Nick Hexum
“Zoom in and obsess. Zoom out and observe. We get to choose.” Rick Rubin, The Creative Act You probably already know Nick Hexum, the crooner-voiced, laid-back California guy who has long been the lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist in 311. But do you? His three EP trilogy, Waxing Nostalgic, Full Memories, and Waning Time (yes, they are named in honor of the phases of the moon), features a Midwestern man from Nebraska who plays mandolin and pedal steel, and has many memories from the past he’d like to share. “I’m a person who pretends like stuff doesn’t bother me. So, I knew going into writing this record that it would be cathartic for me,” Hexum says. “I think Covid made me realize just how limited our time really is – it motivated me to create as much as possible,” Hexum said with a laugh. “Is it too late for a midlife crisis?” There is something about reaching not an age, but a stage of life, that forces everyone to slow down and inspires us to look around at what we’ve accomplished, who we’ve become, and what we’re leaving behind. For Hexum, that meant turning to a different style of songwriting. The songs on these EPs are influenced by his foray into Americana, both in instrumentation and songwriting. Reading Saved by a Song by Mary Gauthier and The Creative Act by Rick Rubin pushed him to explore writing far more personal songs inspired by his life. Listening to Americana artists like Sierra Ferrell, Faye Webster, k.d. lang, Patsy Cline, and Madeleine Peyroux was part of Hexum’s path to making these EPs. The idea to release his first solo albums came after starting SKP, a tech company that allows artists to release albums outside the major label system and retain the rights to their work. Realizing that system, and the distribution it offered, were at his fingertips, was all he needed to release these songs after giving himself permission to become more vulnerable in his songwriting. “I don’t have to wait for other people to say when I can release music,” he says. From Waxing Nostalgic, the slow dance opener that saw Hexum making his debut as a mandolin player, is “Cosmic Connection.” It’s a little more akin to a waltz, with a very ‘60s message about tapping into the universal and letting go of a tribal mentality of ‘us versus them.’ “We’re so much more connected and there is more harmony than feels apparent right now,” he says. “I choose to reflect on that, even if we feel more out of sync as a species than we have at other times.” Making a list of traumatic moments that Hexum felt he needed to explore in songs led to writing “I’m Open” on Waning Time about the time before his brother Patrick passed away following an overdose. Hexum, who is sober, discusses painful moments in the song, like offering to discuss sobriety with his sibling, giving him a guitar that he pawned, and accepting that all anyone can do is offer help. The EPs also contain a pair of covers, Chapppell Roan’s “California” on Full Memories and Billie Holiday’s “Solitude” on Waning Time. Both tap into his crooner-style voice, with Roan’s song speaking to a near-universal experience of Midwesterners who move to the coast, East or West, in search of a bigger life. It’s a crisis of confidence explored through the delivery of someone who has lived a whole life in California, and reckoned with the decisions made throughout that life.
AFI
Carly Cosgrove
The OG’s & WannaBe’s of Comedy & Music
One of Omaha’s most popular local shows returns to The Waiting Room with: “The OG’s & WannaBe’s of Comedy & Music!” on Sunday, Dec 21, with doors at 5pm and show at 6pm. The show features some of Omaha’s best comics and musicians along with some of the up-and-comers in the area. This unique show has sold out The Funny Bone and packed Bushwhackers and the German-American Club. The comedy side will feature BARRY BARGER, an Omaha native living in Los Angeles and working in the entertainment industry as an actor and comedian. Also, performing will be STEVEN NELSON (yes, the boxer) with Host JIM SHEIL. Other comics to be added, please check the Host’s social media for updates. The bands include NEON SAINTS, a newer alternative rock cover band with some original music. Next up is MCM MAXX, an Omaha indie folk group on the local scene. Also, on the bill is NEXT WEDNESDAY, a newer band playing a wide spectrum of rock covers. Rounding out the music will be THE MEMPHIS PROJECT, a group of younger musicians focused on the blues. They are the recent winner of the Nebraska Blues Challenge and will represent Nebraska this winter in Memphis at the International Blues Challenge.
The Album Party
-formerly Rock & Roll Suicide- The Album Party is a band out of Omaha NE focused on covering albums in their entirety.
The Mary Ellen Carter
Vertical Mattress & Friends
Featuring Mary Margaret Bausch, Keith Navratil, Brent Beller, Clarence Nichols, Tom Brantley, Tyler Owen, Mark Ehrhart, Vic Padios, Aaron Filipi, TJ Twit, Cy Harrison, and Henry Wiedrich
Remember Sports
Remember Sports have always sounded like a band in motion—chasing a feeling, chasing each other, sometimes running from themselves. Over the past decade, the Philadelphia-based band has built a cult following on the strength of bruising live shows, emotionally honest lyrics, and an ever-evolving sound that refuses to be pinned down. With their newest album, The Refrigerator, out February 13, 2026 via Get Better Records, the band captures the messy, cathartic energy of transformation: it’s a record born from uncertainty, grief, growth, and ultimately, love—for the music, for each other, and for the many past selves colliding into the present.
The Traynr Band
Yurei
