Back Beat

Mad Ave, an all-ages, drug and alcohol free venue opens in Lincoln next week. The club at 2800 N. 48th St. has a capacity of 200 and plans to host “live music of any genre, art showings, book/poetry readings, film premieres/showings, social events, dance parties and any other form of artistic media imaginable,” says Brock Stephens. He’s opening the venue with partners Matt Vicars, Cody Hurd and Lindsay Thompson. The foursome hosted shows at Ghost House since Aug. 2007. “All-ages venues are vital to keeping a music scene alive and thriving,” says Stephens. True dat. Much like the youth who frequent them, all-ages venues are where thriving music scenes incubate. “These young kids are the next generation of people starting bands, putting out records, opening venues and helping touring bands,” says Stephens. “If we didn’t allow them to come to shows they would in turn not do all of the above-mentioned things and the scene would die faster than you can imagine.” There will be a two-night grand opening, Oct. 21, featuring Hercules, Agress, Discourse and Vandal Eyes, and Oct. 22, with Wastoid, Violator X, Acid Mouth and Moustache. Both shows start at 7:30 p.m. and cost $5. Contact the DIY club owners via madavene@hotmail.com or 718.5218 for booking info. The sweet, mellow sound of the ukulele finally gets its due this week. Omaha Creative Institute will host Ukulele Hoopla, Oct. 15, at the Joslyn Castle, 3902 Davenport St. Events run 6-8:30 p.m., with two workshops (beginner and advanced) from 6-7 p.m. and a concert at 7:30 p.m. If you don’t have a uke but still want to attend the beginner lesson, taught by Mark Gutierrez, there will be some on hand to borrow. More advanced players will want to take the class from folk-rocker Lil’ Rev, of whom Gutierrez says, “In the ukulele world, he can kind of be considered a rock star.” Cost is $20 for workshops and $15 for the concert featuring Gutierrez’s band 4 Strings of Swing and Lil’ Rev. OCI hopes to make this an annual event. Save the date for Bands for Cans, Oct. 29, 9 p.m. at Sokol Underground. The benefit for Food Bank of the Heartland hosted by DJ E. Babbs will feature live music from Galvanized Tron, The Whiskey Pistols, El Dopa and Liz Graham. Admission is four food donations (think canned chicken or tuna, mac ‘n’ cheese, peanut butter, green beans, pancake mix, spaghetti … ) or $5. Backbeat takes you behind the scenes of the local music scene. Send tips, comments and questions to backbeat@thereader.com.