The Oklahoma Today Podcast

Another day, another tough challenge for our host. This week Ben gives it his best shot in a Bob Wills themed fashion contest. Bob Wills, known to have reigned over Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom along with his band The Texas Playboys during the 1930s and '40s, was and remains an influential icon of Western chic style. Hie reputation as a sharp dresser is so strong that this year they introduced a fashion contest during the annual Bob Wills Day celebration at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Ben is far from a ten-galloned fashionisto, but he is a bolo tie lover with a feel for style that can be best described as . . . marginally above average. Will that be enough to win the inaugural Bob WIlls fashion competition? Probably not, but let's find out. 

Ben is mad. Like, really mad. With all that rage, he needs an outlet. It's a good thing Tulsa Stained Glass exists. Though normally a home for art and peaceful crafting, attached to this longtime Tulsa glass studio is a rage room where perturbed patrons can smash and shatter various glass wares for a cathartic release. The rage room is the brainchild of Tulsa Stained Glass owner Richard Bohm, who joins the podcast as guest today. Unlike some other rage room experiences, Bohm wants to make sure guests are reflecting on the positive as well as the negative. Listen as he guides Ben through unfamiliar territory (for him): destructive anger. 

Purchased by the legendary Leon Russell in a deal struck at the diner across the street, Tulsa's Church Studio has become an iconic piece of music history. All-time greats like Tom Petty, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Wonder recorded there while the former real-life church was used as the home of Shelter Records in the 1970s, and the walls still very much contain a musical soul. On this week's show we meet up with Teresa Knox, who revived the Church Studio after it had sat vacant for many years. Today it is a first-rate recording studio once again, as well as a key tourist destination for music fans. Church Studio's Carney Fest, a celebration of Leon Russell's top-hat showmanship and legacy as a godfather of the Tulsa Sound musical style and movement, takes place Saturday, May 3.

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss some of the historical sites in Oklahoma they love to visit, and podvents triggers some old prom memories. 

The podcast assumes a more serious tone this time around as we reflect on the thirtieth anniversary of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building in downtown Oklahoma City, still the largest-scale and most deadly domestic attack in the nation's history. As a result of the attack, 168 people (adults and children) died. Today our guest is current OKC Fire Chief Richard Kelley, who has spent more than three decades in service to the local fire department and was a first responder the day of the bombing. He recounts what he saw on the scene that day, the scare of a rumored second bomb, and speaks on the important lessons the response to that day can teach future generations of first-responders and Oklahomans. 

Spanning nine centuries of armor worn by the iconic and fascinating warriors of old Japanese society, the new Samurai exhibition at Philbrook Museum of Art gives viewers a deeper understanding of the culture, lifestyle, and art of the day. Coming to the Tulsa museum from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, Samurai is on display now through August 3. Nathan and Chris paid a visit to the exhibit for an up-close look at this blockbuster summer attraction at the Philbrook.

Also on this week's episode: The editors share their favorite places to eat in Tulsa (of which there are many good ones) and podvents reminds us of an all-time Oklahoma Today cover. You won't want to miss it!

The name of the baseball team in Oklahoma City might have changed for this season, but it'll be the same familiar fun times at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark this spring and summer. Known last year as the Oklahoma City Baseball Club while the organization underwent rebranding efforts, the newly dubbed Oklahoma City Comets take their inspiration from "The Commerce Comet," a nickname of Oklahoma-born baseball legend Mickey Mantle. With the first Comet homestand beginning April 1, we took the time to meet some of the faces behind the new brand. This includes new manager Scott Hennessey, team president Michael Byrnes, and everyone's soon-to-be favorite mascot Moonshot. 

Also on this week's episode, the editors discuss their concession-stand favorites, and podvents blows the trumpet for the Medieval Fair of Norman. You won't want to miss it!

Chalk it up to a good time: Our guest today is Jacquelyn Knapp, art professor at the University of Sciences and Arts in Chickasha and organizer for the annual Montmartre Festival of chalk art on campus. Though not quite as big as its famous namesake festival in France, USAO's Montmartre Festival is one of the best times to visit Chickasha. Part of the USAO Spring Triad on campus, the festival coincides with the USAO Scholastic Meet and the Droverstock Music Festival. Artists from a variety of age groups will compete for sidewalk supremacy will flexing their creative muscles in an event that is equally fun for competitors and spectators. 

Chances are, you're due for a visit to the Oklahoma State Capitol. Even if you have seen all the significant restoration and art upgrades made in the past few years, you probably haven't seen the newly reopened Betty Price Art Gallery. Housed on the Capitol building's second floor, this room features works from the State Art Collection, with big-name artists like Ed Ruscha and Allan Houser represented, among many others. We attended the opening and caught up with Oklahoma Arts Council executive director Amber Sharples to learn about all the work that went into reopening the gallery and what the collection says about Oklahomans as a people. 

Going with the flow is easier said than done for some of us, but it is the name of the game in improv, the stage art of unscripted comedy. Founded in 2009, OKC Improv is both an organizer for great community events and a training and performance vehicle for actors and comics of both the serious and aspirational varieties. Executive Director Kendon Lacy is our guest on the show this week. He talks about his personal history with improv, big events coming up at OKC Improv's theater in Oklahoma City's Plaza District, and how interested community members can sign up for classes. Plus your favorite Oklahoma travel podcast hosts give their best effort in some basic improv exercises. 

Bob Wills' Texas Playboys were synonymous with Tulsa's Cain's Ballroom through America's Great Depression years, becoming national stars with daily radio broadcasts. Wills died many years ago, but the band's legacy lives on, currently led by Jason Roberts. Roberts and the Texas Playboys band will once again return to Tulsa this week for the annual Bob Wills Birthday Bash. Later in the week the will head to Oklahoma City for Bob Wills Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Roberts joins the show this week to talk about his career path that led to this classic role. He is also joined by Texas Playboys manager and music historian Brett Bingham, and the pair of them discuss the larger musical legacy of this classic Western swing act.