OKLAHOMA CITY — It’s difficult to believe that we’re already halfway through August.
That is until you walk outside and burst into flames from that typical mid-August heat.
So if you’re doing your very best to duck these brutal late-summer temperatures, you’ll be happy to know that a handful of the scene’s most comfortably air-conditioned venues are set to bring a veritable slew of concerts your way through month’s end.
Between touring artists and local favorites, you can find some driving, wild-eyed psych-rock, experimental hip-hop, classed-up singer/songwriter styles, the pillowy soft king of soft rock, and the hard-hitting burger meisters of burger metal all in just the next couple of weeks.
Christopher Cross – Tower Theatre – Monday, August 19th
That’s right, the benevolent king of 70s and 80s soft rock – Christopher Cross himself – is blowing gently into OKC to grace the Tower stage with the sounds that have so inspired generations.
Following the success of Oklahoma’s own local “yacht rock” revue, Soft Hands, the Tower bigwigs can be certain that there’s a hungry audience looking to get lost in the romantic, inoffensive melodies of Cross megahits like “Sailing” and “Arthur’s Theme.”
Due to some combination of nostalgia, novelty, and genuinely solid and memorable pop songwriting, Cross’s brand of breezy, mid-tempo pop-rock has continued steadily collecting younger fans in recent years. So expect a surprising number of twenty-and-thirty-somethings sipping cocktails and singing along beside the many more well-seasoned Cross fans.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit towertheatreokc.com.
Mac Sabbath – Beer City Music Hall – Wednesday, August 21st
On perhaps the polar opposite of the rock music spectrum, you’ll find Mac Sabbath, the heavy-hitting McDonald’s-themed Black Sabbath tribute act that you’ve surely always wanted.
They dress like demonic (and legally distinct) McDonald’s characters and do fast food skewed covers of Sabbath songs, like “Frying Pan” (for “Iron Man”) and “More Ribs” (for “War Pigs”).
“Why does this even exist?” you might ask. Well, because it’s awesome. Do you need a better reason than that?
And audiences have clearly responded to that awesomeness as the band is celebrating their tenth year in 2024, proving that sometimes all you need for success is a ridiculous, original idea, some makeup and wild, foam-headed costumes, and the ability to legitimately crush and nail some classic metal.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit beercitymusichall.com.
Helen Kelter Skelter / Various Blonde / Psychic Baths / Lincka – Opolis – Friday, August 23rd
A quartet of Okie music scene heroes descends upon the Opolis for a remarkably stacked Friday night lineup, both in terms of talent and also just sheer diversity of sound and style.
The Helen Kelter Skelter boys (feature photo) still reign as kings of the state’s pounding, fuzz-washed psychedelic scene, and it’s an apt pairing every time they’re accompanied by friends and psych-punk confidants Psychic Baths.
But the night will also see the synthy, blissed-out funk-rock of veterans Various Blonde and the description-defying multicultural alt-pop of scene queen Lincka.
This is exactly the kind of cross-genre booking that I’ll champion each and every chance I get. We need more of this type of show.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit opolis.org.
Stephen Salewon / Adam and the Original Sin – Resonant Head – Friday, August 23rd
If you’re looking for something just a bit more relaxed – but no less exciting – on that very same night, then pop down to Capitol Hill to catch one of OKC’s most powerful and passionate singer/songwriter voices in Stephen Salewon.
Salewon has been on the scene for some years now, infusing his brand of sophisticated electro-pop with the heart-on-sleeve soul of his trademark croon, and every year, he just gets better.
And he’ll be joined for the evening by a recent standout in this very column, Adam and the Original Sin, who just dropped one of the most fun, funky power-pop releases of the year.
If you’re looking for a date night concert option for a late-summer Friday, this is it.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit resonanthead.com.
JPEGMAFIA – Tower Theatre – Tuesday, August 27th
There are few in the rap game doing it like JPEGMAFIA right now, and he’s set to crash into the Tower with a bang late this month.
To call the JPEGMAFIA sound “experimental hip-hop” wouldn’t do justice to the openly subversive, densely discordant crossover of no-holds-barred rap, punk, metal, deconstructionist electro, and brutalist, glitched-out production that defines him.
He’s currently riding high on this month’s drop of brand new LP “I Lay Down My Life for You,” and he’ll be working to fit all that spewing fire and larger-than-life energy on the Tower stage.
If you’ve been wanting to see more from the cutting edge of national underground rap right here in OKC, this is your chance.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit towertheatreokc.com.
The Muffled Sirens – Resonant Head – Saturday, August 24th; Opolis – Friday, August 30th
Hot off the platform heels of a star-making spot at this year’s PrideFest, OKC’s very own glam gods The Muffled Sirens are readying for a big week to cap off the month of August.
No one else in this city is bringing the glitz and glee of 70s and 80s glam-rock like these sequined scene stars, and they’ll be strutting the stage with all their big hearts, big chords, and belting, soaring, anthemic rock in back-to-back shows in OKC and Norman.
If ever you’ve lamented a lack of style, fun, or unabashed showmanship in the Oklahoma rock n roll scene, you need to catch The Muffled Sirens on stage.
For tickets, times, and more information, visit resonanthead.com and opolis.org.
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.