Tags: Matt Stell & The Crashers

Saturday’s Music

Whitehorse.

Giving you the music a day early:

Whitehorse‘s Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland made a name for themselves as individual roots-oriented singer-songwriters in Canada, but the married couple decided it was time for their own project. So Whitehorse? It’s rowdy-yet-beautiful Canadian roots rock or maybe indie country, if there is such a thing: electric guitar and all, along with pedal steel, piano and B3 Hammond plus killer harmonies from the pair. And the two perform a grand version of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.” Whitehorse comes to Juanita’s, and the music starts at 8:30 p.m. with tickets $8 in advance and $10 day of show. The-well-known-around-these-parts-even-though-she-now-lives-in-Tennessee Elise Davis kicks off the show with her take on Americana.

Just in case one thinks SXSW is all indie rock or pop, North Carolina heavy metal gods Corrosion of Conformity is playing a festival showcase or two along with their touring partners Miami-based Southern metal band Torche and New York City band A Storm of Light, who pack in sludge, doom and post-metal into an ambient yet raging sound. (COC and A Storm of Light both play the SXSW ToneDeaf Touring Showcase with North Little Rock’s metal outfit Rwake at Dirty Dog Bar next Wednesday.) For this pre-SXSW stop at Downtown Music, stoner rock band Valient Thorr joins Corrosion of Conformity, Torche and A Storm of Light. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door.

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 discussing Tahlequah here? It’s the hometown of Turnpike Troubadours, a quintet of roots-rock playing musicians. This isn’t Red Dirt country like many bands from Oklahoma, but music that throws in a little bit of everything, including folk, Cajun and bluegrass. The band comes to Stickyz. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 18-and-up show.

Central Arkansas loves Texas country music, and one of the newer Texas country bands that the area has fallen in love with is the Casey Donahew Band. The country band based out of Burleson dropped its newest album Double-Wide Dream in late October and the album hit No. 2 on the iTunes country albums chart and No. 10 on the Billboard country albums chart. The band’s constant touring has made it a country rock force to be reckoned with. Casey Donahew Band comes to Rev Room. The opening act is Conway’s own Matt Stell & the Crashers, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. with their country music that also touches upon rock ‘n’ roll, blues, soul, folk and even a little of gospel. Cover is $15 for the 18-and-up show with the music starting at 9 p.m.

Here’s what Canadian folk artist Lauren Mann has to say about her group, Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk: The band “captures the attention of their listeners with extraordinary indie pop melodies and an authentic performance.” The outfit’s new album will be Over Land and Sea, being released in May. Lauren Mann and the Fairly Odd Folk come to Vino’s. The music starts at 8 p.m. No word on cover.

A few years ago, Zac Brown Band played locally and it cost $5 to get in. This was right around the time that the rocking, good-timing country band’s “Chicken Fried” was being released. The tune hit No. 1 on the country charts by the end of the year. By the fall of 2009, Zac Brown Band was headlining Verizon Arena. A few years later, and following a string of No. 1 country hits and new single in “No Hurry” climbing the charts, Zac Brown Band returns to Verizon Arena. Tickets are $43.65, $56.20, $71.10 and $76.20 through Ticketmaster, and that price includes all those nasty little fees and extra charges. The doors open at 6 p.m. with the show starting at 7 p.m. The opening act is Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue with a sound that captures New Orleans perfectly: a mixture of jazz, funk, rock and hip-hop.

Here’s Whitehorse with their version of “I’m on Fire”:

I’m on Fire

Saturday’s Music

Zoso.

Giving you the music a day early:

I once told “Robert Plant” of Led Zeppelin tribute band Zoso that he and Zoso were “freaking” amazing. I meant it. Some tribute bands are simply awful. Some are merely good. Few are extraordinary. Zoso falls into that latter category. Zoso is as close to the real thing a Zep fan will see outside of Led Zeppelin reforming. The music. The passion. The look. The skill. It’s all there. The Led Zeppelin tribute band, named after Jimmy Page’s famous symbol from Led Zeppelin IV, formed in 1995, and the group has toured excessively since, currently playing about 150 gigs a year. The quartet will bring the look and feel of the great Zep to Rev Room, and, in keeping with the Led Zeppelin tours of the mid-1970s, it will be all Zep. No filler or opening bands. It’s an all-ages show with the music starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10.

