tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375404067638194862024-03-14T03:00:35.308-07:00Regan HensonThis page contains articles I've written for The Current magazine. It is intended to serve as a link to samples of my work.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-91054326882667576592011-01-21T21:53:00.000-08:002014-10-23T06:56:43.142-07:00The Current-Feature Story February 2011<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: large;"><b>National Heart Month</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Remember what you looked and felt like a couple months ago, before the cold weather arrived and you stopped exercising and gathered for countless holiday dinners and drank too much and smoked too much and stressed out over your spouse’s excessive holiday spending?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, my friends, the holidays are over, and even if the cold weather is here for a little longer, there is no better time than now to again start thinking about getting healthy, especially considering that February is National Heart Month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Considering the sheer volume of information that is now available to us as a population, it is amazing how often we tend to neglect heart health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you picture your body as a car, your brain would be the driver and your heart the engine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t service your engine regularly then you’re not going to get near the mileage out of it that you should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, some drivers are harder on their vehicles than they should be, and others should never have been allowed behind the wheel, but let’s not lose focus here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was recently announced that Hollywood plans to remake (or is it re-imagine?) that classic of American cinema, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Wizard of Oz</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds like a bad idea, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I would argue that a re-imagining could provide a unique opportunity to inform and educate audiences on the importance of heart health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I humbly submit the following as an example of the potential merits of such an endeavor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Why are you so sad, Tin Man?” Dorothy asked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I don’t have a heart,” the Tin Man sighed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“That’s not possible,” the Scarecrow argued, “You would be unable to live without a heart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You probably just don’t practice good heart health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are you a smoker?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Two packs a day,” the Tin Man replied.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Oh my,” Dorothy cried, “You really must quit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did you know smoking greatly increases your chances of developing atherosclerosis?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Atherosclerosis?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That sounds scary,” the Lion whimpered.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It is, Lion,” Dorothy explained, “Atherosclerosis is a fatty build up in the arteries which can lead to further problems including heart disease, myocardial infarction and stroke.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I don’t understand all those big words,” the Scarecrow grumbled.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Quiet, Scarecrow,” Dorothy said, “It’s not national brain month.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I guess I really should quit smoking,” the Tin Man said, “But what other steps can I take to practice good heart health?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Monitoring your diet is essential,” Dorothy went on, “How would you describe your eating habits?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Well,” the Tin Man replied, “My entire diet consists of oil.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“That can’t be good,” the Lion said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“It’s not, Lion,” Dorothy agreed, “Oil derived from animal products can result in high levels of LDL cholesterol in your bloodstream, which in turn can lead to clogged arteries and increased risk of heart attack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Atherosclerosis strikes again.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Oh my,” the Tin Man cried.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Oh my, indeed,” Dorothy said, “You really should eat a more balanced diet.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“I will, Dorothy,” the Tin Man said, “Is there anything else I can do for my heart?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Manage stress and exercise,” Dorothy said, “in fact, according to the American Heart Association, every hour you spend walking can add two hours to your life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can get started right now by taking a walk down this yellow brick road.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Exercise?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll give it a try.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I should warn you, I might be a little rusty,” the Tin Man replied with a wink, eliciting laughter from them all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Dorothy?” the Lion asked as they walked along arm in arm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“What is it, Lion?” Dorothy said.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Now that you’ve helped the Tin Man, do you suppose you could help me to find courage?” he went on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Courage?” Dorothy said, “Why don’t you just try not being such a sissy?”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">But you don’t have to write a potentially award-winning scene in a much-needed reboot of an American classic to make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With cardiovascular disease and stroke being the number one causes of death in Oklahoma, you can do your part by simply making miniscule changes in your own lifestyle, even with something as small as altering your diet or exercising more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For more information regarding everything you might ever need to know about heart health, visit the American Heart Association online at http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or you can visit the American Heart Association in Tulsa located at 2227 E. Skelly Dr. where you can find information about volunteer programs and CPR classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span></div>
fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-77569629640382976902010-12-27T13:09:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:12:29.223-08:00The Current-Feature Story January 2011<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;"><strong>Richie Havens</strong></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Remember that song from the early 90s by Cracker, the one with the line “What the world needs now is another folk singer/Like I need a hole in the head”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I always assumed that line was about Jewel, even though the song in which it appears was released a few years before anyone had heard of Jewel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Turns out I was wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s actually about every so-called “folk” singer who came after Richie Havens. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And for you younger readers who are wondering just who the heck Richie Havens is, well, he’s a folk singer, dummies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And more than that, Richie Havens is exactly what you picture when you think of a folk singer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Strumming his acoustic guitar so hard you think he must be mad at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Singing songs about freedom and the devastation of war and violence and poverty and ignorance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Opening Woodstock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Sure, you knew that Jimi Hendrix was the last artist to perform at Woodstock (and you may have known that the next to last artist was Sha Na Na, but that’s neither here nor there), but you probably didn’t know that the first was an at the time unknown folk singer named Richie Havens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was his appearance at the legendary music festival, and in the subsequent film, that catapulted Havens into the consciousness of a worldwide audience, and set the stage for a varied career that has included nearly 30 albums, film and stage acting roles, political and environmental activism and the ability to sport so many turquoise rings and bone and bead necklaces that he resembles a hippie Mr. T.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And this January, Richie Havens is coming to Fort Smith, AR.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I don’t have the space to lay out Richie Havens’ entire list of achievements, so you’ll just have to trust me when I tell you it’s impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead, I’ll give you a few reasons why you should make the trip to For t Smith to check out the show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">First off, there’s a chance you could meet the president.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Okay, maybe not the current president, but still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You see, Richie Havens performed at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton back in 1992. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Chances are they’re still pals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>President Clinton is from Arkansas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The show’s in Arkansas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m not saying it’s gonna happen, I’m just telling you there’s a chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Secondly, you’ll have a rare opportunity to hear Bob Dylan songs performed live and be able to actually understand the words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richie Havens has a reputation as a premier interpreter of Dylan songs, and he’s even released an album of Dylan covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He has a clear, strong, soulful voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Bob Dylan has a voice made for, um, song writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Lastly, the Dalai Lama is a huge fan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A few years back, His Holiness The Dalai Lama requested Havens sing his songs “Lives in the Balance” and “Freedom” at a performance in Los Angeles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>This Dalai Lama is 75 years old and the 14<sup>th</sup> incarnation of the Buddha of Compassion, which means he’s an enlightened being who has been reincarnated 13 times previously, which means he’s seen a lot of cool bands and artists over the years, which means he knows a good folk singer when he hears one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And he thinks Richie Havens is pretty cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Dalai Lama knows what Cracker knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Once there’s a Richie Havens, the world doesn’t really need another folk singer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Don’t miss your opportunity to become enlightened just like the Dalai Lama when Richie Havens plays the Second Street Live Theater in beautiful Fort Smith on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tickets are $50 and can be purchased at </span><a href="http://www.secondstreetlive.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.secondstreetlive.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Second Street Live Theater is located at 101 North Second Avenue in Fort Smith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-74346793128024113422010-12-27T13:07:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:08:44.859-08:00The Current-Feature Story December 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;"><strong>The Dead Kenny G's</strong></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I’ve gotta be totally honest with you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Before receiving this month’s assignment, I had never heard of The Dead Kenny G’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Aside from a few YouTube videos, there’s very little online about the band, aside from their own no-frills website (which has no bio) and a run of the mill MySpace page (which has a one paragraph bio).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Their music isn’t on Grooveshark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They have no entry on Wikipedia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not cool, internet.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">However, being the creative artist that I am, I managed, through exhaustive research and limitless imagination, to piece together a highly possible rendering of the story of how this talented group of musicians came together to form The Dead Kenny G’s, much like Aaron Sorkin did in writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Social Network</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>To make the following seem more cinematic, imagine Michael Cera in the role of Skerik (yes, Skerik.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s what he wants to be called, so that’s what I’m calling him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you have to know his real name, Google him.), and one of the guys from The Backstreet Boys in the role of Mike Dillon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The following is based on true events.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Skerik:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hi, my name’s Skerik.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I play saxophone and keyboards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve played with all sorts of cool artists, like Roger Waters, Pearl Jam and Bonnie Raitt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I love me some Coltrane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I can’t stand Kenny G.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Mike Dillon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Your name’s Skerik?</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Skerik:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s what I like to be called.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Mike Dillon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hi, Skerik.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m Mike Dillon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I totally hear ya about Kenny G.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I play the drums and all sorts of other instruments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I also sing on some occasions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m really into Mike Watt, even though when he sings it sounds like he’s in physical pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve played with cool people too, like Ani DiFranco.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m getting ready to work with Les Claypool from Primus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>His new band is called Les Claypool’s Flying Frog Brigade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You should join too.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Skerik:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You won’t believe this, but I’m already in that band.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I can’t wait to play together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And then after we’ve played together in that band for a while, maybe we can tour together in a series of subsequent bands playing different varieties of music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps our newfound partnership can culminate in the formation of an acid-jazz fusion type combo, something totally not like what Kenny G does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Mike Dillon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That sounds great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We could even add a little punk rock flavor, kind of like The Dead Kennedys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Hey, that gives me a great idea for a band name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How does The Dead Kenny G’s grab you?</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Skerik:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’re reading my mind, man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Here’s another idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How about after we’ve been together as The Dead Kenny G’s for a while, we bring in some new members, like, for touring and stuff?