There’s something about Stillwater and Red Dirt country music. On April 11, 2026, Boone Pickens Stadium welcomed more than 40,000 fans for “The Boys From Oklahoma Round 2,” a return that felt less like a sequel and more like a cultural statement. What started in 2025 as a long-awaited reunion for Cross Canadian Ragweed has […]
Music Reviews
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Posted inMusic
An Energetic Exchange
Women cloaked in frilly boho blouses hurried into the transformed Film Row restaurant while men sporting mustaches trailed behind them as the sprinkling rain picked up its pace. The reported tornado watch did not deter attendees from coming out to watch indie rock band The Brook & The Bluff perform at The Jones Assembly. Wet […]
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Bringing Appalachia to OKC
As the crowd thickened, workers at Beer City Music Hall set up handfuls of dolls around the stage: a Raggedy Ann and a jack-in-the-box positioned under an intentionally crooked lampshade; Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” perched against a speaker. A white guitar with buttons glued all over it sat near the middle of the […]
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Modern Ephemera
There’s a brief scene in Alfonso Cuarón’s still-terrifying dystopian masterpiece Children of Men where Jasper (Michael Caine) and Theo (Clive Owen) take advantage of a small break in the onslaught of horrors to smoke pot and hang out. Jasper suggests “a little zen music” before pressing play on a track created specifically for this scene: […]
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Kendra Mars – Remember When I Was Your Dad
“I’m takin’ rap back to pissy floors and crack in the walls,” proclaims “RAP-TURE,” one of four new cuts on Remember When I Was Your Dad?, the debut EP of Kendra Mars. The line isn’t unearned. The Muskogee artist is bold, crass, and unapologetic on the mic, and this is just one of numerous such […]
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Soundcheck: Limp Wizurdz – Vile
One oft-cited crumb of advice to remedy powerlessness is to focus not on outward change but on inner attitude. When a person cannot affect progress in people or systems, the person can at least decide how such forces affect them. This fortune cookie wisdom may have some merit, but it is easier said than done. […]
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Soundcheck: Various Artists – ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ (Anvdvnelisgi)
“ᎰᎵᎦᏧ ᏂᏥᏫᏪᏍᎬ?” According to the printed lyrics that accompany physical copies of ᎠᏅᏛᏁᎵᏍᎩ, a Cherokee language album released in latter 2022, the preceding question translates to, “Do you know what I’m saying?” Hip-hop artist Zebadiah cheekily and offhandedly mutters it at the tail end of “ᏗᎦᏚᎲᏍᎦ,” a track that is otherwise about big and luxurious […]
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Soundcheck: Generation Lossless – Advertising Films
In the old 4:3 aspect ratio of an outdated television screen, a teaser trailer for Advertising Films explains that the term generation loss refers to a condition under which recorded media degrades as it is copied and transferred over time. It is especially evident in the VHS format where horizontal waves of static and warped […]
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Soundcheck: Stunna – Solid Gold
Rock and roll is alive and well. One just needs to know where to find it — Ada, in this case. This oft-overlooked college town is a hidden treasure of original music, from metal to folk to hip-hop styles. It figures that one of its major wayward sons would strike gold with his new band, […]
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Soundcheck: John Fullbright – The Liar
Since its release at the end of September, John Fullbright’s long-awaited The Liar has carried avid word of mouth amongst loyal fans and genre listeners. Its 12 songs have gotten good marks in online music magazines, and the consensus is clear. Even though it’s been eight years since his last album, a practical eternity in […]