T-Town Redux

If you've ever wondered what's going on in Tulsa on any given night, but didn't have a copy of Urban Tulsa handy, you may have been at a bit of a loss. Every night there's something to do and live music playing in town, but keeping track of it all can be tricky, to say the least.

More than once over the years, websites have popped up claiming to be the latest catchall and professing to be your best source for information. More often than not, however, they are up for a few weeks or a few months and die down as the people running the site lose interest. There's a new one popping up, however, that not only has great potential, but promises to not only stick around, but continue to get better.

A few weeks ago, I got an anonymous email from "TMN Staff" with a link to a new website in it beta-test form. At the time, it was a little rough around the edges and just starting to take shape. What it did have going for it, however, was one of the most comprehensive music calendars for Tulsa that I've seen for a long time. Nothing is left out: original music, cover bands, DJs, local music, national acts, tour stops and standing gigs are all included. There are even venues listed that I wasn't aware of that are starting to get my attention.

Once the first of the year rolled around, though, I got word that the site has officially, albeit quietly, rolled out in its live format and when I checked again, it's already gotten quite a face lift. The calendar is still there as the prominent feature, but a new weekly "Top 5" list of the five best shows of the week has been implemented, along with a page embedded with YouTube videos from the week's featured artists. Perhaps most importantly, however, the calendar has gotten its updates as well, allowing you to view it as a chronological list or filter it by date, venue or artist.

I'm still looking for more information, but to date, site creators are staying hush-hush, preferring to stay anonymous and provide the site as "a gift and service to the Tulsa community." As of press time, the contact page was not active as of yet, but my emails to and from TMN staff indicated that the page will be populated with forms to submit concert listings and corrections for any venue or band that wants make sure they are included.

If you're looking for something to do or want someone else's opinion on which shows are worth your time, this is one of the best sources for information on live music on Tulsa that I've seen in years. It's fresh, it's live and it's up and running, so check it out at www.tulsamusic.net.