Festival City: On the road
Music festivals worth hitting the road to catch.
Schwarzstock
Schwartzstock is a camping festival in El Reno founded by Doug Schwartz that mostly features bands based in and around OKC. On the bill are Ali Harter and the Man Band, Broncho, DEERPEOPLE, Horse Thief, Jabee, Tallows, and more. With 30 bands on the lineup and ticket prices at $20 in advance and $30 at the gate, at most you’ll be paying a buck a band, with six comedians thrown in for free. Not too shabby.
5/16-17 // El Reno
Charlie Christian International Music Festival
Charlie Christian was an Oklahoman jazz musician who is widely regarded as the person to bring guitar out of the rhythm section and into the foreground, paving the way for every electric guitarist since. Though he died at just 25 years old, his influence is still felt. To pay tribute to this pioneer, the Charlie Christian International Music Festival was founded in 1985, and continues to be an annual tradition. Held at Fairmont Creamery and other venues in Lawton, this year the festival will include performances by Keyboardist Chester Thompson (formerly of Santana and Tower of Power), Tulsa saxophonist Grady Nichols, funk and R&B from Matt Stansberry & The Romance and All Funk Radio Show, and more. Tickets are just $5 per day for general admission, and $20 per day for reserved seats.
5/21-26 // Lawton
charliechristianmusicfestival.com
Rocklahoma
The hardest rocking festival in Oklahoma is now in its eighth year, and it continues to bring a plethora of hard-rock acts old and new to Catch the Fever Music Amphitheater in Pryor. Headliners this year are Kid Rock, Twisted Sister, Five Finger Death Punch, Staind, Deftones, and Theory of a Deadman. For those paying attention, yes, Motörhead and Skindred were billed to appear but have since cancelled. (So much for that Dee Snider/Lemmy Kilmister duet we were all hoping for.) Plenty of headbanging music still to be had: Seether, Skid Row, Texas Hippie Coalition, Black Label Society, Truckfighters (DO NOT miss Truckfighters), and Tulsa’s own Able the Allies, The Bourgeois, and David Castro Band remain on the bill. Single day tickets are $74, weekend passes are $159. Camping is offered for an additional fee of $75 for the weekend.
5/23-25 // Pryor
Backwoods Bash
Held each Memorial Day Weekend since 2008, Backwoods Bash creates a family friendly camping festival featuring regional acts on the shores of Lake Keystone, just 20 minutes outside Tulsa. Nearly 40 bands and DJs will appear, including Groovement, Ego Culture & Move Trio, Totojo, Wink Burcham, Center of the Universe, and Dirty Creek Bandits. There will also be yoga, a drum circle, belly dancing, arts and crafts, and the festival’s close proximity to the lake make it possible to take a swim while listening to bands onstage. Food vendors will be onsite, and attendees are invited to bring their own grills and coolers as well. Tickets are $75 and include camping. Kids 12 and under are free. A pre-festival music sampler is available to purchase and download, so you can become familiar with the music before Memorial Day weekend. RV and Boat passes are also available. Proceeds benefit Sheep Dog Impact Assistance.
5/23-26 // Prue
Tallgrass Music Festival
Skiatook Bluegrass Association presents this festival, whose lineup includes bluegrass musicians from near and far. North Carolina-based Nu-Blu is headlining, along with The Roys, Mark Newton & Steve Thomas, and Oklahoma band Common Tyme. A Gospel night kicks off the festival on Thursday, 6/5, and the festival ends with a Band Scramble, open to anyone who can play, Saturday night. Tickets for the full weekend are $25, and individual day tickets are $5 on Thursday, $10 on Friday, and $15 on Saturday. Kids 12 and under are free. Tent camping is available for $3 per day, and RV Camping is $15 per day.
6/5-7 // Skiatook
OK Mozart International Music Festival
Celebrating its 30th year, OK Mozart encompasses an entire week of performances and music events. While classical music takes the forefront of the festival, myriad styles are celebrated and performed, including Americana, jazz, Dixieland, folk, rock, and chamber music. It’s when the Amici New York Orchestra makes the trip to Oklahoma, performing at most of the Main Stage concerts, including a performance in English of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute;” an outdoor concert at Woolaroc including a performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, complete with cannons and fireworks; and a grand-finale performance with the Bartlesville Choral Society of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. Prices for individual performances vary, but OK Mozart offers a 25-percent discount for those who purchase tickets to three events. Season Tickets are $115-$180 for adults and $50-$100 for students.
