In Tulsa's club scene, it's not often that our live acts and DJs share the same bill. Granted, there's an occasional CD release or hip-hop show with DJs used to open or close the evening. For the most part, however, live original acts and DJs don't often cross paths.

That all changes this Friday night, however, as Red Bull sponsors the "Locally Thrown" showcase, a collaboration of Oklahoma grown bands and DJs that is designed to shed a new light on the local music scene. Local artists PDA and Recorder will be performing to open the night before the party truly starts and four Oklahoma-based DJs put their spin or music by 16 up and coming Oklahoma artists.

When planning a celebration of our state's music, using the Cain's Ballroom was a natural fit, but this isn't just a Tulsa event. DJs from Tulsa and Oklahoma City will come together for one evening as they mix and mash music by some of the hottest artists from across the state -- from Tulsa to Stillwater, Norman, Edmond and Oklahoma City.

After getting increasingly involved in supporting local music over the past year or two, Red Bull's marketing managers came up with the Locally Thrown concept as a way to build up Oklahoma artists and the music scene in a new manner. Instead of throwing yet another local music showcase, four Oklahoma-bred DJs have been given a selection of music and artists from around the region to do with them what they will.

Instead of throwing everything down in a "battle" format and focusing on trick of the trade, however, the focus is on each DJ's take on the artists and music at hand. By using DJs of varying status and levels of success from different locales, we're bound to get some interesting and creative new reimaginations of the material while each artist gets the chance to hear its music in a different light. At the same time, dealing with a whole new crop of music from some of Oklahoma's most creative young artists will hopefully inspire the DJs to incorporate more local and regional artists in their repertoire.

A party of this stature wouldn't seem complete without a couple of live performances, but the inclusion on PDA and Recorder prove to be an inspired move as each incorporates many elements similar to a DJs mixing into their material. Whether mixing in samples other artists' music, as PDA does with his beats and mixes, or approaching music from a DJs perspective like Recorder (which counts both DJ Robbo and Lynne K as primary members), each artist lends itself well to the purpose and musical vision for the evening and will serve well to warm up the audience for an evening of dancing and fun.

Once the main feature begins, however, things should really become interesting. DJ Moody and DJ Diverse represent the local club scenes of Tulsa and Oklahoma City, respectively, while John Bourke (an OKC native who is now based out of New York City and performs nationwide) and Jeremy Dawson (of Shiny Toy Guns) will process the tunes with an even broader vision. Each DJ has been given four artists to work with and will get a 20-minute set to work with the material.

The list of artists involved for Locally Thrown is even more diverse than selection of DJs and covers everything from hip-hop to indie rock, experimental, southern rock, reggae and jam rock. One can only imagine what will emerge when DJs as creative and innovative as John Bourke are let loose with a cross section of artists that includes Broncho, Crocodile, Colourmusic, Deerpeople, Hi-Pop!, Jabee, Johnny Polygon, PDA, Recorder, refund Division, Sam & the Stylees, Stardeath & White Dwarfs, Taddy Porter, The Moai Broadcast, The Non and Shiny Toy Guns.

Before the evening wraps up, all four DJs will collaborate and play off one another in a final, hour long, free-form set. This should send the evening's party over the top by reaching outside of the local angle incorporating anything from each DJ's extensive catalogue into the mix.

When asking DJ Moody about the weekend, he said, "This is such a diverse lineup of bands, I think it will be interesting to see how everyone's style comes out."

"I've been learning a lot as well, because these are bands I normally don't get to see because I'm working when they are playing," he said.

Undoubtedly, this mix of formats will provide an opportunity for the two different music scenes to cross-pollinate and drawn on a new fan base. That's something that Moody referred to as well, stating that "I think this is a cool way to open up these bands to an audience that doesn't know them and a good platform for these bands to get new people to hear them."

Likewise, I expect there will also be a segment of local original music fans that rarely frequent dance clubs with DJs that will be drawn in by the cross-section of Oklahoma music, but will leave impressed by the DJs and their spin on the material as well.

