The trio, which began as a quartet in 2003, is composed of Tré McCoy of Omaha, Neb.; Dele Olasiji of Norman; and Eric Hollowell of Davenport, Iowa. They met at a party in 2001, while attending college. “Four different states and we all happened to end up at the same party,” McCoy said. “The name […]
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JD McPherson — Signs & Signifiers
Producer Jimmy Sutton’s precise attention to past details is Mad Men–esque in its re-creation of rockabilly guitar tones, plunking upright jazz bass, and the way it captures Jonathan Doyle’s tenor sax and McPherson’s voice, which is the kind of durable instrument that made an army of slick-haired, suit-wearing bandleaders famous in the 1950s. It’s more […]
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‘Chicken Fried’ dudes
C. Taylor Crothers When country rock’s Zac Brown Band looked to record a follow-up to 2008’s platinum-selling smash, The Foundation, they heeded the advice of Les Brown, shot for the money and landed a pair of stars. “I remember when Zac had these songs, he was like, ‘Jimmy Buffett is going to sing on this […]
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Norman, rock well
Portugal. The Man More so than most bands, Norman Music Festival 5 headliner Portugal. The Man has done a lot of growing. Born from a disbanded hard-core act, it championed a challenging brand of rock in its inaugural years. At least that’s what critics and listeners called it. Truthfully, it was far less heady than […]
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You say Hello
It comes as a surprise that power poppers Hellogoodbye formed more than a decade ago. Forrest Kline — chief songwriter, lead singer and sole remaining original member — started the band in 2001 as he was finishing high school. He never expected to be featured on MTV’s The Real World, have smash radio singles like […]
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Rev up
One of good spirits and consciousness raising, Emma’s Revolution came to life in 2002, driven by the creative and romantic partnership of Pat Humphries and Sandy Opatow. It took eight years for the fire to spark, but when it did, Humphries was blown away. “I was really struck by the tremendous ease with which we […]
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Still urgent
Legendary rock group Foreigner has been chugging along for almost 40 years, fueled by a host of hit singles like “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Cold as Ice” and “Feels Like the First Time.” Despite spending the bulk of every year on the road, it’s still not getting old. “Every night is really […]
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Bear necessities
One would be hard pressed to succinctly describe the Louisiana metal band I Wrestled a Bear Once. Its songs incorporate a pantry of sounds. Racing metal guitars pushed against adult-contemporary pop; New Wave ’80s synths punctuated with samples of the General Lee’s car horn. The alt-metal quintet formed in 2007 from the ashes of another […]
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Double R — Dr. Digital
Crazy, but good. It’s totally sporadic and unpredictable, which would be a detriment elsewhere, but works here. It’s like swimming in his id: a sunny, jazz-inspired melody here; a swampy, Gothic hook there. These indulgences are overwhelming and exciting, especially in the darkest of moments. It’s your best, worst nightmare. Double R works as much […]
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Beneath the Keith
Memphis blues and soul man John Paul Keith is wiser than most about the music industry. Clocking years in playing affords him a certain perspective. “We were coming back home from Baton Rouge on a Sunday afternoon. I was driving the van, and you think, ‘God, this is a long drive,’” he said. “It occurred […]