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe my buddy Brad Hauser on bass and Brian Haas from Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey on keyboards.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Mike Dillon:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They’re from Oklahoma.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ve always wanted to visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe Brian can tell us what it’s like.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Skerik:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe someday we can even go there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">End Scene.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">From the research I was able to do, I’m pretty sure that’s basically how The Dead Kenny G’s came into existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And that cliffhanger at the end, where Skerik is left with his hope of one day visiting Oklahoma as the screen fades to black?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Spoiler alert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It has a happy ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Twice.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The Dead Kenny G’s (featuring Brian Haas of Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey) come to Currentland in support of their album <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Bewildered Herd</i> on Friday, Dec. 3 at The Deli in Norman, Saturday, Dec. 4 at Eclipse in Tulsa and Sunday, Dec. 5 at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, AR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For complete tour information go online to </span><a href="http://www.thedeadkennygs.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.thedeadkennygs.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can also pick up a copy of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Bewildered Herd</i> on iTunes.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></o:p></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-84573603934531350302010-12-27T13:04:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:06:28.496-08:00The Current-Feature Story November 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;"><strong>Cheech & Chong</strong></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Upon receipt of this month’s writing assignment, I could only smile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It would seem that my initial foray into the Green Living section had been a wild success, so much so that I was entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of writing about those pioneers of green living, Cheech & Chong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I know, I know, Cheech & Chong aren’t famous for the same type of green-living that we here at The Current are talking about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Except for those guys in the smoke-filled van outside the Christmas party a couple of years ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But judging by their shared affinity for the bounties of this great earth, my guess is Cheech & Chong would look on our own Green Living section with approval.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The problem with writing about legendary performers, and Cheech & Chong, who will be performing in Tulsa on Nov. 18, are absolutely comedy legends, is that pretty much everything one may want to know about them has been written.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Everyone knows Cheech & Chong, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well, as Lee Corso might say, not so fast my friend.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Most people probably think of one thing when they think of Cheech & Chong: marijuana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As a duo, their love of pot has served as the basis for most of their comedy, whether it’s their stand-up act, movies, stand-up act or movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Actually, they may be most famous for a novelty song, “Santa Claus and His Old Lady”, that can be heard every Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And I mean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">heard</i>, as in over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Indeed, it was their comedy albums back in the 70s and 80s that put these two on the map, and like most of their other work as a duo, the comedy relied heavily on the pot references.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But is it fair to define these two solely by their love of marijuana?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not even close. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Did you know Tommy Chong, (the “Chong” half of the duo) was once a successful online businessman?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Well, to be fair, that online business, Chong’s Glass, distributed marijuana-related paraphernalia, but he was quite successful at it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Did you know Tommy Chong is also a political dissident who chose a stint in prison on trumped-up federal charges so that his wife and business partners could avoid jail time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I mean, in the interest of full disclosure, he was convicted of conspiring to distribute drug paraphernalia, marijuana bongs, across state lines, for which he served nine months in federal prison (and which also led to his writing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The I Chong: Meditations From the Joint</i>, which became a bestseller).</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Did you know that Tommy Chong is a tireless political and social activist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Of course, you can probably guess what cause he’s chosen to support.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If you can’t, it’s marijuana legalization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Think about the tax revenue!</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Did you know that Cheech & Chong are professional wrestlers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Okay, that one’s not really true at all, but they did serve as guest hosts back in March when <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">WWE Raw</i> came to Oklahoma City.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And while they didn’t actually get in the ring because they happened to be too high from the “magic cereal” that Hornswoggle fed them, causing them to mistake William Regal for Eve Torres and Chris Masters for Kelly Kelly, which led to them ordering the two into a diva pajama pillow fight as they watched intently from their ringside recliners, they did seem to enjoy themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Seriously, I didn’t make any of that up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The truth is, Tommy Chong has made the reformation of marijuana laws a major focus in his life, and even when the two parted ways in the early eighties, Chong continued to perform his comedy, both as a solo act and with his wife, Shelby, a successful comedian herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Through it all, including the stint in prison, Chong continued, and continues, on his quest to see the legalization of marijuana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Richard “Cheech” Marin?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He went mainstream.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Remember that TV show about the plane crash survivors and polar bears and time travel and good versus evil and the Korean mafia and baby stealing and moving islands and plenty of other nonsense that I can’t think of right now called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Lost</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Cheech was on that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He was also on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Nash Bridges</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Grey’s Anatomy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And in plenty of movies like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Tin Cup</i> and everything Robert Rodriguez has ever done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But a couple years ago, Cheech decided it was time to return to the dark side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or the green side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In 2008, Cheech & Chong got the band back together (literally, they play songs and everything) and embarked on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Cheech & Chong Light Up America/Canada Tour</i>, their first in over 20 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And with the success of that tour, the iconic duo is doing it all over again, again, with the follow-up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Cheech & Chong: Get It Legal Tour</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Do your part to go green by coming out when they bring the fun to the Tulsa Convention Center on Thursday, Nov. 18.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Shelby Chong will be opening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Doors open at 7pm and show starts at 8pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tickets are $41.50, $51.50 and $61.50 and can be purchased at </span><a href="http://www.tulsaconvention.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.tulsaconvention.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can find everything Cheech & Chong related at </span><a href="http://www.cheechandchong.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.cheechandchong.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-77371293988599921032010-12-27T13:02:00.000-08:002010-12-27T13:03:58.323-08:00The Current-Feature Story September 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;"><strong>Lewis Black</strong></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">You know the type.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>We’ve all had to listen to him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The jerk-off in the bar with the liberal arts degree (me) who acts like he’s smarter than everyone else (still me) because he’s heard idiotic “facts” and can’t wait to recite them to a receptive group of slightly intoxicated friends or acquaintances who have had just enough to drink to accept what I’m (he’s) saying without question.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Usually it’s something like “you know, statistics show that more people would prefer death to public speaking” or “It’s a scientific fact that a single six month old panda cub contains enough nutritional elements to sustain an entire Ethiopian village for six years“.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">But what ‘s interesting is that most people would consider the former statement to be somewhat plausible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The truth is, it’s generally regarded as fact, and most people would be very hesitant to argue any different, because, as scary as it sounds, two or more other people may be listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I first heard a reference to this “fact” in one of Jerry Seinfeld’s old routines, where after referencing the study that yielded the findings, he ascertained that at any given funeral, more people would rather be in the coffin than deliver the eulogy. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">So why are we so afraid of public speaking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My guess is because we’re afraid of being laughed at.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems like a pretty sound reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But it’s a reason that begs an additional question:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Why in the world would anyone want to be a stand-up comedian?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And I won’t even get into the fact that a comedian is at least partly responsible for the preceding rambling paragraphs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or all the ensuing ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And so I’ll get to the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lewis Black is a comedian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He’s maybe not as well known as a guy like Seinfeld, who even your grandma knows, but most other people do, especially the cool kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And one of the things I find most interesting about Lewis Black is that he seems, in his act at least, to be like one of the majority of folks who aren’t exactly comfortable with getting up in public and saying something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s not that he seems like he’d rather be dead, but more like he isn’t entirely happy to have people laughing at him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It seems to make him a little uncomfortable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And more than a little angry.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Yes, Lewis Black does come across as a bit angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe it’s because his job entails doing something that, for most people, is worse than death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But for those of us familiar with Black’s onstage persona, be it through his countless appearances on The Daily Show, his numerous Comedy Central stand-up specials, the TV or movie roles, his History Channel hosting gigs or his books, Black’s anger is more than just an act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a reflection, not only of the ridiculous society we live in, but our own reactions to it.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And those reactions, while exaggerated, have proven to be so spot on that Black has become one of America’s most popular comedians, authenticated by his selection as Top Male Stand-Up at the 2001 American Comedy Awards, and, at least in the eyes of this writer, by his frequent skewering of Fox News parasite, Glenn Beck.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Take that, Larry the Cable Guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Of course, there’s always fun to be had at the Osage Million Dollar Elm, so even if you can’t make out to see Lewis Black there will be plenty of other opportunities for entertainment seekers in September, whatever your tastes may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For you bikers, both the authentic ones and the posers, every Saturday is Bike Night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night brings great live music, with September’s lineup including Steve Lidell, Tuff Profit, Mike Black, The Crowe Band and the Vance Orange Project.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And I haven’t even mentioned the real reason everyone loves The Osage Million Dollar Elm, that being the chance to win big bucks, which calls to mind the lyrics to a great old Uncle Tupelo song, “I can’t forget the sound/Cause it’s here to stay/The sound of people chasing money/And money…getting away.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But really, you’re probably due to hit it big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And even if you’re not, you’ll want to come out and see Lewis Black do things scarier than death when he performs on Friday, Sep. 17 at 7:00pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Tickets are $40 and are on sale now and can be purchased online at </span><a href="http://www.lewisblack.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.lewisblack.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> or </span><a href="http://www.milliondollarelm.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.milliondollarelm.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">, where you can also find a full calendar of upcoming events and show times for all the aforementioned musical acts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino is located at 951 W 36th Street North in Tulsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"></span></span> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-26328948798669685462010-05-19T06:52:00.000-07:002010-05-19T06:54:41.788-07:00The Current-Story June 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Jonny Lang Live By Request Tour</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">So I have this list of questions that I put together while doing a little research on Jonny Lang as I prepared to interview him for this story about his upcoming concert at GUTS Church in Tulsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Unfortunately, the interview was postponed and rescheduled so many times by Lang’s management that, ultimately, it had to be cancelled altogether.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But I still have my list of questions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And these aren’t just run-of-the mill, variation on the same subject, heard it a thousand times-type questions, either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>These questions go for the throat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They peel back the layers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They look straight into the soul.