TULSA, OKLA. – For the past eight years, we have tirelessly promoted and produced Dfest Music Conference & Festival. We have experienced some amazing performances, made friendships that will last a lifetime, and created a special event that made Tulsa a very exciting place each July. Those of you who truly know us understand we do this out of sheer passion, our unending love of music and to empower and create a better place for hardworking, independent musicians.

In 2010, we have to make the difficult decision to put Dfest on hiatus. A tough economy, rising production costs and a decline in lower level corporate sponsorships and support have caused us to take pause. These factors have made us unable to produce the kind of event we are known for, so we are unable to move forward with the festival this year. At the point we knew that we had exhausted any and all options and head into July 2010 with full steam, we decided to postpone the event on our own terms. The integrity and quality of Dfest is of the utmost importance to us as the creators of the event.

We know that Dfest is a very special event and so much more than just a festival. We are not willing to compromise the quality of the event in any way that might cause it to be less of a festival than the people of Tulsa and our fans have come to know and love. In light of these events, we would like to give a very special thanks to the fans who have bought tickets to Dfest in the past, told your friends, Facebooked, tweeted, blogged and let everyone you knew know about how much you love Dfest. We would also like to thank our loyal sponsors, media partners, team members, emerging artists, and volunteers who have supported Dfest year after year. A very special thanks and appreciation goes to State Farm, who shared our vision for this event and stood by our side throughout this difficult decision.

With love and respect,

Tom and Angie Green and the Dfest Team

The two-day multi-genre music festival fused with a music industry conference was established in 2002 to help emerging artists gain exposure and connect with the music industry. The conference consisted of music panels, a tradeshow, music clinics and artist mentoring. Each night, national recording artists performed on large outdoor festival stages while top local, regional and national emerging artists performed on a multitude of outdoor stages, indoor venues and club stages. Dfest has quickly become one of the top independent music conferences in the nation as well as the Midwest’s largest music festival of its type, and a hot bed for showcasing exciting new diverse music talent.

On September 25, 1958 Quiktrip opened its doors to Tulsa, Oklahoma at its first store on South Peoria. Now it’s time for the Tulsa based convenience store chain to celebrate their 50th year anniversary with live music from a variety of both local and regional acts. Quiktrip is also throwing a huge fireworks display to thank Tulsa citizens and the community for fifty years of support. The event will be held at the River West Festival Park (on the West Bank of the Arkansas River behind the Amphitheater) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Best of all, you can get your tickets at all Tulsa area Quiktrip locations for free! 

Bands, Bands, and More Bands!

• Uche and the Crash – These guys will take Stage 2 at 12pm
• Little Chair – Stage 1 at 12:50pm
• Crooked X - Stage 2 at 1:40pm
• Rattle and Hum -  Stage 1 and 2:30pm
• Midlife Crisis – Stage 2 at 3:20pm
• South40 – Stage 1 at 4:10
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey – Stage 2 at 5pm
• Leon Russell – Stage 1 at 6pmHanson – Stage 1 at 7:50

What about beer, restrictions, and food?

Glad you asked! Quiktrip Mobile will be on site with concessions, the same food you have learned to enjoy from their deli sandwiches to egg rolls. Best of all, Budweiser will be on site with their beer garden, providing a nice environment to sit back and drink-up! There is a double fist limit of two beers per visit to the beer concession and the beer stops flowing at 9:30PM when the fireworks demonstration begins. Quiktrip has outlined all the details of their Tulsa festival on their website www.quiktrip.com/festival/QTfest_faq.asp.

The fireworks will pop from the 21^st Street Bridge at 9:30PM in Tulsa, Oklahoma and continue until they’re out of the magical black power and star dust. Don’t miss out, come out to the River and enjoy some FREE live music and fireworks! See you there, Tulsa!

Article image thankfully jacked from quiktrip.com/festival/. Great artwork huh?

“Preservation” magazine is profiling Tulsa for it’s art-deco style in a cover story for their July/August issue.
The above announcement was made in the architecturally rich Pilcade building which is made of marble, gold leaf and random geometric designs that resembles Tulsa’s great art-deco style.

Nestled in the hills just west of downtown Tulsa lies the Gilcrease Museum. If you have an interest for Native American and American/West art and history; this is more than a hot sport for you. They actually have the largest collection of artifacts from the old western days.

I had the pleasure of hanging out there last week when they launched the new Charter Membership Opportunity for City of Tulsa residents until July 2009. The charter membership provides some benefits that include free membership and such.

Signing up, just for the free badge isn’t a half-bad idea; not to mention the museum sits on 460 acres, of which about 20 or so has been fully developed into some wonderfully themed gardens. I recommend you check it out!

Confused as to what we are talking about? It’s likely because you have not heard of the Tulsa Artists’ Coalition’s upcoming show on 5/5 at 5:55PM. The annual fund-raiser is hosted by the T.A.C. Gallery to give local and surrounding artists an opportunity to express their creative talents on canvases measuring 5″ x 5″ and are provided by the T.A.C. Gallery.

Each of the works on display at the May 5, 2008 show are available for $55.00 each. If you are looking for a great piece of art work that is sure to liven up any space in your home or residence, it is surely available there. Can’t decide which piece you want? Purchase a few! They would look great mounted next to one another in a minimalistic college in your office or study.

The funds raised from this event are a large seed for the operation costs associated with operated the gallery. The gallery is artist-owned and operated and the money is used to keep the cost of showcasing local artists work modest and affordable. Still not sure what’s happening? Here is an excerpt from a press release we received:

Whether it is representational or abstract, whimsical or profound, you are bound to find it at this art event. These small works can easily find a niche in your home. Both the artists and the public are eager to participate. The art patrons line up well in advance of the opening of the doors at 5:55pm.

This fundraising event generates a significant portion of the gallery’s revenues so that it can keep the costs for the exhibiting artists down. It also provides the public a great opportunity to buy original art at an affordable price. The TAC Gallery is located at 9 East Brady, Tulsa.

Let’s go over it again

Monday, May 5th, 5:55pm to 9:00pm – Tulsa Artists’ Coalition Gallery at 9 East Brady, Tulsa, Oklahoma. There is a $5.00 donation fee at the door, which is similar to a “ticket” but you’re really just giving a mandatory $5.00 donation —

The Tulsa Artists’ Coalition is an artist-run, non-profit 501C(3) organization of artists and art supporters formed to encourage and support emerging and established contemporary artists and to foster the development of new forms and multi-disciplinary works in Tulsa and surrounding communities.

TAC Gallery Hours: 6:00p.m. to 9:00p.m. Thursday, Friday & Saturday; daytime hours by appointment only. For more information, call (918)-592-0041, or check out the TAC website www.tacgallery.org.

Additionally, the deadline for picking up your canvas was Saturday afternoon; so at least stop by the gallery and visit. There will surely be some wonderful work available to see!