6/7-14 // Bartlesville
Jazz in June
Jazz in June started in 1984 with an audience of 300. In recent years, more than 50,000 have gathered for the festival, which takes place in several venues throughout Norman. Folk jazz band Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks tops the bill this year. Also on offer will be performances by blues singer/guitarist Samantha Fish, The Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola Duo, Dirty Red & The Soul Shakers, Boyd Street Brass, and Pidgin. The festival also includes clinics with the artists, and blues and jazz jams. Free to attend.
6/19-21 // Norman
OKC Fest
Country fans will want not want to miss this festival in Downtown OKC. This is just the first year of OKC Fest, but it’s already attracting some of Country’s biggest names. So far the lineup includes Dierks Bentley, Merle Haggard, Lady Antebellum, Randy Rogers Band, Casey Donahue Band, Josh Abbot Band, Scotty McCreery, and Kix Brooks, with more artists and activities to be announced soon. Those disappointed by Merle Haggard’s recent cancelled show at The Joint will be able to make up for it at OKC months before his reschedule Joint show on Oct. 9. Tickets for OKC Fest are $35 for single day tickets and $59 for two day passes.
6/27-28 // OKC
Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
Each year over the weekend closest to Woody Guthrie’s birthday (he would be 102 on July 14), Woody Guthrie Folk Festival (WoodyFest for short) is held in multiple locations across Okemah, including Crystal Theatre, Brickstreet Cafe, and the outdoor main stage at Pastures of Plenty. The lineup this year includes Ellis Paul, Jimmy LaFave, Annie Guthrie (Woody’s granddaughter), Joel Rafael, Tim Easton, and Ronnie Cox, who starred in the 1976 film adaptation of Guthrie’s book, “Bound for Glory.” The festival will also include performances by local favorites John Fullbright, Wink Burcham, and Paul Benjaman. Free to attend.
7/9-13// Okemah
Dusk 'til Dawn Blues Fest
Founded by the late Oklahoma Bluesman and founder of the Oklahoma Blues Hall of Fame D.C. Minner to keep the tradition of juke joint blues alive, Dusk ‘til Dawn Blues Fest gathers national touring blues musicians and Oklahoman players to play—you guessed it—from dusk ‘til dawn. The party goes from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., beginning each evening with outdoor concerts, before moving in to Minner’s Down Home Blues Club at midnight. Headliners include Fillmore Slim, Roger “Hurricane” Wilson, and Harry & Debbie Blackwell. Oklahoma artists include Miss Blues, James Walker, Poochie & Slick Willie, and D.C.’s wife, Selby Minner. Tickets are $15 per day. Kids are free, but will only be admitted to the outdoor portion of the festival.
8/29-31 // Rentiesville
Claremore Bluegrass & Chili Festival
This year marks the 35th Claremore Bluegrass & Chili Festival (originally the Tulsa Bluegrass & Chili Festival) and if you’re a fan of bluegrass, chili, or both, this is an event you do not want to miss. The lineup for this year’s festival has yet to be released, but the festival consistently puts together three days of world-class bluegrass. Headliners of recent years have included New Grass Revival Founder Sam Bush, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, and Ricky Skaggs. This year, for the first time, the festival will feature not one, but two days of International Chili Society Cookoffs! The festival is free to attend, but parking is $10 per car.
9/4-6 // Claremore
facebook.com/claremorebluegrass
Groovefest
Created in 1986 by artists, musicians, and activists at the University of Oklahoma to raise human rights awareness, Groovefest now claims the title of “oldest human rights music festival in the world.” Information on this year’s festival has yet to be announced, but the festival takes place during the fall in Norman’s Andrews Park, and features bands and artists from Norman and OKC to create a fun environment and to promote social consciousness and awareness of human rights issues worldwide.
9/28 // Norman
Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival
Founded by three-time national fiddle champion and Guthrie resident Byron Berline, OIBF celebrates bluegrass music and its influence on music in America and abroad. The lineup includes acts from near (Turnpike Troubadours, John Fullbright, Red Dirt Rangers) and far (Canadian April Verch, Japanese band Blue Side of Lonesome), and lots in between, with performances by Dailey & Vincent, The Cleverlys, Jeff Scroggins & Colorado, and more. The weekend also offers jam sessions, music workshops, a golf scramble with bluegrass performers, an auction, children’s activities, and an open mic. Early-bird 3-day passes are $60 through June 1, when the price rises to $70 through October 1. They are $80 during the festival. Day passes range $15-$35 in advance, or $20-$40 during the festival. Tent camping is available for $7 per night; RV sites are $12.
10/2-4 // Guthrie
More on festivals
Rounding up this summer's best local fests
A look at the evolution (and demise) of historic Tulsa fests
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