Tuesday, December 18, 2012
What's going on / Books / Music Half Japanese had so much fun in Hot Springs, they published a book about it
Posted by Robert Bell on Tue, Dec 18, 2012 at 12:56 PM
You read that headline correctly. Half Japanese — the veteran experimental rock band that has been a cult favorite among music geeks for 35 years — really dug Hot Springs.
The group played a weekend-long residency at Maxine's back in October, at the behest of Thick Syrup Records, the Little Rock label that has released and reissued several works from the band. Half Japanese played, along with solo sets from founding members David and Jad Fair and performances from kindred spirits Ezra Lbs. and The Bloodless Cooties. There were exhibitions of the Fair brothers' artwork, and a screening of the documentary "Half Japanese: The Band That Would Be King." (Side notes: 1. The film is totally entertaining and compelling even if experimental rock isn't your exact specific jam. 2. Here's one of my favorite Half Japanese tunes, this one's with Don Fleming, who also has records on Thick Syrup.)
Apparently, so much fun was had that it necessitated a book to commemorate the occasion. And thus, "All the Doctors in Hot Springs," which is a lyric from Robert Johnson's "32-20 Blues." It's a 48-page book of photos, fliers and more from the weekend, which saw the band performing the song "Lucky Times Lucky Plus Lucky Times Ten" (written just for the occasion) as Thick Syrup founder Travis McElroy proposed to his now fiance Samantha Pirtle.
As the band wrote in the introduction to the book, "What a great time!" They thanked McElroy and Pirtle and all the other folks involved, including Kevin Rogers and Agnes Galecka, who own Maxine's, "the coolest music venue west of Hoboken."
You can pick the book up at Amazon raht cheer.
Speaking of...
-
Thursday and Friday To-Do: Thick Syrup Anniversary Shows
May 8, 2013White Water Tavern hosts two Thick Syrup Anniversary Shows, on Thursday and Friday. /more/
- More »
More by Robert Bell
-
UCA unveils 2013-2014 Public Appearances lineup
Neil deGrasse Tyson will lecture at UCA as part of the Public Appearances series.
- May 10, 2013
-
Friday and Saturday To-Do: 'Doubt: A Parable'
From left, Pamela Reed, Jeremy Estill, Amanda Taylor and Deb Lewis star in The Weekend Theater’s production of “Doubt: A Parable.”
- Apr 4, 2013
- More »
Readers also liked…
-
Walmart drops support of ALEC
Add Walmart to the growing list of major corporations that have decided to drop financial support of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a thinly veiled corporate lobby that stocks compliant state legislators, usually Republican, with cookie cutter bills to advance the corporate agenda.
- May 31, 2012
-
Tim Griffin brings liar to town to campaign UPDATE
It's not exactly surprising that U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin, not known for candor or truthfulness, would bring a bodacious liar to town to endorse his candidacy.
- Jun 11, 2012
-
Mike Huckabee backs Obama on support for immigrants
Mike Huckabee has always been good on the immigration issue and I don't mind saying it.
- Jun 16, 2012
People who saved…
Event Calendar
Top Commenters
Blogroll
Slideshows
-
Here are some photos from Thursday's Cirque du Soleil performance at Verizon Arena.
Site Index
News
Cover Story / Arkansas Reporter / The Week That Was / Smart Talk / The Insider / The Observer / Editorial / Max Brantley / Ernest Dumas / Gene Lyons / Bob Lancaster / Words / Guest Writer / Letters
Entertainment
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings
This Week's Cover
Quick Links
Special Publications
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
