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The local bands of Norman Music Festival STORY BY SILAS BALES • SILASBALES@OU.EDU
SHANE BYLER/THE DAILY
Local band Rainbows are Free performs on April 29 at the 2017 Norman Music Festival.
Norman Music Festival attracts people from all over, as festival goers, sponsors and, most importantly, musicians. Many of the performing bands, however, originate from and around the Oklahoma City metro area. While the Norman Music Festival has talent from all over, a lot of talent doesn’t have to come far for one of the largest free music festivals in the world. JP “Jabee” Williams, an Oklahoma City rapper and Emmy award winner, will be performing at 11:10 p.m. on Friday. After getting his start in 2008, he grew more popular, with his 2016 album reaching No. 25 on iTunes. At Norman Music Festival, however, Jabee will be performing some new content alongside a full band and string quartet. “My newest album came out in 2020, so I didn’t get to do it for Norman Music Festival that year because of the pandemic,” Williams said.
“We’re going to perform that. It was a big album for me.” Jabee said that Norman Music Festival has an energy unlike any other and that he is thrilled to be coming back to his favorite event. “Norman Music Festival is one of my favorite, favorite festivals to perform. It’s always good to be in a place where you’re with the people who are closest to you, and it’s just always been the lavish show of the year, so I’m just happy that it’s finally back home. I’m excited to do it, and for musicians in Oklahoma it’s like, you know, one of the big stages you can be on each year.” Another local artist that will be performing at the event is the band Rainbows are Free, a local Norman band formed in 2007 from the ashes of many other rock bands in the area. The band defines its music as “heavy petal” and is known for their wild stage performances, even at previous Norman Music Festivals.
Richie Tarver, lead guitarist and songwriter of Rainbows are Free, said Norman Music Festival is unique in that it is a quality event and also free. “It’s very well curated,” Tarver said. “The lineups are shows that are very painstakingly chosen, very cool and often (feature) new artists that a lot of the populace haven’t seen, but the other allure is that it’s free. And it’s not a free festival that looks like a free festival. It’s a top-notch ... festival that also happens to be free.” Rainbows are Free will be performing on Saturday at 9:30 p.m. with a mostly new lineup for the event. “Like most people that were in bands or other musical endeavors, we got a lot of material from the last couple of years that we’ve been in the woodshed writing,” Tarver said. “Our set is going to be predominantly new, and we’ve actually got a couple of new things coming out on the horizon for Rainbows.” Tarver also said that they hope to improve on their previous performances. “We are notorious for putting on a spectacle in addition to having a blowout rock ’n’ roll show, so we’re hoping to keep the ante up on that,” Tarver said. “We’re talking stage theatrics, costumes, all that good stuff, and maybe even some special guests will join us up there. We’re just excited to be able to perform for people.” Jason Scott and the High Heat, led by local singer-songwriter and the band’s namesake Jason Scott, will be performing at the festival on at 11 p.m. Friday night. Their event performance will feature their debut album, “Castle Rock,” which was released this past February. Scott said he’s excited to attend the event as a listener as well as a performer. “I think we have a good slot, and
the weather will be nice, so I’m definitely looking forward to playing, but I’d like to hear some of the other local bands as well,” Scott said. While Scott has performed at Norman Music Festival in the past with other groups, High Heat will be making their first appearance at Norman Music Festival this year. Scott said that for him, music is more than just the song itself. “Music has always kind of been a part of me,” Scott said. “Getting to play songs that we’ve all put work into, lyrics that I’ve written, and being able to perform art that we’ve all worked on, and connecting with a crowd, you know, that’s a feeling. That connection is something that I’m personally always chasing. That energy and that vibe, that feeling gets the crowd real riled up.” Oklahoma has many bands featured at the event, while these are just a few that will be performing over the festival’s three day stretch. To check out the full list of bands playing, the featured bands of each day, and more info on the weekend, you can visit the Norman Music Festival website and their social media.
KATHRYN STACY/THE DAILY
Jabee on April 26 at the 2019 Norman Music Fest.
