This month we’re offering another two-part overview of music options. In this column I’ll hit on weekend and early-next-week events of note. Then, I’ll circle back on Thursday, June 12, with the longer column looking at recommended events for the rest of the month. And we’re going start off looking at weekend dates rather than event category to keep this easy to write and read.
Tonight, Thursday, June 5, 6-8 p.m. Little Joe McCarthy plays at The Takeoff Rooftop Bar. This venue is located atop the Peregrine Omaha Downtown hotel at 203 S. 18th St. (just south of Dodge St.) This looks like a great place to see the city skyline at twilight and enjoy some great tunes from Little Joe.
Meanwhile, Héctor Anchondo plays a solo show Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Frosty Mug Sports Bar off of Blondo Parkway, east of the bridge, in Elkhorn at 2611 N. 204th St #101.
Local keyboard expert Kevin Lloyd lays down a “First Thursday” show at The B. Bar tonight starting at 8 p.m.
And in Lincoln, Lincoln’s own blues super-group, Church of Blues, gets their rich, soulful stew of old-school blues cookin’ to kick off KZUM’s Stransky Park concert series, 7-9 p.m. This is a free show. You’ll find the weekly Thursday shows for the summer at www.facebook.com/kzumradio – you can also keep an eye on this official Facebook page for any late-breaking information regarding potential impacts to the show tonight from weather. Or tune into KZUM at KZUM.org for weather-related updates.
It’s Friday, it’s Friday
Friday, June 6, 5:30 p.m. catch Des Moines’ Matt Woods Band at The B. Bar. Woods is a staple of the active central Iowa blues scene, and the band bio proclaims “The Matt Woods Band has the ability to turn any situation into an old-fashioned blues party!” It’s Friday night, so get out, support the Blues Society of Omaha who is co-presenting this event and enjoy the Matt Woods Band’s mix of old-school blues and original music.
The Omaha Art Fair is happening this weekend in the Aksarben Village area with sax man Chad Stoner playing in the 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. slot. Andrew Bailie Band is up at 4 p.m. BluesEd bands Blue Sunday and The Redwoods perform at 5:30 p.m. Aly Peeler Band plays at 7:30 pm. Find the rest of the music schedule at https://omahaartfair.com/, another schedule highlight is Enjoli Mitchell and his band performing at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. The Omaha Art Fair picks up where the extremely popular Summer Arts Festival left off when it ended its long run last year. Admission to the Omaha Art Fair and all the music is free to the public. Music stages are located at Stinson Park at Aksarben Village.
Soaring Wings Blues Fest
The Soaring Wings Vineyard, a short drive south of I-80 at 17222 S. 138th St., just south of Springfield, hosts its annual Blues Fest with a tremendous lineup Saturday, June 7. Admission is $45 for four excellent bands. Gates open at 1 p.m.
Kicking off the music is Omaha’s own 2025 International Blues Challenge winner, Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal, 4-5 p.m. This band is sounding better than ever and it’s great to see them getting local festival stage time before they head out to play some regional and national festivals this summer.
Dennis Jones and his band play 5:30-6:30 p.m. Guitarist and singer-songwriter Jones is becoming a local audience favorite. His contemporary blend of rock and blues led his recording “About Time” to a nomination for Best Blues Rock Album at the 2025 Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee, last month. In 2023 Dennis won the Bobby Rush Blues Entertainer Award at the Jus’ Blues Music Awards in Tunica, Mississippi. Rockandbluesmuse.com says, “Each track displays a nimble swagger he has earned over a two-decade plus career.”
Tyron Benoit is up next, 7-8 p.m., and I’ve always dug Tyron Benoit’s sound. While yes, he’s Tab’s brother, he’s got his own musical style, more rooted in the Cajun traditions. SBG Productions gets it right with this description, noting, “This band brings the summer heat of the Louisiana bayou, and the rhythm of a train chugging through America’s heartland… Tyron’s accordion dances over the band’s blues-rock-soul engine and his honeyed, deeply felt vocals sing straight to the heart. Boot-scootin’ is fully in order. In fact, dancing to this band is irresistible.”
