Red Dirt artist Brandon Jenkins grew up knowing music would be how he made his unique stamp on the world. Even still, his family encouraged the Tulsa native to attend college. Somewhat reluctantly, he enrolled at Oklahoma State University. “It turned out to be a pretty good choice,” Jenkins said. “I found a pretty good […]
Joshua Boydston
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Land of the Lost
Lost Lander founder Matt Sheehy spends a lot of time alone, out in the wild. It’s his job, actually. The Alaska native is employed as a forester in his newly adopted home of Oregon, and it gives him a lot of time to think. Consequently, his music is similarly cerebral, if not also romantic, in […]
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Young restless
Since winning “Nashville Star” in 2006, Chris Young has been on a hot streak: three smash albums, high-profile tours and two American Country Awards. It’s all a far cry from his start at a certain Tex-Mex restaurant chain, competing with sizzling fajitas for the crowd’s attention. “I had a standing gig at an El Chico […]
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Going green
The show doesn’t stop when comedian Erik Sprague exits stage left. The full-body tattoos, forked tongue, Teflon horns and sharpened fangs make sure of that. Aka “The Lizardman,” Sprague has undergone a series of body modifications to help him become, by most appearances, a lizard, and the crowd’s attention is always on him. “My body […]
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Silly love songs
Will Muir, Shitty/Awesome vocalist/guitarist The Smiths, “Hand in Glove” It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks when you’re in love. It’s about the proximity, protection and acceptance of the person you absolutely need to be near. Who cares if the “good people laugh”? Not me. Prince, all of “Lovesexy” It’s one long track with no […]
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King Kearn
Singer-songwriter Mat Kearney has come a long way from his rebellious, skate-punk roots, but his love for hip-hop — the music and culture — remains. That juxtaposition with his folky beginning has made Kearney the performer he is. “That in-the-moment thing that hip-hop brings is something that I love. It’s unfolding before your eyes, and […]
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Hooked on ’phonic
The Polyphonic Spree has always been ambitious. While the Dallas-based symphonic rock band isn’t as fond of the eccentricities and gimmicks of someone like our own Flaming Lips, more than a few similarities exist — most notably a total disregard for convention. Tim DeLaughter formed the group on the heels of the demise of Tripping […]
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Burns both ways
Metalcore band August Burns Red is rapidly approaching a decade together with relatively few lineup changes and nothing but smooth seas in sight. “We never blew up and exploded overnight,” guitarist JB Brubaker said. “We grew at an organic pace and amassed a following that way. That’s the difference between us and some of the […]
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Dead alive
Costa Stasinopoulos, record producer and leader of Tulsa alt-rockers Dead Sea Choir, has had a pretty rough month. Someone broke into his car on Jan. 15, taking a friend’s guitar and a pair of hard drives containing yet-to-be finished records. And this came just as he was repairing his vehicle from another break-in mere weeks […]
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Trapper keeper
Chris Trapper is an old pro … although he tends to forget that. “I’ve been doing this for a long time, 14 years, and have always had jobs and opportunities, but I don’t think about it like that,” Trapper said. “I still think I’m trying to make it.” The scrappy singer-songwriter has been rewarded for […]