The Reader July 2016

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READY TO ROCK GET YOUR TICKETS AT THE ROCK SHOP OR ONLINE AT WWW.HARDROCKCASINOSIOUXCITY.COM

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INTERNATIONAL ROLLING STONES SHOW 7.7 | ANTHEM

PSYCHIC CHRIS DUFRESNE 7.9 | ANTHEM

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WITH HALESTORM 7.17 | BATTERY PARK

THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS WITH THE CHURCH 8.1 | ANTHEM

THUNDERHEAD CANDLEBOX & FUEL THE RUSH EXPERIENCE 7.16 | ANTHEM 7.15 | ANTHEM

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JAKE OWEN

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WITH LEE ANN WOMAK 8.13 | BATTERY PARK

111 3RD STREET

WITH BETTY WHO 8.14 | BATTERY PARK

WITH LOVE & THEFT 8.26 | BATTERY PARK

I SIOUX CITY, IA 51101

Must be 21 or older to attend events at Anthem. Events held at Battery Park are open to all ages. No carry-in food or beverages allowed. Management reserves all rights. If you or someone you know needs gambling treatment call 800.BETS OFF.

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MUTUAL OF OMAHA Mutual of Omaha seeking Application Systems Analyst (Omaha, NE) to develop application and business integration solutions, using a variety of programming languages, platforms and technologies to provide business solutions. Responsible for the development, maintenance, and integration of applications and systems that support business operations and for understanding the business, business objectives and current business challenges within the supported business area. Bachelor’s in CS, Eng or rel field and 5 yrs of systems exp Or Master’s in same and 3 yrs exp. Exp to include extensive Java coding knowledge and Java framework. Must have prior exp developing, maintaining, and executing systems and a working knowledge of different technologies (Eclipse and SQL) and technology domains (Web, Portal, etc).

Send resumes to: Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co, Attn: Susan Towles, Mutual of Omaha Plaza, 3 – Law, Omaha, NE 68175.

LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP Lincoln National Corp seeks a Specialist, Application Development (Multiple Openings) in Omaha, NE to provide support to the Group Protection division’s core operational apps by integrating new product offerings & through app dvlpmnt. Req: Bach deg (or foreign equiv) in Comp Sci, Info Sys or rltd fld & 2 yrs exp in an info sys environment using Waterfall & Agile, incl (i) dvlpmnt of apps in Oracle Forms;

(ii) utilizing PLSQL, SQL, Linux & UNIX scripting languages to interface between apps & databases; (iii) utilize JavaScipt & ASP for programming; & (iv) writing technical design documents for programmers. Apply to https://careers.lfg.com and use Req ID # 9221.

MUTUAL OF OMAHA Mutual of Omaha seeking Sr. Support Engineer (Omaha, NE). Installs, configures, maintains and troubleshoots complex desktop and application delivery technologies and systems which support the application and desktop environments. Provides leadership, expert analysis, and resolution of technical and process issues/problems related to Company technologies and sub-systems. Leads and directs requirements gathering to ensure appropriate technology is deployed and performs complex root cause analysis and research to develop appropriate solutions and strategies. Assists in planning, development and design of complex desktop and application delivery technologies, systems, and supporting sub-systems. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field with 5 years of experience in IT systems/support engineering or masters degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field with 3 years of experience in IT systems/support engineering. Must have expert knowledge in packaging applications for deployment using different technologies, including XenApp, ThinApp,

ProKarma Jobs

Senior Software Engineer #SRAND0616

ProKarma, Inc. has multiple openings for Sr Software Engineer in Omaha, NE; may also work at various unanticipated locations. Roving position-employee’s worksite & residence may change based on client & business demands. No travel requirement; performing daily job duties doesn’t require travel. Analyze user needs & modify/develop SW using computer skill sets; develop & direct SW system testing & validation procedures, programming, & documentation. Requires master’s, or for. equiv, in Information Systems, IT, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Eng (any), or related field + at least 1 yr exp in job offered or IT/Computer-related position. Employer also accept bachelor’s, or foreign equiv, in Information Systems, IT, Computer Science, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Eng (any), or related field + at least 5 yr progressive post-bachelor’s exp in job offered or IT/Computer-related position. Requires prof. exp with: Enterprise Java, Android SDK, JavaScript, JSON/ REST Services. Suitable combination of edu/training/exp acceptable.

TO APPLY, SEND RESUMES TO:

ProKarma, Inc. Attn: Jobs

222 S. 15th St., Ste 505N, Omaha, NE 68102 or email: postings@prokarma.com with Job Ref# in the subject line of the email

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omaha jobs

Appvolumes, AppV, FSLogix while supporting the backend infrastructure of AdminStudio and Citrix as well as expert scripting experience in PowerShell, VBScript, JavaScript and Windows Batch and strong experience in managing Microsoft Exchange, Office 365 and Skype for Business. Must also have an understanding of operational and tactical planning and process improvement methodologies as well as skill in developing and delivering instruction, identifying and resolving hardware and software problems, and using applications software to develop custom products.

Send resumes to: Mutual of Omaha Insurance Co, Attn: Susan Towles, Mutual of Omaha Plaza, 3–Law, Omaha, NE 68175.

VALMONT INDUSTRIES, INC. Valmont Industries, Inc. seeking International Irrigation Accountant in Valley, NE responsible for accounting functions within the International Irrigation Group, which involves working with multiple worldwide locations and entities. Handle daily transaction activity for the International Irrigation division and for selected outside locations including Russia and Eastern European sites. Assist in implementation and management of all Russian business including translation and communication with Russian colleagues.

Bachelor’s in Accounting, Bus Admin, or related field and 1 yr exp in an Accounting environment. Demonstrated ability in US GAAP, IFRS and ERP systems required. Fluency in Russian (50%). Send resumes to:

Valmont Industries, Inc., Attn: Hannah Boone, One Valmont Plaza, Omaha, NE 68154.

PROJECT MANAGER Project Manager for Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (Omaha, NE). Identify on-site HSE reqs & ens these are well understood & complied w/ by supvsors & other members of the on-site proj team. Reqs: Bach’s* in Eng’g Tech, Civil Eng’g or rel’d + 5 yrs exp as a Superintendent or Supvsor. 5 yrs exp req’d & must incl: Deep excavat’n sounding & measuring equip (Koden, b-tronics, and sonic caliper); Training of personnel in deep foundation excavations in excess of 200-feet; deep foundations tooling app’ns (Bauer Hydromills and Desanders); formul’n & testing of drilling muds, polymers, & self-hardening slurries; & Tremie concrete procedures (incl. mix designs and rheological properties). Must incl exp as a drill rig and crane/clamshell operator. *In lieu of a Bach’s deg emp will accept 2 add’l yrs exp. Travel required 70% of the time throughout the US and Canada to client/proj sites. Apply on-line at http://kiewit.com/ careers/ and reference req#54742.

ROAD TRIP We are looking for: 18-25, adventurous adults to work/travel the entire U.S. 45-day PAID training * Cash + daily bonuses * OJT * No experience necessary! If you are enthusiastic & free to travel, call 1-800-949-1038

Unleash Your Potential with a Career at Cox Communications!

Cox Communications Hiring Event!

Date: Wednesday, June 15th Time: 2:00pm-6:00pm Location: 3031 North 120th Street On-Site Interviews! Bring your resume!

Apply online prior to the event! jobs.cox.com Job Number 142441 Now Hiring For: Call Center Technical Support Representatives Benefits of working at Cox include: • Free Internet and other Cox discounted services • Medical, dental, and vision benefits starting on your first day!

• Casual, yet energetic and engaging work environment • Retirement benefits including 401(K) and Pension • Up to 22 days of Paid Time Off during first year, plus 7 Paid Holidays • Tuition assistance • Commitment to our communities including volunteer opportunities • Career advancement opportunities across the Cox family of companies

Cox is an Equal Opportunity Female/Minority/Disabl ed/Veteran Employer.

ONE Omaha Launches New Leadership Development Program

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n the 2015 Omaha Neighborhood Report, 43 percent of those interviewed cited recruiting and maintaining involvement from all generations – specifically younger age groups – in their neighborhood organizations as a challenge they face.

The report, issued by ONE Omaha last month, was created to assess the current capacity and contribution of the city’s neighborhood groups and develop appropriate services to address the concerns identified by neighbors.

Enter LEAD, ONE Omaha’s new leadership development program. “LEAD’s tagline says it all – building powerful community leaders,” said Julie Smith, ONE Omaha program manager. “We will identify and train younger and more culturally diverse neighborhood leaders, and we’ll also train established leaders so they can build capacity in their own neighborhoods.”

Program participants will come from four pools of people – interested neighborhood advocates, families who receive housing from Habitat for Humanity, participants in Holy Name Housing Corporation’s Credit Rent to Own program, and Omaha Housing Authority residents.

“Habitat is pleased to be an active participant in LEAD,” said Oscar Duran, program director at Habitat for Humanity. “We know from personal experience that Habitat families are interested in getting involved in their new neighborhoods, but don’t quite know how to go about doing it. This collaborative training program developed in partnership with neighbors and ONE Omaha will help make that happen.”

LEAD is made up of a series of flexible modules, each of which builds upon the previous module, Smith said. Each module will be offered five times, and each training can accommodate up to 25 people. All trainings will be hosted by Habitat for Humanity.

The first, Session 101, kicks off Saturday, July 9. The schedule: Session 101 July 9 8:30am to 12:30pm July 14 8:30am to 12:30pm Sept. 15 8:30am to 12:30pm Sept. 24 8:30am to 12:30pm Nov. 12 8:30am to 12:30pm

LEAD Habitat for Humanity 101:

Holy Name Housing

Omaha Housing Authority-­‐ Evans Tower 102:

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Citizen power and participation.

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Discovering the purpose of community

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Participants recruited by association leaders

Determining a goal, objectives and strategy to reach neighborhood vision.

organizing.

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Asset Based Community Development

Neighborhood Identity

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Good Community Stewardship

NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECT SELECTION

201:

OCCP and Neighborhood Watch

202:

Spring Clean Up and/or Park Clean up

203:

Block Parties/ National Night Out

Synergize new neighborhood projects with existing neighborhood associations

204:

205:

Community Gardens

Community Art

Existing Neighborhood Leaders

301: • • •

Best Practices Standard criteria Goal Setting

302:

• • •

Meeting facilitation Inclusivity Volunteer Management

Session 102, which is an interactive workshop, kicks off Saturday, Aug. 13.

The schedule: Session 102 Aug. 13 9:00 to 11:00am Aug. 18 5:30 to 7:30pm Oct. 8 9:00 to 11:00am

empowering them to lead within their neighborhoods – creating communities that thrive. That’s our mission, and we’re excited about this collaboration with ONE Omaha and other nonprofits with the same passion as Holy Name Housing.”

After the Session 102 trainings, participants will then execute their projects in neighborhoods through-

Oct. 13 5:30 to 7:30pm Dec. 10 9:00 to 11:00am Dec. 15 5:30 to 7:30pm Following the completion of Sessions 101 and 102, participants will enroll in a service project training of their choice.

Current topics include community gardens, spring cleanups/park cleanups, Omaha Coalition of Citizen Patrols, block parties/neighborhood potlucks, Neighborhood Watch, community/public art or a project of their choosing.

“This is a great opportunity for the residents of our Credit-to-Own (Crown) rental homes to learn about leadership,” said Mary Anderson, director of development for Holy Name Housing Corporation. “It’s not just about providing housing for our residents, it’s about

ONE Omaha, a public-private initiative founded in 2015, is dedicated to actively facilitating the development of neighborhoods in the City of Omaha through communication, education and advocacy.

Nebraskans for Civic Reform serves as its fiscal agent. For more info, visit www.oneomaha.org.

omaha jobs

out Omaha. “Our goal is to train 125 neighborhood leaders a year and to add subsequent training modules to the program based on need,” Smith said. “For example, I get a lot of calls from nonprofits asking how they can work more effectively with neighborhood groups. We could create a training module that addresses this need.”

Those interested in LEAD can register online at www.oneomaha.org/programs, or call 402.547.7473.

Funding for LEAD comes from the Peter Kiewit Foundation, the Omaha Community Foundation, the Lozier Foundation and the City of Omaha.

Additional funding is sought from neighbors and other groups that support neighborhood advocacy.

In order to help raise funds for LEAD, ONE Omaha will be selling 18” x 24” Omaha neighborhood posters designed by Justin Kemerling at Round and Round. The cost is $20 per poster plus shipping.

For more information or to donate to LEAD or purchase a poster, contact Smith at julie.smith@oneomaha.org.

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J U LY 2 0 1 6 VO L U M E 2 3 N U M B E R 1 6 08 COVER STORY FIERCE ABOUT FOOD 25 PICKS COOL THINGS TO DO IN JULY 28 GREEN SCENE SUN GOD 29 HEALING GUT REACTION 30 CULTURE IN MEMORIAM 34 CULTURE LOUIS C.K. IN OMAHA 36 THEATER SHATTERING GLASS 42 ART WEAVING A RAINBOW 44 ART MYSTERY MUSHROOMS 48 CULTURE TBD DANCE COMPANY 50 HOODOO JULY HIGHLIGHTS 53 MUSIC INTRODUCING JAMES 56 MUSIC MATT COX’S NEW STUFF 58 FILM MOVIE FOOD 60 OVER THE EDGE YELP HELPER 62 MYSTERIAN DOCTOR IS IN

Publisher John Heaston john@thereader.com Creative Director Eric Stoakes eric@thereader.com Managing Editor David Williams david@thereader.com Assistant Editor Mara Wilson mara@thereader.com Assistant Editor Tara Spencer tara@thereader.com CONTRIBUTING EDITORS heartland healing: Michael Braunstein info@heartlandhealing.com arts/visual: Mike Krainak mixedmedia@thereader.com dish: Sarah Locke crumbs@thereader.com film: Ryan Syrek cuttingroom@thereader.com hoodoo: B.J. Huchtemann bjhuchtemann@gmail.com music: James Walmsley backbeat@thereader.com over the edge: Tim McMahan tim.mcmahan@gmail.com theater: William Grennan coldcream@thereader.com SALES & MARKETING Dinah Gomez dinah@thereader.com Kati Falk kati@thereader.com DISTRIBUTION/DIGITAL

Clay Seaman clay@thereader.com OPERATIONS AND BUSINESS MANAGER Kerry Olson kerry@thereader.com PHOTO BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN

MOREINFO:WWW.THEREADER.COM

CLAYTON CHAPMAN

contents

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Summer Miller’s New Prairie Kitchen Finding Meaning at the Table

BY LEO ADAM BIGA | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRAS S. KAPLAN

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maha author Summer Miller came to write her Gourmand World Cookbook Awards finalist New Prairie Kitchen in the midst of a life reset.

More than a recipe book, Miller profiled 25 chefs, growers and artisans involved in creating “the new Midwestern table” and its cleanhealthy-fresh food credo. Each subject is represented by signature seasonal dishes they provided and by photo portraits by Dana Damewood.

“I knew I wanted to tell stories,” Miller said.

She specifically wanted to share stories of this loose community of creatives she met while researching the book.

“I was passionate about this. I really believed in showcasing Nebraska and these people. I felt it was an act of service to them and to the region and to the whole idea of it. This book for me was always about promoting the people. What I find inspiring about them is their willingness to work against the grain and twice as hard because they believe in what they’re doing. They just don’t do it easy, they do it right. That reinsured me to do that with my own craft.

“I learned so much from the people in it. It was such a growth experience – both the writing process and the human connections.” continued on page 10y

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She views the project as a collaborative. Her “thorough’ process entailed multiple interviews. When it came to recipes, there was “back and forth – tweaking, changing, conversation. My name is on the book but it was a major collective effort.”

Miller chose profile subjects – from Omaha Grey Plum chefowner Clayton Chapman to Hastings Back Alley Bakery owners John and Charlotte Hamburger – who represent “people coming together to try and elevate our food culture. You didn’t have to be a James Beard-nominated chef to be in the book. I didn’t care if you had training or not. I cared that you used local products. That was the only filter. If we do something well here, we should use it and support it. They’re our neighbors.”

Her subjects extend into Iowa and South Dakota.

Damewood’s photographic approach fit Miller’s vision.

“I needed somebody who could let people be who they were, who could work as a photojournalist and not have to have a studio set for everything, who would handle whatever came to us in the field.”

Miller worked closely with chefs “simplifying and making recipes more functional for the home cook,” adding, “I didn’t expect to become as involved in the food as I did.”

