BARS AND CLUBS

Moving Units at the Sokol

Omaha ROCK CITY

Conor Oberst’s skinny frame casts a long shadow

over “the Gateway to the West,” but intrepid

explorers will find that Omaha offers more than

the confessional lyrics and yearning vocals that

Oberst and others on the Saddle Creek label are

known for. To help play tour guide are Jamie

Presnall and Neely Jenkins of local faves Tilly

and the Wall. “When we’re on tour,” says Jenkins, “kids are

like, ‘I’m coming to Omaha for spring break.’ ” They won’t

find any beaches, but the thriving music scene should suffice.

Sokol Auditorium and Sokol Underground
2234 S. 13TH ST., 402-346-9802
It’s easy to tell a band’s status by whether they’re playing upstairs or downstairs
at this churchlike social hall. Up top means they’ve made it; down below
means they’re trying. Presnall cites these sister venues as her band’s
favorite place to play. “I remember crying after our first performance in the
Underground,” she says. “It was unbelievable to play for 300 people.”

LOCAL HEROES

An Omaha music mainstay since 1993, modern folkie Simon Joyner “has always been this true artist that other musicians looked up to,” Presnall says. The influence of Joyner’s beautiful-loser lyrical vignettes and elemental vocals on Omaha’s younger musicians has led some to label him the godfather of the local music scene. Content to stay in the city with his family rather than tour, Joyner still regularly records and performs around town.

The Waiting Room Lounge
6212 MAPLE ST., 402-884-5353
In March 2007, hometown booking
heavies 1% Productions expanded
their empire to include this
multipurpose venue. In addition
to nightly bands—Black Lips and
American Music Club have played
recently—the Waiting Room
offers movie nights, Guitar Hero
battles, and stand-up comedy.

O’Leaver’s Pub
1322 S. SADDLE CREEK RD.,
402-556-1238
Charming in its filth, this plucky
dive mostly books acts at the gritty
end of the indie spectrum, who play
surrounded by walls plastered with
old album covers and a cigarette-
smoke-stained ceiling. On “Sunday
Fundays,” regulars bring homemade
chili to down between shots.

name now could be said to reflect the amount of local gigs that they don’t handle.

Lallaya and Trey Lalley are Omaha’s
punk “parents.” Last March, they
helped organize “My Generation,”
a reunion of key local 1980s punk
bands such as Apathy and Double-
You. Back in the day, the couple
gave that scene a home base
with their now-shuttered venue
the Capitol. Lallaya even painted
a banner for Presnall’s wedding.
Currently, the Lalleys own and
operate the gritty Brothers Lounge.

Naming their label after a road that winds through midtown Omaha, Robb Nansel and Mike Mogis became heads of Saddle Creek in 1998. Mogis isn’t a partner anymore, but Nansel, with partner Jason Kulbel, still heads the label (which has even opened a complex of live/work spaces for artists and retailers) that Omaha bands like Neva Dinova and Mayday call home.

Slowdown
729 N. 14TH ST., 402-345-7569
Slowdown’s pin-drop acoustics and
elegant architecture (a free jukebox
and photo booth are also nice) have
helped its rep spread beyond Omaha,
with Esquire naming it 2008’s club of
the year. Visiting bands are okayed by
Saddle Creek’s Jason Kulbel and Robb
Nansel, also the club’s owners.

Barley Street Tavern
2735 N. 62ND ST., 402-408-0028
Resting on a quiet side street, this
unassuming spot is a prime locale for
Omaha’s folkies. That bartender Kyle
Harvey and DJ Brad Hoshaw are some
of the city’s best troubadours adds
to the homespun feel. On Tuesdays,
Hoshaw hosts “Viva La Vinyl,” spinning
records brought in by bargoers.

Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson make up 1% Productions, the promotion company that’s grown into a behemoth during a decade of booking shows in Omaha. Though 1% began as the hobby of music junkies who wanted to bring in bands they loved, the

Founded by Dave Sink in 1974, the Antiquarium book and record store in the historic Old Market District is legendary for breeding both characters and culture and is still a beacon of cool for those looking to venture out of the mainstream. “So many kids in this city know about music because of him and his store,” says Jenkins.

KNOW
YOUR
HISTORY

It closed in 2002, but the
decrepit all-ages venue/
nonprofit Cog Factory
was ground zero for the
Omaha indie explosion
in the 1990s. Its name was
fitting: Conor Oberst’s
first band, Commander
Venus, and members of
the Faint and Cursive
played early gigs here.
“We were lucky to
be so young and have
somewhere to go,”
says Presnall.

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP: IANLECKIE.COM; ROBERT WALTERS; SARA ADKISSON