Great Divide
tries to span
music genres
By Sarah Baker
Senior staff writer
Whatever you do, don’t call them coun
try
J.J. Lester, drummer for The Great
Divide, an Oklahoma-based rock-country
outfit, doesn’t want to be categorized.
Especially not categorized with die Billy
Rays and the Brooks and Dunns who have
dominated the so-called “country music
scene” of the past few years.
For lack of a better term, according to
Lester, the band calls its sound “American
music.”
“Our motto is ‘If it’s good, like it,”’ Lester
said. “When we first started, we didn’t like
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ing to catego
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“It’s sad because a lot of people don’t like
it just because it’s called ‘country.’ We didn’t
want that,” he said.
Although the band members are
adamantly opposed to die industry’s staunch
categories, Lester said they do have a country
sound more than anything else, but try to mix
things up.
Obscure, older music, as well as a lot of
original music, is a big part of their style, he
said.
He attributed those unique qualities as the
reason that the band “bombed” on its first
visit to Lincoln.
“We didn’t play any music the crowd
knew,” he said. “So you can imagine our dis
belief when (Lincoln) picked up the single
and called us to play up there again. We
thought ‘Are you sure you got the right
band?”’
Christi Green, a disc jockey at KFGE-FM
(98.1) “Froggy,” said the station was the first
one to play the band’s single “Never Could.”
She said the response, both to the song and to
local record sales, Was incredible.
“It’s popular because it’s crossover coun
try,” Green said. “You can tell in the music
that the members of the band themselves lis
ten to a huge variety of music.”
The on-air promotion helped the band,
Green said, but she didn’t attribute all of its
success to that alone.
inese are our guys, sne said, ine pop
ularity came from a huge combination of
both the promotion and the listener’s
response. You can bet that we’ll keep bring
ing them back.”
Lester said the band’s second show in
Lincoln gave it a taste of what it’s like to be a
national act
He said the second successful show was,
ironically enough, almost one year to die day
after their original Lincoln show.
“It was the first time in our career that we
had ever played in front of an audience who
had never seen us before, yet they knew every
word to every song,” he said. “It’s hard to put
into words how exciting it was.”
He said Lincoln was unique to the band
because when they came here, there already
Please see DIVIDE on 13
Financial
woes, lack
of vision
are
for
of Ballet
Omaha
F
Matt Haney/DN
ByLizaHolimeier
Staff writer
As the largest city in Nebraska and Iowa,
Omaha has assumed die role of a mini-cultural epi
center - boasting an opera, a playhouse and a sym
Dhonv.
self-destruction.
One of the company’s most devastating acts
was its decision to change the 1994-1995 season
alter season tickets had already been sold
‘It was tiie beginning of the rad,” said Valerie
Roche, who founded the original company in 1965
and served as artistic director until 1974. “The sea
snn.tirkpt hnIHpro hnnoht thoir
And until Aug. 31, it sup
ported the most delicate of
die performing arts - ballet
But after two years of
financial struggles, Ballet
Omaha, a significant cultur
al presence in the Midwest
since 1965, officially ceased
to exist on Aug. 31.
Leasing two studios and
frequently performing at
Omaha’s Orpheum Theater,
409 S. 16* St., Ballet
Omaha was recognized as a
primal force in the metro
politan performing arts
community.
The company’s demise
tfc—
In order to
continue to grow
in the community;
Ballet Omaha had
to be a part of the
community. It
forgot that.”
Derrick Wilder
former Ballet Omaha official
tickets based on a balanced sea
son with traditional works. The
change was a financial Mow - the
season-ticket holders demanded
their money back.”
With low box-office sales
and a mounting debt, Ballet
Omaha disbanded its troupe of
professional dancers at the end of
the 1994-1995 season.
The organization managed to
keep its school open, though, and
brought in the Dayton Ballet
from Ohio to present a profes
sional ballet season.
But Wilder said factions
within the organization kept
Ballet Omaha from finding wavs
leaves Nebraska without the to repair itself. Wilder said per
presence of a professional dance company. sonal agendas prevented the board of directors
“Given the size of the city ... it only makes from seeing the bigger picture,
sense that there was a ballet company,” said The bigger picture, Wilder explained, was
Derrick Wilder, former managing director of Ballet Omaha’s role as a community organization.
