Tag Archives: South on Main

Tonight at South on Main – Hurray for the Riff Raff

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hrraff_website.jpg.190x140_q60_cropThe Oxford American magazine is excited to welcome Hurray for the Riff Raff to the South on Main stage!

The music starts at 7:30pm, but doors open at 5:30pm, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This concert is made possible in part by the generosity of Landes FIAT of Benton.

Seating at tables is limited and available on a first-come, first-seated basis beginning at 5:30 PM when the doors open. No reservations are being taken ahead of time. To ensure the best possible seat, plan to arrive when the doors open.

Hurray For The Riff Raff is Alynda Lee Segarra, but in many ways it’s much more than that: it’s a young woman leaving her indelible stamp on the American folk tradition. If you’re listening to her new album, Small Town Heroes, odds are you’re part of the riff raff, and these songs are for you.

“It’s grown into this bigger idea of feeling like we really associate with the underdog,” says Segarra, who came to international attention in 2012 with Look Out Mama. The album earned her raves from NPR and the New York Times to Mojo and Paste, along with a breakout performance at the 2013 Newport Folk Festival, which left American Songwriter “awestruck” and solidified her place at the forefront of a new generation of young musicians celebrating and reimagining American roots music. “We really feel at home with a lot of worlds of people that don’t really seem to fit together,” she continues, “and we find a way to make them all hang out with our music. Whether it’s the queer community or some freight train-riding kids or some older guys who love classic country, a lot of folks feel like mainstream culture isn’t directed at them. We’re for those people.”

Segarra, a 26-year-old of Puerto Rican descent, whose slight frame belies her commanding voice, grew up in the Bronx where she developed an early appreciation for doo-wop and Motown from the neighborhood’s longtime residents. It was downtown, though, that she first felt like she found her people, traveling to the Lower East side every Saturday for punk matinees at ABC No Rio. “Those riot grrrl shows were a place where young girls could just hang out and not have to worry about feeling weird, like they didn’t belong,” Segarra says of the inclusive atmosphere fostered by the musicians and outsider artists who populated the space. “It had such a good effect on me to go to those shows as a kid and feel like somebody in a band was looking out for me and wanted me to feel inspired and good about myself.”

NPR has said that Hurray for the Riff Raff’s music “sweeps across eras and genres with grace and grit,” and that’s never been more true than on Small Town Heroes. These songs belong to no particular time or place, but rather to all of us. These songs are for the riff raff.

Tonight at South on Main – Amasa Hines with opening band The Hudson Branch.

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amasahines_fb_cropped.jpg.190x140_q60_cropJoin South on Main for a concert with Amasa Hines and opening band The Hudson Branch. Tickets available at the door for $10. You may purchase your ticket after doors open at 4 PM, and return for the show, which starts at 10 PM.

About Amasa Hines – Creative influence is a tempest. Many artists find themselves buffeted about by desires to embody the standards of those they admire. Some never find balance or come to know authenticity. Amasa Hines strives against the current of these truths in an attempt to distill their respective cadences in a singularity. The sound is a tapestry of history and imagination; fusing the psychedelic and the chant with blues poetry and the African’s back beat.

The six piece includes brothers Judson and Joshua Spillyards, Ryan Hitt, Matt Rice, Norman Williamson and Joshua Asante. The band completed their first studio LP All The World There Is in 2014 and is currently touring with that release.

About The Hudson Branch – For the past six years four brothers from Chicago have been busy using their love of pop music to build a mini-empire under the name The Hudson Branch. They’ve collaborated with NPR’s popular and innovative podcast Radiolab, shared the stage with English new wave pioneers New Order, and performed experimental live shows alongside media giants Google and Disney. They’ve also recorded and produced three ambitious albums.

Local Live tonight at South on Main – Tonya Leeks Band

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som leeksThis week’s installment of the free Local Live concert series features the Tonya Leeks Band!  It starts at 7:30pm.

Presented by the Oxford American, Local Live showcases the best of local and regional music talent. Call ahead to South on Main to make your reservation and ensure a table: (501) 244-9660. Local Live is made possible by the generous sponsorship of Cosmic Cowboy Music.

