The Reader by Pioneer Publishing

2011 HY•VEE CRAFT & IMPORT

A R V T A X GANZA E R E E B All Proceeds to Beneft the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Friday, April 29th Leinkugel Beer Dinner

Hosted by: Dick Leinenkugel

Time: 6-9pm Location: The Ridge

20033 Elkhorn Ridge Dr.

Tickets: $75 (Limit 300)

Saturday, April 30th Beer Festival begins Time: Doors Open 1pm Last Call: 5pm Lights On: 5:15pm Event Over: 5:30pm Location: The Ridge

20033 Elkhorn Ridge Dr.

Tickets: $40 (Limit 600) $35 Advance Sales

Tickets On Sale Now!

COMBO DINNER & FESTIVAL TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR $100

PURCHASE TICKETS AT ANY METRO AREA HY•VEE STORE 4

April 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

April 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

E D I T E D

A dinosaur of a story, old Jane Eyre slims down for its retelling by Ben Coffman

derland. When the story begins, Jane is cold and rain-soaked and in the process of running away, paused at a literal crossroads. What brought her to this point we don’t know. However, we soon bear witness to her abusive childhood, albeit at a fast-forwarded pace. Her time at Gateshead, her mean aunt’s house, is reduced to a single fight with her cousin before she is shipped off to boarding school.

ane Eyre gets around a lot. I’m referring, of course, to the ofttold story of Jane Eyre. The chaste, JANE EYRE highly moral character of Jane Eyre, created by Charlotte Brontë and first published in 1847, doesn’t get around at all; in fact, she yearns to be her own woman. But Jane’s story has legs — at least five film versions of Jane Eyre were released prior to 1930. Since then, dozens more have been created, not to mention an amazing number of musicals, radio shows, mini-series, graphic novels and spin-offs. Another telling may seem superfluous, but 2011’s Jane Eyre completely retools the “As for its vacations,” says Jane’s aunt, who has narrative. Screenwriter Moira Buffini, armed taken to referring to Jane as “it” in front of the with her red marker meat cleaver, has trimmed school’s evil headmaster, “It must spend them huge chunks of fat (and some meat) from Brontë’s all at Lowood.” Likewise, Jane’s time at Lowood story, removing most of Eyre’s childhood and Institution is also significantly abbreviated, and reimagining the tale in a series of tricky narrative the viewer is left with an impression of a dark, flashbacks. Buffini and director Cary Fukunga damp, friendless place that has all the comforts (Sin Nombre) manage to button the whole 400of Abu Ghraib, where teachers are armed with page story up into a trim 120 minutes — a feat birch switches and torture devices like The Pedth not unlike stuffing Kirsty Alley into a 19 century estal of Infamy. whalebone corset. Upon her release from Lowood, Jane beFor the uninitiated, Jane Eyre tells the story of comes a governess at Thornfield, an estate owned its titular character, played by Mia Wasikowska, by the mysterious and handsome Edward Rochwhom we last saw playing Alice in Alice in Won-

REPORTCARD

The Adjustment Bureau A sweet fable with angels dressed as “Mad Men” fans.

B+

Battle: Los Angeles A lobotomized Black Hawk Down with space invaders.

B-

Black Swan (on DVD) It’s like Kafka’s “Metamorphosis” ... only with more sexytime.

Cedar Rapids The most fun you’ll ever have with insurance agents.

The Lincoln Lawyer C+ Matthew McConaughey is back … and more mediocre than ever.

Hall Pass The recommendation for this unfunny comedy is in the second word of the title.

ester, played by Michael Fassbender (Inglorious Basterds). Rochester eventually finds Jane’s pretty face and spunky feminist sensibilities irresistible. Likewise, despite his inherent itchiness, Jane is enamored with Rochester’s Wolverine sideburns and wool breeches. Jane befriends head maid Alice Fairfax (Judi Dench) and eventually enchants Rochester, who has a deep, dark secret to go along with his deep, dark estate. There’s a lot to like in this rebooted version of an old classic. At the top of the list are Wasikowska and Fassbender, who throw themselves headlong into their flawed characters. Aided by the conventions of the day, which often didn’t allow subordinates, particularly women, to speak freely, Wasikowska manages to pull back on the reins, replacing melodrama with subtlety, angst with grace. Much of Jane Eyre is perfect — its costumes and historical accuracy seem beyond reproach. Its moody musical score, all tremulous stringed instruments, complements its visual compositions, which, when inside, are all muted colors and inky shadows bleeding into one another. Outdoor shots feature barren, drizzly countryside. Visually, the film captures the loneliness and isolation of its main character. Jane Eyre avoids the stilted period dialog that can hamstring and suck the fun out of these types of films. More importantly, Jane Eyre gives us a new version of memorable, believable characters that can stand on their own and aren’t dependent upon the viewer having read the source material in lit class. ,

GRADE: A-

B Y

R Y A N

S Y R E K

■ While theologians and atheists continue to spar over the existence of an eternal creator, The Reader can officially confirm that the devil is 100 percent real. The proof? Ashton Kutcher is teaming up with Justin Bieber in a romantic comedy. No, they won’t play each other’s love interests, as that would be too original and creative. Seriously, Brokeback-ing rom-coms with something like, I don’t know, When Harry Met Harry, would be the shot-in-the-arm this stale genre needs. No, it’s a lame-ass body-swap-type movie, in which a 17-yearold meets the 30-year-old version of himself. Nothing confirms the reality of Satan like the unholy union of Kutcher and Bieber. ■ Stan Lee, creator of Spiderman and thus co-owner of a large part of my heart, is teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger to create an animated series called The Governator. You will soon know it by its real name: Unwatchable. The show will attempt meta-humor, as it features his real wife and kids and follows Arnie leaving Californian office to become a superhero. How weird is it that the fictional part is the superhero part and not the part where he ran California? ■ James Cameron is taking a break from actively writing Avatar 2 and 3, a task I assumed would take him the length of a commercial break. He took a trip to what he calls “the real Pandora,” which is the Brazilian rainforest. While there, a friendly local tribe, the Caiapos, made a definite impact, as the egomaniac declared “If I had met the Caiapos before making Avatar, I would certainly have made a better film.” Oh, sure, blame them. They also gave him a tribal name, Krapremp-ti. The Krap part I totally agree with.

CUTTINGROOM

Brontë-saurus

film

— 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 the radio on CD 105.9 (Fridays at around 7:30 a.m.), on his blog at thereader.com/film/ C19 and on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

Rango ANot since Culture Club has a chameleon so captivated a nation. READER RECOMMENDS

Sucker Punch Total gibberish ...but such breathtakingly beautiful total gibberish.

The Tourist (on DVD) As much fun as sifting through the vacation photos of a couple you loathe.

ﬁlm

| THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

april 7 - 13, 2011 VOL.18

lifestyle 19 District of Design

art 22 Wild at Art

music 26 Digging Deeper

Environmental Alchemy

Green solutions may lie buried in the sludge of a century-old sewer system cover story by brandon vogel ~ Page 12

film 33

BrontĂŤ-saurus

OMAHA JOBS 2

Weird 34

MOjo 36

FUNNIES 37

Full-time

ABM SERVICES. Check us out today. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

AOI Superintendent/Carpenter. Contact chill@aoicorp.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

AFLAC Customer Service and Sales. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE. Call today. Sales. Insurance. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. AMERISTAR. Dealers, Waitstaff, Janitorial. Check out our website career page for opportunities in Council Bluffs Ameristar. Great job. Great benefits. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. ARMY NATIONAL GUARD If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. APPLIED UNDERWRITERS. If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

AVIS/BUDGET RENTAL Check us out today. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. AXA ADVISORS Now Hiring. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com. BLUE CROSS & BLUE SHIELD Many great positions waiting for you at BCBS. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. BOYS TOWN Go to our website for complete detailed job posting and for more information go to OmahaJobs.com. BROOKESTONE VILLAGE. CNAs, Med Aides. Help others and feel great. Great job. Great benefits. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. CAREER LINK Now hiring. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com.

Full-time

Castle Security & Home Integration Installer/Technician. Contact admin@castle omaha.com. For more infor0mation go to OmahaJobs. com.

FIRST DATA Check us out. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com.

METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY COLLEGE. Check out our career page for the latest employment opportunities at all of our locations. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com.

ONE SOURCE BACKGROUND CHECK. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

QUALITY CLINICAL RESEARCH. Call today – new studies! For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

Pioneer Publishing is a fast growing leading local media company with print publications, websites and the leader in hosting the largest job fairs in the area seeking part time Freelance Commissioned Sales Representatives for the Omaha market. If you have knowledge of print & internet sales, please send resume to Clay Seaman at work@thereader.com. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

CONVERGYS Customer service specialists needed. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. COX COMMUNICATONS. Great careers waiting for you. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. CUSTOM DIESEL DRIVERS TRAINING. Get an education. Get a job. Build America. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES OF NEBRASKA. If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. DIAL AMERICA We have it all. Call Dial America today. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com.

HARRAHS Be a winner – work at Harrahs. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. HY-VEE. Family owned. You name it – we have it. A smile in every aisle. Check us out today. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. ICON DEVELOPMENT Health studies. Great opportunities for many. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. ITEX If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. Many, many job opportunities. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com.

FARM BUREAU Great careers waiting for you. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

KAPLAN Time for a change. Time for a career. Educational opportunities at affordable prices. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

GALLUP. Build a career with Gallup – great benefits. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com.

OMAHA SCHOOL OF MASSAGE AND HEALTHCARE Grow into a career. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

Computer programmer: Telvent DTN has an opening in Omaha, Nebraska, for a Computer Programmer. Convert project specifications into computer language. Develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific data and information. Program, analyze, design, develop and deploy complex software solutions. Specifically, the Computer Programmer will work to develop leading edge software solutions in JavaScript and AJAX technologies, as well as designing and developing databases utilizing knowledge of Microsoft SQL servers, and implementing object-oriented design patterns in applications relying on Coldfusion knowledge and experience. Requires Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, as well as five (5) years experience as a computer programmer, developer or computer analyst developing software solutions using Coldfusion, Java and/ or Javascript; developing databases using Microsoft SQL servers; and implementing or designing applications using Coldfusion. At least three years of this experience must have included developing software solutions using AJAX technologies. .

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

omaha jobs

MORROW & ASSOCIATES If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. RENEWAL BY ANDERSEN Many openings in many areas of Window & Door building, installing, estimating, sales. If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. OFFWIRE If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. PAYPAL. We have it all. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. NEW YORK LIFE. Great opportunities for many. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. PENTAGON FEDERAL CREDIT UNION. If you missed us at the Omaha Job fair you can still reach out to find out about our open positions. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. WARREN DISTRIBUTION. Now Hiring. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com. WELLS FARGO Join our family today for a long lasting career. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. PRUDENTIAL Financial/Sales. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com. PAPILLION MANOR Quality care. Great opportunities. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

PACIFIC INTERPRETERS. Great job. Great benefits. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. RELIV. Be your own boss. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. U.S. MARINES Go to our website for complete instructions on how to change your life today. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. WEST CORPORATION Customer service today. Bilingual opportunities. Check us out today. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. Pitney Bowes Presort Services. Senior Revenue Analyst. Contact Daniel.lacy@pb. com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com WOODMEN OF THE WORLD Variety of great jobs available. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. mozz carpet cleaning Lowest prices and Quality work guaranteed. 402.594. 8365. Florist distributing Part-Time Driver. Contact labels@fdionline.net. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. Tip Top Tux. PT Sales Associate. Contact Sharon@tttux.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. State Farm Sales/Service Assistant. Contact kyle.emsick.rnol@ statefarm.com. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com. Prudential Agency Recruiter. Contact Shelly.larsen@prudential. com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. State Farm Charlotte Beardmore Insurance Sales/Service charlotte@ BeardmoreInsurance.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com.

Claas Omaha Assembly Technician Robbin.galdeano@claas. com For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. Great Plains Auto Body Receptionist Front Desk bhcrashman@gmail.com For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. Signs by Tomorrow Sign/Graphic Installer deldridge@signsbytomorrow.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs. com. BoysTown Family Visitation Specialist. Contact JessicaDiekmann@ boystown.org. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com. ImprimiS Senior Military Operations Analyst, Modeling and Simulation Expert II, Subject Matter Expert II & III, Functional Analyst, Senior Intel Analyst. Contact Helen.rome@i2-mail.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. COX COMMUNICATIONS Looking for a Great Career? COX Customer Care Career Fair Wednesday, March 30 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. 3031 N. 120th Street, (between Blondo and Maple on 120th St) Bring your resume for on the spot interviews. Can’t make the career fair? Apply online at cox. com/coxcareer. For more information go to Omaha Jobs.com. Nurse Leadership Opportunity Help others soar as you make your way to the top. Our career development programs, state-of-the-art facilities, leading-edge technologies and comprehensive benefits provide an engaging environment to escalate your career. We are serious about making a difference in our employees' lives so they can make a difference in the lives of others. For more information visit OmahaJobs.com.

Experienced Plumbing Engineers and Designers. To assist in the design of projects in the commercial and institutional building industry. For more information visit OmahaJob. com. Director of Sales Responsible for selling the company's customer contact solutions into vertical markets, to include Fortune 100 companies. Visit OmahaJobs.com for more details. Telvent DTN Computer Programmer. At least three years of this experience must have included developing software solutions using AJAX technologies.Qualified applicants should send resumes and cover letter to Lisa.Barajas@telventdtn.com. For more information go to OmahaJobs.com. Sales Executive We are recruiting for an aggressive, hard-working sales rep with an entrepreneurial spirit. You will be responsible for developing new accounts and growing existing business within the growing senior living market. This position is geared to individuals who are energetic, driven, results-oriented, and who excel in a fast paced environment. Visit OmahaJobs.com for more details. Experienced Observation coders to add to our specialized coding staff. Coders work from home and have wide discretion to set their own hours, work week, and expected productivity level. We provide all necessary equipment and software. Visit OmahaJobs.com for more details.

Switch to any of our Smartphones and save $��. Now at U.S. Cellular —get an outstanding deal on Android -powered Smartphones and up to $600 in credit by following three easy steps: ®

1. buy one

SAMSUNG MESMERIZE a Galaxy S phone for $9999

After $80 mail-in rebate that comes as a Visa debit card. Applicable Smartphone Data Plan required. New 2-yr. agmt. and $30 act. fee may apply. ®

2. get up to five free LG OPTIMUS U

$��

After $80 mail-in rebates that come as Visa debit cards. Applicable Smartphone Data Plans required. New 2-yr. agmts. and $30 act. fees may apply.

credit

$��

credit

$�� $��

credit

$�� $��

credit

GET $100 FOR EACH NEW SMARTPHONE LINE (UP TO $600 IN TOTAL CREDIT) WHEN SWITCHING TO U.S. CELLULAR.

To learn more, visit uscellular.com or call �-��-BUY-USCC. Things we want you to know: Two-year agreements (subject to early termination fees) required for new customers and current customers not on a Belief Plan. Current customers may change to a Belief Plan without a new agreement. Agreement terms apply as long as you are a customer. $30 activation fee and credit approval may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies; this is not a tax or government-required charge. Additional fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by service and equipment. Promotional phone subject to change. U.S. Cellular Visa Debit Cards issued by MetaBank pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Allow 10–12 weeks for processing. Card does not have cash access and can be used at any merchant location that accepts Visa debit cards. Card valid for 120 days after issued. Smartphone Data Plans start at $30 per month or are included with certain Belief Plans. Application and data network usage charges may apply when accessing applications. BOG5: Mail-in rebate and activation required on each handset. All handsets must be activated on the same account. Service credit requires new two-year agreement and Smartphone purchase. $100 credit will be applied to your account in $50 increments over two billing periods. Credits will start within 60 days after activation. Account must remain active in order to receive credit. No cash value. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Android and the Android Robot are trademarks of Google, Inc. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. Other restrictions apply. See store or uscellular.com/project for details. Limited-time offer. ©2011 U.S. Cellular.

BURST_6_Lower_A_News

USC-PRD-10-264

USC-PRD-11-005 | THE READER |

April 7 - BURST_6_Upper_A_News 13, 2011 3

P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107 Phone 402.341.7323 Fax 402.341.6967 www.thereader.com OUR STAFF

Letters to the Editor: letters@thereader.com

EDITORIAL

Publisher/Editor: John Heaston Content Director: Eric Stoakes, erics@threader.com Managing Editor: Sean Brennan, seanb@thereader.com Contributing News Editor: Andrew Norman, andrewn@thereader.com Listings Editor: Paul Clark, listings@thereader.com Copy Editor: Ed Howard Contributing Editors: Ryan Syrek (film), Michael J. Krainak (art), Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik (lifestyle), Chris Aponick (music) Senior Editorial Contributors: Leo Biga, Michael Braunstein, Warren Francke, B.J. Huchtemann, Tim McMahan, Michael Pryor, Jesse D. Stanek, Kyle Tonniges, Sarah Baker Hansen, Sarah Wengert Editorial Contributors: Brian S. Allen, Avishay Artsy, Mike Babcock, Nicole Blauw, Wayne Brekke, Steve Brewer, Chalis Bristol, Jill Bruckner, Jeremy Buckley, Jesse Claeys, Paul Clark, Ben Coffman, Brent Crampton, Sally Deskins, Kyle Eustice, Jarrett Fontaine, Adam Froemming, Layne Gabriel, Phil Jarrett, Tessa Jeffers, Camille Kelly, Jason Krivanek, Casey Logan, Jasmine Maharisi, Sean McCarthy, Rob McLean, Neal Obermeyer, Adam Payson, Hal Senal, Justin Senkbile, Patricia Sindelar, Darian Stout, Carson Vaughan, Brandon Vogel, John Wenz, David Williams Photography Contributors: Neal Duffy, Bryce Bridges, Adam Brubaker, Justin Barnes, Fletch, Eric Francis, Dale Heise, Bill Sitzmann, Paparazzi by Appointment, Sean Welch, Marlon A. Wright

PRODUCTION AND DESIGN

Creative Director: Eric Stoakes, erics@thereader.com Production/Graphics Assistant: Derrick Schott, derricks@thereader.com

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution Manager: Clay Seaman Delivery Team: Roy Allen, Ed Boyer, Neal Duffy, Don Henkens, Dick Himmerberg, Jason Hipsher, Mark Kelly, Micah McGaffin, Juan Ramirez, Patrick Seals, Joe Shearer, Shari Wilhelm

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS

Account Executives: Kathy Flavell, Rita Staley, Erik Totten Sales Associate: David Mills Office Manager: Kerry Olson

PROMOTIONS

thisweek new etc.

7 Top News 8-9 News Hound ————————————————

heartland healing

a p r i l 7 - 1 3 , 2 0 11 V O L . 1 8 n o . 0 7

lazy-i

cover story

Environmental Alchemy

Green solutions may lie buried in the sludge of a century-old sewer system ~ Page 12

11 By the light of the silvery moon ————————————————

28 Locals indies celebrate Record Store Day ————————————————

hoodoo

29 A New Blog Site, Rockabilly, Blues, More ————————————————

film

14 Crumbs: Food News ————————————————

33 Brontë-saurus 33 Cutting Room: Film News 32 Report Card: Film Grades ————————————————

16-17 This Week’s Top Events ————————————————

34 Beware the Underwear ————————————————

dish

eight days

news of the weird

culture/lifestyle

mojo

19 Lights On 19 Fash Flood: Stye News 20 Cold Cream: Theater News ————————————————

36 Planet Power Horoscopes ————————————————

funnies

37 Modern World, Red Meat, Dr. Mysterian ————————————————

art

22 Wild At Art 22 Mixed Media: Art News ————————————————

music

26 Digging Deeper 26 Backbeat: Music News ————————————————

Promotions Director: Rita Staley, ritas@thereader.com Creative Director: Eric Stoakes, erics@thereader.com Style Events Coordinators: Jessica Hill, Deaunna Hardrich, Jessica Stensrud

Interns

Jessica Stensrud Dick Akromis The Reader is published every Thursday by Pioneer Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 7360, Omaha, NE 68107, 402.341.READ, Fax 402.341.6967. The Reader is free in the Omaha, Lincoln, Council Bluffs area. Domestic subscriptions area available for $35 a year. Opinions expressed herein are those of the writer(s) and may not reflect the opinion of The Reader, its management and employees or its advertisers. The Reader accepts unsolicited manuscripts. For more advertising rates contact sales@thereader.com. To send comments to the editor, contact letters@thereader.com

PARTNERS Heartland Healing: Michael Braunstein, hh@thereader.com

Today’s Omaha Woman: Carrie Kentch, carriek@thereader.com

Woman TODAY’S OMAHA

Omahajobs.com: omahajobs@thereader.com

El Perico: elperico@abm-enterprises.com Directorio Latino: dlo@abm-enterprises.com

contents

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

notableevents

Q CSO Public Meeting: Thursday, April 7, 7 p.m., North High School Viking Center, 4410 N. 36th St. A community meeting to discuss upcoming sewer separation work in North Omaha. omahacso.com Q An Afghan-American Odyssey: Thursday, April 7, 7 p.m., Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge St. Afghani author Tamim Ansary discusses his life in a post 9-11 America. projectinterfaithusa.org Q NCGM Flag Rededication: Friday, April 8, 10 a.m., Omaha-Douglas Civic Center, 1819 Farnam St. The county’s flag will be rededicated as part of a ceremony honoring veterans during National County Government Month. douglascounty-ne.gov

