UMAmi a monthly music zine via the OK Underground Music Archive Inside this issue Review of settling’s “Calmly, Maybe” by Evan Jarvicks A Not-So-Consise Chronology of African Americans in Alternative Music by Granny Anarchy Review of “The Elephant in our Music Queue” by Granny Anarchy Oklahoma Love Thermometer - a locally-inpsired playlist for every valentine February Music Calendar Valentine’s viewings if you’re NOT the Hallmark type and MORE
REVIEWS Exchanging hardcore for slowcore, OKCbased solo project settling... explores a blend of moods dreamy and dreary "You've got to get tougher skin," proclaims "Let People In", the December 2023 single from a new Oklahoma City shoegaze-inspired solo project called settling... Awash in programmed electronic beats and cloudy synth voices, the lyrics are sometimes lost in the fog, but its central refrain confirms that Brandon Ross, the creator of settling..., struggles with vulnerability. It is a quandary for many artists. To share one's inner self is to risk getting hurt, but it is a prerequisite for the deeper human connection that meaningful art needs. Ross has always written from the gut, whether here or in Grandpa Vern, the band by which most underground music scenesters know them. It is hard to not reference the latter, a hardcore band that saw Ross vent exasperated rage at the America’s social injustices. The band picked up a quick following from the ever-growing OKHC underground, but many fans missed the formative months. Now long gone from the web and only accessible by the few people who managed to snag a hard copy of its limited cassette run, a demo tape called Stressor was released in 2021. It documented Grandpa Vern's growth from its acoustic singer-songwriter beginnings to experimental genre-searching to eventual hardcore inclinations. For those who missed this fascinating arc, the music of settling... may seem out of left field, but it isn't. For instance, the solemn last two tracks of settling...'s debut EP, You're Always Alone in the End, feature instrumental electronic ponderings that echo tracks from Stressor. The throwback seems to confirm that Ross was not yet ready to abandon their slower, more introspective ideas when Grandpa Vern clicked over the ignition into its signature fast and furious style.
Diehard moshers will find nothing rowdy in settling...'s music to date. It is spare, distant, and sullen. It is the other side of the DIY coin, where rough edges and low fidelity serve not to intensify the sound but to cloud it. Nonetheless, settling... is finding its way in the underground, its guitar performances and progressive values still a shared point of origin to other genres in the scene. Like the ellipsis in its moniker, settling... is unsure of its future, something made even clearer by a forthcoming single called “Grovel.” Releasing February 21st, it has a slightly quicker tempo and approaches a gothic dance sound by its conclusion. Ross's music journey is still winding onward. The path is neither straight nor clear, but it is notably less travelled. Perhaps vulnerability is not such a bad quality, then, when it pursues artistic truth. “Tougher skin” becomes less about numbness and more about self-confidence.
I wanted to try out this "wanting my thoughts" thing. - Primal Opossum Since the first week of september I had been HYPED about going to see Sunn O))) live. I nearly screamed at work when they made the announcement on Bandcamp. I took a train for the first time, all by myself, all the way down to Dallas to see them. I got there and I remember the opener being lovely and hearing the first song from Sunn O))). It was LOUD. And it felt INCREDIBLE. Next thing I know I'm waking up and the show is over. It put me to sleep. I cannot believe I did that. I cannot believe I fell asleep.
Primal Opossum
The elephant in our music queue A review by Granny Anarchy In the 1980s, in the unlikely land of northern Louisiana, a small group of people found each other, started bands, and eventually established a recording company and music collective that - whether you know it or not - impacted a generation. "The Elephant 6 Recording Co." movie documents the trajectory, personalities, and creativity of this influential indie psychedelic pop umbrella. Will Cullen Hart and Jeff Mangum formed Olivia Tremor Control (nee Cranberry Lifecycle, then Synthetic Flying Machine) in the late 1980s. Bill Doss joined in the early 1990s, but Mangum left to begin Neutral Milk Hotel. Robert Schneider began Apples in Stereo in 1991. By this time, OTC members were living in Athens, GA and Schneider was in Denver, CO. He had begun a label for Apples, and decided to name it Elephant 6. The friends had continued to correspond, sending music to each other, and in a natural progression, the Apples and Olivia Tremor Control recorded together and released OTC (and Neutral Milk Hotel) music which, with its DIY, lo-fi, psychedelic, Beach Boys and Zombies influenced sound, was a marked contrast to the era's grunge aesthetic. Elephant 6 released items by other artists as well, such as Elf Power, of Montreal, The Minders, and Beulah; approximately fifty acts in all. No matter how it is described, print about this story is dry in comparison to visuals and sound. Watching the documentary is highly recommended, even for those who don't think that this is their genre, as long as they have an open mind. Friendship runs deep in the story of Elephant 6, as does integrity and creativity. Experimentation was key - in playing, in production, in personal and professional presentation (including stage show - no matter how small the audience - and dress.) People talk openly about what happens with too much success. If you are interested in the music of the 1960s or the 1990s, indie music, noise, psychedelia, or are looking for ideas about how to fix older recording equipment or how to use a See'n'Say smothered in peanut butter [I just made that one up], this documentary -Granny Anarchy is definitely one to watch.
