OKC Music Scene

[btlsooner]

Hello everybody. I am new to the board. I had a few questions that I'm trying to get answered, but I don't really know where to start looking for help. I am born and raised in OKC and love it here, but there is one thing that drives me crazy about this city. I am really into music and if I want to see any type of concert I am forced to drive to either Dallas or Tulsa. I am interested in trying to change the music scene in OKC. I want to try and draw alot of national indie artist into our area.

My questions are where do I begin? Do I have to have my own venue or could I call around to local bars and restaraunts and see if I could do some booking for them? There has to be a demand for this in OKC. Tulsa gets shows all the time at Cains and Brady that they really have no business getting. Can anybody offer me some advice? Thanks!

[Pete]

I would recommend speaking to someone at the Academy for Contemporary Music in Bricktown. They already have some live performances there.

The Tower Theater on 23rd is a venue with great potential but we already have others (Will Rogers, Coca-Cola Events Center, etc.) that don't seem to have many bookings and I'm not sure why.

Good luck... I'm sure everyone will agree it's an area with OKC is really lacking.

[OkieHornet]

"if I want to see any type of concert I am forced to drive to either Dallas or Tulsa"? i think you need to open your eyes a little more. what exactly are you looking for? and why do the brady and cain's have no business getting shows? their historical value is what brings a lot of the performers in, and nothing in okc has that...

some upcoming shows in the okc area:
of montreal, sleepy sun, split lip rayfield, dale earnhardt jr jr, white denim, portugal. the man, hayes carll, all american rejects, loretta lynn, mastodon, social distortion, marilyn manson, chevelle, bb king, snoop dogg, george thorogood, willie nelson, peter case, greencards, zac brown band, drake, eric church, red hot chili peppers, alison krauss, bela fleck, joe bonamassa...

[kevinpate]

..
some upcoming shows in the okc area:
of montreal, sleepy sun, split lip rayfield, dale earnhardt jr jr, white denim, portugal. the man, hayes carll, all american rejects, loretta lynn, mastodon, social distortion, marilyn manson, chevelle, bb king, snoop dogg, george thorogood, willie nelson, peter case, greencards, zac brown band, drake, eric church, red hot chili peppers, alison krauss, bela fleck, joe bonamassa...

Whatever issues may exist in the metro, diversity in the music scene is actually progressing along. But yeah, a few more current A-listers would be nice too.

[Jake]

I absolutely love the idea! I wish you luck! I always thought OKC should strive for sort of a SXSW (South by Southwest) festival like they have in Austin. Incorporate both a music and film festival. Perhaps attempt to get in touch with Wayne Coyne or something, maybe he would have some good influence on getting some bands in the area.

And I don't necessarily agree with saying that The Brady and Cains gets shows that they have no business getting. Like OkieHornet said, they have a lot of historical value that brings a lot their desirability.

[adaniel]

"if I want to see any type of concert I am forced to drive to either Dallas or Tulsa"? i think you need to open your eyes a little more. what exactly are you looking for? and why do the brady and cain's have no business getting shows? their historical value is what brings a lot of the performers in, and nothing in okc has that...

some upcoming shows in the okc area:
of montreal, sleepy sun, split lip rayfield, dale earnhardt jr jr, white denim, portugal. the man, hayes carll, all american rejects, loretta lynn, mastodon, social distortion, marilyn manson, chevelle, bb king, snoop dogg, george thorogood, willie nelson, peter case, greencards, zac brown band, drake, eric church, red hot chili peppers, alison krauss, bela fleck, joe bonamassa...

Don't forget Drake, which I will be attending on the 28th (woot!)

The simple fact that a nationally known hip hop artist is coming to the CHK Area is a sign that there is demand for a good music scene here in OKC. Just look how big the Norman Music Festival has become. I do agree though that unless you are into red dirt the pickings can be slim, at least if your looking for consistent live acts.

A good place to start would be for someone to revive DFest here in OKC. While I'm sure it will spark perpetual howling among TulsaNow posters and other 918 boosters, there is simply too much wasted potential for that festival to just sit idle. If not them why not us?

I think it would do great here, and am kind of surprised nobody has tried to do it already. Anyone got Wayne Coyne's number?

[BDK]

We actually have a pretty good music scene here, you just have to do some rooting around.

http://oklahomarock.com/

http://newsok.com/oklahoma-pair-stak...rticle/3641185

[Questor]

I don't think this board is a good place for this question because others have brought it up and no one knows how to really answer this, or they say everything is fine and it's just you. But I hear what you are saying and a lot of other folks in OKC do too. Really there are about three places to see a decent rock show with a modern or indie band... Conservatory, and I think the reason why that happens is the dude who owns that and the record store next to it has connections with musicians and the industry, Norman Music Festival, which is great but extremely infrequent... only happens once a year and because they don't charge admission the size and quality of their acts does have limits, and The Diamond Ballroom which is kind of hit and miss. One week they'll have a bunch of wretched metal bands that had their hey day 20 years ago, and the next week they'll have something cool. 2009 was a really good year for modern music in OKC especially at the Diamond with many up-and-coming national acts making their way there. I think that scene got so big is just sort of exploded everywhere. The last year or two have been more down years with modern music.

