Dfest organizers confirm national and local acts

Diversafest, the Midwest’s largest and most comprehensive music conference and festival, on Wednesday unveiled its first round of headlining acts for the seventh annual music event.

Dfest will be July 25-26 in downtown Tulsa’s historic Blue Dome District.

In addition to the nearly 30 headlining bands, some 120 unsigned acts will perform this year in conjunction with the twoday conference, organizers announced.

Similar to Austin’s South by Southwest, Dfest showcases the best emerging artists in the country.

“The heart of Dfest is the emerging artist,” said event co-founder Angie De- Vore-Green during the press conference at Dwelling Spaces, a downtown store.

“We had over 1,000 applicants for this year’s showcase. There’s a lot of great talent out there.”

The annual indie music showcase — which brought more than 40,000 revelers to the district last year — also will add a second outdoor stage area at Second Street and Detroit Avenue to accommodate headliners, said Tom Green, event co-founder.

With more headliner announcements planned in upcoming weeks, Paramore, Ghostland Observatory, Zappa Plays Zappa, Helmet, Disco Biscuits and Edison Glass were confirmed at Wednesday’s press conference.

More than a dozen popular Oklahoma acts also were confi rmed, including Callupsie, The Effects, El Paso Hot Button, Ghosts, Sam & the Stylees, Congress of a Crow, PDA, Admiral Twin, Stars Go Dim, Colourmusic,

“This event is creating national awareness of Tulsa,” said Dfest organizer and local promoter Davit Souders.

“It’s like a musical chamber of commerce for our entire state. . . . And our Blue Dome District has that cool, hip vibe that fi ts hand-in-glove with the venues and the music of Dfest, much like Sixth Street in Austin, Texas,” he said.

DeVore-Green said that Dfest is “fighting tooth and nail to keep ticket prices down . . . People can take a mini-vacation and still afford food and gas,” she said. “Dfest is a needed release for music fans and musicians alike.”

The Dfest conference keynote speaker will be Martin Atkins, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd.,

Ministry, Pigface and Killing Joke. He also wrote the indie band bible, “Tour Smart and Break the Band.”

“One of the best things about this conference is we already have con- fi rmed that music industry reps will be out to fi nd bands and license their music,” DeVore-Green said. “That’s huge. We have so many opportunities for so many great music acts.”

Music festival times are 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. on July 25 and 26. Music conference times are 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. both days.

Sponsors include Arvest Bank, Cox Communications, Budweiser, Sem- Group, Red Bull and Southwest Airlines.

For more information, visit www.tulsaworld.com/Dfest.

DFEST MUSIC FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE

When:
July 25-26

Where:
The historic Blue Dome District in downtown Tulsa near 2nd Street and Elgin Avenue

Tickets:
Tickets go on sale noon Thursday, with a special 48-hour-only discount on advance tickets. Dfest and OKC Tickets will offer a $5 discount for all Dfest tickets purchased online. Please use the coupon code okctix when making purchases at www.tulsaworld.com/okctickets.

Conference badges are valid for the conference as well as the festival. Earlybird advance badges cost $50 online and are available until May 30. Advance badges cost $100 online, and standard badges cost $150 the day of the event. Standard service fees apply.

Online:
www.tulsaworld.com/Dfest

Confirmed bands

More acts will be announced

National acts:

Helmet: Formed in 1989, Helmet’s forward-thinking fusion of metal, punk, indie-rock and jazz inspired countless bands and paved the way for bands like Chevelle, Deftones, Killswitch Engage, Norma Jean and Silverchair.

Ghostland Observatory: Austin’s own high-energy electro-rock duo of frontman Aaron Behrens and producer/drummer Thomas Turner was a breakout band at last year’s South by Southwest music festival. Behrens’ vocal style and stage performances are unique and uncompromising, drawing early comparisons to Freddie Mercury and Prince.

Paramore: Driven by riveting live shows and the undeniable charisma of 18-year-old frontwoman Hayley Williams, the rapidly emerging pop-punk quintet from Tennessee has been building a near-deafening “next big thing” buzz.

Disco Biscuits: It’s entered its second decade as one of the most successful acts on the jam-band circuit. The Biscuits bring together the worlds of jam bands and electronic music with its “trance-fusion” sound that mixes the free-form jazz improvisation with hypnotic rhythm.

Zappa Plays Zappa: The first of fi cial live concert event of Frank Zappa’s music since his untimely passing in 1993, Zappa Plays Zappa is a spot-on tribute by son Dweezil to his father — who joins dad on stage via recorded video from his past live shows. It’s the ultimate tribute to Zappa’s 30-plus year, groundbreaking career.

Edison Glass: Thomas Alva Edison gets a lot of credit for inventing modern essentials. Likewise, Edison Glass founder Phillip Glass is well known for composing modern masterpieces. With a storied Tulsa history, this prolific band has stayed its course throughout its nearly 10 years.

Local and regional acts: The Compulsions, Scott Goldman, Hush Hush Commotion, Admiral Twin, PDA, Ryan Lindsey, The Abdomen, Sam and the Stylees, Congress of a Crow, Cheyenne, The Effects, Stars Go Dim, Callupsie, El Paso Hot Button, Colourmusic, Blake-O, Taddy Porter, Mama Sweet, Glister, Stop, Revolt!, Jesse Aycock, Love In October, Matt Stansberry Band, People Noise, Red Dirt Rangers, Sir Threadius Mongus, Soulfege, The Uglysuit, Unwed Sailor, Annie Minogue, Motive For Movement, Crocodile, Slorder, 40engine

Jennifer Chancellor 581-8346 jennifer.chancellor@tulsaworld.com