What to do in Oklahoma on Nov. 8, 2009
Okemah-born singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie (The Oklahoman Archives photo)
Today’s featured event:
Hear a Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7 tonight at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley.
For more information, go to www.bluedoorokc.com
For more events, go to www.wimgo.com.
-BAM
Weekend Warmup for Nov. 6-8, 2009
Rodney Atkins
Here is a list of events happening this weekend (Nov. 6-8) around Oklahoma. For more information, go to www.wimgo.com.
- NORMAN – Catch country star Rodney Atkins at 8 tonight at Riverwind Casino, 1544 W State Highway 9. Information: www.riverwind.com.
- SHAWNEE — Hear “American Idol” David Cook, who has Tulsa ties, at 7 tonight at Firelake Grand Casino, 777 Grand Casino Blvd. Information: 964-7263 or www.firelakegrand.com.
- Take in art, food and music at the sixth annual Girlie Show from 8 to midnight tonight and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday at Farmers Public Market, 311 S Klein. Information: www.thegirlieshow.net.
Classical Mystery Tour
- Watch the Oklahoma City Philharmonic perform with Beatles tribute band Classical Mystery Tour at 8 tonight and Saturday at Civic Center Music Hall, 201 N Walker. Information: 842-5387 or www.okcphilharmonic.org.
- TULSA and THACKERVILLE — Listen to country star Alan Jackson and up-and-coming band Gloriana at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the BOK Center, 200 S Denver. Information: (866) 726-5287 or www.bokcenter.com. Or catch Jackson in concert at 9 tonight at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville. Information: www.winstarworldcasino.com.
- See new art – from small works exhibits to a container show – during the monthly Paseo Gallery Walk in the Paseo Arts District. Hours are 6 to 10 tonight and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday. Information: 525-2688 or www.thepaseo.com.
- Hear Chevelle with Halestorm and After Midnight Project at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Diamond Ballroom, 8001 S Eastern Ave. Information: www.diamondballroom.net.
Billie Letts
- SHAWNEE - Hear Tulsa author Billie Letts (”Where the Heart Is”) give the keynote address at the 2009 Red Dirt Book Festival on today and Saturday. Letts will speak at 11 a.m. Saturday in the Raley Chapel at Oklahoma Baptist University. Multiple writing workshops, special programs and panel discussions with authors and editors will be included in the two-day book festival that’s sponsored by Pioneer Library System. The festival opens at 9 a.m. today. Letts and other featured authors will close out the festival with a book signing at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Geiger Center on OBU’s campus. To register for the free festival (which is required) or get more information, go to www.reddirtbookfestival.org.
- Listen to Billy Joe Winghead, Bloody Ol’ Mule, the Starkweather Boys and more from noon Saturday to 2 a.m. Sunday at “Drumming for Derek,” a benefit for Oklahoma City drummer Derek Dugger, who has brain cancer. The event will be at 66 Bowl, 3810 NW 39 Expressway. Information: 946-3966.
- MIAMI – Catch the Casey Donahew Band in concert at 7 tonight at Buffalo Run Casino. Information: www.buffalorun.com.
“Frankenstein”
- Watch Oklahoma Children’s Theatre and TheatreOCU’s production of “Frankenstein” at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. today, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday in Oklahoma City University’s Burg Theatre, 2501 N Blackwelder. The production is recommended for middle school and high school students. Information: www.oklahomachildrenstheatre.org.
- TULSA – Hear Rob Zombie with Nekromantix and Captain Clegg and the Night Creatures at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the Brady Theater, 105 W Brady Street. Information: www.bradytheater.com.
- See a Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Blue Door, 2805 N McKinley. Also, hear Don Conoscenti at 9 tonight and John Fullbright at 9 p.m. Saturday at the Blue Door. Information: www.bluedoorokc.com.
- Watch Red Dirt Improv perform “Music, Mayhem, and Mamet” starting at 7 tonight at IAO Gallery, 706 W Sheridan. Information: www.reddirtimprov.com.
-BAM
BAM Column: Miranda Lambert, Flaming Lips, Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith releasing fall CDs
Miranda Lambert
From Tuesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Fall offers must-have new music
For Oklahoma music fans, fall holds the promise of fantastic new offerings.
