UMAmi Monthly Music Zine, January 2024

UMAmi a monthly music zine via the OK Underground Music Archive

Inside this issue: A Review of Gavin Taylor & Liquid Girlfriend at the Opolis A Review of “Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: the oral history of emo's mainstream explosion 1999-2008” January’s Music Calendar OKUMA's Musical Picks for Metro Library's Winter Reading Challenge

Angel Lighty Suhrstedt 2/6/73 - 10/29/2023 This month's zine is a tribute to Angel Suhrstedt, a cherished friend, wife, and mother, whose kindness left an indelible mark on our lives. Although Angel passed away on October 29th, 2023, her spirit lives on in those who choose to turn up the radio, savor the small moments, advocate for others, and contribute to a better world, one concert ticket, one book review, and one meaningful conversation at a time.

As the Director of Communications at the Metropolitan Library System, Angel constantly advocated for the freedom of information, and in her daily life, she was an advocate for live music and a steadfast rebel with a punk heart. Her memory inspires us to embrace the rebellious spirit and make the world brighter through shared experiences and genuine connections.

In honor of Angel’s legacy, consider donating to a GoFundMe aimed at a scholarship endowment to OU MLIS program to help people advance their library careers.

You can also jam along to some of Angel’s favorite songs in this playlist, created by her family. Find even more songs by scanning the QR code above, or visiting spoti.fi/484H1KZ

REVIEWS Gavin Taylor & Liquid Girlfriend 12/01/23 @ Right in the heart of Main Street in Norman, OK, is a tiny warm vegan friendly venue called Opolis. Tonight’s show held Gavin Taylor (OKC/UCO ACM) and Liquid Girlfriend(OKC).

Gavin Taylor was decked in an all red suit looking like a mix of Marc Bolan, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger. He walked up to the side of the stage with his Muffled Sirens, Grae McGinnis (guitar), and Blake Dillard (drums). Then the sirens went off. They walked in unison on stage and began an epic performance.

In the middle of the set Taylor brought on Caprie Gordon and they both sang a duet from the lovely Janis Joplin titled “Move Over”. Caprie knew how to move. She had the perfect voice to do a Janis Joplin cover and vocally Taylor complimented her well. Their harmonies were perfectly pitched.

Liquid Girlfriend was up next. Liquid Girlfriend describes themselves as Alternative indie punk rock. They have five band members and their tagline on their socials is “Got mommy issues? You’d love us!” Their band members include Adesley Rios (vocals), Alisha King (guitar/vocals), Aidan Woolum (guitar), Mackenzie Mccombs (bass), and Arion Alaniz (drums).

About three songs in Rios stopped the show to announce that it was their sister-in-law's birthday. They got the whole crowd to sing Happy Birthday. It was a bonding moment for everyone. To celebrate someone they do not even know but to still be happy for them is a big deal. It is something you do not get at these arena shows. Rios knew how to make the crowd connect.

Rios ended the set with their only single that is out right now, “Spongebob Halftime Show”. This killer song was an excellent way to end the set.

-Kenna Attaway

REVIEWS Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: the oral history of emo's mainstream explosion 1999-2008 Caveat - I do not listen to a lot of emo. I don't say that to sound cool (because apparently a lot of people in the emo scene feel like OTHER people think it's brilliant to beat up and belittle emo fans and bands) but because I never got in to a lot of it. I did like Jimmy Eat World, Motion City Soundtrack, New Found Glory, and My Chemical Romance; a few scattered songs from others (like Taking Back Sunday) here and there. There was a lot I didn't like BUT I DIGRESS. I decided to pick up this book to learn more about a movement that took place while I was watching but not paying a lot of attention.

I found the "oral history" format confusing - I kept flipping back to the "cast of characters" at the front of the sections every page or two because I forgot who was who and how it was pertinent to what they were talking about - yet I still enjoyed it, because it was like being at a party where I didn't know anyone and was listening to a bunch of interesting conversations, soaking up behind the scenes information.

AVAILABLE FROM THE METROPOLITAN LIBRARY SYSTEM

I was most interested in the "birth" of emo, with the begats and the bands that might have achieved a more widespread audience if they'd hung on a little longer or started a little later. I also found myself reeling from all the references to LiveJournal and MySpace because I HAD A LIVEJOURNAL and HAND-CODED LOCAL BAND SITES during that era and the descriptions of tech and personal pages full of music brought back visceral memories. (I just checked; my husband's music project Myspace is still there. [myspace.com/brainslur - it's totally not emo.])

