Blood Red Dirt / Labor Omnia Vincit, Motherfuckers!

In Pictures: Scott H. Biram @ Unit D 7/14/10

Rocking the Tulsa Workweek: July 19th to 22nd, 2010

One killer weekend is over, and another killer week begins.

Monday, Sorrower, Snorlaxx, and Barf Makeout are playing at the Splatterhouse. Three Bad Jacks are rocking the Downtown Lounge. Folie Adieu are stopping by the Soundpony before heading back home to Wichita, and Houston’s Young Girls will be at the Eclipse.

Lots of awesome action in OKC, Parasitic Extirpation, Human Meat Market, and Rousseau are playing the Arbor and Radar Bros., The Nghiems, and Matthew and the Arrogant Sea are rocking the Opolis.

Tuesday it’s all OKC with Lady Gaga in town and Phobia, Satyrs, Uranium Death Crow, and Bare Knuckle Shuffle at the Conservatory.

Wednesday, the city again, Quintron and Miss Pussycat, El Paso Hot Button, and Gang Starr Museum are playing the Opolis.

Thursday, Gogo Plumbay are playing the Colony, and My Heart to Joy and Native will be at Bad Granny’s in OKC.

Well, that’s our week. Rock.

Rocking the Tulsa Weekend: July 16th to 18th, 2010

The weekend is here! Party.

Tonight, Xrin Arms, Kamikaze Slut, and Guardant will be rocking the shit out of the Soundpony, and Bearhug and Snorlax are playing at the Eclipse.

Or, you can go see Eve 6 at the Cherokee in West Siloam.

Saturday, Bruder is rocking the Soundpony. Micky and the Motorcars are rocking an after party at Cains. Japanese Game Show are rocking the Eclipse. Xrin Arms are rocking the Blue Jack. OTEP, Stray From the Path, and Bury Tomorrow are rocking the Marquee. Yes, lots of rocking in Tulsa, have fun.

In the city, the City Lives are playing the Mustang Brewing one year party (CONGRATS!) at the 51st Street Speakeasy, and Phil Vassar is playing at Frontier City.

And elsewhere in the state, Bowling for Soup and Better than Ezra are playing the Winstar in Thackerville.

Sunday, Bowling for Soup, Dollyrots, and Kick Tree are playing at the Ivey. Junebug Spade will be at the Soundpony. Systems will be at Rock and Jock Pizza, and Teenage Kamikaze, The Soap Charge, Out of Time, and Reckless Reason will be at the Blue Jack.

And in Enid, A Sequence of Ghosts will be at Matt’s Shop.

In Pictures: Brian Parton @ Shenanigan’s 7/7/10

One More Hell Yeah: Tegan and Sara @ Cain’s 9/11/10

Lindsey Byrnes/teganandsara.com

Just one more before we let you go, Tegan and Sara will be rocking Cain’s on September 11th. Again, no opener info, a little higher at 34 USD.

Hell Yeah: Alejandro Escovedo @ Cain’s 8/30/10

alejandroescovedo.com

A lot of rad concert announcements coming down the pipe, and Cain’s has a pretty amazing one. Alejandro Escovedo will be rocking the ballroom on August 30th in support of the new album. No opener info, the price is just right at 20 USD.

Rocking the Tulsa Workweek: July 12th to 15th, 2010

Monday is here unfortunately, hope everyone had a blast this weekend. Congrats, Spain. There is lots of rock on this week’s calendar; so, let’s get to it.

Tuesday, Against Me are coming into to the Marquee hot off of a new album with Red City Radio and First Lady Assassins.

Oklahoma City, Pianos Become the Teeth are rocking at Bad Granny’s.

Tons of radical shit on Wednesday, John Moreland and the Bootheel are rocking the Downtown Lounge. Delta Spirit, David Vandervelde, and Romany Rye are rocking at Cain’s. Lost Lingo is playing the Eclipse. Spirit Family Reunion will be at the Soundpony, and Scott H. Biram is kicking his summer tour off at Unit D. All guaranteed awesome.

Thursday, things move to the City. Terror, Grave Maker, Foundation, and Naysayer are at Bricktown Live or the Hidden Castle or both hopefully.

And, of course, July 14th is the birthday of Woody Guthrie, and that means that the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival is happening this week and weekend in Okemah. The incredible shitload of fun we had on just one of the nights last year pretty much guaranteed our attendance at future festivals.

