Vulture Whale.
It’s Saturday night and there’s a ton of live music and entertainment in town. The American Idols Live! Tour stop at Verizon Arena is sold out, but there’s other, cheaper options. So giving you the music a day early:
The best of the Birmingham, Ala., music scene visits Little Rock with the arrival of Vulture Whale at White Water Tavern. The quartet kicks out chunks of riff-heavy, good ol’ rock with a raw, two-guitar attack of bluesy swagger backed by pummeling drums but stuffed with memorable melodies. It’s gritty rock ‘n’ roll fused with punk from the Heart of Dixie. Joining Vulture Whale at White Water will be Fayetteville indie rockers Hot Shot Karate.
No stranger to Little Rock, the excitable bluegrass explosion that is Springfield, Mo.’s Big Smith returns to the Revolution Music Room. The Americana sound of The Cropdusters will kick off the music for the 18-and-up show around 9 p.m. Cover is $6. Comprised of five cousins and one non-cousin, Big Smith mixes bluegrass, Americana, folk and rock to create raucous, rocking music for a good-timing hootenanny. Beyond the sweet-mountain-music instruments of guitar, mandolin, upright bass and fiddle, everyone in the band sings, creating sweet vocal harmonies.
Little Rock alternative rockers Sufferkate are releasing their debut album, Beautiful Disease, and bassist Jordan Stich is celebrating a birthday so the band is throwing a party at Downtown Music to mark the occasions. Joining the band will be the Southern hospitality of Osceloa post-grunge act Finding Jimmy Hoffa, Little Rock post-grunge act Land of Mines and Crossett metal act Grayskale. The music roars to life at 8 p.m. with a $6 cover.
Stand-up comedian (He’s hosted Def Comedy Jam and appeared in a his own TV special Inappropriate Behavior.) and movie star (He’s appeared in Next Friday, Friday After Next and The Hangover.) Mike Epps delivers his stand-up comedy at Robinson Center Music Hall. Tickets to see Black Doug are $37.50, $39.50 and $41.50 plus the usual extra charges. The show begins at 8 p.m.
The Corona/Dos Equis Postgame Concert series features the jamband sound of Little Rock’s FreeVerse with a show at Dickey-Stephens Park in Hookslide Corner following the Arkansas Travelers’ game against the Tulsa Drillers. The game action starts at 7:10 p.m. In other FreeVerse news, the band — Brent Stroud on lead vocals, harmonica and rhythm guitar; Adam Nelsen on lead guitar; Dave Williams on saxophone; Brian Wolverton on bass; and Scott Southern on drums — have been busy recording their second album of original music with an eye toward a fall release.
The Queens hip-hop group Onyx first landed on the national radar in the early ’90s with the release of Bacdafucup and its single “Slam,” and a pairing with Brooklyn hardcore metal band Biohazard on the tune “Judgment Night” from the Emilio Estevez movie of the same name. The rap trio hasn’t released any new music since 2003, but are preparing for a new 2009 release and hitting the road, including a stop with their full band for a show at The Village. Opening acts are to be announced, but the doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music kicking off at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. IT’S BEEN CANCELED.
Here’s a shot of Vulture Whale with the video to their single “Teedy”: