Seconds into “Sirens,” one can tell that Radiohead and Muse register high on the band’s radar, yet more bound by convention than either. If that reads as a dig, it’s not necessarily meant to be; as much as Admirals obviously lust after that huge, space-rock sound, it also strives to be catchy and accessible. It’s […]
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Giving them hell
You’ve heard The All-American Rejects’ mythology before. Talented small-town Stillwater high schoolers’ album gets scooped from the trash by a record label intern: music videos, hit singles, major-label deals, high-grossing worldwide tours and dalliances with celebrities ensue. In short, all the stuff that constitutes the first half of an episode of VH1’s Behind the Music: […]
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Days of Lives
“Let’s just say we kept our shit together,” singer Jesse Tabish said of performing for Radiohead, in the very pub that hosted the Grammy-winning alt-rock giants’ first conventional performance in 1986. Added Jonathon Mooney, who plays piano, violin, guitar and a host of other instruments in Other Lives’ intricate, baroque arrangements, “Having them in the […]
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Rejects’ rebound
While we’ve since matured, the “Swing, Swing”-ing All-American Rejects have showed no sign of the same. Most recently, the world saw the band coasting on the success of their last big hit, 2009’s “Gives You Hell,” which spent four weeks at No. 1, despite being more obnoxious than a Kern family reunion. But the band’s […]
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Brilliant disguise
Stillwater indie-rock outfit Deerpeople is no stranger to costumes. In the past, pre-show rituals involved cloaking themselves in any number of disguises, and although the band moved away from that in recent performances, Friday’s Hallopolis show at Opolis gives them a chance to relive it. “It’s fun to go back and revisit that,” drummer Jordan […]
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‘Swearing idiot goofy son of a gun’
The documentary was supposed to showcase Cowboy quarterback Brandon Weeden, but Monken’s salty language is getting center stage. Mike Gundy, the head coach for the Pokes, told the Tulsa World the ESPN special was “tremendous for Oklahoma State football,” but it kept from getting a perfect score because of Monken’s cursing. “I think someone said […]
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Mutemath — Odd Soul
Having now heard their third album, “Odd Soul,” it’s pretty easy to understand what King meant when he said, “A lot of the songs we have on this new record are fun to play, and will be fun to play for a long time, no matter what.” The LP’s first four tracks were the songs […]
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Jake brake
Since the Stillwater-based musician first started taking guitar lessons in middle school, music has been the love of Jake Moffat’s life. But that love got lost somewhere along the way of his long battle with drugs. For some time, it looked like the last note had rung. “There’s a few years when I was down-and-out, […]
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Divided no more
After years of dealing in the music business and playing with The Great Divide left him jaded, ornery Red Dirt musician Mike McClure is happy with his freedom. So why’s the band getting back together to headline at Stillwater’s College Days? “Money and whores,” he said with a wiseass chortle. “Naw, I honestly thought that […]
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Oh, Deer!
Stillwater’s Deerpeople is most certainly a breed of its very own. Formed in 2009, the indie-rock group may recall bits and pieces of other bands — Modest Mouse’s untamed feel, Arcade Fire’s grandiosity, The Flaming Lips’ general chaos and weirdness — but the music is its own beast. Deerpeople’s stomping grounds seem to play the […]