The Reader June 2015

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| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

3

Seniors for Hire: Market Your Openings and Cast Narrow Net

A

lthough they’ve reached retirement, seniors still fill valuable roles in the work place. They may be a great fit for your business, even if you only have entry-level positions available. If you think you might want to hire a baby boomer, the first step may be to let go of any ageist biases. The traditional “leadership model” indicates a supervisor should be older than a subordinate. You will likely need to get over that outdated notion. Next, make sure you have opportunities that will motivate seniors. They may simply be looking for ways to interact with others and feel useful. Finally, look in the right places for seniors, who may not be posting their resumes on LinkedIn. Think church or community groups or websites aimed at getting seniors work.

Social media is becoming more important in recruiting efforts. Hiring the right people can be one of the most important factors in growing your business, and social media can connect you with those people. But using social media may not be as simple as it sounds. First, know what the different social media sites offer. Would your ideal candidate be on Twitter or Facebook? Those sites may not reach the same audience. You also can target a specific college or university to get to your potential recruits. Establish a relationship with a career development office and promote your business as a great place to work.

Finally, don’t forget the power of video. YouTube is an important social media tool. A video can not only visually showcase your office; it can give you a chance to highlight your personality and corporate culture.

your portfolio Discover the arts at MCC: mccneb.edu/arts

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| THE READER |

omaha jobs

Once you’ve selected the people you want to interview, you need to be able to ask the right questions to get the right hire. First and most importantly, know what qualities you want. The hiring process is dependent on having this list finalized.

Next, make sure you’re only interviewing candidates who have those qualities. If you’re not sure whether a potential recruit may have what you need, conduct a phone interview to screen. Finally, write your interview questions ahead of time. Focus on having candidates explain situations where they solved problems. Avoid yes/no or closed-ended questions. A good place to start could be “Tell me about a time when …” Then make sure the candidate tells a story that addresses the issue.

Logic would indicate that the more jobs you

apply for, the better your chances of getting one.

However, a scattered or unfocused approach can actually hurt your chances. A good starting point to show your focus is your cover letter. This is a direct communication from you to your potential employer that expresses your desire and qualifications to work there. Next, focus your resume. A resume is a job seeker’s self-marketing mechanism, and your customers are your potential employers. Market yourself specifically to them. Finally, focus yourself.

Job hunting can be stressful and cause anxiety, and many facets of the process are out of your control.

But you can control your thoughts and behaviors, so keep them positive and productive.

The next Job Fair is Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015, at the Comfort Inn, 7007 Grover Street, Omaha, NE 68106, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Visit www.omahajobs. com for more information.

LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP IN OMAHA NE seeks a Sr. ETL Developer resp for dvlping, creating, & modifying software apps & analyzing user needs by dvlping software solutions. Reqmts: Bach degree or foreign equiv in Comp Sci, Info. Sys or rltd field & 5 yrs of prog exp in IT dvlpmnt, enhancement & support incl specific exp in (i) utilizing Informatica Power Center, for dvlping workflows & processes for the extraction & translation of data in a UNIX & Oracle database environment; & (ii) utilizing Oracle PL/ SQL for the dvlpmnt & performance tuning database packages, triggers & complex queries for Application/ Data Warehouse envrnmnts. Of the 5 years, 4 years must include verify-

ing data integrity &, data standardization for source systems and 1 yr of the 5 must also include utilizing Informatica Data Transformation & Data Exchange. Apply to https:// careers.lfg.com and use Req. No 15-0769.

LINCOLN NATIONAL CORP IN OMAHA NE seeks an Analyst, Application Support to review, analyze, troubleshoot & dvlp solutions for the Group Protection app suite.

RQMTS: Bach, or foreign equiv, in Comp Sci, Electronic Eng, or related field & 3 yrs exp in: (i) App development & app delivery using PL/SQL, Oracle Forms, Oracle Reports, Oracle Database Development, Stored Procedures, Triggers, Functions, Classic

ASP, XML, HTML, AutoSys, MS Word Macros & Unix Scripting & DBMS concepts incl Data Models, Normalization, Physical DB Design, Relational Data Model & DB/SQL Tuning & Performance; (ii) Dvlpmnt & presentation of design alternatives for complex apps; & (iii) Analyzing & troubleshooting complex app issues incl code defects, product configuration & batch job (Autosys) failures. Pease send resume to https://careers.lfg.com and use Req # 15-0779.

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ProKarma, Inc. has multiple openings for the Senior Software Engineer position based out of its U.S. headquarters in Omaha, NE. The employees may also work at various unanticipated locations. These are roving positions whereby the employee’s worksite and place of residence may regularly change based upon client and business demands; however, these positions do not involve a travel requirement as performing the daily job duties does not require the employee to travel.

These positions requires a Master’s degree, or its foreign equivalent, in Computer Information Systems, IT, Computer Science, Engineering (any), or in a technical/analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus at least one year of experience in the job offered or in an IT/Computer-related position. Alternatively, the employer will accept a bachelor’s degree, or its foreign equivalent, in Computer Information Systems, IT, Computer Science, Engineering (any), or in a technical/analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus at least 5 years of progressively-responsible, post-baccalaureate experience in the job offered or in an IT/Computer-related position. The employer deems that any suitable combination of education, training, or experience is acceptable.

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Applicant must have professional experience with: Java, J2EE, JMS, SOA, Web Services, Weblogic/WebSphere/App server/JBoss, Oracle/SQL Server, Maven, HTML. S/he will analyze user needs and modify and develop existing software by using various computer skill sets. S/he will modify existing software to correct errors and improve performance and will develop and direct software system testing and validation procedures, programming, and documentation.

Senior Software Engineer #SRNET0515 Applicant must have professional experience with: Object oriented analysis and design, Microsoft.Net Technologies, C#, ASP.net, ADO.net, XML, Web Services, Oracle / SQL Server. S/he will analyze user needs and modify and develop existing software by using various computer skill sets. S/he will modify existing software to correct errors and improve performance and will develop and direct software system testing and validation procedures, programming, and documentation.

ProKarma, Inc. has multiple openings for the Software Engineer position based out of its U.S. headquarters in Omaha, NE. The employees may also work at various unanticipated locations. These are roving positions whereby the employee’s worksite and place of residence may regularly change based upon client and business demands; however, these positions do not involve a travel requirement as performing the daily job duties does not require the employee to travel.

The position of Software Engineer requires a Bachelor’s degree, or its foreign equivalent or its equivalent based upon a combination of education/experience/training, in Computer Information Systems, IT, Computer Science, Engineering (any), or in a technical/analytical field that is closely related to the specialty, plus at least 2 years of experience in the job offered or in an IT/Computer-related position. The employer deems that any suitable combination of education, training, or experience is acceptable.

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

Software Engineer #HAD0515

Applicant must have professional experience with: Hadoop Framework and Mainframe Technology, Hive, Shell script, JAVA, HBASE/SQL Server 2012, UNIX, PIG, ELK Stack. S/he will write, update, and maintain computer programs by using various computer skill sets. S/he will modify existing software to correct errors and improve performance and will develop and direct software system testing and validation procedures, programming, and documentation.

Software Engineer #JAVA0515

Applicant must have professional experience with: Java, J2EE, JMS, SOA, Web Services, Weblogic/WebSphere/App server/JBoss, Oracle/SQL Server, Maven, HTML. S/he will write, update, and maintain computer programs by using various computer skill sets. S/he will modify existing software to correct errors and improve performance and will develop and direct software system testing and validation procedures, programming, and documentation.

omaha jobs

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

5

Get the Best Seats NOW before Single Concert Tickets go on sale to the public, August 24!

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JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

402.345.0606 | 24-HR TICKETING AT OMAHASYMPHONY.ORG

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

JUNE2015VOLUME22NUMBER3 08 COVER STORY PLAY GAMES 14 ART SUMMER ARTS PREVIEW

DISTRIBUTION/DIGITAL

18 PICKS COOL STUFF TO DO IN JUNE

OPERATIONS

Clay Seaman clay@thereader.com Kerry Olson kerry@thereader.com

20 HEARTLAND HEALING FORGIVE

MOREINFO:WWW.THEREADER.COM

22 ART SUSTAINABILITY PART TWO 25 SUMMER ARTS FESTIVAL GUIDE 33 EAT WHERE IN THE WORLD? 36 MUSIC DIGITAL LEATHER LINES UP 40 CULTURE NORTHSTAR RISES 42 FILM MOVIES THAT PLAY 46 FILM THERE WILL BE NO STAY 50 HOODOO SIZZLIN’ MUSIC OF SUMMER 52 OVER THE EDGE TIM TURNS 50 54 MYSTERIAN DOCTOR IS IN

PHOTO BY DEBRA S. KAPLAN

contents

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

7

GET IN THE GAME: AREA SPORTS BRING OUT THE KID IN ANYONE

BY SARA LOCKE

W

hen I was a little girl, I knew I was going to grow up to be an athlete. I went to bed at night imagining my career as a figure skater or a basketball star or a ballerina, but that one would really be a hobby. I saw the adult world as one of fun and possibilities.

Then I grew up.

There are no long days practicing my triple lutz, and I haven’t picked up a tennis racket since I was 17. What happened to this exciting world of sports and athleticism?

The lack of regular physical activity available to the standard American desk jockey has obesity rates skyrocketing. We sit on our couches expanding and the plot of the movie WALL-E becomes dangerously close to a reality.

As I struggle to convince enough friends to join a volleyball league with me again this year, I think how unfair it is that sports simply cease to exist outside of one’s high school and college years.

Or do they?

Just Roll With It

In 2006, Omaha gave birth to her first Roller Derby Team when 14 women took over Skate Daze and made this cultural phenomenon ours. The Omaha Roller Girls started at the bottom and worked tirelessly to gain recognition as a powerful force in the brutally entertaining sport. The women began this season ranked 66 out of

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225 ranked teams worldwide. The members aren’t just tough women with catchy clever nicknames like Psycho Thera Pissed and Demi Lition either. They are a community-focused team working and networking to further causes important to each member.

The unpaid players spend their extra time volunteering with organizations like Ted E Bear Hollow, The American Cancer Society, and Omaha Dog Parks. Some help out at Youth Emergency Services helping homeless and at-risk area young people find homes, educations, and work. Together, they all volunteer to help vet and train all aspiring Roller Girls to help maintain their status as a legitimate class act. The not-for-profit, skater-owned -and-operated Roller Girls pour any funds raised directly back into the community.

Play consists of two teams skating counterclockwise on a flat, oval track. One player per team is assigned “The Jammer” and is the only scoring player. The Jammer can be changed during each of the Jams, a 2 minute bout of play. Her job is to lap the opposing team by being whipped and flung by her team to the front of the pack while they take out as many players as they can.

From tough workouts at Title Boxing Club in Omaha to limping home after a bout played on broken toes, these ladies are in it to win it, and they might just win a few hearts while they’re breaking a few bones.

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If you are interested in becoming the next May Hem or Dolly MadAsHellSon, or to become part of the volunteer staff who help make the games happen, contact recruitment director Pinky The Insane and be prepared to work! Tickets are on sale now for the next bout, a double header featuring both the Omaha All Stars and The AAA team. Event takes place June 6th at The Mid America Center.

Equipment needed: Quad Skates, Pads, Helmet Cost: $35 monthly fee plus $60 annual insurance (in addition to purchase of gear and maintenance) Time Commitment required: attendance of 2-3 practices per week. www.omaharollergirls.org/join-the-omaha-rollergirls

Legends in Lingerie

What started as a cheeky Super bowl halftime stunt has grown into a full force women’s football phenomenon.

Legends Football League, formerly known as The Lingerie Football League, now boasts 10 teams in the United States as well as 9 teams throughout Canada and Australia. Scantily clad females playing football may have begun as a gimmick to snag the attention of the predominantly male viewership, but watching these women play will quickly dispel the notion that The Omaha Heart are just a powder puff league. The women play 7 on 7 full contact tackle football. The players are, incidentally, beautiful- but only until play begins. continued on page 10 y

EvEn though I’m ovErwEIght, I’m ablE to takE part In mEdIcal rEsEarch.

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| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

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y continued from page 8

A blow of the whistle finds grease-faced females with full time careers and helmet-wearing women with high stress jobs plowing through one another with an intensity usually reserved for the big leagues. A college student who devotes every extra hour to training is crumpled by a mom who runs drills while her toddler naps. These girls are on the field, ready to change your mind about just how serious this game is to them.

I spoke with Omaha Heart running back Steph Baer about the commitment required of a woman in what has always been a man’s sport. The former Marine admits that the training is incredibly tough, saying: “I worked out everyday day prior to joining the team and (football) workouts kick my butt. I’ll admit that it’s a lot of early mornings on the weekend that I would love to be sleeping, but what started out as practices and work turned into time with my closest friends. We are aggressive and hitting each other, going all out. Running sprints till my mask is fogged up with my gasping breaths, then going and doing Olympic lifts at the gym heavier than I ever imagined myself doing. It all sounded like work in the beginning, but I find it to be what I look forward to most in my week.”

But let’s be honest. With a woman’s innately softer heart, can the game ever be truly aggressive? According to Baer, it’s crucial to each woman that she be brutal, citing that she has to be the toughest person on the field.

She is out there protecting her family. If she isn’t ruthless, someone she cares about gets hurt. It is her job to keep them safe on the field, and the same attitude of selfless caring that compelled her to join the military is what makes her a savage player. That’s an Omaha Heart, soft as steel.

If you want to catch Baer (#5) and her family of brutal beauties in action, check out The Omaha Heart vs The Chicago Bliss June 13 at 8 p.m. If you’re interested in joining the league, visit http://www. lflus.com/ to submit your application.

DISCover A New Way to Play

Golf is widely considered “the thinking-man’s game.”

Green grass and quiet lend to a deep meditative state, and one can get lost for hours in the solitude and focus.

An ever so slightly less opulent version of the game appeals to the athlete seeking an every-man-for-himself competition, without the extravagance of a caddy and cart.

Disc golf is played quite similarly to your standard 9to 27-hole course, subbing hundreds of dollars’ worth of clubs for a set of Frisbees. A quiet day at any of Nebraska’s dozens of courses will find “frolfers” (frisbee golfers) flinging their discs into metal baskets, the object being to reach the goal in as few throws as possible.

There are 3 main discs in a standard set. The driver has a sharp, beveled edge with ideal aerodynamics for cutting through the air and traveling long distance. The mid-range has a slightly blunt edge for a shorter game, but with more accuracy. The putter is designed blunt and slow, but extremely accurate.

Not sure where to start? Visit Disc Store, the global disc retail company based in Omaha at 600 S 72nd.

The staff is friendly, no matter how many questions you ask. (Don’t ask me how I know that.) They can fit you for a proper weight and even tell you who won last week’s tournament. Everyone at the shop is a disc enthusiast

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and will show you why people feel like they’re part of a team in this one-man sport.

On June 8, Seymour Smith Park will be home to the Omaha Disc Expo. The 2 day pet-friendly event will feature food, live music, disc golf clinics, accuracy and long drive competitions, and much more, with proceeds benefiting The Nebraska Humane Society. Check out OMDGA (Omaha Metro Disc Golf Association) on Facebook or go to nebdiscforums.yuku.com for all of the details! Equipment needed: A basic 3 disc set to start. Driver, mid-range, and putter.

Ultimately Awesome

Consider ultimate frisbee disc golf’s tough big brother.

You’ve got all of the elements you liked about disc golf, but it’s a little more grown up and a lot more likely to leave a few bruises. Game play consists of moving your disc down a field slightly smaller than a football field into an endzone. The catch, when you have a disc in your hands, your feet must not move. Players pass the disc to team members moving toward the goal, dodging opponents while remaining open for a catch.

I spoke with Jake “Petey” Peterson, who discovered ultimate for himself as a freshman at UNO in 2005.

