DON’T DOUBT THE GROUNDHOG
WHAT: 34th Annual Groundhog Prom
WHEN: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4
WHERE: Sokol Auditorium & Sokol Underground, 2234 S. 13th St.
COST: $8 ADV/$10 DOS
THE SCOOP: It’s back and more furry and raucous than ever. Not the groundhog or his shadow, rather the annual Omaha ball that celebrates the flossy prog-
nosticator and all things quirky. If you haven’t dreamed up your ensemble yet, plan to hit one of the local costume shops that prepare for the Omaha tradition
with a huge gamut of hilarious and remarkable outfits, from celebrity look-alikes to standard party fare of sequins, feathers and lace. Whatever your costume,
organizers advise you to choose something irreverent, bizarre or just plain tacky. The Bishops and the Linoma Mashers provide a skankin’ good time in the
auditorium, while Paddy O’Furniture holds down the Underground. Whether you are celebrating Mardi Gras, six more weeks of the mildest Nebraska winter
ever or your own crazy self, dress to express, bring your friends and you never know, you may be find yourself a prom queen.
BOLD BEAUTIFUL BROADWAY
WHAT: Patti LuPone
WHEN: 8 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3
WHERE: Holland Performing Arts Center, 1200 Douglas St.
COST: $35-$85
ON THE WEB: ticketomaha.com
THE SCOOP: Patti LuPone will mesmerize the Holland Performing Arts
Center with her solo performance of “The Gypsy in My Soul.” A 10-piece
band will accompany her as she sings tunes from her Broadway career.
You might recognize songs from shows like “Gypsy,” “Anything Goes”
or “Oliver!” LuPone is said to sing songs from these acts that lend
themselves to brass instruments such as “I Get a Kick Out of You.” Also
included will be personal pop favorites. LuPone is good at improvisa-
tion and aligning the songs so they make sense to the audience, so
don’t worry about not knowing all of her previous material. The night will
be a montage of her bold and beautiful favorites, as LuPone believes
Broadway isn’t a place to lament, but rather a place to strut one’s attitude.
HEEEEEEEEE’S GREAT
WHAT: “Nate the Great”
WHEN: Opens Friday, Feb. 3 – runs through Feb. 19
WHERE: The Rose Performing Arts Center, 2001 Farnam St.
DIGITS: 402-345-4849
ON THE WEB: rosetheater.org
THE SCOOP: There is no case too daunting for Nate the Great. He is a
mighty detective capable of solving even the most complicated myster-
ies. Take his neighbor, Annie. When Annie looses a painting of her dog
Rex, she calls on Nate the Great. Taking into consideration the size, col-
or, and composition of her work, Nate tracks down the most unexpected
culprit. “The Adventures of Nate the Great” is based on the stories by
Marjorie Weinman Sharmat, and since 1972 there have been 25 books
in this series, some of which were made into movies and TV shows.
The script for the production is adapted for the stage by playwright Pam
Sterling, who is also a professor of children’s theater at Arizona State
University. What’s more, Pam has been Artistic Director at places such
as the Coterie Theater in Kansas City, the Honolulu Children’s Theater,
and the Idaho Children’s Theater. The show is recommended for those
5 to adult, and it runs 50 minutes.
FIRST FRIDAY = LOTS OF ART
WHAT: First Friday Art Openings
WHEN: 6-10 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3
WHERE: Various galleries
COST: Free
THE SCOOP: Love is in the art this month, and sev-
eral galleries open new shows Friday for the season
d’amore. The Hardware Gallery opens “We Are An-
gels Unaware” Friday night, featuring new artwork
by the incomparable cosmic advisor MoJoPo. The
exhibit celebrates the Mayan year 25,698, otherwise
known as 2012, through a variety of themes. The fo-
cal point of the show, “We Are Angels Unaware” is an
interactive canvas. Guests will have the opportunity
to have their photo taken with the canvas by photog-
rapher and gallery principal Dale Heise and take a
print home as gift.
