Island Paradise - By G.K. Hizer
Moai Broadcast tries something new by hosting its own festival...
Urban Tulsa | www.urbantulsa.com
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What's a band to do when it wants to set itself apart from everyone else? That's a question that haunts many acts these days, though not everyone has an answer. While refining a stage show, adding lights and video, or even turning each album or performance into an artistic statement is a noble gesture, none of these things is really new or boundary breaking.

Sometimes, however, just learning from your predecessors or heroes and being willing to think outside the box is enough to help chart you on the right course. For local band Moai Broadcast, doing something fresh and out of the ordinary was just that type of combination.

On Saturday, June 26, the band steps out of the shadow of its peers and sets itself apart by throwing its own festival, dubbed Easter Island.

"We wanted to do something for ourselves, to be able to show our imagination," said drummer Nick Bernson. "Instead of playing just another bar, we get to put on a show in our own setting."

By planning the event themselves and doing everything from helping prepare the land to building the stage to organizing the campgrounds and even arranging for a few select food and beverage vendors, the members of Moai Broadcast have made every effort to make Easter Island a positive experience for its fans. Perhaps most significantly, the band has made a conscious effort to make sure the weekend festival is a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

"I've been to so many festivals where I come back exhausted, there's so much going on you just can't absorb all the music," Bernson said. "Last year, my wife and I and (Moai guitarist) Cody Brewer went to Phish 8 (the festival held in Indio, Calif. last October), and it was nice because they played three shows a day, and you could go back to your camp and relax in between."

Bernson said that the band had been considering doing some kind of festival type event for a couple of years now, but the experience at Phish 8 cemented the idea and set the band off looking for a location to hold the event.

Ideally, they had hoped to find a site which had the space to play and camp but still had a view of the Tulsa skyline. Although the search didn't play out that way, the band found the next best thing: a near perfect space in Broken Arrow, allowing the group to keep the event close to town.

The inspiration of the Phish 8 experience truly comes through, however, in the pace of the festival. Instead of overloading the day with music, Bernson and his band mates decided to keep the overall lineup small and consolidated, leaving space in-between sets to relax and enjoy the day and evening. There will even be a group yoga session and an art display at the event, further promoting a relaxed atmosphere.

The band also hand-picked the Tulsa-based acts it would most like to play with and has come up with a line-up that represents a great cross-section of Tulsa's music scene.

Of course, The Moai Broadcast is the main event, but every band is worth hanging around for the bill as rounded out by by Paul Benjaman Band, Panda Resistance, The Move and Guardant. Late-night sets by Heady P and DJ crew Bassmeant will carry the party throughout the night until sunrise and sets by a couple of friends and rising acts, Fyn and Dylan Angleton round out the lineup.

The festival is being held on a private location in east Broken Arrow, a mile south of the NSU-BA campus, just off of the Creek Turnpike. Space is limited in order to keep things small this year as the band learns the ropes of throwing an event of this magnitude. Even so, it promises to be a cool weekend as the site provides an awesome clearing for the stage and concert site with campgrounds just a 300-400 yard walk away.

All attendees will be allowed a 20' x 20' spot for their car and campsite, with more space allowed as needed.

Being this festival is only a one-day, overnight event, it is a strictly primitive camping event, with no open fires allowed. All attendees are encouraged however to bring ample supplies -- not only food, but plenty of water -- and yes, copious amounts of beer for those who are of age. For those who opt to not bring food and drink, a few select food vendors have been arranged to provide options at a reasonable cost.
One other option that sets this festival apart and is possible due to its close proximity to the city is a bike ride, which has been coordinated through Tulsa Hub. The ride begins at Soundpony at 8am with the group using the Riverside trails, for an approximately 25 mile ride to the campsite.

Vans will be on site to carry riders' equipment to the festival grounds with additional pickup points, for those who want to join the ride later, at 41st and Riverside and 96th and Riverside. Anyone who joins at the latter meet points must have their camping equipment at the site by 8:45am and 10am for the 41st Street and 96th Street locations, respectively. Riders will also receive a $5 discount off the gate admission price of $15.

