photo by Alex Matzke
[Editor's note: This story was published originally in the Daily Nebraskan. The reporter writes for both the DN and Hear Nebraska.]
Omaha girls will be hoping for good luck as they hear songs about superstition in a music competition on a very unlucky day — Friday the 13th.
The “A Week and a Song Contest” show will be held at the Slowdown in Omaha, Neb., on Friday at 9 p.m. with The Betties, Gus & Call, Howard and Sun Settings, bands chosen by Hear Nebraska and Omahype.
“Omaha Girls Rock is an institution doing something (Hear Nebraska) cares deeply about, which is teaching young women to love and play music,” said Andrew Norman, editor and director of Hear Nebraska, who was brought in to select and book the bands.
photo of Sun Settings by Matthew Masin
For the contest, the groups participating will have one week to write an original song pertaining to a chosen theme; this year, the topic is superstition. Portions of the writing process will be captured on film and posted online prior to the Friday show.
“The songs will all be different depending on what the theme means to each band,” he said.
Although there is a specific theme to be implemented by each group, Norman realizes it is a difficult task for anyone, not only young girls.
“It’s really tough to write a song in one week because it can seem restrictive,” Norman said. “I’d find it challenging myself, so I’m interested to see how they handle it.”
With this obstacle in mind, the artists will carefully prepare their song to be played at the end of their set list. The audience will vote for the best song, and the winning group gets to send one member of their choice to the Omaha Girls Rock Camp this summer, which is for girls ages 8 to 18.
“It’s a fundraiser for Omaha Girls Rock, which provides opportunities for young women,” Norman said. “It is important that this organization and camp continue.”
photo of Howard by Lindsay Trapnell
All proceeds from the Friday concert will go toward the institution, whose mission is to help girls be confident in using their voices through music education and performance.
“They represent the future music scene here, which is very exciting,” Norman said. “There are some wonderful local women musicians, but they are outnumbered and I would like to see the numbers grow.”
Val Nelson, who volunteers for Omaha Girls Rock and is the booking manager at the Slowdown, helped to put this event together.
“It is a fun twist on the classic benefit show,” Nelson said. “I’m looking forward to hearing all of the brand new songs.”
photo of The Betties by Shannon Claire
For the bands, the concert is essential in working toward a chance to go to the summer camp, where they will learn more about music and self-expression through workshops and one-on-one consultations with female mentors.
“It is important to the bands that the camp still exists,” Nelson said. “(The girls) were happy to help by being so generous with their time.”
Kelsey Haugen is a Hear Nebraska intern who also writes for the Daily Nebraskan. Andrew Norman is Hear Nebraska's editor-in-chief. Reach Kelsey at kelseyh@hearnebraska.org, and Andrew at andrewn@hearnebraska.org.