Sounds Of Oklahoma: Smokey Motel, J.J. Cale & BRONCHO

Find your new favorite band from Oklahoma, or rekindle feelings for a singer you might've forgotten about. Here are Bella's picks for this week.

Friday, January 12th 2024, 5:19 pm

By: News 9, Bella Roddy

OKLAHOMA -

Sounds Of Oklahoma- Bella's Picks For 1/12/24

Working to create a comprehensive list of musical artists and bands from Oklahoma, I have found many hidden gems and was inspired by old favorites all over again. Here is a list of this week's favorites.

If you want to listen along to my top songs, follow this playlist on Spotify:

Smokey Motel

269 Monthly listeners

Two brothers from Davidson Oklahoma, show off not only their vocals but their lyrical prowess as well. With only a couple thousand listens on songs like “Bodies”, it’s surprising this musical duo hasn’t received much attention.

Smokey Motel is branded as an electronic pop rock band, but I’d argue that some of their sounds hint towards indie rock at some points. However, the electric guitar and vocals on other songs could beg to differ.

“I Die” was produced with help from local Oklahoma-based recording engineer Colton Jean.

According to a report by the Oklahoman, the two brothers grew up listening to bands like Creed, Hootie And The Blowfish, and Van Halen. These influences are prominent in songs like “Where The Hell Are You?” which is my personal favorite of these two.

Similar Artists: The Backseat Lovers, Dayglow, Declan Mckenna

J.J. Cale

2.3 Million Monthly Listeners

J.J. Cale was born in Oklahoma City in 1938, lived in Tulsa, and attended Tulsa Central High School. Cale’s songs were hugely popular and his songs like “Cocaine” and “After Midnight” were performed by Eric Clapton and Johnny Cash, according to a New York Times article.

The article also states that Cale was a Grammy award winner for an album with Eric Clapton called, “The Road to Escondido.”

A classic blend of folk, blues, and rock gives J.J. Cale’s songs a timeless feeling.

Often on a majority of his songs, Cale was known to play all instruments and mix all by himself.

Songs like “Magnolia” can evoke emotions so easily through the power in his voice and the masterful guitar playing. And yet at the same time, songs like “Lies”, “Crazy Mama” and of course “Devil In Disguise” have powerful steady drum patterns that just make you want to tap your fingers and feet along.

The perfect blend of music genres gave J.J. Cale ample room to show off his wide range in creating music, and his songs will continue to inspire for years to come.

Similar Artists: Nick Drake, Credence Clearwater Revival, Allman Brothers Band

BRONCHO

288.7k Monthly Listeners

An all-encompassing indie-rock band based in the great Norman, Oklahoma. I was surprised to learn that a band I listened to in college was from the same place I studied. Their #1 song for a reason is “Class Historian”, and was a song I kept coming back to listen to again.

“Try Me Out Sometime” is another good example of their drummer's abilities. Although this band hasn’t had a release since 2018, it’s safe to say that they exude 70’s beach band through and through. With hints of rock, indie, and interesting vocals BRONCHO is shaped into a catchy song-making machine.

Similar Artists: Generationals, The Growlers, The Shins

https://livesessions.npr.org/artists/broncho

Here is a link to the full list of artists and bands that is growing every week!

Sounds Of Oklahoma: Bands And Artists From OK