Category Archives: Music

Martinez and Binns present evening of song tonight

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emm mbStarting tonight at 7:30pm in the Lobby Bar, there will be an evening of music featuring the amazing talents of Erin Martinez on vocals, Mark Binns on vocals and piano, Pat Lindsey on drums, and Brian Wolverton on bass.

It’ll be a relaxed evening filled with jazz, soul, rock, musical theatre, and some other fun musical surprises!

There is no cover and no age limit at the Lobby Bar. It’s a friendly environment appropriate for all ages. The bar has a wide variety of wines, beers, ciders, hot cocoa, and soft drinks.

Binns is Musical Director of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.  He has also worked with The Studio Theatre. Martinez has appeared on stage at the Weekend Theatre and the Studio Theatre. In 2013, she performed in New York City with multiple Tony winner Jason Robert  Brown.

On Father’s Day Week – Sad Daddy is featured at Local Live this week

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llsom sad daddyThis week’s installment of our Local Live concert series features Sad Daddy!  It is tonight at 7:30 at South on Main.

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.

Sad Daddy began as the meeting of three musical minds—Brian Martin (guitar), Melissa Carper (bass), and Joe Sundell (banjo). The dynamic songwriting of the original three members carried the group’s 2010 self-titled release and won them a loyal following in and around the great state of Arkansas. However, with Carper and Sundell residing in Austin, TX and Martin far away in Ozark country, the group’s opportunities for collaboration and performance were few and far between.

Now, with the original members all back in Arkansas, as well as with the addition of standout fiddler Rebecca Patek, Sad Daddy is embarking on the next chapter of their musical journey, which includes a follow up album in the works and a full schedule of tour dates. While Sad Daddy’s musicianship and stagecraft are worthy of mention, the songwriting of Martin, Carper, and Sundell remains the cornerstone of the group’s allure and allows them to connect with a wide range of audiences.

Violinist Tarn Tarvers, a WAMA instructor, in concert tonight at Wildwood

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ww TarversOne of several coaches instructing students at WAMA, the Wildwood Academy of Music & the Arts, world-class violinist Tarn Travers has performed across the United States, Europe and Japan as a soloist, but is also renowned for his work as a chamber musician and as an orchestral player.

He is a winner of the prestigious Heifetz Guarneri auditions and has performed with the New World symphony, at the Library of Congress in Washington DC, and recently completed an Austrian tour of Sibelius’ Violin Concerto. He has served on the faculty of Luther College and AlpenKammerMusik in the Austrian Alps.

The performance begins at 7:30pm in the Cabe Festival Theatre.

Tarvers will be accompanied by pianist Kristina Marinova. The performance is free to all students.
Tickets are available here.

Stuart Baer with Bugtussle Slim on the bill tonight at South on Main’s Local Live

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llsom bugTonight at 7:30 at South on Main is the Oxford American’s Local Live free concert series featuring Stuart Baer with Bugtussle Slim. Call ahead at (501) 244-9660 to reserve your seat at a table for this popular series. Local Live is made possible by the generous support of Ben and Jane Hunt Meade.

Little Rock’s own Stuart Baer began to study classical piano at age six and continued college level instruction at UALR at age fourteen. He began playing the blues as Hammond player for Arkansas blues legend Michael Burks, and he produced Burks’ first CD in 1996.

Bugtussle Silm (Lance Womack) also played with Burks at this time and served as session drummer. Baer toured with Burks for a couple years as well as Son Seals, Guitar Shorty, and Dr. Hector and the Groove Injectors (Riverfest, 2000). Baer authored two songs and is featured on the CD Axe to Grind by the Joe Pitts Band, to be released April 2015.

Stuart Baer and Lance Womack were both inducted into the Arkansas Blues Hall of Fame in 2013.

At the Wildwood Pavilion tonight – House Concert with Dan Weber

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WW WeberA gifted storyteller and inspired performer, Dan Weber’s songs have been described as “timeless” and “authentic.” In 2015 Weber begins a new chapter with “What I’m Lookin’ For,” a 14-song CD of classic Americana that includes the stirring Folk tribute “Oh Woody,” Country-Roots on “Cowboy Style,” and the crowd sing-a-long favorite “(I Deal with) Crazy ALL Day,” an everyman’s anthem that is poised to be a break-out hit.
The concert, which is hosted by Melissa and Martin Thoma, will take place at the Wildwood Pavilion.  It will start at 7pm, doors will open at 6:30.
Beer, wine and snacks will be available for purchase, and there is a suggested $15 donation at the door to support the artist during his 2015 tour.

