This past weekend, Shattuck and I rep’d ThisTulsa at DFest. To be honest, my expectations of this festival were not that high in the beginning. I was a little prejudice to how well big-time artists would be received by the Tulsa crowd. Man was I wrong…

The headliner for the closing night of DFest was The Roots. A hip-hop band that really needs no introduction, put on a show that I thought was nothing short of stellar. The band, who recently dropped their 10th album Rising Down, rocked the house at Tulsa’s annual DFest downtown. Since ThisTulsa was recognized as a “legitimate” news company, we had the ability to snap some great shots of their performance and hang out backstage while the performance rocked on.

Hopped up on RedBull, Justin and I took gigs of photos over the weekend. You can find them in various locations like Flickr; here and here as well as the bottom of every ThisTulsa web page.

How do you think DFest did this year Tulsa?

Last weekend is likely to be remembered as one of the most rocking weekends presented to our community. Friday afternoon, I stopped by the Dfest media tent to pick-up our staff writers’ press badges and related materials. Later, we arrived downtown to begin capturing the moments from some extremely marvelous bands.

The night immediately began with a killer performance by Paramore; however, we missed the amazing show (so-we-heard) from Danelle Phillips’s band Congress of a Crow. Although we missed Congress of a Crow’s performance, we did not miss the opportunity to socially network and have a chat with Danelle Phillips, their lead singer. We even persuaded her to throw up the 918, in support of both our website and the local community she represents. “Thank you so much!” she exclaimed as we presented her with a memory card for her digital camera so she could capture the moments herself.

Given the opportunity to sit backstage and converse with the bands and the other members of press was more than a great experience; it was an opportunity for us to show our wealth to the community. Even something small and generous like giving away AA batteries to a random fan backstage of Paramore or giving Danelle a memory card was our chance to be positive. This feeling was more than reciprocated throughout the event. All of the bands were generous with their time and words.

The All American Rejects blasted fans away with a pretty long performance with all their current and previous hits. We met a few great fans and captured some pretty sick shots of the group. Throughout the night we continued to snap photos, take names, and try to mentally note the performances and performers. We did a pretty decent job, from talking to Doug, a 12 year old fan who was leaning against the railing jamming out to “Move Along,” to four random guys we met while picking up refreshments.

Meeting up with Anthony a.k.a. PDA Friday night and being personally invited to his show Saturday at the Blank Slate stage was a great feeling. He has read our website (thistulsa.com) before and was more than supportive of our small-time publication here. Friday night ended with a small party at Brad’s house with some friends and family of PDA and ourselves.

We continued to rock out Dfest Saturday with Sworn Against, PDA, The Roots, Zappa Plays Zappa, Colourmusic, and the crowds backstage.

The parties were great, crowds polite, people awesome, performers excellent, and overall left a definite hole after it was said and done. More about each individual band and their performance soon!

There is a whole-heck-of-a-lot of information surrounding this years Dfest, however the staff here at ThisTulsa.com are in-the-know and prepared to deliver every thing we know to you. Need a quick reference sheet as to whats going on and what is not? Check it out!

What is Dfest?

The most comprehensive music conference and festival in the Midwest—will feature 140 artists and 20 musical genres on 11 stages in downtown Tulsa’s historic Blue Dome District. Headliners include: All American Rejects, The Roots, Clutch, moe., Phantom Planet, A.M., Jacob Fred Jazz Oddessey, Ty England, Ravi, The Apples in Stereo, Joshua James, Paramore, Ghostland Observatory, Zappa Plays Zappa, Helmet, The Disco Biscuits and Edison Glass and over 120 unsigned artists.

The two-day festival will also include a conference comprised of music industry panels, a tradeshow, music clinics and mentoring sessions designed to educate working musicians and music enthusiasts in any stage of their career. The conference will take place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel downtown, just walking distance from the Blue Dome District.

