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t a b l e

JOBS: Raise the Wage Nebraska Wants to Help Struggling Workers Afford Basic Necessities

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COVER: No Shortage of Issues Inside Nebraska’s Tight Labor Market

c o n t e n t s

NEWS: Unions Strengthen as Workers Rise Up

publisher/editor........... John Heaston john@thereader.com graphic designers........... Ken Guthrie Albory Seijas news..........................Robyn Murray copy@thereader.com lead reporter............... Chris Bowling chris@thereader.com associate publisher.... Karlha Velásquez karlha@el-perico.com report for america corps member........ Bridget Fogarty bridget@el-perico.com creative services director .................................. Lynn Sánchez lynn@pioneermedia.me

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Like almost everything, Benson’s Omaha Zombie Walk was cancelled last year. Like man postpandemic events, it returned, less organized and smaller. While there was impressive makeup in the crowd, the mini Michael Myers (Halloween) stole the spotlight. Everyone wanted to have their photo taken with him. This included a girl in a stroller who looked lovingly at him as a child might look at Santa Claus. However we were still thankful for the opportunity to be scared by a pint-sized horror icon.

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O M AC H OA V E JRO B S

A Tight Labor Market

and a Critical Question for Nebraska’s Future With the Upper Hand, Nebraska’s Workers are Demanding Change INTRO by CHRIS BOWLING

ebraska’s never a state to stand out. In most datasets you can count on Nebraska’s position matching its geography — dead in the middle of everyone else. Blending in. But there’s one statistic we consistently lead the nation in: unemployment. As of October 2021, Nebraska didn’t just have the lowest unemployment in the United States — it had the lowest ever recorded at 1.9% of the workforce out of a job. Typically that’s a sought-after statistic. Its par of the reason U.S. News & World Report said Omaha was the 25th best place to live in the country. But there’s a flipside. This year we’ve heard more about the tight labor market than ever before —

largely due to the pandemic-sized crater still stuck in our economy. More people are changing career paths, going back to school or simply not going back to the jobs they had before. Suddenly it seems there are more job openings than there are eligible candidates, and if you own a business in a place like Nebraska our ultra-low unemployment rate means you feel the squeeze even tighter and have fewer people in the labor force pool to pick from. As a result, many are either struggling to fill jobs or simply shutting down. For this issue, The Reader wanted to know why. Why are people not going back to their old jobs, and where are they going instead?

Brain Drain in the Omaha Metro Area In the last 20 years, Douglas and Sarpy counties have added nearly 200,000 people, but young people make up far less of the population. This chart shows the difference between age groups’ populations if they matched overall growth, and what they actually are today. Red Arrows show how many people we theoretically lost. Green arrows show how many we gained.

The question led us to picket lines and signature drives, to interviews with academics and union officials. But no matter where you go, everyone is saying the same thing: The way we work has to change. Though Nebraska has a higher minimum wage than the federal standard, it’s still barely above poverty levels (see below). And even when people make good wages, they sometimes lack good working conditions (page 14). With too little motivating them to stay, young, educated people are also leaving the state and taking jobs with them. And even the people who choose to stay can sometimes

face barriers to finding good jobs depending on their backgrounds (page 9). In this issue we want to introduce you to the people trying to address these challenges. The solutions they’re proposing span from raising the minimum wage to addressing the inequality present in our workforce, but they all have a common message. These problems aren’t new. The pandemic may have agitated them, but fixing them isn’t just a Band-Aid for the time being. If we want to push Nebraska forward and create a better workforce for the future, we need to think bigger.

Kansas City Minimum Wage, Nominal & in 2017 Dollars Over the years the value of a minimum wage has fluctuated. Of similar cities to Omaha in the midwest, Kansas City has the most complete data for changes in inflation and in 1968, the minimum wage would be equivalent of earning more than $10/hour today.

Min wage in 2017 dollars

Minimum Wage

Charts: Chris Bowling Source: U.S. Census Bureau Created with Datawrapper

DECEMBER 2021

O M A H A

J O B S

Fighting for a Living Wage Raise the Wage Nebraska Wants to Help Struggling Workers Afford Basic Necessities by Leah Cates

atherine Brauer, interviewed for last month’s Omaha Jobs feature, was once a single mom with three young daughters. If Brauer worked full time at Nebraska’s minimum wage of $9 an hour, her yearly earnings would put her below the federal poverty level for a family of four. And even that’s better than states like Iowa and Kansas, which still use the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

But Brauer told The Reader her kids needed more than just food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads — Brauer had to find money

for child care, tutoring and extracurricular activities. Community members like Brauer work multiple jobs, and it’s still not enough –– around 10% of Nebraskans live in poverty. That’s why Nebraska Appleseed, a Lincoln-based nonprofit fighting for social justice, started Raise the Wage Nebraska: a ballot-initiative campaign to increase the state’s minimum wage. Raise the Wage Nebraska needs 130,000 petition signatures to get the Nebraska Minimum Wage Increase Initiative, which would gradually grow the minimum wage from $9 to $15 an hour by 2026, on the

November 2022 ballot. The Reader discussed the campaign with Ken Smith, Nebraska Appleseed’s Economic Justice Program Director. The Reader: What was the impetus for starting Raise the Wage Nebraska? Ken Smith: As the pricing of necessities like housing and food have been going up, wages have not been increasing enough to allow people who work full-time jobs –– and even two or three jobs –– to make ends meet. It boils down to the fact that the minimum wage is,

at its current level, falling well behind a living wage. TR: How would a higher minimum wage support marginalized communities? KS: One in nine U.S. workers is paid a wage that leaves them in poverty, and workers of color and women are all overrepresented within low-wage jobs. Raising the minimum wage would help at least start to decrease the racial and gender pay gap that has been an economic reality for a very long time. This is an effort to begin reversing decades of pay inequity.

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O M A H A Our initiative automatically ensures that the rate of the wage increase mirrors increases in cost of living that Nebraskans will experience for years to come. The Nebraska Minimum Wage Increase Initiative seeks to not only incrementally

Nebraska Appleseed’s Campaigns Organizer Vic Klafter encourages community members to sign Raise the Wage Nebraska’s petition in the Old Market. To get a minimum-wage raise on the ballot, the petition aims to collect 130,000 signatures. Photo courtesy of Raise the Wage Nebraska.

increase the minimum wage, but also ... respond to changes in consumer prices over time. TR: Tell me about the signature-gathering process. KS: The way the requirements are written, you need signatures from different parts of the state. It’s great because we’re in communities across Nebraska, talking about quality jobs and fair wage issues. We do it in a way that builds grassroots power, and we’re excited about all the conversations happening at farmer’s markets and on people’s front porches. TR: How do you sell the idea of a higher minimum wage to people who wouldn’t usually get behind it? KS: On a local and national level, people say employers will have to pass on the cost, and consumers will end up bearing the brunt of that. But whether you look at prior instances of wage increases

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J O B S in Nebraska ... or elsewhere across the United States, the overriding trend seems to be that raising the minimum wage boosts the economy. All the gloomy economic prognostications have turned out to be overwrought, if not plain wrong. Raising the minimum wage doesn’t lead to job loss and consumer prices spiking. It decreases pay-equity gaps, leads to a lot of purchasing power for the consumer, drives the economy forward, and helps workers afford basic things and make ends meet. It also bears mentioning that we intentionally structured the change to take place over time, to allow businesses to adapt to new wage levels. It’s not like the wage would go from $9 to $15 overnight; in fact, some folks thought it should happen faster than we ended up pursuing it. But we wanted to follow best practices, working with partners who have designed these types of policies in other states, to make sure we have the best possible policy for Nebraska.

TR: What does the future look like for Raise the Wage Nebraska? KS: We’re confident Nebraskans will stand up and say the current wage is not enough, and as a state, we’re ready to ensure our wage laws mean that somebody who’s working will have basic needs met for them and their family. Ultimately, it comes down to a notion of fairness and a values-based position, that having people work multiple jobs and still not be able to make ends meet is not something Nebraskans will tolerate. We wouldn’t be doing this if we didn’t think we could succeed. Learn more about Raise the Wage Nebraska: raisethewagenebraska.org. Editor’s note: The Reader’s sister publication, El Perico, is partnering with Catherine Brauer on promoting Latina makers.

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C O V E R

No Shortage of Issues Inside Nebraska’s

Tight Labor Market by Bridget Fogarty

ecki DeSantiago’s 13-yearold daughter rushed home from school in October to tell her mom about her eighth grade history class’ extra credit assignment: to talk about one of the many ongoing labor strikes in the United States.

quitting and not coming back to the labor force, leading to more job openings than available workers and creating a tight labor market or what the media is calling “The Great Resignation.”

“She’s like, ‘Mom, I have this assignment!’” DeSantiago said with a laugh, as she stood in the early November sun holding a picket sign that read “ON STRIKE AGAINST KELLOGG COMPANY FOR WAGES, BENEFITS, AND CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT.”

The state recorded an unemployment rate of 1.9 percent in October, marking the lowest unemployment rate of any U.S. state in recorded history. Yet Nebraska also continues to grapple with a shortage of workers to fill positions.

While other kids may have done research on the internet, DeSantiago sat down with her daughter and talked about why she and her coworkers decided to go on strike. “She was real excited to go back to school to share that her mom is part of it,” DeSantiago said. Kellogg’s employees like DeSantiago are among thousands of striking workers nationwide demanding better wages, better working conditions and more benefits. And they have the upper hand, because right now workers are hard to come by. As the pandemic recedes, people in every industry are

Nowhere is that felt more than in Nebraska.

