Tulsa bluegrass-folk-indie duo Desi and Cody swung by the FOX 23 studio in Tulsa last week for an appearance on Great Day Green Country. The song’s called “Fable,” and it’s a nice showcase of Desirae Roses’ singing ability.

Also, please excuse the morning show host’s mispronunciation of Bruce Springsteen’s last name. Check Desi and Cody out at South by Southwest at Friends Bar (208 E. Sixth) at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, or at The Side Bar (602 E. Seventh) at 3:15 p.m. Friday.

For a more comprehensive guide to Okie performances at SXSW 2012, hit up our listing.

There’s little I can say to add to the conversation about our reigning Best in Rock band (though that’ll change when next week’s <i>Gazette</i> hits the racks), except that the last two years, while being low-key in terms of activity, have definitely preserved their live skill as players. 

The Non are experimental and progressive, sure, but you can count on them being consistent in that progression, wherever and whenever they play. I still have yet to see them play show that’s anything less than thrilling.

But yeah, they did their usual instrumental ping-pong in space thing we all love so much. It was Zach Zeller’s (pictured) second show of the night, and bassist Tom Bishop and guitarist Wil Norton flew in from Norman (Bishop’s a certified pilot) and out in the same night, just to play. Gotta admire that determination.

They may not be aiming, high, but The Boom Bang are sure realistic.

Singer James Smith announced to The Buffalo Lounge earlier this evening that the garage-housed four-piece were “probably the worst band to play here all night.” He was kinda right, but that didn’t make their set any less fun. 

Smith mumbled his way through their usual schtick: noisy, propulsive rock styled after The Ramones’ sonic blitz and Andrew W.K.’s intentionally stupid revelry. It was a tie-loosening; a rowdy break in between two much headier bands — The Defining Times and The Non — that brokered the evening’s bill of rock acts nicely.

The show ended with a brief episode involving the sound guy, who chased a fan off the stage when the latter yelled “Fuck you!” into a microphone, shortly after McKenzie and drummer Brian Whetstone traded places for a final, scuzzy jam. If ever there was a better end to a Boom Bang show, I wasn’t there for it.

The Rockettops play a brand of pop-rock that fans of The Fray would enjoy, as the sound is built on piano-based songwriting, deft bass lines and soaring guitar lines. Vocalist/pianist/acoustic guitarist Jordan Smith's impassioned voice also soars, and it's his vocal melodies that get precedence in these songs. But the rest of the band doesn't slack in its support role; the instrumental interplay is strong, especially for a band in the pop/rock vein.

The band clearly was having a blast, as the members were smiling and laughing throughout. The upbeat atmosphere filled the room, especially when the band ratcheted up the distorted guitars in big crescendos. The Rockettops know how to build and release tension, and that serves their pop-rock songs very well. The tension never feels forced or smarmy, either; the sound feels organic and loose. They can also break it down for emotive moments; they aren't a one-trick pony. Fans of Lifehouse, Goo Goo Dolls, and Matchbox Twenty will perk their ears up at The Rockettops' sound.

Photos by Matt Carney