Video: Avett Brothers cover Bob Dylan, plan Tulsa show
The Avett Brothers performed Bob Dylan’s “One Too Many Mornings” Thursday on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.”
The folk-rock band recorded the 1964 track for “Chimes of Freedom,” a four-disc set of Dylan covers due out Tuesday. Proceeds from the release will benefit Amnesty International.
The Avett Brothers will perform in concert April 13 at the Brady Theater in Tulsa, the venue announced today. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. next Friday, Jan. 27. Prices are $30 and $35.
For tickets and information, go to www.protix.com or www.bradytheater.com.
-BAM
St. Vincent to play May 15 show at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa
Acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitarist St. Vincent is returning to the city of her birth to play a May 15 show at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27. They are $19-$20 in advance or $21-$22 the day of the show, which is an all-ages event.
St. Vincent – born Annie Clark Sept. 28, 1982, in Tulsa – released in 2011 her third album, “Strange Mercy,” to widespread acclaim. The album was No. 10 on my all-Oklahomans list of top 10 albums of 2011.
The Tulsa concert is part of the spring run of U.S. dates St. Vincent announced today. Her U.S. trek will follow St. Vincent’s tour of Europe and Australia as well as her dates at the prestigious Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif.
-BAM
Best Bets for Jan. 20-22, 2012: Pat Green, “The Addams Family,” Bona Fide Villains & OKC Improv
Bona Fide Villains
Here are my picks for the Best Bets for entertainment happening in Oklahoma City this weekend, as listed in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman. For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
1. SHAWNEE — Hear Texas country star Pat Green at 7 p.m. Saturday at Firelake Grand Casino, 777 Grand Casino Blvd. Information: 964-7263 or www.firelakegrand.com.
2. Make a call on “The Addams Family” during the first national tour of the Broadway musical at 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday at the Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker. Information: (800) 869-1451 or www.celebrityattractions.com.
3. Listen to Oklahoma indie bands Bona Fide Villains and Ghandi Hospital at 10 p.m. Friday at VZD’s, 4200 N Western. Information: 524-4203 or www.vzds.com.
4. Laugh at the premiere performances of One State Two State Red State Blue State and Off-Book: Musical Morsels at 10 p.m. Saturday during the latest OKC Improv showcase at Ghostlight Theatre Club, 3110 N Walker. Information: 343-1570 or www.okcimprov.com.
-BAM
Interview: The Damn Quails are flying high, playing Stillwater and OKC shows this weekend
A version of this story appears in Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
The Damn Quails flying high
The Norman-based duo of Bryon White and Gabriel Marshall have been getting national and even international attention on the Americana and red dirt music scenes since releasing their debut album in October.
After just over two years of flocking together, The Damn Quails are really taking off.
Since the start of 2012, the Norman-based duo of singer/songwriter/guitarists Bryon White and Gabriel Marshall have watched their debut album, “Down the Hatch,” ascend into the top 20 on the Americana Airplay chart, while their bouncy single “Fool’s Gold” debuted at No. 35 on the Texas Music Chart.
“The momentum is working in our favor right now, so we’re getting ready to hopefully take over the world. That’s kind of the plan,” White said with a laugh during a recent interview. “That was our initial, like, goal to at least to take over the world with something. Hopefully, we can do it with country-Americana-red dirt-ish music.”
Before they take their musical quest for world domination to Texas, Minnesota, Illinois and several other states over the next couple of months, the Quails are roosting closer to home with shows at Friday at Eskimo Joe’s in Stillwater and Saturday as openers for Cody Canada & The Departed at the Wormy Dog Saloon in Bricktown.
Plus, they intend to keep their regular acoustic dates at 10 p.m. Mondays at The Deli in Norman and 8 p.m. Wednesdays at Libby’s Cafe in Goldsby going for as long as they can manage, even as their burgeoning tour schedule takes them further afield.
“Those weekly song-swapping shows, those are what’s gotten us where we are. We really enjoy doing ‘em. If there’s any such thing as a practice with The Damn Quails, it’s Monday night at The Deli. We like those types of shows: They keep us honest and grounded … and they give us a chance to run through some stuff. And then we can take it out on the road once it’s molded and kicked around and played through. I think it really helps the touring show that we can continue to do those,” Marshall said.
Musical chemistry
Longtime devotees of Okemah’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Marshall, 30, and White, 29, have known each other for about 10 years and have been making music separately for even longer.
