Q+A with the minds behind the ambitious New Generation Music Festival
Marcey Yates of Raleigh Science Project does not see why hip-hop, the genre he has been working to produce and promote in Nebraska for seven years, has to be “over here” while everyone else is “over there.” For Yates, August 5th will represent the culmination of a year’s work to bring hip-hop and other genres “into the same house and under the same roof” in Omaha.
Twenty-three bands will take two stages Friday at Stinson Park in Omaha’s Aksarben Village for the first ever New Generation Music Festival. The festival is presented by Raleigh Science Project, a local hip-hop promoter and artistic collective.
The festival, which starts at 3 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m., will represent the culmination of a year’s worth of planning and hard work for Raleigh Science Project. The lineup they have assembled is as big as it is diverse, with local and regional outfits creating a jam-packed day of hip-hop, E.D.M., and hard rock among other genres.
Screaming for Silence, the local hard rock band that has amassed a national following, will headline the show.
The festival is a brand new addition to Omaha’s music scene, and the first major festival that Raleigh Science Project has cultivated. Organized by Marcey Yates (aka Op2mus), Mark Patrick and JADC Productions’ Jamison Denton-Carter, the event aims to “bridge the gap between coasts” while highlighting up-and-coming regional independent artists in all genres.
Tickets are available for $20.
HN sat down with Mark Patrick, Marcey Yates, and Jamison Denton-Carter, the minds behind the ambitious new project, to discuss the diversity of the lineup, the details of the production, and the future of New Generation.
HN: Tell me about the name, “New Generation.” What is the inspiration for that?
Mark Patrick: For the idea behind it, we wanted something new, something to reach a generation that hasn’t been tapped into — up and coming artist, business, entrepreneurs. That’s where we went with it.
Jamison Denton-Carter: So as we were brainstorming, New Generation was actually a name I used for my own production company, but we thought that it would definitely fit the festival.
HN: I want to dive into the lineup because 1. It’s extensive, and 2. It’s quite diverse. Tell me about what it was like putting it together. What was the thought process behind that?
Marcey Yates: There were literally hundreds of people who wanted to perform in this festival. That’s by itself is pretty tough, but off the top we already had ideas of things we wanted to include in the festival. There were some good ones that we needed to stage, some veterans that have been around for a while. Sticking to that concept, it made it easy to weed through. We wanted enough of this, enough of that.
MP: We are artists ourselves, so we know the scene and a lot of different genres. We know who puts in a lot of work and doesn’t really get that big stage. We took that into consideration immediately, and we also did some research and found some that we weren’t even familiar with because we had a couple hundred people in our inbox.
MY: We listen to everybody, we really do.
MP: We had a lineup and we had ideas. We just kept thinking, ‘how can we do this?’ We wanted with no-down time between the acts with non-stop energy flowing between the entire park.
MY: I think variety is good, and I think variety is really good if it changes fast. Without multiple people playing a 40-minute set, their is more energy and it’s less stagnant. And it’s all good music.
MP: We envisioned it and planned our lineup with what elements they can bring to the crowd. We wanted it to build and build and so it just gets crazier and crazier with the talent as the night goes on. We had to have numerous meetings about that line-up! It was fun.
MY: And we are glad that some our artists are cool with playing 15-minute sets, because for some that’s really really short. But they get the sense of community behind it.
MP: We wanted it to be diverse, and have an even where it’s not just focused type of music or on one group who work together all the time. We wanted everybody to come together and do something special. Screaming for Silence put in more work than most people in the scene and they have a nice following. We reached out to them and they were excited and really wanted to do it right away. We love their energy. It really fell together in the best way.
HN: So, I am looking at the lineup and I see hard rock, experimental jazz, acoustic music, EDM, dubstep, hip-hop. Why was musical diversity the first you guys went to? Raleigh Science Project has been a hip-hop promoter for seven years, and this being your first music festival, I am interested in why you thought big on genre.
JDC: Well, a lot of people in Omaha particularly, they haven’t heard a lot of dubstep and trap and stuff like that. It’s all on the coasts or in a different country. So, we wanted to bring music like that to the table. It’s really good stuff, and we wanted people to have the chance to experience that.
MP: Raleigh Science Project fuses with a lot of different genres in the music we create. We appreciate and are inspired by every type of genre. So, yeah it would be cool to throw a big hip-hop show — and we are evening thinking about it for the future — but to mix it up for this festival just makes sense. There is so much talent in every area.
MY: It’s just not all about hip-hop. It’s on the roster, but [Raleigh Science Project] does mixed genre events because it’s a good way of getting people to trust the hip-hop. All hip-hop shows can be not as attractive to certain crowds, so like to blend genres so it can all be in one. Hip-hop doesn’t just have to be over here with everyone else over there. We wanted to have everyone under the same roof in the same house so they can blend and get to know each other.
HN: Tell me about the long view for New Generation. It being so close to Maha and the same venue, I’m sure you’ve drawn this comparison a lot, but tell me about what you want to carve out into Omaha and the region.
MY: We are trying to play our role to upkeep the music scene here. I feel like it’s a duty to everyone, not just to those who was already here. Others in the scene can’t necessarily see everyone under every rock, and that’s where we come in. It’s for the local scene, and hopefully to be an outlet for them to aspire to as well.
MP: The idea and the dream doesn’t stop here in Omaha. We wanted a name that would catch people’s attention across the country, and we have the dream to take this across the country. It’s always going to be a big focus on the local scene and expanding it to the fullest. We also think we can bring out folks who don’t necessarily go to local shows. We want people to say ‘I had never heard The Hottman Sisters, or Jocelyn before’ and other groups that we have. The dream is big, and it’s just the beginning.
