Facing the Music - A Music Blog from Sync Weekly

Saturday’s Music

Published on: May 18, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Dax Riggs, Downtown Music, Ezra LBs, Hands Like Houses, Indie Bullsh*t, My Ticket Home, Palisades, Stickyz, The Air I Breathe, The Tricks, Through the Looking Glass, Vino's

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Dax Riggs.

Giving you the music a day early:

Former Deadboy & the Elephantmen lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Dax Riggs (he also fronted Louisiana sludge band Acid Bath before that) is closing out a May tour with a Stickyz visit. There’s a $10 cover at the door with the music starting at 9:30 p.m. for the 18-and-up show. Riggs plays blues rock, albeit experimental, or, as he calls it, a collection of “roots music, doom metal and glam-punk poetry.” Say Goodnight to the World is the newest solo release from Riggs.

The Freshman Class of ’12 Tour visits Downtown Music, which means New Jersey hardcore metal act The Air I Breathe will be headlining a show that includes Ohio hardcore group My Ticket Home, Australian post-hardcore experimental act Hands Like Houses and New Jersey post-hardcore outfit Palisades. Local support will be provided by Hot Springs hardcore metal act Through The Looking Glass. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Sometimes it’s okay for others to do the work for you so we’re going to let Alexander Jones, bassist of Little Rock’s The Tricks, tell you about their show at Vino’s. “Great show to kick off the summer featuring two rising Little Rock three pieces. The Tricks combine influences ranging from Pixies to Weezer to Pavement. Thick Syrup Record’s Ezra Lbs. will bring the ruckus as always and showcase their talents with great melodies and a killer rhythm section.” Joining the two bands will be Little Rock’s Indie Bullsh*t, a band comprised of members from SiVersa, After the Tragedy and B-side Folk Union. It’s an 18-and-up show with the doors opening at 8 p.m. Cover is $8.

Here’s Dax Riggs with the title track from his Say Goodnight to the World:

Say Goodnight to the World

Friday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 17, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Austin Lucas, Glossary, Hinder, Juanita's, Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires, Rev Room, The Dreaming, Trapt, Wanda Jackson, White Water Tavern

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Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires.

Giving you the music a day early:

Those opening piano chords in “Trouble Won’t Last Always” from Tennessee-based Glossary‘s October 2011 album Long Live All Of Us tells you quickly the 12-track record is going to be a rollicking good time filled with boogie R&B, horn-filled soul and pedal steel-laced country. And it’s all Southern-blessed rock ‘n’ roll the band delivers on record and live, including at a White Water Tavern show. Also on the bill will be dirty Alabama rock ‘n’ roll act Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires and folk punk singer/songwriter Austin Lucas. The music starts at 9 p.m.

The last few years have been kind to the First Lady of Rockabilly: Wanda Jackson. She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2009 and then her home of Oklahoma City named a street after her. Jackson is a rock ‘n’ roll legend, the queen of rock who scored a Top 40 hit with “Let’s Have a Party” in 1960 and later had a string of country hits. But during the last few years her career and her influence have undergone a revival, playing U.S. and European festivals and recording a new album, The Party Ain’t Over, with Jack White that includes a rollicking cover of Bob Dylan’s “Thunder on the Mountain.” Jackson pays a visit to Rev Room. It’s an all-ages show with the music starting at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 day of show.

“Lips of an Angel” is the 2006 smash that Oklahoma post-grunge band Hinder is known for by the masses. But fans of the band know that power ballad is just the tip of the band’s sound. There is also the glamlike “All American Nightmare” (the title track of the band’s 2010 album) and other hard-hitting rock anthems such as “Use Me.” Joining Hinder for a Juanita’s show presented by 100.3 The Edge will be two California rock bands: Trapt and The Dreaming. The doors open at 9 p.m. with the music starting at 10 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 day of show.

Here are Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires with their “Everything You Took”:

Everything You Took

Thursday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 16, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Bluesboy Jag, Booyah! Dad, Cornerstone Pub, Foul Play Cabaret, Josh Abbott Band, Rev Room, Rob Baird, The Afterthought, Tiger High, White Water Tavern

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Tiger High.

Giving you the music a day early:

These guys in Memphis-based Tiger High have quite the musical pedigree. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Vest was in Jack Oblivian and The Trashed Romeos, and drummer Greg Roberson was in Reigning Sound, Arthur Lee’s Love, The Trashed Romeos, Jack Oblivian and Compulsive Gamblers. The duo are joined by two of Vest’s longtime musical partners: brother Toby Vest and Greg Faison, and the quartet create infectious garage rock with power pop melodies that you can dance to on their Myth Is This album. Joining Tiger High for a White Water Tavern show will be the full-on dance rock/punk assault of Little Rock’s Booyah! Dad and the burlesque show of Hot Springs’ Foul Play Cabaret. The night gets going at 9:30 p.m.

Jack White’s new album hit No. 1 on iTunes’ all-genres album chart. What was the No. 2 album behind it for a while? The independent release Small Town Family Dream from Texas country — with a touch of Red Dirt — group Josh Abbott Band. The band’s new album also hit No. 5 on Billboard‘s Top Country Albums Chart. Abbott and band are coming to Rev Room. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door with the music starting at 9 p.m. with opening act Rob Baird and his Americana/country hybrid music found on his new album I Swear It’s the Truth. It’s an all-ages show.