In August 2021, while about 22,400 Nebraskans were unemployed, there were 66,000 job openings. That made about three job openings for every unemployed Nebraskan, marking the largest labor shortage among all states at the time, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The “Great Resignation,” labor strikes and labor shortages are revealing issues Nebraskans have long dealt with: young people leaving the state due to “brain drain,” immigration policies limiting communities and their economies, and less-than-equitable workplaces. These challenges have been percolating for years. But their

“We’re not gonna take less than what we’re getting now,” said DeSantiago, a 15-year employee at the Omaha Kellogg’s manufacturing plant. Kellogg’s workers like DeSantiago are among thousands of workers nationwide who went on strike this fall. Photo by Chris Bowling.

December 2021

C O V E R collision right now is what makes addressing Nebraska’s labor force issue so crucial. For workers like DeSantiago, there’s no going back. It’s her sixth week standing on the gravel driveway outside the Omaha Kellogg’s manufacturing plant. She, like many others, is missing out on wages that for the past 15 years have allowed her to support her two children as a single mom. But she and her coworkers say it’s a sacrifice they’re willing to make. Greeting her fellow striking coworkers, DeSantiago wears sunglasses, comfortable sneakers, a neon construction vest and a winter cap bearing her union’s name stitched in red, white and blue threading — ‘BCTGM 50G’, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union. DeSantiago has represented BCTGM 50G in negotiations with Kellogg Co. since the strike began in October. Unions have always “been in [her] blood,” she said. Her father was the union president while working at this Kellogg’s plant during her childhood. The strikes come after Kellogg Co. reported more than $1.7 billion in profits in 2020, while some manufacturing plant employees — deemed “essential workers” during the pandemic — worked 12hour days, 7 days a week and,

according to DeSantiago, sacrificed time with family and risked their health. Most recently, the union turned down voting on Kellogg Co.’s “Last Best Final Offer” to striking workers. The company says no further negotiations will be scheduled. Still, union members plan to continue their strike. DeSantiago said it is about ensuring the workers of the future have it better. “We’re not gonna take less than what we’re getting now,” DeSantiago said of the latest offer. “Why should we give up anything when [Kellogg’s executives] are getting a 20% increase in [their] wages and [their] bonuses?” The Reader could not substantiate the amount of Kellogg’s executive bonuses.

What Exactly is Happening to the Labor Force Now? It’s common for an economy that’s recovering from recession to go through cycles of a tight labor market. But the pandemic escalated these problems at a time when Nebraska’s labor force was already under duress. “I think the single most important issue for the next five

A Kellogg’s worker stands alongside his coworkers’ picket signs that echo strikers’ demands of better wages, better working conditions and more benefits. Labor strikes, the “Great Resignation” and labor shortages are revealing issues Nebraskans have long dealt with. Photo by Chris Bowling. to 10 years in the state of Nebraska has got to be focused on labor force,” said Christopher Decker, a professor of economics at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. When businesses opened up again and COVID-19 restrictions loosened, the need for onsite labor accelerated in retail and restaurants. Business owners’ hopes to get to pre-pandemic levels of operations were crushed by the reality that there weren’t as many workers available or interested in coming back. Decker said older Nebraskans are moving out of the labor force, following nationwide trends of Baby Boomers choosing an early retirement instead of finding a job in the pandemic. The pandemic also moved workers to make job changes that allow them to work from home or found ways to support themselves outside the traditional labor force, Decker said. Still, he said, others have decided to withdraw from the workforce entirely, falling back on savings and other income to wait it out for a better job.

December 2021

But not everyone can afford that. “In order to not be participating in the labor force, you need to have a way of sustaining yourself somehow,” Decker said. “If you’re choosing, for example, not to go back into the labor force right away after the pandemic, in search or hope of finding a better situation, you need to have resources to fall back on, whether that’s savings or generational wealth.” Immigrants and racial and ethnic minorities tend to work in jobs with lower wages and salaries and are likely to have smaller savings when compared to their white counterparts, Decker said. Such resources may not be as readily available to up and leave the workforce for a large portion of the Latino population, for example, who have higher labor participation rates than their white counterparts, according to Decker’s research. Meanwhile, between the state’s high levels of “brain drain” and Black and brown residents choosing to leave based on racism they’ve experienced, young Nebraskans decide to leave the state for

C O V E R college, new jobs and other opportunities they can’t find here. At the same time, not enough young people are recruited in to replace them. “How do we keep that young, vibrant population here to support growth in the future?” asked Decker.

Building More Equitable Workplaces Bianca Harley had the same question. But she wants to know how it pertains to Omaha’s young Black and brown students and residents of other marginalized identities. As the senior director of diversity and inclusion at the Greater Omaha Chamber, Harley sees addressing inequities at their roots as the key solution to Nebraska’s labor force challenges. “Systemically, there are still barriers and issues that we can address so we can even see a workforce solution,” Harley said. A community survey the chamber conducted in 2015 revealed that Black young professionals were five to six times less likely to recommend Omaha than their white peers. After two years of focus groups and collaborative research and out-

reach, Harley said, it was clear the trends hadn’t changed. In 2017, just 43% of Black young professionals surveyed felt they had equal opportunity for promotion and advancement. The same survey showed 52% of Black young professionals aspired to own a small business, while 5% of Omaha’s minority population owned a business, which was lower than the national average of 7%. These are the types of gaps in Omaha’s workforce Harley and her team aim to close with the CODE initiative. CODE, or the Commitment to Opportunity, Diversity and Equity, launched in 2016 to help businesses create more equitable workplaces. “A lot of times [business owners say] ‘We have this diversity statement, and it’s gonna give us an inclusive workplace,’ and then we survey the employees and they are like, ‘Yeah that diversity statement isn’t necessarily having the intended impact on our experiences,’” Harley said. While the coronavirus pandemic illuminated and exacerbated health disparities in Black and brown communities, the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent movements for racial justice amplified the need for change in many facets of life, including work.

That was the catalyst that pushed leaders of many Omaha organizations to reflect on how they had or had not taken authentic action in their workplaces, beyond just a statement, Harley said. CODE’s Employer Coalition provides a path for businesses to measure their progress and hold themselves accountable. They’re asked to make three commitments: 1. create a diversity and inclusion strategy; 2. hire someone to lead that work; and 3. participate in an assessment that surveys their growth. Efforts from CODE are becoming especially important as the greater Omaha area is becoming more diverse. A study published by PolicyLink, a national research institute, and the USC Program for Environ-

mental and Regional Equity, showed communities of color are driving the Omaha-Council Bluffs region’s growth, and 41% of the population is projected to be made up of racial minorities by 2050, according to the Omaha chamber. That means more opportunities are needed that help young Nebraskans — especially those of Black and brown communities — to see themselves within Omaha’s future. “Do we have a better chance of recruiting someone to Omaha who is like, ‘Where is Omaha?’ Or someone who has roots here, who has family here, who has connections to the community,” she said. Though brain drain is sending students away, Harley thinks CODE’s new program “Growing Home” could build an opportunity to bring them back home. She said the men-

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December 2021

C O V E R torship and development program is for Nebraska students who choose to attend Historically Black Colleges, Hispanic-serving Institutions and outof-state universities. Over winter and summer breaks students will spend time growing their professional networks in Omaha, engaging in community service and building their resumes. In the summer, they’ll work an internship with an Omaha-based company. When it comes time for graduation, Harley hopes students will say, “‘My network is there in Omaha, I have a mentor there in Omaha, I’ve interned in Omaha,” putting Omaha back on the map for them. Since the program will begin with its first year cohort in January, there’s no telling yet how successful it will be, though the chamber will soon publish reports and data, Harley said. Harley hopes it creates a pathway for students who want to explore outside Nebraska during college to see themselves within the future of Omaha upon their return. Last year more than 200 of Omaha’s CEOs pledged to solve exactly these kinds of issues through the “We Will” statement. And while Omaha waits to see what solutions trickle down from the top, everyday people are already building the future of the city’s labor force, albeit in a much quieter way.

Making Space for Critical Contributors It’s almost 6:30 on a Tuesday night, and Alma Mejía takes her seat in a basement classroom

alongside four other women at the Latino Center of the Midlands on South 24th Street. Her classmates, all adults, take out spiral notebooks to begin their English as a second language class. Enrolling in Latino Center of the Midlands’ English class is a critical step in Mejía’s plan to go back to school for nursing, a career she worked in for years in El Salvador before she came to Omaha. She’s worked in restaurants since 2001 to support her son through high school and college. “It’s my turn to see if I can achieve my dreams,” she says in Spanish.

“Part of my goal is to help my own community communicate with medical professionals, because there are many people who don’t speak Spanish,” she said. “If I go to a hospital and see a Hispanic or Latino, I have more confidence in speaking with them or telling them how I feel.” In the neighboring classroom, almost a dozen more men and women chat in their seats before their citizenship class begins. Sergío Garcia has traveled from Fremont for his class; there are more resources for Spanish-speakers like him in Omaha, he says, and he wants to move here soon. He currently works in a factory but is preparing for his citizenship test so he can get a job as a licensed truck driver.

