It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God brought the kind of energy that makes you want to pull up a chair, pour a cup of coffee, and lean in. From the aftermath of Nebraska’s midterm primary to a vision for North 24th Street that could reshape a generation, Season 4, Episode 53 was one for the community to remember.
The show opened with a candid conversation about civic engagement following the recent primary. Viewer Sean McCarthy dropped a sobering number into the chat: “The Douglas County Election Commissioner said the average primary voter turnout percentage was around 35% in Douglas County.” That stat set the tone for a broader discussion about what it truly means to show up — not just at the polls, but in every corner of community life. Viewer Mama God echoed the sentiment with a pointed observation: “People say they want younger leaders, but are they prepared to donate their vote? Low to average turnout even when Spivey, McKini, Kimra, Wayne, etc. are on the ballot.”
Buddy the God framed it plainly: “We got to do both — build our own ecosystems and continue to engage the political system — in the now.” It’s a both/and philosophy the show has championed all season, and Friday’s episode made that case beautifully.
The heart of the show, though, belonged to guest Dana Murray — founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), formerly known as Love’s Jazz, on North 24th Street. A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before planting roots back home, Murray arrived with a vision big enough to match the history of the corridor he’s chosen to invest in.
When Paul B. asked what North 24th Street — “the Deuce” — should be, Murray didn’t shy away from the complexities.
“The area that has the most history and can claim to be a true cultural and arts district is the North 24th Street corridor,” he said. “But a lot of the community within is so far removed from what that was that it is hard to build momentum from within. For any district to thrive, you need enough housing, places of service, parking, laundromats, grocery stores, gas stations — everything for self-sustenance. And then you need destinations: entertainment, restaurants, lounges. A hotel would allow you to host larger music festivals and conferences right in the community. There’s been a lot of stuff on North 24th Street that wasn’t sustainable, and I can’t get caught up in the emotion of redevelopment. The X’s and O’s have to make sense.”
It was a refreshingly grounded perspective — equal parts love for the community and honest reckoning with what it will take to rebuild it. Murray also pushed back gently on a certain kind of civic pride that, in his view, keeps the corridor from reaching its potential. He pointed to South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration as a model worth admiring.
“They champion their culture and invite everybody,” he said. “I’ve tried to be a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street, and people don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are 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.”
The chat lit up in agreement. Viewer Pops shared a piece of living history: “Artists like Fats Domino used to stay at your grandfather’s home when he came to town to perform. More infrastructure for artists around the Deuce corridor would be a godsend.”
Murray’s vision for NMA extends well beyond music lessons. He described the academy as a youth music school, performance space, and community venue — and drew a striking comparison to Omaha Performing Arts, which he noted generates $40 to $50 million in annual revenue for the downtown corridor. He sees NMA as that kind of economic engine for North Omaha, with a first-phase capital campaign of $20 million and plans for a full campus.
“We’re not only raising musicians; more importantly, we’re raising more critical-thinking human beings,” Murray 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. What we have to sell in most black communities is our culture, because if we don’t monetize it, the rest of the country will. The sooner we understand that our culture is equity — that our artistic genius is equity — the better off we’re going to be.”
On the challenge of reaching today’s youth in a world of YouTube, Instagram, and AI, Murray was equally direct: “They don’t need us for the ‘what’ — they can go to YouTube and find anything we’re trying to teach. So the ‘why’ is everything.” NMA’s approach includes live sound engineering, broadcasting, and podcasting — getting kids doing real work right now, not someday. Music instructors interested in joining the NMA team can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
Paul B. tied the conversation together with a concept he’s been developing this season: the “secondary matrix.” Using a personal story about a film shoot where his crew built a lemonade stand for neighborhood kids and left it behind for them to keep, he described the secondary matrix as the deeper purpose beneath any community effort. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.” Viewer Pops connected immediately: “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.”
Buddy the God closed out the education thread with a gem of local pride: “Black kids from North Omaha and Omaha North designed that bridge — most of you have walked across it without knowing that.” He was referring to the pedestrian bridge connecting Omaha to Iowa, designed by students in Omaha North’s engineering program. It was the kind of reminder the show does so well — lifting up the excellence already living in this community.
The show ended, as the best Love Supreme Fridays do, on a note of warmth and gratitude. Viewer Judy Princ offered this quiet piece of wisdom to the chat: “If you are sad or angry, go out and help others. Your attitude will change.” And viewer Aeros 402 shared a personal joy: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.”
That, in a nutshell, is what 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning is — a place where big civic ideas and new grandbabies share the same conversation. Tune in Monday morning and bring a neighbor along.
