Under-the-radar tours hitting OKC stages through November


So the blockbuster summer concert season is long gone and the mammoth-scale arena pop tours and theatre-packing indie-rock headliners are in our rearview mirror now.

But that doesn’t mean that the touring scene just shuts down as soon as the temperatures drop below 60.

The late fall and winter touring season is defined each year by indie upstarts and underground heroes crisscrossing the country and snagging audiences hungry for some crowded body heat and roaring singalongs to get them through the dark months.

And this year it’s no different, with some of OKC’s best stages hosting acts from all over the country and even beyond, bringing sounds from jangly roots-punk to powerful post-rock to (seriously) medieval fantasy metal.

And as a bonus, most of these bills are filled out by some of our best local acts as well.

So instead of just spotlighting our hometown heavy hitters, let’s take a moment to check out some of the coolest lesser-known out-of-towners that we’ll be welcoming through our city soon, shall we?

This Will Destroy You – Beer City Music Hall – Saturday, November 9th 

For any fan of dark, building, instrumental rock, this one is likely not an “under the radar” pick at all, but for anyone not in the know about the densely atmospheric and sometimes head-splittingly intense world of guitar-driven post-rock, let this be an introduction.

Hailing from Texas, This Will Destroy You were on the front lines of American post-rock when they formed in 2004, exploring the same melodic, rise-and-fall framework and heavily affected instrumental guitar orchestrations as Mogwai and fellow Texans Explosions in the Sky.

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This Will Destroy You

To celebrate their 20th anniversary as a band, This Will Destroy You has been hitting the road and performing their self-titled debut album – a classic in the post-rock community – in its entirety.

Rounding out the evening will be Oklahoma’s own guitar-driven post-rockers Speak, Memory, who are no doubt chuffed as can be to open for such genre heroes.

For times, tickets, and more, visit beercitymusichall.com.

Seven Kingdoms w/ STRIKER – 89th Street – Tuesday, November 12th 

Oh you’re a metalhead? Well, does your metal espouse the histories and battles of The Night’s Watch, The Mother of Dragons, The Kingslayer, or the White Walkers?

No? Well, then your metal can’t hold a candle to Seven Kingdoms, perhaps the world’s premier “Game of Thrones”-themed power-metal act. 

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Seven Kingdoms (photo by Jaraad Nageer)

That’s right, Floridian metalers Seven Kingdoms draw primarily from author George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy world, setting their driving guitars and soaring vocals often firmly in the realm of dragons, direwolves, and ice zombies.

When they hit the 89th Street stage this month, they’ll be joined by STRIKER, a band of Canadians leaning hard on all things 80s American metal, including the big sunglasses, mullets, muscle cars, and riff-chugging, epic metal anthems.

So whether you’re an oldhead looking to relive metal’s heyday of 80s excess, or you’re a younger fan who missed out and wants to get a taste of that time, you’ll want to be at 89th Street this month with your hairspray and your devil horns at the ready.

For times, tickets, and more, visit 89thstreetokc.com.

Thelma and the Sleaze – Opolis – Friday, November 15th 

Can’t decide between sneering punk attitude and swaggering Southern rock energy?

Thanks to Nashville’s Thelma and the Sleaze, you don’t have to.

Effortlessly blending the outsider Southern-rock sounds of someone like Sturgill Simpson with the queer-punk power of Bikini Kill, Thelma and the Sleaze effectively cast off being boxed into either scene, content to do their thing and create their own space.

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Thelma and the Sleaze (photo by Abby Linne)

And that space is occupied by overdriven guitars, roots-rock organs, and big beat, heavy-footed drumming, all held together with an appropriately retro look and logo appropriately recalling the dinge and dirt of 70s sleaze.

In classic Opolis fashion, the night’s set to be filled out by a wide range of locals, including psych-rockers Helen Kelter Skelter, the loose “Podunk punk” of Diet Riot, and the epic, sauntering guitar-rock of Em and the Mother Superiors.

For times, tickets, and more, visit opolis.org.

Ask Carol – Blue Note – Friday, November 22nd 

It takes a lot to make a two-piece sound huge, but alt-pop duo Ask Carol not only pull it off, they even make it look fun.

Hailing all the way from Norway, the two-headed power-pop monster that consists of vocalist/guitarist/loopist Carol and drummer/keyboardist Mr. Ask will utilize everything from loop pedals to synths to auxiliary drums and more to augment their fuzzed-out guitar-and-drums core.

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Ask Carol

The result is a driving, adrenaline-drenched pop-rock sound that’s far more “blistering American desert” than “fjord.”

 And just to really hit home for that crashing, high-energy rock sentiment, Blue Note will have local favorites Gonzo LeBronzo on hand for support, bringing their own full-throated, full-hearted hard-rock fresh off their recent standout “American Roulette EP.”
For times, tickets, and more, visit bluenoteokc.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.


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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.