Friday mornings have a rhythm all their own on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and this past week’s episode — a self-declared “Love Supreme Friday” — was no exception. Hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God opened the show with intention, setting a tone of grace and community amid what had been a noisy week online. With a lively viewer chat, reflections on Nebraska’s primary election results, and a deeply inspiring conversation with music educator Dana Murray, the show delivered exactly what its audience has come to count on: substance, warmth, and a whole lot of heart.
Paul B. didn’t mince words about why the day called for a love-first approach. “There’s a lot of chatter going on on Friends of First Sky Omaha,” he said. “There’s a lot of back and forth, friends breaking up, all kinds of stuff happening over politics — and that just is like, okay, well, we have to make a decision. It’s going to be Love Supreme Friday today.” The chat room immediately felt the shift, and the good energy carried through the entire broadcast.
The show paused to celebrate some beautiful community news before diving into the deeper conversations. Viewer Aeros 402 (Mary Sanchez) shared a moment that had the whole chat glowing: “On a love note, my only daughter gave birth to my second granddaughter. They are both new and good. I feel blessed.” New life, new blessings — exactly the kind of moment that makes a community feel like family.
The hosts also took time to address the Nebraska primary election results and the troubling voter turnout numbers that followed. Paul B. cited a post from community member Raquel Henderson, noting that only 339,320 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up to the polls. “Think about that for a second,” 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?” The chat engaged thoughtfully on the topic. Viewer Kimber Snipes offered some grounding context: “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.” Viewer Mama God added another layer, pointing out: “People say they want younger leaders, but are they prepared to donate their vote? Low to average turnout even when Spivey, McKinnie, Kimra, Wayne, etc. are on the ballot.” The conversation was honest, layered, and exactly the kind of civic dialogue that keeps communities moving forward.
But the heart of Friday’s episode was undeniably the conversation with Dana Murray, Executive Director and founder of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on the historic North 24th Street corridor — affectionately known as “the deuce.” A South Omaha native who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, Murray has transformed what was once known as Love’s Jazz into a thriving youth music academy, performance venue, and community arts destination. His vision for the space — and for North Omaha as a whole — was both sweeping and specific.
“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. He spoke candidly about the challenge of building momentum when many in the community have lost connection to what that corridor once represented, and about the practical infrastructure needed to make it truly self-sustaining — housing, eateries, parking, destinations. “It would be great to have a hotel,” he added. “With a hotel, you can throw larger attractions, music festivals, conferences right in the community.”
Murray also addressed a question that comes up often — what his role is as a South Omaha native operating on the North Side. His answer was both humble and historically grounded. “If you’re black and you’re in Omaha, especially in the 70s and early 80s, North Omaha was the Mecca for us,” he said. “Everyone had a shared relationship with North Omaha.” He went on to challenge what he called a “false sense of security with pride” that too often results in missed opportunities to showcase Black culture to all of Omaha — and beyond. “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,” he said. “That taboo about the area and its ability to be an attraction was false. We’ve proven that.”
When it comes to NMA’s mission, Murray is clear-eyed that music is the vehicle, not necessarily the destination. “We’re not only raising musicians, but more importantly we’re raising more critical thinking human beings,” he said. “Some will become doctors, some lawyers, some business owners. Whatever they choose to do, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” The academy also teaches live sound, broadcasting, live streaming, and podcasting — giving students real-world skills right now, not someday. “They don’t need us for the ‘what’ — they can go to YouTube and see anything we’re trying to teach them,” Murray said. “The ‘why’ they’re doing it is everything.”
It was this idea that gave Paul B. the framework for one of the episode’s most memorable concepts — the “secondary matrix.” “Everything that we do has a secondary meaning, a deeper meaning,” Paul B. explained. “In Dana Murray’s case, he teaches kids music — but we all know that when you learn music, your brain starts firing in different ways. You become a better student, more intelligent. The secondary matrix for him is to create critical thinkers.” Viewer Pops connected with the idea immediately, writing: “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.”
As for what’s next, Murray has his eyes on nothing less than a full NMA campus — with a first-phase capital campaign of $20 million. He sees NMA growing into something akin to what Omaha Performing Arts means for downtown, but rooted firmly in North Omaha. “Money is not our issue in North Omaha, really,” he said. “It’s transformative ideas that are going to allow us to be not only sustainable but gainfully active. Our culture is equity. Our brilliance and artistic genius is equity. Every music in America has been built off of our experience — and that’s equity.”
Paul B. summed up the block’s significance with characteristic conviction: “I’ve always called it the most important Black corner in Nebraska — and we got to serve it. We have to be of service to it.”
If you’re a music instructor interested in being part of what NMA is building, Dana Murray invites you to reach out directly. He can be contacted at dmurray@northomahamusic.org, and his assistant Andrew Bailey can be reached at abailey@northomahamusic.org. As Murray put it, the right fit isn’t just about credentials — it’s about the ability to inspire.
It was, by every measure, a Love Supreme kind of Friday. Join Paul B., Buddy the God, and the whole First Sky family again next week — same corner of your morning, same spirit of community. You won’t want to miss it.
