When we say the eighth annual Norman Music Festival is coming April 23-25, just exactly how much music are we talking about?
Think of it this way: just typing out a list of the names of all the participating bands and solo artists would take up more space than we have on this page. The three-day tsunami of sound will encompass the contributions of 350 total acts in and on multiple venues, bringing together talent from around the region and nation and offering visitors an embarrassment of auditory riches ranging from bluegrass to Red Dirt to white-hot face-melting rock ‘n’ roll. It’s an all-you-can-listen musical buffet, and taking it all in doesn’t cost a dime.
Put that way, it can sound a little unreal. “If you had told me 10 or 20 years ago that one day, people are going to shut down downtown Norman and there will be 5 outdoor stages and 350 bands playing, I would have said you were dreaming,” smiles NMF8 chair Bree Montoya, one of many who have worked long and hard (mostly as volunteers) to make that dream come true, and done it well – ask any of the 70,000 firsthand witnesses from last year’s performance paradise on Main Street.
Powerhouse live performers Ra Ra Riot headline this year’s festival, alongside blazing ’Bama rockers Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, EDM slingers Nadastrom, soulful singer Natalie Prass, local wailers Horse Thief and more and more and more – the full lineup and info is at normanmusicfestival.com.
“To see this thing grow in my own community is amazing, and I’m so grateful to be a part of it,” says Montoya.“It’s a great event, and it just gets bigger and bigger every year.”
Rock on.
