buffchick
The Farewell Season
The Farewell Season plays music made for a long drive down a back highway. The band slides effortlessly from Americana, to folk, to indie and back again. What started as friends passing time across the internet during the pandemic turned into a band that splits time between Omaha and the Twin Cities these days. Formed by frontman Nate Gasaway (The Big Deep) and drummer Taylor Stein (Ten O’Clock Scholars), the lineup is rounded out by Paul Gedbaw on guitar and Justin Crow on bass; both veterans of the Nebraska music scene.
Rosegarden Funeral Party
Rosegarden Funeral Party has been making their mark on the international post-punk/goth scene since the release of their inaugural EP, the Chopping Block, in 2018. Since then, the band has released another EP, At the Stake (2020), and three full length albums, Martyr (2019), In the Wake of Fire (2021), and From the Ashes (2024). The band has garnered critical acclaim from Post-Punk.com, LA Weekly, SF Sonic, Dallas Observer, and more. Rosegarden Funeral Party has extensively toured the US, both as a headliner and a supporting act, completing over 13 tours. They made their UK/European debut in 2023 touring countries Italy, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Scotland, England, and Germany, where they headlined Beautiful Noise Festival, and supported Skeletal Family and Corpus Delicti at Wave Gottik Treffen in Leipzig. Rosegarden Funeral Party blends traditional gothic sonic stylizing with modern pop sensibility that supports emotionally evocative and relatable lyrics about heartbreak and healing. The band heavily focuses on spreading a message of kindness and loving oneself and others. Rosegarden Funeral Party’s music and message have earned them a devoted fanbase that continues to grow.
Fountains of Dane
Cryogeyser
Sam Blasucci & Julia Zivic
Sam Blasucci is best known as one half of Mapache, a Southern California roots-rock duo just as instantly recognizable for their elegant, intertwined guitar parts as they are for their devoted, Nudie-Suit wearing fanbase. But when Blasucci was writing the songs that would become his debut solo record, Off My Stars, he found himself less focused on the guitar and more gravitated toward a different instrument: piano. The mother of Clay Finch, his Mapache bandmate, was getting rid of one, and so Blasucci took the piano, carefully transporting it to his home in Ojai, California, with the help of a few strong friends, including Farmer Dave Scher of Beachwood Sparks (and a Mapache collaborator). “Farmer Dave wasn’t even wearing shoes,” Blasucci remembers, laughing. Once the piano was safely in there, he became deeply attached, playing on it multiple hours a day: “It’s changed the way I think about music, having all the keys laid out in front of me,” he explains. “Having that sort of changed everything.” Also inspired by his recent time riding out the pandemic in New Orleans, where the clubs may have closed but the music never stopped, Blasucci used that piano to start writing one of the most inspired batches of songs of his career thus far. New gems like “Turn Yourself Around” and “Sha La La” were developing with a Southern swing and classic songbook sparkle, and when assessing the growing stack of music he was working on, Blasucci realized that there was something about these tunes that wasn’t quite suited for a Mapache record. Infused with an honest, personal perspective about settling into adult life—about developing as a person and a partner and a family member—these songs were straight from the heart, a clear window, recently Windexed, into the life of one of the most talented members of the L.A.-area underground rock scene. __ Julia Zivic’s music walks a tightrope between tenderness, and power, effortlessly captivating audiences with her ability to navigate intricate emotional landscapes with ease. Julia Zivic’s latest album Good Cry (2022) is sonic storytelling, touching on subjects that journey through the spectrum of death, love and gratitude.Julia lends her songwriting and live performance to esteemed projects like Carrtoons, Rae Kahlil, Joey Dosik, Joanna Teters, Pale Jay, Yoh, Marigold, Ghost Funk Orchestra and more. Recently, Julia garnered further recognition on NPR Tiny Desk, lending her vocals, songwriting and performance to collaborator Ben Carr’s performance under the project Carrtoons. When she’s not on tour with one of her many collaborators, Julia is home in the Hudson Valley as the Director of Music and team member for Beacon Open Studios, a yearly cultural event showcasing the power and importance of the local art scene in The Hudson Valley. She’s also a music and events curator at The Yard in Beacon, NY. Julia, a self-proclaimed homebody, enjoys immersing herself in community when she’s not performing elsewhere.
