Texarkana Entertainment Blog

If you’re looking for live music, this weekend’s MoRH Better BBQ, Bands & Bikes Festival downtown offers four shows in two nights at the Friday night and Saturday night street concerts downtown at Front Street Festival Plaza.

Friday night brings a big draw with Shooter Jennings headlining (8 p.m.), along with openers Greg Gardner and Voodoo Cowboy (6 p.m.). I interviewed Shooter recently and he was a totally relaxed, fascinating guy to talk with, considering his name, lineage and talent — definitely one of the more unassuming, down-to-earth musicians I’ve interviewed on the beat. He’s looking forward to playing here in Texarkana, where he’s performed before. I’ve heard good things about his live show. On Saturday night (8 p.m.) the main act is one of last year’s headliners, Robert St. John Band, who certainly know how to ramp up the energy in their live sets. Before they hit the stage, the annual “Battle of the Bands” (6 p.m.) warms up the proceedings.

Elsewhere on the live music front, the band Honky comes to town to rock it at Fat Jack’s on Sunday night. The band features something of a famous bass player, Jeff Pinkus, a longtime member of a seminal Texas psychedelic punk band originating from the 1980s. Do an Internet search on his name and you’ll see the band name, I’m sure (keyword: Surfers). Should be a good show to check out, and our local rockers Giganto will be the opening act. Show starts around 10 p.m. after Know-it-All Trivia.

At Jack’s Friday night, LA Outlaw perform, while Hazy Jayne plays the Saturday night show. Over at Hopkins Icehouse Friday night, catch Acoustic Eden playing their unplugged “Rock of Ages” show, and then local favorites Trey and Dave perform Saturday night.

That’s just a bit of what’s happening in live music this weekend. Check Friday’s Best Bets for more options to see music live in the Texarkana area.

- Aaron Brand

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Satirical comedy that still leaves a smile on your face. That’s how I’d describe the play “Greater Tuna,” which TexRep just performed the past two weekends. A gentle social satire about some of the stranger folks you may find in Texas (in this play, it’s in the fictional town of Tuna, billed as the Lone Star State’s third smallest town), the play also creates stage characters who feel rather familiar, as if I’ve met them before while going about the daily business in town. That’s part of what makes the laughs work and mean something more. I caught one of last weekend’s “Greater Tuna” performances and congratulate Michael Cooper and Chris Polson on a fine show. They kept the humor humming along, crazy costume changes and all.

I wasn’t able to make the Travis Tritt concert that same day, but word is the estimated total attendance reached up to 4,000 to 4,500 people, a fantastic showing, especially when you consider it was the opening weekend of the fair. Friends who attended were impressed and had a great time. From what I gather, the folks at New Haven Golf Club intend to stage a Concert on the Green again, a welcome development. Congratulations to them on pulling this one off.

- Aaron Brand

Travis Tritt performs Saturday, Sept. 17, at Concert on the Green at New Haven Golf Club in Texarkana, Ark., in this staff photo by Christena Dowsett.

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Musicals and live music, festivals and more: a busy time now for Texarkana in the arts and entertainment scene. So much so, in fact, it’s been impossible for me to land back on this blog and jot down the news, but I am here to correct that. Let’s start with a live music rundown.

This weekend is a big one for local music – if you are a country fan, in particular. On the way are Travis Tritt on Saturday at New Haven Golf Club for the initial Concert on the Green series show, and then the night before, Friday night, Tracy Lawrence initiates the fair festivities with an opening night concert at the Four States Fair & Rodeo. The folks at New Haven are pulling out all the stops for the Travis Tritt concert, including a massive stage that should be arriving tomorrow morning. Joining Tritt on that stage (things kick off at 4 p.m., Tritt scheduled to start at 8 p.m.) are several local and regional acts, including Driven, a hot new country band from Texarkana, and Kosmic Girlz & Koltrane, who have found quite a following through their local live performances.

Over at Hopkins Icehouse: Friday night it’s Synergistic for another unplugged acoustic show, and then Saturday night Basic 5 bring the reggae and rock vibe to the charming Hopkins stage. Fat Jack’s has Greg Gardner & Voodoo Cowboy for Friday night, rockers Teazur for Saturday. At the Wagon Wheel, it’s 4 Wheel Drive on Saturday night.

That’s not all. James Otto performs Sept. 24 at Shooters Sports Bar, coming back to a venue where he performed a successful show a couple years ago.

By the Texarkana Museums System organizers of the MoRH Better BBQ, Bands & Bikes Festival, which is this year’s “Quadrangle,” some big music is being organized for both festival nights. We’ll be advancing that soon for a Friday Accent piece.

The MoRH Better BBQ, Bands & Bikes headliner? For Friday night, Sept. 30: Shooter Jennings (with Greg Gardner and Voodoo Cowboy as openers). Saturday night, Oct. 1 : Robert St. John Band (with a Battle of the Bands to start things off). Street concert tickets each night are $10, and there’s a whole lot more happening too: barbecue competition, best bike competition, and other activities.

The Road Map has been hosting a series of truly rocking shows. On Tuesday that continues with Gypsyhawk, a gang of straight-ahead California rockers who bring their hard but catchy riffs to town once again, and our very own metal monsters, Tha Mutha Load.

Local rockers The Inside bring it to The Branch Office for a show this Saturday. Hippys Texarkana (that used to be Off the Line) brings in Tennessee metal on Sept. 24 with the bands Pengea and Death Remains Silent. That same night, Paul Capps Jr. plays The Blues Iguana: blues, country and classic rock.

Local country singer Gena Roberts will play a benefit show at the Oaklawn Opry on Sept. 24 to help Hospice of Texarkana in its quest to bring a new patient care facility to Texarkana. Roberts will be joined by Lonnie Spiker and Joe Mack Bennett.

And last but not least for this rundown, the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra has an all-Beethoven evening coming up at the Perot Theatre; that show, featuring pianist Stephen Beus, is Sept. 24.

That’s just a taste of what’s coming up. Enjoy it live: music.

- Aaron Brand

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