If you want to get a new take on some of your favorite bands, Locally Thrown will mix our state's best artists and DJs for one huge celebration of Oklahoma music at the Cain's Ballroom this Friday night, Nov. 5. Doors open at 7pm and tickets are only $5 with music starting at 8pm, beginning with spotlight sets from Recorder and PDA before the DJs mix and match to put Oklahoma music front and center for an evening of dancing and fun. Surely, this will be the largest dance party of the month -- and it's an all-ages event, at that.

Down to Biz-Ness

Anyone with little kids already knows that Yo Gabba Gabba! Live! will be at BOK Center this Friday night, November 5. If you're a cool parent, you also know that rapper Biz Markie is part of the touring show as a featured performer and human beat-box. Only those in the know, however, have heard that Biz will be making a post-show appearance, taking up a quick DJ residence for the unofficial after-party at Crystal Pistol on Friday night.

Yes, the rumor is true and "The Biz" will be in the house, just a couple doors down from Cain's Ballroom. You'll want to frequent the Pistol earlier in the week to secure your tickets to the party, though, because capacity is limited and the place will surely be packed out.

Up until now it's all been on the down-low, but now you know, so don't miss the after-party. When else are you ever going to get to see Biz Markie up close and personal for a featured DJ set? This set will even worth rolling down the sidewalk and stopping in after Locally Thrown at Cain's.

Weekly Roundup

Country, rock, living legends: we've got it all in Tulsa this week and as always, we've got the scoop on all the highlights, so read on for all the best tips to get you pointed out the door.

Thursdays are always busy, but this week seems busier than others. If you're looking to settle in and take it easy, you can't go wrong enjoying a pint at Arnie's with Cairde na Gael. If you're looking for something a little more rocking, check out Brent Amaker and the Rodeo at Crystal Pistol. Things get even more interesting as Aaron Lewis (of Staind) performs a solo show at Cain's Ballroom on Thursday, but probably the biggest show of the night is in south Tulsa as SpiritBank Event Center continues proving itself as a legitimate venue with international superstar Julio Iglesias on Nov. 4.

This weekend proves to be a big one for country music fans, and Travis Tritt at River Spirit Event Center in south Tulsa is a great place to start, but ban you really get any bigger that the Queen of Country, Loretta Lynn? She's a living legend and continues her reign as she makes an appearance at Osage Events Center on Friday night, Nov. 5, as well.

Other highlights for Friday night include the aforementioned Locally Thrown at Cain's and Biz Markie's after party set at Crystal Pistol as well as Snorlaxx at Soundpony, Adam Lopez at The Colony and BT's Laptop Symphony at Ivey. If you're looking for straight up rock and roll with a degree of indie clout, however, you can't go wrong at The Marquee as The Hold Steady finally makes an appearance in Tulsa this Friday night with Company of Thieves and The City Lives opening the show. This is a gig I've been waiting for and a smaller club like The Marquee will undoubtedly make it a memorable show.

On Saturday, Nov. 6, Dierks Bentley represents the next generation of country stars with a high-energy show at The Joint (in the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino) which will likely be another sell-out, so call and secure your tickets early.

Saturday's local highlights include Alex & the Anders at Arnie's, Steve Pryor at The Colony and RadioRadio continuing to roll out new material with a semi-acoustic set at Hunt Club. Also of note is The Flash Bangs with Nude Furniture at Eclipse on Saturday evening, a reprisal of Nude Furniture's CD release party gig from last week.

There are still a couple more big shows on tap; however, as Jars Of Clay plays at the First Baptist Church in Broken Arrow and folk and songwriting legend John Prine takes the Brady stage on Saturday evening with Paul Thorn opening.

The rest of the week is fairly quiet, aside from a few standing acoustic gigs like Brandon Autry at Hunt Club and Brandon Clark at Mercury Lounge on Sunday night. The week's not over without one final blowout, however, and there may not be any better way to blow it out than with an evening of metal and mayhem with GWAR at Cain's Ballroom on Tuesday, Nov. 9.