The project came into focus for the veteran Omaha journalist only after she left reporting-editing for a corporate job and then got accepted to graduate school. When a chronic back prob-

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lem required surgery and Miller found herself pregnant, grad school got scuttled. Between post-op recovery, new motherhood and unemployment – she’d quit her job – her old identity no longer fit. The book transformed her. It began with this avid gardener and home cook meshing her food interest with her storytelling instinct. She filed freelance food articles and penned a weekly seasonal eating column. All informed by the emerging farm-to-table movement she felt drawn to. Through Emerging Terrain dinners and other collaboratives, she saw chefs and growers partnering.

“We have this amazing pool of chefs and when they work with producers who understand how to grow something beautifully and at what point the sugar content of this vegetable is just perfect and at what point these greens reach their spiciest peak and the best time to pick them, that really excites these talented people to be creative. That in turn provides us as consumers with really good food.”

The more she surveyed the scene, the more of a local whole foods activist she became. “Being able to eat well and to eat good food,” she said, “can come at the fine dining level and it can also come at the casual level.” Even living in the country and knowing growers, she said “it’s still hard for me to source local food.” That’s why the back of her book includes a directory of local whole food chefs and growers.

Thus, the book and its themes grew out of Miller’s own life. continued on page 12y

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8th Old Market Farmers Market

fooddayomaha.com

Nominate A Food Day Champion! awards.fooddayomaha.com

Healthy food and healthy food policy is a growing movement in our community and to recognize the hard work and vision of those organizations and individuals leading the charge locally, we’ve created the Food Day Omaha Awards to celebrate our advocates in 5 areas:

w Producer of the Year w Restaurant of the Year w Retailer of the Year w Nonprofit of the Year w Food Day Champion of the Year Please nominate the individual or organization that best exemplifies and represents the mission of Food Day. The top 5 nominees will be celebrated and one from each category will be recognized at Food Day Omaha on October 8 in the Old Market.

Working with the public nominations, the Food Day Omaha Awards Committee, a group of 9, will select the final awardees.Â

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y continued from pag 10 “I grew up working in gardens. Once I had a family food became even more of a counterpoint in my own personal life. I think the rest of the world is kind of coming along to that, too. This has been going on for years, but it’s just really now hitting the new wave of local food. I really care about home cooking, I care that people do it and I care that people understand you can do it and it doesn’t have to kill you. I really believe families want to eat better,” said Miller, who also teaches cooking classes.

Then there are food’s social-emotional dynamics.

“Feeding people has always been a way to comfort others. It lets them know they’re tended to. It’s not new to show people you love them through food. That’s what we do when we don’t know what else to do.”

She rues that family dinner has become “vilified” in a foodie culture that makes chefs celebrities and eating out the norm.

“I think it’s too bad food today has become elitist. That’s so sad. I don’t think food is an art. It’s a medium and a vehicle and like any medium you need to respect it but you also don’t make it more than what it is. It’s a way to feed people, it’s a way to connect people, it’s a way to nourish ourselves, our souls, our bodies, our families, our relationships, and we need to find our way back to that. I’m a home cook advocate – I’m like a defender of dinner.

“I don’t honestly like the word foodie because it puts the emphasis on the food and I believe the emphasis should be on how food brings us together. These things are big to me. Being able to make something nice and to serve my family a meaningful, memorable meal, especially around the holidays, is how I show love.”

She said the pendulum has swung too far.

“I think it’s great we know what arugula is now, but I think we have to be careful not to elevate food above the people eating it

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because it’s a means with which to share our humanity with one another and to show love and compassion.”

The New Prairie Kitchen message has resonated enough that the book went into a second printing within months of its May 2015 release by Chicago-based publisher Agate.

Miller did an extensive book tour last summer. People came out “in droves” to see her and some of the chefs, growers, artisans she had appear with her at several stops.

“I was gone almost every weekend. I was pretty drained by the end of that. I was definitely ready to be home with my family.”

The book brought her to the attention of EatingWell magazine, whom she now contributes to.

She’s delighted that some fans use the book as a travel guide to visit featured venues.

This expert author likens the local food culture to where recycling was decades ago. “It wasn’t yet integrated into life, but now we all do it. I think whole food will become that as well – it will become what we do.”

“The best thing coming out of this is people learning what food should taste like after decades of having flavors dumbed down.

Once you have a truly well-made hamburger and you learn just enough to do it better yourself at home, then you will not waste the time, energy and environmental resources to go spend $8 on a combo meal.

“Learning what food is supposed to taste like in its most unadulterated form is the first step in healing ourselves and our families. You have to be able to eat well every day, and you can.” ,

Follow her at scaldedmilk.com. Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.

for your team dinners, office lunches, graduation parties, weddings, any party!

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The Sharpest of Omaha’s Chefs

BY SARA LOCKE | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRAS S. KAPLAN

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he cutting edge of Omaha’s culinary scene is sharp and swift, slicing the city wide open to possibilities and to characters ready and willing to realize them.

Trying to find the carefully honed edge of the craft is a rabbit hole, and I learned that each chef in Omaha will have drawn deep inspiration from another, creating a circle leading straight back to where it began. This infinite loop of respect, humility and creativity in the community speaks volumes of the men and women who comprise the culture, and the result is genius on a plate.

In a city with such well-known names as Dario Schicke, Jennifer Coco and Nick Strawhecker setting standards, it isn’t hard to see how Omaha was named the No. 2 foodie city by Livability.com in 2015. A deep respect for food, growers and the art of feeding people delicious dishes in a loving way has created an environment where chefs compete not for your dollars, but for your ultimate enjoyment.

She Wrote the Book of [Modern] Love The story of vegan cuisine is not a centuries old tradition passed down over the generations, as with most of the foods we currently love. In fact, the book is only just being writcontinued on page 16y

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ISA CHANDRA

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CLAYTON CHAPMAN

y continued from page 14

ten. Isa Chandra, owner of Modern Love, has given her staff the faith and freedom to weave these culinary tales, resulting in the most creative use of what Mother Nature has to offer. Isa vets her staff and keeps only the most daring, adventurous vegetable vigilantes on board. It’s not uncommon to learn that a member of her team has a science lab set up instead of a kitchen at home, concocting formulas for vegan cheeses, frostings, and ice creams.

Cultures and enzymes litter tiny apartments while cookbooks spill from what was once a kitchen table, pages stained with beet juice and smeared in kefir. This isn’t simply forming tofu into the shape of food you recognize as in vegetarianism of old, but true culinary masterpieces that leave you wondering why anyone ever decided to steal milk from a calf to concoct with. Isa has spread her knowledge and passion for vegan fare as far as she can, releasing several cookbooks, hosting the cooking show Post Punk Kitchen, giving lectures and demonstrations, and spreading Modern Love all the way to Brooklyn where she is opening a second location.

Most Nom-Nom-Nominated in Omaha History Clayton Chapman has a team of about four dozen growers and producers helping him elevate his culinary ventures in not only flavor, but sustainability. Having begun his career in the food industry at the ripe old age of 15, Chapman has had years to develop his craft, and gives the strong impression that he cares even more about your dining experience than you do. Racking up more James

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Beard Award nominations than anyone in Omaha history, Chapman proves time and again that you need look no further than your local farm for the ingredients to the best meal of your life.

A change in the culinary world in the ‘90s and ‘00s took food from the farm to the factory, and genetic modification and molecular gastronomy threatened to make heirloom foods and family farms obsolete. Chefs like Chapman are working diligently to bring us closer and closer to nature, nurturing us with fresh foods prepared with love. He has spent time sharing this knowledge as a chef/instructor for Metropolitan Community College’s culinary program, and is always quick to accept an offer to use his talent to advance real food and philanthropy.

Last October, Chapman joined several area chefs in partnership with Table Grace Food Rescue to create an amazing dish from ingredients that would have otherwise been thrown away. The event “Feeding the 5000 Omaha” served to raise awareness of hunger in our community and the severity of food waste. He took time to literally create art and love from refuse.

A Real Kulik Hand, Paul When a 15 year old kid tells you he’s found his calling, you smile and encourage him and wait for the tide to change. When Paul Kulik stepped into his first kitchen job at that age, he knew he had found a home. At his parents’ urging, he pursued an education in both engineering and French. With a pretty hardy fall-back in place, continued on page 18y

6056 Maple Street www.pizzashoppecollective.com THANK YOU, OMAHA! WE ARE HONORED TO SERVE YOU FOR THE LAST 21 YEARS. COME SEE US IN THE HEART OF BENSON! | THE READER |

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SARAH FARMER

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Kulik found that his heart remained in the kitchen, and so he set out to Chicago, Washington DC, Berlin and Paris before finding himself back home. He settled at La Buvette for the next 5 years, building relationships with local growers and learning the business of food.

The mention of French cooking conjures images of decadence, creams and butters, wine sauces and reductions. Kulik wanted to take a different approach when opening Le Bouillon in 2013, offering meals much closer to what the French put on the table for their family, not for a tourist. Kulik’s other venture, The Boiler Room, lives on every “Best of” list in the Midwest. He maintains the title of executive chef and serves each meal like he’s plating it for a friend.

Kulik has a talent for finding the most capable, innovative staff to continue his vision. in 2012, Tim Nicholson traded in a pair of sticks, drumming for the local band Mixed Martial Audio, for equally unpredictable hours, only slightly fewer groupies, and a chance to flex some serious muscle alongside Kulik at The Boiler Room. Earlier this year, Nicholson switched places with Chef John Engler of The Grey Plume for a fun chef swap event. When you surround yourself with excellence, you can’t help but compete. The environment that Omaha’s biggest names have created for up-and-coming chefs is one of learning, camaraderie, and passion. Nicholson is well on his way to star status, and I’m excited to follow his journey.

Farmer is Freshly Grown Talent The chef to watch, however, is Sarah Farmer. Like many of the deeply committed and creative chefs in Omaha’s rich culinary culture, Sarah studied under Bryan O’Malley, chef instructor of Metropolitan Community College’s Culinary Arts

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Program. Upon graduation, Farmer dove straight into the deep end, becoming a sous chef at J.CoCo. Her career has already included honing her craft at Localmotive, Le Bouillon, and the restaurant you will find her wielding her knife at these days, Lot 2. Farmer has shown determination not to rest on her prodigy status, but to dedicate herself to learning and growing in the craft.

Farmer did not see her win at the 2015 American Culinary Federation Student Team National Championship as earning herself a break, but as fuel to the fire that drives her to compete with the best. When I asked Sarah about her future plans, she said “Right now I’m gearing up to move to Chicago and learn and grow a bunch there. Hopefully gain some new skills and exposure to new cuisines and styles. Ideally I’d love to bring what I learn back to Omaha or somewhere similar, I guess it just really depends on where life takes me in the end.” ,

PAUL KULIK

Preserving historical traditions of Latino music in Omaha, Nebraska

SouthOmahaArts.com 402.734.3240

WEDDING BELLS ARE RINGING AND WE HAVE THE CHAMPAGNE

FLOWING! Stop in for any of our 4 flavors on tap and don’t forget Monday’s Half-Off glasses of our famous bubbly!

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOMY!

COME CHECK OUT OUR NIGHTLY SPECIALS

15 blocks off Dodge on 50th St ( Turn right at Peanut roundabout ) | THE READER |

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JANE KLEEB

BEASTS OF NO NATION

Bold Nebraska Founder and Chair of the State Democratic Party When I am in Omaha, I am often on the go. I always stop at Blue Line downtown for a veggie and hummus sandwich. I’ve tried to recreate it at home and fail every time. They also have crushed ice for their amazing coffee. So it’s a win all around.

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f you were to ask your friends and co-workers what the best restaurant in Omaha is, you would have set into motion the argument that starts World War III. There are the obvious contenders, the classics and the ultra-hip, modern choices. Best is broad and subjective, and invites arguments over everything from ambiance to apple pie.

If, however, you ask someone where their favorite restaurant is, you’ve started a different conversation altogether. Lively, exciting, and filled with mouth-watering descriptions of foods you didn’t know you were hungry for, favorite is an engaging chat to have. We asked a few of our friends around Omaha this very question, and had a lot of fun in the process!

Do you have a favorite place we should know about? Chime in by Emailing crumbs@ TheReader.com! — Sara Locke

JOEL DAMON Co-Founder of Project Project I have two. My number one favorite is definitely La Buvette.

It’s just a great atmosphere, excellent food, and a nice, slow dining experience. My other favorite is Grand Fortune. It’s a great hidden gem, but the best American-Chinese in Omaha and a great dim-sum menu. I love it.

JACOB DUNCAN Bandmember of Rock and Roll Suicide My favorite place is Dario’s [Brasserie].

The have the best selection of Belgian beers in town and hearty French-style dishes to pair it with. On Tuesdays they have half-off draws, and I love to go in for a croque and fries and a few too many beers with good people. Hands down, my favorite place for a great meal!

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JAVID DABESTANI Financial Advisor and Founder of Ramen Fest It’s difficult to choose one joint over the many Omaha restaurants that are outstanding. All things considered, I’ve personally had the best experiences at 801 Chophouse. The ambiance is relaxing and stylish; the service is professional; and the prime rib is the closest thing to perfect I’ve ever experienced.

DAVE NELSON SecretPenguin I truly think we get to work with all of my favorite restaurants at SecretPenguin, so I’ll say my favorite restaurant that isn’t a client would be Nicola’s. Always incredible food (I love the lobster ravioli). They always make us feel so special, and the patio is beautiful.

WILLIAM HOLLAND Artist Avoli! I have to start with the ambiance — My art hangs there! It’s classy but not pretentious, so I feel comfortable wearing flip-flops and a t-shirt or something nice. The staff makes it a point to remember us and our favorite drinks and dishes. The owner, Dario, is very charismatic. They make their pasta in house and every dish is delicious. They switch up the menu occasionally, and sometimes I miss something that used to be on the menu, but it gives us something else to try!

JARED BAKEWELL Founder of Proseeds, Bassist with State Disco

DEBRA S. KAPLAN

My current favorite restaurant is Voodoo Taco. Their Baja Shrimp Taco is delicious, plus they automatically give 5% of my purchases back to my favorite non-profit organizations through Proseeds!

HOUSTON ALEXANDER Professional Mixed Martial Artist and Radio Personality for Power 106.9 The 11-Worth Cafe. Because of the damn breakfast!

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ROGER WEITZ General Director of Opera Omaha Favorite restaurant? Too many to name! Omaha is an incredible food town and I always have a long list of recommendations for visiting artists. Omaha may be a mid-size city but our food ranks among the best in the country.

KELLEY KENNEDY Director of PRISM Paranormal Research and Investigative Studies Midwest My favorite restaurant is Lina’s Mexican Food. They have a very tasty, very large cheese quesadilla!

NAVIERE WALKEWICZ IFPA Figure Pro and Owner of Fitssentials Fitness Studios

KEVIN SIMONSON Event Coordinator for 5K The Hard Way and Writer for Rolling Stone, SPIN, Thrasher, Village Voice and Boys’ Life

It’s really important to me to find food that my entire family enjoys, has healthy options, and most of all, is tasty. We are eating out, after all! Beijing Tokyo meets my needs. This little hidden gem has a variety of Asian dishes, both cooked meals and sushi, that satisfy any Asian craving. My go-to is steamed shrimp and veggies. Delish!

I love fresh shucked oysters on the half shell, and Plank Seafood Provisions has a great daily happy hour where you can cool off and slurp away. The staff will explain everything you need to know about the oysters being served. On the menu board, look for the oyster marked with a star which are usually at least half price.

ERIKA OVERTURFF Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Nebraska

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With a new baby [Stellan], going out takes a bit more planning, but my husband [Brandon Dickerson] and I love going to Nicola’s in the Old Market. We like to sit outside in nice weather and enjoy the spaghetti aglio e olio with salmon.

Our next stop is Ted & Wally’s for ice cream, hoping to see Salty Seahorse on the menu!

