Category Archives: Music

“We Wanna Boogie” at Legacies & Lunch Today

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we_wanna_boogieRockabilly great Sonny Burgess, of Newport, Arkansas, and his band the Legendary Pacers are the topic of We Wanna Boogie, a new release from Butler Center Books by Marvin Schwartz, who will speak at Legacies & Lunch, the Butler Center’s monthly lecture series, on Wednesday, September 3, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street. Books will be available for purchase; Schwartz, Burgess, and band members Jim Aldridge, Fred Douglas, Bobby Crafford, and Kern Kennedy will sign copies after the talk.

In We Wanna Boogie, Burgess and his band members tell of their original recordings for Sun Records in the 1950s and their shows with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and others. Burgess, whose music evolved in the Silver Moon and other clubs around the Arkansas delta, has influenced rock and roll music internationally and has led the contemporary rockabilly revival in the U.S. and overseas. The book also tells the history of a once prominent and high spirited delta community of extensive agricultural wealth. Newport was home to numerous music clubs, which often housed both performances by national artists and illicit back-room gambling.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees may bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, contact 501-918-3033.

Still Time to Purchase Tickets for Oxford American’s Jazz on Main

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oa_jazz_series_logo_hi-resJoin the Oxford American magazine for the inaugural 2014-15 jazz series at South on Main for four concerts featuring acclaimed artists! Doors for each show open at 6:00pm, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. Concerts begin at 8:00pm.

The series includes:

Ticket packages for the entire jazz series range from $120 to $80. Purchasing a series package provides a discount on service charges. Single tickets to individual concerts are available beginning September 1 at noon at $30 for reserved seats at tables and $20 for general admission.

Additional information:

  • Doors open at 6pm, show at 8pm.
  • Reserved seating assigns you to the same table for all 4 shows. Choice of chairs at those tables is first-come-first-seated.
  • Seating at tables is “family style.” If you do not purchase all the seats at your table, you will be seated with other patrons.
  • General Admission seating is barstools and standing room only, no tables. General admission seating is first-come-first-seated.
  • The venue does not have an on-site box office. Tickets will only be sold at the venue on the night of the show, if any remain.
  • Will Call tickets will be available for pickup only on the night of the show.
  • Shows are all ages. Everyone must have a ticket to attend.
  • Free surface lot parking is available.

Ben Nichols in concert tonight at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater

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ben_nichols2Fans of gritty alt-country band Lucero may flock to the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., to see the band’s front man Ben Nichols perform for the Arkansas Sounds concert series on Friday, August 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, general admission, and available at www.arkansassounds.org and Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave. The Ron Robinson Theater’s entrance may be accessed from the Main Library’s parking lot, 100 Rock Street.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ben Nichols has earned critical praise for his emotive, whiskey-soaked vocals. The Austinist has described him as “a blistering diesel train of a singer and a songwriter of rare versatility.” During breaks from Lucero, Nichols has recorded acoustic-based material, including an EP featuring Nichols on acoustic guitar, Rick Steff (of Cat Power) on accordion and piano, and Todd Been (of Glossary) on pedal steel and electric guitar. This EP, The Last Pale Light in the West, comprises songs based on characters and situations from Cormac McCarthy’s novel, Blood Meridian.
This concert is presented by Arkansas Sounds, a project of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies focusing on Arkansas music and musicians both past and present. For more information, call 501-918-3033 or visit www.arkansassounds.org.

 

An Evening of Art – Extended Hours and a Lecture at the Arkansas Arts Center Tonight

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arkartsWatch and learn as artist Victor Ekpuk talks about creating a wall-sized, ephemeral drawing in paint markers, inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony. This is the first time that Ekpuk will draw from music. Like most wall drawings in museums, Ekpuk’s Ode to Joy will be destroyed at the end of the exhibition. The ephemeral nature of the work adds to the intensity of experience while it is on the wall. Ekpuk’s drawings, whether on paper or on walls, make their way around the world through photography and the internet. In this way, they are shared with audiences scattered in both space and time.

Location: Lecture Hall Fees: Free for members, $10 for non-members.

Reservations at Best Impressions available at 501-907-5946. –

Tonight at Tales from the South – Summer Athlete Series featuring Master Bao Ngo at the Oyster Bar

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talesfromthesouthEach Tuesday, Tales from the South features stories about life in the South told by the people who experienced them.  Tonight’s theme is “Well, Not Exactly.”

Tonight, Tales from the South takes place at the Oyster Bar.

As part of the Summer Athletes Series, tonight’s featured guest is Master Bao Ngo.

Live music is by the Salty Dogs and blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 7pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $10.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on September 4.

Special Tales from the South tonight!

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talesfromsouthTonight is the Tales from the South Music Hour!

It is a special Singer/Songwriter show featuring world-renowned musicians Tommy Stephenson and Phil Brown.  Additional music will be provided by Kevin Kerby and blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

Tonight’s Tales from the South takes place at the Joint in Argenta.

Tommy Stephenson is a world class keyboardist with 15 Gold & Platinum albums to his credit. He has recorded and toured the world with such artists as Tommy Bolin & Energy, Joe Walsh & Barnstorm, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Albert King, Albert Collins, John Lee Hooker, B.B.King, Muddy Waters, Joe Cocker, Van Morrison, Paul Butterfield , Rick Danko and most members of The Band, Gary Wright, Poco, Chuck Berry, Phil Brown, Big Momma Thornton, The Pointer Sisters and many more!

Phil Brown has been influenced by everyone from Marty Robbins & George Jones to the Beatles and the Kinks. After working as a roadie and a studio musician, he toured with Little Feat and started a career as a songwriter. Among the singers to sing his songs are Cher, Pat Benetar, Kim Carnes, Steve Perry, Lou Graham and Ace Freheley.

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 7pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $35 for dinner, and $20 for just the performance.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on August 28.

Jazz, Funk and Soul Tonight as Art Porter Music Education Week Wraps Up

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Art Porter weekThe Art Porter Music Education Work of Art Jazz Week ends tonight with a concert at the Cabe Theatre at Wildwood Park for the Arts.

The evening starts at 8pm and features Jazz, Funk, Soul composed of Jeff Lorber, Paul Jackson, Jr., and Everette Harp as well as the APME Scholarship Award Presentation with musical performances by Dizzy 7 Band and Lexington Porter.

Jeff Lorber is famous for launching the career of Kenny G and his productions and collaborations with such greats as Dave Koz, Janet Jackson, Lalah Hathaway and Miles Davis. He is one of the most sought after producers and performers in Jazz!

Los Angeles session guitarist Paul Jackson, Jr. was one of the most prolific players in R&B during the ’70s and ’80s.  He has supported artists ranging from Michael Jackson  to the Temptations, Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle, Chicago, Elton John, Dave Koz, Al Jarreau,  and many others.

Everette Harp has recorded and shared the stage with such musical giants as Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, Billy Joel and Patti LaBelle. A hit maker in his own right, Jazziz magazine hails his “amazing virtuosity” and Jazz Times calls him “a rare talent.”

Since Jazz Funk Soul began touring in 2013, the popularity of the group and the audience’s enthusiasm has been tremendous. This new album was created to satisfy the demand from their growing audience.

The Dizzy 7 plays music that ranges from Motown to Big Band, Latin to Dixie. It features a full rhythm section, a three-man horn section, and female and male vocalists. Dizzy 7 is composed of accomplished musicians who love what they do.