“We’re both huge fans of Woody Guthrie and Ellis Paul and Don Conoscenti and all those guys. The Red Dirt Rangers and Tom Skinner. We’ve been hanging out with Skinner for years, hanging out in a parking lot in Okemah playing music,” White said. “We both started out in punk bands in high school, which is weird. We messed around with rock ‘n’ roll, but then we started hanging out with those guys down at WoodyFest.
“I know for me the first time I saw Ellis Paul at the Blue Door was the first time I actually saw one guy with one guitar command a room that you could hear a pin drop in, and … I was down with that and really got into folk music. And started going through (Bob) Dylan and Neil (Young) and all the greats and (Warren) Zevon. And you just work your way into the weirdness up to Tom Waits.”
They came together as a duo about two and half years ago when a slot opened up at Libby’s weekly four-man song swap and White stepped into it. Marshall was already on the slate, and they soon discovered they were exceptional musical matches.
“I can’t explain it hardly any better than everybody else can. We were kind of as surprised as everyone else when we first got together and it kind of clicked so good. I don’t know. We have a weird natural chemistry, vocally especially,” White said. “Brother-sister harmony has some kind of a magic to it that you can always tell. We’re not related, but it’s that same kind of deal.”
White also started joining Marshall at his regular Monday night stands at The Deli, and they morphed into a duo. Marshall said the intriguing name The Damn Quails was inspired by a covey of stuffed Christmas tree ornaments that they were always knocking to the floor when they came home late from their acoustic song swaps.
Label launch
They recorded live albums at Libby’s and The Deli and gained a champion in businessman Chance Sparkman, who approached red dirt singer/songwriter/producer Mike McClure with a proposal to start a record label and sign The Damn Quails as their first artist. Both McClure and Sparkman grew up in Tecumseh and have known each other for years, and McClure said he was persuaded by Sparkman’s dedication to putting the necessary money into not just making records but also promoting them.
“I asked Tom Skinner, ‘If you were gonna start a record label, who would you sign out of Oklahoma?’ And he said, ‘The Damn Quails,’ and I kind of took that as a sign,” said McClure, who started 598 Recordings with Sparkman.
So, the Quails flew the coop to McClure’s ancient farmhouse near Ada, where he keeps chickens and records in a basement studio dubbed “the Boohatch.”
“From an artistic standpoint, it was the easiest thing I’ve ever got to do because the dude is really creatively and artistically minded,” White said. “We tracked everything out in his basement … which it’s like Jurassic Park with chickens instead of dinosaurs. We just kind of played with the birds and then we’d go in and work a little bit. There wasn’t any point where he was just anything but supportive.”
Soon after “Down the Hatch” was released in October, the band started earning positive buzz from national outlets like Country Weekly, AOL’s The Boot and Roughstock.com. They’ve even gained some international attention.
“We’ve gotten stuff from Australia, France. Norway really likes us for some reason; I think it’s because Knudson looks Norwegian,” White said with a laugh, referring to the Quails’ fiddle/mandolin player Jon Knudson.
While Marshall and White are the heart and soul of the Quails — they share lead guitar and vocal duties and separately pen all the songs — they’ve amassed quite a covey of talented local musicians and typically bring a seven-piece band to the stage.
They may have a publicist and record label these days, but the Quails plan to keep their music-making loose and free. They don’t rehearse, they don’t adhere to a set playlist, and their band lineup rotates based on who can make it on a particular night.
“Bob Childers told me one time that he never rehearsed because you lose the X factor. And that kind of always stuck with me. I’ve kind of always believed the same thing, when you sit down and you make somebody play a certain part or a song gets too rigid, it loses some of the magic to it,” Marshall said.
“I think that some bands get too caught up in trying to be too perfect and they … play the same set night after night. And “We just like to have fun, and we think that the easiest way to do that is just get up onstage with our friends and jam.”
IN CONCERT
The Damn Quails
When: 10:30 p.m. Friday.
Where: Eskimo Joe’s, 501 W Elm, Stillwater.
Information: (405) 372-8896 or www.eskimojoes.com.
Cody Canada & The Departed and The Damn Quails
When: 9 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 6 p.m.
Where: Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E Sheridan.
Information: 601-6276 or www.wormydog.com.