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So instead of giving you the usual Wikipedia special, I’ve decided to rate my questions, take the top three, and show them here, along with a brief explanation of why I asked the question, and with two answers: What I think Jonny Lang would say, and what I wish he would say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">3.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How old were you when your voice changed?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I have to ask because, as we all know, Jonny was known as a bit of a prodigy in the blues-rock world, coming along at the age of 15 and sounding like he was 40. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I think he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Probably 12, just because that’s when, according to Wikipedia, he fronted his first blues band.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I wish he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Two years old.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Because babies with grown-up voices are funny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You’ve seen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Little Man</i>, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>If your sister had won American Idol, became world-famous overnight, and suddenly was offering you an opening slot on her stadium tour, wouldn’t you want to knock her around a little, not anything too rough, just brother-sister style?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I ask this because I read an interview where Jonny spoke about how proud he was of his sister, Jesse Langseth, who was a semi-finalist on the show, and I have a theory that any musician who has paid his or her dues harbors a deep resentment toward the contestants on that show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I think he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Oh, no, I’d just be so proud of her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’m already proud of her, and I’d happily open for my sister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>(Jonny Lang opens for everyone).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I wish he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I smacked her around a little just for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">doing</i> the show.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Q:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Is it possible that you pulled a Robert Johnson, sold your soul to the devil in exchange for the life of a bluesman, and are now making gospel records in the hopes that you will be fast-tracked into heaven without anyone noticing you don’t have a soul?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I ask this question because over the last few years Lang, who is a Christian, released the gospel-influenced album, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Turn Around</i>, and has spoken openly about his faith, and because, you know, it’s the blues, man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I think he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>People can be skeptical, but God will be the ultimate judge.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What I wish he would say:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I’ll give you a million dollars not to print that. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Find the answers yourself when Jonny Lang brings his sinfully beautiful voice and blues guitar to GUTS Church on Saturday, June 12, for his Live By Request concert at the Tougher Than Hell bike rally and classic car show to benefit Haiti earthquake victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>For ticket information visit </span><a href="http://www.gutschurch.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.gutschurch.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> or </span><a href="http://www.jonnylang.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">www.jonnylang.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-89296436994465635872010-05-01T08:06:00.000-07:002010-05-01T08:10:13.256-07:00The Current-Feature Story May 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;font-size:130%;"><strong>Tulsa International Mayfest Brings In the Sounds of Spring</strong></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">On a beautiful day in mid-April, sunny and breezy with an afternoon temperature a very mild 82, I actually heard a friend complain that it was too hot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What, I thought to myself, the hell is he talking about?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How could the depth of his memory be so shallow?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Had we not just endured the harshest winter in memory?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Did it not snow a freaking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">foot</i> on the first day of spring? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And what’s the deal with all the questions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">My response to his complaint was, for me, wildly out of character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I resisted the urge to relate the story of the time when, in Langkawi, Malaysia, my crewmates and I found ourselves on liberty in a poverty-stricken village where sewage spilled into the dirt streets and festered in the triple digit heat and 100% humidity, our only respite against the oppressive sensory assault a tar paper and bamboo shanty called Adibah’s Spirits and Meats on a Stick, where we sipped slowly on pints of lukewarm formaldehyde-spiked beer while fanning ourselves with the tail feathers of endangered pygmy woodpeckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Instead, I decided to do something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He needed what we all need in these trying times of a stagnant economy, domesticated animal-associated influenza outbreaks, a president that may not even be a real U.S. citizen, and political action groups that charge $500 so supporters can attend conventions to complain about high taxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>He needed a reason to celebrate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And what better reason to celebrate than spring?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Not the foot of snow spring, either, but the warm, sunny, sometimes rainy spring, with the perfect golf weather, and hummingbirds, and girls in sundresses, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and flowers that I’ve always called Easter lilies but according to my mom are not Easter lilies, and girls in tank tops and khaki shorts, and absolutely zero chance of snow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And so I formulated a plan to help my friend (we’ll call him Dave, because that sounds like a complainer-type name), rediscover the beauty of spring by organizing a celebration in downtown Tulsa, a place he works and loves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Since it was already mid-April, I would plan it for May.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Knowing Dave like I do, I thought this celebration should focus not only on spring, but also on music and the arts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Almost like a festival in May.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It just needed a catchy name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I briefly considered Spring Festival, after my college polka band, but after years of legal entanglements over royalties and licensing issues, decided it to be in bad taste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>May Festival?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Too clunky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>A catchy name needed no more than two syllables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Short and sweet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With May being short by nature I decided to make a risky move, one I believed had not been previously attempted, and shortened festival to “fest”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Mayfest?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It had potential.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">So I began making a wish list of artists and musicians that would be perfect for Mayfest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I decided to utilize a method known as “free writing,” in which one simply closes his or her eyes and writes without thinking, a method often used by Stephen King and the writers of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Two and a Half Men</i>, in order to tap into my subconscious and discover my innermost thoughts as to who should headline Mayfest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I looked at the words I’d written: Cherry Poppin’ Daddies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perfect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What better act to bridge the gap between those generations that grew up in simpler times with today’s sometimes understandably cynical youth than the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, a band whose name alone conjures images of spring and rebirth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Or at least the first awkward steps toward birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With a sound that blends the big band swing era with punk rock, ska and rockabilly, these guys would be the perfect band to bring folds of all ages together in celebration not only of spring but of the power and beauty of the arts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Doing a little research on the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies (I still kind of giggle when I hear the name), I was surprised to discover that they’ve been doing what they do for over twenty years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Twenty years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Are you kidding me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>That’s older than some of the girls I try to check out when I’m out with the gorgeous redhead that she always seems to catch me trying to check out and rolls her eyes at me for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>When a band’s been together twenty years, you know they know how to put on a show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And they even had a hit song, “Zoot Suit Riot,” which, if you ever listen to the radio, you’ll realize is really hard to do for a good band. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The Cherry Poppin’ Daddies being such an eclectic-sounding group, whose influences cover such a wide range of styles, I immediately began contemplating other musical acts to complement them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would contact mostly local acts from various genres such as Admiral Twin, Leon Rollerson & Friends, David Castro, Stars Go Dim and Brandon Jenkins to name a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>As my wish list grew longer I realized a festival of this size would need to be expanded to multiple days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Four days, Thursday through Sunday, seemed about right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">But in order to give folks like Dave a reason to attend a four day festival, I would need more than great music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>So I began thinking about my favorite artists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>My idea was to have a juried showcase for artists from around the world who utilize a variety of media such as clay, jewelry, glass, wood and paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Names like Anne Vogt, Michael Barnes, Irene Gates, Sidney Flack and Dennis Thompson immediately came to mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would also invite the best area artists to showcase in an invitational gallery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And students!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I would invite area students to submit their work as well!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Now all my festival would need is food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I decided that 30 seemed like a nice number of vendors to offer everything from traditional festival fare like funnel cakes and meats on a stick (hopefully not the same types of meat as I found in Malaysia) to Greek and Chinese favorites.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">With my plan outlined, I was beginning the process of organizing my inaugural festival when Dave called.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“You going to Mayfest?” he asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“Huh?”</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And Dave explained to me that there was already a festival called Mayfest, that it happened every year, and that Cherry Poppin’ Daddies would be headlining and all the artists and musicians I previously mentioned, and many more, would be attending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I was in shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>They had stolen my idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Could I sue?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Probably not, considering this is the 38<sup>th</sup> year of the festival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>With no recourse, I went back to work on my latest idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s exactly like an iPod Touch, only much larger, like the size of a writing pad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Just need to think of a catchy name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The 38<sup>th</sup> annual Tulsa International Mayfest will be held May 13-16 in downtown Tulsa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Admission is free for the whole family. For a complete schedule, show times, roster of artists and pretty much anything else you might want to know, go to </span><a href="http://www.tulsamayfest.org/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.tulsamayfest.org</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-84084087588133049992010-03-04T13:56:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:01:50.953-08:00The Current-Feature Story March 2010<p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Turnpike Troubadours</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"></span> </p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What do you want to do with your life?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a question we’ve all grappled with, from Cameron in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Ferris Beuller’s Day Off</i> to the unnamed kid in that Twisted Sister video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The kid’s answer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I wanna rock!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Rock being a malleable term, it’s an ideal shared by Evan Felker and his band mates in perhaps the most exciting and arguably the most talented young band to come out of this area in some time, the Turnpike Troubadours. </span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">If you’re a regular reader of this magazine, you’re probably somewhat familiar with these guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But if you haven’t heard of them yet, now would be the time to familiarize yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Surely you want to be one of the cool kids who can say you listened to them way back when they were a struggling young band, before one of their songs is included on a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Friday Night Lights</i> episode or Kenny Chesney starts wearing their t-shirt at his shows to get a little street cred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But you better jump on the bandwagon quick, because it’s filling up in a hurry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">As with almost any new and up and coming band from Oklahoma, there is a strong urge to categorize the Turnpike Troubadours as simply another Red Dirt act, but one listen to their sound and you’ll quickly realize that, perhaps more than any other Oklahoma roots-rock band, their music defies such easy categorization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lead singer, chief songwriter, acoustic guitarist and Tahlequah resident Felker chooses a philosophical view when describing his band’s music.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“We do what we do,” he explains, “Call it what you want.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What more and more audiences are discovering, the thing to call it is plainly and simply good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Having toured and played gigs throughout Oklahoma almost non-stop over the past three years, the band, who along with Felker include R.C. Edwards on bass, Kyle Nix on fiddle, Ryan Engleman on lead guitar and Giovanni Carnuccio on drums, is now extending its reach into Texas and beyond, including recent stops in Minnesota and Iowa, and audiences everywhere are having a similar reaction.