Name: Dierks Bentley: Broken Branches Tour
Start: 2025-05-31T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-05-31T23:00:00-05:00
Location: BOK Center

John Taylor

United States

The 2025 T.E.G. International Jazz Fest Presented by SpiritBank Member FDIC.
Friday, June 6th, 2025, 6:00 to 10:00 pm
Guthrie Green 111 Reconciliation Way, Tulsa, OK 74103
This is a free event.
Taylor Entertainment Group (T.E.G.) brings the event to Tulsa, for the 10th year in a row, as a part of the International Jazz Day celebration, a worldwide day recognized by the United Nations and UNESCO and dates back to 2011. While International Jazz Day is traditionally observed on April 30, the T.E.G. International Jazz Fest is an official International Jazz Day event.
Our Featured Artist Are:
6:00 pm Max Holm Quartet: Pianist
Website: https://maxholm.com/
7:30 pm Cynthia Simmons Quintet: Vocalist
Website: https://cynthiasimmonsmusic.com/
9:00 pm Paula Atherton: Saxophonist/Flutist/ Vocalist
Website: https://paulaatherton.com/
Emcee: Sondra Slade

The 2025 T.E.G. International Jazz Fest is Presented by SpiritBank Member FDIC and will coincide with the Tulsa Arts District’s monthly First Friday Art Crawl, an event that often draws nearly 3,000 people each month. This, coupled with the event’s free admission, will likely ensure big crowds to take in some truly great jazz performances. Tulsa began participating in International Jazz Day Events in 2016.
#wecantwait #guthriegreen #tulsajazz #SpiritBankMemberFDIC #TEGInternationalJazzFest #TulsaGo #taylorentertainmentgroup #sojazzyradio #tulsaclubhotelcuriocollectionbyhilton
#JazzmanMusicMarketingAndPromotionWorldwide #TulsaFMAC #visittulsa #tegjazzfest #guthriegreen #firstfriday #tulsaoklahoma #TylerMediaTulsa

The 2025 T.E.G. International Jazz Fest is Presented by SpiritBank Member FDIC and will coincide with the Tulsa Arts District’s monthly First Friday Art Crawl, an event that often draws nearly 3,000+

2025 International Jazz Fest Presented by SpiritBank Member FDIC

Guthrie Green

Mary Lynn Mihm

From June 6-8, 2025, experience world-class performances from the world’s most renowned classical musicians: Escher Quartet, Manhattan Chamber Players, Grady Nichols and Natasha Paremski. This year, we are celebrating Norway’s art, culture, and music, featuring famous Norwegian composer, Edvard Grieg.

Join us for the 41st Annual OKM Music Festival, a beloved tradition in North East Oklahoma, on June 6-8, 2025, celebrating the transformative power of music and the arts! 

OKM Music Festival

Bartlesville

Sherry Hacker

The Broken Arrow Community Playhouse
Proudly Presents 

Ken Ludwig’s
“Moon Over Buffalo” 

Call our Box Office 918-258-0077 to purchase tickets or Buy Online www.bacptheatre.com 
Adults $22, Child/Student/Senior/Military $20 *Groups of 10+ Save $2 per Ticket! *
Performance dates June 6-15, 2025
 Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. / Sundays at 2:00 p.m.
1800 S. Main St. Broken Arrow, OK 74012

The Broken Arrow Community Playhouse is happy to present the hilarious comedy Moon Over Buffalo for two weekends in June. Performance dates are June 6 -15: Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. at the Playhouse located at 1800 S. Main Street in Broken Arrow. 

The madcap comedy Moon Over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig is set in the summer of 1953 and centers on George and Charlotte Hay, fading stars of the traveling stage. At the moment, they’re playing Private Lives and Cyrano De Bergerac in repertory theatre in Buffalo, New York. Down on their luck doesn’t begin to describe it. The great movie director Frank Capra is coming to town to see their matinee, and if he likes what he sees, he just might cast them in his movie remake of The Scarlet Pimpernel.  Naked ambition takes over as George and Charlotte do everything in their power to make Capra love them. Unfortunately for George and Charlotte, they are on the brink of a disastrous split-up caused by George’s dalliance with a young ingénue. Throw in the antics of the sharp-tongued, hard of hearing mother-in-law Ethel and a surprise visit from their daughter Rosalind and her clueless fiancé Howard, plus the hilarious uncertainty about which play they’re actually performing, and everything that could go wrong does go wrong. With a plethora of pratfalls, slamming doors aplenty, and backstage shenanigans, Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo is a fast-paced, hilarious screwball comedy in the old tradition, a throwback farce, a valentine to the stage, and the larger-than-life personalities that inhabit the world of the theatre.

The BACP is pleased to welcome back director Don Tabberer. Don recently directed The Girl on the Train and Christmas in My Hometown. Don has assembled a stellar cast to bring this uproarious play to life on our stage. The cast includes: Noah Barnes, Zoe Burdess, Jody Graham, Paul Henry, Chae Page, Evan Paik, Ruth Seefeldt and Kevin Thrasher. 

