Tag Archives: Oxford American

Opera in the Rock at South on Main for Local Live – presented by Oxford American and Landers Fiat

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OperaInTheRock_logo-singleskylineThe great thing about Local Live at South on Main – each week is a different kind of music.

Join the Oxford American and Landers FIAT in welcoming Opera In The Rock to Local Live. This debut venture includes a varied program of vocal entertainment with standards from Opera as well as well-known and beloved Music Theater selections.

OITR is proud to present sopranos, Stephanie Smittle and Maria Fasciano Di Carlo, mezzo, Kelley Ponder, tenor, Matt Newman, and baritone, J. Daniel Altman. At the keyboard is Kristin Harwell. We hope you will come and enjoy our program which runs the gamut of sad, humorous, dramatic, and poignant songs loosely connected to the theme of Love Is Folly.

Call ahead to reserve your table for this classic event.

It starts at 7:30 pm.

Tonight at South on Main – The Easy Leaves presented by the Oxford American! (With thanks to Ben E. Keith)

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the_easy_leaveshirescropped.jpg.1000x250_q80_crop_upscaleTonight at 7:30 PM—The Oxford American magazine is proud to present California-based Americana duo The Easy Leaves at South on Main! The event is free and open to the public due to the generous underwriting of Ben E. Keith Foods Mid-South. Seating is limited, so call ahead at 501-244-9660 to ensure your place at a table.

The Easy Leaves, songwriters Kevin Carducci and Sage Fifield, formed in 2008 immersed in a diverse set of flailing rockers, gospel skeptics, and country outlaws. Their initial intent was to establish an old-time string band. However, in love with too many disparate genres, The Easy Leaves’ sound was born as a modern acoustic duo. The pair keeps its roots close to the chest while tirelessly sprawling out in new directions that stretch the borders of the Americana genre in exciting ways. They headline large rooms in the Bay Area, including Great American Music Hall, and have appeared on the Outside Lands Music Festival several times.

Their new record, American Times (Omega Records), spans the breadth of American roots music from grassland stomps, minor swings and Honky Tonk grinds, to personal spirituals, and Rhythm and Blues. In addition to their new album, The Easy Leaves were recently a part of The 78 Project, a documentary by Alex Steyermark and Lavinia Wright that recreates Alan Lomax’s journey to capture important American Folk music on its home porches. The Easy Leaves were featured in the film (alongside Rosanne Cash, Sid Selvidge, John Doe of X, Loudon Wainwright III, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Justin Townes Earl, Richard Thompson, and other great talents). NPR, Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times have featured it, and The Smithsonian, Library of Congress, and the Alan Lomax estate are active advisors.

Inaugural Jazz on Main concert tonight – The Bad Plus at South on Main

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the_bad_plus_cropped.jpg.1000x250_q80_crop_upscaleJoin the Oxford American magazine for the inaugural concert in their 2014-2015 jazz series at South on Main featuring The Bad Plus! The OA jazz series is sponsored by the University of Central Arkansas College of Fine Arts and Communication. Doors open at 6:00 PM with dinner and drinks available at that time. The concert begins at 8:00 PM.

Ticket packages for the jazz series went on sale June 20 at www.metrotix.com, ranging from$120 to $80 and include a discount on service charges. Single tickets go on sale September 1at $30 for reserved seats at tables and $20 for general admission. Purchasing a reserved seat assigns you to a specific guaranteed seat at a table. However, seating at tables is family-style, and unless you purchase the entire table, you will be seated with other patrons. General admission tickets are good for barstools and standing room, available on a first-come first-served basis. For ticketing questions, please contact Metrotix at (800) 293-5949.

The Bad Plus has spent almost fifteen years redefining what a piano-bass-drums trio can and should be. They’ve reached audiences of all demographic stripes with an uncompromising body of original music (plus some ingenious, genre-jumping covers) and dedicated touring around the globe. On their eighth studio album, Made Possible, bassist Reid Anderson, pianist Ethan Iverson, and drummer David King take their distinctive musical M.O. to captivating new heights, proving once again that the rules of musical convention are made to be broken.

“This band contains some of the most punk energy I’ve ever seen or felt as a musician — it just doesn’t need to do it so obviously,” King says. “That’s our statement. It’s a complex emotion.”