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“The crowds have been really great,” says Felker, “People respond to music the same way everywhere.”</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">What Felker, refreshingly, doesn’t quite seem to grasp is that people actually don’t respond to all music the same everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s never that simple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The fact is, people only respond to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">quality</i> music in the way Felker describes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And while <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">The Blues Brothers</i> might make one believe that the secret to winning over new audiences lies in a rousing rendition of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Rawhide</i> theme, the reality is that if a band is playing original tunes in front of crowds who don’t necessarily know their music, that band better put on a great live show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“I consider our type of music as live music,” says Felker, “The best way to hear it is live on the stage.”</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">With songs that blend electric roots rock with some acoustic folk and a little Cajun squeezebox, topped off with Nix’s ever-present fiddle, their sound is sometimes reminiscent of artists like The Gourds and The Felice Brothers, bands that have gained substantial followings on the strength of their live shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>At other times you can hear songs that you would swear must have been written by Steve Earle or Robert Earl Keen, those stories about doing hard time or blowing all your money gambling, or the n’er do well son in their song, “The Funeral,” off their latest album, who only comes home after his daddy dies:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Jimmy looked at Mama/Mama just looked down/She said why’s it take a funeral boy/To bring you back to town? </i></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">That theme of small town, usually shady, characters struggling to exist on the fringes of society can be found throughout the band’s 2007 first album, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Bossier City</i>, and continues on their latest, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Diamonds & Gasoline</i>, released in early January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The album was produced by veteran Oklahoma musician and early Red Dirt success story, Mike McClure, who was highly impressed by the band.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>“The Turnpike Troubadours show more promise song writing/talent wise than any band I’ve heard coming out of Oklahoma in a long time. They are definitely the new front-line torchbearers in a long line of Okie tradition. I am extremely proud to have been a part of working on this record,” McClure is quoted on the band’s website.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">That kind of high praise is all the more amazing when you consider that Felker, whose songs are populated by characters who the creators of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">Breaking Bad</i> would deem too edgy, is only 25.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>While other artists his age write songs about various things that occur on or around the dance floor, Felker has joined fellow new-school Southern gothic songwriters like Chris Knight and Patterson Hood, artists whose lyrics tell stories that call to mind William Faulkner or Flanary O’Connor.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Felker’s writing is Nobel Prize-worthy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But in all seriousness, in a time when most country radio hits basically draw caricatures of the very fans that buy the music (“Hillbilly Bone,” anyone?), it is refreshing to hear songs that get it right, even the ugly parts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But that’s also precisely why you shouldn’t expect to hear these guys getting airplay anytime soon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And we all suffer for it.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">I call it Nashville Fatigue Syndrome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s a problem that arises when one is inundated by the crap that country radio insists on dumping on music fans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Symptoms include unwittingly purchasing the latest Trailer Choir single and line-dancing to “Honky-Tonk Badonkadonk.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only cure is satellite radio or Pandora, which I loved so much when I first discovered it that I wrote them an email telling how much I loved them, which prompted them to send me a free t-shirt, which was too small and I had to give to the gorgeous redhead to wear as a night gown, but still.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Who doesn’t love a free t-shirt?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The only problem with Pandora is, as of this writing, Turnpike Troubadours was not in its rotation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">Luckily you don’t have to go online to hear the band’s music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>But with members living in Norman, Perry and Tahlequah, it can sometimes be hard work to simply get the band together for a gig, but work is something the Turnpike Troubadours haven’t shied away from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It’s their willingness to do the work, combined with the simple fact that they’ve been blessed with a buttload of talent, that makes it easy to see that the Turnpike Troubadours will one day be that band that those of us lucky enough to have seen them at this stage of their career will brag about having been into since the beginning.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">One of the last things I asked Felker when interviewing him for this story was this:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>What made you decide that playing in a band was going to be what you do for a living?</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">“I’ve just always loved music,” was his answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Classic Felker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Short and to the point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Actually, when I spoke to him, Felker seemed a little uneasy when talking about himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Maybe even a little embarrassed by the attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>It was actually quite charming, although charming doesn’t count for much when you’re looking for details.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Perhaps next time I should talk more about me.</span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">If you think you’re ready to jump on the bandwagon with the rest of us, check out the band’s website (which was built by lead guitarist Engleman) at </span><a href="http://www.turnpiketroubadours.com/"><span style="font-family:Calibri;color:#0000ff;">www.turnpiketroubadours.com</span></a><span style="font-family:Calibri;">, where you can find tour dates and even stream both their albums in entirety.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>You can also find them on myspace and facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Twitter too, if that’s something you’re interested in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></o:p></p><p style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 10pt" class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="font-family:Calibri;"> </span></o:p></p>fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-68376477101978954292009-03-21T08:22:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:26:16.278-07:00The Current-Feature Story Jan. 2009BOK Center Turns it up With Paisley, AC/DC<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Another year has passed, and here’s to hoping 2009 is better than 2008. Not that it was all bad. Tulsa finally got a world class venue for a wide range of entertainment options when the BOK Center opened. When it comes to our music options, the future is looking awfully bright. Here are a few of the major acts coming to The BOK Center in the first couple of months of the new year.<br /> <br />Now I’m generally not one to disparage an artist with local ties, but Rascal Flatts sucks, Oklahoma boy Joe Don Rooney notwithstanding (that singer sounds like he wasn’t manly enough to get into N’Sync). Luckily, they’ve already come and gone. Now for the real country show. No, I’m not talking about Darius Rucker, although I’m a closet Hootie fan and look forward to seeing him. He’ll be good, but what I’m talking about is a real country music artist, playing real country music. Ladies and gentlemen, Brad Paisley is coming to town.<br /> <br />The truth is, I haven’t always been a huge Brad Paisley fan. Maybe it’s the name. Paisley. Not quite Haggard is it? Actually sounds a little sissified. But a couple of years ago my girlfriend dragged me to a Brad Paisley show and I was hooked. Has the man ever sang a song that didn’t wind up a hit? And what guy can’t relate to songs about choosing fishing over a chick, four-wheelin’ in the mud, and going on an extended whiskey-binge? Plus the dude can flat out play the guitar. He’d better be able to, since his latest album, Play, is almost entirely instrumental. For an artist to release such an album in a genre where the size of the hits are directly proportionate to the number of sentimental clichés in the lyrics, he’d better have chops directly proportionate to the size of his cojones.<br /> <br />On top of all that, the guys got a great sense of humor. Maybe he can be a little dorky, but that kind of adds to his appeal. He’s kind of like the guys from Full House all rolled into one. He looks just like the dad, is a musician like the uncle, and tries to be funny like that other guy. No wonder that show was on so long.<br /><br />Get ready for the country when Brad Paisley and special guests Darius Rucker and Dierks Bentley play the BOK on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tickets are from $39.75 to $46.75 and can be purchased by calling 1-866-7-BOK-CTR or online at <a href="http://www.bokcenter.com/">www.bokcenter.com</a>.<br /> <br />Past their prime, you say? Well yes, if you’re talking about General Motors stocks or episodes of The Simpsons, but if you’re talking about AC/DC, then not so much. Like wine, cheese, Twinkees and Jennifer Aniston, these Aussie rockers just keep getting better with age. These guys have been playing variations of a dozen or so songs for 35 years now, which, considering that rock n’ roll years are much like dog years (assuming you fill your dog’s dish with Jack Daniels and Marlboros), would make them around 275 years old.<br /><br />Not that they haven’t managed to squeeze plenty of livin’, rockin’, rollin’ and even dyin’ out of the years they’ve been afforded. Their original lineup was kind of like the cast from the first season of Lost, with Angus and Malcolm Young in the roles of Jack and Kate and Bon Scott in the role of Sawyer. Just for argument’s sake, we’ll say that Sawyer died at the end of last season and a new character is introduced played by, say, Jason Bateman. Not quite as edgy, but maybe a little more likeable. That’s Brian Johnson. The ever-changing bassist and drummer spots can be like that cute blonde who was killed off a couple of seasons ago or maybe the insufferable Charlie, who was thankfully banished to comic/sci fi conventions in his Lord of the Rings costume. Characters like these are easy to replace, as are, apparently, bassists and drummers. <br />In spite of this apparent instability, the band managed to become one of the biggest-selling music acts in history, with world-wide record sales of over 200 million. On top of that, their music was used as psychological torture to drive Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega from his stronghold and into the arms of waiting troops. They are also the number one all-time artist played at every sporting event in America. And in terms of creativity, they have managed to use the word hell in more song titles than any artist in history. Plus, every rock station in America is apparently contractually obligated to play either “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Back in Black,” or “Thunderstruck” at least once an hour.<br /><br />If you complain about lack of growth with their music, you’re missing the point of AC/DC. The songs might all sound a little similar, but there’s a reason they’ve been around so long. They’re like that old buddy from college who you can always count on to put a smile on your face, even if he only knows one joke. He just needs to know how to tell it right. If you’re looking for growth and maturity from an artist, get a copy of the new Guns N’ Roses CD. I hear it makes a great coaster.<br /> <br />Check out the greatest rock band of all time when they bring their Black Ice tour to The BOK Center in Tulsa on Monday, Jan. 26 at 8pm. Tickets are $91.50 and can be purchased by calling 1-866-7-BOK-CTR or online at <a href="http://www.bokcenter.com/">www.bokcenter.com</a>.<br /><br />I honestly hope I didn’t offend anyone with my earlier comments about Rascal Flatts, but if I did, don’t get your panties in a wad. I have good news for you. Get ready…wait for it…Celine Dion is coming! Oh, how much I have to say about Celine coming to play here! But wait, it seems I’m about to reach my word limit. Alas! I suppose it will have to suffice to tell you that Celine will be at the BOK Center on Monday, Feb. 2 at 8pm. Tickets range from $49.50 to $167.00 and can be purchased by calling 1-866-7-BOK-CTR or online at <a href="http://www.bokcenter.com/">www.bokcenter.com</a>. Now I know what to get my dad for his birthday.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-90013527554622034812009-03-21T08:19:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:21:01.243-07:00The Current-Story Dec. 2008Riders In The Sky<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Keifer Sutherland and Woody Harrelson tried it. Bobby Brown and Sebastian Bach gave it a whirl. Heck, these days even Jessica Simpson has thrown her ten gallon hats into the ring. But nobody, and I mean nobody has truly lived life “the cowboy way” better than Riders In The Sky. For over thirty years these rootin’ tootin’ bronc’ bustin’ pistol twirlin’ western swingin’ cow pokes have been making audiences dance, sing and laugh out loud, playing nearly 200 shows yearly in all 50 states and around the world. With their unique combination of straight ahead western standards and wacky cowboy comedy, these dudes have found quite a niche for themselves with their family-friendly performances and 35 albums, two of which have won Grammys. This December you can check out the fun for yourself when Riders In The Sky bring their Christmas show to Miami’s Coleman Theatre.<br /><br />Riders In The Sky began their long career in the late 70s as a trio which included guitarist and singer Ranger Doug (Douglas B. Green), bassist Too Slim (Fred LaBour) and fiddler Woody Paul (Paul Chrisman). With their shared love of classic western music and technical virtuosity with their instruments, combined with fine comic timing and onstage chemistry, the trio immediately developed a following. The lineup was cemented later when Polka Hall of Fame member Joey (The CowPolka King) Miskulin was added on accordion. Over the years the group refined their stage show to include comedic skits and music parodies in addition to their fine renditions of standards and originals. They also earned a reputation as one of the hardest working acts in show business by expanding their reach into television, motion pictures and radio. And before you decide to dismiss these boys as simple country bumpkins, bear in mind that aside from Miskulin’s hall of fame credentials, Green has a Master’s degree in Literature, LaBour a Master’s degree in Wildlife Management and Chrisman carries a PhD in theoretical plasma physics from MIT. These boys are definitely smarter than the average bear. And Jessica Simpson? Well, she still has her ten gallon hats.<br /><br />Be sure to make it up to the beautiful Coleman Theatre in Miami on Tuesday, December 2 when the boys bring their Christmas the Cowboy Way tour to town and continue their 30 year crusade to “bring good beef to hungry people wherever they may be.” The fun begins at 7:30pm. Tickets are$20 for adults, $16 for seniors and $12 for students 18 and under and can be purchased by calling (918)540-2425. The Coleman Theatre is located at 103 N. Main St. in Miami, OK.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-54156152672025503692009-03-21T08:06:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:09:17.926-07:00Jah Roots Brings the Reggae to Brewdog's-Feature Story 1 Oct. 2008Which of the following pairs does not belong? A. Memphis and blues. B. New Orleans and jazz. C. Missouri and reggae. If you said C then you are most definitely…wrong. That’s not true, you say! You’ve been to Beale Street, to BB King’s place. You’ve been to JazzFest. Both A and B obviously are correct pairings of region and musical genre, so the answer would have to be C, right? Well, if you show up at Brew Dog’s pub on Oct. 18 when the guys from Jah Roots come to town you’ll realize that Missouri and reggae go together just fine, thank you. So it was a trick question. Sometimes in life, there are no right or wrong answers.