scores you should listen to but don’t B Y R YA N S Y R E K
tated me beyond simply what was going on inside the movie. And maybe part of me gives Mansell’s score extra brownie points for that personal connection. But hey, making someone feel a deep emotional bond is, you know, kind of the point. Track to try: “Death is the Road to Awe” Drive – Cliff Martinez
A movie so rico suave it briefly (very briefly) allowed scorpion jackets to become a thing, Drive is 90 percet aura and 10 percent content. Nicolas Winding Refn’s movie is all about feel, to the point where, the first time I watched it, I had to restrain myself from screaming “Talk already!” at Ryan Gosling. That’s only strange because I don’t think most people would have that in their top five things to yell at Ryan Gosling. The point is, Martinez’s score was asked to do the work of dialogue Refn didn’t write. Yes, there’s the veneer of coolness, the faux-1980s swag that permeates the entire film. But there’s also a sadness there, lurking beneath Martinez’s smooth notes. The
score also backs up the Zen-approach of our nameless driver. It is meditative and pulsing… right up until it isn’t. Jagged edges slip out from behind smooth surfaces, as the score reaches its zenith with “Bride of Deluxe.” I don’t even know what the hell that means, but that sounds cool as shit, right? “Bride of Deluxe.” I think I’m naming a kid that. Track to try: “Skull Crushing” Under the Skin – Mica Levi
Keeping with the “scores that have to do work” theme, Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin is only able to function thanks to Mica Levi’s work. That isn’t to say that Glazer’s visual palate isn’t striking and that Scarlett Johansson’s magnum opus isn’t compelling as hell. But, again, this is a largely dialogue-free affair, with mood taking the front seat and making “coherent plot” ride on the roof. Levi’s score is deeply unsettling in the most listenable way. The discordant, twitchy sounds should be only displeasing but somehow they are also incredibly alluring. Under the Skin is continued on page 48y
313 N. 13TH STREET / LINCOLN, NE
SHOWING IN OCTOBER
Back to the Future 1985
Forever Young Family & Children’s Series
CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES
Fall 2015 Kids 12 and under get in for just $2.50! Oct 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17 & 18 Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet First-Run (PG)
Nov 14, 15, 19, 21, 22 & 26 To Kill a Mockingbird 1962
October 21 & 24 Back to the Future 1985 (PG)
Nov 28, 29, Dec 3, 6 & 10 Akeelah and the Bee 2006 (PG)
Oct 22 & 25 Back to the Future Part II 1989 (PG)
Dec 12, 13 & 17 The Muppet Christmas Carol 1992 (G)
Oct 29 Back to the Future Part III 1990
Dec 19, 20, 24 & 25 It’s a Wonderful Life 1946 (PG)
Oct 31, Nov 1, 5, 7, 8 & 12 Ghostbusters 1984 (PG)
Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater 1340 Mike Fahey St.
Series made possible with the support of Lincoln Financial Foudation
Info & tickets at filmstreams.org.
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OCTOBER 2015
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‘cutting’room
n It’s rare that I get to plug myself. That sounded wrong, let me start over. I’m involved with a cool project! On Thursday, Oct. 29, at 5 p.m., head over to Aksarben Cinema for what promises to be a really crazy night! The 1877 Society, in association with the Omaha Public Library Foundation, is launching a new annual fundraiser titled Animus: Film vs Book. Spoiler alert: I’m on team Film. Things kick off with a cordial cocktail and appetizer reception before a screening of The Shining, and then the main event: I go mano-a-mano with the delightful Julie Humphry from the Omaha Public Library in a noholds barred battle to the death. Or a discussion moderated by local comedian and slam poet, Cameron Logsdon. Tickets are $30 for the general public and $20 for 1877 Society members. I promise you’ll get your money’s worth in my Jack Nicholson impression alone. l Briefly, I got very excited. When I saw that Film Streams is partnering up with Common Soil Seed Library and Edible Omaha for a free screening of Seeds of Time at the Ruth Sokolof Theater Oct. 14 at 7 p.m., I thought I was going to learn how to grow more time. Dude, I would plant days and weeks and harvest years! But it turns out that it’s just about the impact of climate change on farming. Or, as certain politicians in our state would say, nonsense because God would never make the earth warmer than he wanted, silly! There will be a panel discussion following the film. I hope to hear things like “ways we can convince people science is real” and “no seriously, farmers should care about this more than anybody.” l One more cool bit of news: 12 films have been selected for Film Streams’ annual Local Filmmakers Showcase. Lots of cool returning folks like Nik Fackler are included, but I always love it when newbies get love. So to first-time selectees Andrew Blankenau, Megan Fleming, Dylan Adams, Tommy Haines, Andrew Sherburne, Krissy Hamm, Chris Machian, Jordan Pascale, Elizabeth Stehling and Steve Snell: Huzzah! May this be but the start of your long careers! —Ryan Syrek Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/rss), catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) on Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (kvno.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).