JuLY 30 & 31 •• BENSonDAYS.CoM BENSonDAYS.CoM Hosted By:

Presented By:

by

CITY+VENTURES

Sp¯s›ed By:

Presented By:

Get Ready to Scale the Benson Alps

THE INDIE 10/5K & 1MILE FUN RUN Sunday, July 31

Sponsored By:

07•31•16 16

8am Downtown Benson

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NEW NEW LOOK LIFE

S E T A D N O I W NE OCAT L W E N

E FRE

N O I S IS

ADM

JULY 21-23, 2016 CROSSROADS MALL

LIVE MUSIC BY MATT COX PEACE, LOVE, ETC. DJEM HIGH HEEL

OPE

N T O

PUB

BOUNCE HOUSE FUN

SCIENCE SHOWS AMATEUR BBQ CONTEST

DEMONSTRATIONS

BY LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS

SCATTER JOY ACRES PETTING ZOO

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KIDS TRACTOR PULL

LIC

Through August 19

STEPHANIE PURCELL Fred Simon Gallery 1004 Farnam St. Opening Reception: Friday, July 15, 5-8 p.m. artscouncil.nebraska.gov

Print artist Stephanie Purcell will bring her love of the Missouri River to the Fred Simon Gallery in her self-titled solo show. Only her second solo effort in Omaha, the exhibit will include an install of relief prints on acetate with cut paper from her Missouri River series as well as new work that elaborates on similar themes and interests in both subject and process. “I love birds, mostly hawks and swallows, topography, maps, but especially rivers,” Purcell says in her artist statement. “Rather than continue to have a relationship with the rivers which have supported us, we in turn pollute them, attempt to control them with dams, deplete them with irrigation and forget they are more than something to just exploit…” Purcell says her media is “primarily concept driven,” as she experiments with a mix of waxed relief prints and drawing to create her riverscapes. “To show the different ways we view our surroundings, I utilize both sides of my prints and create contrasting images,” she says. “I am interested in challenging traditional installations of print and creating a space that illustrates the extreme vastness of our world.” So influenced by nature, Purcell works for the Girls Scouts Spirit of Nebraska and as a camp director for Buford foundation, helping Omaha youth develop while connected to the natural world. The artist has shown at UNO and the Tugboat Gallery in Lincoln and her first solo effort was at Petshop Gallery in 2013 — Michael J. Krainak

Saturday, July 9

RON WHITE

AND GUEST JOSH BLUE Orpheum Theater 409 S. 16th St. 7 p.m., $46.75 ticketomaha.com

Whether it is your job, family or the nightly news, these days it’s pretty easy to fall into a funk or feel blue. Comedy can be a great escape. Blue collar comedian Ron White, who is sometimes better known as “Tater Salad,” will be performing one night only with one main purpose — to make Omahans laugh. Opening for White will be comedian, Josh Blue, winner of NBC’s “Last Comic Standing.” He has appeared twice on “Ron White’s Comedy Salute to the Troops.” White is a one-of-akind comedian. You may have witnessed him smoking cigars or drinking scotch on stage. He is currently touring a new show and if it even closely resembles his previous standup, he will not disappoint. With these two standup comedians, your night will be sure to have your belly aching and face hurting, from laughter — the best medicine of all.

— Mara Wilson

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CHEVELLE

Monday, July 4 NEBRASKA WIND SYMPHONY Chalco Hills Recreation Area, 154 Street & Giles Road 6:00 p.m., Free www.nebraskawindsymphony.com “The band is playing somewhere and somewhere hearts are light” wrote Ernest Lawrence Thayer in his legendary evocation of Casey at the Bat. And, as the College World Series wraps up its glories, a large ensemble of other kinds of players assembles to perform another kind of score, a musical version of the tale. Stepping up front is Omaha actor Scott Kurz to vivify the words, while the Nebraska Wind Symphony plays personifying melodies and rhythms from 2001 by America’s Randol Alan Bass. Whizzing by are snatches of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” and a pungent slice of something by Richard Strauss. Bass said that his style here is inspired by the classic cartoons of yesteryear. As home-grown as baseball are most parts of this concert. Songs from Grease, something by Sousa and John Williams, for example. Other names: Henry Fillmore, John Joseph Richards, James Barnes. Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey and John Farrar created the songs for Grease. Michigan’s John Moss arranged them for wind groups. From famed John Williams comes “Hymn to the Fallen,” first heard in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Paul Lavender, long-time collaborator with Williams, created this version. You may have heard of Fillmore before. He was well-known for the kind of circus marches, rapid-time, upbeat audiencestirrers called “screamers.” Fillmore also often showed influences of ragtime. His “Lightning Fingers” from 1930 apparently will call for virtuoso clarineting Kansasbased, Welsh-born John Joseph Richards gained fame for his marches, and the best-known one, 1941’s “Emblem of Unity,” strides forth. There is something from 1983 by another composer with Kansas roots, James Barnes: Appalachian Overture wherein he wants to create a feeling for folk melodies of the American Southeast, the region of those glorious mountains. Add to all this an Armed Services Medley, Sousa’s “Riders for the Flag” plus “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” But wait! There’s more. The

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18-member jazz team, the “Swingtones,” first rolls out to play oldies but goodies from the Dorsey, Basie and Glenn Miller books. Music Director Larry MacTaggart and Associate Conductor Keith Michael Davis leads the 75-member Symphony. The home team reminds us, American music is cause for celebration.

— Gordon Spencer

this addition will not only continue those rescues, but provide an opportunity for the public to become more involved. The Raptor Woodland Refuge will allow the public to observe many species of birds of prey, including owls, hawks, vultures and more. The birds will be housed in an outdoor setting comprised of distinctive treehouse-like mews with several in the treetops on a suspended walkway above the forest floor.

— Mara Wilson Through July 16 JULIE VEREBELY AND BARBARA HOWERY Connect Gallery, 3901 Leavenworth St. Opening Reception: Friday, July 8, 5:00-9:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. connectgallery.net.

Connect Gallery’s July exhibit will feature two very different visions from emerging artist Julie Verebely and the more established artist Barbara Howery. The exhibit opens July 6. Photographer Verebely is showing her 2016

RESCUED FALCON AT FONTENELLE FOREST

Saturday, July 16 RAPTOR WOODLAND REFUGE Fontenelle Forest, 1111 Bellevue Boulevard North 10:00 a.m., $7.50-$9.50 fontenelleforest.org Raptor Woodland Refuge is a new outdoor attraction opening to the public in July at Fontenelle Forest. The nature center has built this expansion as part of a statewide bird of prey rescue, rehabilitation, and education effort that began as Raptor Recovery Nebraska in1976.

In 2013 Fontenelle Forest joined forces with this organization. Over 12,000 raptors have been rescued and

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‘BOATS IN SECHUAN, CHINA,’ A PHOTOGRAPH BY JULIE VEREBELY

Masters’ degree work from Bellevue University, along with oil painter Barbara Howery, who will display new contemporary abstract works. Verebely’s photos were taken in China’s Sichuan Province, and show the village life, as well as the old teahouses still used by the citizens.

On this trip back to China, Verebely focused on scenes and people she had not seen for many years, away from the quick pace of China’s cities. As International Student Experience Specialist at Bellevue, she is helping 81 Chinese students studying here in Nebraska. Her display of elegant, almost impressionistic photographs promises a tour of another world. Howery hails from Germany and has settled in Omaha. For this exhibit she has departed from landscapes to try her hand with contemporary abstraction in oils. With a theme of “Love, Faith and Nature,” Howery is exploring this motif to stretch out into more of a designerly approach. This is a two-week exhibit as Connect Gallery will close July 17th through August 16th for a summer break.

— Eddith Buis Tuesday, July 19 CHEVELLE Sokol Auditorium, 2234 S. 13th St. 8:00 p.m., $30 sokolunderground.com Chevelle may have flown under your radar before, but if you like hard rock music with a little melody thrown in, you should probably give this band some attention.

Their new album, The North Corridor, comes out on July 8, and was produced by power producer Joe Barresi, who has also produced albums by Tool, Coheed and Cambria, and Queens of the Stone Age. If you like The Deftones and/or Tool, but you haven’t checked out Chevelle, now’s the time. Their current tour is going to bring them through Omaha and they are playing at the iconic Sokol Auditorium. P.S. From what I hear, they put on a phenomenal performance. I haven’t yet had the pleasure, but I plan on making it out this time around. You should definitely be there too.

— Tara Spencer

Through July 30 PRESENCE OF LABOR Wanda D. Ewing Gallery, 2520 N. 24th St. Opening Reception: Friday, July 8, 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Wed. 4:00-7:00 p.m. and Sat. 11:00 a.m.-2:00p.m. u-ca.org

GOO GOO DOLLS

Friday, July 22 GOO GOO DOLLS Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove, 1 Harrah’s Boulevard 8:00 p.m., $43 ticketmaster.com I remember finding out my (much) younger sister was a Goo Goo Dolls fan and thinking, “Wait…they’re still around?” They are, and have been, “still around” for almost three decades, gaining widespread popularity in 1995 with the single, “Name” from their album A Boy Named Goo. Three years later, they had several more hits with songs like “Black Baloon” and “Slide” from Dizzy Up the Girl. The group has continued to put out albums, most recently 2016’s Boxes, their first as a duo, featuring the single “So Alive,” and they are currently touring the U.S. in support of it. Whether you’re a new fan, an old fan, a forever fan, or you just want to see how well John Rzeznik has held up, (spoiler alert: very well), get your tickets now. Because with three decades of fans, they will go fast.

— Tara Spencer Friday, July 22 KISS Pinnacle Bank Arena, 400 Pinnacle Arena Dr., Lincoln 8:00 p.m., $36.50-$122 pinnaclebankarena.com “Freedom to Rock” Tour is your chance to party in Lincoln with America’s iconic rock group, KISS. This nationwide tour is one you will not want to miss. The Rock N Roll Hall of Famers will be lighting up the stage and the fans that arrive are sure to be dressed and ready to, “rock and roll all night, and party every day.” Because you don’t go to a KISS concert to sit in your seat and listen to the soothing and calm voice of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. Opening for the band is Caleb Johnson, winner of the 13th season of American Idol. The 24-yearold is said to have a fiery rocking energy with a passion and power that will leave the crowd floored.

— Mara Wilson Saturday, July 23 WEEZER & PANIC! AT THE DISCO Harrah’s Stir Concert Cove, 1 Harrah’s Boulevard 7:00 p.m., $55 ticketmaster.com Weezer, circa 1992, has released ten albums over their two-decade career. The band’s most recent, The White Album, was released in April and has received rave re-

views. Many have complimented the band’s return to guitar-driven rock style. Currently on tour, they are making a stop at Stir. The concerts held at this venue have never failed to please me. Maybe it’s the hot summer air with a cool beer in hand or perhaps it’s the mix of people who gather together simply because they share a common interest. Whatever the reason, the atmosphere rocks and so do the bands that play their hearts out on stage. Weezer will be no different. Joining this band is the pop rock band, Panic! at the Disco. Since 2004 they have been releasing albums and their fifth, Death of a Bachelor was released in January. With old fans and new, these two bands will rock the night away at Harrah’s and their songs will play on repeat in the audience’s heads all the way home.

— Mara Wilson Thursday, July 28 TWENTY ONE PILOTS Pinewood Bowl Theater, 3201 South Coddington Ave., Lincoln 7:00 p.m., $35 pinewoodbowltheater.com The “Emotional Roadshow,” perfectly describes the tour for Twenty One Pilots. If you are unfamiliar with this band, by listening to any one of their songs you will understand why this title is so fitting. In one of their songs, “Fairly Local,” they state, “Yo, this song will never be on the radio/Even if my clique were to pick and the people were to vote/It’s the few, the proud, and the emotional.”

Yes, this group is emotional, but their fans that adore them are as well. This musical duo, comprised of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, know how to play with lyrics.

They are not the type of artists who come up with four really great lines to a song and place it on repeat for the next three minutes, intermixing a few extra, unnecessary lines. No, Twenty One Pilots creates a story within their songs, including characters, setting, and a message.

With this type of artistry, mixed with their skill of constructing brilliant beats with their instruments, there is a deeper level of connection with the songs and artists.

Perhaps you could not tell, I am more than a fan of this band and will be attending this concert. This event is sold out, but don’t get stressed out, they will be back in Omaha in February of next year.

— Mara Wilson

Presence of Labor is an installation by Sarah Kolar, presented by The Union for Contemporary Art. Kolar is a Union Fellowship Alum and her work in this project examines the dynamic relationship between the consumption that commodity obsessed culture imposes and the form of the structures presented.

A recent graduate from the University of Northern Iowa, Kolar focuses on fiber art projects. This installation explores the global production process of creating yarn to be knit into fabric to be sewn into a shirt and relates it to her large-scale fiber sculptures.

Kolar has relocated to Omaha and has intentions to pursue her Master of Fine Arts degree in sculpture.

— Mara Wilson

TWENTY ONE PILOTS

Through July 31 CHAIR SHOP Petshop Gallery, 2725 N. 62nd St. Opens, Friday, July 1, 7:00-10:00 p.m. bensonpetshop.wordpress.com The artists’ muse has always been stuff of legend -mythical, beautiful, fashionable -- but the muse in Christopher Vaughn Couse’s life is the four-legged function of the chair. From an inspirational encounter during a college photo assignment, the chair became Couse’s favorite subject--spawning a mixture of photography, paintings, readymade and found objects, performance and illustrations, all on view in his solo exhibition, Chair Shop, at Petshop Gallery in July. An animated combination of art styles that include pop art, symbolism, Fluxus, minimalism and street art, Chair Shop presents a variety of feelings and perspectives derived from Couse’s affection for the ubiquitous furnishing. Couse is not just Omaha-famous (to steal a phrase from his familiar street series), having shown in New York City and throughout Pennsylvania but his devotion to ‘Keeping Omaha Good Weird’ has given our city an exploration into a curious obsession.

— Melinda Kozel

KISS

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dundeediy W

hen Eric Williams, president of Nebraskans for Solar, was looking for a home to buy in 2011, he said one of the primary considerations was the orientation of the home and the slope of the roof.

“I was projecting forward and expecting I would want to install solar and generate electricity in my own home,” Williams said. “So the first step was seeing if the home I was looking at was a good candidate for the future.”

In 2012-2013, Williams said he had some casual discussions about solar, talked to some contractors and attended some meetings.

“By 2014, I decided I wanted to move for-

SUNGOD:

greenscene

PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN

“Once you consume a fossil fuel,” said Eric Williams, “it doesn’t come back.”

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ward so I started talking to a solar contractor who helped me get some equipment. He essentially facilitated that part and I was the project manager,” he said.

Williams installed the solar panels himself in the summer of 2014. He worked with a carpenter who had experience doing that kind of work and a professional electrician.

The electrician took care of the electrical connection from the panels down into the circuit breaker in the Dundee home. Williams said the electrical work necessitated for solar panels requires an electrical permit from the city and review by OPPD as well.

According to Williams, installing the solar panels wasn’t too complicated. He explained the brackets, which are about as big as your thumb and forefinger, are installed directly into the roof deck and the rafters. Then 14foot long aluminum rails run across the brackets to accommodate the panels.

“The solar panel rotates left or right, then up or down to get it to the right orientation,” he

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Up on the Roof with Eric Williams

said. “Each panel fits snugly to the next one without having to drill additional holes each time you’re putting in a new panel.”

Williams has 12 panels on his home with 260 watts each of production capacity. He usually tells people he has a 3-kilowatt system, about 3,120 watts total system capacity.

He said there is some efficiency loss when converting energy from direct current to alternating current. “The highest production of alternating current I see is about 2500 watts,” he said.

But that was enough to power 92 percent of the net electricity he used throughout 2015. In months where Williams was running the air conditioner, the furnace or his small space heater, he had to use some electricity from the grid.

“When we used less electricity than we were generating, we took the excess electricity and sold it back to OPPD for use on the grid somewhere else,” Williams explained.

But before you get too excited about the idea of generating your own electricity and selling the surplus back to OPPD, you should know that the economics don’t encourage battery storage of solar at home. That’s despite the fact the state legislature passed a law that requires all utilities to have net metering.

According to Williams net metering means, “I can buy electricity from the grid and sell electricity back to the grid and OPPD has to provide the hardware to facilitate that for me.

But when you purchase electricity from OPPD, it costs about .11 cents per kilowatt-hour. However, when you sell any extra you generate back, OPPD records that as offsetting what they would otherwise pay for the cost of production, so they only pay you back about .04 cents.”

Small scale solar on residential rooftops is a good way to offset or reduce your own electric use but the incentives do not encourage homeowners to design large capacity systems to sell excess electricity back to the grid.

One reason Williams joined Nebraskans for Solar was to encourage others to consider the installation of clean energy generation on their homes to reduce their use of and dependence on fossil fuel resources since fossil fuels are not renewable.

Williams has given several tours of his home and was even featured on the Green Home Tour last year.

BY CHERIL LEE

Williams believes these types of tours help people connect with the idea that solar panels aren’t elaborate and aren’t some type of advanced future technology that isn’t achievable.

In fact, that technology is ready today and can be installed pretty easily.

You can even do some of the work yourself if you’re adventurous and handy. But you will have to hire a professional electrician to do the work required by the City of Omaha’s electrical code and OPPD guidelines.

