Monthly Archives: March 2019

Tonight at South on Main the OXFORD AMERICAN presents Bonerama

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The Oxford American’s Concert Series continues Thursday, March 7, with Bonerama. Doors open at 6:00 PM, and the show begins at 8:00 PM. This is the third show in the 2018-19 Archetypes & Troubadours Series, which is made possible in part by presenting sponsors Chris & Jo Harkins and J. Mark & Christy Davis.

Four years since their last recording, New Orleans Brass & Rollers, Bonerama returns with their seventh album Hot Like Fire, their first title to be released by Basin Street Records.

Formed in New Orleans in 1998, by trombone players Mark Mullins and Craig Klein (who, from 1990-2006, were also members of Harry Connick Jr.’s big band), Bonerama bills itself as a brass/funk/rock band, but Bonerama is much more than that. They are a New Orleans musical institution—one of the most genuine, unique, and interesting bands ever to have come out of the Crescent City. Bonerama incorporates jazz, brass, funk, fusion, soul, pop, rock, blues, a touch of alternative, and even a bit of reggae into its one-of-a-kind sound. Three trombones front the band, supported by a sousaphone, guitar, and drums, all delivering a powerful sound that you have to hear to believe.

Known the world over for their incendiary live performances, Bonerama has been bringing its specialized brand of New Orleans music to the masses for over twenty years. The group is currently comprised of Mullins (trombone, electric trombone, and lead vocals), Klein (trombone and lead vocals), Greg Hicks (trombone and vocals), Bert Cotton (guitar), Matt Perrine (sousaphone and electric bass), and Walt Lundy (drums).

Hot Like Fire finds Bonerama developing its dynamic, high-energy, fun, happy, and bold moods further than ever before. The New Orleans stalwarts deliver nine wonderfully brassy musical landscapes—seven of which are original compositions (including the concert staple “Mr. Okra”), along with powerful covers of Radiohead’s “Paranoid Android” and the late Allen Toussaint’s “Basic Lady.” The album was produced by Mark Mullins, Craig Klein, and Tracey Freeman, and it was recorded at Music Shed Recording Studios in New Orleans.

Documentary “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” tonight at Mosaic Templars

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(AP Photo/Random House/Dwight Carter)

Join Mosaic Templars Cultural Center during Women’s History Month for a screening of the documentary film “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise.”

Distinctly referred to as “a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture,” Dr. Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014) led a prolific life. As a singer, dancer, activist, poet and writer, she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries. Best known for her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (Random House), she gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before.

With unprecedented access, filmmakers Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack trace Dr. Angelou’s incredible journey, shedding light on the untold aspects of her life through never-before-seen footage, rare archival photographs and videos and her own words. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South and her early performing career to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana and her many writing successes, including her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton, “American Masters” – “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” reveals hidden facets of her life during some of America’s most defining moments.

This film is presented in partnership with Arkansas Educational Television Network.

A Conversation With Arkansas Supreme Court Justices tonight at CALS

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Image result for arkansas supreme courtThe Arkansas Supreme Court, in partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System, invites the public to an event that focuses on connecting Arkansans with their state Supreme Court.

The free lecture and Q-and-A is on Thursday, March 7, at 6:30 p.m. at the Main Library in the River Market District in downtown Little Rock. The Main Library is located at 100 Rock Street, Little Rock, 72201.

The event is part of National Judicial Outreach Week, an initiative that aims to increase interaction between the judiciary and the public it serves. Arkansas Supreme Court Chief Justice John Dan Kemp and Justices Rhonda Wood and Robin Wynne will speak and then take questions from the public.

There will also be a presentation by the Executive Director of the Arkansas Access To Justice Commission, Amy Johnson. The Commission aims to provide equal access to justice for all Arkansans.

Please contact Karen Steward at karen.steward@arcourts.gov or 501-410-1935 with any questions. While an RSVP is not required, it is much appreciated for planning purposes.