AVAILABLE FROM THE METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Velvet Goldmine Shiva Baby
What to Watch on Feb 14th if you’re NOT the Hallmark type Scott Pilgrim versus the World Tonight You’re Mine The Case of Hana and Alice
Sid & Nancy Babyteeth Ready or Not The Birds Gypsy 83 The Crow The Addams Family / Addams Family Values
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Sanctuary
AVAILABLE FROM THE METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM
Oklahoma love thermometer Local songs for every Valentine
When I’m With You - Derek Paul Boots by my Boots - Keathley She’s a Betty - Husbands Spinning - Maddie Razook I Didn’t Know What Love Meant - M. Lockwood Porter You Are the Right One - Sports Connecticut With You - Abbigale Dawn In the Morning - Maddie Razook Biggest Mistake - Kat Lock, Layers of Pink, and Sophia Massad Honey Touch by Charlotte Bumgarner
a hom a l k O vin’ Lo list play
Golden One - Maddie Razook Peanut Butter Eyes - Brotherboy Red with love by Charlotte Bumgarner Fly Away by Jason Scott Open the Floodgates - Alison Sloan Saturday Rain by Abbigale Dawn Elk City - Samantha Crain Stay a While - photocopy Not Staying - Moriah Bailey
H e art b re Rode o ak p la y lis t
Say It - Kat Lock All Too Well - Alison Sloan I Like You, But by Kat Lock You for Leaving Me - Colourmusic Ex Boyfriend Blues by Abbigale Dawn Sometimes I Wish I Never Met You - Rat F!nk
Did you know that Black History Month has a unique theme every year? this year’s theme is
African Americans and the Arts
A Not-So-Consise Chronology of African Americans in Alternative Music by Granny Anarchy February is Black History Month. Melomaniacs - aka music junkies - owe African Americans a debt of gratitude for the deep, rich history of Black influence and contribution to music; there is too much to list, even in the narrower confines of a single genre, but some highlights include:
1973: Inspired by MC5 and the Stooges, Bobby, David, and Dannis Hackney form Death in Detroit. The band is offered a record deal, but they refuse to change their name. Death founds the Tryangle label and presses their own record, but can't obtain radio airplay. They disband in 1977, are rediscovered in 2009, and begin touring again. The documentary "A Band Called Death" is released in 2012, and new as well as older material is put out on Tryangle and Drag City Records. 1974: Pure Hell, stylistically similar to the New York Dolls, forms in Philadelphia and plays with other early CBGB acts. Like Death, the band is offered a record deal contingent with changes. Members Stinker, Steel, Chip Wreck, and Spider decline to compromise their identity and integrity. Pure Hell fades but is rediscovered in 2006. 1975: Don Letts runs London clothing store Acme Attractions. By the mid-70s, the Acme crowd includes The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, and Patti Smith. Letts makes "The Punk Rock Movie" in 1978. He also manages The Slits - who open for the Clash during the White Riot tour. In addition to multiple contributions in music, videos, and film, Letts, of Jamaican descent, was also a link between reggae and punk. Many London musicians, including members of The Clash and The Sex Pistols, were heavily influenced by reggae. 1977: "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" by X-Ray Spex, whose vocalist Poly Styrene is of mixed race, is released.
