As the godfathers of the progressive-rock movement, it’s easy to imagine the pair of Styx and Yes as Statler and Waldorf from “The Muppet Show,” hanging out in the balcony, ragging on the young guns offering their new takes on prog rock (or music in general). That’s hardly the case. “There are bands that have […]
Music Features
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97’s in ’11
Rhett Miller, songwriter and vocalist of Old 97’s, thinks you can try to be a rock star, or you can try to be a musician. “When we started out, we wanted to do this years from now, and be proud of our music and the albums we’ve put out,” Miller said. With almost 20 years […]
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Soundcheck: Smokey Robinson
1. His real first name is William; his nickname was given so he’d never forget his black heritage. (Irony alert: He’s rumored to have undergone chemical peels to lighten his skin.) 2. His great-nephew, Duke, played football at our own University of Oklahoma, starting in 2005. Sooooonerrrrrs! 3. UK New Wave band ABC’s 1987 hit […]
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Get your Phil
Singer and blues guitar virtuoso Phil Brown was classically trained on the violin in his teens. His life as a session man required him to sit in on countless recording sessions. He was behind hits, too, writing songs for Cher and Pat Benatar. But recently, with his trio atop the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, […]
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Ware it’s at
Norman’s Terry “Buffalo” Ware is essentially a human jukebox. The veteran guitarist has toured with names like Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jimmy LaFave and John Fullbright, and has served as the leader for the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival’s backing band since its inception. The catalog runs deep in this one. “I don’t know how many songs […]
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Too tough to die
Great bands are never truly forgotten, and that’s true of punk’s Ramones, who called it quits 15 years ago. Their influence is still felt today, and although its three main members — Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee — have passed, their legacy persists and is being given a revival by bassist C.J. Ramone. Born Christopher […]
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Star bright
Many things have changed during Thirteen Stars’ nearly 13 years as a band: lineups, relationships, jobs and everything else under the sun. It’s come at a cost to its formerly rigorous touring and recording schedule, but with all these changes, its members have plenty to say on their upcoming album, “The Price of Progress.” “It’s […]
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Wizards rock
These and other performers can be seen at the Metropolitan Library System’s free Wizard Rock Show from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Midwest City Library, 8143 E. Reno in Midwest City, where fans can celebrate and mourn the end of “Harry Potter” series, whose final film opened last week. The fifth-annual concert features […]
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Shabazz Palaces — Black Up
That was all true for their first two projects, the “Shabazz Palaces” and “Of Light” EPs, and nothing has changed with the new full-length, “Black Up.” The same adjectives might fit the man behind the mic, Digable Planets alum Ishmael “Butterfly” Butler, at least in his approach to rapping. His moderately paced, raspy and recognizable […]
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Kendrick Lamar — Section.80
People often expect highly anticipated albums to disappoint, but Kendrick leaves no room for disappointment. Lamar made this album as an ode to his fellow ’80s babies, products of the Reagan era. In fact, one of the songs is called “Ronald Reagan Era.” On this RZA-assisted composition and other tracks, Lamar mentions problems that have […]