Not So Neutral

by Sean McCarthy

ention net neutrality to a web-savvy proponent, and you may be subjected to a lengthy diatribe against censorship and unfair business practices at the hands of telecommunications companies. Mention the term to a congressman who grew up in the age of typewriters and tape decks, and the reaction could be similar to the look you give someone when asked to solve a pre-calculus formula a decade after your last math class. In short, internet neutrality forbids Internet Service Providers (ISPs) from favoring or hindering any content, website or platform. Unless a site is flooded with traffic, it usually takes the same amount of time to pull up CNN.com as it does Lazy-i.com. While the Federal Communications Commission has clear-cut rules in terms of regulating radio, phone communications and television, its ability to regulate the internet is far murkier. The 1996 Telecommunications Act, the first major rewrite of the Communications Act of 1934, included the internet, but it primarily addressed decency standards — not who can control online content. In December, the FCC approved a set of guidelines that prohibited cable and telecommunication companies from blocking or slowing delivery of legal websites to users. However, the new rules would open these businesses to charge for a “tiered plan,” which could allow them to bill users based on their internet usage. The guidelines also exempted wireless companies such as Sprint and Verizon from adhering to these guidelines. As the smartphone market grows, the standards would prohibit wireless providers from outright

e d it e d

B y

an d r e w

no r m an

Getting healthy foods to rural, inner-city Nebraska

blocking sites like Facebook and Netflix, but would allow companies to block sites they consider to be direct competition. Internet providers argue they should have the right to run the web much like Qwest or Time Warner runs a cable company: A basic fee gives you basic service. If you want more selections or higher-quality service (high-definition television for cable, faster speeds for internet), providers should be able to charge users a higher rate, form business agreements with other companies, and determine what content should take priority, such as health carerelated information. University of Nebraska-Lincoln professor Marvin Ammori says a better solution

playing field for citizens. People no longer had to rely on big media institutions for news — a fundamental change in democracy, Ammori says. “NBC still has more money than me, but I could still get my message out. I could blog and communicate they way I couldn’t on TV,” he says. Last summer, one of the biggest challenges to net neutrality occurred when Verizon, the largest cell phone provider in the U.S., and Google, the world’s largest internet search engine, made a general set of net neutrality recommendations to the FCC. The suggestions still support the concepts of neutrality — computer-based ISPs could not discriminate against any content. However, the recommendations would exempt mobile devices such as smartphones. This comes at a time when more people are starting to access the internet via their phones and not by a standard PC. An article in last year’s April issue of InformationWeek stated that 45 million Americans already own a smartphone. marvin ammori The recommendations would also cap any violation of net neutrality at just $2 million. Many companies may be inclined to pay $2 million fine to slow or block competing companies, Ammori says. He imagined a telecom company slowing or blocking Facebook in favor of Google’s Orkut social media platform: The result could mean hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for Facebook — making a $2 million fine smart business. would be to let other companies compete to create “Imagine Google’s Buzz getting preference over technology to expand the internet instead of allowing Twitter. Imagine their [Google’s] travel searches getproviders to cut deals with other companies. ting preference over Expedia,” Ammori wrote in an Ammori teaches internet law and is a founding article on the Huffington Post. faculty member of the space and telecommunications Ammori played a central role in one of the most law master’s program at UNL. He graduated cum laude high-profile court cases involving net neutrality, servat Harvard Law School. On a sunny Friday afternoon ing as head lawyer to the media advocacy group Free last fall, Ammori sat down with The Reader at the Press during their suit against Comcast. Comcast had Lincoln restaurant Bread & Cup to talk about how the been singling out users of the file-sharing software Bitinternet helped improve democracy. Torrent by slowing down web traffic, a violation of net While in college, Ammori started studying me- neutrality practices. dia law to see how the internet leveled the democratic continued on page 10 y

numberscruncher

LINCOLN LEADS: Lincoln’s unemployment rate at the end of January: 4.1 Lincoln’s rank among the 372 U.S. metropolitan areas surveyed: 1 Percent decrease in the national unemployment rate over Jan. 2010: 0.8 Percent increase in Lincoln’s unemployment rate over last year: 0.5

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

upfront

UNL Professor Marvin Ammori thinks Google violated its ‘Don’t Be Evil’ motto

topnews A proposal aimed at making it easier to get healthy food in cities and rural areas is advancing in the legislature, despite questions about how effective it would be. Omaha Senator Brenda Council says when she first started thinking about her bill, she assumed it would apply mostly to cities. But she soon found out that lack of access to fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and other healthy food was an even bigger problem in rural areas. Council says in both urban and rural areas, often the only food that’s available is from places like convenience stores. Council says The Healthy Food Financing Initiative would, “provide financial assistance for ‘food desert’ intervention programs, such as the establishment and expansion of farmers markets, community gardening projects, food cooperatives, and mobile markets and delivery systems. The Healthy Food Financing Initiative Act is also designed to provide incentives for the construction of new retail grocery outlets and the renovation or expansion of existing facilities.” The proposal would make competitive grants available if the public money was needed to make projects happen. It would use $150,000 dollars from an existing community development program. But some lawmakers questioned if such projects were needed, or would work. Senator Paul Schumacher of Columbus suggested that the proposal would not succeed in reversing powerful demographic and economic trends, at least in rural areas. “There used to be grocery stores and blacksmith shops and barber shops in the town of Cornlea and Tarnov and every little town out there,” Schumacher said. “The market no longer sustains them because the population isn’t there, because agriculture has become too darned efficient.” Schumacher added, “If the markets wont sustain these, if the cash cannot be gained through normal capital markets, then what are we doing with this type of make-believe legislation, that we’re going to make big changes with a tiny amount of money?” Council described her bill as a small step, but one that heads in the right direction. Senators voted 34-9 to give it first-round approval. — Fred Knapp, NET News This story reprinted with permission from netNebraska.org.

theysaidit they SPEAKING OUT: “[There] could not be a worse route in the entire state of Nebraska. Maybe couldn’t be a worse route in the entire country.” — Sen. Mike Johanns on the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would cut through the Nebraska Sandhills and the Ogallala Aquifer. The U.S. State Department has ordered an additional review of the pipeline’s environmental impact.

news

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

You

147

Are

The

Controller

XBOX 360 Kinect Sports

XBOX 360 Kinect Sensor Hardware

FREE

REWARD CARD REWARD CARD REWARD CARD REWARD CARD REWARD CARD

NFM Reward Card with purchase of Kinect Sesnor Hardware O See store for details

XBOX 360 Halo Reach

XBOX 360 Wireless Controler nfm.com

Sale Prices Good April 7-13, 2011 Store Location:

700 South 72nd Street Omaha, NE

Omaha local: 402-255-6327 toll-free: 800-359-1200

The Omaha Friends of Jung Presents:

Creativity, Imagination and

Well-Being Through

Art and Music April 23, 2011

7 pm - Midnight Tip-Top Ballroom at 1502 Cumming at the door

$20

The Evening Includes: Art Show, Live Music, Hors D’Oeuvres and Cash Bar The Artists: Matt Dinovo, Cait Irwin, Ed Fennell, Jean Mason, John Miller, Dan Toberer, Levent Oz, Lori Hubbell, Paula Wallace, Mark Nelson, John Dennison and Kristi Pederson The Musicians: Bill Carey, Neil Johnsen, Bob Kraft, Kevin Swisher, Dave Barger, Neville Yardley and Tim Swisher. Sound by Steve Ozaydin. To keep Omaha a vibrant and growing center for creativity, imagination and well-being, proceeds from the door and a portion from the artists’ sales will go to expand videoconferencing and educational opportunities. Visit us at OmahaFriendsofJung.com

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

news

thenewshound

P O L I T I C O | L AW A N D O R D E R | B U S I N E S S A N D D E V E L O P M E N T Congressional memo says states have some control over pipelines

Sokol resigns from Berkshire following trading controversy

While Nebraska’s Congressional delegation David Sokol, widely considered to be Warren in Washington has taken an active role in the Buffet’s successor at Berkshire Hathaway, redebate over the Keystone XL pipeline, here at signed from the massive holding company on home, Gov. Dave Heineman has been content March 31 as questions arose over a recent deal to leave qustions to the U.S. State Department. with the chemical company Lubrizol. Heineman has repeatedly In January, Sokol, an aide referred to the controversial to Buffett, purchased nearly $10 oil pipeline as a “federal ismillion worth of Lubrizol stock sue,” but a memo sent to before recommending the comRep. Lee Terry last fall inpany for acquisition by Berkdicates that states do have shire Hathaway a month later. control over where a pipeOn March 14, Berkshire Hathaline is sited. way announced it would buy LuThe Congressional Rebrizol for $9 billion, increasing search Service, a nonpartiSokol’s stake in the company by san consulting firm, wrote $3 million. in its Sept. 10 memo that Both Buffet and Sokol mainwhile the federal governtain the actions weren’t illegal ment has regulatory control GOV. DAVE HEINEMAN and that the retirement was unover a number of pipeline isrelated to the purchase. sues, siting is not one of them. “In the absence The Security and Exchange Commission says of federal government siting authority, state it is reviewing the acquisition and resignation but laws establish the primary siting authority for has yet to launch a complete investigation. oil pipelines, including interstate pipelines,” NCLR highlights explosive growth the memo read. Nebraska doesn’t currently have a state in Latino community commission regulating pipelines, but a pro- The National Council of La Raza underscored posed bill, LB 340, would change that. That some of the key findings from the U.S. Census bill has been stuck in committee, but Keystone Bureau’s recently released report showing that XL opponents hope the memo will force state Latinos accounted for more than half of Amerlawmakers to reconsider it before the Legisla- ica’s population growth over the past decade. Highlights from the NCLR report include: ture convenes on June 8. One in six Americans is currently Latino, but Heineman told Nebraska Watchdog on April 4 that “there won’t be a reply” to the in- the population is even higher among children and teens. Nearly one in four Americans 18 and formation contained in the memo.

MURDERINK they Larceeda McIntosh, 25, died one week short of her 26th birthday after an unidentiﬁed gunman ﬁred into her home at 2753 Newport Ave. No arrests have been made.

Start your car with the push of a button.

2011 OMAHA HOMICIDES: 11 (THERE WERE 10 HOMICIDES AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR)

under is Latino. That sector of the Latino population grew at 28 percent over the past decade. Nearly three out of every four Latinos, and more than 90 percent of Latinos 18 and under, are U.S. citizens. More than 75 percent of Latinos speak English. Three out of four Latino men are currently in the U.S. labor force compared with 69 percent of non-Hispanic males. By 2050 one in three workers in America will be Latino.

Add it to any remote start or remote start & security for just

17999

9999

when the assault occurred. The second suspect was released at the scene. Investigators found bullet holes in a pair of vehicles nearby but have not made any arrests in the shooting.

Installed*

50 OFF

All This For One Great Price!

12999

AM/FM/MP3 Mechless Receivers Starting At $34.99

7999

CD Receivers Starting At $79.99

You Save Our Everyday Low Price

3499

Seller!

Remotely arms and starts your vehicle from an Apple iPhone, BlackBerry or Android mobile phone.

*One-way model. Two-way model shown may be subject to additional charges.

Shooting Rounds

One day, four shootings, seven wounded and one dead. Here’s how a bloody April 3 in Omaha went down: Gino Lindsey, 39, and MiState farmers donate chael Bruegman, 28, survived grain for Japan after being shot while inside Nebraska farmers donated a vehicle at 4468 Pinkney more than $31,000 in grain to around 2:30 a.m. the American Red Cross in the Timothy Valentine, 33, first two days of a two-month survived after being shot donation program to aid relief shortly after 5 a.m. outside efforts in Japan. The program his home at 4004 N. 26th St. continues through June 30. Valentine told officers at the The Nebraska Corn Growscene he was chasing a susers Association reports that GRAIN FOR JAPAN pect who broke into his house Japan purchased more than at the time of the shooting but $370 million worth of Nebraska agricultural police did not locate any witnesses or evidence. products last year. Kevon Moss, 18; Roddick Glass, 14; and Demarkus Myers, 14, all survived after being shot Officers kicked and bitten Sunday afternoon near 42nd and Redman Ave. during arrest attempt Larceeda McIntosh, 25, died from wounds Jose Noriega, 18, was arrested on two counts of sustained during a shooting late Sunday night felony assault on an officer after allegedly kicking that also wounded Brontea Evans, 25. Witnesses and biting two Omaha policemen responding to reported seeing a man fire five or six shots into a shots fired call in South Omaha on April 4. McIntosh’s home at 2753 Newport Ave. shortly Officer Jacob Bettin reported that an on-duty after 10 p.m. Evans’ injuries were not considered officer heard gunshots near 23rd and O shortly life-threatening. after midnight and witnessed two people runPolice have made no arrests in any of the ning toward a house at 4814 S. 22nd St. Backup weekend shootings. officers arrived and had the suspects in custody — Brandon Vogel

10% OFF

All Renegade Mobile Audio

Come see our huge selection of brand name Mobile Entertainment from Pioneer, Sony, Alpine, Infinity, JBL, Dual, Python and many more! Sale Prices Good April 7-13, 2011

Store Location: 3OUTH ND 3TREET s /MAHA .% Omaha local: 402-255-6327 toll-free: 800-359-1200

*Additional parts and labor may apply. See store for details.

By Robert Harling

April 15–May 8, 2011

www.omahaplayhouse.org | 6915 Cass Street | (402) 553-0800 | (888) 782-4338 Sponsored by:

6 (402

Media Sponsor:

news

| THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

Attend an upcoming “Come Create It” Workshop:

4.09 4.16

4.30

10 a.m. TRAVEL SKETCHING with Nancy Lepo 10 a.m. BEGINNING WOODTURNING with Dan Klima 10 a.m. BEGINNING LYRIC POETRY with Michael Mlekoday 10 a.m. WATERCOLOR PAINTING with Madalyn Bruning

celebra presented by

rs May 4-8, 2011

MAY 4

MAY 6

MAY 7

MEXICAN AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY CINCO DE MAYO BANQUET 6:00 p.m. ~ reception 7:00 p.m. ~ dinner

CINCO DE MAYO LUNCHEON Metropolitan Community College 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

PARADE South 24th Street (B-O) 10:00 a.m.

CARNIVAL South 25th Street 5:30 p.m.

MAY 5

$3 off ‘all day ride pass’ with Hy-Vee receipt

FIESTA Food, live music, & carnival rides 12:00 p.m.

CINCO DE MAYO RECEPTION Mexican Consulate 6:00 p.m.

GRUPO CONTROL South Omaha Plaza, 25th & N 7:00 p.m.

MAY 8 5K RUN/WALK Collin Stadium, 22 & M 7:30 a.m. (Registration) MARIACHI MASS South Omaha Plaza, 25th & N 10:30 a.m.

South Omaha Business Association

FIESTA, CARNIVAL, ENTERTAINMENT 12:00 p.m.

CincodeMayoOmaha.com

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

y continued from page 7 “[Comcast’s] argument was they could manage their network however they wanted,” Ammori says. The FCC ruled against Comcast initially. But the conservative-leaning D.C. Circuit court ruled in favor of Comcast upon appeal, saying the FCC had limited authority to prevent companies like Comcast from blocking or slowing specific sites. A better solution would have been to propose legislation to give the FCC greater authority to enforce net neutrality, Ammori says. However, FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has been “a spineless wimp” when it comes to imposing stronger regulation that would protect net neutrality, Ammori says. “For eight years under the Republican rule, the Democrats said ‘we want net neutrality’ and now that they’re in power, they’re weak-kneed and cowardly and have not followed through,” he says. The internet guidelines recommended last December have brought forth a new set of lawsuits against the FCC. In January, Verizon filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit court (the same court that ruled in favor of Comcast last year). Verizon is appealing because it believes the FCC does not have the authority to regulate the internet. The court dismissed the suits on Monday because they were filed before the FCC rules were published in the Federal Register — likely to happen in June at the earliest. Verizon plans to appeal that that time.

Big Red Reaction Nebraska’s congressional representatives have either opposed net neutrality in the past, or have given a tepid endorsement. Jake Thompson, spokesman for Sen. Ben Nelson, said Nelson supported net neutrality, but was concerned that any action taken by the FCC to enforce neutrality could “stymie the deployment of broadband neutrality.” Ammori doesn’t buy it. “He’s reading from the telecom song sheet,” he says. Rep. Lee Terry is perhaps the most influential Nebraska congressman on the issue, serving on the Telecommunications and the Internet subcommittee. In

Lacking the real estate to turn Oregon basketball into the same sort of fashion plate on the court, the university turned the court itself into the attraction. Kilkenny Floor — yes, it has its own name — at the new Matthew Knight Arena features a Print Shop-style border of trees around the entire court. Combine that with the giant midcourt logo and all the verbiage required to acknowledge the donors who made it happen and there just isn’t much room for a real half court line. Instead you have two tiny white outlines where a normally solid line would be. Knowing Nike, this Oregon-exclusive color likely has a name. I’m guessing something along the lines of “Ghost Vapor.” “Ghost Vapor” may have cost Creighton a game and a championship. Generally, I get a kick out of Oregon’s antics. People had complained about this court quirk previously and I typically thought those people were overly litigious. Turns out they were right. And I’m guessing the Ducks will have a proper midcourt line by the time next season starts.

THEJUMP

■ After some quick calculation I would estimate that I’ve watched, officiated or played in approximately 10,000 basketball games in my lifetime. I can’t remember ever seeing one that was decided on a backcourt violation. But then again 9,999 of those games weren’t played on a court made to resemble the leaf-strewn floor of an Oregon forest. Most courts have a clear dividing line at half court. The slave-to-fashion University of Oregon has more of a suggestion of one, and it ultimately decided the CBI championship game for Creighton. With under 20 seconds to go in a tie game the Jays’ Antoine Young was burning clock near half court to set up what was likely Creighton’s final play. With 17 seconds left he unknowingly dribbled over the barely perceptible half-court line, turning the ball over to the Ducks who promptly hit the game winner. Phil Knight has done a remarkably good job turning his alma mater into the Knights of New and Next at Nike. The footwear company’s founder has turned the University of Oregon into a catwalk for the next big thing in athletic apparel. This works well in football where the Ducks, garish as they may be, have created an event around their game-by-game uniform revolutions. But basketball uniforms aren’t as interesting visually. There’s only so much you can do with a tank top and shorts.

— Brandon Vogel The Jump takes you behind the local headlines. Email jump@thereader. com and look for daily updates at twitter.com/brandonlvogel.

2006, Terry voted against a bill that would have given the FCC the authority to enforce net neutrality. Last year, according to opensecrets.org, Terry received $3,000 in campaign donations from Google and $7,750 from Verizon. The Reader tried repeatedly to contact Terry through communications director Charles Isom, but an interview request was never granted. Isom did send a press release detailing Terry’s stance on internet neutrality. “The internet is a vibrant, open and growing part of our economy because it has been free of the federal government’s intervention. The FCC has failed to justify these rules, which threaten to slow our economy and create more uncertainty for internet providers and users alike,” Terry stated in the release.

Strange Bedfellows If there is one bright spot to the net neutrality debate, it’s that the issue has united several organizations who have routinely worked against one another. Moveon.org, The Christian Coalition and web giants Yahoo and Amazon have all voiced support for net neutrality. Opponents of net neutrality include conservative think tank the Cato Institute and Americans for Tax Reform. In 2007, the presidents of both the Christian Coalition and pro-choice organization National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws wrote a joint opinion colun in the Washington Post after Verizon blocked NARL from sending out mass text messages that were in favor of abortion rights. The concept of the internet morphing into a tiered system or a place where telecoms can block access to sites seems like almost too big of a concept to undertake, considering the tens of millions of companies that rely on the web, and additional tens of millions of web sites that produce questionable content, be it hardcore pornography or extremist hate speech. A lax policy on internet policy could allow telecoms to start selling services that would allow for faster access to the internet for a fee at the expense of an open internet, Ammori said. “The Internet would become less and less desirable to use,” he says. ,

n e w

heartlandhealing

a g e

h e a l t h

a n d

w e l l n e s s

By the light of the silvery moon

t’s planting time in the Midwest. The industrial food cartel has guaranteed that food prices are again skyrocketing and more than ever, now is a good time to grow your own. Taking control of your source of food pays dividends beyond just savings to your pocketbook. Grocery stores bear no responsibility to share information about how the food that they sell is grown or if it contains genetically modified DNA, pesticides or toxins. Did you know that the burger you buy in the store could be processed with ammonia containing a large percentage of filler made of nondescript pink paste from multiple states and countries? Being able to harvest even a small percentage of your summer diet from your own garden or patio pots can reward you with fresher, more healthful food than what you can buy at the store and bring you substantial savings. With even a small, well-planned plot, it’s possible to realize a bountiful harvest through the growing season. You don’t need a spacious back yard to pull it off. Last summer, we grew a tomato plant in a 24-inch diameter wood tub on our patio. It delivered over 100 pints of cherry tomatoes — the sweet grape-like version. They were easy to pick each day and toss a few on our nightly salad. We had so many that we still have freezer bags full of them, frozen whole. We use them in soups or sauces. At anywhere from four to six dollars a pint, that’s about $500 worth of food for the cost of some water and sunlight. Fecund and fertile. Gardening and farming techniques are many and varied, from the very simple to the very complex. And by the way, when we use the term “farming,” it refers to growing real food, not the field corn/soybean fodder used for livestock feed, ethanol and Hostess Ho-Ho’s. Those commodity crops cause the price of real food to peak and enslave midwest farmers as indentured servants to the agricultural mega-corporations, all the while lining the pockets of the corporate farms and oligopolies. The simple way to grow plants is to toss seed in the ground and let it grow. To refine that, people have learned many techniques meant to increase yield and productivity. One somewhat unusual (though very popular in Europe,) technique is known as biodynamic farming. If you’re ready to plant seed, whether in a windowsill herb garden or a large garden plot, consider this before you do: the phases of the moon have impact on how your garden grows. Biodynamic farming is a phrase coined by followers of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher born in 1861. Shortly into the 20th century, many European farmers were becoming dismayed by the increased use of chemicals in farming. Steiner began a lecture series pointing out the unnatural use of chemicals and its deleterious effect on food nutrients. At the core of the philosophy is the belief that a farm, as a sustainable entity, is a closed-

B y

m i c h a e l

1976

b r a u n s t e i n

loop system that need not depend on any outside source to maintain the system and allow it to produce food in abundance. Fertilizer can be produced on the farm by composting and pasture animals. Pest control can be done by naturally occurring means. Methods incorporating the inherent qualities of the farm can eliminate need for outside elements. In tune with the moon. In addition, Steiner’s holistic biodynamic approach acknowledged the overall connectivity of the universe. One biodynamic example of this is the practice of respecting the influence of the lunar, solar and planetary cycles on the growth of plants. The lunar calendar, in particular, is emphasized in planning spring planting. Steiner did not invent the idea of lunar planting cycles. In America, the Old Farmers Almanac, first published in 1792, has listed lunar planting cycles for centuries. And the practice goes back further, to ancient Egypt. The moon is our nearest celestial neighbor and occupies a lofty place in lore and myth. Science has embraced many elements of that lore and myth while resisting others. For example, science cannot deny the influence of the moon in creating tides around the globe: Water in the Bay of Fundy rises nearly 56 feet from low tide to high tide, enough to submerge a five-story building. Yet scientists continue to scoff at the idea the moon may influence tectonic plates and effect earthquakes. Planting and lunar cycles are a basic biodynamic practice, considering the entirety of the solar system and the constellations. The best way for a gardener to start is with a good book on biodynamics and visiting some websites. For this coming weekend, you can start with the suggestions found at the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk. Not to trod on MoJoPo’s turf, but… This weekend, the moon is in Taurus, an earth sign. Saturday is the day to get root vegetables in. Get to the store and buy seed for plants like asparagus, carrots, kohlrabi, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, turnips, leeks. It’s not a good weekend for broccoli, cauliflower or borage. It’s also a good weekend to turn soil and spread compost and plant fruits and vegetables with internal seed-bearing fruit such as tomatoes, beans, peas, peppers, chilis and pumpkins. Bear in mind that other factors come into play, such as soil temperature, dampness, location and so on. Moon cycles are not the only criteria for good gardening. Lunar or looney? There are some factors in biodynamic gardening that even I don’t quite get. One is horn manure. Biodynamics calls for filling a cow horn with fresh manure from a cow and burying it in the earth over the winter. The manure ferments and matures, giving rise to biologically active flora that is then diluted and spread across the farmland. Another sequence describes crushing quartz crystals and placing the powder in a cow’s horn, burying then dispersing that in the spring. Lunar or looney, plant some food this year. Be well. ,

maha -2010 Celebrating 34 Years of Serving O

Cold and Flu Season is here. Ask us about Natural Alternatives. TWO LOCATIONS:

144th & CENTER / 333-1300 • 72nd & BLONDO / 393-5812

www.NoNameNutrition.com

Clinical Thermography Experience this safe, private, accurate health screening Recent studies have shown that inflammation is associated with many health problems. A thermography scan detects inflammation in your body with amazing accuracy, and no radiation. Detecting health problems in the early stages affords you extra time to address the issue. A medical doctor certified in thermology interprets your thermography scan and provides you with a written report.

