NEWS - CITY
BIG OKIE DOOM TAPS OWN EXPERIENCES FOR UNIQUE SOUND
2011-11-24 15:14:02
BIG OKIE DOOM plays Saturday at the Route 66 Roadhouse at 4328 NW 39th St. in Oklahoma City. Doors o... read more
WILLOWOOD OPEN HOUSE
2011-11-24 12:38:12
Willowood at Mustang is hosting an Open House Sunday, November 27th from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Caregivers... read more
PARK'S 'DR. DOOLITTLE' NEEDS HELP
2011-11-12 11:16:52
John Ripley is asking for help for his feathered friends, the ducks and geese that have made Wild Ho... read more
FAMILY UPS THE ANTE IN SEARCH FOR DAUGHTER'S KILLER
2011-11-11 09:43:14
Friends and family of a slain Mustang woman are selling T-shirts and jackets to raise money to offer... read more
PACKED SPOOKTACULAR CROWD SPOOKS OFFICIALS
2011-11-05 11:50:12
Hordes of shambling undead poured through the doors Saturday night at Town Center, prompting one Cit... read more
CITY SEEKING PUBLIC INPUT ON WHAT BUSINESSES TO PURSUE
2011-10-29 15:46:59
City officials are looking to plug a leak draining tax dollars out of the city with the help of a su... read more
KIWANIS GATHERING FOOD FOR HOLIDAY BASKETS
2011-10-29 15:46:59
Mustang Kiwanis members are gathering food donations to make sure 100 local families get to have a T... read more
GROUP COLLECTING ITEMS FOR TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN
2011-10-27 12:14:34
Fort Reno Daughters of the American Revolution members are collecting items needed by Oklahoma milit... read more
CAREER CATCHING FIRE: MUSTANG GRAD TAKES UNUSUAL TALENTS TO TV
2011-10-20 17:01:08
Mustang graduate Ted Campbell thrilled Bill. Campbell licked a 20-inch long branding iron before swa... read more
TEEN'S DEATH LEAVES FRIENDS IN SHOCK
2011-10-21 16:57:06
Friends remembered Mustang graduate Carina Breann Saunders as their sister — smart, funny and genuin... read more
CITY BREAKS HUDDLE ON SPORTS COMPLEX UPGRADES
2011-10-08 16:19:58
City leaders threw out their first pitch toward building a new baseball and soccer complex last week... read more
STATE MEDICAL EXAMINER ISSUES DETERMINATION IN BRYAN DEATH
2011-09-27 15:56:16
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Tuesday the death of Keith Bryan a homicide as a resu... read more
IN PRINT SATURDAY: AN ARREST AND A PROTEST
2011-09-23 15:41:47
*Mustang resident Rebecca Byran was arrested Friday, just days after her husband -- former City Coun... read more
TRANSCRIPT OF 911 CALL IN FATAL SHOOTING RELEASED TO MEDIA
2011-09-22 17:20:30
The following is a transcript of the 911 call made from Kaith Bryan''s home Tuesday night following ... read more
BREAKING: FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER KEITH GUNNED DOWN IN HOME
2011-09-21 09:22:55
A former two-term Mustang City Council member and current Nichols Hills fire chief Bryan Keith was g... read more
MAN CREDITS HARD WORK FOR REACHING AGE 100
2011-09-17 09:26:41
Centenarian Forrest Leach lives simply and worked hard — he said those are the keys to his long and ... read more
COUNCILMAN BALKS AT BUYING UNIFORMS
2011-09-10 13:00:50
A shirt meant to identify employees of the city of Mustang caught the eye of one City Councilman who... read more
MONTHS OF HARD WORK TO SHINE IN SHOW RING
2011-08-25 11:00:34
Mustang teens have spent months feeding, caring for and exercising their hogs, sheep, cattle and goa... read more
WORSHIP ARTIST TO LIFT VOICE FOR LOCAL BOY
2011-08-18 11:20:15
World-renowned worship artist Jason Upton will come to Mustang later this month to help a 3-year-old... read more
CHURCH PROGRAM PUTTING FOOD ON TABLE FOR 200 HOMES
2011-08-11 09:56:21
Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry volunteers started with just a trickle of families needing help. In th... read more
COUNCIL GREEN-LIGHTS PARKING LOT NEAR HIGH SCHOOL
2011-08-06 12:03:49
City Council members gave the green light this week to building a private parking lot near Mustang H... read more
CHURCH PUTS WORDS INTO DEEDS TO HELP OTHERS
2011-08-04 11:12:03
Every Clear Springs Free Will Baptist Church member set out Sunday to help their neighbors and to pr... read more
CURFEW LAW REMAINS ON THE BOOKS
2011-07-30 10:46:25
Teens sneaking out to meet friends for adventure while parents snooze on unaware can be the building... read more
AREA EMERGENCY ROOM FLOODED WITH WAVES OF HEAT-RELATED CASES
2011-07-30 10:46:25
Local emergency room doctors are seeing more patients coming to them extremely dehydrated, suffering... read more
COUNCILWOMAN QUESTIONS USING CITY OFFICERS ON SCHOOL CAMPUSES
2011-07-28 11:14:13
A City Council member questioned if police officers' presence on local campuses is straining the for... read more
POLICE CAPTAIN STEPPING DOWN FRIDAY
2011-07-23 13:43:59
Capt. Willard James will retire Friday after 22 years on the Mustang Police Department. A retiremen... read more
