Spotlight - The Church Studio

Artist Spotlight: Micah Felts

Micah Felts Micah Felts’ music began, improbably enough, with a white Fender Stratocaster from a shoe store window. His parents owned Felts Shoes, and when a Doc Martens display arrived with a guitar meant only as a prop, the company rep told the family they could keep it. Micah’s dad brought …

Artist Spotlight: Beyana Band

Beyana Band There is music in Mariel Luna’s voice even before she begins to sing. Poised and confident, she carries a contained intensity that expands into a larger-than-life persona onstage. When she smiles, the song feels as though it belongs to you, too. Mariel had been writing songs since …

Artist Spotlight: Garrick Fausett & the Revelry

Garrick Fausett & the Revelry Ask Garrick Fausett what he plays and he’ll tell you: Outlaw Folk. Six generations of Ozark family history behind him, a biology degree in his back pocket, and a full band called The Revelry giving his songs muscle. Fausett grew up singing four-part harmony in…

The Story Behind Leon Russell’s “Sweet Emily”

“Sweet Emily” began in a recording studio, sparked by one of those playful, offhand moments that can only happen among friends. Emily Smith loved the song, claimed the name, and carried it as part of her own story. Leon Russell recorded “Sweet Emily” in September 1970 at Muscle Shoals Studios in …

Artist Spotlight: Bear is Driving

Bear is Driving Bear Is Driving brings a confident, offbeat charm to Tulsa indie rock, with sharp hooks, energizing riffs, and a band roster where every member is credited with “vibes.” Their first Tunes @ Noon brought the house down, with showmanship, personality, and a current of energy that m…

Artist Spotlight: Billy Bonney

BILLY BONNEY Billy Bonney brings Southwest blues that feels lived-in, guitar-forward, and pulled straight from real life. Fronted by Kurtis Hair, with Felix Miller on bass and Lukus Peery on drums, the Stillwater trio blends blues-rock muscle with sharp, satirical songwriting. Kurtis writes li…

Artist Spotlight: Damaris

Damaris Damaris calls her music Spitfire Country. Once you hear a little of her story, the name fits. She spent years writing and singing mostly for herself. Then, in her 40s with her kids nearly grown, she decided to do something that scared her: get on stage. What came out draws from cou…

Artist Spotlight: Symon Hajjar, Hot Toast Music

Symon Hajjar, Hot Toast Music Symon Hajjar wears a lot of hats: musician, songwriter, educator, storyteller, founder of Hot Toast Music Company, Grammy Recording Academy member, and champion of curiosity. Somehow, he manages to wear them all with enthusiasm, imagination, and the joyful spirit tha…

Artist Spotlight: Billy Byrnes the Blues

Billy Byrnes the Blues Billy Byrnes the Blues has become a fan favorite at Tunes @ Noon, bringing a rich blend of blues, rock, soul, and decades of hard-earned musicianship to The Church Studio. Guitarist Billy Byrnes has spent his career playing between Long Island and the West Coast as a ba…

Artist Spotlight: Casii Stephan

Casii Stephan Casii Stephan didn’t come to Tulsa chasing fame. She arrived in 2014 intending to walk away from music altogether. Instead, Tulsa gave her back her voice. Her sound moves through soul, pop, rock, and blues without settling into any one of them. It's raw, emotionally direct, and u…

Artist Spotlight: Groucho

Groucho Dustin Howard spends his days teaching music, mentoring young artists, and running Noise Town, a West Tulsa rehearsal, recording, and performance space built around the idea that music should be accessible, collaborative, and open to all, a place where students, local bands, and touring mus…

Artist Spotlight: Jackson Glasby

Jackson Glasby At 17, Jackson Glasby had a heart attack during a high school basketball game. The surgery that followed left him grounded, nowhere to go, nothing to do but sit and play guitar. Five or six hours a day, every day. That's where this started. Glasby is from Fort Gibson, and he's bee…

Artist Spotlight: Brent Giddens

Brent Giddens Brent Giddens teaches school by day and plays music at night, and he takes both seriously. Few voices stop the room the way Brent’s does. Warm, honeyed, and powerful, that baritone feels like comfort food, familiar before he’s even through the first song. Brent started out as an El…