Tonya Leeks is a flautist, saxophonist, and vocalist from Arkansas. She was a featured saxophone soloist with Grammy nominee Gladys McFadden and the Loveing Sisters. Leeks has performed all across the U.S. as a leader and accompanist.

Leeks describes herself as a contemporary inspirational musician seeking to uplift, encourage, and entertain others while sharing the enjoyment and appreciation for the gift of music.

Tonight at South on Main – UCA Arts Night

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som uca percussionUCA Arts Night takes the stage at South on Main tonight at 7:30.  The evening is spsonored by the Oxford American in partnership with the UCA School of Fine Art and Communications.

This semester’s concert features Blake Tyson and the UCA Percussion Group performing a selection of original compositions and innovative arrangements. The event is free and open to the public, but call ahead at (501) 244-9660 to ensure a reservation at a table.

Blake Tyson is recognized as one of the finest percussionists of his generation, and his compositions are performed in concert halls around the world. His own performances have taken him to five continents and almost forty states, but he is proud to call Arkansas home. Blake will take the stage at South on Main to perform his own works, as well as works by some of his favorite composers. In addition to solo pieces, he’ll perform chamber music with a selection of his fantastic graduate students from the University of Central Arkansas Percussion Studio,

Local Live tonight at South on Main – DAVID ROSEN SEPTET

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llsom_drs.jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight at 7:30 is the weekly Local Live concert at South on Main.  This free concert series is sponsored by the Oxford American magazine with support from Cosmic Cowboy Studio.

The music tonight is provided by the David Rosen Septet. These talented Little Rock jazzers will play a variety of swing and big band music from the 1940’s-’60s. Call ahead at (501) 244-9660 to reserve your seat at a table for this popular series.

The David Rosen Septet will be playing updated arrangements of many favorite tunes from the swing, big band, and jazz eras, featuring Craig Grubbs (trombone), Perry Israel (guitar), Bryan Withers (drums), Matt Dickson (tenor sax), and David Higginbottam (bass).

Local Live at South on Main tonight – SeanFresh

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llsom_seanfresh_website.jpg.190x140_q60_cropTonight at 7:30 pm, the Oxford American magazine presents this week’s Local Live concert at South on Main, starring SeanFresh!

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 Cosmic Cowboy Music.

SeanFresh, the son of Pastor E.E. Clay-West and Alvin West, is a proud native of Little Rock, Arkansas. In the face of his substantial religious background, Sean was exposed to a very wide scope of music from the likes of Brian McKnight, Babyface, Madonna, 8 Ball and MJG, Otis Redding, The Isley Brothers, OutKast, and Fred Hammond. As a child, Sean grew up in area dominant in gang violence, and he would use his faith and music to escape the threatening world around him. Now the singer, songwriter, entertainer uses his sultry, charming vocals to enlighten the world through his alluring melodies. This year he will be releasing his ultimate musical experience called The Teshuvah Project; three albums telling a story of love, pain, and restoration, starting with FreshSeason.

Sean is also currently heading up fundraisers as the Marketing Director for Global Kids Arkansas (GKAR), which gives at-risk children hands on experience in foreign policy and global initiatives.

When asked who SeanFresh is, he replies “It’s simple. SeanFresh is just a church boy that loves to do R&B and Hip-Hop.”

Rev. G and the Gospel Allstars headline South on Main Gospel Brunch today

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pic_rev_g_and_gospel_allstars_copy.jpg.190x140_q60_cropA first for Little Rock! – Join The Oxford American for South on Main’s first ever Gospel Brunch! Two sets of live music will be performed between 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM featuring Rev. G and the Gospel Allstars. There is a $10 per person cover charge.

Seating is available first come, first served when the doors open at 10:00 AM.  No reservations are being taken for this event.

Rev. G and the Gospel Allstars includes Arkansas artists and musicians Greg Spradlin, Mable Bealer (a Tru-Soul recording artist), Chris Michaels, and Jonathan “J-Roc” Burks performing classic southern gospel favorites from Sister Rosetta Tharpe, The Staple Singers, Sam Cooke, and more.