1977: Bad Brains, started in 1976 as jazz fusion group Mind Power, is introduced to punk (and reggae.) The seminal band was "Banned in D.C." nightclubs by 1979 due to fan-caused destruction, then moved to New York City. They were regulars at CBGB by 1982, when their first, eponymous, album was issued. 1979: Fishbone, known for an eclectic mix of genres, humor, and social commentary, is formed. 1980: Grace Jones, former model born in Jamaica, transitions from a career in disco to new wave and reggae with the release of "Warm Leatherette." Covering songs by The Pretenders, Roxy Music, and Joy Division, Grace - with her androgynous looks, fashion, and attitude - becomes a fierce alternative icon and unapologetic inspiration. 1980: The Plasmatics release "New Hope for the Wretched." Multi-instrumentalist Jean Beauvoir, born to Haitian parents with a career in music since the age of 15, played bass for the Plasmatics until 1984. He then worked with Kiss, Little Steven, and the Ramones. He also issued solo material, started group Crown of Thorns, wrote and produced for others, and founded (and continues to serve as CEO of) Voodoo Island Entertainment Group, Tigre Noire Music, and Hot Boy Music.
Jean Beauvoir
1984: Guitarist Vernon Reid forms Living Colour in New York. By 1986 he is joined by vocalist Corey Glover, bassist Muzz Skillings, and drummer Will Calhoun. They tour and become regulars at CBGB. In 1988 their first record, “Vivid,” is released. They issue “Time's Up” in 1990, join the first Lollapalooza, change line-up, release “Stain” in 1993, and disband by 1995. Members continue to put out additional work, then regroup and release new material in the 2000s. In addition, in 1985, Reid - with journalist Greg Tate and producer Konda Mason founds the Black Rock Coalition "in reaction to the constrictions that the commercial music industry places on Black artists." The BRC is "A collective of artists, writers, producers, publicists, activists and music fans assembled to maximize exposure and provide resources for Black artists who defy convention. To date, the BRC is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to the complete creative freedom of Black artists." (blackrockcoalition.org/)
Chuck Mosley
1985: Chuck Mosley - of Black, Jewish, and Native American heritage - leaves post-punk Haircuts that Kill to join Faith No More. He is fired in 1988, largely due to erratic behavior. He joins Bad Brains from 1990 to 1992. He then forms the band Cement. Later in life, Chuck releases work under the name V.U.A. (Vanduls Ugenst Allliderasy,) sings with group Indoria on "You'll Never Make the Six," and joins Primitive Race on "Soul Pretender." Chuck dies in 2017.
1991: "Blue Lines," the debut album by Bristol-based trip hop collective Massive Attack, is released. Massive Attack and its members often support and are active in political, human rights, and environmental causes. The albums "Blue Lines" and "Mezzanine" rank in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 1991: Rage Against the Machine is formed in Los Angeles. The self-titled debut is released in 1992 to commercial success and critical acclaim, eventually earning it a spot on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Vocalist Zack de la Rocha, although predominantly Mexican American, is also of mixed heritage, with African, Jewish, Irish, and German ancestry. 1998: Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack meet in London, bump into each other again at the 1999 Reading Festival, and decide to form a band. By 2003 a lineup and name are achieved: Bloc Party. The album "Silent Alarm" is issued in 2005. It receives Album of the Year by NME. 2001: TV on the Radio forms in Brooklyn, NY. Members Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops) and David Andrew Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops) have extensive resumes and are joined by Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and Jaleel Bunton (drums, bass, vocals, loops, guitars.) Gerard Smith (bass, keyboards, loops) is a member of the band from 2005 until his death in 2011. 2003: The documentary “Afro-Punk” is released. Director James Spooner and Matthew Morgan then found the Afro-Punk Music Festival in 2005. (afropunk.com/festival/brooklyn/) 2007: "Santogold" - blending alternative rock, new wave, and reggae - by Santigold is released.
2019: The 1865, founded by Sacha Jenkins with vocalist "Honeychild" Coleman, writes music from the perspective of a person living in post-Emancipation America. They describe their songs as "Bad Brains meets Foo Fighters in a black woman’s hair salon."
-Granny Anarchy
Listen along with this playlist!
THANK YOU FOR READING! YOU MIGHT FIND GRANNY ANARCHY AND SOME OF THESE AFRICAN AMERICAN ARTISTS ON MONDAY, MARCH 4, 2024 AT BEER CITY MUSIC HALL IN OKLAHOMA CITY! LIVING COLOUR WILL BE PLAYING! More artist recs Black Pantera ESG Glorious Din Ho9909 A.R. Kane Bob Marley Janelle Monae
Big Mama Thornton Meet Me @ The Altar The Specials The Veldt Xavion Laura Mvula Rough Francis Sister Rosetta Tharpe Skunk Anansie
More Resources -
BLACK OKLAHOMA PLAYLIST This playlist celebrates contributions to music by Black Oklahomans. Curated by Don Data and Jabee. @Punk.Black
PunkBlack.com
MONTHLY COLLABORATIVE PLAYLIST
February’s prompt: you are loved
to listen:
to add:
According to the Internet, if you love someone you should tell them, because life is short; but shout it at them in German, because life is also confusing.
