Catfish music for the masses. Let’s consider the phrase that Jimbo Mathus uses in describing the music that he creates as Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition. The music is the song of the South, an unruly blast of blues, country, honky tonk and rock ‘n’ roll with a hint of gospel, which means catfish music will raise hell on Saturday night and quietly bow its head Sunday morning. But don’t forget there is a little bit of New Orleans funk, Ozarks folk and gritty Memphis soul in there, too. The band is readying for the release of their Blue Light EP on July 20 and hitting White Water Tavern. The music starts at 10 p.m. with a $10 cover.
There are acoustic open nights, and jam nights, and Monday jazz nights, and Sunday jazz brunches, and science cafes, and all manner of events at The Afterthought. And then there are visits from Good Time Ramblers, the Little Rock band known for their rock-fueled country sprinkled with Texas swing, blues, folk and rock ‘n’ roll influences. It’s good-timing music for the masses. The music starts at 9 p.m., and cover is $7.
Here are Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition with their “Jimmy the Kid”:
Catfish music for the masses. Let’s consider the phrase that Jimbo Mathus uses in describing the music that he creates as Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition. The music is the song of the South, an unruly blast of blues, country, honky tonk and rock ‘n’ roll with a hint of gospel, which means catfish music will raise hell on Saturday night and quietly bow its head Sunday morning. But don’t forget there is a little bit of New Orleans funk, Ozarks folk and gritty Memphis soul in there, too. Confederate Buddha is the band’s new album, and it is truly catfish music for the masses. See what that sounds like live when Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition visit White Water Tavern. The music starts at 10 p.m. with a $10 cover. Of note, Mathus and co. are raising money through Kickstarter to record their new album White Buffalo with Eric Ambel. The band has 20-plus tunes written and demoed, but needs a little help in the recording process.
You know what might be the best country narrative tale of all-time? “The Winner” by Bobby Bare. Seriously. Written by the late, great Shel Silverstein, it’s the tale of a “hulk of a man with a beer in his hand …” Now, Silverstein died more than a decade ago, but two years ago Bare and his son Bobby Bare Jr. produced a tribute album to Silverstein, including works by Dr. Dog and My Morning Jacket. And Bare Jr.? He performed “Daddy What If” on the album, the same tune that a young Bare Jr. performed with his dad back in 1973, earning the pair a Grammy nomination. This is the long way around of telling you that Bobby Bare Jr. is all grown up and an exemplary Americana singer/songwriter in his own right, a man who learned a great deal about singing and songwriting from two masters such as his father and Shel. Bare Jr. brings his music to Juanita’s. The opening acts are Good Time Ramblers with their honky-tonk country and First Baptist Chemical with their self-described “bumpkin folk/Afrobeat.” The music starts at 9 p.m. with tickets $12 in advance and $15 day of show.
Ohio band Lovedrug‘s name does not mean a love drug as in a love potion. No, it’s taken from the fact that singer Michael Shepard’s love of music dragged him back after he wandered into the arms of film school. Now that that is settled, let’s discuss the band’s music. The band’s version of indie rock can be sweetly gentle such as on “Girl,” or hook-filled, spirited rock such as on “Dinosaur.” Both tunes are taken from Lovedrug’s new album Wild Blood. Lovedrug is now taking that sound on the road, with a stop at Downtown Music. Opening the show are two local alternative rock acts: the high-energy music of Kingsdown and the pop-flavored rock of CatchingYourClouds. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of show.
There are those out there who find Jeff Dunham and his act unfunny. If you are one, move on to the next item because this one is for the Dunham fans in the world. In case you haven’t heard, the ventriloquist Dunham and his merry band of buddies, including two new puppet characters in Achmed Junior and Little Jeff, are coming to Verizon Arena on the Controlled Chaos Tour. Tickets are $43.50 at the Verizon Arena Box Office or via Ticketmaster with all those wicked extra charges thrown in with the doors opening at 7 p.m. and the show starting at 8 p.m. As Dunham said in an interview last year: “My show has no socially redeeming value whatsoever — you’re not going to learn anything. All you’re going to do is have a big goofy time and escape your problems for a while.” You have been warned.
Here’s Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition with their “Kine Joe”:
How to describe the music of Colorado quartet Drag The River? The easy answer is alternative country. But it’s the kind of alternative country one mind create if they were from Fort Collins and all four members had a deep appreciation for punk rock and had actually played in punk bands. So it’s alternative country, but best described as the middle ground between The Replacements and The Byrds. Drag The River is coming to White Water Tavern. Cover is only $5 with the music starting around 9:30 p.m. The opening act is Tulsa, Okla.’s John Moreland who plays songs in G and offers pitch-black poetry as part of his galloping rock ‘n’ roll. Check out his new album Everything The Hard Way.
