THESE TUNES @ NOON ARTISTS WILL BE PERFORMING AT CARNEY FEST 2026 MAY 2ND.
Experience the magic of The Church Studio during the “Tunes @ Noon” series (Tue-Thu-Sat). Enjoy intimate live performances from talented Americana, jazz, and rock musicians in a legendary setting. Your admission includes a museum tour of the renowned facility where Leon Russell made history. After the show, explore the vibrant shops and restaurants of Studio Row, the heart of the Pearl District’s creative scene. Check the latest lineup on the official Church Studio events page and plan your visit!
By Deborah McLaren
March 20, 2026
Knipple
We always have some unexpected shenanigans – Jordank
Knipple is a Tulsa-based punk-jazz duo consisting of JordanK (bass/whale sounds) and Knicholas (drums/emotions). Known as a “rhythm section for hire” turned front-stage act, they perform eclectic, high-energy, and interactive music featuring bass, drums, loops, and audience participation with kazoos and games. Jordan explained, “Nicholas calls it punk jazz because of the distorted bass, high energy, our take on Latin music, and ukulele-folk with electronic beats.”
“We’re really just eclectic—more than any particular sound or genre, we just like too many styles of music to only play one. In the various bands we’ve played in, there’s stuff like Tulsa Sound, folk, rock, funk, hip-hop, jazz, and experimental—a pretty broad diet of music that speaks to us. Other bands are focused on gigs. Knipple has always gotten to exist purely as a vehicle to develop our music and relationship together. Showing up, getting to play what you want to play. It’s more about freedom than any style. Communication between Nicholas and me, improvising in front of an audience.” Funky Friendship is their most recent song.
Nicholas was born and raised in Tulsa with a stint in New Orleans. Jordan says he “moved here to go to the University of Tulsa and got involved in the local music scene. It’s a wonderful scene here—lots of great musicians, lots of support for music, a cheap cost of living, a perfect recipe—I could sustain a living as a musician from the beginning. I kept my calendar busy—playing rhythm bass & drums, getting other gigs.” Every week Knipple is in a different constellation of music, gigs, rehearsals, and travel. “Not a ton of consistency.” Says Jordan, “It’s really nice to have a variety.” Nicholas and Jordan have been in 15-20 different bands together over the last 17 years.
“Knipple was formed on a smoke break, and we kept playing bass and drums while everyone else went out to smoke. We thought it sounded pretty good. At a weekly standing jazz gig, I had, when the third member of the trio couldn’t make it, we decided to just have the two of us. It’s different making multiple sets of music as only drums and bass. But we keep adding things like loopers and effect pedals; we’ve been into this particular thing for about 10 years. We’re always adding electronics and keyboards; it keeps growing.” Later they found their name, Knipple, just by putting the letter K in front of different words. They thought it was very funny.
Jordan is a fan of Bobby McFerrin and admires how he really engages with people. “You have to watch him in ‘Live in Montreal.‘” Jordan describes McFerrin “turning expectations on their head; he backed up a local choir on Ave Maria, using his voice as an organ to lift their sound. By letting the choir lead the entire audience, he turned a solo performance into a communal, transcendent experience. It was deeply moving to see the focus shifted from ‘me’ to ‘us.’ It’s inspired us to encourage audience participation through all kinds of activities, games, themes, or just sticking a kazoo in their mouths. When the show stops being just about the people on stage, it becomes a collective experience. It affects the music, but it goes far beyond the music itself.”
Over the years, they have built a strong connection with The Church Studio through various recording sessions with several of the bands they perform in, such as the high-energy, New Orleans-style brass band King Cabbage; the multidisciplinary artist, singer-songwriter, and curator Kalyn Fay; and Chris “Poppa” Foster, a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who leads Poppa Foster and the Goodtime Band.
Jordan’s history with the studio began years ago, though, at the Harwelden Mansion, where he first met owner Teresa Knox while playing jazz gigs with the late Tim Shadley. As Tim’s health declined, Teresa generously opened the studio’s doors, allowing the duo to record together as much as possible before he passed—a gesture Jordan still holds in high regard.
“I love the sound engineers, Gary Laney and Mike Prado, and Tunes at Noon is great,” he says of The Church Studio. “It’s wonderful to have a place that takes care of the local scene. Usually, recording in that kind of studio means it’s expensive and you’re priced out, but they’ve made it accessible and inclusive. We’ve benefited a lot from that.”
