So, I might be moving to Oklahoma

The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma, thats all I got...

 

My condolences.

 

I feel like OKC is better than Tulsa. I have some friends who live there and love it. It's really laid back, but there is quite a bit to do. They did just acquire an NBA team if it's your thing.

 

You're always going to find people to Jam with, you just need to discover the scene that suits you. OKC is a cool place, and Norman is a little south of there, Large college areas are always fruitful for musical populations. Tulsa is a bit slower, but either place you should be able to find a scene that suits you, but it will take some time.

 

Things to note about OKC itself:

There are plenty of eclectic shops for all those special knick knacks, places to eat from great Sushi to awesome Greek, fine Italian to authentic Mexican, but they are all spread out over a huge area. The square mileage of OKC is massive. That being said, once you find a little area you like, such as the restaurants/bars/shops off of Western, the collection of hippy shops/bars called Paseo, there's plenty to do.

A lot is being done to beautify the city and allow for more parks/walking areas, so Bricktown and the areas around downtown are fairly nice, and there's more and more parks being put in.

Now, musically speaking.......

If you want to work a lot, then there are three genres that'll keep you busy:

1) Blues. And by this I mean a LOT of Stevie Ray Vaughn inspired stuff. If you really like that Chicago or Delta Blues (i.e. REAL blues to me), then you may not dig it. All the same, some great players and plenty of gigs.

2) Classic Rock. This is your meal ticket here. If you can find a group playing Top 40 from the 70's and 80's, get ready to stay busy. People eat that stuff up here.

3) Red Dirt. I should probably put this first, but I personally loathe this music. Mostly a bastardization of country/rock. And yet, all of my obvious bias aside, people LOVE this stuff around here. You can not only stay busy around town, but I have several friends who are making careers out of this and are touring the Region 200+ shows a year.

4) Jazz. Plenty of great players to be found here, and in particular there's a club just North of OKC called the UCO Jazz Lab that caters to mostly original jazz. Mostly though 'the scene' consists of background gigs where you strive to NOT be noticed while people eat expensive food. But hey, there ARE gigs there. There is one club in downtown OKC that is trying to bring in wholly original/experimental acts, and god Bless em!

Now, all that aside, I HIGHLY recommend Norman, home to Oklahoma University. Typical college town with a huge influx of diversity in its student populace that of course cycles out every year. Norman has all kinds of cool shops and place to eat, and unlike OKC they are all within bike riding distance of each other. Very much a bike/walking-friendly town.
Musically there aren't as many clubs as OKC to play at, but the ones there (the Opolis/The Deli/etc) cater to all kinds of weird original music. Especially The Deli, where you on any given night might here Red Dirt Singer/Songwriter, Fela Kuti-inspired stuff with horns, groove-based jazz, Pink Floyd Tribute acts, etc/etc. Had a blast there over the years.

 

Should also add that are local economy is kicking serious butt, mainly due to the jobs in the energy sector. Chesapeake Energy is one of the largest Natural Gas providers in the world, Devon is into the GLOBAL Oil/Gas market, and there are literally hundreds of businesses that support and cater to that business, from supply stores for parts to distributors that manufacture those same parts. That and we have a large demand for healthcare providers.

 

I've only been to Norman once since I graduated but it's become a very nice town since it broke the 100k population line. Lots of stuff to do and football season really turns the town alive. The Norman Music Festival as a pretty good mix of bands every year. Gig-wise, there are a few places you could play but like ElMon said it's not nearly as busy as OKC. Still, they're only 30 minutes apart so it's not that big a deal. If I had to move to Oklahoma I'd definitely move back to Norman, then OKC, and Tulsa third.

 

Never wear burnt orange, especially in Norman.

Also, Oklahoma still uses immediate post-prohibition laws so all the beer at grocery stores is watered down to 3.2. If you want real beer you have to go to a liquor store.

 

In two weeks I'll be in Tulsa on business...anybody know of anything cool to do in that area?


I happen to have a company polo shirt in burnt orange, I may have to wear that up there for grins.

 

Oklahoma City has really become pretty cool in the Bricktown and Deep Deuce area. I don't know anything about Tulsa.

-pretty low cost of living
Yeah, not bad.

-OKC is supposed to be a pretty clean city
It is now. It was pretty skanky up until the turn of the millenium, but it's pretty groovy now.

-BBQ, while not up to my Texas-roots standards, is probably better than that east coast vinegar nonsense.
Oklahoma bbq is quite good. I lived in TX for a good while. The best bbq brisket I've ever had comes from Ray's Smokehouse BBQ in Norman.

-Might have to bring in my own beer
You can get good beer at liqour stores, but convenience and grocery stores only carry mass-market low-point crap. I don't like beer, so I don't care...but my friends are always annoyed. Also, liquor stores close at 9PM and are closed on Sundays, so plan ahead.

-no more hockey for me...
OKC has hockey. It's not the Stars, but it's ice hockey.

-nice weather?
Spring has very violent weather. Winters can be clod, snowy, and blustery, but are usually short. Summers are as hot as TX generally.

I've lived in Norman most of my life. There are numerous art and music festivals. Norman Music Festival and Jazz in June are the biggest, but there are others as well. The Mid-Summer Night's Fair is pretty cool. It's a one-weekend art festival sponsored by several large-ish arts foundations, I think in late June or July. They have lots of local artists showing their stuff and hocking their wares, and plenty of live music to go with it.

 

Im from Tulsa. Well, a small town outside of it. Its a good place. I'd take it over OKC.

What kind of music are you into? From what I've noticed, Tulsa has a huge Metal and a huge Jazz scene. Others are around. Lots of country seein as wees a bunch of rednecks in these parts. The Jazz Hall of Fame is open every Tuesday night it I think it is, for anyone to come and jam with other musicians.