Category Archives: Music

Local Live Tonight at South on Main – Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu

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pic_cindy_woolf_(1).jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight at 7:30 PM—Join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s Local Live concert at South on Main, starring Cindy Woolf and Mark Bilyeu! As always, Local Live is free and open to the public. To guarantee a table/seat for this popular series, call ahead at (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Cosmic Cowboy Music.

Guitarist Mark Bilyeu and banjoist Cindy Woolf have been playing together for the better part of ten years, performing on the Americana/Folk and singer-songwriter circuit. They are a full-time duo in music and in life, having wed in 2013. Spring of 2015 finds them in the studio recording an album of traditional Ozarks’ songs, culled from the folksong collections of Max Hunter (from Springfield, Missouri, Mark’s home town) and John Quincy Wolf (from Batesville, Cindy’s home town); thus the title Wolf Hunter. This will be the first album from these two as a duo; Cindy has three CDs under her own name; Mark has one solo title plus the back catalogue from his previous work in Big Smith.

Tonight at South on Main – Hurray for the Riff Raff

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hrraff_website.jpg.190x140_q60_cropThe Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Hurray for the Riff Raff to the South on Main stage!

The music starts at 7:30pm, but doors open at 5:30pm, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This concert is made possible in part by the generosity of Landes FIAT of Benton.

Seating at tables is limited and available on a first-come, first-seated basis beginning at 5:30 PM when the doors open. No reservations are being taken ahead of time. To ensure the best possible seat, plan to arrive when the doors open.

Hurray For The Riff Raff is Alynda Lee Segarra, but in many ways it’s much more than that: it’s a young woman leaving her indelible stamp on the American folk tradition. If you’re listening to her new album, Small Town Heroes, odds are you’re part of the riff raff, and these songs are for you.

“It’s grown into this bigger idea of feeling like we really associate with the underdog,” says Segarra, who came to international attention in 2012 with Look Out Mama. The album earned her raves from NPR and the New York Times to Mojo and Paste, along with a breakout performance at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival, which left American Songwriter “awestruck” and solidified her place at the forefront of a new generation of young musicians celebrating and reimagining American roots music. “We really feel at home with a lot of worlds of people that don’t really seem to fit together,” she continues, “and we find a way to make them all hang out with our music. Whether it’s the queer community or some freight train-riding kids or some older guys who love classic country, a lot of folks feel like mainstream culture isn’t directed at them. We’re for those people.”

Segarra, a 26-year-old of Puerto Rican descent, whose slight frame belies her commanding voice, grew up in the Bronx where she developed an early appreciation for doo-wop and Motown from the neighborhood’s longtime residents. It was downtown, though, that she first felt like she found her people, traveling to the Lower East side every Saturday for punk matinees at ABC No Rio. “Those riot grrrl shows were a place where young girls could just hang out and not have to worry about feeling weird, like they didn’t belong,” Segarra says of the inclusive atmosphere fostered by the musicians and outsider artists who populated the space. “It had such a good effect on me to go to those shows as a kid and feel like somebody in a band was looking out for me and wanted me to feel inspired and good about myself.”

NPR has said that Hurray for the Riff Raff’s music “sweeps across eras and genres with grace and grit,” and that’s never been more true than on Small Town Heroes. These songs belong to no particular time or place, but rather to all of us. These songs are for the riff raff.

KRISHNA Indian performance tonight at Wildwood Park

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Wildwood KrishnaWith songs by Oscar winning legend A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire. The foremost exponent of classical dance in India, the danseuse and actor Shobana is coming with 22 performers from India for a magical show that will be the first ever musical show in Little Rock directly from India.

Please come out and enjoy the show. Free Indian food box dinner for all attending from 6pm to 6:30pm.

The performance begins at 6:30pm.  Tickets are available at Wildwood.

Tonight – UALR Songwriter Showcase featuring Tara Johnson and others

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The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will feature alumna Tara Johnson and current student performers in its biannual Songwriters Showcase at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 2, in Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the Fine Arts Building.

The program is free and open to the public. Parking will be available in Lot 8 behind the Fine Arts Building.

The first half of the program, sponsored by the Music Department and Office of Campus Life, will feature works by UALR students and songwriters from the community.

Students performers include Heather Smith, Sara Hastings, Robert Lee, Daysha Carr, Susan Robbins, Paula Smith, Stephanie Smittle, and Samuel Byrd.

Johnson, a UALR visiting artist, will perform six of her original Christian songs during the second part of the program including “Walking In Wonderland” and “December’s Songbird.”

Johnson, a native of Alexander, is an author, singer, and songwriter signed with Incubator Creative Group. She has been a featured guest on Voice of Truth radio and Enduring Word radio.

In 2014, Tara wrote the Vacation Bible School music for Bogard Press and was a contributing judge in the 2015 Live It Loud Songwriting Contest in Nashville.

