Nashville noise-rock duo Jeff the Brotherhood released its breakout album, “We Are the Champions,” this past summer, but already has stepped back into the studio to record a follow-up that promises to be just as outrageous. “It’s the logical next step,” said guitarist/singer Jake Orrall. “We weren’t trying to think about it too much. We […]
Joshua Boydston
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Let’s be Frank
Frank Smith of Austin, Texas, is an enigma, being that it’s not a person, but a band. Naturally, front man Aaron Sinclair has had to deal with a good bit of confusion concerning the name. “I have been called Frank by people before,” Sinclair said. “That always gets a little weird.” There’s not — nor […]
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Van go
Folk-rock flock The Ragbirds preach the same green message as many touring bands, but has taken it a step further by converting its touring van to run on recycled vegetable oil. Accordingly, look out, metro restaurants, because The Ragbirds might come a-knockin’ while in town for two concerts in Oklahoma City and Norman. “Every couple […]
Posted inFood & Drink
The Stuffed Olive
Owner and general manager Andrea Durow, once a partner at Moore’s Two Olives Cafe, decided to not only curb the chain deli trend, but the chain trend, in general. “We were trying to serve fresh food in south suburban Oklahoma City,” Durow said. “There aren’t a lot of locally owned, made-from-scratch type restaurants here, and […]
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Methotrexate — Camelpacks & Battlerapz
While “Camelpacks & Battlerapz” is no doubt the creation of similarly humble production (albeit as professional and warmer), he digs deeper than your average upstart MC. This standout hip-hop record is seemingly the product of consuming just as many jazz records and cult films as mixtapes, and it’s as studious and labored over as a […]
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Nurse registers
When indie rock’s Nurses released its sophomore album in 2009, critics compared the Portland, Ore.-based trio to Animal Collective and Grizzly Bear. When it came time to follow up that acclaimed effort, Nurses decided the only way to improve that formula was to add a little Prince and Michael Jordan into the mix. “We were […]
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Girl grows up
Given the silly name and bright, Simon & Garfunkel-inspired harmonies, Brooklyn folk-rock act Girlyman sounds like it was born out of a happy place. The thing is, it wasn’t. “Our first rehearsal was scheduled for Sept. 11. We were putting together press kits and complaining about how crappy doing it was … what an upstream […]
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Frac action
Born to Italian immigrants who cooked massive family meals and bottled their own wine, singer-songwriter Michael Fracasso said food has played a big role in his life. Even after he fell in love with music, he couldn’t give cooking up entirely. Instead, he’s found a way to combine his two loves, performing at private dinner […]
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Bright light, big sound
The story behind Austin’s four-piece The Bright Light Social Hour reads something like that of the fictitious band Spinal Tap. Consider this: Three of the four Bright Light Social Hour members boast impressive facial hair, with front man Jack O’Brien’s comically large vaudevillian mustache topping them all. The drummer was plucked out of a high […]
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Swap meet
It’s rare to witness six high-caliber performers share the stage on a given night, even more so at the exact same time. But Opolis’ Saturday Song Swap features six standout Oklahoma musical artists collaborating on one another’s songs, with the performers delicately adding their own little flourish to their colleagues’ ditties. “Everybody’s mic and guitar […]