First, a heads up that The Astro performance by Beth Hart has been cancelled. The Astro reported this information Thursday, May 1, on social media. Hart is again experiencing vocal strain and has been ordered by doctors to rest her voice. Her remaining tour dates have been cancelled. Grammy-nominated blues vocalist Beth Hart, was scheduled to perform at The Astro in La Vista Saturday, May 3. The Astro posted on social media that tickets will be refunded at the original point of purchase.
Hopefully you are reading this on the day it is published because May kicks off with a rare chance to see acclaimed West Coast blues guitarist Chris Cain. Cain plays Thursday, May 1, 6 p.m. at The Waiting Room. It’s a Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) produced show. Popular blues-rocker Joe Bonamassa says of Cain, “”One of my favorite, and criminally underrated, blues players of all time…Chris has influenced me for as long as I owned a guitar. Tone, and magic phrasing. Killer voice and songs to boot.”
Cain has been influenced by the blues since his early childhood in Memphis, according to his bio, where his father played blues on the stereo “continuously” and took a three-year-old Chris to see B.B. King. Cain taught himself to play guitar by the age of eight. He combined his blues roots with college studies in jazz to build a virtuoso guitar style played with plenty of heart. Find out more at chriscainmusic.com. Tickets are $20 at the door and should still be available at The Waiting Room on show night, local band Brother East-Brother West opens. Doors are set to open at 5 p.m.
Meanwhile, May 1 at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar, local surf-rockabilly band The NitroBats take the stage 6-9 p.m.
And if that’s not enough music for a Thursday, a local supergroup calling themselves, rather rightly, The Baddest Band in the Land, gigs at Omaha’s The B. Bar May 1, 8-11 p.m. Some of the best younger players on the scene have joined forces for this band featuring guitarist Myles Jasnowski, trumpeter Blake DeForest, sax player James Cuato, percussionist Matt Arbeiter and keyboard/organ player Kevin Lloyd. Keep your eyes out for more gigs by this band, that’s a lot of local talent and they are bound to make explosive music together.
The Weekend
Friday, May 2, offers more great musical choices. Singer-songwriter Jocelyn has made a big impact on the local scene and made strides nationally including a 2022 profile on Nebraska Public Media’s “Nebraska Stories” and representing Nebraska on an NBC competition show called “American Song Contest” hosted by Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson that same year. Jocelyn gigs at the Jewell on Capitol Friday, May 2, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Admission is free, but reservations are recommended and there is a $25 minimum-spend per person. The venue says walk-ins are welcome based on available seating. See jewellomaha.com.
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal play The B. Bar Friday, May 2, 8-11 p.m. This powerhouse soul-blues band features the distinctive vocals and original songwriting of Hoyer, with a band featuring guitarist Myles Jasnowski, bassist Mike Keeling, trumpeter Blake DeForest, sax player James Cuato and drummer Matt Arbeiter. The group took home the prestigious first place award as the top band in the 2025 International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Check their website at joshhoyer.com for more local and regional gigs and their summer festival appearances.
Omaha Americana band Clarence Tilton has a CD release party Friday, May 2, 9 p.m. at Reverb Lounge. Turn, Turn, Turn opens the show. The group is steeped in the Americana sounds and styles of artists like Neil Young, The Allman Brothers, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Son Volt. Clarence Tilton is comprised of brothers Chris and Corey Weber, who lead the band on guitars, pedal steel and vocals with Craig Meier on bass, Paul Novak on additional guitars / vocals and Jarron Wayne Storm on percussion. The show is a celebration of their new CD “Queen of the Brawl,” that features both Tanya Tucker’s daughter Presley Tucker and country great Marty Stuart. The band first met Stuart in 2019 when they opened for him in Omaha, according to thecountrynote.com. Stuart adds vocals and guitar to the song “Fred’s Colt.” Learn more about the band, which is hitting regional venues this summer, at clarencetilton.com. Check the feature by MarQ Manner elsewhere in The Reader for more details on the collaboration with Stuart.
Meanwhile Friday night at Lincoln’s Zoo Bar kicks off with the mighty fine music of Lloyd McCarter & The Honky-Tonk Revival May 2, 5 p.m. The late show at the Zoo features the Latin sounds of Andy William & the Nebraska All Stars. This spectacular band mixes up Noche Cubana, Salsa, Latin jazz, Son Cubano and more.
Saturday night, May 3, at The Zoo Bar is also jumpin’ with Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal at 9 p.m. Saturday for The Zoo’s 5 p.m. show, Ro Hempel Band takes the stage with their blend of original reggae, rock, ska and funk.
