To say this has been a trying summer for Pennsylvania punk band Handguns would be an understatement. “Touring has been total hell,” said founder and guitarist Jake Langley. “My singer quit, our drummer quit, we got a new drummer, he quit, and somehow, we are still here. I don’t know. We have had to find […]
Joshua Boydston
Posted inMusic
Good grief
It used to be easy to imagine singer/ songwriter Ryan Lawson as a Charlie Brown type: sweet and sincere, but always a little melancholy with life dumping on him at the worst moments. Naturally, that fed into his music, but as things have turned around, he’s smiling a whole lot more. “A lot of people […]
Posted inMusic
Vending machines
When The Venditos roll into a venue, they do it big. The humble rock band hailing from Oklahoma City doesn’t have a record deal or any sort of other financial backing, but it does enjoy a full-on tour bus, an old Greyhound that looks like the full shebang from the outside. Inside? Well, that’s a […]
Posted inMusic
Switch on
Switchfoot’s songs are meant to be so much more than melodies. “It’s more than just catchy hooks that grasp a listener for a month out of their life,” said bassist Tim Foreman. “It feels like people are really on the journey with us. Music got me through a lot of tough times. Fortunately, I think […]
Posted inMusic
Color of blight
There are several reasons why Norman’s Rainbows Are Free describes its sound as “heavy devil music.” There’s the heavy riffage, pounding percussion, mind-bending psychedelia, rants against religion and … well, this. “There’s the sacrifices, and our love for the dark lord,” bassist Chad Hogue said in deadpan. “You kind of need the devil to help […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Bam!
With a knack for voice impressions, acting chops and remarkable character inventions, comedian Maria Bamford easily could fill her time with television and film work. Instead, she keeps herself locked into the vicious, less lucrative world of stand-up comedy. It has its own rewards, however. “It’s immediate gratification,” Bamford said. “It only involves me showing […]
Posted inMusic
City folk
Music sometimes makes you do crazy things, like trade the peaceful plains of Kansas for the bustling concrete jungle of Brooklyn, N.Y. That’s what roots-rock band Country Mice frontman Jason Rueger decided to do a few short years ago, making the move from his quiet home of Beattie — population: about 300 — to the […]
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Papal state
Pop-punk band Smoking Popes formed a full two decades ago. To still be playing music is the last thing lead singer Josh Caterer ever expected. “I don’t know that I ever thought about what I’d be doing 20 years later when we started this band,” he said. “You always think you are going to be […]
Posted inMusic
Yes men
As the godfathers of the progressive-rock movement, it’s easy to imagine the pair of Styx and Yes as Statler and Waldorf from “The Muppet Show,” hanging out in the balcony, ragging on the young guns offering their new takes on prog rock (or music in general). That’s hardly the case. “There are bands that have […]
Posted inFood & Drink
No bull
Staff at the Bricktown restaurant said some diners are hesitant, but most get over it once they try the food. The concept has origins in Spain and caught fire in the stateside food scene a few years ago. Tapas are essentially small plates of food — not appetizers, but small dishes — aimed toward sharing […]