Ken Ludwig's Moon Over Buffalo is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc.www.concordtheatricals.com. This production is made possible in part by grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.


Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Buffalo” 
Call our Box Office 918-258-0077 to purchase tickets or Buy Online www.bacptheatre.com 
Adults $22, Child/Student/Senior/Military $20 *Groups of 10+ Save $2 

Ken Ludwig's "Moon Over Buffalo"

Broken Arrow Community Playhouse

SoulFest Nebraska

🌞✨ Something Magical is Coming ✨🌿

Mark your calendars and prepare for a day of mystery, magic, and midsummer vibes—because Soulstice in the Park returns to Hastings, NE on June 7th, 2025! 🌿🌞

You won’t want to miss this one-of-a-kind experience filled with creativity, connection, and a little bit of SoulFest spirit under the open sky at Chautauqua Park from Noon–6 PM.

VENDORS! If you’d like to be part of the magic, sign up now to reserve your spot! ✨

🌟 Online Applications are available on our website: https://www.realvibesjourney.com/soulstice

📩 Or message us directly on Facebook!

Event Agenda:

10:30 A - Somatic Yoga on the Lawn by Leo&Luna

11:30 A - Spell Jars Workshop

1:00 P - Yoga by

2:00 P - Bellydancing Performance by the Liederkranz group

3:00 P - Somatic Yoga by Leo&Luna

4:00 P - Wand Making Workshop

5:00 P - Closing Meditation

6:00 P - Sound Sanctuary

Other activities include face painting, chalk mandala art, and the Crystal Cave!

There will also be food vendors that cater to special dietary needs or preferences!

#SoulsticeInThePark #SaveTheDate #SomethingMagicalIsComing #HastingsNE

🌞✨ Something Magical is Coming ✨🌿

Mark your calendars and prepare for a day of mystery, magic, and midsummer vibes—because Soulstice in the Park returns to Hastings, NE on June 7th, 2025!

Soulstice in the Park

Chautauqua Park

Rachel Arnold

Inquire about job opportunities or find out how All Ways Caring HomeCare can provide personal care services to your loved one. We will have food, drinks, and door prizes available.

Come experience firsthand the All Ways Caring HomeCare difference in Tulsa, OK. Speak with families, caregivers, and administration staff from right here in your hometown. 

All Ways Caring HomeCare OPEN HOUSE

All Ways Caring HomeCare - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Abby Elsbury

The one mile race will start at 8:00am on June 14th in front of Ozzy’s Tavern in Doniphan, NE. We welcome all ages to run or walk. The top 3 males and females Ages 0-16 will receive medals following the 5K. The 5K will start at 8:30am. The route is around the town of Doniphan with volunteers, water station, and a sponge soak.  Both races will be chip timed. When the race has concluded, the medals will be presented in Ozzy’s Tavern. Each participant will also receive a free drink. There will be some activities for all ages on the Main Street of Doniphan during the race. Come support the Type 1 Diabetics and enjoy your morning in the town of Doniphan.  
Please follow DoniphanDiabetesDash4 on Facebook. You can register online at https://www.raceentry.com/8th-annual-doniphan-diabetes-dash/race-information until the morning of the race. Please reach out with any questions at doniphandiabetesdash@gmail.com

The Doniphan Diabetes Dash is a one mile, 5K, and Virtual 5K. All the proceeds go towards Type 1 Diabetes programs, camp, and research. 

8th Annual Doniphan Diabetes Dash

Doniphan

Charle Schilling

June 24-29, 2025  Tour de Nebraskaska
Route: Curtis • Elwood • Cambridge • Mccook * A bicycle adventure!

The Tour de Nebraska is a fully sagged, 5-day bicycle tour, pedaling through beautiful, scenic rural Nebraska every year in June. It’s our 37th year, and we want to spend it someplace new and different! We were inspired by the invitation of some of our McCook(ie) riders that encouraged us to come experience with wonderful hospitality and to challenge us to go somewhere fun and NEW! Back by popular demand, TDN features a  "double" format with two nights in McCook, NE. McCook Nebraska located in the heart of southwestern Nebraska, considered to be the 'High Plains" of the Midwest.

Come ride with us and take in some inspiring landscapes, homegrown brewery, outdoor activities and the wonderful hospitality only found in in this part of Nebraska.

Tour de Nebraska provides a fun way for cyclists to experience the beauty and friendliness of rural Nebraska. People of all ages from nearly every part of the world have ridden Tour de Nebraska, and call it the most memorable adventure of their lives!

TDN sags your gear, plots the most gorgeous route possible and takes care of meal and camping arrangements. You are truly on your own—no schedules, no deadlines, and no kids (unless you want to bring them)! All you have to do is pedal and enjoy the amazing scenery available only in Nebraska.
 
