It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God brought exactly the kind of energy that name promises — thoughtful, community-rooted, and alive with purpose. From a frank look at Nebraska’s primary election turnout to a wide-ranging conversation with one of North Omaha’s most visionary educators, Season 4, Episode 53 was the kind of show that reminds you why local media still matters.
Paul B. opened with something that’s been weighing on a lot of minds since the polls closed. “Only 339,000 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up,” he said. “And yet everybody has something to say. Everybody’s angry. Everybody’s debating policies online. Where is that same energy when it’s time to organize, educate, mobilize, register, and actually vote?” It was a sharp challenge, and it landed. Viewer Kimber Snipes echoed the concern from the chat: “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 problem without an easy answer, but naming it honestly is always the place to start.
From there, the conversation turned to something the hosts clearly love to dig into: the idea of building community ecosystems from the inside out. Buddy the God put it plainly: “We got to do both — we got to build our own ecosystems and continue to do the things that we’re about to talk about. In the long run, we do got to figure this out as a nation.” Paul B. introduced what he calls the “secondary matrix” — the deeper purpose underneath any organization’s surface work. “In Dana Murray’s case,” he explained, “he teaches kids music — but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.” That framing set up the morning’s centerpiece conversation beautifully.
Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA) — formerly known as Love’s Jazz, located on North 24th Street — joined the show for an interview that had the chat moving fast. Murray spent 11 years in New York City before returning to Omaha, where he’s spent the last two decades teaching music and building something far bigger than a school.
When asked about the role of the arts in North Omaha, Murray didn’t flinch. “The arts are the core of who we are as people — definitely as Black people — and the history of North Omaha and really Omaha as a whole,” he said. “With a lot of the development going on, infrastructure-wise, there’s very little talked about the social, people development, healing that has to happen to even take advantage of all the opportunities. A lot of that is unquantifiable — and as an artist, I think a lot of my agenda has been wrapped around shining light on the things you really can’t see, but are there.”
His vision for the North 24th Street corridor — “the Deuce,” as it’s known — is ambitious and specific. He envisions a fully self-sustaining cultural district: housing, eateries, parking, services, and most importantly, destinations. “It would be great to have a hotel,” Murray said. “With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.” Viewer Pops knew exactly what he was talking about, sharing in 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 was candid about the cultural work that still needs doing closer to home. Though he grew up in South Omaha, he spoke with the authority of someone who has poured years into the North 24th corridor. “One of the things that holds us back is this false sense of security with pride as it pertains to North Omaha,” he said honestly. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture and highlighting the excellence of who we are.” His remedy? Openness. “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. People don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come down to North 24th Street to hear jazz music.”
NMA is already more than a music school. Students learn live sound engineering, broadcasting, podcasting, and interviewing — and they do it for real, not in simulation. “It’s not just telling them ‘you can be this,'” Murray said. “No, you can be this right now. It’s not rocket science. Once you remove those barriers, the sky’s the limit.” Paul B. noted that the performance space itself has been transformed: “The sound is incredible in there. It’s set up like the Blue Note New York now — and it’s that level of sound quality and everything.”
The long-term goal is an NMA campus, backed by a $20 million first phase capital campaign. Murray draws a deliberate comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which generates $40 to $50 million in annual economic activity for its surrounding area. “We need a vehicle like that for North Omaha, and I see NMA taking up that space,” he said. And at the heart of all of it is a belief that Black culture is not just meaningful — it’s economic equity. “Every music in America has been built off of our experience,” Murray said. “From the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz music to the poppiest of pop music, you trace it all the way back to the music brought over here from Africa. And that’s equity.”
The chat reflected the warmth Murray brought to the studio. Viewer Senator KML wrote simply: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.” Those looking to connect with NMA can reach Murray directly at dmurray@northomahusic.org or his assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahusic.org.
The show also touched on an upcoming screening of Boots Riley’s film I Love Boosters at Film Streams, and Buddy the God closed out the week by reflecting on what First Sky itself is really about: “On the surface, we’re a couple of talking heads that talk about some news with the community. But what we’re really trying to do is build community, build some coalition, be able to speak to and build a family of people that we can regularly talk to and come to some conclusions so we can get to some action.”
Before signing off, a moment of pure joy slipped into the chat. Viewer Aeros 402 shared: “On a love note — my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” On a Love Supreme Friday, that felt just right.
Tune in Monday morning for a fresh week of conversation, community, and a little bit of everything that makes Omaha home — only on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning.
