Woodyfest 2018: Erik the Viking & Blake Lankford

Americana Artists Share Beer Garden Stage

Festi­val Festival Friday [Sidenote: You are read­ing the six­teenth fea­ture in our ongo­ing Woodyfest 2018 cov­er­age, fea­tur­ing Erik the Viking and Blake Lankford.] proved to be uncom­fort­ably hot in the beer gar­den attached to Lou’s Rocky Road Tavern. The pre­vi­ous day’s patio per­for­mances had been favored by a light breeze that made it feel even cooler than the air-con­di­tioned Hen House, where the HVAC strug­gled with the radi­ant body heat of the packed-in audiences.

Still, a decent-sized crowd gath­ered to see Erik “The Viking” Oftedahl and Blake Lankford, two tal­ented song­writ­ers plumb­ing the depths of Americana. Oftedahl, a Minnesota trans­plant with an Okie heart, has since released his first full-length album on Tulsa’s Horton Records. It’s called Places, and record­ing took place at stu­dios across Oklahoma. Woodyfest reg­u­lar Jason Scott co-pro­duced the album with Chris Bell; both appear on it along with fes­ti­val reg­u­lars John Calvin Abney and Carter Sampson, among others.

It’s the best song I’ve writ­ten from a writ­ing stand­point, and it’s a sub­tle reminder to worry less about the things com­pletely out of my control.

Oklahoma native Lankford started mak­ing music at age eight, bang­ing the drums for a gospel band, Hearts of Fire. He joined The Lonesome Few in 2006; a year later the Oklahoma City Gazette named them the metro’s No. 1 Country Band.

[…] f*$&# amaz­ing songwriting!

A brief stint in Nashville ended with Lankford return­ing to Red Dirt, where his has firmly planted his boots. His upcom­ing release will be enti­tled The Closest Thing to You.

Oftedahl reg­u­larly plays Oklahoma City and Stillwater, with occa­sional dates in Tulsa and out-of-state. Lankford has upcom­ing shows in Oklahoma City, Norman, and Stillwater.

Gallery