Tulsa’s Dwight Twilley will perform at California music fest with Robert Plant, Neil Young
Tulsa power pop artist Dwight Twilley accepted an invite to be on the roster of a major music festival in California.
Arroyo Seco Weekend will take place June 23-24 in Pasadena, California. Among acts on the bill: Robert Plant. Neil Young. Jack White. Kings of Leon. Alanis Morissette. The Pretenders. Gary Clark Jr. Third Eye Blind. The Bangles.
“It sounds like fun, doesn’t it?” Twilley said during a recent phone interview.
It’s also a change of pace.
“I spent the last couple of years doing my acoustic show,” he said. “It’s just fun occasionally to bring the band out. I’ve got a really good band, of course, with Tulsa musicians, so I’m just looking forward to making some big noise instead of the littler noise.”
Twilley’s band will include Jeff Smith (drums), Aaron “Slim Quik” Failes (lead guitar), Ron Flynt (bass guitar) and Steve Allen (guitar). Allen and Flynt are alums of the Tulsa-born power pop band 20/20, which charted albums in 1979 and 1981.
Arroyo Seco Weekend, organized by Coachella promoter Goldenvoice, debuted to a sold-out crowd last year, when Tom Petty was among headliners. It was among the final performances by Petty, who died less than four months later.
Twilley and Petty have shared history because, early in their careers, they were in Leon Russell’s Shelter Records stable. Petty spent time at Church Studio in Tulsa, but Twilley and Petty became acquainted with each other at the West Coast branch of Shelter Records.
The invitation to follow in Petty’s footsteps at Arroyo Seco Weekend came from out of the blue. “But I have spent a lot of time in California, and I have got a lot of friends out there and a lot of fans, too, so it will be a good time,” Twilley said.
Twilley said he has enjoyed doing acoustic shows, but performing with a band is a different animal.
“Did You See What Happened,” and “I’m On Fire” are two of the kick-assingest songs of the 1970s. I continually turn people onto them. “I’m On Fire” should get a million more plays on classic rock radio. I have emailed the radio programmers here in Denver and tried to make it happen.