Category Archives: Music

Tonight at 10, Bijoux & LoVe Theory at South on Main in a Late Night Concert

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bijoux.jpg.190x140_q60_cropSouth on Main welcomes Bijoux & the LoVe Theory tonight for a Late Night Concert.  Doors open at 4:00 PM, show begins at 10:00 PM. Wristbands can be purchased for $15 after doors open.

Bijoux—a native of Little Rock – is a sultry soul singer adept in various styles. The daughter of West African parents, Bijoux grew up in a household exposed to differing genres of music including folk, classic rock and roll, makossa, country, and R&B. Her jovial spirit, endearing vocals, vibrant entertaining, and musical versatility make her concerts engaging and fun.

A Rowdy Faith tonight at 8 at The Undercroft

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Undercroft Rowdy FaithAppropriately for a music series serving beer which takes place in a church, The Undercroft welcomes A Rowdy Faith tonight at 8pm.

Alisyn Reid & Cate Davison make up this folk/Americana singing duo. As their official bio states they dabble in “singing, songwriting, storytelling, vocal harmonies, awkward on-stage rambling: the whole package.” Catch their act Friday, Aug. 28 at 8 pm. Tickets are $5 at the door. And there’s homebrew from Undercroft Beers.

Reid and Davison Cate first sang together ten years ago on a beach in South Carolina. They went their separate ways, wrote their separate songs, but have brought their voices together again as A Rowdy Faith. They consider their music folk/Americana, but each have distinct influences—Reid’s music has elements of country and rock and roll, while Davison’s has evidence of jazz and blues.

The Undercroft is in the lower level of Christ Church. Access it through the street level red door on Capitol Avenue, just to the east of Scott Street.

Studio Show series of Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre launches with THE UGLY DUCKLING

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aac ct ss UglyDuckling_posterThis year, the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre features three Studio Shows in addition to its mainstage shows.  Up first, The Ugly Duckling, Aug. 28-Sept. 6, 2015.

Devised and directed by Katie Campbell, The Ugly Duckling is a reimagining of the classic fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen. It follows a young girl as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation. This shadow play unfolds with three actor-puppeteers, two overhead projectors, nearly 100 paper puppets.

“The striking and graphic simplicity of the paper cutting along with the inherently cinematic quality of overhead projector puppetry lays the aesthetic foundation for the production,” Campbell said. “There is no dialogue as the narrative unfolds entirely in the visual language of puppetry and the emotional topography of music.”

Campbell, a North Carolina native, made her home in Little Rock eight years ago when she became a company member with the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre. The Ugly Duckling stemmed from a thesis project as she pursed an MFA in directing theatre for young audiences at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

“It happened out of necessity—I needed a story that could be told with very few actors and a minimalist set in order to share a tour van with another student,” Campbell said. “But I believe in the story so much. I love telling stories of personal transformation, so it was a natural fit for me to reimagine Andersen’s classic but to adapt it from my personal life lens.”

After touring in North Carolina, Campbell contacted the AACCT to gauge their interest in her show. “There’s never been a single idea that Brad [Bradley Anderson, AACCT artistic director] has said ‘no’ to,” Campbell said. “He and the Arts Center are just so supportive and encouraging of anyone with artistic ambition.”

Before the show could begin at the AAC Children’s Theatre, Campbell needed to find new music since the University of North Carolina at Greensboro owned the rights to the original scores. Enter the Jim Henson Foundation.

The Ugly Duckling was the recipient of a 2015 Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant which celebrates innovation and excellence in puppetry. The grant allowed Campbell to approach Jessica Drake Mosher to compose and arrange new, original music.

The two met through a mutual friend on Facebook, and after only a few months of comparing notes, the ensemble was complete. Mosher’s music will be performed live by a 15-piece ensemble from the Arkansas Symphony Youth Orchestra, directed by Geoffrey Robson.

“I have long been interested in collaborating with the Arkansas Arts Center and this is a wonderful opportunity for a first collaboration,” said Robson, associate conductor for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

“I was even more excited that Katie was commissioning new music to be written for this production,” Robson said. “It is always a thrill to be involved in a world premiere, and to give students the opportunity to work with a living composer. Performing a piece of music for the first time is a unique learning experience, and it is a thrill that all of this is happening as the Arts Center kicks off its Studio Series.”

“This is a true collaboration of arts organizations,” Campbell said. “I just consider myself a caretaker of this project because it would not have been possible without any of them.”

After the 36-minute show, the audience is invited to participate in a hands-on demonstration of the shadow puppetry process.

The Ugly Duckling is presented by The Philip R. Jonsson Foundation and sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation. The 2015/2016 season of the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre is sponsored by: Presenting Sponsor, Arkansas BlueCross Blue Shield; Fall Season Sponsor, Centennial Bank; Spring Season Sponsors, The Fine Arts Club of Arkansas and Dr. Loren Bartole, ‘Family Foot Care’; Additional Support Provided by The Morris Foundation and Media Sponsor, Little Rock Family Magazine.

Show times: Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m.

