Last Updated on January 16, 2024, 11:22 AM | Published: January 16, 2024
OKLAHOMA CITY — With the cold and the snow and the traditional post-New Year’s recuperation, it’s likely that a lot of concertgoers and music fanatics are starting to feel some serious cabin fever right about now.
December was overloaded with shows, events, and holiday happenings all over town, so it’s only natural to need a little time off from the scene, and January normally offers the perfect opportunity to wind down and take it easy for at least the first half of the month.
But as the snow outside starts to melt, 2024 is set to hit the ground running over these coming weeks with a handful of rock shows guaranteed to get you dancing, grooving, or headbanging yourself warm.
Music and film
by Brett Fieldcamp
Sponsored by True Sky Credit Union
From the Metro’s buzziest small clubs and intimate theaters to the biggest stage OKC has to offer, these are the coming can’t-miss concerts from both young, local rockers, and some of the best, most intense touring stars.
Bee & the Hive / Baileyboy / Strawberry Blonde – 51st Street Speakeasy – Friday, January 19th
If you’re looking to warm up the blood with some dancing and some palpable, irrepressible energy, then look no further than Bee and the Hive back on what is essentially their home stage at Speakeasy.
If you’re on the OKC indie scene at all, then you surely already know all about the Hive’s poppy, jazz-infused rock, a sound on full display in their ceaselessly catchy new single “Senior Class Secretary,” but if you’ve never seen them slaying crowds at the Speak, you simply must.
And if you aren’t yet on the Baileyboy train, then you’re missing out on some genuine, soulful folk-rock led by singer/songwriter Bailey Gilbert, who’s been stacking praise and stockpiling followers recently as she and her band get primed to explode.
Sprinkle in some funky, punky, off-kilter indie from Strawberry Blonde (who just dropped their debut EP last month) and you’ve got the makings for the hottest night of this oppressively cold month.
Check out @the_speak on Instagram for tickets and more information.
Chase Kerby / Donovan Funk / Grayson Hamm – Resonant Head – Saturday, January 20th
And then the very next night, there’s another loaded lineup down at Capitol Hill treasure Resonant Head, where the incomparable Chase Kerby is set to bust lungs and burst hearts with a rare, deeply welcome solo outing.
You know Kerby as one of Beau Jennings’ unflappable Tigers and as the bass-wielding, belting frontman of recent standouts Big Weather, but he’s been readying a solo effort for a good while now, and as he gears up toward that release, he’s hitting the stage to road test some songs.
If that’s already enough to get you excited (and it should be) then consider it a massive bonus that he’ll be supported by two of the scene’s most exciting and creatively genre-bending singer-songwriters in Grayson Hamm and Donovan Funk.
For tickets and more, visit resonanthead.com.
Tool w/ Elder – Paycom Center – Saturday, February 3rd
One of the biggest, boldest, most intense, most acclaimed, and most technically skilled bands in arguably the entire history of hard rock, Tool likely need no introduction or preamble here.
Suffice to say, if you’re a fan of heavy rock, progressive musicianship, or psychedelic visual spectacle the like of which the rock world rarely sees, then you need to experience Tool live. Don’t assume that it’s just for annoyingly aggressive heavy metal stoners. It honestly is the best rock show you’ll ever see.
But even you know all about Tool – whatever your feelings – you might not know Elder. And you should.
They’ve been carving their own prog-doom path through hard rock and metal over the past few years with a back-to-back pair of absolutely killer albums and a surprising fascination with the 70s heyday of prog-rock and acts like Yes, Genesis, and King Crimson.
Those classical prog touches, synth lines, and psychedelia make them lately one of the most exciting rock bands of any genre, but make no mistake, the sheer strength of their riffs rivals any other band in the game.
No wonder they were hand-picked for the tour by Tool themselves.
Tickets are (unfortunately) on Ticketmaster, but visit paycomcenter.com for more information.
Explosions in the Sky – Tower Theatre – Wednesday, February 7th
One of the integral acts of instrumental post-rock, Explosions in the Sky have carved out a unique, untouchable, and hard-won niche for themselves and their unmistakable brand of lushly orchestrated, cinematic rock soundscapes.
While they’re still almost certainly best known among the general population as the band behind the beauty of “Friday Night Lights,” anyone that’s seen them live knows about the raw, barely-contained power that courses through their concerts.
From pin-drop quiet to earthshakingly heavy, Explosions are one of those bands that leave a mark on your brain after you see them live.
If you haven’t listened to them since the post-rock Golden Age around the turn of the millennium, or if you only know their pretty melodies from the football show, or if just want to see some guys take the most obvious instruments and make something gorgeous and transcendent, be there.
You won’t be sorry.
For tickets and more, visit towertheatreokc.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.
