Sapulpa Park and Recreation and Sapulpa Arts presents a one-day Folk Festival featuring contemporary Folk Artists Annie Oakley, 11 a.m. to Noon; Chris Blevins, 1 to 2 p.m.; O’Fidelis, 3 to 4 p.m.; Zach Winters Band, 5 to 6 p.m.; and the Justin Joslin Band, 7 to 8 p.m.
This is a FREE Public Concert, so bring your blankets and lawn chairs and enjoy the day with us. Please no large or oversized umbrellas that may block the view of others.
There will be Food Trucks available to purchase meals and snacks, and an Art Zone for kids and artists presenting their unique works of art. Located in the Kelly Lane Park, near the intersections of Main and Taft, the bands will perform on the floating stage. The grass area provides plenty of room for viewing.
“We hope to have a great turnout for this exquisite group of entertainers, each one unique in their sound, but a wonderful pairing together,” said Sheri Ishmael Waldrop, director of Sapulpa Arts. “The weather is cooling of the day and it is the perfect opportunity to bring the family out for a day of music and fun. This event offers something for everyone in the family. Visit Sapulpa Art Facebook event to learn more about these wonderful musicians.”
Join us for a fun filled day of music, food, art and more.
Artist details and showtimes below.
https://www.facebook.com/events/845617285603844
Annie Oakley (11am to Noon)
Annie Oakley is an Oklahoma City-based Americana band fronted by twin sisters Sophia and Grace Babb. Known for flawless vocal harmonies and sharply observant lyrics, the sisters have been creating a stir in the folk music scene. They exude confidence through a sophisticated stage presence yet connect with the audience as with personal friends, a winning combination that led to Rising Star and Oklahoma’s Choice: Best Band awards in 2016 and a coveted official showcase at Folk Alliance International 2017.
Singing together since childhood, Sophia and Grace picked up guitars and started songwriting after their father’s suicide compelled them to find an emotional outlet. A year later, they were joined by their friend Nia Personette on violin, herself no stranger to loss—she, too, had lost her father shortly before joining the band. Since the band’s formation, musical instrumentation and emotive lyrics have been at the forefront of their performances.
The group released a first self-produced and -recorded EP, Annie Oakley, in 2013. Since then, they’ve honed their songwriting and performance skills at venues and festivals every weekend throughout high school and college. They released their first studio album, Thought of You a God, in September 2015. Their second studio EP, Lunar Manor Sessions, was released in March 2017.
The Oklahoma Gazette wrote of the prodigious duo as “speaking the same throwback folk-Americana language that eludes most others at their tender age [ . . . ] their pristine but pillow-soft voices folding into immaculate harmonies the envy of even the most vetted musical collaborators out there” (Joshua Boydston).
These young women have earned legitimacy among fellow singer-songwriters and venue owners, sharing the bill with notables such as Samantha Crain, Andrew Hardin and Jeannie Burns, Kyle Reid, and Grant Peeples, among others. The youngest performers to ever play Oklahoma City’s iconic listening room, The Blue Door, the group’s release show sold out within five days.
On weekends and breaks between college classes, the band hits the road to share their songs and stories with audiences across the Midwest and beyond.
“These sisters harmonize like fresh made bread and home churned butter, sweetened with just a touch of molasses. I hear strains of Mindy Smith here, and the comparisons could go on. But why make comparisons when you can just listen to them? To see and hear such magic when it first comes to bloom, to watch it grow and spread smiles and wonder across a wider world is indeed a privilege and pleasure. Don’t miss them when they come to your area!” (Rick Reiley, Corridor Magazine).
Chris Blevins (1pm – 2pm)
Chris Blevins’ new release, “Better Than Alone”, was recorded at Little Rock’s Fellowship Hall Sound Studio. His debut album in impressive collection of ten beautifully crafted songs that range from heartbreaking tales of love and regret to wry political commentary.
Blevins’ music is a crossroads, a wicked blend of Southern rock & country crooning, season with a shuffle and maybe even a hint of small town Gospel. This talented lyricist writes with a fold singer’s clear-eyed view of the world around him couples with a romantic’s sense of longing and regret. From the astute and catchy chorus of “Big Man”; “They’ve got a band new way to wear the same old sin,” to the haunting lines of “Wildfire; “Tell me what you came for, so I know how you’ll leave. Will you carry me home at sunrise, or will by bury me?” Blevins’ proves equally adept at cleverly summarizing the state of the nation as he is at channeling love and loss with authentic fresh and powerful voice.