At the end of last year, Williams decided to purchase a Nissan Leaf, which changed his electric usage numbers. The Leaf uses more electricity than he uses in his home, so rather than generating 90 percent of his own electricity, he said his panels are currently producing 45 percent of the electricity used between his home and car.

Williams next goal is finding additional ways to have more solar generation on his home so he can produce the majority of the electricity needed for his home and car.

“The main reason I am interested in clean energy is to reduce the need to consume fossil fuels. They cause pollution and are an economic loss to individuals, our state and our economy in general. Once you consume a fossil fuel, it doesn’t come back. Unfortunately, fossil fuels’ emissions stick around, heating the planet and contaminating the water and the air,” Williams said.

Currently, there is no timeline on solar though some say the typical solar panel array is expected to last about 25 years, Williams said there are some systems from the ’70s still around and working.

Williams said there used to only be a few contractors working in clean energy, but now there are new ones coming into the market. There are businesses developing around the idea of providing clean energy right here in Nebraska.

If you’re interested in learning more about solar energy, the best place to start is by attending a Nebraskans for Solar meeting. And Williams said he’s always happy to show people his home. “They need to get familiar with what the hardware looks like and see that it doesn’t impact their roof or home in any negative way,” he said. “Unfamiliarity is the biggest hurdle.” , For more information, visit NebraskansforSolar.org.

heartlandhealing HEARTLAND HEALING is a metaphysically-based polemic describing alternatives to conventional methods of healing the body, mind and planet by MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN. It is provided as information and entertainment, certainly not medical advice. Important to remember and pass on to others: for a weekly dose of Heartland Healing, visit HeartlandHealing.com. .

gutreaction F

The Biome Made Me Do It

lip Wilson, groundbreaking comedian of the 1960s and ’70s, elevated two comic catchphrases to status in the American vernacular. His stage character, Geraldine, played in drag, often ended skits with the expository screech, “The Devil made me do it!” It never failed to bring raucous laughter. Invoking innocence based on the influence of an outside force is commonplace in human behavior. And maybe it’s not so far removed from truth.

Free at Last? Not so Fast.

Whether a human being suffers pre-destination or operates under a free will was a debate labored over long and hard in my college days, usually at the Blackstone Hotel’s Golden Spur with late night Camels and coffee. Ever the humanist, I would usually take the “free will” side of the argument back then. Things have changed.

There is increasing evidence and a growing school of thought that human behavior is indeed dictated, not by some divine intervention or even an ambiguous metaphysical notion called fate, but by the lively forces that surround us in a holistic universe. It appears that we are indeed “all one” and that we are just a part of the overall, operating under the influence of forces far less understood that we thought.

Medical research and bio-physiologists are increasingly considering the influence on human activity and health that is imposed by the trillions of living organisms that have set up camp in our body, mostly in the intestinal tract. This population of non-human cells is collectively known as the microbiome.

I intuited their impact decades ago.

My mom liked jellybeans. She always had a bowl of them on the coffee table. One day in the early ‘90s I sat in the living room of my parents’ house watching TV. I didn’t know an exact trigger, but I thought of getting up and grabbing a couple jelly beans. I popped them in my mouth and within seconds was back for a larger handful. After a couple trips to the candy dish, I noticed that I didn’t really want any more. In fact, my stomach was starting to rebel at the glut of sugar. But still, I couldn’t stop grabbing the gummies. I felt like an automaton, driven by some unknown force to get up, grab more, sit down, grab yet more — until I had to force myself to stop.

That feeling of submission impressed me. I thought of things I’d read about overabundance of yeast in the human body, and I drew a connection. Yeast thrives on sugar. What if a community of yeast cells were somehow clamoring for sustenance and compelling my urges? I found it reasonable, if a little Larry Niven-ish, a little spooky.

Fast forward a couple, three, decades. What we now know is that the human biome absolutely is linked to our behavior and activity, as well as our appetites and health.

BY MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN

linked to what is going on with our intestinal biome. How it operates is unclear but the influence is not. Too much epidemiological evidence exists to argue with it. It is likely that nearly every part of human life is impacted by our microbiome if we let it exert influence.

They are What You Eat One researcher likened taking antibiotics to using a sledgehammer on the gut bacteria. And when you kill off a large part of the population with drugs, there goes the neighborhood. Riffraff and opportunistic pathogens move in and you’re apt to get sick. So, if you want to stay healthy, you’ll want to be a positive influence on the healthy balance of your cohabitants. Start researching that because there’s nowhere near enough room here to fill you in. Some basics include fastidiously avoiding antibiotics and all prescription drugs, processed foods, sugars and GMOs while keeping your stress levels down and activity levels up. With children, avoid a C-section at birth. Breastfeeding is a must. So is exposure to nature in childhood. Stay away from antibiotics. As mentioned, there are many important ways to keep the zoo healthy.

The Bigger Picture Michael Pollan wrote an interesting book in 2001, Botany of Desire. It notes that humans influence the evolution and development of plant life. But beyond that, it demonstrates that plants influence human behavior and activity as well. It shows that we humans don’t stand outside the web of nature; we are very much a part of it. In not-so-subtle ways then, the secret life of plants is influencing our behaviors.

Influence on a Cellular Level Approximately 100 trillion bacteria, fungi, animals and bugs live in the human body. The balance of the population makeup is linked to any number of diseases, immune system performance, chronic ailments and behavior. How we feel, what we do, our moods, how we live can be dictated by the needs and cravings of the living organisms inside our host body. And they have the ability to direct us in ways not entirely understood.

I was right. Those jellybeans may not have been for me. Maybe they were intended to feed the immediate appetite of the sub-community in my body.

The condition and makeup of our intestinal biome is linked to diabetes, immune system, allergies including asthma, cancers. Obesity and insulin suppression, hormonal imbalances, depression and suicidal tendencies are all

heartland healing

Before that, René Dubos wrote the Pulitzer Prize-winning So Human an Animal in 1969, about the time I was debating over coffee at the Golden Spur. Dubos also noted how the world around us, the universe in fact, especially our own world of technology, is of primary influence on our actions and development.

We do not appear to be simple masters of our own fate. We can achieve that only if we realize it. When it comes to our microbiome, that community of trillions has more votes than we do, and we don’t even have super delegates to overrule them.

Sadly, Flip Wilson died in 1998, but not before his other key delivery line was firmly established as a computing catchphrase.

Geraldine often crowed, “What you see is what you get.” The acronym, WYSIWYG or “wiz-ee-wig,” is permanently entrenched as part of the software developer’s lexicon.

Be well. ,

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culture

inmemoriam Bohemian Rhapsody: The Life and Times of Tom Rudloff

BY ERICH CHRISTIANSEN

“G

ood morning. Would you like some coffee?”

When you walked through the wooden double doors of the Antiquarium bookstore, you could hear these words any time of the day or night. They would have been spoken by Tom Rudloff, the Antiquarium’s owner and founder. Rudloff died on May 29.

The Antiquarium was loved for being a gathering place for salon-like conversation, where all kinds of people — scholars and hippies, punks and clergy, revolutionaries and homeless people — could gather and freely join in an ongoing discussion. Among the assembled chairs and couches of its front room — the “conversation pit,” as the regular customers called it — one could hear talk of everything from the Russian Revolution to existentialism to advanced mathematics.

Tom Rudloff was what made all this possible. His intelligence and openness helped create this atmosphere. But also his relaxed, gentle presence, his broad — although often wry — smile, and his seeming ability to talk to anybody made customers immediately feel welcome. Being fluent in at least eight languages helped Rudloff make that welcome close to universal. This was due in large part to his radical egalitarianism. He accepted people for who they were.

Rudloff never talked down to people, including adolescents and children (which once included me).

“I felt immediately respected by him,” Omaha musician Dereck Higgins recalled. “I was maybe 15 years old when I first wandered in there and he was so gracious and engaging. It made an impression on me that he was truly interested in my thoughts. He was a role model for me.”

Rudloff also trusted that if people were gently challenged by new words and new ideas, they would rise to the occasion. And they most often did. It was noticeable how people’s vocabularies elevated when they talked to Tom. They wanted to impress him, or at least be taken seriously by him. continued on page 32y

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culture

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culture

‘Tomteacher:

Tom taught us to read well.

But he also taught us to live well.

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y continued from page 30

He not only aided people in their intellectual and artistic quests, but in their more material needs. He often lent people money or provided a place to sleep.

Tom Rudloff was born on August 11th, 1939. He grew up near 40th and Spencer in North Omaha. His father was the director of Roberts Dairy and later became assistant to the president of that company. He subsequently lost that job, which led to a period of discord in the family.

The result of “the old man’s drunken episodes,” as Rudloff put it in an interview with Atiim Jones in 2014, was that the young Tom was a “psychological mess,” flunking almost every class. But when at the age of 14 he went away to the Redemptorist Seminary in Kirkwood, Missouri, and was away from the chaos of his home life, he blossomed as a student, getting an A average.

As he once told me, “I don’t believe in God anymore. And while I often criticize the Catholic Church, I will never completely criticize them.

They gave me a place of quiet where I could read, and think, and study.

Otherwise, I don’t know what I would have been.”

Rudloff ended up leaving the seminary, and the church, six months before his scheduled ordination. He then worked on a masters’ degree in history at Creighton University for three years. Finishing his thesis would take too many more years of work. After that, he went to Europe to sell commodities, ultimately failing at that enterprise.

Thus Rudloff found himself in August of 1969 at the age of 30 with no money, no job and no pospects. He had either walked away from, or downright failed at, not just three different jobs, but three different ways of life: the religious life, the academic life, and the financial life. Then, through pure chance, he stumbled upon the event that would not only change his life, but come to define it. Through chance, he would find his vocation, and his greatest success.

Tom and his sister, Judy, were avid readers, and they were excited to come across the liquidation sale of the library of the recently closed Duchesne College on 36th and Webster. They had unfortunately arrived on the last day of the sale.

So the nuns, who had to get all of those books out of there in any case, said they would sell the remaining 12,000 volumes at a deep discount if the Rudloffs just took them all. So Tom and Judy selected the ones they wanted to keep and then launched a three-month series of popular garage sales to move the rest.

They brought the remainder to Book and Magazine Locators Unlimited, at 1210 Farnam Street. The owner, Harry Marble, was in poor health at the time. When they asked if he wanted to buy their collection, he asked if they wanted to buy his store.

Thus the Antiquarium , which means “place that has old things” and is a common terms for used bookstores in Germany, opened for business in February of 1970.

| THE READER |

culture

In 1974, the city exercised eminent domain to clear that block for the construction of the Gene Leahy Mall. Tom applied for a grant through Urban Renewal Refugees, an organization dedicated to helping businesses displaced by urban renewal programs. The grant was awarded in July, making it possible for him to buy the building at 1215 Harney, to which he had moved the store by November of 1974.

The Bill Farmer Gallery was created in 1979 in an effort to preserve the work of the noted painter and sculptor. The Antiquarium actually had two galleries in its right mezzanine. One featured a different show every month. The other served both as Farmer’s studio and as a venue to display his collected work, which he occupied until his death in 2001. The Antiquarium was also famous for its record shop, run

by Dave Sink since 1986. Known as one of the best record shops in the region, it especially became a mecca for punk and indie rock and was an epicenter for Omaha’s growing — and increasingly nationally recognized — music scene.

The Antiquarium was also important to the history of Omaha for being one of the first public spaces that was gay-friendly, but not a bar. The bookstore’s unapologetic inclusiveness was a major force in Omaha’s culture.

Syd Reinarz, for example, tells of how, when he was 14 years old, Tom was the first person to whom he came out. The simple gesture of Tom telling him that he was going to be all right made a powerful impact on Reinarz’s life.

In the early 2000s, Rudloff began to consider accepting the offers condo developers made to sell his building. It represented an opportunity to provide Judy the income he felt her position as partner had lacked over the years. So he moved his operations to the aspiring book town of Brownville, Nebraska. They opened for business there in the spring of 2008.

Rudloff was diagnosed with lymphoma in March. While receiving chemotherapy, he was overcome by a sudden and pervasive weakness which affected his diaphragm, making him too weak to breathe on his own. His heart stopped on May 29.

Even in his passing, Rudloff left a legacy of community spirit. His niece, Susan Teply, said, “He has requested I use the artwork of Bill Farmer to form a charitable foundation. The purpose of the foundation is the promotion of giving to those most in need in the memory of Bill Farmer. It is Tom’s hope that friends will donate both artistic works and funds to this foundation.”

Rudloff often said he ran his business “as if people mattered,” a phrase taken from E. F. Schumacher’s classic book Small is Beautiful.

Rudloff insisted, “If you treat people like human beings, they will behave like human beings.”

Through his Antiquarium, Tom Rudloff put books into the hands of Nebraskans for 46 years, and his store in Brownville continues to do so. In doing that, he taught us to read well. But Tom also taught us to live well. ,

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JULY 2016

33

normalguy W

Comedian Louis C.K. Talks Terrence Crawford, Warren Buffet and Nebraska Nice

hen Louis C.K. takes the stage at the Century Link Aug. 3, you can rest assured he’s there because he wants to be. “I pick where I go and Omaha is definitely a place I wanted to be this year,” he said in a phone interview. “I kind of love Omaha. I have an old friend named Russ who lives there, and when I moved from NY to LA I would have to drive my very big dog across country; I did this four or five times. So I would always stop to see Russ and hang out in that town. I’m also a big fan of Terrence Crawford the fighter. He’s great. He’s the best fighter around and also a good guy. I like how he fights there in town to support the community and you can see Warren Buffet up in the nose bleed seats instead of ringside. These are all things I love about Omaha. I’ve always had a lot of affection for that town.”

When told that Nebraska’s new tourism motto is Visit Nebraska. Visit Nice., he chuckled and said, “That sounds pretty good.”

He’s aware of how large the seating capacity is at the CenturyLink

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B Y TA M S E N BU T L E R

Center and he’s not intimidated in the least. If he had to choose between a larger venue or a smaller one, he simply asserted that both options have merits. “I like them both. There’s sort of like a mathematical curve. A small venue is intimate but when you’re large everything goes up. All the people together create a different kind of intimacy. Any place you fill is intimate.”

He’s not sure if he’ll sell all the tickets for the show. “I don’t know if we’ll fill Omaha. It’s definitely a challenge to sell a lot of tickets in Nebraska. In New York City, if people walk five blocks you get 10,000 people. The further into the middle of the country you go, the larger the challenge is to sell tickets. I know that venue can fit the amount of people we can draw.”

“I like feeling like a normal person.”

He won’t get the opportunity to spend much time in the area having a look around because his somewhat frantic tour schedule makes it to where he generally sees only a hotel room, the hotel gym and the performance venue everywhere he goes.

If you do happen to run into him while he’s here, try not to make a scene and freak out.

“I like feeling like a normal person. It’s my favorite way to feel. I’m like everybody else. So for me it’s weird when someone is like, ‘Oh my God, it’s you!’ When someone freaks out, I don’t know what to do with that. If you were walking down the street and someone went up to you all excited, it would just freak you out and take you out of your day; it would make everyone stare at you. It’s very strange.” He far prefers a smile or a nod or a quick, “Hey Louis” over screaming and making a scene. “Throw me a wave and say, ‘How you doing?” and I’ll say ‘I’m fine how are you?’ I mean I’d rather have a familiar moment than a weird crazy freak-out moment.”

“I don’t know my neighbors as well as I think I do.”

You can pretty much assume that everything you think you know about Louis C.K. is wrong in one way or another. He said misinformation online is commonplace. “I think that pretty much everything I’ve ever read about me or anyone I know has been wrong in some hilarious way. You read something and go, ‘What? That’s not true.’

It’s the biggest game of telephone in the world and I understand it. If you’re the editor and you get a story or facts from a reporter you want to make it more interesting or simpler to read. You just change it. That’s the way it is.

“When I read about someone I don’t know, I expect most of it is wrong … either inaccurate or

overly inflated or whatever. Listen, I don’t know my neighbors as well I think I do. I don’t know my best friend as well as I think I do. Everyone has a distorted view of each other, so it’s natural. Even my mom surprises me with something about her past and I’m like, ‘What? I didn’t know you went to Ohio State for two years! What the fuck is that about?’”

“If I never said another word about politics nobody would miss it in a million years.”

It took the comedian some time before he realized that his status as a celebrity makes it so that people take notice when he makes any sort of political statement. Famously quoted as likening Donald Trump to Hitler, the funnyman said that he doesn’t set out to sway anyone’s opinion. “I don’t think what I say particularly matters to anybody.

I think the only reason people listen to me is because I can be funny sometimes. If I never said another word about politics nobody would miss it in a million years.

