Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore — the married couple behind Denver indie pop act Tennis — didn’t expect much to come of the humble band the two formed after a seven-month sailing trip; they expected nothing, to be precise. “When we were starting out, we didn’t have any plans or ambition to turn this into […]
Joshua Boydston
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Bottoms up
Photo: Mark Jaworski Things are definitely looking more up than down and out for The Front Bottoms. The indie punk act spent more than a few tours playing hole-in-the-walls and sleeping on floors but it now finds itself selling out sizable clubs and getting pegged to open up for well-known bands like Brand New, which […]
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Dreaming big
Guitarist Tony Smith and drummer Justin Wilson — founding members of alt-rock outfit Sleeper Agent — found that they lacked a spark after a couple of lackluster gigs around their hometown of Bowling Green, Ky. But upon discovering dynamo frontwoman Alex Kandel at an open mic night singing Adele covers, Sleeper Agent soon became the […]
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Jabee — Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt
Jabee has, in turn, proven to be a worthy ambassador for the state and to its youth, one who has been chomping at the bit to stretch his legs beyond its borders. That turn comes with Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt, released nationally through the Murs 316 imprint, owned by renowned LA emcee Murs. […]
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Wax poetic
When Oklahoma City indie outfit Bored Wax was looking for a name, it decided to pay homage to its three loves: surf rock, wordplay and indifference. “We were all listening to older surf and punk music, and this name kind of popped up,” singer and guitarist Billy Muschinske said. “We thought we’d change the spelling […]
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Honey, I’m home
Heavy, the debut album of Oklahoma folk-rockers Honeylark, will premier to much fanfare with its Saturday release show, featuring a rare performance from Oklahoma music legend and the Queen of Rockabilly herself, Wanda Jackson. Other collaborations include local favorites Fiawna Forte, The Wurly Birds, Em and the MotherSuperiors, Feathered Rabbit and a three-piece horn section. […]
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Search and destroy
Life on the road isn’t glamorous, but it’s what Todd Jackson and Levi Watson — the two heads behind Oklahoma City hard rock outfit Brother Gruesome — crave and work for. The duo has made a point to steadily tour outside state borders since forming in 2009, ditching creature comforts in favor of the humblest […]
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Magna Carta Holy Sh*t
The former is, of course, met with deafening applause, wild cheering and a palpable sense of excitement, as is the latter. But the icon is greeted with something more, this sort of split-second pause, wherein that uncontainable anticipation is temporarily supplanted with an awestruck, almost audible gasp of, “Oh my god. He is real.” That’s how […]
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Don’t get it twisted
Twista — the rapid-fire emcee who once held the title of World’s Fastest Rapper — has kept relatively quiet lately. Born Carl Mitchell, the Chicago-based artist has been rapping for nearly 30 years, releasing his first album two decades ago and eventually finding widespread fame with his platinum-selling 2004 album Kamikaze and its smash single […]
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Various Artists — A Blackwatch Christmas Vol. III (Holly-Tonk & Jingle Beats)
Holly-Tonk opens with Tulsa’s Desi & Cody, who saunter in with the timeless “It Just Ain’t Christmas Without You.” Empty Bottles follow suit with the saloonfriendly “Kiss Them All Goodnight.” The Wurly Birds punctuate their Beatles-esque “Mr. Nicholas” with some Memphis blues while Beau Jennings channels Tom Petty (à la the 1980s) in the charming […]