A football player in high school, Petey was looking for an outlet for his athleticism. After growing his skills with the fledgling UNO team, in 2006 he became part of the Summer Omaha Ultimate League’s (SOUL) inaugural year. By 2008 he became captain and President of UNO’s Ultimate Club, which found itself traveling to represent Omaha in Ultimate leagues all around the country. In 2010 he became captain of his team in SOUL, a title he still holds today.

The Summer League’s season opened May 12th and has over 200 players signed up. While the teams have already been formed, alternates and subs are integral to keeping the game running smoothly. Spectators enjoy

cover story

watching for the many elements of soccer, football, and basketball to combine into a surprisingly elegant, graceful game that requires coordination and communication among its players.

To see Peterson in action with his team True Red check out their schedule at http://omahadisc.com/ or just head to the NP Dodge Soccer Complex at 11001 John J Pershing Drive Tuesdays at 6 p.m.!

It’s A Bocce Get Crazy Out There!

Bocce ball (Bah-chee) has long been considered the game of the Old World Italians, but has recently been embraced by Omahans of all walks of life who share one thing in common: the desire to share some friendly competition and make a few new friends.

The object is simple: Try to toss your bocce ball closer to the boccino or pallino (smaller ball) than your opponent can. There is obviously a bit of finesse involved in trying to knock opposing balls further from the pallino without bumping into your own team’s active ball, but there it is in a nutshell. The real fun in attending The Big O Bocce League’s Tuesday night games and the announcement of the utterly punderful team names.

Boccelism will play against Shweddy Balls this Tuesday at 6. The Big LeBocce plays at 7, as does 99 Problems and a Bocce Ain’t One. There are always a few hardcore teams, and a few who are really there to see their friends, enjoy a cold drink, and take part in some goodnatured double entendre.

Whatever brings you to bocce, bring a friend along. The sport has been growing steadily in Omaha over the last few years and offers a relaxed, fun competition and a good excuse to have a beer on a Tuesday night. Games every Tuesday night Registration for the Summer session opened May 25. Season begins July 14. bigobocce.com/registration

continued on page 12 y

JUNE 23 • PINEWOOD BOWL THEATER

Pioneers park in lincoln • 3201 s. coddington ave 6:30PM GATES • 7:30PM show • a food drive event • all ages

widespreadpanic.com • pinewoodbowltheater.com

TICKETS available at Pinnacle Bank Arena Firestone Farm Tires Ticket Office, all ticketmaster locations, and ticketmaster.com For special accommodations, please call 402.904.5600 no less than two weeks prior to event.

| THE READER |

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y continued from page 10

Fun on the Run

In a time long ago, our ancestors spent their days chasing after their dinner and sprinting to avoid becoming someone else’s. A five mile jaunt was all in an afternoon’s hunt, and the big reward at the end was another five mile jaunt back to camp, hopefully carrying a few hundred pounds of dead animal. Then, the fast food drive through was invented and the couch potato was born. I may have skipped a few hundred years in that brief retelling of history, but you see what I’m getting at.

Then in 1995, The Eco Challenge put adventure runs on the radar for athletes and challenge seekers across the globe, eventually spawning muddy obstacle courses in every state. With a reason to run, Instagram exploded with mud, glitter, paint, foam, and sweat covered amateur athletes grinning blissfully in their exhaustion.

I had a chance to talk with Kevin Simonson, race director of 5K The Hard Way (5kthehardway.com), about what makes an adventure run successful. He tells me that people thrive on being truly challenged. Whether they’ve run, jogged, walked, or dragged themselves over the finish line, people love to overcome. “We give them the opportunity to truly test themselves and gain that sense of accomplishment. They get to choose their level of difficulty, but no matter what road they take, they’re going to have fun.”

In Simonson’s 5K, people have ample opportunity to overcome. 20 obstacles they will face along the way include balance beams, fallen trees, a suspension bridge, ravines, walls, foam, mud, and a 100 foot water slide.

In all of this sloppy chaos, don’t forget the fact that you have 5 kilometers of earth to cover. If you’re not terribly familiar with the metric system, this is just over 3 miles of torturous terrain, climbing, crawling, and clawing your way to the finish line.

I had to ask him, as I only run if I’m being chased, who on earth would sign up for such a thing? He laughs and tells me that it’s a whole family affair. He has seen 6-yearolds running alongside their parents. He has seen retirees sloshing through the mud in tu-tus and war paint. Cancer survivors form teams, bald heads painted to match, cheering one another through each hurdle. They know they have overcome more in their life, and that some of the biggest battles lie ahead, but just for today this broken down bus in their way has their complete focus.

“The race begins at 10 a.m. and the first few waves are really competitive. Those are your athletes and mili-

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tary. They’re on a mission! The race isn’t timed, but the first 5 male and female competitors to cross the finish line are awarded special medals.”

In addition to the incredible experience, your registration gets you free parking, (unlike some other mud runs we’ve heard about) a 5K The Hard Way T-shirt, 5K The Hard Way Finisher Medal, 2 Free Rounds of Golf at Valley View Golf Course, and water and fruit at the finish line.

cover story

If the endorphins move you, stick around for the after party featuring a DJ, beer and food for purchase, and a few new mud-covered friends.

After my chat with Mr. Simonson, I found myself perusing the page. My finger hovers over the registration button and I think…who doesn’t like to get a little dirty? ,

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SEASON SIX: Cleopatra

Orpheum Theater Friday, October 2 The Nutcracker The Arts Center, IWCC Sunday, November 22 Orpheum Theater Saturday, December Sunday, December 6 Momentum: Go West!

Joslyn Art Museum Friday, April 1 The Arts Center, IWCC Sunday, April 3

balletnebraska.org

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

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art thescene:

‘Crossing’

by James Bockelman is included in Joslyn Art Museum’s ‘Art Scene’ invitational which opens June 21.

cutline:

“Best of Show” (far right and inset) images are featured in canine centered Adopt Art Project organized by patrons Laura Vranes and John McIntyre.

14

JustFeelsLike Summer’

A

fter the seasonable unpredictability of Metro spring weather, it’s nice for many to know they can count on summer being hot, hot, hot.

Also hot on the horizon are any number of art events and exhibits for those who appreciate indoor activity as much as the outdoors. Best of all, besides the normal number of weekend exhibition openings one can count on, there are also key visual arts opportunities that highlight this edition of the 2015 Summer Arts Preview.

Chief among the special events are: a juried invitational, a $100 art sale, a Best in Show “dog” exhibit, two European art exhibitions, an offbeat show from a traditional gallery and the one constant in the mid-year collection, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival.

Arguably the most anticipated arts event is Art Seen: A Juried Exhibition of Artists from Omaha and Lincoln, which opens at Joslyn Art Museum on June 21 and continues through Oct. 11. The 37 artists to be seen weren’t merely curated, they were selected by

JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

art

guest judge Bill Arning, director of the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston and by Joslyn’s Associate Curator of Contemporary Art, Karin Campbell.

Of the 37 selected, 21 are from Omaha, 16 from Lincoln; 20 are men and 17 are women; and represent a wide diversity of media, style and themes including personal narrative, the social landscape, the environment as well as contemporary approaches to painting.

Art Seen certainly favors such familiar faces as Omaha’s Littleton Alston, Catherine Ferguson, Jun Kaneko, Watie White and Mary Zicafoose, and Lincoln’s James Bockelman, Charley Friedman and Keith Jacobshagen. But the exhibit also features newer, more recent artists including Sarah Rowe, Angela Drakeford, Josh Johnson and Joy O. Ude. Although Joslyn hasn’t officially indicated that this “show” may be an annual or biennial event, it is hoped that Art Seen won’t be a one-off. The museum has a history of successful invitationals and any opportunity to appreciate local artists side by side in a major venue is something to anticipate and celebrate.

Metro warms up to its festival of visual artsy

BY MICHAEL J. KRAINAK

Speaking of such, Metro patrons will have a similar chance to view a large group show of area talent with an added bonus for themselves and the sponsoring venue. Project Project, the arts DIY start-up of Joel Damon and Josh Powell, is holding a $100 art sale on June 12. Project Project, located at 1818 Vinton Street, is dedicated to supporting emerging artists who Damon says struggle for recognition.

“The mission is to say ‘yes’ to as many artists as possible,” he said, “especially to those who are making incredible work but have not had a ton of exposure in our city. The $100 sale opens at 7pm and continues for two days until the work is sold. Funds will go toward a year’s lease, paying artists and for site renovations.”

Artists who have committed to the fundraiser include Mads Anderson, Nic Bohac, Jamie Burmeister, Mary and Gary Day, Kim Darling, Larry Ferguson, Tim Guthrie, Jeff King, Natalie Linstrom, Kristin Pluhacek and many others.

Another special summers arts happening that might become more than a one-off is the inaugural event of the newly organized Adopt Art Omaha. Based upon other found art projects in the United States, AAO is the brainchild of Metro’s favorite GenX patrons of the arts, Laura Vranes and John McIntyre. continued on page 16 y

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10:10 AM

wildart: Heather Johanson’s “Seeking Wilderness: Grief, 2014” (above) is featured in Joslyn’s juried invitational, Art Seen.

offflbeat:

”Babylon” (inset) by Troy Muller can be seen in Modern Arts Midtown’s offbeat July show.

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This project kicks off June 13 with a Best in Show exhibit at RNG Gallery in Council Bluffs.

It features canine variations by dozens of area artists based upon their interpretation of doggy templates created by artist Evan Major, who was inspired by Vranes and McIntyre’s own dog, Banksy. Yes, that Banksy.

Following the show’s closing, the “dogs” will be “hidden” throughout the Metro area and clues to their whereabouts will be posted on Facebook and Twitter at Adopt Art Omaha.

“This is a way for people to find original artwork and adopt it,” Vranes said. “The prizes are the ‘dogs’ they find and the only rule is they need to follow the clues. Also, everyone can post on Facebook or Twitter to show off their new ‘dogs.’”

Participating artists who share AAO’s mission include Bart Vargas, Courtney Porto Kenny, Linda Hatfield, Reggie LeFlore, Erin Blaney, Dan Crane, Will Anderson, Nolan Tredway, Watie White, Nadia Shinkunas, Emma Reker, William Holland and many more.

Meanwhile, The Reader will continue to “pick” key monthly exhibits from Benson First Friday, the Fred Si-

JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

art

mon Gallery, RNG, Gallery 72, Hot Shops, the Artist Co-op Gallery and Anderson O’Brien. But perhaps the most unusual show from a full service gallery this summer is a yet untitled exhibition scheduled in July at Modern Arts Midtown that eschews the usual showcase of gallery stables.

This off-beat collection of artists who MAM owner and artist Larry Roots says virtually defy categorization and “just feels like summer, a diversity of punk, pop and street in one show. It’s a survey really, very organic, won’t know what we have until we see it on the wall.”

This rather eclectic blend includes Jordan Weber, Iggy Sumnik, Lynn Piper, Brian Genardo, Ben Pratt, Jamie Burmeister, James Freeman and Troy Muller.

Not exactly outlaw territory, but to a person, risk-takers and capable of surprises.

More predictable, and that’s the way Metro patrons like it, is the annual, you can count on it, Omaha Summer Arts Festival, June 5-7, located downtown on Farnam Street from 10th to 15th Streets. Celebrating its 41st year, the festival features visual artists in virtually all media, a stage of continuous musical performers and a hands-on Children’s Fair.

Among the participating artists, look for the following: Greg Davis (photography) in booth 118, Andrew Kosten (graphics/printmaking) in booth 45, Charlene Heilman (glass), booth 29, David Mayhew (photography), booth 119, Kale Van Leeuwen (2D, mixed media), booth 2, Duly Mitchell (ceramics), booth 57, Sean Corner (sculpture), booth 28 and C. Smathers (fiber), booth 92, to name but a few.

But for the consistently unpredictable, one need look no further than the Moving Gallery of the Old Omaha Association which shows in the Garden of the Zodiac Gallery in the Old Market Passageway.

Italian artist Paolo Dolzan will show at the Moving Gallery in late August or September after creating new work while here in Omaha. But first the Metro can look forward to Brazilian artist Luzia Simons, now living in Berlin, who opens in the Zodiac on May 28 in a two-month exhibit.

This is Simons’ first solo show in the Metro, but patrons of MG’s stunning 2010 exhibition, Time, Death and Beauty, can look forward to another startling variation of her vivid floral studies Titled “Stockage,” these new botanical still lifes are essentially digital tulip prints that were created through a process of cameraless photography that has become Simons’ signature. ,

eyesite: Work by Brian Gennardo (left) is part of MAM’s offbeat July show

FRIDAY 6/12/15 Flying Flags for Charity @ 6PM Blue House (Blues) SATURDAY 6/13/15 Prairie Gators (Cajun) Eckaphonic (Top Hits/Dance)

SUNDAY 6/14/15 Prairie Gators (Cajun) Jason Earl Band (Country) MONDAY 6/15/15 Wild Colonial Bhoys (Irish/ Celtic Rock) TUESDAY 6/16/15 Cactus Hill (Country/Rock)

WEDNESDAY 6/17/15 Lemon Fresh Day (Top Hits/Dance)

SUNDAY 6/21/15

COUNTRY FEST 2 with Clare Dunn & Chancey Williams

THURSDAY 6/18/15 Envy (Top Hits/Dance)

MONDAY 6/22/15 theoldno5Ă• s (Roots Music)

FRIDAY 6/19/15 HiFi Hangover (Top Hits/Dance) SATURDAY 6/20/15 Secret Weapon (Top Hits/Dance)

TUE & WED 6/23-24/15 John Doe (Top Hits/Dance)

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Friday, June 12 PROJECT PROJECT $100 ART SHOW Project Project, 1818 Vinton Street Sale begins at 7:00 p.m. www.facebook.com/projectprojectomaha

Wednesday, June 3 EMILY KINNEY WITH DYLAN GARDNER & ADAM TRESSLER The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple Street 9:00 p.m. – SOLD OUT www.waitingroomlounge.com Sure, this show is sold out, but for those holding out hopes to see the actor-gone-singer Emily Kinney, this pick is for you. Known for her role as Beth on the Walking Dead, Emily Kinney comes to the Waiting Room to showcase songs from her short, but popular catalogue, including tunes from her last release “Expired Love” which features seven original songs written by Kinney, with production by Caleb Shreve and Conrad Korsch (bassist, Rod Stewart), and mixes by Mikal Blue (Colbie Caillat, One Republic, Toad the Wet Sprocket). Her role on the popular AMC zombie program may have ended with a shot to the head, but her musical career certainly is seeing new life as her celebrity status with the dead-fans provided a solid audience. Her music is indie, young, and pop-influenced - typical of a young, pop-influenced actress gone singer. Her voice is natural, not pristine (think Zooey Deschanel), but fans can’t seem to get enough of this former apocalyptic survivor.

— Wayne Brekke EMILY KINNEY

OLD 97’S

Thursday, June 4 OLD 97’S WITH OIL BOOM The Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple Street 9:00 p.m., $20 ADV/$25 DOS www.waitingroomlounge.com Surviving the 90s as a roots-rock / Americana outfit on a mission of longevity; the Old 97’s remain a roots icon.

Their songs are open, honest, and don’t need any clichéd tricks to become instantly endering. Their new record “Most Messed Up” offers a slew of rockin’ Americana joints that harken back to some of the early days of this Dallas band. Upbeat tunes belie some of the hidden dark undertones of the lyrics penned by singer Rhett Miller and co. Their show at the Waiting Room includes Houston band Oil Boom, who is supporting their latest release “Red Metal,” which is neither red, nor metal, but does have elements of fuzz rock glazed with Americana goodness.

— Wayne Brekke Friday, June 5 3RD ANNIVERSARY BENSON FIRST FRIDAY 62nd Street, between Maple and Miami www.bensonfirstfriday.com Benson is about to take their already impressive First Friday celebration to another level in June. Marking the 3rd anniversary of the monthly booze, art and music, BFF is pulling out all the stops by closing off 62nd Street (directly in front of Benson art leaders Petshop and Sweatshop Galleries) with a street fair of sorts with live music, art booths, live art, fashion events, digital projections, food and more. Though few details have been provided, it’s fairly easy to say this will most likely be like hanging out with the Omaha Summer Arts Festival’s ginger half-brother on a jungle-juice bender. Don’t miss this, even without knowing exactly what to expect at the mo-

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ment, the community should show up to show support and to say thanks to BFF founders Jamie Hardy and Alex Joachim and all the other lovable weirdos that helped bring the Benson scene to where it is now.

— Joel Damon Friday, June 5 - June 6 OMAHA SYMPHONY CONCERT Kiewit Hall, Holland Center, 1200 Douglas Street 7:30 p.m. $19-$80 www.omahasymphony.org What have a seven-Grammy-Award winner and a 40-year-old American composer have in common? Deep religious faith. They are Stephen Hough and James Lee III. Hough is the soloist in Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the Omaha Symphony June 5th and 6th.

Lee’s 2011 work Sukkot Through Orion’s Nebula opens the program. Evidently he intends to evoke the Messiah coming from a celestial source encapsulated within the Jewish harvest festival’s roots. Lee writes “bright, pure music” said the Washington Post. Lee’s compositions include A Place for God’s People, Psalm 61, and Night Visions of Kippur plus he is among many famed composers involved in the Psalms Project of the Soli Deo Gloria foundation, dedicated to promoting such sacred works.

His family-inspired piece Papa Lapa was premiered by the Symphony’s Thomas Wilkins who conducts this concert. Devoutly Catholic Hough is also a composer whose Requiem aeternam has been moving multitudes since 2010. Moreover, he’s a writer and painter, celebrated by The Economist as one of 20 living polymaths. The complex, sometime cheery piano concerto in which he solos, has a famed history of its own, considered ground-breaking in Beethoven’s time. Its enduring popularity and familiarity is matched by audience favorite, the exuberant Brahms’ Symphony No. 2, whose spirit is sometimes equated with Beethoven’s sixth (“The Pastoral.”) This sounds like an event suffused with joy.

— Gordon Spencer

Project Project is growing up, to a point. After nearly a year of intriguing shows and performances in a rustic, intimacy-inducing space in a Vinton Street storefront, organizers Joel Damon and Josh Powell are putting on a fundraiser to help Project Project cover its fairly minimal expenses. This fundraiser will help the start-up continue to serve as a venue for creators of all kinds, both established artists attracted by Project Project’s ambiance and less well-known artists who can only benefit from the exposure that it provides. This event takes the accessibility of Project Project one step further by making works by dozens of artists available for purchase, with all works priced at $100. The roster of artists contributing to the show is growing weekly given that Damon and Powell have been holding office hours at the space for the last few Saturdays, offering any artist who wants the opportunity to stop by and donate a work for inclusion in the show. The list of participating artists includes many familiar names (Jamie Burmeister, Catherine Ferguson, Tom Prinz, Iggy Sumnik, and Bart Vargas, to name a few) as well as newer artists whose work deserves a wider audience. The “$100 Art Sale” is a terrific opportunity to take a quick tour of the Omaha art scene, purchase a work (or two) that bears looking at on a daily basis, and in the process help ensure the continuation of Project Project’s important contribution to the cultural life of our city.

— David Thompson Friday, June 12 and 26 BRIDGE BEATS CONCERT SERIES Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge, 705 Riverfront Drive 6:00 p.m., Free www.bridgebeats.com June Concerts on the Bridge Confidentials, Matt Cox, Belles and Whistles, 6:00pm Friday, June 12th and 26th, Bridge Beats Concert Series - Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge

It’s the beginning of summer, which means Friday nights on the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge will be open for business featuring some of Omaha’s most talented bands and musicians. On June 12th, the bridge will set the stage for longtime local music legends the Confidentials. Brothers Stan and Steve Spurgeon are still at it with their solid funk and soul foundation that has made the band a timeless fixture in the Omaha scene. On June 26th the Matt Cox band will get rootsy while Belles and Whistles flood the riverbanks with female fronted country tunes. This series will last all summer.

— Wayne Brekke

Friday, June 26 RAF WITH RURALAURORA (SIOUX CITY) O’Leaver’s Pub, 1322 South Saddle Creek Road 9:30 p.m., $5 www.facebook.com/oleavers RAF may have started in the 80’s but this band doesn’t know when to quit, which is a good thing for you and me.

The hard hitting heroes of Omaha punk continue to blow the doors off every place they play as age seems to have only made them more determined than ever to show the audience they still aim to misbehave. A few years back, RAF got back together for a punk reunion show and since has been playing more shows, opening for some legendary punk icons. There’s no doubt that this band is reaffirming their status as one of the groups that forged the Omaha punk scene from the bowels of long gone venues like the Howard St, 49er, and the Cog Factory. O’Leaver’s is the backdrop to a night that is sure to leave your ears ringing as RAF and Sioux City rockers Rualaurora spew punk all over the floors of the “Clubhouse.”

— Wayne Brekke Through June 26 NEBRASKA, LAND AND SKY Modern Arts Midtown, 3615 Dodge Street Opening Reception: Friday, June 5, 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Gallery Hours: Tues-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. www.modernartsmidtown.com

Sunday, June 21 CROSSING THE ATLANTIC First Congregational Church, 421 South 36 Street 3:00 p.m., $5-$20. www.omahachambermusic.org From Nebraska to Spain to Austria is the voyage undertaken by the Omaha Chamber Music Society in “Crossing the Atlantic.” Omaha is Stephen Bouma’s base but his Toccata actually looks to Europe for inspiration and to, as the title suggests, baroque masters including J.S. Bach. “I imagined a musical cocktail party with composers and philosophers,” he says. He likewise aims to incorporate harmonic and rhythmic ideas of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. Mr. Bouma is organist and director of music at First Central Congregational Church. He should feel right at home then, since the concert takes place there.

Italian-born Luigi Boccherini was right at home himself in Spain where he settled at age 17 absorbing and reflecting the spirit of that culture. Two of his string trios from Opus 47 are performed. Dovetailing with them is Círculo from 1936 by famed Spaniard Joaquin Turina, one of his final works completed before the outbreak of his nation’s Civil War. And an outpouring of joy suffuses one of Franz Schubert’s later pieces, his piano trio in E Flat, D. 929. He wrote it to celebrate a friend’s engagement. The performers are Omaha Symphony violist Thomas Kluge and cellist Greg Clinton. Violinist Mary Perkinson joins them as does pianist Stacie Haneline. Ms. Perkinson is a member of the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, Madison Bach Musicians and the Wisconsin Baroque Ensemble.

Ms. Haneline is part of the faculty at UNO, as well as “I, the Siren” and regularly performs with the Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha. You need not travel far to experience such delights.

— Gordon Spencer

Kearney artist Jennifer Homan is featured in Modern Arts Midtown’s June exhibition. Homan’s masterful handling of pastel chalks result in an exalted vision of the everyday Nebraska landscape. With her keen sense of the subtle variations of light against dark, familiar vistas become extraordinary. Her stated goal is to “visually preserve the present state of our land by pointing out beauty in the ordinary.” Homan graduated from Colorado State University at Fort Collins with a BA in painting and k-12 Teaching Certificate. She is a member of the Pastel Society of America.

— Eddith Buis Through June 27 METRO SEEN Connect Gallery, 3901 Leavenworth Street Opens Wednesday, June 3 Gallery Hours: Wed.-Sat. 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. www.connectgallery.net In the later 19th century, the Salon des Refusés became the place where those artists rejected from the official Paris Salon of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts had an opportunity to exhibit their talents, and is arguably the place where Modern Art was born. Today one might contend that museums have taken the place of such government-run taste-making bodies and that, by the sheer act of selecting living artists for exhibition, they are also making de facto statements about the worthiness of those not included in their projects. You are welcome to deliberate all sides of this proposal, but the opening of Art Seen: A Juried Exhibition of Artists from Omaha to Lincoln at Joslyn Art Museum does raise for some the question of merits of the area’s many “refuseniks”. In fact, it rekindles the lively debates that used to surround its previous incantations, the Invitationals and Biennials of years past. Wading into these waters are Tom and Jean Sitzman of Connect Gallery who have put out a call to

some 30 area artists to submit new work to Metro Seen.

They believe that the Joslyn’s show “missed a whole bunch of great Greater Metro artists,..[which] speaks well for the high number of outstanding artists in the metro.” Metro Seen is a true summer group show, being neither thematic nor featuring any one artist. Most are artists who have either shown previously at Connect or do not have a regular presence in local galleries, in keeping with the gallery’s mission.

— Janet L. Farber Through October 11 ART SEEN: A JURIED EXHIBIT OF ARTISTS FROM OMAHA AND LINCOLN Joslyn Art Museum, 2200 Dodge Street Exhibit Opens Sunday, June 21 Gallery Hours: Tues.-Wed. and Fri.-Sun. 10:00 a.m.4:00 p.m., Thurs. 10:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m.

Free General Admission www.joslyn.org

PETER CALES - ‘ARK’,

Consisting of artists living and working in our region today, this exhibit promises to be a wide-ranging look at the vibrant and expansive works being created here in Nebraska. Subjects range from personal narratives to social issues and contemporary approaches to painting, sculpture and fabric. 37 artists are included; with 21 from Omaha and 16 from Lincoln. With a nod to the rising number of women making art seriously, 17 are female, 20 male. Karin Campbell, Phil Willson Contemporary Curator has been at the Joslyn for three years now—time to have developed an understanding of the local art scene. Campbell has teamed with Bill Arning, Director of the Houston Museum of Contemporary Arts, to launch the exhibit. The goal of these highly-attuned curators is to reflect what is being done in the contemporary art scene, moving from the obsessive problem solving seen in Ying Zhu to the unique and thoughtful perspective of painter Sarah Rowe. James Bockelman, oil painter from Lincoln, will have nine paintings in the show, which gives the viewer a more complete understanding of the breadth of his work. Peter Cales’ “Ark”, shown, is a well-crafted wood assemblage, which is also a rocking chair.

— Eddith Buis

BENSON FIRST FRIDAY

‘SILVER SKIES’ - JENNIFER HOMAN

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‘Forgivenessheals I

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. .

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t is said and written that forgiveness heals. Don Henley sang about it. Jesus taught it. A Course in Miracles describes it as the final solution to the illusion of separateness. It’s the ultimate in healing arts. It’s about forgiveness.

Is that a fairy tale fugue or is there something real to experience about forgiveness? If the opposite of airy-fairy is scientific evidence, then we can stand on that leg if you wish because there is ample research showing forgiveness provides any number of metrics denoting better health.

To reach the deepest level of forgiveness, the truly transcendent place where healing transpires, we must absorb the metaphysics of the matter. After all, feelings of resentment and blame — the phlogiston of fear — are not a physical science.

Forgiveness mends the relationship between guilt and innocence. I like to say forgiveness isn’t for the other guy. Forgiveness is “for giving us” freedom from guilt. Guilt is the most insidious emotion we can hold about ourselves. Innocence is its answer. There is not a human alive who doesn’t deal with guilt. The side effects of pharmaceutical drugs are small stuff compared to the side effects of guilt on a global scale.

You can say you don’t have guilt issues, that you’re over that stuff and you feel good about yourself. Uh huh. That’s how insidious guilt can be. For though you maintain your innocence, do you sometimes find yourself hinting at little things like, “I could have done such-and-such better?” Or, “I should go to the gym more often.” Or, “I shouldn’t smoke so much.” Or, “I should get up earlier.” Or, “I should eat more veggies.” All of those “I should’s” are nothing but guilt unrecognized. They may seem innocuous but there is

JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

PHOTO COURTESY THE MASCULINE HEART

heartlandhealing

How? Monkey See, Monkey Do

BY MICHAEL BRAUNSTEIN

a tiny seed of guilt gestating in the mind. That tiny whisper of negative self-talk is the same as a shout.

It’s a black or white issue, digital as on or off, 1 or 0.

Negative is not positive, no matter how long you look at it. To paraphrase the late Robert Palmer, “You’re gonna have to face it, you’re addicted to guilt.” To feel innocent, make someone else in that likeness.

Monkey time. Humans, like any species, learn by observing. When we see another human do something, or a condition in another human, we learn to apply it to ourselves.

One hot afternoon in the Florida Keys, my friend Desi and I spent the better part of an hour trying to teach his little brother Jesse how to water ski. We lectured. We described. We coached clearly with expert advice. No dice. Little brother, though a superb athlete, just couldn’t glide up onto the water.

Finally, I helped Jesse back in the boat. I took a quick ski to cool off, then climbed back in. Next thing we know, Jesse’s in the water, skis on and in one try and he’s up. Why? Because after all the talk, it still took Jesse seeing someone do it to make it seem possible to him. Seeing someone do it was the key. That basic tenet holds true throughout life. If you want to see what innocence looks like, transform someone from guilty to innocent through forgiveness.

Here is your greatest power. No one can substantially change any other person in the world. We’ve all tried it. It never has and never will happen. Except by this one feat. Here is the only way possible that you can change another person.

You can look at any other person in the world and make them innocent.When one forgives someone, we make that person innocent. They become the example

heartland healing

we need to convince ourselves that innocence is possible. We are then able to forgive ourselves and become guilt-free.

There is no way another human being can stop you.

Your will is guaranteed enforceable. No matter what, another person cannot keep you from forgiving them.

Pardon me? No. To understand true forgiveness is important. In the world, we think of forgiveness as “pardon.” That is not forgiveness and will not benefit you. The act of pardon has an implicit message. That is, that you are acknowledging someone’s wrongdoing but notifying them that you are overlooking it. True forgiveness requires the realization that no wrong was committed.

It is the discerning mind that recognizes oneness by admitting what is acted without love is acted with fear and therefore not real. The so-called perpetrator has not perpetrated anything. How can a body affect a spirit? It cannot.

True forgiveness then, works on at least two levels.

It creates an example of innocence that forgivers can use to model that innocence for themselves. It also reminds that the real essence of who we are is unthreatened spirit. Only the mind can be healed: The body is but an instrument. The spirit is not malleable.

Somewhere it is written that good will must be extended to “the least of my brethren” or its benefit falls short. In the case of forgiveness, it cannot be limited to just a few on our list. If we harbor blame toward any, we are not getting the message completely across to ourselves. It would mean that somehow, we still believe in guilt in our own minds.

Don’t be the last monkey in the jungle to see it.

Be well. ,

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art

arttalk: Area artists attend an Artist Inc information session sponsored by the Omaha Creative Institute regarding sustainability and professional practices.

Renewableenergy (Editor’s note: In May, The Reader published Part One of an article on Artist Sustainability. It focused mainly on seminars, workshops and courses in professional and business practices that Metro arts venues and colleges offer pre-emerging and emerging artists. Metro Community College and The Union for Contemporary and several students, artists and staffs were featured in that edition. Part Two below concentrates mostly on similar opportunities offered to post-emerging and mid-career artists seeking refresher or developmental help in sustaining and furthering their chosen profession. It focuses mainly on Artist INC, sponsored and organized by the Omaha Creative Institute, as well as the program facilitators, staff and past artists who benefitted from this seminar.)

E

ven the most experienced or established professional can hit a wall…or ceiling…in one’s career. Whether a lawyer, caregiver, over-the-road driver, academic or auto mechanic, new techniques, technology and practices, as well as a changing marketplace are a given in anyone’s chosen field.

But what may be obstacles for some, can be turned into opportunities with refresher and developmental courses that keep professionals viable and ahead of the curve. Success and sustainability require more than just skill and talent. It doesn’t pay to stand still.

While professional help abounds for the careers above, often over-looked are fine artists. These are the painters, sculptors and new media practioners who

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art

Creative class goes ‘back to the drawing board’ at Artist INC seminar on sustainability

BY MICHAEL J. KRAINAK

one may assume will do well in their medium because they are good at what they do. They’re not like everyone else. They play by different rules.

Maybe. But, like anyone, they want to make a living doing what they do. That old saw, “I don’t care if I sell, I paint for myself!” that sounded so cool in college, soon becomes by degrees, delusional, defensive and downright desperate as one ages.

There are many fine artists in the Metro who are sustainable, that is, make their way by making art, because in large part, they are supported by a fullservice gallery, a spouse, partner or patron or work in arts-related jobs that keep them networked as well.

But the National Endowment of the Arts estimates that less than a third of all fine artists are this fortune to be “self-employed.”

The remaining two-thirds flirt with the myth of the “starving artist,” but what separates the mid-career artist from the emerging one is what they crave. An emerging artist may want opportunity, a start, even independence in the marketplace. For the post-emerging and mid-career variety it’s more a matter of sustainability, learning how to maintain and even adapt.

As mentioned in Part One of this article, how to survive and sustain in the market may have been missing in one’s BFA or MFA program. If knowledge is power-

-first attributed to Francis Bacon and echoed by Thomas Jefferson and many others—then artists can turn to many area venues for professional and business opportunities, including MCC, UCA, the Bemis Center, Kaneko and the Joslyn Art Museum.

Yet, arguably, the single largest and most handson, effective program is the Artist INC seminar, created by the Mid-America Arts Alliance, and sponsored and operated by the Omaha Creative Institute.

OCI’s former director Susan Thomas says a large part of its mission is to build the audience for the arts in the Metro community and to provide resources, emphasizing financial sustainability to artists, all artists, from all disciplines.

“Artist INC Omaha 2014 included musicians, ceramicists, curators, visual artists, sculptors, poets, photographers, actors,” Thomas said. “All are exposed to the business tools of marketing, financial management, technology, writing about art, legal issues, or grant writing.”

Participants in the Artist INC workshop meet for three-hour sessions, once a week for eight weeks.

This year’s Artist INC will be held on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Sept. 8 to Oct. 27, at the Omaha Creative Institute, 1516 Cuming Street, Omaha, NE. continued on page 24 y

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studioworks: A peak into the studio of 3D artist Iggy Sumnik, a selfemployed artist who attended Artist Inc sponsored by OCI.

artstudy:

“Pupil” by artist Travis Apel who attended the 2014 Artist Inc seminar sponsored

by OCI.

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y continued from page 22

All participating artists are chosen by a review board after receiving their applications which are due June 30 by 5 p.m. Details can be found at artistinc.submittable.com.

Each session features a presenter in the above areas of expertise as well as mentors who conduct follow-up group participation. This year’s artist/mentors include Darryl White, Susan Knight, Sarah McKinstry-Brown Mason, Watie White, and Mary Zicafoose who finds the myth or label of a starving artist, “pretty intolerable.”

“The question lies in whether you choose to subscribe to that myth as your reality. One has to consciously deflect a tremendous amount of opportunities to not make a living in the arts,” said Zicafoose, a successful tapestry weaver and printmaker. “Artists are creators, manifestors, out of the box thinkers, dreamers and doers. Among their jobs over the ages has been to hold the bar high for humanity, setting the tone and creating the template for civilizations to flourish.”

Though fiercely independent and disciplined, Zicafoose is practical enough to know that all artists go through stages when networking and outside help are especially necessary.

“Sustainability is based on, among many things, the ability to re-invent oneself,” she said. “Emerging artists are engrossed in their first incarnation, finding their personal voices as storytellers, garnering and mastering technical skill sets, and building networks, be it in dance, music, literature, the visual arts, whatever the medium.

“Mid-career artists are well-honed, talented technicians and seasoned storytellers. Our challenge is to remain interesting and articulate avoiding the temptation of telling the same story in the same way over and over again, just because it brought the house down the first time we told it.”

The sessions, she says, provide an inspirational and motivating environment, not only for reinvention, but for readjustment to a changing marketplace.

JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

art

“Artist INC is a crash course in business school and the power of real life/real time relationship building. It requires showing up for class, doing the weekly readings and homework, thinking about your career, setting goals, taking action, and following through.”

Former participants in Artist INC, Iggy Sumnik, Lori Elliot-Bartle and Travis Apnell, say they benefitted from the experience as they too continue to make adjustments in their individual careers. For them, “starving artist” is a relative term, but sustainability is not, it’s for real.

“Because you make nice stuff doesn’t mean that people are interested in buying it,” Sumnik, a mixed media and 3D artist said. “Just because someone buys something doesn’t mean that you got it made in the shade. Consistency in production and sales has been the key in making my art even a part time job. With dedication, tenacity, work ethic and creativity I think that the artist most definitely can make a living from their work.”

Apnell, a 3D artist as well, speaks for many when he says the contemporary norm is that of a “struggling artist” rather than a starving one, no matter what stage one’s career is at.

“Furthermore, the ‘frustrated artist’ is more accurate for me personally,” he said. I know (only) a handful of artists that are self-employed. Charles Strain, a bronze sculptor, who has completed monumental works collected around the world, warned me that the physical nature of designing and fabricating sculpture is a pain in the ass, but the earnings can be handsome. To be an independent artist, one needs to become innovative––from earning financial support to expanding income streams that remain compatible with your studio practice.”Apnell said the largest obstacle in his becoming a sustainable artist “is the fact that I don’t have the time to gain momentum in my art practice.

As a parent of two boys, 7 and 9, I must distribute my time according to the many hats I wear.

“By far, the biggest thing I got out of Artist INC was the emphasis on goal organization. By writing down my short-term and long-term goals, I can track my progress according to the lapsing time.

This tip from Artist INC keeps me on schedule with my plans. My business paperwork, mileage, and other documents are no longer buried or scattered throughout my workspace. Now I have a “proper” filing system.”

Like Sumnik and Apnell, Elliot-Bartle was drawn to Artist INC because they knew that the “challenge” of being independent precludes isolation. Sooner or later most artists realize though they may be happiest making art, in a marketplace, which is to say the real world, no one lives or creates, let alone succeeds, in a vacuum.

“One of the most powerful elements of the workshop was spending time with other artists, talking openly about challenges and brainstorming together about how to overcome them,” said Elliot-Bartle, a painter and handmade printer. “The community that developed with that inaugural class has become an important network for me professionally and personally, gaining colleagues across art forms and developing new friendships.

“Networking has never been easy for me — as with many artists, I much prefer spending time alone in the studio making the work to ‘working a room,’ introducing myself and my art to strangers. Through Artist INC,

I refined tools and improved my confidence in sharing my vision. Connections between participants arose.”

An added benefit for all three participants was the advice given by the seminar’s official text, Jackie Battenfield’s book, “The Artist’s Guide: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love,” which is to create multiple revenue streams.

“Most artists don’t make a living only by selling work they make in their studios,” Elliot-Bartle said. “Teaching workshops and licensing reproductions are examples of ways to diversify income.”

Though Artist INC’s experts included help with the latter as well as other marketing strategies, Thomas is especially proud of the program’s ability to help enhance one’s financial independence through a diversity of arts-related work opportunities, especially through OCI. “Subsequent to last fall’s Artist INC program, more than half of the participating artists have taught paid workshops arranged by Omaha Creative Institute,” the now retired Thomas said. “Those have included team building workshops for LinkedIn and Securities America, after school programs at four Omaha elementary schools, and OCI’s bi-monthly public workshops. A key element of Omaha Creative Institute’s mission is to offer programs that support artists in their efforts to become financially sustainable.”

(OCI’s new Executive Director Emily Moody will lead Artist INC 2015).

Artists of all sorts are fond of talking process, that is, how they make their art, to anyone who will listen.

They often leave what it means to the viewer. At some point in their career they also learn that making a living is a process also, luck has very little to do with it.

“Success or sustainability in the arts is a personal decision one makes, and re-enlivens, recommits to, every day,” Zicafoose said. “There is nothing casual or frivolous about it. It requires showing up day in and day out, surrounding yourself with inspiring and motivating people, continuing your education in your field of the arts, staying in touch with what the art world has historically done and is currently doing, seizing opportunities-- big and small, and giving back to yourcommunity. This is a lifestyle, quite a rewarding one, actually. But definitely not a 9-5 job.” s he needs is “time and space to create my art.” ,

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS CenturyLink Artists’ Market & Omaha’s ArtSeen Friday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Saturday: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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et the summer begin! Omaha’s most celebrated arts tradition, the Omaha Summer Arts Festival (OSAF), will once again bring professional artwork, free concerts, family fun and great food and beverage to downtown Omaha. The 2015 Festival will entertain visitors of all ages on Friday, June 5 and Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. and on Sunday, June 7 from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

OSAF attracts more than 80,000 visitors and generates more than $1 million in economic impact annually. The Festival was recently named one of “The 20 Can’t-Miss Summer Festivals of 2014” by Smithsonian.com, “Best Family Festival” for 2014

by Omaha Magazine and The Readers’ Choice Best of the BIG O! for Best Outdoor Festival as well as one of 2013’s top 40 Fine Art and Fine Craft Shows by www.ArtFairSourceBook.com The 2015 Omaha Summer Arts Festival is presented by

First National Bank and sponsored by the Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund, Presenting Media Sponsor WOWT NBC Omaha, Artist Market Sponsor and Official Technology Provider CenturyLink, Children’s Fair Sponsor Nebraska Methodist College, Youth Arts Presenter The Sherwood Foundation and World Music Pavilion underwriter the Nebraska Arts Council.

The Festival is a magnet that draws people together to celebrate art in all of its forms and varied expressions. Its mission is to present culturally diverse, high-quality arts programs, performances and exhibits in downtown Omaha for the general public to enjoy and appreciate free of charge. OSAF is a non-profit arts organization led by a volunteer board of directors comprised of 15 area business, arts and community leaders. The Festival is professionally managed by Vic Gutman & Associates, the region’s premier event management company.

TasteFest Friday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Saturday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

World Music Pavilion Friday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Saturday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Young Artist Exhibition Friday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.Sunday: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Nebraska Methodist College Children’s Fair Saturday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

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ffering dozens of hands-on activities and art projects for children ages three to 10, the Nebraska Methodist College Children’s Fair will take place at 11th and Farnam Streets on Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 7 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This year’s theme, How Does Your g-ART-en Grow, will feature craft activities including tissue-paper flowers, jumbo paper pinwheels, popsicle stick dragonflies and wind chimes. In addition, such favorites as cookie decorating, spin art, face-painting and much more will be offered. The whole family will be able to participate in creating a unique OSAF Sculpture Garden that will be donated to one of Omaha’s many community gardens for display.

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he heart of the festival is the CenturyLink Artists’ Market, which offers high-quality, diverse artwork. Over 400 artists from across the U.S. applied to participate in the 2015 Festival. A group of local and regional art professionals, educators and enthusiasts narrowed this group to 135 final participants.

This year’s OSAF artists will come from 27 different states to exhibit and sell their professional artwork. Fourteen different media from jewelry to sculpture, photography, painting, glass, metal, wood and mixed media offer festivalgoers a variety of selections in both style and price point. To view individual photos of each of the artists’ work, visit the Artists Gallery at SummerArts.org.

2015 JURIED ARTISTS MEDIUM

ARTIST

BOOTH#

MEDIUM

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Christina Smith Pamela Spika Jennifer O’Meara Alina Eydelia Cheryl Ward Stephen Steininger Armando Pedroso Kale Van Leeuwen Tai Taeoalii Katheryn Krouse Jamie Rice Art Hough Teresa Merriman Henry Bergeson David Burton Jake Asuit John Novotny Alison Fox Janet Weilbrenner Danton Rezos Donald Shelton Pietra Wall Timothy Riesing Duly Mitchell Russell Peters David Nelson Michael & Laura Meyer Tony Winchester Joyce Surbeck-Harris Al Clement Rob Wiedmaier Bradley Bachmeier Johnny Hughes Clayton Macone Michael Schael Marie Rust Desarae Lee Robin Lauersdorf Jane Smith Beth Erlund Caroline Clarke Theresa Gallup Cristin Llewellyn Jennifer Rose Wolken C. Smathers

109 104 26 60 58 98 10 2 22 114 48 67 124 71 6 80 20 106 25 47 135 121 3 57 88 11 126 19 1 31 15 134 84 116 77 65 76 39 50 96 56 36 108 64 92

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Gloria McRoberts Char terBeest Kudla Jared Davis John Larsen Robin Paul James Wilbat John McDonald Robin Mueller Gabriel Bloodworth Jon Offutt Larry Budwig Marc Kornbluh Charlene Heilman Seung Lee Susan Williams Gregg Billman Stephen Weis Andrew Kosten Stephanie Swift Jeff Goodwin Chelsea Stone Gene Millard Sandra Freeman Emre Tekeli Jonathon Stopper Amber Forbes Nadine King Nichole Collins Jeff Dawald Suzette Nesbitt Beverly Baker Melissa Stiles Lee Watrous Joe & Pat White David Switzer Ted Gilmer Faye Fisher-Ward Dillon Chandler Jeff Mohr Ron Schmidt Mike Schueneman Randy Patzer Steve “Stevotomic” Cambronne Fred Conlon

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Darien Bogart Jennifer Ardolino Gary Hoff John Chehak Tom Gross Chun Wang Pamela Covington Rick Wright Vladimir Ovtcharov Terrell Powell Carrie Jacobson Jesper Johansen David Mayhew David & Debra Bolin Dona Bollard Jim Copeland John Granata Michael Brown Justin Cox Erik Saulitis Leon Sadlo Michael Russell Mikel Robinson Chris Coffey Greg Davis Ancizar Marin Darren Miller Sean Corner Roger Mathews Richard Turner Wayne Dorn Kent Kraus Bob Wilfong Bill Schlicker Joel Brokaw John Berglund Steve Baldwin Dan Vollmer Alfred Petersen Robert Wilhelm Richard McCollum Michael Michaud Rex Burningham Thomas Dumke Robert Johnson

BOOTH#

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he Omaha Summer Arts Festival’s World Music Pavilion will bring zydeco, jazz and Native American musical sounds to downtown Omaha as the Luigi Waites Main Stage showcases three days of free concerts by 11 different musical acts, offering something for every taste.

FRIDAY, JUNE 5 NOON Omaha Musicians’ Association Jazz All-Stars The Omaha Musicians’ Association Jazz All-Stars will open the Festival with the best of the great American songbook in a jazz setting that’s sure to entertain music lovers of all ages. The performance will feature four world-class musicians: Tony Gulizia (vocals and keys) and Michael Gurciullo (vocals and trumpet) backed by percussion ‘tour de force’ Joey Gulizia and capped off with award-winning saxophonist Roger Neumann

5 P.M. Tizer Trio Driven by an explosive mix of jazz, rock, classical, jam-band influences and Afro-Cuban and world rhythms, Tizer Trio – led by keyboardist/composer Lao Tizer – throws down a high-powered collection of instrumental music from one of today’s rising stars of the world-fusion genre.

MIKE ZITO

7 p.m.

Mike Zito and the Wheel Mike Zito is one of those rare artists that can sing like nobody’s business, write gripping songs, play a mean Gulf Coast-style guitar and have the stage presence to draw in any audience. Blues Music Awards Song of the Year winner for the title track of his “Pearl River” album, Zito comes armed with raw tone and pure grit that he can turn on a dime into silky-smooth guitar melodies, with an aged depth to his vocals that really make him stand out.

SATURDAY, JUNE 6

CHUBBY CARRIER

SUNDAY, JUNE 7

11 A.M. Latino American Harp Ensemble

NOON Rey Azteca

With music from different countries including Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina and Paraguay, the Latino American Harp Ensemble is dedicated to spreading and extoling the musical wealth of the Latin-American tradition. This unique musical performance will feature violin, flute, guitar, mandolin and harp, promoting a strong musical culture, infused with a heritage rich in rhythms, genres, and colors.

These talented Mariachi have extensive musical experience and have been performing traditional Mexican music in the Midwest and Omaha area for many years. Not only will festivalgoers hear rancheras, sones and huapangos, they may be surprised to hear a fusion of music with modernday songs. With their thrilling performances and dynamic melodies, these men are ready to leave their mark on Omaha’s growing musical scene.

12:30 P.M. Christy Rossiter & 112 North Duck

1:30 P.M. Luigi Inc

Christy Rossiter & 112 North Duck play a progressive, high-energy, hard-rocking, guitardriven brand of blues. Lead singer Christy Rossiter brings a big voice to the table and is as comfortable singing the roadhouse rockers as she is the smooth blues ballads. The band is powered by the electrifying guitar of Michael Beebe and the propulsive rhythm work of Chet Crinklaw (bass) and J. E. Van Horne (drums)

2 P.M. The Dust Jackets The Dust Jackets is an American roots bluesrockabilly band from Lincoln, Nebraska, and fronted by husband-and-wife duo Travis and Becky Koester. Joined on the drums by Nick Woodward, The Dust Jackets have a large selection of original music with old covers thrown in the mix to generate a cool vintage vibe, and a great dance-ability that comes from their strong blues roots with a dash of rockabilly and surf.

3:30 P.M. The Talbott Brothers Formed in 2012, The Talbott Brothers is a rock band from the heartland led by brothers Nick and Tyler Talbott. Since their inception, these rocking brothers have played 300 national shows and independently released two albums with a third coming out this year. The rich acoustic rock sound of this harmonizing duo is not to be missed.

5 P.M. Moreland & Arbuckle Headed by guitarist Aaron Moreland and harpist/ vocalist Dustin Arbuckle, this extraordinary group has spent over a decade exploring the edges of American roots music. In the process, Moreland & Arbuckle has forged a relentless and haunting sound that merges Delta blues, folk, rock, traditional country, soul and numerous other echoes and murmurs from an infinitely layered musical narrative that spans more than a century.

7 P.M. Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band Billed as “The World’s Premier Zydeco Showman,” Chubby Carrier and his Bayou Swamp Band offer up Grammy Award-winning, funky zydeco sounds. The band has recorded 10 CDs over the past 22 years and performed all over the U.S. and the world. Chubby has also contributed as a guest performer on recordings for Tab Benoit, 6Was9, and Jimmy Thackery. When this accordion-playing virtuoso grabs the mic and takes to the stage, audiences are always treated to a show like no other. Chubby’s sound is infectious – a concoction of blues, 70s funk, rock ‘n’ roll, and zydeco flavor – and makes even the most timid individuals believers that “There Ain’t No Party Like a Chubby Party!”

Luigi Inc is a five-piece jazz combo founded by the late jazz legend Luigi Waites. Luigi Inc has the distinct honor of maintaining one of the longestrunning gigs in the country, performing over 1,650 consecutive Sundays at Mr. Toad’s Pub in Omaha’s Old Market. Waites passed away in 2010, but as the late jazz icon would have it, the music continues on with Saxophonist Curt McKean, guitarist Jeff Scheffler, guitarist Steve Gomez, drummer Steve Knight and trumpeter Doyle Tipler.

3:00 P.M. Brulé The world music concludes on Sunday with the much-anticipated return of Brulé. This award-winning Native American group is returning to OSAF with a full stage show beginning at 3 p.m. Now in its 15th season, Brulé’s national performances carry the same contagious excitement as TransSiberian Orchestra, Celtic Thunder and Riverdance, but with the emotional impact of the American Indian culture.

Brulé is one of the top-selling Native American adult/rock music groups and has chalked up impressive CD sales (over 1 million worldwide). Concert ticket sales stand at well over BRULÉ 100,000 since national touring began in 2002. The group has released 17 titles in as many years and has been named Group of the Year three times by the prestigious Native American Music Awards (NAMMYs), earning seven NAMMYs since 2002.

Festival Activities Scavenger Hunt

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n Saturday, June 6 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. festivalgoers will have an opportunity to partake in a special OSAF Scavenger Hunt. Participants 18 years and older should visit the OSAF Information Booth, located at 13th and Farnam Streets, and pick up a clue card. A series of clues will lead contestants to various locations as they explore the festival site. As each riddle is solved, the clue card will be stamped at each location. Once all of the stamps have been captured, hunters will need to turn in completed cards to the Information Booth to be eligible to win one of many great prizes including cash, gift certificates and merchandise. Winning cards will be drawn and names announced from the Luigi Waitts Main Stage in between performances at approximately noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Participants do not need to be present to win.

Food Trucks

New to the festival this year is the addition of Food Truck Row. Located on 14th and Farnam across from the W. Dale Clark Library, festivalgoers will be able to enjoy food from Anthony Piccolo’s, offering a delicious take on Italian food, Maria Bonita, with delectable, healthy Mexican food Prairie Fire Pizza with oven-baked pies, and Sweet Lime – Thai Food Express, Omaha’s first Thai food truck.

In addition, the Festival’s traditional TasteFest will feature a variety of local restaurants, including Shucks Fish House & Oyster Bar, Texas Roadhouse, Ingredient, Pacific Rim Noodle House and The Parthenon. Attendees looking for a snack, can find ZUZU ACROBATS vendors offering treats ranging from funnel cakes and Dippin’ Dots to German roasted almonds, kettle corn and fresh-squeezed lemonade. Beer, wine and other ice-cold beverages will be available in the World Music Pavilion.

Art Collectors in Training

After its successful debut in 2014, Art Collectors in Training (ACT) will return for two full days at this years’ festival. The program offers children ages 5 to 10 the opportunity to purchase an original piece of art donated by the professional artists participating in the Festival.

After their purchases, young buyers and their families will be invited to meet the artist who created their work by visiting them in the Artist’s Market. Last year, more than 125 children participated in this flourishing program, which encourages the appreciation of the arts at a young age.

This year, OSAF is pleased to collaborate with The 402 Arts Collective to expand the Arts Collectors in Training program. The 402 Arts Collective brings people together to create and cultivate a vibrant network of artists who are committed to impacting the culture and serving the Omaha community. A team from The 402 Arts Collective will coordinate and staff the ACT tent. They will offer guidance and inspiration to the children as they select their works and then encourage them to visit with ‘their’ professional artist.

ArtSeen Booths Interspersed Throughout Festival

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maha’s local “ArtSeen” is thriving and each year OSAF invites local artist organizations to interact with the community through artist demonstrations. This year’s participants include the Old Market Artist Co-Op, Smiling Turtle, The Blacksmith Shop and Passageway Gallery. ArtSeen booths will be interspersed throughout the Festival site with artists demonstrating candle carving, blacksmithing, abstract watercolor, glass painting, papermaking, log carving and more.

Zuzu Acrobats

Hailing from Mombasa, Kenya in East Africa, the Zuzu Acrobats have performed together since the age of eight. They learned from village elders the art of making traditional circus performances or ‘sarakasi’ as it is known in kiSwahili. The group has performed at two different Super Bowls, numerous NBA halftime shows, the White House and on television on shows such as America’s Got Talent and the David Letterman Show. Whether it is limbo, jumping through hoops, skip rope, contortion, balancing, tumbling, hat juggling or their signature piece - fast pyramid building, this is a show which never ceases to entertain. The Zuzu Acrobats will perform on the Landmark Plaza at OSAF on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. each day.

Young Artist Exhibition Features 300 Students

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elebrating its 20th anniversary, the OSAF Young Artist Exhibition will feature the artwork of more than 300 students representing more than 30 metro-area schools.

Artwork created by students in grades 6 through 12 will be displayed in the W. Dale Clark Main Library during the Festival. On Saturday, June 6, senior scholarships, awards of merit, art supplies and framing certificates will be presented at a reception for students, teachers and parents. Over the past 20 years, the Young Artist Exhibition has presented more than $40,000 in scholarships and awards.

JUSTIN BARNES

whereintheworld How To Have A Ball After The Game

I

In years past, trailers and RVs crowded Rosenblatt’s parking lot, unloading grills and coolers to the sound of a car radio blasting game highlights.

Zesto’s unleashed their disposable liquor license and Pauli’s tents became a virtual Spring Break destination. When Rosenblatt was demolished, with it went many of the World Series mainstays.

While Omaha loves a tradition, we are also incredibly open to growth and expansion. In letting go of our many CWS staples, we’ve opened the door for more local businesses to step up and help us create new traditions!

Blatt Beer and Table 610 N 12th St.

Owned by the same powerhouse that brought you Blue Sushi, Plank, Roja, and Red Lounge, Blatt Beer and Table knows how to bring a crowd together. Located walking distance from the stadium, the sports themed gastropub has kept many of our favorite Rosenblatt memories alive and well! Blatt opened their seasonal Zesto’s window

‘closerange: Located walking distance from the stadium, the sports themed The Blatt gastropub has kept many of our favorite Rosenblatt memories alive and well. Blatt opened their seasonal Zesto’s window May 25, so fans can still enjoy their favorite soft serve.

The Old Mattress Factory and Omaha Baseball Village 501 N. 13th St.

An enormous parking lot is worth its weight in the Old Market, and The Matt knows how to capitalize! General Manager Pete Violi hires close to 200 extra employees to guarantee everyone gets ample attention and ensure the safety and security of his guests. Inside, screens air the game for anyone wanting to get out of the heat and enjoy all of the delicious Mattress Factory fare.

Outside, the parking lot is transformed into The Matt Omaha Baseball Village. Bud Light hosts a stage with daily live music where hats, shirts, and sports equipment will be given away all day Vendors rent space in the lot selling everything from commemorative t-shirts to Dippin Dots.

Food vendors from Dante’s Pizza, Laura’s Eggrolls, Smallcakes, and Voodoo Taco will be on hand to manage any craving a fan can throw at them, while the game plays live on the 13 foot Jumbotron.

Batting cages and demos will be hosted in The Bullpen alongside Miuno, Adidas, and Scheels shops and demos.

eat

could spend hours waxing nostalgic about hot days at Rosenblatt Stadium: the way nobody ever seemed to mind the mile long walk back to the car, knowing that a stop at Zesto’s for a twisted cone could make even the 100-plus degree days bearable; Children from nearby homes peddling cold bottled water and soda to sweltering baseball fans for a buck or two while their parents sold parking in their driveways for $20.

There was a great deal of resistance from locals when we discovered that our beloved stadium was being cast aside to make way for the newer, bigger TD Ameritrade Park.

We had our pity party and we held our protests, but at the end of the day we all had to admit that the new stadium was more accommodating.

Once the letter writing campaigns had been abandoned and wounds had been licked, a new dilemma presented itself: Where in the world is the tailgate? America’s favorite pastime may be baseball, but the country comes to Omaha for the party!

BY SARA LOCKE

on May 25, so fans can still enjoy their favorite soft serve!

A special events menu will be available for all World Series fans, and to ensure even quicker service to the thousands of patrons they will serve over “The Best 10 Days Of Summer” Blatt will enlist several extra grills positioned throughout the property.

Bavarian Pretzel Bites with rosemary mustard and Gruyere fondue pique your appetite for the fun Dixie Fried Chicken. Assistant manager Steve recommends that more adventurous palates try the Chargrilled Indian spiced chicken with pickled fennel onions paired with an Indian pale ale or O’Dell IPA. The menu also features a classic fish and chips, but the recipe is new and the cod is flown in daily and never frozen.

Purists will enjoy the brats, which Blatt chefs braise for hours in PBR with carrots, onions, and a few special spices before serving on a traditional pretzel bun with caraway kraut.

The beer menu features an extensive collection of drafts that is updated daily, from locally brewed lagers to Belgium born brews. If you’re not into the craft, bottlenecks and cans are available in everything from Moose Drool to Blue Moon.

The rooftop beer garden will feature a new VIP section that can be rented for your World Series party this year. The dining area’s garagestyle doors will be open, bringing the outside in. Additionally, 7 stations throughout the downstairs and 4 stations in the upper level will be selling beer, streamlining your visit.

To see the entire events menu, beer list, or to reserve your VIP tables, head over to www. blattbeer.com/

continued on page 34y

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| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

33

‘cru’mbs n NATIONAL HOTLINE ANSWERS THE CALL TO HELP THE HUNGRY One in seven Nebraskans are unsure of when or how they will see their next meal. The Department of Agriculture is aiming to put an end to this food insecurity by spreading awareness of a USDA funded hotline connecting residence to food providers and nutrition assistance programs. With a few more meals and one less worry on their plate, more Nebraskans will be able to reach self-sufficiency. If you or a family you know is struggling, call 1-866-3-HUNGRY or para asistencia en español por favor llame a 1-877-8-HAMBRE. The hotline can be reached Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. n FIGURE FRIENDLY FOODS Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery has recently expanded their menu to include a few more figure-friendly dishes for the big summer shape up! The new menu items are only available until June 14 and include a build your own salad option. For those looking for inspiration, Rock Bottom has crafted several delicious combinations. The smoked tomato and kale Caesar salad features Romaine and Tuscan kale tossed in Latin asiago Caesar dressing and topped with black beans, roasted corn, cold-smoked tomatoes, cheddar and pepper jack cheeses and crispy tortilla chips, proving that low fat does not always mean low flavor. Guests looking to pair these healthy menu items with a cool, refreshing beverage can select the all-new Skinny Berry Soda, made with fresh muddled strawberries and mint topped with Cruzan strawberry rum and soda. Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery,1101 Harney St. www.rockbottom.com.

— Sara Locke Crumbs is about indulging in food and celebrating its many forms. Send information about area food and drink businesses to crumbs@thereader.com.

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VIP tickets, which must be purchased in advance, grant access to the VIP and Upper Deck 2 hours before game time. Both sections are 21 and over (with some exceptions) and only 200 tickets are available. If you’re looking to create an exclusive event for a corporate or family function, get in touch with staff soon! These spots are in high demand.

Are You Not Entertained? Buck’it.

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JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

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And because drinking cold beer while watching baseball wasn’t quite enough fun, last year’s games gave witness to the birth of what could easily become Omaha’s next “Shark Tank” submission: Brew Buck’it.

The beer bottle vending claw machine is the invention of Omahans JR Bryant and Ryan Schwarz. Their prototype took up residence outside of The Matt during last year’s college games, becoming such a hit with fans that under the pressure of over 400 plays in an evening, the poor thing gave out. The inventors took this as a good sign and sunk more time and money into rebuilding the machine, which is now stronger and smoother than ever.

For obvious reasons, the machine doesn’t actually vend alcohol. Play costs $1, and the ‘claw’ in this case is actually a magnetic hand. The bottles in the machine are only for show, but if you’re lucky enough to snag one, it can be cashed in

with the bar tender for a cold beer of the establishment’s choosing. Considering the extensive menu, it would be difficult to be disappointed in whatever you are handed.

One would assume that the more you win, the harder the game becomes, but I couldn’t say for sure without doing some… extensive… research. Find me, Brew Buck’it, and a few thousand baseball fans at The Matt this season!

To stay ahead of the game, Follow The Matt and OBV on twitter at https://twitter. com/TheMattOBV Honorable Mention: Barrett’s Barleycorn Pub and Grill 4322 Leavenworth St.

Advertising as ‘The Biggest LSU Bar In Town”, Barrett’s Barleycorn is a sports lover’s paradise. The festive “Geaux Tigers” sign painted above the grill serves as permanent branding of the pub’s loyalty, but you don’t need to be an LSU fan to cash in on the friendly, welcoming vibe Omaha is famous for. The party isn’t as loud (or as packed) as other CWS destinations, but the crowd is warm and inviting, the food is fantastic pub fare, and game airs live.

