Friday mornings on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning have a particular kind of warmth, and this past week’s “Love Supreme Friday” edition was no exception. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God brought that energy early, welcoming the post-primary week with a deliberate shift in tone. “We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while,” Paul B. noted with a laugh, “and we got a little break after the primaries. Love Supreme’s going down today for sure.” The show delivered on that promise — equal parts community celebration, civic conversation, and genuine inspiration.
The morning opened with a nod to the local political landscape. Primary election results were still fresh, and voter engagement was very much on the table. Buddy the God cut to the heart of it: “None of that really matters if the people don’t vote — and as I’ve been listening to conversations, that’s a pretty valid point that a lot of this doesn’t matter if everybody voted.” Viewer Sean McCarthy added some sobering context to the conversation, noting that “the Douglas County Election Commissioner said the average primary voter turnout percentage was around 35% in Douglas County.” Viewer Kimber Snipes echoed what many community members are hearing on the ground: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is most of them don’t really know what to do and know nothing about the candidates. Politics also seems — because it is — very messy to them.” It’s a challenge the hosts clearly take seriously, and one they returned to with care throughout the morning.
Before the show’s headline guest joined, the hosts paused to celebrate a major community win. North Omaha entrepreneur Charell Shelton had just taken home a $52,000 prize — the kind of news that makes a Friday morning feel like something worth commemorating. The moment fit neatly into what Paul B. calls the “secondary matrix,” a framework he uses to describe the deeper purpose behind everything the show does. “Everything that we do has a secondary meaning, a deeper meaning,” he explained. “The secondary matrix of what we’re trying to do is build community, build some coalition, be able to speak to — build a family of people that we can regularly talk to and come to some conclusions about some things so we can get to some action.” Viewer Pops connected beautifully with the concept: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I was gaining proficiency and noticed I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
That bridge from community-building to music was perfectly timed, because the morning’s featured guest was Dana Murray, director of the North Omaha Music Academy — known to many in the community by its former name, Love’s Jazz — located right on the storied North 24th Street corridor. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home to build something lasting, Murray brought a clarity of vision and a quiet confidence that held the room.
Murray spoke candidly about what North 24th Street — “the Deuce,” as the hosts affectionately call it — could and should become. “Really, the area that has the most history and the one that can claim ‘we are a cultural and arts district’ for real is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. But he didn’t stop at celebration. He mapped out what full revitalization actually requires: housing, eateries, laundromats, parking — “all the things that any area needs to be self-sustained” — and then destinations that draw people in. “It would be great to have a hotel,” he added, “because with a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.” Paul B. has long described North 24th as “the most important black corner in Nebraska,” and Murray’s vision aligned squarely with that reverence.
On the academy itself, Murray was equally ambitious. He drew a deliberate comparison to Omaha Performing Arts — a downtown institution that generates $40 to $50 million in economic activity annually — and said plainly: “That’s what we’re trying to build.” But the mission of NMA runs deeper than performance venues and capital campaigns. “We’re not only raising musicians but more importantly raising more critical thinking human beings,” Murray said. “Whatever they choose to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” A $20 million capital campaign for a full NMA campus is already in the works, and Murray sees it as more than a music school — he sees it as an economic engine rooted in cultural equity. “Our culture is equity,” he said. “Our brilliance, our artistic genius is equity — and the sooner we look at it not as ‘oh, that’s a cool little music thing’ but as equity for us to build and monetize for our community, the better we’re going to be.”
For music educators interested in joining the NMA faculty, Murray emphasized that technical skill is only part of the equation. “Anyone can have the X’s and O’s of teaching,” he said, “but 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.” Interested instructors can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
Paul B. saved some of his highest praise for the upcoming NMA Fest. “When I’m comparing festivals, I’m saying this one to me is the one,” he said. “If I was going to put a festival together, it’d be this.” High praise from a man who clearly loves his community — and knows a good thing when he sees it.
The morning closed the way the best Fridays do — with warmth and gratitude. Viewer Aeros 402 shared a beautiful personal note: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” That, too, is what Love Supreme Friday is made of.
If you missed this one, make sure you’re up bright and early Monday morning. 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning is right where you left it — and the conversation is always worth joining.
