Sand Springs native Jacob Dement in final stretch of debut album, Abandoned

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Sand Springs native Jacob Dement has already written and recorded his first full length album, but that’s only half the battle. He needs your help to finish it.

Dement recently launched a GoFundMe campaign hoping to raise $3,000 for mastering, duplication, distribution, and an album release event. At press time he has received $730 in donations towards his debut record, Abandoned.

A long-time musical veteran, his style has developed drastically from his early exploits with the high school screamo band AfterEIGHT. Dement’s later band, The Sellouts, performed a broad selection ranging classic rock to modern Top 40 hits at venues like Los Cabos, Riverwalk Jenks, and River Spirit Casino.

Dement spent years touring the high seas with Norwegian and Carnival cruise liners, performing alongside artists like Heart, America, and Emmy Lou Harris.

Upon settling back down in Oklahoma he took up residency at Margaritaville, performing every Tuesday night for a year before moving his act to the Wyld Hawgz bar in South Tulsa. Dement says he averages around 250 shows a year at venues across Oklahoma.

In addition to his solo work he has also performed with the Jacob Flint Band and as a duo with Flint. They recently opened shows at Cain’s Ballroom for Granger Smith and a sold-out Randy Rogers Band.

His latest work is a more acoustic folk sound and deals with his struggles over the past two years and his separation from his wife and co-performer.

He was also nominated for Best Solo Artist and Best Americana Artist, in the We Are Tulsa Music Awards, and his song “Mr. Strange” was nominated for Single of the Year. To vote for Dement, visit https://www.tulsamusicawards.com.

Dement recently launched a new website at www.jacobdementmusic.com and can be reached at jacobdement@icloud.com for booking information.

Jake Dillon Band releases new single "Hunt and Fish"

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Sand Springs native and Charles Page High School graduate Jake Dillon Tankersley released the first single off his new album last week on iTunes, Spotify, and other streaming services.

“Hunt and Fish” is the first taste of the Jake Dillon Band’s first album, The Little Things. The eighteen-track country album has received a limited digital release for investors in the band’s crowdfunding efforts, and physical and digital purchases will be made available to the public in the near future.

Tankersley is a CPHS Class of 2011 graduate, currently residing in Verdigris, Oklahoma. He received extensive radio play in the Tulsa area with his first single, “See You Soon,” while still in high school and recorded the Just Jake EP soon after. He received national attention in the 2016 season of American Idol.

Accompanying Tankerlsey are Eric Cope on bass, Casey Highfill on drums, and his brother, Colton Tankersley, on lead guitar.

Click here to find “Hunt and Fish” in iTunes or visit https://www.jakedillonband.com/shop to pre-order The Little Things. See the Jake Dillon Band live in concert Saturday, October 20th at the Nusho Theater in Bixby.

Small Business Coalition brings singing competition to downtown Sand Springs

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Think you could be the best vocalist in the Sand Springs area? 

The Sand Springs Small Business Coalition resuscitated the popular First Tuesday on the Triangle concert series in June, and in August they're continuing the festivities with the first ever "Sand Springs Sings" competition.

Preliminary contests will be held on August 7th, September 4th, and October 2nd, and the finalists from each month will go head to head in the championship round on Saturday, November 24th. 

Contestants will perform outdoors in the heart of the historic downtown Triangle District. The competition is $10.00 to enter and free to watch. The winner will take home a trophy and a $500 cash prize. The contest is open to individuals, duos, and groups of any age or genre. 

The SSSBC hopes the series will attract both locals and visitors who don't typically spend much time in downtown. In addition to coalition businesses such as Yesterday To Now Antiques and Art Mall, The Harvest World Market, and Joni's on the Triangle Hair Salon, there will also be multiple food trucks and local vendors on hand. Those three businesses will have physical entry forms available at their shops.

Sand Springs has a long history of producing talented musicians. The Rogues Five saw regional acclaim in the 1960's and played alongside bands like Jim Morrison and The Doors. Sam Harris won Star Search in 1983 and has since recorded several albums and appeared on Broadway. Jake Tankersley appeared on American Idol and is currently producing his second album. Christian rock band Capitol Lights recorded two albums. 

