News;Chris Parker

BettySoo9 p.m. Fridaythe Blue Door2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$15 You’re quickly reminded of the old “book jacket judgment” cliché when you first encounter BettySoo. The petite Korean-American erases any preconceptions the moment she opens her mouth. Her voice is big and expressionistic, sauntering across country-folk arrangements with beauty and wisdom that’s often breathtaking. She’s come a long […]

Andrew Jackson Jihad with O Fidelis, Ali Bro and the Hippo and Petis9 p.m. Wednesdaythe Conservatory 8911 N. Westernwww.conservatoryokc.com607-4805$7 Andrew Jackson was our seventh president and a hard-ass. A notoriously ruthless military commander nicknamed “Old Hickory” for his stern, ramrod ways, he was often derided as a jackass, which he adopted as a symbol, leading […]

Jazz in June featuring The Bad Plus, Guy Forsyth, Suzanna Choffel and more7 p.m. Thursday-FridayBrookhaven Village3700 W. Robinson, Norman 6 p.m. Saturday Andrews Park201 W. Daws, norman325-3388www.jazzinjune.orgFree Most beer drinkers don’t begin by sipping microbrews and exotic imports. It’s something you develop an appreciation for with experience ” like music.  In this respect, The Bad […]

Joe Ely7:30 and 10 p.m. FridayThe Blue Door 2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$30 advance, $35 door Country singer Tom T. Hall is known for noting how some people search the world over for what others find just around the corner. Joe Ely can attest to both sides of that equation. The Texas native spent much of his […]

Brave Combo9 p.m. ThursdayThe Deli309 White, Normanwww.thedeli.us329-3534 Success occurs in the most unlikely places, as if a challenge to our preconceptions. So it is that Texas quintet Brave Combo is into its 32nd year, with two Grammy Awards in hand, as arguably America’s best-known polka band. The five-piece has played Talking Head David Byrne’s wedding, […]

Woodsman with Tjutjuna9 p.m. TuesdayBill & Dee’s Tavern311 E. Main, Normanwww.myspace.com/universecitynorman Sometimes less is more, particularly when it comes to music. In the case of Denver instrumental quartet Woodsman, the absence of vocals makes it easier for the mind to wander unfettered the broad, drifting expanse of its undulating soundscapes. The last decade has seen […]

Mouse Fire with Lost at Sea and Grown Ups8 p.m. FridaySauced2912 Paseowww.yoursauced.com521-9801 South Florida trio Mouse Fire recalls The Faint with more of a ’70s soft-rock vibe. Its resolutely dance-floor-ready sound combines bristling funk backbeat, shimmying synth lines and big, harmonic vocal hooks that hark back to Hall & Oates, Air Supply and Chicago. As […]

Pat Green with Kevin Fowler and Mark McKinney6 p.m. SaturdayFrontier City11501 n.e. Expresswaywww.frontiercity.com478-2140Free with park admission, $19.99-$36.99 Everybody has their limits, and for Pat Green, it seems like the ceiling is set at second place.A perennial bridesmaid, he’s been poised on the brink of stardom for ages. He’s toured with Kenny Chesney and Dave Matthews, […]

Natalia Zukerman with  Chris O’Brian, Buffalofitz and Kate Robinson8 p.m. Thursdaythe Blue Door2805 N. McKinleywww.bluedoorokc.com524-0738$15 Like a network sitcom, the world of singer/songwriters trends toward the predictable. In that context, Natalia Zukerman belongs on HBO. Her strumming is particularly percussive, recalling Ani DiFranco, and she samples a variety of styles, surveying smoldering blues, ambling folk, […]

Foreigner with Styx and Kansas7 p.m. FridayZoo Amphitheatre2101 N.E. 50thwww.zooamp.com364-3700$35-$125 Is there life after death? Ask Foreigner, because it’s probably come the closest to finding out. After establishing itself as arguably the mightiest arena-rock act of the late ’70s and early ’80s, its descent was precipitous. Following four albums, each bigger than the last, 1984’s […]