Beau Mansfield Photo: Kianoosh Moeini Beau Mansfield is a lot of things, but at his heart, he’s a piano man. The Norman native has toured in comedy improv groups, directed music for theatrical productions and become a momentary viral star in Holland, but at the core of everything is Mansfield’s lifelong love affair with the […]
band
Posted inMusic
John Moreland — In the Throes
He moves through the 10-song collection with The Boss’ swagger, too, effortlessly swaying between fully fleshed folk-rock anthems and quiet, dirt-road ditties. “Nobody Gives a Damn About Songs” anymore marries a lament of the loss of substance with an impossibly catchy — and classically American — melody. “Blacklist” is just as powerful in its heartbreak, […]
Posted inMusic
Kick-brass
Dirty Dozen Brass Band Celebrating its 30th birthday this year, Norman’s annual Jazz in June concert series showcases some of the best jazz and blues musicians in the country. The free event runs Thursday through Saturday. This year’s lineup includes: • bluesman Duke Robillard; • the Herb Alpert tribute band, A Taste of Herb; • […]
Posted inMusic
Progress in Color — Get Well
The trio has gone from emo poppers with New Wave underpinnings to the inverse, and it suits the band well, as evidenced by the slick Get Well EP. The cover of Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart,” the quintessential post-punk ballad, is a good clue as to the direction in which Progress in Color […]
Posted inMusic
Limber Limbs — Limber Limbs
The Oklahoma City indie-rock trio of Ben Bowlware, Derek Moore and Robert Riggs went by People, People back in 2010 when it released a full-length album of heady, orchestrated material. Although still texturally rich and sonically complex, this self-titled, four-track EP aims at your heart as much as it does your cranium. “Golden Rust” — […]
Posted inMusic
IndianGiver — Plafond EP
Facetious it may be, but it’s far from pretentious; there isn’t a hint of self-seriousness or egotism here, and it makes for a listening experience that’s both endearing and immersive. The band’s self-released debut, Plafond EP, is an exuberantly garnished three-track release — one that showcases a diverse instrumental breadth, clever arrangements and charming “la-di-da” […]
Posted inMusic
Sun rises
Ska music might have fallen out of the public eye since its mid-’90s heyday when The Mighty Mighty Bosstones briefly flirted with mainstream success and No Doubt’s ska-adjacent songs dominated radio, but Oklahoma City outfit Sunny Side Up is working to make sure the last horn hasn’t sounded. While the sextet started out simply trying […]
Posted inMusic
Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!
But after listening to the third track, “Nerdgasm,” I realized they’re not a Christian band at all — just four goofy, kinda nerdy, likable dudes. And we do need those in the world, including for romantic montages on flashback episodes of The Big Bang Theory. With the lyrics “I get to fight the girl of […]
Posted inMusic
Big Worm — Bench All-Stars
His music is so far removed from the East Coast/West Coast style of hip-hop that with each subsequent release, Oklahoma rappers are forging their own coast — Red Dirt Coast, if you will. After spinning this album, I’m pretty sure Worm could be the mayor of the Red Dirt Coast. And why not? With their […]
Posted inMusic
Mama jama
Your Mom at Norman Music Festival Photo: G.K. Glaser With a name like Your Mom, it’s only logical that the Oklahoma City punk act would make it an annual tradition to play a show on Mother’s Day … especially since it coincides with the band’s first concert. But it’s not a tradition, which makes Sunday’s […]