Tour de Nebraska is a five-day (Wednesday-Sunday) circle tour, which means riders enjoy the convenience of starting and ending at the same place. The TDN is limited to 500 riders, which allows for meaningful interaction between riders and the quaint communities we visit. Our size also allows our team to provide excellent service to each and every cyclist! Daily mileage ranges from 45-70 miles, making the TDN an especially perfect multi-day tour for first-timers or seasoned veterans! Many return year after year—that’s why we say, “The TDN is like a family reunion on wheels!”

June 24-29, 2025  Tour de Nebraskaska
Curtis • Elwood • Cambridge • Mccook * A bicycle adventure!
Tour de Nebraska is a fully sagged, 5-day bicycle tour, pedaling through beautiful, scenic Nebraska

Tour de Nebraska

Curtis

Kayla Griffin

Uncorking is the National MS Society’s cornerstone annual fundraising event, paying tribute to the vast network of Oklahoma area medical professionals, volunteer leaders, organizations and corporations dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people living with MS. The festive evening includes a cocktail reception, dinner, live auction, and an inspiring program that educates guests about the progress and strides the Society has made in the fight against MS. 

We are thrilled to honor our founding father, Tom Tate of Woodrum, Tate & Associates. 

Please join us at the 24th annual Uncorking the Cure for MS  for an inspirational evening of fine food and fellowship while we to raise funds and awareness to help find a cure for MS.

Uncorking the Cure for MS, Tulsa

Hyatt Regency Tulsa Downtown

Oklahoma City Turkey Tracks

Gather your favorite pilgrims and pals of all ages for the best Thanksgiving run Oklahoma has to offer — the Oklahoma City Turkey Tracks on November 27, 2025! Choose between the 5K and 1-Mile course and gobble your way through downtown Oklahoma City.

Strut your way across the finish line where the post-race party will be waiting for you. And because there is always room for sweets on Thanksgiving, make sure to grab your More™ Family Baked Apple Snack Pie at the after-party before flocking home for seconds!

Gather your favorite pilgrims and pals of all ages for the best Thanksgiving run Oklahoma has to offer — the Oklahoma City Turkey Tracks on November 27, 2025!

2025 Oklahoma City Turkey Tracks 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run

Northwest 5th Street & North Harvey Avenue

Annie and the Hedonists

Caffe Lena

The Bakerville Band (21+ Event)

Cain's Ballroom

SUPPORTING ZACH TOWNSEND AND LEE KIMBRELL

Adam Bush is comedian from Tulsa, OK. In 2018, he won comedian Mike Birbiglia’s #birbigsunderstudy contest, thus beginning his standup career. Adam’s first, comedic, one-man show, Who Brought the Kid, can be seen on YouTube. His Dry Bar special, My Mom is Funnier than Your Mom, is also streaming now.

Adam Bush

Loony Bin Comedy Club

Sibling tandem, Cara and Troy Bishop weave elements of hip-hop, electronic, pop and jazz to form their multifarious, self-produced sound-simultaneously futuristic and down to earth. Drawing from their shared upbringing, The Bishops channel their musical gifts for both healing and the construction of new dreamscapes and mythologies.

The Bishops

OKC Taproom

Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers are a modern-day powerhouse-blues band, built on old-school influences and a mutual love for the down'n'dirty style blues. https://DirtyRedandtheSoulShakers.com Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers are a modern-day powerhouse-blues band, built on old-school influences and a mutual love for the down'n'dirty style of blues that define the band's sound. A dangerously tight rhythm section, backing a funky, shake-your-money-maker groove, guarantees ladies dancing and good times! Top that with wailing blues harp, jaw-dropping guitar licks, and the unmistakable charm and soul of the towering blues-man they call, "Dirty Red," and you can bet you're gonna find yourself hooked. In January 2018, Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers represented Oklahoma at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. They made it into the semi-finals.

Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers: Mojo's Blues Festival 2025

Mojo's Blues Club

Bob Dylan Event featuring Steve Jenkins and the Bob Dylan Center of Tulsa With live performance by The Imaginaries The Imaginaries is an Americana band formed in the open plains of Oklahoma. Consisting of husband & wife duo Shane Henry (guitar, vocals) & Maggie McClure (piano, vocals), their debut album was released March 26, 2021. It was recorded in famed Muscle Shoals, AL with legendary “Swampers” & serves as both an introduction to The Imaginaries and the beginning of their journey as a band after both singer songwriters have enjoyed their own successes as solo artists. The songs are filled with effortless harmonies, heartfelt lyrics & real-life lessons. Maggie, with her subtly sweet vocals and piano-driven style fuses seamlessly with Shane’s blues-rock grit to form their own unique blend of Americana/Singer-Songwriter music. The Imaginaries were selected to open for the Brian Setzer Orchestra Christmas Rocks! Tour in 2019. The duo also opened for Judy Collins and John Waite in 2021. Maggie and Shane have written/produced the soundtrack for and will be making their debut as Film Producers with upcoming feature, A Cowgirl's Song written/directed by Timothy Armstrong, in which they are Co-Producers, Music Directors, & Music Producers. The film stars Cheryl Ladd, Savannah Lee May and Darci Lynne. Maggie and Shane co-star in the country music driven family feature film, distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films. In Theaters and On Digital April 22, 2022 On NETFLIX August 21, 2022