<br /> <br />If the guys in Jah Roots worried about other people’s perceptions of right and wrong as pertaining to true reggae music, they might have simply stuck to the safe formula that so many up-and-coming musicians adhere to. It would have been easy to play cover tunes, even in the early jam band incarnation that founding members Josh Heinrichs and Mike Hulsey played during the mid-nineties. Cover bands draw the best crowds and make the most money, except for those lucky few bands that are able to write and play originals strong enough to attract and build a fan base. But Heinrichs and Hulsey didn’t just ignore the conventional thinking regarding cover bands, they turned convention on its ear by not only writing and performing their own songs, but by assembling a group of musician friends into a reggae band that sounds like they just moved to Springfield from Jamaica.<br /><br />Perhaps oddly, Heinrichs only discovered his love for reggae a relatively short time ago, in 1999, when he first heard Bob Marley and the Wailers’ classic album, Natty Dread. The effect was almost immediate, and soon the jam band he and Hulsey were in had recruited percussionist Josh Nail, bassist Steve Washburn and drummer Eric Groves and began learning and playing reggae tunes. In a short time the band was developing a fan base and earning raves for its eclectic and energetic live shows. In 2002 they released their independent debut album, Stepping out of Babylon, which featured heavy reggae and ska influences with their original jam band sound. The band gave away copies of the cd free to fans at their live shows. Their positive sound and “One Love” philosophy was proving a winner, and as they grew together, the band developed into one of the most requested acts on reggae radio shows across the country.<br /> <br />The band has continued touring and recording, releasing More Herbs for the Youth and Babylon Weak Heart in 2005 and their breakthrough album, Crucial, in 2006. They’ve been regulars on the festival circuit, performing at various festivals like The Reggae on the Riverfront in Illinois and numerous NORML events. They have also opened for a number of heavy-hitters like Damian Marley, Bunny Wailer and the godfather of funk, George Clinton.<br /> <br />If you haven’t heard the band yet, check out their fan site at <a href="http://goodhighs.com/">http://goodhighs.com</a> and follow the links and you’ll be able to download their first three albums for free. But if you’re familiar with the band, you probably knew that and already have the songs on your iPod. Either way, if you’re a fan of reggae, or just a fan of the reggae life-style, you won’t want to miss when Jah Roots make their way into our neck of the woods. They band will be playing songs from their latest album, Joy, which features Junior Marvin, former lead guitarist for Bob Marley joining the band for a couple of songs. Both Joy and Crucial are available at iTunes, but select songs are also available as free downloads on the band’s myspace page. Go to <a href="http://www.myspace.com/jahroots">www.myspace.com/jahroots</a> and you can listen to and download songs like “Good Highs,” “Joy” and “Ganja Weed.” So just in case you still didn’t believe that Springfield, Missouri could yield a true reggae band, these songs will probably put your skepticism to rest.<br /><br />So whether you’re a fan of reggae, ska, hip-hop or quality live music in general, you’ll want to stop by Brewdog’s on Saturday, Oct. 18 when the guys from Jah Roots put their own spin on “living green.” They’ll be spreading the love, bringing the peace and proving that a bunch of white boys from Missouri can play true reggae music with a positive vibe and political slant that would make Bob Marley proud. Doors open at 8pm and the band takes the stage at 10pm. If the parking lot at Brewdog’s looks like a used van dealership, you’ll know you’re in the right place. For more details on this show and upcoming shows at Brewdog’s check out <a href="http://www.myspace.com/brewdogsbar">www.myspace.com/brewdogsbar</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-31224128781873339592009-03-21T08:02:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:06:00.706-07:00Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame's Class of '08-Feature Story 2 Oct. 2008Merle Haggard. Leon Russell. Woody Guthrie. Patti Page. The Texas Playboys. Roy Clark. All are legends, and all share the distinction of membership in the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. This October a select few will take their rightful place alongside these and the other members when the OMHOF enshrines its newest inductees into its hallowed halls. It promises to be an evening in which the OMHOF members and fans of Oklahoma music will celebrate the state’s rich musical history by taking a look and listen at the past and present of the talented artists who have made significant contributions to our musical landscape.<br /><br />Since 1997, the OMHOF has recognized artists and contributors in a variety of categories, ranging from Country and Western, Singer & Songwriter, Pop & Rock and Rising Star, along with a selection of special awards given on a rotating basis. This year the event will feature the Governor’s Award, presented for only the third time in the OMHOF history. The award will be presented to the Cherokee National Youth Choir, which sings traditional songs in the Cherokee language. The award-winning group, which was founded in 2000, is comprised of 50 Cherokee youths from Northeastern Oklahoma. The choir will perform at the event.<br /><br />For the first time the event will present The American Indian Tribal Music Traditions award to The Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. The tribe’s singers are recognized as some of the state’s earliest recorded artists, with recordings dating as early as 1902. The American Indian Tribal Music Traditions category will be awarded every four years following this year’s event.<br /> <br />Past recipients of the Rising Star award have been as diverse as country star Keith Anderson and hard rockers Hinder. This year one of the country’s hottest modern rock bands will join them when the All-American Rejects receive the coveted award. Fresh off their rocking show at this year’s DFest in Tulsa, All American Rejects are certain to make sure everyone attending the ceremony will know exactly why they are rising stars with a blistering performance after the induction ceremony.<br /> <br />This year the OMHOF will welcome a pair of singer/songwriters that, while neither may be house hold names to the casual music fan, have both helped to shape the way generations of musicians and music fans create and appreciate music.<br /><br />Bob Childers<br /><br />Hundreds of thousands of musicians dream of playing their instruments for a living. Most flame out before they ever really begin. A few toil for a few years, barely making enough to live on, before moving on to the real world. Fewer still do well enough to keep up the life into old age. Very few inspire a movement. Bob Childers followed a path not unlike that of Texas outlaws such as Willie and Waylon. Kid dreams of hitting it big in Nashville. Kid grows tired of the corporate sell-out ideal. Kid makes his way back home determined to make it on his own terms. <br /><br />Only this kid’s home wasn’t Texas, although he did happen to make a brief stop in Austin. No, Bob Childers made it all the way back to Oklahoma, and a couple decades in his rearview mirror he could look up and see a landscape populated by artists who have been influenced by the music he made along the way. Maybe most bands don’t like to be labeled, but if one happens to be called a “Red Dirt” artist, it can thank Bob Childers.<br /> <br />For Bob Childers, who died this past April after a long battle with emphysema, it ended where it began, fittingly, in Stillwater, OK. Long considered the birthplace of what is widely recognized as Red Dirt music, Stillwater is the town where Childers refined his sound and was inspired in his early songwriting efforts. It was there, in the late 1970s, that he recorded his debut album, the widely acclaimed I Ain’t No Jukebox. As his reputation grew with the album and its follow-up, Singing Trees, Dancing Waters, Childers decided to chase fame and fortune in Nashville. A couple of albums later, Childers had grown restless and made his way back west, this time to Austin, TX.<br /><br />His musical growth continued with the release of 1990’s Circles Toward the Sun, but the album failed to perform from a sales standpoint and by the mid 90s Childers had returned to Stillwater. It was there that Childers’ influence on bands such as The Great Divide and Red Dirt Rangers solidified his status among a new generation of Oklahoma musicians. Widely regarded as one of Oklahoma’s finest songwriters, Bob Childers is also recognized as the “Father of Red Dirt Music.” Perhaps most bands dislike labels, but for those influenced by Bob Childers, “Red Dirt” is a badge worn proudly. Long-time Childers friends Tom Skinner and the Red Dirt Rangers will perform Bob Childers songs at the ceremony.<br /> <br />Chick Rains<br /><br />Unless you happen to live in the hometown of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame and Museum, chances are you’ve never heard of Chick Rains. But if you’ve listened to country radio over the past thirty years or so, you’ve probably heard some of his songs. His songs have been recorded by artists like Johnny Lee, Mickey Gilley, Reba McEntire, Michael Martin Murphy and, more recently, Oklahoman Wade Hayes.<br /><br />The Muskogee-born and raised Rains followed his musical dreams to California in the early 60s. A detour in the Army and Vietnam was followed by a return to LA and a song-writing gig with RCA records. By the mid-70s Rains was well on his way to success, with songs recorded by Eddy Arnold and the Oak Ridge Boys. The 80s saw Rains move to Nashville where he found his greatest success, writing a string of hits including “Somebody Should Leave” recorded by McEntire, and “A Headache Tomorrow or a Heartache Tonight” recorded by Mickey Gilley. Rains’ string of hits continued into the 90s when he began a successful collaboration with Hayes that resulted in two number one singles. Hayes will honor Rains by performing his songs at this year’s ceremony in his hometown of Muskogee.<br /><br />The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony and concert will take place Oct. 8 at the Muskogee Civic Center, located at 5th and Boston St. in Muskogee, OK. Pre-induction reception begins at 5pm and induction and concert begins at 7pm. Gallery tickets are from $19 to $39 and VIP tickets are $150 and include VIP parking. Tickets can be purchased by calling (918)687-0800.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-50602904845801676222009-03-21T07:57:00.000-07:002009-03-21T08:00:01.834-07:00Grand Lake Gears up for Molly Hatchet, Catfish Cooks and Birders-Feature Story 2 Sept. 2008Summer might be coming to an end, but someone might wanna tell the good people up at beautiful Grand Lake. Folks there don’t seem to go by the same calendar as the rest of us, and they’re not ready to let go of the good times and long, sunny days just yet. Of course, as any Oklahoman can attest, just because we’ve past the end of August, the cool weather that greets those folks up north can still be a month or two away, a fact that the lake lovers know how to take full advantage of.<br /><br />Grand Lake Rally<br /> <br />Look for the heat to stick around long enough to welcome bikers and fun-seekers from all around the area when the first annual Grand Lake Rally kicks off on Thursday September 11 in Grove and continuing throughout the Grand Lake area through Sunday September 14. A celebration of all the fantastic things Grand Lake has to offer, this is definitely not your average bike rally. For starters, while any biker rally worth its salt includes a poker run, the Grand Lake Rally’s run promises over $5000 in cash prizes and stops at some of the area’s coolest destinations, from JR Spanky’s to the historic Pensacola Dam. Plus you’ll get a chance to meet and have your picture taken with Miss Sturgis 2008 Rachel Reilly. But don’t get your hopes up guys, even if she gives you her number, it probably won’t be her real one. But maybe motorcycles aren’t necessarily your cup of tea. Not to worry.<br /><br />The real action revs up Saturday at South Grand Lake Regional Airport in Ketchum, where you can check out the Keels, Wheels and Wings classic boat, car and airplane display, plane flyovers, drag races, a fashion show and, of course, the beer garden. Of course, no self-respecting bike rally would be complete without a little live music to entertain the crowd, and the first annual Grand Lake Rally is showing a deep respect for itself and its attendees in bringing local favorites Hurricane Mason to the stage. But that’s not all, no, not by a long shot. Ever hear of a little band called Molly-freaking-Hatchet? You read that right. Molly Hatchet, the same dudes that you hear every time you see that commercial for the southern rock legends compilation cd on TV, will be playing live, honest to goodness southern badass rock right on the shores of beautiful Grand Lake. Imagine the chicks you’ll see.<br /> <br />The fun starts at 9am on Thursday September 11 at the Grove Civic Center. Admission is free for all events in Grove. The festivities at Rally Central, at the South Grand Lake Regional Airport, kick off at 9am on Saturday September 13. Admission is $20 for the rally and the concert. For more information on the first annual Grand Lake Rally check out <a href="http://www.grandlakerally.com/">www.grandlakerally.com</a>, and for more information about rock legends Molly Hatchet, well, just google ‘em, man.<br /> <br />Hook N Cookoff<br /><br />The endless summer continues as the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce presents the 15th Annual Hook N Cookoff, Grand Lake’s yearly celebration of the search to find the best catfish chef in the country. The event is in its seventh year as a nationally recognized cookoff, so when the folks at the chamber say the winner will be recognized as the best catfish chef in the country, they actually mean it. Held at the beautiful Pelican Landing Resort, the Hook N Cookoff is a great opportunity to meet and get to know some of your neighbors from the community and all around the lake. It is also the place to be if you want to taste some of the best catfish around. Actually, it’s the place to be if you want to taste the best catfish in the United States! Hear that, catfish lovers?<br /><br />Awards will be given for presentation, spirit and people’s choice. The people’s choice award will be determined by the amount of “tasting kits” each team is able to sell. Tasting kits are available for $5 apiece, and the more you sell, the more votes you get.<br /><br />10’x10’ booths are available to vendors for $50. The entry fee for competitors is $150, and includes 45 lbs. of catfish. Additional catfish can be purchased for $45 per 15 lbs.<br /> For information on how to enter the Hook N Cookoff, contact Kristal Hodges at the Grand Lake Area Chamber of Commerce by calling (918)782-3214 or by email at <a href="mailto:khodges@granklakechamber.org">khodges@granklakechamber.org</a>.<br /><br />The 15th Annual Hook N Cookoff will be held September 26 and 27. Pelican Landing Resort is located four miles east of Ketchum on highway 85.<br /><br />25th Annual Pelican Festival<br /><br />Even the folks at Grand Lake have to admit summer is over sometime, and each year they do so by celebrating the return of the American White Pelican to the waters of the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees with the Pelican Festival this October 3-5.<br /> <br />The centerpiece of this year’s silver anniversary festival will be a juried arts and crafts show to be held on the Grove Community Center lawn. There will also be live music and a variety of other entertainment and activities are in the works.<br /><br />The Pelican Festival is being put on in a joint effort between the Grand Lake Association and the Grove Downtown Merchants Association. For more information, call (918)786-2333 or by visiting the Grand Lake Association website at <a href="http://www.glaok.com/">www.glaok.com</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-80018351628089739272009-03-21T07:38:00.000-07:002009-03-21T07:55:40.187-07:00SpiritBank Event Center's Grand Opening Gala-Feature Story 1 Sept. 2008There is an oft repeated story, or perhaps it would be a legend, that Jimi Hendrix, during an appearance on The Tonight Show in the late sixties, proclaimed his favorite guitar player to be a young Texan from the little known group, the Moving Pavements, a band that had recently opened for a few Jimi Hendrix Experience shows. The young man’s name? Billy Gibbons. And why should you care? Well, a year or so later, Gibbons met bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard and the three formed a new band, and this September, nearly forty years later, that little old band from Texas, ZZ Top, will be playing the very first show ever at the new Spirit Bank Event Center in Bixby when the 2008 In Your Face Tour rolls into town.