Like velvet laid over gravel, Millsap’s voice plays gruff, jagged and unexpectedly smooth at the same time. He captures the essence of Tom Waits’ vocals better than a 19-year-old singer ever should; fans of Closing Time-era Waits will find lots to like here, albeit more countrified. The opening title track saunters with a saucy strut […]
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Chug along
From The Byrds to The Band, country-inspired folk rock played a huge part in the path Last Train Home has taken since forming in 1997. So did Slayer and Megadeth. For seven years, bandleader Eric Brace was a Washington Post music columnist before quitting to focus on his burgeoning roots-rock outfit. The time he spent […]
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Hud home
Hudson Moore is something of a young gun on the country circuit. At just 22, he’d seem more at place at college than opening for the likes of Alan Jackson. In truth, he’d be right in the thick of finals if not dropping out to pursue music full-time. “I had these songs that I had […]
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Rather chilling
Vacationer’s work isn’t so much songs as aural postcards from Mumbai or St. Croix. The relaxing electro is certainly a far cry from the frenetic pop-punk that made mastermind Kenny Vasoli famous with The Starting Line. “I always just want to make the music that makes me excited,” he said. “I’d been getting deeper and […]
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Ted, white and blue
Propelled by double entendres and hot guitar licks, Detroit rock institution Ted Nugent’s still cruising on a three-decade schtick worth more than 30 million records sold and 6,000 shows performed. On paper, the Motor City Madman’s career is as mind-boggling as the high-fret theatrics his 63-year-old fingers continue performing. A run from 1975 to 1977 […]
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Admirals — Admirals
Seconds into “Sirens,” one can tell that Radiohead and Muse register high on the band’s radar, yet more bound by convention than either. If that reads as a dig, it’s not necessarily meant to be; as much as Admirals obviously lust after that huge, space-rock sound, it also strives to be catchy and accessible. It’s […]
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Anger management
Mike Ness has been guilty of many things — more than he’d like to remember, or even can remember — but holding back on his emotions isn’t one of them. As the singer, guitarist and all-around force behind the three-decades-strong punk band Social Distortion, the man has summoned plenty of personal demons in hard-charging, college-radio […]
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Brush with noise
Ross Adams James Hammontree, singer/guitarist for Paintscratcher, took a bad habit and twisted it into the perfect name for his then-fledging, Oklahoma City-based hardcore group. “The thing I used to do when I was nervous was scratch the paint of a windowsill furiously fast. I thought, ‘That’s a pretty good name for how I want […]
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All is ’bright
Singer-songwriter John Fullbright shares more in common with folk legend Woody Guthrie than their quaint hometown of Okemah. There’s a certain air of Oklahoma soul to everything they are and represent, whether voice, songs or presence. There’s a weight and understanding of not only life of an Oklahoman, but a human being. Fullbright didn’t set […]
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Local gem
Brandon Bales While most DJs work alone — think Skrillex, Deadmau5, Fatboy Slim — two heads have proven better than one for Oklahoma City electro act Crystal Vision. “It definitely helps when one of us is stuck. The other one always has an idea,” said Katie Wicks. “The joys of being a duo are that […]