Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.Attending Jazz on the Green while growing up in Omaha, Meridith Moore never expected she would sing at the event in front of thousands.
And little did I know that the child next door would become a powerhouse, high-energy performer.
But here she is, back in town as lead singer of Arizona-based Sugar Thieves, performing at 7 tonight in the outdoor music series at Midtown Crossing.
Now 28, the 2001 Elkhorn High graduate said that in school, she sang only in choruses.
"I always had a huge case of stage fright," Meridith said. "By no means did I have the guts to sing solo or try out for a part in a play. I was just horrified at the thought of getting in front of an audience alone."
While at Arizona State University, she said, she "got the gumption" to sing in a small club on open-mike night. She soon gained a following, and eventually a band. Her own parents didn't know she had this talent.
"The first time I heard her sing solo on stage, my mouth dropped open," said her mother, Omaha stained-glass artist Ann Cunningham Moore. "It was like learning that one of your children could speak Mandarin Chinese."
Two decades ago, the Moores were our next-door neighbors north of Memorial Park. Our kids baby-sat Meridith and younger sister Erin. Their dad, Scott Moore, became president and CEO of Bozell & Jacobs. Now retired, he serves on the local College World Series board and in other activities.
Meridith was 9 when her family moved to a ridge overlooking the Elkhorn River valley. Having lost track of her, I was pleased to learn in 2009 that she had become a singer.
The Sugar Thieves (so named because they "steal the sweetness right out of your bowl") twice won the Arizona Blues Showdown. They finished in the top 10 out of more than 120 bands at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tenn.
One critic wrote that Meridith's vocals were "a throwback to another time, an incredible voice that echoes the era of the legendary blues and rock female vocalists."
The Sugar Thieves performed last year at Jazz on the Green. The series had been staged for 25 years outside the Joslyn Art Museum, but moved to Midtown Crossing, the residential-retail development with seven acres of park and green space just east of Mutual of Omaha.
"It was awesome, unbelievable," Meridith said. "The rest of the group had never been to Omaha, and they were absolutely stoked."
Other members are her boyfriend, Mikel Lander, guitar and vocals; Shea Marshall, sax, clarinet and keys; Jeff Naylor, upright bass; and David Libman, percussion. Jazz on the Green normally doesn't book an act two years in a row.
"The Sugar Thieves are back because they were a smash hit last summer," said Joan Squires of the sponsoring Omaha Performing Arts. "Honestly, the reaction was overwhelming."
Jazz on the Green's move last year to the sloped, grassy site west of downtown, Squires said, has been a home run.
"The Joslyn is beautiful, but we think this is a perfect venue," she said. "It has great sight lines, like an amphitheater, with restaurants and plenty of free parking. It looks and feels like a concert site."
People sit in chairs or on blankets, and can bring food as well as beer, wine and champagne. Admission is free, but donations are accepted at intermission.
The Sugar Thieves, who write much of their material, recently released a new CD. They will perform Sept. 16 at the Telluride, Colo., Blues and Brews festival.
Suffice to say, Meridith Moore got over her stage fright.
Contact the writer: 402-444-1132, michael.kelly@owh.com
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