DeRay Davis usually just goes by the name DeRay — at least when performing his stand-up comedian. (Usually in his films, he is billed with his full name, such as in 2008′s Semi-Pro or in the upcoming 21 Jump Street). Here’s what DeRay says about himself: “A born hustler from Chicago’s South Side, DeRay began his career in the comedy clubs. Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, DeRay won the Comedy Central Laugh Riots Competition and was a standout on the Cedric the Entertainer Tour.” DeRay brings his New Year’s Comedy Explosion to Robinson Center Music Hall. The laughs start at 8 p.m. with tickets available through Ticketmaster for $35.40, $58.55 and $68.80 — and that includes all those nasty little Ticketmaster fees.

Conway’s Matt Stell & the Crashers are coming down Interstate 40 for a Little Rock show at Stickyz. For fans of the band, that means a night of good times, with the band — Matt Stell on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Eric Williams on bass, Darren Barry on lead guitar and harmony vocals, and Cliff Aaron on drums — running through their country music that also touches upon rock ‘n’ roll, blues, soul, folk and even a little of gospel. And after reading what the band brings, shouldn’t you be a fan, too? Seemingly always touring, Matt Stell & the Crashers bring their introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads to the River Market. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $6 cover for the 21-and-up show.

It’s gonna get a little weird at The Afterthought as the Mockingbird Hillbilly Band visits. Proving that birds of the weird flock together, the five members of the band are equally influenced by Ozark folk music and inspired by “flying saucers and little green men, dirigibles, country cooking and country living, lightening bugs, J.R. ‘Bob’ Dobbs” and other weird things in creating their hillbilly psychedelia. But don’t let all that scare you. It might be a little strange, but it’ll be a whole lot of fun. And you can dance to it! The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $7 cover.

Here’s Zoso with their take on the classic Zep tune “Whole Lotta Love”:

Whole Lotta Love

Wednesday’s Music

Published on: November 29, 2011
Categories: General
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Casey Donahew Band.

Giving you the music a day early:

Casey Donahew Band, the Texas country band based out of Burleson, dropped their newest album Double-Wide Dream in late October and the album hit No. 2 on the iTunes country albums chart and No. 10 on the Billboard country albums chart. So how does an independent act score such spots on the charts? By constant touring and delivering a live show that is a country rock force to be reckoned with and tunes such as the romping rhythm of “Ramblin’ Kind.” Casey Donahew Band comes to Rev Room. The opening act is Fayetteville’s own Matt Stell & the Crashers, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. with their introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 day of for the 18-and-up show.

Here’s Casey Donahew Band with their “Nowhere Fast”:

Nowhere Fast

Saturday’s Music

Hunter Hayes.

Giving you the music a day early:

Young country artist Hunter Hayes released his self-titled, major-label debut on Atlantic Records Nashville last month. The album hit the Top 10 of the country charts, mainly on the strength of the first single “Storm Warning,” which hit the country Top 40. A Louisiana native, KSSN 96 presents Hayes at Juanita’s as part of Hayes’ Most Wanted Fall Tour. The music starts at 9 p.m. with the doors opening at 8 p.m. Cover is only $5. It’s an opportunity to see a country superstar in the making as Hayes has written tunes for Rascal Flatts and Montgomery Gentry, toured with superstar Taylor Swift, played the Late Show with David Letterman and made his Grand Old Opry debut — all in the last year and all before the age of 21.

Texas-born Americana singer/songwriter Adam Carroll is known for his down-home stories about ordinary people over his intricate guitar picking. It’s a combination that has made him well-loved and respected, and has earned him comparisons to songwriters such as Townes Van Zandt and John Prine. Owen Temple is an Austin-based singer-songwriter who is known for his narrative folk tunes that are genuine, such as the collection of tunes found on his new album Mountain Home. So, yes, Temple, too, is sometimes compared to Van Zandt and Prine. Both masterful singer/songwriters come to White Water Tavern. The music starts at 9 p.m.

The Little Rock Folk Club welcomes renown Scottish folk revivalist singer and guitarist Ed Miller. Originally from Edinburgh, Miller now resides in Austin, Texas, but returns hone each year for his Folksong Tour of Scotland and most recently recorded 16 of Robert Burns’ tunes as a tribute to the national bard of Scotland. The Little Rock Folk Club is hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Church of Little Rock in the church’s Thomson Hall with a 7:30 p.m. start time. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for students, and free of children 11 and under.

Singer/songwriter Roger Creager has spent more than a decade spreading his rocking version of Texas country, a version he brings to Stickyz that is built on his stories of late-night trips to Mexico and his wild, honky-tonk live image — an image learned from watching Jerry Jeff Walker and Robert Earl Keen. Expect a night of real country tales and rabble-rousing music, including Creager’s signature tune “The Everclear Song.” Creager’s new album Surrender will be released in January. The opening act is Matt Stell & the Crashers, with their introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 21-and-up show.

First Baptist Chemical calls Walnut Hill home, and describes their sound as “Doug Sahm meets Fleetwood Mac, Sly and the Family Stone and DJ Shadow,” or something called bumpkin folk/Afro-beat. Just know this about the group: its members include Ho-Hum’s Rod Bryan, Good Time Ramblers’ Alex Piazza and singer/songwriter Helen Davey. First Baptist Chemical is also the first band up at a night of local music at The Town Pump, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. Also on the bill is the dance-y garage rock of Booyah! Dad, and the roaring indie rock crossed with smart progressive rock of The Year of the Tiger.

Miles Davis and John Coltrane are two of the biggest names in jazz and all of music for that matter, and one of Little Rock’s best jazz bands — Rodney Block and the Real Music Lovers — is paying tribute to the pair with a show at Ferneau. The music starts at 9 p.m. with reserved seats $15 and general admission $10. Joining trumpeter Block and his band of Sam Carroll, Oliver “OT” Thomas and Michael Chandler will be Joshua of Velvet Kente and songtress Dee Davis. Plus, a DJ will be spinning as well.

Here’s Hunter Hayes with his “Storm Warning”:

Storm Warning

Thursday’s Music

 

Bleu Edmondson.

Giving you the music a day early:

It has been almost a year since Bleu Edmondson released his The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be, but the Texas country artist who mixes in a little soul and country rock into his sound is still on the road promoting the album, including a stop at Juanita’s. The doors open at 8 p.m. with the music at 9 p.m. with tickets $10 in advance and $12 day of. No word on an opening act. The New Braunfels’ resident is known for his Southern-fried country rock, but The Future Ain’t What It Used To Be shows a more personal side. The result is an album for saints and sinners; a few roots rockers such as “Riot Night” and a few reflective ballads.

Justin Moore was the first country star from Arkansas in a while, but it looks like others are following in his footsteps, including northern Arkansas’ Matthew Huff. Huff is making a name for himself with a couple of tunes country music radio is taking notice of: “Back Again” and “As Time Goes By.” Influenced by country vocal groups such as Little Texas, Huff’s music take a little bit from those influences but is probably closer to Keith Urban country — with a mixture of rock power and country ballads. Huff comes to the Rev Room with Aaron Owens Band opening the show at 8 p.m. with their “in-your-face country.” Cover for the all-ages show is $10.

The Arkansas-stamped bluegrass of The Cleverlys has its roots in the Ozarks near Cane Spur. The family worked hard in the day, raising tobacco, but plucked, fiddled and sang in the evening and on the weekends, playing gigs as The Cleverly Trio. Years later, the band is known as The Cleverlys and the children of the family have taken over the band. And the sound? More modern day, as The Cleverlys are as likely to cover Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” as play an bluegrass standard. The Cleverlys come to Stickyz for a night of fun and darn-good bluegrass. The opening act is to be announced, but expect the music at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 21-and-up show.

Fresh off selling out Billy Bob’s Texas, the Texas country band based out of Burleson, Casey Donahew Band, comes to the University of Central Arkansas‘ Mudstock Fields, headlining a night of country rock. The band’s new album Double-Wide Dream drops Oct. 25 so expect new tunes along with Texas country chart-toppers such as “Let Me Love You” or “Ramblin’ Kind,” a romping rhythm fueled by blues guitar and fiddle. Joining the band will be Fayetteville’s Matt Stell & The Crashers with their introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads, and up-and-coming country music singer/songwriter Brent Cobb, who appeared at Willie Nelson’s Country Throwdown in North Little Rock back in June. Presented by Sigma Tau Gamma, the gates open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.

