Days of the New hit it big with the stripped down, acoustic rock tune “Touch, Peel and Stand” in late ‘97 and early ‘98, and then three members split a year later, forming post-grunge act Tantric. While Days of the New has struggled, Tantric has gone on to release such mainstream rock hits as “Breakdown” and “Astounded” from their 2001 debut album and “Mind Control” from their 2009 album of the same name. The Kentucky rock band is continuing to tour, including a stop at The VillageJuanita’s presented by 100.3 The Edge. Tickets are $15 advance and $20 at the door. Joining Tantric are California rock band Adema and California/Oklahoma rock outfit Burn Halo. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the music at 8 p.m.
The Revolution Music Room opens its doors to present a night of local music. The bill includes Maumelle electronica metal group The Science of Sleep, who released an EP The World Awaits in December 2009; central Arkansas hardcore band My Hands to War; Believe the Hype!, a Little Rock act coming together from the metalcore and hardcore scenes; and experimental electronica band Medic Red from Perryville. The all-ages show begins at 9 p.m. with a $6 cover.
Between tours with artists such as Ryan Cabrera, Apache Stone and Under the Elephant, the five members of Tucker Jameson & The Hot Mugs also find time to study at Boston’s Berklee College of Music. And in between all that, the quintet records and tours solo, including a stop at Vino’s where the band will run through its pop-flavored rock sound. Cover is $7 with the music starting at 8 p.m.
This is the rather cryptic e-mail I received last week: “Rikki ‘D’ formally known as Taxes Rikki ‘D’ will be returning to the Little Rock circuit, but will be returning as ‘Little Rockin Rikki D.’ He will make his return at White Water Tavern on Thursday Aug. 19th, 9:00 pm. $4.00 at the door.” I also received a phone call from “Rikki D,” asking me to run the information. The show is also on White Water Tavern’s website so, check it out.
Here’s Tucker Jameson & The Hot Mugs with their “Summer Whine”:
Just over a month from supporting eccentric bassist Les Claypool in his Little Rock visit, Kansas-stamped, bluegrass-flavored rock outfit Split Lip Rayfield return to play Juanita’s. Tickets are $10 advance and $12 day of show for the 18-and-up gig with the music starting at 9 p.m. The opening act is Fort Smith bluegrass act The Crumbs with their collection of “drunkbilly, nastygrass and Arkansasongs” music, including a bluegrass rendition of Temple of the Dog’s “Hunger Strike.”
The They Said a Tour Was Coming tour visits Vino’s, unleashing the singing and screaming hardcore sounds of California’s Jamies Elsewhere, Texas post-hardcore outfit Memphis May Fire and Michigan progressive post-hardcore act I Am Abomination with local support from Little Rock hardcore group Legend Has It. It’s the tour kickoff with a $10 cover for the music.
South Carolina bred but Seattle-based screamo act Emery features the twin vocal assault of Toby Morell and Devin Shelton along with brutal breakdowns and catchy choruses during a tour stop at The Village. Joining the band will be Canadian pop-flavored alternative rock of Kiros, South Carolina progressive rock act Sent by Ravens and Kansas City electro-pop, garage act Queens Club. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7:30 p.m. General admission tickets are $15 advance and $20 day of show.
Here’s Split Lip Rayfield with a 2005 video for their tune “Truth & Lies”;
Guitar Shorty didn’t learn blues the old way (He had a teacher.), but the result is still some of the best blues a person will ever hear — white-hot slices of contemporary blues. A one-time member of Ray Charles backing band and Sam Cooke’s backing band, Guitar Shorty visits Sticky Fingerz for a night of his blistering guitar theatrics and soulful vocals. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $10 cover. There’s no opening act.
North Carolina Christian hardcore metal group Onward to Olympas returns to Little Rock for a show at Vino’s to showcase their mixing of progressive metal, hardcore and hints of death metal. Joining the quintet will be the Houston act Before There Was Rosalyn, a Christian band who testify with a right cross of brutal music and passionate lyrics. No start time or cover is listed for the show.