-BAM
What to do in Oklahoma on Jan. 20, 2012: Hear Randy Rogers Band at Ardmore’s Heritage Hall
Today’s featured event:
ARDMORE – Hear Randy Rogers Band at 7 tonight at Heritage Hall, 220 W Broadway. Doors open at 6 p.m.
For tickets and information, go to www.stubwire.com.
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Listen: Thompson Square releases “Glass” as new single
Hot country duo Thompson Square – Miami, OK, native Keifer Thompson and wife Shawna – are releasing the fragile ballad “Glass” as the third single from their smash self-titled debut album.
The love song puts Shawna Thompson’s vocals, which are very vulnerable and soft, in the forefront, and in an interview this morning, Keifer told me that was a big factor in their decision to make it the next single.
The duo has been busy tour and racking up awards and accolades over the past year and haven’t had many chances to play Keifer’s home state. But they’re rectifying that in first few months of 2012, with three planned tour dates in the Sooner State.
Thompson Square will open for Lady Antebellum Jan. 27 at Tulsa’s BOK Center (that’s the first stop of Lady A’s new leg of their “Own the Night” tour) and April 7 at Norman’s Lloyd Noble Center. For more information, go to www.thompsonsquare.com.
The duo also will headline Buffalo Run Casino in Keifer’s hometown of Miami on Feb. 17. For more information, go to www.buffalorun.com.
In addition, Thompson Square are among the eight semi-finalists for its ACM New Artist of the Year.
The ACM is inviting fans to vote to help pare the semi-finalists to three nominees. The final three nominees will be announced in February and will move on to compete for ACM New Artist of the Year, which will be announced live April 1 during the 47th Annual ACM Awards, co-hosted by Oklahoma country stars Blake Shelton and Reba McEntire and airing on CBS.
Fans can vote on the ACM New Artist of the Year semi-finalists once a day through noon Eastern/11 a.m. Central Jan. 30 at GACTV.com.
Look for my new feature on Thompson Square next week before the Jan. 27 Tulsa show. And check out the couple performing “Glass” live in this video:
-BAM
Merle Haggard’s Tulsa show postponed after he is hospitalized with pneumonia
Country music legend Merle Haggard is being treated for pneumonia in a Georgia hospital, forcing him to push back some tour dates, including a Tulsa show.
The 74-year-old Haggard was taken to the hospital Tuesday after canceling a Macon show at short notice. He had at least four more dates scheduled for the rest of this month, from Kentucky to Oklahoma, reports The Associated Press.
The “Okie From Muskogee” singer was scheduled to perform Sunday at Tulsa’s River Spirit Event Center. According to the venue’s website, the show has been delayed to Sunday, April 29. Refunds on tickets purchased are made for a canceled or postponed event only. River Spirit Casino will honor all tickets purchased, according to the site.
For more information, go to www.creeknationcasino.com/entertainment/eventcenter.
Best wishes to the Hag, as he is affectionately known, for a full and speedy recovery.
-BAM
Garth Brooks’ lawsuit against Oklahoma hospital goes to trial today
Oklahoma country music star Garth Brooks performs onstage at the 42nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards in New York on Thursday, June 16, 2011. Brooks was inducted into the songwriters hall at the event (AP Photo)
CLAREMORE – Country music superstar Garth Brooks’ lawsuit against Integris Canadian Valley Regional Hospital in Yukon goes to trial today in Rogers County, reports the Tulsa World’s Rhett Morgan.
The Owasso resident sued the Yukon hospital in 2009. He alleges that he gave $500,000 in exchange for the hospital’s promise to name a building after his mother, Colleen Brooks, who died of cancer in 1999.
When the hospital notified Brooks that it wasn’t attaching naming rights to the gift, he asked for his money back in 2008 and was turned down, according to the suit.
-BAM
More Black Keys Tulsa tickets on sale due to high demand
TULSA – Due to high demand, The Black Keys have opened the upper level of the BOK Center and offered a lower-priced ticket option of $35.
The Black Keys will play at 8 p.m. Saturday April 28 at the Tulsa arena. Tickets are $35, $42.50 and $49.50. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online at www.bokcenter.com, Arby’s Box Office, all Tickets.com outlets, or by calling (866) 7BOKCTR.
The celebrated duo’s new album, “El Camino,” was released Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The duo is currently featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time. And in celebration of the new album release, the duo embarks on the first leg of its North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by a second batch of April dates, including shows at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour.