The Imaginaries @ Stockyards Rodeo Cinema (Bob Dylan Event)

Centennial Rodeo Opry

Deep Ella

White Oak Music Hall

42 Balloons

Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

Doors 7pm, Show 7:30pm
Tickets available at the door only, $15 suggested donation

with special guest FRANTIC YOUTH

ABOUT KEVIN McCLURE:
Kevin McClure has two criteria for his music: the lyrics must be written earnestly and the instrumentation must be ambitious- utilizing a broad scope of music theory, timbre, and genre. Whether it’s music written for a quiet night at home or for blasting loud while driving down the highway, his songs are for people who want profound lyrics and eclectic musicality. This Omaha-based artist brings an exciting, high-energy live show that invites the crowd to something deeper than passive observers: he builds community. For fans of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Switchfoot, Bright Eyes, and Mat Kearney.

ABOUT PUBLIC FIGURE:
So you want to be a public figure, huh? Don’t we all. Maybe you’re one of those people who wants to use your power for good. Or maybe you just want to make tons of money showing off your pretty face. Well hey, we’re not here to judge. After all, a public figure isn’t made by their critics. A public figure is made by the people who want to see them shine. We are Public Figure, and that is why we make music. The four of us set out to share our lives through song, and find those of you who love what we love and want what we want. We’re happy you made it here. Come join us, as a Figurehead, in getting all the things you’ve never even dreamed of...Vote for us! We're a High-Energy, Band who will make you lose your voices with our catchy choruses and exhaust you from all the jumping, moshing, and dancing you will do at our shows. No... Seriously... Hydrate before you come to our show. We don't want you passing out.

Music from singer-songwriter Kevin McClure. Follow @KevinTMcClure on all social media platforms.

Liederkranz Live: Kevin McClure & Public Figure

Liederkranz

Patrick Sweany

Mercury Lounge

The Tisburys

The Funhouse at Mr. Smalls

Andy Griggs often says his influences in music are like a pot of gumbo. Growing up in Monroe, LA, he was raised on Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggert, Waylon, Bill Monroe, hardcore blues, and hardcore rock'n roll, sprinkled with a touch of jazz. He often says, "there is no defining a style of song. As long as there's soul, it has a place in music." Andy moved to Nashville in 1995 after a childhood life of major mountains and valleys. Music was such a huge inspiration in his young life that it helped him grieve. And he did plenty of that. His father, the praise and worship leader at their church, died from a brain tumor when Andy was 11 years old. His brother Mason, his only sibling took the baton of music and ran with it. Throughout their teenage years, Mason was Andy's hero. Mason died at the early age of 21 from heart complications that he had had since birth. Andy grabbed that same baton and he quotes, "when I jumped into the pool of music, I jumped into the deep end and never came out."
After several years of playing in the blue grass band, 'Jerry and Tammy Sullivan' Andy found himself a record deal with RCA and exploded with his first single "You Won't Ever Be Lonely." After two #1's, five top 5's and 4 other top 10's, Andy came to a musical crossroad in his life…there was something missing. Feeling that his music was only reaching 99% of his capability of releasing his heart and soul, his life was not complete. "My childhood was a roller coaster ride and so has been my profession as a singer. I'm at that point in my life, where I either want to make a difference with a song and a worn out guitar or I need to find something else to do. I've learned that you don't come to this town and TRY to fit a certain mold. You don't TRY to fit a certain style. You don't TRY to sing your heart out. You either DO or you DON'T." This awakening in Andy's restless being caused him to start writing most of his songs and producing his own music. "Heck, I don't know how to produce, I just know what I hear and feel. That's what I want and that's what I have to have." As you listen, to the songs that come out of his voice now, you will realize that he is finally complete and one with his music. Ladies and gentleman, please make welcome to the stage the new, improved, and REAL Andy Griggs.

Andy Griggs often says his influences in music are like a pot of gumbo. Growing up in Monroe, LA, he was raised on Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggert, Waylon, Bill Monroe, hardcore blues, and hardcore rock’n roll, sprinkled with a touch of jazz. He often says, “there is no defining a style of song. As long as there’s soul, it has a place in music.” Andy moved to Nashville in 1995 after a childhood life of major mountains and valleys. Music was such a huge inspiration in his young life that it helped him grieve. And he did plenty of that. His father, the praise and worship leader at their church, died from a brain tumor when Andy was 11 years old. His brother Mason, his only sibling took the baton of music and ran with it. Throughout their teenage years, Mason was Andy’s hero. Mason died at the early age of 21 from heart complications that he had had since birth. Andy grabbed that same baton and he quotes, “when I jumped into the pool of music, I jumped into the deep end and never came out.”

