Bad Self Portraits is getting ready to play at the Reverb Lounge in Omaha. As the band members bring their amps, guitars and pieces of the drumkit up on to the stage, they chat with the sound guy. Having been around the city’s music scene since 2017, they’ve played this stage many times and with […]
Posted inMovies
Gasping for Care
In 2019, Alex Parkinson codirected Last Breath, a documentary about a crazy underwater accident. In 2025, Alex Parkinson directed Last Breath, a narrative version of his documentary about a crazy underwater accident. In 2029, Alex Parkinson will (probably) direct an animated version of the narrative version of the documentary about a crazy underwater accident. The […]
Posted inCulture
Dream Ghoul drums up unique sound from the Omaha area
In late 2024, a couple singles and eventually an album dropped from a project called Dream Ghoul. The songs were dense, layered, atmospheric, and dark, and unlike anything heard around the Omaha area. Think late-era David Bowie, dream pop, shoegaze, and a dash of deeper-cut David Byrne and Talking Heads. The accompanying images on social […]
Posted inMovies
Laughing at Horrible Things Feels Good
Many of us wake up these days and promptly check to see how many commercial airplanes have opted for a creative landing or whether the new EPA policy is officially “Hope You Like Smog!” If we cannot avoid terrible things, by God give us an excuse to laugh at some. The Monkey is not “elevated […]
Posted inDining, Food, Food Trucks
Directory of local black-owned eateries
With my first post back as a writer for The Reader, I have to take a moment to thank Nebraska Public Media for giving us a home to continue the legacy established by the late and truly great John Heaston. Nebraska Public Media has been incredibly vocal about its desire to maintain John’s vision, to […]
Posted inUncategorized
No, Captain! Why Captain?!
Why is the Red Hulk red? It doesn’t matter. Then again, almost nothing we do these days seems to. So, we may as well ask whatever is on our minds, right? Given that gamma radiation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has canonically turned folks green, why does it turn Harrison Ford red in Captain America: […]
Posted inUncategorized
Cause & Culture: Lost (and found) in translation—connecting communities through language
When the pandemic hit, it became apparent how vital it is for a community to be able to unite for the greater good and ensure equitable access to reliable, updated public health information. Without it, people could be stranded without the knowledge they needed to stay safe and protect those around them. Many challenges can […]
Posted inMovies
This Is Not a Movie Review Because That Was Not a Movie
What the hell was that? It’s not just that Love Hurts, the latest “seemingly average dude is secretly a murder maestro” movie, is bad. Oh, it is bad. But it is also not really a movie. If you got ChatGPT super drunk, this is the loose impression of a movie it may vomit out. It […]
Posted inCulture, Music
Homegrown talent celebrated
The Blues Foundation’s annual International Blues Challenge (IBC) awarded first place in the band competition to Lincoln’s Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal. Hoyer and his band were selected by the Blues Society of Omaha (BSO) to be their band representative in Memphis through a competition in October following IBC guidelines. The IBC winners are selected […]
Posted inTheater
Omaha Entertainment and Arts awards recognize artists for lifetime achievements and stewardship
Legacy artists recognized for lifetime achievement and cultural stewardship are among this year’s Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards honorees. The 19th annual event unfolds Feb. 16 at The Admiral, 2234 S. 13th St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Special guest star Jewel Rodgers, a multiple OEAA nominee and Nebraska’s new state poet, will perform. Lifetime […]