Music

The 20th Blue Fish Companion party/music show recently was held at Norman’s Red Room.   “It comes with a built-in crowd,” said Quentin Bomgardner, founder. “When I contact people, they want to play Blue Fish and that is why. You want to play in front of people. As a musician, it stinks to play in […]

Bands generally recoil from the term “concept album” for fear of being pretentious. But Matt Brown, formerly of The Fellowship Students, declares it proudly.   “The problem is, it’s for music nerds,” Brown said. “When most people buy an album, they listen to four or five songs. There aren’t enough people who will smoke a […]

Evanescence lead singer Amy Lee looks forward to bringing rock to out-of-the-way places that need it most.   “Not that Oklahoma City is the middle of nowhere, but as compared to L. A. or Chicago,” Lee said. “It’s more fun to play Salt Lake City because the fans are so excited because they need that […]

The Tel Aviv-based trio Monotonix lists ABBA as an influence, but its music feels more akin to punk, especially considering lead singer Ami Shalev’s unhealthy disregard for his body while performing.   Guitarist Yonatan Gat said Shalev always seems to get hurt in New York.   “On our very first tour, he broke his arm […]

There have been more live albums recorded in Oklahoma City than one might think. Here is a sampling:   Ernest Tubb ” “On Tour”Recorded live at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa in 1962, it has long been alleged that these tracks weren’t live at all.   Neil Young ” “Time Fades Away” Released in 1973, this […]

For a growing number of young Americans, there is a staple of St. Patrick’s Day beyond green beer and four-leaf clovers: the music of Flogging Molly.   “In Ireland, it’s not a particularly celebratory day. You spend all day in church and have a kind of low-key parade,” mandolinist Bob Schmidt said, “But here in […]

Losing your record label funding and a big-name producer sometimes can be the best scenario.  Just ask Walter Salas-Humara, guitarist and vocalist of The Silos. The stalwart rockers were poised to record 20 days when Dualtone Records pulled the funding, leaving the band with enough money to eke out four days.   “We actually didn’t listen […]

Under the umbrella of The Starkweather Boys, surf rock, Western swing, Little Richard, The Comets and even a bit of the Fifties-era Elvis Presley all find a comfy home.   The Boys show off that musical muscle on their new album, “Archer St. Blues.” The following is an e-mail interview with lead singer Dave McPherson. […]

University of Oklahoma student radio station, The WiRe, has officially hit the airwaves. Now broadcasting on 1710 AM, the WiRe has expanded its reach past the campus to much of Norman.   Program and Music Director John Cope said the station filed paperwork for an FM frequency, which didn’t work out.   “It was either […]