“And now we’re playing our first show with the headline at Cain’s, as the opening act for Carney Fest. We’re opening for Robert Randolph!” I asked if they were ready. “We have most of the material for the set—we’re preparing our tightest set to date. But we always have some unexpected shenanigans. Like we might have a high-five mosh pit—a minute-and-a-half song with people just running around high-fiving.” Look for them in their red and blue jumpsuits and prepare to be entertained!
You can often find Knipple at the Colony. Facebook Instagram Bandcamp
Knipple
The Websters
We have a weird obsession with Tulsa – The Websters
Brothers Blake and Conrad Webster started playing music together as teenagers in Miami, Oklahoma, before later relocating to Joplin, Missouri. And despite never actually living in Tulsa, Blake says the brothers have always had a “weird obsession” with the city.
Their music has evolved through blues and rock. “Conrad and I started a rockabilly-blues group when we were about 15,” Blake recalls. “On Sunday nights, we listened religiously to Rockin’ John Henry on KMOD’s Smokehouse Blues Show out of Tulsa. We got to know people involved in the program. We were pulled in by the legendary Tulsa musician Glenn R. Townsend to play a local show.” Known for his blues rock, Glenn hosted a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan at Cain’s Ballroom that sold out two years in a row. “We were just teenagers then and had no idea how big a deal it was. We just knew it felt great walking onto that stage and playing for a packed house. Since then, it’s been our sole mission to play there again someday.”
While still in their teens, they formed another band called The Victors and moved to Austin, Texas. Blake recalls that on their very first night in town, they met Clifford Antone, owner of the legendary blues venue Antone’s Nightclub, at an IHOP. They were just young guys, and it was late at night when he looked over from his table and asked if they were a band. When they said yes, he simply told them, “Come over and have breakfast with me.” Their chance meeting helped open doors for the young blues band.
Eventually, Conrad moved to Colorado for a while, and Blake says that left him bandless for about six or seven months. During that time, he started writing songs, “mostly about girls or about being mad at Conrad for leaving.” By 1994, the brothers were back together and determined to recruit the best musicians they could find for a new band, simply called The Websters. One of their favorite local groups, Walking on Einstein, had recently broken up, allowing them to bring in guitarist Brian “Gus” Guodace. The lineup featured Blake Webster on lead vocals, Tim Metcalf on lead guitar and vocals, Troy Cupp on bass, Conrad Webster on drums, and Gus on rhythm guitar and vocals. Their camaraderie is obvious. As Blake says, when Gus is playing that black Les Paul, you’re hearing the literal heart of rock and roll.
Blake describes their current sound as “lyrically driven, open-chord rock and roll”—a mix of introspective storytelling they call “lit-rock.” Influenced by the likes of Tom Petty and Jason Isbell, they’ve focused their recent recording at The Church Studio, as Blake explains, “on being less insufferable and working on the groove.” Blake is quick to praise the studio: “Teresa Knox’s vision is so well thought out and cool; she treats you incredibly well. And working with sound engineers Gary Laney and Mike Prado—well, we can’t even express how great it is in words. We’ve been ‘tracking away’ in the big room and moving fast—we’re set to do the final tracks at the end of June for our new album.”
The band feels the studio’s legacy deeply, especially knowing that Tom Petty’s career ignited in this very spot. After stopping in Tulsa on their way to L.A. in 1974, Petty’s band, Mudcrutch, met Leon and Denny Cordell and signed to Shelter Records, forever linking The Church Studio to rock history. After seeing the story told in the film Runnin’ Down a Dream, Blake finds it surreal to stand in the same “big room” where Petty once stood. “I love being in the spaces where history happened.”
For Blake, music is a truth-seeking process rooted in love—his “center of gravity” that keeps him honest. His band serves as a rare, professional space where men can be both strong and open, using the ritual of songwriting to explore their authentic connections. While his recent work has leaned toward catchier melodies, Blake remains dedicated to music that carries a deeper meaning.
An example of their songwriting creativity, Blake shares, was “Inspired by Teresa Knox’s vision at The Church Studio, I found myself reflecting on the vital legacy of women in music, rock, and songwriting.” This led him to write a song about an aging but vibrant female songwriter, drawing visual inspiration from the dancer in John Singer Sargent’s painting, El Jaleo.
