Friday, February 3, 2012
Showcase Don't Stop Please wins Showcase round two
- Brian Chilson
- Don't Stop Please, Round 2 winner
How to describe Conway's Don't Stop Please? "Cosmic folk" occurred to me early on in the band's winning set last night, when the six piece did a a shuffling Southern ditty built on two guitars, a stand-up bass, keys, a saxophone and drums that occasionally drifted off into weird directions. In the spirit of that great Robert Palmer band The Insect Trust (but influenced by different drugs). Or The Damn Bullets with more going on. But then just about everyone switched instruments and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Anna Horton sang a smoky, Latin-tinged lounge number. While playing a ukulele. Later, after everyone had switched instruments a couple times, and we'd seen a trombone, banjo and harmonica make appearances, DSP did the whitest proto-rap funk song perhaps ever performed. The hook was "My ass is luxurious." And at one point, Horton asked, "Where my lazy sluts at?"
Yeah, it was unfocused. But perhaps not surprisingly for a group called Don't Stop Please, the band isn't used to playing 30 minute sets, singer/guitarist Joel Ludford told me after the set. So maybe they felt like they needed to move across the wide spectrum of their abilities quickly. It certainly showcased their crisp musicianship and charisma. And it worked with with the judges.
Sammy Williams: Cover multiple genres, all extremely well.
Cheyenne Matthews: "Where my lazy sluts at?!" Well, it's cool they aren't biased."
Clay Fitzpartick: "Great hair! They are extremely confident. Talented kids."
Epiphany: "Screaming in time, head banging on a stand-up bass, pinwheels, plus a megaphone. Good times."
Isaac Alexander: "Genuinely surprised by this band. Great musicianship. And fun to watch and listen to. Each song was a new thought/movement. Looked like a lot of fun. I'd like to be in this band for awhile."
Video on the jump.
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Reviews / Music Review: Austin Lucas
Austin Lucas has a booking agent. Austin Lucas is signed to a record label. Hell, he is signed to a few record labels. So why is Austin Lucas doing a tour of house shows? Because he wants to, that’s why. I had a chance to speak with Lucas following last night’s house show in Little Rock. He explained to me that his roots are firmly in the soil of DIY punk music and that is what he grew up doing — playing house shows. He said it offers him a different kind of interaction with the crowd.
“People that come to house shows are the die-hards,” he said. He’s right; the house was filled with as many as 40 die-hard fans. Many called out for their favorite songs, and when he indulged the request, most were singing right along with him, some in harmony. There was no amplification; this was an acoustic set in the truest sense and included no fewer than 12 songs, two of which were newly written. All were very well received by the capacity crowd, but for me the highlights were “Hollywood,” “Dead Factories,” “Go West,” “Somebody Loves You,” and “Wash My Sins Away.”
Posted by Joe Meazle on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Showcase 2012 AT Showcase Round 2: Holy Angell
Last night Holy Angell represented several firsts for the Showcase as best as I can figure. It was the first time we've had anything that could be described as a black metal band participate. And it's the first time when a vocalist exclusively screamed.* And it was awesome. And a good number of folks stuck around past midnight to see it.
They got to see lead screamer Philip Schaaf contort himself theatrically as he seemed to be pushing out the soul yawps. Sometimes he held his back and arched backwards. Sometimes he sort of slumped forward holding his belly. Alan Short (guitar), Kevin Raines (drums) and Kiffin Rogers (bass) all killed it, too.
Said the judges:
Sammy Williams: "Old school black metal, battered and deep-fried. I have no clue how those screams came from a human."
Clay Fitzpatrick: "I love this type of music. I wish vocally I knew what was happening, but the band killed." And then he drew an upside down cross.
Epiphany: "I'm wondering if dude practiced his screams (which were in tune or did he just feel 'em out? Regardless, it works."
Isaac Alexander: "A moving performance. Passionate and perfectly executed. I'm becoming more metal everyday."
*There were a few times I thought I could hear what started as a word and ended in a scream.
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Music Verizon releases some Parrot Head tailgating details
- Sam Howzit
- Parrot Heads in their natural habitat.
Q: What's turquoise and bright red and flower-print covered and has 34,000 legs and smells like grilling cheeseburgers and margaritas?
A: The throngs of Parrot Heads who will be tailgating in the vicinity of Verizon Arena in the hours before the March 1 Jimmy Buffett concert.
The folks at Verizon have just announced some guidelines for the festivities. A map and the full press release is available after the jump.
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Music / Showcase 2012 AT Showcase Round 2: The Lindsay Kate Band
The Lindsay Kate Band was a no show. Also, no call, no text, no email, no Facebook message.
