EP “RØT” by Eris reviewed by
Evan Jarvicks
Few experiences carry as much weight as enduring a loved one's cancer diagnosis. The road is grueling with hospital stays, mysterious with unpredictable turns, and dark with helplessness in the face of deteriorating health.
On its new EP, RØT, Oklahoma City progressive metalcore band Eris grapples with cancer as both metaphoric and literal plague. Where metal subgenres have long built songwriting concepts on epic thematic scales of deity and nature, Eris cuts through those hyperbolic tendencies with cold, hard reality. When a disease hits this close to home, fantasy feels frivolous.
Shea Seebeck, wife of Eris bassist Zach Seebeck, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkins Lymphoma in 2022, and since then, Zach has worked toward RØT with bandmates Craig Perry (vocals), Caleb Sade (guitar), and Austin Polk (drums). The result is an intense cry of anger explored and distilled into a three-track EP that clocks in under 10 minutes. Despite the short runtime, Eris uses the space to transform a feeling of chaos into a call to arms.
RØT is the band's best work to date not just in terms of narrative but also on a purely musical level. From its early days operating under the Understanding Eris moniker to now, the journey has been long and winding. Arguably, it has led to here. The players have continued to hone their skills with technical guitar work, blast-heavy beats, firm-handed bass, and vocals that have grown grizzlier with each release. Here, it is captured in production that is fortified with deep clarity and underscored with theatrical synthwork that elevates instead of distracts. There are also sound effect samples like a clock ticking and a heart monitor beeping tastefully woven into the soundscape to echo the gravitas of the EP. The passionate craft of these recordings is evident in every detail.
With these tools in the band's arsenal, the three tracks chart the challenge of fighting cancer, first with the title track's grievous reaction to its cruelty, then with the meditative intermission "Transcend", and finally with the fiery battle waged in "Evergreen".
The powerhouse closer brings in melodic vocals to give its chorus a piercing ray of hope, but otherwise, these lyrics are spewed in spittledrenched daggers that growl and howl. While this renders the words hard to decipher, as is the case with much sub-genre metal, Zach Seebeck went the extra mile to self-produce gritty lyric videos for the album. They double as a lyric sheet and a music video, combining visual effects, stock footage, and original live-action video starring his wife.
Although the band has been open about the personal story that RØT tells, the EP boasts such raw emotion that its universal themes on divinity and mortality reach well beyond the specific circumstances that conjured them. Cancer also works as a metaphor, be it one of contagion, destruction, or oppression. Conversely, fighting such a force takes the courage and vulnerability that listeners may need to engage in their own private battles.
RØT is so much more than a concept album, a therapy session, or even a work of autobiographical art. It is a guiding hand through the unflinching carnage of this mortal world.
Shameless Self-Promotion Time
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Upcoming Events
LitFest: For writers and creatives, August 17, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library. Free and open to the public.
including a zine makerspace!
Stitch Sounds: Record listening, art, and embroidery, August 29 at 1 p.m. at The Belle Isle Library.
Open Mic Poetry Slam: Hosted by Urban Poets, last Monday of each month. Special guest Anthony Crawford Jr. on August 26 at 6 p.m. See you
Punk's Eternal Flame: Remembering Bevin Coker
by Granny Anarchy
Five years ago, on August 26, 2019, the Oklahoma City metro experienced a severe summer storm. On that night, an eager and active member of the punk/DIY community perished. Bevin Drake Coker is missed as much today as he was five years ago. But those who knew him hope that his spirit - and his music - live on.
Bevin was born in December of 1997. He attended Stonegate Elementary, Classen School of Advanced Studies, and Harding Fine Arts Academy. He volunteered at the Metropolitan Library System and was employed at the OKC Zoo. He lived with Tourette Syndrome* and various comorbid conditions**, which caused integrational issues, but also gave him intense focus on his true passion: music.
From an early age, Bevin would often walk across the metro from his home to venues such as the 89th Street Collective, Khaos House, Sauced on Paseo, The Ment, The Shop, the Unkempt Beaver, and Warehouse B. He was also a staple at the Plaza District. Bevin loved to see and support the local music scene. He had several shirts from local and touring bands from OKC venues, as well as stickers, patches, and other items he'd buy to show off his new favorites and add to the indie economy.