The year has already seen the release of big-time albums from Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Stardeath and White Dwarfs, Samantha Crain, Rodney Carrington and St. Vincent, all artists with state ties. Even the late Woody Guthrie had a four-disc box set, “My Dusty Road,” released last month.
But even more major records from Okies are still to come this autumn, starting today.
If the title is any indication, firebrand Miranda Lambert will keep on rebelling against the country music establishment with her third album, “Revolution,” which drops today. The Tishomingo singer-songwriter already has notched one stunning brokenhearted ballad, “Dead Flowers,” from the new record.
Toby Keith
Norman star Toby Keith has raised eyebrows and raced up the charts with “American Ride,” the title track of his new album, due out Oct. 6. Last week, the single reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Top Country Songs chart. Riding the momentum of the politically charged video, the song has become his most buzz-worthy track since the 2001 hit “Courtesy of the Red, White And Blue.”
Also on Oct. 6, country band Rascal Flatts, which includes Joe Don Rooney of Picher, will offer new bonus content on a limited edition re-release of its “Greatest Hits Vol. 1.”
Flaming Lips
Oklahoma City-based psychedelic rockers The Flaming Lips will deliver something new on Oct. 13: their first-ever double-album, “Embryonic.” The Lips performed “Convinced of the Hex” recently on “The Colbert Report” and debuted last week the video for “I Can Be a Frog.” If these tracks are any indication, we can expect many surreal delights from the Lips’ latest project.
Carrie Underwood
And recent Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame inductee Carrie Underwood is sure to delight her legion fans with the Nov. 3 release of her hotly anticipated third album “Play On.” The Checotah native put out the first single, “Cowboy Casanova,” as a digital track last week, and it took only 24 hours for the sassy cautionary tale to crack iTunes’ top five list.
The fall is still young, so we may see more Oklahoma artists adding to the list of autumn’s must-have albums. Hopefully, state music lovers have been saving their pennies.
-BAM
Stoney LaRue playing Okemah’s Woody Fest Thursday
Stoney LaRue
From Wednesday’s Life section of The Oklahoman.
Stoney LaRue to pay tribute to his mentors
Red dirt musician to honor Woody Guthrie, Bob Childers
Stoney LaRue regards the late Bob Childers as a “musical father,” and if you trace his sonic ancestry further back, Woody Guthrie could be a sort of songwriting grandpa to the red dirt musician.
This year, LaRue, 32, will pay tribute to Guthrie’s important musical legacy with a solo acoustic headlining performance Thursday night at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival in Okemah, birthplace of the legendary “This Land Is Your Land” troubadour.
“Bob Childers told me about it (the festival) about 10 years ago and I’ve been wanting to do it ever since. … You know, you just kind of get lost in your own thing, and then with the passing of Bob, I was just like, well, I’ve gotta do it this year,” LaRue said in a recent phone interview from an El Paso, Texas, tour stop.
“I don’t know if I’d say (it’s) a notch on the belt because it’s not like something that cuts to my pride or ego, but it’s really something that I’ve been wanting to play, just because of the attachment to the history of red dirt.”
The 12th annual Woody Fest, as the festival is also known, starts tonight and continues through Sunday. Along with LaRue, this year’s lineup includes Jimmy LaFave, John Gorka, Jonatha Brooke, Ellis Paul and the Red Dirt Rangers. The event will include musical performances, a children’s festival, an open mike and special events such as a poetry reading, songwriting workshops and a tribute to LaRue’s mentor, Childers.
Known as the father red dirt music – an enigmatic amalgamation of folk, country and rock with its epicenter in Stillwater – Childers played Woody Fest every year until he died in April 2008. Last year’s festival included a Childers tribute, and another memorial is planned at 4 p.m. Thursday.
“As long as there’s a festival, he (Childers) will be remembered in some way,” said Woody Fest media chairwoman Karen Zundel. “We really miss him.”
A folk music pioneer, Guthrie’s songwriting forms part of the foundation for LaRue’s beloved red dirt music. LaRue sees parallels between his life and music and Guthrie’s, from their penchant for traveling far and frequently to the blue-collar, but hopefully universal, tone of their songs.