Whatever you’re doing this week though, rock the shit out of it.

Rocking the Tulsa Weekend: July 9th to 11th, 2010

Well, it’s drunk o’clock on a weekend chock full o’ party. Whatever, fuck it. There’s lots to rock; so, let’s get down to it.

Opening Friday evening wide open, Bad Veins will be Cain’s with Thrice. California’s Social Concern will be rocking the Soundpony tonight. Oklahoma’s Hosty will be at McNellie’s. Cody Clinton and Desirae Rose are hosting an album release party with some friends at the Marquee.

Out of town, Lyle Lovett is playing Norman, and the Hold Steady and the Whigs are the Diamond Ballroom, probably one not miss if at all possible.

And there’s no rest Saturday; the Backyard Bar is having a party with Austin’s Bay of Pigs, Chuk Cooley and the Demon Hammers, and Hector Backwoods. There’s an Underground Horror Film Festival at the Marquee, and up the street, Wighead is rocking the Soundpony with Bruder and Recorder next door at the Pistol. At the Eclipse, Electric Attitude and the Dull Drums will be rocking.

Elsewhere in the state, Oklahoma legends Debris are rocking a $2 show at the Opolis with John Wayne’s Bitches and Zombie vs. Shark, and John Michael Montgomery and Steve Hornbeak are playing at the Chisholm Trail Expo Center in Enid.

Sunday, fuck you, the onslaught of party continues. We Were Skeletons, Lizard Police, Concussion Waltz, and Over Stars and Gutters are going to be rocking the shit out of the Scatacombs/Splatterhouse. Northside Hotdogs, Dulldrums, and Jor-Dan are at Yellow Brick Road (on free pizza night). Lyle Lovett is bringing it to the Tulsa PAC.

And in OKC, Scott Lucas and the Married Men and Hotel Love will be playing at the Conservatory.

Yes, a lot to do this weekend, rock hard.

Hell Yeah: Band of Horses @ Cain’s 10/12/10

bandofhorses.com

Okay, so, the Brady isn’t the only one planning on an awesome fall. Cain’s announced today that Band of Horses will be playing in October. I have no idea about the opener. Tickets will be around 30 USD it looks like though.

Rocking the Next Two Days: July 7th and 8th, 2010

Okay, sorry about the delay. This weekend really killed all motivation we had going. I mean it was great having the birthday of Spam off this year, but celebrating it (just like the Fourth, just more Spam) yesterday really made today’s The Day the Clowns Cried extra sad.

Anywho, the rock continues.

Wednesday, Brian Parton is moving the party to midtown, Shenanigan’s. I believe the reason being his current downtown ban for being just too kickass. It just means more midtown rock and less driving for you south Tulsa assholes. Everybody wins.

But if you have to rock downtown, refuge can be found at the Soundpony, playing house for Waxeater and Jabberjosh. This one also looks like lots of fun to be had.

Or if you want to go the OKC, Joe Pug and Rayland Baxter will be rocking the Conservatory.

Or if you just wanna say fuck it, Girls Gone Wild will be at the Wild Horse Saloon.

Thursday, Bob Log III will be one-manning it the 66 Bowl with Molly Gene, “one whoaman,” in Oklahoma City.

Reel Big Fish, Classy San Diego, and the Righs are at the Diamond Ballroom, also OKC.

Telegraph Canyon, who opened for the Old 97s in Tulsa last time, will be in El Reno at Oklahoma Vintage Guitars.

And Mammoth Grinder might be in OKC. No details.

Sorry, Tulsa, nothing on the calendar, maybe we could all go to trivia at Joe Momma’s.

Also, if you like rad shit, our bros in Lizard Police have put up some trax from their recent sesh at Valcour. Jam that shit here.

Until the weekend, rock on.

Rocking the Tulsa Weekend: July 2nd to July 4th, 2010

Alright! Happy weekend, motherfuckers, and happy birthday, America! Three-day-weekend, and if I’ve done the math correct this time, that’s like 50% more party. Okay, enough talk, let’s rock.

Tooooonight! The beautiful Panda Resistance will meet the charming Cecada in a guaranteed romance at the Soundpony. The Fiddlebacks are rocking the Mercury Lounge, and Sam and the Stylees are playing the Hunt Club. Oh, and Eric and the Adams are going Gaga at the Majestic.

