Category Archives: Music

Arts ExtravACANSA is tonight in Clinton Presidential Park.

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acansaEarlier this wee, the newly founded ACANSA Arts Festival announced its inaugural 2014 event.

Charlotte Gadberry, former Little Rock Rotary Club President, founder and current Board President of ACANSA Arts Festival introduced the new visual and performing arts festival that is the result of collaboration with regional arts organizations, local businesses, government and civic groups. She said the festival’s goal is to inspire public appreciation for the arts and enrich the economic and cultural vitality of the region. The festival’s theme is “A Southern Celebration of the Arts” and the Rotary Club of Little Rock Club 99 Foundation is an event sponsor, Gadberry said.

Robert Hupp, Producing Artistic Director of the Arkansas Repertory Theater and Chairman of ACANSA’s Arts Advisory Council summarized the festival’s programming. He said the festival will feature live performances, exhibits, educational opportunities, workshops and other activities throughout Little Rock and North Little Rock over nine days, from Sept. 19-27, 2014.

Additionally, ACANSA Arts Festival Director of Administration, Virginia Young, announced an upcoming kickoff event, Arts ExtravACANSA, to be held Saturday, from 6:30-9:30 p.m. on the lawn of the Clinton Presidential Center. Arts ExtravACANSA will showcase a sampling of art and feature gourmet Southern delicacies, a silent auction, and a special musical performance by Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters.

Tickets are $100 and may be purchased through ACANSA Arts Festival by calling 501-663-2287, or emailing admin@acansaartsfestival.org. More information is available at Facebook.com/AcansaArtsFestival/events.

2nd Friday (Art Night) the 13th

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2nd Friday Art NightIt is Friday the 13th, which means it is the second Friday of the month.  That means it is time for another round of 2nd Friday Art Night.

Among the sites this month are:

Butler Center Galleries (401 President Clinton Avenue).  Guests can enjoy the music of guitarist Michael Carenbauer and the art of featured artist Sherrell Holcomb.  In addition the evening will feature the opening of Abstract Ar(t).  This exhibit showcases contemporary, abstract works of art by Arkansas-based artists Dustyn Bork, Megan Chapman, Donnie Copeland, Don Lee, and Steven Wise.  It will be on display through November 24, 2013.

Historic Arkansas Museum (200 East Third Street). Visitors to HAM will hear live music by Gentleman Jazz and enjoy wine tasting provided by Zin Wine Bar.  In addition to continuing exhibitions, the evening includes an opening reception of Reflections from the Monday Studio Artists with works by Shirley R. Anderson, Barbara Seibel, Sue Shields and Caryl Joy Young.  The show features these four artists’ landscape works.

Old State House Museum (300 West Markham). Music by Big Silver headlines the offerings at the Old State House Museum. The acclaimed Little Rock band will be playing on the lawn of the museum starting at 5:30 pm. The band recently recorded an episode of “AETN Presents: On the Front Row” that featured the music of Big Silver member Isaac Alexander. Concert goers are encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be moved inside. Food and drinks will be provided for this free event.

2nd Friday Art Night runs from 5:00pm to 8:00pm and is free.  There are numerous stops at downtown galleries and museums.

Mac Park Music Tonight -Fire and Brimstone

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macparkmusicFrom the late 1920s through the mid 1950s, Little Rock’s MacArthur Park was a centerpiece of live music.  The Foster Bandshell, named in memory of Mrs. H. H. Foster, stood in the park near 10th and Commerce.  The structure was torn down in the early 1960s.  A portion of the Arkansas Arts Center sits on the site of the old Foster Bandshell.

In 2002, the lakeside pavilion in MacArthur Park was renamed the Foster Pavilion to pay tribute to the memory of Mrs. Foster and the bandshell.

The Foster Pavilion will be the site of a new music series taking place on Wednesday nights in September.  MAC PARK MUSIC! will take place from 5:30pm to 7:30pm on September 11, 18 and 25.

