rkaine

What do you think of when you think “Stillwater Oklahoma?” Eskimo Joes, where they let you keep the cup, oh boy! OSU Cowboys, always a disappointment (you should know I’m a Sooner fan by now) and, as with any college town, lots of alcohol, bars, and music. At least these are some of the things I was thinking about during my last visit to Stillwater. Specifically, I was thinking of a bar called Willies Saloon and a band named rkaine. A short reviewer might list these boys as, eh, a “cover band.” A short reviewer would not be telling the full story.

Arriving only moments before the band started playing, we found ourselves in standing-room-only as we waited to see exactly what we had come all the way to Stillwater to hear. It didn’t take long to figure out we had come to do more than just hear some music; we were a part of the show itself.

The show started with a shot of raw energy as the lead singer bounced not only around the stage but into the audience as well, as he made his way through the crowd and invited people at random to sing along into the mic. If it came your turn to sing, I only hope you, unlike me, remembered the words before he made it back to the stage again.

There were even a few times throughout the night where the next song was left to audience participation, in a ‘what do you want to hear,’ loudest vote gets it, and “boos count as noise”’ type of, uh, democracy. The drinks flowed and, as the music followed, the hours passed like minutes. Although possibly alcohol induced, the crowd was nevertheless up off their feet through the end of the night, actively taking part and having a remarkable time. I talked to one guy who mentioned that he and his friends changed their plans when they heard rkaine was playing that night.

The show ended as it began, with the same shot of raw energy. As we took last call in the early morning hours; still standing room only, it was easy to see our new friends were probably not the only ones who changed their plans to be there.

I invite you all to have a quick change of your own plans this Saturday night March 13th. It will be worth the drive, but please don’t take my word for it--experience it for yourself.

Why am I doing this?

I was somewhere in the Carolinas the first time I was made aware of the ridiculous way some view Oklahoma. I mentioned to a gas station clerk that we were vacationing from Oklahoma, and no sooner did I finish the sentence than the now wide-eyed, awe-stricken, young woman said, “Like with tee-pees?” As I laughed and explained that, no, we have real houses, and even running water, I began to understand Oklahoma truly does not get the credit that we, as a state, deserve. This fact was made more evident a few years later when a friend, home from going to school in Chicago, stood out of my car’s sun roof yelling “Slow down, I gotta’ take a picture. My friends at school don’t believe we have real office buildings.”

Not only do we have office buildings, real houses, and running water, but we also have an awesome variety of the more important things, such as: college football; a Quik Trip on every corner (Wait! I think they missed one!); 11,611 miles of shoreline; and if, fishing is your thing, about 78,578 miles of rivers and streams. Quite possibly the most important thing about Oklahoma is, of course, our local music scene. It doesn’t matter what your taste in music, if you want it, we’ve got it--and we prove it every week!