Midnight in Oklahoma

Midnight in Oklahoma is an American alternative rock/country band based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The band was formed in 1999 by the 4 original band members. Originally the band performed under the name "The Greasy Creek Boys" but changed the name prior to recording. The band is known for a very eclectic style which infuses rock with country, bluegrass, blues and folk. The core of the band has remained the same while a number of musicians have traveled with the band or contributed for recordings.

Midnight's music has been inspired by many different musicians and genres of music. Influences noted by the band are: Eric Clapton, U2, Credence Clearwater Revival, Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Sting, CAKE, Wilco, Bill Monroe and Bob Dylan. Each recording project explores a theme and showcases their eclectic style and background.

Band Members

Dean "Bear" Michaels (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica)
Stu Robertson (bass, guitar, vocals, mandolin)
Donnie Wayne (drums/percussion)
Julio Estebanez (guitar, fiddle)

Several other musicians who have recorded and traveled consistently:
Walt Jollum (guitar, vocals, djembe)
Isaac Roberts (steel guitar)
David Michaels (guitar, mandolin)
Bobby Johns (trumpet, percussion)

History

The four met while attending a party on Parksville Lake in Polk, Co. Tennessee (near Greasy Creek, TN). They began playing together that night with great chemistry. Needing a name the band used the 'Greasy Creek Boys' while playing smaller gigs across the southeast. During a trip to play in a music festival in California, the band's van broke down somewhere near Okemah, Oklahoma. Spontaneously the band got out their gear and began to play. They eventually arrived at their destination and during one point at the music festival, Stu Robertson began to play one of the songs the band had written during their "Midnight In Oklahoma" experience. It became a rallying point for the band and from that midnight jam session came not only the bands name, but their identity.

Midnight in Oklahoma played a variety of venues in the beginning including music festivals (rock and bluegrass), county fairs and smaller club venues. They traveled to most of those venues in their 1993 15 passenger van pulling a small trailer behind it. The band also played in some religious venues although they were not always well received due to the political nature of some of their songs and the fact that most of the band members were very open AbOUT their consumption of beer and bourbon.

The band is known for being close, although at times the relationships have been rocky. It is common knowledge to most that Walt Jollum would be a "full" member of the band if he and Stu Robertson had not gotten into a fight after a show in Nashville. Robertson's nose was broken as was Jollum's Gretsch guitar. Robertson also got into a disagreement with Bear Michaels over the direction of the music. Robertson accused Michaels of playing too much banjo and making the band sound too "bluegrassy". The album "Brushy Creek" is an olive branch to Robertson's Texas Swing roots.

In late 2001, the band spent a month in the Estebanez Family home town of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Latin Caribbean feel of the island contributed to the album "Media Noche Means Midnight" which features trumpet and Latin flavor on three of the songs.

Discography

Midnight in Oklahoma (1999)
The Answer is Still No (2001)
Media Noche Means Midnight (2002)
Brushy Creek (2004)
A Field at Moneymore (2006)
Can I Come Home? (2007)
Project to be release in 2009