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Posts Tagged ‘Juanita’s’

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Friday’s Music

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

The O.D. Part 2.

Giving you the music a day early:

The snow is gone and the postponed The O.D. Part 2 is back on, this time at Sticky Fingerz. Expect a night of real rap as the best in local hip hop is showcased, with sets from EarFear (607 and Bobby), Big Drew, Cat Daddy, Mista Mayhemm, Rah HoWard, Epiphany, Shea Marie and Mike Streezy. Beyond the self-described “dope artists on deck,” DJ Greyhound will be on the turntables. The event kicks off at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 21-and-up show. Dress accordingly.

Juanita’s becomes the center of the female folk singer/songwriter universe — Arkansas edition — when Paige Allbritton, Amanda Rook and Cindy Woolf visit. Allbritton is a 23-year-old Little Rock artist whose strummed tunes such as “Hurt On Purpose” reveal an old soul. (She also covers Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.”); Rook is a local acoustic rocker; and Woolf is an Ozark folk rocker born in Arkansas but living now in southwest Missouri. An Afterthought regular, Woolf now mixes in pop choruses and twangy country when singing in her angelic voice about love, traveling and trains. The 18-and-up night of music starts at 9 p.m. with a $7 cover.

The Randy Rogers Band disappeared from the touring circuit in late November and early December, visiting Nashville, Tenn., to record another album of Texas-stamped and approved country rock. But since the first of the year, the five piece has been back on the road, whittling down their usual slate of 200 plus shows a year, including their first visit of the year to the Revolution Music Room. Expect a rowdy good time filled with electric guitars, fiddle and yee-haws. The music will start at 9 p.m. with a to-be-announced opening act kicking off the night. Tickets are $15 for the 21-and-up show.

Illinois indie rockers The Forecast’s latest, self-titled album is out, and the quartet is on the road to support the album’s collection of robust, muscular rhythms crossed with pop hooks and tunes about love with lyrics such as “I’m stealing your kisses back from you.” The Forecast visits Vino’s, headlining a show that includes local support from acoustic rock group Townsend and northwest Arkansas rock band A Good Fight, and Murfreesboro, Tenn., pop punkers Since Forever and indie rockers The Narrative, a Brooklyn trio on their way to South by Southwest. The music will kick off at 8 p.m. with a $10 cover.

Central Arkansas blues outfit Unseen Eye has completed their debut album, Too Bad, for Kijam Records and are holding a CD release party at Cornerstone Pub. Presented by the Arkansas River Blues Society presents, the music starts at 8 p.m. with a $5 cover for the 21-and-up event.

Here’s a terribly shaky, crowd-shot version of the Randy Rogers Band’s tune “Interstate,” a new song that will appear on their summer release Burning the Day:

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Thursday’s Music

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Cedric Burnside and Lightnin' Malcolm.

Giving you the music a day early:

Less than a month after John Sinclair visited White Water Tavern along with North Mississippi hill country blues master R.L. Burnside’s son Duwayne Burnside, R.L. Burnside’s grandson Cedric Burnside returns to the dive with his brother by another mother in tow, as the juke joint duo of Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm play. The pair combine the rhythmic shake of country blues with the electrified boogie of hill blues, shaking it on down with hypnotic, hip-shaking North Mississippi hill country blues fueled by polyrhythmic beats by Burnside on the drums (and vocals), and raw, droning guitar with Malcolm grinding on the fretboard. Expect a 9 p.m. start time with a $10 cover.

The filmmakers responsible for the production of the local zombie film Voodoo Cowboys The Film are holding a benefit show titled Bad Mojo Showdown at Juanita’s, simply promising a “a bazaar night for a bizarre tomorrow.” Included in the night is music from five Arkansas bands: Fayetteville’s Vessels of Wrath, who sprinkle their heavy metal with techno, world music, opera and industrial, and Little Rock acts Iron Tongue, whose grunge-y heavy metal is in the vein of Soundgarden and Black Sabbath, and Ace Spade and the Whores of Babylon, a trio fronted by Ace Spade known for their blood-splattered horrorbilly. The night starts at 9 p.m. with cover $7. Also on the bill are The See and Hector Faceplant.

Metalcore act Attack Attack! is planning on releasing their sophomore release Shazam! on Rise Records in May, an album guaranteed to showcase their aggressive mixture of howling hardcore rhythms and electronica. Currently, the band is in the midst of their Artery Across The Nation Tour, including a stop at The Village, along with Denver electro/screamo duo Breathe Carolina, Michigan hardcore act I See Stars, and English metalcore bands Asking Alexandria and Bury Tomorrow. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. with general admission tickets $13 advance and $15 at the door.