After several years of playing in the blue grass band, ‘Jerry and Tammy Sullivan’ Andy found himself a record deal with RCA and exploded with his first single “You Won’t Ever Be Lonely.” After two #1’s, five top 5’s and 4 other top 10’s, Andy came to a musical crossroad in his life…there was something missing. Feeling that his music was only reaching 99% of his capability of releasing his heart and soul, his life was not complete. “My childhood was a rollercoaster ride and so has been my profession as a singer. I’m at that point in my life, where I either want to make a difference with a song and a worn out guitar or I need to find something else to do. I’ve learned that you don’t come to this town and TRY to fit a certain mold. You don’t TRY to fit a certain style. You don’t TRY to sing your heart out. You either DO or you DON’T.” This awakening in Andy’s restless being caused him to start writing most of his songs and producing his own music. “Heck, I don’t know how to produce, I just know what I hear and feel. That’s what I want and that’s what I have to have.” As you listen, to the songs that come out of his voice now, you will realize that he is finally complete and one with his music. Ladies and gentleman, please make welcome to the stage the new, improved, and REAL Andy Griggs.

For more information about Andy check out his website at www.AndyGriggs.com or on Twitter @TheRealGriggs

Andy Griggs

Sugar Creek Casino

Beneath the smoke and mirrors of Provoker’s aching melodies is a spirit seeking clarity. On their forthcoming record Demon Compass, due October 13 this year via Swedish label YEAR0001, the California post-punk outfit turns inward for answers. Written while waiting for the release of the band's esoteric yet pop-oriented debut Body Jumper, Provoker found themselves shifting their focus from projecting familiar, shadowy figures to embodying them — if only as a means of accessing the dregs of their internal world and confronting the demons that lurk even deeper.

When they first emerged, Provoker’s narrative was parallel to their infernal, no wave sound. The band’s core songwriters, lyricist Christian Crow Petty and instrumentalist Jonathon Lopez, met at a screening of the 2016 black comedy film The Greasy Strangler. However, it was far from coincidence; while living in the greater San Francisco Bay Area, between tattoo scenes and friend groups, Petty’s older brother, Alex, matched the two after hearing that Lopez was looking for a skilled vocalist. Fittingly, the older Petty designed the Demon Compass album artwork: a hand that presents the titular compass, encrusted with winged figures who join together at its northern point. Much like the record’s sound, the image juxtaposes luminosity against overwhelming gloom. What’s visible is churning with unease.

Demon Compass is a collection of songs that work together as an experience. It was recorded partly in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Daniel Fagerström (Viagra Boys), who deconstructed the arrangements Petty and Lopez brought to the country. “We wouldn’t have gotten some of the sounds on the records if we didn’t do that,” Petty says. Demon Compass takes the band’s interest in horror iconography and desolate soundscapes, telling introspective stories about desire, loss and growth. Album highlight “C Ur Face” sets the standard for the album. “These days, I’m hanging by a thread / But tell my friends / I don’t wanna see your face again,” Petty sings. His tone is languid, almost resentful, but the R&B-inflected melody softens the message. Undecided on whether isolation is the key to feeling better, the track paces between creating distance and searching for warmth.

Producer Zach Fogarty (Girlpool, Jean Dawson, The Blssm) highlights Provoker’s melodic sensibilities but doesn’t let them live or indulge in the sounds of the past. “He took it apart and made it what it is now,” Petty recalls. Lopez’s synths carry the project through, buzzing with a digital urgency and applying pressure through noise and other sonic manipulation only when needed. The album dives headfirst into the unknown, brave in its uncertainty. Baroque organ levitates while restless breaths mimic it on “A Fate Tightly Sealed,” which ends the first act of the record. “Bestowed with a willingness to suppress a lifelong appetite” the narrator recites. “I know it now to never be enough.” The track paints an internal anguish, which is subsequently explored in tracks like “It’s In My Head” and “Little Ghost.” Petty explains, “I just want people to listen to it and see all the images I’m trying to put out.”

The band’s sophomore effort also features a collaboration with musical collagist Eyedress, who shared the other half of the collaboration (“Faith In Love”) on their 2022 release FULL TIME LOVER. “Freezing Alive” enmeshes crystalline synths with dark, complementing vocal performances from Petty and Eyedress’ Idris Vicuña. “Sleight of Hand,” another standout track from the record, originated as a Pylon-inspired guitar riff before transforming into a spiral chamber of chrome tinted drums and smoky, plucked guitar. “I’ll make magic with my hands,” Petty sings, blurring the lines between his voice and the static.

