Tag Archives: South on Main

SOMA After Dark features Brian Nahlen Band on South on Main stage

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SOMA After Dark :: Brian Nahlen BandThe Brian Nahlen Band is bringing the funk to SOMA After Dark on Friday, June 7 at South on Main.

The show begins at 9 pm. Tickets may be purchased for $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Tickets do not guarantee a seat, to reserve a table call (501) 244-9660.

ABOUT THE BAND

A wonderfully eclectic mix of rock and funk, sweet ballads and dynamic protest anthems, the Brian Nahlen Band includes six accomplished musicians who blend original music and reimagined covers into every show. The lineup features frontman and guitarist Brian Nahlen, guitarist Jason Lee Hale, keyboardist Tommy Priakos, sax player Dave Williams II, bassist BrianWolverton and drummer Daniel Olah.

Nahlen is an Arkansas Ambassador. His original music has been called “finely crafted, soulful, deftly fuses funk, jazz, gospel, pop and hip hop.” The Band’s live performances showcase each player’s forte, and no two gigs are the same.

Nahlen has released two albums, “Better Than I Thought It Could Be” (the title track was featured in an Arkansas Parks and Tourism commercial) and “Cicada Moon,” and three singles: “I Might Be Leavin’” (feat. Big Piph), “In the Old Days” and “You Fool.” All of these are available on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services.

A socially conscious lot, Nahlen and the Band often play benefit shows, which in 2018 alone helped KABF, Puerto Ricans in Arkansas (Nahlen coordinated this), The Van, the Buffalo River and Animal Village. They also performed at the inaugural Central Arkansas Music Awards.

Nahlen started playing guitar 30 years ago and has been a full-time musician for the last 15. He regularly performs alone, in his namesake full band or in a duo with Hale, Nick Devlin, or Luke Johnson. Past stints include Dead Fish, Sunny Daze, Big John Miller Band, Quadraphonic and Pepperland. Once a month, he hosts the Collage Radio Show on KABF.

Tonight at South on Main – John Paul White performs as part of Oxford American music series

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John Paul WhiteThe Oxford American is excited to welcome John Paul White back to the South on Main stage tonight, June 5! This is a special addition to the OA’s 2018-19 Concert Series. Doors open at 5:30 PM, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time.  The concert starts at 7:30 PM.

Single tickets are $30 (General Admission), $34 (Reserved), and $36 (Premium Reserved).

With The Hurting Kind, John Paul White has crafted a stunning album that draws on the lush, orchestrated music made in Nashville in the early 1960s. Yet these songs retain a modern feel, whether he’s writing about overwhelming love, unraveling relationships, or the fading memory of a loved one.

White grew up in tiny Loretto, Tennessee, and now lives in Florence, Alabama, not far from Muscle Shoals. He has cultivated his career in Nashville for two decades, first as a songwriter for a major publisher, then as half of The Civil Wars—a groundbreaking duo that won four GRAMMY Awards before disbanding in 2012.

Because The Civil Wars were so hard to categorize, White has earned a fan base among indie rock listeners, folk audiences, Americana outlets, and AAA radio. So, what will happen if people hear The Hurting Kind and call it country? “Well, that doesn’t scare me in the least,” he says. “As a matter of fact, it kind of thrills me.”

Monsterboy at South on Main tonight

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M2 Gallery is curating May Sessions at South on Main by highlighting connections between music and visual art. For the final Wednesday in May, M2 invites people to experience the music of Monsterboy.

Tickets for this event are $10 at the door. Music begins at 8 pm. You may reserve a table for dinner by calling (501) 244-9660.

ABOUT MONSTERBOY
Monsterboy is Chris Long and Veronica Wirges, a husband and wife duo out of Little Rock whose love story captivates audiences one room at a time. After being discovered at a Bonnaroo open mic by MTV.com, the couple took on the task of finding a method for capturing the music that was playing in their heads.

The duo landed on recording everything for Monsterboy in their home studio, influenced by creatives such as Beck and Prince. Each instrument is separately tracked out and layered to realize the finished song, often using classical or tribal instruments in non-traditional pairings to get the feel they know the song needs.

Monsterboy is a genre-less artist, marrying indie pop with elements of alternative, folk, and grunge. Each song is uniquely Monsterboy in composition and vibe, regardless of the genre it is labeled. Their reworked covers are crowd favorites as each song is re-envisioned to feature a baritone saxophone.

This power couple has found that being a duo has its perks on live performances, as acoustic gigs lend a more intimate vibe for coffee shops, college campuses, and house shows. Alternatively, they can showcase the multi-instrumental skills of both musicians on the larger stages of venues and festivals.

Monsterboy has supported acts such as GGOOLLDD, Wild Moccasins, and Vesperteen, as well as featuring at festivals like SXSW and Solar Flux. The act is looking forward to touring regionally this year, while continuing their waterfall release of a new song every 3 weeks.

