Tag Archives: South on Main

Sessions at South on Main tonight features Melody Pond

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som sess melodypondSouth on Main begins the second month of Sessions at South on Main! This month they have invited DGold to curate Wednesday night shows. Daniel Gold, aka DGold, is a radio personality, a podcaster, a music documentarian and former publisher of a music magazine – Honest Tunes. He’s traveled the US following music, and has always made it his priority to share good tunes with others.

For his first show, DGold has invited Melody Pond from Fayetteville. He says, “Melody Pond – it’s a new name of an artist that was formerly known as Candy Lee and the Sweets. … [the band] has a delicate, low-key style with female harmonies.”

The show begins at 8:30 PM, and there is a $5 cover charge. Please call (501) 244-9660 to reserve your table for this show.

ABOUT MELODY POND
Melody Pond is the song that dances on the water, echoes on the wind, and enchants your ear drums. The duo made up of Candy Lee and Emily Rowland, have a been singing together in various band formations for almost a decade, perfecting their tight, seamless harmonies. Their sound ranges from fun and powerful to honest and tender. Rooted in the earthiness of folk, Melody Pond keeps it fresh by merging modern indie influences with throwback moods of funk and blues, and jazz inspired vocals reminiscent of Billie Holiday and The Boswell Sisters. The duo has been compared to modern artists Rising Appalachia, First Aid Kit, and The Ditty Bops. Melody Pond performs original songs by Candy Lee. Her passionate, thought provoking lyrics have been described as delightfully conscious and “philosophically giddy.”

Candy Lee is the 2011 Northwest Arkansas Music Award Winner for Best Female Singer/Songwriter and Best Female Vocalist in a Band. She was also a Grassy Hill New Folk Finalist at the 2015 Kerrville Folk Festival. Melody Pond (formerly Candy Lee and the Sweets) have performed at the Yonder Mountain Harvest Festival, as well as the Fayetteville Roots Festival, and a sold out show at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. They have opened for Elephant Revival, Ben Miller Band, Amy Lavere, and The Lost Gonzo Band.

The Oxford American presents the UCA Dixieland Band tonight at South on Main

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SOM UCA jazzTonight (March 1) at 7:00 PM, the Oxford American magazine presents the UCA Dixieland Band at South on Main.

This event is free and open to the public. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservations and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660.

 

The UCA Dixieland Band was founded in 1976 by Professor Patrick Hasty. The group has a long tradition of performing all styles of Traditional Jazz at venues across campus and in the Central Arkansas area. Merging the instrumentation of Early New Orleans Style and Chicago Style jazz, the group utilizes clarinet, tenor saxophone, trumpet, trombone, piano, banjo/guitar, sousaphone/bass, and drum set. The ensemble studies original and contemporary recordings and prepares their own arrangements with an emphasis on collective and individual improvisation, and is currently coached by Dr. Jackie Lamar.

Tonight at 9pm at South on Main After Hours – Siamese, Jacob Metcalf & Young Speilberg

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som jacobmetcalf.jpg.190x140_q60_cropSouth on Main After Hours welcomes Siamese, Jacob Metcalf & Young Speilberg to the stage, tonight.

Admission is $10. You may purchase a wristband beginning at 4:00 pm. The show begins at 9:00 pm. Call South on Main at 501-244-9660 to make a reservation.

ABOUT JACOB METCALF
North Texas musician Jacob Metcalf will be releasing his first full-length solo effort, Fjord, later this winter. And while fans of his two longtime groups, Fox and the Bird and Dallas Family Band, might expect a similar rootsy update on rural American music, the sparsely orchestrated cinematic folk that sweeps through these 11 tracks are sure to cover the listener in permafrost and thaw them back out again.

The material for the record was written over the last decade on five continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, North and South America). It was during the last few years that Metcalf lived out of his car and inside a four foot crawl space between a vintage store and loft apartments in order to save enough from his bakery and music teaching jobs to make this album. Recorded in Austin, Ft. Worth and Dallas over the last two years with more than 20 talented musician friends, the singer-songwriter and band members would often use the streets to hone these songs before dressing up the arrangements in the studio.

The result is an often-breathtaking collection of indie-folk compositions that range from wistful, unhurried ballads to swirling, majestic orchestrations, sometimes within the same song, and all set to Metcalf’s warm, inviting vocals and non-linear story-telling.

ABOUT SIAMESE
Siamese is an avant glam art pop band from Dallas, TX, who utilize sets, costuming and lighting to create a sometimes ominous, always opulent live show. It is comprised of members Paul Alonzo (bass), Paul Grass (drums), Nicole Marxen-Myers (vocals, synth, guitar), and Teddy Georgia Waggy (vocals, guitar), each of whom brings skills in carpentry, sewing, painting and film production, respectively, to create their sets and costumes.

This winter Siamese premiered its second recording, Neon Lights, as well as its second set design, a futuristic visual brew inspired by ectoplasm-shilling charlatans and 2001: A Space Odyssey. For their previous set, a floral arrangement nightmare, the members made over 2,000 paper flowers by hand, which drove them crazy and ended up being good inspiration for their psychotic funeral director alter egos. The band is set to record their inaugural EP in February, to be released in spring 2016.

Marxen-Myers and Waggy started the project as a way to explore malleable identity, to blend music and visual art, and to face the vulnerability of live performance. In late 2014, they asked Alonzo and Grass to join them, two old friends of theirs with a like-minded love of creating other worlds. The band began writing its music together, with Nicole and Teddy adding lyrics that deal with their own modern apathy and colonial guilt; with the surreal fragility of our fleshy human bodies commingling with the cold clean space age; and sometimes, with the inner workings of their favorite sociopathic film characters.

