For a locally focused, working musician, there’s practically nothing more desirable than a solid, reliable, and most importantly, paying gig. Throw in a free meal and some beer and it’s basically the Holy Grail. Even with OKC’s music scene ramping up, and venues of all sizes hitting their strides, there might be nowhere in the […]
Music Features
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Selfless summit
When the chance to start a live music event landed in Mike Hilliary’s lap four years ago, he recognized the potential to pay it forward to Norman’s less fortunate. “This offer was a big deal,” Hilliary said. “I saw this as an opportunity to use music and community to help.” Bob Thompson, the long-time owner […]
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Favorite sons
The Turnpike Troubadours are rolling down the highway to play two Tulsa dates. Bassist, vocalist and cofounder of the band R.C. Edwards has come a long way but still remembers his roots. “I was just telling a buddy recently that The Red Barn in Durant is definitely one of the first places we got started […]
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On the road again
When Drive-By Truckers went into the studio at the end of July 2021, it was coming off releasing an unintentional trilogy of albums rife with socially conscious messages—2016’s American Band, 2020’s The Unraveling and The New OK. The band plays The Jones Assembly March 21. All three albums were overflowing with trenchant musical observations about […]
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Crossing the Rio Grande
A popular fixture in the music scene since the late 1980s, Ian Moore is known for his hard driving, bluesy, Jimi Hendrix-style of shredding. Moore, with Jeff Plankenhorn sharing the stage, will play Auditorium at The Douglass March 10, and at the T-Town Git Down & Midnite Choogle at the Tulsa VFW Post 577 March […]
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Drinking Anthems
Flogging Molly are celebrating their first quarter century as a band by heading out on a headlining tour to support their new album, Anthem. Singer/guitarist Dave King and fiddle player (and future wife) Bridget Regan formed the band and, 25 years later, having survived the pandemic, these veteran Irish rockers are ready to roll into […]
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Co-op makes the dream pop
“I don’t know that any one of us could be doing this ourselves,” Sarah Reid said. As a music scene mainstay, kitchen worker, and part-time venue booker, Reid knows as well as anyone about the behind-the-scenes hustle that goes into assuring that musicians have a stage and a community in Norman, and it’s only been […]
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Label makers
For a couple generations of musicians raised on brutal public disputes, scene veteran horror stories, and way too many episodes of Behind the Music, it’s often felt like record labels were the enemy. In an age loaded with hyper-indie sentiment and a prevailing DIY mentality bolstered by social media and YouTube, the question, “Why do […]
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Alien invasion
In the decade since St. Paul & the Broken Bones came out of Birmingham, Ala., the eight-piece outfit has made a name for itself as a horn-driven neo-soul act fronted by singer and namesake Paul Janeway. And while the pandemic kept Janeway and company from touring, the creative juices continue to flow. The result is […]
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Suave Stiles
“I can hold a mean grudge,” Ace Stiles said. The 18-year-old Tulsa singer-songwriter has seen some rejection. While that may not be a rare experience for most young adults, few can say they’ve been turned down in front of millions of people. Stiles progressed to the televised audition rounds of American Idol’s 19th season. Despite […]