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Local Omaha, NE Music Scene Omaha has been the home of legendary artists Buddy Miles (drummer for Jimi Hendrix, Electric Flag) and Wynonie Harris (a Rhythm & Blues pioneer). The history of the Omaha music scene has included Mannheimer Steamroller, Doug Ingle from Iron Butterfly, 311, Bowling For Soup, Elliott Smith and Bright Eyes. In the 2010 Census the metropolitan area had a population of over 885,000. Songs about Omaha have been recorded by Moby Grape, Counting Crows, Pat Metheny, Waylon Jennings and 311. The main campus is University of Nebraska at Omaha. The local scene is covered by the Omaha World-Herald. Omaha Music Acts Cursive * Dubbsixx * J-Bird * Jeremy Starkel * Shannon Marie * Deni Newton * Midwest Dilemma * Lejuan Chism * Jowell y Randy * Broken and Blue * Omaha Local Music Scene History The Omaha Reader reported in June 2020 on how the local music scene had been quieted by the coronavirus pandemic shutdown. Musicians, however, stayed active by participating in virtual performances through Facebook and other online platforms. Hannah Goebel announced in March 2018 she dropped out of the competition on the NBC TV show The Voice due to personal reasons. Originally from Omaha, Hannah moved to Nashville as a move to help her music career. On the reality TV show she was coached by Kelly Clarkson. Hannah stated on an Instagram post, "I still have my voice and am looking forward to a long music career and recording original songs in the near future." Saddle Creek Records, started by Robb Nansel and Jason Kulbel, is a label that spawned success stories in the late 90s through early 00s with local acts such as Bright Eyes, The Faint and Cursive. The label started in 1993 with the release of a cassette called Water by 13 year old Conor Oberst. The young singer played in a few bands before forming Bright Eyes, who gained national attention with their 2002 album, Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground. The owners of Saddle Creek built the venue Slowdown to showcase local and national acts. The Maha Music Festival is helpd every summer in Omaha and helps give exposure to local rock musicians. The festival in 2013 held at Stinson Park showcased national acts Flaming Lips and Bob Mould. The festival, which started in 2009, is run by volunteers as a nonprofit event. Learn more about the annual event at Maha Music Festival. The Omaha Blues Society organizes events for local blues musicians. The site provides forums on discussions about blues music, particularly regarding local events. It's a great hub for connecting with blues fans and finding out about what's going on in the local music scene. Some of the venues that get mentions include McKenna's Blues, Booze and BBQ, Havana Garage and Zoo Bar. NPR wrote about the local music scene in June 2015. Artists mentioned in the article included rapper Brenton Gomez, The Mynabirds and Simon Joyner. The Omaha music scene was also mentioned by the Washington Post in September 2014 when it told the story of how the city's first indie rock club, Slowdown was developed with over a million dollars starting in 2006, including help from the city. |
