Red Dirt / Americana / Hipsters

[johrasephoenix]

I grew up in small town/rural Oklahoma and loved the whole hipster Americana/country/bluegrass/folk scene when I lived in Austin after college.  It was a big part of the local culture.

Oklahoma has an awesome Red Dirt music scene.  How come it's so weak in Tulsa?  I would love a music venue downtown where young people raged against Nashville and listened to the best up and coming Red Dirt acts.  What gives?

We can't compete with St. Louis, Chicago, NYC on traditional hipsters.... but we can compete with awesome alternative country.  That seems like a big missed opportunity to craft our own alternative/indie/underground scene. 

I mean we are Indian Territory after all.

[TheArtist]

  Just asked a friend what Red Dirt music was and we googled it.  Bleh.  Cant stand it when people sing with a twang and through their nose.  Way to backwoods country for me.  This is not Austin.

[davideinstein]

  Just asked a friend what Red Dirt music was and we googled it.  Bleh.  Cant stand it when people sing with a twang and through their nose.  Way to backwoods country for me.  This is not Austin.

Yikes. Closer to Austin than your desire to be New York.

[TheArtist]

Yikes. Closer to Austin than your desire to be New York.

Maybe, maybe not.  He wanted an answer, I gave him a possible one.

If the proof is in the pudding... Red Dirt scene big in Austin, not in NYC or Tulsa  

So there ya go. 

[AquaMan]

Red Dirt starts around Chandler, OK. We are more Black Dirt/Green Country around here. Seriously, we're closer to Arkansas/Kansas/Missouri than either Austin or NYC.

Country doesn't seem so Country as it used to when Johnny Cash was around. Its formulaic. Beer, pick-up trucks, dogs, hot girls and breakin' up.

[davideinstein]

Maybe, maybe not.  He wanted an answer, I gave him a possible one.

If the proof is in the pudding... Red Dirt scene big in Austin, not in NYC or Tulsa  

So there ya go. 

I know a lot of people into Red Dirt in Oklahoma...

[Red Arrow]

I know a lot of people into Red Dirt in Oklahoma...

Farmers? 

[Conan71]

If the demand was there, those bands would be getting booked here.  The genre has been around for quite some time so it's not as if it is something new an un-tried in Tulsa.  Is it something hipsters would listen to a few nights every week?  Sound Pony seems to be about as much of a hipster bar as there is in Tulsa but I'm not aware of Josh booking a lot of red dirt bands.

It's kind of like the guy who used to post here complaining about a lack of places to get something to eat at 2am in downtown: the economics have to make sense.  If there was enough demand it would exist.

[rebound]

The Colony.  The Mercury.  Ocassionly the Vanguard.  Others.  I'm a big Red Dirt fan.  It's there if you want to find it. 

[davideinstein]

The Colony.  The Mercury.  Ocassionly the Vanguard.  Others.  I'm a big Red Dirt fan.  It's there if you want to find it. 

Yep.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I grew up in small town/rural Oklahoma and loved the whole hipster Americana/country/bluegrass/folk scene when I lived in Austin after college.  It was a big part of the local culture.

Oklahoma has an awesome Red Dirt music scene.  How come it's so weak in Tulsa?  I would love a music venue downtown where young people raged against Nashville and listened to the best up and coming Red Dirt acts.  What gives?

We can't compete with St. Louis, Chicago, NYC on traditional hipsters.... but we can compete with awesome alternative country.  That seems like a big missed opportunity to craft our own alternative/indie/underground scene. 

I mean we are Indian Territory after all.

I never hear about it here in town, but when ya go west just a few miles, it starts popping up.  KOSU, 91.7 on your FM dial (107.5 Tulsa), Stillwater - on Sunday evenings has a nice lineup of shows, starting with For the Sake of the Song at 7 pm - nice mix - sponsored by the Blue Door in OKC.  Leading into Tumbleweeds All the Way Down at 8 pm.  Then ya got the hardcore, red dirt music, Red Dirt Radio Hour at 9 pm.

Used to be a good little show called Songs From the Plains - currently on hiatus...may not be back, but was worth listening to.

Enjoy!

But be very, very careful !  It's NPR and any time outside of these, one might actually learn something good, interesting, and of use to a citizen in a democratic Republic!!

[AngieB]

The Colony.  The Mercury.  Ocassionly the Vanguard.  Others.  I'm a big Red Dirt fan.  It's there if you want to find it. 

You forgot Soul City.

[johrasephoenix]

Good to know.  I've got to hit up these bars outside downtown like the Colony and Mercury.  I'm still new here and on the only-going-to-bars-I-can-walk-to-thus-no-DUI kick.  Thank heaven for Uber.  Also really want to check out Soul City on a no-cover night.

Apparently the Turnpike Troubadours sell out Cain's and Brady Theater every time so I can't be alone and wanting that kind of music!

The whole Red Dirt every night scene is probably hurt by the lack of a big public college.  They tend to supply both the hipsters who can drink hard on a Wednesday and the aspiring Americana stars who will play for tips.  You think about the Red Dirt hot spots - Stillwater, Austin, College Station... all college towns. 

[AngieB]

Good to know.  I've got to hit up these bars outside downtown like the Colony and Mercury.  I'm still new here and on the only-going-to-bars-I-can-walk-to-thus-no-DUI kick.  Thank heaven for Uber.  Also really want to check out Soul City on a no-cover night.

Apparently the Turnpike Troubadours sell out Cain's and Brady Theater every time so I can't be alone and wanting that kind of music!

The whole Red Dirt every night scene is probably hurt by the lack of a big public college.  They tend to supply both the hipsters who can drink hard on a Wednesday and the aspiring Americana stars who will play for tips.  You think about the Red Dirt hot spots - Stillwater, Austin, College Station... all college towns. 

He's not "Red Dirt", but my husband Randy Brumley will be playing Soul City this Thursday (he alternates Thursdays with Mark Gibson) with no cover charge. If you like acoustic singer/songwriter stuff you will surely enjoy it!

https://www.reverbnation.com/randybrumley
https://www.facebook.com/brumleymusic/

[cannon_fodder]

Defining "red dirt" music is not crisp and clean anyway... somewhere between folk, country, honkey tonk, rock, and string band. And sometimes including all or one of the above.

But if you look, you'll find it. Hell, we had a red dirt band on Cry Baby Hill this year.

The Red Dirt Rangers are playing in Tulsa twice this week... start from there.