It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God set the tone from the jump. “We have to make a decision,” Paul B. told viewers as the show opened. “It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today. And we’re going to change our mindsets over to something else… because it’s real easy to let your emotions take over when there’s so much to be emotional about.” With that spirit firmly in place, the duo dove into a rich, community-rooted conversation that touched on local elections, neighborhood revitalization, and one of North Omaha’s most quietly powerful institutions.
The show paused early to celebrate a moment of pure joy from the chat. Viewer Arrows 402 (Mary Sanchez) shared: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” It was exactly the kind of warmth the hosts had called for — a reminder that community is built one family at a time.
The conversation turned briefly to the previous week’s primary election results, with Buddy the God offering a frank assessment of voter engagement. “Nationwide, more people don’t vote than do,” he said. “And the reality is, until we do that, we’re going to have to keep building our own ecosystems — and we got to do both.” Viewer Kimber Snipes weighed in from the chat with a perspective worth hearing: “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. I don’t think we should be slamming people for not voting when the system is really what has caused this. I think we need to have more education and deep dive discussions.” It’s the kind of nuanced back-and-forth that makes 1st Sky feel less like a broadcast and more like a town hall.
The heart of the episode, though, belonged to guest Dana Murray — founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on the historic North 24th Street corridor. Murray, who spent 11 years honing his craft in New York City before returning home to Omaha, has built something remarkable at 24th and Lake: a youth music academy, a professional performance venue, and a broadcast lab — all woven into one of the most storied blocks in Nebraska.
Paul B. didn’t mince words about the significance of that address. “I’ve always called it the most important black corner in Nebraska,” he said. “We have some history there and some legacy there, and that’s what it’s about.” And viewer Pops backed that up with a vivid piece of living history: “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 spoke with the clarity of someone who has thought deeply about what North 24th Street can become — and what has held it back. “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. “And we’ve been so far removed from that — not even what the rest of Omaha views North 24th Street 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.”
His vision for the corridor is practical and ambitious in equal measure — housing, services, parking, eateries, and destinations that draw people in. A hotel, he suggested, could unlock music festivals and conferences right in the heart of the community. And he pushed back gently on the idea that North 24th Street should remain an insular gathering place. “One of the things I’ve tried to do was reach out and be a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street,” Murray said. “People told me that was going to be very, very hard. And people don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down North 24th Street to hear jazz music.” Paul B. confirmed it firsthand: “The sound is incredible in there. It’s set up like the Blue Note New York now.”
But NMA is more than a great room with great sound. Murray described a program that teaches young people live audio engineering, broadcasting, live streaming, and podcast production — skills they can use right now, not someday. “We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he said, “because all these young kids are not going to become musicians by choice. Some will become doctors, some will become lawyers, some will become business owners — whatever they choose to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.”
Paul B. put a name to that idea — the “secondary matrix” — the deeper purpose running beneath the surface of NMA’s work. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — but on the surface that’s what it is. The secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers, create people that can go further in their fields because they have the discipline of musical training.”
As for what’s next, Murray isn’t thinking small. NMA’s growth plan includes a $20 million capital campaign — just the first phase — aimed at building a full campus that could serve North Omaha the way the Omaha Performing Arts complex serves downtown. “We need a vehicle like that for North Omaha, and I see NMA taking up that space,” he said. His larger argument was one the whole chat seemed to feel: “What we have to sell in most black communities is our culture. Because if we don’t monetize it — which 99% of the time we don’t — the rest of the country monetizes our culture for us. The sooner we understand that our culture is equity, that our brilliance and our artistic genius is equity, the better off we’re going to be.”
NMA is currently seeking music instructors who can do more than teach scales. “Anyone can have the X’s and O’s of teaching,” Murray 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 educators can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahmusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahmusic.org.
The show wrapped on the warm, reflective note it began with — community, purpose, and the quiet work of people building something that lasts. Tune in Monday morning when Paul B., Buddy the God, and the Chat Chimers bring another Love Supreme Friday — well, another great day — right to your screen. You won’t want to miss it.
