Sometimes the van doesn’t start.
Luckily, a talent like Erin O’Dowd delivers without hesitation. Alongside longtime Okie players Susan Herndon and Nadia Thomas, the Tulsa songwriter played a lively rendition of “Trick Pony.” Dig it!
Archives for posts with tag: VW
We loved hanging out with Sabrina Ellis and Andrew Cashen so much that we couldn’t wait to have them back in the van. You saw them last in our Sweet Spirit episode but now they’re back with A Giant Dog’s harder rock edge.
Loved hearing a brand new song (above) and another (below) off of the band’s Merge Records debut.
Sherman “WoRm” Johnson might be easiest to find at a computer. The OKC-based hip-hop engineer and producer is a natural behind the board but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have his own hunger to perform.
He was joined by Darrell Jones, Ashlee Watkins, Taylor Johnson and Jeff Kraetzer (DJ Chips).
Rain put a damper on Norman Music Festival’s afternoon performances so we decided to throw a concert celebration with Austin’s biggest party band. Sweet Spirit thrilled us with two songs before the rain subsided, and they rocked the festival’s main stage.
Party on.
Lauren Barth thought she was just visiting Tulsa but ended up being one of its most talented new residents. The songwriter has a debut album ready called “Forager” and invited the record’s producer Jesse Aycock to join her in the van.
What a pair.
OKC-based rapper aDDLib joined the list of impressive hip hop acts that have performed inside of the Spy Van.
His crew slowed things down and performed a sentimental tune complete with beats and backup singers.
Check out some stills after the jump.
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.
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…
Phillip Danner is an artist with a knack for texture.
Little did we know that he wanted to create textures inside the Spy Van with office tape, spray paint and even fire. The only thing hotter than the cruel July sun was Danner’s art as he took one of his older pieces and transformed it into something new. This doesn’t come as a big surprise because the artists working at The Society are quite the creative whizzes.
It has been a couple months since we’ve had an Okie artist jump into the van for an Artist Interview Session, but we hope this episode starts another wave of sessions at Live on the Plaza. If you’re unfamiliar with Live on the Plaza then please check into the free art and culture explosion that takes place every second Friday of the month.
Keep on trucking, readers and watchers.
Check out some stills from Danner’s session after the jump.
THE VDUB SESSIONS 