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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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Steady as he goes

It’s hard work writing songs with characters vivid enough to fit a movie script or a novel. Bespectacled rocker Craig Finn’s been doing it for a little less than a decade as the front man for The Hold Steady, Brooklyn’s beloved bar band. Although he’s recently taken a brief detour as a solo artist to […]

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Music Made Me: Nicholas Ley

The Zombies — “Odessey and Oracle” (1968)I remember the night my best friend and lifelong band member, Colin Fleishacker, brought me this record. I was at a party and he burst in, dragged me out to his car and made me listen to the first four or five tracks. We were recording vocal tracks at […]

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Lynne her your ears

While plenty of industry honors, roles in film and television, and appearances on late-night shows have all come Shelby Lynne’s way over her two-plus decades’ career, she’s never forgotten the fundamentals of her craft. “With acting, I pretty much just use my singing credentials,” said the 43-year-old contemporary country singer-songwriter, who plays The Blue Door […]

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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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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 […]

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Seeker Lover Keeper — Seeker Lover Keeper

That far in, it was the most interesting song sonically, having ditched the previous five tracks’ uniform dreary piano chords, muted drums and plaintive, stiff vocal melodies. Sarah Blasko’s voice turned girlish and alluring, more like that of Twin Sister singer Andrea Estella than her previous hopeful folk goddess. Despite the repeating starch of piano […]

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Still make you Sweat

Sweat, who appeared Saturday at Riverwind Casino in Norman, has been cultivating relationships with fans for years, since debuting solo with the monster hit “I Want Her,” ushering in the new jack swing style of the late 1980s. “Twisted” and “Nobody” came with the second wave in the mid 1990s, both Billboard hits which likely […]

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