Category Archives: Music

The glorious song-stylings of Bonnie Montgomery are on display tonight in concert at Wildwood Park

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BonnieMontgomeryHouse_UpdateBonnie Montgomery and band, penned by San Diego Beat as “…like Patsy Cline fronting a twangier Crazy Horse…more or less a perfect formula for country rock..” is tearing a streak across the country with her Arkansas/Austin-based sound. Following the release of EPs “Cruel” (2012, Fast Weapons) and “Joy” (2013, Fast Weapons), Arkansas born and bred Bonnie Montgomery released her self-titled LP in July 2014 on Portland/Arkansas label Fast Weapons.

A classically trained singer whose southern roots run deep, Montgomery has taken her authentic spin on golden-era country/western music through the U.S. and Europe, headlining shows and also supporting Gossip, Shovels and Rope, Robert Ellis, Hayes Carll, Billy Joe Shaver, Turnpike Troubadours, Pokey LaFarge, and Wayne “the Train” Hancock, among others.

Bonnie’s composition of the modern folk opera “Billy Blythe”, about the childhood of Bill Clinton, previewed in New York, and has earned her the attention of publications such as The New Yorker, The Economist, The Huffington Post and the London Daily Telegraph.

Doors open at 6:30, concert starts at 7pm.  There is a $15 Suggested Donation.  Beer, wine and snacks will be available.  The concert will be in the Pavilion at Wildwood Park.

Get Ready for Riverfest with “Flowing on the River” tonight

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RF Flow on River2015Riverfest, Inc. invites you to “Flowing on the River,” presented by TRG Foundation, a wine and craft beer tasting to be held Thursday, May 21st from 5:30 p.m. -7:30 p.m. in the River Market pavilions in downtown Little Rock.

Natural State Wines has selected an array of boutique wines and Arkansas Craft Distributors will provide an offering of outstanding craft beers for your tasting pleasure. Representatives will be available from the vineyards and breweries to discuss and educate attendees on their products. Local Little Rock area restaurants will provide hors d’oeuvres to accompany the array of wines & craft beers. Music will be provided by FreeVerse Duo. Proceeds from this event will be used to present Argenta Community Theater’s Summer Camp program “ACTing Up” to be held in July 2015 at Argenta Community Theater.

Restaurateurs

  • BAT Farms
  • Boston’s Restaurant & Sports Bar
  • Brenda Majors Catering
  • Cheers in the Heights
  • Samantha’s Tap Room
  • Dugan’s Pub and Stratton’s Market
  • JM Foods
  • Macaroni Grill
  • Newks Catering
  • The Garden Bistro
  • Texas Roadhouse
  • Las Palmas

Admission to the event is $25 per person in advance (or $30 at the door).  For more information on the event, please contact the Riverfest office at 501-255-3378.

Fret & Worry tonight at South on Main’s Local Live concert series

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llsom fretTonight at 7:30 is this week’s installment of the South on Main Local Live concert series.  This week features Fret & Worry!

Presented by the Oxford American magazine, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent and is always free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Ben and Jane Hunt Meade.

Fret & Worry (Uncle Joe Meazle on guitar and RJ Looney on harmonica) sing songs that celebrate Arkansas and cover the subjects of trains, ladies of the evening, wrongful deaths, and moonshine.

Heritage Month – Pfeifer Brothers Department Store

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Pfeifer Brothers Department Store was an important part of imageMain Street’s commercial character. Built in 1899, the building’s interior was remodeled in 1939 and the exterior was remodeled in 1960. Pfeifer Brothers Department Store was originally occupied by Arkansas Carpet and Furniture Company. In 1911 Joseph Pfeifer leased the building for his clothing company. 
In 1912, the redevelopment of the building for the Pfeifer Brothers Department Store was designed by prominent Arkansas architect Charles Thompson.  The structure had originally been built in two stages. The south half being built first in 1899 and the north half added about a year later. In 1939 Pfeifer Brothers remodeled the interior first floor with streamlined, chrome-trimmed fixtures. A marble façade was added on the Sixth Street elevation.
A major exterior renovation was undertaken in 1960 when a false façade of granite panels was wrapped around the Main and Sixth street elevations, covering all openings and detail. At this time the original cornice was destroyed but the majority of historic detail remained.In 1963 Pfeifers was bought by Dillard’s Department Stores and as a new entity the store continued in business at 524 Main until closing in 1990. In 1996 a new owner undertook rehabilitation of the historic structure by removing the granite panels and exposing original windows and terra cotta elements.
The building, now called the Arkansas Building, is an anchor of the Creative Corridor revitalization. It will house Ballet Arkansas, additional space for the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Cranford Co. and Matt McLeod’s art studio on the first floor. The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will be on the ground floor of the Arkansas Building and in an adjacent building.  The upstairs will be apartments.
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places fifteen years ago today on May 18, 2000.

