UMAmi 003: September 2023

REVIEWS

"Meet Me in the Bathroom" is a 2022 documentary film based on the same-titled 2017 book by Elizabeth Goodman. It covers the 2000 NYC music scene and features The Moldy Peaches, The Strokes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Interpol, TV on the Radio, The Rapture, and LCD Soundsystem. MMITB compiles home movies, tour footage, and voice-over interviews. Subjects include social awkwardness, drugs, the gentrification of Brooklyn, what it's like to be the son of an immigrant, injuries caused by frenzied performances, media piracy, personal relationships, and somberly in-depth experiences of 9/11. MMITB is not a tidy story or neat essay, but a jumbled scrapbook. New York cares and this is no modern romance. Recommended for fans of the acts and era.

-Granny Anarchy

Wardale Wilson vs. The World (of Streaming)

Self-produced OKC-based hip-hop artist Wardale Wilson has been marching to the beat of his own drum machine for years, finding a place in the greater online sphere of music to indulge in cinematic concepts. His versatile palette ranges from melodic pop rap to hardhitting bar spitting to moody trap spells, all elevated with lyricism that rejects empty calorie party music in favor of more emotional or philosophical angles. His art is valuable, and he knows it.

In 2023, Wilson has drawn a line in the sand with streaming platforms, underscoring what many musicians have known for some time. Streaming platforms pay more in exposure bucks than actual money. Numerous strategies have cropped up to recoup revenue losses. In addition to the resurgence of physical media like vinyl and cassettes, independent artists have sold digital album downloads exclusively on personal websites before releasing them onto the rest of the internet. Tulsa rapper 1st Verse, for instance, somewhat famously charged $30 for his album VSXO in the pre-pandemic times, and it still can't be found on the likes of Spotify today.

Wardale Wilson's line in the sand is similar. His last couple of singles, the intense "PSA (No Lives Matter)" and the independence anthem "No Strings" have been kept from streaming to funnel fans to his website and Bandcamp page. While his forward-thinking music has earned him well over 100,000 total Spotify plays over the years, Wilson recognizes that these are over 100,000 times his art has been exploited by the machine for profits he doesn't receive. So far, the shift to self-hosted paid downloads has paid off in hundreds of dollars in sales, which, given the current payout rates, is probably more than he has made from all streaming services combined to date. And that ain't bad for a new strategy just two releases in.

For more, visit wardalewilson.com

A History Lesson by Granny Anarchy

ZINES

1517

are like magazines but self-published and made to share creativity, experience, and knowledge with a (usually marginalized or niche) community.

Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses about common church practices and the beliefs behind them

1776

Paine's Common Sense, challenging the status quo with ideas that would not have been covered by mass media, is arguably the first American 'zine

Other early publications that could fall under the definition of 'zine include Ben Franklin's self-published works, "The Dial, " 1840-1929;

1920s

and the subversive, underground publications of the Dadaist movement, such as the single-issue Cabaret Voltaire. These works featured another staple of the modern 'zine:

May 1930

The birth of modern 'zines was The Comet, a science-fiction 'zine.

Oct. 1940

Russ Chauvenet dubbed 'fanzine' as the best short form of 'fan magazine.'

1947-48

The 1940s also gave birth to the first known openly queer 'zine, Vice Versa

1950s

Zines about Folk music appeared and artists founded an underground comics movement that changed the face of the comics industry.

1960s

Rock 'zines emerged and IBM introduced their Selectric typewriter, giving zinesters more options in their designs

copy shops made 'zines quicker and cheaper to produce; Punk, DIY, and Indie music arrived on the scene

1980s

Zines proliferated in music subcultures, art, literature, politics, marginalized racial groups, and queer communities.

1990s

1970s 1993

Between Riot Grrrl and other alternative music scenes, zines were a living document of music history and community connections.

Guy Picciotto from Fugazi : "we don’t like those magazines! I mean, we’d rather do fanzines."

Since the advent of the internet, many 'zines have gone digital, but their cultural history and impact continues and cannot be denied. 'Zines are in library archives, museum exhibitions, and workshops, while their style has permeated pop culture for all ages.

Read the full version here:

https://tinyurl.com/pmsbkvys

A Talk With: Primal Brain

Whatlocalband,includingyourown,hasyoumostexcited fortheOKCscene?

Plushie

Whatissomeadviceyouwouldgivetoyouryoungerself?