North Little Rock cigar-box luthier and hill country blues master Bluesboy Jag is busy this weekend. Thursday night he and band — harmonica player and vocalist Jawbone Kenyon, drummer Joe Roitz and bassist Bass Joe — play The Afterthought at 8 p.m. There’s no cover. Friday night the band plays Cornerstone Pub at 8 p.m., and Saturday the band plays Levy United Methodist Church for an Amboy Community Food Pantry benefit beginning at 2 p.m.

Here are Tiger High with their “Carry My Love”:

Carry My Love

Wednesday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 15, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Elizabeth Cook, Stickyz

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Elizabeth Cook.

Giving you the music a day early:

Have you heard Elizabeth Cook‘s “Heroin Addict Sister”? It’s one song you won’t ever hear on country radio. It’s — to say the least — a little too brutally honest, but it’s oh-so great: devastating lyrics delivered with Cook’s angelic vocals. “Sometimes It takes Balls to Be a Woman” is another Cook tune that country radio shies away from, but it’s a darn fine honky-tonk country tune. But does a country artist like Cook need country radio? Probably not. She’s been on The Late Show with David Letterman already (and again June 13) and is touring, including a Stickyz stop with her band of husband Tim Carroll on guitar and Bones Hillman on bass. The music starts at 9 p.m. with tickets $10 in advance and $13 at the door for the 18-and-up show.

Here’s Elizabeth Cook with her “Heroin Addict Sister”:

Heroin Addict Sister

Tuesday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 14, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Morning Teleportation, Nico's Gun, Stickyz

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Morning Teleportation.

Giving you the music day early:

Psychedelic, electro, roots music? Well, that’s what the Portland, Ore., by way of Kentucky band Morning Teleportation offer up when they come to Stickyz. The band also likes calling their music “deep-space pickin’ ‘n’ grinnin’.” Check out the band’s 2011 debut Expanding Anyway for a taste, or better yet, get down to Stickyz for a night of “improvisational mayhem draped with melodic twists and turns.” Nico’s Gun kicks off the music at 8:30 p.m. with their electronic dance rock that is hazy but still danceable. It’s an all-ages show with tickets $8 in advance and $10 day of.

Here are Morning Teleportation with their “Expanding Anyway”:

Expanding Anyway

Saturday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 11, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Chris Knight, Dierks Bentley, Eli Young Band, Enjoy LifeStyle Center, Great Forest, Knox Hamilton, Rev Room, Riverfest Amphitheatre, The Cadillac Black, Vino's, we are voices

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Chris Knight.

Giving you the music a day early:

You want to hear great Americana/country/folk songs of the 21st century? You get down to the Rev Room and hear Chris Knight, a singer/songwriter who grew up in Slaughters, Ky., and sings about despair, bad luck, sorrow and the rural struggle to survive. During his visit, Knight will hook his emotionally devastating lyrics delivered with a ravaged, raspy voice to twang-y roots rock — following in the footsteps of early Steve Earle and Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen. No word on an opening act, but expect the music at 9 p.m. with tickets $12 in advance and $15 day of for the 18-and-up show.

Country act Eli Young Band are playing Riverfest Amphitheatre as an opener on Dierks Bentley‘s Country & Cold Cans Tour. That’s enough reason to get down there. Need more? Bentley is touring in support of his February release Home, which has produced two country No. 1 hits: “Am I the Only One” and the title track. Also on the bill is The Cadillac Black, a Nashville, Tenn., trio who play “country fuzz,” a whiskey-fueled mix of country and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a rain or shine event with the music starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available through all Ticketmaster outlets up to the day of show. Tickets will also be available at Riverfest Amphitheatre starting at 10 a.m. day of show. Pit tickets are sold out. Gates open at 6:30 p.m. for the show presented by KSSN 96.

Here’s how Kansas City, Mo., indie rock band we are voices describe their music: “Music that will make your heart stop and your ears bleed.” Post rock, dreamy pop melodies and atmospheric textures — those are some of we are voices’ favorite things, and a few of the things the band brings to Vino’s. It’s an all-ages show with the music starting at 9 p.m. with a $7 cover. Little Rock dance-y indie rock outfit Knox Hamilton is one of two opening bands. The other is Great Forest, a Little Rock indie rock outfit that released their debut EP in March and appreciate the music of The Rocketboys and Sleeping at Last.

The Enjoy LifeStyle Center in North Little Rock will play host to a free, day-long music festival that will use donations collected to benefit homeless outreach efforts and youth enrichment programs in the metro. The event is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and will include nine bands performing in three genres of music: rock, hip-hop and folk. All bands are competing for individual prizes including recording time, professional photography and radio play from KABF 88.3 FM. The primary beneficiary of this event will be the SOAR Outreach Network.