 Made Possible marks a palpable departure for The Bad Plus on a few fronts. Layers of synth and electronic drum sounds can be heard prowling amid the trio’s signature acoustic palette. Also, whereas the group’s new material typically gets a thorough road test before being recorded, these songs were brought in with looser expectations and even more potent possibilities. And for the first time since 2005’s Suspicious Activity?, the band chose to record far away from its Minnesota motherland, holing up instead at a remote studio in upstate New York.

“The Bad Plus are the Coen brothers of jazz: Midwesterners, both ironic and dead earnest, technically brilliant, beyond versatile, a little chilly sometimes, but funny, surprising, and pretty hard to pin down.”—The New Yorker 

Tonight – The 78 Project Movie Screening

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Tonight, the Oxford American and CALS Ron Robinson Theater are excited to present The 78 Project Movie at the Ron Robinson Theater! Inspired by the field recordings of legendary folklorist Alan Lomax, director Alex Steyermark and recordist Lavinia Jones Wright created The 78 Project, an ongoing documentary journey to record today’s musicians with yesterday’s technology. Doors open at 7:00 P.M. day of show, and the film starts at 7:30 pm.

All pre-sale tickets are $10 each and available via www.metrotix.com or by calling (800) 293-5949 until noon on September 30. Tickets will also be available at the venue on September 30 at 7:00 P.M. All seating is general admission and available on a first-come basis.

ABOUT THE PROJECT – With just one microphone, an authentic 1930s PRESTO direct-to-disc recorder, and a blank shellac disc, the members of the 78 project invite musicians to cut a record anywhere they choose. The result is an artifact—a 78rpm record—and a new connection to our cultural legacy. 78 Project participant Rosanne Cash called the experience “time-travel.” In March, author William Gibson, writing for the Oxford American, called The 78 Project “one of the most intriguing contemporary approaches to technology I know of, and one that bodes well for its century and our future.” Participants of the 78 Project have included Loudon Wainwright III, Rosanne Cash & John Leventhal, Richard Thompson and others. You can watch them cut their records here: http://the78project.com/watch/

ABOUT THE FILM – This year, Steyermark and Wright have released a feature-length film showcasing their work and the singular performances the on-site 78rpm recording process inspires in the musicians they encounter. The 78 Project Movie includes performances by a variety of musicians and appearances from a kaleidoscopic cast of technologists, historians, and craftsmen from every facet of field recording—Grammy-winning producers, 78 collectors, curators from the Library of Congress and Smithsonian. In Tennessee, Mississippi, California, Louisiana, the folk singers, punk rockers, Gospel and Cajun singers in the film share their lives through intimate performances, and find in that adventure a new connection to our cultural legacy.

During the night, a Little Rock musician will play live for the audience and Steyermark and Jones will cut the performance into a 78, so anyone in attendance will be able to become a part of The 78 Project’s ongoing journey! And in addition to the screening, Oxford American Associate Editor, Maxwell George, will introduce the film and moderate a Q&A with the filmmakers after the screening.

Arts in Park and on Stages with ACANSA today

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acansaThe ACANSA Arts Festival moves into the weekend with a full day of activities.

ARTISTS IN THE PARK
12:00pm to 6:00 pm
MacArthur Park
FREE

The Arkansas Arts Center will host a visual artist day at MacArthur Park from noon to 6:00 p.m.   This event is free and open to the public.  The first two hours are dedicated to children with a variety of art activities, and entertainment by Brian Kinder, a singer/ songwriter who performs rollicking goodtime concerts for kids.

Family entertainment by a variety of musical groups will begin at 2 p.m. Bands include the Clark Family Trio, the Greasy Greens, and SOULution.  Local food trucks will offer refreshments for purchase.

Artists will produce and sell art throughout the afternoon and will have the option to participate in a friendly Quick Draw Competition during the event.  Artists will be paired off to draw each other and the winner will receive a $500 prize!

The Quick Draw competition is open to anyone.  Know an artist who would like to participate?   Please have them contact Linda Newbern at lnewbern@ACANSAartsFestival.org.

Sponsored by: Arkansas Children’s Hospital, City of Little Rock & Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau

 

Acansa PuppetSUSPENDED ANIMATION
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Scottish Rite Masonic Temple
$20 to $50

In a cabaret presentation distinctly adult in its sophistication and artistry, internationally acclaimed marionette artist Phillip Huber is in full view of the audience as he controls incredibly compelling characters through a series of variety vignettes revealing humor, pathos, drama and grace.

Phillip Huber is most widely known for his work in the 3-time Academy Award nominated film “Being John Malkovich” and his work in the Disney film “Oz the Great and Powerful,” starring James Franco, Michelle Williams and Mila Kunis. Shimmering with nuance, sophistication and imagination, you won’t want to miss this opportunity to experience a world of sophisticated puppetry designed for entertaining discerning tastes.

 

Acansa DallasDALLAS BLACK DANCE THEATRE
7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
NLR High School East Campus Auditorium
$10 to $50

Dallas Black Dance Theatre celebrates its 36th season as the oldest, continuously operating professional dance company out of Dallas, Texas. The ensemble, a contemporary modern dance company, consists of 12 professional, full-time dancers performing a mixed repertory of modern jazz, ethnic and spiritual works by nationally and internationally known choreographers.

Sponsored by: Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, City of North Little Rock, North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, North Little Rock Economic Development Corporation, North Little Rock Visitors Bureau

 

acansa Mike Disfarmer 3DISFARMER
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Argenta Community Theatre
$30

Don’t miss this production of Disfarmer, written by award-winning Arkansas playwright Werner Trieschmann and directed by Bob Hupp of The Rep.  Disfarmer is a comedic portrait which tells the story of Mike Disfarmer, an eccentric photographer from Heber Springs, Arkansas who charged townsfolk and visitors a quarter to have their picture taken in the early forties—and caused a minor speculative mania decades later as New York gallery owners “discovered” his work and descended on the small Arkansas town.

Nothing speaks louder about Mike Disfarmer than his photographs.  Before the play, stop by  Argenta Gallery at 413 Main Street to enjoy an exhibit of Disfarmer photographs. In 1974, Peter Miller purchased the collection of Disfarmer glass negatives from Joe Albright. The Disfarmer prints in this exhibit have been archivally printed from the original Disfarmer glass negatives

Sponsored by: Peter Miller

 

Acansa St PaulACANSA Late Night II – St. Paul and the Broken Bones
9:00 pm to 11:00 pm
South on Main
SOLD OUT

This Birmingham, Alabama based soul band harkens back to the region’s classic soul roots while extending the form with electrifying potency.  Lead singer, Paul Janeway, takes the soul revival to an equally outrageous place with a voice that hovers between sexy sweet and flat-out dirty.  The horn-fueled Broken Bones re-create one funky groove after another, sounding more like the truth than any band since the Seventies.

Sponsored by:  DOWNSTREAM Casino Resort with staff provided by Oxford American

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.

The Music of Texas will be focus of 2014 Oxford American Music Issue

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oa texasRecently, Academy Award-winner Matthew McConaughey, Oxford American editor Roger D. Hodge, and the Texas Music Office will announce that the state of Texas will be the focus of the OA‘s 16th annual music issue. The announcement is at 4 PM at Austin’s iconic Continental Club.

“The Oxford American is thrilled to showcase the music of Texas, home of many of the world’s most influential artists and recordings,” says Rick Clark, the OA‘s music editor. “In addition to delving into the state’s noteworthy historic recordings and figures, we will put emphasis on Texas’s current vibrant, creative artistic culture.”

The issue will be published and available on newsstands nationwide in December 2014. It will be packaged with a compilation CD dedicated to the music of Texas. The magazine will include a special editorial section comprised of essays and features about the artists and songs on the CD.

“The Texas Music Office in the Governor’s Office is working closely with the Oxford American to help produce the Music of Texas issue,” says Casey Monahan, Director of the Texas Music Office. “We’re looking forward to this exciting and high visibility edition.”

The Oxford American‘s annual Southern Music Issue has won two National Magazine Awards and other high honors since it was first introduced in 1996. It is considered by many readers and listeners to be among the best music packages in the country. In 2012, Dwight Garner of the New York Times wrote, “The Oxford American may be the liveliest literary magazine in America….The CDs are so smart and eclectic they probably belong in the Smithsonian.”

Over the years, NPR has featured many of the OA‘s music issues on its broadcasts. Over the past twenty years, the Southern music issue has showcased an incredible range of talents spanning many genres and decades, including R.E.M., Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Isaac Hayes, Lucinda Williams, Willie Nelson, Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, and more. Music-writing legends-such as Greil Marcus, William Gay, Stanley Crouch, Peter Guralnick, John Jeremiah Sullivan, and Rosanne Cash-have contributed memorable writing to the issues. Past OA music issues have featured the states of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and, last year, Tennessee.