Closing out the night is Piper & The Hard Times, 8:30-10 p.m. This is a powerhouse band with a big, high-energy sound. They were the winning band in the 2024 International Blues Challenge and took home the 2025 Blues Music Award for Best Emerging Artist Album. That album, “Revelation,” hit #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and hauled in a lot of rave reviews. “Americana Highways” compared Al “Piper” Green’s commanding vocals to Howlin’ Wolf’s voice returned “from the dead in a dynamic blues singer with a fully-loaded band.” Their music is rooted in New Orleans blues and Texas shuffles layered with soul, funk and rock.
Check the website, soaringwings.com, for other event info and for the Winery’s weekend schedule of live music throughout the summer.
Zoo Bar Blues
Blues-rock guitarist Dennis Jones holds down Lincoln’s Zoo Bar’s Friday early show, June 6, 5-7 p.m. Check out the details on Jones in the Soaring Wings write-up above. He’s one of the newer artists on the touring scene that is becoming very popular with local blues-lovers.
Monday, June 9, 7 p.m. a different Matt Woods plays The Zoo. This Matt Woods is a product of Appalachian culture. Critics reviews often draw positive comparisons to Jason Isbell with the Tampa Bay Times writing, “His brand of genre-saving country possesses an authenticity that’s earned him the loyalty of fans plus the comparisons to a range of gifted wordsmiths that run the range from Jason Isbell to Charles Bukowski.” Wild American Radio posts that a Woods show “isn’t merely a whiskey-fueled half hour set of songs, it’s in-your-face theater–sometimes verging on a public exorcism–that draws the audience in like a constricting (or comforting) hug.” Find out more at therealmattwoods.com.
Wednesday, June 11, 6-9 p.m., Gasoline Lollipops return to The Zoo. I love them for the band name alone. Staff at The Zoo Bar are high enough on the band’s music to bring them back pretty quickly after their last show. They fuse their own takes on country and rock with a punk edge for a sound that consistently delivers. With six albums out so far, they teamed up with Los Lobos’ Steve Berlin for their latest, “Kill the Architect.” The Denver Post says “Clay Rose’s voice immediately reminded me of the likes of Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen; deep, gritty and dark, yet sustained with unwavering intensity and truth.” Tinnitist.com writes that for years “Gasoline Lollipops have been stitching scraps of American roots music to patches of their own tattered hearts to form an all-new tapestry of bleeding rock ’n’ roll.” The band are three-time winners of Colorado Daily’s “Best Local Band” award, and two-time winners of Denver Westword’s “Best Country Band” award.
Remember ZooFest, the club’s 52nd Annual Anniversary event, is July 11 and 12 on 14th St. in front of the bar. The Friday schedule includes The Bel Airs, Carolyn Wonderland, Blood Brothers featuring Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia and Kris Lager’s Big Band. Saturday showcases Sailing in Soup, Church of Blues, Kansas City’s Kelley Hunt, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers and Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal.
See the event Facebook page for ticket information and details.
Keep up with the latest on The Zoo’s bookings at facebook.com/zoobarblues.
Hot Notes
Also happening Saturday, June 7, is the Blues in the Bluffs event at Ditmars Orchard & Vineyard, 19475 225th St., Council Bluffs. Héctor Anchondo Band plays 2-4 p.m., Nick Schnebelen Band performs 4-6 p.m. and Jackson Stokes Band headlines 6-8 p.m. See the event page at facebook.com/ditmarsappleorchard for directions. This event is free and all ages are welcome. Bring your own lawn or bag chairs.
If you prefer a club show Saturday night, longtime Omaha band The Wingtips plug in at Waiting Room Saturday, June 7, 8 p.m. The Meat Cutters open the show. The Wingtips promise “horns, heat, and a whole lot of offbeat rhythm…a night of ska-fueled mayhem.”
Check back on Thursday, June 12 for round two of this month’s Hoodoo, looking at the rest of June and early July.
Remember you can always find a curated calendar of local blues-roots events at the Blues Society of Omaha’s website omahablues.com.
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