Diverticulitis/inflamed ileocecal valve

Autoimmune disease

Hyperthyroid

Inflammatory breast cancer

Omaha/Lincoln

(402) 403-1910 CLINICAL THERMOGRAPHY

Check website for other mobile locations: radianthealthimaging.com

Heartland Healing by Michael Braunstein examines various alternative forms of healing. It is provided as a source of information, not as medical advice. It is not an endorsement of any particular therapy, either by the writer or The Reader. Access past columns at HeartlandHealing.com

heartland healing

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

coverstory

Environmental alchemy

Green solutions may lie buried in the sludge of a century-old sewer system

by Brandon Vogel

hen it rains in Omaha, it pours raw sewage, industrial waste and toxic chemicals into nearby waterways. The city’s century-old sewer system is designed to either put it there or into your basement. Neither is an inviting option. But that design is changing thanks to a federal mandate from the Environmental Protection Agency. The oldest part of the city — nearly everything east of 72nd St. — currently works on a combined sewer system (CSS) where one pipe handles both storm water and sewage. During dry conditions it works great. Sewage is carried away from homes and businesses to one of two treatment plants where it is treated and then safely released into the Missouri River and Papillion Creek. If it rains heavily enough, however, the storm water rushing down drains in the street mixes with the raw sewage in the same pipe and frequently overwhelms the system in what the EPA calls a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO)event. The combined runoff – typically 85 percent storm water, 15 percent sewage, according to the city – then flows directly to the Missouri River and its tributaries throughout the area. Omaha isn’t alone. Nearly 800 other communities are undergoing similarly massive sewer separation projects as part of the EPA’s CSO Control Policy. Since 2002, Omaha has averaged 86 overflows a year, pumping 3.5 billion gallons of sewage and storm water annually into receiving streams. The goal is to reduce that number to about four a year by 2024. No matter where you look, it’s a big and expensive project. Atlanta is spending $3 billion to control its CSOs. Cleveland is protecting the Cuyahoga River with a $1.6 billion project. Omaha officials estimate the city will spend nearly $1.7 billion over the next 15 years to address 51 square miles of aging sewer lines in East Omaha. The Sewer Maintenance Division of the Public

april 7 - 13, 2011

Works Department, with a staff of 64 employees and a $2.9 million budget in 2011, is in charge of making the change happen. “I believe it’s probably the biggest public works project we’ve ever undertaken,” says Marty Grate, the city’s environmental services manager. “This is like building the West Dodge Expressway, a $100 million project, every year for 15 years.” Just like that expressway, the sewer project will disrupt daily life. Streets will be torn up. Traffic will be diverted. But Grate says the proj-

Omaha’s first sewer system in 1878, according to city records. The city tried to do it right. The original plan called for separate sewer systems for storm water and sewage at a cost of nearly $1 million dollars, a $20 million project today. But with Omaha’s explosive growth in the early 20th Century, the plan was abandoned in favor of a much quicker and more common solution – the combined sewer system. Until the mid-1960s, all of Omaha’s wastewater emptied directly into the Missouri River

ect will ultimately improve more than just the city’s water quality. Omaha’s CSO Control Project is an opportunity for the city to get a little bit greener as well.

without treatment. The city began to build separate sewer systems in developing West Omaha and constructed two treatment plants that sterilized all of the city’s wastewater prior to release into the waterways to service East Omaha under normal conditions. Combined sewers were the exception, and the City of Omaha, along with the other cities, operated under special permits from the EPA and state regulators due to the limitations of their antiquated system. But as concrete replaces grass and cities continue to grow, so does the amount of storm water runoff. By 1994, the EPA had developed its first control plan to address the growing dangers of combined-sewer overflow and had set a series of minimum controls for cities to meet by 1997. Omaha met that deadline, but a new one

Old Omaha There was a time in Omaha’s history when raw sewage flowed through the streets — not by accident, but by design. Or, rather, lack thereof. For the first few decades of the city’s existence, Omahans simply emptied their outhouses and privies through trenches that poured directly into the street. Human waste pooled in wagon ruts during rainy weather and baked in alleyway cesspools during the hot summer months. Faced with a calamity of unsanitary conditions and citizen complaints, the City Council proposed

| THE READER |

cover story

emerged in 2005. Because of increased federal requirements in the Clean Water Act, the EPA gave Omaha two years to have a draft of its longterm plan to address overflow issues in place. In 2009, the city submitted its completed plan to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the state organization charged with monitoring the project.

The Health Factor Pat Nelson doesn’t look at a rainstorm the way most people do. She’s been working with storm water for more than 20 years, and as the compliance team lead with Clean Solutions Omaha, it’s her job to ensure the city meets all of its state and federal water-quality requirements. “The perfect place for storm water to go is into the surrounding natural bodies of water,” she says. “That’s just part of the natural hydrological cycle.” But when storm water and sewage mix you introduce a potentially potent cocktail of pollutants into the water system. Rain water can pick up pollutants from a variety of sources as it washes over yards and streets, gathering industrial waste particles from the air, car fluids, fertilizers, pesticides, and pet and animal waste. Raw sewage is a breeding ground for the E. coli virus, the most common pollutant found in overflow material. Combined is a filthy mix of heavy metals, chemicals and bacteria in our lakes and rivers. The National Resources Defense Council reports that combined-sewer overflows contain more than 100 times the concentration of fecal coliform colonies than treated waste water. At its worst, high fecal coliform concentrations can lead to a variety of human health risks from ear infections to food poisoning, and can endanger fish and other aquatic life. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality maintains a biennial list of impaired waterways that do not meet state water quality standards when tested for pollutants. In 2006 and 2008, Omaha’s segment of the Missouri River and Papillion Creek — the two major waterways receiving CSO runoff — were listed as Category 5 waterways, the EPA’s most severe pollution ranking, due to elevated levels of E. Coli. In 2010, both waterways were upgraded to Cat-

egory 4 for E. Coli levels, but remained on the Impaired Waterways list because they contained other chemical pollutants. Based on those risks, the backbone of Omaha’s CSO control plan is to keep storm water and sewage separate through a variety of control mechanisms. In addition to sewer separation — approximately $700 million of the total $1.7 billion cost according to Grate — the city will also install a 5-mile long underground concrete tunnel along the Missouri River to accept CSO runoff. That’s the gray part of the equation, but Nelson says a large part of cleaning up Omaha’s waterways happens before storm water even reaches the sewer system. And that’s where Omaha becomes more environmentally sustainable.

More Grass, More Green A number of institutional and individual solutions can help reduce a city’s storm water runoff, but they all primarily focus on soaking up as much water as possible before it reaches the storm drains. Few things do this better than vegetation. But that presents a challenge for city engineers facing firm regulatory requirements and deadlines. Everyone wants green solutions where possible, Grates says, but those efforts must be supported by structural controls that can deliver precise results. Like most cities, Grate says Omaha is working to the balance the gray solutions already in place with constantly evolving, and perhaps cost-cutting green solutions. Emily Holtzclaw is one of the engineers making that happen. As a water resources engineer and project manager with environmental engineering firm CH2M HILL, Holtzclaw does everything from work with computer models of the Omaha sewer system to conduct field visits as workers are lowered 50-feet underground to check the condition of century-old pipes. The solutions she comes up with might be multi-million-dollar projects or they may be as simple as making sure the city doesn’t have any manhole covers with holes in them. But the connecting thread, she says, is a devotion to become more environmentally sustainable. “We’re working to find other ways to deal with storm water. And one of our first tasks is always to identify and, if possible, use the green solution,” Holtzclaw says. “We’re always looking to save space and save cost and do something that’s more environmentally supportive.” In the first phase of the longterm control plan, the city is undertaking three major projects based on environmental sustainability. Last summer, Omaha received a $200,000 grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to restore ponds that were drained in 1931 at Spring Lake

Park in South Omaha and to add a planned wetlands area to the site. Native plants with deep root systems are better equipped to soak up water, and Grate says the plan “lets nature reduce the runoff we have to deal with.” The city estimates the four-year, $1.5 million project could eventually save $2 million in overall CSO project costs. Nature is doing part of the work in sewer separations near Aksarben Village and Saddle Creek Road, as well. Rather than build an entirely new, separate sewer system, engineers are using the natural landscape to direct storm water to the waterways. Three dry detention areas in Elmwood Park will collect storm water, reducing peak-time runoff and safely depositing solids in the water before it reaches the Elmwood Park Creek. The city estimates the project will save $1 million. An above-ground, open channel will work similarly west of Saddle Creek Road, allowing soil and vegetation to clean the storm water naturally prior to its entry into Little Papillion Creek. The Saddle Creek extension is estimated to save $2 million in infrastructure costs. But the bill for Omaha’s CSO project is still potentially enormous and how the city will pay for it is debatable. The federal mandate to fix the system was unfunded, leaving the city and its citizens to pick up all of the cost. For now, the plan is to gradually increase the city’s sewage fees for residents. The average residential rate in Omaha in 2010 was approximately $15 per month. By 2017, the city estimates sewer fees could reach $50 per month — more than a 200 percent increase over the next seven years. Some local politicians are fighting to reduce that cost. In late March, Mayor Jim Suttle traveled to Washington D.C. to lobby for federal funding for the project. On March 22, the City Council approved a resolution asking Nebraska’s Congressional delegation to lobby for a 5050 federal cost share for the project. Omaha State Sen. Heath Mello has a proposal before the Nebraska Legislature that would return state sales taxes associated with the increase — a windfall of about $48 million over the next 15 years — to the city of Omaha to help defray costs. But for now, the only certain cost-cutting measure is to go green whenever and wherever the city can. The key to cleaner, safer, more modern Omaha may lie in the mud and sludge of a century-old sewer system. “We’re not putting in green solutions because they’re cool but because they improve the project, they benefit the city and they’re cost effective,” Nelson says. “We’re going to see more and more of these solutions as time goes on.” ,

cover story

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

&RIDAY -AY TH 3ATURDAY -AY TH .ORTH (IGH 3CHOOL s . TH 3T /MAHA !FRICAN &OOD 3AMPLER AT 0-USIC $ANCE 0ERFORMANCE AT 0'ET TICKETS ON OUR WEBSITE OR AT THE DOOR #ALL OR VISIT !FRICAN#ULTURE#ONNECTION ORG

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You need a support system. You cannot do it Ç&#x2021;Ĺ˝ĆľĆ&#x152;Ć?Ä&#x17E;ĹŻÄ¨Í&#x2DC; dĹ&#x161;Ä&#x17E; zt Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;Ä&#x201A;ĹŻĹŻÇ&#x2021; Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x201A;Ć? ĹľÄ&#x201A;Ä&#x161;Ä&#x17E; Ä&#x201A; Ä&#x161;Ĺ?ÄŤÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ä&#x17E;ĹśÄ?Ä&#x17E; Ĺ?Ĺś my life.â&#x20AC;? -Felicia Frezell, former client, current small business owner and advocate for women in need.

zt KĹľÄ&#x201A;Ĺ&#x161;Ä&#x201A; Ĺ˝ÄŤÄ&#x17E;Ć&#x152;Ć?Í&#x2014;

all ages including children and teens.

Non-violence services for abusive men

Íť

and women.

ÍťDomestic violence and sexual assault

prevention programs for all ages.

United Way of the Midlands

n Metropolitan Community Collegeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Writersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Club will be celebrating National Poetry Month with a poetry reading featuring MCC instructors Jen Lambert, Liz Kay and Paul Dickey in the South Omaha Campus Writing Center (located in the Connector Building, room 222) this Wednesday, April 6. English instructor Lambert is an editor for The Unitidy Season: an Anthology of Nebraska Women Poets, Kay has received both an Academy of American Poets Prize and the Wendy Fort Foundation Prize for exemplary work in poetry and Dickeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poetry and fiction has appeared in close to 100 literary journals and anthologies. The event is free and starts at 7 p.m. n If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make it to the poetry reading, consider swinging by the Bookworm at 87th and Pacific this Wednesday at 6:30 pm, when author Ruta Sepetys will be signing copies of her new book, Between Shades of Gray, an account of a 15-year-old Lithuanian girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s forced relocation with her family to the colder reaches of Siberia. Written with young readers in mind, the book has received tremendous acclaim from all corners, with Booklist calling it â&#x20AC;&#x153;an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.â&#x20AC;? n Thursday evening, the Slam Poets of UNO will be performing in the fireplace lounge of the UNO student center at 60th and Dodge. Stop by for some free poetry, free food,

and join in the open mic. The open mic starts at 7 p.m. and the slammers take the stage at 8 p.m. The event is free. n The Oakview Barnes and Noble will celebrate Nebraska Writers Collective Day all day Saturday, April 9 by giving readers a discount and NWC a donation. Just mention that you love poetry and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get a 10 percent discount on your purchase with the money going to the Nebraska Writers Collective. n This fall, Random House Childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Books will be releasing The Bippolo Seed and Other Lost Stories by Dr. Seuss, a collection of stories that originally appeared in magazines in the 1950s but have never previously been published in book form. Stories include â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bear, the Rabbit, and the Zinniga-Zanniga,â&#x20AC;? about a rabbit who is saved from a bear with a single eyelash; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gustav the Goldfish,â&#x20AC;? an early version of the story that became A Fish Out of Water; â&#x20AC;&#x153;Tadd and Todd,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Steak for Supper,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Bippolo Seed,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Strange Shirt Spot,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Great Henry McBride,â&#x20AC;? about a boy whose imagination is rivaled only by Dr. Seuss himself. The book will retail for $15.

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kyle Tonniges Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com

booked

24-hour hotline for domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse. 402.345.7273 ÍťDomestic violence and sexual assault advocacy. ÍťCounseling for sexual or domestic abuse surviors of Íť

rational fear of clowns: McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s will be reintroducing Ronald McDonald for a series of ads beginning this month if they havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t already. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be appearing in a number of commercials encouraging children to scream and throw fits until they get a Happy Meal. And if that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work, they should at least go to HappyMeals. com to upload photos of themselves so the images can be integrated into Ronald McDonald videos, a McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s representative told Nations Restaurant News, a trade magazine, last week. (OK, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t specifically mention the â&#x20AC;&#x153;screaming and throwing a fitâ&#x20AC;? part, but really, what do you thinkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going to happen?) Of course, there are detractors. â&#x20AC;&#x153;One month, executives are saying Ronald is now playing a different role than TV personality,â&#x20AC;? Deborah Lapidus, spokeswoman for Corporate Accountability International, wrote in an e-mail to Nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Restaurant News. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The next, they are elevating Ronald to television again to see if his star power can move kids over to a more engaging platform for young minds. Ultimately, McDonaldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is going to realize the public is increasingly linking fast food to dietrelated disease and, therefore, the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appetite for kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; marketing is on the wane, no matter the medium.â&#x20AC;?

crumbs

,A #ALABASSE ! #ELEBRATION OF 4WINS IN 7EST !FRICA

n Beer lovers, take note: this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Omaha Beer Fest will take place Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21, at Lewis and Clark Landing on the Riverfront. The two-day event will feature unlimited beer samples (!) from over 25 breweries, Beer Academy classes and live music. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll learn which glass is the most appropriate for which beer, get tips on pairing food with beer, and the benefits of barrel-aged beer. Presenters include Goose Island and Boulevard as well as Zac Triemert, Lucky Bucketâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Brewmaster. There are two ticket options: Taster, which gives you access to the samples and general admission to the event, are $30 in advance and $35 at the door. The Connoiseur Combo ($60) gives you access to the Spieglau Beer Classics Seminar/ ComparativeÂ Glass Tasting on Thursday May 19, an opportunity to learn more about the benefits of particular glasses and their impact on the beer drinking experience. Connoisseurs will leave with a better appreciation for glassware and serving techniques as well as a set of Beer Connoisseur glasses valued at $50. For more information or to get your tickets early (recommended, especially for the Connoiseur event), go to Spirit World at 75th and Pacific or visit OmahaBeerfest.com. n Correction: Food & Spirits Magazineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;Finding the Foodâ&#x20AC;? article erroneously stated the rib special at Boyd and Charlies. The rack of rib special onÂ Saturday morning is $10.50. We regret the error. n Bad news for those with Coulrophobia, the ir-

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Kyle Tonniges Comments? Questions? Want more? Email us at booked@thereader.

