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Dfest 2008 Rocked Downtown Tulsa OK!

Justin Shattuck — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 20:41:19 +0000

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!

All-American Rejects to Speak at Dfest Conference

Justin Shattuck — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 15:33:27 +0000

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.

Tulsa’s Dfest Announces Confirmed Lineup

Justin Shattuck — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:05:35 +0000

Dfest, Oklahoma’s largest music festival, on Wenesday announced the first list of confirmed headlining acts and bands for their seventh appearance here in Tulsa. The Dfest festivities take place July 25-26 in the Blue Dome District of downtown Tulsa. The historic district is lined with local supported drinking holes and locations to sit and relax while listening to some groovy tunes.

Dfest weekend in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma is going to be sick! An estimated 150 bands will perform this year during the two day festival, organizers said. The festival also has a keynote presentation given by Martin Atkins, author of the indie rock gospel bible, “Tour Smart and Break the Band. Atkins also known for his work in post-modern-punk and industrial artists: Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, and Pigface.

Even if you decide to miss the conference speaker; don’t miss the music! Be sure to visit OKCTickets.com for advanced purchase information and a special discount for ordering early. If you purchase your tickets online, use discount coupon code: okctix to save an additional $5.00 off ticket prices. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 at the door; and of course — gets you admission for both days of the festival.

Who’s playing?

This year’s lineup consists of some great local and national acts! If we hear of any additional acts or headlining artists playing — we will keep you up to date. This is what we know so far.

As far as regional and local bands performing at Dfest, there are a ton. However, this list is only partial and there will be more bands announced in the next coming weeks. So check back often to see who’s added.

If we have missed any of the headliners or bands that should be listed; please let us know! We want to make sure we stay on top of Dfest this year — so we could use all the support available in making sure we are up to date.