Presentations include:

Chief Justice John Dan Kemp: Goals For the Arkansas Judiciary
Justice Robin Wynne: The Tiers of the Arkansas Court System
Justice Rhonda Wood: Ensuring Fair and Impartial Courts
Amy Johnson, Executive Director of Arkansas Access To Justice: Addressing the Unmet Legal Needs of Arkansans

Best-selling author Greg Iles will sign copies of newest book CEMETERY ROAD today at CALS Ron Robinson Theater at noon

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The Central Arkansas Library System (CALS) will host a book signing featuring bestselling author Greg Iles on Thursday, March 7, noon at Ron Robinson Theater, Library Square, 100 Rock Street. Iles will sign copies of his new novel, Cemetery Road, and a limited number of backlist books with purchase of Cemetery Road.

WordsWorth Books will have books available for purchase on site. The event is free and open to the public.

Cemetery Road follows protagonist Marshall McEwan who left his hometown at age eighteen and vowed never to return. The trauma that drove him away ultimately spurred him to become one of the most successful journalists in Washington D.C. But just as the political chaos in the nation’s capital lifts him to new heights, Marshall is forced to return home in spite of his boyhood vow.

Greg Iles spent his youth in Natchez, Mississippi. His first novel, Spandau Phoenix, was the first of fifteen New York Times bestsellers, and his Natchez Burning trilogy continues the story of Penn Cage, protagonist of The Quiet Game, Turning Angel, and #1 New York Times bestseller The Devil’s Punchbowl. Iles’s novels have been made into films and published in more than thirty-five countries. He is a member of the lit-rock group “The Rock Bottom Remainders,” lives in Natchez, Mississippi, with his wife, and has three children.

Cemetery Road will be available for purchase starting March 5. For more information, call the 918-3098 or email bmooy@cals.org.

#5WomenArtists – Elsie Bates Freund

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Through their social media campaign #5WomenArtists, the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) asks, “Can you name five women artists?

In response to that, this month five artists with Little Rock connections will be highlighted throughout March.  Up first is Elsie Bates Freund.

Born in Missouri in 1912, she was active as an artist in both Eureka Springs and later Little Rock. She died there in 2001.

Freund drew inspiration from her home in the Ozarks and applied it to painting and ceramics. As a painter and ceramicist and she signed all of her jewelry as “Elsa” and her paintings as “Elsie.”  Her work can be found at many museums including the Smithsonian, Arkansas Arts Center and Historic Arkansas Museum.

Freund is one of the 5 Women Artists being highlighted by Historic Arkansas Museum this month as part of its #5WomenArtists effort.

Women Making History: Sharon Priest

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Sharon Priest served as Little Rock’s 70th Mayor from January 1991 until December 1992.  She was a member of the Little Rock City Board of Directors from January 1987 until December 1994.  She had previously been involved with the City Beautiful Commission prior to her service on the City Board.  She continued that involvement and was also a leader of the Arts and Humanities Promotion Commission, serving several terms as chair.

From January 1995 until January 2003, she was the 31st Secretary of State for Arkansas.  She was the first woman elected to the position. (Nancy Hall held it from 1961 to 1963 following the death of her husband, longtime Secretary of State C. G. “Crip” Hall.)

Following her service as Secretary of State, she directed the Downtown Little Rock Partnership from January 2003 until March 2015.

Tonight at South on Main Sessions: John Burnette

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Image may contain: 1 person, guitarMarch Sessions at South on Main, curated by Read Admire, kicks off tonight (March 6) with an intimate concert with singer-songwriter and contract guitarist John Burnette.

Concert begins at 8 pm. Purchase advance tickets for $8 or pay a $12 cover day of show. Tickets do not guarantee you a seat. Please call (501) 244-9660 to reserve a table.

Singer-Songwriter and contract guitarist John Burnette at work on follow up EP slated for early 2019 release.

John Burnette has been a contracting guitarist in various groups and organizations since his teenage years, helping forge his unique style that combines the lyric-driven descriptiveness of Classic Folk and Country, the technical challenges of Jazz and Classical, and the grit of his home between the Delta and the Ozarks viewed through the tragedy-tinged glasses of a millennial in the South.

His eponymous debut album was warmly received by the international music blogging community. John resides in Nashville, TN and has commenced production on a follow-up EP with an expected Spring 2019 release date.