Oklahoma City Philharmonic’s 2018-19 season sounds off Saturday with a classic selection featuring Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor conducted by a new leader in music director Alexander Mickelthwate. Though the baton was officially passed to Mickelthwate in May 2017, the German-born maestro has spent the last year acclimating to OKC, diving […]
Paul Simon
Posted inArts & Culture
Red Earth MFA welcomes visiting authors for a reading
Poet and memoirist Richard Hoffman and author and poet Michael Henson read at The Paramount OKC 7 p.m. Thursday.
Posted inMusic
Van go
Folk-rock flock The Ragbirds preach the same green message as many touring bands, but has taken it a step further by converting its touring van to run on recycled vegetable oil. Accordingly, look out, metro restaurants, because The Ragbirds might come a-knockin’ while in town for two concerts in Oklahoma City and Norman. “Every couple […]
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Paul Simon — One Trick Pony / Hearts and Bones / Graceland / The Rhythm of the Saints
I’ve got a huge respect for anybody who, at 70 (or more) years old, still gets around and plays shows, and I approached these four albums — his fifth through eighth solo records, all released on Warner Bros. — with due reverence. They’re newly available in remastered editions, each with a bonus disc of rarities. […]
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The Ladybug Transistor — Clutching Stems
They adhere closely to what the band’s press dubs “formalist” structures, which is to say that the verse/chorus/verse format isn’t just used, but praised. The songs aren’t gimmicky, nor are they hip. They’re just really solid, enjoyable tunes. In that way, they’re pretty much the quintessential Merge band at the moment: Been around since the […]
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Paul Simon — Paul Simon / There Goes Rhymin’ Simon / Still Crazy After All These Years / In Concert: Live Rhymin’
The accompanying notes state that the albums “feature the remastered sound, bonus tracks and expanded packaging from their first CD incarnations.” Translated: These are exactly the same as the 2004 CD releases, down to the liner notes. The only reason mentioned for re-releasing these albums is that a licensing agreement recently “brought Simon’s entire catalog […]
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Nik Freitas — Saturday Night Underwater
He helped raise the pop song to an art form, lifting it from the youth into the realm of serious consideration. But most mature musicians today stray toward the maudlin tones of adult alternative or the “raw” qualities of Americana/folk. There’s not too many guys making solid pop for adults, but Nik Freitas is one […]
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. — It’s a Corporate World
Ben Folds has it: Pretty much anyone can cover a Folds tune and it will be money. MGMT was apparently able to write two of the best pop songs of last decade (“Kids” and “Time to Pretend”), but no more. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has already been anointed with the MGMT mantle as the next […]
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Luke Rathborne — Dog Years E.P./I Can Be One E.P.
You know, just another week in the life. If any of you aren’t very interested at this point, the rest of this review probably won’t help you. For those of you who are (like me) totally floored at this point, here’s the skinny: Luke Rathborne has a golden voice, a brilliant songwriting style that draws […]