84th Street CafĂŠ Serving delicious cost-conscious food. 8013 S. 83rd Ave. â&#x20AC;˘ 597-5003 www.facebook.com/84thstcafe Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steakhouse/The Ozone Club For more than 38 years, Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s has been known for its steaks, using premium black angus beef aged on premises. Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is dedicated to bringing customers a truly special dining event every visit. 7220 F St. â&#x20AC;˘ 331.7575 anthonyssteakhouse.com Baileyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best breakfast in town. â&#x20AC;&#x153;King of Eggs Benedict.â&#x20AC;? 1 block south of 120th & Pacific â&#x20AC;˘ 932-5577 absolutelyfresh.com Attic Bar & Grill Great food and great drinks with live music. 3231 Harney St. â&#x20AC;˘ 932.5387 atticbarandgrill.com Blue Planet Natural Grill Healthy People. Healthy Planet. 6307 Center St. â&#x20AC;˘ 218.4555 blueplanetnaturalgrill.com Cascioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steakhouse Established 1946, 63 years of selling great steaks. 1620 S. 10th St. â&#x20AC;˘ 345-8313 casciossteakhouse.com Dundee Dell Omahaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Finest Neighborhood Restaurant & Pub 5007 Underwood Ave. â&#x20AC;˘ 553.9501 dundeedell.com Hectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Boasting the only Baja-style Mexican cuisine in the city, Hectorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s serves fresh food with panache from Baja California and northwest Mexico. Two Locations: 1201 S. 157th St. â&#x20AC;˘ 884.2272 3007 S. 83rd Plz. â&#x20AC;˘ 391.2923 hectorsomaha.com La Casa Pizzeria Fine Italian Dining Since 1953. Located on historic Leavenworth street in midtown Omaha, La Casa has the freshest pizza in town. 4432 Leavenworth St. â&#x20AC;˘ 556.6464 lacasapizzaria.net La Mesa An authentic Mexican experience, from mouthwatering enchiladas to fabulous fajitas. Top it off with one of La Mesaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous margaritas. Voted # 1 Mexican Restaurant eight years in a row. Locations: 156th and Q â&#x20AC;˘ 763.2555 110th & Maple â&#x20AC;˘ 496-1101 Ft. Crook Rd. and 370 (Bellevue) â&#x20AC;˘ 733.8754 84th and Tara Plaza (Papillion) â&#x20AC;˘ 593.0983 Lake Manawa Exit (Council Bluffs) â&#x20AC;˘ 712.256.2762 la-mesa.com Matsu Sushi Downtownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Original Sushi Restaurant 1009 Farnam St. â&#x20AC;˘ 346-3988 matsusushi.wordpress.com

Shucks Fish House & Oyster Bar Great Seafood. Great Prices. Southwest corner of 168th & Center 1218 S 119 St. â&#x20AC;˘ 827.4376 absolutelyfresh.com Ted & Wallyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Premium Ice Cream Voted best ice cream in Omaha! 1120 Jackson St. â&#x20AC;˘ 341.5827

5_bwAD_C_2010.indd 1

april 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER | 8/30/2010 11:35:37 AM

dish

| THE READER |

April 7 - 13, 2011

t h e r e a d e r ’ s enterta i nment p i cks apr i l 7 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 1

THURSDAY7 April 7

David Dondero and Franz Nicolay Slowdown Jr., 729 N. 14th St. 9 p.m., $10, theslowdown.com

TOPTV

Wednesdays, 8:30 p.m., Fox

Usually only one sitcom works for every couple dozen that premiere, and “Breaking In” is that one. It finds the perfect blend of acting, writing and directing to achieve a craziness all its own. Cameron (Bret Harrison) is a college nerd who uses his amazing hacking skills for such trivial benefits as finding himself a faculty parking spot. But a sleazy hipster named Oz (Christian Slater) imagines Cameron in a more glamorous role: an in-house hacker for his security firm, which attacks corporate firewalls to find breaches. Cameron has his doubts, especially when he meets his nutty new coworkers. One of them becomes his sworn enemy, and another victimizes him with absurdly elaborate pranks. Then there’s the resident beauty, a safecracker named Melanie (Odette Yustman) who’s oh-so-appealing yet oh-so-dangerous. “Trust me,” Oz tells Cameron, “that is one roller coaster you do not want to ride.” The cast has chemistry to burn, and Harrison is the perfect dweeb-who-must-rise-to-theoccasion-in-extraordinary-circumstances, just as he was in Reaper. Trust me, “Breaking In” is one roller coaster you do want to ride. — Dean Robbins

david dondero

David Dondero is Omaha’s favorite non-native singer-songwriter. Ties to local musicians made us a perma-stop on his tours and his engaging lyrics and riffs made us fall in love — whether invoking our “real Tina Turner,” or facing facts of flawed immigration policy with the poignant “Building the New Berlin Wall.” Fittingly, in 2006 NPR named Dondero one of the best living songwriters, alongside greats like Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. Multi-instrumentalist Franz Nicolay is best known as longtime (but now retired) keyboardist for The Hold Steady, but also performed with many notable acts and formed NYC collective Anti-Social Music. — Sarah Wengert

FRIDAY8 April 8, 9 and 10

Symphony Pops Series: Rodgers & Hammerstein “At the Movies”

Holland Performing Arts Center 13th and Douglas Street 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday Tickets $15-$80, (402) 345-0606 omahaperformingarts.org or ticketomaha.com This may have been the music of another generation — or a couple generations ago for some read-

aPRil 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

Saturday, April 9

2011 Omaha Poetry Slam Team Finals OM Center, 1216 Howard St. $7 suggested donation, 7:30 p.m. 402-345-5078, omahahealingarts.com

days

“Breaking In”

PICKOFTHEWEEK

picks

It’s been said that reading a play doesn’t do much of anything for the reader — as any Shakespeare scholar or bored college sophomore can tell you, you have to see it on stage. And maybe it’s the same with poetry. It’s not enough to read it; you have to see it, feel it, breath it to really get it. It’s the difference between a book of stale stanzas and an electrifying performance. For years, the Omaha Slam Poetry team has matt mason been honing the art of poetry as performance. And now it’s time for the best of the best to rise up to the top as the team heads toward the Boston finals. — John Wenz

ers — but it continues to stand the test of time and brings joy to hearts for good reason. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein III were a musical gold mine during the Golden Age of Broadway musicals. Most of this material dates back 60 to 70 years, but the melodies and sentiment endure. This show, with the orchestra under the baton of Resident Conductor Ernest Richardson, will feature re-mastered clips and original vocals from the classic film versions of the duo’s works. Check your parents’ or grandparents’ music collections and prepare for memorable tunes from The Sound of Music, Oklahoma!, The King and I, South Pacific, and Carousel. —Jarrett Fontaine

SATURDAY9 April 9

Omaha Beef vs. Wichita Wild

of all the hard work our nation’s teachers put into the school year, the Omaha Beef have set aside a special night in homage to their services. This Saturday, it’s Teacher/Champion Appreciation Night with the Wichita Wild visiting the Beef at their vaunted “Slaughter House,” aka the Civic Auditorium. Coming off of back-to-back losses at the hands of the Washington Fever’s high octane offense and the Sioux Falls Storm, dropping them to 2-2 on the season, the Beef ’s defense will surely be looking to prove why they are considered one of the league’s better units. Be sure to show up early and get inline for the free medals that will be given away at the game in accordance with the night’s theme. — James Derrick Schott April 9

6th Annual Men of Honor Gala for 100 Black Men of Omaha Inc.

Omaha Civic Auditorium, 1804 Capitol Ave. 7:05 p.m., $45 and up 402.346.BEEF, beeffootball.com

Hilton Omaha, 1001 Cass St. 7 p.m., $100 patron, $1,500 table partner more sponsorship levels available 402.934.7065, 100blackmenomaha.org

Spring is finally here which, of course, means schools are about to close for the summer. In honor

Stepping up to the challenge of too many African American youths and communities falling behind

t h e

r e ad e r ’ s

is 100 Black Men of Omaha. Among its works, this chapter of the nationwide mentoring and enrichment effort pairs strong, successful black men with at-risk black children. Their mantra is “what they see, is what they’ll be.” Dependent on private donations and membership dues, the chapter also counts heavily on its annual gala fundraiser, a recognition dinner featuring high achieving role models. The 2011 honorees include: Marlin Briscoe, the NFL’s first black quarterback; John Mackiel, Omaha Public Schools superintendent; and Maj. Gen. Abraham Turner, Strategic Command chief of staff. The host is actor-director John Beasley. The volunteer mentors embody the group’s motto of Real Men Giving Real Time. The chapter could use some real money, too. — Leo Adam Biga April 9

DJ Scotty Boy with Bam Bam Buddha, Rhythm & Flux, and DJ Shif-D Whiskey Tango, 311 S. 15th St. $10, $5 for ONL Card holders, 9 p.m., 402.934.4874, whiskeytangoomaha.com

Did you know there’s a DJ Times Magazine? And did you know DJ Scotty Boy has been in their Top 10 for three years running? I didn’t either, but there are a lot of things you learn on an artist’s Facebook page. As a nationally touring DJ, he’s staked a repdj scotty boy

utation on his own brand of mash up, something he’s lent his home city’s name to — that being the Sin City itself, Las Vegas. And while Omaha’s club culture might be just in its starting stages, Scotty Boy’s set is sure to set a great tone for the night. — John Wenz

e nt e rtainm e nt Through July 10

Capture the Moment: The Pulitzer Prize Photographs

The Durham Museum, 801 S. 10th St. Adults $7, Seniors $6, Children 3-12 $5 Members free, Sun. 1-5 p.m.; Tues. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; Wed.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 402.444.5071, durhammuseum.org

pic k s

april

1 3 ,

2 011

THREEUPTHREEDOWN April 13-17

Cirque du Soleil presents “Dralion” Mid-America Center, One Arena Way, Council Bluffs April 13-15 at 7:30 p.m., April 16 at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. April 17 at 1 and 5 p.m., $38-$98, ticketmaster.com

he high-flying acrobatics of Cirque du Soleil will be back in the Omaha metro beginning next Wednesday, April 13, at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs. There will be seven chances in all to catch a performance; the last will be Sunday at 5 p.m. This time around, the Cirque show is called “Dralion” (pronounced “Dra-lee-on”) and it carries the theme of the “fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil.” Just what the hell does that mean? We caught up with Cirque publicist Julie Demarais for details on that and more to preview “Dralion.” pulitzer prize photographs

From moving moments of an ailing Babe Ruth watching his number being retired in 1945 at Yankee Stadium and the U.S. Marines raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima to more recent Olympic and political pictures of celebration, this display of 158 images is said to be the largest, most comprehensive exhibit of Pulitzer Prize winning photographs. Since 1942, just two Pulitzer photography prizes have been awarded out of the millions of photographs in the newspapers every year capturing historic moments around the world, all exhibited here. “The pictures show the brutalities of our age, but also record tender and compassionate moments,” says show creator Cyma Rubin, a New York television producer, in a press release. “Shown together in the exhibition, the photographs make us think about the realities of world events. Anyone who views the exhibition will be changed by the experience.” Rubin will discuss her documentary Moment of Impact: Stories of the Pulitzer Prize Photographs, April 9 at 11a.m. Reservations required. — Sally Deskins

The tagline for “Dralion” is “the fusion of ancient Chinese circus tradition and the avant-garde approach of Cirque du Soleil.” Explain that in laymen’s terms. The show was originally created by Guy Caron, who has a lot of interest in the Cirque du Soleil Chinese acrobatic tradition and a passion for Chinese culture. When Guy Carone was approached to direct a new touring show for Cirque he immediately had the idea of immersing himself in Chinese culture by going to china to find the latest acts and the best talent among China’s acrobats. After that he searched the world for the latest acts being performed, and in simple terms this marked the commencement of the creation of “Dralion.” Almost two years and a lot of creation time later, the show premiered in 1999 under Big Top in Montreal, Canada. Since this time “Dralion” has been seen and loved by more than 8 Million people worldwide. In 2010 the show went through a re-creation/re-staging to enable this vibrant creation to be performed in Arena environments. What other cultures have you covered and why was the Chinese circus tradition a good fit for Cirque du Soleil? Cirque, prior to the creation of “Dralion,” already had a good working relationship with the Chinese Performing Arts Accademy, which is the central government agency for everything to do with acrobatics in China. When the idea of creating “Dralion” was brought to them they were instantly pleased with the concept. Within the show you can see Indian influences, African, Italian, French, Spanish, Arabian — just to mention a few. This show truly is quite a melting pot of culture. “Dralion’s” artists include representatives from 14 different countries. In effect we feel sometimes as if we have our own little “League of Nations” on tour. At this point, just about everybody in the world has heard the name “Cirque du Soleil.” But not everybody’s gone out to see it. For those who haven’t, explain what they’ll get out of a Cirque show in 100 words or less. I want to start by saying that above everything else people will see a world-class performance when they come to “Dralion.” I love that we are able to bring the world of Cirque du Soleil to so many different audiences. With so much negativity in the world this show is one of those life changing experiences that we hope touch the hearts and minds of the people that come to see it. As the audience enters our world they enter a world of escape and a place where ordinary people do extraordinary things. “Dralion” is a very colorful show, the costumes, lighting, live music, acrobats, funny clowns, beautiful aerialist, dancers and singers are amazing. The true reward for us is the audience, at the end of the show, as they rise to their feet, smiling, cheering and applauding for the two hours of the action packed performance they’ve just experienced. —Sean Brennan

picks

| THE READER |

aPRil 7 - 13, 2011

So Much To See And Do... www.oldmarket.com

25 Y E A R S

!"#$%&$'''''()$#$*+#

12th & Jackson Old Market 341-5827 Ice Cream made the Old-Fashioned way using Rock Salt & Ice

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

Best Ice Cream Shop

| THE READER |

culture

fashflood

LOCAL FASH

Stacie mausbach of garment district

n Calling all Queens and Mad Hatters! On Sunday, April 17 from 1 to 5 p.m., Omaha’s first public tea party will take place. Attendees are encouraged to don their tea party best, with suggested attire in the themes of everything from colonial garb to Alice in Wonderlandstyle costumes. The Omaha Tea Party (no political affiliation) will take place on the south side of Memorial Park, along Dodge Street. Tea and pastries will be provided, but party planners suggest bringing a blanket and your favorite teacup.

brycebridges.com

NATIONAL FASH

District of Design A New York State of Mind at the Shops of Legacy By Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik

maha boutique Garment District states their motto beautifully as a single line on the back of their business card: “New York inspiration, Omaha innovation.” But with Omaha’s number of fashion forward boutiques on the rise, and other businesses claiming to be New York-like, shoppers doubt the validity of said motto. Is this truly a New Yorkshopping experience? As I arrive one late February afternoon at The Shops of Legacy, an upscale outdoor shopping center where Garment District was established

in 2006, it’s clear that spring is in full effect. The store is brimming with standout pieces in some of the biggest trends for the upcoming season and sisters Stacie Mausbach (owner) and Kelli Smith (store manager) are busy with like-minded customers. Smith is assisting a young couple with a special occasion dress and Mausbach is helping another select a piece of jewelry. Most noticeable of the winter-blues-cures are high quality faux leather handbags with long, cross body straps that anyone could wear in hot pink, navy and camel. These bags are right on with the season’s “shrinking handbag” trend, and are made to fit your wallet, keys, lipstick and phone. What separates these from their Marc by Marc Jacobs-doppelgangers (sold elsewhere) is their price: a mere $34. “What’s nice is that they’re not a big investment,” says

Mausbach. “All of our purses are priced right around $25 to $65.” Their fairly-priced items do not stop there; Garment District also carries a line of eco-friendly yet chic footwear out of Brazil called Mariana. This line is handcrafted, and uses only vegetable dyes with both modern and vintage influences. “We bring in about 8 styles every season, and again, they’re well made but not a huge investment,” stated Mausbach. Along with their low priced accessories, Garment District also offers higher end investment pieces such as premium lines J Brand and Sanctuary. “We like to feature new and emerging but also well established designers,” said Mausbach. “And we know that many of our customers like to get a dual-use out of our pieces, for work and

n “We all get dressed for Bill,” stated Vogue editor Anna Wintour. The “Bill” she spoke of being Bill Cunningham, the 80-plus New York Times’ photographer famous for chronicling street fashion trends over the decades. BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK is a biographical documentary focusing on Cunningham’s stimulating body of work. The film premiered nationally on March 16, and will premiere locally on Friday, April 22, at north downtown Omaha theater Film Streams. If Wintour’s willingness to appear in this film means anything to you, you’re aware that it’s not a film to be missed. Go to FimStreams.org for tickets and additional information.

GLOBAL FASH

n Some of the biggest news in fashion over the past few weeks circled around issues regarding knock-offs of some of the most iconic pieces from spring’s runways. The most obvious example at hand being Target’s Mossimo messenger bag, which appears heavily inspired by Proenza Schouler’s PS1, the musthave bag of 2011. Across the pond, Prada’s entire spring 2011 collection appears to have influenced Zara’s newest line, right down to the oversized, Twilight Zone-esque swirling on a floppy, wide-brimmed sun hat. British shoppers and bloggers documented the Prada-style pieces over the past week, sending them to online style site Fashionista.com. And finally, a nearly exact replica of Alexander McQueen’s “Four Finger Clutch” showed up in Patricia Field’s New York boutique this week. The big difference: McQueen’s design retails for $2,000 and Field’s design tops out at $60. —Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik Sarah Lorsung Tvrdik is a stylist, costumier, wife and freelance writer based in Omaha. Her style blog can be found at fashflood.com.

continued on page 21 y

lifestlye

| THE READER |

April 7 - 13, 2011

style y continued from page 19

play, so we carry a wide array of products and price points.” When asked about the Garment District’s history, Mausbach explains that she started out with her fashion education with a background in Fashion Merchandising from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). But she didn’t stop there. After completing her studies, she moved to New York and enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) while working at a designer showroom. It wasn’t long before Mausbach realized her dream, to bring New York-style fashion to Omaha, in the form of a one of a kind boutique. “We will have been open for five years in May,” says Mausbach. It is apparent that Mausbach is representing New York in Omaha as she continues to show me around the store. She mentions that she can bring “reasonable, unique jewelry” from her vendors in New York for great prices, because she knows them and can avoid going through a middle man. Garment District also offers complimentary services such as personal shopping, ranging from a one-yime consultation for a special event or a long-term consultation for ongoing services from their stylists. In addition to their personal shopping services, Garment District offers another rar-

ity to Omaha: trunk shows. Most recently, they featured nationally recognized style and beauty guide Mal Pearson’s French-inspired T-shirt line, Victory Rose, and in the past they had a show for Handmade Modern, designer Sara Bucy’s jewelry line out of Lincoln. “Mal has been a customer of ours since the start,” said Mausbach. “We had a great turnout, and she donates a portion of the proceeds to Compassion International.” Compassion International is a non-profit that provides economic, educational, and spiritual support to children around the world. On the whole, it’s evident that Garment District offers a little something for every woman, from casual T-shirts to formal wardrobe-building pieces. Mausbach and Smith provide a great balance and variety for their customers and to each other. They not only work well together in taking inspiration from the fashion capital of the world, but in selecting the clothing they want to wear themselves. Both this duo, and Garment District, are sure to be around for years to come. , Garment District is located in The Shops of Legacy at 16939 Wright Plaza, Suite 123 Omaha, NE 68130.Hours of Operation are Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. Contact Garment District at 402.557.6100 or see garmentdistrictomaha.com for more details.

COLDCREAM

■ My first awareness that Andy Rannels was star- On Golden Pond, when he played the ring in the hit Broadway musical Book of Mormon, grandson of Norm and Lou Filbert. As by the “South Park” creators, came when a un- soon as he graduated from Creighton identified photo looked familiar. You couldn’t miss Prep in 1997, Andy headed for New York that gleaming smile of the fuzzy-cheeked kid who City where he attended college and peralways looked like he’d just been hatched. formed in summer stock. He soon found Now, of course, everybody knows it’s the voice work, ranging from Fried Ricer in young man we saw in such Omaha shows as Fighting Foodons to Archie Andrews. On Golden Pond and 110 in the Shade. Raised a He’s the only theatrical member of Catholic, he’s now Elder Price, the Mormon mis- a family, including four siblings who atsionary often described as a Ken doll, and shown tended Prep or Mercy High. The Omaha in short-sleeved white shirt with necktie. Community Playhouse, which boasts In case you haven’t heard, everyone from many former cast members who’ve gone Jon Stewart, who raved about it on the THE Daily onOF to MAGICAL other acting triumphs, can’t claim YEARS THINKING Show to the Salt Lake City Tribune, and even a him. He auditioned for Playhouse shows, Mormon blogger came to the same conclusion: and was told he’d make it several times, It’s as profanely satirical about beliefs as you’d but never quite landed a role. expect from the “South Park” pair, but overall ■ It makes sense that it costs only $5 celebrates faith and religion. or $3 for seniors to see that hard times His mother, Charlotte Rannels, saw the ac- classic, Grapes of Wrath, adapted from tor she calls Andrew both on opening night and the John Steinbeck novel. It plays in the Iowa the next one. She’s also seen him as Bob Gaudio Western Community College black box on the in The Jersey Boys and as Link in Hairspray. far side of Council Bluffs, 7 p.m. April 7-9, 15-16, Andy grew up near the old Emmy Gifford Theatre and 2 p.m. Sundays, April 10 and 17. on Center Street, took his first acting class there —Warren Francke at age 8, and debuted in its The Snow Queen. He was befriended by legends of the metro Cold Cream looks at theater in the metro area. Email information stage, the late Pam Carter and his co-stars in to coldcream@thereader.com.

APRIL 7 - 13 , 2011

| THE READER |

style/theater

a specialty boutique for women

visit our website & join us on facebook

for the latest info of fun fashions you won’t find anywhere else in omaha!

THE RUMBLES

T H E L A BE L S

FORK IN THE ROAD

TAXI DRIVER

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

come visit us at

countryside

village

8712 pacific street, 68114. omaha

www.rootsandwingsomaha.com

APRIL 16

APRIL 30

Free Live Entertainment All acts no cover fee, Saturdays 8:30p - 1:15a, unless noted.

AMERISTAR.COM 866.MORE FUN (667.3386) 2200 River Road Council Bluffs, Iowa 712.328.8888 Must be at least 21 to enter casino. Terms subject to change. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS OFF. © 2011 Ameristar Casino Council Bluffs

CB 44941 April Ent 4-7 Reader 7.5x10 NP v2.indd 1

3/24/11 12:34THE PM

READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

by Lit Undressed, a project that also helped organize Undressed/Untold. Overall, this show is upbeat, exploratory, revealing and at times self-effacing in its view of what it is to be a woman. It is also occasionally self-indulgent in illustrating both the pleasure and the frustration in living up to society’s, as well as one’s own, expectaby Michael J. Krainak tions of being female. The women, and a few men as women, portrayed he RNG Gallery and its partnership with Dixie Quicks Restaurant is leaving town in the work are proud if a little insecure about their gensometime this summer to set up new resi- der and bodies, happy to be the subjects of art even as dence across the river but not before making a strong they acknowledge what it’s like to be treated as an obstatement about what Council Bluffs can expect via ject. Empowered, defiant even, knowing they have this power over the viewer, as they transform themselves contemporary art. Last Friday, members of Council Bluffs’s Chamber from a shrinking violet to a full blown rose. The Femmes Folles themselves are either esof Commerce lunched on Chef Rene Orduna’s Southern tablished or emerging artand Cajun fare while getting an ists, and their work enjoys earful from Orduna’s partner, from les femmes folles at rng a mutual influence and gallery owner Rob Gilmer, on conversation or two. As a what RNG will contribute by UNO arts professor, Ewing way of non-mainstream and has had a mentoring impact alternative art to the river city’s on two of her former stucultural scene. dents here, Van Wyke and The chamber also got an especially Lamaster. Ewing eyeful as they sat and digestoffers familiar imagery of ed a sophisticated and largely her own that continues her well-organized exhibit prosocial commentary on how vocatively titled Les Femmes women, particularly black Folles. The show features the women, establish their work of five “wild and crazy” identity and worth based (folles) women artists, Lesupon images of themselves lie Diuguid, Wanda Ewing, in the media. Rebecca Herskovitz, Jamie Her two earlier caricaLamaster and Lauren van tures (2003), Get Real and Wyke, who readily accept the appellation and interpret it personally in themes of Who’s Bad, set the tone for the exhibit with their combined text message of “keep it real” and implirace, gender identification and sexuality. The exhibit, which continues through May 1, cation that one’s identity can’t be found in a Jheri consists of prints, drawings, paintings and ceramic Curl bottle or any other commercial scheme. Even sculpture, most of which is suitable for an adult audi- more impressive is Ewing recontextualizing her ence. Council Bluffs has already established a regional expressive Half Dolls in Gallery 3 into small clay reputation for public art outside the box. RNG should sculpture that satirize living the Good Life while go a long way in putting the city firmly on the visual half a person. Her influence is readily apparent in the strikingly arts map, indoor as well. RNG has been down this road before with its suc- paradoxical mix media of Lamaster in Gallery 1. The cessful Body as Text show which ran last fall in conjunction latter cleverly reinterprets the former’s puppet-like with the sixth annual Omaha Lit Fest event, Undressed/ Video Grrrlzzz series, but instead of punching bags Untold, a performance of erotic readings by nude models for heads, these figures sport heads or upper bodat the venue. Body as Text was a mixed bag of contextual- ies that reflect their titles such as Cherry Darling and ized erotica from amateurs and pros alike, but the show Train Tracking. Lamaster’s aesthetic cleverly combines a lacey made a statement seldom seen in this area. This time around Les Femme Folles was motivated Victorian attitude with a modern ethos, best seen by a one-night, stand and deliver event last Thursday, in Train Tracking. In this image several high stepThe Spirit of the Female Beats. Highlighting the evening ping half dolls propel a darkly menacing antiwere readings, again with some in the nude, honoring quated steam engine forward with their comely net the likes of Carolyn Cassady, Marilyn June Coffey and stocking legs — a case maybe of the women’s moveDiane di Prima as well as other women literary art- ment held back or impeded by a lack of progressive ists of the beat generation. The event was presented thinking and repression.

