Keep your eyes on the progress of the Blues Society of Omaha’s representatives in the 40th Annual International Blues Challenge (IBC), happening in Memphis during the first full week in January. Updates will be posted as they become available on facebook.com/bluessocietyofomaha, facebook.com/thebluesfoundation and at blues.org, the home page of the Blues Foundation. The event, billed as “the world’s largest gathering of blues musicians,” has a festival atmosphere with hundreds of artists performing at over 20 Beale Street area venues. Supporters and fans from around the world attend this week of events. After preliminary performance rounds, entrants in the solo/duo and band categories advance to the semi-finals taking place Friday, Jan. 10. Finalists selected by the IBC judges will perform Saturday, Jan. 11.
Josh Hoyer & Soul Colossal plays in the band competition and Steve Lovett represents in the solo/duo category. The BSO’s BluesEd youth program band The Memphis Project will play a set at a Beale Street venue as part of the IBC’s special youth showcase spotlight. Winning or placing well in the IBCs can be a springboard that enhances a national touring career since, during the week, Memphis is filled with blues industry professionals including talent bookers, label representatives, publicists and more.
Blues Near You
January has some great live music options. Local fans can get the blues at a variety of venues. The B. Bar has shows throughout January including its weekly 5:30 p.m. Friday early show. Find the bar’s calendar at thebbaromaha.com/events . Their calendar is included in the BSO’s curated events listings at omahablues.com. The BSO and The B. Bar host popular K.C. roots band Levee Town Friday, Jan. 31, 5:30 p.m.
Mark your calendar now for multiple Blues Music Award winner, songwriter and piano player Eden Brent performing for the BSO at The B. Bar on Thursday, Feb. 14, 6-9 p.m. for a special Valentine’s show. Admission is $15. Brent is a Mississippi blues/roots artist who is a six -time nominee and one-time recipient of the Blues Music Awards Pinetop Perkins Award for piano player of the year. She has multiple recordings out on Yellow Dog Records including the 2024 release “Getaway Blues.”
Zoo Bar Blues
Lincoln’s Zoo Bar steps in with some notable January shows including Americana roots-rock from Gasoline Lollipops Thursday, Jan. 16, 6-9 p.m. Gerardo Meza’s new project The Jericho Strays opens the show. Tickets are $12 in advance at ticketweb.com or $15 at the door. Gasoline Lollipops have toured internationally with their self-described brand of “ferocious sincerity” saying they have stitched together “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 has received Colorado Daily’s “Best Local Band” award three times and has twice won Denver Westword’s “Best Country Band” award.
Church of Blues, a local-all-star collaboration between Levi William, Josh Hoyer, Dave Boye and Joe Gourlay, plays the 5 p.m. Friday Afternoon Club show on Friday, Jan. 17. Stick around for country and bluegrass from Omaha’s Daniel & The Deliverance after 9 p.m.
The Zoo Bar has launched a Monday night “Troubadour Sessions” showcase for local singer-songwriters each Monday, 7-10 p.m. Check the Facebook listing here for details on each week’s artists.
Friday, Jan. 24, 5-7 p.m., blues-rocker Mike Zito is back. Zito is a favorite of local audiences and advance tickets are available at the bar or on ticketweb.com.
Not Playing for Laughs
Bill Murray, yes, that Bill Murray, teamed up with Mike Zito and popular blues guitarist Albert Castiglia at a recent anniversary event held by blues-roots booking agency Intrepid International in Charlotte, N.C. Check out a video from the North Carolina event here.
It was a follow-up to a jam session held during Murray’s Caddyshack Golf Tournament in St. Augustine, Fla., where Murray got onstage with Zito and Castiglia, who have a side project they call Blood Brothers. The two are friends with Murray’s brother John.
Now Murray, a longtime music fan, is leading the band with a serious blues-shouter approach on a select series of pop-up concert dates that will be happening around the country. Their official collaboration kicked off playing to a full hose at Chicago’s Thalia Hall on Jan. 3-4. So far, Murray has led the band in classic covers like Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone,” Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour,” and blues-rock tunes like Paul Butterfield Blues Band’s “Born in Chicago.”
Additional shows currently on the schedule throughout the year include Des Moines at the Val Air Ballroom Friday, April 11. Tickets and more scheduled dates are available on Stubhub.com. The collaboration also currently has dates in San Francisco, Atlanta, New York, Austin, St. Louis.
BSO Presents Mike Zito
Meanwhile, guitarist Mike Zito and his band hit Omaha for a special BSO Presents show Saturday, Jan. 25, 6-8:30 p.m. at Bushwacker’s Saloon. Admission is $20 at the door.
CIBS Winter Blues Fest
Make your plans soon if you are interested in the Central Iowa Blues Society’s (CIBS) annual Central Iowa Winter Blues Fest, happening in Des Moines Friday and Saturday, Feb. 14-15. The event offers two nights of live blues by 20 acts from major names including Duke Robillard, John Nemeth, Anson Funderburgh and Eden Brent to popular regional acts and new artists all under one roof at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Des Moines. Advance reservations for hotel rooms are recommended. Find the lineup, tickets and all the details at cibs.org.
Hot Notes
The Rathskeller Bier Haus, 4524 Farnam St., is open under new ownership and will continue to book live music. Grand opening weekend includes local acoustic trio Wooden Music Saturday, Jan. 11, 6 p.m., promising acoustic favorites and vocal harmonies from past decades with Dave Letcher, Bill King and John Lynch.
Omaha’s own IBC winner (2020 in the solo/duo category) Hector Anchondo plays The Rathskeller Saturday, Jan. 18, 6 p.m.
Local sax man Matt Wallace plays a birthday show at The B. Bar Saturday, Jan. 25, 6 p.m.
For more worthwhile shows during the month, keep your eye on the schedule at NOMA (North Omaha Music & Arts) at northomahamusic.org for workshops, jams and concerts. Check the calendar at the Red Lion in the Blackstone District for Tuesday and Wednesday night Jazz. Remember the Jewell reopened last year as the Jewell on Capitol and has a variety of genres booked on their schedule. Admission is free but table reservations and a minimum $25 spend per person are required. See the calendar and make reservations online at jewellomaha.com.
Buck’s in Venice, at 27849 W. Center Road, continues to emphasize a listening-room vibe during the music while offering an excellent line-up of country and honky-tonk shows. Buck has an ear for talent and this venue is a great place to discover touring bands that are up-and-coming on the national scene. Come early for the food and stay late for the music. Be prepared to hush the conversation and let the artists play. Which is good manners at any music venue. Check out the menu and the schedule at bucksbarandgrill.com.
Here’s an early warning for soulful, genre-bending Texan Paul Cauthen, who plays Thursday, Feb. 6 at The Admiral. Doors 7 p.m., show 8 p.m. Advance tickets are available at etix.com.
Finally, there were a lot of positive comments on social media about the return of this column, but I’d like to reiterate that this isn’t about me. My goal is to inform readers and get you out to support live music. If you don’t engage with the content, read the column, share it, go to a show and encourage others to support the local scene, then this is all a waste of resources. So, this column is intended to be a catalyst to point you to the scene and get you involved. To paraphrase my hero-pal Curtis Salgado, “Are you with me, music lovers?”
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