He would often help bands load in and out, share ideas about playing and production techniques, and strike up conversations with musicians and music fans. He also had a vast assemblage of solo material, played in bands/jammed with friends, and ceaselessly sought out collaborative projects and production work.
Bevin's main musical focus was Bedrokan, which he described as "electronic dream pop and vaporwave." He also had projects 96 Years, Boenis, Hiyyer, and Ryz. He played in Cohesive Gate, also incarnated as Polly of the Hero. or a time, he had a band called Sexxx. Bevin was in the process of assisting Gen X bands The Candyguns and Brainslur in uploading material to the internet, and covered at least one Brainslur song. Members were looking forward to further collaboration. He produced an album for Frankie Conquest and teamed up on at least one track for Deathmare. Bevin also ran Bedrokan Productions, where he produced and sold various backgrounds, beats, and mixes. He had plans for additional artistic and entrepreneurial endeavors.
* contrary to popular perception, most people with Tourette don't use language inappropriately. Instead, they live with physical and sonic "tics," or involuntary, occasionally compulsory, repetetive movements and sounds, such as blinking, grimacing, sniffing, and throat clearing
** some comorbidities [issues that exist in addition to a primary diagnosis] of Tourette can include: ~ ADHD, anxiety, depression, OCD, various disinhibition, executive function, information processing, and social function challenges
*** Musicians we know to have Tourette today include Lewis Capaldi, James Durbin, and Billie Eilish
In addition to playing rock and some classical guitar and piano/keyboard - as well as dabbling in other instruments and being able to compose, arrange, mix, and produce with various analog and digital formats - Bevin was also an artist who had begun working with various paints on canvas, but already had a large body of watercolor, charcoal, and pencil work collected in sketchbooks.
Does this Bedrokan art look familiar? It might be because it was the cover of the November 2023 UMAmi zine!
He had some tongue-in-cheek personal material regarding musical endeavors, but the bulk of his drawings concerned cityscapes, which he often enjoyed working in detail. He also produced computer collage work - mostly utilized as musical packaging and promotion - based on photography and found art. Furthermore, Bevin wrote poetry and lyrics - the majority of which remain unseen and unheard.
Bevin is described by those who knew him as "a free thinker, compulsive, curious, determined, fierce, fiery, funny, gifted, giving, headstrong, impulsive, intense, lively, loyal, original, passionate, pure, scarily smart, sensitive, talented, stubborn, sweet, and wry." Many remarked upon his ability to pick up/pick apart musical ideas and quickly learn to play them, as well as his visual artistry. He could hold his own in conversations about the arts and culture, politics, science, or video games as well as music. He also loved animals. His neurodivergence did often make life challenging - difficult and downright ugly - for him and those around him, but he contributed an immense amount of energy and love to the world, especially the OKC punk/DIY scene. He was rarely seen without his headphones, which he used to listen to music and ease discomfort caused by his neurodivergence.
Some of Bevin's special symbols are the butterfly (having once told a friend/bandmate that, if he were to be reincarnated, he might come back as a butterfly) and the power line / telephone pole (due to a fascination in early childhood.) He was able to charm even the shyest dogs and cats and was interested in cymatics. He enjoyed “The Matrix” movies, “Ready Player One” and dystopian books, and “Sim City” and other worldbuilding (as well as driving and fighting) video games. His musical favorites included Afghan Whigs, Autolux, Deftones, Hum, and Modest Mouse - some local/local show bands he supported were Truman, Trash Lobster, the Lamps, Social Creatures, Skating Polly, Pauly Creep-O, and Jonathan Brown.
His music can be heard at:
Amazon Music - amzn.to/4f7WsGM Apple Music - apple.co/3zOakG2
Deezer - bit.ly/3Sf3aAO
Facebook -facebook.com/bedrokanproductions/
Instagram - instagram.com/bedrokan/
ReverbNation - reverbnation.com/bedrokan
Shazam - bit.ly/3Wu5rLg
Soundcloudsoundcloud.com/bedrokanproductions
Spotify - bit.ly/3zWwKVq
Youtube - youtube.com/@bedrokanmusic44
To visit Bevin posthumously, see: bit.ly/4cObXSw facebook.com/bedrokanproductions/ facebook.com/Bedrokan/ facebook.com/bevin.coker
A Talk With: The Ugly Cowboys
What is your initial inspiration for beginning to play music?
