Texarkana Entertainment Blog

I found this story to be tremendously amusing and thought I’d pass it along. It appears a young North Carolina artist saw traffic barrels and became inspired, enough so that he nabbed three and transformed them into a monster looking to hitchhike.

It’s not something you see every day on the roadside, and I found it to be pretty creative. It brings to mind those cheesy roadside attractions and play areas where kids can frolic as interstate highway traffic whips past, or those crazy constructions at mini golf courses of a certain vintage. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the big city and saw art everywhere in the cityscape,  but I’m an appreciator of street art in its many forms. And this transgression seems relatively harmless. The company owning the barrels has received a bunch of publicity, so they are happy. I suppose if compensation is needed on some level then requiring the artist to pay for the barrels would certainly suffice, but it strikes me as draconian for the police to push charges. What do you think? 

Story: Barrel Art Nets Arrest, Notoriety for NC Student. 

- Aaron Brand

Last year’s T-Bone Walker Blues Festival was a personal highlight of living in Texarkana. In addition to hearing fiery, sweet blues on an impossibly hot day, I got to meet people like Kelley Taylor (of Big Red and the Soul Benders) and Miss Blues (also known as Dorothy Ellis), folks who are really steeped in the blues ethos, having forged a special relationship with this deep and uniquely American form of music. The festival was a great time. 

This year the lineups on Friday, June 19, and Saturday, June 20, really do look like a “powerhouse” group of players, as Russ Wright, executive producer of the festival, said. Jimmie Vaughan, after all, headlines the indoor show at Music City Texas on Saturday night. That’s some serious starpower, and there’s plenty of that to be had if you learn just a bit about some of these blues musicians. Guitar Shorty, for example, played shows with T-Bone. And David “Honeyboy” Edwards was recorded by archivist Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. That was back in 1942. Think about the history he’s seen. 

Here’s the rundown of Saturday’s lineups both indoors and outdoors (tickets outdoors are $5 and indoors they begin at $50): 

* Outdoors: 3 p.m. – Kayla Reeves; 4:15 p.m. – Betty Lewis & the Executives; 5:30 p.m. – Joe Jonas Band; 6:45 p.m. – Bernie Pearl; 8 p.m. – The Bluebirds; 9:15 p.m. – Bugs Henderson. 

* Indoors: 4 p.m. – Marquise Knox; 5:15 p.m. – Pleasant Hill Quilting Club (with a history of the Underground Railroad quilt codes); 6 p.m. – TuTu Jones; 7:30 p.m. – David “Honeyboy” Edwards; 8:45 p.m. – Gary “Whitey Johnson” Nicholson; 10 p.m. – Jimmie Vaughan. 

And here are Friday’s lineups for both the indoor and outdoor stages at Music City Texas (outdoor admission is free and indoor tickets start at $35): 

* Outdoors: 4:30 p.m. – Colton O’Neill Band; 5:45 p.m. – Marquise Knox; 7 p.m. – Gregg Wright; 8:30 p.m. – Guitar Shorty.

* Indoors: 5 p.m. – “The Blooze Bros”; 5:25 p.m. – Pleasant Hill Quilting Club; 6 p.m. – Bobbie Oliver & Jam City Revue;  7:15 p.m. – Bernie Pearl; 8:30 p.m. – 19th Street Red; 9:45 p.m. – Wes Jeans. 

Tickets can be bought online at www.tbonewalkerbluesfestival.com or by calling 903-756-7774. 

- Aaron Brand

Submitted photos:

Bobbie Oliver

Kayla Reeves

For all you Tracy Lawrence fans out there, the man from Foreman is slated to release his next album, “The Rock,” on Tuesday. It’s an inspirational country CD that shows Lawrence’s spiritual and religious side, where he’s honest about his past mistakes but looks forward with a renewed sense of purpose and, it seems, contentment. I’ve given it a listen and will have a review—well, actually more of an analysis—in Sunday’s Accent page. More info: Tracy’s Website. 

- Aaron Brand

The T-Bone Walker Blues Festival has some stellar blues artistry coming up June 19 and 20 down in Linden, Texas, at Music City Texas. The big headliner is Jimmie Vaughan, onetime member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, who plays the indoor show on that Saturday night. On Friday night at the outdoor stage, it’s another blues legend who actually played with T-Bone back in the day, and that’s Guitar Shorty, an absolute master with his soaring, sizzling blues-rock. I interviewed him this morning, reaching him in Los Angeles where he’s at work on an album. He says he called T-Bone his Uncle T, and the older bluesman taught him a lot. “You make sure each note tells you something,” said Guitar Shorty about one of the lessons he learned from Walker. Well, he’ll bring those notes to Linden in two weeks and it should be something to see. Down below is a video of Guitar Shorty doing his thing. Enjoy. 

- Aaron Brand

… there are a couple events of note folks may want to check out in the upcoming weeks. 

First, for an event titled “Concert in the Garden,” members of Project String Power, Inc., also known as the Ambassadors of Music from East Texas, will perform to help fund a summer trip to Germany and Austria. It’s a non-profit music education organization, and their concert starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, at House of the Seasons, 409 S. Alley. The conductor, Leonard Kacenja, also leads the Marshall Symphony Orchestra. They request a $5 donation to see the show. If there’s bad weather, the event will move to Christ Episcopal Church at 703 S. Main. More info: 903-665-8000. 

Second, it’s a time to get Western for what’s being billed as Jefferson’s “1st Western Heritage Festival & Rodeo” on June 19 and 20. The festival gives you a chance to meet Cody Hart, who won the Professional Bull Riders World Championship in 1999. Rodeo contestants compete in a bunch of events: bareback riding, saddlebronc, tie-down and breakaway roping, team roping, steer wrestling, barrel racing, mutton-busing, calf and critter scramble, shovel race, and bull riding. Food and Western jewelry and art vendors are on hand. Gate entry fee is $5 with no charge for kids under 6 years old. Gates open at 4 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday. 

- Aaron Brand

Pastoral settings and inspirational thoughts, tea and quiet contemplation. That’s the kind of thing Historic Washington State Park invites women to experience with a new series called Four Seasons Teas, and it kicks off with a 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. summer season tea on Saturday, June 27. This tea starts at Williams’ Tavern Restaurant and continues to visits of the gardens at the Sanders Farmstead and the Purdon House. It’s the first of four teas with others to be held Sept. 19 this year and then next year on Jan. 16 and April 17. Each tea takes people to two different locations within the park; there is a different menu for each tea. Tea cost is $20, and a membership can be bought to attend all four teas for $70. Reservations for this tea should be made by June 25. For reservations or more info: 870-983-2684. 

- Aaron Brand