The first Summer Breeze concert on May 10 didn’t exactly live up to its name. But the cold and rainy weather didn’t stop Norman residents and students from flocking to the Andrews Park Amphitheater. They just brought warm clothes, raincoats and umbrellas, and some of the children danced in the puddles.
“What a beautiful summer night to kick off Summer Breeze!” concert series chairman Steven White said.
Missouri bluegrass band Big Smith played the first Summer Breeze event, bringing its harmonies, acoustic sound and humorous banter.
“Thanks for being here,” acoustic guitar player Mark Bilyeu said. “You’re tried and true, hardy souls. In the Southwest, people would just say, ‘Let’s get some KFC and rent ‘Napoleon Dynamite.’’”
Big Smith has six members, five of which are related. All of the band members sang, and many of them could play more than one instrument, which made for a varied performance that included bluegrass, country, gospel, instrumentals and children’s songs.
The acoustic style continued at the next Summer Breeze concert on Sunday at Lions Park with folk group Elephant Revival, and the weather proved to be more obliging.
Elephant Revival is a five-member band whose members are all songwriters and most play multiple instruments, like Big Smith.
Banjo player Sage Cook said the band’s sound is a mix of styles.
“We sometimes like to call it transcendental folk,” Cook said. “And there’s definitely traditional and Celtic influences.”
The Colorado-based group played many songs that were inspired by nature. Cook said the band’s green-painted tour bus runs on vegetable oil. Elephant Revival is also scheduled to play at the festival Wakarusa this summer.
White works through the Performing Arts Studio in Norman. The organizer encourages people to attend because the concert series is free and enjoyable.
“We’ve really got 10 quality shows,” White said. “It’s something for everybody — with bluegrass, rock, salsa mix and then whatever you would call ‘Hosty.’”
The next Summer Breeze is 7:30 p.m. June 7 in Lions Park and will feature local musician Travis Linville.
Linville is returning to the Summer Breeze stage to play his blend of blues, folk and jazz acoustic music. Linville also started a recording studio in Norman called DirtyBird Recording.
As White mentioned, the infamous Norman musicians known as the Hosty Duo is also scheduled to perform 7:30 p.m. June 21 at Lions Park. The duo consists of Michael Hosty, who sings and plays guitar, kazoo and bass pedals, and drummer Michael “Tic Tac” Byars.
Rockabilly guitarist and singer Wanda Jackson, who was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will play at 7:30 p.m. July 12 at the Andrews Park Amphitheater.
The Summer Breeze concert series also includes Norman rock band Dorian Small, salsa group Son del Barrio, folk guitarist and songwriter Darrell Scott, Oklahoma’s “First Lady of the Blues” Miss Blue and Americana country band John McEuen and Sons. McEuen is the founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
For more information, check the Performing Arts Studio Web site at http://www.thepas.org.
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OUSooners 2 years, 12 months ago
Not being in Norman for the summer, missing these concerts sure is a drag. The composition of the article, however, is music to my ears.