What do in Oklahoma on Feb. 14, 2012: Celebrate Valentine’s Day with the Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City Thunder guard James Harden, right, takes control of a loose ball against Utah Jazz forward Josh Howard, left, during the first half of their NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012. (AP Photo)
Today’s featured event:
Happy Valentine’s Day! Show some love to the Oklahoma City Thunder as the team returns to Oklahoma City after a long road stretch to play the Utah Jazz at 7 tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena, 100 W Reno.
For more information, go to www.nba.com/thunder.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 12, 2012: Watch Oklahoma City Ballet’s production of “The Firebird”
Miki Kawamura in "The Firebird"
Today’s featured events:
Watch Oklahoma City Ballet’s production of Stravinsky’s stunning “The Firebird” at 2 p.m. today at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 848-8637 or www.okcballet.com.
Read The Oklahoman Fine Arts Editor Rick Rogers’ feature on the production by clicking here.
For more information, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Video: Reduxion Theatre Company offering a special Valentine’s Day package for tonight’s performance of Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”
In honor of Valentine’s Day, Reduxion Theatre Company’s is offering a romantic “Couple’s Package” for its performance tonight of William Shakespeare’s beloved comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” at its Broadway Theater, 1613 N Broadway Ave.
The package includes preshow champagne and couple’s cupcakes at intermission.
Check out these NewsOK videos of the company talking about and performing selections from the play.
“We want to offer couples a fun and romantic alternative or addition to their Valentine’s plans on this romantic weekend,” said Managing Director Erin Woods in a news release. “An entertaining evening of live theatre provides a memorable, romantic experience.”
Reduxion opened its new staging of “Much Ado About Nothing” Thursday night, and performances continue at 8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Feb. 25. A special Sunday matinee will be staged at 2 p.m. Feb. 19.
Billed as Oklahoma City’s fastest-growing theater company, Reduxion received much attention and positive reviews in 2011 with the opening of their intimate new venue, the Broadway Theater. Critically acclaimed productions of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” and “Hamlet” and the American classic “Hair, the American Tribal Love-Rock Musical,” drew more than 2,000 fans to the Broadway Theater, near Automobile Alley and downtown.
“We love romantic stories and audiences love seeing them,” said Tyler Woods, Reduxion Artistic Director and “Much Ado About Nothing” director, in the release. “We push boundaries and challenge people on an emotional level, and we hope to make a name for ourselves as producers of plays that people enjoy sharing with a loved one.”
This season, Reduxion gets back to its roots by revisiting some of their first productions as a company. The company continues its successful, “Original Sins” season with the romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” by Shakespeare, which was the first show independently produced by Woods in 2000. Woods directs this hilarious, touching and fast-paced romance with the same love and care he gave the first time around, on the show that started it all!
“Although we are considered a young company, this journey has taken many years,” said Woods. “From that first independent production in 2000, to this season, our fourth residential season in Oklahoma City, and the second year in our own performance venue – we must honor our growth and the support of the Oklahoma City community in fostering our development for over a decade.”
His version of “Much Ado About Nothing” is set in the swinging 1960s in Sicily.
For more information, go to www.reduxiontheatre.com.
-BAM
Wednesday Video Spotlight: Samantha Crain “It’s Simple”
Shawnee singer-songwriter Samantha Crain has released this video for her song “It’s Simple.” The video is part of the “Be Nice to Your Kids” series from Delo Creative. This installment was sponsored by Dwelling Spaces.
“A Simple Jungle,” Crain’s three-track EP that features “It’s Simple,” was recently listed among Amazon.com’s Editor Picks for top MP3 albums of 2012.
Crain will be featured at the Feb. 19 Winter Wind Concert in the Norman Depot, 200 S Jones Ave. Tickets are $15 for the 7:00 pm concert. Refreshments will be served.
Having been raised in rural Shawnee may have influenced Crain’s quirky, earthy interpretation of folk music as much as her father’s record collection, which included Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead. But the young Crain was even more taken with the music of her home state, from the rootsy Americana of Woody Guthrie to the sonic experiments of the Flaming Lips.
After graduating from Dale High School, Crain enrolled at Oklahoma Baptist University, where she spent several semesters working toward a degree in English literature before registering for a semester-long songwriting retreat at Martha’s Vineyard.
That retreat allowed Crain to transform herself into a songwriter with a knack for narrative storytelling. When she returned home, she decided to pursue a career in music instead of returning to college.
Crain’s first pressed collection of songs, “The Confiscation,” is a concept album based around five short stories Crain had written involving the themes of redemption and betrayal. Ramseur Records took notice of this self-released EP, as well as a work schedule which saw Crain crisscrossing the country with guitar in tow, and ultimately offered her a spot on the label, reissuing “The Confiscation” in July 2007 as her Ramseur debut.
Crain’s first LP with the Midnight Shivers was the April 2009 release “Songs in the Night.” The album release was followed with an NPR Weekend Edition feature and favorable reviews from Paste magazine, the Washington Post, woxy.com, and emusic.com.
After the Midnight Shivers disbanded, Crain released her second full-length LP, “You (Understood),” in June 2010.
All three of her albums have made my top 10 albums list their respective years.
“Samantha Crain writes folk music, but she belts out notes like she’s singing R&B. Her rich alto seems to have no bottom, and the sound of it against her bare guitar is enough to raise gooseflesh” writes Rolling Stone.
Winter Wind Concerts are produced by The Performing Arts Studio and made possible in part by grants from the Norman Arts Council, the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information on Crain’s Winter Wind Concert, go to www.pasnorman.org or www.TicketStorm.com.
-BAM
Oklahoma City Museum of Art partnering in Doodle 4 Google contest
Four-year-old Evelyn Stirling concentrates on her painting as children and their parents create miniature Chihuly chandeliers during the weekly Drop-In Art event Saturday, March 12, 2011, at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. On Feb. 25, the museum will host a special Doodle 4 Google Drop-In Art. By Paul Hellstern, The Oklahoman Archives
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Oklahoma City Museum of Art partnering in Doodle 4 Google contest
The fifth annual competition invites kindergarten through 12th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine’s homepage.
The museum has been chosen as a local partner for the fifth annual Doodle 4 Google contest, which invites kindergarten through 12th-grade students nationwide to draw their rendition of the Google logo for a chance to see it displayed on the online search engine’s homepage.
“We are excited to be the local partner for Oklahoma,” said Glen Gentele, the museum’s president and CEO, in a statement. “This is an amazing opportunity for students to attempt a redesign of the Google logo.”
March 23 is the final deadline for students to submit their drawings for the contest. The museum is hosting a special Drop-In Art event in which youngsters can work on their Google doodles from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
“We’ll have the entry forms available, and we’ll have artists on hand to help the children create their doodles. We’re inviting everyone from the community to come to the museum that day and do their doodle submissions,” said Chandra Boyd, the museum’s curator of education.
The doodles should reflect this year’s contest theme: “If I could travel in time, I’d visit ….”
“Google, they have their team of doodlers that create all those fantastic drawings for special holidays and birthdays and occasions throughout the year, and then what they are asking now is that students K-12 create a doodle,” Boyd said.
“The idea is time travel, so they’re using that theme to kind of guide the designs. It’s a two-dimensional design, so they (children) can paint it, they can draw it, print, whatever media they want to use that creates a two-dimensional image.”
After March 23, a team of Google artists and guest judges — including pop star Katy Perry, “Phineas & Ferb” cartoon creator Jeff “Swampy” Marsh and “American Idol” Jordin Sparks — will help choose the top doodles from each of the 50 states.
On May 2, Google will open up online balloting for the contest, and one winner from each of the five grade groupings will be chosen by a public vote. First prize will be awarded on May 17, and the overall winner’s doodle will be showcased May 18 on Google.com.
In addition, the winning doodler will take home a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 technology grant for his or her school. Crayola has partnered with Google this year, and the winner’s artwork will appear on a special edition of the 64-crayon box, too.
Google also has teamed up with art, science and children’s museums across the country to display the artwork of each state’s finalists. The Oklahoma museum joins prestigious institutions — including The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in Texas; the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in California; and the National Museum of Play — participating in the contest.
Google representatives reached out to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and invited the institution to become its local partner and venue for exhibiting the works of the contest’s 10 Oklahoma finalists. The finalists will be shown this summer in the museum’s first-floor Founders’ Hall.
“They discovered we had a great community outreach program,” said communications manager Leslie Spears. “That made us very proud.”
Last year, the Doodle 4 Google contest received 107,000 student submissions from all over the country. Matteo Lopez, a second grader at Monte Verde Elementary School in South San Francisco, Calif., was picked as the victor.
The Oklahoma City museum is spreading the word about the contest through the state’s public school districts, private schools, homeschool organizations, parents groups and more so that as many state children as possible have the opportunity to participate.
“It really is such a benefit to them, the fact that they’re exploring their creativity, and they’re using this fun time-travel theme,” Boyd said. “Kids just have the best imaginations … and their brains get started and they have these great ideas.”
At the Feb. 25 event, the museum will help students submit their entries. Parents and teachers who want to submit a doodle on behalf of their children can get entry forms and submission information at www.google.com/doodle4google. Only one contest entry is allowed per student.
GOING ON
Doodle 4 Google Drop-In Art
When: 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
Where: Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive.
Cost: Free with museum admission.
Information: www.okcmoa.com or 236-3100, ext. 231.