The story came full circle when Blake learned that Gunnar Nelson had donated his father Ricky Nelson’s vintage microphone—the same one used to record “Maggie May”—to the studio. Blake realized this hot mic was the perfect metaphor for his songwriter’s desire to sing her truth and better the world. When he returned to the studio, the engineers let him record with that legendary microphone. “In that moment, the woman in the painting, the spirit of the song, and the band all felt in perfect alignment—anchored by Conrad’s killer groove. And the best part? I got to sing all day about that mic, into the mic!”
Blake jokes that many of their songs mention Oklahoma, specifically Tulsa. Take his track, “Something She Loves About Graceland.” It’s technically about a road trip to Memphis, but the characters get so sidetracked by a long stop in Tulsa—hitting up Cain’s Ballroom and The Outsiders House—that you start to wonder if they’ll ever actually leave. They do eventually make it to Tennessee, but clearly, the heart of the song never really left the 918.
Catch The Websters at Carney Fest 2026. Truth be told, the Websters are definitely more ‘lit-rock’ than ‘high-tech.’ However, they say they are working on it and planning more platforms. For now, find them on Spotify or Facebook.
The Websters
Tempest Revival
Getting a little rowdy, a little sassy
Tempest Revival is an Oklahoma-based band formed in 2022 by Cody Marriott and Jade Wilson Marriott, known for original tunes and lively, harmonious performances. Americana and country are the starting points, but where they end up is entirely up to them.
Starting out as a cover band, Tempest Revival has since come into their own by writing their own originals and rearranging familiar tunes with a sound that’s soulful and, at times, a little sassy. This independent, homegrown approach has earned them a following in the Tulsa area, where their shows can feel a little like a rowdy, authentic gathering with good friends.
Jade and Cody live south of Tulsa on a “teeny homestead” in the country. They describe themselves as everyday people—Okies. By day, Cody specializes in custom remodeling, while Jade works in medical research. Their daily life involves normal Oklahoma things like baking their own bread, hunting, and fishing, all while sharing their home with teenagers and a variety of animals, including dwarf goats, chickens, and pigs.
Both Jade and Cody grew up in the church, and those roots are a huge part of their musical background. Her family’s church stands in the tiny town of Nuyaka, OK, and the building itself is a history of her own family. “Back in the ’70s,” she explained, “all three sides of my family—my mom, my stepdad, and my biological dad—all helped build it. My uncle raised the money for the materials, my grandpa laid the foundation, and my step-aunt and uncle served as the piano player and deacon. I’ve been singing all my life; all the women in my family sing in the church.”
Cody’s upbringing was just as grounded. Jade explained, “He was raised full-gospel in the Ozarks, attending Big Rock Church in Barnett, Missouri. True to its name, the church was built out of a big rock, and it remains standing today with his cousin serving as the preacher.
Jade and Cody’s journey began when they both moved back to Tulsa about five years ago. They started crossing paths at local jam nights, like the ones at Westbound Club where they met. However, Jade says, “They didn’t visit much at first beyond deciding which songs to play on stage.” Things changed when Cody messaged Jade. “He said he was going to be in town and had written a song that had to be a duet.”
“Our connection to the legendary Church Studio in Tulsa grew naturally through the local music community.” Jade shared, “It all started with Hannah McNutt, who worked as the archivist at the studio. She used to come to our shows with her boyfriend at the time, a guitar player named Kameron Overturf, who would occasionally sit in with the band. A couple of years back, Hannah helped us get a date to perform in the Tunes @ Noon series. We also ended up spending about ten hours in the big studio there tracking two singles, and we’re still working on them. It was such a cool experience for all of us. Most of us had actually recorded there before with Sarah Popejoy. She came to see me sing about five years ago and invited me to sing on her project, The Oklahoma Storyteller (Vol 1: Crossroads). “It’s a 12-song collection about historical Oklahoma,” with some parts tracked in Austin and the majority recorded at The Church Studio.
Tempest Revival are looking forward to performing at Carney Fest 2026. You can catch them at the Iron Horse Saloon in Oolagah, OK, on Saturday nights. Facebook Instagram Bandsintown
Jade and Cody of Tempest Revival