St. Patty’s Day 2009 with Winston Media

Downtown was bustling with activity early Tuesday afternoon during St. Patrick’s Day. The weather was so beautiful it would have made sense to cut out of work early, notwithstanding the lure of beer gardens blossoming all over the streets of Tulsa. The Winston Media team decided to check out a little early to check out the festivities. We cruised over to McNellies for a while and then headed over to Kilkanny’s. It was a raucous good time.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Party Pics by Wesley Winston Cox & Fine Creative Shots by Les Phénixes

An Insiders Look at The Summit Club

Many people have never been to the top of the Bank of America building in downtown Tulsa to appreciate the luxurious accommodations, fantastic food and gorgeous views of Tulsa at The Summit Club. As such, I have prepared a little “insider” video overview of The Summit Club and all it has to offer. For those interested in joining, just go to their website: http://summittulsa.com. Or call Susan Devonshire at: 582.5243.

Friday Night Music List

February 13, 2009

AGORA COFFEE HOUSE
Jamie Michaels
AMERICAN LEGION 308
Whisky Bent
ARNIE’S
Philip Zoellner
BENALI’S ITALIAN
RISTORANTE
Lon De Ada
BLUES CITY
Hurricane Mason
BOBBISOX
Bill Snow
BOURBON STREET CAFE
Cindy Cain
BRUHOUSE
Laron Simpson
CAIN’S BALLROOM
Cross Canadian Ragweed
CHEROKEE CASINO
CABIN CREEK
Darrel Cole
TWISTERS
Jumpsuit Love
CIAO
What’s That
CIMARRON BAR
Tulsa Boyz
C.J. MOLONEY’S
Crossland
CLUBHOUSE
Ray Hamilton
CREEK NATION CASINO
Smilin’ Vic
CROW CREEK TAVERN
Snap Dragon
DIXIE TAVERN
The Barrelhouse Revelers
DUSTY DOG
Kenny Babb
ED’S HURRICANE LOUNGE
David Dover
ELEPHANT RUN
Sweatin’ Bullets
ELLA’S DELI
Elias Penn
FISHBONZ
VooDoo Crush
FULL MOON CAFE
Dueling Piano Show
GYPSY COFFEE HOUSE
The Bedouin Duet
HIBISCUS
Annie Ellicott Trio
JOE MOMMA’S
Down Home Blues Band
KEYSTONE SALOON
Sons of the South
LANNA THAI
Jazz Trio
LENNIE’S CLUB
Sweney, Campbell & Duke
LOLA’S
Full Flava Kings
LOONY BIN COMEDY CLUB
Jason Russell
MAGOO’S
The Bop Cats
MARTINI’S
Ray Hamilton & Dave
Armstrong
THE MARQUEE
Bleed the sky
MERCURY LOUNGE
Billy Joe Winghead
OSAGE CASINO
TULSA
Wanda Watson Band
SAND SPRINGS
Stikhorse
PICKLE’S PUB
Whiskey, Stills & Mash
POUR HOUSE
Jake Ayo and Jeff Coleman
REDNECK KOUNTRY
Shane Thomas
SIDE LINE
The 918
SILVER FLAME
Don Paul
SOCO
Jumpshots
SOUNDPONY
Mayola, The Non
SUNSET BAR AND GRILL
Jimmy James Band
TE KEI’S 2
Susan Herndon
VEGAS CLUB
Christ Lawther & Raizin Kane

G. Love at Cains

February 14, 2009

8:00 pm

G. Love and Special Sauce brings back all kinds of laid back memories. This guy can jam on the guitar and continues to crank out excellent blues/rock driven songs with his stand up bass and drummer counterparts. He has had some hits on his own and if I’m not mistaken, wrote the hit Rodeo Clowns, of which Jack Johnson made famous.

Keller Williams at Cains

February 25, 2009

8:00 pm

Keller Williams is possibly the best entertainer I have seen perform. From guitar to bass to mouth trumpet Keller keeps the beat alive while making one man band dance music with his loops. He is both a looping and dancing fool.

Galactic and Mofro at Cains

February 18, 2009 8:00 pm

to

February 19, 2009 8:00 pm

Yes! Galactic, Mofro and JJ Grey are scheduled to play at Cains. This is going to be kick ass.

Citizen Cope at Cains

February 12, 2009 8:00 pm

to

February 13, 2009 12:00 am

Society Society Tulsa’s own Hip Hop Rock Band

One of my favorite local restaurants is Desi Wok located at 41st and Yale. My wife loves the Tiki Massala and so do I.

Today as I was rollin’ through to pick up some food from Desi Wok, I stopped to talk to one of the guys who works there.

After a short conversation with him he was telling me about a band that he was a member of “Society Society” - he told me to look up their My Space page when I got home, so I did.

myspace.com/societysociety

From what he told me they are all experienced musicians and hip to the music game. They formed a Hip Hop band (it has plent of Rock as well) and have been getting some great gigs - he told me with a grin “We are opening for Afro Man, which should be fun . . .”

After checking their My Space page and their only released single, I followed up with an email to him telling him I was interested in shooting their music video and then immediately posted this.

They have a gig coming up this weekend. If you are into local music and dig Hip Hop/Rock, I would say they are definitely worth checking out.

The Best Little Prostitution Ring In Tulsa

I recently began researching the history of Tulsa and the nightlife of it’s different eras. To my good fortune in the process I began to find traces of an underbelly to which our city pays no mind. I felt this subject matter interesting, and more importantly unrepresented. So I re-fixed my focus on darker themes and those things not discussed in mixed company for fear of becoming a social pariah. In delving into these topics I hope to raise an awareness, as well as start a movement to embrace the elements of our city that we may not understand but must retain in order to have a culture rich in decadence and depravity. Rich in exuberance and excess. Rich in all that we as Americans may hold dear!

In this weeks post we will be discussing brothels.

Now please try to imagine (or remember) a time before cell phones, pagers and the internet. Now for the sake of this article try to imagine you are back in this pre-technological age, and you are a “john”. You’re out and about, you’re looking for action, some excitement, the thrill of a lifetime. Without the ability to drunk dial and order brides from overseas you would think hope was far from alive and well in Tulsa, in all actuality nothing could be farther from the truth. Spanning at least 10 years was a call-in escort service which operated out of a building in the approximate location that Empire Bar now stands. The process was simple, you would dial “RIDESHY“, a machine would pick up and you would leave a message. If those who screened the messages felt you were a potential threat or a police officer they would simply not respond. This racket ran through the 60’s and 70’s until it was finally shut down.

The next featured brothel holds a record for the longest running operation of its kind. The magic began in 1936 when Pauline Lambert began the May Rooms. It was located at 326 1/2 east 1st street. The empire grew into four hotels, all of which gave service with a smile, as well as happy endings. The business thrived over forty years until 1979 when Madam Pauline was finally arrested and the brothels closed. It’s rumored she was able to keep her business running so long without police raids because many city officials were regular clients. There is now a May Rooms Gallery of art located at 328 east 1st street.

Hopefully this brief lesson in the history of our local sex trade has moved and inspired you to taking up arms in the fight against our oppressor. Hopefully this has opened the eyes and given a dream to some young entrepreneur and given Tulsa its next Pauline Lambert.

Until Next Time!

Decadence & Depravity; A Road Paved By Press

In recent months national press has named Tulsa a hotbed of “indie” music. Having this spotlight cast on our city creates a responsibility to support a scene that we all know will undoubtedly flourish and then self-destruct.

With this unknown expiration date looming in the near future the usual hipsters have all reported for duty while they still can. They’ve come in droves, poking and prodding, hoping to see the next big thing rise from the ashes left behind by Hanson and countless other frauds. Conversations ranging from originality to who found what band first can be heard echoing from one SUV to another.

These are all the signs of a feeding frenzy, the exodus from Brookside to downtown has begun. Newcomers to the music district shuffle down brightly lit streets in hopes of finding “the concert” and being seen in “the bar”. The hipster uniform is also present, being worn and exploited by the masses that now descend upon the city scene on a weekend only basis.

The natives are getting restless, the clouds are growing dark, a tension now fills the air and our lungs. We feel it getting thicker as we carefully slip past the doughy-eyed suburbanites that seem to have been cloned for the sole purpose of taking up space and making it increasingly more difficult to order drinks in your favorite bar.

Fortunately among all this there is a silver lining. Fortunately there are those few elite individuals that have helped shape and promote the Tulsa (original) music scene. They are bar owners and concert providers, they are visionaries. These are the people that should have keys to the city.

At times of frustration and dismay I often ask, “What would Soundpony do?”, and the answer I always find is to be tolerant of those I do not naturally embrace. I believe this philosophy put into action is our only chance to slow and possibly halt the implosion of our city’s musical treasure trove.

So please join me downtown, be yourself, bring your friends, wear your clothes and bring your appetite, because this slice of history is waning, it’s fragile and needs your support.

Brandon Douglas

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