Learn more about Johnson’s music at www.reverbnation.com/tarajohnson.

 

Tonight at South on Main – Amasa Hines with opening band The Hudson Branch.

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amasahines_fb_cropped.jpg.190x140_q60_cropJoin South on Main for a concert with Amasa Hines and opening band The Hudson Branch. Tickets available at the door for $10. You may purchase your ticket after doors open at 4 PM, and return for the show, which starts at 10 PM.

About Amasa Hines – Creative influence is a tempest. Many artists find themselves buffeted about by desires to embody the standards of those they admire. Some never find balance or come to know authenticity. Amasa Hines strives against the current of these truths in an attempt to distill their respective cadences in a singularity. The sound is a tapestry of history and imagination; fusing the psychedelic and the chant with blues poetry and the African’s back beat.

The six piece includes brothers Judson and Joshua Spillyards, Ryan Hitt, Matt Rice, Norman Williamson and Joshua Asante. The band completed their first studio LP All The World There Is in 2014 and is currently touring with that release.

About The Hudson Branch – For the past six years four brothers from Chicago have been busy using their love of pop music to build a mini-empire under the name The Hudson Branch. They’ve collaborated with NPR’s popular and innovative podcast Radiolab, shared the stage with English new wave pioneers New Order, and performed experimental live shows alongside media giants Google and Disney. They’ve also recorded and produced three ambitious albums.

Local Live tonight at South on Main – Tonya Leeks Band

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som leeksThis week’s installment of the free Local Live concert series features the Tonya Leeks Band!  It starts at 7:30pm.

Presented by the Oxford American, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservation and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Cosmic Cowboy Music.

Tonya Leeks is a flautist, saxophonist, and vocalist from Arkansas. She was a featured saxophone soloist with Grammy nominee Gladys McFadden and the Loveing Sisters. Leeks has performed all across the U.S. as a leader and accompanist.

Leeks describes herself as a contemporary inspirational musician seeking to uplift, encourage, and entertain others while sharing the enjoyment and appreciation for the gift of music.

Tonight at Jazz in the Park – John Burnette Band

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SONY DSCJazz in the Park finishes the first half of its third year tonight with the John Burnette Band.

John Burnette is a Singer, Songwriter, and Guitarist from Little Rock who combines his background in Folk, Jazz, Rock, and Blues to create a familiar yet searching blend of music that draws on his past musical experiences.

He spent the first years of his life growing up in Mountain View: the “Folk Music Capitol of the World,” in a community dedicated to supporting and continuing the tradition of live music and storytelling, which paved the way for him to learn how to play the guitar. He moved to Little Rock at age 11 with his mother and began performing at the age of 14 in open blues jams early on, then graduated to playing with various rock bands from Arkansas Tennessee. Upon graduating high school, he received a scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and holds a degree in Music with an emphasis in Jazz Guitar Studies and Entrepreneurship.

During college, he formed a Jazz group with Bassist Michael Lavender and Drummer Adam Tompkins and has been performing regularly with them since 2008. After graduation, John took on vocal duties in the band to a surprisingly warm audience reception and began writing and arranging tunes for the group. Soon after, they formed The John Burnette Band and began performing their original material. “It was a really interesting and unnerving experience going from being solely a guitar player to tackling the new territory of singing and writing tunes, but the response was really encouraging and it became a really enjoyable creative outlet that has opened up a lot more aesthetic possibilities for us,” says John. They are in the process of writing and recording their debut EP and stay busy in the meantime playing with various acts throughout the state.

Michael Lavender has a background playing Metal, Jazz, Funk, Blues, and Rock and is as proficient on a stand-up bass as he is an electric. Mike holds a degree in Bass Performance from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Adam Tompkins has been playing drums in Blues, Rock, Folk and Jazz bands as well as percussion ensembles since his teenage years and has a minor in Music focusing on percussion. “I couldn’t have been blessed with a better group of guys to play with. They have such varied backgrounds and are extremely competent in their own rights, but having them together creates an atmosphere that is really conducive to trying new things and being able to go in just about any direction we want. They’re so easy to communicate with and it’s a real blessing,” says John.

The concert will be from 6pm to 8pm in the History Pavilion in Riverfront Park.  The closest entry point to the History Pavilion is Ottenheimer Drive off of President Clinton Avenue.

In case of rain, the River Market West Pavilion will be the alternate location for the event.

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The event is completely free, but no coolers are allowed. Beer, wine, soft drinks and water will be available for sale, with a portion of the proceeds going to benefit Art Porter Music Education, Inc.’s scholarship fund.  Lawn chairs and blankets are welcome, and there is some seating in the natural stone amphitheater at the History Pavilion.

This event is sponsored by Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau and the River Market.

For more information about Art Porter Music Education, visit www.artporter.org.