Diamond Stone: Festival Review

RC Edwards

If Red Dirt music was born in Stillwater, Oklahoma, its soul resides in Tahlequah, and there is a spot in Cherokee County along the Illinois River that is sacred ground to the Red Dirt music family. Diamondhead Resort hosted the Medicine Stone festival from its beginning as the brainchild of Jason Boland and the Turnpike Troubadours who would select the majority of the artists on the lineup and headline on Friday & Saturday. The festival grew each year and quickly became the “go-to” Red Dirt party. Then came the summer of 2019 with Turnpike’s “indefinite hiatus” and an ugly lawsuit against the manager of the festival (who also happened to manage both Boland & the Troubadours), and the future of Medicine Stone was in serious doubt. Robert Earl Keen filled the headliner spot in Turnpike’s place and the 2019 show went on. 

By the summer of 2020 it was clear that the Turnpike Troubadours were not reuniting any time soon but Red Dirt people had now developed the habit of a week-long gathering in eastern Oklahoma just after Labor Day and wanted to make it happen again. Diamondhead’s owners modified the site plan and moved the main stage site to the smaller stage that had previously served as an auxiliary for other acts during Medicine Stone. Called the “Diamondhead End of Summer Bash,” the 2-day festival featured mostly local acts, but it helps when those acts are among the best artists in the country. By the end of the weekend, everyone in attendance agreed the party had to continue and plans began for a bigger festival for the next year.  

Now officially named “Diamond Stone” and lasting from Thursday through Saturday (with a pre-show party on Wednesday night) the festival site at Diamondhead features a much-improved and enlarged main stage. This year’s show once again featured many local and Oklahoma artists, but the lineup of Mike McClure, John Fullbright, BC & the Big Rig, RC & the Ambers, Chris Blevins, Jacob Tovar, Kyle Nix, Red Dirt Rangers, and The Damn Quails could stand up to any other show. The rest of the bill was also stellar. Mike and the Moonpies are about the hottest thing on the road right now. Son Volt headlined Friday night giving many their first chance to catch Jay Farrar live. The Dead South made Diamond Stone the opening night for their huge tour as they closed out the weekend in front of a big crowd on Saturday night. Mix in some Texas heat from the Vandoliers, add the rich vocals of Jason Eady, the Ozark stomp from the Ben Miller Band, the wit and soul of Adam Hood, the sass that is Courtney Patton and the grit of Savanna Chestnut, the Kansas girl who likes to honky tonk. To really spice things up, toss in Olivia Jean with her Goth/punk/bouffant/rock. As the man says, “You should have seen it in color.”

Mike Harmeier

Best Set of Diamond Stone: Mike and the Moonpies. With the release of “One to Grow On” this band has an entirely new set of tunes to mix into the playlist. Still one of the tightest bands in country music, I’ll put pedal steel player Zachary Moulton and guitar man Catlin Rutherford against whoever you wanna bring. Nobody has more fun onstage than bassman Omar Oyoque. Kyle Ponder is a rock on the drums with a great feel for the dance tunes at the heart of this band, and Mike Harmeier has one of those singular voices that has tremendous range and emotion.

Biggest Disappointment: not enough fiddle playing from Kyle Nix. Another ex-Turnpike Troubadour working a solo gig during the hiatus. Kyle as front man has vocal duties, which is hard to do and play fiddle all the time. (How would you like to be the guy that has to play fiddle in the Kyle Nix band?) He did manage to grab the bow a couple times but was unable to overcome audio problems on the featured fiddle tune. I was very impressed with Kyle’s strong, clear, and confident vocals. And he looks to be in great shape, too.

Biggest surprise: Ben Miller Band. Ben is from the Ozarks of SW Missouri. The joyous stomp at the root of Ben’s music is carried along by the electric washtub one-string bass (with pedal effects!) played by Scott Leeper. The rock-steady drum drives the trio wherever Ben wants to go while he plays an old 2x4 with strings he calls the “Barnyard Dulcimer” or a Cigar Box guitar. It is a power trio unlike anything I’ve heard in a while. #HillbillyHendrix

Best Set From a Band I’d Never Heard Of: The Dead South. I’m not sure which exact rock I’ve been under, but I admit I had never heard of this band before I saw it on the Diamond Stone poster. I can now completely identify with the people who become new fans of bands I’ve known for a long time. Opening their major tour in Tahlequah at Diamond Stone was a big deal. They played like it. John Fullbright had just left the stage on fire with a set that took the big crowd to church. It was the first time many of The Dead South fans had heard Fullbright live and his performance was the perfect mood-setter for the acoustic powerhouse that followed.

Best Local Talent: BC & the Big Rig. Tulsa’s #ShredDirt crew can rock with the best. The twin guitars of Ryan “Danger” McCall and Sam Naifeh can soar and snarl. If Steppenwolf’s John Kay had been from Oklahoma, he would be Brandon Clark. They have a new record coming in October.

Busiest Sideman: Kevin “Haystack” Foster. The man was everywhere on stage Friday. He played guitar for Adam Hood and Jason Eady’s sets, lap steel with the Damn Quails, and even banjo with Kyle Nix. He came back on Sunday and played guitar for Courtney Patton’s set.

Honorable Mention: Roger Ray. Local pedal steel hero, Ray, played with most of the Tulsa-area bands including Jacob Tovar, Red Dirt Rangers, and John Fullbright. He also sat in with Courtney Patton and even played a Friday night after-show party with Dylan Stewart at the Gravel Bar. When he wasn’t on stage, he was working the Red Dirt Relief Fund tent.

Keep Your Eye On: Savanna Chestnut. She’s a redhead now. And she can sing some honky-tonk country. You can find her in Kansas.

Savanna Chestnut

Best of the Weekend: the family reunion. Friends we’ve seen for years, friends we’ve just made, and friends we finally meet IRL.

Diamond Stone is the kind of music festival I love. It’s big enough to have a diverse lineup and brings a decent crowd with plenty of room for growth. The location is unmatched and the operation is about as chill as anywhere you want to be. Dates have just been announced for next year - September 15, 2022.

Diamond Stone 2021 Lineup:

9 September

Adam Hood

Savanna Chestnut

The Damn Quails

Jason Eady 

Kyle Nix

10 September

Ben Miller Band

Vandoliers

BC & the Big Rig

Mike and the Moonpies

Son Volt

11 September

Jacob Tovar

Chris Blevins

Red Dirt Rangers

Courtney Patton

John Fullbright

The Dead South

Diamondhead Resort @ Tahlequah, Oklahoma