Summertime at Hear Nebraska means a plethora of festivals, the Good Living Tour and a brand new crop of interns to help cover it all.
Below, you’ll meet Lauren Farris, Alex Lucke, Michael Huber and Patrick Nolan. Farris has already contributed photos and video in 2016, starting her internship proper by shoot in both Lincoln and Omaha this past weekend. Lucke joins HN after three full years as an Arts & Entertainment writer at the Daily Nebraskan, serving as A&E editor last academic year. Both are based in Lincoln.
The regular Omaha concert-goer might recognize Huber as alt-punk band No Thanks’s guitarist, but he’s also a senior journalism student at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and writes regularly about the music scene for his personal blog. Nolan, an Omaha native, will spend the summer in his hometown on break from his studies at George Washington University. Last March, he penned a thoughtful (and eventually viral) open letter to Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts following the state’s lifted ban on same-sex marriage from the standpoint of a state ambassador.
Keep an eye out for their names on HearNebraska.org through the end of August. From major festivals to house shows, you’ll see them out and about with cameras and notepads, highlighting Nebraska’s lush music community. We’re already excited about the work they’ll produce.
[Editor’s note: Wednesday night is your first chance to meet them in person, as we celebrate Omaha Gives with a concert at Slowdown. Join Benson First Friday, Maha Music Festival, Nebraska Writers Collective, Omaha Girls Rock, Omaha Symphony and HN for the fundraising after-party featuring The Davs, Omaha Symphony Quartet, Louder Than A Bomb poetry, Dilla Kids, All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, E Rawq and Universe Contest. RSVP here].
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Lauren Farris
Age: 21
Hometown: Mitchell, South Dakota
Current City: Lincoln, NE
Internship Focus: Multimedia
What should Hear Nebraska’s audience expect from you during your internship?
I will be striving to create compelling multimedia content for HN that remains true and representational of the artists I’m shooting, but that also is laced with my own personal style. I’m excited to explore new ways to capture and convey the culture and atmosphere of the local music scene that thrives here.
In what ways/skills do you hope to improve the most during your internship?
I hope to get better at not only capturing specific moments in time, but capturing the emotion that those moments encompass. Music is such a profoundly expressive outlet and I want to get better at producing images that vividly communicate that.
What was the first and most recent concert you attended in Nebraska?
The first show I attended when I moved to Lincoln was an Icky Blossoms show at Vega. That’s still one of the best shows I’ve attended to this day and was definitely a large part of why I started going to more local shows. The last show I attended was The Ambulanters’ EP release show, which was also really incredible because it just showcased a myriad of really talented local artists.
photo by Lindsey Yoneda
Tell us about a time you realized music and art mattered/impacted your community.
The first time I realized how big of an impact music had been making on my community was the first time I went to Lincoln Calling. Being new to town, I didn’t really realize the magnitude of the music scene here. Not only that, but I also didn’t realize the amount of support and community that was fostered within it. The experience of seeing artists supporting other artists was something that really struck me and inspired me to get involved somehow.
What’s one Nebraska artist or band you’d like to work with or cover during your internship?
I would really like to work with Icky Blossoms. They were the first local band I saw when I moved here and they were what sparked my interest in the local music scene and also they just seem like they would be really fun to work with.
Tell us one thing outside of your musical comfort zone you’d like to explore during your internship.
I suppose I would say just the country genre as a whole. I know there are country musicians in Lincoln and Omaha but I know very very few of them so I think it would be really great to dive deeper into that and familiarize myself more with it.
What professional in your field do you most look up to and why?
Ryan Muirhead is a photographer whom I admire greatly. His work is stunning, but in my opinion, in an unconventional way. His photos are equal parts beautiful and haunting and that delicate balance is something that really attracts and inspires me. I also recently discovered that he does some concert photography and was thrilled to see that he remains true to that style in those too, which makes for really exceptional images. I hope to get better at not only capturing specific moments in time, but capturing the
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Alex Lucke
Age: 21
Hometown: Olathe, KS
Current City: Lincoln, NE
Internship Focus: Editorial
What should Hear Nebraska’s audience expect from you during your internship?
Hear Nebraska’s audience can expect unbiased and in-depth reporting about facets of the music scene that haven’t been tapped into quite yet or need more attention. I want to focus on the people that make the music and what their story is.
In what ways/skills do you hope to improve the most during your internship?
A little ironically I hope to get better at concert reviews. I’ve spent a lot of time writing profiles and I would like to get better at translating performances and sound into words without relying on more visual details.
What was the first and most recent concert you attended in Nebraska?
The first show I went to in Lincoln was Cherub and the most recent was the Ambulanters’ EP Release show with This Machine Kills Vibes, I Forgot to Love My Father and Better Friend [editor’s note: Lucke covered the show for our Monday, May 16 news section].
Tell us about a time you realized music and art mattered/impacted your community.