Boo!
UPDATE: Overlooked until now:
Sammy Williams: "They were pretty tough to see and hear."
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Music / Showcase 2012 AT Showcase Round 2: The Hidden Rex
A more amiable band would be hard to find. Likewise a more self-deprecating one. "Mindblowingly mediocre!" Hidden Rex singer/guitarist Derek Damron quipped after a song mid-set as a suggestion for something for the judges to write down. Most did, but they also wrote things like this:
Guest judge Isaac Alexander: "Charmingly self-deprecating, nerdy pop at its finest."
Sammy Williams: "They sound like a 7-inch from 1991."
Cheyenne Matthews: "I would party with the bass player [Maxwell DeYoung] any day, any time. Call me!" And then she drew a heart.
I thought the band sounded like Jonathan Richman as backed by the Meat Puppets and that it got better as its set progressed. Hidden Rex's last song, "My Best Friend's Sister," was a pop gem. Several of the judges singled it out.
, offering commentary to the judges.
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (0)
What's going on / Music Saturday To-Do: Me Talk Pretty, Hawthorne Heights
ME TALK PRETTY, HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS
9 p.m. Juanita's. $13 adv., $15 d.o.s.
A few years ago, this British inventor named Howard Stapleton created a device to help shopkeepers ward off packs of unruly teens. The Mosquito Teen Deterrent is essentially a box that emits a high-frequency tone that most adults can't hear — owing to the gradual hearing loss inherent in aging — but which is extremely unpleasant to young people. Apparently it works pretty well, though there is some degree of controversy about whether it violates the rights of the young.
I'd like to posit that there is some sort of reverse Mosquito effect whereby sounds that are enjoyable to the fresh, un-jaded ears of the young are nonetheless intolerable to the older and crankier among us. Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk about this, and I'm not saying Hawthorne Heights is a bad band. They've been around for more than a decade, they're one of the most popular acts in the emo/pop-punk genre and this show will probably be packed with attractive young folk.
But I've listened to a good deal of the group's 2011 album "Fragile Future," and I literally cannot take it. Most of the songs are made up of your basic distorted guitar crunch and catchy leads and palm-muting and whatnot, but the singer seems to always hit this baying, adenoidal tenor in the chorus that just makes me want to have my ears ripped off and fed to starving wolves.
Me Talk Pretty is a New York quartet that plays bombastic alt-rock with all the sheen and gloss and loudness of contemporary Top 40. Call it make-out music for the Warped Tour crowd. Although the powerful voice of singer Uliana Preotu is easier on these cobwebby old ears than that of Hawthorne Heights singer J.T. Woodruff, the overall effect is much the same.
Again, I'm not saying these bands are bad; just that their music will make me leave wherever it is being played. So teen-agers take note: if you want to disperse a crowd of shiftless, out-of-touch old-timers from your immediate vicinity, well, you know what to do. The opening band is Madina Lake.
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Showcase Don't Stop Please takes round two
The Conway band was a hit with our judges in round two of the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.
More soon.
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (1)
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Music / Showcase Tonight: Round 2 of the 2012 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase
Featuring The Hidden Rex, The Lindsay Kate Band, Don't Stop Please and Holy Angell.
Don't miss the fun at Stickyz, starting at 9 p.m., $5 21-and-older, $8 ages 18-20. Good times guaranteed!
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Film Little Rock Horror Picture Show's creepy promos
"Movie Night" by Levi Agee starring Katie Parker and Matt Newcomb.
More on the Little Rock Horror Picture Show.
Another one on the jump.
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (3)
Fashion Beth Ditto to create limited-edition line of cosmetics
- MAC Cosmetics
- Beth Ditto will create a line of cosmetics that will be released in June.
Note to the makeup-wearing contingent of Gossip fans: Beth Ditto has signed on with MAC Cosmetics to "create a limited edition collaboration with products expected to hit counters in June," according to Women's Wear Daily and Harper's Bazaar, which expects the limited-edition makeup line to be "anything but dull."
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Shows to anticipate: Real Estate, Cedric Burnside, Yelawolf
One of the few indie rock bands with members who aren't 40 who I listen to consistently is coming back to Little Rock after playing an excellent (if sleepy) show at Stickyz a few years back. New Jersey's Real Estate announced today that it'll play Revolution on Monday, April 9.
A couple more I'm excited about.
*Cedric Burnside Project (Feb. 10, White Water) The polyrhythmic drummer brings his latest group back to White Water. Based on his website, he might be playing guitar at least some of the time. I'll miss Lightnin' Malcolm and his doughy charm, but Cedric's enough.
