Oakland-based Nobunny's Justin Champlin performs April 23 at NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
NORMAN — [dropcap]A[/dropcap]pril was Norman Music Festival month. This year was the ninth iteration of the three-day smorgasbord of sound.
NMF attracts thousands of fans over the course of multiple days and grows larger every year. More than 600 musicians applied to perform at this year, and a little more than half were selected.
There are no admission charges at any of dozens of venues serving as performance spaces for acts ranging from hip hop to banjos. Rock ‘n’ roll is the dominant genre, but there are others, too, along with acrobats, dancers and comedians. Regular vehicular traffic is barred from Norman’s primary streets downtown, and the constant sideshow of people-watching rivals the musical performances for attention.
Photos in the gallery below feature scenes from all three days of NMF 9. From impromptu busking performances on the sidewalk to the big-screen glamor of headlining acts, the images represent the scale and diversity of what has become a staple of Oklahoma’s festival culture.
NMF is not without its critics and detractors, but generally they’re soreheads and malcontents. It’s fun going to the rock ‘n’ roll show.
Music fans pose April 21 during NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
A busker tunes his axe April 21 at NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
Ken Pomeroy performs April 21 at Michelangelo’s during NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
Carnival-worker portrait, April 21, NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
Crutch performs at Opolis during the opening night of NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
NMF 9 audience grooves along April 21 during a show at Opolis. (Doug Hill)
Leo Buckingham Band busking April 22 at NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
NMF 9 headliner Cloud Nothings from Cleveland, Ohio, perform on the main stage. (Doug Hill)
OKC’s Young DV (Devin Vann) controls the mic April 22 at NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
OKC’s Hannah Wolff Band performs April 22 during NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
LA-based Open Mike Eagle, aka Michael Eagle II, performs April 23 during NMF 9. (Doug Hill)
Lawrence fucking Kansas’ Psychic Heat guitarist defying gravity during Norman Music Fest 9. (Doug Hill)
Doug Hill earned a double-major undergraduate degree in English and East Asian Studies from the University of Kansas and a master's in human relations from the University of Oklahoma. He's been a freelance journalist and photographer in central Oklahoma since 1997.
