The second annual World Cheese Dip Championship is coming to War Memorial Stadium. The event kicks off at 1 p.m. and last through 7:30 p.m. with admission $10 for adults, and children 10 and under free. Amateurs and pros alike will compete (in separate categories) for the title of best dip with a panel of judges deciding, and the pro winner being presented the opportunity for participation in the 2012 New Orleans Roadfood Festival. Winners will also receive cash and trophies, and festival attendees will decide the People’s Choice Awards. There will be a World Cheese Dip Celebrity Championship Chow Down and a World Cheese Dip Chow Down with guests competing. Beyond the cheese dip there will be children’s activities and music from local acts Velvet Kente, Bonnie Montgomery and Rodney Block, and the Arkansas vs. Alabama football game will be played on the stadium’s video screen.
The music is called “electro beats with an alternative indie crunch” that U.K. electronica artist Viva City brings to Rev Room. So what does that description mean? Think bands along the lines of LCD Soundsystem and Justice, with big beats, a little guitar working its way in and some thumping, synth-y basslines. It’s all hard and heavy electronic music. The show starts at 9 p.m. with the opening act Eli James, a Seattle one-man electronic dance rock band known for his own custom light show. The ticket price is to be announced, but it’s an 18-and-up show.
Austin, Texas, Americana outfit Band of Heathens‘ second album One Foot In the Ether featured the excellent ode to Hunter S. Thompson “L.A. County Blues,” a slow-burning country rocker with a bluesy guitar solo. The band’s latest is the spring release Top Hat Crown & the Clapmaster’s Son, and it’s a collection of well-crafted tunes that show the band’s hand: Southern rock, swamp blues, stomping roots rock and dusty country ballads with soulful vocals and cowboy poetry. A hard-touring act, Band of Heathens comes to Stickyz. The opening act is Grace Askew, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. with her Memphis urban folk with touches of jazz and soul. Cover is $10 for the 21-and-up show.
Since the release of his third solo album More Like A Temple earlier this year, Little Rock singer/songwriter Adam Faucett has been a mainstay of central Arkansas stages, playing his self-described “Southern soul swamp opera.” It’s a genre of music that covers Faucett’s influences, including the country folk of Townes Van Zandt, the art rock of the Velvet Underground and the fiery soul of Otis Redding. Faucett brings his “Southern soul swamp opera” to The Afterthought, including such tunes as the darkness-on-the-horizon march of “Gator” and the stumbling power pop of “Sweet Maureen.” The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $7 cover.
Philander Smith College is getting this particular Saturday started right with a jazz brunch that honors a well-loved Philanderian in Dr. Jill Trice and features the music of saxophonist Marquis Hunt and trumpeter Rodney Block. The event is 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Nugent Hall inside the Kendall Center. Trice, a noted pediatric neurologist, died in December 2010 at the age of 60 from lupus. She graduated from Philander Smith College in 1972. Her family established the Jill Trice Endowment Scholarship Fund in her honor. Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door, and all proceeds benefit the scholarship fund.
Downtown Music is the place to be for fans of hard rock, heavy metal and alternative rock as the venue presents the sixth version of Synfest. Titled Synfest: Music for Maddie, the two-night concert is a benefit for Madison “Maddie” Lanway, a young girl from Jefferson battling a rare form of cancer. Friday night’s lineup was DirtyFinger, Demeritrious 2.0 (In Ground Zero), Land of Mines, Rollo Tumasi, Rusty Hook, Gemini and At War’s End. But have no fear if you missed it because Saturday’s lineup includes Suffocating Hatred, Driven to Madness, Attack the Mind, Tha Mutha Load, Drop Dead Syndicate, The Midnight Ghost Train, and Eddie and the Defiantz. It’s an all-ages show with the music starting at 7 p.m., and the doors opening at 6 p.m. Each act will perform an approximately 30-minute set. Cover is $8.
Here’s Band of Heathens with their “L.A. County Blues”:
With his debut and sophomore albums combining to sell more than 2 million copies, Jason Aldean returned in April 2009 with a third album of 11 country-rock flavored tunes titled Wide Open. And since then Aldean’s career has been running wide open with his star climbing in the country music sky, only fueled more by the release of his November 2010 album My Kinda Party. Following an April 2009 appearance at Riverfest, Aldean returns to the metro, bringing his headlining My Kinda Party Tour to Verizon Arena. Guests include Eric Church, whose album Carolina spawned two Top 10 hits, and The JaneDear Girls, a country music duo whose debut album will be released Feb. 1. The pair also have a Top 40 country hit with “Wildflowers.” Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20.75 to $44.75.