“If you remove one link in a chain the whole chain separates”

Mejía is one of many in Nebraska’s rising immigrant population working to improve her opportunities within the workforce. Immigrants continue to be critical contributors to Nebraska’s economy, generating more than $2.4 billion toward the Omaha metro’s economy in 2019, according to a recent report from the Office of Latino/Latin American Studies (OLLAS). The benefit is felt especially in rural towns where immigrants make up most of the population growth, without which businesses could close and vital city services like schools and libraries would dwindle. But finding a place in the workforce is no easy task. For Mejía, the language barrier and immigration policy kept her from continuing her nursing career in Nebraska, which

December 2021

currently has a serious nursing shortage.

Nebraska has a long way to go to ensure that all immigrants are able to seek employment and feel included in the community, said Jane Seu, an immigration legal fellow at the ACLU of Nebraska. “There’s no shortage of willingness to work,” Seu said. But state government leadership that supports anti-immigrant policies raises barriers that make it more difficult for immigrants — regardless of their status — to work and to seek employment, even in the current labor shortage, she said. That’s why she and other advocates are pushing for changes in Nebraska’s immigration policies.

From an economist’s perspective, Decker sees the conversation long overdue. “We’ve been talking for 30plus years about how necessary immigration reform is,” Decker said. “It is becoming increasingly vital to find some solution that will balance economic, political, social, cultural and legal concerns, and you need more than one mind at the table. But you do need a rational discussion.”

Putting Each Link in Place Understanding how to relieve some of the pressure squeezed on Nebraska from a tight labor market is complicated. But that’s because work itself is complicated. Gluing together a network of CEOs to make Omaha workplaces more equitable is just as important as teaching English and citizenship classes in a basement classroom in South Omaha. Stymying the brain drain is just as important as reforming immigration. And no solution is siloed — they all have impacts on one and another, and the solution requires balancing them all. If we don’t, the impact is just as far-reaching. If businesses can’t fill positions, it means fewer jobs. Fewer jobs lead to less spending, and less spending means less demand for all the things we buy, which could put even more workers out of a job. In short, you can only pull the chain so tight until it breaks. “If you remove one link in a chain the whole chain separates,” Decker said. “That’s kind of the implication for economic impact.”

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C O V E R

Unions Strengthen as

Workers Rise Up

In Immigrant-Dominated Industries, Workers are Empowered to Demand Better Treatment by El Perico Team “Sometimes my boss thinks we are machines,” she said. Mar tínez is not alone. Arduous workplace conditions for immiRandy Garza, a Kellogg’s employee in grants — who Omaha stands in front of the cereal are far easier company’s plant during the sixth week of to intimidate into towing a strike. Photo by Chris Bowling. the compahen Alba Martínez ny line — are well-documented, worked at Menards she and the pandemic shone a harsh made a good wage: $17 light on them. But the tide may an hour, nearly twice Nebras- be shifting in their favor. Around ka’s minimum. But it still wasn’t the country, the labor market is enough to support her four chil- tightening, nowhere more so dren and be able to build a house than Nebraska, which leads the in her home country of Guate- nation in lowest unemployment. mala. Martínez (whose name In low-wage industries, where has been changed to protect her immigrants dominate the workidentity) decided to leave for a force, labor shortages are forcjob cleaning meatpacking ma- ing employers to the bargaining chines for $21 an hour. table, and empowered workers But like many workers, are banding together to demand Martínez had to make trade-offs. change. In some cases workers Though she makes more money, are putting their hopes in unions, her hours are long — after a daily which may be strengthening for 45-minute commute she works the first time in decades. 10 hours through the night from Randy Garza is one of many 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. She says she Omaha workers striking outside gets hungry around 3 a.m. but is the Kellogg’s plant in Omaha. given no time to eat or sit down. The strike, which began Oct. 5

and is ongoing at the time of this

December 2021

writing, involves about 1,400 workers, including 500 in Omaha, in four states. Garza said he can’t pay his mortgage or utilities as a result of the strike and can barely afford to put gas in his and his fiance’s cars. But he keeps going, he said, because unity is the only way he and his coworkers will see better pay, better working hours and more time off. “Instead of going to the floor, this concrete right here is my new floor,” Garza said. The Kellogg strikes are part of a wave that took place across the country in October, in what some call “Striketober,” with many continuing into November. Much of the discontent stems from the pandemic, where the lack of paid sick leave and other protections was made glaringly urgent. Ground zero was the meatpacking industry, where workers were getting sick and dying from COVID-19 at much higher rates than the rest of the population. A recent Congressional report showed COVID-19 cases and deaths in America’s largest meatpacking plants, many of which have locations in Nebraska, were even higher than previous tallies. Workers began demanding protections, and in May, 2020, dozens walked out of the JBS beef plant in South Omaha.

The trouble spurred legislative responses, but they failed to advance. Two separate attempts in 2020 and 2021 by state Sen. Tony Vargas to ensure workers had adequate safety measures stalled in the Legislature, while data from the Nebraska Department of Labor showed the state had little to no oversight over meatpacking workers’ rights through the brunt of the pandemic. Another state bill that would have provided paid sick leave also failed early in the pandemic. With legislation stalled and workplace conditions stubbornly stagnant, strikes have continued and advocates have founded protest groups, such as Children of Smithfield, which was started by the children of meatpacking workers in Crete, Nebraska, to speak for their parents who worked during the pandemic. Unions have also grown in strength. Last year the share of employees in unions trended upward for the first time since at least 1983, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A September Gallup poll also shows the country’s support of unions is higher than it’s been in half a century, with 68% of Americans approving of them. However, unions are still a far cry from their former might. The

C O V E R total number of union members have continued a downward trend that began in the mid19th century. About 9% of Nebraska’s employees are members of a union, slightly less than the national average and down from 23% in 1964, according to National Public Radio. Whether it’s through unions or the legislature, experts like labor law attorney Micky Devitt said more needs to be done to protect workers, particularly immigrants who are most vulnerable to exploitation. “I have seen different types of discrimination,” she said. “Discrimination by race and gender have been the most common. There is discrimination against immigrants, and that is a big problem.” When Devitt worked at the Heartland Workers Center last year, she saw immigrant minorities, such as those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals,

Temporary Protected Status and refugee status, who did not receive unemployment benefits because the law in Nebraska did not protect them, even though they pay taxes. She also saw language barriers create problems in the workplace for immigrants during the pandemic. “This isolates immigrant groups who are not fluent in English,” she said. As the fight continues, Alba Martínez continues to work the night shift, hoping she doesn’t get sick. Absence due to illness without a medical certification can get her fired, she said. But getting a doctor’s note requires benefits like insurance or paying out of pocket. “Going to the doctor is expensive,” she said, “not to mention that we must manage when our people get sick.”

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December 2021

C O V E R A Lawyer in Your Corner:

The Tenant Assistance Project

Nebraska’s New Tool to Fight Evictions by ANTON JOHNSON

here are no windows in the Omaha Douglas Civic Center’s courtroom 20. Four days a week starting at 9 a.m., a judge quickly shuffles through small claims cases, including evictions, like an auctioneer. It’s hard to hear the judge’s words through a mask, so security makes sure things stay quiet. Many of the defendants have never been here before and rarely do they have an attorney by their side. They’re told where to be and handed judgements with little fanfare. For eviction cases, that’s typically meant not having a home to go back to that afternoon — a reality faced by about 5,000 people in Douglas County each year. Erin Feichtinger, a policy advocate for Together, a nonprofit focused on ending hunger and homelessness in Omaha and surrounding communities, often live tweets the proceedings. In a former role, she researched capital punishment, reading death row inmates’ last words. Now she watches ill-equipped defendants lose their homes, sometimes in a matter of minutes.

“Eviction work is by far and away the most depressing thing I’ve ever dealt with,” Feichtinger said. That used to be the status quo. But there’s a new team in courtroom 20 disrupting the flow. This fall, Douglas County and the City of Omaha set aside a combined $460,000 to fund the Tenant Assistance Project. TAP provides legal representation for residents facing eviction for free through volunteer lawyers. More than 20 organizations are involved in the program, including the Nebraska State Bar Association and Legal Aid of Nebraska, said Laurie Heer Dale, director of

the bar association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project. According to the ACLU, attorneys come to court with about 90% of landlords but fewer than 10% of residents. If a tenant has legal representation, it substantially decreases eviction filing rates and keeps people in their homes, research shows.

“Given our mission to serve low-income households, we found [TAP] both relevant and incredibly beneficial,” Heer Dale said.

The Costs of Eviction Judgements

The reasons that land someone in eviction court vary, but chief among them is the city’s affordable housing crisis. According to a report sponsored by several Omaha nonprofits and foundations and published by the Omaha Community Foundation: “98,500 households need affordable housing of some kind … but there are fewer than Evictions in Douglas County by Year 20,000 dedicated afEvery year about 5,000 people are evicted in Douglas County, Nebraska. That took a dip fordable units.” in 2020 and those numbers may continue to fall due to the new Tenant Assistance Project. Heer Dale said the rate of immediate eviction judgments — when a tenant is ordered to move out that day — has plummeted from more than 90% to less than 2% and more illegal eviction filings are being spotted since the program was brought to Douglas County.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the housing crisis go hand-in-hand. Not only has the pandemic impacted housing stability, but housing instability has exacerbated the pandemic. A recent study from UCLA suggests ending eviction moratoriums leads to increasing COVID-19 cases and deaths. To combat homelessness, the city helps fund shelters

December 2021

C O V E R like Siena Francis House. But advocates like Feichtinger say money spent on preventing evictions and homelessness has a much better return on investment. “Just think about the costs, social costs, and consequences to neighborhoods, and health and mental health services,” Feichtinger said. Through federal pandemic relief money, Douglas County started funding rental and utility assistance programs. But 3 News Now reported in September that more than a third of applications for rental assistance were rejected, mainly for poor documentation or for their landlord not responding. As spending deadlines approached, the Omaha World-Herald reported that some programs even had money left over. With the government either not stepping up or falling short to fill that preventive role, volunteers stepped in.