O’Fidelis (3pm – 4pm)
O Fidelis is a surefire audible pick-me-up guaranteed to appeal to young folks, old folks, and all ages in between. Contagious and charming, O Fidelis will put a smile on your face, no matter your mood.” – Oklahoma Magazine
“Watching an O’ Fidelis show feels like improv theater at times. There is artistry in the shuffle of instrument changes of each performer that comes from experience in honing their craft rather than being choreographed and staunchly executed. They crack jokes and have fun, but ultimately are professionals and can handle whatever task is thrown their way.” -Auxilarate.com
“If you haven’t seen O Fidelis live, you’re missing out on a party. You need to get acquainted with the folk-pop that they put out: it’s a can’t-miss. Seriously, there’s a ukulele in the band. I keep trying to start the hype train on O Fidelis: here’s to this year being their year. They certainly are ready for it.”- Oklahoma Gazette Magazine
O Fidelis is all about story telling. This Americana folk group from Oklahoma City is the embodiment of musical things that make you smile. O Fidelis got its start in 2008, combining the versatile talents of Brian and Laney Gililland to create a sound that is totally their own, and quickly becoming a favorite among their growing fan base. Brian and Laney are both accomplished singer songwriters and multi-instrumentalists. During a typical show, they will play guitar, ukulele, banjo, keyboards, glock, drums, hand percussion, and take turns singing lead and harmony vocals. Along the way, other musicians sometime join them on stage to create an even bigger sound, but there’s no question Brian and Laney are the magic that is O Fidelis. Don’t be surprised if one day in the not too distant future, you turn to your favorite television show and hear a musical score by O Fidelis. In 2009, they released their first EP, simply titled “O Fidelis”. This featured fan favorites “Happy Song #2” and “Tae In the Wynn”, both of which have gone on to be featured in various independent films. In 2011, they began work on their debut full length album, entitled “Bible Promises and Dinosaurs”.
www.facebook.com/ofidelis/
Zach Winters Band (5pm – 6pm)
Paste Magazine calls Zach Winters’ songs “perfect for a hushed afternoon in the season that bears his name.” The most recent 15-song album, Monarch, is ruminating and warm, with strings and pianos carrying forward Winters’ unique brand of folk.
In the last couple years, Winters has been on tour throughout the US, musically migrating with his family and playing shows with Josh Garrels, JOHNNYSWIM, Will Reagan, A Boy & His Kite, Aaron Strumpel, & others. He also traveled to the Southern Hemisphere to join NZ Holly Arrowsmith for shows throughout Australia & New Zealand. He has had the honor to sing for Syrian refugees, laboring mothers, orphans in Mexico, and his friends, neighbors and family. He & his family reside on the Great Plains.
Monarch is far-sickness and restlessness, a meditation on the precious-as-gold time we have, our children, the mixing & mingling of our hopes with our struggles, fatherlessness and the dehumanizing spirit of that creates the supply & demand of human trafficking, the unfathomable vastness of space (within & without), Sherlock Holmes and the storage capacity of our minds, the choice to love each other, animal instinct and our instinct for meaning, relationship, truth & love, comfort vs. the unknown, the voice of creation, the blue of morning on my daughter’s face, my attempts to isolate truth from relationships, my wife, and my longing for home. It is accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo, boots, bottle, cajón, cello, chest, claps, classical guitar, cymbals, dayereh, electric bass, electric guitar, ebow, filing cabinet, guiro, journals, knives, mandolin, mouth, pianos, percushies, sandals, shakers, slaps, snare, suitcase, tables, tambourine, udu, ukulele, violin, vocals, etc. 2014.
Love Your Neighbor is a new musical project, started in Fall 2014. The Loves moved in next door to the Winters. Zach’s wife, Lane, had been asking for a one-take guitar album for some time. When the Loves moved in next door, we found out that Ashley had been asking the same from Adam. Our collaboration is our concession. All proceeds are donated to a charity chosen by Zach’s collaborator. Love Your Neighbor has released October, April & May, with plans for more collaborations in 2016.
They Were Longing for a Better Country is engagement, changing seasons, birth, poring over maps that don’t tell you where to go, acquiescence to love, not wanting for bread (or anything), a child leading animals, absence of friends, spreading hands, spontaneous songs, and marriage. It is accordion, acoustic guitar, banjo, bass drum, cajón, cajón cubano, caxixi, claps, congas, cymbal swells, electric bass, electric guitar, harmonica, jingle bells, mandolin, nylon-string guitar, piano, piano beats, singing, slide guitar, smacks, snare drum, stomps, tambourine, uñas & whistling. It was recorded with a bit fancier set-up than the previous recordings. 2011.
Companion is b-sides, instrumentals, live songs, old songs, tucked-away thoughts, meditations, grandma, Christmas and squirrels. 2011.
