The Millions and More | The Scoop

photo by Ted Schlaebitz

I have two big news items for you today, folks.

First, I’m excited to announce Lauren Schomburg has taken on the role of programming director for Hear Nebraska. You likely saw her name at some point during our Give to Lincoln and Omaha Gives! fundraising events the past two years, as she was in charge of directing and executing our strategy that helped us earn no lower than third place among organizations of all sizes in each of the competitions. Lauren put in countless hours and energy into making this happen, and she did it all as an unpaid volunteer, because she believes in Hear Nebraska’s mission and people. ??

Lauren is passionate about event production and Nebraska culture, wicked smart, a natural communicator and she’s absolutely earned a paid role, which your donations have helped to create. We’re thrilled to be able to bring her on part time to help Hear Nebraska grow even smarter and even more effectively in year three. 

Lauren’s duties fall under four primary buckets: booking/programming; fundraising; relationship building/new projects; and marketing. She has very specific duties under each of these categories, but the important thing to know is that she’s going to be your new contact for any concert or booking question, and that she’s going to be leading our efforts to expand Hear Nebraska Presents shows across the state. You can reach (and congratulate) her at laurens@hearnebraska.org. (For any editorial questions, continue to contact Managing Editor Michael Todd at michaeltodd@hearnebraska.org.) ??Welcome to the team, LoScho!

Our other big news is a real feather in our cap. Legendary Lincoln rock band The Millions is playing a Hear Nebraska Presents show this Friday at The Waiting Room in Omaha with UUVVWWZ. When HN started, we worked extremely hard to gain the trust and respect of the state’s music scene (which is actually a mix of hundreds of sub-scenes based on geography, genre and personalities). We understood that many other “scene-building” efforts had come and gone, and that it would take a lot of proving our work to compel musicians to want to work with us, and to be proud of the association. We’ve been very fortunate and successful, I think, in these efforts. But The Millions show is a relationship we’re particularly proud of. ??

Some background: In the early-mid ‘90s, there was no bigger band in Nebraska than The Millions. In 1991, they became the first Lincoln band to be signed to a major label since Zager and Evans in 1969, putting out the album M is for Millions on PolyGram subsidiary Smash Records. They followed it with Raquel in 1993, as they continued to pack houses across the Midwest, and tour the world before disbanding in 1995. After a 17-year hiatus, they reformed late last year to release Poison Fish, a 21-track disc of rarities.

The reunion went so well (they drew more than 500 at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theatre) that the band decided to do three more shows before calling it a day (for at least the foreseeable future, they say). The first of those shows happens Friday, and you can get $10 tickets here. They play The Bottleneck in Lawrence this Saturday, and Maha Music Festival ?(with The Flaming Lips, Matt & Kim, Bob Mould, etc.) on Aug. 17. 

Whether you’re a die-hard Millions fan from the ’90s, only know them from their music (like myself), or are just interested in commemorating and rocking with one of Nebraska’s most historically significant bands, we’d love to have you come out and celebrate with us. 

Andrew Norman is Hear Nebraska’s executive director. There are a million reasons why he’s happy to have LoScho on board. Contact him about fundraising opportunities and collaborations at andrewn@hearnebraska.org.