Bee:Ihavealwaysbeenpronetofitsofdrama.Musicwasandismywayof processingthoseemotionsinawaythat’shealthy.
Sam:BruceSpringsteen.Fullstop.
What is your favorite part of the process?
Bee:MyfavoritepartoftheprocessiswhenIgetintoarhythmwritingasong.It’ssosatisfying whenyoucanjustfreelywritewithoutacreativeblock!!
Sam:Performingthesongs.Ilikedancingaroundlikeamonkeyandsingingdirtylil'tunes.
What is something that you wished you learned earlier?
Bee:Howtoplaythebasslol
Sam:Theperfectsongdoesn'texist,andyougottajustwritemusicyoulike.Nomatterhowgood asongis,someone'sgonnahateit,sodon'tbotherpleasingeveryone.
What are your favorite things about your music?
Bee:Ilikethatit’sgotgoodlyricalbones.We’restillsuperearlyinourband’sjourney,soI’msure thatwillevolveaswegrow!
Sam:AnythingBeewrites.Ialsolikethatwedon'ttakeourselvestooseriously.
What’s something about you or your music that would surprise someone unfamiliar with it?
Ourliveperformancesareevenmoreunhingedthanourrecordedsongs.Theymayalsobe surprisedbythesmuttinessofitall.
What’s something about you or your music that would surprise someone who is more familiar with it?
Afterlisteningtoussingaboutsex,drugs,late-stagecapitalism,andgettingneutered,theymay besurprisedtoknowwe'regradstudentsinbiology.Wemaybeimmature,butatleastwe're educatedlol
What do you like about the OKC scene? What would you like to see improved or changed?
TherearealotofawesomebandsinOKCwithavastarrayofdifferentsounds whichisbadass.Onethingwe'dliketoseeimprovedisbands/musicianstaking themselveslessseriously.It'snotillegaltohavefunwhiledoingmusic:)
Follow the
Ugly Cowboys
89thStreet 8911NWesternAve(OKC) https://89thstreetokc.com
BeerCityMusicHall1141NW2nd(OKC) https://beercitymusichall.com
BlueDoor2805NMcKinleyAve(OKC) https://www.bluedoorokc.com
BlueNote2408NRobinsonAve(OKC) https://okcbluenote.com
Criterion500EastSheridanAve(OKC) https://criterionokc.com
DiamondBallroom8001SEasternAve(OKC) https://diamondballroom.com
FactoryObscura25NW9thSt(OKC)
https://factoryobscura.com/
GrandRoyale1749NW16thSt(OKC) https://www.instagram.com/grandroyaleokc
JonesAssembly901WSheridan(OKC) https://www.thejonesassembly.com
Opolis113NCrawfordAve(Norman) https://www.opolis.org
PointA2124NW39thSt(OKC) pointa.space
Ponyboy423NW23rdSt(OKC) https://www.ponyboyokc.com/
ResonantHead400SW25thStSTEA(OKC) https://www.resonanthead.com
Resonator325EMainSt(Norman) resonator.space/
TheSanctuary1012NIndianaAve(OKC) https://www.facebook.com/thesanctuaryok
51stStreetSpeakeasy1114NW51stStreet(OKC) http://www.51stspeakeasy.com/
TheVenueEventCenter1103NVillaAve(OKC) https://bit.ly/3zFMv3e
TowerTheatre425NW23rdSt(OKC) https://towertheatreokc.com
E N U E S
Recurring events
MON
TUES
WED
Celtic Jam at the Patriarch
Funk at the Blue Note
Blues at the Speakeasy (Bruce Benson Band)
Bluegrass at the Patriarch
Jazz at the Speakeasy (Kendrick McKinney Trio)
Experimental night at Opolis - every 4th Wed.
Open Mic night at Factory Obscura - every 1st Thur.
THU FRI SAT
SUN
Bluegrass at the Speakeasy (the Pearl Snaps)
Song Swap at the Blue Note (usually every 1st Thur.)
