HN awards editorial contribution at fourth-annual Winter Meeting
February means winter meeting time for us at HN, which gives us the opportunity to take stock of the prior year and look ahead to the next. It also facilitates the gathering of staff, interns and contributors that, due to the remote nature of the work, rarely get to mingle all at once.
We celebrated the contributions of those contributors and interns that produced amazing work over the last 12 months at our fourth-annual Winter Meeting last night in Benson. Not all who were honored were present — we’re lucky to have contributors around the country — but it’s always special to get as many together as possible.
We thought we’d share the winners: recognizing them here and also giving you the opportunity to revisit their terrific work. These decisions were incredibly difficult to make, given the sheer volume of content produced since last year. (Thanks to MTRL DSGN for designing this year’s tiny Nebraskas).
Best Quote: Kelly Langin for Burger Records, Urban Outfitters and Omaha’s tape vending machine
““It’s kind of a magical thing when you can pay your mortgage by tinkering with a busted cigarette machine for two weeks,” Jason Meyer says of designing Burger Records’ tape machine.
Best Lede: Andrew Stellmon for Nick Rich: From Addiction to Benediction
“In February 2011, just days before his life collapsed, Nick Rich and his wife came to live at his father-in-law’s lake house in Ogallala, Neb. He needed to get out of Las Vegas, out of the rockstar lifestyle that had gripped him like a fog.”
(Honorable mention: Nate Sindelar for Mark Kozelek at Vega)
Best Interview: Jacob Zlomke for Bent Life Signs with Bridge 9, and Starting a Nebraska Music Dialogue
Best Feature: Jacob Zlomke for Love and Growth: Speedy Ortiz, Maha and the balancing act of expansion
(Runners up: Lindsey Yoneda and Chris Dinan for Crossfade: Christine Fink x Stefanie Drootin-Senseney. Honorable Mention: Jacob Zlomke and Chance Solem-Pfeifer for Heart of the Circus: A SXSW 2015 Diary; Jon Taylor for 30 Years of Nebraska Music from the Blogger Who Was There: An Interview with Tim McMahan; Stellmon for Saturday Night at Norden Dance Hall)
Best Portrait Photo: JP Davis, The Good Life at ARC
(Honorable Mention to Molly Misek for this photo of Speedy Ortiz at Maha)
Best Action Photo: Lindsey Yoneda, The Good Life at Slowdown
(Honorable Mentions: Ben Semisch, Terror at The Hideout; Molly Misek, The Good Life at Maha; JP Davis, Both at Maha; James Dean, Rothsteen at Reverb Lounge)
Best Instagram: Bridget McQuillan
Best Video Editing: Chris Dinan, Good Living Tour Recap:
Honorable mention: Nickolai Hammar, Maha Music Festival Recap; Peter Barnes, An Afternoon with Freakabout
Best Video Direction: Nickolai Hammar, “Kibler’s Corner: Gerardo Meza”
Honorable mention: Chris Dinan and Bridget McQuillan, “Experience Nebraska” videos
Best Design: Justin Kemmerling, Good Living Tour
In addition, five “Smells Like HN Spirit” awards were given to five contributors for their outstanding hustle and effort. Those terrific humans are Daniel Muller, Chelsea Yates, Bridget McQuillan, James Dean and former managing editor Michael Todd.
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Super Moon releases new EP
Omaha stoner rock quartet Super Moon releases a brand new EP tomorrow night at Lookout Lounge. The self-titled record was recorded with Doug Decker at Omaha’s Anytime Studios over the course of 2015.
In many ways a throwback, Super Moon combines elements of haze rock classics like White Zombie and Black Sabbath, throttling vocally to Metallica-level angst at times. Think heavy, runaway riffs and pounding rhythms.
Super Moon can be purchased at Super Moon’s Bandcamp page here, or pick one up at the show tomorrow. Finch X Kovacs, J Crum, Varmint, pflames and Dummy Head round out the eclectic billing. RSVP here.
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Lincoln painter posthumously honored at downtown First Friday exhibit
by Gabriella Parsons
“Reprise,” by definition, is a repeated passage in music.
Curator Hailey Hamilton says the concept of the art show “The Mike Kula Reprise” is the repetition of an artist’s work even after his death.
Just as music transcends the life of a musician, Mike Kula, an abstract painter who died three years ago, wished for his art to live on.
After three years of his work unsung, Kula’s art will finally be reprised. “The Mike Kula Reprise” will be shown on the third floor of the Nonprofit Hub from 5-9 p.m. tonight, revealing the artist’s life work for the first time since his death, and making his wish come true.
With his meticulous strokes and bright, vivid colors, Kula’s art is abstract, but easily understood, his haunting work leaving you feeling inspired, like any good song would.
“There’s a melody in his paintings,” Hamilton said. “Either with characters, or strokes, or instruments.”
Originally from Colorado Springs, Colo., Kula received his BFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1997 and had strong ties with the Lincoln art community up until his death. All proceeds supporting the art program Kula co-founded nearly 15 years ago, Artists On The Edge.
Artists On The Edge is located in the F St. Community Center and provides visual artists a space to create art. The group meets on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 5-7 p.m. Its sister program, Writer’s Wordshop, focuses on writers and poets, and meets on the first and third Wednesday of the month. The workshops are free and open to the public.
With the Nonprofit Hub being HN’s Lincoln headquarters, this community curating effort is especially close to us. Please be sure to put the Nonprofit Hub (14th and P streets) on your First Friday route tonight. RSVP here.
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Concert Round-Up
There’s so much going on this weekend; your best bet is to head to our statewide calendar at hearnebraska.org/events. If you don’t see your show, or one you plan to attend, email us at news@hearnebraska.org, or add it yourself via the contribute button at the top of our homepage. See you out there!