Photo: Chris J. Zähller To the general public, the current face of country music is dominated by GQ models with chiseled, square jaws who are more proud of their frosted tips and designer Western-wear than their music. But not the outlaws of Norman’s Empty Bottles. Not now, not ever. “As a personal preference, I just […]
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Posted inArts & Culture
Look Closer
A printmaker looks at a person’s face like he looks at a work of art — in pieces. From a distance, artist Chuck Close’s portraiture looks like untouched photography. But approaching it more closely, it is apparent that the work exists on a grid and each component of the print — whether it’s the face […]
Posted inMusic
Don’t get it twisted
Twista — the rapid-fire emcee who once held the title of World’s Fastest Rapper — has kept relatively quiet lately. Born Carl Mitchell, the Chicago-based artist has been rapping for nearly 30 years, releasing his first album two decades ago and eventually finding widespread fame with his platinum-selling 2004 album Kamikaze and its smash single […]
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The art of Noise
We all know the old adage, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” But how often is it the cover art that reaches out from the shelf and grabs you? How often are we unsurprised to find that the artwork on an album’s packaging perfectly meshes with the music locked inside? Celebrating that relationship […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Louie Louie
The place was close to capacity, but it wasn’t a mob scene. The volume was lively, but not annoying. No one appeared to be three sheets to the wind, and there was plenty of staff to handle all aspects of the business. An overabundance of big-screen TVs all tuned to the same channel made for […]
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Fisher’s kings
“There are great stories behind each of those people,” said Fisher, the newest member of the Capitol Preservation Commission. “There’s just not enough interpretation. You see the piece there, but you don’t know why it’s there. Every piece there has a historical significance. It’s not just art for art’s sake.” Chief Justice Tom Colbert of […]
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Tonk-adile Dundee
Even with the rise of such Aussie superstars as Keith Urban, the country music scene down under is still a burgeoning one. It was for this reason that Tasmania native Audrey Auld made the move to Nashville a decade ago and finally found her niche. “I’ve lived in America 10 years now, and I think […]
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Blades of gory
As Austin outfit The Sword would tell it, it’s a good time to be a heavy metal band. “People are finally trying some different stuff in heavy metal and hard rock,” frontman J.D. Cronise said. “All too often, bands rely on the traditional way … but traditional metal is funny to me because it’s a […]
Posted inMusic
Married with music
And it’s all done in a way that sounds devoid of polish or stuffy flamboyance. The project is the brainchild of Wil Norton and Danny Davis, two Oklahoma Christian University graduates who bonded over Super Smash Bros. and a common musical thread — though their histories wouldn’t suggest the latter. Norton, 26, cut his teeth […]
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Grave secrets
Without the war in Vietnam, the civil rights movement, Calgon detergent and Fred Rogers’ tonsils, Night of the Living Dead would not exist. And without Night of the Living Dead, there would be no The Walking Dead, no World War Z, no entire cottage industry centered around those “all messed-up” ghouls who crave and dine […]