So my suggestion is maybe start by calling those people/venues up and talking to them. Maybe they'll talk to you.

You're right about Tulsa, and I have often wondered why. I will go to great concerts at the Diamond all the time and be amazed at how few people are there, and these are bands that would be huge anywhere else. I think that is part of the problem why there isn't a dedicated venue for what you are looking for, the customer base isn't there. It is definitely there in Tulsa. I think part of it is they just have more hipsters who follow things like that, and arguably that goes back to the more eastern city attitude that that city has. I think it also has to do with the fact that they actually have one or maybe two modern rock radio stations. We have none... so where exactly are you going to advertise to let the people who would most likely come to your venue know you are even there? I think because they have this and their venues have been established a while and know how to get those types of bands there, they have put their time in and made the industry in-roads that make that happen (and it's probably much easier now). But sadly part of the reason why we don't have a modern rock station here is because every time someone has tried to start one it hasn't lasted... if there was a big enough market that wouldn't be the case.

Just know there are others of us out here who have been waiting for a change for a long time and it never seems to come. Based on all of that it makes me think this will never happen unless some rich dude who lives here and happens to like the same kind of music just goes ahead and fronts the money to make it happen regardless of profit margins.

[Questor]

Oh yeah Opolis in Norman too, they have some decent stuff sometimes probably because a band owns the place and knows industry folks, but man is the venue a total and complete dump. No air and just dirt floors. Come on.

[Questor]

Me personally these are the types of bands that I want to see more of here... if a venue promoter happens to read this, please just spend a little time listening to Alt Nation or XMU on satellite radio:

http://www.siriusxm.com/altnation

Of that list I have seen Neon Trees, they hit the Diamond a year or two ago. But I don't believe any of those other bands have hit OKC. A few have been to Tulsa. Probably some of the older bands like The Shins have been here a lifetime ago and someone is going to let me know how annoyed they are at me for not knowing that.

Would love to see Gotye, Foster the People, M83, Grouplove, BBC....

[BDK]

Questor, check out Belle Isle Brewery, VZD's, or the 51st Street Speakeasy, all tend to have great local acts playing every weekend.

I would recommend speaking to someone at the Academy for Contemporary Music in Bricktown.

Any word on the status of the renovation, by the way?

[White Peacock]

As a metalhead, I've watched OKC go through surges. We'll get loads of good shows for a brief spell, then there will be a lull for years. Right now, there's actually a decent stretch coming up for metal. Dark Funeral is playing the Conservatory; in April, there are two great shows coming to the Diamond - the first one being Mastodon, Opeth and Ghost (f'ing love Ghost!), followed ten days later by a unique conjunction of two national tours meeting at the same venue, creating an all day festival with Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth, The Devil's Blood, Watain, and a truckload of other bands; The Roxy is hosting Kittie and The Agonist, and the Diamond is bringing Marilyn Manson.

If metal isn't your bag, I'm afraid I don't really have any info on that. My only suggestion is to wait and hope (that's what we all have to do!).

[pure]

I've been playing in bands for 12 years and have gone on small "tours" and my opinion is that we don't get the bands that Tulsa and Dallas because we're just too close to Tulsa and Dallas. When bands are routing their tour, they're not going to stop in a city an hour or two away from their last stop.

Check out www.OklahomaRock.com for sure, best info on local music on the web, Ryan doesn't update the shows page as often as he used to, but the news blog gets updated daily.

[iMAX386]

Count me in as one of those who craves a better music scene in OKC akin to what Cains/Dallas/Kansas City gets.

We talked about this on an OU forum recently and the main points were:
- Need better venues...especially in the urban core
- Indie/Modern Rock radio stations, which is impossible with the corporate stranglehold on OKC radio
- The demand is there, you see it at the Norman Music Fest., but it needs someone to spearhead a movement like this to bring new booking people/venue/whatever it takes.

Link to the thread: http://www.landthieves.com/board/sho...amond+ballroom (Warning: NSFW language/avs)

[Urbanized]

...Probably some of the older bands like The Shins have been here a lifetime ago and someone is going to let me know how annoyed they are at me for not knowing that.

Would love to see Gotye, Foster the People, M83, Grouplove, BBC....

That would be me. Shins were here maybe '06 at the Diamond (saw it). Others on the list (which has probably changed since you posted) include Jack White and The Black Keys. The Black Keys played upstairs in the Bricktown Ballroom or whatever it was called at the time, alley entrance above the canal. Would have been maybe '05 or '06. I saw that show with maybe 75 other people. It was crazy. That venue also hosted a few other good shows around that time; Blonde Redhead, Ben Kweller, Peelander Z, Electric 6 and others.

I believe the Wombats, Mute Math and M83 have all been here, but I missed them if I'm correct about them being here.

