Ira Burton
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Ira Burton

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"Tulsa Rising They might go on to Nashville, Austin or LA, but meanwhile, create a Tulsa Scene.One artist at a time with the Tulsa Music Compilation. And, our final reminder on our SXSW Contest"

By Gary Hizer

Let's face it, everyone falls into a rut now and again -- even me. Where we eat, what we watch on TV, where we hang out, and what we listen to: you know the drill. While there's nothing wrong with having a comfort zone to fall back into, it's also good for us to change things up on occasion.

That's especially true when supporting local bands. Yes, everyone needs a loyal fan base that they can count on to always be there, but they need exposure to pick up some new fans as well.

The question on the listener's side of the stage is a matter of picking whom to try next. After all, if you're a pop fan, you probably don't want to stumble into a death metal show unaware, or as a hip hop fans you're not likely to enjoy the second coming of the Dixie Chicks.

So where to start? Local musicians have long been trying different ways to network and reach more music fans, using a variety of methods, especially online. One local music website, Tulsa Music Pulse (www.tulsamusicpulse.com), started up roughly three years ago and was particularly active, mostly with the message board and interplay between musicians and local "scene-sters", before slowing down to a slow fizzle.

TMP has recently gotten a facelift, including a fairly up-to-date show calendar listing on the main page, and the forums/message boards have come back to life a bit, even if activity on them seems to be a little sporadic. Still, it's a good place to stop in and see what local shows are going on.

In the interim, another group, Tulsa Original Music Coalition, spun out of the TMP crowd and started its own myspace page (www.myspace.com/localmusictulsa) as a way to network between bands and try to reach a new segment of listeners.

Established last June, one of the group's primary goals was to create a free CD sampler of local bands that would be made available at strategic locations to reach open minded (and cheap) music fans.

Just a couple of weeks ago, the first such project finally hit the shelves of select local establishments and I must say, the group has done a nice job of showcasing a good cross-section of hometown artists and styles. Tulsa Music Compilation, Volume 1 gives listeners a little taste of rock, hip-hop, singer-songwriter pop and Americana.

The highest profile acts on the disc are PDA, with "Get Together" (the single that's been dominating Homegroan since the fall), and Brandon Clark Band with "San Antone", which give the disc a country flavored cut but isn't most representative of the band's current sound.

Optimistic to a Fault has also been playing enough recently to establish its identity and "Pride of Youth" is representative of the groove-oriented material on the band's current EP, even if OTF delivers it's material a lot heavier live than the CD suggests.

The real victory of the disc is the fact that it is creating some exposure for a number of otherwise unknown or under-appreciated artists from the area.

The band Esther opens the disc with "Big Screen TV", a catchy garage-rocker, and Waiting on One makes a solid case that straight-forward rock & roll isn't dead with "Mystery".

As a key artist on the disc, Shannon Thomas' songwriting finally takes front and center as "Always Never" showcases her Vanessa Carlton/Michelle Branch style and impressive vocals.

Other featured acts are acoustic-folkie Ira Burton ("Extinction"), experimental and indie rockers Plastic Souls ("Someone") and Neverdyingsummer ("Still in Love"), and acoustic pop singer Patrick Coman ("Little Girl").

The most impressive of the unknown quantities, however, are Tim Casey and Kawnar. Casey's "Take It" is an electronic-ambient instrumental that draws inspiration from Tangerine Dream, Yellow and Kraftwerk and steps outside of what most people have come to expect from local music.

Meanwhile, Kawnar's "Cocaine" is the surprise treasure of the bunch. Grounded by slick beats and a simple, yet catchy guitar sample, Kawnar's slick rhyming immediately evokes Speech, Young MC, and early US3 as he declares that "Myspace is starting to become my cocaine..."

If you want to check out a few new and different local acts, Tulsa Music Compilation Vol.1 is on display and available for free at the following locations: Starship Records (13th and Lewis), Under the Mooch (15th and Harvard), Lee's Records (61st and Sheridan), and Guitar Center (71st and Mingo).