Also, the Old Market Artists’ Gallery, the Pas-
sageway Gallery and the Blue Pomegranate Gallery
open Valentine’s Day themed shows Friday, offering
opportunities to select handmade gifts for your art
lover. Anderson O’Brien Fine Art in the Old Market
opens a show of recent works by Kevin Tolman. Also,
closing next week is “Visiones del Arte Mexicano” at
El Museo Latino, featuring 55 works by Mexican art-
ists, so catch it while you can.
FLYIN’ SOLO
WHAT: Craig Finn (of the Hold Steady)
WHEN: 9 p.m., Friday, Feb. 3
WHERE: The Slowdown, 729 N. 14th St.
COST: $10 ADV/ $12 DOS
ON THE WEB: theslowdown.com
THE SCOOP: Craig Finn, lead singer of the Hold Steady, began his work
as a solo artist not long ago. In July 2011 he announced on Tumblr he
was recording a solo album in Austin, Texas. The album, “Clear Heart,
Full Eyes,” was just released on Jan. 24, 2012 under Vagrant Records.
Finn says “Clear Heart” means honesty and “Full Eyes” means new
experiences. Finn’s lyrics are often literary, sometimes pulling on fic-
tional characters. In the case of this album, Finn says the lyrics deal with
stress and adjustment while outside of one’s comfort zone. Finn says
his songs are like vignettes, as opposed to his work in The Hold Steady.
His music falls into the genre of indie rock and country, or somewhere in
between. Finn attributes some of his inspiration back to Bruce Springs-
teen and similar acts.
PARTICULARLY PROLIFIC
WHAT: Cass McCombs w/ Frank Fairfield
WHEN: 9 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 2
WHERE: Waiting Room Lounge, 6212 Maple Street
COST: $10
ON THE WEB: waitingroomlounge.com
THE SCOOP: Cass McCombs has been called “unobtrusively brilliant,” a fitting description of the emo songwriter from Northern California with a serious
case of wanderlust. McCombs is a child of the‘70s and his music reflects topics that span from that era to today, including universal themes of love, longing,
loss and hope. “Not the Way,” his first EP, was recorded in San Francisco in 2002. Since then, the prolific artist has released six albums. The most recent is
titled “Humor Risk” and was recorded in conjunction with the fifth album, “Wit’s End,” released last April. McCombs has received notable accolades from
the likes of NPR and Pitchfork for his sonic dreamscapes that blend moments of winsome, lyrical heartbreak with grand, melodic crescendos. Although
listeners can pick out influences from his songs, McCombs has crafted an original sound, a skill that has allowed him to perform with ground-breakers like
Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire, the Decemberists, Peter Bjorn and John, the Shins, Iron and Wine, Deerhoof and the Walkmen, to name a few. Yeah! We hope
to hear the beautiful “Dreams Come True Girl” and his Omaha tune, “Bobby, King of Boys Town” at some point during this show while exploring the Cass
catacombs of the heart.
SUPER SUCKING SPAGHETTI AND SPITTIN’ COBRAS
WHAT: The Supersuckers w/ Spittin’ Cobras
WHEN: 9 p.m., Tuesday Feb. 7
WHERE: The Waiting Room, 6212 Maple Street
COST: $15
ON THE WEB: waitingroomlounge.com
The Scoop: The Supersuckers have proclaimed themselves as the
“Greatest Rock ‘n’ Roll Band in the World” so they better live up to it.
Pulling on genres like garage punk, grunge and southern rock, their
success has been climbing since their 1992 studio album titled, “The
Smoke of Hell.” Eddie Spaghetti finds himself on vocals and bass while
Dan “Thunder” Bolton and “Metal” Marty Chandler play guitar and sing
backup vocals. Scott “Scottzilla” Churilla takes care of the drums. They
have released numerous albums and went through many band mem-
ber changes. The band has had a tumultuous ride, between personnel,
management and label changes. Yet, they’re back touring and sounding
good as always. You might have heard the track “Must’ve Been High” off
the 1997 album of the same name. The Arizona outfit has been around
since the late ‘80s in its various forms and Tuesday you will see the
proof that Supersuckers don’t die, they just get “Pretty F**ked Up.”
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