Ah, the holiday season… for many the holidays bring cheer, gifts, and lots of good eats.  For the rest of us, it is merely a prelude to the liberation of December 26^th and consequently the countdown to the biggest party night of the year: New Years Eve! 

This year all souls who harbor the guilt of credit card bills and pent-up family resentments can find reprieve at Sauced 2912 Paseo Drive in Oklahoma City.  A night of heady music, friends, food and libations will be offered in celebration of the 2^rd Birthday of Sauced coffee house, cafe, and local art venue. 

Sauced has been hosting a variety of events in the Annex, a space adjacent to the patio, including live music, theatrical productions, and art shows.  For this occasion, the second anniversary of the opening of Sauced, owner and operator Ed Baldwin has some exciting tricks up his sleeve.  Sauced will be selling $1.00 beer all night long and there is a special on champagne bottles at midnight so you can pop one with your friends!  Since this is a birthday celebration, free cake will also be served at the dawn of 2009. 

In addition to the special menu items, Sauced is hosting three local bands that each specialize in experimental and psychedelic music styles.  The Sleepless Continuum will kick off the party with a self-described ominous, ambient and aggressive collage of sound.  Based in Norman, the trio consists of Eric Morse on drums and keys, Dylan Nagode on guitar and keys, and Brent Bugg on bass.  The group is currently working on a debut EP, to be recorded at Zanzibar Studios, also located in Norman. 

Also working with Zanzibar Studios is The Mysterium Tremendum(TmT).  A stylized psychedelic/ art rock band formed in OKC early in 2008, TmT utilizes unique instrumentation and creative guitar styles enhanced by art installations.  The music of TmT is created by Cordney Blaze on tap/rhythm guitar, percussion, and samples; Devon Garcia plays the Chapman Stick; David Smith on lead guitar; Topher Arico on drums, percussion, and electronics; and Kristopher Bruce on the Theremin.  The art is contributed by Kristopher Bruce, Daniel Nusbaum, Amy Robinson, and Holly Blu.  To balance the mixed influences of progressive and psychedelic rock, TmT has created a sound that forsakes the use of distortion in favor of newer synthetic psychedelic effects.  A unique aspect of their music is the Chapman Stick.  Only 5,000 exist on the planet and David Garcia plays the only known stick in Oklahoma.  A 12 string all-fingerboard instrument, the Chapman Stick was invented by Emmet Chapman in 1974.  A two-handed piano technique is applied directly onto the strings with a percussive effect not previously heard from any instrument in the guitar family. The Mysterium Tremendum mixes the stick and the theremin to serve up heaping helpings of rock to “help people realize their true divinity within by raising the consciousness of this planet and the people on it.”

Long live rock and roll!

Another band who is inspired to spread the joy of experiencing the unconventional are the Proprietors of the Earth (PoTE).  Based in Norman, the Proprietors are Geoffrey Burch on vocals and keys; Fred Bidwell on guitar and electronics; Clement Silvers on bass; and Kris Dourrough on the drums.  This four piece mixes electronic beats, sonic bass rhythms, and base-line rock n roll to create an experimental, progressive, multidimensional, no boundaries rock.  The Proprietors have recently been working on their debut EP, OSOS, recorded at Silver Mine Studios in Norman.  In the past year they have been working to successfully integrate a computer into the band for looping and processing.  Their goal is allow radically different forms of music to exist simultaneously, offering people a model for coping with the overwhelming complexity of the modern world.  Another project of the Proprietors involves creating community, which all three bands hold as a high priority in their musical journey.  A collaborative project, www.ososmusic.com  is a site where a user can register and download high quality source files of music, video, and other media. The idea is for artists to submit and share their files using Creative Commons licensing to allow for creative application of the source files.  You can visit the site now and download music from PoTE, Ghost of Monkshood, and more.  

The New Year’s Eve Sauced is embracing the radical and the psychedelic, which is appropriate since we all hope that 2009 will be a year of change and innovation.  Ring it in loud and long with The Sleepless Continuum, The Mysterium Tremendum, and the Proprietors of the Earth; entrance is only $5.00 and doors open at 7pm. 

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Check out the Oklahoma Gazette article about us - page 13!  Notice how determined but sad Adrian and I look.

If you don't live in Oklahoma or just don't pick up newspapers, you can read it online here!