“When you do interviews, I like talking to people. I’m a big mouth. I enjoy talking. So I’ll start talking to somebody and if they bring up the topics, I like to chat. I’m like any other person. I’m not saying something about politics because I think my voice must be lent to this issue. It’s because I’m an American and I’m watching it just like anyone else; it’s just like talking about sports. It’s fun and interesting and engaging. So I’ll say something because I’m in a conversation and it’ll go out as a quote, but it’s not like the President going up to a podium saying here’s how our administration views this. It’s just some jackass talking. It’s something I have to catch up to because I’m not entirely used to it.”

“We work hard to set the ticket prices at a cost we hope people can afford.”

Louis C.K. tries to keep ticket prices low for his shows so fans have the opportunity to attend.

“We work hard to set the ticket prices at a cost we hope people can afford. Usually you’re getting big ticket charges for concerts and shows, but our charges are zero. We also work hard to keep them out of the hands of scalpers. It makes it harder to sell the tickets because if you open it up to everyone for anything, then they go quicker. But the way I actually sell to the viewer it’s worth it.”

“I’m excited about Omaha,” he added. “Please give everyone my best.” , Louis C.K. performs Wednesday, Aug. 3, at CenturyLink Center. Tickets $25 - $65 at ticketmaster.com.

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| THE READER |

JULY 2016

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THEATER

CallingBullsh*t DRAMAqUEENS: (from left) Laura

Leininger-Campbell, Moira Mangiameli and Marie Amthor-Schuett

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A

s another Omaha theater season came to a close, something stood out to the Shelterbelt Theatre’s Artistic Director Beth Thompson; The lack of strong roles and opportunities for women in Omaha theater.

That’s why Thompson and her artistic team have put together Shattering the Glass: A Celebration of Omaha Women in Theatre. The idea came from a meeting Thompson had with Creighton Professor Dr. Amy Lane where Lane brought up BoxFest, an organization that showcases and creates opportunities for women directors in Detroit, Michigan.

“I thought we could take that a step further,” Thompson said. “Let’s comission some of our local female playwrights, hire female directors and ask these ladies to write with female protagonists in female-heavy shows. From the very beginning, I thought of it as Shelterbelt’s love letter to the ladies of Omaha theater. There’s so

| THE READER |

theater

Omaha theater lacks women’s roles.

The Shelterbelt is changing that.

BY WILLIAM GRENNA

much talent here from actors, directors, writers and designers; everywhere you look. This is an opportunity for us to contribute a solution rather than simply complain about the issue.”

Joining her in this process are a team of directors and writers including Marie AmthorSchuett, Laura Leininger-Campbell, Sonia Keffer, Moira Mangiameli, Kaitlyn McClincy, Daena Schweiger and Jayma Smay. Several of the women joined me for a round-table discussion about women in Omaha theater, the love/hate relationship they have with the city, the progress that’s been made in recent years and the ways it can improve even further.

Schweiger, who’s been working in Omaha theater for the better part two decades, said there’s one important difference she’s seen in the past several years.

“There’s a lot more theater,” she said. “It’s seems that more and more people are getting involved. There’s these little nomadic theaters

that come up and do one show and then you won’t see them for a number of years. There’s more opportunities to create shows and they are taking advantage of that opportunity, especially in the summertime. It used to be Shakespeare on the Green and that was it. Now a lot of theaters are going almost year-round. There’s more theater opportunities, which makes it ironic that there’s still a need for a show like this.”

Irony seemed to be a constant thread throughout our conversation. Perhaps the biggest irony is the fact that women make up the bulk of artistic leadership positions in the city, yet roles and opportunities for women on stage still lags behind.

“I mention this in my Director’s Notes,” Thompson said. “There’s a lot of female artistic directors in this town, yet we’re still having this conversation. Now, I don’t know how much control some larger houses’ artistic staffs have continued on page 38y

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JULY 2016

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THEATER

directornotes:

”There’s more theater opportunities” in the city, said Daena Schweiger, “which makes it ironic that there’s still a need for a show like this.”

y continued from page 36

on choosing their season versus their board, which is usually made up of wealthier white men. How much control does the artistic staff have on choosing their season? Also, there’s definitely women and men who just prefer a certain type of male-centric show. They surround themselves with male energy, and that’s totally fine, but I think we can find a place for women too.”

One argument passed by theater commentators across the country is that there just aren’t enough plays out there featuring strong women’s roles or that those plays don’t sell well, despite the fact that women make up the majority of audiences across the country.

“If you’re saying there’s not that many quality female-centric plays out there, you’re not looking hard enough,” Thompson said. “You’re not.

You have to open up your net. We ran into that problem this coming season. We found ourselves with four plays that we really liked but they were all by men. I said, ‘We can’t do this.’

I can’t go from a season of all female-written plays to no female-written plays. So we had to open our net. We started reaching out to people to see what they were working on or reading to find the right season. They’re out there, you just have to go looking for them.”

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theater

Laura Leininger-Campbell agreed, saying “I also think it’s the theater’s job to educate their audience about what the show is going to be. It’s just a good show, dammit! You’re giving yourself a disadvantage if you’re already feeling behind the 8-ball because you’ve got only female scripts. If you’ve got someone on your board saying that this is lesser known than other male playwrights, then it’s your job as an artistic staff to make that play the best it can be because it is a compelling piece. It’s not any less because it’s written by a women. It’s their job to dispel that myth.”

Then there came a time discussing the recent events the Chicago Reader brought to light involving Profiles Theatre and its treatment of female performers over the years. While none of the women talked about events that extreme, they all agreed that everyone in Omaha has a responsibility to stand up for one another and “call out the bullsh*t” when they see it.

“If 40-year-old Laura could look at 20-yearold Laura, I would tell her it was okay to stand up against stuff that’s not appropriate,” Leininger-Campbell said. “That’s something that I would loved to have done. I don’t think it’s just an Omaha thing, I think all theaters are always going to struggle with people who take things just a little too far that cause an actor to feel

unsafe. But to teach a hungry young actor that there are things that are and aren’t appropriate in the process and teaching them their rights and when to stand up is important. That Chicago Reader article resonated a lot with me and I think a lot of other actresses feel the same way.”

Schweiger chimed in, “I remember back in the day when certain shows would get reviewed in places like The Reader and women would be called out simply for the way they looked. Luckily, that doesn’t happen anymore.

Even before I got involved in theatre, I saw that and said, ‘This isn’t right.’”

Marie Amthor-Schuett voiced her frustration over the types of shows that feature minorities in Omaha.

“A lot of the stories I see on stage in Omaha where there’s a black character, they are struggling because they are black,” she said. “Can we move past that yet? Not that those stories shouldn’t be told or that we shouldn’t appreciate history and what people have gone through. Can’t we just have a story where there’s a character on stage that just happens to be black? It feels like everything today needs to be an issue play. Theater repression can only go so far. continued on page 40y

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| THE READER |

JULY 2016

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THEATER glassbreaker:

(right) Beth Thompson is the Shelterbelt’s artistic director.

glassdirector: (above) Jayma Smay

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JULY 2016

y continued from page 38

“Do more plays with gay characters in it.

Do more plays with people of color in it. I’m a triple minority. I want to see more of those stories. I saw Seven Homeless Mammoths Wandering New England at SNAP Productions the other weekend and I was blown away. I said, ‘Thank God!’ because I needed that story. And saying plays like that don’t sell is bullsh*t because Fun Home raked it in on Broadway. Find the good plays or commissions that work. There are plenty of people to tell those stories, you just have to bring them together. It shouldn’t have taken us so long to get to the point of Fun Home. ‘Oh, there’s a lesbian character!’ It’s 2016 for crying out loud. It’s doesn’t have to be any specific minority, it just has to be a good story.”

But for all of their frustrations with Omaha, there was even more praise for an artistic community that has nurtured and pushed each of them as artists.

“I think that there’s a lot of networked collaboration, support and encouragement for everyone in the community,” Leininger-Campbell said. “As an actor, I’ve been lucky enough to get support from so many folks in the theater community, especially people like Ellen Struve. She encouraged me to write. She could be spending all her energy just writing plays but she spends so much time in this community helping other female writers develop. She really looks at a macrolevel past where we need to be.”

Struve, the former Shelterbelt artistic director and current board member whose plays have found success all across Omaha, was a point of tremendous affection for all involved in Shattering the Glass.

“It had been awhile since I had done anything but she was always nudging me to write more,” Schweiger said. “Finally, I broke through and ended up writing something for SNAP. It was just that little nudge from her to give her something and not let writer’s block be an excuse.”

“She’s the reason I have this job and doing what I’m doing,” Thompson said.

“She invests a lot into the community and is always around,” said Amthor-Schuett. “She knows how to be around in a way that’s not intimidating too. If you need to sit and have a conversation, she’ll do it.”

The conversation turned into praise for all kinds of women across Omaha theater including Blue Barn’s Susan Clement-Toberer, Omaha Playhouse’s Susie Baer-Collins, Creighton’s Dr. Amy Lane, Brigit Saint Brigit’s Cathy Kurz, and many more.

The conversation came to a close with each woman discussing why they do theater in Omaha.

| THE READER |

theater

“It’s the best form of therapy,” Amthor-Schuett said. “It keeps me sane and grounded and reminds me that I do have something to say.

Sometimes I think the world silences you or you silence yourself. Theater forces me to communicate. Sometimes this little part of me breaks out that I fall in love with and I say, ‘Oh, there you are! Why do you shove that side of yourself away?’ That’s why I keep doing it.”

“It’s my favorite form of storytelling,” said Thompson. “Whether I’m an audience member or I am directing, that show is once in a lifetime.

The experience of what happens, especially in a space like Shelterbelt where you can see the audience and make eye contact, that experience will never happen again. There’s something so special about that. I’m blessed to be a part of it. Also, this community has become my family. I don’t have any family in town, no parents or siblings or cousins who come to see my shows. This community has saved my life in more ways than they will ever know.”

Leininger-Campbell said, “Even when everything is going off the rails in rehearsal and there’s some seemingly incredible obstacle that prevents you from getting from one place to another, it might seem impossible but it’s going to resolve itself because the show will go on. It’s a little microcosm of what life is. Even though you’re in the gutter at the moment, it’s

going to resolve itself. I love that. At the end of it all, I could come home screaming and crying saying ‘I’m never going to do this again,’ but two weeks later I’m saying ‘That wasn’t so bad.’ I appreciate that so much and it’s a good lesson for me in my daily life.”

Then Moira Mangiameli chimed in.

“When I was in Our Town [at the Blue Barn Theatre] every night at the end of the show I would sit up there on my chair on the hill as the lights went down. You would hear people sniffling and crying, and certainly there was lots of laughter throughout the play as well.

But as Nils Haaland walked off stage and the lights went down, you would hear everyone in the theatre deeply exhale all at once. That’s why I do theater. It’s the only medium that can elicit that particular response; the sense of profound belonging to the universe. It’s knowing that I just sat there for two hours and watched and was touched in a way that doesn’t happen when I go see a movie or listen to music.

It’s the only artform that connects us in such a profound, deep way.” , Shelterbelt Theatre’s Shattering the Glass: A Celebration of Omaha Women in Theatre runs from July 8-31 at 3225 California St. For ticket information, call 402-341-2757, email boxoffice@ shelterbelt.org, or go to www.Shelterbelt.org.

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WeavingaRainbow T

texturetouches: The work of Nebraska

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native Sheila Hicks is featured in Material Voices at the Joslyn Art Museum.

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hough the comprehensive Sheila Hicks exhibit, Material Voices, at Joslyn Art Museum comes with an additional fee, it is well worth the price of admission for anyone who loves a colorful palette and fabric art, and who might usually be put off by abstraction.

You needn’t worry about “understanding” the work by the internationally known Hicks — it’s all about ways to use color — lots of it.

There are giant “Boules” — hassocks really — gloriously bound by repeated wrapping which seem to have been carelessly tossed out for us to view on their white plinth.

There are bunches of small minimes on the walls made on a handheld loom, with colors colliding into both warp and weft in surprising and lovely color combinations and design, sometimes with a bone or corn husk slipped in for a focus or variety.

A favorite for the contemporary viewer might be the seemingly simple, large wrapped “color painting” of tiny threads jostling against one another as seen in Predestined Color Wave II, or Treaty, both done in 2015. Could the latter piece be asking for a ceasefire between the races? It is front and center at the beginning of the exhibit.

There are giant wool prayer rugs hung on walls for study, raising their aesthetic worth.

As a collection, all these works seem to catalogue the huge possibilities of fiber art. And all are beautifully crafted, Ford Foundation Study —1966, for instance.

Because the Joslyn cannot suspend over ten pounds of weight from the ceilings, this is primarily a “floor and wall show.” But there seems to be plenty here to tell this fiber story.

One of the largest pieces, Cordes Sauvages Pow Wow (2014-15), is made up of 26 tightly wrapped and twisting elements which seems to remind one of an early culture. The shadows cast from the piece are essential to the presentation.

Visitors may well appreciate the beautifully crafted 33-inch rondo in the first room, Hastings Visit to the Great Plains (1979). This piece was loaned from the Museum of Ne-

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art

Sheila Hicks’ colorful fabric art delights in the Joslyn exhibit, Material Voices

BY EDDITH BUIS | PHOTOGRAPHY BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN

braska Art and is near the latest Joslyn acquisition, Mandan Shrine.

Hicks completed it in 2016 for this exhibit to honor legendary artist Karl Bodmer, whose work is a mainstay of Joslyn’s permanent collection. Many Omahans were introduced to her work a while back at the KANEKO Fiber show with a Rapunzel-like giant braid, also loaned by the Kearney museum from their collection.

Though the artist was born in Hastings in 1934, Nebraskans have little reason to claim this titan fiber artist as just their own. She did have family who passed on the ability to sew,

knit and crochet, but that’s not the main trajectory of her story.

The larger story, which can be enjoyed in the exhibition catalogue featuring essays and an artist interview by Monique Levi-Strauss, is in this bright and hard-working woman herself — and her incredible education at Yale Art School with an intense introduction to color theory and art history as well as architecture.

From the catalogue we learn that her family moved often. Hicks remembers painting as a child in a Detroit museum amidst Diego Rivera murals, and did return in summer to her grandparents often enough to remember the heat, wind and cornfields of the Midwest.

Her exploration of Peruvian textiles at the Art Institute of Chicago as a teenager was a more cogent experience to her eventual career in fiber. After two years of college, she transferred to Yale to study art. Hicks studied with renowned Bauhaus professor Josef Albers and

took independent textile studies with his wife, Anni Albers, known as one of the finest textile artists that came to America from Germany when many Bauhuas figures fled the rise of Hitler and National Socialism.

Hicks and architecture students were having long discussions with Louis Kahn, one of most celebrated architects of the postwar era, who was teaching at Yale from 1947 to 1957. She built models with students in Yale’s architecture program, which led to a lifelong interest in collaborating with architects. She would later espouse using fiber to soften and add color to the more streamlined architecture being designed at that time.

Another significant professor for Hicks was Latin American historian George Kubler, a scholar of pre-Columbian sculpture who taught that the decorative arts were as valid as fine art.

When Kubler showed Peruvian “mummy bundles” to his class, Hicks decided she needed to begin researching these elaborate fabrics to try to figure out how they were made. Needing to learn to weave to do this, she fashioned a small loom with a canvas stretcher and nails to make small weavings she called “minimes.”

With this simple plan, Hicks was to find her lifelong “voice” with fiber, making minimes and experimenting with color as an artist might sketch out new ideas on paper. She has created over 1,000 of these studies over the years.

Hicks says that it was a long struggle to establish herself as a fiber artist. But here this woman is, at 82, still working in Paris as she has since 1964 in discovering new ways to work with thread.

Jason Farago, writing in the Material Voices catalogue, said that Hicks’ greatest achievement is to offer us the idea that color is an uncommon thing, a thing of wonder.

“Hicks has fashioned a chromatic language so expressive, it can reweave a rainbow.” , Sheila Hicks: Material Voices, continues until Sept. 4, 2016 at Joslyn Art Museum. For details and hours, go to Joslyn.org.

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(opposite page) Decisionmaker is one of Troy Muller’s works in Honey Mushroom Wonderfuls at Modern Arts Midtown.

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ulti-media artist Troy Muller creates objects that aspire to be something other than what they are — namely, works by an early-twenty-first-century American artist.

Each of the objects in Honey Mushroom Wonderfuls, the mysteriously named show of Muller’s work at Modern Arts Midtown, appears to be from another time, one in which it played a cultural role that we may or may not discern.

