OKLAHOMA CITY – No matter how substantially things change or how many trends come and go in music, there will always be the straightforward, intimate folk song, that great undying medium of honest, emotional lyricism and inviting, comforting chord strumming that fits like a warm sweater.
But sometimes an artist just needs to take that comfort and inject it with a bit of fresh energy or a little tweak of style to highlight the storytelling or the raw poetry at its heart.
That’s what we’ve heard from some OKC locals in a handful of recent single drops spotlighting some creatively twisted takes on the folk song, sprinkling in elements of lush soundscaping, prog complexity, and even danceable funk atop the immortal acoustic strums and belted feelings.
Call Me Sparrow – ‘Half Seas Over’
One of the buzziest bands on the OKC indie scene of late, Call Me Sparrow are bringing a good dose of alt-rock vibes to the singer-songwriter sound, and on just their third single, they’re already throwing out the rulebook and leaning into some surprisingly sharp left turns.
“Half Seas Over” opens underwater, with chiming guitars and atmospheres swimming through heavy, warbling chorus and a loping, half-time backbeat setting the stage for singer Stacy Rose Lott’s soulful croon.
Sporadic, low-toned vocal harmonies turn it all into a dark, post-modern sea shanty of nightly surrender and daily regrets.
And then, as if washing up on a deserted island, the beat ramps up into a bouncy, folky vaudeville act of a chorus, with the band rolling along at full-jaunt, bolstered by a high-spirited fairground organ.
It’s back and forth from then on, sinking back beneath the waves for a moody, bluesy solo section and then surfacing once again for another bop through the chorus.
“Half Seas Over” plays like prog-folk, marrying the unmistakable storytelling and historically rich signifiers of folk music with a desire to bend, break, and bury all the old rules.
This is an act to watch.
“Half Seas Over” by Call Me Sparrow is streaming everywhere now.
Cody Anderson – ‘Sonder’
If Call Me Sparrow are infusing their folk with prog-rock, then Cody Anderson is drenching his in brightly hued new wave.
Coming out of rockers Foxburrows, Anderson takes a bit of a gentler, patient approach to his solo efforts, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less adventurous.
On “Sonder,” it’s all lush, glistening, bubbling synth leads and sun-kissed guitar textures beneath his acoustic campfire singalong of worldly connectedness and his unmistakably Jim James-y voice.
It’s a dense, sonically loaded track, all building in power toward a catharsis that’s less wall-of-sound and more waterfall-of-sound.
It would make a perfect heat-blasted summertime anthem, but it’s just as good for the 75 degree days we keep having in February.
“Sonder” by Cody Anderson is streaming everywhere now.
Chase Kerby – ‘Death of a Salesman’
If there’s anyone in OKC that can navigate all the infinite potential of the classically simple guitar-and-voice combo, it’s Chase Kerby.
From the synth-touched alt-pop of Hotel Nights and the raucous post-punk energy of Big Weather to his standing role as a Swiss-Army sideman among Beau Jennings’ Tigers, Kerby has long since proven his chops as a veritable songwriting force with a heart on his sleeve and a chip on his shoulder.
Well, he’s finally ready to put those chops on full display with his first ever solo record due later this year, and “Death of a Salesman” is the first full inclination of just what he can do when he casts off expectations – even the ones he has of himself – and embraces the turns that a song wants to take.
There’s a vigorously strummed acoustic guitar and a smoldering, precision-tuned vocal, but that’s all just a foundation for something funky, soulful, and altogether different from the gritty rock or hushed singer-songwriter worlds that we’ve heard him play in before.
This is something much more akin to the grooving folk-funk of Amos Lee, the acoustic R&B of Ray LaMontagne, or even the most playful and uninhibited moments from Jeff Buckley, and it’s an immediately welcome turn from Kerby and a head-nodding, foot-tapping surprise for the whole folk aesthetic.
That album can’t come fast enough.
“Death of a Salesman” by Chase Kerby is streaming everywhere now.
You can find out about local music and performance happenings in the OKC metro weekly in this music column by Brett Fieldcamp. | Brought to you by True Sky Credit Union.
Brett Fieldcamp is the owner and Editor in Chief of Oklahoma City Free Press. He has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly two decades and served as Arts & Entertainment Editor before purchasing the company from founder Brett Dickerson in 2026.
He is also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
