1 For The Show: ONE Aux: 1 year Anniversary Show!

One Aux turned 1 years old. That’s not an easy feat. The grind of having to facilitate an event is always a logistics miracle. But with community comes help, and that’s just what the folks at One Aux have done. They have created a community that is willing to help whether that’s with audio or that’s troubleshooting, or even grabbing chairs. One Aux is seeing the fruits of its labor in the form of a community that is building the change in music that they want to see. We had a chance to experience this change firsthand at their First Anniversary show at The Heirloom Rustic Ales bar in Tulsa. Details below.

“Depression is your conscious saying fuck you. I don’t want to be this character anymore. I don’t want to hold up this avatar.” - Jim Carrey

Admittedly there were a lot of great performances that occurred that night that included Kristen Ousen. Henry Roanhorse, Nathan Scot, Earl Hazard. SynthDom, and DJ $ir Mike. I was able to catch the last three performances of the night which I wasn’t disappointed. As I walked into Heirloom, SynthDom was just setting up. I remember his performance at the last One Aux event I attended (NOISE: THE REAL UNDERGROUND MUSIC OF TULSA), and my amazement at his setup. This time was no different, I was still amazed, but his rig was very different. This time it was this mahogany wood chassis that wrapped around the mechanical sync machines that gave them this acoustic guitar feeling. SythDom was in rare form as he warped different sounds like he was at the helms of the space station controls. There were times where this hard-hitting metronome took over time. I could see his emotions in every strike against the drum pad. The backing vocal was so expressive in its ability to go against the norms of what people would expect you to say that when it faded out it felt like this proclamation. SynthDom is phenomenal.

If you know about One Aux then you know it invites all genres of artists even genreless artists. Earl Hazard is one of those artists that you can’t fit in a box because he can live in them all. This night was an example of that. Earl Hazard got on stage and immediately went into one of the hardest raps. When it comes to rap. He’s no doubt, one of the best. His words are sharp and calculated. What some don’t realize about Earl Hazard is that he also knows his jazz. His own pieces often resemble jazz musicians as he is able to scat on stage, also his beat selection is heavily jazz influenced. The rhythms and pockets that Earl Hazard raps in remind you of a Miles Davis, a great legend that is able to tell his story with his voice as his instrument. Earl Hazard’s performances are always very personal, which I and many others appreciate because even if it’s a free show, our time is the real currency. I think he takes this in consideration and wants to only put out amazing work. Which I’ve never seen a bad performance from him. Just watch the video and see what I mean.

The last performer of the night was DJ $ir Mike. One of the best DJs in town. I’m not just saying that, check his calendar, he’s booked all the time. His musical palette is world-rounded as he’s able to play corporate events, to club venues, to bar mitzvahs, and to his origins of hip-hop. When people see DJ $ir Mike’s name on the flier they know that the event is going to have great music. So, when I saw his name on the One Aux flier, I was excited to see just what he was bringing to the table this time. What we got was a feast of mashups and unheard mixes created by him. He played this Atomic Dog and Beyonce’ mashup that was so cold that I was going crazy like “Yo!!!!!!” This is fireeeee!!!!. But what else would you expect from one of the best DJs in the state. His transitions are always so smooth that you literally are vibing to a track then by the time your ear catches the next one it’s already 20 seconds in. He’s good. Trust me. Next time you see DJ $ir Mike on a flier. Pull up. You’re singing or rapping or dancing the whole night.

Happy One Year Anniversary to One Aux. It’s a community that was created to help the people and artists that had something different to say but no platform to say it. For those who never felt like they fit in the regular checkboxes. For the music that wasn’t this genre and never wanted to be that genre. This is the place for that. Whatever that is. It doesn’t have to be defined but it will be respected. There is so much more anniversaries to come for One Aux and the community that has been created. So come out to a show and support this amazing community of fans, artists, and musicians. You won’t be disappointed.