It was a Love Supreme Friday on 1st Sky Omaha in the Morning, and hosts Paul B. and Buddy the God came in with something a little different in the air. After weeks of election coverage and political conversation, the show took a purposeful breath — celebrating community, creativity, and the quiet builders doing transformative work right here in North Omaha.
“We’ve been talking a lot of politics for a while and it’s a little break after the primaries,” Paul B. said to open the show. “Love Supreme’s going down today for sure.” And it did — from the first segment to the final sign-off, the energy was grounded, forward-looking, and full of heart.
That’s not to say the hosts ignored the civic moment entirely. Primary election results were fresh, and the numbers were sobering. Paul B. read aloud from a post by Raquel Henderson that stopped the conversation cold: “Only 339,032 out of more than 1.2 million registered voters in Nebraska showed up yesterday. Think about that for a second. And yet everybody has something to say.” It landed the way hard truths do — quietly, with weight. Buddy the God added his own perspective on the political landscape: “It’s a dirty ugly game. And at the end of the day, how much does that actually have to do with civil service and the important things?”
Viewer Kimber Snipes chimed in with a nuanced take from the chat: “I’ve been having conversations with people between the ages of 20 and 35. What I hear the most is that 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 was a reminder that the conversation around civic engagement is rarely simple — and that 1st Sky is a place where those layers get their due.
The show also gave flowers to two North Omaha organizations doing essential work on the ground: Charell Shelton’s Core Science Bio Diagnostics and the Heart Ministry Center, which is bringing a much-needed grocery store to the community. These weren’t passing mentions — they were held up as examples of exactly the kind of infrastructure-building that makes a neighborhood whole.
But the centerpiece of the morning was a rich, wide-ranging conversation with Dana Murray, founder and director of the North Omaha Music Academy (NMA), located on North 24th Street — what locals affectionately call the Deuce. Murray, a musician and educator who spent eleven years in New York City before returning home, is building something that goes far beyond a music school.
“NMA is a youth music academy and a performance venue,” Murray explained. “If you think of Omaha Performing Arts and what it means to downtown — not just as a cultural entity but as an economic vehicle bringing in $40 to $50 million in revenue every year — that’s what we’re trying to build for North Omaha.” The ambition is real: Murray is planning a $20 million capital campaign, with the long-term vision of an NMA campus that serves as a cultural and economic engine for the entire corridor.
Murray was candid and thoughtful about the challenges facing North 24th Street, and he didn’t shy away from uncomfortable truths. “One of the things that holds us back is a false sense of pride about North Omaha that doesn’t actually do anything for us,” he said. He pointed to South Omaha’s Cinco de Mayo celebration as a model worth studying. “They champion their culture and invite everybody. I’ve tried to be a beacon for all of Omaha to come down to North 24th Street, and people have no problem coming from wherever they are to hear jazz or whatever we present. That taboo about the area being unable to attract people was false. We’ve proven that.”
At its core, though, the academy’s mission is about something bigger than music. “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. Whatever they choose, they’re going to be better because they were aligned with artistry.” Paul B. gave that idea its own name on air — the “secondary matrix” — describing it as the deeper purpose embedded inside community-building work. Viewer Pops connected personally: “I experienced my secondary matrix in junior high when I took algebra. I noticed I was suddenly able to think outside the box on several different levels. Music the same.”
NMA’s programming reflects that philosophy in practical, hands-on ways. Beyond instruments, students learn live sound engineering, broadcasting, and live streaming. “We have a broadcast lab where we do podcasts and interviews — and I get the kids doing interviews of some of the artists that come in,” Murray said. “So it’s not just telling them they can be something. They can be it right now.” When asked about engaging young people in an era of YouTube, Instagram, and AI, Murray was refreshingly honest: “We can act like that’s going away, but it’s not. So we have to figure out how to inspire them within the world they live in… We are the students.”
On the equity question, Murray was direct and powerful: “Our culture is equity. Our brilliance, our artistic genius is equity. Every music in America has been built off of our experience. The sooner we look at it not as a cool little music thing but as equity to build and monetize for our community, the better we’re going to be. We are just plain rich as a people.” Viewer Senator KML echoed that energy from the chat: “Thank you, Uncle Dana. You’re changing lives in big ways. We are the students.”
The show also gave a nod to the upcoming Film Streams screening of Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters — a fitting recommendation for a Friday full of culture and community conversation.
Buddy the God closed the show the way he always does — with something simple and true: “All you have to do is find where you fit in. The lanes are running. The lanes are wide open. Just get in where you fit in and make it happen.”
Good words to carry into the weekend — and a very good reason to tune in again Monday morning.