Out October 13 — Friday the 13th — Demon Compass finds Provoker opening up and growing between moments of desperate reality and divine realization. Though mournful in tone, it forges a path forward for the band, luring out more of the humanity in their storytelling while still protecting the cryptic, illusory imagery of their previous output.

Provoker

Sinkane music — every note of it — comes straight out of a generosity of spirit. Never has that spirit been on more vivid display than on the uplifting new album Life & Livin’ It. This is feel-good music for trying times, celebrating what makes life good without ignoring what makes it hard.

By the time they finished touring for their acclaimed Mean Love album in late 2015, Ahmed Gallab and the band had spread the gospel of Sinkane to the world, playing 166 shows in 20 countries. During the same period, he had also led The Atomic Bomb Band — the highly celebrated 15-piece outfit that played the music of elusive Nigerian electro-funk maestro William Onyeabor. The band included David Byrne, Damon Albarn, members of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, Jamie Lidell and legendary jazz musicians Pharoah Sanders and Charles Lloyd, and they played all over the planet, including making their TV debut on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. “Those 14 months really changed my life,” Ahmed says. “Not only did I learn how to put on a bigger show, but all that touring brought Sinkane closer as a band.”
 
As Ahmed got into the depths of writing for Life & Livin’ It, he had a clear goal; to conjure the ups and downs of a universal experience, and have fun while doing it. “I would listen to my favorite records, like Funkadelic’s America Eats Its Young, and realize how great they made me feel. That carefree, light and fun feeling I was getting while writing this record is what I want everyone to feel when they listen to it.”
 
Ahmed soon brought the band in to help with the material, testing the songs at a four-show residency of sold-out shows at Union Pool in Brooklyn where the audience’s reception fed the creative process. They toured throughout the summer before setting up shop at Sonic Ranch Studios in El Paso, Texas. Once again produced by Ahmed with lyrics and help from longtime collaborator Greg Lofaro, the album draws from the best elements of Sinkane’s previous records: the slinky funk and soul grooves are there, so are the sparkling melodies with roots in sub-Saharan Africa. With basic tracking played together live, the fun and immediacy of Sinkane’s live show is a central feeling of the recordings. Each one of the four members of Sinkane – bassist Ish Montgomery, drummer Jason Trammell, guitarist Jonny Lam and Ahmed – sing and contribute additional parts on the album, with Trammell contributing lyrics to “Theme from Life & Livin’ It,” and Lam helping with arrangements. Jas Walton and Jordan MacLean of Daptone recording artists Antibalas contributed horns.
 
In making a record that feels like this, Ahmed’s primary intention was to make music that is joyous, but also socially conscious when you scratch beneath the surface. The songs “U’Huh” and “Theme from Life & Livin’ It” conjure up the simple pleasures of hanging with friends, but there are heavier vibes in there. Ahmed says, “I remember listening to Bob Marley as a child. Dancing with my family in our living room and then my mother telling me what issues he was addressing, and that it was important to remember those things while listening. It made the music even better because it became about something more.”
 
“Favorite Song” came about from Ahmed’s experiences DJ’ing in New York. “As a DJ you’re always paying attention to the collective energy in the club. When you play a song that everyone knows, everybody is connected, lost in the music.” That song, along with “U’Huh”, has lyrics sung in Arabic, Ahmed’s native tongue. “Kulu shi tamaam!” means “everything is great!” while “ya zol ya zain!” is a Sudanese term of endearment meaning “my beautiful friend.” “It’s really easy to understand the tone of those words,” Ahmed adds. “They just feel good, you don’t have to know what they mean. It’s kind of like listening to Caetano Veloso or Jorge Ben — you don’t have to know Portuguese to feel what they’re saying.”
True to its name, Life & Livin’ It is an album about all kinds of experiences. When Ahmed Gallab sings, he sounds unafraid yet vulnerable. But while he once sang of feeling like he was on the planet Mars, Ahmed is now firmly grounded on Earth. He’s no longer searching for his home — he has created a home for himself. There’s a party there, and Life & Livin’ It is playing on the stereo. You are invited.
 
The experiences from this on-going endeavor contribute to the collective feel of the record.It is Gallab’s uncanny ability to embrace and assemble a huge history as pure and generous modern-musical expressions. The funky, infectious brasslines of “New Name,” as well as the Equatorial “Young Trouble” are prime examples of the incredible aptitude of Sinkane’s songwriting. Employing the architecture of pop, and a forward-thinking approach to its classic instrumentation, the vibes of Sinkane’s deep-groove past remain intact, in full force.We could lay down a bunch of extra buzzwords to this collection, of course; there are doses of West African funk slow-burners, a noir blaxploitation cool, and a more afro-centric Curtis Mayfield is present, specifically in album standout “Hold Tight.” In the end, these songs GIVE, and its up to you to take what you want.
 