Most frequently, this role is something approaching the sacramental. Wall-mounted assemblages such as The Great Rift, Witness 1, Witness 2 and The Marriage Game could have been yanked from the walls of some strange church in which the sacred and the profane are hopelessly intermingled and objects of worship are juxtaposed with objects of disdain.

The Marriage Game, for instance, is a diptych portraying a glum-looking couple encircled by symbols of the material satisfaction that supposedly comes with wedded bliss. The effect is similar to medieval and Renaissance portraits that often surround individuals with manifestations of their wealth and station.

In Muller’s work, the two figures and their assorted toys (jewelry, a bottle of wine, a lawnmower, even a box of takeout Chinese food) are all bordered with what he calls an “aura.”

They float in a space defined by a stippled background that Muller says he borrowed from Mexican folk art as a means of “hyperobjectifying” the various pictorial elements of each work.

These elements tend to have their origins in Post-World War II America, when achieving the American dream seemed possible as represented by the houses, cars, and appliances that everyone aspired to own.

The images have a comic book quality, but upon closer examination they shift into a darker register, not unlike a graphic novel, with allusions to violence, bankruptcy, addiction, and rampant consumerism.

Muller’s interest in this duality is stimulated in part by the work he does with veterans, many of whom have made huge sacrifices in

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art

Troy Muller’s timeless, hybrid assemblages comment on modern culture B Y DAV I D T H O M P S O N

defense of the American dream only to find that too often they have difficulty gaining access to it. He is the co-founder of an organization called the New Century Art Guild, which provides veterans with opportunities to explore art professionally, recreationally, and therapeutically.

In Witness 1, Muller tries to capture the reality of post-traumatic stress disorder by depicting a human head with several layers of

skin and tissue pulled away in the manner of an illustration from a medical textbook.

The head appears to be leering out at us as we try to piece the meanings of the surrounding images (combat medals, a fetus, a briefcase stuffed with documents) together.

As if all of this were not a tall enough order for any artist, Muller has lately been trying to expand interpretive possibilities still further by creating works that have moving parts. Shifts among the different parts of a work interest him because, as he put it, “meanings change as relationships change.”

This is most apparent in Debt Cycle and Decisionmaker. Both appear at first glance to be whimsical and colorful spinning wheels of the kind one finds at carnivals. Again, however,

this veneer of pollyannish simplicity gives way to social critique. In Debt Cycle, for instance, being a “big shot” is just one spin of the wheel away from being a “deadbeat.”

All of this back and forth takes place within frames that Muller designs and builds himself, in part so he can, as he has put it, “get beyond the rectangle.”

The Great Rift, for instance, is a large eight-pointed star. It too is populated with the ephemera of middle-class existence (a toilet, a television, a typewriter, etc.), but this time with a kind of celestial map superimposed over the objects. The title refers to a particular area of dark space that cuts a mysterious gash in the otherwise-bright Milky Way. Muller is adept at drawing upon the discourses of science, religion, history, and more to create a compelling, often humorous but also foreboding vision of the world.

This is apparent even in the name of this show. Honey Mushroom Wonderfuls are imaginary products that Muller dreamed up as part of a writing project (yes, he writes too).

He even composed a long list of ingredients for the strange snack that includes “shredded paper (from a collapsed currency)” and “expired Oxycodone (stolen from Grandmother’s cabinet).”

It’s difficult to capture in a review the range of thoughts and emotions elicited by Muller’s work in this exhibition which includes a group of figurative sculpture that likewise comments on contemporary culture. This is in part by design. Muller says he aims to create works that require direct experience, rather than being accessible through the mediated realm of jpegs and computer screens.

As Muller put it in an artist’s statement from an earlier show, “I put myself in the point of view of a future archeologist, unearthing objet d’art treasures and revealing them to a curious public.” ,

Honey Mushroom Wonderfuls is on view until July 29 at Modern Arts Midtown, 3615 Dodge St. For more details, go to modernartsmidtown.com.

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GlowingOntheGreen

theater

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Zinging, Leaping Shakespeare REVIEW BY GORDON SPENCER

onderful performing cascades before your eyes and ears. It’s The Taming of the Shrew made endearing and vivacious, brimming with style and sparkling loquaciousness as guided by director Amy Lane and interpreted by a flawless 18-member ensemble for Nebraska Shakespeare.

The players own the stage and Lane has

everything rolls on with its own momentum.

She’s created jolly, fresh perspectives without ever tampering with what’s in the original conception. She imaginatively conjures up deliberately ambiguous personifications while Lindsay Pape’s fantastic costumes add to those images. “Gender,” Lane said is “a social construct, a performance rather than an identity.” Role playing, then, underlies it

everyone on it in constant and delightful motion. By leaps and bounds, they keep the action and the story full of life. At the same time, despite all the rushing to and fro, the rich language and complex speeches never get so hurried that their sense gets trampled.

Moreover, Lane has found delightful, snappy ways to bring out the bawdiness Shakespeare put there and, clearly has encouraged her actors to find fun within the lines.

You probably know that a prominent element of the story deals with male domination and female subjugation. A tricky path to follow in our day, unlike its original time when, despite the forceful rule of an English queen, women were essentially powerless. Lane, in having an all-male cast, seeks to replicate the sense of the period and, equally, to call attention to its confines. You needn’t look for that, or ponder it. She’s made sure that

all. Things do get broad, but never go beyond the boundaries. These characters seem like real people who just get carried away a lot.

Audience-friendly-wise, Lane and Artistic Director Vincent Carlson-Brown have made sure that everyone present can know the essence of the story. A synopsis is in the informative, excellently- produced program book.

Here, however, is the essence. Baptista Minola declares that his youngest daughter Bianca can be free to marry only after her older sister, rambunctious Katharina (aka Kate) is wed. Gremio, Hortensio and Lucentio seek to woo Bianca and come up with a variety of schemes, including disguises, to win her love. Petruchio vows to make Kate his bride although she does all she can to resist. After they are wed, he devises what look like loving ways to tame her, which ultimately succeed.

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Among the disguise routines, FYI, Lucentio and his servant Tranio reverse roles. And later they get a merchant to impersonate Lucentio’s father, Vincentio, a trick which comes undone when the real father appears. Not to worry. As with everything else in this production, the playing makes it clear.

Joe Lullo’s Petruchio brims with dynamic panache, although he might have seemed broadly sweeter when trying to convince Kate of his love. As for Kate, Daniel Ian Joeck never suggests conventional femininity, a perfect choice by him and Lane to remind us that women take many shapes and forms. Thus, when Kate finally yields to her husband’s rule, she does so with strength and surety, as if en route to equal partnership.

Myles Phillips and Buddy Haardt as Lucentio and Tranio deliver their speeches with such knowing skill that you’d swear they’ve done so before at London’s Globe. Phillips also exudes true charm. Brian Linden plays Gremio, Bianca’s older suitor, with edgy feistiness and clearly knows how to make his costume have a life of its own.

All of this cast merges and moves as if one dynamic company which has been together before and long. Credit them and Lane for making it seem so.

Pape’s exceptional costumes become a non-stop marvel. For example, there’s Hortensio’s violet-ribboned outfit, delightfully flounced and fluttered by Josh Doucette.

And another masterpiece almost takes the wedding cake, Kate’s multi-layered bridal clothes, all in black, as if in mourning, but also a reversal of the black Petruchio had been wearing.

Carlson-Brown has marvelously staged the fights. Call some of them brawls, especially the great match on the mat when Kate and Petruchio first confront each other’s urges to be on top. Plus, on the subject of movement, choreographer Patrick Roddy’s finale dance may make you want to leap up and join them.

Call it a triumph. , The Taming of the Shrew runs through July 10. Elmwood Park, south of UNO’s Bell Tower. 8 p.m. Free. www.nebraskashakespeare.com. d get spaghetti bath.

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CULTURE Finding Meaning in Movement

t’s a fair bet you’ve never seen a performance like what tbd has in store for you. Light, sound, space, and most importantly, motion, all converge in what, ostensibly, falls under the umbrella of “modern dance.”

TAKINGFLIGHT:

The tbd Dance Company performed at KANEKO in February.

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But that label hardly does their brand of experimental, movement-based performance justice. The company formed in early 2012, and in the words of founding member Kat Fackler, represents an “artist-driven, loosely organized collective who enjoy moving and creating together.” Many of them are seasoned dancers, but she is cautionary when using the term dance, opting instead for movement to better describe the freer nature of tbd’s performances. She describes the group as “a space to make choreography, and a place to have bodies experimenting.”

You’ll be able to catch tbd performing at Slowdown on Saturday, July 9, as part of the Under the Radar Festival – of which they have

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culture

BY JAMES VNUK

been a regular fixture since its beginnings in 2014. Under the Radar showcases experimental performance for the Midwest, and have drawn over 200 artists from across the country to date. Tbd fits in perfectly with the festival: they’ve danced in cornfields and warehouses, on rooftops, even sword-fought with baguettes in body suits fitted with bread slices.

“Experimental” is a big part of what tbd does, but they are also very much interested in changing public perception of what dance is.

“We want people in Omaha to be aware of modern dance,” Fackler said, “so they can explain it, see it performed, and understand it. People think dance is a ‘younger’ thing … something that happens in high school competitions, and that’s not really the case. We want to address that mentality, and show that dance isn’t limited by age. We’re all adults, 22 to 50, with full-time jobs and even children, not limited by age – and we look good doing it!”

In addition to this, Fackler touts the group’s semi-autonomous, project-focused collaboration as a major perk.

“Nobody is charge,” she said, “and every person involved is involved wholeheartedly. We’re high-energy, high-enthusiasm, high-collaboration – and good at keeping high standards. I’ve never been a part of anything like it.”

A tbd show can take many forms, so there will always be surprises and something to upend your expectations.

“Under the Radar is already set up to encourage experimentation,” Fackler said, “so the sky’s the limit for us.” Play and invention are also core features: “Recently we were playing around with a long, uninterrupted thread, improvising around that single thematic element. We might incorporate props, or parachutes, even headlamps.”

Their diversity is also matched by the audiences they draw. “It’s not the ballet audience, and I think people are surprised to discover us. There’s this idea about what dance is, like ‘oh, when’s your next recital?’ kind of thing.

We perform in venues, but we don’t need a stage. It’s very informal, relaxed even. Our audiences are like-minded and open-minded.”

This audience factor is a large part of what makes tbd’s approach so compelling: “they become more like participants instead of just observers. We’re deconstructing the idea of a ‘performance’ and what kind of experience the audience has.” The effect their work has is often profound. “People come up to us after the show invigorated by dance and asking about how to learn more, like ‘how do I get into this?”

Under the Radar is probably tbd’s biggest event of each year, with recent popular performances at House of Loom, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, KANEKO, and the Union for Contemporary Arts.

“We did some small community-oriented projects, Benson First Fridays,” Fackler said, “and those led to some more commission work. But we really blew up after Under the Radar 2014. People wanted more, and each new thing leads to something else. It’s been fun to see the group grow. Five, six years ago I never thought we’d be so busy.”

In addition to their performance with Under the Radar, you’ll be able to see tbd again on July 23 at KANEKO as part of their Storytelling series. The show, Meaning in Movement, is a deconstructive dance performance featuring improvisation and choreography specific to the KANEKO space. It will also coincide with a screening of the short film One Day, One Month, One Year, directed by Nik Fackler and features an experimental, “movement-based” narrative.

“I would love to do more film work in the future, like a feature-length program,” she said. “My dream project would be to create a touring work and do performances around the country but planning out the future isn’t the main objective on tbd’s minds. Our mission is to exist. To keep doing stuff. To keep expanding. We just want to dance.” , The tbd Dance Company performs Saturday, July 9, at Slowdown as part of the Omaha Under the Radar Festival. They will then perform Meaning in Movement at KANEKO Saturday, July 23. Visit tbdomahadance on Facebook for more information.

JULY SHOWS JUL 7

CLASH OF THE COMICS

JUL 8-9

ARIES SPEARS SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

Local & regional comedian’s give the best 5 they have – winner at the end of the evening gets a one night paid spot in front of a nationally touring headliner right here at the Funny Bone!

Ever since Chicago native Aries Spears was 14 years old, he has been a force to be reckoned with in the comedy scene. His quick wit, charisma & ferociously aggressive style of comedy have earned him critical acclaim, high accolades, & above all, a busy schedule. From being a regular on Fox’s Mad TV, starring in feature films, appearing on a number of national talk shows, & continually touring the country with his stand-up, Aries’s talents are becoming recognized & appreciated throughout the entertainment industry.

JUL 10

JAKE THE SNAKE ROBERTS

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

Menacing, intimidating & totally hypnotic in the ring, Jake “The Snake” Roberts was a Superstar capable of taking you down physically as well as psychologically. Slithering to the ring with a monstrous python concealed in a burlap sack, Jake used fear as a weapon as deftly as he used pain. His DDT finishing move is still one of the most brutal finishers ever unleashed on a Superstar.

JUL 14-17

NATE BARGATZE

Mark Cordes is an inventive comedian and humorist. He has been hailed by critics as a “One Man Laugh Factory”. Having toured and worked with stars David Sanborn, Kenny G, Ray Charles, Harry Connick Jr, Little River Band, and dozens of others, it is evident that his humor and versatility is in great demand. Mark is a master jokesmith - sophisticated, clever, and clean, with impeccable timing, comfortable charm, and innovative, intelligent material.

JUL 18

CINDY KAZA SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

Cindy Kaza is a clairvoyant (clear seeing), clairaudient (clear hearing) & clairsentient (clear feeling) who works across the country as an evidential medium. Evidential mediumship is a style practiced around the world that puts heavy weight on the medium’s ability to bring through extremely specific evidence to the sitter. The purpose of this style of mediumship is to diminish skepticism among sitters & to prove that the medium is truly connecting with the client’s loved ones in spirit.

JUL 28-31

FRIDAY, JULY 22 Ticket Giveaway: Sammy Hagar

FRIDAY, JULY 1 Pat O and the Show

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 Bozak & Morrissey

SATURDAY, JULY 2 Hott 2 Trott

THURSDAY, JULY 14 Hegg Brothers

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6 The Grease Band

FRIDAY, JULY 15 Ticket Giveaway: Rick Springfield

SATURDAY, JULY 23 MoSynth

FRIDAY, JULY 15 The Six

MONDAY, JULY 25 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band

THURSDAY, JULY 7 Jimmy B Orchestra

FRIDAY, JULY 22 Bozak & Morrissey

FRIDAY, JULY 8 Ticket Giveaway: I Love the 90s

SATURDAY, JULY 16 On The Fritz

FRIDAY, JULY 8 Rough Cut

MONDAY, JULY 18 Gooch and His Las Vegas Big Band

WEDNESDAY, JULY 27 The Brits

MONDAY, JULY 11 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band

TUESDAY, JULY 19 Grace & Logan

THURSDAY, JULY 28 The Mighty Jailbreakers

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20 The Persuaders

FRIDAY, JULY 29 Waiting for the Weekend

TUESDAY, JULY 12 Billy Troy

THURSDAY, JULY 21 Finest Hour

SATURDAY, JULY 30 Outlaw Road

SATURDAY, JULY 9 Charm School Dropout

TUESDAY, JULY 26 Scott Evans

NICK HOFF

Born & raised on the rough Nebraska streets (gravel roads), Nick is now a comedian living in Los Angeles. A featured comedy writer for Life & Style magazine, he has also been seen on Comedy Time TV & the Boston Comedy Festival. In early 2010 Nick was part of the Pink Ribbon Comedy Tour which spanned 25 states with 65 shows in 91 days raising money for breast cancer research.

COMING UP: AUG 4-7

PETE CORREALE

Like many New Yorkers, Correale is cynical & profane. At the same time, he is an “audience friendly” comic who commiserates with his listeners rather than confronting them.

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BoogieDown:

CHIP DUDEN

The irresistibly danceable blues, R&B and vintage rock of Columbia, Missouri’s, Bel Airs heats up The 21st Saloon July 28.

HOODOO focuses on blues, roots, Americana and occasional other music styles with an emphasis on live music performances. Hoodoo columnist B.J. Huchtemann is a senior contributing writer and veteran music journalist who received the Blues Foundation’s 2015 Keeping the Blues Alive Award for Journalism.

Follow her blog at hoodoorootsblues.blogspot.com and on www.thereader.com.

