by B.J. Huchtemann

The annual Omaha Entertainment and Arts Awards will be presented this Sunday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m. at the Harrah’s Convention Center ballroom. The show is scheduled to feature live performances from All Young Girls Are Machine Guns, The Filter Kings, Steve Raybine and slam poet Felicia Webster as well as several theatrical nominees. Remember, all nominations were arrived at through public voting held last year. A group of judges with specialized knowledge in each category vote for the final awards. (Full disclosure: I am a judge in the music category.) Visit HarrahsCouncilBluffs.com for ticket info; tickets are $20. See OEA-Awards.com for more on the nominees. A post-show party takes place in the Stir Live & Loud lounge featuring nominated DJs. Sunday Roadhouse Returns Dean Dobmeier’s and Gary Grobeck’s Sunday Roadhouse concert series is back Sunday, Feb. 13, at 5 p.m. The popular series hits a new venue for this show: The Side Door Lounge at 35th and Leavenworth. Performing are Jeffrey Foucault and Mark Erelli. NoDepression.com describes their collaboration as “stellar.” Their tour is billed as “Murder Ballads and More.” AltCountryTab.Ca praised the music from their disc Seven Curses as having “an elemental approach with elemental subjects: love and death … raucous and chilling, raw and poignant, an expansive interpretation of a classic American genre.” The review noted Foucault and Erelli were drawn to “a dark little backwater of American music, where tales of gamblers, cowboys and love gone wrong are the coin of the realm-the murder ballad.” Both Foucault and Erelli have acclaimed solo careers working in the folk/Americana genre. Find links to Foucault’s and Erelli’s press and music at SundayRoadhouse.com. This show sounds like the sort of music that should appeal to fans of Dave Alvin’s stripped down, traditional acoustic folk music or to the work of Roadhouse alums David Olney and Sergio Webb. Also coming in the Sunday Roadhouse series is the great Tom Russell on March 27, followed by James McMurtry and the Bottle Rockets on April 3, as part of the two band’s national tour. Both of those shows are at The Waiting Room. Lift Update Terry O’Halloran remains the owner-operator of The New Lift Lounge for now, as prospective owners finalize details for their financing. The New Lift hosts popular Oklahoma rockabilly/roots artist Scott Keeton for the Thursday early 5:30 p.m. show Feb. 10. Thursday, Feb. 17, O’Halloran presents Mary Bridget Davies from Kansas City. She and her band just placed second in the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, so be sure to check out this rising star on the national blues scene. O’Halloran hopes to hand the bar off to new owners John Anderson and Chad Kelderman sometime after the February 17 show. The new owners have committed to continuing the Thursday blues series on a trial basis, so if you want to see this series continue, get out and support it. Zoo Bar Blues The Zoo Bar presents blues-rocker Ana Popovic on Wednesday, Feb. 9, and outstanding vocalist Gina Sicilia on Wednesday, Feb. 16. The Wednesday shows start at 6 p.m. The Lil’ Slim Blues Band heats up the 5 p.m. show on Friday, Feb. 11. You can sign up for weekly email calendar updates at ZooBar.com. Celebrating our Troops Tickets are on sale for the second annual blues-oriented fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 26, at 6 p.m. for Operation BBQ. The event is at The Barn, at the corner of Military and State Streets. Featured entertainment is Iowa band The Avey Brothers, former International Blues Challenge finalists. Operation BBQ is a non-profit organization that throws departure and homecoming dinners for area troops. The group consists of local barbecue enthusiasts. Money raised at the Feb. 26 dinner goes toward the out-of-pocket costs for preparing these celebration meals. Tickets are $20 for this blues and BBQ celebration. Visit OperationBBQmw.org or call 709.0153 for tickets and details. Hot Notes Chicago harmonica blues master James Cotton has been added to the March 5 Big Head Todd show at the Holland. Also performing will be the great Hubert Sumlin and Cedric Burnside and Lightin’ Malcom. Big Head Todd has just released a CD celebrating the iconic Robert Johnson’s centennial. Brad Hoshaw headlines a night of Americana/folk at the Slowdown on Thursday, Feb. 10. Also on the bill are Lincoln Dickison, SAS and Michael Wunder. The Sydney presents a night of rockabilly and twang on Friday, Feb. 11. The Reckless Ones from Minneapolis are on tap, along with The Filter Kings, The Blacktop Ramblers and Snake Island. The Kris Lager Band plays a last-minute show at The Barley Street Tavern on Friday, Feb. 11. Veteran Omaha blues band Blue House celebrates their 21st anniversary on Saturday, Feb. 12, with a show at The Reef at Del Mare at 168th & Pacific (formerly The Prestige). Keep up with the band at BlueHouseBlues.com.

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