Ballet Omaha, “hi theory, it should have done and “In order to continue to grow in the communi
thrived well.” ty, Ballet Omaha had to be a part of the communi
But a series of financial gaffes and a lack of a ty. It forgot that,” Wilder said,
coherent vision led Ballet Omaha down a path of An important part of community involvement^
Wider said, is generating interest and knowledge
about your work. Arts organizations generality
accomplish this through outreach programs.
Dining his time with the company, Wilder said,
Ballet Omaha only participated in two outreach
programs - both with the same school hi compar
ison, Dayton Ballet’s outreach program includes
165 different workshops and 19 performances.
Wilder added that the company isolated itself
from the rest of the dance community, saying a
great deal of animosity existed between local
dance studios and Ballet Omaha.
“Ballet Omaha had not demanded to be apart
of the community,” Wilder said. “It seemed we
were competing for the same students, when we
really weren’t We’d never said, ‘Look! We’re on
he same side!’”
All these problems contributed to an unhealthy
environment of which corporate sponsors did not
want to be a part
In April of this year, with no money left to con
tinue, Ballet Omaha’s Board of Directors resigned
and hired an attorney to handle the self-liquidation
process. In June, the organization^ school instruct
ed its last classes and the offices were closed. A
week before the official dissolution, Ballet Omaha
held a public auction at its downtown studio space
in order to sell its assets and pay off its remaining
$137,000 debt
The 89 students who trained with Ballet
Omaha suffered the most immediate effect of the
organization’s collapse as they rushed to find alter
native dance programs.
Please see BALLET on 13
2T ‘
By Patrick Miner
Staff writer
Some bands desire world domi
nation. Others have different goals.
“We ’re looking to move up to the
middle class,” said vocalist Special J
of theNew York City band 2 Skinnee
Js.
Fans should have higher hopes
when the 2SJs finally make their way
to Knickerbockers, 901 O St, for an
all-ages show tonight. 2SJs was
scheduled to play the venue March 8,
but the show was canceled because of
an unseasonable snowstorm.
Since then, the 2SJs have
released their major label debut,
“Supermercado,” a 12-track effort
featuring the band’s style of good
times rock ’n’ roll with rap vocals.
Following the album, the band hit the
road hard last summer, playing three
shows in fewer than three weeks at
Omaha’s Ranch Bowl as only one
demonstration of their dedication.
This grass-roots effort has been
necessary for die band because its
songs have received little radio play.
MTV showed the video for “Riot
Nrrrd” a grand total of once* and
KRNU-FM (90.3) is the only radio
station in the area that even plays die
band’s style of music. Because of
this, the band has decided tb hit
Lincoln^ market hard with tourjng.
“We make most of our fans at
shows,” Special J said. “We’re com
ing back to try and keep our momen
tum up.”
The 2SJs shows are lively, tb say
the least. Visua^y representing the
wacky lyrics of frontmen Special J
and J Guevara* the shows are notori
ous for being intense from start tb fin
ish. Songs such as the “Star Wars”
inspired “Mindtrick,” the funky and
hilarious “The Good, the Bad and the
Skinnee” and the loud anthem and lat
est single “(718)” will be a few of the
more excitable numbers performed.
Those in attendance should also
notice a bored-faced man with his
arms crossed standing in the corner
of the stage. While some bands have
a manager to help
them in the music
business, the 2SJs
have an owner.
A.J. “Stumpy”
Johnson won the
band in a poker
tnatch in Las
Vegas and has
since toured with
the group in
hopes of making
more money.
“Stumpy is
our Billy Martin
meets Don King
meets Mahatma
Gandhi,” Speeial
la-~ -- -.v- - •• -• -.-• 1
Couhtesy Photo
NEW YORK SHTICK ROCK act 2 Skinnee Js hope
tonight’s show at Knickerbockers will make
enough money to appease its owner, "Stumpy.”
J said. We write -—
the music, and he yells at us.” most of “Supermercado” tonight, as
Because of Johnson’s manipula- well as a few older favorites. Songs
tive ways, the audience probably from the EP “Sing, Earthboy, Sing!”
won’t be hearing one of the better including “Irresistible Force,”
songs off “Supermercado” tonight “BBQ” and “Meadow Blaster,” will
“Stumpy doesn’t think A. Mays is more than likely round out die show,
good enough to play guitar on "Ball Knickerbockers is opening its
Point Man,’ Special J said. “We also doors a half-hour early for the 6 p.m.
don’t seem to get the same crowd show. Tickets are $8 and include
reaction with the song.” opening acts Six Percent and
Nevertheless, the 2SJs will play Beyond.