Yvette "Babygirl" Preyer benefit at Revolution
by Robert Bell, David Koon and Lindsey Millar @lindsey_millar
THURSDAY 2/21
YVETTE 'BABYGIRL' PREYER BENEFIT
7 p.m. Revolution. $10.
You've got to hand it to musicians in Central Arkansas. If one of their friends or colleagues needs a hand, they're willing to step up. Ditto for Chris King and Suzon Awbrey of Stickyz and Revolution, as well as several other venue owners in the area. They've hosted numerous benefits over the years, which have no doubt helped folks who've experienced misfortune. Yvette "Babygirl" Preyer is an Arkansas native who studied music at Philander Smith College and the University of Arkansas. She's a badass drummer who's played with a ton of notable artists, including Isaac Hayes, Luther Allison, Rufus Thomas, The Bar-Kays and Michael McDonald, whose band she's played in for some time. Preyer recently suffered a non-life-threatening illness that required two serious surgeries and three to six months of recuperation. We all know how expensive it can be to get sick here in the United States. Even if you have good insurance, not being able to work can put a strain on your finances. So a bunch of folks have come together to help Preyer with some of those expenses. This show will include performances from Nicky Parrish, Ramona Smith, Julia Buckingham Group, Gerald Johnson, Butterfly, Tonya Leeks, Darrill "Harp" Edwards and more. RB
THURSDAY 2/21
ARGENTA FILM SERIES: 'UNDEFEATED'
7 p.m. Argenta Community Theater. Free.
If your heart was warmed by Sandra Bullock's turn in "The Blind Side," then a sound bite oft-repeated in similar varieties to describe Oscar-winning documentary "Undefeated" might be all you need to hear: "It's 'Friday Night Lights' meets 'The Blind Side' and the whole movie is true" (as George Stephanopoulos said on ABC). If you actively avoided Bullock's role as a Southern Belle savior of a gentle black giant, plenty of other critics have begun their reviews with an acknowledgement: We know this might sound like inspirational treacle, but it's really good! How to reconcile the two takes? I don't know; I haven't seen the film. But I do know that filmmakers T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay embedded with the woeful Manassas High School football team in north Memphis for about a year and turned 500-hours of footage into a 113-minute documentary. With that much material on a football team made up of kids from a forgotten part of town, hungry for a future that may never come and led by a white volunteer coach they call Big Daddy Snowflake, there's bound to be some lasting moments. I'll interview Coach Bill Courtney (Big Daddy Snowflake) in a post-screening Q&A. Like all of the films in the Argenta Film Series, the screening is free, but an RSVP at lrff.eventbrite.com is required. LM
FRIDAY 2/22
SAMANTHA CRAIN
9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern. $7.
A good many fans of Americana here in Central Arkansas are probably already familiar with Oklahoma singer/songwriter Samantha Crain. She's played at White Water Tavern on numerous occasions, and returns Friday on tour for her new record, "Kid Face," out this week. The album isn't a radical departure from Crain's mostly country- and folk-steeped songs. Spare piano chords, a whining violin and ghostly pedal steel make fleeting appearances that keep the listener's ears on their toes. "For the Miner" has an almost-funky bass line that wouldn't sound out of place on something from Ditch Trilogy-era Neil Young. There are some woozy strings and keys that add an air of tension to an otherwise low-key tune. John Vanderslice's production is excellent throughout, giving the record a wide-open sound, the songs augmented by instrumental flourishes that never distract from Crain's words. Which is nice, because she gets in some good ones, like these from "Taught to Lie," the album's second track: "You'd think I'd get a phone call from your rolling mansion / It's been four years, you gotta know that I've changed, you gotta know that I am different / I did a pretty bad thing but it's nothing that I wouldn't mention." Compared to Crain's previous album, 2010's "You (Understood)," "Kid Face" is quite a bit darker and more subdued, but it also sounds like a big step forward. Also on the bill is the redoubtable singer, songwriter, storyteller and all-around enjoyable dude Kevin Kerby. RB
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Wakarusa headlines weekend
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