Here’s Guitar Shorty with his rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Hey Joe”:
Austin, Texas, musician Bob Schneider’s solo work showcases his appreciation of guitar-powered pop melodies, including the absolutely beautiful “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet).” It’s Schneider’s cunning blending of sparkling pop with raunchy bar rock that led Esquire to don him the “high priest of live music” in Austin. And he’s got the awards to prove it, recently being named Musician of the Year at the Austin Music Awards. Come see what all the fuss is about when Schneider appears at Juanita’s, with opening act Smile Smile, a Dallas folk pop act kicking off the music at 10 p.m. Tickets are $15 advance and $20 day of show for the 18-and-up show.
Singer/songwriter Todd Snider’s “Alcohol and Pills” name checks Hank Wiliams, Elvis (Though the claim Elvis “came up from Jackson” is wrong.), Janis Joplin, Gram Parsons and Jimi Hendrix over its howling, country rock chords. The 2004 tune is just one of the Americana gems written by Snider in his 16-year career (including the John Prine-like classic “Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues”). Snider appears at Revolution Music Room for an 18-and-up show. Tickets are $15 advance and $20 day of show, with the music starting at 8:30 p.m. The opening act and Snider’s backing band is Great American Taxi, a band led by Vince Herman born out of Leftover Salmon that mixes bluegrass, country, jazz and rock.
And Conway’s Fire to Reason is off yet again. The hardcore band that takes its name from Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes’ quote, “Eloquence may set fire to reason,” kicks off its latest tour at Soundstage. The quartet is the hardest-touring band in Arkansas, hitting the 79,000 mile mark in less than five years, June’s Bang Your Head tour is a monthlong romp around the nation showcasing their energetic music created with rapid-fire, brutal rhythms. Joining the band for the tour kickoff celebration is Little Rock down-tempo metal band Pallbearer, six piece Conway progressive metal act Still Reign and Vilonia hardcore metal act The Curse Follows. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $6 cover.
The man responsible for writing such classics as “Illegal Smile,” “Angel from Montgomery” and “Dear Abby” along with countless other American folk classics is visiting Little Rock. John Prine is set to play Robinson Center Music Hall at 8 p.m. with tickets ranging in price from $48.45 for balcony to $59.25 for orchestra. It’s an all-ages show with the doors opening at 7 p.m. There are a few great songwriters in the canon of American 20th century “pop” music — people like Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson — and Prine deserves a spot right there along with them.
After a Friday night off due to Riverfest, The Peabody Little Rock RiverTop Party returns with the I Am The Life presented Sky High Party II featuring hip hop artist Epiphany, who didn’t take a weekend off for Riverfest, instead performing with several acts during the festival. Lasting from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m., cover is $5 for the 21-and-up show. Joining Epiphany is DJ G-Force, a DJ known for his spinning at clubs around the region, drawing from his interest in genres as far ranging as jazz and funk to ’70s and ’80s hits to R&B, rock and hip-hop. Epiphany? He’s simply one of the best hip-hop artists in Arkansas. Last year Epiphany packed the patio with his One Night Stand backing band so expect a full house.
The one-two rock duo of David Tweed and Bekah Manning returns to Vino’s as Lollipop Factory performs. Expect high-powered, heavy rock from the duo, who describe their music as “bombastic, Frankensteined pop-metal contraptions.” The Little Rock trio Dangerous Idiots — Paul Bowling, Shayne Gray and Aaron Sarlo — open the show with their self-described “gulch rock,” a combination of power pop, late ’70s punk, and stoner and psychedelic rock. The show starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover.
Here’s Bob Schneider with his “40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)”:
Her Demise My Rise, a California hardcore metal band, visits Vino’s, sharing a bill with Las Vegas screamo act Eyes Like Diamonds. Joining the two bands will be Harp & Lyre, a Lord-praising band armed with brutal rhythms and raging guitars along with electronica flourishes, and Christian hardcore metal outfit Settle the Sky. The music starts at 7 p.m. with a $10 cover.
Here’s Her Demise My Rise with “Straight in Your Throat”:
Barbecue and music returns to the North Little Rock RV Park with 103.7 The Buzz’s annual Buzz-B-Q, an all-day barbecue and music festival benefiting the Arkansas Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fund. Barbecue teams will be competing for $5,000 in cash and prizes, and the music will be provided by Ty Herndon, a country music star known for his hits “What Mattered Most” and “It Must Be Love.” DJ Debbi T will have karaoke at Buzzaritaville, and the live music begins at 10 a.m. with local act Adam Hambrick, followed throughout the day by The Steve Shankles Band, Sharpe Dunaway and The Blue Meanies, Canvas, Taylor Made Rocks, and Jeff Coleman and the Feeders. Herndon takes the stage at 8 p.m. Advance tickets are $5, with day of show tickets $7 before 5 p.m. and $10 after 5 p.m. Children 12 and under free. Individuals with valid military ID get $2 off ticket price.
