Remembering Magic Slim

by Joshua Hoyer

The tall lumbering frame. The slight stutter in his sweet, graveled voice. The playfully mischievous smile. The guttural screams and sweet melody of his guitar work. No one can match Magic Slim’s character and unique voice in the history of the Blues. Slim, aka Morris Holt, passed away last Thursday in a Philadelphia hospital. He had fallen ill in Harrisburg, Penn., after what would be his last...

Morrissey sets new date for Lincoln show

by Chris Aponick

* Local band Travelling Mercies are trying to raise $4000 on the crowd-funding website Kickstarter to help pay for their second album, Motel. The album follows a story of life in a Southern border town motel. The band is billing the fundraising project as a way to pre-order the forthcoming album. Among the items offered for those who back the project is a Bible owned by songwriter Jeremy Holan....

Hinder Interview with Backstage Entertainment

by Jeremy Lafrentz

The snow started in the Omaha area late Thursday morning and continued into Friday but that didn’t stop the Oklahoma boys in Hinder from playing that night. The show had been announced earlier this year and even sold out the Whiskey Roadhouse in Council Bluffs, IA. With the weather like it was, it was unsure how many people would actually attend the event. The place ended up still being packed...

BALLYHOO! and KayaVibe Interviews with Backstage Entertainment

by Jeremy Lafrentz

Before the big snow storm last week hit the Omaha area, The Waiting Room hosted BALLYHOO! and KayaVibe on Tuesday, February 19^th. Backstage Entertainment got the chance to interview both bands before they took the stage to get their thoughts about being in Omaha, NE, as well as talk about their current tour.

First, we spoke with Howi and Big D, brothers in the band BALLYHOO! The band was...

Magic Slim in Pennsylvania hospital

by Chris Aponick

Chicago blues icon Magic Slim, who moved to Lincoln in 1994, is in a Pennsylvania hospital, after falling ill while on tour.

The news broke Wednesday night, though Slim has been on life support for a week.

Born Morris Holt, Magic Slim made a name for himself as an electric guitarist and vocalist. Magic Slim split time between the Chicago juke joints, national tours and the stage at...

Mavis Staples, Tom Russell

by B.J. Huchtemann

Soul-gospel sensation Mavis Staples takes the stage at Lincoln’s Bourbon Theatre Friday, March 22, 8 p.m. Writer's Note: On Thursday, Feb 21, the Bourbon Theatre posted that this show has been cancelled due to a death in Staples' family. They hope to reschedule. Refunds are available at etix.com. If you caught the tribute to Levon Helm that closed the recent Grammy Awards, that was petite...