Here’s Bleu Edmondson with his “Southland”:

Southland

Thursday’s Music

The Big Cats.

Giving you the music a day early:

It’s Christmas time again, and to mark the occasion, pop-flavored, indie rock act The Big Cats will play their usual once-a-year, end-of-year, holiday reunion gig at White Water Tavern. Of course, when your band features Green Day touring guitarist Jason White along with Colin Brooks, who has played drums with The Stills and Dan Zanes, it’s hard to get the band back together. Rounding out the band is Max Recordings Burt Taggart along with Josh Bentley, and, since local music fans can’t get enough of The Big Cats, the band is playing two shows in one night: An all-ages show will be held at 7 p.m. followed by a 21-and-up show at 9:30 p.m. Opening act for the first show is It.Won’t.Die, and Velvet Kente opens the second show. Tickets are $6 per show or $10 for both shows. P.S. The Big Cats also have, for the first time ever, T-shirts available for sale through Max Recordings.

Introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads come together with a visit from Fayetteville act Matt Stell & the Crashers at Revolution Music Room. The band, led by central Arkansas native Stell, is as much Lynyrd Skynyrd as Willie Nelson on their debut album, The Sound & the Story. Opening the show will be Chris Alan Craig, the leader of the Arkansas/New York City outfit Chris Alan Craig Band, with a night of acoustic rock ‘n’ roll. The music starts at 9:30 p.m. Cover is $5 for the 21-and-up show which is part of the Rev Room’s ongoing “Southern Nights” concert series, showcasing the best in all styles of country music.

Play It Again Arkansas, an initiative allowing Arkansans to donate their used musical instruments to schools across the state, is holding its annual Hornucopia fundraiser at Juanita’s. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music at 8 p.m. Admission is $20 donation at the door or the gift of a school band instrument (trumpet, flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, etc.). The music will be provided by Shannon Boshears Band, CRISIS, Taylor Made and Nevertrain. Boshears is known for cranking out a serious dose of guitar-powered blues rock, rocking out at festivals such as the Arkansas River Blues Festival and the King Biscuit Blues Festival. CRISIS is a Little Rock cover act that plays the best rock music of the ’70s and ’80s, and Nevertrain is a North Little Rock country rock act.

Here’s The Big Cats with their “Little Windows”:

Friday’s Music

Published on: October 7, 2010
Categories: General
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Paul Thorn.

Giving you the music a day early:

None other than Kris Kristofferson has called Americana singer/songwriter Paul Thorn “the best kept secret in the music business.” Born in Wisconsin but raised in Elvis Presley’s hometown of Tupelo, Miss., by a Pentecostal preacher father, Thorn’s music is a blend of his blues, country, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll background with his gruff yet soulful vocals standing out from the music. Thorn visits Revolution Music Room with Matt Stell & The Crashers as the openers, taking the stage at 9 p.m. with their mixture of introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads. Tickets for the 18-and-up show are $12 in advance and $15 day of show.

Of course, it’s the start of the Arkansas State Fair, which means over the next 10 days a number of musical acts will be appearing. The best part? Each act is free with a fair admission, which is $8 for adults, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and seniors, and free for children under 6. The acts on the Wendy’s Concert Main Stage include The Guess Who on Friday, Joe Diffie on Sunday, Easton Corbin on Oct. 14, Bucky Covington on Oct. 14 and Loverboy on Oct. 15.

Here’s Paul Thorn in action with “If I Can Get Over Her”:

Thursday’s Music

The Crystal Method.

Giving you the music a day early:

The electronica method of The Crystal Method is actually the duo of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, two Las Vegas boys who founded the group in Los Angeles in the early ’90s. About 17 years later, the duo have made a name for themselves through their music work in commercials, TV shows, films and video games, along with their thumping-breaks-and-big-beat live show. The duo visit The Village on their Divided By Night Tour, and local support will be provided by a host of Little Rock’s best electronica artist, including Sleepy Genius, Justin Sane, Ewell, Paul Grass and Andy Sadler along with a Dub Room featuring Digital Love, Sleek, Wolf E Wolf and Stepchild. The music starts at 8 p.m. with tickets $20 advance and $25 at the door.

