Diamondstone Music Festival 2021

Diamondstone, the three day roots music festival held at Diamondhead resort in Tahlequah, took place September 9-11th, and also hosted a pre-party on Sept 8th. Diamondhead resort was also the home of Medicine Stone Music festival which ran from 2013-2019. In fact, Diamondstone was created to fill the void left behind when Medicine Stone ceased. It also has donated a portion of the ticket sales to local non-profit organizations to help give back to the community.

The impressive line-up covered three days full of fantastic music and artists, and there was a good crowd in attendance. Things of course were limited this year due to the Pandemic, and there was plenty of space for social distancing and to have lots of space at each campsite.

The festival featured several different vendors and food trucks as well, including Bekah’s Inappropriate Trucker Hats, Native Waters Apparel, Red Dirt Relief Fund, Apothecary Farms, The Dog House, Fusion Philly’s, Chill & Reel, The Mercury Lounge and more. Prime Time Buds even had a tent set up backstage where they gave demonstrations of their gravity bong and dab bong. I tried a couple of hot dogs from the Dog House and they were delectable. I also had the trash can nachos from Chick Hooven Swine, and let me tell you, they were even better than they look.

While I wasn’t able to catch all of the artists on the line-up, I did get to see many of them. Every one of them on the list are talented musicians who brought their own unique flair to the event. I’d write paragraphs about each one, but I’m afraid this would get too long and no one will read it, so I’ll just elaborate on a few. But each and every artist at the event are great performers and I encourage you to peruse the list and check out any you haven’t gotten to know yet.

Day one of course included Adam Hood, who is always a pleasure to watch perform, as well as the Damn Quails who rocked the stage as they always do. Their line up of musicians, which is ever changing depending on which show you catch, was lively and entertaining and the crowd danced and sang along.

Jason Eady was a crowd pleaser, as was Kyle Nix. Everyone was excited to see Mike McClure play, which was his first time performing with the band in 2 years. They definitely did not disappoint. Mac’s wife Chrislyn Lawrence, a stellar artist in her own right, joined him on stage for part of the show. Mac’s performance rocked the festival grounds and brought people to life, even though it closed out the day. The after party was put on by Dylan Stewart and JR Carroll and a few other friends who joined in the fun.

Day two hosted a full day of people including Dan Martin, Joe Mack, Ragland, and the Ben Miller Band and Mike & The Moonpies.

The Vandoliers delighted the crowd with their upbeat  and dynamic performance, followed by BC & The Big Rig playing as the sun went down.

BC & The Big Rig are always a high energy band that delivers a punch with their unique blend of shred-dirt. Every single one of those guys brings impressive talent to the stage, but it’s always my favorite to watch Ryan Danger McCall do his thing on guitar. He blows me away each-and-every time I see them.

However, it was the next band that really got my attention.

I had never head of Olivia Jean, from Nashville, and was enraptured by the energy they brought to the festival. Their genre-fluid sound and style was an eclectic and quirky mix of rockabilly, punk, 50’s surf music vibes and more all rolled into one. Olivia Jean had a certain gothic mixed with 50’s vibe going on that I absolutely loved, and the whole band delivered in a colossal way. Olivia in her cute vintage dress and bouffant hair, playing her pink guitar was everything and more a former 90’s goth kid could want.

The badass bassist, a sassy young woman named Erica Salazar, delivered an impressive performance as she rocked and rolled the whole set through. Pretty sure the bass was almost as big as she was but that didn’t mean she didn’t command that thing and rock out her whole body during the entire thing. I couldn’t take my eyes away during their performance and was excited to fan girl and request a selfie after they got off stage. She had actually stopped me backstage before her performance and told me that my purse was cute, and being the awkward introvert that I am, I quickly told her it was made by Betsey Johnson, who is fabulous, and then quickly went on my way. But after seeing her perform, I had to circle back and fangirl. Trust me, you would have too. The band also includes Cody Clayton on guitar and Austin Hans Seegers on drums.

Olivia Jean mentioned she wasn’t sure what the reception would be, since they are so different than anyone else on the line up. But I think they were pleasantly surprised to get a good ol’ warm Okie welcome, the crowd seemed to enjoy their eclectic addition to the event. It’s always great to see women included in the line-up at any festival, but when they turn out to be badass rocking warriors to boot, well that’s just the icing on the cake. Look them up, I think you will dig them.

Son Volt ended the day with a hell of a show, those guys are damn good at what they do and it shines through in every note they play. The after party that night was played by Doc Fell & Osage County.

Day three included names like Juliet McConley, Maddie K, Jacob Tovar, Chris Blevins and RC & The Ambers. I was personally excited to see Charlie Stout on stage with The Great American Wolf. I think their song swap was a great compliment to one another in their styles and sounds. Charlie Stout is one of my favorite songwriters, and I don’t get to see him often, so this was a rare treat. He has some phenomenal songs available out there, so if you don’t know him, get on it and fix that immediately. He weaves storytelling in songwriting to a whole new level.

The Red Dirt Rangers put on a fantastic show, with Randy Crouch in tow. Those guys are a staple in the red dirt music scene, and there’s a good reason why. It’s always a pleasure to catch them doing their thing, they are legends in their own right.

I love Courtney Patton, and everything she does, so I was thrilled she was on the line-up. I also had never gotten to see her perform with her husband Jason Eady, and that was a fun time. Courtney is a force to be reckoned with in music talent, and her quirky humor just adds to her layers.

RC & The Ambers always command the stage and bring their unique set of style and sounds to their performances. There’s something about watching Amber playing the washboard that just adds so much charm as well as layers of sounds to the whole thing, but each of them adds to the mix and make it all a remarkable performance.

John Fullbright took the stage and I swear church had began. The crowd went wild for his songs and who could blame them? That guy has so much innate talent, and his songs reach down in you and tug at your soul. There was one point in the performance where I doubt there was a dry eye in the crowd when he sang “Stars in Heaven”, he pulls emotions deep from within and causes them to overflow. His whole band brought their A-game and it was spectacular. I wish I could say I got better pictures during his performance, but I was too busy taking it all in.

Now, I have been listening to The Dead South for a few years but had never gotten to catch a show, so I was pumped they were headlining the last night. Their stage set up, lights and attire created a whole mood and vibe, and I was here for it. The crowd definitely was too. Their sounds and style are a mix of folksy americana with bluegrass and they give that old timey feel of days long gone. Their unique style and showmanship was superb, and also the perfect way to end the festival. You better believe I took advantage of being backstage to fangirl and request a selfie.

The line up was diverse and fresh, keeping our Oklahoma roots music along with newer talent, and bringing in musicians that we don’t always get a chance to see. It was a great selection, and kept it fun and interesting.

The camping aspect and having the float trips and river fun available also makes this a much more entertaining time. The crowd was filled with music fans and friends who came to celebrate and enjoy the fresh air and activities as well as the music. It was well run, organized and everything ran smoothly. All the bands started on time, and flowed well throughout the days, and everyone working the event was helpful and courteous. The sound guys did an awesome job, everything sounded incredible.

Fans like to playfully refer to the event as “Not Medicine Stone”, all in good fun. But it was clear Diamondstone is not Medicine Stone, nor do I think they strive to be. They had their own unique energy and vibe and created a name for themselves with it. Well done Diamondstone, you hosted and put on a hell of a good time and I’m looking forward to seeing how it progresses in the future.