The Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) continues to offer a curated calendar of area blues and roots music events at omahablues.com. The BSO is also hosting its annual competition to send a band and a solo or duo act to represent the area in the Blues Foundation’s International Blues Challenge (IBC), which will be held Jan. 19-23, in Memphis. The deadline to enter the competition is Friday, Sept. 25. The Nebraska Blues Challenge will be held Sunday, Oct. 25 at The B. Bar. Contact info@omahablues.com for details on entering.
Gregg Allman Film Screening
Gregg Allman fans note, there is a special event featuring a new documentary about Allman along with live music before and after the film screening. “Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul” will be shown Saturday, Sept. 5, as part of an evening event at The Granary Green, outside at Guitars & Cadillacs, 7401 Main St., Ralston. Promotional materials say the documentary “traces the turbulent, transcendent life of Gregg Allman…through archival recordings, candid interviews, and electric performances.”
The screening is sponsored in part by the BSO. A set from BluesEd youth development program band True Blues will open the show at 7 p.m. The film will be shown at 8 p.m. on a 27-foot screen. Then, Blue House with the Rent to Own Horns will take the stage to play their horn-driven mix of classic blues and originals. No outside food or drink is allowed. Bringing your own lawn chairs is recommended. A portion of every ticket purchase supports BluesEd, helping young musicians in the program grow as artists, bandmates, and performers while keeping the blues alive for the next generation. Find out more about the program at bluesed.com. Tickets are available at eventbrite.com
Brandon Santini Returns
Thursday, Sept. 17, 6 p.m., the BSO presents Brandon Santini on the outdoor Granary Green stage at Guitars & Cadillacs. Santini is a popular audience favorite who is considered one of today’s top modern blues performers. Santini was nominated for four Blues Music Awards in 2026 including Contemporary Blues Male, Instrumentalist Harmonica and both Song and Contemporary Album of the Year for his record “Which Way Do We Go?” Blues Blast Magazine writes, “Brandon’s deep, melodious vocals ring with truth and sincerity with tightly written and expressive lyrics delivering his messages and concerns…his harmonica work places him in the current pinnacle of performers of that instrument.”
Mouth of the South Music
The Mouth of the South restaurant at 16909 Lakeside Hills Plaza, Omaha, is stepping up its live music offerings, presenting a Mouth of the South “After Dark” series that looks to be the first Thursday of every month. The evening shows kick of with K.C.’s Brody Buster Band Thursday, Sept. 3, 8-11 p.m. The venue promises free admission with bar service and menu items ready for your orders. Some fans may remember when Buster emerged on the K.C. blues scene as a seven-year-old blues harmonica prodigy. After taking time off in his teen and young adult years, Buster returned with a one-man-band act that earned him the first place award for Best Harmonica Player and second place for Best Solo/Duo Act at the 2017 International Blues Challenge. Buster is now re-emerging on the scene after a tangle of “drug abuse, women and bad decisions,” according to his website bio. He’s been touring a lot and was seen in Omaha as part of the K.C./Omaha Kings of the Blues show during In the Market for Blues. Buster brings his full band to play for Mouth of the South After Dark, promoting his most recent CD “Redemption.” In 2026, Buster was nominated in the Blues Music Awards for Best Emerging Artist Album and he was inducted into the Kansas Music Hall of Fame. Find out more and hear some of his music at brodybustermusic.com.
Mouth of the South After Dark tees up Omaha’s own The Pocket Architects for the show Thursday, Oct. 1, 8-11 p.m. The Pocket Architects are band of young musicians who graduated from the BSO’s BluesEd youth program to form their own band. They won the 2025 Nebraska Blues Challenge and had the chance to compete in the 2026 International Blues Challenge in Memphis and recently recorded a live record at the Benson Theatre. See thepocketarchitects.com.
Sunday Brunch bands at Mouth of the South look to be every other weekend, with Nebraska singer-songwriter Nick Townsend performing Sept. 6, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oklahoma-based Tom Peaver is up for Sunday, Sept. 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Peaver comes highly recommended for his music with roots in soul and classic blues. Iowa’s Matt Woods plugs in for the Sunday Brunch Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You can reserve a table for brunch shows and find all the info at motsomaha.com.
