Fighting over a family tree

Update (10:15 a.m., 09/04/2009): There's also a thread over on Slam Omaha, which gets even more involved. I'll say it again: I could have written a book on Omaha music (hell, I'd like to), but it's not going to fit on one page of a newspaper. No way, no how.

Sorry if you got left out. Sorry Luigi Waites got left out. Sorry we called it the "Omaha Music Scene" instead of the "Saddle Creek Connection." But I'm not stupid. I know there's more than indie rock here and I know who Preston Love is.

It is my pleasure to cover as many of you worthy local folks as possible along with the wealth of music that passes through town. Let me know what you're up to. Tell me when you're playing. My e-mail: kevin.coffey@owh.com. My phone: 402-444-1557. My address: 1314 Douglas Street Suite 700 • Omaha, NE 68105-1811

Now, back to the original post....

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If you picked up Sunday's paper, you could read a little thing called the "Omaha Music Scene Family Tree." It's still online.

There's been some discussion about it at Tim McMahan's lazy-i including people saying it's a letdown, misrepresentation or any number of other things. I understand exactly why people say that, mostly because it starts with Saddle Creek and includes (for the most part) a bunch of Saddle Creek bands, people and those closely related to them.

Would "Six Degrees of Saddle Creek" been a better headline? In hindsight, yeah.

I will say that there was a disclaimer in that thing for a reason, which was (as stated) that there wasn't nearly enough room for everything. No freaking way could all of that fit on one page and still be readable.

Well, we started with SC because they're the big guys. It's a logical starting point. But anyone who pays any attention to music around here knows that they're not the only thing in town.

You should see the original draft (hand-scrawled across a few pages of a legal pad). It includes Kyle Harvey and Slo-Fi. Names like Scott Gaeta, Steve Bartolomei, Adam Hawkins and Marq Manner show up. So does Hotel Frank, Dan McCarthy and Simon Joyner (come to think of it, Simon Joyner is on the final draft).

There's even a list of bands, people, stores and venues that I hadn't found a home for and was looking for a way to incorporate.

But I work for a newspaper, and it was time for editing. You could make an entire 8-page section out of the Omaha music scene, but I only got the cover of ETA (our Sunday entertainment section). Lots had to go. More than half, probably.

Lastly: As for the suggestion that I don't go to shows, those claiming such don't know what I look like. I've watched several of those complaining perform and/or standing in the crowd at the same shows I'm at — many times.

I don't walk up to everyone in the room and say, "Hi, I'm Kevin. You know, the guy from the newspaper?" But I love live music. I'm out there as much as I can be.