Thursday 23 May
 
 

IndianGiver — Plafond EP

If you were to peruse the “About” section of IndianGiver’s Facebook page, you’ll notice how the instruments attributed to each of the Oklahoma City band’s five members are described with downright flippancy: Dylan Jordan plays “sticks & animal skins,” while Jazzton Rodriguez earns his keep with “shanties & loud noises,” and so on.
05/22/2013 | Comments 0

Various artists — Never Give Up: Celebrating 10 Years of The Postal Service

Few indie bands have had the impact on current music that The Postal Service has. Even fewer have done so with only one album.
05/15/2013 | Comments 0

Big Worm — Bench All-Stars

Fans of the comedy classic Friday may recognize the name Big Worm, but the Big Worm behind Bench All-Stars is rooted not in South Central L.A., but on the streets of Oklahoma City.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Code 22 — Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!

The guys of Oklahoma City’s Code 22 seem like a likable group of fellas. Their latest release, Going Soft: The Acoustic Album!, is likable enough as well — so likable that on first listen, I took its clean, acoustic sound and clear, unstressed vocals as an alternative praise-and-worship band.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0

Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

It’s always refreshing to hear music that embraces its own eccentricity, yet presents it in an accessible and meek fashion. Eureeka — the Norman-based duo of Jordan Vargas and Devin Wahl — has tapped into this rarified air on its self-released EP, Polysynthetic Fields.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0
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’Pike psyched


For Americana act Turnpike Troubadours, what lies ahead is nothing but open road and ample opportunities

Chris Parker January 25th, 2011  

Turnpike Troubadours with Rodney Parker & 50 Peso Reward
Saturday Wormy Dog Saloon, 311 E. Sheridan
www.wormydog.com, 601-6276

Turnpike Troubadours front man Evan Felker may be young, but he ain’t new. His songs traffic in the kind of everyday moments and perpetual longings traced by artists like Bruce Springsteen and Steve Earle.

The Oklahoma quintet has been around for roughly three years, but it seems like a longer time. That’s the feeling of working uphill, but their luck’s crested of late.

The Americana act just had its second single to reach No. 7 on the Texas Music Charts, “7 & 7,” a paean to the hard-living glory days and the regret of what might’ve been. The song’s protagonist recalls the carefree days of 7-Up and Seagram’s, and feels the weight of time when he spots his ex-fiancée with her husband and child in the supermarket.

“It’s a ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’ kind of thing,” Felker said. “He’s figuring that out: ‘I didn’t mean to screw this all up. I was trying to be good.’ And then here we are.”

The “here we are” has been pretty stunning for Felker, too. Although he’s still renting a room from a childhood friend in Oklahoma City, he’s come a long way. The Troubadours’ tours have pushed out as far as Minnesota and Colorado, leaving the East and West Coasts as untapped territory, with upward of 200 dates in the past year. Not a bad start for a bunch of smalltown boys.

Felker hails from Wright City, where he worked at the paper mill until music began to consume his life and he moved to Stillwater, finding work as a technician.

“You’re always worried about getting stuck there, working at the mill like your buddy did or your buddy’s dad did. Get some girl pregnant or whatever and have to stay there,” he said. “It’s something you get scared of when you’re 18: ‘Am I going to be able to go to college? How am I going to get out of here?’” Breaking free of small-town life and its constraints, while shedding the blinders of youth, are themes that resound throughout his songs.

Playing Saturday at Wormy Dog Saloon, the Troubadours have been a work in progress for Felker and bassist R.C. Edwards, the principal songwriters. Their mix of traditional bluegrass and country rock seems to have struck a chord, and they’re continuing to hone their sound and expand the instrumentation. Guitarist Ryan Engleman has been learning the pedal steel, and fiddler Kyle Nix also plays some mandolin and guitar. They’re looking forward to recording a new album to follow up last year’s “Diamonds & Gasoline.”

“We’ve got enough songs for another album right now,” Felker said. “We’re just kind of trying to bide our time a little bit, and maybe release another radio single.”

In the meantime, he’s trying to keep his feet on the ground ... when they’re not in the air.

“I’m going to fly to Austin on Tuesday and play at Antone’s with Jason Boland & the Stragglers Wednesday,” he said. “A year ago, I’d never even flown. Before that, we would be playing Fittstown, Shawnee, Ada and Durant — that’d be a run. So it’s really moving forward, and that’s exciting.”

 
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