After a surprisingly productive Friday afternoon club with Hear Nebraska's five incredibly talented, deadline-crushing interns, Angie and I pedaled home to get ready for our first Czech Festival in Wilber, Neb. Our regular route takes us past the State Capital on the west, which was the meeting point last week for Nebraskans from across the state who were rallying in opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline. We stopped and watched farmers from North Dakota speak about how the Canadian company had lied about its spill response time — by enough hours to allow a 60-foot geyser to soak their precious land with tar sands oil. They urged Nebraskans to be more careful when considering allowing this multinational company to threaten our natural resources. 

 

I had a knot in my throat that felt like it would bust out of my skin, drop onto the ground and roll away as I listened to Randy Thompson, a Republican farmer from Merrick County, address the hundreds of supporters gathered in front of the Abraham Lincoln memorial. The spokesperson of the Bold Nebraska-organized opposition effort talked about the opvious —how critical water is to Nebraskans — and called on Gov. Dave Heineman to protect his and other farmer's livelihoods by taking a stand on this issue. Then Thompson and about 400 supporters walked a block south to the Governor's Mansion to literally shine flashlights on Heineman's inaction. The house was dark and silent, which only furthered the perception that the governor isn't responsive to public sentiment surrounding the pipeline.

 

This positive display of civil discontent was awesome. These weren't just liberal college kids, they came from across the political, geographic and socioeconomic spectrum. I've never been more proud to be a Nebraskan. 

 

It's incredible what you can see when you get off the couch. I've been avoiding mine, and this column, too. And there's a lot to talk about. So here's a quick rundown of the rest of the notable — music-related — events from my last week. Then I'll tell you what you should be excited about that's coming up in Hear Nebraska land:

 

Four days of beer-sloshing, back-slapping, second-cousin-spotting action at the Fox Hole Tavern in Wilber, Neb., had left little puddles of muddy booze divets of its red-tile floor as the Chelewski Brothers played polka numbers to a bar full of Czech Fest revellers. Lincolnite Amy Kuchera — who urges you to attend the 18th-annual Northern Ponca Powwow near Niobrara, Neb. this weekend — taught me how to waltz. I'll add that to my repertoire that had consisted solely of my drunken-looking stammer-about.

 

As the thunderstorm blew the crap out of my near-south neighborhood in Lincoln on Saturday, I was leaning next onto the wood-panel wall near the Zoo Bar's women's bathroom, getting an amplified dose of chills as former Lincoln band The Prids played my favorite song of theirs, "Shadow and Shadow." It might have been the Portland band's last trip to Nebraska. They say they only plan on touring along the coasts and in Europe from now on. I'm glad I was there. 

 

On Monday, I went with HN contributing photographer Daniel Muller to help shoot photos of Bright Eyes at the Val Air Ballroom (see photos) in Des Moines. Conor killed it. He's simply an amazing performer who knows how to give the crowd what they want. We got there too late to catch Conduits, who were loading their gear into their van when we arrived at about 10 p.m. They had to drive more than 10 hours to Boulder that night. Yikes. 

 

In case anyone thought of retreating to their barstool, Jessi Darlin, swaying like a snake charmer, popped open her big white peepers and maddogged everyone in the room Tuesday at the Zoo Bar. Those Darlins, the raunchy, rock 'n' roll quartet from Tennessee, managed the impossible — they drew almost the entire crowd away from the bar and to the floor in front of the stage. The female-trio frontline switched back and forth from guitar to bass as they each contributed lead vocals to some of the dirtiest, catchiest songs you'll hear anywhere. 

 

Now, for the news:

Today I sent the final track list for Hear Nebraska's upcoming compilation CD to Omaha's audio Yoda, Doug Van Sloun, for mastering. It features new songs from 12 of Nebraska's best bands and will be released as a super-limited-run CD in October. It's the product of contributions from a handful of wonderful local businesses, including Screen Ink, Focus Mastering, Doe-Eyed, Plan C Recording and Fuse Recording. Here's the lineup: Domestica, Digital Leather, The Betties, Conduits, Con Dios, Thunder Power, The Wagon Blasters, The Mezcal Brothers, Dim Light, The So-So Sailors, Kill County and Big Harp. You're going to love it.

 

The Nebraska Music Retreat is fast approaching: Aug. 25-28. And you don't want to miss it. We're gathering musicians from across the state to a spot that is about as beautiful as you'll find anywhere, for relaxation, collaboration and musical production. We'll tube down the Niobrara, grill out, swim in the river and record an acoustic album around a campfire. What else could you ask for (maybe prairieoke)? We're committed to keeping the costs to about $15/day per person for lodging (cabin beds or tents), while tubing costs an additional $35 per person. RSVP at the Facebook event and post questions if you have them. I hope to see you there.

Hear Nebraska is holding two fundraising concerts coming up Friday, Sept. 16 at the Zoo Bar in Lincoln and Thursday, Oct. 20 at the Slowdown in Omaha. Called Take Cover, the shows are modeled after a very successful, fun event Lincoln is a Music City did a couple years ago. The gist: Nebraska artists take turns from 6 p.m.-1 a.m., covering one or two songs by another Nebraska artist — from any genre and time period. We hope to get a lot of local band members to perform solo, and to see some creative covers (Domestica covering The Better Beatles, perhaps?). If you're interested in playing, email me.

 

That's it for now. I'll tell you about Busk Nebraska next week. Until then, see you at MAHA.

 

Andrew Norman is the editor of Hear Nebraska. He's starting to get hooked on Spotify, where he just relived his 15th year on this earth through Too Short's album, Get In Where You Fit In. Contact him at andrewn@hearnebraska.org, or get in where you fit into the comment below.