I also really enjoyed the slices of life and general thoughts from many of the players, such as Mikey Way in reference to Gerard, the story of Cricket and Clover, behind the scenes at the Warped tour, and I even came to admire someone in a band I really don't like because the book showed that he had some really great ideas.

There was some glossing over of misogyny and misconduct, especially in regards to allegations agains Jesse Lacey of Brand New. Payne and the participants of the book - mostly white men - really seemed to revel in remembering what happened approximately two decades ago, although towards the end of the book there was a brief look at how emo evolved. There were definite nods towards racial diversity (Racetraitor) and LGBTQ (much of the behavior, look, and songs in emo bend and blur gender lines, and many in the scene endured homophobic slurs) which set up an opportunity that just isn't taken: to explore why Hayley Williams of Paramore was basically the only well-known woman of emo, and how female fans were treated and thought of by bands and other fans.

Anyone who lived through the time period has an opportunity to find some substance in the book, and fans of emo bands may find a lot of background to bite into, so if you enjoy any of the above, or Dashboard Confessional, Fall Out Boy, Midtown, Panic! At the Disco, Thursday, or Underoath (or more,) this may be a book you want to look into.

-Granny Anarchy

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 Bluebonnet Bar 321 E Main St (Norman) https://www.bluebonnetbar.com/ Criterion 500 East Sheridan Ave (OKC) https://criterionokc.com Diamond Ballroom 8001 S Eastern Ave (OKC) https://diamondballroom.com The Deli 309 White St (Norman) https://www.facebook.com/TheDeliMusic/ The Depot 200 S Jones Ave, (Norman) https://www.normandepot.org/ 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 Red Brick Bar 311 E Main St (Norman) https://www.facebook.com/Red-Brick-Bar416655671758921/ The Sanctuary 1012 N Indiana Ave (OKC) https://www.facebook.com/thesanctuaryok 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+

January CALENDAR

= All Ages

04 Open Mic Night with Make Oklahoma Weirder at THU

Factory Obscura $

05 Pat Green at Jones Assembly $$ FRI

06 Black Magnet w/Bleached Cross, Mary Mortem SAT

and Modern Slasher at 89th St. $

Dr. Jr with RADO at Grand Royale $

08 Mulva w/Potoo and Blle Riots at Grand Royale $ MON

09 That 1 Guy at Ponyboy $ TUE

11 Capstan at 89th St. $ THU

Anita Velveeta, Star Student, The Others Like Us, and Photocopy at Resonant Head $

12 Smoking Popes and the Dreaded Laramie at 89th St $ FRI

Smells Like Nirvana with Dead Original and Dime Store Riot at Diamond Ballroom $ Thin White Dukes and The Stringsmen at Tower Theatre $ Matt Williams and Dax Perrier at Beer City Music Hall $

13 James McMurty and BettySoo at The Blue Door SAT

$

Chemicaust w/Arkhon, Lucas, She Hates Me Not, and Grand Inquisitor at 89th St. $ Austin Plaine w/Matt Moran at Resonant Head $ The Panhandlers and Tyler Halverson at Tower Theatre $

16 Broken Vow, Agony, and Fungus, and Free 4 All at TUE

The Sanctuary $

17 Ritual, Mad Honey, Snuff, and Idiot Mile at WED

The Sanctuary $

18 Lotus at Beer City Music Hall $ THU

Hayden Pedigo and Ken Pomeroy at Resonant Head $ The Holy Ghost tabernacles choir w/Donnie Doolittle, tongues on fire, and Xpiredayz at Grand Royale $

19 Travis Linville at Ponyboy $ FRI

A charitable, cozy coat collecting concert with Coat + companions at Resonant Head $

Butchery w/Bad Tripp and F6 at The 20 Unrelenting Sanctuary $ SAT

Yung Lxvr at 89th St

$

Some Kind of Nightmare w/Saving Eels and Fire Bad! at Grand Royale $

Chase Kerby, Donavan Funk, and Grayson Hamm at Resonant Head $

22 Robyn Hitchcock at The Blue Door $$ MON

Ahead and Die w/Bodybox, Second Shooter, 24 Go Self Inflicted, and Medicine Horse at 89th St

