Midtown Music with Prettyboy, The Copperheads, King Latifah, and Classic Nolan Ryan
8 p.m. Saturday
Power House | Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City certainly has no shortage of music venues. There’s the Peake if you’re into big, high-powered shows, 89th Street Collective (formerly The Conservatory) if you have a few piercings and multi-colored hair, ACM@UCO Performance Lab for the indie crowd, and The Diamond Ballroom for, well, basically anything. The list goes on.
But how about those local bands that still play in their parents’ garages? Those bands that have a fairly solid base online and are making their way in the local scene? Unfortunately, the city is somewhat lacking in outlets and visibility for these up-and-comers.
Enter Midtown Music, the brainchild of Jim Burns, Alex Elliott, and Kellen McGugan. The idea is pretty simple: Pick a cool atmosphere, gather together some lesser-known bands from different-ish genres, and let the good times roll. Midtown Music gets mind-bending music in front of people who want to hear it and will spread the word, plain and simple.
Oxford Karma talked with Burns, who also performs in experimental act Classic Nolan Ryan, about Saturday’s show at Power House Bar (we hear they have some great summer cocktails) and why this pop-up show concept has the potential to really take off.
Oxford Karma: First off, give me a little history of Midtown Music — how the idea came about, when and where it started, etc.
Jim Burns: I’ve had the idea of a show at an unconventional space kicking around in my head for a while — an event that could not only bring together really good bands, but also be a chance for everyone to get together and hang out. So it’s an event that is a show, but that also has a party atmosphere. I mentioned this to my friend Alex Elliott on a whim and he said “let’s do it,” so we started brainstorming, we brought along our friend Kellen McGugan, and it has just grown from there.
OK: What’s the process like of picking the location and bands?
Burns: We usually choose the locations based off their vibe. We were drawn to Power House because of its patio and openness. It’s the perfect place for an outdoor summer show. Another facet of these events is doing our best to highlight really great spaces in OKC, and we think Power House is one of those spaces. As far as picking bands goes, there are usually a few things we focus on: picking a lineup that would normally not book shows together, having that lineup be cohesive, and having the lineup fit the space. I think we have a lot of really talented musicians in Oklahoma, so to me it’s important to bring that talent together to showcase it.
OK: What’s been the overall reaction to Midtown Music?
Burns: Really good so far. Bands are always into playing, and more and more people keep coming out. We hope it continues to grow.
OK: What makes you guys different from maybe some other free concerts that are going on this weekend?
Burns: I think our lineup and atmosphere set us apart. To us, it’s not just “hey, lets put on a show”; it’s “let’s have an event where we can all hang out, experience new music, and meet new people.” The point of having a diverse lineup is to get different groups of people to come together and to hopefully make an altogether stronger Oklahoma music scene.
OK: Any plans moving forward? How do you hope to see this evolve?
Burns: No immediate plans. Just going to let things happen organically and see where it takes us. The only agenda Alex, Kellen, and I have is to help further Oklahoma music, business and culture.
