January can be a tough time for concerts and music event organizers in OKC and beyond.
The holiday season can mostly wipe people out, and New Year’s Eve can see partiers going so hard that they can barely even imagine going back out on the town for a month or more.
So January is mostly for relaxing and for recharging your social batteries.
But that doesn’t mean you should disengage from the music scene entirely, and thanks to a selection of comparatively chill January events, you don’t have to.
Sure, you might not have the strength or energy for dancing or rocking out on your feet (and you might be swearing off alcohol for the month, year, or forever after New Year’s). Still, these musical events are all set to be as comfortable, casual, and engaging as ever throughout January.
Don’t worry, though, I expect us all to be back to full rock-n-roll energy by February.
Lightning White Bison – Bookish – Thursday, January 2nd
Few concert organizers anywhere in Oklahoma have been more active throughout the past year as Dissociation, the collective purveyors of dark ambient, experimental, and left-field electronic performances, more often than not accompanied by video art.
Well, even as they’ve expressed plans to slow down slightly in the new year, Dissociation is coming out of the gate strong with a stacked showcase on just the second evening of 2025.
The night will feature OKC locals Ut Mutem and Settling alongside a pair of touring experimenters in Gainesville, FL’s Ironing and what looks to be a particularly special performance by Virginia-based Lightning White Bison.
Lightning White Bison is yet another name and project by the prolific Adam Parks, most commonly known as dark, experimental folk artist Timber Rattle and one-half of ambient duo Water is the Sun, who made the rounds through Oklahoma last spring.
This time around, Parks is bringing himself as Lightning White Bison – a rarer project that sees him playing mostly with found sounds and field recordings – conducting a live score to the short film “An Observance of Absence” from director Jason Pappariella.
It’s a quiet film comprised of shots comparing the industrial devastation left in the wake of Pennsylvania’s mining industry with similar scars across the landscape of Eastern Europe, and Parks’ score is performed with recordings he made at those real locations.
It’s bound to be heady, hypnotic, and heavily dark stuff, exactly the way Dissociation likes it.
For more information, visit shop-bookish.com.
Gerard Schwarz conducting the OKC Philharmonic with pianist Misha Dichter – Civic Center Music Hall – Saturday, January 11th
The role of a conductor can be easily overlooked in the modern musical sentiments that often place a greater emphasis on the individual musicians.
But when you see a great conductor in action, you know it.
OKC audiences can expect that experience in January when award-winning Maestro Gerard “Jerry” Schwarz spends an evening guest conducting the Oklahoma City Philharmonic.
Schwarz is something of a modern American classical music legend, first bursting to national attention playing trumpet for the New York Philharmonic (arguably the most important classical outfit in the country) before taking the baton as conductor of the Seattle Symphony.
His guest spot leading the OKC Phil will see him paired with featured pianist Misha Dichter for Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor,” as well as Dvořák’s “Symphony No. 7” and Schwarz’s own acclaimed arrangement of Anton Webern’s “Langsamer Satz.”
For more information, visit okcphil.org and okcciviccenter.com.
Jabee and Beau Jennings in conversation/album listening party – The Soundbar – Thursday, January 16th
Two giants of the Oklahoma music scene, you might think that rapper Jabee and Americana rocker Beau Jennings don’t have much musical in common.
But take a closer look and listen and you’ll find two deeply personal storytellers recounting real experiences of Oklahoma life and the unique quirks and curiosities of Sooner State culture.
Both dropped some fantastic albums in 2024, with Jabee’s “The Spirit is Willing, but the Flesh is Weak” and Beau Jenning and the Tigers’ “American Stories, Major Chords” each examining the intersections and complexities of family, history, spirituality, and daily life across the OKC Metro.
They’ll be spinning those albums in full and discussing the shared themes and personal experiences that formed them at The Soundbar on OKC’s Automobile Alley in a rare opportunity to see sounds and styles bridged in a way that feels more vital and empowering now than ever.
For more information, visit thesoundbarokc.com.
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 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.