By Doug Staggs
Dec. 9, 2016

Area soul and funk bands will converge on a handful of venues in downtown Lincoln Saturday night for Josh Hoyer’s inaugural “Nebraska Funk & Soul Alliance.” The one-night festival will present Lincoln and Omaha soul and funk bands of every make, model and color.

Hoyer was able to take a few minutes to talk with me Thursday night during a break at his show in Omaha. When asked about his motivation behind starting the event, he shared that his involvement with youth outreach started a few years ago while working at Centerpointe. Since those days working with the kids, he has always made efforts to give back to the community, especially in support of our struggling youth.

In designing the festival, his plans were twofold: on one side he wanted an event that showcased area soul and funk groups, and on the other side he wanted to use the event as a means to help support the community.

Eight different organizations were chosen to be recipients of the proceeds from the event. The Lincoln organizations include: The Lighthouse, The Bay, The Malone Center, and Jacob’s Well. The four Omaha groups are: Omaha Children’s Choir, Omaha Girls Rock, Proud Horizons, and the Emergency Youth Services.

All of the Lincoln groups were selected by Hoyer, and the those in Omaha by Dominique Morgan, himself a performer at the festival.

When coordinating performers for the event, Hoyer was able to get over 25 acts to commit to the event.

“I started by asking nearly every soul and funk group I could think of, and over 80 percent of the groups I contacted agreed to do the event,” he said.

As part of the fundraising process, all of the bands are donating their time for the event. There are no promotion fees and all four of the venues (1867 Bar, Bodega’s, Duffy’s, and The Zoo Bar) have graciously agreed to cover their production costs themselves. This means that ALL proceeds from admission will go directly to the organizations.

Hoyer is optimistic about the future of the event’s potential to help those in need while providing a venue for local soul and funk artists to show off their music.

“I would like to continue to host the event in December,” he said. “I feel that during this season people want to help out their community however they can.”

Event Info:
What: Nebraska Funk & Soul Alliance
Where: 1867 Bar, Bodega’s Alley, Duffy’s Tavern, Zoo Bar (All in Downtown Lincoln near 14th & O)
When: Saturday, Dec. 10th. 6pm – 2am
Why: To raise funds to support youth outreach programs of Lincoln and Omaha
Who: Over 25 local soul and funk bands
Note:Minors allowed from 6-9, 21+ older after 9pm
How Much: $10 wristband available at each venue will get you into all of the shows, but the public is encouraged to contribute any amount. Cash and check donations will be accepted.
More information: on the Facebook event page.

Doug Staggs is one of KZUM’s fall interns.