B. Bar Live
The B. Bar hosts live music throughout the month. Find the full schedule at thebbaromaha.com. The guitar-driven blues-rock sound of the Jason Wells Band takes the stage Wednesday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m. Wells has released eight albums and played venues including Buddy Guy’s Legends and the Dallas International Guitar Festival.
Other schedule highlights include Lou Deluca & The Delta 88’s Friday, Sept. 4, 5:30 p.m., Sailing in Soup Friday, Sept. 18, 5:30 p.m. and Church of Blues Friday, Sept. 25, 5:30 p.m. Popular Texas blues artist Hamilton Loomis is up Friday, Oct. 9, 5:30 p.m.
The SkabraSka festival happens Saturday, Sept. 26. It’s a celebration of ska-oriented music with music from 11 bands including the Wingtips and The Bishops. Doors open at 3:30 and music starts at 4 p.m. See the Facebook event page here for more information.
Zoo Bar Blues
Lincoln’s historic Zoo Bar kicks off the month with Josh Hoyer’s Birthday Celebration Friday, Sept. 4, 5 p.m. to midnight. Hoyer is assembling his current bands and a version of one of his previous bands to make music celebrating his birthday. Catch Church of Blues at 5 p.m., a reunion of Sons of 76 at 6:45 p.m. and Josh Hoyer’s Colossal 4 at 8:30 p.m. The evening ends with popular band Vibe Check at about 10:15 p.m.
Award-winning local singer-songwriter and bandleader Matt Cox brings his band The Marauders to the Zoo Friday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m. Cox and his excellent band play stomping Americana that is high energy, and in the moment. His vocals are warm and engaging. His lyrics show he’s been working hard to keep refining his craft as a songwriter. His songwriting is as good as the influences I hear in his music, which include Willie Nelson, John Prine, Greg Brown and Neil Young. Cox is a multiple OEAA winner in the Americana / Folk category with 10 studio and live recordings to his credit. Born in Shenandoah, Iowa, Cox was inducted in 2024 into the Iowa Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame. He has been getting out on the road a lot more, which is good to see because he’s as good or better than many folks out there. Cox can also be seen locally at Buck’s Bar & Grill in Venice/Waterloo, playing what looks to be a solo show on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. Hear music cuts and see the rest of Cox’s schedule at mattcoxmusic.net.
Carolyn Wonderland, a musical force of nature, makes a lately too-rare Nebraska stop when she gigs at The Zoo Bar Tuesday, Sept. 15, 6 p.m. Wonderland is a powerhouse vocalist, a fiery guitarist and fine songwriter too. She brings gospel intensity and bluesy tones to her vocals. Her guitar playing speaks for itself. She spent a few years in the coveted position of being the late John Mayall’s hand-picked guitarist. She’s landed Dave Alvin as the producer for her last two studio records, the most recent being 2025’s “Truth Is” (Alligator Records). Her previous album, “Tempting Fate,” was also produced by Alvin and won the Austin Music Award for Best Blues Artist and Best Guitarist, she was also inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame that year. She’s a multiple Blues Music Award nominee. Advance tickets are available at the bar or at ticketweb.com.
Another dynamic Austin performer, Henri Herbert, plays The Zoo Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m. If you are a fan of old-school double-fisted boogie-woogie and early rock ‘n’ roll piano, Herbert delivers. Originally from the U.K., he’s released eight records and has sold out shows at international clubs. After moving to Austin, Texas, he’s become a key performer on the scene there. Glide Magazine writes that Herbert “Balances being both a throwback to piano rock and roll as well as being joltingly modern.” Check out his rockin’ piano sounds at henriherbertmusic.com.
Up and coming guitarist Quinn Sullivan is on the schedule for Wednesday, Sept 23, 6 p.m. As a teenage guitarist mentored by Buddy Guy, Sullivan has already gotten attention from national TV, late night talk shows and major festivals. Find out more in this Blues Rock Review piece and a Guitar Player profile here. Relix praises his “affinity for stinging guitar leads and more nuanced expressions, all of which are complemented by his emotive vocals.”
Audience favorites from SoCal, Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys take the stage Friday, Sept. 25, 5 p.m. with their signature swingin’ sound.
Matt Axton Band plugs in Wednesday, Sept. 30, 6 p.m. American music is deep in Axton’s roots – his grandmother, Mae Boren Axton, co-wrote Elvis’ hit “Heartbreak Hotel” and his dad is Hoyt Axton. See mattaxton.com. California’s Crazy Horse Saloon and Grill praised Axton’s band “with their assertive blend of Americana, Outlaw Country and Bluesy-rock.” Noting, “It all comes with a healthy dose of soul and a backbone of two-steppin’ groove.”
Also pending is a Saturday, Sept. 12, Zoo Bar show with Abe Partridge (see more in the Sunday Roadhouse section of this column). Partridge says the time is TBA due to the Husker game.
Find the full Zoo Bar schedule at zoobar.com and any late-breaking updates at www.facebook.com/zoobarblues.
Curtis Salgado in October
Mark your calendar now for back-to-back shows from Curtis Salgado and his new band featuring award-winning Pacific Northwest guitarist Ben Rice. Salgado plays Lincoln’s Zoo Bar Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6 p.m. and performs a BSO-sponsored show at The Jewell on Capitol Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m. Salgado is a multiple Blues Music Award winner who has been electrifying local audiences since he started hitting Midwest venues in the late ’90s. His eclectic mix of blues, soul-blues, gospel and rock is irresistible and it is always a treat to have him back at local venues. He’s out touring in support of a new live recording, “Legacy Rewind: Live in ’25” (Nola Blue Records) that was released earlier this year. It features Salgado with a festival-style, 15-piece band that includes four horns and three back-up singers. The project was recorded live for the album and videotaped at The Triple Door in Seattle, WA on April 5, 2025. The record is available on vinyl and CD.
with Rebecca Pillsbury. Courtesy of University of Illinois Press.
Salgado also has a memoir coming out written with Rebecca Pillsbury about his life and musical career. “Walk a Mile in My Blues” (University of Illinois Press) follows Salgado from his childhood inspired by a family that argued about music around the kitchen table to his years as a rising star on the Pacific Northwest blues scene (including six years as a member of the Robert Cray Band) to his solo career.
Bonnie Raitt said of the book, “Curtis is as entertaining and soulful a writer as he is a great musician. I loved following his accounts of his early life building his career in the Eugene music scene and getting to hang and play with some of the greatest blues and R&B legends. I’m still moved by his deep vulnerability, sharing his personal journey through sobriety, and his serious health challenges. He’s a true survivor, my dear friend, and he brings such a wise, colorful, and unique perspective to his fascinating story. Highly recommend!” You can find out more about the book or pre-order a copy of the January release from the University of Illinois Press here.
For those who enjoy Salgado’s music and storytelling as much as I do, take a deep dive into his history in advance of the book with a vintage 2001 profile I did about him for the now defunct national publication Blues Access magazine here.
Shuck’s Anniversary
Shuck’s Fish House & Oyster Bar, run by original BSO president and one of the organization’s founders, Greg Lindberg, hosts their 20th Anniversary celebration Sunday, Sept. 20. The event takes over the parking lot south of the Shuck’s location that is just south of 119th and Pacific streets. Doors open at noon and admission is free. Music from Shhh! featuring Shannon and Shawn is up at 1 p.m. The venue’s popular house band Da Crabby Blues Band plays at 2:30 p.m. and Blue House with the Rent to Own Horns is up at 4:30 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for sale. The event also marks Lindberg’s 46th year bringing fresh seafood to the Omaha area under the name Absolutely Fresh Seafood Market.
Sunday Roadhouse Shows
The Sunday Roadhouse series has one show in September, hosting Abe Partridge Sunday, Sept. 13, 5 p.m. at Reverb Lounge. Partridge’s website also lists a TBA show on Saturday, Sept. 12, which he says is tentatively at the Zoo Bar, time to be determined, so keep an eye out for that. He is touring as a duo for this run with a pedal steel player.
Partridge is a former preacher and Air Force veteran who is also a visual artist and a popular podcaster thanks to his Alabama Astronaut podcast, a deep dive into the music that surrounds Christian church preaching and snake handling churches. See alabamaastronaut.com. Learn more about this multi-faceted artist at abepartridge.com. Partridge’s 2024 show at Waiting Room earned him a slot on MarQ Manner’s top performances of the year. American Songwriter magazine said of Partridge, “His sound ranges from the earthy to the surreal, and has had his lyrics compared to Townes, Guy or Rodney hitting on spiritual high to the dark seeds of depression, Partridge draws listeners in with a combination of southern gothic storytelling, dry humor, and gripping intensity.”
