Music of Nebraska - Omaha

Omaha

Bands on the Saddle Creek record label out of Omaha, Nebraska such as Bright Eyes, The Faint, and Cursive. These bands are playing a significant role in the current national rock scene. The formation of the sound occurred in the mid 1990s with Commander Venus, Frontier Trust, Weak, and Matchbook Shannon, and clubs such as the Cog Factory, and Sokol Music Hall. Many people involved in these bands and venues are currently involved with Saddle Creek.

Other related aspects of the Omaha sound include various alternative bands. The alternative music scene has produced such popular artists as 311, Beaver & the Hottage Cutch, Betsy Wells and Grasshopper Takeover, and Omaha has been a temporary home base of Midwest bands such as Tilly and the Wall, Rilo Kiley, The Urge, Pomeroy, and Blue October. Tim McMahan's Lazy-i and SLAMOmaha.com are the main media outlets promoting Saddle Creek and other Omaha bands.

In Omaha, a mainstay of the music scene is Nils Erikson. The studio houses modern equipment and has recorded with artists with local connections such as 311, but what makes the studio famous is its collection of vintage equipment. On top of the studio, Nils heads local jam band Paddy O'Furniture. Other mainstays of the music scene in Omaha include folk artists such as Simon Joyner, Kyle Knapp, and his son, Saddle Creek artist Joe Knapp, Joe Watson, Mike Murphy, Kevin Quinn, and electronic artists Peter None and Chip Davis.

Notable jazz musicians include guitarist Dave Stryker and drummer Victor Lewis.

Omaha also has many heavier acts as well. in the mid to late 90's' the bands Secret Skin, Clever, and Twitch dominated the scene with their highly rhythmic and guitar driven sound. Since the turn of the millennium, it has been a strong spot for Metalcore bands. A good amount have gone on to be National acts, such as Analog, Paria, System Failure, and I Am Legend. Also the Power Metal band Cellador hails from Omaha. It also draws many other heavy musical acts, strongly of the Screamo genre, including Eyes of Verotika, Caught in the Fall, and Robots Don't Cry. Other notable groups include Noah's Ark was a Spaceship, Back When, and Father.

The 2000s saw the rise in popularity of Saddle Creek Records. The label went on to build a music venue called Slowdown, encouraging more bands to stop in Omaha rather than skipping to the heralded music scene of Lawrence, Kansas. The Waiting Room also opened in March 2007.

For over a decade Terry O'Halloran and the Omaha Blues Society have brought world class blues to Omaha. Within the past 5 years Omaha has grown to love local favorites "Satchel Grande," "Kris Lager Band," and "Funk Trek". Their predecessors "Electric Soul Method" and "Polydypsia" helped set the stage for this music to grow in Omaha.