A couple of the locations have already gone through the first batch of discs, but they should be restocked this weekend with a second printing, so check back in a couple of days if you can't find it immediately.

While you're at it, don't hesitate to check out www.myspace.com/localmusictulsa and Tulsa Music Pulse to find the latest online listings for local shows and browse your way to finding even more local music.

Of course, UTW will continue do its best to keep you informed, but there's always more out there -- you just have to go find it.

LAST CALL!

That - Urban Tulsa Weekly


"So Fresh and So Unclear What Kawnar lacks in age he makes up for in musical achievement"

My first exposure to Kawnar was via last year's Tulsa Original Music compilation. His track "Cocaine" was far and away a standout on the disc, an unbelievable catchy tune that bounces on an old school rap vibe while touting the addictive qualities of myspace.

When I finally met the face behind the music, Connor McFarland, he wasn't quite what I expected. He's an unbelievably talented 19-year-old bursting with energy, excitement and a refreshing love of music that is instantly contagious. It's hard not to get caught up in his enthusiasm when talking or just hanging out with him.

Even more surprising on first meeting is the breadth of his talent. Yes, he's a rapper who brings the fun and flow back to hip hop, but he's far more than that. While simultaneously recording three albums worth of material at the same time, he has tapped into his hip hop side for the current disc, Unclear, his inner pop and rock self for the forthcoming Making Sense of Nonsense, and even reworked some of his favorite songs to fit his personality and style for a disc to be eventually released as Eccentrik Kovers.

Yes, that's right. He's got plans to drop three completely different CDs on us in a six-month span, with the potential to tap into a huge cross section of local music fans. For the time being, however, it's time to focus on his debut disc, which features the song that caught my ear in the first place.

I jumped into Unclear and found it to be everything I had hoped for and been looking forward to--and a whole lot more. Not only is the disc built around an engaging mix of samples and beats, but it also plays to a variety of influences and draws from a pool of Tulsa's most engaging young artists.

Kawnar draws from the local pop, rock and experimental landscape. Cameos by Phantom, X-Cal and P.D.A. fit well with the overall focus of the album, but the addition of local rockers Danelle Phillips and Brandon Davis, indie folk-bluester Ira Burton and musical savants Malan Darras and Tim Casey make this a well rounded disc that can appeal to anyone.

Making the pieces fit

"It's like a puzzle," Kawnar told me. "You see a track listing and you just know this goes here or there. I see colors when I make music. I don't know why, but I see colors, and the colors tell me what number a song is going to be. Like, immediately, when I made "Cocaine," I thought of three--track three. Eventually, everything just falls into place."

Perhaps part of the reason it works so well is because Kawnar openly admits "I'm my biggest fan, dude. I listen to myself. I listen to myself. I'll be at work and just listen to my CD over and over and over again trying to get it right figure out what it is that I want changed."

Those changes are then quickly implemented, as McFarland is also his own producer and engineer. That's extremely impressive for a 19-year-old who's been doing this for five years and is so dedicated that he's poured all of his money and saving into recording equipment, assembling a studio setup that includes a full Pro Tools setup and a 26-channel mix.

While Unclear may be a studio creation, that doesn't mean Kawnar doesn't intend to recreate it in a live setting. The samples may dictate that some songs may need backing tracks, amongst Kawnar's alter-egos is the live performer that doesn't just rap, but also embraces live instrumentation. As such, his live band includes former Failsafe and Agony Scene drummer Pete Webb and Tucker Carter, the bassist for punk band Bill Murray's Prostate and lead singer in hard rock act Optimistic to a fault.