How TAP Came to Douglas County When the United States started to tailspin into stay-athome orders and COVID-19 mandates, most of the world shut down. But in Lincoln, Nebraska, evictions proceeded, said University of Nebraska-Lincoln law professor Ryan Sullivan. “They were saying ‘Everybody needs to stay at home and not spread the disease’… but they allowed eviction proceedings to continue,” Sullivan said. “Which is the worst if you’re trying to keep people in their homes.” Sullivan said he saw it as a health and safety crisis, so he started showing up to court to offer help. That kicked off TAP in Lancaster County, and

Courtroom 20 in the Omaha Douglas Civic Center where eviction court takes place four times a week. Photo by Chris Bowling. on his first day, Sullivan said he was able to keep seven families from being evicted. The idea of sending free lawyers to help people with eviction cases isn’t new. For more than 50 years, Legal Aid of Nebraska has helped low-income Nebraskans get free legal help. But due to its federal funding stipulations, Legal Aid can’t reach out to potential clients to solicit their services; clients need to reach out to them. “I had to hang back a lot [in the summer of 2020] and watch people who shouldn’t have been evicted get evicted,” Legal Aid attorney Caitlin Cedfeldt told The Reader in February. “There was a trailer park … where 15 people got evicted until I finally got a client and was able to put a stop to it. They stopped evicting people after that, so it does make a difference.” After Sullivan had volunteered at the Lancaster County courthouse for a week or two, he was joined by Mindy Rush Chipman, director of the Lincoln Commission on Human Rights and fellow University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law alumnus. The Volunteer Lawyers Project joined to help facilitate and recruit more volunteers just weeks later.

December 2021

Sullivan is the director of UNL’s civil law clinic, which gives law students the opportunity to work on real cases with the supervision of a licensed attorney. He said half of the volunteers in Lincoln are students, which helps the program run on limited resources. Other cities and states across the U.S. have passed laws guaranteeing a right to counsel for tenants. Earlier this year, state Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha pushed for a bill in the Unicameral that would have guaranteed a right to an attorney for tenants. But the bill stalled. Months later, in early August, the Nebraska Bar Association brought TAP to Douglas County, where more than half of evictions in Nebraska take place. And while the program started in Lancaster County before most people knew there was a crisis, by the time it reached Douglas County there were just a few weeks left before the federal eviction moratorium ended, which it did on Aug. 26. Word started to spread about the program as the Nebraska Bar Association held information sessions on landlord-tenant law to prepare attorneys. One lawyer who

jumped in the fray was Omaha City Councilmember Aimee Melton, who said she learned of the program through a partner at her law firm, Reagan, Melton & Delaney. “Some attorneys scaled back because of COVID,” Melton said. “For someone with a private practice, I think it’s an obligation to do some pro-bono work.” Heer Dale said the work so far has been evenly split between stopping evictions outright and delaying them. Eviction cases can be dismissed if the landlord didn’t follow proper procedures or give enough notice before serving an eviction. Before TAP, few eviction filings were found to be illegal. But now, Feichtinger said half of the program’s cases are dismissed. Other evictions are unavoidable, Heer Dale said, but a lawyer can work out a “stipulated agreement” with the landlord: The tenant still has to move out, but they can get more time. In an immediate eviction, the landlord can lock up the tenant’s belongings. With extra time, the tenant can find a new home and move their stuff. Heer Dale recalled one instance where a landlord even agreed to let the tenant

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C O V E R borrow his truck to move out. She said at least half of TAP’s cases end with a stipulated agreement. TAP can also help tenants work out an agreement for more time to make rent, so they can stay in their homes. The program helps both landlords and tenants connect with and apply for rental assistance. Either way, Heer Dale said the tenant avoids having an eviction on their record. Melton began volunteering when the program launched in Douglas County the first week of August. At the same time, the Omaha City Council debated the 2022 city budget. Melton proposed an amendment to hire a full-time employee for $50,000 to help coordinate the project. That failed to pass with Democratic council members voting on party lines against Melton, a Republican.

cases, review complaints and put information together. “It’s huge, the funding we need to provide this program,” Heer Dale said. “Even just this skeletal framework.”

The Next Challenge: Encouraging Tenants to Show Up The funding from the county is intended to keep TAP going through 2024, but the program is limited. Some days there aren’t enough volunteers. Other days there are more attorneys than people facing eviction. The bigger problem is getting people to show up, which Heer Dale said is out of their hands.

Melton said she then spoke to Mayor Jean Stothert, who later that week asked Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless, the nonprofit tasked with distributing the city’s rental assistance, to allocate $50,000 to the Volunteer Lawyers Project.

Attorney Dave Pantos said when he first started volunteering, only a third of people scheduled to appear that day would show up. Now Pantos said that number is close to half, but he said it’s still frustrating to see people who could’ve avoided being evicted.

At the end of September, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners followed suit by allocating $410,000 to the program.

“If you don’t show up, you will get evicted,” Pantos said.

“It’s a win-win-win,” said Commissioner Mauren Boyle, who introduced the resolution. Heer Dale said that money’s made a massive impact on their work. Although the lawyers volunteer their time, others need to be paid to compile

Caitlin Cedfeldt said the appearance rate for eviction cases has always been low. Some tenants don’t know they need to show up, and others think their chances of winning are hopeless. She said one recent client was evicted several times before, but this time she got the case dismissed. The client told her it was the first time she’d

Laurie Heer Dale, director of the Nebraska Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project. Photo courtesy of Laurie Heer Dale.

December 2021

A view from above the security screening at the Omaha Douglas Civic Center. As people pass through the metal detectors, volunteer lawyers will ask, “Are you here for an eviction?” Photo by Chris Bowling. been to court “without being screwed.”

that the eviction moratorium has ended.

“There’s a human tendency to avoid a problem,” Cedfeldt. “With some clients I wonder if that’s the issue.”

During the moratorium, Heer Dale said about 50 eviction hearings took place per week. On Nov. 3, 51 hearings were held in one day. With winter approaching and COVID-19 continuing to complicate things, Omaha’s housing crisis is far from over.

Though Legal Aid can’t solicit their services, they can provide information to tenants facing eviction. Cedfeldt said they compile each week’s cases and cross list the addresses to mail an information letter. She said research has shown mail reminders increase appearance rates. A person needs to qualify as low-income to get help from Legal Aid, but TAP is available for anyone. Heer Dale said more than 100 attorneys have volunteered for the program between Lancaster and Douglas Counties, along with up to 100 other community members. The help is necessary as evictions ramp up again now

Councilmember Melton said the city can do more. Although they’ve worked on homeless shelters, she said they still need to address Omaha’s lack of affordable housing and help keep people in their homes. “If you have a mom and a child, [homeless shelters] will take them. But they have beds and furniture and other things. Why should they lose all that and start over?” Melton said. “[TAP] not only saves money, but keeps a child in their same bed.”

Ryan Sullivan, University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law professor and director of the school’s Civil Clinic. Photo courtesy of Ryan Sullivan.

H O O D O O

Time to Shine

From the Toy Drive for Pine Ridge to Exciting Shows, December Brings Opportunities for Joy

by B.J. Huchtemann

Galusha’s P.S. Blues radio show Sunday, Dec. 5, 9 a.m.-noon, on 89.7 FM, The River. A live event will be broadcast from The Reverb Lounge in Benson. Check facebook.com/psblues for updates and performers. The Reverb event is free and open to the public and usually offers quite a social occasion for local blues / Americana musicians and fans.

divy, BSO talent booker said via email. “We know that some folks still don’t feel comfortable going out, or have just gotten out of the habit. But if you still feel live music is meaningful, we would encourage anyone to buy a BSO membership, buy a concert ticket in advance or buy a CD from an artist website. Venues, musicians and the service industry that takes care of you are desperately in need of your support.”