Startanindieband

Whatwasthefirstmusicyouwereabitobsessedwith?

Punk

Whatkindsofgoalsdoyouhaveforyourmusic?

We'regonnacontinuewriting,recording,andperforming songsthatwelike.We'regonnagetlabelsthatweliketo releaseourmusiconvinyl.Thenwe'regoingonasmany toursaswecantoplaysickshowsforourfriendsaround thecountry.Andthenstarttheprocessoveragain.We'll alwaysbeapunkbandandwe'llalwaysbelivingpunk.

IfyouwereaskedtodoaTedTalk,whatwoulditbeabout?

Systematicdestructionofcriticalthinkingandthe installationoftargetedconditioningtoprovokehate, grievance,andfear

Favoritebook/podcast/show/movie?

33StepstoReclaimYourInnerPowerbyStuartWilde

Whydidthechickencrosstheroad?

Togettothegig

Howwouldyoudescribeyourmusic?

Most of the time I don’t have the energy to explain this and will often tell coworkers or family that it’s “loud and obnoxious” to hopefully kill the conversation. I will sometimes get hit back with “like screamo?” and I’ll have the urge to explain that technically you could draw some comparisons between our band and some of the grittier 90s and early 2000s screamo bands that made a huge impression on me, but then I remember that their only frame of reference for screamo probably exists in some memory of a trip to the mall. Because of how tedious this conversation feels for me I have recently defaulted to saying simply “rock ‘n roll” which I have come to realize is the actual answer.

Whatissomethingyouwishedyoulearnedearlier? Bing-bong

Whatisyourgo-tokaraokesong? 4’33”

PrimalBrain began in January 2020 and consists of Garett on guitar, Ryan on bass, Alex on drums, and Adam on vocals. Due to the pandemic, the band didn’t immediately play shows and instead spent the first year and a half of its existence writing, recording, and practicing regularly. They released their first demo, IT’S ALL A GAME, in September of 2020 and followed up with their second demo, IT’S STILL ALL A GAME, in May 2022. Primal Brain has toured the Midwest and the south. The band’s future plans include continuing to write new songs, recording, and touring. You can find them on BandCampat https://primalbrain.bandcamp.com/album/its-still-all-a-game/

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

PONYBOY423NW23rdSt(OKC)

https://www.ponyboyokc.com/

ResonantHead400SW25thStSTEA(OKC)

https://www.resonanthead.com

TheSanctuary2828NW10thSt(OKC)

https://www.facebook.com/thesanctuaryok

TheSnugLounge2321SRobinsonAve(OKC)

https://tinyurl.com/28xrzaet/

51stStreetSpeakeasy1114NW51stStreet(OKC)

http://www.51stspeakeasy.com/

TowerTheatre425NW23rdSt(OKC)

https://towertheatreokc.com

ZooAmphitheater2101NE50thSt(OKC)

https://thezooamphitheatre.com/

V E N U E S

$ = $1-29 $$= $30-99

$$$= $100+

= All Ages

11

September

Nothing More with Dead Poet Society, Hyro The Hero, and Post Profit @ Diamond Ballroom $$-$$$

