OKLAHOMA CITY — The pollen’s in the air, the wind is picking up, and the weather forecasts are becoming a daily crap shoot, and around here, that all means one hugely exciting thing:
We once again find ourselves at the outset of Oklahoma’s steadfast springtime festival season.
Uncertain storm chances and annoyingly blustery winds aside, late-April is when artists of all stripes – both visual and performing – start bringing their works out into the open air, surrounded by like-minded creators and art-hungry audiences.
And of course in OKC, that means kicking off the season properly with Arts Council’s beloved, decades-running Festival of the Arts.
With other popular festivals lately paring down their planning, over-indulging single acts, and squeezing out music in favor of comedy, Festival of the Arts remains surely the city’s largest and most encompassing showcases for musicians and musical performers of all types.
As ever, this year’s week-long festivities will see multiple stages, but with the notable subtraction of the all family-oriented stage, meaning that dance schools and children’s performers will be sharing the bill with singers, rockers, rappers, and more.
The week’s sprawling schedule can be intimidating, but not to worry. I’ve laid out some of my favorites right here.
Erin Detherage – Main Stage – Tuesday, April 25th – 1:00pm
After the requisite opening ceremonies and a little getting-it-underway jazz from the Steve Pruitt Trio, you can expect to see the Main Stage taken by storm by guitarist Erin Detherage.
With nothing but her own ten fingers and six strings, Detherage aims for the kind of guitar-wielding showmanship that harkens back to the 80s heyday of shred.
Miss Brown to You – Main Stage – Tuesday, April 25th – 6:00pm
As reliable, comforting, and outright fun as a great old friend, Miss Brown to You has become almost an institution in the city’s folk and vocal jazz scenes.
Mary and Louise can still swirl a tune around your head like a nice April breeze, whether it’s a classic stylistic standard reinterpreted through their trademark gentle jazz or any one of their wry and playful originals.
Bee Pichardo – Sonic Stage – Wednesday, April 26th – 4:00pm
Hot on the heels of her band Bee & the Hive’s debut EP “Flamingo Dancing,” singer/songwriter Bee Pichardo will be hitting the smaller, more intimate Sonic Stage for a mid-week solo spot.
Whereas The Hive is all about cross-genre, big band energy, Pichardo’s solo acoustic sets put the emphasis on her emotionally blunt, self-deprecating songwriting, and should be a perfect accompaniment to a little afternoon arts outing.
Finite Galaxy – Main Stage – Wednesday, April 26th – 6:00pm
Definitely one of OKC’s most unique and exciting acts, and if you keep up with this column at all, you’ve seen me say that a few other times already.
I stand by it, as Finite Galaxy fuse creative, chill hip-hop with a complex, universal spirituality and even the Hindi language to birth something genuinely diverse and special.
There might be no better way to catch the duo live than out in the elements, surrounded by art and creativity of all kinds.
Original Flow – Main Stage – Friday, April 28th – 4:00pm
As one of the city’s most lyrical and thoughtful MCs, Original Flow has been rocketing through the ranks of OKC’s rap scene for the past couple of years, and deservedly so. His tracks are heavy with conscience and consciousness, but on stage, he carries a comfort and a confidence that aren’t easy to come by.
Flow’s recently assembled live band features some seriously skilled players as well, including bass from Ben Askren of OKC’s resident prog-fusion monsters SHIFT.
Jabee – Main Stage – Friday, April 28th – 6:00pm
What more can be said of the reigning king of OKC’s rap game? Jabee has put our city on the hip-hop map in recent years and has done more than most to help lift the Eastside into the respect and recognition it deserves as a cultural and community cornerstone of Oklahoma.
If you haven’t caught Jabee live yet, the festival might just be the perfect time to jump on board, as he’ll be coming fresh off a bit of touring and last year’s powerful “Am I Good Enough” release.
Rod Porter – Sonic Stage – Friday, April 28th – 7:30pm
Believe me, it’s hard to recommend an act performing against OK legends Beau Jennings & the Tigers (featuring festival organizer and booker Chase Kerby himself) on the Main Stage, but if you like soul, R&B, and deep-down, feel-it-in-your-bones vocal jazz, then you need to hear Rod Porter sing.
Porter’s smoothness and charisma at the mic are infectious, and you can expect him to grab a headlining slot like this one and run away with it.
Donovan Funk – Sonic Stage – Saturday, April 29th – 5:00pm
Coming off of one of OKC’s best and most underrated 2022 releases, the staggeringly emotional and creative “Subjective Reality,” Funk is set to bring his raw, honest brand of indie-rock to the festival’s intimate Sonic Stage.
No matter the size of his stage or his backing band, Funk tends to leave it all on the field in his performances, so expect a powerful, cathartic set to usher in the evening.
Sarafina Byrd Trio – Main Stage – Saturday, April 29th – 6:00pm
Sarafina Byrd will be taking her rightful place on the Main Stage late Saturday.
I’ve been saying for a while now that Byrd is one of OKC’s most important artists to watch, as she and her understated, affecting soul and R&B have been carving a notable niche for themselves in the city. But after some months now as the house band for Jabee’s recent showcases at Blue Note, Byrd and her band are ready to take on anything, and are sure to prove that the city’s biggest stages are where they belong.
For festival info, including a complete schedule of performances on both stages, visit artscouncilokc.com.
Brett Fieldcamp has been covering arts, entertainment, news, housing, and culture in Oklahoma for nearly 15 years, writing for several local and state publications. He’s also a musician and songwriter and holds a certification as Specialist of Spirits from The Society of Wine Educators.