DJ nights at Ponyboy
Celtic Jam at the Banjo Musuem - every 4th Sat.
DJ nights at Ponyboy
Celtic music at Full Circle Bookstore every 2nd Sunday
Library Out Loud
Mythology Mixtapes by Jackalope
I have always devoured every bit of mythology and folklore I can.
As our students and teachers head back to the classroom, here’s a series of playlists I made for modernized versions of the Greek Pantheon.
Aphrodite
https://tinyurl.com/bddmnwdf
She wears her heart on her sleeve and her lipstick on someone else's collar.
Apollo
https://tinyurl.com/bdzj6psh
Drives all day, spins all night. A playlist for the god of day jobs & creative passions.
Artemis
https://tinyurl.com/2upcvh64
Support your local supernatural girl gang
Athena
https://tinyurl.com/bddwanum
A playlist for the goddess of sharp-tongued clever bookworms you really shouldn’t mess with.
Demeter
https://tinyurl.com/y42y7ayh
For the original flower child.
Dionysius
https://tinyurl.com/8m22dehr
A playlist for the god of bartending, theater kids, and really loud parties.
“Seeds of Rebellion”
Hades/Persephone, mutual consent edition
https://tinyurl.com/2v53m2ty
Hephaestus https://tinyurl.com/yhyk47hn
For the god of underdogs, disabilities, and behind-the-scenes artists.
Hera
https://tinyurl.com/47smayuu https://tinyurl com/mry3tkyk
Queen of the Greek Pantheon, woman scorned, and unabashedly That Bitch Part Two: Goddess of divorce, messy authenticity, and leaving behind toxic relationships
Hestia
https://tinyurl.com/2yey2aba
Goddess of homebodies and mom friends
Poseidon
https://tinyurl.com/yc2hyxr2
Friend: omg, of course he needs some dad rock.
Zeus
https://tinyurl.com/bdf4cmaj
He insists being called the biggest dick in the Greek Pantheon is a compliment (wink wink).
Board
PS - UMAmi doesn’t accept ads on behalf of the Metropolitan Library System. But if you have something cool to shout out or promote, send it our way, and we will try to work it in here.
Noteorious (OKC/Moore/Norman) is looking for a decent lead guitarist and bass player -- they play 90s/00's rock & some classic rock.
Local emo/shoegaze artist ATCHLEY (OKC) just released a new album, VIOLENCE AND PERFUME. Stand out tracks include BALCONY, SIMPLE EXPLANATION, HONEY, DON’T BE LIKE ME, AND CONTROL.
Frowning Suns (OKC) is looking for a dedicated bassist and drummer.
Roadie Rec Want even more zines? Our friends at the Floating Bookshop sell tons of locally-made and nationally-made zines at their shop in Film Row!
Concert Fundraiser - Santiago Ramones is hosting a fundraiser show on August 9 at 7 pm outside in the Plaza at 1700 NW 16th St., OKC. Sun Deep will also perform. Funds support Santiago's citizenship application, with extra going to the Spero Project.
https://tinyurl.com/ystuz9r7
New local tunes
Stay up-to-date with new local releases with this playlist from our friends at Make Oklahoma Weirder. Always remember to support local artists, listen local, and attend local shows.
to tie in with Jackalope’s Mythology Mixtapes:
Is there a particular mythology or folklore character you
I’ve identified with several over the years, but at the moment I’m ruminating on Persephone and Sigyn. Characters of unexpected depths, complications, and paradoxes, full of mystery. Willing to push against societal expectations and ready to go to hell and back for those they love.
-Jackalope
I studied comparative myth; I Have Thoughts about stories & pantheons! Egyptian: Anubis, Greek: Apollo, Demeter. Mesopotamian: Tiamat. Nordic: Freyja. Recognizing Hinduism, Incan, the Loa, Shintoism, Slavic, various NA beliefs too. I'm drawn to psychopomps, tricksters, & battles with chaos (or fate.) I like animal myths about Crow/Raven, Rabbit/Coyote (eastern NAs viewed Rabbit as Trickster; southwestern saw Coyote as the wiley one) & Snake (often not as bad as we’re taught to think.) (And Dragons are a bonus!)
-Granny Anarchy