It’s no visit from Atlanta metal group Mastodon, but it is two side projects of Mastodon guitarist and vocalist Brent Hinds that will be arriving at Juanita’s with visits from West End Motel and Fiend Without a Face. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the music at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door. West End Motel is a country punk quintet fronted by Hinds and featuring longtime friend Tom Cheshire, and Fiend Without a Face combines country, rockabilly and surf rock in creating their “Def Lepard hanging out with The Ventures at an Indian wedding” music.
A fusion of rock, jazz and R&B that finds a groove and chases the music, digging up “tasty” surprises along the way, Col. Bruce Hampton & The Quark Alliance, featuring former Weakness for Blondes guitarist Perry Osborn, returns to Stickyz. From his days as the leader of The Aquarium Rescue Unit to today, as leader of The Quark Alliance, Hampton (forever retired) has kept strange company and played some even weirder music along the way. It was the early ’90s incarnation of The Aquarium Rescue Unit that help start the H.O.R.D.E. tour, and Hampton’s bands have included such jamband icons as Jimmy Herring and Oteil Burbridge. No word on the opening band, but the music starts around 9 p.m. with cover $8 for the 21-and-up affair.
Memphis band John Paul Keith & The One Four Fives return to White Water Tavern with their rambling honky-tonk flavored indie rock, propelled by the band’s love of rockabilly guitars, pedal steel, piano and driving drums. The band’s debut album is Spills and Thrills. The music starts at 10 p.m. with no word on cover charge.
It’s 2011 and time for a return of the best hip-hop show in the area: The O.D. 7 at Cornerstone Pub. The music starts at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 21-and-up show. Powered by The Scoop, hosted by Little Rock hip-hop luminary Epiphany and featuring DJ Silky Slim on the turntables, the night of local rap and hip hop includes Da Saw Squad, Osyrus, Shea Marie, The Parker Bros., Kwestion, Juke Joint, K. Toomer and J-Fuego.
Little Rock’s best trumpeter Rodney Block will be his backing band of Sam Carroll, Michael Handler and Oliver “O.T.” Thomas — The Real Music Lovers — running through a number of R&B and jazz selections as the band returns to The Afterthought. The music starts at 9 p.m., and cover is $10.
Here’s Jason Aldean in action with his “My Kinda Party”:
After a spring 2009 visit to central Arkansas opening for Nickelback at Verizon Arena and a visit to The Village earlier this year, Southern hard rock band Saving Abel, whose song “Addicted” from their debut album hit No. 2 on Billboard‘s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, is returning to Little Rock with a gig at Juanita’s. The band’s sophomore release is the June album Miss America, which has spawned the Top 10 mainstream rock hit “Stupid Girl (Only In Hollywood).” Saving Abel is the headlining act for 100.3 The Edge’s Twisted Christmas with Kansas City rock band Red Line Chemistry as the opener. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music at 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $16.50 in advance and $20 day of show.
Mediums Downtown presents a special night of Christmas music with soul as Rodney Block and friends play the first ever holiday party at the new downtown venue. Titled A Soulful Christmas, the night kicks off at 8:30 p.m. with VIP tickets $15 and general admission tickets $10. Joining Little Rock’s best trumpeter will be his backing band of Sam Carroll, Michael Handler and Oliver “O.T.” Thomas — The Real Music Lovers — and a number of local musicians, including Gerald Johnson, Cliff “Drummer Boy” Aaron, Emanuel “Tiko” Brooks and Joel “Jammin JC” Crutcher. Block and the gang will run through a number of R&B and jazz selections, and include a number of Christmas classics in their setlist.
The RSVP Society presents its Sin on Sundays at Ernie Biggs, featuring live rock on the downstairs stage with music from a trio of bands: Grand Facade, Josh Green and Chris Henry. The upstairs will be a Sunday dance party with music from West Coast DJ and producer Simply Jeff, with local support from Justin Sane, Sean Biggs and Tristan Wingfield all performing together. It’s service-industry night so service industry employees with a pay stub get in for $4. Others who RSVP also can get in for $4.