Here’s Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm in action with “Goin’ Down South” by Mr. R.L. Burnside himself:

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Thursday’s Music

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Cadillac Sky.

Giving you the music a day early:

Raised on bluegrass gods such as Bill Monroe and Flatt & Scruggs, but not afraid to cover Death Can For Cutie’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark,” Cadillac Sky’s musical explosion of rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass, pop and blues caught the attention of The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach which led to a five-day recording session at Akron Analog where the five piece recorded their third full-length album. Before the album is released in the spring though, the quintet is out on the road, including a visit to Juanita’s, with the opening acts Nashville, Tenn.’s The Apache Relay with their bluegrass-flavored rock ‘n’ roll songs and Conway folk rockers This Holy House. The music starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $10 advance and $12 day of for the 18-and-up show.

In the past few months, when he’s not been busy crooning out the classics with his backing band the Mercers, Cody Belew has been working on his Americana-flavored solo album Paradise. Influenced by artists such as Patty Griffin, Ray LaMontagne, Gillian Welch and A.A. Bondy, Paradise was recorded by Jason Tedford at Wolfman Recording Studios and co-written with musician Michael Wallace. Now finished, Belew will hold a record release party at White Water Tavern.

The fresh-faced, pop-rocking Texas sextet known as Forever the Sickest Kids return to The Village for a night of their sing-along anthems powered by powerpop guitar riffs and energetic choruses. Joining the band will be Little Rock’s own School Boy Humor with their punchy powerpop tunes and EKG, a newish Little Rock band formed from members of Asteios and Alert All Arms who kick out an energetic blend of pop, rock and rap self-described as “pop crunk.” The doors open at 7 p.m. with the music starting at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 advance and $18 at the door.

Harp & Lyre praise the Lord through raging guitars on tunes such as “Insight to Failure” but add melodic keyboards and electronica flourishes to pummeling beats such as on “Grizzly Adams Did Have a Beard.” Armed with brutal praise anthems and interesting song titles, the Oklahoma City band revisits Vino’s, headlining a bill that includes Michigan hardcore band All’s Quiet and Texas hardcore group Fit For a King along with local support from Little Rock hardcore group Legend Has It. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $7 cover.

Here’s Cadillac Sky with their cover of DCFC’s “I Will Follow You Into the Dark”:

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Wednesday’s Music

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

Vetiver. Photo by Alissa Anderson.

Giving you the music a day early:

After three albums on three different labels (including the all-cover collection Thing of the Past in 2008), San Francisco folk rock group Vetiver (named after the oil obtained from the root of an Indian grass) released their 2009 collection of gentle acoustic hymns, Tight Knit, on Sub Pop Records. Since then, the outfit has toured relentlessly behind the album, including a stop at Juanita’s with the show kicking off at 9 p.m. with the haunting Americana of local act Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass. Tickets are only $2 for the 18-and-up show. Fronted by singer/songwriter Andy Cabic, Vetiver’s indie folk friends include Devendra Banhart, who’s a fan of the group’s dreamy, comfortable, fingerpicked gems, including the peppy rock of “Everyday.”

Hayley Williams and Paramore have some competition in the world of emo- and pop punk-flavored alternative rock bands fronted by a charismatic female loved by sad little boys in Juliet Simms and the band she fronts, the emo- and pop punk-flavored alternative rock outfit Automatic Loveletter. The Tampa, Fla., band, which includes Simms’ older brother Tommy Simms on guitar, is out on the road playing some solo shows, preparing for a busy spring and summer of touring, including the Vans Warped Tour. Automatic Loveletter stops at The Village with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $8 advance and $10 at the door.

Here’s the video for Vetiver’s “Everyday”:

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Saturday’s Music

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Brazilian Mardi Gras.

Giving you the music a day early:

The culture of Brazil visits Revolution Music Room when a Cultura Brasileira 101 class is held at the River Market establishment for an evening of Brazilian Mardi Gras culture complete with batucada drumming, samba dancers, carnival costumes and Brazilian drinks. The evening begins at 8 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.) with a Brazilian cultural workshop followed by free dance lessons and dancing contests at 8:30 p.m. At 9:30 p.m., the carnival kicks off with carnival band featuring Brazilian drumming and Samba dancing. Tickets are $10 advance and $15 at the door.