y continued from page 46 a film that doesn’t have sexual subtext, it is all sexual. And Levi’s music feels very, very sexual. From the flirtatious strings to the pulsating pace, it combines lustful sounds with ominous, foreboding warnings about the significance of it all. What I’m saying is, it’s definitely music about doin’ it you probably don’t want to put on to set the mood. Track to try: “Love” Sunshine – John Murphy
I love Sunshine. From its stupid premise to the third act shift into a full-bore psycho-slasher horror movie, everything in Danny Boyle’s film clicks for me. I guarantee you’ve heard Murphy’s “Sunshine (Adagio in D Minor),” as it has been reused in countless other trailers (X-Men Days of Future Past for example, commercials (including one for NASCAR) and television (even on TV’s top show, “The Walking Dead”). That track alone makes the score an all-timer. It is piercing, haunting, inspiring, depressing, enthralling and plenty of other “-ing” descriptors. Throw it on in the background and whatever task you’re doing suddenly feels like the fate of the world depends on it. What’s impressive is that, just as Boyle’s film operates as a genre mash-up, so too must Murphy’s score be malleable. Horror movies have a certain way of musically putting you on edge. Murphy had to do that while also demonstrating the awe of outer space and the desperation of the team’s mission. It always surprises me after hearing the overwhelming talent at work here that Murphy hasn’t been more prolific. Maybe that’s by choice or maybe that’s because all the good gigs these days seem to go to the same few folks. Who knows? At least we’ll always have Sunshine. Track to try: “Surface of the Sun” A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – Ana Lily Amirpour
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OCTOBER 2015
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film
I’m so totally and completely cheating on this one. This isn’t a score. Sorry. It’s a soundtrack. And sure, I could have waited until I found time to do a whole write-up of baller soundtracks, but I wanna talk about this one now! AGWHAAN is a singular experience, and so very much of that depends on the music. Technically, yes, Amirpour only curated other people’s songs, but she did so in a way that certainly felt like a composition. Most tracks aren’t in English or don’t have lyrics either, so they very much serve the same function, (he justified to himself). If you’ve seen the film, you understand that the music actually serves the plot at several moments. That’s how vital it is here. The affection between characters literally only
makes sense because of the music that accompanies their interaction. Outside of the film itself, the collection is just the coolest. I promise, you bump this as you’re driving, and you will feel like the coolest new wave bad-ass. Actually, if you put this into a playlist with the Drive score and mix them up… BRB, some things can’t wait. Track to try: “Dancing Girls” by Farah Beasts of the Southern Wild – Dan Rohmer and Benh Zeitlin
Even if Beasts wasn’t my favorite movie, I’d love it’s plucky, precocious score all the same. Somehow, Rohmer and Zeitlin made a score that would tell the same story with the same feelings completely absent of any dialogue or visuals. You feel the coming of age, the loss
of the older generation, the nature, the culture, the relationship of the individual to the larger universe. It’s breathtaking art independent of the film that birthed it. I think my favorite thing is how completely nonderivative it is. Nothing sounds like the Beasts soundtrack. Once you’re familiar with it, you’ll realize how often you’ve heard it in other movies or commercials because it is so distinct. It doesn’t bow to the typical conventions in any respect. Hell, there’s a weird Cajun hoedown in the middle of it! The biggest compliment that you can give to any artist is that they have made you truly, deeply feel. I put on this score more than any other. And every time, without fail, it moves me in a way few other works of any medium can. My biggest complaint is that I don’t have more Rohmer and Zeitlin music to listen to yet. Track to try: “The Bathtub” ,
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hoodoo hoo doo
15. The Cedric Burnside Project performs Thursday, Oct. 22. Burnside is the grandson of North Mississippi hill country artist R.L. Burnside and a fivetime Blues Foundation Blues Music Award winner, including Best New Artist and four wins for Drummer of the Year. Thursday, Oct. 29, the soulful, radiant and highenergy Gracie Curran & her High Falutin’ Band. All shows are 6-9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
COURTESY GRACIECURRAN.COM
Hot Notes
Gracie Curran & her High Falutin’ Band bring soulful, radiant blues and R&B to The 21st Saloon Thursday, Oct. 29, 6-9 p.m.
CHIP DUDEN
L
HOODOO focuses on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who received the Blues Foundation’s 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism. Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com and on www.thereader.com.
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Local Stages Sizzle with Audience Favorites like Maria Muldaur & James Harman plus Rising Acts Gracie Curran & Cedric Burnside BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN
incoln’s Zoo Bar keeps the great shows coming with two special highlights in October. The legendary Maria Muldaur performs at the Zoo Saturday, Oct. 3, 6-9 p.m as part of her current midwest tour. Muldaur hit the Top 40 in 1974 with her Grammy-nominated hit “Midnight at The Oasis.” Ultimately she returned to her first love, roots music, having spent much of the ‘60s touring and recording with the influential Jim Kweskin Jug Band. See mariamuldaur.com. The other extremely notable Zoo show is the return of local audience favorite James Harman Thursday, Oct. 15, 6-9 p.m. The gig will be an overdue return to Lincoln for Harman with his latest band the Bamboo Porch Revue. Harman’s latest release on Electro-Fi Records, Bonetime, hit the Living Blues radio charts at No. 2, quickly moved to Number One, and has remained in the Top 10. The CD features guest artists Nathan James, Junior Watson, Kid Ramos, Jeff Turmes, Kirk Fletcher, Gene Taylor, Candye Kane, Alan West and Mike Tempo. Blues fans know a local Harman show is quite simply one not to miss, especially one in his homeaway-from home venue, Lincoln’s Zoo Bar. New fans should know that Harman is a career bluesman who has been performing professionally for over 50 years, bringing an always fresh approach steeped in deep blues to bear on his award-winning, oneof-a-kind songwriting, singing and performing. See jamesharman.com.
OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
Check zoobar.com and Facebook.com/ZooBarBlues for schedule updates on the rest of October, which includes great classic Chicago blues guitarist John Primer Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6-9 p.m. Nebraska Blues Challenge
The 21st Saloon hosts the finals of the Blues Society of Omaha’s Nebraska Blues Challenge Sunday, Oct. 4, 4 p.m. Bands receiving the most points in the first three rounds will participate in the finals with the biggest vote getter from the finals’ judges going on to represent the BSO at the prestigious International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January 2016. As of Sept. 20, the bands advancing to the finals are the Rex Granite Band featuring Sarah Benck and Hector Anchondo Band. One more band will be determined Sept. 27. For updates and details see Facebook.com/ BluesSocietyOfOmaha.
COURTESY JAMESHARMAN.COM
hotstuff
Shining&soulful:
The Legendary Shack Shakers shake it up with their raw, raucous blues at The Reverb Lounge Wednesday, Oct. 7, 9 p.m. Americana-folk artist Chris Knight gigs at The Reverb Saturday, Oct. 17, 9 p.m. with Matt Cox opening. The Sunday Roadhouse concert series includes Malcolm Holcombe Sunday, Oct. 4, amazing songwriter Gurf Morlix Sunday, Oct. 18 and virtuoso guitarist Adrian Legg Sunday, Nov. 1. All these shows are at The Reverb Lounge. See sundayroadhouse.com. The OEA Awards Music Nominee Showcase hits Benson Friday, Oct. 23, with a multi-venue celebration of bands nominated for this year’s OEA music awards. Keep up with the weekly goings on from my corner of the dance floor in my digital-only updates at thereader.com. ,
21st Saloon Blues
The Thursday 21st Saloon blues matinees feature a variety of popular acts. The humor-inflected rockabilly of The Red Elvises is up Thursday, Oct. 1. Eleanor Tallie performs Thursday, Oct. 8. Tallie has been seen on The 21st stage with Ori Naftaly’s Blues Band. In 2013 the Israeli artist moved to Memphis and is pursuing a solo career as indie-funk, neo-soul and R&B artist. John Primer, Chicago blues man and former longtime sideman for Magic Slim, plugs in Thursday, Oct.
hoodoo
bambooporchbluesman: James Harman brings his one-of-a-kind take on the blues with his Bamboo Porch Revue to Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Thursday, Oct. 15, 6-9 p.m.