$

WED

Kitchen Dwellers with Leon III at Beer City Music Hall $ The Mountain Goats with Craig Finn and Bully at Tower Theatre $

25 Kazha at Grand Royale $ THU

Bite Showcase Pt. 3 w/Cicadia, The Raven & The 27 Shark Bear, Depraved, Chaff, Taranis, and Shanti at 89th St $ SAT

Braxton Keith and Chandler Pearson at Beer City Music Hall $

29 We The Kings at Beer City Music Hall $ MON

Buck Meek w/Dylan Meek at Resonant Head

30 Plain White T’s at Beer City Music Hall

$

$

TUE

31 Sinking Season w/jockey, sunfo, and King Pink at Grand WED

Royale $

OK UMA'S MUSICAL PICKS FOR METRO LIBRARY'S WINTER READING CHALLENGE There's nothing more punk rock than rallying behind your local library. Metro Library's Winter Reading Challenge runs Jan 1 - Feb 29. Score a bingo on a 25-spot sheet for awesome prizes.

Read or listen to five books for your chance at the grand prize - a Metro Library mug, ice cream coupon, James Patterson tickets, headphones, and a cozy blanket. Any reading form counts, making it the ultimate way to kick off the new year.

Unleash your inner reader with themes like "by an author of color," "mystery or thriller," "graphic novel or comic," and the most crucial one – "about music."

Books about music from primal opossum ( all available at metro library ) Diamond Ballroom: From Country Swing to Heavy Metal by Vernon Gowdy Harley Loco: Hard Living, Hair, and Post-Punk, from the Middle East to the Lower East Side by Rayya Elias Heavy Tales: The Metal. The Music. The Madness as Lived by Jon Zazula by Jon Zazula London's Burning: True Adventures on the Frontlines of Punk, 1976-1977 by Dave Thompson Metal Cats by Alexandra Crockett Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain Point of View: Me, New York City, and the Punk Scene

by Chris Stein Pump Me Up: DC Subculture of the 1980s by Roger Gastman

Red Paint: The Ancestral Autobiography of a Coast Salish Punk by Sasha Lapointe Riot Days by Maria Alyokhina Rock and Roll Woman: The 50 Fiercest Female Rockers by Meredith Ochs Sellout: The Major-Label Feeding Frenzy that Swept Punk, Emo, and Hardcore (1994-2007) by Dan Ozzi The Humorless Ladies of Border Control: Touring the Punk Underground from Belgrade to Ulaanbaatar by Franz Nicolay The Politics of Punk: Protest and Revolt from the Streets by David A. Ensminger The Station by Christopher Killip Under the Big Black Sun: A Personal History of LA Punk by John Doe We Are The Clash by Mark Anderson & Ralph Heibutzki What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal by Laina Dawes

Books about music from granny anarchy ( all available at metro library ) Anger is an Energy: My Life Uncensored by John Lydon Autobiography by Morrissey Boyz N The Void: A Mixtape to my Brother by G'Ra Asim Bunnyman: Post-War Kid to Post-Punk Guitarist of Echo and the Bunnymen by Will Sergeant Coal to Diamonds: A Memoir by Beth Ditto Cured: The Tale of Two Imaginary Boys by Lol Tolhurst Die Young with Me: A Memoir by Rob Rufus Everybody Loves our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm

Face It: A Memoir by Debbie Harry (in collaboration with Sylvie Simmons) Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon Goth: A History by Lol Tolhurst Hardcore Anxiety : a Graphic Guide to Punk Rock and Mental Health by Reid Chancellor Hit So Hard: A Memoir by Patty Schemel I slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir by Mickey Leigh with Legs McNeil I'm Not Holding Your Coat: My Bruises-and-All Memoir of Punk Rock Rebellion by Nancy Barile Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck by Brett Morgen Lonely Boy : Tales from a Sex Pistol by Steve Jones Made in Hollywood: All Access with the Go-Go's by Gina Schock Ministry: The Lost Gospels According to Al Jourgensen by Al Jourgensen More Fun in the New World: The Unmaking and Legacy of L.A. Punk by John Doe My Damage: The Story of a Punk Rock Survivor by Keith Morris with Jim Ruland New York Rock: From the Rise of the Velvet Underground to the Fall of CBGB by Steven Blush My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grits, Guts & Glory by Roger Miret Patti Smith: America's Punk Rock Rhapsodist by Eric Wendell Punk Paradox: A Memoir by Greg Graffin Punk Rock Blitzkrieg: My Life as a Ramone by Marky Ramone with Rich Herschlag Punks in Peoria: Making a Scene in the American Heartland by Jonathan Wright and Dawson Barrett.