Saturday, the party starts real early, like 9am, when Germany plays Argentina in the World Cup. Yes, the soccer thing, and no, this isn’t the last match, and if it’s anything like today, it should be a blast.

Then, as darkness covers Tulsa, Saturday night, Hunt Club will host the William Joseph Band, Pillo Talk, Jenny Wood and more. The Red Dirt Rangers are playing the Riverwalk Crossing Amp, and Digital Graffiti and Organic Think Machines are at the ‘Pony.

And, of course, this is the Fourth of July; if none of this interests you, just watch some fucking fireworks. Curt and Tasha Does Tulsa, an awesome Tulsa blog we should probably have on here more, have tons more fun things to do this weekend.

Oh, and just so you don’t think we forgot it, the Whitechapel, Emmure, and Parkway Drive show on the Fourth was cancelled. No details. Sorry.

Interview: Digitalis Recordings, part 3

For those of you who haven’t been keeping up, you can read parts 1 and 2, here and here, respectively. Now for the final installment. .

Adam: So are there any…we’re kinda like, local I guess, so like are there any local bands that you guys follow?
Brad: Not…um…our friend Dylan does stuff under the name Doldrums
Matt: The actually played the Soundpony last night.
B: Oh really?
M: Yeah (Ed Note: This is actually incorrect. Turns out there is a Dull Drums and a Doldrums in Tulsa).
B: He interns sometimes for us which is hilarious. (laughs) He literally comes over and helps us put records together and we just listen to music. That’s interning. But yeah, I’m kinda, there’s not a lot.
Eden: We don’t get out much.
B: Yeah…its…we don’t get out much. We’re very, we’re homebodies. I’m always writing emails to people who want to order stuff. So yeah, unfortunately no. Sorry local scene (laughs).
E: That band Yatagarasu, I really wanted to see them at The Monolith when they came.
M: June 28th, he’s gonna be at the Blue Jackalope.
B: He’s from Texas though isn’t he?
E: He’s from San Antonio I think?
B: I’m really into my band. (laughs) They’re fucking awesome. (laughs)
M: So you gave me that promo CD, do you have anything else that’s coming out?
B: Yeah, there’s um…The biggest thing we have coming out this year is in September. We do a band called Altar Eagle which is kinda our main…
E: Sellout pop-punk band. (laughs)
A: Its the one on the commercials you hear. On TV.
E: Totally.
B: Yeah. If you know anyone who’s an AD executive, (laughs) like we all do. But yeah, our first album is coming out in September, on Type, Who also put out the North Sea record. Um, I’m trying to think if there’s some other stuff I have coming out. I mean there’s like some really short run tapes and stuff on different labels, and geeze I don’t know. But yeah, I’ll email you, we just started, like last week I started like a blog that’s gonna have all our music with news and all that crap on it. I kept getting people emailing me and asking me and I’m sick of having to write the same email over and over again. So yeah I’ll send you that link so people can add it to all the lists of all the millions of projects we’re involved in.
A: So are you guys, are any of your bands playing here in the Tulsa area coming up? At all?
E: No…I was trying to talk him into having a CD release show for the Altar Eagle, but I don’t know how we’d do it.
B: Yeah the problem is that our stuff is, we overdub so heavily that trying to pull it off live with two people is…Like we played a show in Chicago as Altar Eagle, but it was…Our albums are more song based, and our live set was….not. (laughs) Cause we were just like, “I don’t know how we are going to pull this off, so we’ll just do this instead.”
E: I can’t sing and play piano at the same time.
B: And Ajilvsga, we used to play, but Nathan, the other guy has been out of town a lot. Well like, when The Monolith closed down, I mean that was where we always played. I dunno I feel so weird playing noisy drone stuff in a bar. Its just not, to me its not the right environment for it. But yeah, I’m pretty intrigued by the Blue Jackalope. That sounds like a…’cause obviously if people are there, they’re there for the show, they’re not just there to get drunk, and there’s these people making this racket. “Gah you’re distracting me. How can I get drunk to this shit” (laughs)
M: Its really weird they’ve had like metal shows and all kinds of stuff at the Soundpony.
B: I think, I mean Jay’s awesome. Like I said I’ve known him for like 15 years and he always seems willing to put on any kind of show I can throw at him.
M: He’s actually gonna have a show for his birthday, like next, in a couple of weeks or something like that.
E: Yeah, he invited us, or me at least. I’m sure he invited him too. He never checks his Facebook.
M: Facebook is stupid anyway.
B: Exactly. So I dunno. I hope we’ll play more shows around here. I mean if we ever get like a live band together for Altar Eagle I think we would play. But, that remains to be seen.
A: That’s all the questions I really have.
M: Any comments?
B: Uh.
E: Uh.
B: Check out our website? And if you’re from Tulsa and you want to order something EMAIL ME. Like don’t just order it. Don’t be anonymous. Say, “What’s up?”
E: ‘Cause we’re always excited to meet people.
B: Yeah and eventually everybody we meet we rope into jamming. You can bring your ukulele.
A: It’s ready to roll.
B: The new ukulele synth duo.
M: UKE-DOOM.
A: Alright, well thank you guys.