ABOUT M2 GALLERY
M2 Gallery is located in SOMA and offers a large selection of original artwork from both established and emerging artists. With a wide range of style and price, M2 Gallery is sure to fill your art needs. M2 also works with a large network of galleries throughout the country so that we can make sure to find exactly what our clients are looking for.

Gallery director Mac Murphy has over 15 years of experience and has been the driving force behind M2 Gallery winning the Platinum Service Award for several years.
 

2019-2020 OXFORD AMERICAN music series at South on Main

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One of the best music series in the South takes place in Little Rock as the Oxford American brings musicians to South on Main. It is actually three different music series: Americana, Jazz, and Archetypes & Troubadours. Tickets are already on sale, and many of the concerts will sell out. So do not delay!

Up first is Amy Helm in the Americana Series. She will perform on Thursday, August 22 at 8:00pm. “One of Americana’s most impassioned, soul-stirring singers.” —Rolling Stone Country

First in the Jazz Series is Peter Martin & Romero Lubambo featuring Erin Bode. They’ll be in Little Rock on Thursday, September 5 at 8:00pm. “One of the most underrated pianists in jazz today … Martin plays with the kind of daring and excitement that marks a distinctive personality on the keyboard.” — Washington Post

The first in the Archetypes & Troubadours Series is Rev. Sekou on Thursday, September 26 at 8:00pm. “Rev. Sekou delivers the spiritual performance we need now.”—Paste

Next in Americana is Chatham County Line on Thursday, October 17 at 8:00pm. “What initially drew me to this Raleigh, North Carolina-based quartet is that in addition to the unique mix of bluegrass, folk and Americana tunes they harmonize so beautifully on is the fact that they typically crowd around a single, large, silver radio microphone. And that’s not the band’s only nod to the past.” — Huffington Post

Marsalis is a name synonymous with jazz. The Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet is next in the Jazz Series on Thursday, November 14. “[Marsalis’s] playing is eccentric within graceful boundaries, concerned with polyrhythm as science, history and gamesmanship, full of technique used to non-slick ends … Discipline and strategy are written deeply into the band.” — New York Times

Next in the Archetypes & Troubadours Series is Catherine Russell on Thursday, December 5, at 8:00pm. “A wonderfully charismatic performer with a show­stopping voice and an unabashedly old-fashioned repertoire.” — The Washington Post

The Fred Hersch Trio takes the Oxford American stage for the Jazz Series on Thursday, January 30 at 8:00pm. “An elegant force of musical invention, Fred Hersch cannot be discounted in any discussion of the top contemporary jazz pianists.” —LA Times

Jon Cleary is next in the Americana Series.  He’ll be on stage on Thursday, February 20 at 8:00pm. “Cleary embodies the heart and soul of the Crescent City, keeping the sound and the fury of its legendary piano pounders alive and kicking.”— No Depression

John Fullbright will be next in the Archetypes & Troubadours Series on Thursday, March 12 at 8:00pm. “In a short-­attention-­span world overloaded with sensory stimulation, there aren’t many artists who can stop you in your tracks with a single song.” —American Songwriter

The final 2019-2020 Americana Series entry is Mary Gauthier on Thursday, March 26 at 8:00pm.  “…[Mary Gauthier’s] Rifles and Rosary Beads, is not only one of the most arresting American singer-songwriter records in recent years, but one of the most vital pieces of art to come out of those two wars.” — Rolling Stone Country

Ranky Tanky closes out the 2019-2020 Archetypes & Troubadours Series on Thursday, April 16 at 8:00pm. “Ranky Tanky proved that exotic music can be both unfamiliar enough to be surprising, and yet familiar enough to provoke swinging hips and nodding heads. When it works, it’s the best of both worlds.” —Paste

The final Jazz Series concert is on Thursday, April 23 at 8:00pm. It features the Miguel Zenón Quartet. “This young musician and composer is at once reestablishing the artistic, cultural, and social tradition of jazz while creating an entirely new jazz language for the 21st century.” —MacArthur Foundation

As part of M2 Gallery’s May Sessions at South on Main: Neal Harrington’s art and the music of Black Sabbatical

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Sessions :: Neal Harrington + Black SabbaticalM2 Gallery is curating May Sessions at South on Main by highlighting connections between music and visual art. For the fourth Wednesday in May, they invite you to experience the music & art of Neal Harrington and Black Sabbatical.

Tickets for this event are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. Music begins at 8 pm. You may reserve a table for dinner by calling (501) 244-9660.

ABOUT BLACK SABBATICAL

Black Sabbatical is comprised of four college professors who cannot agree on anything except ROCK and ROLL!