Okay, here’s the deal: $5 is all you need for three amazing bands at Rev Room. It’s a Low Dough Wednesday show. So maybe you’re low on dough because payday isn’t until Friday. Or maybe you lost money betting on the horses. Maybe you are flushed with cash. Does it really matter? What really matters is that $5 gets you a night of great … well, let’s just call it great Little Rock music with honky-tonk-charged country rock band Good Time Ramblers; the folk, rock, country and roots playing Mandy McBryde & the Unholy Ghosts; and the high-octane rock ‘n’ roll of Jeff Coleman and the Feeders. And it’s even cheaper once in the door because tallboys are only $2. It’s an all-ages show with the music starting at 8:30 p.m.
Andy Davis is one of those dreamy-looking, acoustic pop rock singer/songwriter types who break through with an independent release and then achieve a certain level of greater fame due to a song being featured on a TV show such as Grey’s Anatomy. This is all true of the Louisiana native who is now based in Nashville, Tenn. And none of that is meant as negatory toward Davis. Davis’ take on blue-eyed soul includes some strong pop hooks, especially on his new album Heartbreak Yellow. Davis is now taking those songs on the road, including a stop at Stickyz. Conway singer/songwriter Adam Hambrick opens the show with his pop-flavored, acoustic rock ‘n’ roll gems. It’s an 18-and-up show with a $6 cover and a 9 p.m. start time.
Here’s Drag The River with their “Me And Joe Drove Out To California”:
Since releasing their excellent Nashville Cowboy, the guys from hard-charging, Little Rock honky-tonk country band Good Time Ramblers have recorded a few more tunes, including the stomping country rock that is “Illegal Things.” It’s tunes such as “Illegal Things” that go a long way in proving GTR is one of the best bands out there mixing high-octane country with rock ‘n’ roll. But it’s not all rock-fueled country as the band also incorporates Texas swing, blues and folk. GTR comes to Stickyz, playing their new and old songs, along with Memphis urban folk artist Grace Askew. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover for the 18-and-up show.
A Plea for Purging, an outfit of God-praising heavy metal headbangers from Nashville, Tenn., describe their latest album The Marriage of Heaven and Hell as a “terrifyingly honest look at the age-old, wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing theme.” But the quartet also promises that it is “an auditory thrill.” See for yourself when the band comes to Downtown Music along with California melodic hardcore band No Bragging Rights, Christian-themed hardcore act — and Fayetteville based — Take It Back! and Alabama hardcore band Gideon. The doors open at 6 p.m. with tickets $12 in advance and $15 day of show. Local support will be provided by Little Rock Christian metal outfit Words Within and Ward metalcore quartet Wake Dead Man, Wake.
Near the end of the country rock flavored “The Man,” the penultimate tune from the Good Time Ramblers‘ Nashville Cowboy, a weary voiced John Lefler exclaims: “There’s too many pickers up in Nashville/ Who think my music’s just too damn loud.” But thank God there still are country bands such as Good Time Ramblers who know how to get loud. Undergoing a bit of a playing-live revival, the high-octane country and rock ‘n’ roll band comes to The Afterthought. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $7 cover. This isn’t just regular country Good Time Ramblers kick out; it’s country with Texas swing, blues, folk and rock ‘n’ roll influences, and not re-heated classic rock hooks and slick pop choruses like today’s country.
It’s time for summer stampede at White Water Tavern, as the Frontier Circus comes to town for a night of their psycho western music. The band will be debuting new material from their upcoming debut album titled A Little Bit Psycho — A Little Bit Western. Look for the album in the fall. The Frontier Circus is the sandwich band in a three-band night, with Conway indie pop act Hoop Dreams opening and Isaac Alexander with a full band ending it with his indie folk. The music will start around 10 p.m. with a $5 cover.
Those most excellent purveyors of mayhem and hip hop come back to Rev Room with an appearance by Lord T & Eloise. The opening act is to be announced with the music starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of for the 18-and-up show. For the uninformed, Lord T & Eloise is a blend of Palace of Versailles-flavored aristocrunk with a heavy dose of humor and visuals as the duo create their funky hip-hop.
