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

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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.
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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.
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Eureeka — Polysynthetic Fields

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Tom Skinner — Tom Skinner

Sincerity is nearly dead in songwriting. The image of the earnest singer with eyes tightly shut and a crack in his voice as he plunges to emotional depths has become a joke.
05/08/2013 | Comments 0
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Music

Mayhem fest


Chronicles of Mayhem specializes in Southern-fried, Okie-made metal that grabs crowds and melts faces.

Joshua Boydston August 29th, 2012  

Rock Against Autism with Chronicles of Mayhem, Soul Crisis, Warneck and Lead Halo
7 p.m. Friday
Oklahoma City Limits
4801 S. Eastern
oclimits.com
619-3939
$10

Oklahoma City outfit Chronicles of Mayhem isn’t like most metal bands. The four-piece is just about as concerned with shaking your hips as melting your face.

“I like music that is accessible. There’s great music that is so highly technical and impressive because of that musicianship, but it can get lost in the crowd,” guitarist Darrin Dodd said. “I want to write music that can breathe. That’s easier for the crowd to grab onto. They aren’t so intricate and complicated. They are easier to feel.”

While hard-rock legends Black Sabbath and Deep Purple held a certain amount of groove, Chronicles of Mayhem borrows from more unexpected places.

“As long as it’s catchy and has a hook, I like it. That can be Johnny Cash to Jay- Z,” Dodd said, whose other influences include N.W.A. and Prodigy. “When I came aboard, I was writing music that had more of a groove to it. You can dance to it, even though it’s heavy. There’s a bouncy, hip-hop influence.”

Four years ago, Dodd and singer Buddy Jack joined the metal act — also featuring drummer Scott Johnson and bassist Micah Nix — giving a new identity and energy to the four men. “We are a rock band, but we really come from all directions,” Dodd said. “Buddy has more of a country background. With my style of songwriting and his more Southern-influenced vocals, people have really responded to us since.”

It’s not just listeners who have welcomed the band; fellow Oklahoma metal acts have received the new and improved Chronicles of Mayhem with warmth.

“It’s a brotherhood here. It’s so easy to make friends,” Dodd said. “Typically, you’d expect a lot of selfishness, but it’s a selfless scene.”

And so the band has adopted a friendly outlook as well.

“We try not to outdo anybody. We just do what we do,” Dodd said. “There’s a lot of great musicians in Oklahoma, so we just stick to this formula we’ve come up with.”

That formula — nothing more and nothing less — is exactly what Chronicles of Mayhem has centered its newest batch of material around, a yet-to-be-titled release that’s the group’s first since its 2010 debut EP.

“We’ve really stuck to who we are. It’s still straight-ahead, meat-and-potatoes metal,” Dodd said. “Yeah, the songs are a little longer and more varied in terms of tempo, but when it comes down to it, it’s just us.”

 
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08.29.2012 at 03:32 Reply

I LOVE THIS BAND..EVERYONE NEEDS TO WATCH THEM..THEY GIVE U A GOOD SHOW...

 

 
 
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