The four-piece, Austin, Texas, alternative rock band Language Room have earned comparisons to bands such as Jimmy Eat World and early Radiohead for their heartfelt, radio-friendly music. The quartet visits Juanita’s, with blues-influenced alternative rock The Breakthrough opening the show at 9 p.m. There’s a $6 for the 18-and-up show.

Two local bands — central Arkansas screamo band My Hands to War and Russellville alternative metal band The Last Shade — earned the right to open for Atreyu (Yes, it’s a The Neverending Story reference.) as the California metalcore band visits The Village so there’s a reason to be inside when the music starts at 8 p.m. Also on the bill, and touring with Atreyu, are Los Angeles punk rockers Drive A. The doors open at 7 p.m. with general admission tickets are $16 advance and $20 at the door for the concert presented by 100.3 The Edge.

Here’s Language Room in action with their tune “I Want to Scream”:

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Friday’s Music

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

American Aquarium. Photo by Amy Schlatter.

Giving you the music a day early:

Little Rock based Last Chance Records and White Water Tavern are teaming up to record a series of live albums at the Seventh Street bar, kicking off the Live From the White Water series with a recording of Little Rock favorites and Last Chance Records artist American Aquarium. The series will feature Last Chance artists and other White Water favorites, and use professional sound equipment and recording engineering pros, with the first album available in the spring. American Aquarium is a North Carolina alt country band whose latest album, Dances for the Lonely, is a collection of hard-charging, Bruce-Springsteen-gone-country-rock (“Katherine Belle”) and cautionary, acoustic-strummed ballads fueled by weeping pedal steel (“Downtown Girls”) that serves as a follow-up to 2008’s The Bible & The Bottle. Local rustic rockers Jonathan Wilkins & The Reparations are the openers, with the music starting at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover.

What better way to spend a Friday night than by watching other people cram nails and things up their noses, eat fire, swallow swords and horseplay with chainsaws? That’s the fun the Electric Acid Theatre — the sideshow tag-team of The Enigma, a founding member of the Jim Rose Circus, and Serana Rose — promise when they visit Juanita’s. Beyond the crazy sideshow stunts, the duo also perform to music that is described as “acid rock from the year 3000.” The opening act is the drums and guitar onslaught of Illinois duo Tweak Bird, with their fuzz-driven, big-beat rock. The night starts at 10 p.m. with cover to be announced for the 18-and-up show.

FreeVerse, a free-spirited, rock ‘n’ roll jamband known for keeping their jams tightly focused while infusing them with funk and jazz, return to Sticky Fingerz for a night of groovy tunes as they prepare for the release of their second full-length album. The band will be joined by Little Rock band Interstate Buffalo, a blues-based rock band who just finished up work on their first EP. The show starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover.

Invisible Children is a nonprofit organization supporting educational efforts in northern Uganda that grew out of the 2003 documentary Invisible Children: Rough Cut, a film showcasing the tragic use of child soldiers in that region’s two-decade old conflict between rebels and the government of Uganda. Five Arkansas bands — Falcon Scott, Free Micah, Listener, Badhand and Deas Vail — are joining forces at Revolution Music Room to present a benefit for the nonprofit and screen the organization’s newest documentary GO, a film documenting how Invisible Children is helping in northern Uganda. The documentary will be shown at 6:30 p.m. with music to follow at 8 p.m. Cover for the all-ages show is free for 21 and up, and $5 for 20 and under. Donations will be accepted for Invisible Children during the show.

Influenced by such “old school” heavy metal bands such as Metallic and Slayer, Massachusetts band Unearth have injected their heavy metal music with dose of hardcore punk to create their metalcore sound with dueling, searing guitar riffs and screaming vocals. It’s a sound that gets unveil as Unearth visits The Village on a tour that includes Chicago death metal band Veil of Maya and San Francisco hardcore punk band Early Graves, along with local support from Russellville heavy metal band Cruxx and El Dorado death metal band Once Exiled. The doors open at 7 p.m. with the music starting at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 advance and $18 day of show.

It’s quite the opposite of the Sundance Film Festival — especially minus the talentless, puppy-dog-in-a-purse, Hollywood types — as the Arkansas Community Arts Cooperative presents Show Your Shorts Film Night. The biannual event allows local filmmakers to show and discuss their independent works, from the quirky to the family ready. About a dozen films will be presented, and the ACAC will have beer, wine and popcorn on hand, and will be accepting donations as well, but admission is $7 for the public and $5 for ACAC members. The event starts at 7 p.m.