Concert ticket and album packages are available at www.theblackkeys.com. The Black Keys are teaming up with Tickets-for-Charity to offer fans access to some of the best seats in the house. Proceeds will benefit Community Support Services in Akron, Ohio, where the duo was formed, and W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville, Tenn.
In anticipation of the release of “El Camino,” the duo recently joined Steve Buscemi on the Dec. 2 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” This was the band’s second time in 2011 as musical guests on the show, a “rare distinction,” says Rolling Stone. Other recent television appearances include “The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, “El Camino” was recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Lonely Boy,” was released in October, to acclaim from fans and press; the song climbed the radio charts rapidly and is currently No. 1 on the AAA chart and has spent weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative chart. It also has entered the top 10 at Rock radio. Additionally, the accompanying video has been viewed nearly 6million times on YouTube.
Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, “Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With ‘Brothers,’ we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record we’ve made where it’s all rock & roll.” And in an interview with Spin Magazine vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach says, “I’ve never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going on—guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast.”
“El Camino” follows the most successful two years in The Black Keys’ career. In May 2010, they released their breakthrough album, “Brothers.” It won three Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award, and topped numerous year-end lists. “Brothers,” which included the hit singles “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” has been certified gold in the U.S. and U.K., and platinum in Canada. U.S. sales are nearly 1 million and counting.
-BAM
Tickets to Black Keys’ Tulsa show go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday
The Black Keys (AP file)
Celebrated duo the Black Keys are coming to Tulsa for an April 28 show at the BOK Center.
Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday. They will be online at www.bokcenter.com, at the Arby’s Box Office, at all Tickets.com outlets, or by calling (866) 7BOKCTR.
Ticket prices are $49.50 and $42.50.
The Black Keys’ new album, “El Camino,” was released Dec. 6 on Nonesuch Records, debuting at No. 2 on the Billboard Top 200. The duo is currently featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine for the first time. And in celebration of the new album release, the duo embarks on the first leg of its North American tour this March, featuring sold-out shows at Chicago’s United Center, DC’s Verizon Center, and two nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden, followed by a second batch of April dates, including shows at Austin’s Frank Erwin Center and Tulsa’s BOK Center.
Special guests Arctic Monkeys open on the tour.
Concert ticket and album packages are available at www.theblackkeys.com. The Black Keys are teaming up with Tickets-for-Charity to offer fans access to some of the best seats in the house. Proceeds will benefit Community Support Services in Akron, Ohio, where the duo was formed, and W.O. Smith Music School in Nashville, Tenn.
In anticipation of the release of “El Camino,” the duo recently joined Steve Buscemi on the Dec. 2 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” This was the band’s second time in 2011 as musical guests on the show, a “rare distinction,” says Rolling Stone. Other recent television appearances include “The Colbert Report” and “The Late Show with David Letterman.”
Produced by Danger Mouse and The Black Keys, “El Camino” was recorded in the band’s new hometown of Nashville during the spring of 2011. In advance of the release, the album’s first single, “Lonely Boy,” was released in October, to acclaim from fans and press; the song climbed the radio charts rapidly and is currently No. 1 on the AAA chart and has spent weeks at No. 1 on the Alternative chart. It also has entered the top 10 at Rock radio. Additionally, the accompanying video has been viewed nearly 6million times on YouTube.
Describing the sound of the album, drummer Patrick Carney tells Rolling Stone, “Every record, we figure out the mood and stick with that. With ‘Brothers,’ we were listening to a lot of hip-hop and old R&B and drawing from that. This is the first record we’ve made where it’s all rock & roll.” And in an interview with Spin Magazine vocalist/guitarist Dan Auerbach says, “I’ve never been into guitar solos. I really like when every instrument in the band is a rhythm instrument. This record has a lot of that going on—guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards all working together as a rhythm instrument. But unlike Brothers, which has more of these slower songs with an open feeling, [the new LP] is definitely fast.”
“El Camino” follows the most successful two years in The Black Keys’ career. In May 2010, they released their breakthrough album, “Brothers.” It won three Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award, and topped numerous year-end lists. “Brothers,” which included the hit singles “Tighten Up” and “Howlin’ for You,” has been certified gold in the U.S. and U.K., and platinum in Canada. U.S. sales are nearly 1 million and counting.
-BAM
