Once A Pawn plays Hear Lincoln tomorrow; The Bay hosts inaugural Skate, Art and Music Festival; Colonel Mustard theater company presents three-night production of ‘The Brothers Karamazov’

Veteran punk rock trio Once A Pawn will take the stage at 13th and P tomorrow for the final 2015 installment of Hear Lincoln. RSVP to the Facebook event here.

We caught up with drummer and vocalist C Balta back in July, when Once A Pawn was originally scheduled for Hear Lincoln. We covered the band’s recent outings with progressive and political t-shirts, as well as the musical maturity digging in on its most recent record, The New Nude. Read that Q&A here.

As the fourth year of Hear Lincoln comes to a close, we extend our gratitude to the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce for presenting the series, the Cooper Foundation for sponsoring and to KZUM Radio for media sponsorship.

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In an effort to raise funds and support local arts, The Bay kicks off its inaugural Skate, Music and Art Festival tomorrow evening in the Railyard.

The event will feature skateboard competitions in two divisions starting at 4 p.m., an art walk featuring local artists and live music with AZP, Red Cities and DJ Relic (RSVP here). Donation opportunities will be available throughout the day, benefitting The Bay and Skate For Change.

The Bay is a Lincoln-based international outreach program, built around local arts, music and skateboarding. In addition to providing a safe place for recreation, The Bay focuses on eliminating hunger and homelessness in its street outreach efforts, according to its website. Learn more here.

Mellow Mushroom is sponsoring the mini ramp jam competitions in both intermediate and expert divisions. First, second and third place prizes are up for grabs in both. Registration begins one hour before the event.

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Omaha Performing Arts is again celebrating ticket sales success in two of its finest concert spaces.

The Holland Center for Performing Arts and the Orpheum Theater cracked Pollstar’s mid-year Top 100 in worldwide theater ticket sales. Using data from Jan. 1 to June 30, the Holland Center checked in at 98th, while the Orpheum Theater ranked 50th.

These rankings represent continued success from last year’s run. The Orpheum Theater rose two spots from 52nd, while the Holland Center experienced a massive rise, from its year-end spot at 143rd. In a recent press release, OPA president Joan Squires credited both venues’ high quality entertainment and community support.

“We continually strive to make Omaha a destination for top entertainers and Broadway productions,” Squires says.

Read the Pollstar mid-year review here.

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HN contributor James Dean walked his beat to Zoo Bar last night, nabbing photos of Des Moines singer/songwriter Ryan Stier’s project Extravision. Stier was joined by Oquoa’s Max Holmquist, I Forgot to Love My Father frontman (and former HN intern) JP Davis, and Lincoln soul band Mesonjixx.

See Dean’s photos below:

JP Davis

JP Davis | Zoo Bar | 8/19/2015

Max Holmquist

Max Holmquist | Zoo Bar | 8/19/2015

Extravision (Ryan Stier)

Extravision | Zoo Bar | 8/19/2015

Mesonjixx

Mesonjixx | Zoo Bar | 8/19/2015

photos by James Dean

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Tonight marks the beginning of a limited run of Lincoln’s Colonel Mustard Amateur Attic Theater Company’s production of The Brothers Karamazov.

The free, three-night event features the company’s adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s 1880 novel of the same name. Colonel Mustard’s home theater — the backyard at mustard-colored 920 D St — will host performances Aug. 20-22, all starting at 7:30 p.m.

The Brothers Karamazov Dostoyevsky’s final novel — is a philosophical work set in a 19th Century Russia in the midst of modernization. It explores ethical debates on God, free will and morality through the exploits of the three Karamazov brothers, Dmitri, Ivan and Alexei, as they each live through the harrowing ordeal of their father’s murder. Colonel Mustard’s adaptation looks to be colored with more humor than the original story.

The Colonel Mustard is a a 501(c)(3) non-profit volunteer-driven arts organization based in downtown Lincoln. According to its mission statement, the theater company is dedicated to bringing “surprising, inspiring and free-of-charge entertainment to the city of Lincoln.”  It has produced original plays and musicals (with original songs) such as Jurassic Park: The Musical, X-Files: The Musical and Spider Man: The Musical: The Musical.

Doors are at 6 p.m., and blanket seating is limited. Colonel Mustard has deemed the production “PG-13” for crude humor and some violence. RSVP here.

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Tonight, folk/bluegrass outfit Judah & the Lion plays the first of three concerts in the Midtown Crossing’s End of Summer Concert Series.

The free concert series will take place each of the next three Thursdays — Aug. 20, Aug. 27 and Sept. 3 — and will feature a different national touring act each night. Other acts include Country artist Logan Mize and Joplin, Mo., trio Ben Miller Band.

In its fourth year, the End of Summer Concert Series organizers reduced its schedule from six to three dates in order to book an all-national lineup. Event coordinator Molly Skold that the move from local to national acts was guided by community feedback.

“Country, folk and bluegrass has been a very popular option for us – particularly for the End of Summer Concert Series – and this year we were able to land three national artists in those categories,” Skold says.

See the complete three-week lineup below. The University of Nebraska-Omaha is a sponsor of Midtown Crossings End of Summer Concert Series.

Aug. 20 (RSVP here)
6:30 p.m. – UNO Marching Mavericks
7:00 p.m. – Judah & the Lion

Aug. 27 (RSVP here)
6:30 p.m. – UNO Percussion Ensemble
7:00 p.m. – Ben Miller Band

Sept. 3 (RSVP here)
6:30 p.m. – UNO Jazz One
7:00 p.m. – Logan Mize (post-concert firework show)

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Tonight in the Slowdown front room, Gloom Balloon and Christopher the Conquered start their two-night run of Nebraska shows. It has been an interesting week for Christopher the Conquered — the performance moniker of Christopher Ford — after nationally renowned songwriter/producer Ryan Adams promoted Ford’s album via Adams’s Twitter page. The ensuing windfall of social media attention has been a boon to publicity Ford’s forthcoming album and promotion from music publication Consequence of Sound.

Ford will join Patrick Fleming to perform as Gloom Balloon, Fleming’s performance-art pop project. Omaha hip-hip outfit M34n Str33t will open the 8p.m. show. RSVP here.

Also tonight, a trio of Lincoln acts — Red Cities, Sputnik Kaputnik and Yesh — play a show at The Spigot. Entry to the 9 p.m. show is $5. RSVP here.

As always, head to our statewide calendar at hearnebraska.org/events for a fuller listing of shows. If you do not see your show or one you plan to attend, email us at news@hearnebraska.org, or add it yourself. And keep those song submissions, story ideas and news tips coming.