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Lincoln’s Zoo Bar celebrates 43rd Anniversary while a great array of touring acts hit local stages

his year’s ZooFest celebrates the historic Lincoln venue’s 43rd year of nurturing the vitality of blues and roots music and its players. After a special week of music in the club, the party takes to 14th Street between O and P streets Friday and Saturday, July 8 and 9. This year the Zoo hosts a truly all-star weekend with Friday night headliners soul-R&B legend Lee Fields & The Expressions (9 p.m.) and zydeco master Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience (11 p.m.) The rest of the Friday schedule includes Brave Combo (5 p.m.) and honky-tonker Dale Watson (7 p.m.). Saturday, July 9, the schedule features The Mighty Jailbreakers (3 p.m.), Mike Zito & The Wheel (5 p.m.), The Derailers (7 p.m.), rockabilly with Nikki Hill (9 p.m.) and A Ferocious Jungle Cat (11 p.m.). Daily admission is $17 advance or $20 day of show. A twoday pass is only $30. Advance tickets at etix.com. See zoobar.com for complete details.

The rest of the month at the Zoo Bar offers some great acts including Janiva Magness Wednesday, July 13, and Rick Estrin & The Nightcats Thursday, July 14, both shows 6-9 p.m. Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal hit the Zoo Bar stage Friday, July 15, 9 p.m. after a four-week run that includes a performance slot at Portland, Oregon’s, prestigious Waterfront Blues Fest. The Steepwater Band is up Saturday, July 16, 6 p.m.

Chubby Carrier brings his party-starting zydeco to

JULY 2016

| THE READER |

BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN

the Zoo Wednesday, July 17, 6 p.m. and Too Slim & The Taildraggers hit Thursday, Aug. 4, 6 p.m.

Stars are Out A couple of other big Lincoln shows including Tab Benoit Wednesday, July 13, 8 p.m., at the Bourbon Theatre with Kris Lager Band opening up. See bourbontheatre.com. The always-amazing Lyle Lovett & His Large Band take the stage at the Rococo Saturday, July 16, 8 p.m. The Rococo is booking more shows so keep track of their latest bookings at rococotheatre.com.

Lincoln’s Pinewood Bowl (pinewoodbowltheater.com) and Papillion’s SumTur Amphitheater (sumtur.org) both have great summer schedules that include cool roots shows.

21st Saloon Blues Thursday, July 7, Chicago’s swingin’ blues guitarist Rockin’ Johnny Burgin hits The 21st with special guest, acclaimed SFCA Bay area harp player Aki Kumar. Kumar is making his Nebraska debut and the buzz is that this should be a great show. Michigan’s Rusty Wright Band is up Thursday, July 14. The Grammy-nominated funk of Blinddog Smokin’ is scheduled for Thursday, July 21. The Mighty Jailbreakers are booked Saturday, July 23, 8 p.m., and The Bel Airs are back Thursday, July 28. Chris Duarte Group plugs in Thursday, Aug. 4. Thursday shows are 6-9 p.m.

hoodoo

Hot Notes Singer-songwriter-guitarist Matt Cox releases an excellent new record, The Cost of Everything & The Value of Nothing (Sower Records), this month. See mattcoxmusic.net. CD release parties are scheduled for Saturday, July 16, at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar and Sunday, July 17, at Waiting Room. Check out the feature on Cox in this month’s music section.

Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal play the Harney Street Tavern Saturday, July 16, 9 p.m.

Chubby Carrier & The Zydeco Swamp Band headlines Shucks’ 10th Anniversary party Sunday, July 17, at the 119th & Pacific location.

The music is free and it’s a parking lot party. Bring lawn chairs but no coolers or outside food.

Blue House & the Rent to Own Horns kick off Midtown Crossing’s and OPA’s Jazz on the Green Thursday, July 7. Davina & The Vagabonds play the series Thursday, Aug. 4. See midtowncrossing.com under events for the full schedule.

Follow the BluesEd youth performance program’s summer show schedule at facebook.com/BluesEd ,

JERRY MORAN

hoodoo

Festival Fun The second annual Benson Femme Fest organized by Rebecca Lowry celebrates women in the local music scene Friday, Sept. 2nd, in Benson with 58 bands at eight venues. There is an event Friday, July 15, 9:30 p.m., at O’Leaver’s to raise funds to help promote the festival. Playing the O’Leaver’s show are Mesonjixx, Anna McClellan and Badland Girls. See facebook. com/bfffemmefest.

The 2016 Hullabaloo at Bellevue’s Sokol Park is July 28-31. Kris Lager Band and Sophistafunk are among the scheduled artists. See hullabaloomusicfestival.com.

HotTamaleBaby:

Charismatic Cajun bluesman Tab Benoit takes the Bourbon Theatre stage Wednesday, July 13.

©2016 SFNTC (2)

VISIT NASCIGS.COM OR CALL 1-800-435-5515 PROMO CODE 962082

CIGARETTES

*Plus applicable sales tax Offer for two “1 for $2” Gift Certificates good for any Natural American Spirit cigarette product (excludes RYO pouches and 150g tins). Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Offer and website restricted to U.S. smokers 21 years of age and older. Limit one offer per person per 12 month period. Offer void in MA and where prohibited. Other restrictions may apply. Offer expires 12/31/16.

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meetjames The Blood on My Hands The Reader introduces our new music editor James Walmsley

N

BY JAMES WALMSLEY

ow I’m here.

It’s a silent mantra of sorts that I use whenever I’m not quite sure how I arrived at a certain moment in time; a line us word organizers use for occasions such as these when we need to wax our uncinematic lives poetic.

JOSHUA FU

continued on page 54y

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ALLISON LAAKKO

music

y continued from page 53

Now I’m here. It’s genuine, but genuine for effect.

I mean, I remember dropping off a case of beer to my old man and shaking his hand and giving my childhood trailer one final look-over. That I remember. And I remember Old Major, my faithful steed — an ‘89 Volvo 740 that I still drive today — slowly grinding the Detroit skyline down to its Renaissance Center nub until it finally disappeared altogether. But I also recall that when I initially arrived in Omaha in 2010, my sojourn was only supposed to last a week or two.

Yet here I type from my Benson-ish attic, six years later, introducing myself as the contributing music editor of the city’s alternative monthly. I married a local, the coolest of the bunch, and I fathered the object-naming battering ram known colloquially as Franny Moon. I helped start the vegan restaurant in town and I also bought a house — all while on a road trip.

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Now I’m here.

Let’s not get too excited about this music editor thing, though. You didn’t get yourselves a Lester Bangs. Not even a swill of his cherry-flavored cough syrup. And I didn’t live the ‘60s and ‘70s. I got New Kids on the Block, gangsta rap and Nirvana after the band really mattered. Not to mention the painful nu metal rash I suffered in my teens and the six years I lost playing basements and VFW halls in a proggy post-post punk band.

I inherited music as an art form after it became terminally ill. And I unintentionally assisted in its suicide: I bought some of the wrong albums, wrote some of the wrong tunes. Now it’s as dead as God was in 1882 and as dead as the Facebook status update was when some modern-day Nietzsche probably posted about it in 2009. It’s a pastiche of a copy of a replica, shackled somewhere between the brown note and dog whistle, and it says less and less by the song.

And I still fall for its charm almost every time.

music

Look I’m not frying my retinas and inflaming my carpal tunnels over here just to talk shit or role-play the subversive pundit. And I’m not getting old, even if I am. I just happen to find new music both irresistible and utterly boring. It’s all been done before and most musicians seem perfectly fine with doing it all over again, including myself.

Still there are those in Omaha and beyond who continue to nudge their respective genres forward as a zephyr might a pile of cremated ashes. And while they’ll never blow down the Louvre, or the Joslyn for that matter, they just might reawaken whatever it was that got me excited to blindly ruin music in the first place.

I look forward to telling their stories when they do because, after all, now I’m here. , Correction: Last month’s issue contained an error in the address for Drastic Plastic’s second store. That address should have been shown as 1118 Howard Street. The Reader regrets the error.

The Down Under

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3530 LEAVENWORTH STREET OMAHA, NE

ANNIVERSARY WEEK

JULY 11-17

MONDAY, JULY 11TH 8 PM Vinyl Night with Lane Baier

TUESDAY, JULY 12TH 10 PM Karaoke

WEDNESDAY, JULY 13TH 8 PM Open Mic w/ Aly Peeler, and new mural unveiling

THURSDAY, JULY 14TH 9PM

Bishops, Fair Haven, Mad Dog & the 20/20

FRIDAY, JULY 15TH 9 PM

Ragged Company, The Sharrows (WI), John Gold (FL)

SATURDAY, JULY 16TH 9 PM DJEM

SUNDAY, JULY 17TH 12-8 PM Owner John’s 21st again, free food & music, followed by karaoke at 10pm

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“ART DOWN UNDER” It will feature exhibits from several Omaha visual artists, will have a number of solo acoustic performances throughout the day, followed by the band OMAHA that night.

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402.933.3927 thedownunderomaha.com | THE READER |

JULY 2016

55

DEBRA S. KAPLAN

music

TheCostofEverything M

att Cox’s newest album begins with the death of his mother and ends with the collapse of all humankind, and somewhere in between is a critique on the excesses of 21st-century America. For all that, The Cost of Everything and the Value of Nothing, a repurposing of an Oscar Wilde quote, give or take a word, is oddly optimistic and slightly utopian.

“I don’t spend a whole lot of time thinking about the cost and price of things anymore as much as I do the belief that there’re things more valuable than money in life,” Cox, 35, said from his Dundee basement hermitage while nursing a beer and listening to an old Elmore James record.

It’s a sharp emotional turn since last we met the singer-songwriter along the banks of his 2014 release Nishnabotna, his first with Sower Records. At that time, Cox’s amalgamation of roots, folk, country and blues longed for the past and scoffed at any possibility of a silver-lined future. Now things are different.

Now he’s a husband. Now he’s a father. Now he can appreciate “the simpler things in life.”

To the untrained ear, The Cost of Everything... will probably sound like a pickup-truck

56

JULY 2016

| THE READER |

music

An Emotional Compendium to Matt Cox’s Newest Album

BY JAMES WALMSLEY

commercial. After all, automobile companies have been appropriating the Americana tradition for decades to peddle beefy Hemis to wannabe cowboys. The only difference is Cox is marketing his product at the bargain-bin price of a CD, o.b.o.

The more sophisticated listener, that is, those whose gas-guzzlers lack ball sacks and decals of little cartoon boys peeing, might hear something entirely different. To them, the album will probably echo how NPR sounds when they tune into All Things Considered and forget it’s a Sunday afternoon.

Either way, the six-time OEAA award winner’s newest album, slated to drop July 15 on Sower Records, will sound all-too familiar, like it’s been written before, like it’ll be written again. And, to be fair, that’s probably the point. But underneath that top-heavy layer of genre and expert musicianship remains a unique coming-of-age story that will captivate anyone with a pulse. You just have to know where to look.

The Charcoal Grill Song Cox didn’t set out to write the lyrics to a song when he authored the first track of his fifth studio album. He was just spilling his guts in the

form of a letter to his dear, departed mother who had died of cancer a few years earlier.

“There wasn’t necessarily a charcoal grill that I had in mind,” Cox said. “But just thinking about her when I got to writing those words and writing about if we could have one last meal, I decided it wouldn’t have to be some big fancy thing, I think it’d be roasting some burnt weenies at a park somewhere or by a campfire.”

Throughout the track, against a folksy backdrop, Cox’s speak-sing vocals move his letter forward, line by line, eventually delivering the record’s most effective chorus and the moral of the song: Don’t take the present for granted.

“Well, time is what you make of it/And

routine is the enemy of time/We do the same thing every day/While it all goes flying by/ Oh, mama, how it all goes flying by.”

Half-Empty If The Cost of Everything... professes an anticynical disposition, then “Half-Empty” betrays the album’s theme in name alone. Of course when Cox decided to revisit it in an old notebook, the song itself was already 10 years old.

For the better part of the bluesy, up-tempo tune, Cox as a young man airs his financial

Trouble All Over the World The album’s de facto single was another salvaged song from another long-lost notebook that Cox remembered he had after the November 2015 Paris attacks: “I see trouble all over this world/Every town, every country/Every boy, every girl.”

A Good Woman’s Love Originally written by Cy Coben, the bluegrassy waltz was performed at Cox’s wedding last year by a dear friend. Cox decided to do his own version on The Cost of Everything... as a tribute to his wife.

Jumpin’ River Blues The piecemeal medley that is track eight sings like a lonely service station off of I-80 east.

Take the following line for example: “When I

get down to that river/I’m gonna see if all my trouble can swim.”

“I think I got that line from a hat that I saw at a truck stop somewhere,” he said. “’Tried to drown my problems but she learned how to swim’ — something real redneck like that.”

Happy Home “Happy Home” was inspired by a conversation Cox had with his father right before he left home to pursue a music career: “Things are not always going to be perfectly laid out for you and smooth,” Cox said, remembering his father’s advice. “You’re going to have to make hard decisions and sometimes you gotta gamble.”

Our Great Escape Cox was cleaning windows outside of The Great Escape movie theatre one day last year when a thought occurred to him: We’re screwed. Human beings, that is.

“We work and we work and we try for prosperity and we save and we save and eventually it’s like, ‘the extinction of mankind is going to happen,’” he said. “We’re all saving for our great escape.”

For all the doom and gloom that the album’s coda espouses, when juxtaposed with the rest of the songs, Cox’s last track seems to reveal the songwriter’s final moral act: “My idea of success is not having an overabundance: Not too much space, not too many things,” he said. “It’s being comfortable with where I’m at.” ,

DEBRA S. KAPLAN

woes: “You pay ‘em one bill and they send you 10 more.”

“I find it funny that I wrote it when I was in my mid-20s,” he said with a half-smirk. “The words in it are so much more true now than they were then.”

Nighttime Drifter When the Iowa native wrote “Nighttime Drifter,” Cox said he was channeling “The Stones in a drab basement recording Exile on Main St.” And if the singer-songwriter hadn’t given his muse away himself, perhaps the song’s Jagger-esque harmonica solo would have.

Otherwise, the third track serves as a brief respite from the album’s emotionally heavier material in the form of a drinking song.

“I wrote it when I was probably half-cocked,” he said. “They’re not the most brilliant lyrics in the world, but it’s a fun party tune — I think anybody knocking back a couple could appreciate it.”

Drama Queen After a near-fatal car accident in his late teens that tore his automobile all but to shreds, Cox said his grandpa visited him in the hospital and declared that he still had a purpose in this lifetime to have had survived such a wreck.

Cox spent the next 13 or so years wondering what that purpose was. And then he met his wife and his stepdaughter, Lauren, who is the namesake of track four.

“Until I finally met her, her mom, and this life, I don’t know that I ever fully believed that he was right, that there was a real purpose,” he said. “I finally feel like I found that purpose, what he was talking about.”

Little Lucy Inspired by yet another pet name for his stepdaughter, the record’s only instrumental track puts the energy of the album on full display. To achieve this raw but polished sound, Cox recorded the entirety of The Cost of Everything... in studio with a live band including Colin Duckworth (pedal steel, guitars, mandolin), Vern Fergesen (accordion, piano), and Josh Dunwoody (upright bass).

“We definitely found a vibe and an energy in the recording that I don’t think I’ve had in any other recording I’ve done before,” he said.

music

| THE READER |

JULY 2016

57

FILM ’I’ llHaveWhatHe’’sHaving I

t’s well known by my friends and family that I’m not much of an “eater.” I’m not saying I’m simply not a “foodie.” If it were up to me, I’d take one pill every day that would maintain my weight and health in order to never have to actually take time out to eat ever again. Last month, I brought you a list of top 10 movie musicals, after admitting I don’t much care for musicals. This month, I’m bringing you a top 10 list of food moments in movies, after admitting I don’t much care for eating. What’s next? Don’t you worry, I hate a lot of things…

10.) Bridesmaids This is the danger in me doing a list like this, which I am now realizing is filled with more “uh oh” food moments than “mmm” food moments. The hilarious sequence that follows the gang getting food poisoning is inarguably one of the finest moments in gross-out comedy history, culminating with Maya Rudolph’s whimpering about having “pooped in the street.” Is it juvenile? Absolutely. But combine over-the-top fart noises with pre-overexposed Melissa McCarthy making a rectal deposit of Indian food into a sink, and you’ve got a classic.

9.) Inglourious Basterds Food has always been a major player in Quentin Tarantino’s films, but this one has some of his

58

JULY 2016

| THE READER |

film

My Top 10 Food-Related Movie Moments B Y R YA N S Y R E K

best work. The initial sequence has Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz), The Jew Hunter, drinking fresh milk from a farmer hiding Jewish refugees in the floorboards beneath them. Never has a glass of milk been more ominous. Until … the moment is brought back later, when Landa is dining with the only refugee who escaped the previous milk incident … and he orders a glass of milk. Holy cow is that intense! See what I did there? Because milk comes from cows.

