There is perhaps nothing more fascinating and potentially disastrous than a band no longer bothered with the status quo, and deciding to play whatever the hell it feels like. Sometimes, this alienates fans; other times, it results in a significant artistic leap forward. The Pretty Black Chains pulled an abrupt about-face with their new LP, […]
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Blues brothers
If together long enough, bands become little families; the fewer the people, the tighter the bond. Duos can become like twins: a tight-knit relationship that becomes more than mere partnership. The men behind blues-rock duo The Black Jack Gypsys does the theory one better: The Oklahoma City boys are brothers by actual blood. “Being close […]
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Pan-seared sounds
Ohio metal band Lo-Pan loves to tour. “Most of us are very strongly connected to our performance,” said drummer Jesse Bartz. “That’s how we want to earn our fans.” How much does Lo-Pan like touring? So much so that Bartz’s answer to almost every question ended up related to hitting the road: On the story […]
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Def, not dumb
It’s a common storyline: Young, fervent rockers mellow with age and settle into an elder statesman role, complete with less touring. This is not the Deftones’ storyline. “Right now, we’re just hammering it out on the road. We totally enjoy it,” said Frank Delgado, the California-based alt-metal band’s turntablist/keyboardist. “As you get older, you find […]
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Touch it
Electric Touch has more than one British invasion to thank for its success. Playing Pryor’s Rocklahoma festival this weekend, the five guys grew up listening to UK rock acts like Rolling Stones and The Kinks. Front man Shane Lawlor hails from Britain as well, which is peculiar considering the rest of the band is as […]
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Windy music
On Sunday, it brings its unique music from the Windy City to our often windier one, for a 6 p.m. concert at Frontier City, 11501 Northeast Expressway. Together since 1997, the band has twice as many albums and three times as many singles than it does members. Its most recent LP debuted at the top […]
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Red City Radio — The Dangers of Standing Still
The last song of the Oklahoma City group’s aptly titled album could be the first, as there’s no letup of enthusiasm, speed or snare drum in their pop-punk debut. Highlight “Talk Me to Sleep” features the best lyric (“They’re asking us to die for something / While asking us to live for nothing”) and the […]
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Laura Stevenson and the Cans — Sit Resist
Laura Stevenson and the Cans’ “Sit Resist” does that, too, but on steroids. Genres that are beautifully integrated here include (but are not limited to) folk, pop, rock, indie rock, indie pop, ’50s girl pop, Motown, gospel and waltz. And somehow, she ties it all together into an incredibly coherent album. Wow. The unifying thread […]
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Tribute to ‘Speedy’ West set for Sunday
However, as they say in the business, the show must go on. Sunday’s benefit from 2 to 6 p.m. at UCO Jazz Lab, 100 E. Fifth in Edmond, will double as a tribute to West and as a fundraiser to offset the costs for his medical treatment and funeral. Four bands each will play a […]
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Hoof it
What does it take to open for acts like Death Cab for Cutie, Tegan and Sara, or Silversun Pickups? Kate Cooper — half of the Australian indie-pop duo An Horse, which has opened for all three — chalks it up to politeness. “It helps that they like our music, but I think it helps even […]