AREA MAN KEEPS ON (FOOD) TRUCKING
2011-07-23 13:43:59
Alan “Wild Al” Bouda heard Mustang and Yukon city councils' message loud and clear — No parking. No ... read more
OKLAHOMA CITY: CITIES UNDER MANDATORY WATER RESTRICTION
2011-07-19 18:04:41
Mustang and Oklahoma City residents were put back under a mandatory outdoor watering restriction Wed... read more
EVEN WITH WATER RESTRICTIONS LIFTED, OFFICIALS ASK RESIDENTS TO CONSERVE
2011-07-16 16:30:24
Oklahoma City lifted its mandatory water restriction after three days on Thursday afternoon, and Mus... read more
SCHOOL BOARD BUYS HISTORIC METHODIST CHURCH
2011-07-16 16:30:24
Mustang School District paid $150,000 for a piece of land containing the historic old Methodist chur... read more
MUSTANG AMONG CITIES HIT WITH WATER RESTRICTIONS
2011-07-14 15:36:32
Pond water may be used to keep Mustang city soccer and softball fields green while the city remains ... read more
COUNCIL OKS SECOND-CHANCE FIREWORKS DAY
2011-07-09 11:25:18
Residents with a stockpile of unused fireworks will get a second chance to legally light their fuses... read more
SCHOOL PARKING VENTURE CLEARS PLANNING COMMISSION
2011-07-02 12:10:03
A plan to build a private parking facility near Mustang High School cleared a hurdle this week as th... read more
COUNCIL PUTS UP CASH FOR SIGN; FUNDS $12,000 SHORT OF GOAL
2011-07-05 12:08:23
A push to raise money to pay for a new digital sign in Wild Horse Park got a boost Thursday as City ... read more
BOIL ORDER ISSUED
2011-06-26 17:36:34
BREAKING NEWS – WATER BOIL ORDER SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2011 By Brett Jones An emergency boil order was is... read more
FIREFIGHTERS PREPARING FOR ANNUAL -- BUT BEANLESS -- SUPPER
2011-06-16 11:28:21
Mustang firefighters are dropping their signature dish for their 42nd supper, the first without bean... read more
PISTOLS AND PEARLS GO THROUGH THEIR PACES FOR TELEVISION
2011-06-16 11:28:21
Young riders with the Pistols and Pearls drill team have stars in their eyes. The girls galloped off... read more
DISTRICT BALKS AT LEASING BUSES TO CHILDREN'S PROGRAM
2011-06-16 11:28:21
Mustang School Board members failed to approve Monday night city officials' request to lease buses, ... read more
CITY HIRES EL RENO OFFICIAL FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT POST
2011-06-16 11:28:21
An El Reno city official was chosen Monday to lead Mustang's community development efforts. Robert ... read more
LIBRARY GROUP AUCTION CHESAPEAKE BOATHOUSE SPACE
2011-06-11 13:25:41
The Friends of the Mustang Public Library are auctioning a gift certificate for the Chesapeake Boath... read more
SHELTER ISSUE MAY SWAY APPROACH TO POSSIBLE BOND ISSUE
2011-06-11 13:25:41
Controversy over a lack of public storm shelters could lead city officials in a new direction when c... read more
NEW CHIEF BRINGS WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE TO POST, CITY MANAGER SAYS
2011-06-11 13:25:41
The city of Mustang announced Tuesday a longtime Oklahoma City police officer has been hired as the ... read more
CHESAPEAKE BOATHOUSE EVENT SPACE BEING AUCTIONED TO BENEFIT LIBRARY
2011-06-07 10:03:11
The Friends of the Mustang Public Library are auctioning a gift certificate for the Chesapeake Boath... read more
POLICE BLOTTER FOR JUNE 2, 2011
2011-06-09 11:54:11
May 10 *A worker at a convenience store in the 100 block of North Czech Hall Road reported to polic... read more
POLICE CHIEF SEARCH NOT FINISHED, CITY MANAGER SAYS
2011-06-09 11:54:11
A search for a new Mustang police chief could be complete in 30 days, but no candidate has been hire... read more
VETERANS HONORED DURING WIND-WHIPPED MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONIES
2011-06-09 11:54:11
Ret. Brigadier Gen. Pete Costilow grasped his notes in 40-mph winds Monday as he prepared to address... read more
CAR CREATES TRAUMATIC WAKEUP CALL FOR LOCAL FAMILY
2011-06-09 11:54:11
Tire squealing woke Gene and Linda Vrenick, and then — boom. They felt their house shake as a car p... read more
POLICE BLOTTER FOR MAY 28, 2011
2011-05-28 15:08:33
May 10 *A worker at a convenience store in the 100 block of North Czech Hall Road reported to polic... read more
OFFICER CAPS OFF CAREER WITH FAREWELL PARTY
2011-05-28 15:08:33
Sgt. Pat Tyner laughed and shared memories Thursday with his Mustang police brothers as they celebra... read more
POLICE SEEK SUSPECTS IN ATTEMPTED ROBBERY
2011-05-27 16:26:05
Mustang police are looking for two people believed to be involved in an attempted robbery Thursday n... read more
BIG OKIE DOOM TAPS OWN EXPERIENCES FOR UNIQUE SOUND
DYRINDA TYSON-JONES
Edition:Thursday, November 24, 2011

BIG OKIE DOOM plays Saturday at the Route 66 Roadhouse at 4328 NW 39th St. in Oklahoma City. Doors open at 8 p.m., and you must be 21 to enter.