The club fundraising events happen Thursday, Dec. 3, 9 p.m., when the Toy Drive is at The Waiting Room with music from Dunn’s longtime Larry Dunn and last year’s toy mascot What began as one band The Mercurys paused for a selfie as they started their evening of music at plus Vago. Then Sunthe now defunct Mick’s journey to deliver toys gathered for 2020’s day, Dec. 5, starting at in Benson and a pick- Toy Drive for Pine Ridge. Photo from Facebook 3 p.m., the BSO lends up-truck load of toys for a hand with a show at medical clinic on the reservation, the reservation has blossomed educational resources for schools Stocks ‘n’ Bonds with The Zoo into multiple events and an ex- [and] resources for suicide pre- Bar All-Stars, BSO All-Stars panded scope. The emergency vention groups,” according to plus Héctor Anchondo solo. propane fund has become an the Toy Drive website. The Toy Admission to each show is $10 or important part of the Toy Drive’s Drive for Pine Ridge is a 501(c) a new, unwrapped toy of equal or fundraising efforts. South Dakota (3) nonprofit organization. An- greater value. winters are bitterly cold. The fact other reason these efforts are so that many homes are poorly insu- important is that, as the website lated and only heated by propane points out, “the U.S. Census Bustoves or firewood can make win- reau and BIA list Pine Ridge as the ter a deadly time for many, partic- most poverty-stricken area in the The BSO Presents shows are ularly the elders. It’s not unusual United States.” still being finalized for Decemfor someone to freeze to death ber. Follow facebook.com/bluesdue to lack of heating fuel on You can find out more or make societyofomaha and omahablues. the reservation, just a day’s drive a donation anytime at toydrive- com for the latest updates. Shows from Omaha. With high rates of forpineridge.org where you can include Texas guitarist Rocky poverty, it’s also not unusual to also specify if you want your do- Athas at Stocks ‘n’ Bonds Thurshear of families having to choose nation to go toward toys, fuel or day, Dec. 9, 6-9 p.m. and holiday between food or fuel. other resources. The Toy Drive’s jams at The B. Bar Thursday, Dec. Facebook page at facebook.com/ 23, and Thursday, Dec. 30, 6-9 As the Toy Drive has grown toydriveforpineridge is updated p.m., with guest hosts. with more events and more funds more frequently and will have the raised, Dunn has been able to ex- first news on this year’s events. “The Blues Society of Omapand the drive beyond toys and Currently the schedule includes ha has seen attendance at our the emergency heating fund to the annual live radio show with shows decrease by 50% since include “providing resources to a music and information on Rick the pandemic began,” Terry Se-

For December and January issues, the deadlines hit early so the paper can be printed and distributed on time. This means there are lots of holes in the performance and venue calendars as this column gets put together. Watch your favorite venue and band sites for updates so you don’t miss out. Here are a few early highlights scheduled at deadline time.

ecember in the metro also means it’s time for Toy Drive for Pine Ridge events. Local musician Larry (Lash LaRue) Dunn started the Toy Drive for Pine Ridge in 2003 as a way of giving back to the Lakota community on the Pine Ridge reservation. Dunn’s pursuit of Lakota spiritual traditions in the previous years led to his efforts to bring holiday joy to the reservation’s children. Lakota spiritual practices include an emphasis on giving back to the community.

“BSO Presents” Shows Need You

Getting Out

Phenomenal blues artist Sue Foley performs at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Saturday, Dec. 4, 5 p.m. Advance tickets are recommended and available at ticketweb.com. Foley has a brand new CD, Pinky’s Blues. Watch facebook.com/zoobarblues and zoobar.com for December show announcements, Acclaimed Austin bluesman Ray Bonneville performs for a Sunday Roadhouse show at Reverb Lounge Sunday, Dec. 5, 5 p.m. See details at sundayroadhouse.com. Sunday, Dec. 12, 8 p.m., sensational roots musician JD McPherson brings “SOCKS: A Rock N’ Roll Christmas Tour” to The Waiting Room. Outstanding Chicago guitarist Joel Patterson is also on the tour.

December 2021

D I S H

—Gather in Omaha—

Prepare Thy Taste Buds, All Ye Who Gather Here Photos and story by Tamsen Butler

ou know that feeling after you overindulge at a restaurant because the food’s so good? And you don’t want to stop the party that’s happening in your mouth? That feeling of, “Ugh, I just ate so much and now I feel gross?”

looked at the plate, then at each other, then back at the plate, briefly wishing the other would say, “Oh, you go ahead. I’m not all that hungry.” But after our first bites, we both agreed it was one of the best appetizers we’d experienced in Omaha, and maybe beyond.

I didn’t get that feeling at Gather in Omaha. Did I overindulge? Why, yes, I did. But did I feel gross afterward? No, not in the least. I don’t know if Gather set out to be healthy, but their lack of processed ingredients made for a vibrant experience with no postmeal regrets.

A grilled baguette smothered in melted brie and a balsamic reduction chock full of wild mushrooms — the description doesn’t even do the mushroom toast justice. This appetizer somehow managed to be both decadent and light at the same time.

Two pieces of advice kept popping up online prior to my visit: 1. Try the mushroom toast. 2. Visit the vertical gardens downstairs. I did both, and I’m glad I did. When the mushroom toast arrived at our table, my husband and I

If mushrooms aren’t your thing, you can try any of the other impressive appetizers, such as crispy brussels, hand cut fries or the charcuterie:a selection of house-cured meats and cheeses. There’s also an impressive menu of starter salads, all featuring ingredients from the garden downstairs.

The mushroom toast sounds humble, but packs a punch.

When it came time to choose an entrée, I didn’t get very adventurous but instead went with the fried chicken. I was curious to see how a trendy place like this would interpret an American classic. The chicken is served over a bed of cavatappi noodles with a Mornay sauce and comes with tomato jam and a housemade hot sauce. The fried chicken had all the crispy good- ness you’d expect, but with an elevated flavor. If you’re looking for a less standard experience, try the

DECEMBER 2021

elk bolognese, the Korean marinated Wagyu or the red wine marinated bison. A burger and fries on the menu ensures that even your pickiest friends can find something they will love. Gather in Omaha’s dessert menu was full of foods I’d happily try, but we settled on the donut holes. They arrived with a variety of dipping sauces and served as a nice decrescendo to the meal. The list of cocktails, liquor, wine and beer was dizzying in its vastness. The staff was friendly and attentive but didn’t intrude upon our eating experience once we got started. I enjoyed the ambience of the dining area and was surprised by how large the restaurant is on the inside. There are patio areas for outdoor seating when the weather allows. Gather is a great place for a date night, but larger groups can also enjoy the space. The restaurant takes reservations so I recommend doing so. But if you happen to be in the Old Market and want to give this spot a try I suggest taking a chance getting a table. Gather in Omaha opened just a few months ago, but it seemed to lack any new-restaurant-hiccups. None of the staff seemed to be scrambling or panicked, and there wasn’t a single thing I can point out that should have been different. Had I not already known it was a new-ish restaurant, I wouldn’t have been able to tell based solely on my visit. The vertical gardens are downstairs to the right of the host stand.

The indoor garden brings farm to fork to a whole new level. Take the short trip to view the garden that grows some of the ingredients used in the restaurant’s food. The plants are all protected behind glass but easy to view. It’s a fun way to feel a little more connected to your dinner. Farm-to-table is great and all. But this place is garden-downstairs-to-table, making it a truly unique dining experience that’s worth a try, especially if you’re ready to try something new in the Old Market. My advice to you? 1. Try the mushroom toast. 2. Visit the vertical gardens downstairs.

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Current Consignment:

Two Omaha Bands with New Music on the Way by Sam Crisler

Welcome to the Backbeat column, where local music is the only music.

The Reader: How does it feel that the album is finally coming out?

his month, I’m sharing excerpts of two interviews with Omaha bands that are getting ready to release new music: indie rock band Uh Oh and psychedelic rock band Sazcha. Both interviews are available to read in full online at thereader. com.

Joe Champion (Uh Oh, vocals/guitar): Oh, man, we’re so stoked about it. We really believe in the music that we made, and hopefully people will connect with it as much as we have. And at the same time, it’s also really crazy because we’ve never released music that we haven’t played in front of anybody yet. So, all of these songs are brand new; we’re going to be playing them for the first time at our album release show. It’s a nerve-racking thing to wonder if people will like the music, but at the same time, we know that we put our whole hearts and souls into it.

Let’s get into it.

Uh Oh, Set to

Release Their Second FullLength EP, Good Morning, Dec. 3

Uh Oh has evolved substantially since their debut in 2015 as a scuzzy basement rock band that made music largely in order to have songs to play at their rowdy live shows. Their new LP is a realization of the music the band always knew it could make — pairing the DIY approach of their early releases with a refined songwriting style tracing back to the early-2000s Omaha indie scene.

TR: It’s kind of ironic that your last album was titled Stay Close because a bunch of your friends were moving, and when Uh Oh wrote Good Morning during the pandemic, you didn’t have any other choice but to keep your bandmates close.

JC: That’s always sort of been a theme in our lyrics, grinding gears against growing up and trying to figure out ways to hold on to the things that you feel are important and the relationships that you want to hang on to. So it was very ironic that suddenly those things that were always sort of preoccupying me ended up being impossible to do. And I think that factored into the lyrics on this album, too, because it kind of Uh Oh (L-R: Jay Jacobson, Erik Trent, stopped becoming a question in my mind: Joe Champion, Mari Crisler). “How do I keep all — Photo by Ali Champion

Sazcha (L-R: Colin Airola, Alex Airola, Andrew Pace). — Photo courtesy of Sazcha these people close to me? How do I hang on to all these things that I want to?” But no one was able to, and everyone was going through the exact same thing at the exact same time. So, on this album, it became more of a question of like, “OK, life is weird. It is what it is. Now, what are you going to do about it?”