David Ford wrote, “one rainy night in the Netherlands I saw Abe Partridge take the stage with an acoustic guitar and it felt like the first time anybody ever thought to try it. He didn’t just sing his songs, he set fire to them. It was brutal and tender and smart and angry and funny and brilliantly, uniquely authentic.”
Early warning for the great Peter Case who plays Sunday Roadhouse at the Reverb Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. Case made a name for himself with punk band The Nerves and garage rock band The Plimsouls before embarking on a folk-oriented singer-songwriter career that has earned him three Grammy nominations. Case’s acoustic work helped build the foundations for what we’ve come to call Americana.
Check sundayroadhouse.com for advance tickets to either show.
Hot Notes
Not blues at all (they actually get classified as punk), but I’ve always dug the wild, eclectic sounds of Gogol Bordello, who gig at Slowdown Friday, Sept. 25, 8 p.m. with That Handsome Devil and Pons opening. Glide magazine calls them a “nomadic gypsy-punk collective” and said they are “always a whirlwind of sound, movement, and raw emotion. Their intense performance was a testament to their decades-long dedication to pushing the boundaries of music and performance art.” See a recent KEXP Seattle live performance the band did here.
Porchfest OMA is worth a heads up now. The 10th annual event happens Sunday, Oct. 4, 11 am to 6 p.m. in the Gifford Park neighborhood surrounding 33rd and California streets. Over 90 performers will take to 13 porches and outdoor stages and it’s all free. It’s a great day of music and community. Check out all the details at porchfestoma.com.
Another cool October event coming to nearby Salina, Kansas, is Chad Kassem’s Vinyl Summit and special blues and jazz performances at his Blue Heaven Studios, a church turned performance venue and recording studio, with a final show at The Steifel Theatre. The events celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Kassem’s Acoustic Sounds recording and record distribution business. The Thursday, Oct. 15, show features saxophone player Chico Freeman, singer-songwriter Becca Stevens, jazz trumpeter Dave Douglas and New York-based jazz saxophonist Jerome Sabbagh. Friday, Oct. 16, at Blue Heaven Studios Mud Morganfield, Jimmy D. Lane, Marquise Knox, Lil’ Jimmy Reed and Robert Finley are scheduled. Then Saturday, Oct. 17, the final show is at Salina’s historic venue the Stiefel Theatre featuring Robert Finley, Jimmie Vaughan, Taj Mahal and Bernard Allison. The concerts are built around a large record sale, dubbed the Vinyl Summit, with a record fair, pop-up store, recording facility tours, informal music sets and after hours jam sessions. Find all the info and purchase tickets at vinylsummit.com
The Omaha Jitterbugs, Omaha’s swing dance community, host their annual Cowtown Jamborama Sept. 11-13 in downtown Omaha. If you’ve always wanted to learn the basics of swing dancing, the event offers a beginner’s track and social dances each night featuring Omaha’s own Jordi & the Jitterbugs. It’s a big weekend event with instructors and guests coming from out of town. There will even be a pop-up vintage clothing store onsite at the Eagles Club, 201 S. 24th St., the Jitterbugs home base. The Jitterbugs also offer lessons and weekly dances during the year. Find all the details and ticket pricing here at jitterbugs.org.
One Percent Productions has a lot of cool shows coming up at their various venues. Of note is the “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes Farewell Tour” by the great Judy Collins with opening act Bruce Cockburn Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m. indoors at the Astro Theatre. Friday, Sept. 11, 5 p.m., the One Percent – Shadow Ridge Music Festival takes place featuring Blues Traveler, Gin Blossoms, Spin Doctors and The Samples. The outdoor show happens at Shadow Ridge, 1501 South 188th Plaza. Catch all the latest listings at onepercentproductions.com.
Don’t forget Steelhouse Omaha has some cool shows coming up with Sons of Legion Thursday, Sept. 10, 7:30 p.m. and Lenny Kravitz Friday, Sept. 11, 8 p.m. Ryan Bingham has been added to the Steelhouse schedule with a show Sunday, Oct. 25. Find the full schedule and purchase tickets at steelhouseomaha.com.