The OKC Singer-Songwriter scene is poised to explode. We all love it when an artist can stand alone on stage, a guitar in one hand, their heart in the other, and distill the hard to catch moments of life into the craft cocktail of wordplay, story, and song. These amazing Oklahoman City Singer-Songwriters, have paid their dues to the open mics, and bar-rooms of our fair state. They have honed their craft on the six strings of a life well lived and are submitted now for your approval. Here are three song craft artisans from right here in OKC you must hear.
Jose Hernandez
Whether playing solo or with his band, The Black Magic Waters, Jose Hernandez’s music comes at you haunting and entirely real. The hallmark of a great songwriter, he plays with naked authenticity, and that lets each of his songs breathe its own life.
Here is a bit of Jose performing solo.
Though not stylistically the same as Tom Petty, his band’s melodies often feel the same in how familiar they are, like a well-remembered anthem of a past life. As with so many of OKC’s songwriters, these are the songs that feel right at home in your playlists.
At OkSessions we talk about farm-to-table music. Jose’s music is where that sensibility lives. It might take more than just picking up whats playing at Starbucks, but I promise you the rewards you get in investigating these local musicians will pay you back in spades. Take a minute to find a favorite track from the recent eponymous release, Jose Hernandez & The Black Magic Waters. There are so many good ones to choose from.
The hardest thing to do is admit that your wrong… even harder than you heard.
Jose Hernandez – Kids
Stephen Salewon
One of the most talented musicians working in OKC, Stephen Salewon prolifically shares his artistry on youtube. The first time I heard one of his tracks was on a midnight drive back from Tulsa. I didn’t realize I was listening to TheSpy Fm and assumed it was a new release from a nationally touring artist. I patiently waited for the station break so that I could put a name to the voice. It was only then I realized it was this talented musician we had working right here in OKC
This was that exact song I heard on that drive that brought me to Stephen’s music.
Stephen Salewon will often take the stage as a solo act as well. Armed with a lifetime of story and song he’s every bit a consummate professional who could belong to Nashville or another songwriter’s capital but we here in Oklahoma City are blessed to be his home base. Here’s a cover of Sam Smiths’s Stay With Me.
Find many more of his tracks at his youtube channel.
Your fragile heart Is hard to hold on to. Take it slow with me.
Stephen Salewon – Give it All
Chase Kerby
What can I say? If I had a slice of pie for every great Chase Kerby song, I’d never work another day in my life. He narrates moments through his music like he’s your best friend riding shotgun in the first car you ever owned. Chase has an effortless closeness to every song he writes and performs. I’m pretty certain the Shure microphone company made a Chase-sized mic just so when he records he can open it up and crawl inside to track his vocals.
On his new album Lines, Chase tomes Elliot Smith style prayers of indie ambiance. Give a listen to “There’s You.”
But there is so much more. With every new album, Chase Kerby has found new definitions for his music. He affectionately makes much of his catalog available. You can, and should, wander through the heavily mustached, but infinitely listenable albums located at chasekerby.bandcamp.com/ I promise you will find a song to caption a secret thought or one perfect moment. Which I think is perhaps the higher praise a songwriter only ever really seeks.
They’re gonna say to fold youself in two.
Yeah, seperate good riddance from a real good point of view.
Chase Kerby – Lines
These are your storytellers, dreamers, and medium heroes. These are your hidden gems. These are some of your OKC Singer-Songwriters that we love and wanted to share. If you find that perfect song, let us (and the artist) know on Instagram. Then tell a friend and help make the dream of local, Farm-To-Table music a reality.