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overtheedge
lovehate
We’ll Miss Trump When He’s Gone BY TIM MCMAHAN
I
tried to a avoid writing about Trump and adding to the cacophony surrounding his presidential campaign, but I couldn’t help myself. There is no topic more alluring or gruesome than Trump, at least to a political junkie who approaches campaigns like sporting events. In that respect, Trump is that pro football team you always hated growing up. For me, it was the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team, which got all the attention on TV and in the school yard. To this day I despise Dallas for no reason, really, but still can’t help but watch whenever they’re playing, quietly rooting for whoever’s facing them on the other side of the ball. Trump always has been an easy person to hate. He’s the bully, the big mouth, the braggart at the party who’s quick to tell you about his expensive car while he explains why yours is a piece of shit. He’s the guy in the white GMC Yukon with the blacked-out windows who ignores the rules at the four-way stop and barges through the intersection skipping the next guy’s turn, knowing there’s nothing anyone can do to stop him. I naturally should be repelled by everything about him, and yet I’ve become quietly obsessed with Trump’s every move, his every word, scanning every digital headline for the latest tidbit, following @realDonaldTrump on Twitter, waiting for him to make that fatal misstep that will finally push him and his campaign over the edge. But God help me, if it hasn’t happened already, it never will. What other candidate could do what Trump has done under the white-hot spotlight of the media and not only avoid being led naked through a town square followed by a nun barking “SHAME!” but still be a front-runner in a presidential campaign? He’s insulted POWs; he’s insulted Mexicans; a classic woman-hater, he’s been a misogynist his entire life. Could any other candidate make a comment about a woman’s “bloody wherever” and not get crucified? He’s attacked fellow candidates because of their physical appearance, because of their height, while at the same time bragging about his countless wives and personal wealth, which one assumes is his only real qualification. If President Obama had done any of the above misdeeds, Congress would draw up letters of impeachment, signed by politicians on both sides of the aisle. And yet, here we are. Trump continues to draw admiration not only from Tea Party nut cases but from people who I consider to be sane.
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
over the edge
Just last week I ran into a businessman friend of mine at Baker’s in the produce aisle. We got to talking about how wonky the stock market has been lately — rising and falling 300 points from one day to the next — and I joked, “Well, all that will change once President Trump is in office.” We both sort of shock-laughed because the phrase “President Trump” sounded so surreal, and then my businessman friend said with a level voice, “He’s crazy, but I like the part about building a wall along the border and making Mexico pay for it. Why not?” I wanted to say, “Because it’s crazy. Because we both know that’ll never happen,” but I merely nodded and smiled, thinking, “Now Trump has other people saying it. How many more people out there think he’s right?” The answer: A lot. The notion that “Trump has the courage to say what’s on his mind,” is really an encrypted way of saying that Trump breathes new life into bad ideas we’d all hoped humanity had buried deep in a dark, cold place a long time ago. Trump is an outlet for unspoken rage. He’s like the giant, glowing “Dislike” button that Facebook users have desperately craved after years and years of scrolling through endless selfies. But give credit where credit is due. I watched both GOP debates, including all three hours of the second one. There is no way I would have watched a minute of either had Trump not been on stage. I, and millions of other voters, know more about the acres-long field of Republican candidates than we possibly would have without Trump. He’s turned the presidential campaign into the ultimate guilty pleasure reality television show vs. the Democrats’ odorless, colorless, flavorless Sunday afternoon PBS programming. That said, I know it will end. I’m writing this on the morning of Sept. 23 for publication some time the first week of October. I almost didn’t write on this topic for fear Trump somehow will have fallen from grace by the time you read it, making