RNG Gallery gets its crazy on with Les Femmes Folles show

april 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

art

Also in Gallery 1 are the oil pastel and graphite nudes of Van Wyke. A former figure drawing student of Ewing’s, she eschews the caricature of her mentor and offers a rougher, sketchier rendering of the female form. Though Van Wyke has titled each piece with the model’s names, Erika, Lauren and Molly, all the work is autobiographical as the tentativeness of each subject belies the artist’s own in showing her first nude exhibit. Erika seems reluctant to expose herself as she crouches forward covering her breasts, and in a second image comes close to touching herself as her hand hesitates on her inner thigh. Meanwhile, Lauren herself is exposed to the world but hides her identity and her head outside the frame standing awkwardly and insecurely, a feeling any artist can appreciate female or otherwise. There is nothing tentative about Herskovitz’s imagery, which highlights Galleries 2 and 3. As she has in the past, the artist continues to explore the impact of explicit pornography on women and its audience with her exact art that replicates hardcore magazine photos. Herskovitz’s work is dominated by women pleasuring themselves but its eroticism is measured by a certain ambiguity and nuance. As with her series and installation in Galley 2, all of the figures are incomplete or minimalist, focusing on facial and body language, raising the issue of self-gratification for both subject and viewer. Less ambiguous are the faux orgasms on the faces of her Harem further compromised by their frames of embroidery hoops which may reinforce the lengths to which some go to make a living. Perhaps the most compelling piece in the show is Herskovitz’s large oil on Mylar Miss Tracy, who seems oblivious to her viewer; such is the depth of her orgasm. Even the oil drippings that extend fortuitously off the Mylar in shadow form down the wall are duplicitous representing both the passion and frustration of selfgratification in a voyeur/voyance relationship. That the artist pays such attention to facial expression here as well as in her Harem further supports her Humanistic attitude toward sexual freedom and expression. Diuguid ends the exhibit with a lighter, more whimsical touch with her gender-bending mixed media drawings with such tongue-in-cheek titles as Big Girls Need Big Diamonds. Similar to the exotic portraits of Christine Stormberg, these “girls” still flaunt their facial hair and musculature inside their wigs, makeup and breastplates. Diuguid’s cross-dressers are the wild and craziest girls of all in Les Femmes Folles as they too strive to find and express the female side of their nature outside the box and conventional wisdom. , Les Femmes Folles continues through May 1 at RNG Gallery, 1915 Leavenworth (Dixie Quicks entrance). Call 402.214.3061 or go online at dixiequicks.com for details.

n Lincoln artist and University of NebraskaLincoln professor Aaron Holz will give a talk this Friday at 5:30 p.m. at the Sheldon Museum of Art. (Full disclosure: I work at Sheldon.) Holz has an intimate exhibition in Sheldon’s Focus Gallery. Of Heads and Hands is inspired by the drawings of 16th century artists Agnolo Bronzino and Jan Gossaert. Holz’s portraits of heads and hands question what it means to paint parts of the human body, and he said he’s fascinated with the psychological aspects of the spaces that surround our bodies. His talk is part of a Friday evening reception that runs from 5-8 p.m. His talk takes place in the second floor gallery space and is free and open to the public. n Artist Bart Vargas — formerly of Omaha — is running an online fundraiser to help raise money for a residency he earned in China. The Shangyuan Art Museum accepted Vargas to be one of its first international artists in residence beginning May 16. This is the first time the program has been opened to artists who live outside China. His studio and living costs are provided, but he needs to raise thousands of dollars to cover flights and travel expenses, as well as additional living expenses. Everyone who donates to the fundraiser will receive a drawing completed during the residency, and the more each person contributes, the more each person will get. To make a pledge, visit Kickstarter.com/projects/1237142552/bart-vargas-in-the-shangyuan-art-museum-residency. n The current U.S. Poet Laureate will give a talk at Joslyn Art Museum on April 28. W.S. Merwin will read from his works and answer audience questions after the reading. Merwin’s career spans five decades and he has become one of the most widely read poets in America. Over the years, his poetic voice has moved from the more formal and medieval-influenced somewhat by the medieval poetry he was then translating — to a more distinctly American voice, following his two years in Boston where he got to know Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes, Adrienne Rich, and Donald Hall. The event begins in Joslyn’s Witherspoon Concert Hall at 5:30 p.m. and the free event is open to the public. n Mark your calendars for the Hot Shops Art Center spring open house, slated for April 30 and May 1. The Hot Shops annual open houses are some of the venue’s most popular events, and the two-day event runs on Saturday, April 30, from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 1, from noon to 5 p.m. The event will include open artists studios, live music, art demonstrations and gallery shows. A vast array of artists have studio space in the Hot Shops, and demonstrations will include bronze pouring, clay work and raku firings, iron forging and glass blowing. For more information, visit HotShopsArtCenter.com.

mixedmedia

art Wild at Art

— Sarah Baker Hansen Mixed Media is a column about local art. Send ideas to mixedmedia@thereader.com.

experience the arts of

omaha

Members of the participating organizations will receive discounts each month (September 2010−August 2011) to experience the arts of Omaha.

september APRIL 2011

Participating Organizations

presentyour your membership Present membership cardcard from from one ofone the participating of the participating organizations to receive organizations to receive the following discount

0 Omaha

Children’s Museum 0 Omaha Performing Arts 0 The Bemis Center 0 The Durham Museum 0 Opera Omaha 0 El Museu Latino 0 The Rose Performing Arts

0 Omaha

Community Playhouse 0 Film Streams at Ruth Sokolof Theater 0 Nebraska Shakespeare Festival 0 Joslyn Art Museum 0 Fontenelle Nature Association Sponsored by:

1 Off

$20 TICKETS

to any April performance of Steel Magnolias (limit 2 per person)

Regular Museum Admission at

Omaha Children’s Museum

Steel Magnolias By Robert Harling

April 15–May 8, 2011

Richman Gordman Zooland Animals

A group of gossipy Southern ladies in a small town beauty parlor make this play alternately hilarious and touching. Skillfully crafted, it builds to a conclusion that is deeply moving. Suffused with humor and tinged with tragedy this play and its wonderful lovable characters lend a special quality to an evening at the theatre.

Sponsored by: ||| 10.23.10 BringingBackThePack.org

Media Sponsor:

6915 Cass Street | Omaha, NE | 68132 (402) 553-0800 | www.omahaplayhouse.org

www.ocm.org | THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

art

OpeningS

BANCROFT STREET MARKET, 2702 S. 10th St., 680.6737, bancroftstreetmarket.com. WOMEN WHO WELD: Metal sculpture artists, group show, opens Apr. 8, 7 p.m. & Apr. 8, 11 a.m. CATHEDRAL CULTURAL CENTER SUTHERLAND GALLERY, 701 N. 40th St., 551.4888, cathedralartsproject.org. MARY IN ART: The Bruges Madonna and Other Works, opens Apr. 10-May 27. DURHAM WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 801 S. 10th St., 444.5071, durhammuseum.org. CAPTURE THE MOMENT: THE PULITZER PRIZE PHOTOGRAPHS: Opens Apr. 9-Jul. 10. EISENTRAGER-HOWARD GALLERY, Richards Hall, Stadium Drive and T, Lincoln, 472.5025, unl.edu/art/facilities_eisentragerhoward.shtml. MFA THESIS EXHIBITION: Brian Kluge and Sean Morrisey, opens Apr. 11-15. MFA THESIS EXHIBITION: Charles Mitchell and Jason Young, through Apr. 8. HILLMER ART GALLERY, College of St. Mary, 7000 Mercy Rd., 399.2400, csm.edu. NEW WORK: Jess Benjamin, through Apr. 15, reception Apr. 7, 5 p.m. HOT SHOPS ARTS CENTER, 1301 Nicholas St., hotshopsartcenter.com. OLD FRIENDS, NEW WORK: Group show, through May 1, reception Apr. 9, 7 p.m. OPS ART TEACHERS SHOW: Through Apr. 24, reception Apr. 9, 7 p.m. JOURNEY TO WHOLENESS: Group show, through Apr. 25, reception Apr. 8, 6 p.m. INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER AND MUSEUM, 1523 N. 33rd St., Lincoln, 472.7232, quiltstudy.org. NEBRASKA QUILTS AND QUILTMAKERS: Group show, opens Apr. 8-Oct. 2. LAURITZEN GARDENS, 100 Bancroft St., 346.4002, omahabotanicalgardens.org. GUILD SPRING LUNCHEON: Lecture by Remco Van Vliet, opens Apr. 13, 10:45 a.m., $75. MODERN ARTS MIDWEST, 800 P St., Lincoln, 477.2828, modernartsmidwest.com. APRIL SHOWERS: Group show featuring Jacqueline Kluver, Merrill Peterson, Larry Roots, Marsha Solomon and Iggy Sumnik, through Apr. 30. MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, 308.865.8559, monet.unk.edu/mona. STUDENT ART SHOW: Group show, opens Apr. 12-May 15. UNO ART GALLERY, Weber Fine Arts Bldg., 6001 Dodge St., 554.2796. WORKS BY GRADUATES: Group show by May BFA and BASA graduates, through May 6. UNO CRISS GALLERY, 6001 Dodge St., 554.2640, library.unomaha.edu. THE JAZZ ART OF DAVID STONE MARTIN: Through May 19, reception Apr. 10, 5 p.m.

ONGOING

A CAVALLO VIOLINS, Countryside Village, 87th & Pacific St. ART OF SOUND: Violins and violas, through Apr. 9. AGAINST THE WALL, 6220 Havelock Ave., Lincoln, 467.3484, againstthewallgallery.com. NEW WORK: Wildlife painter Jim Miklavcic and several of his students, through Apr. ANDERSON O’BRIEN FINE ART OLD MARKET, 1108 Jackson St., 884.0911, aobfineart.com. NEW WORK: Rein Vanderhill, through Apr. 24. ARTISTS’ COOPERATIVE GALLERY, 405 S. 11th St., artistscoopgallery.com. ALL MEMBER SHOW: Through May 1. BEMIS CENTER, 724 S. 12th St., 341.7130, bemiscenter.org. STILL LIFES: New work by Vera Mercer. ANOTHER NEBRASKA: Group show by the Nebraska Arts Council individual artist fellows. Both shows through Apr. 9. BEMIS UNDERGROUND, 724 S. 12th St., 341.7130, bemiscenter.org. 2011 BEMIS CENTER REGIONAL EXHIBITION: Regional Juried Exhibition, through Apr. 16. BIRDHOUSE COLLECTIBLE, 1111 N. 13th St., Suite 123, 577.0711, biz@birdhouseinteriors.com. NEW WORK: Adam Hershey, through May 14. BLUE POMEGRANATE GALLERY, 6570 Maple St., 502.9901, bluepom.com. THE FINE ART OF FOOLIN AROUND: Group show, featuring Linda Hatfield, LaVerne David Thompson, Naava Naslavsky and Mark Goodall, through Apr. CREIGHTON LIED ART GALLERY, 2500 California St., 280.2392, finearts.creighton.edu. PORTAL: Group show featuring ShunSho Fong, Aubrey Inman and Kelly Standing, through Apr. 29 DRIFT STATION GALLERY, 1745 N St., Lincoln, driftstation.org. FIND AND REPLACE: Poetry, animation, audio/video group show curated by Jeff Thompson, through Apr. 21. DUNDEE GALLERY, 4916 Underwood Ave., 505.8333, dundeegallery.com. ANNIVERSARY SHOW: Through Apr. 24. DURHAM WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 801 S. 10th St., 444.5071, durhammuseum.org. CAPTURE THE MOMENT: Pu-

APRIL 7-13, 2011

litzer Prize photographs, through Jul. 10. NEWSFLASH: Photography by Robert Paskach, through Jul. 10. EL MUSEO LATINO, 4701 S. 25th St., elmuseolatino.org. MOLAS EXHIBIT: Textiles created by the Kuna people of Panama. NEBRASKA MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENTS: Group show, through Apr. 16. EL CABALLO: The horse in Mexican Folk Art, through May 4. ELDER GALLERY, 51st and Huntington, Nebraska Wesleyan University, nebrwesleyan.edu. FACULTY EXHIBITION: Group show, through Apr. 8. FRED SIMON GALLERY, Burlington Building, 1004 Farnam St., nebraskaartscouncil.org. NEW WORK: Anne and Mike Burton, through Apr. 22. GALLERY 9, 124 S 9th St., Lincoln, 477.2822, gallerynine.com. WHERE THE OWL LIVES: Wendy Bantam through Apr. 20. GOVERNOR’S RESIDENCE EXHIBITION, 1425 H St., Lincoln, nebraskaartscouncil.org. NEW WORK: Nancy Lepo, through Apr. 15. GRAND MANSE GALLERY, 129 N. 10th St., Lincoln, grandmanse.com. ARTIST CREATED BIRDHOUSES: Through Apr. 9. GRAHAM GALLERY, 617 W. 2nd St., Hastings, graham-gallery. com. CERAMIC INVITATIONAL: Group show, through Apr. 27. GREAT PLAINS ART MUSEUM, 1155 Q St., Hewit Plc., Lincoln, 472.0599, unl.edu/plains/gallery/gallery.shtml. LPS VISUAL ARTS MENTORING PROGRAM: Group show. DOUBLE VISION: Hulleah Tsinhnahjinnie. Both shows through Apr. 17. HAYDON CENTER, 335 N. 8th St., Lincoln, 475.5421, haydonartcenter.org. WIND ON EARTH: Native American group show, through May 7, reception May 6. HISTORIC GENERAL DODGE HOUSE, 605 3rd St., Council Bluffs, 501.3841, dodgehouse.org. IN MEMORY OF... THE ART OF MOURNING: Examines a family’s response to loss and mourning in the late Victorian period, through Oct. 23. HITHCOCK NATURE CENTER, 27792 Ski Hill Loop, Honey Creek, IA, pottcoconservation.com. TALL GRASS PRAIRIE- PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: Through Apr. 28. INTERNATIONAL QUILT STUDY CENTER AND MUSEUM, 1523 N. 33rd St., Lincoln, 472.7232, quiltstudy.org. MARSEILLE: WHITE CORDED QUILTING: Through May 8. JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER, 333 S. 132nd St., 572.8486, jccomaha.org. NEW WORK: Photography by Dan Thrasher, though Apr. JOSLYN ART MUSEUM, 2200 Dodge St., 342.3300, joslyn.org. THE GLORY OF UKRAINE: Two part exhibition that forms an unprecedented celebration of this large European nation, through May 8. FROM HOUDINI TO HUGO: The art of Brian Selznick, through May 29. KIECHEL FINE ART, 5733 S. 34th St., Lincoln, kiechelart.com. SHARED HISTORY: Anthony Benton Gude with works by Thomas Hart Benton and Dale Nichols, through Apr. 8. KIMMEL HARDING NELSON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City, khncenterforthearts.org. LAURINE KIMMEL HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION: Through Apr. 30. LAURITZEN GARDENS, 100 Bancroft St., 346.4002, omahabotanicalgardens.org. A TROPICAL PARADISE: Amazing tropical plants, through Apr. WEEDS/PODS/SEEDS: New work by Kristin Pluhacek. THE LANDSCAPES: New work by Kristin Pluhacek. Both shows through Apr. 17. LUX CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 48th and Baldwin, Lincoln, 434.2787, luxcenter.org. LIGHT PLAY: New work by Cathy Breslaw, through May 28. NATIONAL JURIED CUP EXHIBITION: Julia Galloway juries, through Apr. 30. METRO COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Fort Omaha Campus, 30th & Fort St., North Building #10. FROM BAA TO EYE: New work by Yinghua Zhu, through Apr. 15. MORRILL HALL, 307 Morrill Hall, Lincoln 472.3779, museum. unl.edu. AMPHIBIANS VIBRANT AND VANISHING: Photographs by Joel Sartore, through Nov. 30. MR. TOAD, 1002 Howard St. LUIGI WAITES EXHIBIT: Artwork honoring Luigi Waites, through May 30. MUSEUM OF NEBRASKA ART (MONA), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, 308.865.8559, monet.unk.edu/mona. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM: Through Jun. 5, 2011. ESPIRIT: A TASTE OF ART: Hand-crafted media group show, through Apr. 16. THE NEW BLK, 1213 Jones St., 403.5619, thenewblk.com. CREATIVITY IN CRISIS: A benefit show for Kent Bellows Studio, through Apr. 29. OLD MARKET ARTISTS, 1034 Howard St., Lower Level of Old Market Passageway, oldmarketartists.com. THE SOUL OF GUATEMALA: New work by Lisa Maciejewski, through Apr.

| THE READER |

art/theater listings

check event listings online! OMAHA’S CHILDREN’S MUSEUM, 500 S. 20th St., 342.6163. ocm.org. BIG BACKYARD: Through Apr. 10. PASSAGEWAY GALLERY, 417 South 11th St, passagewaygallery.com. COPPER CREATIONS: New work by Randy Patzer, through Apr. 30. RETRO, 1125 Jackson St., 934.7443. NEW WORK: Miss Cake & Gerard Pefung, through Apr. 30. RNG GALLERY, 1915 Leavenworth St., 214.3061. LES FEMMES FOLLES: Group show celebrates the Woman’s body, the Woman artist and the Woman’s POV of the Woman, through May 1. SHELDON ART GALLERY, 12th and R, UNL, Lincoln, sheldonartgallery.org. BETTER HALF, BETTER TWELFTH: Women artists in the collection, through Apr. 1, 2011. AN AMERICAN TASTE: THE ROHMAN COLLECTION: Through May 1. POETICAL FIRE: THREE CENTURIES OF STILL LIFES: Group show, through May 7. TRANSFORMING VISION: PHOTOGRAPHIC ABSTRACTION IN SHELDON’S COLLECTION: Group show, in conjunction with Lincoln Photofest. SILVER OF OZ, 6115 Maple St., 558.1307, silverofoz.com. NEW WORK: Justin Lewis, through Apr. 30. TUGBOAT GALLERY, 14th and O, 2nd floor, Lincoln, tugboatgallery.com. NEW WORK: Group show featuring Ben Moore, Andrew Holmquist and David Brian Dobbs, curated by Byron Anway, through Apr. 30. UNL HILLESTAD TEXTILES GALLERY, 35th & Holdrege, 2nd Floor, Home Econims Bldg., Lincoln, textilegallery.unl.edu. THAIS REGINA DE OLIVEIRA: A CARNIVAL OF SOUND: Through Apr. 8, reception Apr. 8, 5 p.m. UNL ROTUNDA GALLERY, Nebraska Union, 1400 R St., Lincoln, 472.8279. 5TH ANNUAL UNL STAFF ART EXHIBITION: Through Apr. 15. WORKSPACE GALLERY, Sawmill Building, 440 N. 8th St., Lincoln, sites.google.com/site/workspacegallery. SELECTIONS FROM THE FORTIETH PARALLEL: MISSOURI, KANSAS, AND COLORADO: New work by Bruce Myren, through May 5.

theater oPENING

GRAPES OF WRATH, Arts Center at Iowa Western College, 2700 College Road, Council Bluffs. Opens Apr. 7-9, 7 p.m., Apr. 10, 2 p.m., Apr. 15-16, 7 p.m., Apr. 17, 2 p.m., $5. TWELFTH NIGHT, University Theatre, Temple Bldg., 12th and R, Lincoln, 472.4747, unl.edu/theatrearts. Opens Apr. 7-9, 12-16, 7:30 p.m., $16, $14/seniors, $10/students.

oNGOING

ANGELS IN AMERICA, PART ONE: MILLENIUM APPROACHES, Flatwater Shakespeare, The Haymarket Theatre, 803 Q St., Lincoln, flatwatershakespeare.org. Through Apr. 17, Thu.-Sun., 7:30 p.m., $18, $15/seniors, $10/students. IT’S THE HOUSEWIVES!, TADA Theatre, 701 P St., Lincoln, 402.438.8232, tadatheatre.info. Through Apr. 17, Thu.Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 2 p.m., $18, $15/Sunday. MOUSETRAP, Nebraska Wesleyan, Miller Theatre, 51st and Huntington, 465.2384, nebrwesleyan.edu. Apr. 7-9, 7:30 p.m.,, Apr. 10, 2 p.m., $10, $7.50/seniors, $5/students. THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY, Rose Theater, 2001 Farnam St., 345.4849, rosetheater.org. Through Apr. 17, various showtimes, $16. NUNSENSE, Omaha Community Playhouse, 6915 Cass St., 553.0800, omahaplayhouse.com. Through Apr. 3, Wed.Sat., 7:30 p.m., Sun., 6:30 p.m., $40, $24/students.

poetry/comedy thursday 7

BETSY SHOLL, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Skutt Student Center Room 104, 7 p.m., FREE. Poet will read from selection of works.

