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  "description": "Nine bands, one documentary crew, and a music scene that keeps showing up for itself",
  "path": "/from-the-first-scream-to-the-last-chord-release-radars-showcase-captured-stillwater/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-02T21:12:17.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.thestillwegian.news",
  "tags": [
    "here",
    "Meet Rachel Dillin",
    "See How Local Stacks Up"
  ],
  "textContent": "_Ugly Cowboys_ have an EP coming. They're also leaving for Minnesota in May.\n\nThe band saved both announcements for the closing set of the March 27 Release Radar OSU showcase at Velvet Fudge, a nine-band night that doubled as a film shoot for a documentary on Stillwater's music scene. For a crowd that already knew how to fill a room for this band, the news landed like a countdown.\n\n_This is one of two stories covering the March 27 Release Radar showcase. Read our companion feature on the organization and the story behind the documentary_ here_._\n\nThe evening opened with _Letting Everything Go_ , a sludge metal/punk band whose lead singer and drummer, Gavin Wright, screamed with enough emotion that the microphone seemed to scream back with feedback between songs. Dark, sludgy breakdowns offered brief respites before the vocals escalated from moaning punk rant back to full-throated screams. Bassist Eduardo Gonzalez and guitarist Leif Mitchell confirmed what the sound already suggested: the _Melvins_ were a reference point. The band's name, for the record, takes its first letters from each member's first name — Leif, Eduardo, and Gavin.\n\n__Letting Everything Go singer and drummer Gavin Wright, left, and From Which They Thrive singer Christian West perform at Velvet Fudge during the March 27, 2026, Release Radar OSU showcase in Stillwater. – Photos by Quincy Einstein__\n\nPeople were still filtering in when _From Which They Thrive_ launched into their set. Their screamo was full of energy — dark lyrics, a stage presence built for a much larger room. Lead singer Christian West mentioned the band is working on an EP titled _Silence of the Seventh Seal_ , which they hope to release within eight months.\n\nNext was _Slice of Life_. Singer Luke Setter's voice felt strained at times, but the set was noticeably more cohesive than the band's previous performances — a group still refining its chemistry, getting tighter with each show. Guitarist Nathan Crook, bassist Justin Thomas — who also serves on the Release Radar executive team — and drummer Ryan Northcutt rounded out a lineup that continues to put in the work. A recurring bit involves opening a Magic: The Gathering card pack with the audience. It lands.\n\nPAID ADVERTISEMENT\n\n****Re-elect Rachel Dillin for Stillwater School Board.****\nA proven leader protecting classrooms and planning for what’s next. From a new high school to stronger financial footing, real progress is happening.\n\n****Keep moving forward. Vote April 7.****\n\n\n                            Meet Rachel Dillin\n                        \n\n_EZ4U2SEY_ followed with a set that shifted the room's energy — their emo-meets-shoegaze sound was a welcome change of pace from the night's louder acts. Singer and bassist Lee Burns played with visible joy, at moments channeling a young Courtney Love, while lead guitarist Jack Duffett, rhythm guitarist Mason Moore, and drummer Owen Johnson kept the set loose and warm around her. The band joked that their EP was nearly sold out before playing three songs from it. They ran over their allotted time; no one seemed to mind.\n\nThe night had a notable thread of female-led bands running through it. _Double Violets_ brought a traditional punk rock sound with clear Riot Grrrl roots — singer and guitarist Dee Cowen's vocals carried echoes of Kathleen Hanna of _Bikini Kill_. Their sound is practiced and assured, a style that has been earning its credibility for decades.\n\n__Clockwise from top left: Slice of Life drummer Ryan Northcutt, EZ4U2SEY singer and bassist Lee Burns, Unlikely Roll singer and bassist Zane Masri, and Double Violets perform at Velvet Fudge during the March 27, 2026, Release Radar OSU showcase in Stillwater. – Photos by Quincy Einstein__\n\n _Unlikely Roll_ brought a more alternative sound with a driving, well-rehearsed quality. Guitarist Elijah Neal and drummer Travis Johnson are teachers outside of music, and both said they have been making the trip back to Stillwater to play long after graduating — splitting time between Stillwater and Tulsa to stay connected to the local scene.\n\n_Bug Juice Blues_ played high-energy emo and drew a strong crowd reaction; the fans clearly turned out. Between songs, the band asked the audience to name their favorite act of the night. Everyone shouted a different answer. Post-show, guitarist Parker Fjeldsted introduced the rest of the band with the warmth of a group that enjoys each other. Keyboardist and standup bassist Adam Hollingsworth, according to his bandmates, also gets funky and enjoys \"tummy time\" — a detail left unexplained and probably best left that way.\n\n__Bug Juice Blues performs for a packed crowd, left, and Horse performs at Velvet Fudge during the March 27, 2026, Release Radar OSU showcase in Stillwater, including singer Maggie Snap on the floor during the band's closing set. – Photos by Quincy Einstein__\n\n _Horse_ , another female-led band, brought a grungy sludge sound rooted in the same Pacific Northwest tradition that runs through much of the night's heaviest material. Singer Maggie Snap screamed as hard as anyone on the bill, while guitarist Owen Johnson, bassist Coda Snell, and drummer Chaz Patton kept the band in near-constant motion. At one point, fans were on stage dancing and singing alongside Snap.\n\nThe night's headliner was _Ugly Cowboys_. — self-described practitioners of \"smutrock,\" \"cowpunk,\" and \"sleaze\" — formed in 2021 when guitarist and vocalist Sam Miess moved from Wisconsin to pursue a PhD in biology at Oklahoma State University, blending Red Dirt, punk, and indie rock into something distinctly their own. Miess is known for his stage antics — backflips, playing guitar backwards — and Friday was no exception, with Miess charging into the crowd mid-song while McAdoo, a classically trained pianist who traded keys for bass, pulled the set list from her pocket at the top of the show. Drummer Ben Lokuta, trained at Berklee College of Music and a member of _Herd of Bison_ and _Walk Me Home_ , drove it all from the back. The crowd was fully committed from the first note.\n\n__Ugly Cowboys guitarist and vocalist Sam Miess and bassist and vocalist Bee McAdoo perform at Velvet Fudge during the March 27, 2026, Release Radar OSU showcase in Stillwater. The band announced an EP and a move to Minnesota in May during their closing set. – Photos by Quincy Einstein__\n\n _Ugly Cowboys_ closed the night with two announcements — an EP is coming, and the band is heading to Minnesota in May. The OSU Filmmakers Association got it all on camera; the documentary is currently in editing, with a release expected between late April and early May. For Stillwater, the clock is running.\n\nPAID ADVERTISEMENT\n\nBig-box stores can't custom-fit a door to your opening. _****Stillwater Building Center's****_ in-house door shop can — and their window prices undercut national companies by half or more.\n\n\n                            See How Local Stacks Up\n                        ",
  "title": "From the first scream to the last chord, Release Radar's showcase captured Stillwater",
  "updatedAt": "2026-04-10T13:42:53.958Z"
}