Here’s Chris Knight with his “North Dakota”:

North Dakota

Friday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 10, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: belair., Cornerstone Pub, Downtown Music, Epiphany, Joe Nichols, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Shooter's Sports Bar & Grill, The OD, Thick Syrup Records, White Water Tavern

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Joe Nichols.

Giving you the music a day early:

Here’s what country musician Joe Nichols says about his new work It’s All Good, his sixth studio album released in November: “Yes, this is about commercial success, but if you want to make something that lasts, it’s about art, too. I want to bring a traditional sound into 2011 and 2012, to keep it faithful and make sure we’re still connecting with today’s listener.” Nichols connects with listeners on No. 1 country hits such as “Gimmie That Girl” and “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off.” It’s all those new and old tunes Nichols brings to Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill. The music starts at 10:30 p.m. with tickets $25 in advance and $30 day of for the 21-and-up show.

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus got back to what they are good at with their last record, the August 2011 release Am I the Enemy. And by what they are good at we mean some raging post-hardcore music. Not that there isn’t room for a little emo or polished pop punk in their sound, because there is. The band, with some new members since their last visit, come to Downtown Music. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music starting at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Opening the show is Magnolia-based, faith-inspired alternative rockers belair.

Speaking of a local artist who has been on the road touring (and I was yesterday with Audrey Dean Kelley), Little Rock hip-hop all-star Epiphany has been out and around the region, including playing a St. Patrick’s Day show in Oklahoma City. And he is off to Tulsa, Okla., next weekend, promoting his great, new hip-hop album Such Is Life. But a The OD show finds him back at Cornerstone Pub where he’ll be part of a night of real rap and some of the best hip-hop around. The music gets going at 9 p.m.

Little Rock’s own Thick Syrup Records is turning 6 and throwing a two-night party Friday and Saturday at White Water Tavern to celebrate. (A Thursday night show is also being held at Maxine’s in Hot Springs.) The music starts at White Water at 9 p.m. each night and will include appearances by The See, The Alpha Ray, Browningham, Androids of Ex-Lovers and more. All the shows are being filmed for an upcoming documentary.

Here’s Joe Nichols with his “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off”:

Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off

Thursday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 9, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Audrey Dean Kelley, Live at Laman, William F. Laman Public Library

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Audrey Dean Kelley.

Giving you the music a day early:

Each second Thursday of the month, the William F. Laman Public Library kicks off the weekend with a free show titled Live at Laman. This week it’s Audrey Dean Kelley doing the Live at Laman thing, playing a free, 7 p.m. show in the library’s auditorium. And it’s a homecoming of sorts as Kelley is a North Little Rock native who has been out promoting her new album that features her blending of Americana and acoustic rock with pop much like Ben Harper and Tom Petty, two of her biggest influences.

Here’s Audrey Dean Kelley with her “Blue Suede Love”:

Blue Suede Love

Wednesday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 8, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Adelitas Way, Art Of Dying, Juanita's, Kottonmouth Kings, Rev Room, Stickyz, The Deep Dark Woods, Twiztid

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The Deep Dark Woods.

Giving you the music a day early:

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is close to the deep dark woods of Canada, so it’s apt that an indie folk rock quartet from that city would name themselves The Deep Dark Woods. The group is currently on a run of shows far from home that includes a visit to Stickyz. The show starts at 9 p.m. with a $8 cover for the 18-and-up show. The group’s The Place I Left Behind blends “murder ballads alongside scrappy rockers, lovesick hymnals and slow-dance waltzes.”

Yes, High Times once named rap rock group Kottonmouth Kings its Band of the Year so the band does like getting high. (The name of one of their albums? Fire It Up.) But the group also create punk-fueled rap rock, kind of like if Rage Against the Machine, Dr. Dre and early Beastie Boys all got stoned and made music. For a show at Juanita’s, the Kings are bringing along friends and opener Twiztid, a horrorcore hip-hop duo. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. with tickets $25.

Las Vegas hard rock band Adelitas Way are hitting Rev Room with their vicious new rock, including the hits “Sick,” “The Collapse” and “Criticize” from their June 2011 release Home School Valedictorian. The music starts at 9 p.m. with tickets $12 in advance and $15 day of for the all-ages show. Opening the show will be Canadian rock band Art of Dying, a band heading out on their own after some Avalanche Tour dates with Shinedown.

Here are The Deep Dark Woods with their “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me”:

Hang Me, Oh Hang Me

Tuesday’s Music

by sstewart

Published on: May 7, 2012

Categories: General

Tags: Runaway Planet, White Water Tavern

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Runaway Planet.

Giving you the music a day early:

It has been 11 years — give or take a few months — for Little Rock bluegrass outfit Runaway Planet. Let’s hope the band keeps on going, too, because the metro and the world needs their hard-driving bluegrass that also mixes in traditional string-band music, and heavenly vocal harmonies and tight arrangements. The band — Greg Alexander on guitar and vocals, Steve Brauer on banjo and vocals, Michael Proveaux on bass and vocals, and Matt Stone on mandolin and dobro — come to White Water Tavern. The show starts at 10 p.m., and admission is simply a donation at the door.

Here are Runaway Planet with their version of “Wayfaring Stranger”:

Wayfaring Stranger

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