Middle Tennessee act Those Darlins started off as a punk meets alt country act, at least on their 2009 debut album. But with the spring 2011 release Screws Get Loose, the Darlins have embraced their live show, where the quartet turns the amps up and create pure rock ‘n’ roll with traces of garage, punk, country and ’60s girl pop. Those Darlins come to Stickyz with tickets $8 in advance and $10 at the door for the 21-and-up show. Local rock ‘n’ roll act Spero, Vanhoose, Quin & Dodson is on the bill along with Nashville, Tenn., rock group Denney and The Jets. The music starts at 9 p.m.
It’s not the kind of show one usually finds at Cajun’s Wharf, but the high-octane country and rock ‘n’ roll of Good Time Ramblers will be heard up and down the Arkansas River as the band takes the stage. The band creates music that would make Johnny, Waylon and Willie smile: a rollicking and rambunctious, high lonesome and fatigued collection of music about hard living, being drunk, living in the jailhouse, broken hearts, God and cowboy dreams. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover after 8:30 p.m.
Texas blues guitarist Wes Jeans makes a return to Little Rock with a show at Juanita’s, delivering what he likes to call a “soul-drenched mix of high voltage, rockin’ Texas blues.” The music starts at 9:05 p.m. with the doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $13 at the door. The opening acts are Trey Hawkins Band, a southeast Arkansas band known for their rowdy and ready country rock, and Cody Ives Band, a Little Rock alt country and Southern rock-flavored sextet.
And so it ends. But at least this summer’s Peabody Rivertop Party series ends with a bang with an appearance by Poptart Monkeys, one of the country’s top party rock bands. It’s only four guys, but Poptart Monkeys know how to party and host a party, with their crazy live show and high-energy modern rock sound with a touch of comedy. As with every Peabody Rivertop Party this year, the night will be hosted by Epiphany as he emcees the night and spins as well. The party starts at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover for the 21-and-up show that goes until after midnight.
With Cross Canadian Ragweed on hiatus, Cody Canada, the frontman of the Red Dirt country band, is on the road with his new project, Cody Canada & The Departed, a band that visits Rev Room. After Cross Canadian Ragweed announced in 2010 it was taking a break from the road after more than a dozen years of traveling the country, the Ragweed lead singer and songwriter wasn’t going to sit on the sidelines, so he formed this new outfit, a band that places a heavier emphasis on rock ‘n’ roll than CCR. The opening act is Good Time Ramblers, a favorite Little Rock Americana outfit, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of for the 18-and-up show.
The Afterthought continues its spotlighting of local “folk rock” bands with a visit from Mandy McBryde & the Unholy Ghost, playing their collection of country, folk and roots rock, and The Winston Family Orchestra, a trio that combines keyboard, bass and drum for tunes on the garage-y side of indie rock, folk and pop. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover.
The Arkansas River Blues Society is holding their second fundraiser to get its three entries — Billy Jones (solo), CloverBlue (band) and Matthew Davidson (youth) — to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis the first week of February. This time around the fundraiser will be held at White Water Tavern, with the music kicking off at 9 p.m. with Jones and CloverBlue the feature band following Jones. The night will close with an open jam. There will be a $5 cover for the public and a $3 cover for the Arkansas River Blues Society’s members.
Here’s Cody Canada & The Departed with a live showing:
Combing equal parts hardcore punk with thrash metal and death metal, San Diego’s Carnifex released their newest album, Hell Chose Me, a 10-track collection of complex tunes filled with speedy, heavy rhythms and growled vocals. To brutalize the nation, the five piece has hit the road, including a visit to The Village with Tennessee death metal group Enfold Darkness, San Antonio metal band Upon a Burning Body and Oakland, Calif., deathcore outfit Suffokate with local support from newbie, Arkansas death metal band Collapsing Nation. General admission tickets are $12 advance and $15 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. show.
And then there were five. Little Rock Americana outfit Good Time Ramblers — the quartet of John Lefler on vocals and guitar, Rich Dwiggins on vocals and bass, Alex Piazza on lead guitar and pedal steel, and Brooks Browning on drums — has added Jeff Coleman of high-voltage rock ‘n’ roll outfit Jeff Coleman and the Feeders to their lineup. Although GTR has played a handful of shows with Coleman in the fold, Sticky Fingerz will serve as the band’s largest new lineup unveiling to date. The show will start at 9:30 p.m. with cover $5 for the 21-and-up concert showcasing GTR with Coleman on organ, piano and background vocals. GTR is also promising new material.
And here’s Carnifex in action with their tune “Answers in Mourning”:
Celebrate Fat Tuesday at Sticky Fingerz with a double shot of music with the whiskey-fueled, hard-charging Americana of Little Rock outfit Good Time Ramblers and the shuffling folk rock blended with Americana, blues, country and rock ‘n’ roll sound of Graham Wilkinson and the Underground Township. Mixing Texas swing, blues and rock ‘n’ roll into their country jam, Good Time Ramblers create music that would make Johnny, Waylon and Willie smile: a rollicking and rambunctious, high lonesome and fatigued collection of music about hard living, being drunk, living in the jailhouse, broken hearts, God and cowboy dreams. The band has been working on some new numbers as well. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. with a $5 cover for the 21-and-up show, and $10 will get you into Sticky and Revolution Music Room for The Gettys‘ Fat Tuesday bash.
American heavy metal band Thy Will Be Done incorporates chunks of hardcore, sludge and thrash metal to create a grooving metal sound that doesn’t rely on chugging guitar riffs to deliver its heavy-as-an-ocean-liner sound. The deathly metal band visits The Village along with opening act Poisonwood, a melodic but heavy-as-heck metal band from Conway. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $8 advance and $10 at the door.
Presented by Celebrity Attractions, the percussive, off-Broadway smash Stomp hits Robinson Center Music Hall for three nights (through Feb. 18). Created by Luke Cresswell and Steve McNicholas in England in 1991, the production combining acting, dancing and music features an eight-person troupe who create rhythmic music through non-conventional means, employing garbage cans, tractor tire inner tubes and other everyday items and hardware store products. The 90-minute show with no intermission starts at 7:30 p.m. each night, and tickets are $22, $32, $37 and $47. It’s the return of Stomp to Little Rock after almost five years.
Oklahoma folk singer/songwriter and masterful guitar player Travis Linville still performs regular shows at The Deli in Norman, Okla., honing his heartfelt acoustic tales over intricate, fingerpicked melodies recalling the likes of Richard Thompson. But the Okie lives on the road, having performed 200 shows per year for the past 12 years, and he finally got around in 2009 to releasing a solo album, See You Around, a collection of honest, folk tunes. Linville will perform tunes from the album and other songs when he visits White Water Tavern.
Here’s what Good Time Ramblers bring to the table with their tune “Gotta Get Back”:
Giving you the music a day early: Austin, Texas, indie rock band The Rocketboys are coming to Stickyz. The band’s latest is the self-released Build Anyway. So what does the band sound like? Well, the Austin American-Statesman describes the band’s music as “clear, ringing guitars and full-bodied keyboard arrangements, hard-driving [...]
Giving you the music a day early: The pop-flavored R&B group that brought the world “Cool It Now” is on the road for their 30th anniversary tour as New Edition visits Verizon Arena. Tickets are $58.15, $68.40 and $79.40 with fellow R&B act After 7 and R&B artist El Debarge [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Kris Allen at Magic Springs Water and Theme Park‘s Timberwood Amphitheater. This Arkansas resident won the eighth season of American Idol and will be promoting his new album Thank You Camellia. The concert gates open at 6 p.m. with an 8 p.m. showtime. [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Acadiana is a hotbed of Cajun music so let’s talk about Ryan Brunet of Cajun music creators Ryan Brunet and The Malfecteurs, who will be playing White Water Tavern with the music starting at 9:30 p.m. with a $7 cover. At the age [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Wussy is coming to Stickyz. So what does that mean? Well, Wussy is a Cincinnati rock band. Sometimes with pedal steel. Sometimes with a clavinet. Sometimes with harpsichord. It’s really hard categorizing them so let’s don’t. Just enjoy Wussy for what they are [...]
Giving you the music a day early: People who write off Nada Surf as a MTV-promoted one-hit wonder because of 1996′s “Popular” haven’t been paying attention for the past 16 years. The New York City trio’s buzzing guitar attack, pop choruses and harmonies have been featured on six subsequent albums, [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Scott H. Biram and Lydia Loveless at Stickyz — this is going to be quite a show. Why? Biram is a 21st-century blues sorcerer, throwing blues, psychobilly, country and punk in a jar with a few gulps of whiskey, violently shaking it and [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Jeez, it was about time. It has been since December that the self-proclaimed King of the Country Western Troubadours played Little Rock. Fortunately, Unknown Hinson returns with a show at Juanita’s. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music starting at 8:30 [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Here’s a little-known fact: Outside of the city of Tahlequah, Okla., is a public use area titled No Head Hollow Public Use Area. No lie. The city is also the capital of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. Now, why are we [...]
Giving you the music a day early: It’s going to get heavy at Downtown Music. How heavy? Well, how heavy does a show that includes At Wars End, Reticient and The Revolutioners sound? Oh yeah, not that heavy if you don’t know what the bands sound like. Well, here’s a [...]
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