Tonight’s lineup features Fire & Brimstone.  Bryant’s BBQ to be onsite with a Caribbean menu for purchase and beer and wine will be available for donations.

Fire & Brimstone is a husband-wife duo combine Reggae and Contemporary music.

Brimstone, also known as Phillip Norris, was born and raised in the Caribbean.  He picked up his first guitar at age 14. This accomplished guitarist who writes, sings, plays bass, keyboards and drums, has built a solid reputation as a seasoned musician in New York, Texas, Florida, California, Arkansas and parts of the Caribbean.

Fire, also know as Lori Harris-Norris, was born in Oklahoma. Her family moved to Los Angeles when she was a toddler. Lori showed signs of her love for entertaining at the early age of five when she began ballet and tap. She became involved in promoting, producing and booking artists and even started her own record label in the mid-1980’s.

Beginning in the early 90’s, this husband and wife duo played on a weekly basis throughout Southern California for over a decade.  In 2003 they traveled to France for the Cannes music festival, Midem International Music Market, where they performed their single, “Love’s Gotta Hold On You”, with an encore show at The Noga Hilton on the French Riviera.

They moved to Arkansas in 2004 to care for elders and have brought their music here.

Oxford American’s SoLost celebration honoring Dave Anderson

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solost_logoCome have dinner and join in the SoLost celebration, honoring the Oxford American’s award-winning filmmaker Dave Anderson’s original video series.

SoLost is an off-kilter video journey through the side roads, backrooms, cellars, and psyche of the modern South. Anderson’s artful film shorts are released monthly on OxfordAmerican.org. The series won the 2011 National Magazine Award for Video and was a finalist for the 2013 award. In April, SoLost received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to fund the project during 2013–14.

Special guests for the evening include SoLost editor Jonathan Childs and several subjects from the series: David Moore (also known as DayDay MoeMoe), a visionary musician-artist who creates instruments from recycled oddities; Timothy Hursley, the photographer who captured a silo in Hale County, Alabama, almost a million times; and Jimmy Rhodes, a magician, mortician, and former mayor. Anderson will also unveil the debut installment of SoLit, a new series for the Oxford American.

The event will take place at South on Main (1304 Main Street) at 7:30pm.

To learn more about Dave Anderson, please visit www.dbanderson.com

or check out his award-winning SoLost series at www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/sections/solost/

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The Memphis Sound is topic of September Legacies & Lunch today at noon

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cals_int_sponsor_butlerCivil rights, the cold war, and the transformation of the plantation economy. It is in light of these historical topics that Jeannie Whayne, University of Arkansas history professor, will frame her talk, “The Memphis Sound and Northeastern Arkansas in the 1950s and 1960s,” at Legacies & Lunch, a free monthly program hosted by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, on Wednesday, September 4, at noon in the Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street.

whayne-j-12Whayne will talk about growing up in northeast Arkansas and picking up Memphis radio and television broadcasts. She will address this experience in the context of regional and world events. One example is Sputnik Monroe, a Memphis wrestler who seemed to personify the Russian menace but in fact supported civil rights by promoting matches between black and white wrestlers at a time when the sport was highly segregated.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and supported in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. The program is held from noon – 1 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month in the Main Library’s Darragh Center. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert will be provided.

The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies is a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). It was founded in 1997 to promote the study and appreciation of Arkansas history and culture. The Butler Center’s research collections, art galleries, and offices are located in the Arkansas Studies Institute building at 401 President Clinton Ave. on the campus of the CALS Main Library.

For more information, call 918-3086.

Arkansas Sounds lineup announced

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arkansas_sounds_2013There’s something about the Arkansas River that makes free live music sound even better. DeQueen native Collin Raye and a tribute to Delight native Glen Campbell will headline the Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, a free annual event hosted by the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS). On Friday and Saturday, September 27-28, the festival will feature Arkansas music and musicians both past and present at programs for all age groups at the River Market Pavilions, First Security Amphitheatre, and the Main Library.

Music in a large variety of genres and styles will showcase Arkansans’ love of music.

