The Whigs with The Hold Steady8 p.m. FridayDiamond Ballroom8001 S. Easternwww.diamondballroom.net866-966-1777$16 advance, $19 door Recently, before returning to the United States for its current tour supporting The Hold Steady, The Whigs played for 65,000 in London’s Hyde Park. The Georgia trio isn’t an act whose popularity overseas far outstrips its success in America; the musicians […]
Chris Parker
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Arizona’s Andrew Jackson Jihad continues its folk-punk revolution with relentless personal rhetoric
Andrew Jackson Jihad with O Fidelis, Ali Bro and the Hippo and Petis9 p.m. Wednesdaythe Conservatory 8911 N. Westernwww.conservatoryokc.com607-4805$7 Andrew Jackson was our seventh president and a hard-ass. A notoriously ruthless military commander nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his stern, ramrod ways, he was often derided as a jackass, which he adopted as a symbol, leading […]
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Singer/songwriter BettySoo adds sweat-stained confidence to ‘Heat Sin Water Skin’
BettySoo9 p.m. Fridaythe Blue Door2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$15 You’re quickly reminded of the old “book jacket judgment” cliché when you first encounter BettySoo. The petite Korean-American erases any preconceptions the moment she opens her mouth. Her voice is big and expressionistic, sauntering across country-folk arrangements with beauty and wisdom that’s often breathtaking. She’s come a long […]
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Arizona power-pop outfit Kinch moves ahead with catchy hooks and inconsistent emotion
Kinch, Simpleton, Blake Fischer and Meddle 6:30 p.m. Tuesdaythe Conservatory8911 N. Westernwww.conservatoryokc.com607-4805$7 advance, $9 door Making it as a band is a mix of fortuitous circumstance and talent. So far, Phoenix quartet Kinch have demonstrated a good bit of both, with a catchy mix of keyboard and guitar-driven music. Formed by a trio of childhood […]
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Warping Nirvana, ABBA and more, The Bad Plus entertains both uninitiated and experienced jazz fans
Jazz in June featuring The Bad Plus, Guy Forsyth, Suzanna Choffel and more7 p.m. Thursday-FridayBrookhaven Village3700 W. Robinson, Norman 6 p.m. Saturday Andrews Park201 W. Daws, norman325-3388www.jazzinjune.orgFree Most beer drinkers don’t begin by sipping microbrews and exotic imports. It’s something you develop an appreciation for with experience ” like music. In this respect, The Bad […]
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‘American Idol’ winner Kris Allen moves from TV to tour, bringing his trademark authenticity
Kris Allen with Green River Ordinance6 p.m. ThursdayFrontier City11501 N.E. Expresswaywww.frontiercity.com478-2140 Free with park admission, $19.99-$36.99 Kris Allen was ready to chuck the idea of a music career. Inspired by his father, who was himself an amateur musician, he had been making music since he was 8, first on viola, then guitar and piano in […]
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After a decade, Ohio indie rock quartet Lovedrug is in limbo, but finally found the right formula
Lovedrug with All the Day Holiday, The City Lives and Leo Goes Grr7 p.m. Monday the Conservatory8911 N. Westernwww.conservatoryokc.com607-4805$8 advance, $10 door Life is quite unlike the recording studio. You don’t get a nearly infinite number of takes to get it right, nor is there an opportunity for post-facto pitch correction or the perfect overdub […]
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For Texas’ Grammy-winning Brave Combo, the road goes on forever, and the polka never ends
Brave Combo9 p.m. ThursdayThe Deli309 White, Normanwww.thedeli.us329-3534 Success occurs in the most unlikely places, as if a challenge to our preconceptions. So it is that Texas quintet Brave Combo is into its 32nd year, with two Grammy Awards in hand, as arguably America’s best-known polka band. The five-piece has played Talking Head David Byrne’s wedding, […]
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Singer/songwriter Joe Ely wandered the world for stories, but found his real song in his Texas home
Joe Ely7:30 and 10 p.m. FridayThe Blue Door 2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$30 advance, $35 door Country singer Tom T. Hall is known for noting how some people search the world over for what others find just around the corner. Joe Ely can attest to both sides of that equation. The Texas native spent much of his […]
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North Carolina songwriter David Wilcox sees revolution in honesty and adventure in troubled times
David Wilcox8 p.m. FridayUCO Jazz Lab100 E. Fifth, Edmondwww.ucojazzlab.com340-8552$45 David Wilcox’s oeuvre might be called coffeehouse music, not so much for the confessional folk connotations ” although that’s there to some extent ” but because it invites the impression of someone with whom you’d engage in a wide-ranging conversation over joe some sunny afternoon. His […]