Ticket prices: $10 General admission, $8 for Arkansas Arts Center members

Science after Dark at Museum of Discovery tonight – Science of Animals

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sep mod science after darkEach month the Museum of Discovery hosts “Science after Dark” for adults aged 21 and up.  This month’s theme is “Science of Animals.”

The program will feature a lot of animals for guests to meet at this month’s Science After Dark ! It’s all happening this Thursday from 6-9 p.m. Admission is $5. Bring cash for pizza by Damgoode Pies, beer by Stone’s Throw Brewing and cocktails by Juanita’s Tex-Mex Restaurant & LIVE Music Hub. Thanks to the event sponsor Whole Foods Market Little Rock!

The program runs from 6pm to 9pm. Cost is $5, FREE for museum members. (Go ahead and get a membership, it will more than pay for itself within a year!)

Tonight at 8 at South on Main, the Oxford American presents Pokey LaFarge

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OA SOM PokeyThe Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Pokey LaFarge to the South on Main stage! Pokey is kicking off our 2015 – 2016 Concert Series as part of the Archetypes & Troubadours sub-series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.

The concert starts at 8pm.  This series is made possible in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

Tickets are $17 (General Admission), $22 (Reserved), and $25 (Premium Reserved). View the South on Main reserved seating map here. Please take a look at this very important ticketing and seating information before purchasing your tickets. Full season ticket pricing and options are also available in a consolidated format, here.

St. Louis-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, Pokey LaFarge draws from a deep well of American musical traditions to create distinctively personal music that’s timeless rather than retro, transcending the confines of genre in a manner that reflects the artist’s openhearted attitude. Incorporating elements of early jazz, ragtime, country blues, Western swing, and beyond, LaFarge has created a vibrant, deeply expressive body of work that embodies an expansive musical vision and vivid storytelling sensibility that are wholly his own. He’s also earned a reputation as a tireless and uniquely charismatic live performer, winning a loyal international fan base that regularly packs his rousing, celebratory live shows.

Pokey LaFarge’s latest album, Something in the Water, was released in April 2015. Something in the Water finds the artist doubling down on his established creative strengths, expanding and deepening his musical reach on such new originals as the wry, rollicking title track, the swaggering ragtime workout “Wanna Be Your Man,” the infectiously jazzy “Underground,” the evocative instrumental “Cairo, Illinois,” the exotic ballad “Barcelona,” and the swinging album-closer “Knocking the Dust off the Rust Belt Tonight,” whose witty lyrics underline the album’s proudly Midwestern sensibility.

Tonight’s Oxford American Local Live at South on Main – Marcella & Her Lovers

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llsom marcellaTonight at 7:30pm at South on Main, join the Oxford American magazine for this week’s Local Live concert.  This week it features Marcella & Her Lovers! 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 the Ben and Jane Hunt Meade.

Whether arcing the curve of the highest golden high, or lighting the depth of the lowest blue low, the music and voice of Marcella Simien and her Lovers can take you there, to that magic spot where time slows down, worry and concern retreat, and everybody feels fine, primed and ready for an unforgettable time.

Like savoring the flavors in a dish made by a master chef, one detects in Simien’s music subtle yet devastating touches of the Memphis and Muscle Shoals sounds infused with the fingerprint of her Creole ancestors—that now laughing, now sighing Zydeco accordion and exhortations shouted in Creole French.

Throughout, Simien’s voice, an instrument fierce and galloping with dignified pleading, floats above the music’s cradled melee like a night star, fondly reminding us of a mysterious past while at once exciting us with the romance of the uncertain future.

An eclectic mixture of the dark magic of Louisiana swamps and the angelic grind of Memphis soul, Marcella’s repertoire spans Stax classics to wall-of-sound pop unforgettables.

Learn more at: marcellaandherlovers.com

Tonight at 6 at South on Main, Clinton School & Oxford American present “Jazz: Integrated Art in Segregated America” symposium

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alvin02sm.jpg.190x140_q60_cropThis evening at 6pm at South on Main, Oxford American in partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service presents “Jazz: Integrated Art in Segregated America,” a symposium and panel discussion surrounding music and race.

The discussion will be led by Dr. Jackie Lamar, Professor of Saxophone at University of Central Arkansas’s College of Fine Arts and Communication. A jazz performance will follow the panel discussion. Thanks to sponsors Clinton School of Public Service, UCA College of Fine Arts & Communication, Piano Kraft, Rosen Music Company, and Arkansas Arts Council for helping make this event possible.

Featured panelists include Little Rock-based singer Irene Crutchfield; bassist Bill Huntington (born, New Orleans, LA); drummer Alvin Fielder (pictured), based in Jackson, MS; and bassist London Branch, also based in Jackson, MS. The symposium event is free and open to the public. South on Main’s doors open at 5:00 PM. with light food and drinks available for purchase.

At 8pm, the Oxford American presents jazz ensemble The Southeast Quartet at South on Main. This event is $10 regular, or $5 students/artists payable in cash at the doors on the night of the show.