Saddle Creek launches a city of its own
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BY DREW KERR / Lincoln Journal Star
OMAHA — Anyone plugged into Nebraska’s music scene knows the name Saddle Creek.
That’s the Omaha label that brought bands like Cursive, the Faint and emo icon Conor Oberst’s Bright Eyes to national prominence, securing a spot for the state’s lone metropolis on the independent music map.
But the leaders of the label —University of Nebraska-Lincoln grads Jason Kulbel and Robb Nansel — can no longer be known just for spotting rising musical talent.
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All eyes — at least those of college baseball fans — will be on Omaha for the next several days as the College World Series kicks off Friday at Rosenblatt Stadium, which is south of I-80 at the 13th Street exit.
Here's some info about the event if you’re headed to the games:
Today’s opening celebration
-- 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Teams will practice for an hour and offer half-hour autograph sessions afterward in the stadium concourse.
-- 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.: Fan Fest featuring games and activities will be in the southwest parking lot of Rosenblatt Stadium.
-- 5-8:30 p.m.: Free concert outside the southeast gates of Rosenblatt with local bands; Rodney Atkins will perform at 7:30 p.m.
-- 9 p.m.: Opening ceremonies begin in the stadium with introductions of the eight qualifying teams. Fireworks will follow.
Parking
Lots around the stadium are reserved; they are available on a first-come basis and open at 8 a.m. All vehicles must be cleared by midnight. Do not park at Henry Doorly Zoo.
Some area homeowners and businesses offer parking for a fee. Free street parking is available but you may have to walk several blocks.
Metro Area Transit offers a $3 shuttle service. A schedule with locations is available at www.cwsomaha.com/stadium/shuttle-schedule.html.
Tickets
-- Advanced reserved-seat tickets are sold out. About 1,000 reserved-seat tickets are available each morning daily at the stadium box office for games that day. The box office opens at 10 a.m. daily. Only walk-up orders will be accepted.
-- General admission tickets for outfield bleacher seats will be sold daily at the stadium box office for games that day.
-- For more ticket information, visit www.cwsomaha.com/tickets/tickets.html
The latest addition to the 30-somethings’ resumes: real estate development.
Their new club, Slowdown, debuted Friday near 14th and Webster streets. It’s the first business open in a new living, retail and entertainment complex owned by Saddle Creek Records.
Besides the live-music venue, the Saddle Creek compound will house Film Streams, an independent film theater; a Blue Line coffee house; Nebraska’s first Urban Outfitters store; and apartments that can double as independent shops for their inhabitants. A restaurant space is available, but the owners say they are “waiting for the right offer.”
“Our initial reaction was, ‘We’d better get a sense of community out here,’” Kulbel said of the varied offerings in the block. “We felt in a way we had to control our own destiny and make sure we were surrounded by like-minded people.”
The two buildings that will eventually house all this are still under construction. But Kulbel and Nansel say they hope to open each addition as it finishes. Film Streams’ two-screen theater plans to screen its first film in late July. The coffeehouse should open some time this summer, and the Urban Outfitters should open in the fall.
The businesses could be the beginning of revitalization efforts north of Omaha’s downtown, known as NoDo. A potential Rosenblatt Stadium replacement could land in the area, and city leaders hope other national retailers will invest in the neighborhood.
Regardless of if that happens, the 470-capacity Slowdown — with glossy stained concrete flooring, oak tables and maroon leather rolling chairs — is open as a bar on the nights without live music. The developers hope shelves of books and board games and old PacMan and Galaga games in the corners will give the brand-new bar a more intimate vibe.
“It’s hard to get that dive feel when you have to buy everything brand new,” Nansel says. “You’d think you’d be able to find hundreds of used black bar stools, but it just isn’t that case.”
Kulbel and Nansel say they hope, given time, Slowdown will attract premium national acts — beyond Saddle Creek’s bands — and push this Midwestern mecca of music further into the limelight.
So far, turnout has been good. Slowdown manager Val Nelson said crowds Friday and Saturday night were at capacity, and Oberst played a secret show June 7 for about 350 people.
“We’re really lucky that we’re able to do this,” Nansel said. “Not that long ago this would have been impossible.”
Reach Drew Kerr at 473-7223 or dkerr@journalstar.com.
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so what wrote on June 14, 2007 7:52 pm: