by Tim McMahan, Lazy-i.com

A name from Omaha’s early days of indie rock greatness passed away. Ryan Kuper was a Council Bluffs native turned Californian who founded ’90s-era label Redemption Records. He also was instrumental in putting out the NE Vs. NC Compilation in 2002, which was when I last interviewed him.

From the article:

The Versus Series was just another ambitious idea from the Lewis Central graduate whose record industry career began by releasing an EP by Austin hardcore act Intent. Over a decade, Redemption would go on to release music by hardcore bands like 4 Walls Falling, Encounter and Resurrection, before releasing CDs by Omaha gutter-groove punkers Ritual Device and pop-rockers Grasshopper Takeover, among others.

Through the years, Kuper has moved back and forth between the Midwest to Los Angeles. On his last move to the West Coast 18 months ago, he started a management company called Boundless Entertainment with former Omahan John Biondolillo, a.k.a. John Stewart, known for his work at Omaha’s KDGE-FM The Edge as well for managing local rock band Blue Moon Ghetto — a local favorite (now disbanded) in the Creed/Hootie and the Blowfish vein. Boundless counts among their clients Victory Records’ artist The Reunion Show, hip-hop act Trew Dat, Chicago alt rockers Zen Darlings, SubPop and Milan recording artist Gardener, and last but not least, Andy Dick and the Bitches of the Century.

Dick, famous for his work on TV shows News Radio and MTV’s The Andy Dick Show (not to mention his various drug-related exploits) is a long-time associate and one-time roommate of Kuper’s. Managing Dick’s music affairs involves everything from brokering his record deal with Milan Records to locking down a producer for his CD to handling band bookings and press. The day of this interview, Dick’s band performed on the Craig Kilborne show. “Part of my job is to make sure he gets to the studio on time,” Kuper said.

Kuper’s most recent job was working as an executive benefits specialist at Unum. You can donate to Kuper’s Fundly page, here.

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Read Tim McMahan’s blog daily at Lazy-i.com — an online music magazine that includes feature interviews, reviews and news. The focus is on the national indie music scene with a special emphasis on the best original bands in the Omaha area. Copyright © 2017 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.