One of my first assignments as a freshman reporter at the Daily Nebraskan was to cover Lincoln Calling. I remember being blown away by the Lincoln music scene’s sheer size and sense of community. It’s almost like a well kept secret that really doesn’t want to be a secret at all.
What’s one Nebraska artist or band you’d like to work with or cover during your internship?
The Ambulanters’ EP Release show was the first time I ever saw Better Friend perform and I’ve never seen a band as empowering as it was. Meghan’s lyrics are out of this world and the whole band manages to leave it all on the stage. I’d also like to dive into local R&B and hip hop.
Tell us one thing outside of your musical comfort zone you’d like to explore during your internship.
I think the biggest thing I need to work on is learning the technicalities of any genre. Music on a very basic level and the terminology is pretty outside of my comfort zone and I would love to learn more in order to tell stories on a better level.
What professional in your field do you most look up to and why?
I’d absolutely have to go with Lane DeGregory. Her ability to tell stories is unbeatable and I’ve cried reading so many of her pieces because they’re beautiful and well reported and are borderline impossible to put down.
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Michael Huber
Age: 22
Hometown: Omaha
Current City: Omaha
Internship Focus: Editorial
What should Hear Nebraska’s audience expect from you during your internship?
A fair voice covering some of the lesser known and weirder acts in the area. Goth, punk, dungeon synth, noise-rock; so on and so forth down the genre hole. Believe it or not, goth is still around.
In what ways/skills do you hope to improve the most during your internship?
Interviewing is probably the toughest part of journalism for me. I’d like to be more comfortable in the hot seat and feel able to grill people without feeling like a jerk.
What was the first and most recent concert you attended in Nebraska?
The first concert I ever attended was Psychostick at Sokol Underground when I was 13. At one point I got crushed under the swirling horde of drunken metalheads and thought I was a goner. I couldn’t help but think of that moment as my legacy: trampled to death at a Psychostick concert. Luckily, somebody pulled me up.
The most recent concert was technically Thundercat when he opened for Hannibal Buress on the 19th. He drunkenly forgot his own lyrics, but at least he was honest about it. Before that I went to A Giant Dog and Kitten Forever at the Milk Run.
Tell us about a time you realized music and art mattered/impacted your community.
I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for my time spent at the Hole when I was in high school. Many of the people I still talk to today consider the Hole a former stomping ground. The community and friendships formed there would never have happened without it. I’m grateful for the venues since then that have hopefully created similar memories for others.
What’s one Nebraska artist or band you’d like to work with or cover during your internship?
Plack Blague. He rules and doesn’t answer my facebook messages. Yet. His codpiece inspires me.
What professional in your field do you most look up to and why?
I’d say it’s a tie. My favorite real life journalist, Mish Way, gets major points for being in White Lung and writing for 10 different publications at the same time. My favorite fictional journalist is Spider Jerusalem of the Transmetropolitan series because he just cannot be bothered with anything that gets in the way of the truth.
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Patrick Nolan
Age: 19
Hometown: Omaha, Nebraska
Current City: Lincoln, NE/Omaha
Internship Focus: Editorial
What should Hear Nebraska’s audience expect from you during your internship?
I think that first and foremost, they should expect from me high-quality news writing and journalism from me. Clear, concise, vivid, and accurate pieces of news are what I expect from myself and are what is expected from me at GW’s School of Media and Public Affairs. One of my primary goals in this role at Hear Nebraska is to consistently deliver my finest to Hear Nebraska’s global readership. I want HN’s readers to feel as plugged into Nebraska’s musical culture as I will be. This idea is, at its core, the inspiration for my second goal for this internship. Being a native-born Nebraskan is a huge part of my identity as a college student in Washington, D.C. Because my Nebraskan upbringing has become the bedrock of my identity, I feel a strong sense of pride and provincialism about the state and its music. I want HN’s readers to hear my voice in my writing as a strong proponent of the state and its huge contribution to American culture. I think they should expect a music journalist that will always reporting a factual narrative but will also always be looking to change the national and international narratives about Nebraska and its people, its music, and its cultural contributions.
In what ways/skills do you hope to improve the most during your internship?
I hope to improve my writing and reporting skills in this internship. Although I have been working in college to learn the practical skills and academic perspectives surrounding journalism from world-class professionals for two years, I am excited to be able to apply those abilities in a professional setting. Publishing by deadlines, interviews, informative leads, concise narratives, and compelling articles; these are cornerstones to this role and I feel they will improve by leaps and bounds by the end of the summer.
What was the first and most recent concert you attended in Nebraska?
I am sure the first concert in Nebraska I ever attended was some sort of symphony or musical; my mom and dad were always taking us as children to community performances at the Playhouse and Omaha Symphony performances. I am very grateful because for those experiences as they solidified an appreciation for music and its role in the community at an early age.
