From the first scream to the last chord, Release Radar's showcase captured Stillwater

Ugly Cowboys have an EP coming. They're also leaving for Minnesota in May.

The 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.

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.

The 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.

People 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.

Next 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.

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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.

The 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.

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.

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.

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.

The 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.

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.

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