Morgan Ganem recorded two albums with the band Sownds, had a song adopted as an unofficial anthem of the Kansas City Chiefs, has released two solo albums, and has a residency at Safari Joe's H2O water park in Tulsa. Darin Shipley, Jennifer Marriott, Shelby Eicher, Janet Rutland, and Hannah Rose have all released albums in recent years, and Jacob Dement has a residency at Margaritaville in Tulsa. 

Sand Springs minister Darin Shipley releases new studio album

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Sand Springs's Darin Shipley released Hunger Rising March 15, 2018. (Photo: Niki Counce Photography). 

Sand Springs artist Darin Shipley recently released his second studio album, titled Hunger Rising, on Spotify and in compact disc format. The seven-track contemporary Christian album has been the product of several years of writing and recording.

Shipley speaks and performs at churches throughout Oklahoma, and proceeds from those events have funded his recording sessions at The Closet Studios in Tulsa. “The whole time I was working on this, the theme I would speak on everywhere I would go is drawing near to God,” says Shipley.

A nineteen-year officer with the Tulsa Police Department, Shipley lives in Sand Springs and serves on the worship team at Word of Life church. He and his wife of nineteen years, Pam, have three children.

Shipley’s daughter, Kristin, also appears on the album in background vocals, as does fellow Word of Life worship team member Holly Pace.

Through his career in law enforcement, Shipley has had the opportunity to minister to Tulsa’s most vulnerable, meeting the needs of homeless and mentally ill Tulsans in need of a hand up. He also has an extensive background in Youth Ministry, having previously served in Word of Life Youth Ministries.

Shipley has several shows booked currently, including the Second Annual Unity Praise event at Charles Page High School Memorial Stadium this Friday, March 30th. He also plays periodically at the 5 West Outpost nonprofit event center in Sand Springs, and will be holding a CD Release Party there in the near future.

To download Hunger Rising, visit this link, or visit his Facebook to purchase a physical copy. 

918-361-1092
Facebook
http://www.darinshipley.com/

Sand Springs Idol asks for community's help raising money for album

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The Jake Dillon Band performs at Vintage Down South festival in Bixby.

A Sand Springs native country singer is asking for help to put out a new album.

Jacob "Jake Dillon" Tankersley graduated Charles Page High School in 2011 and attained national attention in 2016 when he appeared on the final season of Fox's American Idol. He earned a golden ticket to Hollywood from the Little Rock auditions, but was eliminated in the "line of ten" competition.

Tankersley has created a Kickstarter campaign that seeks to raise $15,000 by Friday, July 21st. If the campaign doesn't reach its goal, then all donations will be refunded. "When I say the word 'donate,' let's just pretend that means pre-ordering," says Tankersley. "If you donate $10 dollars you will get a digital copy of our first record if we reach our goal." The album is expected to be a full dozen songs.

Click here to donate to the campaign.

The campaign offers seven different contributor levels, though donors are welcome to give as much or as little as they like.

  • Pledge $10 to receive a digital download of the album before the release date.
  • Pledge $20 for both a digital download prior to the release date, and a signed physical copy.
  • A $50 contribution includes the digital download, signed CD, and a Jake Dillon Band T-Shirt.
  • Donate $100 for the digital download, two signed CDs, and two JDB shirts.
  • Donate $250 for the $100 package plus an acoustic house concert with Jake.
  • A $500 donation will get you the $100 package plus an acoustic house concert with the entire JDB band. 
  • A $1,000 donation will get you the digital download, four signed CDs, four JBD hats, four JBD shirts, and a three-hour concert with the Jake Dillon Band.

The concert packages are a great opportunity for a local business to land a great headliner for an event, or for a private birthday, wedding, or other celebration, all while supporting a local artist.

The full band consists of Jake Tankersley on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, Colton Tankersley on lead guitar, Eric Cope on bass, and Casey Highfill on drums. The band has previously performed on Good Day Tulsa, the Vintage Down South festival, and more.

Tankersley attained local prominence in 2010 after penning the song "See You Soon" in honor of two schoolmates who were killed in a tragic car accident. Tankersley used his college savings to record the song and raised more than $5,000 for the victims' families. The song received extensive play on local FM radio station K95.5.

In 2011 Tankersley released his first album, "Just Jake," and married his wife, Ashleigh. His band was formed in 2014. The family of five currently lives in Verdigris and serve at Cedar Point Church in Claremore where Tankersley leads worship.