Reckless: My Life as a Pretender by Chrissie Hynde Ramones at 40 by Martin Popoff, foreword by CJ Ramone See a Little Light: The Trail of Rage and Melody by Bob Mould

Serving the Servant: Remembering Kurt Cobain by Danny Goldberg Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran Smash!: Green Day, the Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the '90s Punk Explosion by Ian Winwood Sonic Life: A Memoir by Thurston Moore Texas is the Reason: The Mavericks of Lone Star Punk by Richard Linklater with photography by Pat Blashill The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad The Clash on The Clash: Interviews and Encounters edited

by Sean Egan The Secret History of Black Punk by Raeghan Buchanan There's no Bones in Ice cream: Sylvain Sylvain's Story of the New York Dolls by Sylvain Sylvain This Searing Light, the Sun and Everything Else: Joy Division : The Oral History by Jon Savage To Throw Away Unopened by Viv Albertine Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock's Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace with Dan Ozzi Trouble Boys: the True Story of the Replacements by Bob Mehr We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America by Kevin Mattson What I see: The Black Flag Photographs by Glen Friedman

Rock on and join the literary revolution at metrolibrary.org/winterreading.

CLASSIFIEDS SEEKING EXPERIMENTAL SOLO MUSICIANS Make Oklahoma Weirder is booking for our unconventional local music showcase series, Weirder Wednesday.

If you play unusual instruments or traditional instruments in an unusual way, we want to hear from you! We've featured everything from harsh noise to improvised electronics to avant-garde chamber music to ambient cigar box guitar to a miniature opera about bowling.

If it's weird, original, and musical, we want to see it!

All ages are eligible! For more information, please contact Evan Jarvicks at makeoklahomaweirder@gmail.com

MONTHLY LOCAL PLAYLIST In celebration of the new year, here are some local songs in the vein of “cautious optimism” - ZT Boomer by Bartees Strange

Pro Ocean - Nylon Don

When This Blows Over by John Calvin

Version by Husbands

Abney

macheene by Easier

Closure Pt. 4 by Psych the Wordsmith,

when we meet again by Burl

Sun Deep, Flo St8, Ayanna LeDay

Warriors by Psych the

Take Some Time by Wilderado

Wordsmith and Sun Deep

MONTHLY COLLABORATIVE PLAYLIST

January’s prompt:

Carpe that Diem aka, the Get Sh*t Done playlist to listen: to add:

AMA, Roadies Edition Jarvix asked:

What was your favorite music album of 2023?

In addition to "The Essential Clash" and a lot of Sprints, which I only wish I had in album format, My most-listened to (new and old) albums in 2023 were Trail of Dead's "Bleed Here Now," Hum's "You'd Prefer an Astronaut," Metric's "Formentera," New Pornographer's "Whiteout Conditions," and Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Cool It Down."

- Granny Anarchy For bigger artists, I was definitely playing boygenius’s The Record a lot this year, but as far as local artists, I’ve enjoyed Keathley’s Frostbite single (who, coincidentally, I would recommend to any boygenius fans) and am looking forward to her new album and have loved the new releases from splendora21.

-ZT I don't honestly keep up with when music comes out, but my favorite album I listened to this year was Imaginary Appalachia by Colter Wall.

YouTube says I’m in the top 2% of all listeners, which is a little embarrassing since I just found out about him over the summer. I've clearly entered a country-ish vibe for the first time in my life lol.

-Primal Opossum My favorite album that was new to me this year was a 90s gothic rock album called Achromaticia by Disjecta Membra. My particularly favorite tracks include "Rats" and "The Sleep."

-Emily I rarely listen all the way through albums w/o getting distracted or scavenging tracks for a playlist, but I did love Oh Land’s Loop Soup and SuperKnova’s superuniverse.

-Jackalope

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

MetroLibrary.org/OK-UMA/