the comments as dated and irrelevant as who won last month’s Emmys. His downfall will either be something so quick, so severe, so shocking that no one will see it coming. His many sane supporters will finally wake from their drugged stupor, lying naked next to a stranger, wondering “My God, what have I done?” Or, god help us, Trump will begin listening to handlers eager to sand off his sharp edges, and his campaign will suffer a long, slow, boring trip into obscurity. Either way, we’ll miss him when he’s gone. His downfall will be a dull victory, just like when, during last Sunday’s Cowboys game, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jordan Hicks snapped quarterback Tony Romo’s left collarbone like a dry twig, sending Cowboys Nation into a tailspin. Romo will miss at least the next seven games, according to ESPN. The Bad Guys have indeed suffered a season-crippling blow. I should be happy, but the only thing that crosses my mind is, “Who will I root against now?” , 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
OCTOBER SHOWS OCT 1-4
DAVE LANDAU
OCT 8-11
TOM RHODES
OCT 15
OMAHA’S CLASH OF THE COMICS
OCT 16-17
PAULY SHORE SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
Finding himself much in-demand among audiences & club owners due to his deadpan demeanor & jokes that fluidly fly forth with breakneck pacing & perfect timing. Dave is a throwback to another era of comedy. Innocent enough at first blush; as he states his case, you begin to see where you and he have quite a bit in common. A wife, a house. An odd sense of calm in an increasingly crazy world. You’re on a tour of the familiar & prosaic. He finds jokes everywhere; with his own foibles & faults, to his family, to pop culture & the state of the world today. Tom Rhodes is a world traveling comedian who is now celebrating his 30th year as a stand up comedian. The New York Times describes him as “A mostly natural intellect with a knack for reporting the harsh realities of life with a dark & absurdly optimistic cynicism.” An adventurer forging his own path, Rhodes has built a career that not only includes stand-up specials, a sitcom, a travel show, a late night talk show, numerous live CD’s & DVD’s, his critically acclaimed podcast Tom Rhodes Radio, as well as being a travel writer for the Huffington Post. Local & regional comedian’s give the best 5 they have - winner at the end of the evening gets a one night paid spot in front of a nationally touring headliner right here at the Funny Bone! During the early ’70s, Pauly’s mother & father opened The Comedy Store on Hollywood’s Sunset Strip, giving their son the rare opportunity to hang out & be inspired by such rising talents as Robin Williams, David Letterman & the late Sam Kinison, who became his mentor. At 17, Pauly began writing & performing his own material, creating the persona of “The Weasel”. Pauly honed his comedy routine, gaining the attention of MTV, who gave him his own show, “Totally Pauly.” His initial success on television led to a three-movie deal with Disney, beginning with the box office hit Encino Man.
OCT 18 & 22 ANTHONY POTMESIL
The “R” Rated Hypnotist! There is a reason they call him “The Erotic Hypnotic”. At the sexually frustrated age of 34, this nationally touring entertainer combines his unique blend of perversion & hypnosis to produce one of the hottest & most risque comedy/hypnosis shows in the country. Think you or your friends would make a great porn star? During this show “the Erotic Hypnotic “ will bring his hypnotized volunteers through the wildest & most twisted sides of their minds.
OCT 23-25 MARLON WAYANS SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT
Born in New York City in 1972, Marlon is the youngest of the Wayans siblings. He made his name on In Living Color & the Scary Movie series. Wayans did not succumb to the pressure of being overshadowed by his siblings, instead embracing the opportunity to learn from his family. “I’m happy to do what I love & do it with who I love,” he said. Asked whether it ever gets difficult being directed by his older brothers, he responded, “My brothers have been telling me what to do my whole life, but at least I’m getting paid for it now!”
OCT 29-NOV 1 J.R. BROW
J.R. Brow is a comedy composer who draws from his eclectic nineteen year collection of jokes, impressions, music, and characters to customize an experience that cannot be described with any one genre. Covering relationships, politics, religion, current events, and pop culture, with topics ranging from Green Day to rednecks.