COMEDY NIGHT AT THE SIDE DOOR, 3530 Leavenworth St., 8 p.m., $5. Every Thu. KEN DRUSE, Lauritzen Gardens, 1st & Bancroft St., omahabotanicalgardens.org, 5 p.m., $10. Lecture, “Secrets of the Garden: Myths, Mysteries and Miracles of Our Garden Favorites.” PROVOKE, Benson Grind, 6107 Maple St., 7 p.m. Hosted by Jack Hubbell. (1st & 3rd Thu.) TAMIM ANSARY, UNO Thompson Center, 6705 Dodge St., 7 p.m., unomaha.edu. Lecture: “An Afghan-American Odyssey: My Bi-Cultural Life in a Post 9-11 World”. WILLY VLAUTIN, Callen Conference Center, One Block East of 50th & St. Paul Ave., Nebraska Wesleyan, nebrwesleyan.edu, 6 p.m. Reading and talk. TAMMY PESCATELLI, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY 8

JAMES A. RAWLEY GRADUATE CONFERENCE IN HUMANITIES, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 12th & R St., unl.edu. NEBRASKA WRITERS GUILD SPRING CONFERENCE, Mahoney State Park, Main Lodge, Upper Level Meeting Rooms, $65. TAMIM ANSARY, Creighton University Mike and Josie Harper Center Hixson Lied Auditorium, creighton.edu, 7 p.m. Lecture: “Through Islamic Eyes a Parallel History of the World.” TAMMY PESCATELLI, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 7:30 p.m, 9:45 p.m.

SATURDAY 9

CLEAN PART READING SERIES, The Drift Station Gallery, 18th & N St., cleanpartreading.blogspot.com, 7 p.m. Featuring Michael Earl Craig and Christian Hawkey. JAMES A. RAWLEY GRADUATE CONFERENCE IN HUMANITIES, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 12th & R St., unl.edu. NEBRASKA WRITERS GUILD SPRING CONFERENCE, Mahoney State Park, Main Lodge, Upper Level Meeting Rooms, $65. POETRY SLAM & OPEN MIC, Omaha Healing Arts Center, 1216 Howard St., 345.5078, omahaslam.com, 7:30 p.m., $7 suggested donation. The longest-running slam in Omaha. (2nd Sat.) SHERLOCK HOLMES BOOK CLUB, The Bookworm, 87th & Pacific, bookwormomaha.com, 10 a.m. (2nd Saturday.) TAMMY PESCATELLI, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 7:30 p.m, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday 10

BOOKS AND BAGELS, The Bookworm, 87th and Pacific, 392.2877, bookwormomaha.com, 11 a.m. CASH-FOR-YOUR-WORDS TEEN POETRY BASH, W. Dale Clark Main Library, 215 S. 15th St., omahalibrary.org, 1:30 p.m. TAMMY PESCATELLI, Funny Bone, Village Pointe, 17305 Davenport St., funnnyboneomaha.com, 493.8036, 7 p.m.

monday 11

DUFFY’S COMEDY WORKSHOP, 1412 O St., Lincoln, 474.3543, myspace.com/duffystavern, 9 p.m. (every Mon.) POETRY AT THE MOON, Crescent Moon Coffee, 816 P St., Lincoln, 435.2828, crescentmoon@inebraska.com, 7 p.m. Open mic and featured readers. (every Mon.)

tuesday 12

SHOOT YOUR MOUTH OFF, The Hideout, 320 S. 72nd St., 504.4434, myspace.com/shootyourmouthoff, 9 p.m. Spoken word, comedy, music and chaos (every Tue.)

Wednesday 13

ACOUSTIC OPEN MIC FOR MUSICIANS & POETS, Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 S. St., Lincoln, 8 p.m., 477.2007. Hosted by Spencer. (every Wed.) INVISIBLE CHILDREN LECTURE, University of Nebraska at Omaha, 6001 Dodge St., unomaha.edu, 7 p.m. MIDWEST POETRY VIBE, Irie, 302 S. 11th St., 9 p.m., poetry, R&B, Neosoul music, live performances, concert DVD and food and drink. (Every Wed.) NECC VISITING WRITERS SERIES, Hawk’s Landing, Northeast Community College Campus, Norfolk, 7 p.m., FREE. Featuring M.L. Liebler. PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL: THE NEW JIM CROW, McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Farnam, 7 p.m., FREE. Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America. (every Wed.) WEDNESDAY WORDS, Nebraska Arts Council, Historic Burlington Place Bldg, 1004 Farnam St., Lower Level, Omaha, 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m., Featuring Richard Dooling. (2nd Wed.)

Desc.: Omaha Reader 10” x 10” Ad

Final Mats: PDF File

Art: Katie

Rev: 3

TuESDAY, JuNE 14

ON SALE FRIDAY Tickets on sale at www.stircove.com or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Must be 21 or older to attend shows or to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETSOFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700. ©2011, Caesars License Company, LLC.

V4_51350.1_10x10_4c_Ad.indd 1

| THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

4/5/11 2:23 PM

Digging Deeper Dark Dark Dark provides plenty to appreciate in their layered sound

by Chris Aponick

The record was recorded in and around Minneapolis and at a church in Duluth, Minn. He says the band was trying to have more natural, musical feeling in the recording they did, as a contrast to how they made their first album, The Snow Magic. They tried to go all live, all in a room and all analog. He says it was all an attempt to show how the band truly communicates as musicians. That’s something The Snow Magic missed. In fact, LaCount says he considers it less an album and more of a document of the band’s first two years of songwriting. Now that process consists of Invie writing

ark Dark Dark’s Marshall LaCount doesn’t want this to sound like a boast. Or that he’s an egotist. Really, all musicians are, he says. But that’s not why he’s hopeful and confident in the direction his band is taking. So there’s this: “I think we’re ready to make our really great record next,” LaCount says. And this is despite the fact that Dark Dark Dark’s latest album Wild Go just came out in late 2010. There’s nothing to be gained from touting these lofty expectations. LaCount says he’s just ready to do the album-recording thing again. He says he knows why Wild Go isn’t perfect in his mind and he feels as if the band’s skills as songwriters, arrangers and editors of their own work have them pointed towards making music that LaCount feels the band is capable of creating. “I’m excited by how we’ll keep growing,” he says. That’s certainly not to write off Wild Go, an elegantly dark dark dark conceived album of chamber pop. Led by singer Nona Marie Invie’s floating vocals and an eclectic instrumen- and LaCount editing the songs. Sometimes the tation that leans on eastern European flourishes. roles are reversed and sometimes LaCount will DeVotchKa and Joanna Newsom are obvious contribute lyrics to music Invie has created. Lacontemporaries, but Dark Dark Dark seem to be Count says he likes when they seemingly work in following their own muse, highlighted by a sense tandem. “I think it’s really special when we can colof grandeur on a track like “In Your Dreams.” It’s a rich palette, but they don’t let the layers get in laborate more directly,” he says. The band has spent most of its existence on the way of melody either. Even Wild Go and the subsequent touring the road, touring both here and overseas. The has been a fun period of growth for the band, schedule is so busy that LaCount hasn’t kept a permanent address for very long. LaCount says.

april 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

music

“I don’t live anywhere again. I just moved out of New Orleans,” he says. LaCount says the touring gives structure and activity to life on the road. It makes the traveling work-oriented, instead of just drifting about. It’s where the band likes to be, too. The band just returned from about three weeks worth of dates in France and immediately hit the road to Iowa City for a show. “We prefer to be out playing music for people,” he says. “We’re always on the road.” A 10-day break will precede the next run of dates that will bring the band through Omaha. Then the band will return to Europe in May. They have developed a surprising following abroad, drawing enthusiastic crowds in unexpected locales, LaCount says. The band is basically scheduled for the rest of the year. The members that have permanent homes won’t be there for any big chunk of time. For LaCount, that means he doesn’t have to think about where he’ll live next for quite some time. There’s now an infrastructure in place to regularly tour in Europe. That comes from the band having risked a lot early on to be able to find booking agents and labels to work with. They have been fortunate to have their hard work rewarded with the success they’ve had so far, he says. “These opportunities keep building around us,” LaCount says. , Dark Dark Dark w/ Honey & Darling play the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., Thursday, April 14 at 9 p.m. Tickets are $8. For more information, visit onepercentproductions.com.

n Stir Cove concert organizers have set the bar high in advance of their summer lineup announcement this Thursday. A July 5 Black Keys show is already sold out and now the Harrah’s Casino concert series is bringing Grammy-nominated folk rockers Mumford & Sons in for a June 14 show. Tickets for that one, on sale Friday, are $35. n Check out Delicate Steve Wednesday, April 14 at the Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple St. The five-piece indie rock band couple the deconstructed experimental rock of Grizzly Bear, Animal Collective and Akron/Family, but with some classic ’60s guitar pop signifiers. The Luaka Bopsigned act taps directly into its hooks, using off-kilter percussion and arrangements to add dimension to mostly instrumental songs. Songwriter Steve Marion checked in with the Reader via phone to talk about the band’s longest tour yet and how they got on the label founded by Talking Head’s David Byrne, which rereleased Delicate Steve’s delicate steve Wondervisions this year. The album, recorded in Marion’s home studio, came from a creative streak that saw Marion using equipment left in his space by friends, Marion says. Writing lyrics or singing never entered into the creation process, as Marion says he didn’t feel like he had anything to express vocally. Eventually, a band coalesced around the songs. Marion then sent out recordings to labels he thought might be a good fit, until an ex-Luaka Bop employee suggested the label after seeing the band live. “I felt kind of aimlessly trying to make something happen,” Marion says, adding that things quickly fell into place after he reached out to Luaka Bop. Delicate Steve’s Omaha show is $8. Bad Speler and DVH open. n Instead of attending Friday’s crush-mob It’s True CD release at the Waiting Room, I checked out three different weekend shows at the Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St. Sunday was the best bet, as Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack delivered big guitars, Wasner’s soaring vocals and Stack’s economical drumming. Opener Callers were a laidback, stripped-down noir-rock act perfect for a Sunday night. Thursday, Old 97’s played a set that overcame early-tour slop with big, countrified hooks. Saturday, Toro y Moi teased its indie-dance crowd with ’80s moodiness, but let them down with a too-short set.

backbeat

music

— Chris Aponick Backbeat takes you behind the scenes of the local music scene. Send tips, comments and questions to backbeat@thereader.com.

meet real women tonight try for

free

816.533.0048

Trim: 4.9" x 7.47" Live: 4.625" x 7.22 VO: ~ x ~ Desc.: Omaha Reader 4.9” x 7.47” Ad Final Mats: PDF File

Bleed: none Art: Carrie Rev: 0

Property: Harrah's Council Bluffs Project: Harrah’s Convention Job#: 50505.1 1:42 PM Show: 3/7/11 Ship: 3/8/11 Insert: 3/10/11 Vendor: Omaha Reader dMax: Trim: 4.9" x 7.47" Live: 4.625" x 7.22 VO: ~ x ~ Bleed: none Artist: Carrie Rev: 1 Desc.: Omaha Reader 4.9” x 7.47” Ad Final Mats: PDF File

More Local Numbers: 1.800.210.1010 18+

Ahora en Español

www.livelinks.com

A GUARANTEED GREAT NIGHT OUT

WISHBONE ASH MAY 12

Tickets available at whiskeyroadhouse.com, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

AARON LEWIS April 21

Tickets on sale at HarrahsCouncilBluffs.com or by phone at 888-512-SHOW.

I-29 South, Exit 1B | horseshoe.com

Must be 21 years or older to attend shows or to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2011, Caesars License Company, LLC.

| THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

lazy-i t h e

o m a h a

m u s i c

Locals indies celebrate Record Store Day April 16

W Open Group Auditions for Seasonal Positions Friday, April 29, 6 p.m. sharp · You must be 16 years of age or older

· No late arrivals will be permitted

· You must be available to work · weekdays and weekends in summer

· Come dressed to impress

We are looking for outgoing, friendly, enthusiastic, smiling, fun, happy and dedicated staff members. www.ocm.org 500 S 20th St. Omaha, NE

402-342-6164

e had time to kill before the 7:45 p.m. show at Aksarben Cinema, and having already grabbed a bite to eat decided for reasons of proximity to walk through Kohl’s, whose overly ambitious catchphrase is “Expect Great Things.” As I was strolling down one of the fluorescent-bright main aisles, somewhere between the jewelry counter and “notions” toward the checkout, I nearly stumbled over a stack of turntables smack-dab in the middle of the floor, marked $70 each. And I thought to myself, well, there really is no reason for any right-headed music fan to not buy vinyl now. If a place like Kohl’s, the very essence of midAmerican retail homogeneity, sells turntables (and for $70), all excuses have flown out the window. I tell you this as a precursor to heralding that Record Store Day is a week from Saturday — April 16. Begun a mere three years ago as a “celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA,” Record Store Day has become something of a holiday for collectors of music, whether it be released on vinyl or not. In Omaha, it’s celebrated by The Antiquarium, Drastic Plastic and the largest of the bunch, Homer’s Records. “It reconnects music fans with music stores,” says Homer’s general manager Mike Fratt. “After consumer habits (were) shifted away from music stores over the last 15 years by aggressive mass merchants, this gives indie stores an opportunity to level the playing field and generate loyalty.” If anything, Record Store Day is a reminder of what record stores used to be — way stations on the road to artistic maturity where fans discovered new music, new ideas and new possibilities that they never would have discovered on their own or on the radio. At their very core were the “record store guys,” whose job was to ask what you were into, and then point you in the direction of something you may not have considered or even heard of. It was from a Homer’s record store guy that I first discovered The Pixies, way before they became one of the most influential bands of the late-’80s and early-ë90s. All that, of course, was before the Internet, which while making music immediately accessible to just about everyone, also has effectively taken away most of the magic and mystery behind record collecting, while systematically crippling the industry. But I digress.

Lazy-i

s c e n e

b y

t i m

m c m a h a n

What started as a niche concept in 2008 has turned into a full-blown industry bonanza for record stores, labels and artists. “Just about any big name has a piece for RSD this year,” Fratt said, “from Lady Gaga to the Rolling Stones, from Syd Barrett to Rush.” And why not? When you consider that vinyl sales have nearly tripled since 2007, to 3 million units sold in 2010, you can see why major labels are beginning to get into the act, though Fratt said almost 90 percent of vinyl sales have been from indie label offerings. He said among the highlights for RSD this year are an AC/DC 7-inch, a “test pressing” of Big Star’s Third, a pink 10-inch from Kate Bush, a 12-inch of a new Fleet Foxes tune, a Jimi Hendrix 7-inch and a Nirvana 12-inch that reissues tunes of covers previously only released in Australia years ago. “Rush has a 7-inch, as does Pearl Jam, and Ryan Adams has a double 7-inch package,” Fratt said. It’s not just vinyl. The Decemberists recorded an in-store performance at Bull Moose (an indie store in Maine), which is one of a few CD offerings this year. “The Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen both have 7-inch releases, and The Flaming Lips collect their first five albums into an LP box set,” Fratt said. “The Lips LPs no longer are available separately, so this should be a big demand — albeit expensive — item.” He added that Warner Brothers Records has put together four, colored-vinyl split 7-inch singles that feature a different band on each side performing the same tune. “So, Green Day records a Husker Du classic with Husker’s version on the other side,” Fratt said. “The others include Jenny & Johnny with Gram Parsons & Emmy Lou Harris, Mastodon with ZZ Top, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers with the Ramones.” Hot stuff, and all in very limited supply. Fratt said with product available on a first-come basis, expect long lines at both the Old Market and Orchard Plaza stores. Both locations also will host special performances in the afternoon, including School of Rock out at Orchard, and a handful of DJs downtown (including, believe it or not, yours truly at 3 p.m.). The Antiquarium, home of Omaha’s punk and indie music scene, also is getting in on the RSD action with limited-edition vinyl releases from a handful of larger indie labels, including Matador, Sub Pop and Merge. While you’re there, check out their large selection of used vinyl and locally produced sides from such labels like Speed! Nebraska, who’s been carrying the vinyl torch since the mid-’90s. So mark April 16 on your calendar, go to RecordStoreDay.com for more details, and get ready to celebrate vinyl. And most importantly, remember Record Store Day doesn’t have to be just one day a year. ,

is a weekly column by long-time Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on the Omaha music scene. Check out Tim’s daily music news updates at his website, lazy-i.com, or email him at lazy-i@thereader.com.

april 7 - 13, 2011=

| THE READER |

lazy-i

b l u e s ,

r o o t s ,

a m e r i c a n a

a n d

A New Blog Site, Rockabilly, Blues and More

elcome to the new world of Hoodoo, where I’ll be giving you updates online as The Reader continually makes its transition to the web. Please come visit me at HoodooRootsBlues.blogspot.com. Reader column content will also be reposted. Look for the next print version of the column in the April 21 issue and please bookmark the blog site.

Pinetop Perkins Remembered The great blues piano man Pinetop Perkins passed peacefully in his sleep on March 21, 2011, at the age of 97. Pinetop was an active presence in his adopted hometown of Austin, Texas, where he was checking out shows at SXSW the week before he died. Pinetop was always dressed to the nines, still smoked and had an eye for the ladies, according to friends. Perkins was buried in Clarksdale, Miss., on April 2. Find more on Perkins’ career and the foundation established in his name to help fledgling and senior musicians at PinetopPerkins.com.

21st Saloon Blues So far attendance at the early Thursday 5:30 p.m. blues shows under the new ownership has had great fan support. Remember that consistent audience attendance is the key to the series remaining at the 21st Saloon, formerly The New Lift and Murphy’s. Thursday, April 7, don’t miss Chicago’s guitardriven Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, multiple winners of the Blues Music Award for Band of the Year. Thursday, April 14, Chicago’s jump-blues band Nick Moss & The Flip Tops take the stage. Wednesday, April 20, there’s a special show with rockin’ guitarist Mike Zito at 5:30 p.m. And Thursday, April 21, blues-rock guitar star Chris Duarte plugs in. Thursday, April 28, veteran showman Guitar Shorty is scheduled. Thursday shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Watch OmahaBlues.com for updates and for other blues shows in the metro.

Zoo Bar Blues The Zoo Bar is gearing up for its summer anniversary celebration in July. Headlining the outdoor stage Friday, July 8, is the great Dave Alvin and Saturday, July 9, it’s keyboard queen Kelley Hunt. Tuesday, April 26, the Zoo has a special early 6-9 p.m. show with the soulful and sultry Janiva Magness. Highlights from the next couple of weeks include a double-bill with Son of 76 & The Watchmen and Stonebelly Friday, April 8. Chicago’s Nick

hoodoo

m o r e

B y

B . J .

h u c h t e m a n n

Moss & the Flip Tops play Wednesday, April 13, 6-9 p.m. See ZooBar.com for the full schedule.

Rockabilly Revival Omaha Rockabilly Night No. 4 revs up Thursday, April 14, after 8 p.m. This is a free 21 and over show at Gator O’Malley’s featuring Cat Club from Spain and The Afterdarks from Iowa. Join the Omaha Rockabilly group on Facebook to stay up to date on these events. It’s really fun to see a new generation of music fans embracing old-school rockabilly, including retro clothes and vintage rides. Also check out The Sandbox at 2406 Leavenworth Saturday, April 16, at 9 p.m. for three hot rockabilly bands including Reckless Ones from Minneapolis, Th’ Empires from Indiana and The Blacktop Ramblers from Omaha. This is an all-ages show.

Nebraska Blues Challenge The winning band in the Nebraska Blues Challenge will represent the Blues Society of Omaha in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in February 2012. The IBC is run and judged by the national Blues Foundation. See Blues.org for details. Area bands had about six weeks to enter the Nebraska Blues Challenge. A judging panel will select what bands advance to play again in the finals, but the whole series of shows is open to the public. We all know bands are more excited to play in front of an audience, so consider coming out to support our local talent. Sunday, April 10, at The 21st Saloon hear Swampboy Blues Band (2 p.m.), Matt Gagne & The Blues Experience (3 p.m.), Chuck Brown & The Basement Devils (4 p.m.) and The Brad Cordle Band (5 p.m.). Sunday, April 17, playing at the Zoo Bar are The Blues Orchestra (2 p.m.), Son of 76 & The Watchmen (3 p.m.), Lil’ Slim Blues Band (4 p.m.) and Levi William (5 p.m.). There will be one more preliminary round on May 1 at The Waiting Room and winners from the preliminary rounds will perform again for the judges in the finals on May 15 at The 21st Saloon. Check OmahaBlues.com for details.

Hot Notes Tickets are on sale now at ETix.com for soul great Curtis Salgado at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theatre Saturday, May 14. Brad Cordle Band opens. Travelling Mercies has just released a new disc called Ghosts in the Bloodline. Catch the band at Barley Street Tavern Saturday, April 16, and get a copy of this vibey mix of electric troubadour gypsy folk that rocks. Tuesday, April 19, Kris Lager Band is featured all evening at Slowdown. ,

Hoodoo is a weekly column focusing on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a Reader senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who has covered the local music scene for nearly 20 years.

hoodoo

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

2234 South 13th Street Omaha, NE 68108 346 - 9802 www.sokolundground.com

livemusiccalendar

SEND CALENDAR INFORMATION — including addresses, dates, times, costs and phone numbers — to The Reader’s calendar editor. Mail to or drop off information at P.O. Box 7360 Omaha, NE 68107; email to listings@thereader.com; fax to (402) 341.6967. Deadline is 5 p.m. the Thursday prior to issue date.

THU 4/07/2011

FRI 4/08/2011

SAT 4/09/2011

SUN 4/10/2011

THU 4/14/2011

BASSNECTAR DOORS @ 7:30SHOW @ 8:30 AUDITORIUM JAH KINGS W/ THE BISHOPS DOORS @ 7:30SHOW @ 8:30 BYLETH CD RELEASE PARTY W/ VOLUMES, BETRAYAL, SUPERIOR, GREG THE HERO, AND KINGMAKER DOORS @ 6:00SHOW @ 6:30 AFTON PRESENTS: TIME MACHINE IMPRESSIONISTS, BUFFINGTON, SHERIDAN BREAKDOWN & GUESTS DOORS @ 6:00SHOW @ 6:30 AFTON PRESENTS: B.O.L.D. BUILT ON A LOYAL DEVOTION, NEOS. B, BARD, RED “THA DON”, YANKEE KID AND RITEZ, QUIN , HISPRAISE, YOUNG&SUCCESSFUL, GABE, STREET LEAGUE, LIL JO, BEEAZY, REZIN THA UNDERDAWG FEATURING E, TAURUS DOORS @ 6:00SHOW @ 6:30

thursday 7

LIL’ ED & THE BLUES IMPERIALS, (blues) 5:30 p.m., 21st Saloon, $12. ADAM HOTZ, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, FREE. PARASITE DIET, (rock) 9 p.m., Barley St Tavern, $5. KRNU BENEFIT // FASHION SHOW W/ THE BETTIES, CAMERON MCGILL AND WHAT ARMY, LIFE OF A SCARECROW, MASSES, THE SHOW IS THE RAIN BOW, (various) 8 p.m., Bourbon, $5, $7/under 21. LOOM WEAVES MASTER KEV, (DJ) 8 p.m., Espana, $5. LIL JOE & BIG TROUBLE, (blues) 9 p.m., Gator O’Malley’s. THE UNDERDAWGZ, G STATUS, GHETTO JUICE, FUTURE BOIZ, WE ALL HERE, (rap) 8 p.m., Knickerbockers. JON NAKAMATSU, (piano) 7:30 p.m., Lied Center, $25., $12.50/students. CHRIS SAUB, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Myth, FREE. SWAMPJAM, (blues) 8 p.m., Perry’s Place, FREE. THE IRONY BAND, RYON HRUSKA, (rock/jam) 8 p.m., Pizza Shoppe Collective, $7. AMERICAN COUNTRY SHOWCASE, (country) 5 p.m., Rednecks, FREE. KRASHKARMA, (rock) 8 p.m., Side Door. DAVID DONDERO, FRANZ NICOLAY, (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m., Slowdown, $10.

READER RECOMMENDS

BASSNECTAR, ESKMO, INFLECT, (electronic) 8:30 p.m., Sokol Auditorium, $25/adv, $30/dos. JR HOSS, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. GUNSHOT ITCH, MEGATON, SHIDIOTS, BLACK ON HIGH, (rock) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $7. COX CLASSIC BATTLE OF THE BANDS, (rock) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse, FREE. BLU SIMON, (rock) 9 p.m., Your Moms Downtown Bar. SOLID GOLD, HEMP, (jam/rock) 9:30 p.m., Zoo Bar, $5.

FRIDAY 8

KEVIN GIBSON, GREG K, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, $5. CHESHIRE GRIN, (cover) 9 p.m., Arena, FREE. BORING DAYLIGHTS, MATT COX BAND, DAN TEDESCO, (rock/blues) 9 p.m., Barley St. Tavern, $5. OPEN DECKS W/ BASSTHOVEN, BENTONE, BLAC, (DJ) 9 p.m., Bourbon, FREE, $5/under 21. LEMON FRESH DAY, (cover) 9 p.m., Brewsky’s Park Drive. HARD ATTACK, (cover) 9 p.m., Chrome, FREE. CHRIS VAN DYKE, MICHAEL TODD, (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m., Cultiva. JR HOSS, (acoustic) 5 p.m., Cunningham’s, FREE. CHARM SCHOOL DROPOUTS, (cover) 9 p.m., Cunningham’s, FREE. TIJUANA GIGOLOS, (blues/rock) 6:30 p.m., Duggan’s, $5.

READER RECOMMENDS

MusicOmahaShow.com

The Documentary three-part episode

With Special Guest:

Andrew Jay

From Rock Paper Dynamite

April 7 - 13, 2011

BRAD CORDLE BAND, (blues) Havana Garage. MARIACHI LUNA Y SOL, (mariachi) 6:30 p.m., Hector’s. TENDEAD, SURREAL THE MC, UNDER SHALLOW GROUND, (various) 9 p.m., The Hideout, $5. MACARONI DRIVE BENEFIT SHOW FOR THE SIENA FRANCIS HOUSE W/ JOE CHAMPION, SCRATCH HOWL, IT’S ME SWEETUMS, BLACK HAWKS, (punk/ rock) 7:30 p.m., The Hole, $6. THE WAYBACKS, (rock) 8 p.m., Holland Center, $25-$30. RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN “AT THE MOVIES” CONDUCTED BY ERNEST RICHARDSON, (symphony) 8 p.m., Holland Center, $15-$80. HOT 8 BRASS BAND, (jazz) 8 p.m., IWCC Art Center, $33. CURSIVE, PHARMACY SPIRITS, THE-SO-SO SAILORS, (indie/rock) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers, $12. PERSONICS, (cover) 9:30 p.m., Loose Moose, FREE. MIDWEST EXPLOSION THE REUP W/ RUKA PUFF DJ KWICKSTARR, DIAMON G, (rap) 8 p.m., Louis.

| THE READER |

music listings

TOUCH OF JAZZ CHOIR CONCERT, (jazz) 7:30 p.m., O’Donnell Auditorium, FREE. LADYCOP, (rock) 9:30 p.m., O’Leaver’s, $5. JOSH HEARD, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Oscar’s, FREE. THE CONFIDENTIALS, (cover) 9 p.m., Ozone, FREE. THE GOLDEN HOUR, 8 p.m., Pizza Shoppe Collective, $5. GROOVE PUPPET, (cover) 9:30 p.m., red9. SEANACHAI, (celtic) 7:30 p.m., Scottish Rite Center, $15. THE BOOZE, THE BITERS, ROCK PAPER DYNAMITE, SNAKE ISLAND, (punk/rock) 9 p.m., Slowdown, $8. STOVALL, (acoustic) 7 p.m., Soaring Wings, FREE. JAH KINGS, THE BISHOPS, (reggae) 8:30 p.m., Sokol Underground, $10.

READER RECOMMENDS

LANDING ON THE MOON, (indie/rock) 9 p.m., Stir Live, $5. RICARDO IZNAOLA, (guitar) 7:30 p.m., Strauss Center, $10. HI-FI HANGOVER, (cover) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. BAD FATHERS, (rock) 9 p.m., Venue 162. THAT 1 GUY, MITCH GETTMAN BAND, (rock/experimental) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $12/adv, $14/dos. RED HOTT BAND, (cover) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse, FREE. UNCUT, (acoustic) 9 p.m., Your Moms Downtown Bar. THE BLUES MESSENGERS, (blues) 5 p.m., Zoo Bar, $5. SON OF 76 AND THE WATCHMEN, STONEBELLY, (blues) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, $6.

SATURDAY 9

LJ, ROB BEATZ, (DJ) 9 p.m., 415, $5. THE RUMBLES, (cover) 9 p.m., Amerisports Bar, FREE. CHESHIRE GRIN, (cover) 9 p.m., Arena, FREE. ALL YOUNG GIRLS ARE MACHINE GUNS, THE CARDS, VAGO, (folk) 9 p.m., Barley St. Tavern, $5. SANDY CREEK PICKERS W/ MATT BANTA, (folk) 5 p.m., Bourbon, $6, $8/under 21. RYAT, KID B, GLOWORM, (electronic/experimental) 8 p.m., Bourbon, $5, $7/under 21. HARD ATTACK, (cover) 9 p.m., Chrome, FREE. THE SILVER RABBIT, BAD SMELER, DJ NEIL JUNG, DE LEONS, (electronic) 7:30 p.m., Cultiva, FREE. TAXI DRIVER, (cover) 7 p.m., Cunningham’s, $5. ATOMOTA, (punk/pop) 6 p.m., Duffy’s. HADLEY, (flamenco) 6 p.m., Espana. BRAD CORDLE BAND, (blues) Havana Garage. DUNDEE STRANGLER, THE MATADOR, DUSK BLED DOWN, THE NIGHTMARE PARADOX, (metal) 8 p.m., Hideout, $5, $7/under 21.

READER RECOMMENDS

CORDIAL SPEW, EASTERN TURKISH, BALTIC TO BOARD- WALK, I APPARATUS, BIG ELEPHANT, SCRATCH OWL, (rock) 7:30 p.m., The Hole, $6. RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN “AT THE MOVIES” CONDUCT ED BY ERNEST RICHARDSON, (symphony) 8 p.m., Holland Center, $15-$80. SEANACHAI, JILL ANDERSON, THE NORTHWEST H.S. SINGERS, (celtic) 7:30 p.m., Holland Center, $15. STRAIGHT OUTTA JUNIOR HIGH, ALWAYS REMEMBER TODAY, A SUMMER BETTER THAN YOURS, (punk) 6 p.m., Knickerbockers. A SUMMER BETTER THAN YOURS, ONE HEADLIGHT HIGH, (punk) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers. LOS LONELY BOYS, (latin) 7:30 p.m., Lied Center, $29-$39, $15-$19/students. ST NOV, MIKE JORDAN, GLENN WOODY HENKEL, (singer- songwriter) 9 p.m., Louis, $5. CHAMBER FESTIVAL CONCERT, (classical) 7:30 p.m., O’Donnell Auditorium, FREE. DESPERATE BANDWIVES, (cover) 9 p.m., Ozone, FREE. MIRANDA LAMBERT, JUSTIN MOORE, JOSH KELLEY, (country) 7:30 p.m., Pershing Center, $26.25-$47.25.

AVARICIOUS, (cover) 9 p.m., Prestige, FREE. BLAIR HIGH ROAD, (cover) 9:30 p.m., red9. ELVIS TRIBUTE SHOW W/ JOESEPH HALL, (cover) 8 p.m., Rococo Theatre, $30. MOUNTAIN MAN, LOCKJAW, VANDAL EYES, DISCOURSE, (punk/rock) 9 p.m., Sandbox, $7. THROWDOWN AT SLOWDOWN: A GOWING AWAY PARTY FOR JWRECK W/ KOBRAKYLE, $PENCELOVE, ENSO, JWRECK VS. MELLO MIC, VJ DINAN, (DJ) 9 p.m., Slowdown, $2. BYLETH, VOLUMES, BETRYAL, SUPERIOR, GREG THE HERO, KINGMAKER, (rock) 6:30 p.m., Sokol Underground, $8. BROKEN CROWN, FIZZ, (grunge/rock) 9 p.m., Stir Live, $5. HI-FI HANGOVER, (cover) 9 p.m., Two Fine Irishmen, FREE. THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME, LEARNING TO FLOYD, (tribute) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $7. BLUE HOUSE, (blues) 9 p.m., Woodcliff Restaurant. SHURTHING, (cover) 9 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse, FREE. SON DEL LLANO, (blues/latin) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, $6.

SUNDAY 10

NEBRASKA BLUES CHALLENGE PRELIM W/ SWAMPBOY BLUES BAND, MATT GAGNE AND THE BLUES EXPERIENCE, UCK ROWN & THE BASEMENT DEVILS, BRAD CORDLE BAND, (blues) 2 p.m., 21st Saloon, $5. RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN “AT THE MOVIES” CONDUCTED BY ERNEST RICHARDSON, (symphony) 2 p.m., Holland Center, $15-$80. SWAMPJAM, (blues) 3 p.m., Millard VFW, FREE.

READER RECOMMENDS

PRAIRIE GATORS, (rock) 2 p.m., New Old Bar, FREE. JEFF TOMES, (acoustic) 2 p.m., Soaring Wings, FREE. TIME MACHINE IMPRESSIONISTS, BUFFINGTON, SHERIDAN BREAKDOWN, (rock) 6:30 p.m., Sokol Underground, $8/adv, $12/dos. DUO CELLO-PIANO RECITAL W/ DAVID LOW & RIAMANTA VINGRAS, (classical) 7:30 p.m., Strauss Hall, $5. RYAT, THE SHOW IS THE RAINBOW, EMA S, JOYRIDE, (rock/electronic) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $7. AUDITION NIGHT W/ 5 SIMPLE FOOLS, (cover) 7 p.m., Whiskey Roadhouse, FREE.

MONDAY 11

MONDAY NIGHT BIG BAND W/ DEAN HAIST, (jazz) 7:30 p.m., Brewsky’s Jazz Underground, $6, $5/students. TIM KOEHN ACOUSTIC JAM, (blues) 8:30 p.m., Dueces Lounge, FREE. MIKE GURCIULLO AND HIS LAS VEGAS LAB BAND, (jazz) 6:30 p.m., Ozone, FREE. BENEFIT FOR THE SIENA FRANCIS HOUSE W/ BLUE MARTIAN TRIBE, THE BUTCHERS, THE BIATOMIC POINT, (rock) 8 p.m., Waiting Room, $7.

TUESDAY 12

DUB LOUNGE, (DJ) 9 p.m., Bourbon, FREE, $5/under 21.

READER RECOMMENDS

RIKK AGNEW, SNAKE ISLAND, (rock) 9 p.m., Brother’s, $5. DAVE POLSON, (jazz) 9:30 p.m., Side Door, FREE. TJTUANA, WOODSMAN, GRAB ASS, MORALTON EGGTRADE, (experimental) 9 p.m., Slowdown, $7. JOE FIRSTMAN, MARIANNE KEITH, (singer-songwriter) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $8.

Wednesday 13

MIMOSA, ARCHNEMESIS, BASSTHOVEN, EHRMAN, (electronic/DJ) 9 p.m., Bourbon, $10/adv, $12/dos. TIM KOEHN ACOUSTIC JAM, (blues) 8 p.m., Brass Monkey. STICK IT TO THE DANCE FLOOR, (DJ) 9 p.m., Duffy’s. THE HIGH PILOTS, ANTENNAS UP, SMALL TOWN HOPE, (rock) 9 p.m., Knickerbockers. DECKER, (rock) 8:30 p.m., The Grove, $5. I WAS TOTALLY DESTROYING IT, LIGHTNING BUG, CASHES RIVERS, PONY WARS, (rock) 9 p.m., Slowdown, $7. DELICATE STEVE, DVH, BAD SPELER, (rock) 9 p.m., Waiting Room, $8. NICK MOSS, (blues) 6 p.m., Zoo Bar, $10. EDGE OF ARBOR, BROTHERS TANDEM, MIKE GOOD, (rock) 9 p.m., Zoo Bar, $4.

VENUES

Ameristar Casino, 2200 River Rd., Council Bluffs, ameristar.com Arena Bar & Grill, 3809 N. 90th St., 571.2310, arenaomaha.com BarFly, 707 N. 114th St., 504.4811 Barley Street Tavern, 2735 N. 62nd St., 554.5834, barleystreet.com Bourbon Theatre, 1415 O St., Lincoln, 730.5695 Duffyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Tavern, 1412 O St., Lincoln, 474.3453, myspace.com/duffystavern The Hideout, 302 S. 72nd St. Knickerbockerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, 901 O St., Lincoln, 476.6865, knickerbockers.net LIV Lounge, 2279 S. 67thâ&#x20AC;¯St. livlounge.com Louis Bar and Grill, 5702 NW Radial Hwy., 551.5993 McKennaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blues, Booze & BBQ, 7425 Pacific St., 393.7427, mckennasbbq.com New Lift Lounge, 4737 S. 96th St., 339.7170 Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Leaverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pub, 1322 S. Saddle Creek Rd., 556.1238, myspace.com/oleaverspub Ozone Lounge at Anthonyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Steakhouse, 72nd and F, 331.7575, ozoneclubomaha. com.

Pizza Shoppe Collective, 6056 Maple St., 556.9090, pscollective.com Qwest, 455 N. 10th St., qwestcenteromaha. com Side Door, 3530 Leavenworth St., 504.3444. Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St., 345.7569, theslowdown.com Sokol Hall, 2234 S. 13th St., 346.9802, sokolundergound.com The Sydney, 5918 Maple St., 932.9262, thesydneybenson.com Stir, 1 Harrahs Blvd., Council Bluffs, harrahs.com Venue 162, 162 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs, 712.256.7768, myspace.com/ venue162 Waiting Room, 6212 Maple St., 884.5353, waitingroomlounge.com Whiskey Roadhouse, Horseshoe Casino, 2701 32nd Ave., Council Bluffs, whiskeyroadhouse.com Your Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Downtown Bar, 1512 Howard St., 345.0180 Zoo Bar, 136 N.14th St., Lincoln, zoobar. com

UPCOMING SHOWS

Life as a musician means continual evolution. With their sixth album, The King Is Dead, The Decemberists illustrate the power that comes from this kind of creative call-and-response. Inspired by a move to a more rural area outside the bandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s base of Portland, Oregon, they started working on the kind of project they had long been thinking aboutâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a set of more stripped-down, country-based songs.

SUNDAY, 4/17/11 8:00PM @ THE HOLLAND CENTER

THE DECEMBERISTS

w/ ESKMO & Inï¬&#x201A;ect

THURSDAY, 4/07/11 9:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM GUNSHOT ITCH

w/ Megaton, Shidiots, & Black On High

THURSDAY, 4/07/11 9:00PM @ SLOWDOWN DAVID DONDERO / FRANZ NICOLAY

FRIDAY, 4/08/11 9:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM THAT 1 GUY w/ Mitch Gettman Band

FRIDAY, 4/08/11 9:00PM @ KNICKERBOCKERS - 18+ CURSIVE

w/ Pharmacy Spirits & The So-So Sailors

SATURDAY, 4/09/11 9:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME

SUNDAY, 4/10/11 9:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM RYAT

MONDAY, 4/11/11 8:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM BENEFIT FOR THE SIENA FRANCIS HOUSE

TUESDAY, 4/12/11 9:00PM @ THE WAITING ROOM JOE FIRSTMAN

THURSDAY, 4/07/11 8:30PM @ SOKOL AUDITORIUM BASSNECTAR

w/ The Show Is The Rainbow

5JDLFUT 0O 4BMF 'SJEBZ "QSJM BU ".

MON. JULY 11 / ORPHEUM THEATER

409 South 16th St. Omaha, NE / ALL AGES / 7:30 PM TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE AT WWW.TICKETOMAHA.COM, CHARGE BY PHONE 402-345-0606 OR AT THE TICKET OMAHA BOX OFFICE (13TH & DOUGLAS STREETS)

SPOTLIGHT SHOW

w/ Justin Townes Earle

w/ Blue Martian Tribe, The Butchers, & The Biatomic Point

4/13/11 DELICATE STEVE 4/14/11 THE WONDER YEARS / FIREWORKS 4/14/11 DARK DARK DARK 4/15/11 SECRET WEAPON 4/15/11 CONDUITS 4/16/11 STARF*CKER 4/16/11 AFTER THE FALL 4/17/11 BATTLE OF THE BANDS 4/18/11 THE SUBMARINES 4/19/11 COLLIE BUDDZ

w/ Learning To Floyd

w/ Marianne Keith

4/20/11 SURREALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S 9TH ANNUAL 420 EVENT 4/20/11 THE CIVIL WARS 4/21/11 THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS 4/22/11 FOUND FOOTAGE FEST 4/22/11 BACK WHEN 4/23/11 ME2 4/25/11 THE BLACK LIPS 4/26/11 HED PE / MUSHROOMHEAD 4/26/11 HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS 4/27/11 JUNIP

More Information and Tickets Available at

WWW.ONEPERCENTPRODUCTIONS.COM

music listings

| THE READER |

April 7 - 13, 2011

RAVES:

A KNOCKOUT!

“

LIKE NOTHING YOU’VE EVER SEEN!”

– PETER TRAVERS

SAOIRSE

ERIC

RONAN

BANA T DIRECTED BY JOE WRIGH BROTHERS CHEMICAL E TH BY E OR SC L NA ORIGI

CATE

BLANCHETT and

nload a (436287) and dow

US AL BROTHERS Text HANNA to 4FOC ten by THE CHEMIC FREE RINGTONEAGEwrit APPLY. AND DATA RATES MAY for the film. MESS

sfeatures itunes.com/focu soundtrack sive To buy the exclu ical Brothers from The Chembehind the and a look NA scenes of HAN

FRIDAY, APRIL 8TH ADAPT OR DIE Omaha Weekly Reader • Thu 4/7 • 2x5.35’’

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS ACCEPTED

JobID#: 492657 Name: 0407_Han_OMhWkRd.pdf #100 4/4/11 10:23 AM pt

GIBSON ~ EMG ~ DIMARZIO ~ ZILDIAN CRATE ~ EPIPHONE RED BEAR ~ HAMER

Celebrando

*492657*

50% OFF

Shure 58

with stand

presented by

4-8 de Mayo, 2011

6 de Mayo GRUPO CONTROL Plaza de la Raza, 25 y N 7:00 p.m.

ONLY $99

www.RainbowMusicOmaha.com

Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater 14th & Mike Fahey Street (formerly Webster Street)

New this Week Jane Eyre

First-Run (PG-13) Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Starts Friday, April 8!

“Beautiful. A splendid example of how to turn a beloved work of classic literature into a movie.”

Great Directors: Fellini La strada 1954 Friday, April 8 - Thursday, April 14 Winner of the first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

—A.O. Scott, The New York Times

More info & showtimes 402.933.0259 · filmstreams.org Facebook & Twitter: /filmstreams

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

“A classic for a new generation! Mia Wasikowska (ALICE IN WONDERLAND) is splendid. Michael Fassbender (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, FISH TANK) is superb.” —Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

| THE READER |

The Met: Live in HD Le Comte Ory Rossini

Live: Saturday, April 9, 12pm* Encore: Wednesday, April 13, 6pm

*Prelude Talk by Opera Omaha starting at 11am.