The singer/songwriter/musician said many people don’t comprehend just how influential Guthrie’s songwriting continues to be. He plays a bluesy rendition of Guthrie’s “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad” every night and performed it on his 2007 album “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas”
“People don’t realize it’s Woody Guthrie until I say, ‘This is a Woody Guthrie song,’” LaRue said. “It’s a fun one for the band, it’s fun for me, it’s got a great message. People start dancing immediately. … A lot of it’s jamming, but ‘$2 shoes hurt my feet’ is touching to people because they understand that.”
The son of a struggling bass player and a nurse, LaRue was born in Taft, Texas, but raised in southeastern Oklahoma. He followed his passion for music to the red dirt hot spot of Stillwater, where he hung out with Childers, LaFave, Tom Skinner and others at The Farm, Childers’ old country home.
Over the past few years, he has become one of the top names on the red dirt/Texas music scene, playing with the likes of Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Dierks Bentley, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Willie Nelson, Rodney Crowell and more. His jam-packed tour schedule includes a July 25 date at Eufaula Cove Amphitheatre with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.
LaRue plays close to 300 shows a year and is working on the final touches on a new album, due out in fall. He, his wife and their three children recently moved to Edmond after living for five years in New Braunfels, Texas, where several red dirt/Texas music artists call home. His wife’s family hails from the Edmond area, so having their support helps as he is often gone touring.
Despite his busy schedule, LaRue plans to stick around during the festival to spend time with other musicians on the lineup, many whom he knows well.
“I’m making it a point. I need that Woody Fest kind of like the pumice to my soul to scrub it clean,” he said. “This music is my life, literally, and I love the mystery of it, I love how it’s happy and sad and I love how it picks you up. And I love that I get to be a part of helping people be lifted.”
He doesn’t know quite what to expect when he takes that Okemah stage at 10:30 p.m. Thursday, but that’s part of the joy for him.
“(With) all of red dirt music, you don’t plan it, it just moves you. And so that’s what I anticipate for the Woody Guthrie fest,” he said. “I’ve noticed that more often than not that whenever I try to plan something, it fails miserably. So you just let the spirit guide you … and I think that is the spirit of the music, that’s the spirit of Bob and Woody.”
Going on
12th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
When: Today-Sunday.
Where: Various venues in Okemah.
What: Musical performances, children’s activities, open mike, poetry reading, documentary screening, songwriter workshops and fundraisers for the state chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
Festival admission: Free except for the opening show at 8 tonight, featuring Jonatha Brooke and SONiA, which costs $20 for general admission or $35 for Gold Circle seating.
Parking: Free for daytime events; $10 per car evenings at the Pastures of Plenty Stage.
Information: www.woodyguthrie.com.
-BAM
Wanda Jackson to pay tribute to Woody Guthrie at pre-festival show
Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson poses on the red carpet at her April induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. (Associated Press photo)
Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Woody Guthrie, who also was born in Oklahoma. (The Oklahoman Archives)
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Wanda & Woody: Rock Hall of Famer’s benefit leads into annual Woody Guthrie Folk Fest
One Rock and Roll Hall of Famer from Oklahoma will pay tribute to another Tuesday leading into the 12th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival.
Wanda Jackson, who was inducted in April to the rock hall, will headline a benefit concert in honor of Woody Guthrie at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom.
The pre-festival show will benefit the Woody Guthrie Coalition, which organizes Woody Fest yearly in the troubadour’s hometown of Okemah around his July 14 birthday.
“As one of the performers asked to be there, I am honored and happy to come sing my songs in memory of another Oklahoma Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Woody Guthrie,” Jackson said in an e-mail from Switzerland, where she was wrapping up a successful two-week tour of Europe.
“There is no other artist who has influenced the music world any more than Woody Guthrie. He certainly has my respect and admiration for his contributions.”
Musical legacy
The 12th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival will officially kick off at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Okemah’s historic Crystal Theatre with another benefit concert. The opening night show will feature SONiA of folk/power pop band Disappear Fear and folk-rocker Jonatha Brooke.
“Jonatha Brooke is the most recent singer-songwriter to record a CD of all-new Woody Guthrie songs that were lyrics housed in the Woody Guthrie Archives that she put her own music to,” said Woody Fest Media Chairwoman Karen Zundel. “It’s called ‘The Works’ … and she’s the first female to record an album of Woody Guthrie songs.”
