Norman Music Festival holds a special place in the hearts of The Neighborhood band members.

The Norman-based rock band played at the inaugural festival in 2008 and will play at the event this year for the members’ first show together in four years.

The Neighborhood formed when its members were in college, and the band played together for four years, drummer Matt Duckworth said.

“As time went on, we became more and more serious,” Duckworth said. “We made an EP and eventually a full-length record.”

The Neighborhood eventually opened for bigger names such as Chainsaw Kittens and Vampire Weekend, Duckworth said.

Then, when one of their members — Eric Mai — left for graduate school in Berkeley, Calif., the band began to slowly dissolve.

“Over the course of six months, everyone just kind of ended up going their own way,” Duckworth said.

The stars seemed to align for the band this year. Mai planned on being in Oklahoma during the festival weekend to get married, and the festival organizers asked them to perform.

“We are really good friends with some of the folks putting it on,” said guitarist and singer Phil Rice. “Everyone thought it would be fun to have us play — and we thought it would be a great time as well — so why not?”

Another band reuniting for the festival is Hush Hush Commotion — a high-energy, indie-pop outfit from south Oklahoma City.

The band formed in 2007, released a couple EPs and then decided to take their music to the next level in 2009, said Chris Lusk, keyboard and guitar player.

“We actually all dropped out of school and did the full-time band thing — traveling across the country,” said Lusk, journalism junior.

Touring the country was an irreplaceable experience, but it eventually wore on the band, he said.

“Although I loved it, the road is a tough place — it’s a tough life,” Lusk said.

After a handful of regional tours and two nationwide tours, the band members decided to scale back their focus, he said.

“We had some successes here and there, but it wasn’t enough to justify not going back to school,” Lusk said.

After the band’s touring schedule emptied, the band members promised one other they would keep writing songs and playing local gigs — but their efforts proved to be half-hearted, Lusk said.

“It was one of those things none of us wanted to admit: we had failed at the full-time touring thing,” he said.

The writing sessions never came, and the band practices were few and far between, Lusk said.

“It was just tough to stay motivated to keep moving forward,” he said.

Norman Music Festival is special to Hush Hush Commotion as well, Lusk said. The band’s last show was one year ago — at the 2010 festival.

Lusk said he is excited for the opportunity to play at this year’s festival, and the band members are grateful to be included in the lineup.

“When you take three of four years out of your life and put everything else to the side to focus on that one thing, there is a void the second it’s gone,” Lusk said. “We’re definitely excited to be put back into a situation where we get to be together and play for people.”

Duckworth echoed Lusk’s feelings toward his own band.

“The Neighborhood was the first band that I was in that truly felt like a band,” Duckworth said. “So I am excited to get together and play with them at this year’s festival.”

Norman Music Festival

Day 1 — April 28,
Day 2 — April 29
Day 3 — April 30

The Neighborhood
When: Day 1 — 12:30 a.m. April 29
Where: The Opolis, 113 N Crawford Ave.

Hush Hush Commotion
When: Day 2 — midnight April 30
Where: The Brewhouse, 110 W Main St.

—Source: Norman Music Festival website