LaFave, however, has not seen the stardom that fellow Red Dirt pioneers Cross Canadian Ragweed and Stoney LaRue have, if only because the thoughtful performer never quite pandered to the beer-swilling crowds. His latest release, Depending on the Distance, follows suit; its 13 inspiring tracks have all the country flair of the brothers with whom […]
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Calvinist theory
Photo: Samantha Lamb Album titles can mean anything, really, be it an inside joke, a catchy turn of phrase or nothing in particular. In the case of Norman singer-songwriter John Calvin’s latest EP, Without Wax, the title reveals everything. “The name came from a conversation I had with a very wise acquaintance at a bar […]
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Roll of the ’dise
Noise-pop act Merchandise is something of a ghost on the Internet — a rarity in this digital age. It takes some deep Googling to find it. And yet the group is finding its way, only recently accepting the help of a publicist and booking agent … and only because lead singer Carson Cox met them […]
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One direction
Six months ago, John Johnson and Joie Sherman-Johnson, both University of Oklahoma alum who make up the duo North Meets South, were working corporate jobs in Washington, D.C., playing “casually, not even weekly, not even monthly for about two years,” per Johnson, before relocating to Norman. Fresh from a short tour of the Midwest, the […]
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Cope skills
Photo: Anna Lee It only took one neglected guitar for Oklahoma City singer-songwriter Chelsey Cope to devote herself to music. “My older sister had this weird obsession with Garth Brooks when she was younger. She asked for a guitar to learn how to play, but she was gone all the time. She had a lot […]
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Mind the Fox — Songs for the Needy
The 11-track effort has the feel of a product made for and formulated in a dingy basement with dusty floral couches, shag carpet and tacky wood wall paneling … and I mean that in the best of ways. It’s something of a time capsule uncovered from four or five decades back, neither updated nor refurbished […]
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Bigger Brother
Photo: Jo McCaughey Nashville garage-rock duo Jeff the Brotherhood must be pretty big fans of Norman. Next Wednesday’s show marks its third here in less than a year. But it won’t be more of the same, as it also marks Jeff the Brotherhood’s first since releasing Hypnotic Nights, the band’s seventh studio album and first […]
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G.O.O.D. Music — Cruel Summer
With outstanding talent like Kanye, John Legend, Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Common and Mos Def on the G.O.O.D. label, there’s no reason that Cruel Summer shouldn’t be near-perfect, but that is far from the case. Too much input from 2 Chainz and Big Sean — each of whom has his bright points, but often comes […]
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Rock of ageless
It was as if the birth of Nirvana had never happened. It was as if music never stopped being fun. And catchy. And above all, horny. That’s the power of Lita Ford, Poison and Def Leppard. Maybe I had been living in Colorado too long. Maybe I had been too accustomed to concerts featuring Brooklyn-based […]
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The way back home
Even superstars of country music need to find good excuses to come home. Trouble is, Norman-born Vince Gill can’t find enough of them. “My mom would probably echo that sentiment,” he said. “But you know, life’s busy: five kids and a career and life and all of that. It is hard to get back as […]