The festival will continue all day Thursday-July 11 with musical performances, a children’s festival, open mike, and special events like a poetry reading, tribute to the late red dirt music great Bob Childers and new this year, songwriting workshops.
This year’s lineup includes Jimmy LaFave, Stoney LaRue, John Gorka, Ellis Paul and more. Guthrie granddaughters Annie Guthrie and Sarah Lee Guthrie, along with Sarah Lee’s husband Johnny Irion, will perform.
Another granddaughter, Anna Canoni, who works for the Woody Guthrie Archives, will make her festival debut with a special presentation and screening of the documentary “Woody Guthrie: Legacy.”
Guthrie’s younger sister, Mary Jo Guthrie Edgmon, will host July 11 her yearly pancake breakfast benefiting the Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Guthrie died of complications from Huntington’s Oct. 3, 1967, at the age of 55.
The festival will end July 12 with “Hoot for Huntington’s,” another event aiding the society’s Oklahoma chapter.
“To me it seems especially fitting when a state honors one of their own in a special way, and for Woody Guthrie what could be better than a music festival where you come to hear live bands play good music, have fun with friends and an overall happy day?” Jackson said.
Influence and inspiration
Guthrie, a prolific singer-songwriter with a gift for connecting with listeners through his ballads, children’s tunes and protest songs, was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 in the early influence category. Jackson, a rockabilly pioneer widely considered the first woman to sing rock ‘n’ roll, joined the hall in the same category.
Both Oklahoma artists are trailblazers who have influenced rock and country performers through the decades, said Oklahoma City singer-songwriter K.C. Clifford, who will make her Woody Fest debut Thursday.
“He has left us the best legacy of being a songwriter for the people and kind of a common man who obviously had a huge impact on folk music,” she said. “It’s amazing to be from the same place as Woody. … It’s good mojo.”
Although her folk music doesn’t overlap much with Jackson’s rockabilly sound, Clifford finds inspiration in the fellow Oklahoman’s enduring 55-year career.
“She’s certainly a fighter,” she said. “I like that. I like women who are succeeding in music and have longevity. … I think the more attention that gets brought to Oklahoma writers and musicians, the more it continues to bolster the (music) scene here.”
Going on
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Pre-fest Benefit Concert
What: Wanda Jackson, Ronny Elliott and Nancy Apple will play a special show benefiting the Woody Guthrie Coalition at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Tulsa’s Cain’s Ballroom.
Tickets: $35 and $20, available at www.protixonline.com or by phone at (866) 977-6849.
Information: www.woodyguthrie.com.
12th annual Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
When: Wednesday through July 12.
Where: Various venues in Okemah.
What: Musical performances, children’s activities, open mike, poetry reading, documentary screening, songwriter workshops and fundraisers for the state chapter of the Huntington’s Disease Society of America.
Admission: Free except for the opening show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, featuring Jonatha Brooke and SONiA, which costs $20 for general admission or $35 for Gold Circle seating.
Parking: Free for daytime events; $10 per car evenings at the Pastures of Plenty Stage.
Information: www.woodyguthrie.com.
-BAM
Steve Ripley to narrate Oklahoma rock history radio show
Steve Ripley
The Oklahoma Historical Society, in partnership with the state’s public radio stations, is sponsoring a weekly radio show exploring the history of rock ‘n’ roll in Oklahoma.
The show is produced and narrated by noted Oklahoma recording artist and record producer Steve Ripley, according to a news release. It will begin broadcasting this weekend.
“Oklahoma Rock And Roll with Steve Ripley” is a 20-part radio series that explores the music of Oklahoma artists and songwriters and their influence on rock music.
“We will look at not just rock ‘n’ roll in Oklahoma,” said Ripley, “but also the roots of Rock and Roll such as Woody Guthrie, Bob Wills, and Charlie Christian.”
The radio show is being produced in conjunction with the Oklahoma History Center’s “Another Hot Oklahoma Night: A Rock and Roll Exhibit.”
“We gave the show a trial run on two public radio stations, KOSU at Oklahoma State University and KGOU at the University of Oklahoma,” said Dr. Bob L. Blackburn, executive director of the Oklahoma Historical Society, in the release. “The public response was overwhelmingly positive.”
Over the July 4 weekend, KOSU and KGOU will restart the show beginning with the first hour. The same show will air on KCCU at Cameron University and KWGS at the University of Tulsa.
