Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards. [Photo by Johnny Bohlen]

Some mornings, I just have to turn off the radio.

I’d rather have a couple minutes of uninformed silence as opposed to another heaping helping of nonsense from the reality TV star turned Commander in Chief. And then there are mornings where I’m glad to have new music from Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards, an especially ambitious music project from the mind of Jonathan Garrett and Co. They’ve gotta new record called “Insomnia” landing Aug. 3 along with a release show.

Unfamiliar? I highly suggest starting with the track “Gestapo.” It’s an angry banger that isn’t resigned to taking the news headlines sitting down. The track’s a nearly five minute gumbo of horn-laced piano pop colliding with feverish rock and roll.

Garrett had this to share to about the track:

“This song was one of those late night ideas that popped up after watching an interview with Trump, when he had just become president. I was in the Army at the time, and I was surrounded by a lot of supporters for Trump. I was unusually pissed off when I started writing. Given how things have turned out with the treatment of immigrants and their children, this song has meant more to me every day. I don’t usually get political, but at this point it feels like more of an issue of humanism than one of politics.”

Johnny Manchild and the Poor Bastards definitely get my vote as one of the more bold bands to emerge out of Oklahoma City in years.

From left, The Lamps are guitarist Audrey Oden, bassist Lenora LaVictoire and drummer Drake Yeager. [Photo provided]

If you stand still long enough in Oklahoma then you’re bound to have a conversation about the weather. That sorta small talk is normally way too polite, tedious and overstays its welcome if you’re not careful. As soon as you hear, “Well, just wait a couple minutes and it’ll change,” then start running away.

No good comes from it.

But in a way, The Lamps have adopted a similar motto when it comes to tightly constructed pop rock sketches. It’s rare for their songs to trickle past the two minute mark. I love that economical sense of check in and check out. The band’s self-titled debut LP lands later this month. “The Lamps” finds the Oklahoma City band reworking the five tracks from their 2017 EP and adding five newer cuts to the mix.

The trio again voted to collaborate with audio engineer Tim Buchanan and the recipe for a great Lamps track remains the same: rock, roll and leave us wanting more. Give the band’s freshly released “Pop Songs” and “Dumb” tracks a listen below.

From left, Aaron Boehler, John Fullbright, Levi Parham, Dustin Pittsley, Paul Benjaman, Lauren Barth, Dylan Aycock, Jesse Aycock and Michael Staub stand outside Portside Sound Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. [Photo provided by Phil Clarkin]

The more time you spend with the Tulsa Sound, the messier it gets. It’s a gumbo of genres after all, and it entertains all sorts of rock, blues, country and boogie woogie tastes. Like a fancy roll of paper towels in a TV commercial, this Oklahoma creation soaks up everything in its tangled path. I’m here to talk about the newest Tulsa Sound entry even though it found its footing in Alabama.

Last year, singer-songwriter Levi Parham packed a suitcase — and a van full of Okie-bred musicians — for more than just a road trip to the famed soul music capital of the South. The McAlester native’s excursion to a Muscle Shoals recording studio acted as a timely document of just how deep the talent pool is in Tulsa County. I don’t know how everyone’s schedule lined up but it happened, and I’m glad it turned into the new record “It’s All Good.”

It lands June 15 via Horton Records, and the 10-track collection’s getting celebrated in concert on Saturday.

I suggest spending some time with the nearly 8-minute cut “My Finest Hour.” The sprawling song features an XXL collection of guitar talent, John Fullbright on keys and Parham delivering thoughtful and uplifting lines about making the best of the little time we’re given. His lyrics cut out about halfway through the track and guitar riffs do the rest of the talking. It’s essentially two tracks in one. Both halves speak volumes.

So, go ahead and turn it up.