Esencia Latina, Davina & the Vagabonds, to play Omaha’s Jazz on the Green

Outdoor evening jazz is practically a summer tradition in Omaha and Lincoln, and the former city’s series is set for another season.

Omaha Performing Arts has announced the schedule for its sixth year of Jazz On The Green. Omaha’s Esencia Latina, Minnesota jazz/blues band Davina & the Vagabonds, Billy McGuigan & the Omaha Big Band and more will perform throughout the six-week series of free, all-ages concerts. This is also the sixth year Midtown Crossing will house the event on its permanent stage at Turner Park.

In addition to the main performances, which begin at 7:30 p.m., Omaha Performing Arts has partnered with the Blues Society of Omaha and Omaha Ballroom to present pre-show entertainment starting at 6:30 p.m.. The Blues Society’s youth program, BluesEd, will kick off three weeks of concerts, while Omaha Ballroom will showcase a pre-show dance for two. The Brownell -Talbot School’s Raider-Blues Jazz Combo plays the final week.

View the complete schedule below, and visit the Jazz On The Green website for more performer information and a list of food vendors.

July 7: Blue House with the Rent to Own Horns at 7:30 p.m.; BluesEd at 6:30 p.m.
July 14: Esencia Latina at 7:30 p.m.; pre-show Salsa Lessons via Omaha Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
July 21: Cha Wa at 7:30 p.m.; BluesEd at 6:30 p.m.
July 28: Billy McGuigan and the Omaha Big Band at 7:30 p.m.; swing dance lessons via Omaha Ballroom at 6:30 p.m.
Aug 4: Davina & the Vagabonds at 7:30 p.m.; BluesEd at 6:30 p.m.
Aug 11: saxophonist Kim Waters at 7:30 p.m.; Brownell -Talbot School’s Raider-Blues Jazz Combo at 6:30 p.m.

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Oquoa joins Speedy Ortiz, The Good Life on tour

Indie rock band Oquoa will join The Good Life and Speedy Ortiz for six tour dates in May and June. They pick up with the pair May 24 at The Waiting Room (RSVP here) and May 25 in Denver, and will rejoin June 10-14 for dates in Texas and Oklahoma.

The add is great fit for both sonic similarities and inter-band connections. Oquoa and The Good Life share a drummer in Roger Lewis, and keyboard player Patrick Newberry often serves as multi-instrumentalist with Cursive. Oquoa has also played a string of major in-town opening slots for touring bands, most recently with Ty Segall & the Muggers.

See Oquoa’s full schedule below:

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A Different Breed releases heavy-riffing track

Lincoln metal band A Different Breed has been busy in the studio, and just recently released a brand new track to preview its work.

“Iron Horse” is an unrelenting tirade of heavy riffing and searing lead guitar, executed in classic metal fashion while vocalist Caleb Moore nails the high-pitched wailing chorus. The single will appear on A Different Breed’s forthcoming record Transients.

The four-piece band is a regular in the Lincoln metal scene, and has already played across the state this year. Notably, it played Kearney’s Gillie’s Bar in March with Freakabout and American Pinup.

Hear “Iron Horse” below.

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Concert Round-Up

Tonight, Baltimore prog-rock band Horse Lords plays Lincoln’s Tree House, 13th & G. The quartet’s third full-length, Interventions, release in April, following song debuts by Pitchfork and Stereogum. Both praised Horse Lords for its complex polyrhythms and creative flair, the band fitting into the math-rock moniker but stretching its boundaries. Lincoln doom rock band Helldegard and noise-punk band Left-Handed Kings open the show. $5, RSVP here.

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