*Yelawolf (Feb. 19, Rev, $20) I'm not sure that I've heard a Yelawolf song that I love, but he certainly seems to have the ability to be great.
Anything you're pumped about that's coming up?
Posted by Lindsey Millar on | Permalink | Comments (1)
What's going on Weekend: MPtheMVP, Bob Marley birthday shows, Will Hoge and more
FRIDAY 2/3
It's underground hip-hop night at Vino's, with The Weekend Warriors, Kari Faux, Lo Thraxx, MPtheMVP, Zoo, A.R.T. (Bliss Tha Flame and Iamzay) and Sunni Boi, 8 p.m., $8.
For an evening of eclectic music, Downtown Music Hall hosts "Aurora — A Celebration of the Art of Music," with VJ g-force and DJs Fatality, Jake Martin and Balance. Expect to hear everything from hip-hop to house to pop and more. It kicks off at 9 p.m., $5.
Juanita's has an irie good time for all you Bob Marley fans. It's a birthday celebration for the late legend, featuring Changus Bell, Neff Watson, Nikki Parrish, Rodney Block, AG Dynamite and Michael Walker, 10 p.m., $10 adv., $25 d.o.s.
Nashville singer/songwriter Will Hoge returns to Little Rock for an 18-and-older show at Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $10 adv., $12 door.
SATURDAY 2/4
Revolution hosts a Bob Marley birthday celebration, with performances from Fire & Brimstone, Tim Anthony, Butterfly of New Orleans, Darril "Harp" Edwards, Tippa Tino and Tawanna Campbell, 10 p.m., $10.
The Jewish Federation of Arkansas hosts a gala honoring President Bill Clinton. Clinton will receive the Tikkun Olam award for lifetime achievement at the dinner, which will also honor 12 others, Statehouse Convention Center, 6:30 p.m., $150.
The Players All-Star Classic, a college football all-star game with players from all levels of college football, comes to War Memorial Stadium, 2 p.m., $15-$40.
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (0)
What's going on / Music Friday To-Do: White Water Five-Year Anniversary Show
WHITE WATER FIVE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW
10 p.m. White Water Tavern. $11.
Hard to believe it's been five years since Matt White and Sean Hughes bought the White Water Tavern. Of course, the bar is older than that.
From a review of WWT in the December 1976 issue of the Times: "There are always lots of guys wearing Buck knives on their belts. There's a lot of nice long hair everywhere. Plus: flannel shirts, a canoe that has been around, a kayak that hasn't, a pool table, pinball machines, a most active shuffleboard table and large speakers — usually playing The Beatles." Writer Leslie Singer described the place as "a mellow country bar. Call it Agri-hip, or whatever."
There's no denying that WWT has always been a great bar, but there's also no disputing that White, Hughes and their associates have injected a great amount of vitality into the place. They kept all the best things about the bar, and with their focus on live music, they've put WWT on the radar of some of the country's best touring acts. To commemorate the occasion, they've booked this show, which is a reprise of the first show they hosted there back in aught-seven, including Ben Nichols, Cory Branan and Kevin Kerby, whose names are no doubt familiar to the White Water regulars.
You can get tickets over at the Last Chance Records website, and I'd advise you to not dilly-dally around and forget, because this one has a good chance of selling out.
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (0)
What's going on / Theater Weekend To-Do: Red Octopus Theater's 'The Dating Game!'
RED OCTOPUS THEATER: 'THE DATING GAME!'
8 p.m. The Public Theatre. $8-$10.
While Valentine's Day and its attendant last-minute gift scrambling is still a couple of weeks away, it's never too early for some bawdy, romantic skit comedy. Red Octopus promises a "long, hard, turgid look at the primeval setting of the dating world."
And with such sketch titles as "Key Swapping? Is This a Good Idea?" and "The Gift That Keeps on Giving" (there's a free one-month supply of Valtrex for the first person to correctly guess what this skit concerns), that description sounds right on the money (shot). Also promised: riffs on "The Dating Game," "The Newlyweds" and "The Brady Bunch." That last one is just ripe with romantic comedy potential.
As with many other Red Octopus productions, this one is for grownups that possess a sense of humor, and isn't intended for the young'uns, squares, prudes or scolds.
Posted by Robert Bell on | Permalink | Comments (0)
Event Calendar
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Re: Review: Austin Lucas
Wonderful review Joe! I was one of those diehards up front singing along quietly, so…
- on February 3, 2012
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Re: 2012 AT Showcase Round 2: The Lindsay Kate Band
Ha, I wish you would have put our comments for them.
- on February 3, 2012
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Re: Verizon releases some Parrot Head tailgating details
"It's mellow, but not smooth... kinda shitty."
- on February 3, 2012
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