Family & Children’s Series The Sound of Music 1965 New 35mm Print! April 7, 8, 9, 10, 14

Coming Soon Putty Hill First-Run Hamilton 2006

Director Matt Porterfield In Person: Saturday, April 16, 7pm (PUTTY HILL) & Sunday, April 17, 1pm (HAMILTON) More info at filmstreams.org

CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SOUND INFORMATION AND SHOWTIMES

CREIGHTON Welcome to Our House!

BASEBALL

SOFTBALL

u Creighton vs. Kansas State Tuesday, Apr. 12 @ 3 p.m.

u Creighton vs. North Dakota Tuesday, Apr. 12 @ 3 p.m. (DH) u Creighton vs. Nebraska Wednesday, Apr. 13 @ 6 p.m.

Baseball & softball home games played at the Creighton Sports Complex (22nd & Burt St.) DH = Doubleheader

Tickets: 280-JAYS

WWW.GOCREIGHTON.COM

newsoftheweird

T H E WO R L D G O N E F R E A K Y B Y Z W I T H I L LU S T R AT I O N S B Y T O M B R I S C O E

Beware the Underwear

en. Than Shwe of Myanmar, leader of Asia’s most authoritarian regime, made a rare public appearance in February but dressed in a women’s sarong. Most likely, according to a report on AOL News, he was challenging the country’s increasingly successful “panty protests” in which females opposed to the regime toss their underwear at the leaders or onto government property to, according to superstition, weaken the oppressors. (Men wear sarongs, too, in Myanmar, but the general’s sarong was uniquely of a design worn by women.) An internet site run by the protesters urges sympathetic women worldwide to “post, deliver or fling” panties at any Burmese embassy.

The Continuing Crisis The “F State’s” Legislature at Work: Florida Senate Bill 1246, introduced in February, would make it a first-degree felony to take a picture of any farmland, even from the side of the road, without written permission of the land’s owner. (The bill is perhaps an overenthusiastic attempt to pre-empt campaigns by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.) Though Florida faces a serious budget shortfall, another Senate bill, 1846, would authorize the state to borrow money for golf courses and resorts in at least five state parks and would require that the courses be designed by golf legend Jack Nicklaus’ firm. (Update: SB1846 was too excessive even for Florida and was withdrawn.) No Sense of Shame: Nurse Sarah Casareto resigned in February from Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and faced possible

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

weird news

criminal charges, after allegedly swiping the painkiller fentanyl from her patient’s IV line as he was undergoing kidney-stone surgery (telling him once to “man up” when he complained about the pain). Karen Remsing, 42, stands accused of much the same thing after her November arrest involving an unspecified pain medicine delivered by IV at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Children’s Hospital. However, Remsing’s case was different in that the IV line being shorted was that of her own, terminally ill, 15year-old son. New Orleans clothing designer Cree McCree, an ardent environmentalist, ordinarily would never work with animal fur, but the Louisiana state pest, the nutria (swamp rat), is culled in abundance by hunters, who leave the carcasses where they fall. Calling its soft-brown coat “guilt-free fur that belongs on the runway instead of at the bottom of the bayou,” McCree has encouraged a small industry of local designers to create nutria fashions — and in November went big-time with a New York City show (“Nutria-palooza”). Now, according to a November New York Times report, designers Billy Reid and Oscar de la Renta are sampling nutria’s “righteous fur.”

Bright Ideas In late 2010, a Georgia utility contractor discovered an elaborate “internet-controlled network of web-accessible cameras” and three shotguns aimed into a food-garden plot on a Georgia Power Company right of way (as reported by the Augusta Chronicle in January). The Georgia

COPYRIGHT 2011 CHUCK SHEPHERD. Visit Chuck Shepherd daily at NewsoftheWeird.blogspot.com or NewsoftheWeird.com. Send Weird News to WeirdNewsTips@yahoo.com or P.O. Box 18737, Tampa, FL 33679. Illustrations by Tom Briscoe (smallworldcomics.com).

Wildlife Resources Division and U.S. Homeland Security took a look, but by then, the structure had been moved. (Homeland Security speculated that the set-up was to keep feral hogs away from the food stock.) Principal Angela Jennings of Rock Chapel Elementary School in Lithonia, Ga., resigned after an investigation revealed that she had temporarily unenrolled 13 students last year for the sole purpose of keeping them from annual statewide tests because she feared their scores would drag down her school’s performance. (When the test was over, Jennings re-enrolled them.) The resignation, effective in June, was revealed in February by Atlanta’s WSB-TV. Artists Adam Zaretsky and Tony Allard told AOL News in February of their plans to create “bio-art” based on an epoxy-preserved “glob” of feces excreted by the counterculture novelist William S. Burroughs (who died in 1997). The pair would isolate Burroughs’ DNA, make copies, soak them in gold dust, and, with a laboratory “gene gun,” shoot the mixture into blood, feces and semen to create “living bio-art.” (Zaretsky was less certain when asked what was actually being produced, suggesting that they may call their work a “living cut-up literary device” or just a mutant sculpture. Zaretsky is a Ph.D. candidate at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Allard is a college professor in San Diego.)

People Different From Us Over the last 10 years, newspaper vendor Miljenko Bukovic, 56, of Valparaiso, Chile, has acquired 82 Julia Roberts face tattoos on his upper body — all, he said, inspired by scenes from the movie “Erin Brockovich.” On Feb. 21, Jessica Davey, 22, of Salisbury, England, saw that her car had been wrongly immobilized with a boot. Angry at probably missing work,

she locked herself in the car, thus impeding the tow truck, and remained for 30 hours, until a parking inspector dropped by and removed the boot.

Least Competent Criminals Not Ready for Prime Time: Arkeen Thomas, 19, broke into a home in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in March, but the residents were present, and the male resident immediately punched Thomas in the mouth, sending him fleeing. (Minutes later, a woman identified as Thomas’ mother arrived, picked up her son’s gold teeth that had been knocked out, and left.) In March, Briton Luke Clay, 21, was sentenced to eight months in prison by a Nottingham Crown Court judge for a home invasion. Luke and his brother fled the home empty-handed after the resident, Joan Parmenter, 79, knocked Luke down with one punch to the jaw.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra • Mondays 8 PM Live at the Concertgebouw • Tuesdays 8 PM Modern Classics • Fridays 6pm Midnight Special • Fridays Midnight Metropolitan Opera • Saturdays Noon Classical Guitar Alive • Sundays 10 AM Composer Spotlight • Sundays 11 AM Going Beyond Words • Sundays Noon From The Top • Sundays 5 PM New York Philharmonic • Sundays 6 PM

Thanks for your support! Call 402-554-5866 or go online to KVNO.ORG and make your pledge of support now!

WWW.KVNO.ORG

Recurring Themes Another “Sovereign” Citizen: In February, the Sarasota (Fla.) Police Department fired veteran homicide detective Tom Laughlin, almost a year after he had filed formal papers identifying himself a s part of the “sovereign” movement, whose members believe they are beyond the control of any government and can establish their own financial system (which usually makes them much richer — on paper), among other assertions. (The U.S. Constitution is cited as their authority, but only the original and not the popular version, which is a sham secretly switched with the original by President Abraham Lincoln.) In a subsequent interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Laughlin, who had a strong record as a detective, acknowledged that maybe he had gotten carried away. ,

>7FFO >EKH

MON THRU FRI 2-7 Try our WORLD FAMOUS Bloody Marys 4556 LEAVENWORTH ST. • 402-551-4850 weird news

| THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

planetpower w ee k l y

h oroscopes

elcome, spring! Barefoot people love spring. Blessed be. The Full Moon in Libra is on Palm Sunday, the 17th, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still 50/50. Which â&#x20AC;&#x153;50â&#x20AC;? are you in? The same planet that rules generosity rules luck. Even as we speak, Jupiter is conjunct the Sun in mid-Aries. Forget Mercury retrograde in Aries for a dangerous second. To balance (Saturn in opposition in Libra), go deep, spiritually. Bet it all on red 13 and give it a spin! Sometimes one must venture outside of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s self to find oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Self. Humbly seek a/the life with more meaning. Blessings all around. â&#x20AC;&#x201D; MOJOPOPlanetPower.com a ARIES (3.21-4.20) Moonday, April 11th, 2011 at 11 in the p.m., Mercury retrograde conjuncts Jupiter at 17 degrees Aries. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BIG; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s meant to be (?) and/maybe itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not ready yet. You/itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll realize the truth around the New Moon in Taurus May 3rd; so donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t act â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til you know/find the truth. You are sooooo hot to trot? How does the MOJO know? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Spring! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your thing. Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s psee what the Psychic Pstork can bring? Shing-a-ling! This is your (re)birth of births! Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got two HOT months (April/May) coming up. Potentialize in April and manifest in May. Be careful and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be cool. b TAURUS (4.21-5.20) Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got two more weeks to dream, to happen, to make the scene. You may wake up in May; or so it shall seem. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be a new day, a new dawn and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be feeeelinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; good! Seek any roots of your aggression from your subconscious past. Somewhere in there is the/a hidden factor which is causing you to place obstacles onto your own path, making you your own worst enemy. Time to reform, renew and regroup, recreate and reanimate. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t place your beauty above your self worth. Close your/our eyes and generate your real beauty. c GEMINI (5.21-6.21) Please read Aries first. You want to start, but you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t listen to your heart when (with Mercury retrograde in Aries) youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re lost inside your head instead. The Moon is in your sign till 4 p.m. Saturday, April 9. Is it time to give the/ your written world a whirl? What do you, as an author, have to offer? Do any/the research first. d CANCER (6.22-7.22) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your weekend to stay at home; thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s where your adventure starts at dinner time Saturday the 9th. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll prove a satisfactory end/balance to a craaazy day. Here come$ the $corpio$ complaining they â&#x20AC;&#x153;ju$t donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel good.â&#x20AC;? Ummmm ... I wonder what it could be? Expand your adventure even further by taking Moonday off as the Moon is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Void of Course,â&#x20AC;? in your sign. Tell â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;em your Astrologer suggested the day off and then, back me up by showing up ready, willing and able to work Tuesday the 12th, spiritually refreshed. e LEO (7.23-8.22) I think the current confusion works for you. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s always money in clean up?

1R ,QGLDQ 5HVWDXUDQW LQ 2PDKD

\HDUV UXQQLQJ

BUY 1 ENTREE get second

for 10% off

(OP 6WUHHW Â&#x2021; Â&#x2021; WK &HQWHU ZZZ MDLSXUEUHZKRXVH FRP Offer only valid Mon. - Wed. for dinning only â&#x20AC;˘ Not valid with any other coupon Must present ad. Exp 3/31/11

April 7 - 13, 2011

| THE READER |

mojo

b y

mo j opo

Please read Aries. One of your lieutenants is due to mess up BIG! Your ruler, the Sun, is exalted in Aries so quit your snoring and get to RRRrrroooaaarrring! f VIRGO (8.23-9.22) Please read Aries. The confusion enters your arena through the medium of other peoplesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; money, your theoretical 8th House. There are some inheritance i$$ue$ cropping up for next month. Use the money to travel and/or educate at that time, in two or three weeks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Should I stay or should I go?â&#x20AC;? How does the MOJO know? g LIBRA (9.23-10.22) Hide. Give everything to your partners for this little while. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got all the power. Think of it as a test of othersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; loyalty and concern. Sit back and enjoy the season changes as the/your world gets along without you for a while. See what theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve left you once/after you make it back? Luck is not with you for this coming month. Your concerns are â&#x20AC;&#x153;harmonious stability.â&#x20AC;? Time (Saturn) to meditate before you initiate (Aries). The Full Moon in Libra April 18th culminates and offers clues. h SCORPIO (10.23-11.22) Martians: Sure youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got the power, the influence, the ideas; but what of patience? If you start your work now, there will prove a few bruises and delays; but No. 1, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re tough (?) and No. 2, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll prove ahead of the wussies as you surf the momentum through this glorious Spring! Plutonians; Boom! Here comes a curve. Rework your deepest, most arcane plans till mid-September when Pluto moves direct one again in early Capricorn. Do I hear school bells? i SAGITTARIUS (11.23-12.21) Please read Aries. Theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got ALL the Power. If you can somehow summon your/the Love, you will/may attain the Wisdom and with that combination/formula you (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ll) become impeccable. There is no higher truth. AUM. j CAPRICORN (12.22-1.20) Please read Libra and the confusion and seeming opposition will start to make sense. Emphasis on the word â&#x20AC;&#x153;start.â&#x20AC;? k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) During these next seven years, while the planet Uranus visits Aries, you will become conversant with leadership qualities, issues and possibilities, both your own and anyone you choose in/for such capacities (your boss). Start now by becoming a follower. I know, I never bought that either. Still, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got right now. How does the MOJO know? i PISCES (2.20-3.20) Your money hou$e (2nd) is your funny hou$e. Double check your checkbook. Re-face your Facebook. Time to take a fresh look! Still, the seeds of your economy are hopefully sprouting amidst fertile opportunities and eventually soil. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll find out in a month? Scared? Your beauty (Venus is in Pisces â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;til Taurus, April 20th/21st) is about to take over. Let it... ,

UÊ «À ÊÇ]ÊÓä££ÊU 7E RE IN THE MIDDLE OF WHAT WILL COME TO BE KNOWN AS h4HE %RA OF #ON TEMPT v 4HANKS IN GREAT PART TO THE )NTERNET WHICH HAS BEEN THE HOST TO AN ENDLESS AN EXPANDING NUMBER OF SITES WHOSE ONLY FUNCTION IS TO MOCK PEOPLE AND THANKS TO INCREASINGLY DIVISIVE !MER ICAN POLITICS IN WHICH SCORING POINTS AGAINST POLITICAL OPPONENTS IS THE PRIORITY !MERICAN DIALOGUE FOR THE NEXT DECADE WILL MOSTLY BE MARKED BY SNIDE DISMISSAL

#ONVERSATIONS WILL BE QUICKLY AND DISASTROUSLY DERAILED BY PEOPLE WHO RUSH TO BE THE lRST AND MOST AGGRES SIVE COMMENTOR HEAPING CONTEMPT ON WHATEVER SUBJECT IS DISCUSSED 4HIS HAS ALREADY HAD A DISASTROUS EFFECT ON POLI TICS WHICH IS NOW MOSTLY THE TERRITORY OF BLOWHARDS IT WILL LIKEWISE HAVE A CHILLING EFFECT ON THE ARTS AS ANY EXPERIMENTATION OR INNOVATION WILL BE SHOUTED DOWN BY GANGS OF ONLINE BULLIES

funnies

| THE READER |

april 7 - 13, 2011

omahabillboard.com 1000's of OMAHA SINGLES Browse & Respond FREE! Straight 402-341-8000 Gay & Bi 402-341-4000 Use Free Code 7488 www. MegaMates.com 18+ ALL KINDS OF LOCAL SINGLES Listen to Ads FREE!! Respond To Ads FREE!! Straight 402-341-8000 Gay & Bi 402-341-4000 Use Free Code 7489, 18+ Paid In Advance! Make $1,000 a Week mailing brochures from home! Guaranteed Income! FREE Supplies! No experience required. Start Immediately! www.homemailerprogram. net (AAN CAN)

REAL PEOPLE, REAL CHAT, REAL DISCREET Try FREE! Call 402.898. 4226 or 800.210.1010, 18+, livelinks.com.

*HOT LOCAL SINGLES* Listen to Ads & Reply FREE! Straight 402-341-8000Gay/ Curious? 402-341-4000 Use Free Code 7487, 18+

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION Armor Storage Hartman, 503 W. 6th St., Papillion, NE 68046, Tuesday Apr. 12th, 2011 at 1:30 p.m. 55 Wells.www.armorstorages. com.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION Armor Storage Saddle Creek 1140 NW Radial Hwy., Omaha, NE 68132,402. 552.9006, Tuesday Apr. 12th, 2011 at 11 a.m. 75 Chol, 105 Gales, 122 Hoeppen, 132 Sneed, 200 Benjamin, 225 Sayles, 241 Bailey.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION Armor Storage Hartman, 5655 N. 71st St., Omaha, NE 68104, 402.572.7200, Tuesday Apr. 12th, 2011 at 12 p.m. 39 Foster Sr., 107 Fossum, 219 Monrovia, 241 Bass.

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA! Graduate in just 4 weeks! FREE Brochure. Call NOW! 1-800-532-6546 Ext. 97 www.continentalacademy. com (AAN CAN)

omahadigs Buy,Rent FOR SALE

FOR RENT

PRICE REDUCTION 5608 N. 131st Exceptional home w/unique floor plan. 3 BD/ 2 BA, 2 car garage, new HVAC, windows, doors, roof, kitchen appliances, counters, backsplash and carpet. Walking distance to Standing Bear Lake. $139.000. Call Kerri at 402.290.0353, tell her you saw it in the Reader.

Huge Home for Sale $85,000, Close to South High School & Spring Lake Elementary. Over 1900 Sq feet, Large dining room with Built in cabinets & Bay Window. High ceilings. Wood floors. 2 bathrooms, 3 Large bedrooms on 2nd floor, 1 bedroom on Main floor that could be used as Office. All appliances stay including washer & dryer. Newer furnace/heat pump/AC, Enclosed front porch. Email kerryo@thereader.com.

LAND LIQUIDATION 20 Acres $0 Down $99/mo. ONLY $12,900 near growing El Paso, Texas, Guaranteed Owner Financing, NO CREDIT CHECKS! Money back Guarantee. FREE Map/ Pictures. 800-755-8953 www.sunsetranches.com (AAN CAN)

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

ALL AREAS HOUSES FOR RENT. Browse thousands of rental listings with photos and maps. Advertise your rental home for FREE! Visit: www. RealRentals.com (AAN CAN)

| THE READER |

MEN SEEKING MEN 1-877-409-8884 Gay hot phone chat, 24/7! Talk to or meet sexy guys in your area anytime you need it. Fulfill your wildest fantasy. Private & confidential. Guys always available. 1-877-409-8884 Free to try. 18+ (AAN CAN) VIAGRA 100 mg and CIALIS 20 mg!! 40pills +4 free for only $99.00. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Only $2.70/pill. Buy The Blue Pill Now! 1888-777-9242 (AAN CAN)

FOR RENT

FOR SALE

ROOMMATES.COM. Browse hundreds of online listings with photos and maps. Find your roommate with a click of the mouse! Visit: http://www.Roommates.com. (AAN CAN)

DATING SERVICE. Long-Term/Short-Term Relationships,FREE-2-TRY! 1-877-722-0087 Exchange/ Browse Personal Messages 1-866-362-1311. Live adult casual conversations 1-877599-8753 Meet on chatlines. Local Singles 1-888869-0491 (18+)New!! Talk Live!! 1-866-362-1311 (AAN CAN)

BIG BEAUTIFUL AZ LAND $99/mo. $0 down, $0 interest, Golf Course, Nat’l. Parks. 1 Hour from Tucson Int’l. Airport. Guaranteed financing, no credit checks. Pre-recorded msg. (800) 631-8164 Code 4057 www.sunsiteslandrush.com. Own 20 Acres. Only $129/mo. $13,900 near growing El Paso, Texas (safest city in America!) Low down, no credit checks, owner financing. Free map/ pictures 866-257-4555 www.sunsetranches.com (AAN CAN)

classiﬁeds

local

GAY & Bi CRUISE LINE HOOK UP FAST!

dateline There’s More Personality in a VOICe.

t Try i E!* FRE

402.341.4000 USE FREE CODE 2030

(402) 341.8000 Use Free code 1576

For other local numbers call

1-888-MegaMates

Omaha

1-888-634-2628 | MegaMatesMen.com

! Try it FREE

DO YOU HAVE A CAR OR HOUSE FOR SALE? Do you have apartments or homes for rent? Call at 402.612.9022 or at classifieds@thereader.com

www.MegaMates.com

For other local numbers call

1-888-MegaMates

TICKETS AVAILABLE THRU

OUTLETS, ONLINE AT WWW.TICKETMASTER.COM OR CHARGE BY PHONE (800)745-3000 | THE READER |

APRIL 7 - 13, 2011

S 143RD PLAZA

S 144TH STREET

G U I TA R C E N T E R O M A H A OA

OAK VIEW MALL

THE WORLD’S LARGEST RETAILER OF GUITARS, AMPLIFIERS, PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS, KEYBOARDS, RECORDING, LIVE, DJ AND LIGHTING EQUIPMENT

OPENS ITS DOORS 3115 OAK VIEW DRIVE THURSDAY

402.330.1709

A P R I L 1 4 TH

INCREDIBLE

DEALS

FREE GIVEAWAYS

O T H E R G I V E AWAY S

INCLUDING FENDER GUITARS

AND GC GIFT CARDS

FREE T-SHIRT TO FIRST 1,000

CUSTOMERS

THURSDAY NIGHT DOORBUSTERS

WHILE SUPPLIES LAST

3 VOCAL MICS FOR THE PRICE OF 1

83%

10 PAIRS OF DRUMMERS CHOICE STICKS

89%

73%

OFF LIST

GRAND OPENING SPECIAL

3 FOR 49 $

12 SETS OF DUNLOP ELECTRIC GUITAR STRINGS

SAVE $249 OFF LIST

(DRV100) LIST:$299.97

PLUS, SCHEDULED PERFORMANCE

THURSDAY NIGHT BY

OFF LIST 12 SETS

SPECIAL GRAND OPENING

YOUR CHOICE

12 SETS FOR 29 $

(DEN0942) (DEN1046) LIST: $114.48

FREE TO THE PUBLIC. LIMITED CAPACITY.

FRIDAY, 7PM

SATURDAY, 1PM

GRAND OPENING SPECIAL

SAVE $84 OFF LIST

10 PAIRS FOR 9

$ 00

(STAH–P10PR) LIST:$85.00

SAVE $76 OFF LIST

SUNDAY, 5PM DEREK RODDY PERFORMANCE BY BLAST-BEAT GURU

WEEKEND FINANCING

W W W.GUITARCENTER.COM/GRANDOPENINGS

Omaha_Alt_Weekly_ad.indd 1

3/17/11 10:37 AM