Doodle 4 Google timeline
Feb. 25: Oklahoma City Museum of Art will host a Doodle from 1 to 4 p.m.
March 23: Deadline for all doodles to be submitted to Google
May 2: The best doodle from each of the 50 states will be displayed at the Google 4 Doodle website. Public voting will begin at 8 a.m. May and close at 7 p.m. May 10.
May 17: First prize will be awarded to the winning doodler in a ceremony in New York City.
May 18: The winner’s doodle will be showcased on Google.com.
Summer: The top 10 Oklahoma finalists will have their doodles exhibited at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art (Exact dates to be determined).
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 6, 2012: Hear Acoustic Oklahoma at Picasso Cafe
Today’s featured event:
Hear Andy Adams, Brian Pickering and Burlap Tuxedo play at 7 tonight during the weekly Acoustic Oklahoma show at Picasso Cafe, 3009 Paseo.
For more information, go to www.facebook.com/AcousticOklahoma.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Norman Music Festival expecting big bang out of 2012 headliners Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll
Portugal. The Man
Hayes Carll
A version of this story appears in Saturday’s The Oklahoman.
Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll to headline the 2012 Norman Music Festival
The fifth annual festival, which is free and open to the public, is set for April 26-28 in Norman’s historic Downtown Arts District.
Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll will be the headliners for the 2012 Norman Music Festival, organizers announced Friday.
“Because it is a free festival, we’ve only got so of a much budget, but for the budget we’ve got, we try to get the biggest bang we can get. And I think we did it with these two,” said Steven White, chairman of the fifth annual festival.
“Especially for the Main Stage, we need something that’s electric onstage because it’s an urban music festival. So it’s gotta be something that people get excited about. The more I listened to Portugal. The Man … the more I just thought, ‘Man, this is gonna be a great show when the lights go down and the streets are filled with people.’”
NMF5 is scheduled for April 26-28, in the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Norman’s historic Downtown Arts District. The music on Thursday, April 26 and Friday, April 27 will be played mostly at indoor venues and during evening hours. On Saturday, April 28, the festival will become an indoor/outdoor affair, with live music from noon to midnight.
As the Main Stage headliners, Portugal. The Man will be the final performer of the 2012 festival. Carll will give the event’s penultimate performance as the headliner on the Jack Daniels Stage, previously the Jagermeister Stage.
“The Main Stage has always typically been more indie and rock,” White said. “The Jack Daniels Stage, that stage has always been kind of red dirt, country, rockabilly and folk.”
Both headliners released critically acclaimed albums and played the prestigious Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Tennessee last year.
The prolific neo-psychedelic pop-rock group Portugal. The Man is based in Portland, Ore., but originated in Wasilla, Alaska. The band released six albums between 2006 and 2011, with their latest, “In the Mountain in the Cloud,” marking their major-label debut on Atlantic Records. Along with Bonnaroo, the band has played the Lollapalooza and South by Southwest festivals.
“I don’t think they’ve ever played in Norman, and I think this is the perfect time to get them,” White said. “I think there’s gonna be a lot of love out on the street for them and they’re gonna feel it and appreciate it.”
A celebrated Texas singer-songwriter, Carll earned his first charting position on the Billboard 200 last year with his fourth album, “KMAG YOYO (& Other American Stories),” his second release on Lost Highway Records. Carll, 36, received the new/emerging artist of the year honor at the Americana Music Awards in 2010, and the same outfit in 2008 awarded him the song of the year prize for his uproarious yarn “She Left Me for Jesus.”
“Man, Hayes is the real deal. If you listen to the songs that he writes and the way that he plays the guitar and the great band that he’s always got — of course, with Norman’s own Travis Linville playing with him — he really is the whole package. He’s a great show, and I feel really lucky to get him to play the Norman Music Festival,” White said.
Previous Norman Music Festival headliners include The Walkmen, Dirty Projectors, Of Montreal, Leon Russell, Electric Six, The Sword, The Polyphonic Spree and Chainsaw Kittens.
“This festival’s had some great names with the Kittens and Todd Snider and Leon Russell and Keller Williams and Black Joe Lewis. I can go on and on … so as long as we keep on trying to find what’s gonna work best with this crowd, I think we’re on the right track,” White said.
“The mission of this festival is showcase local artists, so there are always more Norman and more Oklahoma bands. But we try to get as many good bands as we possibly can.”
Organizers plan to release the full NMF 5 lineup later in February. About 260 acts, including bands and street performers, are expected to entertain at the festival, White said.
The festival is free and open to the public. VIP packages, which include meet-and-greet access, closer viewing to the stages and refreshments, are $60 for the three-day event and are expected to go on sale next week.
For more information, go to www.normanmusicfestival.com.
-BAM
Portugal. The Man and Hayes Carll named Norman Music Festival 5 headliners
Portugal. The Man
The organizers of the Norman Music Festival have announced that Portugal. The Man will headline the main stage at this year’s event, while Hayes Carll will lead the lineup on the Jack Daniels stage.
The prolific neo-psych group Portugal. The Man based in Portland, Oregon, but originated in Wasilla, Alaska. The band has released six albums between 2006-2011 and has played prestigious festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and South by Southwest. Their July 2011 album, “In the Mountain in the Cloud,” received strongly positive reviews and represented the group’s major-label debut on Atlantic Records.
Hayes Carll
A celebrated Texas singer-songwriter, Carll earned widespread acclaim and his first charting position on the Billboard 200 with his 2011 album, “”KMAG YOYO (& Other American),” his second release on Lost Highway Records. Carll, 36, also made first appearance on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” and played Bonnaroo last year. He earned the new/emerging artist of the year honor at the Americana Music Awards in 2010. (To read my 2011 interview with Hayes Carll, click here.)
I’ll have more information on this exciting news soon, and other bands in the lineup for NMF 5 will be announced in the coming weeks.
The Norman Music Festival is a free event that takes place in the downtown arts district of Norman. Beginning in 2008 with just 25 bands, the festival has grown much larger and began accepting submissions from performing artists in 2010.
In its fifth edition, organizers expect to feature nearly 250 acts over three days.
NMF5 is scheduled for April 26-28. The music on April 26-27 will take place mostly at indoor venues and during evening hours. On April 28, the festival will be indoor/outdoor from noon to midnight.
-BAM
Best Bets for Feb. 3-5, 2012: Sarah Coburn, Omelette Party, Bert Seabourn and Jake Owen
Sarah Coburn
Here are my picks for the Best Bets in entertainment in the Oklahoma City area for this weekend, as listed in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For entertainment options for the whole state, go to www.wimgo.com:
1. Listen to renowned Muskogee-bred singer Sarah Coburn and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic perform “Great Moments of Opera” at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Civic Center, 201 N Walker. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
2. Sample gourmet eggs, dance to the music of JetSet Kings and bid in an art raffle at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art’s 28th annual Omelette Party at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Coca-Cola Bricktown Events Center, 425 E California. Information: 236-3100 or www.okcmoa.com.
3. See new artwork, learn about heart health and see a painting demonstration by Bert Seabourn during a special National Wear Red Day-theme First Friday Gallery Walk, from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday in the Paseo Arts District. Information: 525-2688 or www.thepaseo.com.
4. NORMAN — Hear country singer Jake Owen at 8 p.m. Saturday at Riverwind Casino, 1544 W State Highway 9. Information: 322-6464 or www.riverwind.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Feb. 3: Celebrate Wear Red Day at a special Gallery Walk in the Paseo Arts District
Jo Wise, executive director of the Paseo Arts Association, looking at artworks being collected at Paseo Art Space in Oklahoma City Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012, to be judged for selection into the annual Paseo Art Association Member Juried Art Competition and Exhibition to benefit the Oklahoma Heart Hospital in Oklahoma City. The Oklahoma Heart Hospital will kickoff "The Heart of Paseo: The Art of Heart" Feb. 3, 2012. The sculpture in cedar and basswood is by Barbara Scott titled "Hope... the Thing with Feathers." Photo by Paul B. Southerland, The Oklahoman
Today’s featured event:
Celebrate National Wear Red Day for Women and Heart Disease Awareness, which is today, during a special “The Art of the Heart” Paseo Arts District First Friday Gallery Walk from 6 to 10 p.m. in the historic arts district.
The Paseo Arts Association is partnering with the Oklahoma Heart Hospital for its 2012 Paseo Arts Association Members’ Show. They are working together to promote heart health through the arts. Selected works will be displayed at the Paseo Art Space and in the lobbies of the two Oklahoma Heart Hospitals.
Everyone is encouraged to wear red to raise awareness of womens’ risk for heart disease.
The opening reception for the Members’ Show will be from 6 to 10 tonight in the Paseo Art Space, 3022 Paseo. Various galleries will be distributing tote bags, as well as pedometers, recipe cards, and other heart-healthy items, and many of the districts artists have created artwork that incorporates the color red.
Oklahoma State University fashion merchandising students will be displaying red dress sketches and finished dresses at a.k.a. Gallery, 3001 Paseo. The public will be asked to vote for best design, and the winner will win a cash award.
The winning red dress will be on display at Ruth Meyers in the Nichols Hills Shopping Center, 6471 Avondale Dr.
To read my colleague Heather Warlick-Moore’s story about the Paseo’s Wear Red celebration, click here.
For more information, go to www.thepaseo.com. For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
