The Flaming Lips formed in Oklahoma City in 1983, recording a series of EPs and LPs for an independent record company. After a few lineup changes the band landed a contract with a major label, after the rep saw them perform at a show where they almost burned down the venue. Riding a wave of interest in alt rock in the early 90s, the band brought along an interesting mix of psych, noise-rock, and bubblegum melodies.

The band’s second major label release Transmissions from the Satellite Heart delivered an unexpected top 40 hit with She Don’t Use Jelly. The Flaming Lips benefited from the songs’ use on the Beavis and Butthead Show, earning spots on several late night shows and beginning a years long touring schedule. While the Lips released many more critically acclaimed albums and won three Grammys, they have not yet had a song that charted as highly as She Don’t Use Jelly.

The Flaming Lips chose to embrace the socially-distant era, extending frontman Wayne Coyne’s famous performance orb to an entire Oklahoma City venue for a two-night run. Originally planned for December 2020, the two shows finally occurred in January, and featured fans encased in their own bubbles with up to three people to a bubble.

Fortunately, the band won’t need to employ the same technique on their just announced 2021 / 2022 tour which will include a stop in Washington, DC in November.

The bands’ four decade career has now generated more than twenty albums and won them three Grammys. Last years’ American Head is the latest, a release that explores their roots as an American band and features collaborations with Kacey Musgraves.

Todd Snider spent his childhood in Portland and when his family moved to Houston, Snider ran away from home to return there. After high school he drifted through Santa Rosa and Austin before settling in Memphis, where he established a residency playing at the Daily Planet.

His first album Songs From the Daily Planet takes its name from that time and it included Sniders first minor hit Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues. The song demonstrates Sniders songwriting style with lively and witty lyrics that typically dig deeper emotionally than you expect.

While in Texas Snider had his first chance to see the late Jerry Jeff Walker perform. From that point on, Snider was convinced that he could make a living as a performer modeled after Walkers’ style. While in Memphis he got the attention of John Prine who signed him to his Oh Boy record label and offered Snider the opening spot on his upcoming tour.

After the great shutdown of 2020 began, Snider started his weekly What It Is livestream. With a combination of originals, covers and stories the hour long program mimicked the veteran folkie’s concert, even down to the singer-songwriter occasionally showing up buzzed. Towards the end of the year, the program name changed to First Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder which also is the name of his newest album.

Snider’s lockdown for COVID included his bandmates on the new album and with a tour rescheduled to begin in June, he is anxious to get his show back in front of an audience that he can see.

Photo by Stacie Huckeba

No singer of the 2010s could match Adele in terms of music sales or stardom. Her career started in 2006 with a demo that secured a contract for the then eighteen year old. She began touring as an opening act before graduating to be the headliner, then was featured on Later with Jools Holland alongside Bjork and Paul McCartney.

By the stratospheric standards set by her three albums, her first release 19 was only moderately successful. Her debut album was 3x platinum in the US and earned her two Grammy awards. 2011 brought her second album 21 which spent eighteen weeks in the top spot on the charts and sold 25 million copies. At the 2012 Grammys she became one of the few artists to ever earn six major awards in one year.

Adele began singing at four, explaining that as a child she was obsessed with voices. She attended the BRIT school for performing arts which she credits for nurturing her talent. At the start of her career her homesickness and dislike of flying led her to cancel her first US tour in its entirety. A later appearance of Saturday Night Live launched her in the US when she had the good fortune to be on an episode with then vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin which drew the biggest audience to the show in fourteen years.

After years of touring, Adele was forced to cancel the US portion of her tour supporting her 21 album when she suffered a hemorrhage of her vocal cords. Without an extended period of rest she feared permanent damage. Continuing to release albums named for her age at their recording, Adele released 25 in 2015. Continuing her incredible sales and awards success the new album sold more than 3 million copies in its first week and won another five Grammys.