Sazcha, plotting an early winter release of their sophomore EP

Sazcha is relatively new to the Omaha scene, only having time to play live for about a year before the pandemic cut the psych-rock trio off. But in listening to their new music, it’s clear they spent the past year and a half polishing their songwriting and honing their musical identity. They’re planning their new EP for a December or January release. The Reader: What do you guys have your eyes set on for the future? Andrew Pace (drums): We’re hoping to make 2022 what we were hoping 2020 would be. We want to start it off strong with the release of the new EP, get a twosong single recorded real quick, get that put out there. And then

we’d like to spend the summer of 2022 touring. And then whenever the time is available, finish up the writing for the album that we’re working on, and then ideally, have it recorded before the end of next year. The new stuff is definitely gonna be like a growth from what we’re doing now. You’ll definitely still hear traces of it, but it’s absolutely going to be a departure. I think it’s definitely going to be a maturation of our sound. TR: How do you feel like the new EP is a progression from your debut, The Big Soup? AP: What I like about the growth into the second EP from The Big Soup is that The Big Soup is very garage-y — you can hear all the mistakes, and there’s not a solid tempo. We just wanted to have fun and record with Dave (McInnis, Bad Dad Records) and get some songs out. For me, listening to what we have for the new EP, there’s definitely still some garage-y vibes to it. But I can feel our songwriting really focusing as we go forward. I’m hoping that our songwriting really kind of comes into focus with the album. Editor’s note: The author’s sister, Mari Crisler, is a member of Uh Oh.

DECEMBER 2021

W PICKS W photography and fiber art, Talbitzer documents her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis with black and white optical patterning and floral motifs.

December 9

Large quilts embellished with scans of the artist’s own brain are decorated with embroidery. Her photographs display dishware, jars, cutlery, mirrors, sewing tools and the human body existing at home.

6 p.m. | Free Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts bemiscenter.org

I don’t know you like that

Sheila Talbitzer opens Dec. 8, from 6-8:30 p.m., with a lecture and reception and runs through Jan. 18 at MCC’s Gallery of Art and Design, 829 N. 204th St., Elkhorn. — Jonathan Orozco

December 9-11 ception from 6-8 p.m. and runs through Jan. 30 in the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery, 1042 Howard Street. Call 402-341-1877, email gardenofthezodiac@ gmail.com, or visit The Garden of the Zodiac page on Facebook. — Janet L. Farber

at Funny Bone 7, 7:30, 9:30, and 9:45 p.m. shows | $15 Funny Bone omaha.funnybone.com

I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality is on view through March 20 at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. Opening reception is Dec. 9, 6-8 p.m.

December 8

December 2

JeanJacques Passera: Adjustments 6 p.m. | Free Garden of the Zodiac

During his time in COVID lockdown, French photographic artist Jean-Jacques Passera found himself thinking differently about space, form and time, and especially about gaze — the way one sees the objects in the world around them. The results of his creative pivots are the subject of Adjustments. The works fall into three distinct series, all connected by Passera’s preference for high-keyed color. Jean-Jacques Passera: Adjustments opens Dec. 2 with a re-

Greg Warren

Sheila Talbitzer

— Janet Farber

6 p.m. | Free Metropolitan Community College mccneb.edu/gallery

December 10 If you crave comedy this December, get your tail down to your local Funny Bone. For three nights, Greg Warren will bring his well-oiled off-the-cuff routine to the venue.

Metropolitan Community College’s Gallery of Art and Design presents recent works from Sheila Talbitzer’s “Lidwina” series. Consisting of a mixture of

DECEMBER 2021

“Letting the right one in” takes on diverse and weighted meanings in the Bemis Center’s exhibition I don’t know you like that: The Bodywork of Hospitality, opening Dec. 9. Organized by curator-in-residence Sylvia Fortin, this group show shifts concepts of hospitality to those associated with “conceptual, physical, political, and historical understanding of bodies.”

The St. Louis-born comedian has released six hilarious albums and has recently appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers. His style is perfectly Midwestern, fusing relatable characters with social commentary tailor-made for Omaha’s savvy audiences. These events are 21 and up, and tickets are $15. — Matt Casas

GWAR with

Napalm Death and Eyehategod at The Bourbon

8 p.m. | $30-35 Bourbon Theatre bourbontheatre.com

W PICKS W If you live for fake blood, costuming and lore, you likely dig GWAR. The band, aesthetically, feels like the love child of KISS and Alice Cooper. But don’t judge a shock metal outfit on looks or sound alone: These folks are hilarious and put on a feel-good show! Still, with support from Napalm Death and Eyehategod, expect a very metal night.

Distressed Damsels and Infinite Video 8 p.m. | $7-$10 The Waiting Room waitingroomlounge.com borders. Sure, his name has appeared in Rolling Stone, but Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal are earning their own way — Hoyer still books the band’s tours himself. Fittingly, their new LP is titled Natural Born Hustler, and they’ll be playing songs from that album and more at the Dubliner Pub.

It is all-ages, $30 in advance or $35 at the door, with an extra $2 charge for minors. — Matt Casas

December 11

Drag Queen Story Hour 3:30 p.m. | Free Urban Abbey (and online) theurbanabbey.org

Since forming on Craigslist a few years ago, The Real Zebos have made a righteous splash among alternative listeners. Their catchy melodies, fun-loving shows and polished recordings have carved out an upward trajectory for the local five-piece, who have frequented center stage at The Waiting Room. Better yet, Distressed Damsels and Infinite Video will join TRZ for a night of visceral indie rock jams.

Cozy up for a playful hour of literary realness, imagination and learning while listening to special holiday stories read by Andrew Genius. Whoever you are and however you celebrate, all are welcome to Urban Abbey’s sparkling Drag Queen Story Hour, Dec. 11, 3:30-4:45 p.m. Join this free event IRL at the Old Market bookstore/coffee shop/church or attend online. RSVP on Urban Abbey Omaha’s Facebook “Events” page. Don your most festive sweater and don’t miss your chance to add some eleganza to your story hour! — Lynn Sanchez

December 11

The Real Zebos with

the alliterative moniker. Vesely’s stripped-down set at Barnato will function as a love letter to die-hard fans.

Music starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door.

— Sam Crisler

December 17

Secondhand Serenade with

— Matt Casas

December 19

See Through Dresses with Oquoa

6 p.m. | $10 Reverb Lounge reverblounge.com

The Dangerous Summer and SayWeCanFly

8 p.m. | $35 Barnato barnatolounge.com

— Matt Casas

December 11

Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal 9:30 p.m. | $5 Dubliner Pub omahablues.com

Josh Hoyer has had a number of brushes with fame, the most significant of which was a stint in Season 12 of NBC’s “The Voice.” But the Lincoln-based musician with a dynamic, Memphis-soul rasp has long been one of the most determined in Nebraska to share his music beyond the

And thanks to The Dangerous Summer and SayWeCanFly, the unplugged vibes will flow all night long. General admission is $35, it’s 21 and up, and doors open at 7 p.m.

Secondhand Serenade, led by singer-songwriter John Vesely, had a strong 2007, fusing acoustic power-pop, piano balladry and the prevailing emo-laden musical trends of the time.

See Through Dresses was one of the hardest working bands in Omaha in the 2010s, releasing two LPs and an EP from 2013 to 2017. They generated buzz with an approach heavily inspired by shoegaze and ’90s indie rock that quickly landed them a deal with indie label Tiny Engines. But it’s been a quiet four years for the band since then, playing a local show here and there and releasing no new music. With drummer Nate Van Fleet announcing he’s leaving Omaha at the end of the year, it may be your last chance to see him on the throne. See Through Dresses play their first headlining show since 2019 this month, and it should feel like a homecoming of sorts. — Sam Crisler

Since then, the band has released four albums under

DECEMBER 2021

F I L M

Your Favorite Holiday Movie Sucks, and That’s OK All I Want for Christmas is for You to Watch What You Want by Ryan Syrek

worst kinds of loads. In the same way that streaming Parks and Rec on an infinite loop is a surprisingly effective way to braid together the fraying edges of mental health, the fact that holiday-themed movies adhere to a specific repeated formula is therefore a blessing, not a curse. As redundant and repetitive as the clichéd events are, there is reassurance in their relentless sameness.

here are we at in the Love Actually discourse these days? Have we moved past the backlash and into the backlash to the backlash? Or does acknowledging that you watched it just once by accident because you were tricked by a friend now earn you the internet equivalent of a shameful public stoning … where you are publicly shamed by stoners? Love Actually is, in fact, a bad movie. It’s got plenty of company. Every single holiday movie that doesn’t star Gonzo the Great is, in fact, a bad movie. The very nature of the genre, its restrictions and expectations, render it wholly impossible to actually make a truly great film. This is why people have long died hard trying to argue that a movie simply set during Christmastime is actually the best Christmas movie. It may seem like a gross over exaggeration to suggest all holiday movies are bad. “What about It’s a Wonderful Life?” you ask, forgetting how boring it is and ignoring that its central love story is between a man and a bank. “But I love Elf!” you exclaim, as though the sexual dynamic between Buddy, who has the mind of a child, and an actual adult woman isn’t upsetting. I love both of those movies, by the way. Actually, I simply adore a boatload of the genre’s films. I had a Prancer poster on my wall that I tore out from a comic book. That movie is the hottest of farts, just a warning. I’ll probably watch it

Taking cheap shots at people who love bad holiday-centric movies is beyond Scroogery. Especially because there’s only one perfect film in that genre, and you’re looking at it. Photo: The Muppet Christmas Carol (now owned by Disney). again this year. Let’s talk about why these films are so bad and why that’s not only “OK” but a good thing. Then we’ll wrap things up in a nice bow, learn an important lesson and feel all warm and tingly inside. If you want to just skip to that last part, spike that eggnog, y’all!