Here’s Saving Abel in action with their “Stupid Girl (Only in Hollywood)”:
Kentucky alternative metal band Flaw formed in the mid-1990s and released a series of independent albums. But it wasn’t until their Universal Records release Through the Eyes that the band became nationally know, thanks to a string of mainstream rock hits such as “Payback.” While the band broke up earlier this century, the band has since regrouped and is back on the road, including a stop at Juanita’s. The doors open at 8 p.m. with the music at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 day of show with the night opening with Osceola rock band Finding Jimmy Hoffa and Flaw touring partners Saturate, a Baytown, Texas, hard rock band.
Hot Springs industrial rock band The Vail comes to Downtown Music with a couple of other local acts: central Arkansas hardcore band My Hands to War and North Little Rock punk cabaret band Flameing Daeth Fearies. After playing the part of KISS at a local Halloween party, the Fearies continue with their Get Your Red Wings Tour 2010 to celebrate the release of their newest EP, Lightish Red, a collection of tunes showcasing the band’s “comedic cabaret pop punk” sound. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $6 cover. Also on the bill is West Memphis hardcore metal outfit An American Tragedy.
Perhaps the best trumpet player in Arkansas, Rodney Block, returns to one of his favorite haunts with a visit to The Afterthought. Block’s live act is a stone cold, cool fusion of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, funk and soul. The music starts at 9 p.m. with cover $10.
Bluegrass singer, guitarist and mandolin player Dan Tyminski has been a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1994, providing his strong instrumental work and soulful tenor. But in 2008, with Krauss off with former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant, he formed the Dan Tyminski Band to keep the bluegrass flame burning. And it’s Tyminski that visits Juanita’s for a night of bluegrass. Nashville, Tenn., singer/songwriter Ronnie Bowman, a man who writes hit songs for country superstars such as Kenny Chesney while recording his own music, is the opener, with the music starting at 8 p.m. with tickets $20 in advance and $25 at the door for the 18-and-up show. Bowman is also a former member of The Lonesome River Band, the band Tyminski belonged to before Union Station. Of course, Tyminski is also responsible for updating “Man of Constant Sorrow” for the Coen brothers’ film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a tune that won a Grammy Award for best Country Collaboration with Vocal.
Riverfest was the reason behind the two-man blues wrecking crew of Cedric Burnside and Lightnin’ Malcolm last coming to Little Rock in May. Following their festival appearance, the duo rocked White Water Tavern with their primal, juke-joint blues with traces of funk and rock. The juke joint duo return to White Water. Expect the duo’s modern take on the North Mississippi hill country blues, a rhythmic shake of country blues with the electrified boogie of hill blues, shaking it on down with hypnotic, hip-shaking beats. No word on the start time, but it should be late enough for Hog fans to celebrate their win over Louisiana-Monroe at War Memorial Stadium.
Memphis-based but Arkansas-loved rockers Lucero are returning to Little Rock with a show at The Village. Fronted by Arkansas native Ben Nichols, Lucero is known for their brand of punk-infused country and rock ‘n’ roll tattooed tunes of girls, guitars, love and drinking. The band released their latest album, 1372 Overton Park, on Universal Republic in October 2009. General admission tickets are on sale now for $18 in advance or $22 day of show. Joining the band will be Glossary, a fellow Tennessee-based outfit known for their bleeding heart rock ‘n’ roll that leaves blood on the knobs with tunes torched by country and R&B. The band’s newest album is Feral Fire.
Here’s the latest update from the mysterious musician known as Little Rockin Rikki “D.” Rikki “D” will make his second trip into the Little Rock area with a show at the Town Pump. Or as Rikki “D”‘s e-mail said: “Rikki ‘D’ and his hard-charging band is set to rock your soul.” Joining Rikki will be Rikki Jr. on saxophone and keyboards, Clint Marl on drums, and Dynasty on bass and congas. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. with a $5 cover.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park presents its Pinnacle of Music Festival from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. with four performers during the day: Needle St., a blues rock band consisting of a group of friends who played together back in the ’60s and ’70s, and recently reformed; acclaimed Arkansas blues guitarist Michael “Ironman” Burks; Gerald Johnson, a KABF DJ and musician who fronts a band that plays blues and jazz to reggae and R&B; and Rodney Block, a trumpeter known for an unique blend of traditional jazz, gospel, hip hop, bebop, funk and soul. Admission is $10 per person with free parking. Chairs, blankets and coolers are welcome.