The first rock concert I attended in Nebraska was Eric Clapton at the Quest Center on March 31, 2007. I was 10 years old, and I was SUPER into Eric Clapton. I used to tell everyone at Dundee Elementary that Clapton’s nickname was “God”, and that the nickname seemed inappropriate because, “while he was pretty amazing, God was no Eric Clapton.” My dad got the tickets for me for Christmas, and we went together. Robert Cray opened the show, and Clapton played an amazing set-list that included a “Little Wing” cover and a face-melting rendition of Layla. It was probably the best first-concert experience a 10-year-old classic rock fan could have asked for. I think I was smiling for two months after the show.
The most recent concert I attended in Nebraska was Conor Oberst at the Waiting Room on June 18, 2015. Bright Eyes is one of my favorite bands of all time and Oberst is one of my favorite musicians. This was the first time I had seen Conor Oberst perform live despite having been a huge fan since 8th grade. The show did not disappoint. With the backing of the Felice Brothers (who performed a killer opening set, by the way), Oberst played a diverse set-list of Bright Eyes songs and his solo work. He played a lot off of his new album, Upside Down Mountain, but played some crowd favorites like Southern State and Cape Canaveral as well. It was an electrifying performance from one of Nebraska’s all-time greats (if you ask me).
Tell us about a time you realized music and art mattered/impacted your community.
It’s hard to pinpoint a moment when I realized the impact of music on my community. It seems to me as if my life up until now has been a series of musical performances, rehearsals, concert tickets, and practice sessions. I started taking piano lessons in 1st grade, guitar lessons in 4th grade, and trumpet lessons in 7th. I was in the marching band, jazz combo, and jazz band at CHS, I played trumpet in Omaha Area Youth Orchestra and Metro Area Youth Jazz Orchestra, I played in the All-State Orchestra for three years. I started going to rock concerts at the age of 10 and I took great lengths to make sure my 160 GB iPod Classic was as full of music as possible. Music is fundamentally a part of who I am and it has shaped the person I will forever be.
Nevertheless, there are many anecdotes from across those years that stick out to me. One hugely impactful one comes from surprisingly late in my high school career. I always knew music, art ,and performance was valuable to me and valuable to culture as a whole. Performing in a symphony orchestra when you’re 10 can do that for you. But, I have to admit, sometimes the empty seats were demoralizing to me. If music and art was so impactful and such a huge part of cultural identity, why did it always seem like the performances I participated in and/or attended went unnoticed? That didn’t really make sense to me. My senior year of high school, however, changed that narrative in a lot of ways for me. That year, Central High School’s Road
Show turned 100 years old. I had participated in the Road Show every year across my high school career, and seeing as I was a very involved Social Studies student as well, my AP US History teacher asked me and a partner to compile a comprehensive history of the Road Show. We produced a 25 page paper and a 45 minute documentary on the Road Show, the first history project of its kind to be produced on the show. My research on the show demonstrated to me the impact a show like that can have. The Road Show had mirrored every major social and historical event that had occurred in its 100 year history; it raised funds for both World Wars, it played a integral role in the fight for Civil Rights in Omaha, it served as a stage on which to protest the Vietnam war, etc. And above all, it had made an impact on nearly every CHS student since 1914. Everyone remembered the Road Show, and everyone had something to say. It was revered in every student publication and yearbook since its beginning, and it was universally appreciated and admired. The 100th show weekend sold hundreds, maybe thousands, of tickets, and people from all over and of all ages returned to CHS to watch it. The school even produced a “Road Show” alumni show at the beginning of the weekend so that CHS alums, most notably Peter Buffett, could come back and rehash old Road Show glories. The show meant so much to the CHS community, and was a universal experience that tied every generation of CHS student together. It was honestly an incredible opportunity to conduct that research and participate in that 100th show, and it was a life-changing demonstration of the cross-generational impact music, culture, and performance can have on a community.
What’s one Nebraska artist or band you’d like to work with or cover during your internship?
All Young Girls are Machine Guns, no doubt in my mind. I have followed them since my early high school days, and I really love their sound. I am dying to see them live and get a chance to meet them.
Tell us one thing outside of your musical comfort zone you’d like to explore during your internship.
I know nothing about Nebraska hip-hop. I have never been to a hip-hop or rap show, and while I listen to Kayne, Drake, MF Doom, NWA, and some other rappers on occasion, I can’t profess to know much about the genre or the culture. That is a definite step outside my comfort zone that I am thrilled to take.
What professional in your field do you most look up to and why?
Josh Earnest, without a doubt. As a Kansas City native/midwestern guy who is now White House Press Secretary, Earnest represents a lot of things to me. First and foremost, he represents that the sky is the limit, and is an obvious role model to a fellow midwesterner and a student of Political Communication like me. He navigates the thankless job of WH Press Secretary with tact and savvy, and it seems like nothing phases him. Watching him conduct a press conference is like watching a legendary maestro conduct a Beethoven symphony; inspiring, commanding, subtle at times, frantic at others, yet always cool, unflappable, and in control.