Friday 24 May
 
 

IndianGiver — Plafond EP

If you were to peruse the “About” section of IndianGiver’s Facebook page, you’ll notice how the instruments attributed to each of the Oklahoma City band’s five members are described with downright flippancy: Dylan Jordan plays “sticks & animal skins,” while Jazzton Rodriguez earns his keep with “shanties & loud noises,” and so on.
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Never Give Up: Celebrating 10 Years of The Postal Service

Few indie bands have had the impact on current music that The Postal Service has. Even fewer have done so with only one album.
05/15/2013 | Comments 0

Big Worm — Bench All-Stars

Fans of the comedy classic Friday may recognize the name Big Worm, but the Big Worm behind Bench All-Stars is rooted not in South Central L.A., but on the streets of Oklahoma City.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

The guys of Oklahoma City’s Code 22 seem like a likable group of fellas. Their latest release, Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!, is likable enough as well — so likable that on first listen, I took its clean, acoustic sound and clear, unstressed vocals as an alternative praise-and-worship band.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

It’s always refreshing to hear music that embraces its own eccentricity, yet presents it in an accessible and meek fashion. Eureeka — the Norman-based duo of Jordan Vargas and Devin Wahl — has tapped into this rarified air on its self-released EP, Polysynthetic Fields.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0
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Local musicians remember Speedy West


Local guitar legend helped many musicians' careers

Charles Martin May 25th, 2011  

In a world full of jaded, egocentric guitar heroes, local musician Gary “Speedy” West Jr. was a generous soul whose genuine love for people was as impactful as his sharp, soulful skills on the pedal steel guitar.

Gary 'Speedy' West Jr.
Credits: Insert Credits...

In a world full of jaded, egocentric guitar heroes, local musician Gary “Speedy” West Jr. was a generous soul whose genuine love for people was as impactful as his sharp, soulful skills on the pedal steel guitar. Sadly, West passed away on May 4 after a long battle with cancer. He was 58.

Multi-instrumentalist Brent Saulsbury played with West in The Clique, the house band for Friends Restaurant & Club. He said while the band will carry on in West’s memory, there is no replacement.

“There might be other guitarists as good, but what made Speedy stand out was that he had an amazing ability to make people feel special,” Saulsbury said. “He didn’t mind stepping out of the spotlight to let me shine for a while, and he’d do that for anyone.”

After moving to Oklahoma City in 2004, guitarist Todd Lynch shared stage time with West, who was instrumental in helping him cobble together a career. Lynch even got to see one of West’s last shows, just two weeks before his passing.

“It’d been a while since I’d seen him play the pedal steel guitar, so I’d forgotten just how good he was,” Lynch said. “He was pretty sick at that point, so he wasn’t carrying the show or anything, mostly letting the other guys take the solos, but when he did solo, he would lean into it like it was the last time he’d ever play.” —Charles Martin

 
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