8.) Sideways “If anyone orders merlot, I am leaving” is still quoted to this day! Then again, I do live in Nebraska, this is an Alexander Payne movie and I do hate merlot. The movie that truly launched Payne’s career will forever be associated with this particular food item, used as a really slick plot device, I may add. Will Matt Damon give a legendary rant about the insufficient flavor of Mr. Pibb compared with Dr. Pepper in Downsizing? We can only hope.

7.) The Big Lebowski I realize that three of these in a row are more “beverages, man” than “food,” but it counts because store signs still say “Food and Liquor.”

The movie that made nihilism hilarious also gave a spirited boost to the delicious White Russian, The Dude’s beverage of choice. For

me, the sight of Jeff Bridges’ frothy mustache is etched into comedy history every bit as much as Donny’s crucial need to shut the eff up.

6.) Oldboy If you’ve seen Oldboy, you know the scene I’m about to describe is not the grossest, sickest thing in the movie. If you haven’t seen Oldboy, that will either make you want to see it or terrify you from ever doing so. Watching Dae-su (Min-sik Choi) feast upon a live octopus is rather unappetizing but also somehow impossible to turn away from. I legitimately don’t want to know if that was a real octopus or some kind of noodle-based resemblance.

Either way, the sight of the tentacles dangling from his mouth will haunt my dreams like an HP Lovecraft lullaby.

5.) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Speaking of haunting my dreams … The monkey brain dessert didn’t make me flinch, but watching a snake’s belly spill babies out everywhere as a main course made me glad I saw this on VHS so I could pause the tape and projectile vomit. Of all the things George Lucas has done, including Jar-Jar Binks, this is the one I’m still most pissed at him about. I couldn’t eat spaghetti for ages. And then when I finally could

‘cutting’room

Anytime someone wants to shoot a film in Omaha, my ears perk up. And if it’s a young person, like Ryan Olsen, a UNL graduate, I perk all the way up! That’s… that’s not innuendo. At any rate, Olsen wants to shoot a short film titled Say Goodbye, Grace: A Detective Story. But he needs our help. Unlike “yo mamma,” making a movie isn’t cheap or easy. So if you want to help a young local get his start, head to the movie’s Kickstarter page and make a donation. I know everyone and yo mamma gets hit up for money, but I can think of few things more satisfying than starting a new filmmaker off right. I mean, one of those few things is, of course, yo mamma. n If you’ve seen the Star Wars: Rogue One trailer, you’ve probably had two thoughts: First, “how can I build a time machine to watch this movie now?” Second, “Wait a tic, is … is Darth Vader going to be in this?!” The answer to the first one is, you already did, screwed everything up and now Donald Trump may be president.

The answer to the second is hell yeah! The studio confirmed what had long been a poorly kept secret: the dark lord of the Sith will be back! And this time, George Lucas can’t make him bellow a comically melodramatic “Noooo!” n Let’s keep it in the Disney family for just one more beat, as there were some confusing and conflicting reports about Indiana Jones emerging. Disney CEO Bob Iger bumbled his way through a conversation where he tried to characterize the nature of the next sequel. Lots of people were left wondering if there would be a reboot or reworking or what. The short answer is: who knows? The longer answer is: don’t worry about it yet. There’s no way Disney lets a property like this stay dormant forever, nor is there a way they let Harrison Ford hold the character in his casket. There will be a reworking of some kind to allow both the existing Indy to remain and new adventures to continue. So long as they don’t involve monkeys or nuked fridges, we should be good. n This is a weird beat, but it had to be included. Portishead, who simply does not make enough music, did a cover of ABBA’s “SOS” for the film High-Rise that you have to hear. The video is simple but does the job. You can’t tell me you’ve heard ABBA and thought “now that’s fertile ground for a Portishead cover,” but that’s why they’re Portishead and you’re not.

— Ryan Syrek n

313 N. 13TH STREET / LINCOLN, NE

SHOWING IN JULY

CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES

CALL OR CHECK OUR WEBSITE FOR MOVIE TIMES AND PRICES

Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com. Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/rss), catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059. com) on Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (kvno.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

again, I watched what I have at number one. In the business, we call that foreshadowing.

4.) Cool Hand Luke Who knew hard-boiled eggs could be so compelling? A simple food challenge becomes a demonstration of the thematic core of this Paul Newman classic. Luke’s stubbornness is revealed in a gut-wrenching scene that chickens still refer to as “the Newman Genocide.” Pounding egg after egg is not only hell on the audience and on Luke’s cholesterol, it’s an example of how food can be used as more than a plot device but as a character-revealing component.

3.) Pulp Fiction From the Big Kahuna burger and the Royale with cheese to the “five dollar milkshake,” Tarantino’s use of food in one of my favorite movies of all time is as cool as Tarantino thinks he is. Food is everywhere here, in diners being held-up to discussions of “good coffee,” almost every scene contains some element of edibles.

In fact, just yesterday, I reacted to an overseas controversy about eating dogs with “dogs’ got personality. Personality goes a long way.”

Probably not the response the person asking me to make a donation to protect said puppies wanted me to respond, but hey.

2.) Beasts of the Southern Wild I couldn’t pick just one scene from my favorite

movie as my favorite. That’s “sub-favoriting,” and I’m staunchly against the practice. But among the best scenes in the best movie I’ve ever seen comes when Hushpuppy (Quvenzhané Wallis) is told to “beast” her food.

Screaming raw and uncontrolled, she tears into her seafood, devouring it like an animal.

When her father shouts, “Who’s the man?”

Hushpuppy responds “I’m the man!” And she is. That one animalistic, food-devouring scene shows her ascent to the top of the “Bathtub,” the mythical and natural habitat she will one day rule.

1.) Gummo Were it not for Spring Breakers, I’d still hate Harmony Korine for this. It’s going to sound simple and not that horrifying, especially coming from a man who made a film called Trash Humpers. But I promise you, if you see it, you’ll never be able to get it out of your mind. A kid eating spaghetti in a filthy bathroom while taking a bath in dirty water may not sound like the worst thing ever, but it really, truly is. My friends who have seen this movie universally agree that, of all food-in-film moments, this stands alone.

Look, if you wanted a list that ended with When Harry Met Sally, I’m sure HuffPo or Buzzfeed have you covered. You want real talk, you come to me and get spaghetti bath. ,

Election 1999

Omaha Steaks Classics

Hollywood Does Politics Curated by Kurt Andersen.

The Best Man 1964 July 9 & 11

Bulworth 1998 July 10 & 12 Election 1999 July 16, 18 & 20 Idiocracy 2006 July 23 & 25

All the President’s Men 1976 July 24 & 27

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939 July 30, Aug 1 & 3

Milk 2008

Aug 6 & 8

Gabriel Over the White House 1933 Aug 7 & 9

A Face in the Crowd 1957 Aug 13 & 15

The War Room 1993 Aug 14 & 16

The Candidate 1972 Aug 20 & 22

Medium Cool 1969 Aug 21 & 24

Series panel with Kurt Andersen & friends Aug 10, 7 pm

All showings at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater.

Info & tickets at filmstreams.org.

film

| THE READER |

JULY 2016

59

W

CUTLINE:

“What’s the old saying,” Will Simmons asked.

“There’s no such thing as bad publicity? Still, a few restaurants would prefer Yelpers stay away.”

60

JULY 2016

Dining in a Digital Age

hen it comes to dining, an ongoing joke among my friends and colleagues is whether or not I’ve been banned from a particular restaurant. I have been banned from two restaurants in the past, and a third restaurant produced a YouTube video with the sole purpose of ridiculing me. All because of my Yelp reviews.

I’ve told the story so many times I might as well tell it again, though I’m leaving out some of the specifics to protect the innocent.

The story goes back four years, when I wrote a Yelp review about a midtown restaurant that will remain nameless. I didn’t think the review was particularly scathing. I even complimented their kale salad, which was hands down one of the best kale salads I’ve ever eaten. But I whined a lot, too, about the heat and noise and overall quality of their steak, which tasted as if it had been boiled.

I’d forgotten all about the Yelp review when, a full year later while aimlessly clicking through my Yelp app while in line at Baker’s, I noticed a tag that said I had an unread message. I didn’t even know Yelp had a messaging system. So I tapped, and like an undiscovered easter egg found under a rock in late July, I opened the email to discover that the owners of that hot, noisy, bad-steakcooking restaurant had read my Yelp review. And they weren’t happy.

“Usually we invite guests that have negative experiences at our restaurants to come back and give us another try,” the message said, “However, we feel that you just cannot be satisfied with anything that we offer. Fortunately there are plenty of people who do enjoy what we have to offer. That being said, we request that you do not visit either of our restaurants in the future.”

I’d like to say that the message had effectively scared me away, but in truth, returning to either of the restaurants never crossed my mind. On the other hand, their email has never failed to generate whoops of laughter whenever I pass it around the table while dining with friends.

A few months later I got another message out of the blue, this time from a tipster letting me know I was about to become “online famous” for yet another of my Yelp reviews. Someone had made a satirical YouTube video of a chef reading a portion of my review of downtown eatery Block 16. It was a melodramatic reenactment of my whining about the restaurant not serving barbecue sauce with its pulled pork sandwich. I later found out my video was merely one in a series where restaurants struck back at Yelpers.

Will Simons, who works for Yelp as Omaha’s community manager, said the harsh responses like the ones I’ve received from restaurant owners are rare. “Small business owners are passionate about their businesses and aren’t expecting to be critiqued on sites like Yelp,” he said.

| THE READER |

over the edge

BY TIM MCMAHAN

In fairness, Block 16 and the aforementioned unnamed restaurant are among the most positively reviewed Omaha restaurants in the Yelper-verse, which only goes to show I was never cut out to be a food critic.

But back to Will. I was surprised Yelp had field employees, let alone someone based in Omaha. Simons, a writer and co-founder of the omahype.com arts and entertainment website as well as a member of rock bands Thunder Power and The Davs, said he got the job two and a half years ago after seeing it listed online. As a Yelp community leader, his mission is to interact — both online and off — with Yelp users, nurturing the Yelp community via messaging and by hosting Yelp events, like last week’s party at new Italian restaurant Via Farina in the Old Market.

Simons said since he began working for them, Yelp has grown in Omaha and nationwide, with more than 167 million total monthly users of their website and phone app, and more than 102 million posted Yelp reviews. Most people think of Yelp only for restaurant reviews, but, in fact, “shopping” is the top reviewed category, followed by restaurants, and home and local services.

“You can find a dentist, plumber or a doctor on Yelp,” Simons said. “It helps connect people to great businesses.”

And now there’s a new category of Yelper — the Yelp Elite Squad. “Members of this exclusive, in-the-know crew reveal hot spots for fellow locals and are the true heart of the Yelp community, both on and offline,” says the website. Simons says Elites are chosen by Yelp staff from nominees based on activity and content quality— not just anyone can be an Elite Squad member.

Yelp also works with business owners to explain the free tools available to respond to reviews like mine, either publicly or privately. I asked if Simons, who constantly monitors Yelp, if he ever had to ban a particularly nasty, negative Yelper. “I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head,” he said. “If a user violates the terms of service or harasses a user, they can be banned.”

What’s the old saying, “There’s no such thing as bad publicity?” Still, a few restaurants would prefer Yelpers stay away. “There have been people who I have approached about hosting an event who aren’t excited about bringing a bunch of Yelpers to their site,” Simons admitted. “I understand that.”

As for negative reviews, Simons says they’re just part of the deal. “There’s nothing wrong with someone sharing their experiences,” he said. His advice to restaurant owners burned by a negative review is to not ban the Yelper, but rather reach out and ask him or her try their restaurant again. Everyone deserves a second chance, even a loudmouth like me. , ANDREW LACHANCE

overtheedge

YelpHelper

Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com

| THE READER |

JULY 2016

61

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62

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

We are about to experience a great shift in our national taste. The earth will soon pass through a strange space anomaly Instead of craving sweet food, Americans will prefer sour that will shred our time stream like a cheese grater. Time food. This shift will be sudden and hard-to-explain, but may will move faster and slower on earth, depending on where be the result of the popularity of yogurt, which we shall start you are standing, and it will be possible for a person to age consuming in unflavored form, enjoying the food’s natural years in an instant by entering some spots while a move acidity and sharp flavor. First, there will be a pickling craze, to another location will cause time to all but stop for them. in which Americans go mad for home pickling. Anything that Less dramatically, people will find it impossible to schedule can be pickled will be, and foods that make use of pickled anything, as simply moving from home to work, or even ingredients will take over at fast-food restaurants. There will across an office, will throw their schedule off by hours. This also be a craze for kvass, a European beverage made from will be an economic catastrophe for the earth, and although fermented bread. Although these the phenomenon will be relatively much fermented food does pose an short-lived -- a few weeks in increased cancer risk, in general absolute time -- it will cost the the American movement away from economies of the earth trillions of sweetened food will be a healthy dollars, collapsing some country’s one. The average American will economies. There will be a silver soon consume only 70 percent of lining, however. One small island what they now consume, and the in the pacific will have experienced country will begin to reverse its such a sped-up timeline that they obesity epidemic. Rates of diabetes will have advanced thousands will decline, as will other diseases of years beyond the rest of the VIA STARBURSTMAGAZINE.COM associated with high-calorie diets. world, and will have developed remarkable new technology. It will be as though people from our future are now living among us, and bringing a wealth of world-enhancing devices with them.

As sophisticated body modification becomes increasingly common, an underground will develop. There will be people who outwardly look normal, but have a series of illegal implants, mostly made with 3D printers. These devices will One of the strangest food trends will be the revival of savory allow people to change their body shape at will, and some gelatin dishes, called “aspic.” These dishes, often made of the more sophisticated implants will allow hair growth or from jellied meat broths and containing meats, fruits and color change. This will be especially popular in the criminal vegetables, were once popular in the Americas and Europe, underworld, as it will allow them to change appearance but have long fallen into disfavor. Nonetheless, in the next to such an extent that they are unrecognizable. The most few years you will start seeing aspic dishes appearing in finenotorious of these will be a gang out of Russia called The dining restaurants, and the trend will soon move to fast food Wolves who literally shift appearance to resemble wolfmen. and home cooking. People will bring aspic dishes to parties, These real-life lycanthropes will live as a gang in the woods and some of the more adventurous will compete to create the outside major cities, and will shift into wolf form at night to run most outrageous aspic dishes. rampant, committing crime sprees with wild abandon.

JULY 2016

| THE READER |

For more on these predictions and others by Dr. Mysterian visit www.thereader.com.

RU WAY WR P U

A condom fashion show Part of omaha fashion week benefiting Nebraska AIDS Project

OMAHA DESIGN CENTER

08 26 16 Doors:10pm Show: 10:30pm Ends: 2am

TICKETS STUDENT GA RESERVED VIP

$15 $20 $35 $50

for event details OR TO REGISTER AS A DESIGNER visit www.nap.org BECOME A CORPORATE PARTNER email londonw@nap.org before 8/1 for partnership inquiries Tickets on sale 7/18 at www.nap.org

402.552.9260 | info@nap.org | 250 s. 77th st. omaha 68114

CHRIS STAPLETON WITH SAM LEWIS

DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

HUNTER HAYES

FOREIGNER

CAGE THE ELEPHANT

JULY 7

JULY 1 § SOLD OUT

JUSTIN MOORE

JULY 14

JULY 10

JULY 9

JULY 15

HANK WILLIAMS JR. JULY 16 § BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS PET SOUNDS JULY 17 GOO GOO DOLLS WITH SPECIAL GUEST COLLECTIVE SOUL JULY 22 WEEZER AND PANIC! AT THE DISCO JULY 23 § M83 JULY 27 § MAC MILLER WITH POUYA JULY 28 SLIGHTLY STOOPID WITH SOJA, ZION I AND THE GROUCH AND ELIGH AUGUST 7 101.9 THE KEG PRESENTS: RICK SPRINGFIELD WITH THE FIXX AND THE ROMANTICS AUGUST 13 BOYZ II MEN & EN VOGUE SEPTEMBER 9 § NEEDTOBREATHE PRESENTS TOUR DE COMPADRES SEPTEMBER 16

CHECK OUT STIRCOVE.COM FOR MORE DETAILS AND LINEUP INFORMATION

TICKETS ON

SALE NOW

All Ages Permitted. Tickets and the full lineup available at Stircove.com or by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Schedule and artist subject to change. Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start.® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-BETS-OFF (In Iowa) or 1-800-522-4700 (National). ©2016, Caesars License Company, LLC.

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