A second season of Jazz at South on Main set for 2015-16

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2e6b4_1320267846-oxa_logoAfter last season’s successful Jazz on Main series, the Oxford American is bringing more Jazz to South on Main next season.  
Things kick off on September 3 at 8pm with Anat Cohen.  Clarinetist/saxophonist Anat Cohen has won hearts and minds tAnat Cohen [Jazz Series]he world over with her expressive virtuosity and delightful stage presence. Anat was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and raised into a musical family. She began clarinet studies at age twelve and played jazz on clarinet for the first time in the Jaffa Conservatory’s Dixieland Band. At sixteen, she joined the school’s big band and learned to play the tenor saxophone; it was this same year that Anat entered the prestigious “Thelma Yellin” school, where she majored in jazz. After graduation, she discharged her mandatory Israeli military service duty from 1993-1995, playing tenor saxophone in the Israeli Air Force band.
Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
Aaron Diehl [Jazz Series]
In an era revolving around celebrity hype and mediocre entertainment, Columbus, Ohio native Aaron Diehl seeks to stand out as an artist in his generation that exemplifies excellence, sophistication, and a fluency in the American musical vernacular. The 2011 Cole Porter Fellow of the American Pianists Association, Diehl has been hailed by the New York Times as “a smart young pianist with a fastidious grasp of Jazz traditions.” He is committed to unearthing the treasures of a musical aesthetic through collaborative efforts with musicians across generations.
The Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Aaron Diehl to Little Rock on November 5 as the second show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series! Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
Victor Goines [Jazz Series]
On January 21 at 8:00 PM, Victor Goines takes the South on Main stage! This is the third show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series!  Clarinetist, saxophonist, and educator, he is one of the most respected and multi-faceted musicians in the jazz world today. He is also an acclaimed and sought after solo artist who leads his own quartet and quintet.

Adept in a bevy of instruments, Mr. Goines has also collaborated, recorded, and/or performed with many noted jazz and popular artists.  Victor Goines has played the clarinet since the age of eight and continued his studies with Carl Blouin, Sr., who introduced him to the saxophone at St. Augustine High School. In 1980, he entered Loyola University in New Orleans where he studied clarinet and saxophone, receiving a Bachelor of Music Education Degree in 1984.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.

Bria Skonberg [Jazz Series]
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Jazz when Bria Skonberg perofrms on the South on Main Stage at 8:00 PM.   This is the fourth and final show in our 2015 – 2016 Jazz Series!  Hailing from Chilliwack, BC, and now living in New York City, award-winning trumpeter / vocalist / composer Bria Skonberg is “poised to be one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation.”Best known for her knowledge of classic jazz and instigative nature, she is now creating an adventurous style rooted in New Orleans jazz and blues, world percussion, soul, and cabaret. She currently tours the world, headlining major clubs and festivals, as well as programming music education workshops for all ages.

Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.
This series is made possible by presenting sponsor, the UCA College of Fine Arts & Communication.

Red, White & Music – Wind Symphony Flag Day Concert

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The Little Rock Wind Symphony’s annual Flag Day concert will take place this evening in MacArthur Park at 7pm.  Sponsored, in part by the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, the concert is the LRWS’s annual salute to the red, white, and blue.  Picnics are encouraged. There will also be free ice cream and free American flags to wave throughout the concert.

The musicians of the Little Rock Wind Symphony will perform the following selections:

arr. John Higgins: Back in the Good Old Days
Adam Gorb: Away Day
Aaron Copland : A Lincoln Portrait
      Brent Walker, narrator
John Philip Sousa: Washington Post
Edwin Eugene Bagley: National Emblem
Edwin Franko Goldman: The Chimes of Liberty
John Philip Sousa: Fairest of the Fair
Henry Fillmore: Americans We
Edwin Franko Goldman: On the Mall
Bob Lowden: Armed Forces Salute
Samuel Ward / Carmen Dragon: America the Beautiful
John Philip Sousa: The Stars and Stripes Forever

In case of rain, the concert will be played tomorrow evening.