Music at Junkstock
This is also the second full weekend of Junkstock, held at Sycamore Farms, located on the western edge of Omaha at 1150 River Road Drive in Waterloo. As always, music is a part of the weekend event, with highlights including Orion Walsh & The Rambling Heart Friday, May 2, noon to 1:30 p.m. and a rare appearance by local rockabilly heroes The Mercurys Saturday, May 3, 2:30-4 p.m. Popular local reggae band Rhythm Collective plays noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 4. There is an admission charge. Find the full schedule, a list of vendors and ticket info at junkstock.com.
More at The Astro
The Astro in La Vista has more blues this month with a couple of big summer tours hitting the metro.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd has teamed up with Bobby Rush for a new record and a string of dates, and they are hitting The Astro Wednesday, May 7, 8 p.m. Kenny Wayne Shepherd has long been a favorite of blues-rock guitar fans. Shepherd and Grammy-winner Bobby Rush have just released a new collaboration titled “Young Fashioned Ways” that No Depression calls “a 10-song romp that maximizes the considerable charms of each performer.” Rush is an old-school soul-blues vocalist and harmonica player who still puts on the sort of rowdy, entertaining show made popular on the southern “Chitlin’ Circuit,” with double-entendre blues and somewhat suggestive lady dancers. At 91 years old, he’s still high-kicking, dancing and in command on stage. In 2021 he published a memoir titled “I Ain’t Studdin’ Ya: My American Blues Story.”
A triple-bill of rising blues stars is up at The Astro when Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Samantha Fish perform Wednesday, May 21, 7 p.m. Both “Kingfish” and Samantha Fish are touring headliners in their own right. Rolling Stone says of “Kingfish,” he is “one of the most exciting young guitarists in years, with a sound that encompasses B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and Prince.” Kansas City’s own Grammy-nominated Samantha Fish has been a favorite on local stages for some time, but last years she leapt into the national consciousness when she sat in with and then opened for The Rolling Stones at the end of their 2024 tour. Her new disc is “Paper Doll,” which Rock & Blues Muse praised for “a musical attack that, like much here, has plenty of polish but still retains an exhilarating garage-rock rawness.” Opening the show is Houston’s Mathias Lattin, the 2023 International Blues Challenge winner and IBC Best Guitarist winner, both honors he won at the age of 20. Tickets for all these Astro shows are available via Ticketmaster.
Garden Party at Aksarben
Madeline Reddel’s Fourth Annual Garden Party happens Saturday, May 10, 3-11 p.m. at Sonny’s, an outdoor venue and bar at 1905 S 67th St. in Aksarben Village. Admission is free and Reddel has curated a festival focused on celebrating local and regional women musicians. Expect music from blues to pop, soul, indie folk and rock. The festival features artists from Omaha and Lincoln as well as Nashville, Fort Collins, Colo., Denver, Colo., Wichita, Kans., and Brooklyn, NY. Find out more at gardenpartyomaha.com.
Blues Society of Omaha Presents
The Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) has announced the details for its annual In the Market for Blues (ITMFB) event, slated for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 8 and 9, in the Old Market and Capitol District. It’s an old-fashioned pub crawl that’s got the blues — with over 30 live blues bands at ten area clubs. The main event is Saturday, Aug. 9. This year’s headliner is Memphis soul-blues act John Németh & the Blue Dreamers. ITMFB founder Héctor Anchondo is also a featured artist. See the BSO’s web page for all the scheduled acts, advance tickets and the opportunity to purchase a VIP pass that also gets you access to a special Friday night show featuring Chicago band Mississippi Heat with special guest, rising boogie-woogie piano star Ben Levin. Find the details and a daily, curated calendar of local blues and roots shows on the BSO’s web page at omahablues.com.
Meanwhile, May finds the BSO hosting Melody Trucks band at The B. Bar Thursday, May 8, 8 p.m. Trucks is the daughter of the late Allman Brothers Band drummer Butch Trucks and was a big hit a few year’s ago at The Zoo Bar’s annual ZooFest outdoor festival. Trucks continues her family’s tradition of music with rock and jam band vibes. For these shows, she is joined by members of the Jackson Stokes Band including rhythm section Paul Brackens and Ben Bicklein. In a late-breaking change, K.C. guitarist Nick Schnebelen will be featured.
Thursday, May 22, 6-9 p.m., the BSO presents Texas blues-rock guitarist Hamilton Loomis at Bushwackers at The Granary Green, 7401 Main St., Ralston. Starting out as a teen in Houstin, Loomis was mentored by the great Bo Diddley. No Depression says, “Classify him as a blues guitarist with an appetite for rock or a rock and roll maestro with a sweet tooth for the blues … Loomis lives in both worlds comfortably, crossing stylistic boundaries with effortless precision.”