You can detect a surprising country soul rising in the title track, “Mean Love”, and also in the hauntingly beautiful slide guitar work of “Galley Boys.” Both tunes are reminiscent of a time when soul heavyweights such as James Carr and Solomon Burke recorded juke joint anthems. The title track sits proudly on the same mantelpiece as an updated version of those classics, a tearjerker that will grip the imaginative heart of modern concertgoers and collectors of dusty soul on vinyl.
 
It takes a disciplined mind as well as an artistic heart to curate so many influences and disseminate them wisely. A longing and verve for his African origins emanates from the album in a particularly poignant sequence of songs. When “Son” undulates with the mantra, “I will not forget where I came from” and segues into the Sudanese Pop melody of“Omdurman,” (Gallab’s hometown in Sudan) it is the romantic recapturing of a lost childhood memory, and a jolt to the listener’s solar plexus. Says lyricist Greg Lofaro,“I think, to a lot of secular folks, the most compelling argument for heaven is the thought of seeing loved ones. In this case, the melody informed the content very specifically and I knew I wanted to speak graciously, not bitterly, about that. Ahmed typically names sketches for what they’re inspired by or remind him of. Often, that’s something Sudanese (“Warm Spell” had been called “Kurdufan” for awhile). So, it was fitting and we kept the title Omdurman.” This song also has a live quality – when you hear in on record, it precipitates the image of a live hymn, a promise that begs for an audience call and response, “Where, if I should settle down, will I finally settle?”
Mean Love is an album with an open door invitation, and gets deeper with every listen.You hear it right away in the blistering opening track, “How We Be.” An instant classic, sounding like a lost gem of soul funk, a sweetness of voice alongside honey bass lines, the tune grips you and makes you wish for a dance floor, while enticing you to stay for the whole journey of the album.
 
Paul Gilroy, the path-breaking scholar and historian of the music of the Black Atlantic diaspora, once wrote that a primary characteristic of black cross-Atlantic creativity is a “desire to transcend both the structures of the nation state and constraints of ethnicity and national particularity.” Nothing could be more precise about the cross-disciplined, multifaceted second album by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab, aka Sinkane: Mean Love.

Sinkane (21+ Event)

Brooklyn Bowl

Mau y Ricky

The Fillmore Silver Spring

Bryan Callen (18+ Event)

Bricktown Comedy Club Tulsa

Dierks Bentley and his close-knit band played more shows in more places in 2004 than a body should be able to take or a mind should remember, but one night stands out as a distilled dose of the year's magic. At 8 p.m. sharp, Dierks took the stage at the Memphis Pyramid and sang for 30 minutes for some 20,000 people, setting the table for veteran superstar George Strait. Then, he and his band hopped on the bus, drove a couple hours to Oxford, Mississippi and set up for a raucous late-night show for 150 college students in the basement of an Ole Miss frat house. "We went from one of the biggest lighting rigs you can have to a three-ring light tree," Dierks remembers with a laugh. "The extension cord caught on fire and the lights went out for twenty minutes."

Not so many years ago, he was singing for tips in Second Avenue bars and soaking up country music history at his day job working in the video tape library of the late, great Nashville Network. Today he's among the most successful and relevant country singers in the business. They say Nashville doesn't work like this anymore - that talented strivers with no connections don't stand a chance. But Dierks Bentley proved that Music City's engine still runs and that as a place for education, inspiration and validation, it has no parallel. Critics find him credible. Fans pack his shows. There are precious few new artists recording hits today about whom that can be said.

Bentley's kind of country has never been straight-up-the-middle. Instead, the Arizona-native grew up on a potent hybrid of honky-tonk, bluegrass, singer/songwriters, classic country and modern rock & roll, forging his own sound along the way. "I love the feeling of combining the best older stuff with the edginess of newer, more progressive sounds,"says the prestigious CMA Horizon Award winner. " I try to take the real life connectedness of the stories and songs of Hank Williams and Buck Owens, and then try to put a fresh modern sound to it."

After selling almost 5 million copies of his previous three studio albums, which included 10 top-10 singles and five No. 1 hits - most country artists with comparable achievements would be reluctant to veer off a proven hit-making path. Bentley is the exception. He shuns the comfort zone and welcomes the risk of what he refers to as "almost bringing the element of failure back into the mix." "I'm not the kind of guy, who wants to go into the studio every two years and just keep putting out more of the same because it has worked so far," says Bentley. "I really wanted to change our initial approach to the recording process...do it in more of a rock and roll, or an old outlaw kind of country way. Use your guys; go in the studio; take the clock off the wall."

