We welcomed our first photographer to be interviewed for our monthly Artist Sessions.
On the second Friday of November, Okie native Ashford Ravenscroft Thomson hopped into the Spy Van and discussed his passion for photography.
If you haven’t experienced Live on the Plaza for yourself then make sure to check it out tomorrow.
Austin-based rockers What Made Milwaukee Famous visited VZD’s, and they greeted us with this fun and funny session.
If your ears haven’t found Cusp yet then start dewaxing them and give this a look/listen.
Taylor Rapp and company belted out a soulful rendition of “Shivers.”
Although the OKC-based folksters performed a solemn track, their glowing and warm demeanor were more than enough to keep winter’s bite at bay.
You can find “Shivers” on the 2012 album “Nothing Proper.”
We found some new friends in the Nashville-based touring band Kopecky Family Band.
Three family members played a cut off of their 2012 album “Kids Raising Kids.”
Last month we once again grabbed a talented artist and performed an interview/art experiment in a moving vehicle.
We do this every month at Live on the Plaza.
Our Plaza District friends chose Sean Vali and we discussed collaboration, Voltron and the energy of the Oklahoma City art scene.
Come see us tonight in the Plaza for another night of free fun.
It only takes a few moments for your hips to wiggle and your toes to start tapping before you realize there’s something special about Matt Stansberry’s latest project.
Billed as Matt Stansberry & The Romance, the 10-member crew is more than a throwback to catchy ’50s tunes.
No, it’s more like an episode of American Bandstand and each member is just itching to show off their musical chops.
We can only fit so many humans into the van, so Matt had to consolidate the band’s size for this session. He invited his brother Joe Stansberry and backup singers Chandra Graham and Myra Beasley.
Matt chose wisely, and the resulting episode is a reminder of how keeping it simple only looks easy when you’re songs are that good.
Honesty is her best policy.
Seconds after Ali Harter finished playing a new song in the Spy Wagon, she blurted, “I fucked it up, but I don’t care.”
That’s enough to make Honest Abe blush. Shortly after, she went on to say that she knows the song will eventually get better.
And we believe her.
Harter is an Okie musician that’s been crafting her acoustic ballads for several years.
Her songs have taken her around the world and landed her on prime-time television.
Lucky for Oklahoma, the new mother hasn’t slowed down her musical prowess and continues to make the rounds in local venues.
Take a couple minutes to get to know Harter because she’s the kind of artist that won’t stick around forever.
That’s the honest truth.
What do you get when you mix a dog, a fiddle, an upright bass and a Purcell-native named Parker Millsap?
Well, the session above should give you a pretty good hint but we can make it easy on you.
The answer is hot sauce.
We couldn’t be happier to invite the red dirt talents of Millsap into the van to play an unrecorded, new song.
If you enjoy this session then you’ll be pleased to know Milsap and bassist Michael Rose will be performing at The Blue Note Lounge on Friday.
Now, grab your dog and start dancing.
Check out some stills from the session after the jump…
Tyson Meade doesn’t write songs.
He writes postcards.
We’re not saying that because Meade spends most of his time pursuing music adventures in Asia. It’s because his songs capture a time and place. Meade’s lyrics tell stories like an old, dusty postcard message would. They have a rambling start, descriptions that make you wish you were there and they finish with a warm goodbye.
We felt lucky to catch Meade in Oklahoma and have him share two songs with us. It’s not often that he makes trips to the U.S. and when he does it’s usually for not very long.
The Bartlesville-native singer/songwriter not only lent us his songs but also his stories. He talked about falling in love with China and the new album he’s working on with students throughout Shanghai. Indie director He remembered working with Spike Jonze on the director’s first music video. Meade has lived a very rock and roll lifestyle.
“Some people have acid reflux,” he said in the van. “I have acid flashbacks.”
Sounds like a story fit for a postcard.
Be sure to check out Meade in Tulsa this week. He’s performing a show at Dwelling Spaces on Thursday.
Also, Meade has a Kickstarter. Help him make more tunes like these.
Check out some stills after the jump.
Every so often, a band passes through Oklahoma and there just isn’t excuse to greet it with the van.
Folkie Chris Bathgate caught our attention with his soulful, dusty Tiny Desk Concert on NPR.
We met him outside of The Blue Door.
Although the Michigan native is stripped of his powerful, electric backing band in the van, Bathgate’s passionate lyrics and musical talents burn brightly.
“Ain’t it good to be alive,” he repeats in the chorus of “Calvary.”
We think so too.
Bathgate is a reminder of the simple beauty and charm hidden within music. His music is one of those things you don’t know you miss until it’s gone.
Hopefully, we can expect him back in Oklahoma before too long.
Make sure to look out for his new EP “Old Factory.”
Check out some stills after the jump.
THE VDUB SESSIONS 