<span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US” lang=”EN-US”> Photo: Mark Hancock Oklahoma enjoys a special place in the scope of American music, producing the likes of Woody Guthrie, Garth Brooks and Leon Russell. But it’s not always been the best place for someone like Andy Nunez and his wife, Marian — respectively, drummer and keyboardist for the Norman-based Starlight […]
Opolis
Posted inMusic
Paramount release
Even if you don’t attend Friday’s show by New York noise rockers The Psychic Paramount, there’s a good chance you’ll hear it. And if you are within a block radius, you’ll feel it, too. “When those volumes approach a certain level, it does become this corporal thing,” said drummer Jeff Conaway of the band’s notoriously […]
Posted inMusic
Bastards!
Ohio garage rockers Heartless Bastards were a little road-weary after two years touring with Wilco and Wolfmother, and on their own, both here and abroad. They finally wound down to record what would later become Arrow when their producer, Spoon drummer Jim Eno, suggested the band head right back out there. “He recommended we go […]
Posted inMusic
Horse, of course
Credit: Doug Schwarz Few bands have the sense of state pride as Horse Thief. The outfit’s sound is the perfect intersection of the dusty country-folk Oklahoma long has been famous for — presently encapsulated by Other Lives — and the quirky, psychedelic noise preached by the likes of The Flaming Lips, Starlight Mints, Evangelicals and […]
Posted inMusic
Evolution theory
Denton, Texas-based singersongwriter Sarah Jaffe broke through in 2010 with her first full-length album, Suburban Nature, boasting a beautiful sound, charming voice and lyrical wit, all evidenced by the single, “Clementine.” It won her spots playing shows with Norah Jones and The Old 97’s, so she could have just leaned on that sound for a […]
Posted inMusic
So and so good
Credit: Stephanie Bassos When Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s emerged in the mid-2000s with the brilliant chamber-pop record The Dust of Retreat, major labels saw the band as the next Arcade Fire, The Shins or The Decemberists. Too bad chief songwriter and lead singer Richard Edwards never planned on sticking to one sound, […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]
Posted inMusic
Kam they do it?
Oklahoma City rockers The Kamals recall many bands on first listen; some moments sound like Queens of the Stone Age, while others like vintage Black Keys or, even more old-school, Robert Johnson. If there’s one descriptor that ties it altogether, it’s sweat, and the five-man crew shed a lot of it recording its debut EP, […]
Posted inMusic
Indie 500
On the surface, indie-pop duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and the movie “Jurassic Park” don’t have much in common. Lacking a Jeff Goldblum connection or thorough understanding of genetic engineering, the band still chose to host a special screening of the film at the legendary Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas, during a recent two-night stand. […]
Posted inMusic
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 […]