Infinite Cathedral
Josh Teed
Virginia Man
Virginia Man is an emotional folk-and-roll band comprised of Kristian Lietzan (singer/songwriter), Stephen Amoruso (bass/vocals), and Jamaal Farrow (drummer). With poetic lyrics bellowing over the sounds of middle Appalachia, these gentlemen champion the sound of Virginia: a strange suspension between the cardinal directions, musical genres, and the changing of seasons. The live show has become a favorite amongst members and audiences alike, like a sonic rollercoaster, akin to the plot of a great American classic, with gripping performances and storytelling, and celebratory beverages to follow.
Jeremy Mercy
December 27, 2024, marks the release of Heavyweight, the first album by Omaha Americana band Jeremy Mercy and the Rapture Orphans. Recorded variously at Omaha’s ARC, Make Believe Studios, and the Omaha Conservatory of music, all tracks were produced and mixed by Ian Aeillo and mastered by Doug VanSloun. Mercy’s work with the Rapture Orphans has marked a departure from his earlier project Travelling Mercies (2009 -2019) in scope and sound. “My work with the new band on Heavyweight has been less focused on character sketches amidst a stylistic free-for-all. This is more about dealing honestly with my inner life and expressing it through a more coherent sound,” says Mercy. “The title Heavyweight absolutely evokes some macho, tough-guy bullshit, but is really about struggling with the weight of my own heart. The two of us have been going at it for years. It’s definitely the most I’ve shown of myself emotionally in my writing and performance.” The Heavyweight cast features an Omaha music scene dream team: GeorgeAnne Prescott on banjo and lap steel, Danny Burns on bass, Lee Gambrel on drums, and Kate Williams on accordion and keys (Clayton Goliath Pace now serves as the group’s bass player). The album also features the work of Nate Fowler, Scott Johnson, and Eric Elworth. Oliver Bates Craven of the Stray Birds and Sierra Ferrell’s band also makes an unforgettable appearance with his fiddle solo on “The Contender.” — Scott Severin redefines eclectic. Born “sometime during the Kennedy administration,” this songwriter/performance artist has been a folkie, punk rocker, actor and street performer. He incorporates musical styles from Folk, Punk, Country & Western and Americana, as well as traditional Rock & Roll. A native New Yorker, he relocated to Nebraska about two decades ago. Produced by legendary musician Steve Burgh, his debut album “Unknown Rider” was released in 2004, followed by “Birdhouse Obbligato”, recorded in Nebraska in 2010 with noted keyboardist Joe Delia. In 2022, Scott and his partner, Stateleigh Holmes, contributed their cover of Eric Andersen’s song “Woman, She Was Gentle” to a three CD Tribute of Eric’s songs “Tribute To A Songpoet”. — Stateleigh Homes began her music career playing solo at the historic Caffe Lena in 1975. Her two-woman duo, Mechanical Servants, had an NME-charting EP in the UK and an indy hit in Japan in 1980. Stateleigh then moved to London where she worked with Barry Adamson, Dave Formula and John Davidson of the iconic British band, Magazine. While still living in the UK, Stateleigh recorded an EP for Bomp Records in LA that was produced by Earl Mankey, an original member of Sparks. Stateleigh also sang on and toured in support of Howard Devoto’s solo album, Jerky Versions Of The Dream. Miss Holmes has written and collaborated on recordings with Jerry Dammers of The Specials as well. Stateleigh has worked with the legendary producers Pete Anderson, Richard Gottehrer, Adrian Sherwood and Earle Mankey. Upon returning to the US, Stateleigh played with storied NYC rock band, Big Iron, before decamping to Nashville. Somewhere in there, our Miss Holmes decided she’d like a normal life but now she’s back and bringing all this and more to you! xxooxxx
