Texarkana Entertainment Blog

Music lovers who hear the name Cody Canada typically associate the Oklahoma musician with Cross Canadian Ragweed. Canada comes to Texarkana with a new band in tow, the Departed, tomorrow night for a Friday concert at the Coliseum. The show starts at 9 p.m.

Also this weekend are Synergistic on Friday night and Jason Helms Saturday night at Fat Jack’s. The Inside, who’ve been rocking around Texarkana a long time, plays classic rock and originals at The Branch Office on Saturday night, while over at Hopkins Icehouse it’s Tommy Roeck for Friday and Kiley Bland of pop-punk band Junior on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Glen “SmittyG” Smith’s improvisational Narada Weeps project includes two fellas from Mystery Machine in Raj Adcock and Scott Lent, all playing together at the Blues Iguana; Mystery Machine then plays Wednesday at Shooters Sports Bar, a venue where country act Justin Moore plays a week from tomorrow on Friday, March 4. On Saturday, March 5, rock your booty to celebrate Mardi Gras with Butt Roxx at the Wooden Indian.

Classically speaking, it’s the Quapaw String Quartet performing over in Hope, Ark., at the UACCH Rapert Library Auditorium on Thursday night.

And tonight at the Big Easy it’s soft jazz and rhythm & blues with live poetry. That’s just some of what’s happening in live, local music. Got something to recommend? Let us know about it!

- Aaron Brand

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…for a new album is on the way. Available by download starting Saturday is “The King of Limbs,” the English group’s follow-up to the phenomenal “In Rainbows.” And as with “In Rainbows,” the Oxfordshire lads are using the Web as a main marketing and distribution point. “The King of Limbs” first rolls out as a digital download (MP3 or WAV) five days from now. Also advertised on the album Website is a package billed as a “Newspaper Album,” which includes two 10-inch vinyl records, a CD, a whole smattering of artwork and the digital download. The bulk of the “Newspaper Album” arrives in May. Radiohead has a remarkable record of creating great, compelling music and simultaneously subtly reinventing themselves from album to album. It will be interesting to see where “The King of Limbs” takes them.

- Aaron Brand

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The Texarkana area heats up with some local, live music in the upcoming weeks. Hopefully it will thaw us out and help us shake off this unusual snow and biting winter chill.

Texarkana’s newest club, the Coliseum, has the band Steel Magnolia in town this Friday night at 9 p.m. Steel Magnolia was nominated for both Academy of Country Music and CMT Music Awards. Couple and music partners Meghan Linsey and Joshua Scott Jones were also winners of CMT’s “Can You Duet?” Their concert follows the Coliseum’s big opening night with Pat Green. Snow last week didn’t deter that Friday night concert.

Over at Hopkins Icehouse it’s Synergistic unplugged on Friday and then Brad Wells on Saturday. Dave Almond and Trey Johnson play there on Feb. 19. At the Wooden Indian in Atlanta, Texas, on Wednesday it’s Rehab (think of the tune “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)”). Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar has Dimlit Daylight this Friday night and Crash Meadows Saturday. Sunday night brings Austin-based indie band The Hi-Tones back to town with the very interesting Megafauna to play at Jack’s.

The Big Easy on East Broad Street now has its “Grown and Sexy” nights of music with a live house band on Thursday nights: R&B, soul, jazz and old school tunes. You may even hear some poetry. The Big Easy has also been hosting a blues night on Sundays.

Just a few doors down, the Blues Iguana coffeeshop has been adding more live music with the soulful, jazzy sounds of Marissa Dodge and George Buckner. They’re scheduled to play a few Thursday dates (no show tonight, however, due to illness). Glenn “SmittyG” Smith played his Narada Weeps tunes there a couple nights ago and should be back the first Tuesday in March. The cozy place also has open mic shows.

Down at Music City Texas Theater in Linden the annual winter bluegrass show features East Texas regional favorites Hickory Hill and special guest Roy Hale. The pickin’ starts at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Bluegrass is also the theme for an upcoming concert hosted by the Hope-Hempstead Chamber of Commerce. Headliners are Eddie and Martha Adcock, who’ve been consummate bluegrass musicians for decades and played internationally. The show starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 19, at Fair Park Community Center.

Then at the end of the month on Saturday, Feb. 26 ,the Perot Theatre series continues with some dynamic and youthful tap dancing: the dance troupe Rhythmic Circus and its “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now” show. Joining these four fabulous dancers are seven musicians and it should be a funky good, toe-tapping time.

- Aaron Brand

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