Why Holiday Movies Suck I don’t know if you’re aware of this, but the winter is hard and bad. Summer isn’t the guilty season implicated in the phrase “seasonal affective disorder.” In addition, many of us have family dynamics filled with tension and dysfunction, a phenomenon medical experts refer to as “having a family.” Combine

December 2021

the depression inherent during sunlight-deficient months with the stress of required gatherings rife with gift giving and related financial concerns, and you can understand why the American Psychological Association (APA) has a “Holiday Stress Resource Center.” Can you see where this is going? Holiday movies suck partly because, you know, the holidays suck. Not for everyone, and not completely! But, yes Virginia, there is a Santa “cause for concern” for many folks. One of the resources not centered by the APA has to do with audiovisual entertainment. Actual, real medical doctor people have proven that watching the same content over and over again helps to tamp down anxiety and reduce a depressive cognitive load. I want it on record: That is one of the absolute

How similar are holiday movies? Well, the Washington Post made a Hallmark Christmas Movie Mad Lib that is upsettingly accurate. We’ll talk in a minute about that channel’s specific offerings, but for now let’s just admit that the overwhelming majority of all holiday flicks fall into one of three categories: • Oh No, This Holiday Is Ruined/Canceled/Too Darn Wacky! • Selfish-Bad-Mean Person Gets Mentally/Physically Abused Into Being “Good” • Mistletoe Means “Fornication” For the record, “mistletoe” is from the Old English for “poop stick.” That’s real. But all kidding aside, can you think of a film from this genre that doesn’t fit into “save Christmas,” “De-scroogening” or “romance by the yule log?” We have like 86 subgenres of horror, but the same number of holiday spin-offs as licks it takes to get the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop. The inherent paradox: The constraints are what brings comfort and what prevents quality.

F I L M Stop Judging What People Watch or You Won’t Just Get Coal, You’ll Go to Hell If holiday movies are bad cinema but good therapy, why are people such jerks to people who truly love them? The answer is obvious: Arguably, the largest group of people who love holiday movies are women! Anytime ladies largely love a thing, angry dudebros must assemble and shame them for it. It’s called “The Fedora Principle.” The CEO who runs the Hallmark Channel is Wonya Lucas. Given all the streaming and cable options, I’m not sure how many other Black women are in charge of similar outlets. Because I’ve lived in this country for more than five minutes, I’m going to guess “not a ton.” Many, many women star in, write, direct and produce Hallmark holiday movies. All of this is to say, the reason John Wick Chapter 3 gets treated like respectable cinema while a Hallmark flick about a ghost gets skewered is pretty obvious. Side note: I have actually watched The Spirit of Christmas, in which a woman who inherits a cozy inn falls for a poltergeist that haunts the place. It was legitimately one of my favorite movie-watching experiences of last year. Setting aside stereotypical sex/gender nonsense, the whole “I don’t like that thing, so you also shouldn’t like that thing” gets bonkers-loco-crazy during the holidays. “Clever” tweets, posts and quips lament how and when people decorate, listen to music and purchase gifts. If someone listening to Mariah Carey at literally any point causes you so much as a microscopic, miniscule amount of angst, I hope someone plays “All I Want for Christmas is You” at your funeral. I will do it, if needed. Dic-

tating what other people can’t do is arguably the reason British weirdos murdered Native Americans and founded this country in the first place. But it doesn’t need to be this way. Not only can we “let people enjoy things,” we can encourage people to enjoy them, even if we don’t like them or think they are “objectively” bad. That’s right, it’s time for the moral of this seasonal story! Judging what others like is what a lot of “Film Twitter” and self-branded cinephiles in general believe constitutes an identity. The scary, secret truth is that no piece of art is unassailable. Everything, and I mean everything, can be picked apart and mocked. Again, except The Muppet Christmas Carol. People think that my job as a film critic is to tell people whether or not they should see a movie. To be fair, a lot of reviewers think that’s their job, too. Over the last few decades, I’ve learned that our actual job is to entertain (first and foremost) and promote dialogue while sharing our opinion as to whether something is good or bad. I don’t doubt that I used to position myself as a kind of “arbiter of taste.” Please don’t hate me for that; I already hate myself enough for it. Even just writing that phrase caused some sort of typing gag reflex. These days, I will go down swinging in defense of whatever (non-morally reprehensible) thing people want to watch. All I actually want for Christmas is to dirt nap the phrase “guilty pleasure.” No guilt! Only pleasure! The point of all of this is to say: Holiday movies are bad, and if you love them I hope you watch a billion this season. I hope you grin when the quirky family is reunited just in time for the big day. I hope you smile every time a country rube devours a city slicker’s fruitcake. I hope you see every un-scrooge-ification as a prompt to be better, to feel better, if only for a day. Your favorite holiday movie sucks, unless it’s The Muppet Christmas Carol, but I hope it heals you when you need it this year.

Eternals: Neat, its Title is Also How Long it Feels! You Can’t Be Everything to Everyone, Even If You’re Immortal by Ryan Syrek

Nobody has ever loved anything as much as these immortal beings love standing in a line with faces that seem to be scanning the audience for who farted. Photo: Eternals from Marvel Studios/Disney. hat is it that people thought was going to happen when an indie filmmaker W known for quiet, thoughtful character dramas made a massive blockbuster Marvel movie? Apologies to Thanos, but this is the outcome that was truly inevitable. Eternals is a cinematic Frankenstein’s monster that invites fascination before pleading for its own death. Ambitious, creative elements are hobbled by having to stop and explain cosmic theology at a kindergarten level. Gorgeous, hauntingly cold visuals are interrupted by ugly, forgettable fight sequences. An amazingly talented cast — playing surprisingly nuanced characters — is forced to dial every performance to “I can’t believe Tide got the stain out!” levels. It’s Shakespeare by Cliffs Notes, a Kidz Bop Nirvana cover, a musical episode of The Wire. To their credit, writer/director Chloé Zhao and cowriters Patrick Burleigh and Ryan Firpo certainly tried to get away with what they could. Eternals features the first tangible proof that coitus exists in the Marvel universe and has a third act that legally counts as plot-heavy, character-driven narrative. But to please the Marvel masses, it also features immortals cracking modern one-liners about 7,000 years before slang was invented, multiple “OMG cell phones are so addictive” discussions and a post-credits cameo that feels like the product of an online poll or tween focus group. Given the absolutely relentless ad campaign, you almost certainly know the film’s conceit. A sentient giant space phallus tasks immortal beings who have superpowers with guarding humanity against the evil deviants. Wait, does that also work as a summary of the Mormon faith? The movie has like eleventy billion characters, but the important ones to know are Sersi (Gemma Chan) and her sorta-ex hubby Ikaris (Richard Madden). After centuries split apart, they must gather their old gang together again before an earth-ending event occurs. To Eternals’ credit, saying more would ruin some legitimately compelling surprises.

Superhero escapism has long been compared with mythology cosplay. This is the first time in film form that divinely powered beings were actually forced to deal with a true God-level moral quandary. Perhaps part of the reason folks aren’t resonating with the flick as much is because it hinges on the notion that human beings are inherently special and worth saving. The last few years in real life have sure felt like “Exhibit A” in the legal counterargument to that defense. Whatever credit can be given to Marvel for wanting to step outside their formula, which Eternals inarguably completely does, gets immediately docked for a failure to fully commit to going bonkers weird. Every clever, artistic choice is undercut by mainstream red meat. Druig (Barry Keoghan), who has near-limitless mind control powers, grapples with whether cleansing thoughts of genocide from humanity is morally just. That’s riveting AF! So, of course, he also turns into a doe-eyed cute and flirty dipshit whenever Makkari (Lauren Ridloff) is around. Each time the film’s intentionally melodramatic self-seriousness finally feels comfortable, somebody drops a pie, asks about Captain America or namechecks Ikea. Even the length of the movie would be fine, had it not felt like a heady space opera bloated only by a requirement for a specific number of punches. Honestly, Eternals would have felt more comfortable as a 10-hour series than a nearly three-hour blockbuster. The whole thing feels like a beautiful promise poorly kept. Is it bad? No. Should it be praised for bravely stepping out of the Marvel box? Also no. Letting a dog out of its cage while chaining it to a short leash isn’t the same as giving it a chance to run free. This feels like a coldly commercial creative calculation instead of letting a talented group of artists play in an infinite sandbox. No harm, no foul, but also no big whoop.

Grade = C+

Other Critic al Voices to ConsideR Angelica Jade Bastién at Vulture says “Marvel has grown so powerful in part because of how it treats diversity and identity as a checklist; the Eternals characters indeed range in ability, race, and sexuality. But what does it matter to have, say, a gay kiss onscreen, when there’s no heat behind it? What does it matter if the women are of various hues and ages if you don’t care about their interiority?”

Ruben Peralta Rigaud at Cocalecas.net says “One wishes that Zhao had been allowed to do an existential superhero drama instead of putting up this strange compromise.” Glen Weldon at NPR says “The film stops dead, from time to time, for beautiful people to debate the fate of the planet and their respective roles in it.”