A number of local bands will join forces at Juanita’s to raise money for American Princes bass player Luke Hunsicker as him and his wife, Sydney, continue to battle back from Hunsicker’s 2008 diagnosis of brain cancer, and the bills incurred in its continued treatment. The Luke Hunsicker Benefit will start at 9 p.m. with a $10 cover for the 18-and-up show. No word on the order, but expect a cross-section of what the central Arkansas indie rock scene has to represent with appearances by Bear Colony, Frown Pow’r, Brother Andy & His Big Damn Mouth, Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass, Whale Fire, Life Size Pizza and Echo Canyon.
Greenville, Texas, Southern metal band S.A.O. (Strength as One) visits Downtown Music for a night of their Southern aggression. Joining S.A.O. is Land of Mines, a Little Rock heavy rock quintet powered by a hard-edged, post-grunge sound, Russellville alternative rock band Dark From Day One and A.M.S., a band that … well, a band that is unsearchable on the Internet. The music starts at 8 p.m. with a $7 cover.
Queen Anne’s Revenge is a seafood and steak restaurant in Daniel Island, S.C., where children eat free during lunch on Saturdays. Queen Anne’s Revenge was the name of legendary pirate Blackbeard’s flagship. And Queen Anne’s Revenge is a Jonesboro punk rock outfit visiting Vino’s. The touring act will be joined by two local bands: the authentic Arkansan attitude and punk rockabilly of Josh the Devil & the Sinners, and the blood-splattered horrorbilly of Ace Spade and The Whores of Babylon with their roaring uppercut of horrorbilly in all its blood-splattered glory.
Mississippi hip hop artist J-Money’s solo debut album included a long list of Southern rappers as guest stars on it, including Memphis greats 8Ball & MJG. He’s also released a debut rap album with his partner, Cadillac Don, but for a show at The Village, J-Money is teaming up with Playaz Circle to form Futuristic Playaz. The party, hosted by 607, starts at 9 p.m. with general admission tickets $15 advance and $20 at the door.
The Arkansas Community Arts Cooperative is throwing a party on the Arkansas River with its Drag The River: a cruise on the Arkansas Queen featuring drag performances by female impersonators on the main deck and a DJ on the top deck. The night also includes a cash bar and concessions, along with mystery art boxes containing works by ACAC members and Drag the River merchandise for sale. Proceeds support the ACAC. Tickets are $15 advance and $25 night of with boarding at 10 p.m., departure at 10:30 p.m. and docking at 12:30 a.m.
Not familiar with Ty Herndon? Here he is with his “What Mattered Most”:
The last time David Kimbrough Jr. visited White Water Tavern it was with poet, former MC5 manager and White Panther leader John Sinclair. Kimbrough, the son of legendary North Mississippi hill country blues artist Junior Kimbrough, returns to White Water for a night of his gritty, droning hill country blues, along with Little Rock’s Mockingbird, a five-piece band of diverse talents who create hillbilly psychedelia, a dose of music influenced by Ozark folk music and aliens. Formerly of Little Rock now of Fayetteville musician Stacy Mackey is also on the bill with her adventurous music. Cover is $10 with the music at 9 p.m.
Pay at the Pump is not only a way to avoid the temptation of purchasing scratch-off lottery tickets, but also the name of the Oklahoma City musical outfit visiting Vino’s to unleash their Southern-flavored hardcore sound. Joining them are Maumelle electronica metal group The Science of Sleep, Little Rock metal outfit Take It to Heart and Conway hardcore act Hollywood Homicide. No word on cover or start time. Pay at the Pump will also play a Sunday night gig at Soundstage, being joined by Conway metal group Still Reign and Better Alone.
Texas outfit Oh, Sleeper shout, scream and growl over their metalcore rhythms to reach to the heavens and praise the Lord. The group’s Son Of The Morning sophomore release chronicles the battle between the devil and God from start to finish so expect the quartet to shred through their version of praise anthems during a visit to The Village. Joining the band for their The Blast & The Furious Tour are Arizona metalcore outfit Greeley Estates, Jacksonville and Rise Records artist pm today with their guitar-driven, alternative rock and New Jersey post-hardcore Christian act I Am Alpha and Omega, with local support from central Arkansas screamo band My Hands to War and the hardcore metal of Star City’s Kingdom Under Siege. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the music starting at 7 p.m. General admission tickets are $10 advance and $13 at the door.