Yes, you read that right. The ticket price is only $15 at the gate or $10 if you purchase directly from a member of any of the participating bands. Gates open at 11am with music beginning at 2pm and carrying on until sunrise on Sunday morning. Since this is a private event, gates will be locked at 11pm for legal and safety reasons, so participating campers are encouraged to come prepared.

The actual address of the festival grounds is 20555 E. 111th St. in Broken Arrow. Directions and full details on the event can be found online at moaibroadcast.com, by clicking on the "Learn more about Easter Island" link.

If you've never experienced The Moai Broadcast, this will be your best opportunity. As Bernson said, the band wants to create an experience more than just a show and an opportunity to step into the band's imagination. The band will be bringing its full light show, which a club environment has never truly allowed for, so it's sure to be a special night.

Something Special

If you're looking for a special show that stands out from the crowd, you can't overlook the Blue Dome Diner Friday night, June 25, as Jared Tyler shares the stage with Luke Bulla and Jeff Autry. Bulla and Autry are both of fine pedigree in country and bluegrass circles.

Bulla, in particular, has been a National Fiddle Contest winner multiple years and eventually wound up playing with Ricky Skaggs. He's currently a member of Lyle Lovett's Large Band and is working on a new project, W.P.A., with Sean and Sara Watkins (of Nickel Creek), Glen Philips (of Toad the Wet Sprocket) and Benchmont Tench.

Jeff Autry has toured the world and played or recorded with a number of artists including Ricky Skaggs, Bela Fleck, Sam Bush and Vassar Clements -- to name just a few. Throughout the past eleven years, he's been an anchor member of John Cowan Band, but this summer he's touring with his material, which brings him here for a special show with Bull and Tyler.

Tickets are only $15 and includes a full night of music with the three artists. Fiddle players will also want to go to tulsastrings.com to find out more details on how to participate in the fiddle workshop with Luke Bulla on Saturday afternoon at 3pm.

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State of Evolution - By G.K. Hizer
The Moai Broadcast releases sophomore album, hUMAN, and develops independent rep
Urban Tulsa | www.urbantulsa.com
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The last time The Moai Broadcast was featured in the pages of UTW (check out "Both Sides of the Groove" at urbantulsa.com), the band was still in the throes of transition. Sax player Josh Coffman had only been with the group for roughly three months, adding an organic warmth to the group's sound just as it was beginning to experiment extensively in improvisational electronica.

Elements of jazz, progressive, electronic and jam rock combined to creative an undeniable funky and engaging dance-rock vibe. While it was obvious then that Moai Broadcast would prove to be a key player on the local music scene, what wasn't obvious was exactly where the band was headed.

After a nearly three-month hiatus from performing live, the band re-emerges this week with the answer, in the form of its new CD, hUMAN. All of the previously mentioned elements and influences are held within, distilled down to a more focused and concentrated form. And although Moai Broadcast, by its very premise, promises to continue to evolve, the new release surely seems indicative of the direction this band will likely continue down.

Written primarily by drummer Nick Bernson and fleshed out with the band, hUMAN is not only the band's sophomore release but also the group's first concept album. The 10-track opus delves into the human condition and provides a sonic landscape, which reflects the emotions and responses that we experience as a part of life. Once the band converged to record, however, the songs continued to evolve.

Perhaps most surprising in the latest development of the band and its sound is the addition of vocals and lyrics, courtesy of Coffman. When discussing this, Coffman said that it came as something of a surprise to himself and the band as well but as the group continued to realize its vision and cultivate its sound, it seemed like a natural and logical progression.

Although Bernson initially wrote the music without intending it to include any vocals or lyrics, he was open to the direction the band began heading in and as Coffman explained, "Where we felt it fit, we went for it."

Guided only by Bernson's outline and concept of relating to the experiences and emotions that people undergo, Coffman was given free rein to interpret that within the translation of the music template. In turn, Coffman built upon that platform as fitting, with vocals featured, either prominently or as a subtext of five of the album's 10 tracks.

In the concept and lyrical direction, the second and eighth tracks became the focus--as those are the songs with the most lyrics. As the disc opens and segues into the second track, Coffman explained that the song explores an existential dilemma.

"Basically, this person is searching for something but doesn't quite know what it is," he said. "Perhaps it's God or something else, but he's looking for something beyond the temporal plane. At the end of the day, he realizes, as the last line says, 'It's in your dance -- you'll find the divine.'"