<br /> <br />That’s not a bad opening act for a new event center. All ZZ Top has done over the past four decades is sell over 50 million albums, develop a reputation as one of the world’s best live bands, grow ridiculously long beards (except, ironically, for Frank Beard, who sports a mustache) and get themselves inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame and designated as official Heroes of the State of Texas. And how can you resist a Texas blues-rock band whose first big hit, “La Grange,” was inspired by an infamous brothel?<br /> <br />That song, which appeared on the band’s third album,1973’s Tres Hombres, introduced the trio to a national audience, and began them on a steady ascent up the ladder of rock ‘n roll success. Through the mid-70s the boys continued a relentless touring schedule and released two more albums on their original label, London Records. The albums, Fandango! and Tejas continued a steady stream of rock radio hits, including “Tush” and “Arrested For Driving While Blind.” But the ZZ Top most of us now recognize, the sunglasses-wearing, bearded, classic-car driving ZZ Top was still a few years away.<br /> <br />Following several year’s worth of relentless touring and recording, the band went on an extended hiatus before reuniting in 1979 for a tour and album for their new label, Warner Bros. Records. Deguello spawned several more hits, including “Cheap Sunglasses,” “I Thank You,” and the increasingly appropriate, “I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide.” The band’s hot streak continued with its second Warner Bros. release, 1981’s El Loco which included “Pearl Necklace” and “Tube Snake Boogie.” It probably seemed to the Texas boys that they had reached the highest possible success. But the eighties would see ZZ Top reach heights they couldn’t have possibly dreamed of.<br /><br />Maybe it was the sudden popularity of MTV. Maybe it was the band’s more pop-radio friendly, synthesized sound. Or maybe it was just the fact that they had been around long enough to know how to write and play music that folks wanted to listen to, whatever the reason , with the release of Eliminator, ZZ Top became the biggest rock n’ roll band on the planet in 1983. Behind the strength of hit singles “Gimme All Your Lovin’,” “You Got Me Under Pressure” and “Sharp Dressed Man,” along with the videos featuring plenty of hot girls and cool cars, the album went on to sell over 10 million copies and firmly established the band as a rock n’ roll juggernaut.<br /> <br />The band’s winning streak continued throughout the eighties and into the nineties with the Afterburner and Recycler albums and hit songs including “Velcro Fly,” “Rough Boy,” “Double Back” and “Concrete and Steel,” to name a few. As they pushed into the nineties and toward a new millennium, the guys in ZZ Top faced a different musical climate and lower record sales, but continued recording and touring. Maybe fans weren’t buying as many records as in ZZ Top’s heyday, but they have never stopped buying concert tickets, as the band sells out nearly every show it plays. And when the 4,500 seat Spirit Bank Event Center opens its doors for the first time to welcome ZZ Top and their fans, you can bet that there won’t be an empty seat in the house.<br /><br />Even if you can’t make it to the ZZ Top show, the $50 million Spirit Bank Event Center has enough in the works that if you are going to be looking for something to do in the Tulsa area in the next few months, there’s a good bet that you’ll find something there to interest you. Whether it be sports, music or any number of trade shows or conventions, The Spirit Bank Event Center has something to suit any taste.<br /> <br />In addition to the ZZ Top show, the event center will be the new home to the Tulsa 66ers, the city’s NBA Developmental League team, and will also host the Tulsa World Gymnastics Invitational and Elite Combat League mixed martial arts. Other musical events scheduled for the upcoming months include Uncle Kracker, Steven Curtis Chapman and Michael W. Smith’s United Tour and the newly reunited Stone Temple Pilots. Plus, look for a variety of trade shows and conventions to be booked in the future. For more future events and venue and ticket information, visit <a href="http://www.spiritbankeventcenter.com/">www.spiritbankeventcenter.com</a> or call Tony Heineman at (918)794-8870. <br />ZZ Top plays the opening night of the event center on Sunday September 28 . The event center is located at 105th and S. Memorial in Bixby. Doors open at 6:30pm and the show starts at 8pm. Tickets are $35 or $45 and can be purchased by visiting the event center website or at Coppertown Coffee shops and Indigo Joes.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-75074707517572918802008-08-21T08:26:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:29:04.053-07:00The Current-Aug. 2008 Feature StoryDusk Til Dawn Blues Fest Flourishes in Memory of Minner<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />“A man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning wrote those famous words in his poem, <em>Andrea del Sarto</em>, in 1855. You might think a quotation from a Victorian era poet to be an odd way to begin a story about that oh-so American musical genre known as the blues, but when you consider just how far-reaching the legacy of Rentiesville native D.C. Minner stretches, you might find Browning’s well-known quote to be quite appropriate. D.C. Minner knew what so many other musicians and music lovers know, that the blues can heal, the blues can teach, the blues can provide a window into the soul of a single person and into society as a whole. The blues can cure the blues, and the best way, some would say the only way, to experience the blues is by seeing and hearing it played live. D.C. Minner knew this as well, and this Labor Day weekend, like every Labor Day weekend since 1991, blues fans will come together in tiny Rentiesville for the festival that Minner founded, the Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival. This year’s festival will be a tribute to Minner, who died in May, and will feature many of the bands playing songs he wrote and covered in celebration of the man who put Rentiesville on the blues map.<br /><br />Born in 1935, D.C. Minner was raised by his grandmother, Lura Drennan, and his not-quite traditional up-bringing would serve to plant the seeds for his lifelong love of music and the blues. You see, Grandma Drennan ran the Cozy Corner, a rollicking juke joint and whiskey palace where local musicians had been gathering since the Prohibition-era to sample the outlawed sauce and play the blues. In those days electricity scarce in little Rentiesville, and the musicians played acoustic sets for raucous crowds that were searching for a little diversion in a place that had yet to recover from the devastations of the Great Depression. It was in this humble setting that D.C. Minner would plot a course that would take him on a lifelong journey that would allow him to influence and be influenced by some of the greatest musicians in American history. And it would bring him together with the two great loves of his life.<br /> <br />After serving as a medic in the Korean War, D.C. Minner worked out of Oklahoma City, where he made a living with his bass guitar backing up a veritable who’s who of blues greats, including Freddie King and Eddie Floyd. Throughout the 50s and 60s Minner worked the area playing bass with Larry Johnson and the New Breed, a band that backed up such artists as Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and O.V. Wright. Minner was doing exactly what he had always known he would do: making a living playing the blues.<br /> <br />In time Minner found his way to California, along the way changing his instrument of choice from bass to blues guitar. His love affair with the blues in full swing, Minner bounced around different cities on the west coast, playing and learning, learning and teaching, until one day he met the second great love of his life. By the 70s, Minner had moved north to Berkeley, where friends introduced him to a young bass player named Selby. Their attraction was mutual and immediate, leading them to form a partnership in music and life. The two began playing together as Blues On The Move, D.C. on guitar and Selby on bass, touring non-stop for the next 12 years.<br /><br />By 1989 D.C. and Selby, now married, had followed that long road back to tiny Rentiesville and the place where it all started all those years before, the Cozy Corner. After more than a decade on the road, it might seem that the Minners would be ready to settle down and take a nice long rest. But there was still work to do. First came renovating his grandma’s old place and renaming it The Down Home Blues Club. This provided D.C. and Selby a place to play, and listen to others play, and gave blues fans from all over this part of the state a real honest to goodness blues club, where they could hear the real thing played by people who knew how to play it. The club was a success, not in a way that would make D.C. a rich man, at least not financially, but in a way that let him realize that the thing he was doing was appreciated, and maybe even needed. In 1991 the Minners took it a step further, and The Dusk Til Dawn Music Festival was born.<br /> <br />Through the years D.C. continued to touch people with his music. In addition to his club and annual festival, he and Selby brought the Blues in the Schools project, which had originated in Memphis, to Oklahoma’s schools. The weeklong program provides students with alternative learning exercises using blues music as a teaching device. While offering the program to a variety of schools, D.C. seemed to take a special interest in the at-risk and alternative school programs, with students who were having trouble functioning in traditional classroom environments. Their work with the program earned D.C. and Selby numerous awards of recognition, including a W.C. Handy award and the Keeping the Blues Alive Award from the Blues Foundation. But the awards can’t speak for the lives touched by the man. His legacy lives on, not only in the festival, or by the fact that his name is permanently etched in both the Oklahoma Jazz and Oklahoma Music Halls of Fame, but in the memories of the students he has touched, or perhaps those fans of the blues, who were looking for something to do one Oklahoma night, and found themselves in a club in tiny Rentiesville, listening to the music played by folks who knew how to play it.<br /> <br />And that legacy will indeed live on this Labor Day at the 18th Dusk Til Dawn Music Festival, which will be a celebration of the life and work of D.C. The event will feature local and regional artists, including Guitar Shorty, Johnny Rawls, Tony Matthews and another member of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, Tulsa’s own Wanda Watson, among many others. With artists performing on three stages over three nights, the festival is sure to be a nice Labor Day Weekend alternative to overcrowded lakes, and, being in Rentiesville, which is about a 15 minute drive south of Muskogee, it is also close enough that the skyrocketing gas prices shouldn’t be so hard to handle.<br /> <br />The Dusk Til Dawn Blues Festival will take place August 29-31 in beautiful Rentiesville, located south of Muskogee on US 69 (take either the Checotah-Rentiesville or Oktaha-Rentiesville exit). Once in Rentiesville, go east on Honey Springs Road two miles until you get to D.C. Minner Street and you’ve found it. Tickets are $15 per day, and kids get in free. The show starts daily at 5pm and music will be playing, you guessed it, from dusk ‘til dawn. For additional information go online to www.dcminnerblues.com.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-21922595282361192562008-08-21T08:18:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:21:21.079-07:00The Current-July 2008 Feature Story 2The Black Crowes Fly In To Currentland<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />I doubt anyone would hold it against you if you admitted that you thought The Black Crowes had disbanded a couple of decades ago. Why would you think any different? It’s not like you ever hear any new music from the band on the radio. And MTV? Come on. If I were a wagering man, I would bet a dollar that the last Black Crowes song you heard on the radio (Regular radio, not satellite. That’s cheating) was something off of their 1990 debut album, <em>Shake Your Money Maker</em>. I’ll even take it a step further and guess the actual song. Was it “Hard to Handle?” That’ll be a dollar.<br /> <br />Truth is, The Black Crowes are doing just fine, thank you. Sure they’ve had their hard times. Declining record sales, constant personnel shifts, the four year “hiatus”, Kate Hudson, but like most great bands, the Crowes have always managed to brush aside all obstacles and focus on the music and, most of all, their incredible live shows. This summer fans in Currentland will have two chances to see the band strut its stuff when The Black Crowes Euphoria or Bust tour rolls into Tulsa to rock the legendary Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa on July 23 and then on August 14 when they make their way to Fayetteville to play the Arkansas Music Pavillion. You didn’t really think they’d broken up, did you?<br /><br />The Black Crowes are currently on tour in support of their latest album, <em>Warpaint</em>, which was released earlier this year. It’s the band’s first album in seven years, and the first on their own Silver Arrow Records label. It’s essentially a reunion album for founding members, and siblings, Chris and Rich Robinson, but it’s also a rebirth of sorts for a band that has fought to maintain its independence over the course of its almost twenty year recording career. The album has received critical praise, aside from the two star review <em>Maxim</em> writer David Peisner gave it. Trouble is, Peisner wrote his review without ever having heard the album. Perhaps Peisner thought the band had disbanded a couple of decades ago, too. <em>Maxim</em> has since issued an apology, and The Black Crowes have continued to play sold out shows to fans who could care less what some magazine writer has to say anyway.<br /><br />If you thought the Crowes had disbanded, well, you should have been paying more attention, because the band’s show at the Cain’s Ballroom on July 23 is sold out. If you really, really want to go, just head down to 423 N. Main in Tulsa and maybe you can find a scalper. You’ll probably pay more than the $45 face value, but I bet a dollar the Crowes would say it’s worth it. Or you can wait until August 14 and make the short trip to Fayetteville where they’ll play the Arkansas Music Pavillion. Tickets range from $40 to $85 and can be purchased by calling (877)837-6616 or online at <a href="http://www.arkansasmusicpavillion.com/">www.arkansasmusicpavillion.com</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-47824180048981944392008-08-21T08:12:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:17:25.680-07:00The Current-July 2008 Feature Story 1All-American Rejects and 120 other Acts Diversify Tulsa<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Not long ago, maybe sometime around the end of the last century, music fans from around these parts who wanted to experience a true music festival featuring national and regional acts were forced to drive at least four hours to Dallas or maybe Kansas City to hang out with the hippies at Lollapalooza or the metal-heads at Ozzfest. If country is more your speed, well, Nashville has an annual festival, and it’s only about three day’s ride horseback to the east. My, things have sure changed in Currentland.<br /> <br />Fresh off last month’s Country Fever and just a couple weeks after Rocklahoma, fans lucky enough to live right here in northeast Oklahoma can welcome one more festival, and this one might just beat all the rest. Smack in the heart of downtown Tulsa, the seventh annual Diversafest Music Conference and Festival kicks off at the end of the month, and if you’ve been waiting for a crowd that features less in the way of ten gallons hats or eighties mullets, then this is the one for you. With well over 120 acts covering every musical genre imaginable, you’re bound to find something you love, even if you are into topping your mullet with a ten gallon hat, which, come to think of it, is not too far-fetched.<br /> <br />As you may have guessed, Diversafest is all about diversity, from the acts onstage to the people in the crowd. This year’s festival will continue a trend started last year when Oklahoma City’s Flaming Lips headlined by bringing another internationally known local band when Stillwater’s own All-American Rejects back to their home state. Getting AAR (as the cool kids call the band) to come to D-Fest (as the even cooler kids call the festival) was a coup of sorts for organizers, as the band has recently cancelled its dates on the Warped Tour to continue work on the follow-up to 2005’s platinum-selling album, <em>Move Along</em>. But the boys from AAR will be playing a handful of dates with Bon Jovi and will be back in their home state, to the good fortune of D-Fest crowds.<br /><br />Formed in 2001 by Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler, the Stillwater band quickly gained a reputation among local and regional fans for their energetic stage show and upbeat sound.