Friday mornings on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning have a reputation for being something special, and this week’s “Love Supreme Friday” edition lived up to every bit of that promise. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God welcomed listeners with a deliberate shift in energy — away from the week’s heavier political conversations and toward something more nourishing. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s time to change our mindsets over to something else — it’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today,” Paul B. announced, setting a tone that carried warmly through the entire broadcast.
That warmth found its perfect guest in Dana Murray, the executive and driving force behind the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on the historic North 24th Street corridor. A musician and educator who grew up in South Omaha, spent eleven years sharpening his craft in New York City, and then returned home to build something lasting, Murray brought both vision and grounded practicality to the conversation. The chat room felt it immediately — viewer Pops wrote in to say, “I love this interview. This brother’s vibe is so cool and his intentions are admirable. First Sky loves the kids.”
The conversation opened with a question Paul B. clearly holds close to his heart: what should the North 24th Street corridor — “the deuce” — really be? Murray didn’t hesitate. “Really, the area that has the most history and can claim to be a cultural and arts district for real is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. But he was candid about the challenge. “We’ve been so far removed from that — not even what the rest of Omaha views it as. I’m more talking to the people that are there who are so far removed from what that was that it is hard to build momentum from within when a lot of the community can’t relate to the power of what was.”
Murray laid out a clear-eyed blueprint for what a thriving corridor requires: adequate housing, services, parking, eateries, and destinations — entertainment, restaurants, lounges — and eventually, even a hotel. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community,” he said. Paul B., who has long championed the area, echoed the sentiment: “I’ve always called it the most important Black corner in Nebraska — and we got to serve it. We have to be of service to it.” Viewer Pops added a personal note from the chat: “Artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform. So yes, more infrastructure for the artist around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
Murray also addressed what he sees as a missed opportunity in how North Omaha presents itself to the wider city. While he expressed genuine love for events like Native Omaha Days, he was pointed in his critique. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting our excellence,” he said. “None of it tries to invite the rest of Omaha down to partake in what we have to offer.” He described his own efforts at NMA as a conscious attempt to change that dynamic — and said the results have spoken for themselves. “People have no problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to hear jazz music or whatever we present. That taboo about the area’s ability to be an attraction was false — we’ve proven that.”
At its core, NMA is a youth music academy and performance venue, but Murray’s ambitions extend well beyond music lessons. He drew a striking comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which generates $40 to $50 million in revenue annually for the downtown area, and made clear that NMA is being built with that kind of economic and cultural impact in mind for North Omaha. “We’re not only raising musicians but more importantly raising more critical-thinking human beings,” he said. “These young kids are not all going to become musicians. Some will become doctors, lawyers, business owners — but whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” Students at NMA also learn live sound, broadcasting, podcasting, and live streaming — practical skills that put possibility directly in their hands. “It’s not just telling them, ‘Oh, you can be this.’ No, you can be this right now.”
Looking ahead, Murray announced that NMA is preparing to launch a capital campaign, with a first phase goal of $20 million, aimed at building a full NMA campus. He framed the stakes plainly: “Money is not our issue really in North Omaha. It’s transformative ideas that are going to allow us to be not only sustainable but gainfully active.” His larger message was one the hosts embraced wholeheartedly — that Black culture is equity, and that monetizing it locally, rather than watching the rest of the country do so, is both an economic and a moral imperative. Viewer Senator KML put it simply in the chat: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.”
Music educators interested in joining the NMA team can reach Dana Murray directly at dmurray@northomahamusic.org, or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org. Murray was clear that teaching credentials alone aren’t enough — inspiration is the real prerequisite. “Unless you’re able to inspire a young person, they don’t really have the attention span for the X’s and O’s of music,” he said. “The why you’re doing it is everything.”
The show also touched on local primary election results and voter turnout concerns, with Buddy the God offering a broader perspective: “We got to do both. We got to build our own ecosystems and continue doing the things we’re about to talk about — but in the long run, we do got to figure this out as far as a nation.” Viewer Sean McCarthy weighed in on the barriers to civic participation: “One huge problem is so many of these positions don’t pay a living wage, so only those who can afford to hold those positions run.” It was a reminder that community building — whether through music academies or ballot boxes — runs on the same fuel: people willing to show up.
The broadcast also gave a shout-out to community entrepreneur Charell Shelton of Core Science Bio Diagnostics, and previewed upcoming events including NMA Fest and a Film Streams screening of Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters — both well worth putting on the calendar. Viewer Mark Manor added buzz of his own about the NMA Fest lineup: “Mono Neon is bringing one of the last and relevant connections to Prince. I saw him a few years ago — he’s awesome. Do not miss that.”
Paul B. closed out the week by reflecting on what 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning is really about beneath the surface. “Everything that we do has a secondary meaning, a deeper meaning,” he said. “On the surface we’re a couple of talking heads — but what we’re really trying to do is build community, build coalition, build a family of people that we can regularly talk to and come to some conclusions so we can get to some action.” On a Love Supreme Friday with Dana Murray in the house, that mission felt very much alive.
Tune in Monday morning — your neighbors will be there, and so will the conversation.