Essentially, Coffman explained, the song takes a Zen-like approach and tone, relating that sometimes we make things more difficult than they need to be.

As the album begins to wrap up, track eight delves into second chances and finding peace and happiness. As per Coffman's explanation, it comes from the point of view of someone who's bitter and jaded and has made some poor choices but has a chance to change that.

Although the group and its members do not have a religious bend, Coffman quotes from Isaiah 55:12 in the final lines of the song with "...and the trees of the field will clap their hands."

Translating it beyond solely the biblical context, Coffman said, "In the first part, it starts out with this sad and lonely person, but in the end he finds that happiness is right before you, if you'll just reach out and grab it.

"I wanted to stay true to the concept of humans (as Berson had laid out) and relating to a lot of the things that people go through. But I like to think that life's about something bigger than just things--TV or your car or whatever. The most important thing is happiness..."

If listening to and interpreting hUMAN, that happiness is either in you or right before you if you're able and willing to acknowledge and grasp it.

Perhaps this seems like heady stuff for an experimental dance rock band, but I'd argue not. Considering The Moai Broadcast's ethereal and evolving sound and vibe, it seems more than fitting. Much like the group's music, the natural direction of this cycle tends toward finding an internal harmony and peace.

As a concept album it cycles nicely, both lyrically, as we tend to continue to experience and process similar experiences and sonically as the disc wraps by reprising the opening groove, replete with a very concise but liquid-y, Gilmore-esque guitar solo, courtesy of Cody Brewer.

Merely a year after the group's publicly appeared on the local scene, The Moai Broadcast has already proven itself an evolving creative force and has made a staggering leap forward with its sophomore effort. Saturday night, Jan. 16, the band returns to perform live with the CD release party for hUMAN at The Colony. The evening will provide a full exploration of Moai's sonic palette with nods not only to the new album and nods to the band's past work but also a glimpse into the direction the band continues to progress.

As the music continues to evolve, so does the band's performance. Not only has the group added lights and effects to make it a complete show, but the band's performance has continued to evolve as well in order to accommodate the music and its direction. Although you can expect plenty of improvisation and live playing, the group is also incorporating more samples and loops in order to recreate the textures it developed in the studio.

Never a band content to stay in one place, The Moai Broadcast might be one of our best examples of Tulsa's ever-morphing independent music scene, and hUMAN might just prove to be the perfect introduction for those who haven't caught on yet.

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Moai Broadcast drops a dance beat with sonic exploration
Urban Tulsa Weekly | www.urbantulsa.com
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Part of the joy of big showcases and festivals is finding a band that's new and fresh, one that makes you step outside of your normal listen patterns and leaves you glad that you did. After emerging from DFest, I had found a least a couple of those bands, but one in particular stood out, a group of local guys known as Moai Broadcast.
Those who are regulars at Soundpony, White Owl or The Colony have likely come across this group at least once over the past eight months, but those are the fortunate few. After a solid set at McNellie's during DFest, however, the buzz on Moai is bound to spread.

My compatriot, Josh Kline, actually listed the band's DFest slot in his recommendations for the weekend, and with good cause: initially listed as Trip-Hop, the band ultimately defies categories with a genre twisting approach to electronic and dance music. To my ear, the group approaches a sound more akin to Sound Tribe Sector 9's dance-beat heavy sonic explorations. Throw in a little psychedelic jam and free-style electronica and you might understand why the band's sound is so hard to define.

In truth, that's because this is a band that's still evolving. I had the good fortune of meeting sax player Josh Coffman during a DFest after party and was able to catch up with him again last week to discuss what will surely become one of Tulsa's more popular experimental dance rock bands.

Moai (pronounced "Mo-eye", after the giant head statues found on Easter Island) Broadcast is essentially an offshoot of Tech Tonic, as keyboardist Jordan Holt spawned this new project with friend and drummer/producer Nick Bernson last winter. According to the band's bio, the two paired up with "the idea of achieving the highest level of expression through its most simplistic forms." When translated to layman's terms, I believe what they really mean is "convey our experiences through some badass grooves that will make you shake your ass."

Once augmented with guitarist Cody Brewer and bassist Nick Abbott, the group emerged from rehearsals in January with just a few gigs to fine-tune their act before playing the Waka-Winter Classic at the Cain's Ballroom in February. That gig formed a springboard for the band to quickly expand its reach to Fayetteville and Norman before landing at Wakarusa in June. Along the way, Coffman (who was also a member of Tech Tonic as well as having played previously with Steve Lidell and King James Version "back in the day") started jamming with the band and officially joined the band's lineup over the summer.

The addition of Coffman expands on the Moai Broadcast's greatest strength: although the group is firmly entrenched in electronic rhythms and sampling, its sound is balanced by a natural and organic approach to the music. Brewer's fluid guitar lines and Abbott's bass work bring a distinct warmth to the music without overshadowing the synth and dance beats. The addition of Coffman on sax allows the group to experiment further, yet keep an interactive, human feel to the music. The band somehow skirts the edges of jam and electronica without being absorbed by either genre, creating its own unique niche.

When I discussed the band's approach to songwriting and performance, I couldn't help but ask how much is pre-structured and how much is improvisational. Although an easy reference point for comparing the band is EOTO, the fully improvisational project of former String Cheese Incident members Michael Travis and Jason Hann, Maio Broadcast doesn't cast so broad a net, instead keeping things more focused and direct. While Coffman did recognize EOTO as an influence, he also shared that the band prefers to keep its material structured, with each song worked out and written in movements, while leaving room to explore the grooves and improvise as the live experience dictates.

"Some of the songs are more set, while some of the stuff is more electronic driven, so we can groove on it for a while and see where it goes," Coffman shared. "It really comes from the makeup of the band: we've got some really good songwriters, but it also depends on what the song calls for. All of them are actual songs that have been thought out, but at the same time, music is supposed to be a free flowing thing, so we try and leave room for that."

Although the majority of the band's work to date has been more ambient and psychedelic, Moai is only beginning to tap its creative resources. Just recently, the group started experimenting with more upbeat, bass and drum driven house grooves with Holt and Bernson working on laptops, creating and mixing on the fly.

Right now, the laptops are just being introduced, with the band searching for a balance between its innate structure and free-form grooves. As the group explores the possibilities, however, it is allowing itself to play some wildly different sets, experimenting with both vibes.

"Really, our identity lies somewhere in between," Coffman explained. "We like to create music people can dance to, plus have a few think pieces with a low-key, chill groove."

To music fans, that's precisely what's so exciting about this band: its work is incredibly engaging, creating a palpable energy which hasn't been previously captured nearly so well in our local clubs. Even within that niche, however, the group continues to expand its sound and scope and is allowing its audience to be a part of the evolution. When augmented by a full-on light show directed by Mike Miller, it's an experience no other band in Tulsa is providing.

Moai Broadcast will be performing twice this week with two distinctly different shows. A Thursday night (August 6) appearance at The White Owl on Cherry Street provides the band a forum for exploration with a set that will be almost exclusively comprised of the group's more upbeat House and drum/bass improvisations.

Two nights later, on August 8, the group headlines a gig with The Floozies at Soundpony which will highlight its more structured compositions and the relaxed grooves upon which it has thus far built its reputation.

The smart bet will be to stop in and witness both shows to get a broader picture of what this group is capable of as it continues to evolve and find its true identity. Caught somewhere between jam-rock, Trip-Hop and electronica, Moai Broadcast is forming its own niche and creating some of the most original and entrancing dance vibes I've experience in Tulsa to date.

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Sophistication
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
CHEESE FACTORY RADIO | www.cheesefactoryradio.com
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Jordan Holt, Nic Bernson, Nick Abbott, Cody Brewer have joined forces to Broadcast in the simplest forms to reach the highest levels of expression through The Moai. Jordan Holt of Tech Tonic and Nic Bernson of The Cheese Factory have collaborated in projects over the years but until recently, haven’t fully realized the potential of simple ideas combined with deep expression. Nick Abbott brings direction and cohesiveness to the Broadcast through his smooth sounds and subtle intricacies while Cody Brewer serves as the true heart and soul of the group being a fan first and musician second.
Both Sides of the Groove

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