89th Street 8911 N Western Ave (OKC) https://89thstreetokc.com Beer City Music Hall 1141 NW 2nd (OKC) https://beercitymusichall.com Blue Door 2805 N McKinley Ave (OKC) https://www.bluedoorokc.com Blue Note 2408 N Robinson Ave (OKC) https://okcbluenote.com Criterion 500 East Sheridan Ave (OKC) https://criterionokc.com Diamond Ballroom 8001 S Eastern Ave (OKC) https://diamondballroom.com Factory Obscura 25 NW 9th St (OKC) https://factoryobscura.com/ Grand Royale 1749 NW 16th St (OKC) https://www.instagram.com/grandroyaleokc Jones Assembly 901 W Sheridan(OKC) https://www.thejonesassembly.com Opolis 113 N Crawford Ave (Norman) https://www.opolis.org Point A 2124 NW 39th St (OKC) pointa.space PONYBOY 423 NW 23rd St(OKC) https://www.ponyboyokc.com/ Resonant Head 400 SW 25th St STE A(OKC) https://www.resonanthead.com The Sanctuary 1012 N Indiana Ave (OKC) https://www.facebook.com/thesanctuaryok The Snug Lounge 2321 S Robinson Ave (OKC) https://tinyurl.com/28xrzaet/ 51st Street Speakeasy 1114 NW 51st Street (OKC) http://www.51stspeakeasy.com/ Tower Theatre 425 NW 23rd St(OKC) https://towertheatreokc.com Zoo Amphitheater 2101 NE 50th St(OKC) https://thezooamphitheatre.com/
V E N U E S
$ = $1-30 $$= $31-99 $$$= $100+
February CALENDAR
= All Ages
Gras Party w/King Cabbage Brass @ Beer City 01 Mardi Music Hall $ THU
Open Mic Night (Hosted by Jarvix) @ Factory Obscura $ 14
02 Casey Donahew w/Cam Allen @ The Criterion $$ FRI
Glass Human w/Foxburrows @ The Opolis $ Dr. Pants and Dion Warlocke @ Point A Gallery Headspace Residency with Lennon + Original Flow, Siyirr, Psych the Wordsmith, and Chanda Graham @ Resonant Head $ Cory Wong w/Monica Martin @ Tower Theatre $ Anarchy 4 Assholes w/Kinda Creepy and Low Down Weasel @ Grand Royale $
Haddock w/Tyler Wilhelm & Clay Coughlin @ 03 Hayden Beer City Music Hall $ SAT
Bee and the Hive @ The Opolis $ The Ugly Cowboys and Mommy Dearest @ Point A Gallery Trilogy w/Josh Sallee and DJ Gary Brown @ Resonant Head $ The Floozies: Porty Hord Tour @ Tower Theatre $
Necklace w/Moondough & Lobby Boxer @ 89th 04 Gold St. SUN
$
Cancerslug @ 89th St. $
06 Mipso @ Beer City Music Hall $ TUE
Archer Oh w/Tokyo Swish and Cherry Laurel @ RH $
07 Jared James Nicols w/The Bites @ 89th St. $ WED
Swim Fan w/Daniel Gun and Maddie Razook @ Resonant Head $ Explosions in the Sky w/Daniel Mudliar @ Tower Theatre $
08 The Emo Night Tour @ 89th St. $ THU
Portugal. The Man w/Snacktime @ Jones Assembly $$ GOSSIP w/Mr. Werewulf and Friends at Opolis $ Likewise w/Bee and the Hive, and the Muffled Sirens @ Resonant Head $
09 Zac Wilkerson @ The Blue Door $ FRI
Andy Fraso & the U.N. w/Dogs in a Pile @ Beer City Music Hall $ Alicia Villareal @ The Criterion $$ Ozark Rivera w/Blue Morrison @ Opolis $ Soft Hands @ Tower Theatre $
w/Left to Suffer, Fox Lake, No Cure, and Burn 10 Gideon the Throne @ 89th St. $ SAT
Dylan Scott @ The Criterion $$ V Day Bash w/Nia Mone @ Factory Obscura $ Jason Boland & The Stragglers @ The Auditorium at the Douglass $ Amy Elizabeth Quinn w/Kite Bake and Joe Myside @ Grand Royale $
11 Dissociation @ Point A Gallery SUN
Wolf Ugly w/Cryhard and Sonny B @ Grand Royale $
Cinema w/Jack, Cowtippers, and Idiot Mile 12 Social @ Resonant Head MON
$
13 Mickey Darling w/Nick Wagen @ Beer City Music Hall $ TUE
Trousdale w/Abbey Cone @ Tower Theatre
$
14 Messer Chups @ 89th St. $ WED
Lettuce @ Tower Theatre $
15 Kat Hasty @ Beer City Music Hall $ THU
Strings w/Bottom of the Barrel @ Beer City Music 16 Eureka Hall $ FRI
Josh Ward @ Diamond Ballroom $ Hanger 11 and Fire Bad @ Point A Gallery
Ramirez @ Blue Door $$ 17 David Mac Saturn w/The Thing with Feathers @ Beer City SAT
Music Hall $ Saint Asonia w/Black Stone Cherry @ Diamond Ballroom $ Gonzo Le Bronzo @ Opolis $ Compost Adjacent @ The Speakeasy $
Pleasures @ The Blue Door $ 18 The Willi Carlisle w/Ken Pomeroy @ Resonant Head $ SUN
Jeffrey Dallet w/Scott Ryan and the devilish folk @ Grand Royale $
19 Dan Bern w/Orit Shimoni @ The Blue Door $ MON
Fish ft. Jesse Dayton @ Tower Theatre $ 20 Samantha The Sheckies w/Potoo and Get Fired @ Grand TUE
Royale $ Grieves at 89th St.
$ 21 Tish Hinojosa @ The Blue Door $ WED
22 Lockjaw w/Dispositions @ 89th St. $ THU
Zachary Lucky @ The Blue Door $ Thumpasaurus @ Beer City Music Hall $ Randy Rogers Band @ Jones Assembly $$
23 K.C. Clifford @ The Blue Door
$
FRI
24 Travis Linville Birthday Bash @ The Blue Door $ SAT
Channel Changer w/Shed Club and Peace Monsters @ Opolis $ The Thing w/Strawberry Blonde and Major Good @ Resonant Head $
Mob 84! w/Belle Riots @ Grand Royale $ Black: 10 Years of Limits of Desire w/Nite @ 25 Small Beer City Music Hall $ SUN
Channel Changer @ Point A Gallery Post Sex Nachos w/Smokey Motel @ Resonant Head $
Dylan Moss and the middle class w/Raps&riffs @ Grand Royale $
26 Chappell Roan @ Jones Assembly $$ MON
27 Dylan LaBlanc w/Jesse Roper @ Ponyboy $ TUE
Cult of Chunk w/Diet Riot and Emma Goldman Sachs @ Grand Royale $
Oklahoma Weirder’s Weirder Wednesday 28 Make @ Opolis $ WED
Tow’rs @ Ponyboy
$
29 The Langan Band @ The Blue Door $ THU
AMA, Roadies Edition What’s your favorite breakup or independence song? Merry Happy by Kate Nash -Jackalope
i don't know if i'd call them my /favorite/, but "sigh no more" by mumford and sons was my big break up album. the songs "miss missing you" and "alone together" by fall out boy and “i love you” by woodkid were big ones for me too. for an independence song, i'd say "mr. brightside" by the killers and “the pheonix” by fall out boy. i was /just/ getting into this music and then had a big ol split that ruined it for me for a long time lol - primal opossum Husker Du: Don’t Want to Know If You Are Lonely Le Tigre: Keep on Livin‘ Metric: Now or Never Now The Clash: Train in Vain Yeah Yeah Yeahs: Maps - Granny Anarchy
Got a question for the Roadies? Email Oklahoma.UMA@gmail.com
we want your favorite albums show reviews hot takes scribbles Art shower thoughts playlists classified posts feedback ideas/suggestions requests
Email us at oklahoma.uma@gmail.com UMAmi is a monthly 'zine by members of the Oklahoma Underground Music Archive. Copies are distributed by roadies around the first weekend of each month and can be found at Metropolitan Library branches and at music and alt-lifestyle locales around the metro, such as: 89th St / Bad Granny's / Beer City / Core Board / Elemental Coffee / Empire / Factory Obscura / Floating Bookshop / Orange Peel / O.P.E.R.A. / Opolis / Ponyboy / The Pump / Red Cup / The Sanctuary MetroLibrary.org/OK-UMA/