ABOUT NEAL HARRINGTON

Neal Harrington was born in Rapid City, South Dakota in 1973.  He graduated from the University of South Dakota with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (emphasis in painting) in 1998.  Mr. Harrington then recently married, followed his wife to graduate school in Wichita, Kansas.  He graduated in 2001 with a Master of Fine Arts degree (emphasis in printmaking) from Wichita State University.  Currently Neal, Tammy and their two children live in Russellville, Arkansas.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Printmaking, in particular relief, is my primary means of exploration in the visual arts.  The content of my work fuses the rich tradition of Greek/Roman mythologies with an American Roots Music perspective.  These visual ballads sing out in their symbolism, narrative, and energetic atmospheres.  My work balances a multifaceted investigation of independence and mystical narratives.  These themes can be found in The Bootlegger’s Ballad series and the pulp novel/comic pinup imagery of The American Goddesses series.  The bold and graphic marks of the woodcut/relief technique reiterate the tension and energy of the figures in these works.  In my Bootlegger series, I create an intensified atmosphere and an amplified dramatic sense of light with the addition of India ink washes.  The shades of gray either softens the focus or strengthens the focal point and contributes to the dreamlike quality of the piece.

ABOUT M2 GALLERY

M2 Gallery is located in SOMA and offers a large selection of original artwork from both established and emerging artists. With a wide range of style and price, M2 Gallery is sure to fill your art needs. M2 also works with a large network of galleries throughout the country so that we can make sure to find exactly what our clients are looking for. Gallery director Mac Murphy has over 15 years experience, and has been the driving force behind M2 Gallery winning the Platinum Service Award for several years.

On stage at South on Main tonight (5/17) – Dead Horses and Benjamin Jaffe

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Join South on Main for an evening of indie folk music with Dead Horses and Benjamin Jaffe, of HONEYHONEY, on Friday, May 17.

Benjamin Jaffe will open the show at 9 pm. Purchase advance tickets for $10 or pay a $12 cover day of show. Tickets do not guarantee you a seat. Please call (501) 244-9660 to reserve a table. Guests must purchase advance ticket to confirm your table reservation.

ABOUT DEAD HORSES
At fifteen, Dead Horses frontwoman Sarah Vos’ world turned upside down. Raised in a strict, fundamentalist home, Vos lost everything when she and her family were expelled from the rural Wisconsin church where her father had long served as pastor. What happened next is the story of Dead Horses’ stunning new album, My Mother the Moon, a record full of trauma and triumph, despair and hope, pain and resilience.

Blending elements of traditional roots with contemporary indie folk, Dead Horses writes music that is both familiar and unexpected, unflinchingly honest in its portrayal of modern American life, yet optimistic in its unshakable faith in brighter days to come.

Described by NPR Music as “evocative, empathetic storytelling,” My Mother the Moon earned a spot in No Depression’s “Best Roots Music Albums of 2018” list, and Rolling Stone Country declared the Wisconsin-based duo an “Artist You Need to Know.”

Listen: deadhorses.net/music

ABOUT BENJAMIN JAFFE
Years before he hit the road as one half of the Americana duo HONEYHONEY, Benjamin Jaffe kickstarted his career as a solo artist. He was a young Massachusetts native living in Los Angeles, rolling his sharp songwriting, multi-instrumental chops and vocals into songs that were honest and experimental. A decade later, he returns to that career with Oh, Wild Ocean of Love his first full-length release as a solo artist.

Trading the rootsy stomp of HONEYHONEY’s three albums for an indie-alternative sound, Jaffe widens his approach with Oh, Wild Ocean of Love. These songs make room for a broad range of influences, from the polyphonic rhythms and improvisational freedom of jazz music to the soul and swagger of Motown. There are R&B ballads like “Everlasting Peace,” where Jaffe layers his voice into gorgeous stacks of multi-part harmony, and dissonant rockers like “Dominator,” where he shines a light on his skills as an inventive electric guitarist. Throughout the tracklist, Jaffe plays nearly every instrument himself, bouncing between drums, keyboards, bass, and guitar.

M2 Gallery’s May Sessions at South on Main continues tonight with the music and art of Bryan Frazier

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Sessions :: Diamond States & the art of Bryan FrazierM2 Gallery is curating May Sessions at South on Main by highlighting connections between music and visual art.

For the third Wednesday in May, they invite you to experience the music & art of Bryan Frazier, of Diamond States.

Tickets for this event are $7 in advance or $10 at the door. Music begins at 8 pm. Guests may reserve a table for dinner by calling (501) 244-9660.

ABOUT DIAMOND STATES
Bryan Frazier (The Alpha Ray) vocals guitars
Eric Morris (The See) Bass
Jordan Crain (Free Micah) guitars vocals
Brooks Browning (Good Time Ramblers) Drums

A mix of Britrock influences such as Travis, Doves, Snowpatrol, Oasis and American/Canadian heroes, The Stills, Wilco and Guided By Voices brings pop sensibility with lo-fi space rock vibes wrapped in a parka and arriving on a Vespa. A vague vision of Quadrophenia with better haircuts.

ABOUT M2 GALLERY
M2 Gallery is located in SOMA and offers a large selection of original artwork from both established and emerging artists. With a wide range of style and price, M2 Gallery is sure to fill your art needs. M2 also works with a large network of galleries throughout the country so that we can make sure to find exactly what our clients are looking for. Gallery director Mac Murphy has over 15 years experience, and has been the driving force behind M2 Gallery winning the Platinum Service Award for several years.