Dante’s Inferno EP narrates Dante Alighieri’s journey through the 9 circles of hell towards heaven, God and Beatrice, his deceased wife. Written in “cantos”, or songs, Inferno is Dante’s most memorable portrayal of the afterlife from his epic poem la Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy). It is nylon-string guitar and voice. The songs were recorded one fall afternoon with no overdubs. 2010.
Sol Invictus is early church fathers in the winter, jingle bells, Zach, Lane, Alex, and Best Song in Latin in Sufjan Steven’s Xmas Song Exchange. 2007.
My Thoughts Are Ours from Here is myrrh, packed bags, travel, prelude to engagement, the girl, lovesickness, ocean & sea, eight time zones of separation, and the romance of God. It is nylon-string guitar, banjo, voice, acoustic guitar, mandolin, contrabass, cell phone, djembe, stick with wooden shells, shaker, video camera, aluminum bowl, electric bass, bead case & pink tie-dyed shirt. This album was recorded with the same Mbox + sm57 combo as Intermission. 2006.
Bill’s Molehill EP is team, by the seat of your pants improvisation, exploration, paint-without-numbers, basement with roommate’s borrowed instruments, live with no set list trio kinesis. It is drums, saxophones, acoustic guitar & voice. Bill’s Molehill was a collaborative project with Kevin Campbell and Justin Williams. 2005.
A Long Intermission is loneliness, love lost, myopia, buoyancy, a college dormitory, humid nights, an electric fan in the window, and springtime. It is voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, upright & electric bass, cello, gourds, mandolin, banjo & sternum. 2004.
He is currently at work on a new full-length album with plans for release in the early summer of 2017.
http://zachwintersmusic.com/
Justin Joslin Band (7pm – 8pm)
Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter Justin Joslin grew up youngest of three in a family of singers. His mom and dad recorded albums for the church while his siblings learned their own parts and sang along. From a young age, Justin was on stage with a mic in hand, singing, performing and watching his family as they sang hymns and old gospel songs across the plains. While singing introduced Justin to music, it wasn’t until he found his Dad’s old Silvertone Acoustic Guitar under the guest room bed that he truly fell in love with it. “I would strum the fire out of that guitar and make up songs before I even knew what a guitar chord or melody was. The noises I was making on that guitar and the songs I was “writing” were nothing short of terrible,” said Joslin. But one thing was obvious: Justin was passionate about music. That passion grew with Justin. As he got older, the passion grew stronger. He learned how to play guitar, started writing his own songs and eventually formed a band. The band became Fresh Sunday. Fresh Sunday, led by Justin on guitar and lead vocals, spent nearly 10 years writing, recording and touring the country. The band released two EP’s and two full length records, won awards in performance and songwriting, garnered radio play and opened for bands like Switchfoot, Lifehouse, Howie Day and Blue October. Eventually Fresh Sunday ended but the passion for music never left Justin. “I still felt like writing, making and performing music was the best version of myself. After Fresh Sunday, my desire to write music only strengthened. So, I started my solo, singer-songwriter journey,” said Joslin. He got married and embarked on a path as a solo artist knowing he had more to offer. He released Roots, his first solo EP in 2011. Roots is six dusty songs of where he came from and who he wanted to be. The EP gave Justin the opportunity to play live and he was able to share the stage with Dawes, David Ramirez, Cory Chisel and Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors. During that time, Justin’s passion for music was still growing. After releasing Roots, Justin spent the next five years working and reworking his first full length record. After almost scrapping the record all together, he released, The River, on March 11, 2016 to a sold-out crowd at the historic Rodeo Opry in Oklahoma City’s Stockyards City. The River is an 11-song ode to his faith, his wife, and his family, that demonstrates triumph can flow from hardships. Accomplished musicians and singers from Nashville to Austin were called on to play a part in Justin’s narrative. A narrative both deeply personal yet universal. His first single from The River, “Love You Wrong”, spent six weeks in heavy rotation on Jake FM, Oklahoma’s new country radio station. NewsOK, the most heavily trafficked local website in Oklahoma, featured Justin on the Middle of Nowhere blog where his second single, “Shine a Light”, was debuted. The Oklahoman, Oklahoma’s largest daily newspaper, also highlighted Justin’s story. He spent 2016 playing The River live, with his full band across the region all while writing new material. Justin’s career continues to evolve and expand. He is currently working with a Los Angeles-based composer on a documentary film that will feature his original music. With live shows, radio play and music licensing under his belt, he is excited about what’s next. “It is a new year and my passion for making music has never been stronger,” he said. Justin’s entering the year with zest and a renewed sense of who he is and where he is going. From discovering his dad’s guitar to discovering himself, Justin’s path has never been more clear. “My biggest desire is to give something good to the world… and I believe the best way for me to do that is to continue making music,” said Joslin.
http://www.justinjoslin.com/index/
