TULSA
Two years ago when we went on tour, we got set up on a last-minute save our asses show in Tulsa at a DIY space called the Monolith (RIP). While we had fun, it was far from an ideal experience. We played with a lot of, um, “sensitive” bands and we discovered the hard way that you can’t buy cold carryout beer due to Oklahoma’s archaic liquor laws. So we weren’t really sure what to expect when we came back, since our initial impression was that Tulsa was lacking in rockin’ fun times.
We were wrong. Way wrong. Way, way wrong.
After some legit huevos rancheros and machacados (smoked beef jerky & eggs), we met up with Ryan, who makes Skinpimp guitar pedals. Kyle was having trouble with his treble booster, so Dan contacted Ryan about making a new one, since we were going to be in his neck of the woods. Dude came through and cut Dan a really good deal.
We took off for Oklahoma and stopped at a place that offered “fried pies.” Think about the Hostess fruit pies you see in every grocery store. Take off the glaze. Make the crust flaky and buttery instead of cardboard. Replace the chemical filling with delicious apricot or coconut creme or cherry or any number of other fillings. And serve them hot after frying in peanut oil. You still probably can’t imagine how good these are.
Moore, Oklahoma, just south of Oklahoma City, is the home of Toby Keith. We farted as we drove through.
We pulled into Tulsa and found the Soundpony, a few doors down from the famous Cain’s Ballroom. We were super early, so we wandered in and bellied up to the bar for whiskey. $6 a glass for Makers Mark, but this was a real $6 pour. No skimping here. A couple of sips later, the bartender puts on a vinyl copy of The Thermals The Body, The Blood, The Machine. We make the requisite compliments, to which she points out that the bar has three drawers and a closet full of vinyl. It keeps getting better.
The bartender suggests that we go to Joe Momma’s pizza for dinner and again, we’re pointed in the right direction. It’s a brick oven joint in Tulsa’s equivalent of the Short North. We get two pies: one a traditional hand-tossed with sausage, red peppers and mushrooms, the other, a menage called “Nathan’s Unlikely Marriage.” The latter consists of a buffalo ranch sauce, buffalo chicken strips, breakfast bacon, roma tomatoes, diced jalapenos, a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and topped with a ranch swirl. Consensus is that the standard pizza is just OK, but Nathan’s Unlikely Marriage is fantastic. Always trust the chef.
We were told initially that it was just us and a band called Lizard Police, so when we saw another band loading in and setting up, we were surprised and pleased that we wouldn’t have to play first. The guys from TeddyJackEddy (not to be confused with Tulsa’s native son Gary Busey) drew a good raucous crowd and set the tone for the night. Rock and roll. No bullshit. What a relief.
As we started our set, a good portion of the crowd had disappeared, but the dudes from Lizard Police and TJE stood up front by us and drew some more people in to watch our set. Thanks for that, dudes. We ripped through it pretty good, fueled by the free beers Soundpony was throwing us.
SETLIST:
Blast From The Past
The College Try
Nothing Interesting
The 8-Track Recorder
Sharpshooter
Can’t Make Up My Mind
My Resume
Impatient Man
(It’s Not) Easy To Be Hard
Closed Captioned For The Hearing Impaired
The Lowest Part Is Free (Archers of Loaf cover)
I Would Like To Speak To Your Manager
Cutout Bin
Lizard Police came up next and the crowd returned in full force. These guys were not playing around. High energy, art-stained punk rock ragers. This is not the kind of band that Columbus girls will come see, but the girls here were totally into it and out in numbers. Another surprise and another Tulsa myth busted.
The Royalties closed out the night, but by this point, I was too drunk and tired to do anything but time travel in the van. We ended up at a Super 8 outside of town. We told Kyle to lie and say there were only two of us to try and save a couple bucks, but he totally got busted when he realized that all the rooms were inside and we had to walk through the lobby to get to one. Bonerz.
Notes
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