Fayetteville Roots Festival kicks off
by Robert Bell
WEDNESDAY 8/22
AUSTRALIA'S THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER
8 p.m. Electric Cowboy. $25-$35.
I tried. I honestly have given it 110 percent. I must've watched nearly 34 seconds of a video of it online, but I still just can't understand the appeal. I'm talking (and yes, I do mean talking) about male strippers, of course. It's like, what are they doing up there? First we're supposed to be convinced that they're all just a bunch of innocent policemen or firefighters or tuxedo-wearers and they just happen to be dancing around to a nice choreographed tune. But then they rip all their clothing off to reveal chest after ripped, deeply tanned, deeply oily, 100-percent hairless chest. And then the pants come off and they start prancing and thrusting and bulging around everywhere and for some reason, some people — women mostly, it seems — appear to enjoy this. They shriek and cackle at these poor studly ragamuffins. And I'm thinking (and yes, I do mean thinking), "Hey, this is like, sexual objectification or something. This isn't right." And then I remembered: It's all because of Hollywood. See, there's this popular actor right now who used to be a male stripper. He's called Chunnam Tating or something weird, some nonsensical stripper name. Anyways, it's probably his fault, so thanks a lot, Chunnam. And to all you folks ages 21 and older who want to watch a troupe of utterly buff, devastatingly handsome dudes with antipodean accents and pumped up pectorals dance around sexily, here you go.
THURSDAY 8/23
FAYETTEVILLE ROOTS FESTIVAL
Various times and venues. $25-$249.
In extremely short order, the Fayetteville Roots Festival has grown from a plucky yet small-scale affair into a four-day, multi-venue, big-name folk extravaganza, with a huge music lineup, a variety of other goings-on and major sponsors. The event is billed as "a music, food and culture festival showcasing Fayetteville in its natural state," and even a cursory glance at the offerings would confirm that assertion. First off, the lineup this year includes the virtuosic David Grisman Folk Jazz Trio as the Friday night headliner and John Prine, one of the best songwriters ever, as the Saturday night headliner. In addition to those veteran performers, there are more than 50 others who'll be playing at venues all over town, including the Walton Arts Center, George's Majestic Lounge, Greenhouse Grille, Kingfish, the Fayetteville Public Library, the farmer's market and more. The festival's principal organizers — Bayard Blain and Bernice and Bryan Hembree, of the folk/Americana trio 3 Penny Acre, and Chef Jerrmy Gawthrop, of Greenhouse Grille — have put together something pretty amazing. There are a variety of ticket packages available, such as passes that'll get you into all the shows and include meals made with locally sourced foods. You can also get single-venue tickets for some of the performances, but either way, you should probably move quickly. The full schedule is available at FayettevilleRoots.com.
THURSDAY 8/23
THESE UNITED STATES
9 p.m. Stickyz. $10.
At its core, These United States is cut from similar cloth as the shaggy, M. Ward-ian or Dr. Dog-ish classic/country rock that's been real widespread over the last six or seven years. But there's also a distinctly bluesy glam vibe on the band's latest, self-titled album, especially on the opener "Dead & Gone," which recalls all those times when Marc Bolan set his rock dial to "choogle." Singer and main songwriter Jesse Elliott has a cracked-but-not-broken, appealingly world-weary voice that's perfectly suited to this music. The track "Maps" has some keen acoustic guitar playing underpinning the rest of the kitchen-sink tune, with its shifting instrumentation and handclaps. Recommended for fans of the aforementioned M. Ward and Dr. Dog, as well as Delta Spirit, The Head and the Heart and other retro-informed pop acts. The opening act at this 18-and-older show is The Weeks, a Mississippi-bred y'allternative outfit that reminds me of early Kings of Leon.
More by Robert Bell
-
Saturday: Easton Corbin at Timberwood Amphitheater
Easton Corbin plays at Timberwood Amphitheater Saturday.
- Jun 7, 2013
-
Saturday: Lenny Williams at Blues on the River
Lenny Williams performs at Blues on the River, Saturday at the Clinton Presidential Center.
- Apr 19, 2013
- More »
Latest in To-Do List
-
Eureka Springs Blues Weekend
Also, Jeff Deck at the Central Arkansas Library System's Main Library, Undying Luv: The Bushy Memorial Party at Revolution, Meet and Greet with Brooks Robinson at Lamar Porter Field, Tinkerfest at the Museum of Discovery and John McAteer and the Gentlemen Firesnakes.
- Jun 13, 2013
-
Thunder on the Mountain on Mulberry Mountain
Also, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre, Arkansas Times Celebrate the Grape in Argenta, Brewer and Shipley in Eureka Springs, Future and Ace Hood at Barton and Amy Garland at White Water Tavern.
- Jun 6, 2013
-
Wakarusa headlines weekend
Also, Iron Tongue at White Water Tavern, Keith Sykes Weekend at the Arlington Hotel, Wingspur Benefits with Kinky Friedman at the Argenta Community Theater and White Water Tavern, The Bad Years and The Crooked Roots at Vino's, 10th Annual Conway Pride at The Pink House and Legacies & Lunch with Bill Carter at the Main Library.
- May 30, 2013
- More »
Event Calendar
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
