Oak Lawn Band takes the stage at The Round-Up Saloon, 3912 Cedar Springs Road, Saturday night, June 14, to perform at this year’s STRUT Dallas Pride Tea Dance. STRUT is a high-energy dance party celebrating Pride, and this year it also serves as a Texas-sized birthday party for headliner Raja, winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 3 and a competitor in All Stars 7: All Winners. (See Dallas Voice’s recent interview with Raja online at DallasVoice.com.)
STRUT Dallas will be held from 2-9 p.m. This event is for ages 21 and older, and tickets are required. Tickets start at $28.52 and are available online at EventBrite.com.
Founded in 1980, the Oak Lawn Band has served as a musical cornerstone of the Dallas LGBTQ community for more than four decades, using performance, visibility and advocacy to demonstrate the power of music as a vehicle for inclusion, celebration and resistance.
“Music is at the heart of Pride,” said Ryan Goodrich, Oak Lawn Band’s president. “It brings people together and reminds us of the resilience that defines our community. We’re proud to be part of STRUT and to use our music as a celebration of queer identity and solidarity.”
Hosted by Chevelle Brooks with DJ sets by Memoz, Apthout and Level, STRUT Dallas will also feature performances by leading local talent including drag artists, dancers, vocal ensembles and community organizations. The Oak Lawn Band’s Pep Band appearance is a highlight of the lineup, “offering a dynamic musical experience rooted in visibility and tradition,” noted a press release from OLB.
Deryck Todd, events director at Todd Productions which produces STRUT in Dallas and in other cities around the country, said, “Our mission has always been to create bold, inclusive and unapologetic spaces for queer expression. Partnering with the Oak Lawn Band adds a community-driven musical voice to the STRUT experience. This kind of collaboration is what makes Dallas Pride truly unforgettable.”
Nick Nunley, the OLB’s artistic director, said the band’s performance “aligns with its ongoing mission to serve the LGBTQIA+ community by providing a safe and welcoming space for queer musicians to perform in and find social belonging while advancing queer representation in Texas.”
He added, “When Oak Lawn Band performs at Pride events, we aren’t just entertaining, we’re continuing a legacy of resistance and visibility through the art of music. Our music celebrates who we are, honors where we’ve come from and symbolizes the inclusive future we’re building together.”
The event will also include a charity auction benefiting TX Latino Pride and Pride in Dallas, as well as pop-up shops and sponsor activations from organizations including Absolut Vodka, Dallas Bears, Resource Center and Visit Dallas.
— Tammye Nash