THURSDAY OCT 1 Finest Hour
TUESDAY OCT 13 Billy Troy
SATURDAY OCT 24 Eckophonic
FRIDAY OCT 2 Taxi Driver
WEDNESDAY OCT 14 The Brits
SATURDAY OCT 3 The 402
THURSDAY OCT 15 Matt Wallace Fusion Force
MONDAY OCT 26 Gooch & His Las Vegas Big Band
MONDAY OCT 5 Gooch & His Las Vegas Big Band
FRIDAY OCT 16 MoSynth
TUESDAY OCT 6 Spontaneous Combustion WEDNESDAY OCT 7 The Persuaders THURSDAY OCT 8 Knucklehead FRIDAY OCT 9 On The Fritz SATURDAY OCT 10 Rough Cut MONDAY OCT 12 Gooch & His Las Vegas Big Band
SATURDAY OCT 17 Charm School Dropouts MONDAY OCT 19 Gooch & His Las Vegas Big Band TUESDAY OCT 20 Scott Evans WEDNESDAY OCT 21 Pam & The Pearls THURSDAY OCT 22 Jules & Joe Band FRIDAY OCT 23 The Back Forty
| THE READER |
TUESDAY OCT 27 Billy Troy WEDNESDAY OCT 28 LeGrand & Company THURSDAY OCT 29 The Hegg Brothers FRIDAY OCT 30 Avaricious HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST - CASH PRIZE $5 COVER SATURDAY OCT 31 Red Delicious HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST - CASH PRIZE $5 COVER
OCTOBER 2015
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Our Uniform Future
Soon, we will see the return of business uniforms. Businesses will brand themselves, not just by their logo, but by the clothes their employees wear. This will begin with an expansion of existing uniforms: Fast food places, in particular, will start to dress their employees in well-tailored signature uniforms. But it will quickly expand, first to sales staff in big businesses, then to white-collar employees, and, eventually, even politicians will wear uniforms that identify their positions in government. When people are at work, it will soon be possible to identify where they work, even what specific job they do, just by looking at their uniform. Even the President of the United States will have his own uniform, a suit and top hat with a sash.
The Crash
There will be a great eruption on the surface of the sun in three years, and the resulting solar superstorm will destroy electronics on earth. It will fry satellites, cause generators to explode, and shut down communication networks. The results will be cataclysmic. Much of the data now held on the cloud will be lost, including trillions of dollars of financial records. People’s life savings will be wiped out, and only those with paper records will be able to reconstruct their finances. Businesses that rely on the Internet will crash, as, shortly afterwards, will businesses that rely on any electronics. It will be a cold, dark, quiet world for months, and, in some places, years, while the world’s ailing governments work to rebuild what was lost. And, even when they do, we will all live with the knowledge that it could happen again, and nothing can be done to stop it.
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Our Zombie Tomorrow
As it turns out, all those zombie movies were preparing us for a real future. It isn’t the walking dead of horror movies that awaits us, but instead living humans, rendered brain damaged and psychotic by a fungus, which will rise up as a
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OCTOBER 2015
| THE READER |
plague in the year 2023. The original source of the fungus will be a previously undiscovered hallucinogenic mushroom that will gain great popularity, and, for a while, it will be mostly harmless. But after a few years of use, the fungus will adapt to the warm, moist conditions inside the human body, and will quickly go to work locating itself in a part of the body that offers ideal conditions for growth. As it happens, this will be the brain. As the fungus consumes more and more of the brain, the victim will become increasingly violent and psychotic, and, at the end, will be reduced to staggering like a walking corpse, seemingly without personality, in order to attack others. Defending yourself against these infected people risks releasing spores from the fungus -- especially common when people attempt to fight off their attackers using the method preferred in movies: A shot to the head. Contact with these spores will cause new victims of the fungus, perpetuating its life cycle. Because of the nature of the infection, there will be no effective treatment that doesn’t also risk destroying the brain of the victim. In the end, the only solution will be to quarantine the victims, wait for them to die, then destroy their bodies in chemical baths that kill the fungus.
Fire Time
We are at the start of an era known as the Great Fires. For the next two decades, America will burn. As average temperatures continue to go up, the country will turn dry, and the dry places will catch fire. Within 20 years, every natural park will have suffered repeated and enormous fires, and hundreds of thousands will have been made homeless by brushfires. In 2022 a great American city will be caught in an enormous fire tornado, killing tens of thousand in just minutes as it sweeps across the city. Most American homes will have fire kits and will regularly practice escaping their homes in case of fire. In many places, the cost of insuring against fire will be prohibitive, and so those that lose their homes will be rendered penniless. The future will be scorched and blackened. Dr. Mysterian has seen it.
For more on these predictions and others by Dr. Mysterian visit www.thereader.com.