<br />Following their self-released EP, <em>Same Girl, New Songs</em>, and a brief tour of the mid-west, the band was signed to Doghouse Records which released their self-titled debut album in 2002. With respectable, if not earth-shattering, record sales, the band was well on its way to stardom, mostly on the strength of the ultra-catchy single, “Swing, Swing.” Following the release of the album, the band toured relentlessly, leaving little time for recording, which led some fans and critics to believe the band was little more than a one hit wonder. But the doubters were soon proved wrong.<br /><br />The summer of 2005 saw the release of the band’s follow-up, <em>Move Along</em>, which brought them critical praise and their strongest record sales to date, with over two million copies sold and a trio of high charting singles, including “Dirty Little Secret,” “It Ends Tonight” and the title track, which went on to win “Best Group Video” at the 2006 MTV Music Awards. All three songs received heavy rotation on modern rock radio, further cementing their place as superstars in rock music.<br /> <br />Now, as they work on the next step in their already wildly successful career, the boys in AAR will be stepping out of the studio and onto the main stage at D-Fest to share their love of music and performing for fans who’ve been following their rise from wide-eyed teens dreaming of rock stardom to true modern rock heavy-hitters. But, as I mentioned previously, AAR is only one of 120+, and there is plenty more for other tastes.<br /><br />If I were to tell you that a trip to D-Fest would allow you the opportunity to see one of the “20 Greatest Live Acts in World,” would that be something you’d be interested in? Well, in 2003, that is exactly the distinction that <em>Rolling Stone Magazine</em> bestowed upon The Roots. This Philadelphia hip-hop, soul, jazz, experimental rap group has been wowing crowds for the better part of twenty years. In addition to releasing eight critically acclaimed albums, this band has performed onstage with the Dave Mathews Band and as the backing band for Jay-Z and appeared in a number of films and DVDs, including <em>Dave Chappelle’s Block Party</em>, in which they performed as a group and as the backing band for many of the other acts. This is definitely one band you don’t want to miss.<br /><br />If you’re more into the jam band thing, then you’ll want to check out the Disco Biscuits. Another Philly band, these guys play a style that blends prog-rock/fusion with a jam band sensibility. Their unique sound has won them a rabid fan base at various shows and festivals, including Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo.<br /> <br />But if balls-out hard rock is all you care to hear, well, you’ll still be in the right place when veteran rockers Clutch hit the stage. These Maryland natives have been making ears bleed since the early nineties. Although their sound has evolved some over the years, they still know how to bring the rock. And if that’s not enough for you, Helmet, Paramore, Phantom Planet, Zappa Plays Zappa and Ghostland Observatory are among the bands scheduled to appear. As the name suggests, Diversafest truly has something for everyone.<br /><br />In addition to the festival, a two day music conference will be held featuring a tradeshow, music clinics, music panels and much more. The Diversafest Music Conference and Festival will take place July 25-26 at Tulsa’s historic Blue Dome District and Crowne Plaza Hotel. Conference hours are from 11am to 6:30pm both days and festival hours are 4pm to 2am both days. Two day festival tickets are $33.50 advance or $45 walk-up. Conference badges, which allow access to both days’ festival and conference, are $100 advance or $150 walk-up. To purchase tickets or for ticket information, go to <a href="http://www.dfest.com/">www.dfest.com</a> or <a href="http://www.okctickets.com/">www.okctickets.com</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-65016337438744240392008-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:03:15.434-07:00The Current-June 2008 Feature Story 2Osage Casino Welcomes the Power of the Ocean<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />It’s a good bet that a good number of us born and raised here in land locked Currentland have never seen the ocean. Well, if you happen to belong to the aforementioned group, the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino in Tulsa is the place to be this June if you want to cross that particular experience off your “things to do before I die” list. No, I’m not talking about playing some game of chance in the hopes of winning a free cruise; you can see the real Ocean, with a capital O. Billy Ocean. That’s right, Billy Ocean.<br /> <br />Yep folks, the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino is bringing that R&B pop icon of the 80s who brought us such classics as “Caribbean Queen,” “Suddenly,” and the masterpiece, “Get Outta My Dreams (Get Into My Car).” It’s also a good bet that anyone over the age of 30 who read the previous sentence is now being tortured by a perverse medley of those three hits. Here’s another one for you: remember the theme song from the movie <em>Jewel of the Nile</em>?<br /><div align="center"><br />When the going gets tough</div><div align="center"><br />The tough get going</div><div align="center"><br />When the going gets rough</div><div align="center"><br />The tough get rough</div><div align="center"><br />Hey Hey Hey</div><br />Yep, that was Billy Ocean too. The embarrassing thing is I didn’t even have to look up the lyrics to that song. That oughta add some flavor to your medley. Probably some Caribbean flavor, considering Trinidad and Tobago native Billy Ocean is a member of the prestigious Caribbean Hall of Fame, alongside other legends including Grace Jones, Eddy Grant and Shaggy.<br /><br />But nostalgia and your own personal bucket list don’t have to be the only reasons to check out Billy Ocean. In the past few years, Ocean has enjoyed a career resurgence of sorts, having begun experimenting with reggae and other world music sounds and reinventing some of his hits for a new generation of fans. Having recently performed for mostly European audiences, he is out to re-conquer America, and those of us here in Currentland are gonna be lucky enough to experience Billy Ocean for ourselves. By the way, Billy Ocean is a stage name, so you might remember that before you cross off “see the ocean” from your list, since technically he’s not a real ocean. But I won’t tell if you won’t.<br /><br />Billy Ocean will be performing at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino on Saturday, June 14 at 7pm. Tickets start at $30 for this 21 and over show and can be purchased by calling (918)699-7667 or by visiting the Million Dollar Elm box office. The casino is located on West 36th Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma, 3 miles west of US Highway 75.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-22082834258275113232008-08-21T07:54:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:05:15.400-07:00The Current-June 2008 Feature Story 1Rocklahoma Returns with Michaels, Queensryche<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />It’s that time of year again. Temperatures and gasoline prices are rising, a presidential election of historic significance is quickly approaching, the war in Iraq is far from over and metal heads all across the world don’t even notice because the one event that unites them all is just around the corner. Rocklahoma is almost here.<br /><br />Billed as the only festival of its kind in the world, Rocklahoma has quickly grown into much more than just another Woodstock wannabe. In its second year, the festival, which takes place at the Catch the Fever grounds north of Pryor, Rocklahoma has now added a fifth day of music and entertainment to what was originally conceived as a three day event. Last year, the Thursday night lineup was added just weeks before the event, and this year it’s set to begin on Wednesday.<br /><br />“The fifth day was added because of the magnitude of the new things we’re bringing,” said Dave Giencke, Director of Operations of the Pryor Creek Music Festival.<br /><br />Among the new things being featured is the Rock N’ Roll Fantasy Band Camp, which will allow up to 120 participants to meet and play with ten counselors from their favorite bands, including Mark Slaughter of the group Slaughter and the drummer from AC/DC. Fantasy camp goers will be fed breakfast on Wednesday morning before being given the once in a lifetime chance to jam and learn from the counselors. At the end of the day, each counselor will form a band hand-picked from the participants and they will choose a song to play between sets during that night’s show in front of the Rocklahoma audience.<br /><br />“Participants will get the true Rocklahoma experience,” said Giencke, “not just as fans, but of actually playing on stage.”<br /><br />The entire Wednesday night lineup had not been announced as of this printing, except for the headliner, Ratt, who returns for the second year of the event. But even when Ratt is finished rocking the house the opening night festivities will continue with a midnight screening of <em>Heavy Metal Baghdad</em> on the huge jumbotron screens surrounding the stage.<br /><br />The documentary follows the Iraqi heavy metal band Acrassicauda from the fall of Sadam Hussein’s regime through 2006 as the band struggled to find the freedom to perform and create the music they love as the country toppled around them. The film was an official selection of the Berlin Film Festival, South By Southwest, and the Toronto Film Festival, and the Rocklahoma screening will be one of only a handful in the United States.<br /><br />The Wednesday events, like those on Thursday, will only be open to those festival goers who purchase three day passes. But the Thursday night lineup alone will be worth the purchase price, with performances by Jetboy, House of Lords, Vain, Enuf Znuf, LA Guns, Dokken, former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Back and Bret Michaels of Poison and <em>Rock of Love</em>.<br /><br />For those who only wish to spend a single day rocking out to hair bands, Friday night will serve as the opening option, and what an option it is with performances by XYZ, Armored Saint, Kingdome Come, Living Colour, Night Ranger, Lita Ford in her first performance in 15 years, Extreme and Triumph, which will feature a reunion of its original lineup performing on stage together for the first time in over two decades.<br /><br />The party continues Saturday as the lineup includes performances by Pretty Boy Floyd, Every Mother’s Nightmare, Tora Tora, Black and Blue, Trixter, Lynch Mob, Kix, Warrant featuring Jani Lane and Cinderella.<br /><br />Returning festival goers will remember that last year Twisted Sister closed the show in style with one of only two North American performances that wowed the audience. Well, Dee Snider might not be back this year, but Giencke and company may have even one-upped themselves with a Sunday lineup that includes performances by Axe, Zebra, UFO, Tesla and a one of a kind performance by Queensryche as they perform their classic <em>Operation: Mindcrime</em> album in its entirety, along with other hits from their 20-year plus career, in a theatrical stage show. It will be the only performance of its kind by the band this year as a celebration of the 20 year anniversary of the release of the album.<br /><br />In addition to the bands playing the main stage, 60 more bands will be playing on two side stages, courtesy of Retrospect Records and Tri-Label Group. Rocklahoma begins this year on Wednesday, July 9 and continues through Sunday, July 13. One day general admission passes are $55 and three day general admission passes are $120. Three day VIP passes are $350 and all tickets can be purchased either online at www.feverfest.com or by calling (866)310-2288. The Catch the Fever festival grounds are located four miles north of Pryor just off highway 69.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-36639515077548993382008-08-21T07:50:00.001-07:002008-08-21T08:06:21.440-07:00The Current-May 2008 Feature StoryMusic and Mayhem Return to Eufaula this May<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Country Fever Fest, eat your heart out. There is a new kid on the block, only a year old, who is ready to steal some of your thunder. The gorgeous Eufaula Cove Amphitheater, courtesy of Levelland Productions, is set to take her rightful place next to the higher profile venue in Pryor as a destination for music lovers from all across this state and abroad seeking a place to wind up, wind down, let loose and let it all hang out as Cross Canadian Ragweed kicks off summer with their second annual Music and Mayhem Festival on the beautiful shore of Lake Eufaula this Memorial Day weekend.<br /><br />Fans can expect a glorious leap forward from last year’s inaugural festival, which was somewhat marred by inclement weather, with a more Okie-centered lineup that features, along with headliners Cross Canadian Ragweed, regional superstars Jason Boland and the Stragglers and returning favorite Stoney Larue. There will be no regional favoritism, however, with a bill that also features Texas artists Wade Bowen and Cody Shaw and the Rhythm Boys opening the show.<br /><br />For most Oklahomans, Cross Canadian Ragweed and Jason Boland and the Stragglers would be more than enough of an enticement to make the trip to Eufaula, but for those who need the promise of an “event”, Music and Mayhem promises to offer everything one can possibly ask for in a true music festival. The amphitheater overlooks the bay on Lake Eufaula, offering concert goers glimpses of those frolicking on the lake during the day and the stars shimmering on the waters after the sun goes down, as they enjoy the sounds of some of today’s best country and red-dirt artists. It’s that fun-loving attitude that brought the guys from Cross Canadian Ragweed to Lake Eufaula in the first place.<br /><br />“They just wanted to do something at the lake,” said Chuck Thomson of Levelland Productions. The Lake Eufaula Amphitheater was a perfect fit. “We sold 7,500 tickets last year, and the weather was atrocious.” And while he expects large numbers of festival goers to be from out of state, notably north Texas, where Boland and CCR are huge draws, Thomson expects the majority of the crowd to be from right here in Oklahoma, and especially Eufaula.<br /><br />“There has been a huge response from the community,” Thomson said, “The people I’ve talked to say they’re really glad we’re coming back.”<br /><br />In addition to the incredible lineup, festival attendees will also be treated to the myriad of vendors they would expect at such an event. Darren Kilpatrick, owner of Hamlin’s Restaurant in Muskogee, will be bringing a 20 foot smoker armed with brisket, ribs, and other barbecue favorites, and the Grape Ranch of Okemah will have the Frozen Rose trailer on site and standing by for anyone suffering from the kind of heat that can only be treated with frozen mixed drinks.<br />But what a music festival ultimately boils down to is the music, and Chuck Thomson, who has cut his teeth at the legendary Wormy Dog Saloon in Stillwater, knows which bands to book to whip the crowd into a frenzy. These are the types of bands that can make a crowd 7,500 strong ignore the rain and stand up and scream and cheer for the music they love. Tom Barlow, <em>The Current’s</em> own Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, and all-around music guru, was instrumental in launching the initial festival a year ago, and he was witness to the show that Thomson put together.<br /><br />“Last year, by the time CCR hit the stage, the crowd was already in the stratosphere,” Barlow said, “When they started playing, it (crowd noise) was like they were already at the end of their set.”<br /><br />It’s the promise of that kind of energy that will bring returning music lovers to the event, and with the addition of Jason Boland and the Stragglers to this year’s festival, it looks to be a good bet that last year’s audience will be surpassed in numbers. And there is plenty of room for more; the Lake Eufaula Cove Amphitheater can handle crowds of up to 13,000. It’s an all ages show, so don’t be afraid to bring the whole family, set up your lawn chairs, slather up with sunscreen and enjoy these musical acts that are showing the world just how talented and unique our Oklahoma bands are. Nice weather would be a blessing, but rain or shine, the show will go on.<br /><br />Cross Canadian Ragweed’s 2nd Annual Music and Mayhem Festival will be held on Sunday May 25. The music will start around 3pm and keep going until either the bands or the crowd give out. The Lake Eufaula Cove Amphitheater is located at the Lake Eufaula cove in Eufaula. General admission tickets are $25 for advance or $30 the day of the show. General admission VIP tickets are $72. You can buy your tickets at area Reasor’s or by going online to Gettix.net.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-76502141530961338642008-08-21T07:46:00.001-07:002008-08-21T07:47:50.522-07:00Currentland.com Feature Story-Apr. 2008Bobby McFerrin and Friends Wow the Walton<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />There’s a good chance you’ll hate me after reading this. Not because of the subject matter, but because you’re likely to have a certain song from the late eighties stuck in your head for the foreseeable future. You remember the time, Reagan was giving way to Bush Sr., the Cold War was nearing its end, the US economy was sliding toward recession, sex scandals were still, um, scandalous, and Bobby McFerrin was advising us all to “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” There, I said it. Now I dare you not to hum it silently until you face the very brink of insanity.