Tulsa musician Paul Benjamin was among the musicians on the pilot episode of "Live from Cain's." Photo by Greg Bollinger

Nearly a hundred years since its construction, Cain’s Ballroom still is reinventing itself. Oklahoma’s premier music venue has lived many lives over the last century: the birthplace of Western Swing, a sacred site of punk rock history, and one of the top-ranked concert venues in the country, to name a few. Now, two veteran journalists are navigating the uncharted waters of a pandemic to make the historic ballroom the site of a nationally syndicated public radio show.
Tulsans and executive coproducers Julie Watson and Kelly Burley hope to export the show, which features songs and stories from the beating heart of Oklahoma music, to public radio stations across the country.

Live from Cain’s launched in May 2019 with a sold-out show featuring Texas roots music maven Bonnie Bishop, who regaled a packed house with her Americana soul stylings and flair for storytelling. The stage was set-—and then COVID-19 crashed the party.

“We really didn’t quite know what to do. So many of our friends were suddenly furloughed or unemployed and looking for jobs,” says Watson, former host of KOSU’s Tune In Tulsa. “Everybody was missing live music, so we just decided to do some live streams.”

During the pandemic, "Live from Cain's" produced livestreams featuring musicians such as John Fullbright. Photo by Jeremy Grodhaus

What started as an idea for a modest iPhone stream soon blossomed into a three-camera setup including drone photography. Live from Cain’s: Sessions gave viewers a stripped-down, intimate take on the full-speed broadcast stage show dreamed up by its producers. Now Watson and Burley are attempting to slowly and safely return to a socially distanced version of their original dream, with a debut of a seven-episode pilot season scheduled to kick off later this year.

“We’re really using these seven episodes to learn and experiment—throw spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks,” says Burley, former KOSU director.

The show’s producers hope Live from Cain’s will build on the momentum of one of Tulsa’s most vibrant cultural institutions to bring listeners an experience only available in the Sooner State.

“People are really hungry for that connection to their communities, so we’re hoping this show can kind of help meet that need in some small way,” Burley says. “It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase talented Oklahoma musicians and to showcase this incredible, historic venue as part of the fabric of Oklahoma’s culture.”

Bonnie Bishop was the headliner on "Live from Cain's" first show. Photo by Donna Meier

For more information about upcoming shows and episodes, visit facebook.com/livefromcains

Written By

Jezy J. Gray