At press time, the Kickstarter campaign more than a third of the way to its goal. 99 donors have contributed $5,546. There are less than two days remaining in the campaign. 

Find the Jake Dillon Band at the following links.
Web Site
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Youtube
Kickstarter

Donate blood with OBI this summer for free admission to Safari Joe's H2O water park

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Don’t Roam, Give Close to Home: Keep it Local by Giving Blood with Oklahoma Blood Institute May 17 – August 31.

Oklahoma Blood Institute is urging blood donors to “Keep It Local” by giving blood close to home. Oklahoma Blood Institute is proud to partner with Safari Joe’s H2O Water Park, featuring Reptile Rush Slides & Rapids Water Roller Coaster as well as reptile and animal attractions.

Between May 17 and August 31, each donor who gives blood at Oklahoma Blood Institute’s donor center and mobile drives will receive a voucher for two to Safari Joe’s H2O Water Park in Tulsa.* 

Donors will also receive a free “Keep It Local” t-shirt featuring a unique design of Oklahoma’s state animal, the bison. Healthy adults, age 16 and older, can give blood.**

“There is no substitute for blood for patients who need life-sustaining treatments,” said John Armitage, M.D., Oklahoma Blood Institute president and CEO. “Donors who give in Oklahoma can be sure that their blood donations will save the lives of their own neighbors, friends or family members.”

Sand Springs musician Morgan Ganem has residency at Safari Joe's this summer and will be performing more than 30 dates this season. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

As the region’s leading blood provider, Oklahoma Blood Institute relies solely on volunteer blood donors to meet the needs of patients at more than 160 hospitals and medical facilities statewide. Those with negative blood types are especially urged to give. Blood can be donated every 56 days. Platelets can be given as often as every seven days, up to 24 times a year.

If donors opt not to take the t-shirt, funds will be donated to Global Blood Fund, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization helping secure supplies and bloodmobiles for blood centers in developing countries.

Appointments to give blood are not required but can be made by visiting obi.org or calling (877) 340-8777.

*Vouchers good for two free water park admissions. Vouchers are valid until end of 2017 swim season. Must provide photo I.D. and proof of blood donation on voucher to redeem.

 **16 year olds must weigh at least 125 pounds and provide signed parental permission; 17 year olds must weigh at least 125 pounds; 18+ year olds must weigh at least 110 pounds

Sand Springs musician Hannah Rose releases More Than Conquerors EP and music video

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More Than Conquerors has been on Hannah Rose's heart since she was just fifteen years old, and it finally hit the airwaves Tuesday morning. The debut EP from the young Sand Springs singer is available now on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.

"When I was fifteen years old, I rededicated my life to Jesus," said Rose. "When I was first reading the Bible I came across this passage in Romans titled More than Conquerors...it was like a foundation for me, for my music career. "

Rose sings in the Word of Life church worship band on Sunday mornings, the Forward Youth Ministries worship band on Wednesday nights, and has been working her way around the Tulsa coffee shop scene for the past year. She graduated from Charles Page High School in 2013.

She released her first single, "Another Day Closer" in 2015 and followed it up with "Worth More than Gold" last March. More Than Conquerors is her first full EP and features six songs, including "Nothing Can Separate," which she spent the last several months recording a music video for.

More Than Conquerors was recorded at The Closet Studios in Bixby by producer Kendal Osborne, who has also worked with Sand Springs bands The Fairweather, AfterMidnight, The Moon & Antarctica, and The Darin Shipley Band. 

Sand Springs photographer and classmate Holly Felts created the album artwork.

Capital Lights guitarist Brett Admire, who owns a photography/video company, did the production behind the "Nothing Can Separate" video, which will debut Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. 

Rose worked with Capital Lights vocalist Bryson Phillips and Run Kid Run guitarist Neil Endicott to workshop the vocals and lyrics, most of which were written in October of last year. "I was going through a lot of changes and I kept going back to that verse. I had to write a song about that."

The "Nothing Can Separate" video incorporates the More Than Conquerors theme of being able to get through anything by placing faith in God. "That's the kind of message I want people to know. They can conquer anything. Jesus's love is so powerful that nothing they're going through can separate them from it."

"Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord." Romans 8:37-39.

Related links:

Sand Springs musician Morgan Ganem releases new album, Paradise

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Sand Springs musician Morgan Ganem released his debut solo album Friday, May 12th. 

By: Scott Emigh, Editor-in-Chief

Morgan Ganem was born and raised in the music industry as the son of I.J. Ganem, a member of the Rogues Five. The Sand Springs band saw success in the 1960's, charting regionally and opening for bands like Jim Morrison and the Doors at the Tulsa Convention Center. Fifty years later it's Morgan's turn, and he is seeing major successes of his own.

The Charles Page High School graduate just released the "Only for the Night" music video, the second single from his new album. Paradise dropped Friday, May 12th.

Paradise is Morgan's first full-length album as a solo artist, and third album all-together. Previously he was the lead vocalist for Sownds, which released albums in 2010 and 2012. He released the Breakthrough EP in 2013 and the Somewhere in Time EP in 2015. 

Morgan and I.J. co-founded GX2 Records, through which Morgan not only records his own music, but co-writes and records topline vocals for producers and musicians across the globe.

"It's grown pretty vastly in the past few years," said Morgan. "I initially started GX2 to put out my own music. Since that point, about the time that Sownds dissolved, I've had pretty incredible releases. We've signed people in Barcelona, a guy in Mexico, a guy in Malaysia, a lot of cool things are happening at this point."

He also plays in his father's band, the I.J. Ganem Band, and fills in with the Rogues Five when the drummer isn't available. 

"It's a full time gig for me. I'm really fortunate to be able to do music my entire life thus far. At this point I've learned how to do so many different things that my plate stays pretty full."

Morgan Ganem performs at the album release party for "Welcome to the Show," the debut album from Sownds. (Photo: Scott Emigh).

Morgan recently began a radio show, live-streaming Morgan Ganem on the Air through his official facebook page. The hour-long special includes original music, remixes, and yesterday featured a preview of Paradise. More than a thousand viewers tune in for each podcast.

"(My influences) are pretty broad. It ranges from the Beatles and Phil Collins to Hardwell and Steve Aioki. I had been doing rock music when I was a kid, now I've kind of transitioned to EDM. Now what I'm doing is a nice mixture of a little bit of both. The lyrics and stuff now have a little more substance the music has more of a rock edge, but it's not really guitars anymore, it's big distorted synthesizers. I definitely still take influence from the classic. I even put a little ode to The Beatles in my song 'Forever Young,' which is the first track on my new album."

"'Only for the Night' was written for someone else originally, but they didn't use the top line, but I really like what I had done with that and wrote my own music around it. It turned out to be a whole new animal. It's fun to collaborate with other people, but if it doesn't work out I can still use whatever I wrote for them as my own music."

Click here to find Paradise on iTunes, amazon, Spotify, Google play, and more. 

"The next thing is just to go out and perform this new music...I've been working on this for some time. I'm also working on some new music. I just finished a new vocal for a guy in Malaysia...I'm just constantly writing music, it never really ends."

Morgan won't need to tour to promote his new music, he already has a summer residency booked with Safari Joe's H20 water park in Tulsa. He will perform more than thirty concerts this summer at the former Big Splash location, which also features a petting zoo and a bar. The first concert will be June 1st for adult night. On Thursday evenings from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00, patrons must be 21 years or older to enter. There is also a teen night from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 on Tuesdays. 

On June 3rd, he will be doing a big outdoor concert at the River West Festival Park as a fundraiser for the Bridges Foundation in Tulsa. Registration for the Dirty Dog 5K/Fun Run & Concert will end at 5:30 p.m. The Fun Run will start at 6:00, followed by the 5K at 6:30 and the concert at 7:30. The Bridges Foundation is a United Way affiliate that provides vocational training, employment opportunities, education, living skills, and community resources for individuals with developmental disabilities. 

As far as young and upstart musicians go, Morgan has some simple advice. "Do you. Don't try to sound like anybody specifically, but take influence carefully from artists that you trust. Learn how to do a lot of stuff. Learn how to do it all. There will be a point when no one seems to care, no one wants to help. If you can push yourself past that threshold, then you'll grow and get better. It's not only good for yourself, but it's good for your music. Don't wait on anybody."