Baseball may be the name of the game, but the spirit of Omaha is the reason you came. Welcome!. ,

presents

A musical based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Walt Disney Film Original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman Book by Julian Fellowes New Songs and Additional Music and Lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe Co-Created by Cameron Mackintosh Presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI)

JUNE 5-28

Sponsors:

Fridays at 7 pm • Saturdays at 2 pm • Sundays at 2 pm

TICKETS NonPareil-RoseTheater-MaryPoppins.indd 1

www.rosetheater.org • (402) 345-4849 | THE READER |

Discount vouchers available at Hy-Vee

JUNE 2015

5/27/15 11:42 AM

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music

TIM MCMAHAN

‘cometogether:

Digital Leather’s Shawn Foree, (left) and Ben VanHoolandt. With All Faded, out June 23 on FDH Records, Digital Leather goes from being a one-man project to a fully realized band of brothers.

Loudasshit D

igital Leather used to just be singer/songwriter Shawn Foree.

Since the project’s self-titled debut, released in 2003 on Arizona punk label King of Monsters, Foree has played every part heard on every Digital Leather record despite surrounding himself with various musicians on stage.

But that began to change seven years ago when Foree moved to Omaha from Tucson, Arizona, a town he calls “a f**king shithole” where “there is no music scene; there is nothing.” He says he came to

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music

With new release, All Faded, Digital Leather becomes a band

BY TIM MCMAHAN

Omaha to escape a “horrible girlfriend,” the one who presumably inspired the writing of misunderstood gay-love song “Studs in Love.”

After arriving in River City, Foree quickly became a fixture at local watering hole/music venue O’Leaver’s, where he met Johnny Vredenburg, then a member of gritty garage punk band The Shanks.

“I was a huge fan of the 2005 (Digital Leather) release Monologue,” Vredenburg said, recounting his history with the band. “I couldn’t believe my band was going to play with f**king Digital Leather. Shawn

and I hit it off right away because The Shanks was this nasty, gritty f***ing band out of their minds about sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.”

Vredenberg said all this while sitting in the covered patio at The Nifty, the kind of place where the bartender gives strangers “what-the-f***-do-youwant?” looks when they walk up to the bar to place an order. He was joined by synth player Ben VanHoolandt and Foree, all smoking cigarettes and sipping on Busch Lite while Warren Zevon sang about werewolves from speakers hidden overhead.

Foree is considered a quiet man by those who don’t know him. Some think he’s standoffish, but he’s actually an introvert who doesn’t like to mince words with strangers.

Vredenburg is the opposite side of the coin — kinetic bordering on spastic, bouncing from one subject to the next while Foree quietly answered questions in few words, preferring to let the rest of the band continue the story.

Shortly after playing a few shows with The Shanks, Foree asked Vredenburg to join Digital Leather... on drums. “Not a good idea,” Vredenburg said, instead suggesting he play bass and that Jeff Lambelet handle drums. It was a wise decision. Just last month Foree told College Music Journal the rhythm section of Vredenburg and Lambelet “drives Digital Leather harder than any current band I can think of.” And he was right.

For the next few years the band was a guitarbass-drums trio with an occasional keyboard player, despite Digital Leather’s rep as a synth band.

Ironically, Digital Leather’s 2009 Fat Possum label debut, Warm Brother, introduced an even bigger audience to DL’s synth rock sound. But despite that record’s overflow of great songs (music website Pitchfork gave the album an impressive 7.3 on a 10-scale), Digital Leather rarely played any of it live.

“It was all made up in the studio,” Foree said of the album.

“We tried as hard as we could to translate it live on those initial tours,” Vredenburg said. But it didn’t work. The band continued as a guitarbased trio despite Foree recording more synthheavy albums like 2011’s Infinite Sun (Volar) and 2012’s Modern Problems (FDH). Those records caught the attention of The Faint’s Todd Fink, who made it known that he wanted to play keyboards in Digital Leather.

“I didn’t know Todd at all at the time,” Foree said. “Then after we got one keyboard player, we decided we needed a second keyboard player, which was Ben (VanHoolandt).”

With the new line-up in place, the band began working on All Faded, the first full-band Digital Leather album, slated for a June 23 release on FDH Records. The 11-song collection is the most realized, best sounding Digital Leather album since Warm Brother.

As with past recordings, All Faded relies on oldschool synth sounds that recall acts like Gary Numan, Devo and, maybe most surprisingly, The Cars.

“I’ll take that all day,” Foree said of the Cars reference. “There’s nothing (on the album) near continued on page 38y

| THE READER |

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y continued from page 36

the kind of musical acumen of the Cars, but the Cars are definitely there.”

Ask Foree which bands belong on a Digital Leather Pandora channel and he’ll mention underground acts like Grave Babies, The Spits, Black Bug and his pals in The Hussy. But don’t mention Joy Division.

“There’s a Joy Division connection with us that I f***ing hate,” he said, adding that people often make the connection because

both bands feature synths. “They’re not one of our influences.”

Instead, Foree points to Kraftwerk, and of course, Devo. “I love every Devo album, even the new record,” he said.

Another influence is Jay Reatard, the Memphis rocker who made a name for himself as a member of The Reatards and Lost Sounds before forging a solo career that would end with his drug-related death in 2010. Reatard not only was Foree’s friend, he helped manage his career. It was Reatard who connected Foree to FDH and Fat Possum Records.

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music

Foree still harbors anger at Matador Records, the massive indie label that signed Reatard prior to his death. “I thought they took this incredible, volatile guy that they thought they could sell and gave him a bunch of money,” Foree said. But when the music didn’t sell as well as they expected.

Reatard blamed himself. “It sent him into a tornado of drug abuse, and he was never a heavy drug user.”

Perhaps Reatard’s most lasting influence on Foree was his ceaseless work ethic.

“When he was alive, he motivated me,” Foree said. “We would put out records against each other. ‘Oh, I can do this.’ ‘No, I can do this.’ Who could be the biggest rock star or at least who could write the better song to impress the other guys? Then Jay did Blood Visions (In the Red, 2006), which took off and he had to go his own way.”

Foree is one of the most prolific songwriters and musicians in Omaha, releasing an album a year peppered with singles, split EPs and outside projects. Last year’s split LP with The Hussy, released on Southpaw Records, was a surprise even to his own band members who didn’t know until after the release date was announced that Foree had been working on the record in his bedroom.

All Faded is a departure from Foree’s usual fast-paced recording process. The album was recorded at The Faint’s midtown studio from the fall of 2013 through 2014 — a monolithically long time for a Digital Leather record. Foree pointed to Fink’s meticulousness as one of the reasons it took so long.

“We put a lot of time into it,” Foree said.

“This is the way I prefer to do Digital Leather records from now on. It just takes a lot of f***ing work.”

“It was really neat to watch those two work together,” VanHoolandt said, “because Todd’s a huge perfectionist and Shawn isn’t, which is probably why he gets so much stuff done.”

“I don’t care about perfection at all,” Foree said. “If I didn’t put my foot down on this record, we would still be working on it

because Todd likes to get in there and sit behind a computer and do things I would never think of doing. At some point, you just have to say, ‘That’s enough.’ Like Leonardo said, ‘A work of art is done when you give up on it.’ You’ve got to say ‘F**k it’ and walk away.”

The final product, Foree said, is “Loud as shit. It’s definitely not garage rock. It’s not even rock. We can write a pop song and play it in a way no one else can. There will be no record that comes out that sounds like this one.”

Now all he has to do is get people to listen to it. His record label has hired a publicist, though Foree is skeptical All Faded will get that coveted review in Pitchfork -- something he badly wants.

“I don’t know why I’m obsessed with Pitchfork,” he said. “If I could get a hold of them I’d go to their houses and strangle them and make them write it. It’s very frustrating.”

The one thing he can control is touring.

Foree doesn’t like to use that word “tour” to describe two-week jaunts like the one scheduled for early June that takes Digital Leather into the South, up the East Coast to Virginia and New York City before returning to the Midwest (including a June 27 show at O’Leaver’s with The Hussy that’s being billed as a “Free Hot Dog BBQ”).

After those dates, Digital Leather is scheduled to play a few shows with local punk band Desaparecidos in July. Foree said Todd Fink won’t be along for the road shows because he’s training a new keyboard player for The Faint. Taking his place is Greg Elsasser (Capgun Coup), leaving one to wonder if there will be any other personnel changes, and if the Tucson transplant will stay put.

“Me and Johnny have stuck together for a long time,” Foree said, “and Ben is never going away. Digital Leather is a band from Omaha, more than it’s ever been a band from Arizona. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I cannot imagine playing this music with any other group of dudes,” Vredenburg added. “This band is a f**king home.” ,

| THE READER |

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flFlyinghigh

NorthStar boys-only after-school and summer camp put members through their paces

BY LEO ADAM BIGA

‘LegUP:

culture 40

JUNE 2015

DEBRA S. KAPLAN

Founder/Director Scott Hazelrigg of NorthSatr Foundation takes a break with some of his program participants. NorthStar is one of many programs focused on giving North Omaha urban youth a leg up as they approach high school.

N

orthStar Foundation nurtures the dreams of young inner city males. The area’s lone boysonly after school program and summer camp at 4242 North 49th Avenue doesn’t put limits on students, regardless of socio-economic, family or environmental circumstances. It provides fifth to ninth graders academic and exploratory experiences designed to transition them to high school.

It helps when kids aspire to success and mentors reinforce their aspirations. For director of programming Jannette Taylor, that “anything’s possible” attitude is a welcome change from the despair she encountered as founder-director of Impact One, which among other things does gang intervention work.

“Working with the young people there, I knew they had potential but they had to believe it. They’d had so many people telling them they couldn’t do something they started to believe that instead of believing in themselves, and that was a challenge,” she says.

After a stint with Weed & Seed under Mayor Mike Fahey, who was a Creighton Universit law student at the time, Tylor launched Impact One as her impassioned response to quell rampant gun violence.

“I was really ambitious and naive. I believed I could do anything.”

| THE READER |

culture

In five-years she lost several clients as well as two of her own relatives to violence.

Those tragedies brought home the toxic, consequences of limited expectations, negative perceptions and devalued lives. Emotionally wasted, she left Omaha, not expecting to return anytime soon.

“You would have a kid fill out an individual development plan and it would be so shortterm because they didn’t think into the future about what they could do. You’d be working with a kid one day and they’d be dead the next.”

She reached her breaking point.

“It’s hard to lose family members. It’s hard to lose kids you work with and love. I put all this time, energy and effort into trying to help people onto the right path. It was pretty much game over for me. I was pretty much done. I had given all I could and I didn’t have anything else to give.”

Then NorthStar founder-director Scott Hazelrigg, who’d collaborated with Taylor and used her as a consultant, asked her to join NorthStar. She accepted. Now she’s refocused on helping her community again.

Trusting Hazelrigg’s vision helped her decide to return.

“I just believe in what he’s doing – I always have. I think that’s why I jumped on board.”

He saw her as the right fit.

“We recruited Jannette back to Omaha,” he says, “because she really gets it. She cares passionately about these kids and not only wants to see them succeed but passionately believes they will succeed. We just have to give them the structure and the opportunity to do so.”

He says she helped build the NorthStar “climate and culture” that provides many avenues to discover passions and to build skills for future success. The center’s interior features learning labs, homework areas, a rock climbing wall and a basketball court.

The exterior includes a sports field and garden. The comprehensive, experientialbased offerings range from art immersion to healthy lifestyles, from employment readiness to chess, robotics, computer coding, culinary arts, gardening and lacrosse. STEM education is especially stressed.

Youth also make college tours, visit historic cites, attend cultural events, go on wilderness treks and test themselves on the adjacent Outward Bound ropes course.

“Parents are really excited their kids here are able to find what their strengths and talents are,” Taylor says. “We do have research on all of our programs. Everything’s based off of a best practice model.”

At NorthStar every kid’s encouraged to try new things. She says unlike the punitive measures some schools use to deny behaviorallychallenged students participation in things like robotics, NorthStar uses incentives and old-school remedies to motivate kids.

Members are encouraged to seize and own their future rather than have it dictated to them.

“When I talk about our boys, I say these are our new leaders. That’s how I see them.

One of the worst things we do is we put limits on kids. At NorthStar we do things and get them to critically think and that’s good because they’re young, they have potential and they believe it. I know they believe in themselves because I see it and hear it every day. In order for that to grow, we have to have people that will believe in them and push them forward.

“I want this to be a brotherhood of us believing in the kids and them believing they can do anything.”

Empowering kids “to think differently about their future and getting them to realize, hey, we can make opportunities for ourselves, helps prepare them to make smarter choices,” she says.

Molding kids at an impressionable age helps.

Thus, NorthStar invites partner organizations in or brings kids out to partners to experience everything from live theater to ball games.

Hazelrigg says compared to many after school and summer programs “we have

The center’s a welcome addition to a neighborhood, whose troubled Park Crest apartment complex was known as New Jack City for its drug/gang/gun activity. That blighted complex was razed to make room for NorthStar. Hazelrigg says, “We’re inten-

more structure,” adding, “When kids walk in the door it’s not three hours of playing basketball – there’s a sequence of things they’re going to do. It’s how we expose them to a broad band of things.”

Taylor says a sure sign the center’s a hit is that despite being only a year-old it’s added feeder schools due to demand by students and parents. “They are our biggest advocates.” She says kids who come there “take ownership over this space and they don’t want to leave.” She notes some school staff want their kids there badly enough that they pay students’ yearly dues.

tionally in the neighborhood as essentially the neighborhood school. We want this to be the safe space for kids living in this area.”

Taylor says the Omaha Police Department’s North Precinct reports reduced crime in the area, which has seen a community garden flourish, a Walmart open and a Heartland Family Services building renovation.

“It just changes the entire community when you have people investing in it.”

For Taylor, the Impact One scars remain, though she says, “There were some good things that happened with that job.

DEBRA S. KAPLAN

“What I love about NorthStar is that the kids are young, they haven’t been jilted by life, they haven’t had people beat them down and tell them you can’t do this. We have them playing lacrosse for God’s sake.

They believe they have this potential to go and do great things. When kids have that faith and that belief, you can’t kill that. It really makes me happy to see a kid always in trouble in school or getting kicked out of other programs come and be successful here because we’re not telling him what he can’t do, we’re telling him what he can do.”

She says NorthStar rejects “assumptions kids coming out of North Omaha won’t amount to anything, especially AfricanAmerican boys.”

“We don’t care what neighborhood you come from or what you’ve been through. We all have a story. What’s more important is where you think you can go and how I can help you get there. We remove barriers for our kids. It’s why we have seventh graders writing essays for college scholarships.”

With high expectations comes accountability.

“A big component of NorthStar is trying to get kids to stay on course, stay on grade level. The curriculum is based off of Neb. state standards. We have really clear communication with parents, teachers and counselors.”

Hazelrigg says getting kids grade-ready before their sophomore year is critical, as that’s when a disproportionate number of African-American students drop out after falling too far behind.

He and Taylor say the academically rigorous summer camp is meant to reduce summer learning loss. Then, as during the school year, kids are kept engaged by programming of NorthStar’s own design or of partners’ design.

“Anything we can build up in these kids as far as character and leadership, we do.,” she says “If it’s something that fits with our core areas that will enrich the kids then we’ll do it.”

culture

LegUP:

NorthStar Director of Programming Jannette Tayler says her organization tries to help the disproportionate number of African-American students, especially boys, who struggle and often drop out of school.

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

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FILM

Whysoserioius?

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I

f you follow me on Twitter (@thereaderfilm), are friends with me on Facebook, actually know me in real life or simply happened to be in close enough proximity for me to talk at you recently, you know that I think Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially proof that there is a God and that she loves us. Critics around the globe have praised the film…but often with some kind of qualifier designed to suggest the critic doesn’t typically go gaga over such mainstream fare or that the movie is great “for what it is.” Bullshit.

