This morning 1% Productions published an apology via Facebook for statements reported in the Omaha World-Herald after the Aug. 8, 2019, shooting death of Michael Rowell, Jr., outside The Waiting Room Lounge, a club owned and operated by Marc Leibowitz and Jim Johnson, the duo behind 1%. Rowell reportedly had come to watch a performance at the club the night of the shooting.

Arguably Omaha’s most important concert promotion company, 1% books The Waiting Room, Reverb Lounge and other venues around town, and has lined up the acts for the the annual Maha Music Festival for the past decade. In the Aug. 20, 2019, OWH article, Leibowitz said 1% no longer would book local rap artists at The Waiting Room or Reverb Lounge.

“In the wake of last year’s tragic murder of Michael Rowell Jr., we made statements to the Omaha World Herald that were hurtful to the local hip-hop community. We want to publicly apologize for the impact of our statements,” the statement reads. “Music, and specifically hip-hop music, has long been a platform for expressing the inequities in society. Now, more than ever, we need to take time to listen to what those voices are saying. As we strive to create a better future, we wanted to officially clarify that we do plan on booking more hip-hop in Omaha. Whether it’s national or local artists, we want to continue our support for the community by trying to provide a safe environment for this critical genre to perform and to be celebrated.”

The Waiting Room, which had been closed since March due to COVID-19, reopened a couple weeks ago after Gov. Ricketts relaxed COVID-related restrictions to music venues. Reverb Lounge likely will reopen in August, Leibowitz said, as the venue is undergoing some upgrades.

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Saddle Creek Records artist Disq today released a cover of Jeff Tweedy’s “I Know What It’s Like” via Bandcamp.

Said Disq’s Isaac duBroux-Slone: “I sped up the original recording a decent amount so I’d have something to play along to and off I went. We decided it’d be fun to present the finished product as an interim release; post-Collector and pre-whatever’s next.” Check it out below…

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Even though these are just “virtual” concerts, I get the feeling things are starting to pick up performance-wise around here.

Tomorrow night (Wednesday) Low End at The Bemis is having yet another virtual concert, this time featuring San Jose experimental act Xiu Xiu (Polyvinyl, Kill Rock Stars). I would have loved to see them play live at Low End; this is the next best thing. The stream, free via The Bemis’ Twitch account, starts at 8 p.m.

And then Thursday night is Essential Festival, a live-streamed concert from the stage at The Slowdown featuring a plethora of local acts, including:

And How
Clarence Tilton
DVH Recordings (Dereck Higgins)
Keith Rodger (Kethro)
Matt Whipkey
Mesonjixx
McCarthy Trenching
Nathan Ma

It’s a “pick your ticket price” event that benefits Catholic Charities of Omaha, and kicks off at 6 p.m.

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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 © 2020 Tim McMahan. All rights reserved.