Lead singer and guitarist Joey Vannucchi might be stranded roadside between Washington and Idaho while his alt-rock band, From Indian Lakes, works to fix a blowout, but the good on their tour has definitely outweighed the bad. “We ate at Pine Street in Portland, and they gave us a bag full of free biscuits,” he […]
Music Features
Posted inMusic
Line in the sand
Dream-pop duo Beach House finds itself in a precarious situation. The Baltimore act long has been weary of the foils of fame, but it’s been flirting with it more and more with each album. Its latest, Bloom, saw demand for the band hit a fever pitch. The record debuted in the top 10 on Billboard’s […]
Posted inMusic
Horse, of course
Credit: Doug Schwarz Few bands have the sense of state pride as Horse Thief. The outfit’s sound is the perfect intersection of the dusty country-folk Oklahoma long has been famous for — presently encapsulated by Other Lives — and the quirky, psychedelic noise preached by the likes of The Flaming Lips, Starlight Mints, Evangelicals and […]
Posted inMusic
So Sheik
“We used to jam with a Pakistani guy, so we thought we’d be The Sheiks,” lead singer Matt Milligan said, laughing. “Also, he’s a highly fashionable man. We may not be Pakistani, but we are pretty fashionable.” The Sheiks fill a glaring void in the Oklahoma music scene left empty by the February 2009 demise […]
Posted inMusic
Montu — Bloom
Opener “Dock Ellis” is a doozy at nearly nine minutes, although it never overstays its welcome. John Barkley flexes his muscle here with keyboard work of Stevie Wonder pedigree, while Jon Godsy is equally impressive with the bass line throughout. “Shama Pt. 1” and “Skip Dickson” borrow from lo-fi purveyors Toro y Moi and Ariel […]
Posted inMusic
The gap
Credit: Nathan Poppe Although less than two years old, the Oklahoma City Southern folk act Black Canyon already is a whole new beast. “Black Canyon has changed a lot over the past six months,” front man and founding member Jake Morisse said. “Things are getting a lot louder.” There’s a fairly simple explanation: Founding member […]
Posted inMusic
Ox rocks
Making music comes naturally to Oklahoma City brothers Sam and Ray Ashford, who made it official by s tarting a band together in 2009. With big choruses and mellow verses, Oxford Town has been described as garage blues with a hint of grudge. A reflection of their shared musical taste, their band name is taken […]
Posted inMusic
Cusp — Nothing Proper
Cusp succeeds in the way that Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes do: creating songs that sound like concentrated moments of life rather than just pieces of art. There’s nothing artificial about Nothing Proper — only true beauty to relive in each passing song. Rapp studies vocal performance at ACM@UCO, and it shows. His […]
Posted inMusic
Star trek
Most touring bands book years of shows in dingy rock venues, playing for few more than the members of other groups on the bill before getting the call up to the big leagues. On its debut road trek, Los Angeles rockers Stars in Stereo nabbed such a spot opening for post-hardcore favorites The Used. “It’s […]
Posted inMusic
Jazz hands
The Bert Dalton Brazil Project Santa Fe, N.M.-based pianist Bert Dalton may not look like your prototypical Latin jazz musician, but he’s as experienced and talented as they come. Growing up in Chicago, he was exposed to the Windy City’s lively Latin jazz scene at any early age. It hooked him almost immediately, and he’s […]