Songwriters & Tour Riders

Traindodge's Jason Smith formed the band with bassist Chris Allen and his younger brother Rob Smith in 1996 when the places for a punk band to play in Oklahoma ranged from houses, convenience stores, and bowling alleys. 30 years later, Traindodge has kept chugging along. They released their eighth LP The Alley Parade in 2023 and will be playing Resonant Head in Oklahoma City on Saturday, July 11 ....

When Ramsey Thornton graduated college during COVID, he wasn't sure what to do. He just wanted to do something with music. He enrolled into a masters of history program at Oklahoma State University to study the history of the banjo and worked as an intern at the Bob Dylan Center in Tulsa. But while juggling academics and music, he soon found work playing drums, banjo and guitar for numerous differ...

Johnny Mullenax didn't expect playing a weekly brunch show in Tulsa would help launch his touring career. Now he's playing at festivals and stages across America and Europe. In this episode, Johnny Mullenax talks about starting the bluegrass brunch, touring, and plays his song 'Used to Work For a Living.'

While Clay Street Unit was formed in Denver, most of their members are transplants, with lead singer Sam Walker originally hailing from Alabama. There, he was in a jam band that covered Phish and Grateful Dead songs. Clay Street Unit’s first album, titled Sin & Squalor , was scheduled for release last year through a Sony label. But, when the label folded and the release of the bluegrass band's...

Sam Westhoff almost quit music and started working at Lowe's. Now, under the moniker Haffway, he's starting his first headlining tour in Tulsa after releasing his album, Wither , last fall. The album purposefully is a roller coaster of highs and lows, reflecting Westhoff's mental health journey, one that took him from a psych ward in September 2024 to the stage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville...

Horton Records has been a home for what president Brian Horton estimated to be more than 150 different artist releases . But he has always thought the label's goal was not just to release music, but have music connect the community. That's the plan for this weekend's Horton Fest, celebrating 20 years since the label began. Over the weekend, Horton Fest will bring together Tulsa musicians and other...

​It’s been 20 years since Oklahoma band Cheyenne’s first album “I Am Haunted, I Am Alive” was released and singer Beau Jennings is bringing the band back together to play through it. At the time, Jennings was graduating college and unsure of where his life would take him. On this episode, he reflected on the album and reconnecting to songs written by a younger him and the decades since.

Lance Roark was singing at an open mic at a bar in Tahlequah one night, where RC Edwards — bassist for the then-on hiatus Turnpike Troubadours — was in the audience. With Turnpike on hiatus at the time, Edwards asked Roark to join his Americana rock band, RC & the Ambers . When Turnpike returned to the studio in 2022, Roark joined Edwards to co-write the song "Chipping Mill." Now as a solo art...

It's been seven years since Broncho's last album release. In the time since, singer Ryan Lindsey has had two children and moved to Tulsa. Broncho's latest album, Natural Pleasure , is a return to a pace more natural to Lindsey. In this conversation, Lindsey reflects on 15 years of Broncho, the origins of the band and his musical life, and how this album is different from previous Broncho albums.

The day Hayden Pedigo moved to Oklahoma City, he messaged Chat Pile, a metal band that puts Oklahoma front and center on their albums. And despite their wildly different genres, they found they got along, watching movies and going to shows together. Hayden Pedigo is known for beautiful acoustic guitar. While Chat Pile songs are full of noise and growled lyrics. In this episode, they talk about how...

Brent Cobb has been writing songs and playing music since he was a teenager. Inspired by his son's discovery of classic and southern rock, Brent's latest album, Ain't Rocked in a While , looks back at his earliest influences while also exploring what it takes to be a working musician, just trying to make a living for the last two decades. In this episode, he talks about the highs of touring with t...

When Kyle Ross isn't teaching English or coaching football in Bixby, he is the lead singer and songwriter of Americana band Keyland . They are opening up for The Droptines this Friday in Oklahoma City and will be playing Tiny Porch in Tulsa on Saturday. Matthew Viriyapah spoke to Ross before his show in Oklahoma City at Scissortail Park in June, opening up for Wilderado.

