New York City has seen hundreds of art movements come and go, but none quite like the skateboard/graffiti/punk/DIY scene in the 1990s when street-level outsider art began infiltrating mainstream galleries and museums. “Beautiful Losers” is a documentary about the cultural epicenter that fed off an assortment of artists collectively pushing the medium into mainstream pop […]
Charles Martin
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Norman band uses element of surprise during live performances
MySpace junkies who found Early Beat online and perused the Norman band’s songs before committing to a live show might be in for a surprise Friday night. The online tracks were taken from the group’s self-titled debut, which simmers with ambient, jazz-tinged indie rock. Onstage, however, Early Beat is a wellspring of presence and boundless […]
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Amateur sports offer sedentary adults chance to kick-start metabolism
rs. Even people who’d never before touched a soccer ball, they will come play indoor,” he said. “It is very hard to do that with outdoor.” RUGBYSometimes dubbed “football without pads,” rugby mixes the flowing movement of soccer with the complexity of football. Unlike football, there are not prolonged breaks in action, and unlike soccer, […]
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Norman pop songwriter crafts album with help of all-star cast
Compelling art comes from the kind of experiences most ninth graders haven’t have had to deal with yet. But Norman songwriter Ford Chastain’s early introduction to tragedy has helped him create a “If I Leave,” a six-song EP that showcases the young musician’s relaxed vocal delivery, impressive ear for complex and engaging melody, and working […]
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Dr. Pants bristles at the ‘novelty band’ label
Dr. Pants is not a novelty act. Yes, a ballad dedicated to the genius of John Cusack and a funky mantra titled “Kenny Loggins” form the backbone of band’s “The Cusack-Loggins” EP, but the album is bookended with the bellowing rocker “It All Depends” and a guitar-slinging instrumental named “Sweet Natasha,” neither of which possess […]
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Dorian Small Band releases new recording
The latest offering from the Dorian Small Band proves the Norman songwriter is a master of the bedroom opus. The nine-song “Newlyweds” EP is rife with lush and intricately crafted songs, complex songcrafting and vocal stylings reminiscent of John Lennon. And like the later years of the iconic ex-Beatle, this new release shimmers with a […]
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Philip Zoellner Band puts away piano, turns up guitars
Marked by crisp vocals, tight and efficient melodies, and solid songwriting, power pop is the benchmark for mainstream rock. Tulsa trio The Philip Zoellner Band is on its third album of sharp and shrewd rock, and the act’s latest offering, “I Love Jets,” is soaked to the bone with a world-weary weaving of American rock […]
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Tulsa jazz outfit brings 2,000 years of fictional history to Uptown United
If a “Space Music”-era Miles Davis joined Meredith Monk to form an acid rock band, BEN.BEN. would be the approximate result. The handful of tracks from the Tulsa group’s new EP, “New Stone Works,” are playfully cryptic, sparse and, at times, impenetrable. Some listeners will find the bizarre odyssey thrilling, and others might find it […]
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Video game enthusiasts aren’t just arcade rats, prepubescent shut-ins anymore
R.O.B. stared out blankly from his perch on a shelf, flanked by stacks of gaming magazines and other related novelties collected over the years. The ill-fated Robotic Operating Buddy from the Nintendo Entertainment System is just one of the many obscure treasures in Eddy Hrdlicka’s apartment, including a “Halo” Master Chief helmet, posters and 540 […]
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Creative Oklahoma Inc. to host a 2010 forum
>‘RUNNING THE GAMUT’ But, that wasn’t the only project members from Creative Oklahoma were hoping to gain traction on at the forum. “I was there primarily to assist in connecting with other people in the international delegation, trying to encourage them to look at Oklahoma for their 2010 Creativity World Forum,” said Susan McCalmont, a […]