Sam Holt of Outformation. Photo by Curtis George.
Giving you the music a day early:
Outformation guitarist and vocalist Sam Holt was the guitar tech for the late Michael Houser of Widespread Panic, one of the greatest jamband guitarist of all time, so Holt knows a thing or two about lingering leads. Holt even filled in as Panic’s lead guitarist after Houser’s replacement George McConnell stepped down and before current guitarist Jimmy Herring joined the band. But with Outformation (which Holt formed in 2002 and devoted himself full time to in 2007), Holt’s hypnotic, piercing guitar playing fronts a power trio more country-fried rock than jamband that seamlessly blends hard-charging, psychedelic rock ‘n’ roll with jazzy New Orleans drumming and melodic vocals filled with honest lyrics of real people and real life. Outformation’s show at Sticky Fingerz starts at 9:30 p.m. with an $8 cover for the 21-and-up concert. Local blues rock outfit Interstate Buffalo is the opening act with their hard-charging, dirty blues powered riffs.
Greenville, Miss., singer/songwriter and guitarist Steve Azar scored a couple of Top 40 country hits earlier this decade, including the No. 2 tune “I Don’t Have to Be Me (‘Til Monday),” but his music has always been more muddy Mississippi Delta than polished, Nashville big-city lights. The rootsy country musician (chiefly influenced by Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band) visits Juanita’s to deliver his homegrown Delta tales powered by Americana music. Southeast Arkansas country rock act Trey Hawkins Band is the opener, taking the stage at 10 p.m. Tickets are $12 advance and $15 day of show for the 18-and-up gig.
Heber Springs metal group Animula is busy recording their second EP, a collection of tunes blending their love and appreciation of all metal — thrash, death, black, doom and progressive — to create what they call “psychotic death metal,” but the five-piece act takes a break from the studio to play Downtown Music. Also on the bill is Little Rock hardcore metal act Dying Breath and Selmer, Tenn., metal group Tyburn. The music roars to life at 8 p.m. with a $6 cover.
The Southern rock-powered country outfit known as the Zac Brown Band — known for their hit country tunes “Chicken Fried,” “Whatever It Is” and “Toes” — is visiting Verizon Arena. Tickets are $39.65. No opening act information is available right now, but the doors will open at 6 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show. Previous dates on the Zac Brown Band’s Breaking Southern Ground Tour have included Southern Ground artists Nic Cowan, Levi Lowrey and Sonia Leigh.
The Memphis group