You saw the bands. You looked at our pictures. You barely got out of bed the last two days. So now that you’ve had time to reflect and recover, we thought we’d recap our favorite performances from Norman Music Festival in the only way we know: with strange, potentially ill-advised superlatives. These are the best them.
Most appropriate founding fathers: Nadastrom/Crystal Vision
Nadastrom (Photo: Joshua Boydston)
It’s not that EDM has never had a presence at Norman Music Festival; it’s just that it was happening in the shadows, bass drops rattling out of hidden recesses and laser-light shots popping out of the backdoor alleyways. This year it was brought front-and-center with a dedicated outdoor stage — that also brought equally underserved hip-hop into the daylight — on Saturday that thumped out in the open well after Ra Ra Riot wrapped up on the Main Stage. Oklahoma City’s own Crystal Vision brought an instant stamp of legitimacy to the dance party happening on Gray Street, while Nadastrom punctuated it, baptizing the newborn tradition in a river of sweat, glow sticks, fog, and flashing lights. — Joshua Boydston
Most approachable guitar soloist: Peter Erickson
Peter Erickson (Photo: Scott Rupe)
With all of the thrashing front men and rave-inducing EDM at this year’s Norman Music Fest, it’s not hard to forget the quaint cords of the coffee shop musician. Peter Erickson’s set at Michelangelo’s argued for the quiet and reflective with humble melodies and state-inspired lyrics. He may be every Oklahomans’ mentoring songbird, encouraging us to take a moment and appreciate the horizon, and his songs are captivating without being abrasive, like an enticing suggestion. “Shadows and Legends” spoke on the influence of the past, but insisted that we are only molded by it, not made. Erickson’s light balladry defined the soul of Norman Music Festival in the kindest of terms: We’re all just folks of different strokes. — Daniel Bokemper
Most dubious Oxford Karma shoutout: Deerpeople
Deerpeople (Photo: Scott Rupe)
Of the 469 words in our review of Deerpeople’s new album, about 436 or so were overwhelmingly positive. So when frontman Brennan Barnes dedicated one of the band’s songs to Oxford Karma (to roaring cheers from the crowd, mind you, because we rule) during its electrifying Friday night set, it seemed at first glance to be a genuine olive branch of appreciation. That is, until we realized what he was referencing: a song we deemed neither “as potent or memorable as [its] neighbors on the tracklist.” Who knew cross-species hybrids could be so spiteful? Just remember, Deerpeople: We hold a great deal of power and influence, and can break your band with one swift blow. We’ll get you next time, Deerpeople. Next time! — Zach Hale
Most happy to finally be there: Johnny Polygon
Johnny Polygon (Photo: Zach Hale)
It was obvious how badly Tulsa’s native son Johnny Polygon wanted this. The fiercely independent emcee with a national following felt slighted by NMF before, and though he could have punched the clock with a DJ in tow and delivered a perfectly fun performance, he was instead hellbent on making his NMF — and Main Stage — debut an unforgettable one. And he did. The nine-piece backing band (otherwise known as cheeky local hip-hop crew Bed People) flanking behind him was a quick tip that this wasn’t going to be the same old set. He was obviously jovial, jumping between the drippy, forlorn cuts from his upcoming I Love You, Goodnight and old fan favorites like “The Riot Song,” commanding the audience with each and every word. Before the show was over, he had launched himself into the crowd who happily held him up, a smile creeping from ear to ear. Vindication. — JB
Best social outing for a reclusive satellite: LoneMoon
LoneMoon (Photo: Scott Rupe)
The celestial tones of the Safari Collective’s LoneMoon can be unassuming. Unlike many of his digital brethren, his tracks wade in rippling waters, each tone tended to with precious ingenuity, slowly germinating into a melodic high tide. LoneMoon’s performance at Dope Chapel illustrated the perfect metaphor: Like the gradually illuminated lights of a stirring city, the musician brought the chapel’s congregation to life. Periodic pop samples melded with a sound that can be described as nothing short of cosmic. In doing so, we bared witness to the first lunar landing to ever occur inside Norman, Oklahoma. Fortunately for us, LoneMoon seemed to enjoy his descent to the heartland. — DB
Most talented science fiction enthusiast: Natalie Prass
Natalie Prass (Photo: Joshua Boydston)
When you prepare to see Natalie Prass and her storybook, Disney princess singing voice — as we had been doing since the day she was announced — you don’t anticipate much of a sci-fi tinge to her set. Yet all of the following things actually happened as the sun set on the Main Stage: police sirens howled down Porter Avenue, a drone buzzed overhead, the words “LOW VOLTAGE” adorned the Main Stage projection screen, and she sang a duet with Godzilla. That’s some Cinderella-meets-Terminator shit right there. Nevertheless, Prass delivered a fairy-tale performance for the ages on Norman Music Festival’s final day, somehow managing to exceed our lofty expectations. — ZH
Read on for the best group of J. Crew models moonlighting as an indie-rock band, the best/safest alternative to Four Loko, and more.