Noeline Hofmann was playing bars after quitting her job working on a ranch when Zach Bryan came across her singing on TikTok in 2023. The two recorded a duet of that song “Purple Gas” which kickstarted the Canadian twenty-something's country career that has continued to overlap with Oklahoma. She toured with Stillwater's Wyatt Flores and had her first American sold-out headlining date in Tulsa ear...

Texas singer-songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson released his latest album, Golden Crystal Kingdom in 2023. In this episode, Vincent Neil Emerson talks about the title track, the song he wrote inspired by Uvalde, Texas, and connecting with other Native musicians.

Despite a valiant effort by KOSU listeners and public media supporters nationwide, Congress has voted to rescind $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This money had already been promised and budgeted for at KOSU and public media stations across the country. Losing it is devastating, and one NPR estimate shows  that roughly 18%  of the country’s public radio sta...

On this episode is Douglas K Miller. He's an OSU professor and author Washita Love Child: The Rise of Indigenous Rock Star: Jesse Ed Davis . Our previous episode we explored the life and legacy of the native Guitarist who played with Bob Dylan, Jackson Brown, and more. On this episode we talk about the process of putting together the book, working on the Bob Dylan exhibit with poet in residence Jo...

In the next few days, the U.S. Senate will consider a package that would devastate many public radio stations by clawing back two years of previously approved funding. At KOSU, it would significantly impact our ability to provide emergency alerts and Oklahoma news. You can help by calling Senator Lankford and Senator Mullin to ask them to resist the rescission because of the impact it would have o...

From different members of The Beatles, Jackson Browne and Taj Mahal to Bob Dylan, Leon Russell and John Trudell, Jesse Ed Davis resided in a universe of classic rock superstars, but is not as well known as those he shared the stage with. In this first episode of a two-part series, Miller takes us through the life and work of Jesse Ed Davis and how his legacy carries on since his death in 1988.

Oklahoma Singer-songwriter Samantha Crain new album is titled Gumshoe, named in part about how she became a detective to solve the mystery of being a lone wolf but wanting to find community. In this episode, hear her talk about overcoming newfound stage fright, spending hours beading her album cover, and how studying Choctaw helped solve her personal mystery.

Johnny Manchild revisits KOSU's music podcast Songwriters & Tour Riders. He was previously on the 4th episode and since then, he has put out 2 more albums, moved to LA and back, and even married. Matthew Viriyapah catches up with Johnny about the years since, how LA compares to OKC, and the new book club he's starting at Commonplace Books.

A music video showcase titled OKC MTV is coming to the historic Rodeo Cinema at the Stockyards in Oklahoma City. Composer and classical musician Steven Stark talks about what inspired the event and how he hopes to foster more connections between Oklahoma's film and music industries.

Rolling Stone writer and New York Times editor Josh Crutchmer has spent years in the Red Dirt music scene, from the back of bars and concert halls to being on stage at Cain's Ballroom. He also recently gave Oklahoma State University's fall commencement speech. Matthew Viriyapah spoke to him about his journey from Oklahoma State University student to covering artists like The Great Divide, Turnpike...

Matthew Viriyapah spoke with Steven Jenkins, the director of the Bob Dylan Center, ahead of the biopic 'A Complete Unknown' starring Timothee Chalamet about his favorite parts of the film, the impact he hopes the film will have on younger viewers, and other films in Bob Dylan's filmography.

Tulsa band Wilderado had a whirlwind of a summer. They were featured in blockbuster movie  Twisters , both on the soundtrack and on screen. Now, fresh off the release of their second album,  Talker , they are headlining a sold out show at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. Singer Max Rainer talked about the album having a more "Oklahoma sound," as well as a band and crew that all call Oklahoma ho...

Red Dirt band The Great Divide came out with a new album in 2022, titled Providence . It was the first album of new, original songs by the original lineup in 20 years. The band returned to Stillwater in 2023 with an additional member of the band, Bryce Conway, who prompted the latest release. In this episode, hear Mike McClure, JJ Lester, and Kelley Green talk about what it was like going into the...