The Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) is proud to host a stage during the Bob Childers’ Gypsy Café, Oklahoma’s largest homegrown songwriter festival, returning to Stillwater, Okla., in person on Wednesday, April 27, for the first time since the pandemic began. Now in its 11th year, the festival will span three stages with song swap sets from 58 Oklahoma songwriters, including perennial favorites Kaitlin Butts, Mike McClure, Randy Crouch, Mike Hosty and the Red Dirt Rangers, while adding nine new voices to the lineup, as well as the winner of the Jimmy LaFave Songwriting Contest.
The festival benefits Red Dirt Relief Fund, the nonprofit that provided aid to more than half the artists in the lineup, and more than 800 music professionals statewide, throughout the pandemic.
“We are thrilled to bring this festival back live for fans, artists and venues,” said Red Dirt Relief Fund Executive Director Katie Dale. “It’s been a rough couple of years for the music industry, and we look forward to kicking off Red Dirt Relief Fund’s 10th anniversary year with some of our favorite people in the place where it all began.”
Fans can expect to hear songs and stories about Oklahoma, Bob Childers (the so-called godfather of red dirt music), the Farm (the legendary place on the west side of Stillwater where the genre was born) and the Gypsy Café (the recently reconstructed outbuilding at the Farm where musicians have gathered to play and write songs for four decades). There will also be a silent auction of autographed guitars, one-of-a-kind music experiences, original artwork and even a live painting from Bobby Moore, a member of Tulsa-based band The Brothers Moore who is also playing the fest.
The Newbar Stage, presented by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, will be located at Still Chill (formerly Stonewall Tavern) 21+, outdoor weather permitting, at 115 S. Knoblock St.
Newbar Stage Lineup:
- 4:10pm – Don Morris, Rick Reiley and Bo Phillips
- 5:10pm – Jake Flint, Brandon Clark and Ahna Jennings
- 6:10pm – Nick Gibson, Cale Lester and Gib Stones
- 7:10pm – John Cooper, Scott Evens, Randy Crouch and Roger Ray
- 8:10pm – RC Edwards, Amber Watson and Jordan Cox
- 9:10pm – Mallory Eagle, Chris Jones and Ken Pomeroy
“For seven years, our office has been a supporter of the Red Dirt Relief Fund, and we’re proud to continue that partnership this year on behalf of the state’s music industry that remains as resilient as ever,” said OF+MO Director Tava Maloy Sofsky. “We value this opportunity to shine a light on the featured talent at Gypsy Cafe on behalf of the thousands of Oklahomans working in this industry, both on and off the stage, who make up our state’s creative ecosystem.”
Festival wristbands are $25 in advance or day-of for $30 or $20 for students with ID. A limited number of Reserved Seating tickets for the Grand Casino Main Stage and a special “Friends of the Farm” ticket that includes the artists’ lunch at the Farm on festival day range from $75-$150.
Fans interested in making a Red Dirt run in Stillwater can also purchase a “4-Day GA” Calf Fry ticket from the Tumbleweed that includes a Gypsy Café festival wristband.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit reddirtrelieffund.org/gypsycafe.
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About the Red Dirt Relief Fund
Red Dirt Relief Fund was founded in 2012 using the ticket proceeds of the very first Gypsy Café festival held in Stillwater in 2011. Since then, the nonprofit has granted more than $580,000 in emergency assistance to more than 800 music professionals in 38 Oklahoma cities and towns, most notably almost $300,000 to those facing venue closings and gig cancellations during the pandemic.
About the Oklahoma Film + Music Office:
Under the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, the Oklahoma Film + Music Office (OF+MO) works to promote the state as a viable hub for film, television and music production as well as further develop opportunities for workforce, business and community growth within these sectors. For more information on the Oklahoma Film + Music Office, including the state’s film incentives and additional resources, visit okfilmmusic.org.