Cellar Door Music Group and Fanswell Present: Bowlsey
8 p.m. Saturday
Hidden Dragon Yoga Studio | Oklahoma City
When you’re able to strip down the confines of traditional concerts, there’s something about the connection forged between artist and fan that seems stronger and more impactful. It’s almost like you’re witnessing something that no one was supposed to know about, a once in a lifetime event. Yet there you are, soaking it all in.
That’s the experience that the new concert series from Cellar Door Music Group (CDMG) and concert-promotion startup Fanswell looks to emulate on a regular basis. It kicks off Saturday with OKC lounge-pop act Bowlsey performing at Hidden Dragon Yoga Studio.
We spoke with CDMG’s Jennifer Maynord about CDMG’s role, their partnership with Fanswell, the upcoming concert series, and the OKC music scene in general.
Oxford Karma: Before we dive into the new concert series with Fanswell, could you break down the different ways CDMG fulfills those duties?
Jennifer Maynord: I originally started as a blog in January, and it was kind of my vision to not only brag on the Oklahoma music scene and Oklahoma as a space for music, but also talk about the venues and people that support the scene. I really had a vision to be immersed in planning events and being a part of the community in that way — really hands on — but I didn’t really know where that would go, honestly.
The blog was really well received and that’s when Graham [Colton, of Fanswell] reached out. He thought it would be a good fit to curate shows together and partner up on events. I had been involved with a few events in the last year like the MS Art Show, which raises money for MS and takes place in June, but Graham is the one that gave me the opportunity to really dive in.
OK: Could you break down exactly what Fanswell is and how it works with your series?
JM: Graham and his partner Jon [Cooper] started Fanswell as a platform for house shows and to support the house show scene. It’s used to connect artists to these kinds of settings and with their fans that want to see them. When he and I started to partner and facilitate shows together, my role was to bring in local business hosting to basically encourage local businesses to get involved. And with the blog I believe it gave the whole package an extra promotional tool. So the series is a little different than what Fanswell is and does, but adds a little flare and dynamic to that idea.
OK: How often do you plan to have the series?
JM: When we sat down to talk about it, the goal was to do it monthly. Bowlsey is the kickoff show, and Beau Jennings is the June show. These aren’t right back to back, but we’re getting the feel for the right direction of the series. It was an opportunity that presented itself, so we stepped up.
OK: What about Bowlsey really stood out to you the most and how did you pick them to kick the series off?
JM: Oh man, I love Bowlsey and their hip-hop lounge sound; they’re really unique and really different. Part of my goal is to have a good partnership with the space and the artist, and Hidden Dragon Yoga Studio agreed to do the show there. (Hidden Dragon instructor) Desirae [Penton] is such a great sport and so supportive. She has a really cool space that is kind of like a warehouse, and I didn’t think that a seated event with a real formal singer-songwriter would be a great fit. I wanted a band where people could be up and engaged. So I thought Bowlsey was a really great fit for that and that they’re really unique to our scene right now with a cool edge. The Hidden Dragon has a younger and edgier clientele, so I wanted to pair an artist or band that would bring the same feel.
OK: What are some other genres you would like to incorporate in the future?
JM: We are really open to all genres, especially at Fanswell; they have everything across the board. Pretty much the only criteria we have for our Cellar Door/Fanswell series is that they sign up with Fanswell. It’s really easy to sign up and be a Fanswell artist on their site. For example, our June artist is Beau Jennings at the Overholser Mansion Carriage House. He just put out his album The Verdigris, with its rich history and stories that we felt paired nicely with the rich history of the Overholser Mansion. So yeah, we’re going to have everything across the board and whatever business is hosting it will be kind of unique to that idea.
