Musical Tributes at the Power House Bar
The Tribute
You Can’t Go Skating in a Buffalo Herd … But You Can Sing about It
One of the most popular recent broadcasts on KOSU the SPY FM’s Oklahoma Rock Show was their all Roger Miller program. When local musician Jerrod Beck heard the show last June, he approached his friend, singer Gabriel Knight Hancock, with an idea. “What if we did a live Roger Miller cover show?” Hancock was on board, but it soon became apparent to both musicians that the show could, and should, be larger than the 2 of them.
In a short time Beck and Hancock organized a benefit show at The Plant Shoppe, an Oklahoma City (you guessed it) plant shop known for hosting shows and workshops. The lineup grew to 8 additional musicians and raised significant funds for shop owners Jen Semmler and Chad Grubs, who had suffered financial duress after their child was born prematurely. As with a certain potato chip brand, 1 show proved not to be enough. Within a span of 4 months, Beck has organized 3 more tribute shows, this time on the Power House Bar’s patio stage. First came a John Prine tribute, then a Smiths tribute, and, this past Sunday, a tribute to the late Oklahoma singer-songwriter J.J. Cale.
Mercury Photo Bureau was on hand to document the Smiths tribute and the J.J.Cale show.
Building Community
Regarding the series’ mission, Beck said, The shows are about paying tribute, but they are also about building community among musicians locally. We encourage every artist involved to collaborate with one another. Most times these local musicians and songwriters are busy doing their own shows and don’t get to see one another perform. The tribute shows create an opportunity for reunion and mutual appreciation for various styles of local song craft. It’s about having fun and it’s about growing as artists.
Also appearing:
- John Calvin Abney
- Annie Oakley
- Paul Benjaman
- Rachel Brashear
- Wink Burcham
- Blake Burgess (Oklahoma Cloud Factory)
- Kaitlin Butts
- Kinsey Charles (Judith)
- Chelsey Cope
- Samantha Crain
- Justin Fortney (Stranded at the Station)
- Taylor Gary
- José Hernández
- Josh Hogsett (Tallows)
- Tyler Hopkins
- Cody Ingram
- Chase Kerby (Season 9 The Voice contestant)
- Rachel La Vonne
- Erich Massad (Moongiant)
- Cameron Morris (Oklahoma Cloud Factory)
- Billy Muschinske (Moongiant & Boredwax)
- Cameron Neal (Horse Thief)
- Taylor Rapp (Wildings)
- Kyle Reid (Kyle Reid & the Low Swinging Chariots)
- Sarah Reid
The series returns on 20 November to The Plant Shoppe with a tribute to singer, songwriter, and activist Nina Simone.