{"id":128184,"date":"2025-12-16T11:17:35","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=128184"},"modified":"2025-12-16T11:17:36","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:17:36","slug":"dental-band-named-to-nebraska-music-hall-of-fame","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/16\/dental-band-named-to-nebraska-music-hall-of-fame\/","title":{"rendered":"Dental band named to Nebraska Performing Arts Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Raw Nerve got its start as a bribe of sorts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attendees at the Lincoln District Dental Association’s 1989 holiday party were invited to stay for the paid band\u2019s performance and — at their first break \u2013 also enjoy an all-dental rock and soul horn band.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group, then made up of six dentists, had a good time. So they continued playing together, eventually landing paid gigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last month, the band \u2013 known as The Raw Nerve — was inducted into the Nebraska Performing Arts Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the band\u2019s now nine members, four are dentists. Three of the four \u2014 Bruce Bavitz, DMD, Bob Schoettger, DDS, and Jim Jenkins, DDS \u2014 are faculty at the UNMC College of Dentistry.  Drs. Schoettger and Jenkins and the fourth dentist in the group, Steve Pejsar, DDS, are graduates from the UNMC College of Dentistry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being named to the Nebraska Hall of Fame is an honor, the three UNMC faculty (and founding band) members said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band plays mostly covers \u2014 hits from Chicago, Steely Dan, ZZ Top and Billy Joel. Occasionally they add newer songs, recently introducing two by Bruno Mars into their set list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the band has leaned into its dentistry theme. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before deciding on the name The Raw Nerve, they considered other dental puns, such as Plaque Sabbath, Mannheim Steam Molar, Gums and Roses, Pink Fluoride and Perio Speedwagon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One original number, dubbed the \u201cPeriodontal Polka,\u201d is particularly popular at dental conventions. The initial lyrics are, “I don’t want her, you can have her, she’s got gum disease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt brings the house down every time,\u201d Dr. Bavitz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Jenkins plays a guitar shaped like a molar. He calls it the \u201cMolarcaster,\u201d a play on Stratocaster guitars. It even has a few gold fillings from getting dinged up through years of gigs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That original Christmas party performance was going to be a \u201cone and done\u201d deal, Dr. Jenkins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen we thought, \u2018Well, we want to play again,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cIt led to another job and another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The band has booked dental meetings across the country. They\u2019ve traveled to Washington, Alaska, Florida, California, West Virginia and Missouri, among other states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, they\u2019ve started playing regularly at Zoo Bar in Lincoln. They\u2019ve drawn a good turnout, including lots of dental students, Bavitz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other members of the band include faculty from jazz studies programs and members of the Lincoln Symphony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are garage-band dentists doing this on the weekends,\u201d Dr. Bavitz said. \u201cWe get these guys joining us, and it gives me chills when they play.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The musical odyssey is proof \u2013 although admittedly a bit of an outlier \u2013 that dentistry careers can go in many different directions, Dr. Jenkins said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour career can be what you want it to be \u2014 teaching, researching, practicing,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll always thank UNMC for my career in dentistry. And being able to rock out with my guys, that\u2019s pretty great, too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Schoettger said that UNMC wants its dental students to be broadly developed, noting that they don\u2019t have to concentrate only on science.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can be a music minor or major and still get prerequisites to apply to dental school,\u201d he said. \u201cYou can still utilize these joys and talents.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Raw Nerve, formed by UNMC College of Dentistry faculty in 1989, still features three college educators, one alumnus.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27,"featured_media":128185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"108824,36327,59947,52713,44291,24371","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-128184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","author_override-kelsey-kirk-unmc-strategic-communications"],"yoast_head":"\nDental band named to Nebraska 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