Lots of great acts make it through both the Opolis and the Conservatory, but generally they are emerging or on the cusp. You have to watch for them. They won't be big shows, but on the next tour they might be playing Cain's or the like. I've seen great shows at those places from people like Architecture in Helsinki, Band of Horses, Low, Rogue Wave (a couple of times), The Melvins (!!!!!!), Silversun Pickups, Starlight Mints (members own The Opolis) and many, many others. Fantastic bands come through, but again, you just have to catch them before they're big-ish.

In addition to The Shins, the Diamond had some good shows come through for a while (I made it to The Rapture, Toadies, Neko Case and others), but alt-indie bookings there seem to have slowed.

Another place that has a lot of promise is ACM@UCO's Performance Lab. They have had some really solid acts come though. Ra Ra Riot, The Black Angels and others. Of Montreal is there next month. I was lucky enough to catch Heartless Bastards there a while back. They are highly connected to the industry through their executive director (also manager of The Flaming Lips) and other staff members, so they are able to lure some quality shows in and I only see that increasing.

But the best advice anyone gave you was to check out www.oklahomarock.com . Ryan stays on top of everything here and in Tulsa, and there is no better resource for great LOCAL music (he is also a professor at ACM and hosts the Oklahoma Rock Show on www.thespyfm.com on Thursday nights). There is a great EMERGING (far from mature) music scene here, but I really do see it going up, up, up. TONS of great local talent, and lots of great local veterans nurturing that talent.

[Easy180]

The Diamond has had some solid shows over the past few years...Looking forward to Cake in April

[Questor]

Looks like most of the folks who are agreeing we need more music here all seem to be fans of the indie scene.

Oklahoma Rock is a good website. I just wish that when nationally known indie bands came through they somehow made that more obvious on their pages. The front page currently has Portugal the Man on it, so that's a good start.

ACM@UCO frustrates me. I can never find out anything about it, and if they are having live music there it is difficult to see that from their web page. There's a note about a pending redesign so maybe they are about to address that.

The Spy is a real, respectable station. It's a shame that they are no longer on radio, but I'm glad they are still around on the web.

[Urbanized]

I think this site keeps up-to-date with ACM Performance Lab shows. I know there are also is a regular ACM showcase night at Blue Note, and there is a weekly showcase night (often featuring ACM bands, but always quality originals-playing locals) at Whiskey Chicks in Bricktown.

[Urbanized]

I still haven't figured out why that place isn't named Whiskey Chix or Whiskey Chikz.

[EBAH]

I've been playing in bands for 12 years and have gone on small "tours" and my opinion is that we don't get the bands that Tulsa and Dallas because we're just too close to Tulsa and Dallas. When bands are routing their tour, they're not going to stop in a city an hour or two away from their last stop.

This is 100% accurate. It is true that Oklahoma City is lacking in a good proper theater venue and there are a few other little problems. But, a lot of this is just market and location. Tulsa is very close, and it's also close to MO and AR so a larger semi major label act can get a better draw in Tulsa than in OKC from the many people who will drive in from OKC as well as the close smaller metro areas of MO and AR. As our market grows in certain areas, so too will the shows.

But hey, more power to you! We only get bigger and better shows by someone taking the risk, doing the booking and the promoting. I'd be happy to go to them and to play them!

[OkieHornet]

on the "no stops in both tulsa and okc" thinking...

red hot chili peppers
oct 22 - okc - chesapeake arena
oct 24 - tulsa - bok center

[Questor]

I think this site keeps up-to-date with ACM Performance Lab shows. I know there are also is a regular ACM showcase night at Blue Note, and there is a weekly showcase night (often featuring ACM bands, but always quality originals-playing locals) at Whiskey Chicks in Bricktown.

Thanks, this is exactly what I needed.

[Urbanized]

Thanks, this is exactly what I needed.

You're welcome!

[Urbanized]

on the "no stops in both tulsa and okc" thinking...

red hot chili peppers
oct 22 - okc - chesapeake arena
oct 24 - tulsa - bok center

I think it probably has less effect on large, arena-type headliners. If someone like RHCP can sell out or largely sell an arena in any major city in the US, they probably don't mind at all playing T-town and here, as both will be heavily attended.

The problem is with shows that are in the 250 to 2,500 range. They are quite correct in assuming that if they don't play here, OKC people will drive to go see a show at Cain's or the Brady. I personally have done it many, many times, and always see tons of OKC folks I know at those shows. I also think that fewer Tulsa people would "lower themselves" to come to a show here (though I have hosted plenty of Tulsa friends), so I think we bolster their numbers more often than they do ours. Tulsans are going to generally (and often correctly) assume that if a band came here instead, they'll still be through Tulsa soon too. We can't make the same assumptions. Since Tulsa has the track record and better venues, it's easy for a band's management to choose them over OKC when booking.

If you'll notice, most medium-sized shows play here or Tulsa on weeknights or weekends. Even when we get a great show in-state, we're often just a fill-in date between weekend shows, added in to bide time and make a few bucks between weekend engagements that might look like Austin/Dallas/Saint Louis/Chicago, for instance.

[Easy180]

Yup. All of my bands play Cains on Sun, Mon or Tues...Just too damn old to pull those off any more