Panelists include Ken Abdo (V.P. Lommen Abdo Law Firm), Stephanie Adware (Furgang & Adwar), Tom Alexander (AEG Live), Craig Alvin (Producer), Holly Anderson (Eventful), Martin Atkins (Tour Smart Invisible Records), Daryl Berg (Fuel TV), David Codr (micSpace), Mia Crow (Visionworks Music), Jon Delange (Tinderbox Music), Dan Efram (The Musebox), Damian Elahi (Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records), Erica Forester Rhino, Jim Halsey (Halsey Institustite), Carrie Hughes (Reflection Music), Chris Jackson (E! Televsion), Paul Kriegler (94.1 The Sound), Keith Lacock (Tinderbox Music), Justin Levenson (SESAC), Catherine Lieu (Eventful), Mike Locke (Rhino Independent), Max Luces-Tucker (Bunim/Murray Productions), Tomy Mc Donald (Warner Music Group), Mollie Moore (Atlantic Records), Shawn Murphy (ASCAP), John Nicholson (Hollywood Records), Eavan Porter (Nettwerk Management), David Preston (V.P. BMI), Scott Perry (New Music Tipsheet), David Ponak (Rhino Entertainment), Ravi Artistic Integrity, Steve Robertson (Atlantic Records), Joe Rudge (ABC), Jon Schroeder (Producer), Jack Shapira (Unison Studios), Wil Sharpe (Sharpe Entertainment), Madalyn Sklar (GoGirlsMusic), Rob Spinelli (Bodog Music), David Teegarden (Artist/Engineer), Larry White (Larry White Management)

* some of the links above are to personal and/or corporate websites

When

July 25-26, 2008

Where

Conference held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
Festival at Blue Dome District, Tulsa Oklahoma

Who will be there?

More than 60,000 attendees are expected.

How do you get tickets?

Festival passes valid for both days are $30 in advance, $40 at the gate. Price does not include service fees.
Conference badges good for both days are $100 in advance, $150 at the door. Conference badges include festival admission.
VIP tickets, good for the music festival only are $150.
All Dfest tickets are available at www.okctickets.com.
There are NO REFUNDS and NO SINGLE DAY TICKETS

The hours

Conference Hours:
Friday and Saturday: 11 am to 630 p.m.
Festival Hours:
Friday and Saturday: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.

More random facts

• 7th year of Oklahoma’s largest music conference and festival
• 20 different genres of music
• Over 140 Bands
• 3 Countries are represented on Dfest States
• Dfest was founded by Tom Green and Angie Devore-Green
• Several Dfest acts have gone on to national acclaim (Including American Idol’s David Cook.)
• More then 1,000 bands applied for the 120 unsigned artist slots
• 11 stages of music are available
• The largest music festival and conference in Oklahoma

The history of Dfest

Tom Green and Angie DeVore-Green created DFest in 2001 to help their band Ultrafix win a Jim Beam/Rolling Stone Magazine Best Unsigned Band contest.

The couple came up with several marketing ideas to rally support for the contest. The one that took shape was the idea to host a small festival at Cronie’s Bar downtown consisting of other local bands. Their hope was to gain voting support from as many fans possible.

The event rained out and only 150 people turned out for the 12 booked bands. Fortunately, Ultrafix went on to win the contest. Later that year the Greens were asked if they were doing the Dfest festival again. They decided to make it an annual event, and in 2002 Dfest moved to the Boston District where it remained for the next four years.

In 2007, the festival made a new home in the Blue Dome District of downtown, giving it much needed space for growth. With the help of headliners Leon Russell, Shiny Toy Guns and Norman’s own Flaming Lips, Dfest drew over 40,000 fans.

In 2008, the festival plans to grow on that success and expects a crowd in excess of 60,000.

The All-American Rejects are Stillwater’s breakout pop stars. They’re last album sold a multi-million number of copies worldwide and their upcoming album — set to release this fall —was named No. 2 on Alternative Press magazine’s 2008 anticipated albums of the year list.

Members of the band and its management will participate in a question-answer panel from 4:30 to 6pm at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Tulsa. They will discuss their rise from having $1000 in the bank (between all of them) to selling multi-platinum records. They will also share their experience in creating new revenue streams like Tyson’s Butter Clothing and Edmond Records, the label of Dfest act The City Lives.

The panel will be available to all registered participants of the Dfest conference, at no additional charge to conference registration. Conference badges must be worn to gain entry; music festival wristbands are not valid for admission.

To register for the conference, visit www.dfest.com and click “tickets.” Conference badges are good for entry into the conference, trade show and music festival, with priority entrance to club stages.
At 11:50 p.m., July 25, The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame will present the band with its “Rising Star” award on Dfest’s Hadaly Stage, prior to their performance.