12 Black Joe Lewis with Brandon Birdwell @ BCMH $

Fea at Grand Royale $

13

Johnny Manchild & The Selfless Lovers @ Blue Note $

Lady Camden @ Tower Theatre $-$$

Ashnikko @ Criterion $$

Sylvan Esso @ the Jones Assembly

Murder Rate and Exist to Infect @ the Sanctuary

14

Gossip @ Opolis $

Widow @ Resonant Head $

15

Soft Hands @ Tower Theatre $

Iguana Death Cult @ Resonant Head $

16

Keathley and the Burning Bras @ Resonant Head $

Big Bubble Rave @ Tower Theatre $

Curse the Knife album release show @ Sanctuary

17 Courtney Marie Andrews & Ramsey Thornton @ R.H. $

Prof with Cashinova, J. Plaza, and Willie Wonka @ Tower Theatre $

18

KOSU Welcomes: Broken Social Scene with Hannah

Georgas @ Tower Theatre $$

Kurt Travis @ 89th Street

Being Dead with Love Seats & Ugly Cowboys @ R.H. $

$ = $1-29 $$= $30-99

$$$= $100+

= All Ages

September

19 Unwed Sailor @ Resonant Head $

SWAN Open Mic @ Opolis

BreadTalks @ Opolis

20 Model/Actriz @ Resonant Head $ Avatar with Orbit Culture and Native Howl @ Diamond Ballroom $

21 Left to Suffer @ 89th Street

Ivan Cornejo @ Criterion

Dance Dance Party Party @ Opolis

$

22 Mad Honey with Photocopy @ Resonant Head

Beth Orton with Ben Sloan @ Beer City Music Hall $ $

Pelvis Wrestley (ATX) & Blake Burgess @ Factory Obscura $

23

Be Our Guest (Disney DJ Night) @ Tower Theatre $-$$

Tyler Halverson @ Diamond Ballroom

Sigmund Freud Historical Society Presents: Punk Rock Art Show @ Core4 Brewing

Yungatita @ Resonant Head $

Kelly Willis @ Blue Door $

Ian Moore @ Blue Note $

Uptown After Dark: The Criticals & Labrys @ Tower Theatre

$ = $1-29

$$= $30-99

$$$= $100+

= All Ages

September

25 The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors @ Grand Royale

$

The Midnight with Flamingosis @ Tower Theatre $$-$$$

26 $$

Heartless Bastards @ Beer City Music Hall $

The Gaslight Anthem with Donvan Woods and Catbite @ Tower Theatre

Little Image with Hastings and Levi Evans @ Resonant Head $

SWAN Open Mic @ Opolis

27 Sueco @ Beer City Music Hall $

Queens of the Stone Age with Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth @ Criterion $$ $

Weirder Wednesday @ Opolis

28 $

Damien Jurado with Lilly Miller @ Resonant Head

KOSU Welcomes: Claud @ Beer City Music Hall

Warren Zeiders @ Jones Assembly

Off with Their Heads @ Blue Note

Vinyl Records & Art Night @ Belle Isle Library (5501 N Villa Ave)

Varials @ 89th Street

$$

Gordie Tentrees and Jason Haldane @ Blue Door

Polyphia with DOMi and JD Beck @ Criterion

KOSU Welcomes: Wilderado, with Husbands and Ken Pomeroy @ Tower Theatre

$ 29 30 $-$$

Classified posts are by community members and are not vetted by the zine or library. Stay safe!

Tyler, a bass player with 20 years experience, just relocated to Stillwater from Dallas and is looking to join or jam with a band. Email at TylerBuckmaster91@gmail.com

From our inbox

"We all know at least the basics of a record player: it spins, there’s a needle, and plays music. And on Spotify you can have a queue. What if your record player was like that? What I mean is there would be a little compartment that holds your records, so when you ’ re done listening to one you can just hit a button and the second record comes out of its little drawer. Then the third and on. It would Just make things easier, but it does take the joy out of looking at the album covers, unless it’s albums that you can listen to over and over again so you would probably know the covers by heart." - Meli

we would love to have our own personal jukebox, Meli!

Thanks for the note

AMA, Roadies Edition

How old were you when you first got into the local music scene?

"I was 19! I went to Sunny Side Up's final show at The Conservatory. I'd heard of them from an anime convention I'd just gone to and it sounded fun. I saw Limp Wizurdz there too and loved them and the space. After that I started going to ANY show I could and fell into it real hard."

-PrimalOpossum

I came to OKC for college in 1988 and went to clubs like Angles/The Wreck Room, Pandemonium/Infinity, and Kinetix. I had friends in bands (Lord Chunk and the Bunker Boys and Smoking Buffalo/Resurrection Mary.) I went to all their gigs. They played basements to the Samurai to a festival after The Nixons... I married after college; my husband was in Sugarbomb/Manic Pop Thrill/The Candyguns... Friends have been in bands like Forty Minutes of Hell and The Wurly Birds...I haven't done a lot lately. My eldest son was very active in the DIY scene but he drowned in 2019. I'm just now with the help of the OK UMA getting excited about getting active in the community again. -GrannyAnarchy

I was always super into music growing up and really enjoyed going out to shows, they were my safe space as a teen. At 18 I went to college and, in the midst of my ska phase, was introduced to local bands like The Big News. From then, I just got super passionate about going to any and all local shows, diving into learning more about my scene, and listening to local music. I found a community in the local scene, and it truly helped me fall in love with Oklahoma City. I even met my fiancée at a local show (Mad Honey and Cavern Company at Trolley Stop Record Shop, great show). -Zoe