The Town Pump welcomes The Pope County Bootleggers to Riverdale with a $5 cover and music starting at 10 p.m. Splitting their time between Little Rock and Fayetteville, the Bootleggers are fresh off an appearance at South By Southwest, performing at The Hideout in Austin, Texas, with a couple of Austin acts, The Ripe and Spells. Expect The Bootleggers to collect several musical genres — blues, classic country, rock, bluegrass and rockabilly — and create their unique Americana music.
The Weekend Theater is holding its annual gala, and you along with Sordid Lives creator, writer and comedian Del Shores are invited. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at Little Rock’s Unitarian Universalist Church with a reception followed by Shores at 7:30 p.m. with his one-man show Del Shores: My Sordid Life, a performance dishing on how he created the play, film and TV series Sordid Lives along with Daddy’s Dyin’ (Who’s Got the Will?) and Southern Baptist Sissies. Also included in the night are a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Tickets to the event are a suggested minimum donation of $50.
The free music and fun for a cause with the inaugural Lime Aid Concert at Riverfest Amphitheater from noon until 5 p.m. Featuring minimalist alternative rockers Underclaire along with Ms. Tommie’s Dance Academy Dancers, Monastic’s and B.I.B Entertainment and other musical groups, the event kicks off May’s Mental Health Awareness month, promoting stress and mental health awareness, with an afternoon of showcasing Arkansas’ mental health organizations and service providers with a mental health fair. The event will also feature goodies, giveaways and a silent auction. Following the Lime Aid Concert, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Arkansas Chapter will hold a crawfish boil in the River Market Pavilions with live music from Spindown from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person or $70 per couple.
Here’s David Kimbrough Jr. tearing through his daddy’s classic “All Night Long” (Video starts at :30 mark with music at 2:15 mark.):
It’s Les Claypool at The Village. The Primus bass player is one of the strangest yet funkiest and talented bassists in the rock world, slapping and finger-tapping his bass to coax out experimental alternative rock music. Plus, he’s got a keen sense of humor. He named an album Of Fungi and Foe. So there are the reasons to go check him out. The opening act is Split Lip Rayfield, with their Kansas-stamped, bluegrass-flavored rock. The doors open at 7 p.m. with an 8 p.m. start to the music. General admission tickets are $22 advance and $25 at the door.
All I know about country musician Wes Hayden I learned from Lauren Clark. So I know he’s hot, and that he was on the hit reality TV Series The Bachelorette. He’s kind of a bad boy it seems. And his photo on his Web site reflect that. But his bio says he started playing guitar at 8 and has played the country tonks and bars, and his newest album is Full Circle, a work that mixes his bad boy image with his country-music loving roots. See for yourself if Hayden is more than a reality TV star when he visits Juanita’s to showcase his music. The opening act is to be announced, but the music will start at 9 p.m. with tickets for the 18-and-up show $8 advance and $10 day of show.
Perhaps you’re one of the half dozen or so people who haven’t seen Lord T & Eloise during one of their several River Market visits. Lucky for you, the Memphis-based but 18th century French royalty worshipping aristocrunk duo returns to Revolution Music Room. The opening act is to be announced, but expect the music to kick off at 9 p.m. with a $10 early admission for the 18-and-up show. It’s a blend of palace of Versailles-flavored aristocrunk with a heavy dose of humor and visuals as the duo (Lord Treadwell and Maurice Eloise XIII with DJ MysterE) return for another night of merrymaking and funky hip hop.
The Austin Chronicle has described Dana Falconberry as one of the city’s “most promising singer-songwriters” and its “most arresting female vocalists.” Born in Michigan, Falconberry learned to play guitar and write songs while at Hendrix College in Conway, where she fronted her own band. She lived in Little Rock for a short time before moving to Austin in 2005. She visits White Water Tavern with her full band for a night of lo-fi folk. Her online bio states her tunes are “are stories of rain and snow and fields and the birds that dip through them,” if that helps any.