Seriously, email them. Super rad folk. In the interim to this being posted, they were able to come up with some Oklahoma bands that they believe are radical. Ctephin Family Orchestra, Language of Light, and Anvil Salute. Can’t blame them for not knowing everything off the top of their heads. Also, the website where you can view all of Brad and Eden’s musical excursions is here. Most notably right now there is a link to where you can stream North Sea’s newest jams.

Foxy D has been churning out some rad podcasts recently. I definitely recommend taking some time to listen to those.

For a metric fuckton more music to pour over, articles to read and other radness, check out their site. http://www.foxydigitalis.com/

Thanks again to Brad and Eden.

Rocking the Tulsa Work Week: June 27th - July 1st 2010

Big bummer for the U.S.A. this weekend, but good luck to Ghana for the rest of the tourney.

Monday, Harry Potter wizard rockers Remus Lupins are playing the Hardesty library with Skyway Flyer and Tonks and the Aurors around 6:30pm, and then Yatagarasu is returning to Tulsa to rock the shit out of some Nintendos at the Blue Jack. Guardant is opening up, so feel free to dance your ass off.

Also on Monday, because it’s World HIV Testing day, you can get HIV tested for free at HOPE on 31st (until 8pm).

Tuesday Andrew Jackson Jihad is gracing our fair city, again at the Blue Jackalope. Opening up are your local reptile cops and Dave Dean.

Wednesday, as always Brian Parton will be rocking in his own way at the Downtown Lounge.

And if you feel like traveling and miss the show Tuesday, AJJ is playing the city on Wednesday.

That appears to be all that’s going on this week.  Have fun, Tulsa.

Interview: Digitalis Recordings, part 2

Sorry this second part took so long. I spent too much time drinking and not transcribing.