Zoo Bar Blues
Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar keeps knocking it out of the park with a great schedule of acts. The lineup for the annual outdoor ZooFest scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 11-12, is expected soon. Find details on these shows and latest show announcements at facebook.com/zoobarblues and also check the venue website at zoobar.com.
Of special note is the show Saturday, May 10, 5 p.m. by Austin guitarist/vocalist Jackie Venson. She has been featured artist on “Austin City Limits” and has been called one of “Austin’s rising stars,” by Rolling Stone. Check out her music and come out to support this type of national touring show at a local club. Lincoln’s Emily Bass opens the show.
Other highlights include Melody Trucks and friends with special guest Nick Schnebelen Friday, May 9, 9 p.m. The HeartBreak Hill Trio featuring Matt and Nikki Hill debuts Wednesday, May 21 6-9 p.m. Everyone’s favorite houserockin’, straight-up Chicago blues band Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials plug in at the Zoo Friday and Saturday, May 23 and 24, 5-8 p.m. Austin’s Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears play the Zoo Tuesday, May 27, 6-9 p.m. Mato Nanji leads Indigenous Wednesday, May 28, 6-9 p.m. Rising country artists Savanna Chestnut & The Field Hands are featured for the early show Friday, May 30, 5-8 p.m. Raised in Kansas, Chestnut’s bio says “from dive bars, fairs, festivals and rodeos, to season 20 of The Voice on NBC where she was chosen by Blake Shelton, Savanna has won over audiences with her unique, yet nostalgic country style.”
Hot Notes
Massachusetts-based blues-rock guitarist Quinn Sullivan is featured at the Holland Music Club at the Holland Performing Arts Center Friday, May 9, 7:30 p.m. He’s developed from a young prodigy into an adult artist making breezy pop-and-soul-inflected blues and this looks like an interesting show. Get tickets at ticketomaha.com.
There is a lot of great music at the Jewell on Capitol all month long. Most shows are now free admission with reservations requested and a minimum-spend per person. But, of special note is the ticketed show Saturday, May 17, 7:30-10:30 p.m. by Iowa vocalist/songwriter Jeni Grouws. She has been living in Omaha since the fall of 2024 and working on her craft at Jeff Davis’ artist development project called The Music House supported by The Catalyst Foundation. Grouws has spent much of the last decade as co-founder of Iowa’s Avey Grouws Band, which has had two top ten Billboard Blues charting albums—The Devil May Care (#10) and Tell Tale Heart (#7). Get advance tickets for this show at jewellomaha.com and check out all the great local artists on tap this month including Mitch Towne, Matt Cox, Blue House with The Rent to Own Horns and more.
The legendary Wailers bring their “Natural Mystic 30th Anniversary Tour” to Slowdown Sunday, May 18, 8 p.m. Find out more at theslowdown.com.
Southern Culture on the Skids is one of those, “if you know, you know” iconic counter-culture-ish bands. They plug in at The Waiting Room Tuesday, May 27, 8 p.m. They are a fantastic combination of roots-rock, rock ‘n’ roll and southern-fried vibes. This trio has been making their own unique music for over 40 years now. Musicconnection.com says aptly that they create “a soundscape one step above grunge and pop-punk, with a touch of rockabilly mixed well and served with a basket of Hot Twang and some pitchy treble guitar that had the pick-up switch stuck in the bridge position.” Advance tickets at etix.com. Seriously, this will be a cool show, if you like this sort of music. Do they still throw fried chicken at the crowd? Let’s see what happens at Waiting Room.
Friday, May 30, 7 p.m., at The B. Bar, catch blues-rock guitarists Chris Duarte and Kris Lager in their Blues Inferno Tour Omaha Pre-Party show. BluesEd band Vertigo opens the show. This is Duarte and Lager’s warm up for their three-week tour with guitar star Alastair Greene that will hit cities in the Midwest and the East Coast. See facebook.com/krislagermusic for details.
Mark your calendars for the 21st annual Soaring Wings Blues Festival Saturday, June 7, with gates opening at 1 p.m. and music starting mid-afternoon. Bands featured this year are Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, Tyron Benoit (yes, brother of Tab Benoit), Piper & the Hard Times (Nashville-based and 2024’s International Blues Challenge winners) and blues-rocker Dennis Jones. Advance tickets are available at soaringwings.com.