The first two shows, “Home Sweet Oklahoma” (parts 1 and 2), are basically an Oklahoma Music Revue that sets the stage for what lies ahead in the weeks and shows to come.
Ripley guides the listener through the music of Oklahomans such as Leon Russell and J.J. Cale and their direct links to people like Dylan, Clapton and Joe Cocker. He explores the roots of rockabilly and Oklahomans such as Wanda Jackson and The Collins Kids.
“The picture starts to emerge of an art form that owes its heart to a mixture of hillbilly, gospel, blues, rhythm & blues, and jazz,” said Ripley in the release. “Interwoven are Native American and African American influences. This is America’s music.”
KOSU, Oklahoma State University, broadcasts the show at 7 p.m. Fridays. The first episode will air this week on July 3.
KOSU broadcasts on 91.7 in Stillwater and Oklahoma City, 107.5 in Tulsa and Northeast Oklahoma, and 101.9 in Okmulgee.
KCCU, Cameron University, will broadcast the first show at 9 p.m., Friday on 89.3 in Lawton and Fort Sill, 95.9 in Woodward and Northwest Oklahoma, 88.7 in Wichita Falls, 90.3 in Ardmore, 90.1 in Altus, 89.3 in Duncan, 100.1 in Chickasha and 89.1 in Weatherford, Clinton and Elk City.
KWGS, University of Tulsa, will air the first show on at 6 p.m. Sunday and broadcasts on 89.5 in Tulsa.
KGOU, University of Oklahoma, airs the show at noon Sundays and broadcasts on 106.3 in Norman, Moore and Oklahoma City.
KROU is on 105.7 in Spencer and Oklahoma City, 103.1 in Seminole, and 97.9 in Ada.
“We really appreciate the support the four university-related public radio stations have given us,” said Blackburn in the release. “This is the first time all four stations have broadcast an Oklahoma produced program on a continuing basis. This shows their support for Oklahoma history, music and programming.”
Speaking of rock ‘n’ roll history, check out BAM’s Blog on Friday to read my preview story on next week’s Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, which will kick off this year with a special benefit show featuring none other than Wanda Jackson.
-BAM
RIP David Carradine
David Carradine in 2006 (Associated Press photo)
“Kill Bill” actor David Carradine was found dead Thursday in a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, according to the Associated Press.
The AP is citing published reports stating that it appears the 72-year-old actor committed suicide. If it’s true, it’s incredibly sad. Naturally, a police investigation is underway, so it would be unwise to jump to any conclusions at this time.
Carradine was a member of a venerable acting family that included his father, character actor John Carradine, and brothers Keith and Robert.
The Hollywood, Calif., native’s acting career included more than 100 movies and numerous TV roles. He was probably best known for playing Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest traveling the 1800s American West, in the 1970s martial arts TV series “Kung Fu.”
He reprised the memorable role in a mid-1980s TV movie and played Caine’s grandson in the 1990s syndicated series “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.”
After “Kung Fu,” Carradine starred in the 1975 cult flick “Death Race 2000.” He played famed Oklahoma songwriter Woody Guthrie in director Hal Ashby’s 1976 biopic “Bound for Glory.”
Carradine starred with Liv Ullmann in Bergman’s “The Serpent’s Egg” in 1977 and with his brothers in the 1980 Western “The Long Riders.” He also starred in 1972’s “Boxcar Bertha,” one of director Martin Scorcese’s earliest films.
Though he worked steadily, his career in the 1980s and ’90s fell into mostly low-budget projects.
But his career was revived when director Quentin Tarentino cast him in the title role of his two-part 2003-04 cinematic epic “Kill Bill.”
“There isn’t anything that Anthony Hopkins or Clint Eastwood or Sean Connery or any of those old guys are doing that I couldn’t do,” Carradine told the AP in 2004. “All that was ever required was somebody with Quentin’s courage to take and put me in the spotlight.”
The AP is reporting that Carradine was in Thailand working on a new movie, but the name of the film wasn’t available. According to his IMDB page, Carradine had one project, titled “Portland,” in pre-production, along with several projects in post-production.
Our thoughts are with Carradine’s family, friends and fans at this time.
To read the full AP story, click here. For Carradine’s IMDB page, click here.
-BAM