Here’s Dan Tyminski with “Man of Constant Sorrow”:
A number of local and national country acts are joining forces for Bootfest at War Memorial Stadium to benefit the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters’ Memorial. The lineup of bands includes local acts Riverbilly, SpinRad, Cliff Hudson, Matthew Huff and Luke Williams opening for country artist John Conlee, who appears at 9 p.m. Gates open at 3 p.m. with the music at 4 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 and children under 10 get in free. Active military, firefighters, police officers, EMT and EMS personnel get free admission with their active ID, and their family members are $5 per person.
Rodney Block and Jonathan White are once again joining forces for the Labor Day Weekend Sunset Jazz Cruise: Evolution of the Horns Part 2 aboard the Arkansas Queen. Boarding time is 6:30 p.m. with the cruise lasting from 7-11 p.m. General admission is $22 with VIP tickets available for $40. The event brings together two of Little Rock’s premier musicians for a night of jazz; Mr. “Pied Piper” Rodney Block (trumpeter) and Mr. “Get it on the Sax” JWhite (saxophonist). Also appearing is Block’s backing unit The Real Music Lovers: Sam Carroll (keyboards), Michael Chandler (drums) and Oliver “OT” Thomas (bass). DJ Swift will also be spinning.
A January show was postponed because of snow and ice, and a May show was canceled, but The Revelations feat. Tre Williams are finally returning to Juanita’s. The band will deliver their electrifying re-imagining of classic ’60s and ’70s soul music, crossing the gritty, Southern soul of Stax with the dazzling, urban flash of Motown. A solo project by Williams grew into The Revelations, with its R&B rhythms, and bluesy guitar and organ. Tickets are $15 advance and $20 day of with the music at 10 p.m. for the 18-and-up show.
ILiveTheGoodLife.com, and Mix and Mingle Entertainment present The Ultimate Ladies Night Out at Robinson Center Music Hall with an appearance by R&B singer Monica and K Michelle. Joining the two stars will be Little Rock’s own star trumpeter Rodney Block and soul singer Jeron. Mr. Keith “Keef” Funny Man Glason, a finalist in the Arkansas’ Funniest Person contest, will host the event. The show will start at 8 p.m. with tickets $44.35 for the upper balcony, $48.50 for lower balcony, $55.15 for the mezzanine, $59.30 for orchestra seats and $75.75 for first six rows of orchestra. Monica is known for hits such as “The First Night,” “So Gone” and “Everything to Me,” and has released five U.S. albums, including her latest Still Standing which hit No. 1 on Billboard‘s R&B album charts. K Michelle is an up-and-coming R&B singer from Memphis, who will release her debut album in 2010.
Conway’s Plan B is hosting a Rock for Wildlife Benefit Show, with $10 donations at the door going to the Audubon Society to assist with the Gulf Coast cleanup and rescue of gulf wildlife. Beyond saving the ducks, pelicans and other wild creatures, patrons will receive a heavy dose of central Arkansas rock and metal. Slated to appear at the all-ages show are heavy rockers Bombay Black, ’80s metal and hard rock cover band The Meanies with Sharpe Dunaway, Little Rock rock act Eden Crow, Vilonia Christian metal band The Curse Follows, and Between Crows and Thieves. The show begins at 6 p.m. A $10 donation gains entry to the show and a ticket for door prizes. Each additional $5 earns another ticket for door prizes.
Bleu Edmondson mixes Texas country and bluesy rock ‘n’ roll, using the western sky to guide him and praising Dixie sweet and low all night long to create his “Travelin’ Man” music. The Red Dirt country rocker, influenced by artists such as Robert Earl Keen, Waylon Jennings and Bruce Springsteen, visits Sticky Fingerz to deliver his incendiary live show with moments of introspective soulful moments. The opening act is Little Rock folk rock artist Mandy McBryde, kicking off the music at 9 p.m. Tickets for the 21-and-up show are $10 advance and $12 day of.