That may also explain Kawnar's affinity for collaborating with rockers like Brandon Davis of My Solstice, utilizing his true singing voice on "Puppy" and Malan Darras on "Create," which is built around a sample of a Tim Casey song. According to Kawnar, he came together with Casey as result of UTW naming them the two outstanding contributors to the previously mentioned compilation disc. After sampling one of Casey's tunes with a hearty nod of approval, Kawnar met Darras at an awards ceremony last year and the two immediately hit it off.

"He's been a like a big brother to me and just taken me under his wing," said Kawnar. "And he's by far one of the easiest people I've ever collaborated with. Once we talked about doing something together, I emailed him a track to listen to and he sent it back that same night with the vocals done and completed. That's just unheard of."

To close out the disc, Kawnar worked with Congress of a Crow's Danelle Phillips on the ambient and expressive "Lost," which also features a cameo by P.D.A. The collaboration produces stunning results, beautifully blending Phillips' voice and pop and rock vocal stylings with a hip hop sensibility that bridges the gap between audiences. The included appearance by P.D.A. just seems all the more appropriate here as he's been at the forefront of Tulsa's genre-crossing movement.

In fact, Unclear presents one of th - Urban Tulsa Weekly


Discography

Cathead Biscuits Single 2004
Wine Nose Sessions 2005
Carpet Beggar EP 2006
The Quality of Pancakes LP 2008
Torchered Soul TBA 2009

"Emancipation" - f/ Torchered Soul LP receives regular airplay on local radio station KMYZ 104.5 The Edge

"Cathead Biscuits" - f/ The Quality of Pancakes LP receives regular airplay on TulsaOriginalMusic.com streaming online radio.

"Man's Gotta Work" - f/ Torchered Soul LP receives regular airplay on TulsaOriginalMusic.com streaming online radio.

Photos

Bio

He’s been everywhere, here and there and yonder where, and they call him Ira Burton, “Tuck the Duck,” or something else, but you may call him….anything. Currently employed by the Kawnar, Alex & the Anders, and Ira Burton name, playing bass and guitar for Kawnar while Kawnar himself does the rapping and programming, Ira Burton makes gigs around town under a number of titles, times and places. “I’ve escaped the small town blues,” he quips, “though I’m far from a small town now.”
Playing multiple gigs in Tulsa and keeping tabs on the Saddle Club in Muskogee every Monday night and the Dragon's Lair in T-town, the curly-coiffed Burton is no stranger to the “around town” type. In June of 2008, the former Bill Murray's Prostate bass player withdrew from a seven and a half year run with the Muskogee-based punk band, while also juggling into the more-recently-joined project of Optimistic To A Fault, verging on the edges of Tool and Sevendust influence, and leading again as front singer for another two years.
Ever the chameleon, when Burton transferred into OU in the 2003-2004 school year, he shifted once again into fitting another creative project in the title of The Gems, with guitarists/songwriters including a roster of Cole Jett and Aaron Walter, and drummer Rob Brothers. Even with the stark regional difference, the venues down Cherry Street and around Green Country proved a success with packed out houses and giving their all and all, with a new cutting edge and “A sack full of improvisation”, Burton adds with a smile.
Ira Burton’s appreciation for history rests on the historic Cherry Street district of Tulsa, gracing the sidewalks with drummer Rob Brothers and Tuck/Ira himself with a guitar in hand, pushing the personal eccentric envelope and having a personal favorite taste in the Kilkenny’s Pub.
Confidence never too far, the music has given gumption and a constant understanding of human treatment, a morality and creative understanding, and of course, to not let it go to your head. “Cockiness has its place and that place is on stage when you are performing and becoming or portraying something that you are not but either strive to be or want people to think you are,” said Burton, which stands profound passing from punk to indie to alternative rock and back into the folk rock scene under his talent belt, and abiding by the philosophy, “If you aren't uncomfortable, then you aren't learning anything new; you're just spinning your tires.” Get more on Tuck the Duck by visiting him on the World Wide Web at www.myspace.com/iraburton. -Rae Raines, The Current