TAHLEQUAH — The Tahlequah music scene is as diverse as the surrounding Ozark foothills. Reflections of the past can be seen everywhere, and hints at promises lying just around the bend are abundant.

Inspiration lights the lyrical fire, and usually someone looking for that expressive power has to step outside of routine. For members of Jason Coffelt and The Swagger, the musical awakening existed in the everyday places and people of their hometown. So for the band’s singer, it was a short walk to the mike stand, having the spark for a song in his surroundings and friends.

“We’ve always played music together,” said Coffelt noting friend and bandmate Tucker Mastin. “We’ve been playing since we were 13 or 14.”

And just as friends do when listening to music, Coffelt and Mastin talked about what they were hearing, and then began practicing several different sound styles.

“We both enjoy so many different types of music,” said Mastin. “We can play so many instruments between the two of us. We bounce so much off of one another.”

When Mastin and Coffelt joined bass player Shawn Vance and drummer Juliette Lloyd to form the acoustic-pop folk band, the friends began living their dream and joined a long line of musicians that share in the instrumental connection Tahlequah plays. Vance credits Coffelt and Mastin with seeding the approach he now takes when playing bass.

“Before [meeting Coffelt and Mastin] I kind of just messed around on the bass,” he said. “Jason showed me some stuff and I started playing more. Tucker’s shown me stuff that really inspired me. I’ve learned a lot from both Jason and Tucker.”

Coffelt said Lloyd has spent most of her life training as a dancer, but is now quickly learning the multi-beat task of a drummer.

“She’s played the drums for about year,” Coffelt said of Lloyd, who was out of pocket for the evening. “She’s been a dancer all of her life. I can show her something on the drums, and she picks it up pretty easily.”

The band just played its second Iguana Cafée gig on Valentine’s Day and has done gigs in the Tulsa and Oklahoma City areas, including one out-of-state performance in Arlington, Texas. The next Tahlequah event is set for March 23 at The Unitarian Church. The group’s first song collection was titled “Metahlequah Mixtapes,” and they’re currently working on the next album.

Another local musician that has deep roots playing music in Cherokee County is Carl Farinelli. He and The Hole in the Wall Band, which includes drummer Nathan Franks and bass and fiddle player Jim Forst, can be heard every Friday night at the Tahlequah Senior Citizens Center, where music diversity is truly embraced.

“We have an audience that’s so broad minded,” said Farinelli. “We play everything from swing to blues to early rock and roll. It’s amazing the variety of music they love.”

And the seniors have been loving The Hole in the Wall Band for over 10 years now. Though the band has its standing gig on Friday nights, the trio was invited to perform at the 2011 Red Fern Festival and likely will return this year. Farinelli said he, Franks and Forst enjoy playing together whenever the opportunity arises, but the musicians will also play with other bands.

“Jim Forst has his own western swing band that plays at Hat Box in Muskogee,” said Farinelli. “We have our Friday gig that we play together, but we also have our other gigs. It’s amazing the quality of music you find being played in this area. ”

 Singer-Songwriter Mark Sweeney would agree with Farinelli that the local musical talent is superb and many layers thick. Sweeney performed with George Barton for several years touring the nation, but recently has been playing solo gigs.

“I’ve been doing the solo stuff for a couple of years now,” he said. “I need a new product, really. I’ve got enough for an album, but need to keep playing. My voice is probably as strong as its been in a long time.”

Sweeney will be performing this Friday at the Iguana Cafée with Robert Post and Jim Loftin.

“Jim’s a great bass player and Robert is a tasty side player,” said Sweeney. “He loves music and plays from the heart. We’ve played together a couple of times before.”

Loftin, who also plays with the Muskogee band Blue Fish, echoed Sweeney’s sentiments on playing music as often as possible.

“I stay pretty busy playing, but not with any one particular band,” said Loftin. “Sometimes I have to juggle gigs. Sometimes I play with a big band out of Oklahoma City, and then I’ll play with Mark Sweeney. I play bass 99 percent of the time, but occasionally I’ll play the drums or sing back up. This year’s started out a little slow, but it usually picks up in March. I’ve got a musical coming up starting the 26th. I run up and down the highway.”

What’s next: The second part of the series will spotlight more local talent.