In less than ten shows, they’ve already shared bills with the likes of Pinkish Black and Tele Novella, played the historic Texas Theater, received press coverage from Central Track, ANON Magazine and We Denton Do It, and their two releases are in regular rotation on The Local Ticket and Dallas’ NPR music station, KXT

Tonight at South on Main – Charles Woods takes the stage

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som charleswoods.jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight at South on Main, their next February Sessions, curated by Amy Garland.  The featured musician is Charles Woods who takes the stage at 8:30pm

We have a musical legend in our midst and many folks don’t even know it! Born in Little Rock in 1946 and raised in a musical household with a gospel and blues background, Charles Woods began playing the harmonica at the age of eight and started playing the electric guitar at the age of 12. Charles honed his musical talents in the gospel chorus on Sunday mornings. While in the choir, Charles Woods also developed his heartfelt and soulful voice reminiscent of such legends as Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Johnny Taylor. Charles’ impressive musical talents came to the forefront while playing electric guitar with such notable acts as the Staple Singers, Rufus Thomas, Little Johnny Taylor, Fenton Robinson, Larry Totsie Davis, and playing bass with Freddie King. Although Charles Woods has traveled the world and performed with a number of world-class entertainers, he has remained true to his roots, his heritage, and his hometown of Little Rock where he still entertains to this day and is known to his fans and his musical peers as the “Best Kept Secret in Arkansas.” Charles Woods is a musician’s musician.

Charles just released a brand new record, “Something In The Dark.” This record highlights some of the finest musicians in Arkansas; Tonya Leeks, Jess Hoggard. Eric Ware, Ivan Yarbough, Cecil Parker, and Tim Anthony, among others.

10pm tonight – South on Main After-Hours features Bijoux and Tawanna Campbell

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som bijouxtawanna.jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight (February 19) at 10pm at South on Main – Bijoux and Tawanna Campbell headline another After-Hours concert.

Two of Little Rock’s powerhouse vocalists will grace the stage for a night of music entertainment. Bijoux, a sultry, soul singer adept in various styles, has made a name for herself in the music scene, both locally and in surrounding areas.

Bijoux’s jovial spirit, endearing vocals, vibrant entertaining, and musical versatility make her a perfect artist for any atmosphere! Tawanna Campbell has been a beacon, leading the way for Arkansas’ growing music scene, and is an all-encompassing performer. Her musical acumen is eclectic and dynamic. Tawanna possesses an amazing stage presence and a style all her own. Backed by some of Little Rock’s greatest musicians, the two will deliver an eclectic mixture of your greatest tunes from almost every genre of music.

Doors open at 4:00 PM, show begins at 10:00 PM. Wristbands can be purchased for $15 after doors open. Call ahead to reserve a table (501) 244-9660. Call (501) 952-7501 for additional information about this event.

Tonight on the South on Main stage – Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line

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som nora janeTonight (February 18) at 8:00 PM, the Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Nora Jane Struthers & The Party Line to the South on Main stage!

This is the third show of their Americana Series. Doors open at 6:00 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible by the presenting sponsor, Ben E. Keith Foods Mid-South Division, and in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

Single tickets are still available. Here is the ticketing and seating information.

 

Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Nora Jane Struthers is a singer-songwriter based in Nashville. Performing with her band, The Party Line, the group has enjoyed critical acclaim since their formation in 2012. American Songwriter is calling the most recent release, Wake, “Nora Jane’s best album to date,” which speaks volumes about what’s happening on Nora Jane Struthers’ latest record. For the thirty-one year old singer-songwriter, it’s “wake” in several senses of the word. There’s the trail of a life and career behind her, the slipstream of lessons learned. There’s the quiet observance and letting go of who she has been up until now as both an artist and a person. And most of all, there’s the stirring of something new, an opening of a door and wide-eyed rush forward into a place of discovery and dizzying possibilities. And it’s all set to a soundtrack that resonates with the warm uplift of the first day of spring.

“The whole album is about strength through vulnerability,” she says. “That’s what I’ve come to as an artist, and a human being, and I think it’s the most powerful force in my life. I feel so much more like my childhood self now than I did over the past five years, than I have in my whole adult life. In my twenties, I had a tendency to compartmentalize pieces of my musical identity. For instance, how could I reconcile my love of both bluegrass and Pearl Jam? I did the same thing in my personal life, where I had this sort of idea of who I wanted to be, and ignored all these other pieces of myself, because I didn’t think they fit into some imagined big picture.”

Isaac Alexander takes the stage tonight at South on Main as part of Sessions series

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som isaacNext for the South on Main February Sessions, curated by Amy Garland, Isaac Alexander takes the stage!

The concert begins tonight (February 17) at 8:30 pm.

Amy Garland says, “The first person who comes to mind when I hear the word “artist” is Isaac Alexander. He’s a prolific songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, performer, graphic designer, and illustrator. And he is a great guy! I met what I lovingly refer to as the “White County crew” when I met my husband, Bart, many moons ago. He was playing with some young fellas (Big Silver) from Searcy. Led by Isaac, they were just starting to play in Little Rock, so I asked them to open for me at Juanitas. That was all she wrote.”

Isaac Alexander has been playing, writing, and recording in Little Rock since 1999 and has put out a total of twelve records under various band names—Big Silver, The Easys, Molten Lava, Greers Ferry to name a few. He’s played drums in the legendary Little Rock band, The Boondogs and has played and recorded with a number of local artists, including The Salty Dogs, Brother Andy and His Big Damn Mouth, Cosby, The Big Cats, Jonathan Wilkins, Jesse Aycock, Chris Micheals, and Jim Mize.

The last few years Alexander has been working on solo albums with his friends. He has so far released See Thru Me and Antivenin Suite and is working on a third record presently. See Thru Me was No. 6 on the Arkansas Times Music Poll’s best Arkansas albums list.