Here’s what American Aquarium brings to the table with their tune “I Hope He Breaks Your Heart.” The first 2:30 of the video is lead singer BJ Barham dishing advice, poking fun at methheads in South Carolina and detailing why the love of a bad woman creates great songs:

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Thursday’s Music

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Henry Rollins.

Giving you the music a day early:

Anybody who’s familiar with Henry Rollins knows Al Pacino could not take him down — even with the help of a sliding glass door as in the crime drama Heat. So Rollins is a decent actor. But what Rollins is really known for is his contributions to the music world, including being the lead singer of seminal hardcore punk act Black Flag. Following Black Flag, Rollins focused on his spoken word and formed Rollins Band, while also starting to act, and hosting radio and TV talk shows. A true renaissance man as a singer-songwriter, spoken-word artist, writer, actor, radio DJ and activist, 100.3 The Edge presents An Evening with Henry Rollins at Juanita’s, starting at 8 p.m. with tickets $18 advance and $20 day of show for the 18-and-up event.

Alternative rockers Marcy Playground scored a modern rock hit — and Billboard Hot 100 pop hit — on their debut album with the acoustic rock crunch of “Sex and Candy,” a melodic ballad that lumped them with late ’90s bands such as Third Eye Blind, Eve 6, Matchbox Twenty, Goo Goo Dolls, Semisonic and Fastball. Since 1999, the band has been good for pumping out an album every five years, but never electrifying audiences as they did with “Sex and Candy.” Still, the new stuff, including 2009’s Leaving Wonderland … in a fit of rage, from the now trio is just as catchy as “Sex and Candy,” and they even crank the amps up. Marcy Playground visit The Village with Little Rock indie rock act Falcon Scott as the opening act, taking the stage at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. with general admission tickets $10 advance and $15 at the door.

Here’s a video of Henry Rollins detailing where his career was and where it is now:

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Wednesday’s Music

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Elsinore. Photo by Brittany Pyle.

Giving you the music a day early:

The Champaign, Ill., band known as Elsinore create the type of sparkling rock music that gets its drive from catchy pop choruses, soaring alternative rock guitars and atmospheric flourishes with the occasional high-note hitting falsetto from vocalist from Ryan Groff. The quintet is currently on the road with We Landed on the Moon!, a Baton Rouge, La., band who crank out frenzied, dance-infused indie rock, and the two acts will stop at Juanita’s with local support from the keyboard, bass and drum garage-y pop of Winston Family Orchestra. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover for the all-ages show.

Here’s Elsinore with the video to their tune “Chemicals”:

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Saturday’s Music

Friday, February 19th, 2010

John Cowan. Photo by Carol and William Johnson.

Giving you the music a day early:

According to John Cowan, his music has been described as “bluegrass, newgrass, gospelgrass and rock ‘n’ rollgrass,” but the former lead singer of New Grass Revival — a experimental bluegrass group that included Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and Pat Flynn — is simply trying to take acoustic music to places its never been before. And it’s with his new group The John Cowan Band that Cowan is warping bluegrass and blending musical genres. Cowan and band visit Juanita’s, with Chris Denny as the opening act. The cover for the 18-and-up show is $10, and expect the music at 9 p.m.

Fayetteville’s Boom Kinetic create dance-y pop rock music that is surprisingly original (with roots in ’80s pop music masterminds such as Toto and Men at Work) when playing their high-energy music, but also play a ton of pop covers, from Tears For Fears to MGMT. Boom Kinetic visits Sticky Fingerz. There’s no opening act with the music starting at 9 p.m. with $8 early admission for the 21-and-up show.

Raised in Oakland, Calif., but chilling in New Orleans now, rapper G-Eazy creates his music in his dorm room, listens to The Beatles and A Tribe Called Quest every day, performs with a live band and wears skinny jeans — but he’s no hipster, Of course, this is all according to his online bio. Decide for yourself who G-Eazy is when he visits Revolution Music Room. The opening acts are DJ Shawn Lee and local hip hop god, entrepreneur and CNN star 607, with the music starting at 9 p.m. for the 18-and-up show. Cover is $7.

