NMF3, Live in Norman!

In just over a week, the arts will take over Norman.

This is our favorite time of year over at the arts council because April means the beginning of the most amazing time for the arts in this great city.  And, the season of outdoor festivals is kicked off on April 24th, when Norman’s Main Street becomes the hub of arts, music and culture for the state of Oklahoma.

The Norman Music Festival has risen to new heights for the 2010 festival by adding an extra day, 75 more bands than last year, additional venues and partnering with the Dustbowl Arts Market for the third annual festival happening April 24 and 25.

The Norman Music Festival (NMF) will be held on Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25. The festival is free and open to the public and will take place on the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of historic Downtown East Main Street, east of the railroad tracks in the Arts District.

Saturday night entertainment will be predominantly at indoor locations, and Sunday will feature the full-blown festival atmosphere complete with street closures and large outdoor stages.

Grupo Fantasma

Audiences will rock out to headlining bands Dirty Projectors, Electric Six, Leon Russell, Grupo Fantasma, The Sword, The Gourds, Those Darlins and more than 155 other acts that weekend.

The Main Stage is located right smack dab by the railroad tracks. Audiences will enjoy headliner band Dirty Projectors, Electric Six, The Sword, Edan with guest Dagha, Grupo Fantasma, Jabee, Dead Sea Choir, Mayola and Gentle Ghost.

Returning again, at the intersection of Main and Porter, is the touring Jägermeister stage, a $1 million custom built trailer that folds open, via hydraulics, into a high-performance area. The east stage will feature Leon Russell, James McMurtry, The Gourds, Those Darlins, Lil Cap’n Travis, Hosty, The HillBenders, Chuck Allen Floyd and Queens Of Monroe.

Leon Russell

The impressive and historic Sooner Theatre will again host a mix of rock styles both Saturday and Sunday as well as the film’s “Rainbow Around the Sun” and “IT Supremecy.” Saturday’s line-up features Evangelicals, Tony Romanello & the Black Jackets, Traindodge, Stephen Rawlings, Rainbows Are Free and Student Film. Sunday features The Non + Cloud Collision Orchestra, Unwed Sailor, Jacob Abello, Fiawna Forte, Pretty Black Chains, Fate Lions and Alex and the Anders.

NMF is a true community event, and this year brings something for our little rockers. Located in the parking lot near Gray Street and Crawford Street lies the Little Rocker Kids Stage hosting music and entertainment targeted towards Norman’s youngest citizens. Set to run from Noon to 6 p.m., is sure to be a good time. Sugar Free Allstars, OU Steel Drum Band, McMichael Music, Sooner Theatre, Balcum Rancum Puppetry, Norman Music Institute and performers from Sonder Music, Dance and Art are all set to perform on this stage. Activities for day include an interactive science lab by Science Museum Oklahoma, the Norman Public Library will provide story book time through out the day and other activities include rock star hairspray, face painting, fake tattoos and an arts and crafts table. Volunteers for the Little Rockers Kids Stage are provided by Center for Children and Families and Sigma Alpha Iota.

Electric Six

A mix of rock styles in the music institution that is the Opolis features Octopus Project, Colourmusic, Hush Hush Commotion, Depth & Current, Locust Avenue, Junebug Spade and Kite Flying Robot on Saturday night. Sunday features DEERPEOPLE, Ghost of Monkshood, Brother Bear, The Toothman, Debris’, Euclid Crash and Brother Gruesome.

Saturday night will feature a new genre for the NMF with the addition of the Latin stage, located in the parking lot off of Gray Street and Crawford Street. Bands featured on this stage are Colombian music group Tekumbé and Son del Barrio, a Caribbean and Latin American music group. Headlining the stage is Social Klash, a Colombian-Venezuelan rock band from Miami, Fla., who have toured all over the United States and Latin America.

Social Klash

For the first time the NMF opened its ears earlier this spring through an Open Call for Bands with more than 360 applications. After very difficult deliberation, 75 bands from this call were chosen to join the 2010 festival.

The NMF and Dustbowl Arts Market have joined forces for the first time to showcase Oklahoma’s creative talent in downtown Norman on Sunday, April 25. While local bands are rocking out on Main Street, local artists and crafters will be hocking their goods from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. one street over at the intersection of Gray Street and Crawford Street.

Visit http://normanmusicfestival.com for up-to date information on the entire line-up, which includes several more venues and many more bands.