Introspective country, high-energy rock and Americana ballads come together with a visit from Fayetteville act Matt Stell & the Crashers at Sticky Fingerz. The band, led by central Arkansas native Stell, is as much Lynyrd Skynyrd as Willie Nelson on their debut album, The Sound & the Story. There’s no announced opening act, but the music will start at 9:30 p.m. with a $5 cover for the 21-and-up show.

Here’s The Crystal Method with their “Name of the Game”:

Thursday’s Music

Band of Heathens.

Giving you the music a day early:

Taking their musical cues from the greats of Americana music, including The Band, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Townes Van Zandt, Austin, Texas, quintet Band of Heathens return to Little Rock for a show at Sticky Fingerz. The opening act is Americana act Matt Stell & The Crashers, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. Cover is $7 for the 21-and-up show. The Heathens’ second album, One Foot in the Ether, invokes the sordid side of Hunter S. Thompson’s higher-publicized literary tales with “L.A. County Blues,” a slow-burning country rocker with a bluesy guitar solo. The band plays about 250-plus shows a year, taking their stomping roots rock and dusty country ballads with soulful vocals and cowboy poetry to the masses.

The last time Little Rock favorites and Last Chance Records artist American Aquarium visited White Water Tavern it was for a recording of the Last Chance Records produced Live From the White Water series. This time around the magic will only be witnessed by the North Carolina alt country band and their fans in attendance. The band’s latest album is Dances for the Lonely, 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. Expect gritty alt country, rustic back-porch numbers and hopefully the rollicking piano and bluesy guitar workout of “Ain’t Going to the Bar Tonight.”

Pop melody-powered rockers Eisley have finished recording their “exciting, brutally honest, catchy-as-hell” third record, but after negotiating in February an exit from their deal with Warner Music after two albums, the Tyler, Texas, band is currently discussing with several labels the release of their third album. In the meantime, the quintet of siblings and a cousin is on their Mild Mild Midwest Tour, including a visit to The Village. Joining the band will be fellow Tyler, Texas, band The Lion & The Sail with their epic, progressivelike indie rock, and singer-songwriter Christie DuPree (younger sister of Eisley’s siblings). The doors open at 7 p.m. with the music at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $13 advance and $16 at the door.

Here’s Band of Heathens with their “L.A. County Blues”:

Wednesday’s Music

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit.

Giving you the music a day early:

Following his early 2007 departure from the Drive-By Truckers (where he wrote one the band’s best tune, “Outfit”), Jason Isbell’s debut solo work, Sirens of the Ditch, was an excellent 12-track slice of alt country-flavored rock filled with storyteller tunes drenched in color and rich details. By 2008, Isbell had gone the full band route, starting Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, and releasing an equally stunning eponymous sophomore album in February 2009. (Seriously, check out “Seven Mile Island.”) The Muscle Shoals, Ala., singer/songwriter returns to Little Rock, upgrading to the Revolution Music Room. The music starts at 8:30 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 18-and-up show. Americana act Matt Stell & The Crashers, an Arkansas act known for their collection of country and Southern rock tunes, is the opener.

Here’s one for the children, as Movies in the Park at Riverfest Amphitheatre presents the animated tale Kung Fu Panda, complete with the voices of Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie. It’s the heart-warming tale of an obese, lazy panda who must fulfill an ancient prophecy, studying kung fu and saving the Valley of Peace in ancient China along the way. It’s free, with the screening starting at sundown. Movie lovers can bring picnics and beverages, and onsite concessions are available as well.

The Wizard Of Oz wraps up its engagement at Robinson Center Music Hall with a special afternoon matinee at 1 p.m. and a 7:30 p.m. performance. Tickets are $21 to $46. Presented by Celebrity Attractions, the event is a celebration of the iconic 1939 MGM film, the family musical includes a combination of classic songs, special effects and choreography along with the evil flying monkeys. For tickets and additional information, visit www.CelebrityAttractions.com or call (501) 244-8800. Join Dorothy, Toto, the Cowardly Lion, Tin Man and Scarecrow for the fun.

Here’s Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit with their “Cigarettes and Wine”:

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