The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame gives the award to individuals or groups who have attained significant national notice for their musical talent and have a solid connection to Oklahoma by birthright, moving to the state at an early age, living in Oklahoma for a significant portion of his or her career, writing songs or music about Oklahoma, or furthering music in the state of Oklahoma.

“The All-American Rejects is an Oklahoma native band that’s achieved tremendous national success and proudly represents Oklahoma,” said Beth Seim, executive director of the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame. “We’re excited to present them with this prestigious award at a festival that has put Oklahoma on the map.”

“We’re so appreciative that the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame is presenting the band with this award at Dfest,” said Tom Green, Dfest co-creator. “Oklahoma roots run deep at this festival, so we always make a point to feature an Oklahoma artist as a major headliner. This award from the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame solidifies this long-standing Dfest tradition.”

About Dfest

The seventh annual Dfest is the Midwest’s largest music festival and most comprehensive music conference. Featuring 11 stages in downtown Tulsa’s Blue Dome District July 25-26, Dfest will feature renowned national acts, including The All-American Rejects, The Roots, The Disco Biscuits, Clutch, Paramore, Zappa Plays Zappa, Ghostland Observatory, moe., Helmet, Phantom Planet, Edison Glass, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, AM, Ty England, Ravi, The Apples In Stereo, Joshua James and Cory Chisel. In addition, Dfest will feature 130 unsigned artists and more than 40 conference panelists. More than 60,000 music enthusiasts are expected to attend the two-day event that highlights more than 20 musical genres. Tickets are on sale now at www.dfest.com.

With astronomical gas prices and even higher airline tickets costs, many Americans are scaling back their vacations this year. But with the 7th Annual Dfest Conference and Music Festival July 25-26, Oklahomans don’t have to stray far to catch all the fun of a festival, but without the high prices.

According to AAA, the national average shows gas prices have increased nearly 19 percent from last summer, and in Oklahoma alone, gas prices are at a record high. However, an annual AAA survey showed Tulsa is the least expensive city to stay during a vacation out of the 49 large U.S. cities surveyed.

“Tulsa’s Dfest has all the fun of a summer vacation — culture, music, food and fun, but hardly costs a thing. So why not go on a staycation this year instead of a vacation?” said Davit Souders, Dfest Head Talent Buyer and Production Coordinator.

Dfest boasts the cheapest festival prices when compared to the top festivals in the nation.

“To see some of our headliners at other local venues could cost you anywhere from $25 to $200, and other major festivals in the nation can cost more than $500, not including gas,” said Angie Devore-Green, Dfest Co-Founder. “Dfest is an amazing festival, but is accessible to regular folks. It’s a world-class music experience for less than half the price, and you can even ride your bike to the festival grounds.”

Most vacations require lodging and frequent gas tank refills. With Dfest, filling up your tank will cost more than the festival, Devore said.

According to AAA 2007 Gas Watcher’s Guide, the average American gets 24.4 miles per gallon, with average gas prices running $3.91 per gallon. Here’s how Dfest stacks up to other nationally renowned festivals for Tulsa:

About DFEST

The seventh annual Dfest is the Midwest’s largest music festival and most comprehensive music conference. Featuring 11 stages in downtown Tulsa’s Blue Dome District July 25-26, Dfest will feature renowned national acts, including The All-American Rejects, The Roots, The Disco Biscuits, Clutch, Paramore, Zappa Plays Zappa, Ghostland Observatory, moe., Helmet, Phantom Planet, Edison Glass, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, AM, Ty England, Ravi, The Apples In Stereo, Joshua James and Cory Chisel. In addition, Dfest will feature 130 unsigned artists and more than 40 conference panelists. More than 60,000 music enthusiasts are expected to attend the two-day event that highlights more than 20 musical genres. Tickets are on sale now at www.okctickets.com and www.dfest.com.

If the first round of confirmations didn’t cut it for you, The All-American Rejects, The Roots, Ty England, moe., Phantom Planet and The Apples in Stereo all confirmed headlining spots with Tulsa’s Dfest today. With over 1500 submissions for the 120 stage spots, Dfest has definitely booked some great acts. If you have not got your tickets yet, make sure you do! You can get all the details on the Dfestwebsite, dfest.com.