<br /> <br />The cool thing about that song is that at the time of its release it carried with it a message of such simple optimism that it was embraced by a nation and world so desperately in need of the message. The fact that it can still be embraced proves that it is timeless in spirit and theme. The song shot to number one on the Billboard Singles chart back in 1988, earning McFerrin a Grammy for Best New Song and becoming his only hit. It also gained McFerrin entry into countless unofficial one-hit-wonder lists. The thing about those lists, however, is they never allow you to gain the true measure of the talent of the artists.<br /><br />Bobby McFerrin is NOT a pop artist. Remember that kid on American Idol from a couple of seasons ago, the one who wowed everyone with his beat-box skills? That kid couldn’t hold Bobby’s jock. Stand Bobby in front of the Idol judges a capella and watch Simon’s head explode. Ever hear some singer described as having his voice as his instrument? Bobby McFerrin’s voice is the whole band.<br /><br />But McFerrin’s immense talent stretches well beyond his own seemingly limitless vocal talents. He is a regular guest conductor for, among others, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, The New York Philharmonic, The London Philharmonic, and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, for which he has served as Creative Chair.<br /><br />McFerrin’s recordings have sold an astounding 20 million copies worldwide, and he has performed and recorded with such musical luminaries as Herbie Hancock, Al Jarreau, Yo Yo Ma, Quincy Jones and Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.<br /><br />This April you can find Bobby McFerrin in Fayetteville where he’ll share the stage with Chick Corea, another frequent collaborator, to bring his unique musical talents for what promises to be an unforgettable night. One hit wonder? Hardly.<br /><br />Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea and Jack DeJohnette will be playing the Baum Walker Hall at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, AR on Sunday, April 13 at 7pm. Tickets range from $28 to $45 and can be purchased by calling the box office at (479)443-5600. Visit Bobby online at www.bobbymcferrin.com.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-52369147021403250122008-08-21T07:33:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:09:52.658-07:00The Current-Apr. 2008 Feature StoryBad to the Bikelahoma Bone<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Let’s say your plan is to establish the greatest destination for motorcycle enthusiasts in the months between Daytona Bike Week and the Sturgis Bike Rally. It’s not exactly like bikers have nothing to do between March and August, with bike weeks in Arizona, Myrtle Beach, Gettysburg, and Kentucky. You need to come up with something special. You need sexy chicks, like the burlesque girls of Flaunt and AngieLand. You need death defying spectacles, like the Globe of Death and Speed for Hire. You need a tractor pull. You need a centralized location where bike enthusiasts from across the nation can gather. But most of all, you need to book some music acts that speak the language and live the lifestyle. “Let’s give a Bikelahoma welcome to…The Osmonds!” Doesn’t really have a ring to it, does it?<br /><br />Jesse James Dupree knows the lifestyle. Since the early days of touring with his band, Jackyl, Dupree rides his bike behind, in front of, and sometimes beside the tour bus instead of kicking back inside reading <em>Hit Parader</em>. “Roman (Glick, Jackyl’s bassist) and I ride about 20,000 miles a year on tour,” Dupree says, “We started out pulling our bikes on a trailer behind the bus, but every night before we left a town we’d look at each other and say, ‘You gonna (wimp) out?’”. Sounds like you have your headliner.<br /><br />Bikelahoma is, like Country Fever Fest and Rocklahoma, gaining ground on similarly themed events from across the country. But unlike those other festivals, Bikelahoma isn’t all about the music. It’s a celebration of a way of life that embraces freedom and that uniquely American call of the open road. It’s a celebration of the outlaw spirit. And the music? Well, if you’re playing for an outlaw crowd, you probably should have a little bit of outlaw in you. It might help if you’re named Jesse James.<br /><br />Jackyl made a name for themselves long before Jesse James Dupree took his chainsaw to a desk on the set of <em>The Tom Green Show</em>. The release of their self-titled debut album in 1992 kept rock radio busy in the early nineties with hits like “When Will it Rain?” “Down on Me” and “The Lumberjack,” which introduced the world to Dupree’s famous chainsaw solo. Since then Jackyl has released eight more albums and toured relentlessly. Rock radio may have changed, but Dupree and Jackyl, in true outlaw spirit, have remained defiantly on their own path. It is this path that led them, by way of their long relationship with the organizers of the Sturgis Bike Rally, where Jackyl plays a yearly Thursday night show at the Full Throttle Saloon, to Bikelahoma in Pryor.<br /><br />But why Bikelahoma, an event that is only in its second year? According to Dupree, it’s all about authenticity. “They (organizers) make sure their events have the utmost integrity,” he says, “They acknowledge the connection with the bike enthusiast.” Plus, with the long period between the bigger rallies, it gives enthusiasts something else to look forward to. “Instead of waiting until August (for Sturgis), get your ass to Bikelahoma,” Dupree adds.<br /><br />It won’t be Jackyl’s first visit to the Catch the Fever festival grounds. “We played Rocklahoma last year, and we turned it into Jackylahoma,” Dupree says. But Bikelahoma is something different. It’s a truer reflection of the music and attitude that Dupree and Jackyl live by. When asked if he and his band expect to make Bikelahoma their own yearly destination, Dupree is succinct. “Just try and stop us,” he says.<br /><br />But if Jackyl’s the icing, the cake itself is pretty darn good itself, as some of the entertainment and activities offered up at the two day event will include the aforementioned Flaunt Girls Burlesque Show and AngieLand. And strap yourselves in for the Wall of Death, Speed for Hire, Globe of Death and, of course, the old stand-by, the tractor pull.<br /><br />And Jackyl won’t be hogging the stage the whole time. National and regional acts to suit all tastes will be performing throughout the event. Maybe you are in the mood for an eighties hair band and can’t wait for Rocklahoma. How do Bang Tango and Dirty Penny suit you? Outlaw country? Try The Kentucky Headhunters or Jackson Taylor. Red Dirt? How about the Mike McClure Band, the Red Dirt Rangers, Randy Crouch or South 40? Or perhaps you’re only into balls to the wall rock n’ roll. The boys from local favorites Pedal Point should be able to hold you over just fine until Jesse James Dupree leads Jackyl onto the stage. Bikelahoma has something for all tastes, and, even if you don’t take to the open road on two wheels, don’t let that stop you from joining in the fun. All you need is a freewheeling attitude and Bikelahoma will do the rest. And Jesse James Dupree has a message for Jackyl fans coming to Bikelahoma. “Tell em to get ready to kick em if they got em and get ready to be shot out of a cannon.” Jackyl is coming to the party.<br /><br />Bikelahoma will take place April 18 and 19 at the Catch the Fever festival grounds four miles north of Pryor on 69 Highway and ¼ mile east on EW 45 Rd. Tickets are available for $30 for a one day pass and $50 for a two day pass and can be purchased at the Catch the Fever office at 114 S. Mill St. Pryor, OK 74361 or by calling (918)824-2288 or toll free at (866)310-2288. There is free camping and parking and the show will happen, rain or shine.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-28731167284266175922008-08-21T07:29:00.000-07:002008-08-21T08:11:35.796-07:00The Current-Mar. 2008 Feature Story 2Whiskey Jim’s a Winner in Tahlequah<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Tahlequah’s newest and biggest live music venue celebrated its grand opening in style when country hit-maker Tracy Lawrence played to a standing room only crowd at Whiskey Jim’s on Feb. 15. The sold out show featured local band Oklahoma Heartland opening and Lawrence, whose hits include early nineties classics like “Sticks and Stones” and recent chart topper “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” provided a memorable night of music and good times for local music fans.<br /><br />Follow that up with a two night stand by up and coming local Red Dirt act Hazzard, who hosted the release party for their debut CD, <em>Choices,</em> the following weekend, and Whiskey Jim’s seems to be starting out in the right direction in establishing a long and lasting relationship with music fans all around Currentland.<br /><br />Whiskey Jim’s owner and Tahlequah native Jason Jolliff said that when speaking with Lawrence after the grand opening show, the singer, who has played venues all over the world, told him that Whiskey Jim’s is one of the coolest places he’s ever played. Such praise would make any club owner proud, especially when it comes from a national star on the grand opening night of a club that the owner built, literally, from the ground up.<br /><br />“It’s humbling,” Jolliff said in describing his feelings after the grand opening, “There’s not a nail in this whole building that me or my dad didn’t have a hand in.” The pair led the work last summer and fall, often changing shirts four or five times a day. “We sweated our asses off,” Jolliff said.<br /><br />The hard work that Jolliff and his father put in, which included everything from pouring the slab to raising the roof, all came to fruition when the doors opened and Jolliff still sounds like he’s just waking up from a dream.<br /><br />“I’m not a musician,” he said, “But I just love music and wanted to have a place to see live music.” A navy veteran, Jolliff is currently planning a Whiskey Jim’s party to help celebrate the return of local service men and women from their tours of duty. The venue, which has a capacity of 980 patrons, has a special upper level VIP section that is reserved for the musicians, and for veterans.<br /><br />“I’m not sure when everyone is getting home,” Jolliff said, “But we’re gonna have one kick-ass party when they do.”<br /><br />Also in the works is a website and Jolliff is currently looking to book other major acts, although none have been announced as of this printing. Stoney Larue, Jason Boland and the Stragglers, and Cross Canadian Ragweed are all acts on Jolliff’s wish list, but in the meantime, patrons can come in for local bands or to dance to the tunes spun by Kenny Comer, who deejays nightly. Or maybe you just want to sit back and sip a cold one of the fine import or domestic beers or mixed drinks Whiskey Jim’s offers.<br /><br />Whether you want to see a good live show, hang out with some old friends, or just enjoy the friendly atmosphere of a family run business, Whiskey Jim’s is the place to do it if you’re 21 or older. They’re open from 9pm to 2am Wed. through Sat. Whiskey Jim’s is located at 109 W. Willis Road, right behind Del Rancho. Just look for the big shiny red metal roof with the Whiskey Jim’s sign on top. For information on upcoming shows and events, call (918)458-9988.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-85971389014541126902008-08-21T07:26:00.000-07:002008-08-21T07:29:01.266-07:00The Current-Mar. 2008 Feature Story 1South Austin Jug Band Takes Bluegrass To All Souls’<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />Tulsa’s All Soul Acoustic Coffeehouse is gaining a reputation as one of the premier establishments for live music in Northeastern Oklahoma by bringing in national touring acts for monthly concerts. This month, music lovers are treated to the genre-bending sounds of the South Austin Jug Band.<br /> <br />For the uninitiated, South Austin Jug Band is a not a jug band, but has been given various labels, from bluegrass to alt-country to roots rock to newgrass, whatever that means. Give them a listen and you might find yourself thinking you’re hearing Jack Johnson singing lead for the Gourds. No matter what genre you try to pigeon-hole these guys in, no one can argue that they can flat out play. The folks at the Austin Music Awards didn’t seem to have a problem calling these boys a bluegrass outfit in 2005, when they were voted as Best Bluegrass Band. Anyone familiar with the Austin music scene can tell you that’s a pretty big deal.<br /><br />Formed in 2000, SAJB consists of singer/guitarist James Hyland, Dennis Ludiker on mandolin, Willie Pipkin on lead guitar, Brian Beken on fiddle and Will Dupuy on bass. The band has released two albums, 2003’s South Austin Jug Band and 2005’s Dark and Weary World, and has toured relentlessly all over the world, building a heavy fan base and yielding a slew of YouTube clips that showcase their stunning live shows.<br /> <br />SAJB’s third album, Strange Invitation, is scheduled for an April 1 release date. This is the first album that will feature songs written collaboratively by all the band’s members, but fans don’t need to worry, their mellow sound and impeccable musicianship remain solid. The sole cover on the album is a remake of that quintessential bluegrass tune, “Jackass,” by Beck Hanson. The album’s name even comes from a lyric from that same song. Told you these guys shouldn’t be pigeon-holed.<br /><br />After playing in Oklahoma City in February, South Austin Jug Band is back in Texas throughout March, highlighted by a few shows at Austin’s South by Southwest music festival, before they make it to Tulsa at the end of the month. SAJB will play the All Soul Acoustic Coffee House Mar. 29. Tickets are $13.00 for students and senior citizens and $15.00 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance by visiting the All Souls Unitarian Church at 2952 S. Peoria Ave. in Tulsa or by calling (918)743-2363. Tickets are also available at the Midtown Borders Bookstore at 21st Street, (918)712-9955. Doors open at 7pm and seats are available on a first come first served basis for non-season ticket holders.<br /> <br />Oh, and if you’re wondering why a band that calls itself South Austin Jug Band wouldn’t feature any jug-playing, there’s a pretty simple answer. Founding member Hyland named his band after a television special he remembered from childhood. The name of the show? Emmett Otter’s Jug Band Christmas. Check out SAJB online by visiting <a href="http://www.southaustinjugband.com/">www.southaustinjugband.com</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-237540406763819486.post-6024660677311703512008-08-21T07:20:00.000-07:002008-08-21T07:25:11.901-07:00The Current-Feb. 2008 Feature Story 2Tracy Lawrence Finds His Friends at Whiskey Jim’s<br /><br />By Regan Henson<br /><br />There’s a new venue for seeing live music opening up in the heart of Currentland this February, and they’re getting things off on the right foot by bringing one of the biggest stars in country music for their grand opening party. Tracy Lawrence, fresh off his first ever CMA win for Musical Event of the Year for his collaboration with Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney on the number one hit, “Find Out Who Your Friends Are,” will be playing the grand opening of Whiskey Jim’s Saloon in Tahlequah on February 15.<br /> <br />Best known for his early 90s hits like “Sticks and Stones” and “Alibis,” Lawrence saw his popularity wane toward the end of the decade, but he has recently enjoyed a career resurgence of sorts with the 2007 release of For the Love, his ninth album of original songs, and the first on his own record label, Rocky Comfort Records. The album peaked at number six on Billboard Magazine’s Country Charts and yielded the aforementioned CMA winning hit, and a second single, “Til I Was a Daddy Too,” is currently working its way up the charts.<br /><br />Lawrence’s career started on this latest upswing after he left Mercury Records, his fourth different record label, following the release of his 2005 compilation, Then and Now: The Hits Collection. Fed up with the power labels, Lawrence teamed up with his brother Laney and founded Rocky Comfort Records in 2006, and For the Love is the first release from the label. <br />In an obvious effort to exploit some of the momentum he has gained from his newly rediscovered fame, Lawrence also made time in 2007 to release the Christmas album, All Wrapped Up in Christmas, in addition to his third greatest hits compilation, The Very Best of Tracy Lawrence, which includes an astonishing 21 tracks, six of which list the multi-talented Lawrence as co-writer. Now the former Academy of Country Music award winner for Best New Artist and Top New Male Vocalist is bringing his acclaimed live show to Tahlequah.<br /><br />The Arkansas native will be playing live and loud at Whiskey Jim’s Saloon starting at 8pm on Friday, Feb.15. The show is 21-and-over and general admission tickets are $26.50 and can be purchased at the door or by or by going online at www.gettix.net or calling 1.866.443.8849. Whiskey Jim’s Saloon is located at 109 W. Willis Road in Tahlequah. Make sure you get down there and show Tracy how we do it in Currentland. Check him out at <a href="http://www.tracylawrence.musiccitynetworks.com/">www.tracylawrence.musiccitynetworks.com</a>.fisherkinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12138425728033727937noreply@blogger.com0