Fury Road is one of the best movies ever made…full stop. The reluctance of some to proclaim it as such is, in part, a byproduct of snobbery, a facet of artistic consumption that isn’t exclusive to movies but is still nonetheless grating. Let’s talk about why this sucks and how to stop it.

You’re lying about movies

You meet someone new. Small talk being a maddening language created by the

| THE READER |

film

In praise of movies that are less “work” and more “play” B Y R YA N S Y R E K

dark lord Satan, you eventually stumble into predictable patterns of sussing out common grounds by asking questions about popular culture. God forbid you’re asked to offer up your viewing habits first!

The vulnerability in declaring your support for a television show or movie is palpable.

This is not simply a representation of how you spend your free time; no, sir! This is a referendum on you as a person. You can’t simply barf out the most recent thing you’ve seen and enjoyed; you must offer something you think would reflect upon you well.

Admit it. You’ve lied about your favorite movie before! You’ve said you liked a film you know is critically adored when you secretly hated it. Vice versa, you’ve lied by saying you haven’t seen or didn’t like some “guilty pleasure” entertainment when, in reality, you can’t pass by The Day After Tomorrow on cable without stopping to watch it. J’accuse!

As Jane Austen quipped in “Emma,” “Don’t feel stupid if you don’t like what everyone else pretends to love.” And yet we do. Not every time, sure, but in certain settings we feel the need to “put on airs.” Hell, as a critic, I do it more than most, spouting off nonsense like “It was my favorite movie last year but not the best movie.” What does that even mean? If you liked something the most, isn’t it by its very nature the best thing you’ve seen, regardless of its genre, cast or reception?

It’s not our fault. We’re trained to do it. For better or worse (hint: always worse), the Oscars are used as a major metric of cinematic acclaim. In the last 10 years, only 3 best picture winners grossed more than $100 million. None were the highest grossing movie that year. Going back 20 years, only Titanic and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King were tops at the box office and the Academy Awards. Admittedly, using box office as the sole indicator of a movie’s quality is as continued on page 46y

Grey Gardens 1976 Omaha Steaks Classics

Grey Gardens Starts Thursday, June 25

Meet Big and Little Edie Beale: mother and daughter, high-society dropouts, and reclusive cousins of Jackie O. This 1976 Maysles Brothers documentary was an instant cult classic.

Costume contest before the 7 pm showtime on Friday, June 26!

        

The Princess Bride 1987

Forever Young Family & Children’s Series

The Princess Bride Starts Thursday, June 25

Buttercup and Westley’s true love is what brings us together today. Costume contest before the 9:30 pm showtime on Friday, June 26!

All showings at Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater. Info & tickets at filmstreams.org.

            | THE READER |

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dumb as using, well, the Oscars as the sole indicator of a movie’s quality. But it does show the disconnect between what is popular and what we praise, the divide between the things we overwhelmingly choose to see and those things we say represent “the best.”

You’re the reason we can’t have nice things

So what, right? Who cares if we deny our love of certain things and claim to love stuff we hate? This isn’t some real, actual crisis of self like deciding whether the dress is white and gold or black and blue. And yet… What does it say about us psychologically that we would deny what we enjoy to others or falsely praise snooty garbage? It says we are more concerned with other people’s perception than our own truth. It’s one of the million tiny, unconscious reflexes that subdues our inner reality for a public façade. Denying your love for Mr. and Mrs. Smith thrice before the cock crows may not damn you to hell, but it sure feels like a failure in expressing yourself.

Beyond the personal, our unwillingness to consider the greatness in things that are more “play” and less “work,” that are more “fun” and less “serious,” has practical implications. Make fun of Leo’s sadness at missing Oscar gold all you want (you monsters), but artists of all walks crave praise and acclaim. Sure, that is not the sole motivator for

true creatives, but it is one of many metrics of success. So how crappy is it that comedians are ignored for acting awards? Anyone can make someone cry given the right emotional context, but making someone laugh is a sophisticated process. If making someone weep is playing “Whack A Mole,” making them giggle is a serious game of “Operation.” Ever wonder why so many great comedians wind up doing dramatic work too?

To be “taken seriously” they have to leave an inarguably more difficult craft.

Beyond not publicly recognizing those performers whose work we actually enjoy the most, our coded responses actually influence what movies get made. According to The Hollywood Reporter in July of last year, the average cost of marketing for an average-size film (The Fault in Our Stars was their example) is around $40 million. That’s not production and advertising. That’s just advertising. Because of this, studios are relying more and more on, you guessed it, social media to get the word out. Hence why I’ve all but become a spammer for Fury Road. Hollywood is now very strongly looking at what we publicly say and share about movies to determine whether to fund projects. Don’t believe me? Ryan Reynolds couldn’t get his Deadpool movie off the ground for almost a decade. Test footage was “leaked” into the wild. Fans went rabid. The movie is now almost done being shot.

‘cutting’room ■ I get to be James Bond. That’s the deal. They named the next Spider-Man actor and, go figure, it’s another British dude. Asa Butterfield will be your new, very young, Spidey. He follows Andrew Garfield, also a Brit. Superman? Played by an English bloke.

Christian Bale was Batman for ages there. It’s not fair. Turnabout is only fair play. So either you make me James Bond or you make Felicia Day the Doctor in “Doctor Who.” Your move, England.

■ Samuel L. Jackson is going to star in a remake of The Blob. Do you need me to make jokes, or is this thought already funny enough for you? Funny enough you say?

Okay. I’ll just leave it.

■ I love the 1996 movie The Craft. Not ironically, not as a B-movie, but full-on real love. It’s being remade by Sony because of course it is. I have no idea who Leigh Janiak is, but she’s directing.

She’d better understand the gravity of this situation. We’re talking about a movie that starred Fairuza Balk AND Neve Campbell.

Recreating that level of talent is not going to be easy.

■ Bradley Cooper, who has somehow become America’s actor sweetheart despite seemingly emitting a pheromone that makes me want to punch him, has agreed to slum it. They announced this week that he’ll have a recurring role on “Limitless,” a TV show sequel to the movie he starred in with the same name.

It’ll be good to see his classic character Whatshisname and see how he’s doing after whatever happened in the end of Limitless that I forgot.

—Ryan Syrek Cutting Room provides breaking local and national movie news … complete with added sarcasm. Send any relevant information to film@thereader.com.

Check out Ryan on Movieha!, a weekly half-hour movie podcast (movieha.libsyn.com/rss), catch him on the radio on CD 105.9 (cd1059.com) on Fridays at around 7:30 a.m. and on KVNO 90.7 (kvno.org) at 8:30 a.m. on Fridays and follow him on Twitter (twitter.com/thereaderfilm).

It works for smaller, indie fare too. The Babadook, the best movie of last year, is an Australian horror film. There are huge swaths of the public and critics alike who consider the genre incapable of having a quality film. Without rapid public support rallying behind it, the film would have been dead in the water. Only vocal adoration saved it from obscurity, even if that adoration almost exclusively took the form of “I don’t typically like horror movies but…”

As loud and cacophonous as the modern world is with its various outlets, our voices arguably matter more than ever before.

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JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

film

And this is where you come in. Own your shit. Take that both as a condemnation of piracy (support art by buying art) and as an instruction for you to publicly love the things that you love and publicly hate the things you hate. Recently, I was fortunate enough to participate in a panel discussion on the creative process down at the Kaneko Library. It was the first time I said the following out loud in front of people I didn’t know: “I hate ‘Mad Men.’” Knowing how critically acclaimed the show is and that I would be looked down upon as somehow inferior as a reviewer (not to mention loathed by nearly all white people

aged 20-50), I had never felt comfortable saying such a thing. You know what? It was frickin’ glorious. Not only was I not stoned to death on the spot, one of the other panelists leaned in and said “Me too.”

I have become a vocal evangelist for Fury Road, not only because it is the rare big-budget film to espouse even trace elements of core feminism, but because I believe it represents a potential watershed moment. It is undeniably a work of art that refuses to apologize for also being wildly entertaining and action-packed. Earlier this year, Vin Diesel was ridiculed for making the statement that Furious 7 was going to win Best Picture. It’s the second most popular film of the year and was the fastest to hit a billion dollars globally. And yet, we all (me too) laughed at him for suggesting we consider it one of the best films of the year.

Enough. Let’s stop pretending that it’s “better” to like certain things and not others. I loved last year’s haunting, blackand-white, Polish-language film Ida as much as I loved Tom Cruise’s Edge of Tomorrow. Like what you like. Love what you love. Hate what you hate. And do so publicly and proudly. I can’t promise I won’t ridicule the next Adam Sandler movie, but I can promise I won’t ridicule you if you like it. ,

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

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highprice:

FILM

Patty Dillon (right) was long fascinated with execution. Now she’s made a film that looks at capital punishment through the eyes of men who enacted state-sanctioned executions and paid a heavy price for it. Her documentary There Will Be No Stay is her debut film after years working as a stunt-person in movies and televison, doing production mangagement and producing on small independent films and music videos.

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JUNE 2015

deathtoll L

ast month State Sen. Ernie Chambers finally got enough fellow legislators to support repealing the death penalty here.

Capital punishment foes welcome the news, among them Omaha filmmaker Patty Dillon.

Her new documentary There Will Be No Stay critically looks at the issue through the prism of two former executioners.

Her debut film premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival in Missoula, Mont. last fall. It’s attracted attention from CNN, “60 Minutes” and death penalty opponent Susan Sarandon, who’s endorsed the film.

Before making the project a stand-alone feature doc Dillon envisioned it as part of a 13-episode series and possibly a narrative drama or musical. She finally fixed on documenting two men forever damaged

| THE READER |

film

Doc looks at execution through eyes of executioners, filmmaker developed deep bond with her subjects

BY LEO ADAM BIGA

by taking life. Ex-penal officers Terry Bracey and Ira Craig Baxley carried out executions for the state of South Carolina.

Their actions haunt them.

A colleague executioner committed suicide. The suicide of another executioner convinced Dillon to pursue the story.

Dillon, a Calif. native who did part of her growing up in Neb., is fascinated by “the dichotomy” of state-sanctioned killing that requires the condemned’s arm be sanitized before lethal injection and that the condemned be healthy in order to be executed. Ironically, the official cause of death in executions is entered as homicide in coroners’ reports.

In addition to the executioners, her film includes interviews with two men who once

supported capital punishment but now reject it: an ex-prison warden and the grandson of a murder victim.

Dillon, who used to be on the fence, says, “Knowing what I do now, under no circumstance would I ever condone capital punishment. Executions destroy lives far beyond the condemned. The victims are all of us.” She’s heartened five states have abolished the death penalty since she began the project, with Nebraska being the latest to do so after legislators overrode Gov. Pete Ricketts’ veto of the appeal.

“This is absolute progress and evolution.”

The high-energy, fun-loving, healthminded Dillon studied theater in college and occasionally works as a movie/television stunt-person. She earned her Screen Actors Guild card on “Dawson’s Creek.”

She says with her positive disposition and high regard for life she never expected to “develop this sort of love story with two executioners.”” continued on page 48y

! w o h s e h t y o j En

When we tell you,

...we mean it!

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It’s not just the odor, smoking can release harmful chemicals into the air you breathe. Even if you don’t share an apartment with someone who smokes, you share the air with your neighbors who do. Smoke-free apartments throughout the Omaha metro are just a click away at RentSmokeFree.org

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This project is supported in part by Region 6 Behavioral Healthcare through funding provided by the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services/Tobacco Free Nebraska Program as a result of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement.

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JUNE 2015

47

y continued from page 46

“To be immersed in such a heavy subject matter for so many years meant finding a balance to really focus on cultivating joy and peace.”

Telling jokes is one antidote for the grimness. Ddoing things outdoors is another.

Even with all that, she says the heaviness never leaves you, “but I feel this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”

She delved deep into the dark world of execution, only drawing a line at not witnessing one in person.

“The more I learned, the more I had to know: What does it require to take a life?

Is it an additional chromosome or is it a missing chromosome? And when I found they (executioners) were killing themselves, I thought there has to be others out there.

“I just was hellbent.”

The impulse to tell the story spilled out of her.

“The floodgates opened and I drafted an entire 13-part documentary series in four hours. I knew my life would never be the same.”

She got Omaha producer Dana Altman to mentor her. He led her to filmmakermusician Nik Fackler, with whom she had worked with on his documentaries Dharma

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film

Sangha and Sick Birds Die Easy. She had also produced videos for his group, Icky Blossoms. Dillon originally urged him to direct her film but she ultimately decided: “I was the only who could direct it.”

Getting an executioner to cooperate became her Holy Grail.

“I was told, ‘You will never find an executioner that’s going to talk to you, let alone on camera.’ I was cold-calling and researching online all day, every day. It was due diligence for nine months. I set my life up so I could just do that. I sold my car, I rented a little apartment. My focus became telling this story and I didn’t stop.

It became my obsession.”

She found Bracey and Baxley through anti-death penalty coalitions. The men filed lawsuits seeking compensation for trauma they claimed to suffer as the result of performing executions they alleged they were not trained to do and not given counseling for afterwards. Since taking disability retirement in 2007, they’ve both been treated for mental and physical health problems and unable to work.

Dillon secured their cooperation through their late attorney Ben Mabry. Countless phone conversations ensued. A co-dependance developed whereby she was their empathetic ear and confidante – their own wives don’t understand why they can’t get past this – and they were her key sources. A real friendship emerged.

“I never would have anticipated a human connection as deep as ours has grown over the years. I went into it very gently with them to build that trust, so it wasn’t about let’s go to really uncomfortable places right away.

Two of my great teachers today are by society’s own definition serial killers and knowing them and this journey has taught me that my compassion goes far beyond what I felt it could go.”

She admires their “fierce courage” and she’s learned “the importance of forgiving ourselves as well as each other.”

Getting the small indie film made also meant running up credit cards and finding investors.

“It’s been guerrilla the whole time,” says Dillon, who credits the project’s fulfillment to “an amazing team of people that believed in me.”

Dillon found a co-producer in Chevy Kozisek, whom she calls “a mover and shaker” and a director of photography in

Jeremy Osbern, whom she calls “amazing.” Nik Fackler didn’t end up directing her film but he did edit it. Dana Altman’s North Sea Films became the project’s production home.

There were shaky moments, mostly having to do with funding delays. Dillon stayed the course anyway.

“Trusting that this was going to happen and how powerful it was going to be was literally going up hill for four years straight.

There was something in me that knew I was not supposed to give up, so I didn’t. I’ve learned I’m a determined person.”

The experience, she says, “stretched me in every way shape and form.”

As for Baxley and Bracey, they lost their lawsuits and remain unemployed.

“They don’t function very well in society,” Dillon says. “They don’t really leave their houses.”

She did get them to come to Omaha for on-camera interviews. In the wake of national media interest since the picture’s release, she says, the two “have completely gone into seclusion and for the first time ever, won’t even answer my calls,” adding, “They totally shut down.”

Despite their silence, her loyalty remains unflinching.

“It’s like they chose to tell me their story and I will stop at nothing to do that with great honor and gratitude. I think about them constantly. I am sure they will come back out when they are ready. If they don’t, while heartbroken, I would support them in moving on with their lives and continuing their healing process. They know beyond a shadow of a doubt I am here for them as long as I am breathing.”

She’s weighing festival offers and submissions. CNN’s Death Row Stories is profiling her pic this summer. 60 Minutes may do a piece.

She and her director of photograph Jerem y Osbern are now prepping to co-direct a short for the nonprofit Journey of Hope: From Violence to Healing. This organization, led by murder victim family members, does public education campaigns on alternatives to the death penalty.

Meanwhile, Dillon is moving to Seattle to realize a dream of living and writing on a boat. , Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.