Vino’s opens its doors for a night of music with five bands, including headliners Yearling, a North Carolina power pop quartet signed to Tragic Hero Records. Also on the bill are Select Start, a self-described “energetic pop rock band” hailing from Tampa, Fla.; Jacksonville, Fla., screamo-flavored pop rock band Almost Hollywood; Tulsa, Okla., pop rockers Restless Ribbon; and The Alexei, a four-piece Conway band whose punchy alternative rock is influenced by Thrice, Incubus and The Foo Fighters. The night of music begins at 8 p.m. with a $10 cover.
It’s crawfish eating and cold-beverage drinking for a good cause with Craws for a Cause at Dickey-Stephens Park with all proceeds going to Baptist Health’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Tickets are $30 advance and $35 at the door with music from dance pop outfit Boom Kinetic and The Brian Nahlen Band, an outfit known for their covers of classic rock, R&B and alternative rock tunes. Children 10 and under get in free. The all-you-can-eat crawfish and fixings, and all-you-can-drink cold beverages event last from 7 p.m. to midnight.
Comedy Central Live presents comedian Gabriel Iglesias at Robinson Center Music Hall as part of his The Fluffy Shop Tour. The laughs start at 8 p.m. with the doors opening at 7 p.m. Expect Iglesias to offer insights on Mexican-American culture, and race relations. According to IMDb, Iglesias “mentioned that he loves cake once at a show, and people often bring him cake before and after shows.” So take him some cake. He looks like he enjoys it. He’s also good friends but not kin to singer Enrique Iglesias. Or Julio for that matter. Tickets are $44.85.
Here’s Les Claypool playing with Primus, running through “Wynoa Big Brown Beaver”:
Bentonville hardcore metal quintet Overseer bring their faith-based, growling anthems to Vino’s as their tour with a couple of Texas hardcore “pop” acts, Sherman’s Kid Liberty and Abilene’s Close Your Eyes visits. Also on the bill are Safe to Shore, a Little Rock group that mixes hardcore punk with a more pop punk vibe. The music starts at 7 p.m. with a $7 cover.
And here’s Close Your Eyes with “Friends Are Friends Forever”:
Holly Golightly started her career as co-founder of the all-girl garage act Thee Headcoatees, and the English artist has released, since her 1995 solo debut, a total of 14 albums of primitive, electric country blues. Golightly has also guest starred on albums with Rocket From The Crypt and others; still, she is probably more familiar to American audiences for her work with The White Stripes on “It’s True That We Love One Another.” But it’s Holly Golightly and The Brokeoffs who will showcase Golightly’s solo collection of blues, rock ‘n’ roll and folk at Sticky Fingerz. Local roots rocker Brian Martin is the opener at 9 p.m. with tickets $7 for the 21-and-up show.
North Little Rock cigar box luthier Bluesboy Jag will return to White Water Tavern to showcase his award-winning hill country blues. A musician of more than 30 years and a regular blues picker at central Arkansas clubs, Jag began creating his handmade, electric cigar box guitars about six years ago, using wooden cigar boxes. Jag also builds cigar box amps, ukuleles, cookie tin banjos and foot drums. Also on the bill are Smokestack & The Foothill Fury, a one-man band known for his frenzied blend of punk/country/blues.
Before Save Ferris and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, there were the original purveyors of ska punk, bands like Voodoo Glow Skulls, who powered their ska with a punk velocity. And Voodoo Glow Skulls, who first formed in the Inland Empire of California in the late ’80s, will visit Vino’s to showcase their celebratory ska mixed with aggressive punk music. Tickets are $13 advance and $15 at the door. Also on the bill are Arizona punk rock band Authority Zero and California punk rock band Left Alone.
The Indie Chile tour with Casino, The Ganjas and Intimate Stranger is on the road after holding the first ever Chilean showcase at South by Southwest, including a stop at Revolution Music Room. The show starts at 9 p.m. with an $8 cover for the 18-and-up showcase. Casino first formed in 2003, and the rock trio will be touring in support of their third studio album, the band’s first with any English lyrics. The Ganjas have been together for more than 10 years, and their neo-psychedelic rock is responsible for the band being one of Chile’s biggest indie acts. The band has played with Jesus & Mary Chain and R.E.M. With a Chilean guitarist and English/Croatian singer/bassist, Intimate Stranger is a quartet known for their international rock sound.
Here’s Holly Golightly and The Brokeoffs with their tune “On the Fire”:
