Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy have a unique sound.

Erin came to visit Mike and me over the Memorial Day Weekend.  Every Memorial Day Weekend, Medicine Park reverberates with the sound of Red Dirt Music during the “Mayor’s Red Dirt Ball”.  After examining the list of bands performing over the weekend, my bet was that the best music would be heard Sunday evening.  Two groups were were scheduled to perform, Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy, 7:00–9:00 PM, and Brandon Jenkins, 9:30–11:30 PM.

We pulled into the old Medicine Park High School baseball field about 7:20 PM, and had no difficulty finding a parking spot.  From there, we only needed to walk the 300 yards, or so, down a blacktopped street and across the old bridge spanning Medicine Creek to be at Medicine Park’s “Main Stage”.  As we walked, we listened to the sound of music carried on the refreshing evening breeze. It was nice and I couldn’t help but think about how nice it was having Erin home, if only for a few days.

“Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy” was already on stage and playing when we arrived.  They are a band of six members from Wichita, KS.  Their brand of Red Dirt is rather unique and is sometimes classified as Americana, Folksy, Dixieland, Bluegrass, etc.  However, one thing is for certain…it is high energy!  When they add in the trombone and the trumpet, there’s definitely New Orleans French Quarter Jazz overtones.  Then on the very next song they may drop the trombone, add a banjo, and a washboard and cut loose on a bluegrass frenzy.  All in all, it’s entertaining, even if not what your usual Red Dirt.

(I need to insert a parenthesis, with explanation, into the content at this point.  This evening I am packing only a CZ 135/1.8 lens, a prime lens and not a zoom; my feet act as a zoom, in the old fashion way.  This isn’t the only prime lens I own, but it’s certainly the best, and as a rule, the optics in primes are better than zooms.  Even though I’ve had this lens for quite some time, I’ve not been able to push it to perform its best; it’s a better lens than I am a photographer.  So to find its “sweet spot” and to increase my understanding of its unique personality, I am forcing myself to carry only it and use it exclusively.  So, to create more distance between me and the stage so I could include all six members, would have a move that would have damaged the perspective more than getting a “better crop” of these four.  I include individual images of the other members in my Gallery.)

We listened for some time until our empty stomachs were making noises along with the band.  Erin had never been to the Winery of the Wichitas, and since it is located on a hill overlooking Medicine Park, I knew we could sit on the deck and hear the music really well, too.  With that in mind, we returned to the truck and drove the small distance to the Winery.  Imagine my disappointment when, “We’re closed, out kitchen closed at eight!”.  It was 8:30 PM, at the time.  Our next option was to drive back into the valley and walk to the “Old Plantation”, which was less than 60 yards from where we were standing listening to “Carrie Nation and the Speakeasy”.

Truth be known, the “Old Plantation” is probably my favorite restaurant, anyway.  It has such history in the area and the food is excellent.  I can hardly eat there and not order their rib-eye steak.  It’s delicious and cooked the same, everytime.

We only had about a ten minute wait before we were shown to our table.  I wasn’t happy with our table, but what can you expect on a crowded evening.  Erin ordered the “chicken fried” chicken with garlic mashed potatoes.  As usual, I ordered the 10-oz rib-eye steak, medium rare, fried okra with instructions to fry it a little longer so it’s extra crispy (their fried okra is already fried the crispest you will find anywhere, but I still like mine even crispier).  While we waited for the food we talked and munched on the homemade rolls and honey butter spread our waitress had already delivered to our table.  Once the main entrees’ arrived, we discovered everything prepared to perfection.  It was, “Oh so good!”  After enjoying a hearty and delicious meal, we were on our way out when I spied a friend, Doug Kemper, dining alone at the bar.  Doug is a very interesting person and if I had spied him earlier, I would have certainly invited him to join us.  Erin would have enjoyed the conversation.  Doug is a herpetologist and designer of aquariums.  He designed the aquariums in Seattle, San Antonio, and Tulsa.  He is also quite an adventurer and has been to Africa, South America, and even Antarctica.  Anyway, we walked over to say, “Hi”, and I introduced Erin.  He was delighted to see us. He and Erin bantered back and forth about North Texas Softball for a few minutes.  We didn’t want to take him away from his dinner any longer so we bid him, “Adios”, and headed back to the bandstand to hear more Red Dirt artists perform.

We reached the stage just in time to catch the first song by the group I thought would be the highlight of the Mayor’s Ball, none other than Brandon Jenkins, himself.  After the music began, it didn’t take long to confirm I was right.  Brandon Jenkins is 100% Red Dirt the way we like it in Oklahoma.  He is a Red Dirt legend among people who really know and appreciate the sound.  The crowd had grown considerably and proved we weren’t the only ones who thought that way.  Cameras and cell phones were busy taking pictures, texting, and uploading.  Dancers were finding their way into the space between the front row of lawn-chairs and stage.  All ages of people were represented and everyone seemed to be enjoying the sound filling the Medicine Creek valley.  The weather couldn’t have been nicer with an Oklahoma breeze and a sky full of stars above and a stage full of stars on earth.  We stayed and enjoyed the show as long as we could.  Next time, I must bring chairs.  Aching knees on both of us urged us to call it a night and head for home.

It was a “Good Time” and will be remembered with “Good Memories”.