MONDAY JUNE 1 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band TUESDAY JUNE 2 Omaha Guitar Trio w/ Sarah Vitort WEDNESDAY JUNE 3 Bozak & Morrissey THURSDAY JUNE 4 The Gulizia Brothers feat.

Roger Neumann FRIDAY JUNE 5 The Mighty JailBreakers SATURDAY JUNE 6 eNVy

WEDNESDAY JUNE 10 The Grease Band

SATURDAY JUNE 20 Soul Dawg

THURSDAY JUNE 11 Hegg Brothers

MONDAY JUNE 22 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band

FRIDAY JUNE 12 Taxi Driver SATURDAY JUNE 13 The 402 MONDAY JUNE 15 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band TUESDAY JUNE 16 Scott Evans WEDNESDAY JUNE 17 The Persuaders

MONDAY JUNE 8 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band

THURSDAY JUNE 18 Matt Wallace Fusion Force

TUESDAY JUNE 9 Billy Troy

FRIDAY JUNE 19 On The Fritz

| THE READER |

TUESDAY JUNE 23 The Study of Four WEDNESDAY JUNE 24 Johnny Ray Gomez Show THURSDAY JUNE 25 The 9’s FRIDAY JUNE 26 ShurThing!

SATURDAY JUNE 27 Hi-Fi Hangover MONDAY JUNE 29 Gooch and his Las Vegas Big Band

JUNE 2015

49

Taylor also has a show Friday, June 5, at the Depot Deli in Shenandoah, Iowa, a short hour’s drive from Omaha and a pretty cool place to hang out and hear some live music. Music starts about 8 p.m. See facebook.com/DepotDeli.

hoodoo

Hot Notes

‘

summersizzle

‘STEELsENDERS: The gospel-steel guitars of The Campbell Brothers influenced Robert Randolph and their mastery has led them to be called “the Jimi Hendrix and Django Reinhardt of the steel guitar.”

J

une offers plenty of opportunities to head outdoors for music. Summer Arts Fest has great music on their big stage June 5, 6 and 7, including Mike Zito & The Wheel at 7 p.m. Friday, June 5. Music Saturday, June 6, includes Moreland & Arbuckle (5 p.m.) and Chubby Carrier & The Bayou Swamp Band (7 p.m.). See the full schedule at summerarts.org/music.

CHIP DUDEN

It’s Getting Hot

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.

50

Playing With Fire (PWF) offers three big, free outdoor concerts this summer: June 18, June 25 and July 2. Concerts are at Midtown Crossing in the space that is also home to Jazz on the Green. Seating in the park opens at 5 p.m. and music begins at 5:30 p.m. For all the details and more artist information see playingwithfireomaha.net.

The gospel-steel of The Campbell Brothers highlights the June 18 show. The Campbell Brothers were a major influence on Robert Randolph.

The band is one of the best and most influential gospel-steel acts around. They combine pedal-steel and lap-steel guitar in a traditional gospel style that has been part of certain Pentecostal churches’ worship services for over 60 years. National Public Radio called The Campbell Brothers’ music “every bit as earth-shattering as [Robert] Johnson’s music was in the ‘30s. It’s a soul stirring blend of gospel and the power and volume of electric blues and rock,

JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

Detroit’s Laura Rain & The Caesars bring sizzling soul and funk to The 21st Saloon Thursday, June 4. Fine guitarist Bobby Messano is back Thursday, June 11.The 21st Saloon Thursday schedule flexes a bit to accommodate Playing With Fire. Wednesday, June 17, Markey Blue plays a PWF pre-party. Saturday, June 20, guitar star Damon Fowler plays. All shows are 6-9 p.m.

Notable Zoo Bar shows include a couple of Hoodoo favorites. Catch virtuoso keyboard player Bruce Katz Wednesday, June 3, 6-9 p.m. in his only metro appearance. Multiple Blues Music Award winner Janiva Magness is back Wednesday, June 10, 6-9 p.m. The Zoo celebrates its 42nd Anniversary in July. See details at zoobar.com.

The OEA Awards music Summer Showcase is June 5 and 6 in Benson. See oea-awards.com.

Midtown Crossing hosts a Zydeco Festival Saturday, June 27, beginning at noon with traditional Cajun and Creole foods plus zydeco music including Lazy Lester, Corey Ledet, Christina Balfa, Little Buck, Bobby Allen, DL Menard and Major Handy. ,

Award Winners, an Iconic Songwriter and HeadTurning Newcomers Deliver Remarkable Music

BY B.J. HUCHTEMANN

a sound as hot as brimstone that kicks holy butt.”

Listen up at campbellbrothers.com.

Also performing June 18 are Nashville soul/R&B band Markey Blue and BluesEd’s Voodoo Vinyl.

Playing With Fire’s lineup for Thursday, June 25, marks the return of Paul DesLauriers, who has been seen at PWF events with Dawn Tyler Watson. DesLauriers hits Omaha with his own band and special guests including Anwar Khurshid and Angel Forrest with Denis Coulombe. BluesEd’s Dilemma opens.

Thursday, July 2, PWF presents the return of bluesrock guitarist Albert Cummings along with Boogie Boys and BluesEd’s Us & Them. Cummings is a popular guitarist who has played PWF events and Thursday blues club matinees. He’s just completed a new recording for Blind Pig Records. See albertcummings.com.

Mesmerizing Eric Taylor

Hoodoo favorite Eric Taylor has a couple of gigs in the metro area. He’s scheduled to return to Jerome Brich’s FolkHouse concert series on Saturday, June 6, 7:30 p.m. A $20 donation at the door goes to the artist. See folkhouseconcerts.com for location and details. Taylor is a storytelling songwriter with a masterful theatrical flair and guitar virtuosity who weaves mesmerizing tales of characters and survivors. Taylor was part of the early Houston scene that produced Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle and Lovett. See bluerubymusic.com.

hoodoo

‘HEARTFELT:

Janiva Magness took home another Blues Music Award for Contemporary Blues Female Artist in the 2015 Awards handed out in Memphis. Catch her Wednesday, June 10, 6-9 p.m. at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar.

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LARRY REEB

Known as Uncle Lar”, Larry Reeb is the wise-cracking black sheep, politically incorrect relative everyone knows. Like any concerned relative Uncle Lar” wants to help. So in his own twisted way he does. He gives you “tips”. Uncle Lar” offers tips on everything from marriage to lotteries to children. Always topping them off with, “That”s a tip from your Uncle Lar”.

JUNE 11-14 GARY OWEN SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

Gary Owen has been entertaining America for more than a decade with his side-splitting comedy. Having performed to sold-out audiences in all the major comedy clubs and theatres across the country, Owen is one of America’s most loved comedians. Two appearances on the multicultural comedy showcase, “BET’s ComicView,” won him his own one-hour “grandstand” show. At the end of the season he was selected from the year’s four “grandstanders” to be the host. In addition, Ebony magazine recently proclaimed Gary “Black America’s Favorite White Comedian.”

JUNE 18-21 ANTHONY POTMESIL R-RATED HYPNOSIS

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JUNE 25-28 BRIAN HICKS

Brian is one of Chicago’s premier stand-up comics, performing at comedy clubs and concert venues all across the country. With his fresh, upbeat style, he has astonished the comedy world with his thought-provoking views of what people find funny. He uses his act as a conduit to explore some of life’s less discussed topics and has been honing his craft for the past 12 years. He has the unique ability that combines his quick wit, audience interaction and clever material, which he delivers seamlessly.

Visit NASCIGS.com or call 1-800-435-5515

JUNE 29

CINDY KAZA SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT

JULY 1-3

JUSTIN LEON

Cindy Kaza is a clairvoyant (clear seeing), (clear hearing) and (clear feeling) who works across the country as an evidential medium. That is a style of mediumship practiced around the world that puts heavy weight on the medium’s ability to bring through extremely specific evidence to the sitter. This evidence can include, but is certainly not limited to, names, personality traits, physical ailments, favorite past times, and phrases often used by loved ones in spirit. She believes in compassionately sharing her gift with others while also opening up others to the gifts they too possess and that everyone is inherently intuitive and able to feel Spirit!

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Justin Leon has spent the last ten years working the road and sharpening an act that is based on his life and yours, spending less time on our differences and more on what we have in common, Justin observes the world in a way that everyone can relate. Mainstream or urban, audiences agree, spending some time with Justin Leon is like sitting on the couch with a friend laughing about your day, your family, and your life.

Omaha Weekly Reader 06-01-15.indd 1

4/14/15 1:29 PM

| THE READER |

JUNE 2015

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overtheedge

’ Can’tStoptheMusic A

s you read this, I will have crossed the line to the age of 50. And despite what I’d been told all my life, despite what I’ve seen in the lives of others who grew up around me, things haven’t slowed down as I’ve gotten older.

Tuesday night I went to see the rock band Palma Violets at The Waiting Room; Wednesday morning I went to a funeral.

This morning I woke at 4 a.m. to write this column. Tonight I plan on seeing a band called Merchandise at The Slowdown. Tomorrow I’ll wake at 6 to get ready for work. And so on.

What I noticed the other night while leaning against the sound booth tootling away time between bands is what I’d noticed when I was at a show at age 40— I’m easily the oldest person in the bar, by at least a decade.

In fact, I’m probably older than all of these kids’ fathers. Shouldn’t I have “grown out” of this whole rock ‘n’ roll thing a long time ago? Listening to rock bands, at 50?

I remember with distinct clarity listening to Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album in my bedroom when I lived with my parents, I must have been 16 or 17, thinking how much I enjoyed the record, how much I loved listening to music with my headphones on or while driving in my car with my friends or going to rock concerts. I mourned the idea that sometime in the years to come, maybe when I become an old man in his 20s or when I moved out or went to college or landed a real job or got married or had kids, at some moment I’ll have stopped listening to music.

It happened to my parents and my friends’ parents. When I was a teen-ager I didn’t know any “old people” who talked about music or went to rock concerts. I couldn’t imagine my best friends’ parents listening to records. That was kids’ stuff. I figured it was natural to grow up, put away your albums and go on without Pink Floyd or Peter Gabriel or Talking Heads or Styx or any of the bands I listened to.

But here I am at 50, still recovering from the rock concert my wife organized on my birthday, a fitting party for someone who

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JUNE 2015

| THE READER |

You’re never too old to do the things you love

BY TIM MCMAHAN

has spent most of his life listening to and writing about music.

And, god help me, I have no intention of stopping.

When I turned 40 I wondered how long it would be until I stopped. I’d been cornered outside of a local music venue by a musician (also my age) who told me that my music writing, my criticism, wasn’t relevant to any of the kids who were growing up listening to music today. “Why would they care what some 40-year-old guy thinks about their music?”

I thought he was right, at first. When I was in my early 20s, did I care what some 40-year-old thought about what I was listening to? Then I realized I’d been reading Robert Christgau’s music reviews since I was in my 20s — written when Christgau was in his mid-40s. Christgau is 73 today and still writing about music, and I’m still reading his stuff.

And besides, weren’t there 20-somethings in the audience that night there to listen to the music being made by that 40-something musician who told me my viewpoint wasn’t relevant? It would never cross my mind to tell him he should stop playing music because of his age.

Now I’m 50 and still writing, and he’s 50 and still playing, and we’re both better off for it.

But maybe it’s easier for me than for the rest of you. While I’m married, I don’t have any kids. My wife struggles to stay awake past 10 p.m. It’s easy for me to leave after dinner and go to the club and watch bands. There’s no one back home to worry about. I don’t need to find a sitter. I don’t have a hard time waking up the next morning for work. I don’t feel guilty.

And I don’t care what anyone thinks when they see the old guy at the show.

Many (most) of my college friends simply dropped out of the nightlife scene after they got married and had kids. Some had to; some wanted to. Some of them — in their minds — grew up and left new music behind, and they don’t miss it at all. And that’s fine; that’s good. Who am I to say anything? I’ll never know what it’s like raising children. I’m not here to tell anyone what they should or shouldn’t do, what they should enjoy or what they should value.

But for god’s sake, don’t stop doing something you love to do because you think you’re too old to do it.

Over this past weekend, a musician turned the tables and interviewed me for a story that appeared on a local website.

He asked if I ever intend to stop going to rock shows or writing about music, even when I reach my 60s and beyond. I replied by asking him — a father of two grown-up girls — if he ever intended to stop playing music.

Neither of us could think of a good reason why we should stop doing these things we love. , Over The Edge is a monthly column by Reader senior contributing writer Tim McMahan focused on culture, society, music, the media and the arts. Email Tim at tim.mcmahan@gmail.com

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Lincoln, NE

621 Rose Street | THE READER |

JUNE 2015

53

Iʼm so board in the USA

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JUNE 2015

Omaha is at the start of a national trend. Soon, board game bars and cafes will open throughout America, offering access to hundreds or even thousands of games for a small fee. Teams will form, and leagues, and a board-game craze will sweep the country. There will be YouTube channels exclusively devoted to watching skilled board game players compete with each other, and the best will go pro. Board games will start to find the sort of following that video games now enjoy, and will benefit from the intimacy required in playing them face to face, instead of the anonymity of competing against strangers online.

Tomorrow: The Dragon

One of the maddest programs in genetic research will come about in 50 years, when a science fiction and fantasy obsessed cult uses genetic engineering to literally create a dragon. Their first attempts will be small, lizard-like things that cannot fly nor breathe fire, and live abbreviated, unhappy lives. But as they continue to breed the creatures and tinker with its genetics, they will produce monsters of enormous size, with the ability to fly and the ability to spray a corrosive poison from sacs in their cheeks that fulfills a function very much like fire -- it burns whatever it touches.

The cult will be called The Brotherhood of Draco, and will actually be an offshoot of todayʼs fan-base for “Game of Thrones,” which will have converted into a religion and then, thanks to a despotic cult leader and long experiments with hallucinogens, will have lost its mind. The larger population will not know of their dragons until one breaks free from a

| THE READER |

private compound in Montana, destroying a nearby farm and devouring the farm animals. The US governemt will seek to destroy the creatures, but, by then, the Brotherhood of Draco will have retreated to abandoned oil drilling stations in the ocean, living like pirates and breeding thousands of their winged monsters, which will come ashore every so often to terrorize the population.

A horse with no name

W Scientists have developed a yeast that will convert glucose to opiates. Thanks to a laboratory theft, this yeast will soon be on the market, meaning, functionally, anyone who knows how to home-brew beer will also be able to make their own heroin.

The results will be explosive. The federal government will attempt to ban home-brewing products, but this will prove to be functionally impossible. The same cartels and desperadoes currently making methamphetamine will take over the heroin trade, pumping out tens of thousands of gallons of pure opiate per week. Addiction rates will skyrocket, and prisons and hospitals will fill with suffering addicts.

Eventually, the only solution will be to legalize the stuff, which will at least guarantee government oversight and the ability to help those in need. But there will be a period of 20 years or more when this country, and the remainder of the world, is ravaged by addiction. At the end of that time, advances in chemistry will create drugs that counteract the addictiveness of opiates; after that, the drug will be treated much the way we now treat alcohol.

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

NIGHT ON THE RIVER River City Star JUNE 12 Heartland Pride Royalty Pageant The Max June 14 Harvey Milk Candllight Vigil Stinnson Park at Aksarben Village JUNE 18 Heartland Youth Pride 2015 Stinson Park at Aksarben Village June 19 Pride Parade Downtown Council Bluffs June 20

Pride Festival Stinson Park at Aksarben Village Council Bluffs 67th and Center Streets June 20 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM Main Stage Performances:

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Hector Anchando

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Join Us For A Day of Entertainment, Vendors, Food, and Drink

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Also: Shoot Your Mouth Off, Shona Davis/Miss Kaotic, Louder Than The Bomb, Aly Peeler, Olivia Johnson, Island Alumni, Monarchs Of Speed, The Bishops, and Brent Crampton

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