Sixteen years after Nirvana dissolved following Kurt Cobain’s suicide, the Chicago-based Nirvana tribute band Nevermind (named after Nirvana’s explosive, pioneering 1991 sophomore album) continues the music of the seminal alternative rock band. Comprised of three brothers — J., Sam and Alex Veldman — Nevermind recreates the Nirvana sound (with 70-plus Nirvana tunes in their catalogue) and stage presence of the Seattle-based band, running through the “hits” — “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Heart-Shaped Box” — while hitting the deep-album cuts — “On a Plain,” “School” — that slapped early ’90s music in the face. Nevermind return to Little Rock, this time with a show at The Village. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music kicking off at 8 p.m., and general admission tickets are $10 advance and $13 at the door.

Here’s a shot of John Cowan in action with the tune “Good Woman’s Love”:

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Friday’s Music

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

Jucifer.

Giving you the music a day early:

Before there was Jack and Meg White of The White Stripes, there was G. Amber Valentine and Ed Livengood of Jucifer. The hellacious one-two punch rides the wall of sound created by Valentine’s grinding guitar and Livengood’s thunderbolt drumming, creating a metal blast of music that tap dances on the throat of The White Stripes. The nomadic duo return to Downtown Music with opening acts Furlow band Knee Deep with their marching Southern metal and Little Rock quartet Pallbearer with their “psychedelic epic doom” metal. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $8 cover.

One Stone Productions presents A Soul Explosion on Friday at Juanita’s with soul singer Eric Roberson and neo-soul artist Algebra. Little Rock trumpeter Rodney Block and his backing band the Real Music Lovers will open. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. with doors opening at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now with general admission tickets $25 and reserved seating tickets (including an appetizer) $40.

Rousing country rocker Stoney LaRue — Texas born but Oklahoma bred — returns to Little Rock and Sticky Fingerz to run through a collection of tunes that are a blend of Red Dirt Country (Think Cross Canadian Ragweed and the like.) and pure American music. (Consider legends such as Willie Nelson, Ray Charles, Grateful Dead and Kris Kristofferson.) In the end, LaRue creates music that mixes and matches country with soul, rock ‘n’ roll and blues. The Midnight River Choir — with their Texas country rock — is the opening band, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 advance and $12 day of show for the 21-and-up gig.

Throughout their 20-plus years as a trio, Green Day has slowly transitioned from roughish pop punkers singing about smoking their inspiration on Dookie’s “Longview,” to politically in tune, socially conscious alternative rockers with American Idiot and 21st Century Breakdown. Not a mere cover band, but a tribute band, Chicago’s American Idiots recreate the sound, appearance and energy of the Grammy Award winners. Formed by ex-members of Chicago rock band Shooting Blanks, American Idiots visits Revolution Music Room to play Green Day, from “When I Come Around” to “21 Guns.” The Breakthrough is the opening act with their blues-influenced alternative rock sound, kicking off the music at 8:30 p.m. for the 18-and-up show. Tickets are $8 for 21 and over, and $10 for 18-20.

John Sinclair, a long-time civil rights activist, poet and one-time manager of punk pioneers MC5, will visit Little Rock. Sinclair will first appear at the Clinton School’s Sturgis Hall at 6 p.m. to deliver a lecture titled “North Mississippi Blues: Reflections from the Hill Country,” a discussion of the unique blues sound resonating from the hills of North Mississippi. Joining Sinclair will be David Kimbrough Jr., the son of legendary North Mississippi hill country blues artist Junior Kimbrough, and Duwayne Burnside, son of R.L. Burnside, another bluesman known for his raw, droning Mississippi hill country blues. Following the lecture, the three will appear at White Water Tavern at 9 p.m. along with Arkansas bluesman Thomas Houston Jones and his band the Snake Hips where Sinclair will recite his poetry. They will be joined on stage at the White Water by local bluesman and cigar box guitar luthier Bluesboy Jag with a solo acoustic hill country blues set.

Electronic music DJ Hatiras describes himself as a “DJ, music producer, artist, promoter and fun guy.” The owner of Hatrax and Blow Media record labels, host of a weekly radio show showcasing the best DJs around the globe and two-time Juno Award winner (The Canadian Grammys — Yeah, he’s Canadian.) Hatiras will visit The Village to present his mind-bending electronic music. The music starts at 8:30 p.m. with the doors opening at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 advance and $20 at the door, with VIP tickets $20 advance and $25 at the door.

Here’s Jucifer with the video to their tune “The Mountain”:

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