December 2021

C O M I C S Garry Trudeau

Jen Sorensen

JeffREY Koterba

DECEMBER 2021

C R O S S W O R D

Adjusted to Fit Your Screen

AnswerS in next month’s issue or online at TheReader.com

— what the flip is going on? — by Matt Jones

Across 1. What your answers must be written in to understand the theme 5. Hiking path 10. “Which came first?” choice 13. Clapton or Cartman 14. Candy branded as “The Freshmaker” 16. Stuff to fix a squeaky hinge

24 28

20. Stun gun relative

27. Donut shop quantities

43. Stay away from

36. Under the weather

39. Activity done in heated beds

43. Well-known quotations, often 45. “Are you a man ___ mouse?”

47. Warm up after being in the freezer 49. Amounts on a bill

64 66

54. Walkway on an airline flight

Down

58. Bullfighting cheer

1. Like some checks: Abbr.

50. Liability counterpart 51. Physiques, in entertainment tabloids

59. What Neil Armstrong 2. Operatic solo partook in, e.g. 44. Moved the borders to create a new area, 3. Sty dwellers 62. Homer’s outburst 37. Rowboat propeller perhaps 4. Crafty plans 63. It may be tossed 38. Transmit 46. They’re collected in after a wedding electronically, in a 5. Symbols after brand passports way names 64. Charity benefit, 48. Coffee dispensers maybe 39. Devices that, when 6. Rule over a kingdom 49. Cartoonist Guisewite, turned, adjust 65. Take notice 7. Chilean mountain or her comic strip themselves (just like range the theme answers) 66. Some religious 51. Faith whose name observances 8. Checklist component comes from the 40. Greek vowel Arabic for “glory” 67. Stretch across 9. Rawls of R&B 41. Suffix form for 53. Rapper ___ Def twenty and thirty, but not ten 34. Wire-___ (like some terriers’ coats)

53 59

42. Audrey Tautou’s quirky title role of 2001

32. ___ fatty acids 35. Troy’s friend on “Community”

31. Completely devour

29. Do the “I am not a crook” thing with the V-signs, for example? 30. Three, in Germany

26. 1980s hairstyle that may have involved a kit

33. Cupid’s Greek counterpart

21. Jewel

30. Cop show with the line “Just the facts, ma’am”

10 15

19. Pompous attribute

24. Complainer’s sounds

22. Amy Winehouse hit song

17. Aligned correctly

10. “Land sakes alive that’s awesome!” 11. Prefix for byte meaning “billion” 12. Amorphous clump 15. Jam, margarine, or cream cheese, e.g.

18. Sci-fi film set inside a computer 23. Exercise machine unit 25. Makes embarrassed 26. Class warmup before a big exam 27. Postpone 28. Make big speeches

DECEMBER 2021

AnsweR to last month’s “YRs Truly” S T A Y

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H O S U T C L O W R H A K C A P E A T S L M S V O P E B R Z E R I A I M S R E A T H T I O E P S

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Howard Hamilton December 5, 1934 — November 19, 2020

Historian and well-known local character Howard Hamilton died of COVID-19 last November. His cremated remains were interred almost a year later, Nov. 6, 2021, at Westlawn/Hillcrest Cemetery near 57th and Center streets. Hamilton devoted his life to collecting and cataloging a staggering number of historic news clippings and odd antiquities related to Omaha. What many dismissed as detritus, Hamilton saw as a rich and important source of stories. Much of his collection was donated to the Durham Museum in 2012.

, — Howard Hamilton July 7, 2016, Omaha World Herald

Submit Private Party In Memoriam Submit an online In Memoriam (starting at $50) or a print In Memoriam (starting at $30) with The Reader. We make placing In Memoriams online an effortless experience.

DECEMBER 2021

For those who want to test their knowledge, the 1993 board game “Trivia-Omaha” with 1,300 trivia questions written by Hamilton can still be found online.

Hamilton was preceded in death by his parents; two sisters, Mary Ann Radtke and Edith Beckwith; and four brothers, John Orville Hamilton Jr., Donald Wilfred Hamilton, Edward (Jimmy) Hamilton and infant brother Richard Darrell Hamilton. — Lynn Sanchez

M E M O R I A M

To place In Memoriams in The Reader (print & website), go to thereader.com/in-memoriam

The loquacious Hamilton, who uncannily resembled Santa in his later years, wrote a number of books. The Omaha Public Library has several copies of Believe It, Omaha (Or Not). He also authored a series of books about burials in local cemeteries, another of his passions. He delighted in leading Halloween cemetery tours for the public, wearing a cape and top hat, often telling visitors he knew where all the bodies were buried, “even the ones without markers.”

“I like people … You will find, in me, a good listener.”

Hamilton’s family moved to Omaha from Wisconsin when he was six years old. After graduating from Tech High School and Creighton University, he studied Arabic and Urdu

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at Georgetown University. During the 1960s, he was an administrator for the Army Corps of Engineers, then taught history at Metropolitan Community College from 1975 to 2000.

We Remember Digital Memorial We Remember is a free, digital memorial that is created and maintained forever when an obituary is submitted through In Memoriams. The family has complete control over content and privacy. We Remember gives you one place to collect and share memories to paint a rich picture of your loved one’s life.

More info... To submit, go to thereader.com/in-memoriam.

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2021 Music Year in Review The Year of Resiliency by Tim McMahan

height of the pandemic and some among the best of their careers.

Omaha punk band No Thanks during one of the last performances at The Brothers Lounge. Photo by Tim McMahan.

know, I know… it’s only December, and anything can happen before the year is actually over, but I ain’t got that luxury, deadlines being what they are. Rather than wait until January after you’ve (hopefully) long forgotten and moved on from 2021, I thought I’d do the recap now while it’s fresh in your memory (because we’re still living it). This time last year, things looked rather bleak. Venues were closed, tours were cancelled, we were hunkered down in our bunkers, wiping down our groceries and wondering if we’d ever see live music again. The worst of COVID-19 was still ahead of us. And if you were lucky, missing your favorite bands was all you were worried about, as the death toll continued to rise. There were whispers of a vaccine, but that was still a long way away. The only glimmer of hope was that the Commander in Boob had just been defeated, though he promised not to go quietly, and, by God, he kept his word. By February a vaccine was in hand, but the club owners and promoters still predicted it wouldn’t be until the fall of 2021 or the following winter before

bookings would look anything like “normal.” And so, the clubs stayed dark, and the closest we got to live music was streamed to our computer screens. Finally, toward the end of May, live music slowly began to return. I attended my first live show at Dr. Jack’s Drinkery May 29, a farewell gig by indie band Bull Nettles. But it wasn’t until July that venues really started booking on a regular basis and national touring bands began to hit the road again. The Maha Festival and Farnam Fest were announced and pulled off without becoming a “super spreader” event. Maha even sold out its limited-capacity one-day event. Despite a readily available vaccine, people still wore masks at shows — and still do to this day. Every face at the near-capacity Nov. 6 Soccer Mommy concert at The Waiting Room was masked throughout the evening. We were back, sort of. A few positive things stood out during this Year of Resiliency: — The music never stopped. Artists continued to record and release new albums, most of them created in isolation during the

— New venues were announced. You’d think coming out of a pandemic, investors would be gun-shy about pouring money into new music venues, but three of the largest new developments were announced or broke ground this year: refurbishment of Sokol Auditorium, renamed The Admiral, the Steelhouse Omaha standing-room live music hall by Omaha Performing Arts, and the massive Astro amphitheater project, which — when completed in January 2023 — will host 2,500 people indoors and 5,000 outdoors. Each project is a gamble that the worst is behind us. — Record stores resurged. With so much forced alone time, people continued to fall in love with their vinyl. The Old Market now has as many record stores as it had during vinyl’s heyday, with Grapefruit Records at 1125 Jackson Street joining Vinyl Cup Records and the old favorite, Homer’s. But as COVID-19’s bloody tide recedes, it leaves behind business casualties. While large clubs like Slowdown and the 1% venues are coming back better than ever, the smaller venues haven’t been so lucky. The Barley Street Tavern in Benson was the first to close its doors for good, though the room reopened under another name and new management. O’Leaver’s, arguably the best place in Omaha to see small live rock shows, still hasn’t reopened its stage. There’s hope it could soon return. But the biggest loss of all was the permanent closing of The Brothers Lounge at the end of October. More punk bar than music venue, The Brothers was a way station for the misfits, oddballs and troubled geniuses of Omaha who preferred their music garbed

in black leather and blood. The Brothers was where everyone ended up at last call. Now it’s had its last call, and the auction hammer falls Dec. 12. Winners and sinners, that’s what we’re left with after a pandemic. Goodbye and good riddance, 2021. At least you were better than 2020. And 2022 will see us thanking our lucky stars. Before we go, what would a Music Year in Review be without my list of favorite albums of 2021 (in no particular order): Flyte, This Is Really Going to Hurt (Island) Indigo De Souza, Any Shape You Take (Saddle Creek) The Weather Station, Ignorance (Fat Possum) Turnstile, Glow On (Roadrunner) Low, Hey What (Sub Pop) Cassandra Jenkins, An Overview On Phenomenal Nature (Ba Da Bing!) Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine, A Beginner’s Mind (Asthmatic Kitty) Parquet Courts, Sympathy for Life (Rough Trade) Hand Habits, Fun House (Saddle Creek) Mdou Moctar, Afrique Victime (Matador) Strand of Oaks, In Heaven (Galacticana) Wet Leg, “Wet Dream” b/w “Chaise Longe” (Domino).

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.

DECEMBER 2021