OKGazette.com - Rock

Skating Polly — Lost Wonderfuls -

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 00:00:00 CDT

Skating Polly is a different type of novelty act. The Oklahoma City-based duo of Kelli Mayo and Peyton Bighorse has accrued an inordinate amount of interest for such a young band, ascending to the top of the local ranks largely because of their age: 13 and 17, respectively.

Tony Romanello and the Black Jackets — Pleased to Meet Us -

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 00:00:00 CDT

It’s probably no accident that the title of Tony Romanello and the Black Jackets’ EP invokes The Replacements’ Pleased to Meet Me; as on that 1987 album, the ’Mats reconciled their roots-punk past with a more mature power-pop sound, so do these Tulsans.

The Flaming Lips — The Terror -

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 00:00:00 CDT

An ominous letter from Wayne Coyne surfaced when The Flaming Lips released a video preview of The Terror last month.

Taddy Porter — Stay Golden -

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 00:00:00 CDT

Stillwater rock outfit Taddy Porter must have been blissfully ignorant of the sophomore slump that’s taken down so many bands before it. Stay Golden not only matches the group’s 2010 self-titled debut, but exceeds it in about every possible way.

The Hitt Boyz — AlphaCat -

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 00:00:00 CDT

Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way: The band is called The Hitt Boyz, whose latest release is an EP titled AlphaCat, and, yes, the artwork is kind of amazing.

Depth & Current — Transient -

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 CDT

One gets the feeling that Depth & Current understands the dangers of having too much of a good thing.

Cosmostanza — Champs -

Wed, 06 Mar 2013 00:00:00 CST

It takes most bands a couple of years to put out two EPs. Oklahoma City garage rockers Cosmostanza did that in less than six months.

The Grown Ups — Dark Hearts -

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 CST

It's pretty clear that The Grown Ups know what good music sounds like. When the band ceases its emulation of good music and lets its creativity flow naturally, the Oklahoma City collective's new album, Dark Hearts, offers flashes of genuine talent.

Black Canyon — Black Canyon -

Wed, 06 Feb 2013 00:00:00 CST

Black Canyon is a different alt-country band than the one you heard on its 2011 debut, Battlefield Darlins. Those songs were written by band leader Jake Morisse and Jordan Herrera, who has since split off and formed Young Readers, sounding as if The Decemberists had come from Enid instead of Portland.

Ripple Green — A Lungful -

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST

Red Hot Chili Peppers and Kings of Leon are two of the biggest rock groups in the world, but you don’t see many bands trying to put the two together. It works better than you might think on Oklahoma City three-piece Ripple Green’s new EP, A Lungful, which speaks worlds of the members’ respective talents.

The Fabulous St. Knicholas Cage — Shit Surf -

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST

The landlocked state of Oklahoma might not seem the most likely breeding ground for excellent surf-punk bands, but it’s bore more than a few in recent years, although none so fabulously named as Tulsa’s The Fabulous St. Knicholas Cage.

Citizen Fred — Citizen Fred -

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a raucous good time with Citizen Fred’s self-titled disc. With guttural vocals and crunching guitars, it sounds like the background music to a scene in a buddy-cop film where the mismatched partners go into a sleazy strip club to shake down perps.

Dirty Red & the Soulshakers — Soul Shakin’ -

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST

I know most purists would look middle-aged white guys playing soul music and immediately pass — I can’t count how many times I have — but damned if Dirty Red & the Soulshakers don’t rock the joint for all of its juke, lack of pigment notwithstanding.

The Electric Primadonnas — Clergymen -

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 00:00:00 CST

Oklahoma City psych rockers The Electric Primadonnas have been in hibernation for what feels like a couple of years, only emerging from their slumber for the occasional show or to leak a rough cut of a track.

The Flaming Lips — Playing Hide and Seek with the Ghosts of Dawn -

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 00:00:00 CST

The Flaming Lips’ latest cover album, Playing Hide and Seek with the Ghosts of Dawn, is a song-by-song remake of King Crimson’s 1969 classic, In the Court of the Crimson King. Naturally, it’s only available on hard-to-get, limited-edition colored vinyl.

Hinder — Welcome to the Freakshow -

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:00:00 CST

Oklahoma City’s own Hinder is viciously derided even by butt-rock standards, catching just as much flak as Nickelback and Buckcherry, if not more.

Chud — Chud -

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 00:00:00 CST

Chud doesn’t give a damn. Not for your folly, your lack of good sense, and definitely not for your ear drums.

Copperheads — Apocalyptic Behavior -

Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 CST

Oklahoma City’s Copperheads have remained relatively quiet this year — ironic, given that the punk outfit stands alongside The Boom Bang and Shitty/Awesome as the metro’s loudest rock bands.

Wanda Jackson — Unfinished Business -

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 00:00:00 CDT

You can’t keep genuine royalty from flaunting their power. Wanda Jackson, the 1950s’ Queen of Rockabilly who set the standard for rock ’n’ roll women and even managed to get Elvis Presley hot and bothered, is back with Unfinished Business.

Lost Empires — Death and Evil Beasts -

Wed, 24 Oct 2012 00:00:00 CDT

Oklahoma is flush with Southern and hard-rock acts, but there’s a narrower selection of quality straight-ahead metal bands. Enter Lost Empires.