JDC: We also want to bring artists together across regions to create collaborations and something completely new.
HN: So it sounds like it’s a spirit of community is the driving force behind the project.
MP: The artists understand the vision behind it. They know what we are trying to do isn’t just a festival. We want to build and expand for the scene. We want everybody to know that Omaha is the city with that talent, because we have that.
MY: We feel like it’s our turn, like it’s our time to put our feet in this wet cement and make an imprint.
Geo-Dome:
3:00 – 3:15- Skert Reynolds
3:35 – 3:55- Ego Death
4:20 – 4:35- Dominique Morgan
5:00 – 5:15- Jamison Denton Carter
5:40 – 6:00- Rothsteen
6:20 – 6:35- Mola-B
6:35 – 6:50- Greco
6:50 – 7:05- TKO
7:05 – 7:20- Troublesome Two
7:45 – 8:00- Nikko McFadden
8:00 – 8:15- Mark Patrick
8:45 – 9:10- Jocelyn
9:35 -10:00- The Hottman Sisters
10:00 – 10:45- Wrekafekt & EZB
Shell:
3:15 – 3:35- Dilemma
3:55 – 4:20- Clark & Company
4:35 – 5:00- Aly Peeler & OMAHA
5:15 – 5:40- AZP
6:00 – 6:20- J. Crum & ALTR
7:20 – 7:45- Chemicals
8:15 – 8:45- Through the Stone
9:10 – 9:35- The Dilla Kids
10:00 – 10:45- Screaming For Silence.
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New Stoner Metal Festival to Bring 13 Bands to The Slowdown this September
Local production company Battling Giants Entertainment is bringing a brand new musical festival to Omaha this September.
Battling Giants has teamed up with Youtube channel Stoned Meadow of Doom to bring a line-up of 13 bands to The Slowdown on Sept 2. With more than 100,000 subscribers it features music from a variety of stoner/doom/psychedelic rock bands and is operated by Aurora, Nebraska resident Clint Beed.
Headlining the event is stoner metal mainstay Weedeater from North Carolina, a world-touring cornerstone of the genre who has been producing music since 1998. Local bands Valley of Shadows, Super Moon and Through the Stone are also featured in the lineup which will be utilizing both stages at the downtown Omaha venue.
The rest of the lineup is rounded out by bands that have been well-supported by Beed’s Youtube channel, says Matt Limberg of Battling Giants Entertainment. The channel specializes in sharing full-length album streams from a variety bands in the of underground stoner, psychedelic, and blues rock genres. The channel has earned a worldwide following, Limberg said, and has helped Battling Giants and other bands sell albums and book tours.
“The service provided is invaluable to DIY, unsigned artists, which make up the majority of bands on the channel,” Limberg said. “We were pretty ecstatic to learn this guy is from our own state considering the magnitude of promotions he has done for several hundred bands from all corners of the.”
The festival will represent the first major festival in Nebraska for stoner metal genres.
“One of the main reasons we’ve decided to start this event is we’ve noticed a lack of underground festival options within the Midwest,” Limberg said. “The East Coast has Maryland Deathfest, the West Coast has Psycho California, the South has Housecore Horror, and we’ve been left out.”
Limberg said the making Omaha the location for the new festival made perfect sense. “Omaha is centrally located and can certainly accommodate a major festival,” Limberg said. “With Clint Beed of Stoned Meadow of Death also being from Nebraska, everything made sense to host here.”
The show will start at 4:00 p.m. on September 2 and runs until around 1:00 a.m. Tickets are available in advance for $40 and at the door for $50.
Lineup:
Weedeater
Wo Fat
Egypt
Silent Monolith
Duel
Rifflord
Greenbeard
Druid
Fox 45
Burn Thee Insects
Through The Stone
Super Moon
Valley of Shadows
* * *
AZP Releases Wavy New Track Collaboration
photo by Lindsey Yoneda
Lincoln area soul/rock quintet AZP published new track “Walk Into Your Light” on their Soundcloud page last Friday, featuring an impressive team of Nebraska musicians from a variety of bands and across several genres.
The track, which was produced, arranged and mixed by AZP vocalist and pianist Zachary Watkins, features Aaron Galvan of Freakabout, Mary Lawson and Myles Jasnowski of Mesonjixx, Chavez Morris, Hakim, and CJ Mills.
The track is a soulful, ethereal downtempo jam that mixes and matches musical ideas, taking the strengths of each of its contributing artists. It features whining, bluesy distorted guitar solos from guitarist Galvan, surging electric organ tones from Morris, delicate harmonies from Mesonjixx vocalists Lawson and Jasnowski, emotive vocals from Mills, and deliberate and poetic rap verses from AZP’s Ishma Valenti and Lincoln rapper Hakim.
The track is the first release from AZP’s new project MMVI (2006) and is available for download from AZP’s website for free.
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Concert Round-Up
Wavves with Steep Leans and Party Baby at the Waiting Room in Benson. California grunge and surf band Wavves is joined by Ghost Ramp Records contemporaries Steep Leans and Party Baby tonight. Tickets are $20 in advance and $23 at the door. RSVP here.
The Common Vision 2016 Tour comes to Sokol Underground tonight. The Acacia Stain headlines the night, joined by Oceano, Knocked Loose, Culture Killer, To The Wind, and local support Greg the Hero. Doors at 6:00 p.m., music at 6:30. Tickets are $20 day of show. http://www.commonvisiontour.com/
Find a fuller listing of tonight’s shows at our statewide calendar here. Send all news tips, story ideas, tour announcements and other goings-on to news@hearnebraska.org for coverage considerations.
[Editor’s note: an earlier version of this article spelled Stoned Meadow of Doom founder’s name “Clint Breed.” The correct spelling is “Clint Beed.”]