After spending more than two years writing, road testing and recording new material, Bentley is ready for the next phase: the Feb. 3 release of Feel That Fire, a 12-song serving of rockers and ballads with a dash of honky tonk and bluegrass. It is all fire and passion that Bentley and co-producers Brett Beavers and Luke Wooten claim has driven the entire process from the moment the first song was conceived to the sleepless nights spent imagining creative ways to perfect the on-stage delivery. As an avid music fan himself, Bentley understands that to connect with a lot of people, the instrumentation must be as diverse as the people packing the arena. And with Feel That Fire, Bentley continues to engage all types of fans with sounds ranging from arena-sized electric guitars to upright bass and banjos on steroids.

From the opening slide guitar rampage that channels a Harley hauling ass in the outlaw lament "Life on the Run" to the closing-time camaraderie of the duet and bluegrass jam with bluegrass great Ronnie McCoury "Last Call," Feel That Fire has the pulsing energy, passion and dynamic sensibility of his praised live show. Bentley's vintage free 'n easy spirit is still present in abundance, but it's rounded out with a more thoughtful take on the vastness of life and love. The title track and first single, Bentley's 11th top 10, came out of a writing session with fellow tunesmiths Beavers and brothers Brett and Brad Warren. The foursome combined their experiences to extol the virtues of a woman's innate quirkiness and thrill-seeking nature as defined by the man who loves her. On the wild side, the gravel-flying, good-timing Saturday night special "Sideways" pays tribute to a guy's occasional need to cut loose. Similarly, the infectious "Here She Comes" and "Little Heartwrecker" are classic Bentley and showcase stellar instrumental jams from Nashville's finest. "I feel a responsibility to other guys like me, who just want to cut loose, drink beer and hear some great picking."

The Conway-esque "I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes" is a song that Bentley says "can't be more intimate, more one-on-one, man-to-one woman if you tried." Bentley adds, "One of the best compliments I can get is when a guy comes up to me and says that one of my songs helped him out at home, maybe helped him smooth something over, with his girlfriend or wife. That's the goal with this one." In a similar fashion, Bentley takes a modern approach to "I Can't Forget Her," delivering a sultry Spanish groove, mixed with The Edge-esque guitar sounds, transporting the listener to the scenic landscapes of the Old Southwest.

"Beautiful World" teams Bentley with one of his favorite singers, Americana icon Patty Griffin. The poignant song about recognizing there are two ways to look at your reality and appreciating life despite the daily delivery of bad news is a simplistic yet powerful ballad. "It's a fine line to walk because you don't want to act like everything is great when it's not, but the point is that if you choose to believe in something, hopefully your beliefs will lead to action. Patty's voice adds so much depth that I can't even remember what it sounded like without her." "You Hold Me Together," an uplifting mid-tempo rocker, has Bentley offering appreciation to the one who watches over him. "It's a love song, but also a spiritual song. I try and write songs that break that boundary and can mean different things to different people." In a similar vein, "Better Believer" takes stock of life's blessings and recognizes the need to be more grateful. "It's the truth," Bentley says of the song he co-wrote with Rivers Rutherford. "It's exactly the way I feel. It is as honest as I've ever been in a song."

Continuing the introspective theme, Bentley draws on personal experience for the Rodney Crowell collaboration "Pray," where forgiveness and hope are extended to a former love. "Rodney's the kind of guy that you can go to his house, bare your soul and craft a really meaningful song that will stand the test of time." For Bentley, Feel That Fire is about the passion of the moment. "As a songwriter and a human being, I want to experience all that I can in this one life we are given...it's all about moving forward but remembering where you came from...the best music is made in the journey."

Dierks Bentley

BOK Center

West 22nd - Band

Middle East Upstairs

Join Tom Davis featuring THE SUNS OF BEACHES at Oklahoma's Biggest Backyard Picnic: SUNFEST! THE SUNS OF BEACHES is Tom Davis on vocals and guitar; Internationally renowned jazz multi-instrumentalist Joesf Glaude; Bryan Pennington on percussion; and Alice April on vocals, bass and guitar



Tom Davis Music: Sunfest Music Festival 2025

Sooner Park

     Providing a unique blend of gospel and modern worship music is where Westward Road excels.  Westward Road is an exciting and dynamic family trio, led by Scott Roberts, a 20 year veteran worship leader and nation charting songwriter, and his wife, the talented and award winning vocalist, Kelli Roberts. Their son, Garrett Roberts completes the superbly gifted musical family with his smooth vocal tones.
     Their "out of the box" take on worship and gospel music paired with their God given ability to communicate the Good News takes audiences into the presence of God in a very powerful way.  They have performed for audiences in large theaters and for intimate settings in rural churches, festivals and fairs.
     A Westward Road concert leaves you uplifted by their message of hope and encouraged to live a life of trust in God.  Their new take on gospel music along with their smooth family harmonies and ability to lead God's people into His presence through worship will have audiences of all ages falling in love with this fun and energetic trio.  

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Tour de Nebraska

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Dierks Bentley

West 22nd - Band

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Westward Road

Dierks Bentley: Broken Branches Tour