Matt Whipkey, Dwight Yoakam play Grand Island
After touring cross country together for the better part of last year, one of Omaha’s most well-known rockers accompanies a legend to Greater Nebraska.
Singer/songwriter Matt Whipkey and country music pioneer Dwight Yoakam play Grand Island’s Heartland Events Center tonight. The show is Whipkey’s first in the central Nebraska town.
Whipkey has opened nearly 15 shows for Yoakam across the U.S., and raves about his travels. According to an interview with the Grand Island Independent, the two met in 2013 and hit it off immediately.
“He’s an American treasure,” Whipkey told the Independent. “The band and I have learned so much working with Dwight. The energy from his fans across America is amazing. It feeds our every performance from the first to final note.”
The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $57 and can be purchased here.
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Concert Round-Up: Weekend Edition
This weekend brings a ton of great local bills, a few new releases and a handful of touring acts. Here are a few below:
Friday
J Crum’s album release party at Alchemy Bar & Grill – the Omaha rapper’s new full-length ‘Black Sheep’ is packed full of dynamic musical influences and a burning, passionate proclamation of his social message. Read more about Crum’s album and his life in youth outreach in our feature interview here. Greco, Madness Apparatus, Mola-B and DJ 2Easy open the show. RSVP here.
The Lush Bruises Club, Bed Rest, Natural States, Lodgings at O’Leaver’s – The Lush Bruises Club comprises Omaha songwriter David Nance and friends. Lodgings (also full of veteran Omaha musicians in Bryce Hotz, Eric Ernst, Jim Schroeder, David Ozinga and Megan Siebe) is working on an album. Should be a strong indie rock show. RSVP here.
User, Faded Black, Propergander at The Bourbon – Lincoln metal band User releases a new EP at this free, all-Lincoln show. RSVP here.
Halfwit, Sweats, Omni-Arms at Zoo Bar – After debuting two weeks ago at Lincoln Exposed, Sweats plays its second show in a much less hectic environment. The band comprises Dirty Talker’s Justin Kohmetscher and Brendan McGinn (playing guitar) and Powers/Thirst Things First drummer Jordy Elfers. RSVP here.
Saturday
Eleanor Friedberger at Reverb Lounge – Friedberger has enjoyed a fruitful solo career in the five years since her former band, The Fiery Furnaces (in which she played with her brother Matthew), went on hiatus. New View is the singer/songwriter’s third album, released Jan 22 on Frenchkiss Records, and has received overall positive reviews from the likes of Pitchfork and A.V. Club. New York foursome Icewater opens the show. RSVP here.
Voivod with Vektor and Eight Bells at The Waiting Room – Canadian metal band Voivod has blended a mix of metal influences over the course of its three-decade-plus career, combining elements of progressive, thrash and speed metal. In all, it has produced 13 studio albums, 2013’s Target Earth being the most recent. After releasing a handful of singles last year and early this year, a fourteenth LP is in the works. RSVP here.
Sunday
Raise The Roots Omaha fundraiser for Omaha Permaculture at the Waiting Room – singer songwriters Alain Hernandez, Matthew Cronin and Aly Peeler perform at Raise The Roots Omaha’s sustainable living community event. Omaha Permaculture is a group of local Permaculture designers who partner with the City of Omaha to manage and maintain many vacant lots and properties in the Metro. Throughout the evening, guests can visit interactive booths hosted by community partners: City Sprouts, The Big Garden, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Nature Conservancy, VonRoenn Permaculture, the Nebraska Farmers Union, the Sierra Club, Nebraskans for Solar, and UNO’s STEM program. Admission is $7. RSVP here.
Ivy Stone, Better Friend, Giant’s Arrow at Duffy’s Tavern – Raleigh, N.C., band Ivy Stone stops through Lincoln on its nationwide tour. Its jam-style classic rock smacks of Black Crowes, from the wild saxophones to the melting, acidic guitars and funk groove. Listen to its debut full-length Bad Voodoo here. Lincoln’s Better Friend and Giant’s Arrow open the show. The latter just released a pair of new tracks last month. RSVP here.
See a fuller listing of this weekend’s shows at our statewide calendar here. If you do not see your show or one you plan to attend, let us know in the comments, email us at news@hearnebraska.org or add it yourself using the “Contribute” button at the top right corner of the site. See you out there!