Rock Candy

AmyB has been waiting for this Blackalicious show at Cornerstone Pub in North Little Rock since it was first announced. It's high on her big list of club shows to check out tonight, in her latest report (and, if Blackalicious isn't your deal, we can highly recommend to riotous Aussie trio bluehouse); and Amy also reports on last night's Bang sugar Bang show:

It’s afternoon, time for you to think about what kind of trouble to get in. The good kind, of course. Tonight’s a big night locally in music with highly-sought-out music. Here’s what we had to say about’em, so take your pick.

B-boys through and true, Blackalicious (Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab), have been around for 20 or so years, producing smart, street-ready albums. They’ll be at the Cornerstone Pub tonight. Their latest album, “The Craft,” made groovy creative waves in the hip-hop industry this year. They bring it down to earth, rapping about the appreciation of the smooth ride of a ’64 Impala or, ahem, a woman with a nice physique. Local DJ Dirtbag will host the show. The show starts at 8 p.m. $13 tickets are on sale now at the club.

Australian female folk-rock duo bluehouse will be at Sticky Fingerz, with their rich, warm alto vocals and excellent folk-rock guitar. I enjoyed from their website (www.bluehouse.com) the new songs “I’ll Find You” and “Go No Further.” The 9 p.m. show (with an act to be announced as of press time) is really a steal at $5.

Juanita’s has booked (hed) p.e., the rapcore band outfitted with some gangsta funk, punk, metal and classic hip-hop. Their album “Back to Base X” will come out in June, a follow to their 2005 release, “Only in Amerka.” Also appearing: Wicked Wisdom, with some members of Fishbone and, yep, Jada Pinkett Smith on vocals. Also: Mower. It’s all ages, starts at 9 p.m. and cover is $16.

I can’t say where I’m gonna be, too many choices.

I did check out BANG sugar BANG (LA punk outfit) last night briefly at White Water Tavern. Sump Pumps from Indianapolis opened. Punk kids gathered around the stage: members of Nasty Abbott, Smoke Up Johnny, the Big Cats, Il Libertina (though I’m told they are on hiatus) were all attendees, making the club have a semblance of the some of punk scenes in the bigger cities. There is a smallish punk-club scene here, and they all came out dressed to the nines. Of course there was Johnny B and the rest of the WW regulars. They’d been there all day, I’m guessing.

The music: dirty rotten punk, dang it. Good time musically for all, except maybe Goose (the proprietor)He was just happy that the kids were downing pitchers of PBR like Koolaid.