Little Rock Look Back: Elvis plays final Robinson Auditorium Show

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Photo by Wayne Cranford

Photo by Wayne Cranford

After two visits in 1955 where he was down on the bill, Elvis Presley made his third and final appearance at Robinson Auditorium on May 16, 1956.  This time he was the star and Robinson was packed. The tickets were $1.50 in advance at Walgreens and $2.00 at the box office.  The ads featured 8 great acts in “his” variety show which consisted of the Jordonaires; Rick and Emil Flaim and their orchestra; vocalists Frankie Conners and Jackie Little and comedian-magician Phil Maraquin. A second show was added at 9:30 p.m. to accommodate the ticket demand.

About 30 minutes late, due to a missed flight, Elvis appeared on stage in a purple blazer and started singing “Heartbreak Hotel.”  The crowd rushed the stage. Little Rock police officers were able to control them eventually and get the teenagers back to their seats.  While the crowd was impressed, the police officers were less so.  One of the patrolmen told the Arkansas Gazette reporter: “I wouldn’t know him if I saw him. And I wouldn’t be here unless I was being paid.”

Disc jockey Ray Green recorded the concert that night.  Copies of the concert on CD (which also includes an interview with Presley) are prized possessions of Presley collectors.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette has a special section on its website containing quotes from some of the concert attendees.

RIP B.B. King

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The one and only B.B. King has left us. While he will no longer be creating new music, he will live on in our memories and in the rich musical legacy he has left.

Here is a photo of him performing at the amphitheatre in Riverfront Park in July 2008.  Also on the bill (and sitting in with B. B. King at the end) was Willie Nelson.

BBKing Willie

Photo by Linda Banks

Over the years, King made numerous appearances in Little Rock and throughout Arkansas.  Ten years ago, he headlined the 2005 Riverfest.  But he had started his career playing in segregated and smaller settings.  His earliest Little Rock performance which has been documented was at Club Morocco in 1951 sharing the stage with Floyd Dixon.

Regardless of where he played, King poured his heart and soul into the performance. Even as he got older and faced health difficulties, he never gave less than his all in a performance.  When he went on stage, any age or infirmity limitations seemed to melt away.

 

Go for Baroque with the ASO Neighborhood season finale

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TASO_revhe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the finale of the 2014-2015 Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series with Baroque by Candlelight on Thursday, May 14, 2015 at 7:00 PM at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 321 310 W 17th St, Little Rock. The candlelit concert features masterpieces of the baroque era by Handel, Bach and Vivaldi with piccolo soloist Gabriel Vega. The Intimate Neighborhood Concerts series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Foundation.

Originally written for “small flute” and probably performed on the high-pitched sopranino recorder, Vivaldi’s concerto is a perfect fit for the modern piccolo. Vivaldi puts the instrument through paces of extreme virtuosity in the outer movements and features a lyrical central largo.

Tickets are $25; active duty military and student tickets are $10 are can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral beginning 60 minutes prior to the concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100.

The Stella Boyle Smith Intimate Neighborhood Concerts Series is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy fantastic music in gorgeous, acoustically unique venues around Little Rock. The concerts offer a special, intimate performance where patrons can get up-close and personal with musicians in chamber orchestra ensembles performing pieces in the settings intended by the composers. In addition to hearing these beautiful works, concertgoers are invited to mingle with the musicians after the concerts.

PROGRAM:
HANDEL: Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from Solomon, HWV 67
BACH: Suite No. 3 in D Major, BWV 1068
VIVALDI: Concerto for Piccolo in C Major, Op. 44, No. 11, RV 443
Gabriel Vega, piccolo
HANDEL: Water Music: Suite No. 2 in D Major, HWV 349

Originally written for “small flute” and probably performed on the high-pitched sopranino recorder, Vivaldi’s concerto is a perfect fit for the modern piccolo. Vivaldi puts the instrument through paces of extreme virtuosity in the outer movements and features a lyrical central largo. Piccolo soloist, Gabriel Vega, hails from Los Angeles and graduated from the prestigious Manhattan School of Music. Gabriel joined the ASO in 2009, and performed movements from Vivaldi’s piccolo concerto on the ASO’s Children’s Concerts in the 2013-2014 season.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 49th season in 2014-2015, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, Landers FIAT River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts performed around the state of Arkansas, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 26,000 school children and over 200 schools.