This weekend, Norman Music Fest attendees will pass by plenty of bars with muffled thumps and voices seeping into downtown Norman’s Main Street.
If something catches one’s ear, all it generally takes is a peek at a paper schedule, map, or cell phone to put a name to the source. One venue, however, won’t appear on any official listings, even though it is located in the very midst of the festivities. For attendees unfamiliar with the downtown spread, it can be identified by a portrait of the Flying Spaghetti Monster on its exterior.
The First Pastafarian Church of Norman–formerly the Dope Chapel–sits along Crawford Ave, literally a stone’s throw from other stages of NMF 9, and although it’s an unofficial part of the event, it’s well worth visiting. It will host a wall-to-wall roster of bands and artists hailing from a wide variety of genres from punk rock to folk to hip-hop. Even with some sets scheduled to last under 30 minutes, each night is set to stretch well past 3 AM. Impressively, the Pastafarians have managed to squeeze in over 40 bands for the festival’s three days.
The acts are a combination of groups that didn’t make the cut and NMF performers looking to work in a second set for fans that may miss their first one. Amidst the latter are PVLMS, Limp Wizurdz, and Bowlsey, all of which are playing major local stages this year. Acts not appearing elsewhere this weekend include rowdy hip-hop duo TRASH TV, R&B fusion jammers Culture Cinematic, and gruff garage rockers Zoot Suit.
The highlights don’t stop there, as there is an album release show couched in all of this, too. Mars Deli and Igloo Panda will be celebrating their sprawling new 17-track effort, Dogs Can Totally Smile, a hip-hop release fittingly described as “space trap” music. The three-hour block begins on Friday at 9 PM and will also include fellow rappers BlaxcDanna Mafia, Hungr Mob, Teflo $, and Zune Afish.
Hailing from Missoula, Montana, folk singer-songwriter Jacob Milstein will also be a part of the Pastafarian lineup, practically headlining with a three-night stay. He kicks off the entire event on Thursday evening and closes out both Friday and Saturday. He is likely to play cuts from his new LP As Free As Wanting Anything, which is his first traditional full-length work as a solo artist.
For the Thursday and Friday night festivities, this will also be one of the very few stages that won’t require concertgoers to be over 21–many of the outdoor, all-age venues don’t make their appearance until Saturday. The laid-back nature of the organization will make this one of the most casual stages, too, and a welcome fit for the counterculture crowd. Despite being literally off the Norman Music Festival 9 map, the First Pastafarian Church of Norman is boasting one of the most interesting and eventful stages this weekend.
Here is the recently confirmed full line-up:
This article was originally written for Cellar Door Music Group (cellardoormusicgroup.com). It is archived here with the publisher’s permission.
aka Jarvix, the Chief Executive Weirdo of Make Oklahoma Weirder. His out-of-the-box music coverage has been published by the Oklahoma Gazette, KOSU, and The Oklahoman among others. He also makes DIY music as a solo multi-instrumentalist live looper in his spare time.