Artist Spotlight: ThunderSleet

ThunderSleet Beth Turner met Janey Mullenax on a Sunday and Carmen Skelton on a Monday. By Tuesday, they were rehearsing. Beth had a gig in mind. Carmen thought they were just fooling around. The gig was a birthday party. ThunderSleet was born. Three years later, the trio has become one of th…

Artist Spotlight: Randy Brumley

Randy Brumley Randy Brumley has been around long enough to know where the good music comes from. He was part of the Tulsa music scene in the 1980s, recorded their album Media Blitz at The Church Studio with his band Square Force, and then life took him in a different direction. The Church brough…

Artist Spotlight: Jake Karlik Band

Jake Karlik Band If you grew up on Southern rock, or just wish you had, the Jake Karlik Band are going to feel like a good memory you didn't know you had. Jake Karlik founded the band at 23. Now 26, he fronts the Jake Karlik Band, formerly Jake & the Idols, alongside Ian McGuire on guitar, G…

Artist Spotlight: The David Thayer Band

The David Thayer Band "Praying someone will see me." – David Thayer Lifetime Tulsan and versatile musician David Thayer began his musical journey at age five, inspired by Lawrence Welk’s guitarist, Neil LeVang. After receiving an electric guitar for Christmas and a few lessons, he developed his …

Artist Spotlight: The Hi-Fi Hillbillies

The Hi-Fi Hillbillies The Hi-Fi Hillbillies are fabulous! - says everyone who’s ever heard them The Hi-Fi Hillbillies ignite the spirit of the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s with electrifying performances of vintage rock and roll. With authentic grit, razor-sharp musicianship, and undeniable charisma, the…

Artist Spotlight: Peggy Johnson

Peggy Johnson "I want to play my guitar; everything else is bullshit." - Peggy Johnson A true southern powerhouse, Peggy Johnson has been a cornerstone of the Oklahoma City acoustic scene since 1985, when she first planted her Georgia roots in Red Dirt soil. Her music is a raw, soulful blend of…

Artist Spotlight: Knipple

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 fea…

Artist Spotlight: The Websters

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 “w…

Artist Spotlight: Tempest Revival

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 entirel…

Artist Spotlight: Majeste Pearson

Majeste Pearson: Majeste, a graduate of the New York Film Academy Performing Arts Conservatory, is the daughter of the late gospel music minister, Bishop Carlton Pearson. With power and poise, she has graced renowned stages around the world, from Broadway to Carnegie Hall, sharing her deep passion f…

Artist Spotlight: Cydni Reid

Cydni Reid: CYDNI (Cydni Reid) is an emerging singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas, now based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, blending indie Christian and R&B influences into a sound rooted in faith, hope, and authenticity. Her music feels like a conversation—honest, soulful, and full …

Artist Spotlight: Dan Lee

Dan Lee: Raised just south of Kansas City, Missouri, Dan Lee is a singer-songwriter with a passion for touching hearts through stories of the past and present told through song. Currently serving as part of ORU Worship, he has shared stages with artists and groups such as …

Artist Spotlight: The Marriotts

The Marriotts Jennifer Marriott is a multifaceted artist from Canada, known for her soulful singing and dynamic presence in the local music scene, often performing with her husband, blues artist Pete Marriott. They have lived in Tulsa for approximately twenty years and blend various music styles, d…

Artist Spotlight: Red Dirt Rangers

The Red Dirt Rangers For nearly four decades, the ageless Red Dirt Rangers—John Cooper, Brad Piccolo, and Ben Han—have served as ambassadors of the genre they helped pioneer. Forging what they call an “elusive stew,” their Red Dirt sound blends country, rock and roll, bluegrass, and Western swing, …

Artist Spotlight: The Lonelys

The Lonelys Founded in 2009 by Donovan Fite and producer Jason Swanson, The Lonelys are a Tulsa-based power-pop quartet currently featuring Fite, Deanna Wiens, Shawn Bender and Jordan Jackson. The group is celebrated for blending 1960s and 70s influences—reminiscent of the Beatles and Queen—with ri…

Live Music in Tulsa: Tunes @ Noon Spotlight Featuring Cody Brewer, Red Letters with Liz Zotta, and Upscale Smoke

Live Music in Tulsa: Tunes @ Noon Spotlight featuring: Micah Felts, Beyana Band, and Garrick Fausett