P!nk spectacle
As the pink curtain dropped Saturday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena, the audience joyously screamed with anticipation. Behind it swung Grammy Award-winning powerhouse Pink on a chandelier that hung over center stage. She wore a head-to-toe black sequined bodysuit, matched with her famous pixie haircut and a voice with strength that could knock you off…
Commentary: Words matter
Timothy McVeigh was a white nationalist, Turner Diaries-reading terrorist. He used a Ryder truck full of ammonium nitrate to kill 168 men, women and children on April 19, 1995, at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City. As we approach the 24th anniversary of this massacre of our neighbors, friends and family,…
Psych art
Psych Fest March 28-30 Resonator Institute 325 E. Main St., Norman resonator.space $10-$20 Organizing a three-day psychedelic music and art festival might be easier than explaining what the word “psychedelic” means. “Everybody has their own sort of opinion on psychedelic,” said visual artist Eric Piper, one of the organizers of Norman’s inaugural Psych Fest. “When…
Star gazing
Bright StarApril 3-28 Lyric at the Plaza 1727 NW 16th St. lyrictheatreokc.com 405-524-9312 $25-$55 If not for Hamilton hogging the spotlight, Bright Star might have gotten a little more shine. The bluegrass-inspired musical written by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell makes its regional premiere April 3-28 at Lyric at the Plaza, 1727 NW 16th St.…
Cover: Prepping schools
The Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) board of education voted March 4 to adopt a plan that will shut down 15 schools and reconfigure 17 others. Education officials say the plan will provide equity, increase efficiency and better serve all students across the district. Now, all hands are on deck working to make important changes…
Naan rising
Naan Cuisine of India 12215 N. Pennsylvania Ave. naancuisine.com.com 405-752-5283 What works:South Indian entrees and the kerala paratha are very good. What needs work:The papadums were slightly bitter. Tip:It closes between 3 and 5 p.m. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, Naan Cuisine of India has been reborn at the former Ajanta Cuisine of…
Criminal uprising
Four months after street artist Jeks put the finishing touches on the iconic Albert Einstein mural on the former cigarette and candy company wall, he is back in action on the southern wall. Inside BCC Collective, 1015 NW First St., the gears steadily grind. The “Blue Collar Criminals” have been growing in number and putting…
Crunch time
The owner of a new fitness center in Norman, the latest expansion in a growing nationwide chain, said it’s a great time to look at getting back in shape, no matter where you are today. “My dad used to always tell me, ‘How do you eat an elephant? Well, you do it one bite at…
Holocaust visible
Testimony: The Life and Work of David FriedmanThrough May 26 Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art University of Oklahoma 555 Elm Ave., Norman ou.edu/fjjma 405-325-3272 Free Miriam Friedman Morris grew up surrounded by her father’s artwork, but many pieces were missing and the work that was most important to him was the work he did…
Chicken-Fried News: Body count
With 1,079 of every 100,000 people behind bars, according to a study released by Prison Policy Initiative last year, Oklahoma has the highest incarceration rate in the U.S., and even under the most draconian application of state laws, some of those people might not even belong there. Earlier this month, Judge Tom Price ordered Oklahoma…
Power harmonies
The Lunar Laugh with New Tribe and Sativa Prophets 11 p.m. Friday 51st Street Speakeasy 1114 NW 51st St. thelunarlaugh.com 405-463-0470 $3 Three-part harmonies are a trademark of Oklahoma City-based band The Lunar Laugh, which is indicative of the way lead singer Jared Lekites and guitarists Connor Anderson and Campbell Young work as a unit.…
Gazedibles: Delightful dips
There are many classic dips like pimento cheese, spinach and artichoke, and hummus that you can get at the grocery store, but these seven restaurants offer different takes on those classics. By Jacob Threadgill with photos Gazette / file and provided Empire Slice House 1804 NW 16th St. empireslicehouse.com | 405-557-1760 The menu at Empire…
Building history
City council members brought forth resolutions to acknowledge the historic and cultural significance of two properties. One resolution was approved, bringing two organizations together in compromise, while the other was deferred for a month. Merging support After being deferred three times, Ward 7 councilwoman Nikki Nice’s resolution on Brockway Center and Child Abuse Response and…
Building Momentum
Momentum 20198 p.m. Friday-Saturday The Womb 25 NW Ninth St. momentumoklahoma.org 405-879-2400 $10-$15 Since 1988, Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition (OVAC) has celebrated the work of Oklahoma artists. Its annual Momentum event honors artists age 30 or younger, and now in its 18th year, the event is 8-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday at The Womb, 25 NW Ninth…
Swing shift
“We just want people to dance.” That was the generating maxim behind Swingout OKC from its origins in 2016, and it remains the organization’s guiding principle, according to two of the group’s council members, Hannah Berrett and Sarah Bacon Liem, who jointly corresponded with Oklahoma Gazette over email. Swingout OKC offers weekly programming and hosts…
Unified plan
The first piece of medical marijuana legislation is now law. House Bill 2612, also known as the “unity bill,” was authored by Rep. Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, and Sen. Greg McCortney, R-Ada. It cleared the state House of Representatives on Feb. 28 with 93 voting yes and five opposed and then passed the Oklahoma Senate…
Baja bus
Cooking for friends helped heal Tim Ulrich at his lowest moment after he and his wife Leanne moved to Oklahoma City from Southern California more than a decade ago. He is now returning the favor with his “weapon of love,” a former school bus. Taco Nation might be Oklahoma City’s most unique mobile eatery, not…
Chicken-Fried News: Bag men
One of 2018’s most popular memes took a screen shot from a bespectacled anime character looking at a butterfly and asking the question, is this a pigeon? As Norman mayor-elect Breea Clark made the push to tax single-use plastic bags in the city, the Oklahoma Senate is looking at that attempt with the question, is…
Chicken-Fried News: Wake-up calls
We all get them and we all hate them because both impostor scams and robocalls intend to take your hard-earned money. Thankfully, Oklahoma’s own team of crime fighters are assembling to take down robocalls and prevent consumer fraud scams. Last year alone, 50 billion illegal robocalls were made, according to KFOR. Believe it or not,…