A: Well like uh we noticed, I’ve read a lot of your stuff or whatever, but you always talk about location and you always kinda champion the Midwestern like artists or record labels, and I remember reading a question you asked, I think it was maybe to Christina Carter or Tom Carter and it was like, “How does Texas influence your sound?” so how does Tulsa affect your guys’ art? I mean like, label, zine, band.
E: Asking us our questions!
B: I know. Took my question. (laugh)
E: That’s not fair.
A: The deal is we talked about this and we were like, “We’re going to Digitalis those Digitalis guys.”
M: “We’re gonna out Brad Rose Brad Rose.”
B: Right, finally comes back. (laugh)
A: Brad Rose interviews himself.
B: I mean there’s, there’s logistical ways, like we talked about it being so cheap here, allowing us to focus more on music, label, art, all that stuff. I mean from, I don’t know growing up here, I mean its less so obvious with the internet but still you’re kinda isolated, cause there’s not many people around here that are into weird music. So its, making music, a lot of it I kinda had to figure out on my own. Because like, I didn’t have, like I wasn’t like going to shows and seeing what other people were doing. I could obviously hear what other people were doing on records, but alot of the stuff I’d hear I was like, “I have no clue how they are doing that.” So it’s kinda like you have to make it up as you go along. I dunno.
E: There’s not a, cause I lived in Seattle for 5 years, there’s not a like predetermined like you have to fit into a specific genre kinda thing.
B: Here?
E: Yeah.
M: One thing I love about Tulsa is because there’s not enough people to form a punk scene or a metal scene so everyone kinda listens to everything because I can’t just go to metal shows because if I only went to metal shows I’d only go once a month.
E: Exactly. Like, you cant pigeonhole yourself.
A: Now, would it be the same if we didn’t have the internet? I mean is that kinda a large part of being able to make music? Because I mean you can just email whatever you make anywhere in the world now.
B: I don’t think we could exist without the internet.
E: But I don’t know if that affects the way we make music at all. Or the way that we approach music.
A: Cause you know you used to think like oh if you were into folk in the ’60s, “I gotta go to Greenwich Village.” or like, “I gotta go to Haight Ashbury”
B: I think the internet ya know has made it to where that doesn’t matter. I can exist in Tulsa, Oklahoma where maybe  in this town 10 people know that Digitalis exists, yet still.
M: It’s gonna be 20 after this goes up by the way.
A: That’s right. (laugh) All of them 13-year-old boys. (laugh)
B: Cheers for that! (laugh) But I dunno, I think that, I know we wouldn’t exist without the internet. I mean I would still be making music I think, but I don’t think anybody would be hearing it. I mean when I was a teenager, it was me and my friend John, who, he and I, we both dropped out of high school, took our GEDs, and we were 16 so its like we would hang out all day and make music. Granted, it was terrible most of the time, looking back. But it was you know, that was what we did. And of course nobody knew about it. And it was like we couldn’t just post it on the internet so anybody could check it out. But at the same time I would make tapes and send them to…
E: Well and a lot of the stuff you would do was like…
B: A joke?
E: Drunk and weird almost? (laugh)
B: A band called Frothy is not serious. Star Popsicle. There was Coffeedust. And then our serious band was called Ocasek, and it was named after a song by this band called Pie, who were from Boston, but anyway, I remember we were sitting in my car one day and we were like “Alright we’re gonna flip a coin.” like we seriously couldn’t decide between calling ourselves Ocasek or as a joke calling ourselves Bush 2. (laugh) And little did we know that would be prophetic toward the president situation, but, so we literally flipped a coin, and it coulda gone, if things had gone differently I woulda been in Bush 2. (laugh) That doesn’t have anything to do with anything, I just like that story. (laugh) I dunno did we really answer the question?
A: We don’t really remember the question, so it works out.
B: Right on. (laugh)
M: So…If you had to pick 5 albums, top 5 albums of all time.
B: Oh wow.
M: I know its a really tough question.
E: Can we email you this? (laugh)
B: Uh, Suicide’s first album, Operation Ivy - Energy, Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska uh…This is hard. From the standpoint of what it did for me, Nirvana’s Nevermind has to be on there. I don’t think its their best album, but whatever and geeze, Mountain Goats - Zopilate Machine.
E: I don’t even know. Uh, the thing for me is because since I’m in grad school and I’ve been in school for the last 7 years, I don’t get to listen to as much stuff, and half the time I’m really, really, really, really bad with names. So I’ll be like, “That one album that sounds like this, kinda.”
B: Okay, well how about top 5 bands?
M: That works.
A: Yeah.
E: That’s hard too. Um, I mean Radiohead I have to mention because that’s like the whole reason, well, not the reason, but that’s the first weird music I heard that I was like, “I need to hear more of that, a lot more of that.” And it was like, you know, kinda pushed me in that direction, which like OK Computer (Ed. Note: Eden said something here about OK Computer being rad and important, but we couldn’t make it out on the tape.)
B: Because both of their albums before that were fucking terrible.
E: But I listened to those too! (laugh) Yeah, um, this is really hard. I feel like I’m taking a test or something.
A: You’re being graded too, by the way.
B: I hate to tell you this, but you are no longer part of Digitalis. (laugh) You failed.
E: But I mean it changes, it changes all the time.
A: I don’t even really know who my top 5 are.
B: Yeah its hard. Ask me again tomorrow and I’ll probably come up with, I mean there’s a few like, for my albums, Suicide, Operation Ivy, and Springsteen will always be on there, but the other two…
E: Now I’m gonna think about this, like, for a week.
A: Well email us.
M: We’ll just add an addendum.
E: “She finally got back to us” (laugh)

She actually got back to us the next day. So here’s Eden’s list:

Ladyz in Noyz compilation
Link Wray - Wray’s Three Track Shack
Peaking Lights - Imaginary Falcons
Zelienople - Ink

There should be a part 3 to this interview up sometime next week, so be looking for that. In the meantime, I recommend listening to this podcast. And checking out this track from Acre’s Sacrifice which you can buy here. Listen to that song and enjoy the fact that the album has no guitars or synths on it.

Hell Yeah: Against Me @ Marquee 7/13/10

againstme.net

Again, is this news? I don’t know; it’s probably been out there a while, but it’s the first I’ve heard of it. Against Me is rocking the Marquee in a few weeks.