Click here to view the embedded video. What’s the “Sweetest Thing?” Well, a woman you’re fond of, according to JJ Grey.
View PostOn the way – JJ Grey and Mofro, Aug. 1 at the Rib Room
Paste recognizes best Arkansas bands, including a few locals
Click here to view the embedded video. The song above is “New Blessings” by Messy Sparkles. Perhaps blessings are headed his direction after a magazine names him one of the Arkansas’ best acts. Paste magazine’s 50 State Project made a splash across my Facebook feed yesterday — it seem as if all of my musically inclined friends posted this link already.
View PostThe weekend in music, with NWA Music Fest and more
Tyrannosaurus Chicken When the weather is this nice, it’s meant to be taken advantage of. So, how about a whole weekend outdoors? Gates open at 2 p.m.
View PostConcert review: Rain (Beatles tribute), May 7 at WAC
Rain, a Beatles tribute show, took to the stage at the Walton Arts Center on Monday (May 7) night. All photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media When your chief complaint about a show is that it ended too quickly, you know you’ve had a fun time at the concert hall. Still, the idea that it could have been even a better show remains, although that may be one of personal opinion, rather than a generalized perception. Because when the Beatles tribute act Rain finished their two-hour set on Monday night at the Walton Arts Center, I left wanting more – more songs, certain songs (several of my favorite Beatles tunes were omitted from the evening) and a more enthusiastic response from the crowd.
View PostSoon in tunes: Bret Michaels, May 3 at the Rib Room
Bret Michaels Exactly two months to the day that Bret Michaels was last in the area, he returns for a show at Neumeier’s Rib Room in Fort Smith. Michaels and his band were last here for the Kiss a Pig Gala, performing an abbreviated set to the gala crowd.
View PostConcert review: Kid Cudi and Big Boi, April 29 at Barnhill Arena
Kid Cudi performing Sunday night at Barnhill Arena. All photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media. Someone I follow on Twitter suggested there was an error in the billing of the Chip tha Ripper, Big Boi and Kid Cudi show at the University of Arkansas’ Barnhill Arena on Sunday (April 29) night. Big Boi, one half the rap giant (and ever-present soundtrack at clubs during my collegiate days) OutKast, was clearly the bigger deal than Kid Cudi, a relative newcomer to the scene, this person argued.
View PostConcert review: Glen Campbell, April 27 at Walton Arts Center
Glen Campbell performing during the first of two nights at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville as part of his Goodbye Tour. All photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media More than once, I’ve heard someone remark how difficult it must be for musicians to remember the lyrics to the dozens of songs they sing every night. Similarly, how do they remember the chord structures, the intricate solos, the cadence, the rhythm, all of it? Now, let’s complicate the matter.
View PostA Levon Helm story
Let me tell you a story about Levon Helm, one I’ve never shared before in a public forum. Several years ago, during a particularly rough patch in his fight against cancer, Levon Helm performed at the Walton Arts Center.
View PostAn opportunity to share Levon Helm memories
As you’ve probably already heard, drummer, vocalist, actor and outright musical legend Levon Helm is losing his battle with cancer. It appears to be the same cancer that stole his voice away in the late 1999 before intense treatments allowed him to sing again. He recovered well enough to record two Grammy-winning albums, “Dirt Farmer” and “Electric Dirt.” Although Helm has called Woodstock, N.Y., home for many years, he’s a native Arkansan, and further, has many ties to this area. Helm was one of the founding members of The Band, which toured with Ronnie Hawkins (as The Hawks) before later serving as a backing band for Bob Dylan and then as an acclaimed solo outfit.
View PostA farewell to Big Smith, with a Q&A session
Big Smith For 15 years, Springfield, Mo., band Big Smith has been traipsing around the country, sharing their family band harmonies and homespun songs with adoring crowds. For most of those 15 years, the band has been making stops in Fayetteville, a place Big Smith considers its second home. But all good things come to an end, and that’s the case for Big Smith, which recently announced it will retire from the music business. While the individual members will likely play in other combos, Big Smith is through, we’re told
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