****

Stuck a few years ago in a hotel far from home where no one spoke English, his Kottak bandmates scattered to their individual rooms, bassist Price Vernon found himself bored and sleepless.
“I thought, 'It would be so great if I were here in this situation with all my boys from Oklahoma, from Mustang,” Vernon remembered. “But they weren't there. And I thought 'Man, I've gotta figure out how to get in a band where I can get all these guys, all the brothers from back home, and do stuff like this.'”
Fast forward and the Mustang native is doing just that.
Price and Paige Vernon, both sons of Ron and Pat Vernon of Mustang, will join their longtime friend Michael Albatross on stage this weekend as Big Okie Doom, a trio blending their individual styles into one rich, unique musical blend. It's the latest step in a long road from discussion to the release of an EP in the spring through Oklahoma City-based Lackpro, a record label concentrating on local indie talent.
“It's a grass-roots kind of project,” Price Vernon said. “We recorded it, we wrote it, we performed it, we're mixing it, we're promoting it. We've done pretty much the whole shoot and kaboodle. The one thing we're not doing is mastering it. We're sending it off to be mastered because it's a little bit out of our league on that deal.”
The Vernon brothers have played together before. Paige Vernon interrupted a sojourn in New Orleans to come back to Oklahoma and play in Ugly Stick with Price, a band that found some success in the 1990s. Once Ugly Stick broke up, the brothers went their separate ways. Paige returned to New Orleans and the blues he loved. Price moved to Los Angeles, where he joined Kottak, formed by Scorpions drummer James Kottak. Paige went back to New Orleans, where he'd spend the next eight years playing with various bands and steeping in the city's unique sound.
Meanwhile, Michael Albatross, who grew up in south Oklahoma City, continued his musical journey that began with the Kiss and Aerosmith tunes of his youth through the alternative sound of the1980s and the grunge of the 1990s. “Since then I've become more selective about what I listen to — and a wide range of stuff,” he said, citing the likes of Tori Amos and U2.
Price Vernon finally put forth his idea for a band while home for a visit in late 2010. “And they were like, 'We're in, we're in,” he recalled.
And they've been shepherding their sounds together ever since.
“I like to crunch up genres,” Albatross said. He compares his approach with that of director Jim Jarmusch, whose film work includes “Broken Flowers” with Bill Murray and “Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai” with Forest Whitaker.”
“He likes to take cultures and smash them together,” Albatross said. “You know, take a guy from the South and stick him in a scene with a guy from France. And so the relationship they have and the conversation they have because they're actually learning something about each other. And I like to do that with music. If you take something that's heavy and bluesy and then mix it up with U2, it becomes something new and different. It doesn't sound like anything else.”
“All our styles are kind of different, so it's not like we're all playing the same thing,” Paige Vernon said. “We're playing our own unique instruments. It's starting to sound really good.”
The proof is in the sound, Price Vernon said. One song — still untitled — mixes his brother's drumming style with Albatross' guitar licks. “What Mike's doing on the guitar is kind of bluesy, and the kind of drumbeat (Paige is) playing on the drums — in New Orleans, a guitar player would never play what Mike's playing on it,” Price Vernon said. “It's just not what they do.”
Heard separately, the French Quarter influence on Paige Vernon's drumming is immediately recognizable. “But you hear it with what Mike's doing on his guitar, it changes the whole feel of the same drum part.”
Lackpro staff will be on hand Saturday night to film the show — part of the footage will end up in a video of Big Okie Doom's first release, “Inherit the King.” And while the trio is tightening up a set list heavy on the their new, original tunes, Price Vernon said they might have some surprises up their sleeves. All have done their share of covers, he said, and they are prepared to whip out a Beatle or Ramones tune on the fly to keep the audience on their toes.
“We can hit them with our stuff and then surprise them with something they don't expect from us,” he said.

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