It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God came ready to talk about something bigger than election returns — they came to talk about building something that lasts.
The show opened with a brief acknowledgment of the Nebraska primary results, and the mood in the chat reflected a community wrestling with familiar frustrations. Viewer Sean McCarthy noted that “the Douglas County Election Commissioner said the average primary voter turnout percentage was around 35% in Douglas County,” adding that “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.” Paul B. took it all in, then made a deliberate choice to shift gears.
“We’re going to change our mindsets over to something else,” he said. “It’s an effort, because it’s real easy to let your emotions take over when there’s so much to be emotional about.”
That pivot led directly into one of the richest conversations the show has hosted this season — a deep, wide-ranging interview with Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA).
Murray, a South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, has planted his flag on North 24th Street — what Paul B. calls “the most important black corner in Nebraska.” The NMA is part youth music academy, part performance venue, part broadcast lab, and part community anchor. Murray’s vision, though, reaches far beyond any single building.
“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,” Murray said. “There are metrics for the success of any district. You have to have enough housing, places of service, parking, laundromats, eateries, gas stations — all the things any area needs to be self-sustained. And then you have to have destinations: entertainment, restaurants, lounges. It would be great to have a hotel. With a hotel, now you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
The conversation grew even more pointed when Murray addressed a question some might consider sensitive — what right does a South Omaha native have to anchor himself on North 24th Street? His answer was both personal and unflinching.
“If you’re black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the 70s and early 80s, everyone had a shared relationship with North Omaha. That was the Mecca for us,” he said. “At every opportunity, we fail at taking advantage of showcasing our culture. 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 told me that was going to be very hard, and people don’t have any problem coming from wherever they are in Omaha or Iowa to come hear jazz music.”
Viewer Mark Manor backed that up from experience: “When I go there it is the same people at shows at Waiting Room, Slow Down, and the Jewels. So people are coming from all around town and getting down at NMA, which I find impressive as well.”
Murray was equally passionate about the deeper purpose of what NMA does for young people. The academy teaches instrument instruction, yes — but also live sound production, broadcasting, podcasting, and hands-on interviewing of professional artists. The goal is not just to make musicians.
“We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re 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.”
Paul B. had a name for that kind of layered purpose. He called it the “secondary matrix” — the deeper mission running beneath the surface of any worthwhile endeavor. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music,” Paul B. explained, “but the secondary matrix is to create critical thinkers.” Buddy the God connected the idea to the show’s broader season theme, describing an ecosystem “where systems circle back, loop back, and regenerate.”
On the economic dimension, Murray was direct: North Omaha doesn’t lack money — it lacks transformative ideas willing to bet on Black culture as equity.
“Every music in America has been built off of our experience. From the hardest rock music to the jazziest jazz music to the poppiest pop music, you trace it all the way back to the music that was brought over here from Africa,” he said. “And that’s equity.”
Looking ahead, Murray announced that NMA is launching a capital campaign with an initial phase of $20 million, aimed at building a full NMA campus on the North 24th Street corridor. The academy is also actively recruiting music instructors with a specific kind of gift. “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 instructors can reach Murray at dmurray@northomahamusic.org or assistant Andrew Bailey at abailey@northomahamusic.org.
The show also celebrated a pair of community wins: congratulations went out to Charell Shelton of Core Science Bio Diagnostics for a recent award, and the Heart Ministry Center’s upcoming grocery store on North 24th Street drew warm praise as exactly the kind of infrastructure the corridor needs.
The chat, as always, was full of heart. Viewer Aeros 402 shared a personal joy: “My only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” And viewer Judy Prince offered a piece of wisdom that felt right at home on a Love Supreme Friday: “If you are sad or angry, go out and help others. Your attitude will change.”
Buddy the God closed the show with a call that summed up the entire morning. “All you have to do is get in where you fit in,” he said. “The lanes are running. The lanes are wide open. Just get in where you fit in and make it happen.”
That’s the spirit of 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning — week in, week out. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole Chat Chimers community back here Monday morning, and bring a neighbor with you.