Friday, September 27 at the River Market Pavilions

Time Band Musical Genre
6 p.m. The Smittle Band jazzy Americana
7:15 p.m. Tav Falco & Panther Burns southern gothic roots/rockabilly
8:30 p.m. Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks gypsy jazz

Saturday – First Security Amphitheatre

Noon The Sound of the Mountain instrumental progressive rock
1 p.m. The 1 oz. Jig funk
2:15 p.m. Messy Sparkles electro-pop one man DJ
3:30 p.m. Big Piph (Epiphany) progressive hip-hop
4:45 p.m. War Chief Americana rock and roll
6 p.m. Mountain Sprout hillbilly bluegrass
7:15 p.m. Bonnie Montgomery country honky tonk
8:30 p.m. Glen Campbell Tribute
9:30 p.m. Collin Raye modern country

Three programs for children and teens are scheduled at the Main Library beginning at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 28.

10:30 a.m. Ages Up to 6 years The Kinders Concert 3rd Floor Youth Services
1 p.m. Ages 7-12 Hip Hop Songwriting and Production workshop Level 4 Teen Center
2 p.m. Ages 13-19 Hip Hop Songwriting and Production workshop Level 4 Teen Center

Additional programs are scheduled during September at different venues in downtown Little Rock.

Friday, Sept. 13 – 5 p.m.
Second Friday Art Night performance by Michael Carenbauer
Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Avenue

Thursday Sept. 19 6 p.m.
Cocktail party to celebrate the release of Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music
Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street

Monday, Sept. 23  6 p.m.
Songwriters Showcase
Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street

Tuesday, Sept. 24  7 p.m.
Performance honoring Clark Terry
Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 501 W. 9th Street

Thursday, Sept. 26 6 p.m.
Tav Falco book signing, with the Arkansas Literary Festival
Main Library’s Darragh Center, 100 Rock Street

The Arkansas Sounds Music Festival and all related events are free and open to the public. For a complete schedule, see www.arkansassounds.org. To volunteer for the Arkansas Sounds Music Festival, contact Angela Delaney at adelaney@cals.org or 918-3095. For more information, visit www.cals.org.

‘Project elan’ at Arkansas Rep

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Project êlan small2Today at 1pm and 7pm, the Arkansas Rep’s Young Artists will perform a new work in progress.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s Resident Director and Director of Education, Nicole Capri has assembled a talented team of young musicians and writers to create a brand new, all-original musical, Project élan. This new musical will feature a mix of new songs from a wide variety of genres including contemporary-alternative, acoustic-folk, indie-pop, Nashville-sound and many more.

This year’s summer program will be unlike anything past participants have experienced before at The Rep. Project élan’s summer performances will be a-work- in-progress. Traditionally, The  Rep’s Young Artists have nine days to learn the songs, script and choreography for a summer production;  however, when the young artists arrived in July for rehearsals, the script will not be complete. Young artists will be heavily involved in script, storyline, design and character development. New script, music and staging changes will be made daily.  Audience members will also be encouraged to give feedback, complete surveys and directly interact with the actors and creative team.

The Rep offers two summer programs as part of its Summer Musical Theater Intensive (SMTI) training program for aspiring young artists in Arkansas.The SMTI creative team is comprised of professional directors, choreographers, musicians, designers and writers. Daily rehearsals are structured similarly to a professional summer stock experience and include instruction in musical theatre techniques, multi-media, costume and stage make-up, dance and vocal coaching. Each session involves intensive daily rehearsals culminating in a public workshop performance of a selected musical or musical revue.
Two weeks ago, the older students in SMTI performed Project élan. This weekend it is the time for the younger participants.

The project is overseen by Nicole Capri (director/choreographer) and Karen Q. Clark (music director).  The writers are Bobby Banister, Conly Basham, Sam Clark, Robert Frost, James Ebel Landfair and Charity Vance.  The choreography team includes Stacy Hawking, Sydney Ippolito, Marisa Kirby, Stephen K. Stone and Capri.  Christy Hawking is the assistant to the director and Beth Thiemann is the stage manager.