Little Rock’s best honky tonk outfit, The Salty Dogs spent the summer of 2009 recording their new album, Brand New Reason, an album filled with rural-living ballads, Bakersfield country and Texas swing along with rock ‘n’ roll rave ups. The album — released earlier this year — is The Salty Dog’s third album, and contains the brokenhearted misery march of “Words May Talk,” and country swingers such as “Rock and Roll Will Never Stay,” turbo-injected gallops such as a cover of Chuck Berry’s “Nadine” and the fuzzed out, glam rock excess of the T. Rex riff that kicks off “Knock 3X.” Catch The Dogs at White Water Tavern.
Reel Big Fish had been kicking out ska punk for half a dozen years before their “Sell Out” single introduced them to the masses — including a video in rotation on MTV — in 1996 and 1997. And the Southern California band has continued to create energetic, trumpet-powered ska punk, releasing a number of albums, including 2009′s Fame, Fortune and Fornication. The band visits The Village. The doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music at 8:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $13 advance and $16 at the door.
And, Friday and Saturday, Furlow Entertainment and Downtown Music are teaming up for a two-day event titled Rockin’ 4 Autism, with all proceeds benefiting autism research. Tickets for the two-day event are $15 for both nights or $10 for one night. Friday, the doors open at 7:30 p.m. with the music at 8 p.m. from a lineup of bands including Southern metal band Sychosys, Hot Springs industrial rock band Jessica Seven, North Little Rock doom metal band Zucura, Little Rock heavy rock act Land of Mines and Little Rock rockers Danger Ready.
Here’s The Revelations feat. Tre Williams with their tune “I Don’t Want to Know”:
Giving you the music a day early: Former Deadboy & the Elephantmen lead singer, guitarist and songwriter Dax Riggs (he also fronted Louisiana sludge band Acid Bath before that) is closing out a May tour with a Stickyz visit. There’s a $10 cover at the door with the music starting [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Those opening piano chords in “Trouble Won’t Last Always” from Tennessee-based Glossary‘s October 2011 album Long Live All Of Us tells you quickly the 12-track record is going to be a rollicking good time filled with boogie R&B, horn-filled soul and pedal steel-laced [...]
Giving you the music a day early: These guys in Memphis-based Tiger High have quite the musical pedigree. Songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jake Vest was in Jack Oblivian and The Trashed Romeos, and drummer Greg Roberson was in Reigning Sound, Arthur Lee’s Love, The Trashed Romeos, Jack Oblivian and Compulsive Gamblers. [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Have you heard Elizabeth Cook‘s “Heroin Addict Sister”? It’s one song you won’t ever hear on country radio. It’s — to say the least — a little too brutally honest, but it’s oh-so great: devastating lyrics delivered with Cook’s angelic vocals. “Sometimes [...]
Giving you the music day early: Psychedelic, electro, roots music? Well, that’s what the Portland, Ore., by way of Kentucky band Morning Teleportation offer up when they come to Stickyz. The band also likes calling their music “deep-space pickin’ ‘n’ grinnin’.” Check out the band’s 2011 debut Expanding Anyway for [...]
Giving you the music a day early: You want to hear great Americana/country/folk songs of the 21st century? You get down to the Rev Room and hear Chris Knight, a singer/songwriter who grew up in Slaughters, Ky., and sings about despair, bad luck, sorrow and the rural struggle to survive. [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Here’s what country musician Joe Nichols says about his new work It’s All Good, his sixth studio album released in November: “Yes, this is about commercial success, but if you want to make something that lasts, it’s about art, too. I want to [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Each second Thursday of the month, the William F. Laman Public Library kicks off the weekend with a free show titled Live at Laman. This week it’s Audrey Dean Kelley doing the Live at Laman thing, playing a free, 7 p.m. show in [...]
Giving you the music a day early: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, is close to the deep dark woods of Canada, so it’s apt that an indie folk rock quartet from that city would name themselves The Deep Dark Woods. The group is currently on a run of shows far from home that [...]
Giving you the music a day early: It has been 11 years — give or take a few months — for Little Rock bluegrass outfit Runaway Planet. Let’s hope the band keeps on going, too, because the metro and the world needs their hard-driving bluegrass that also mixes in traditional [...]
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