Texarkana Entertainment Blog

I’m sitting here on a Friday catching a small breather from the week’s stories and planning next week’s reads while listening to some Fleet Foxes, Bob Marley and Jane’s Addiction. It’s a good moment to catch up on some local live music happenings coming up for Texarkana, don’t ya think?

This weekend, perennial local faves Ms. Mac & the Groovetones are playing up at Fat Jack’s tonight and then tomorrow it’s Texas country/Red Dirt with Jeremy Phifer at Jack’s.

Catch the great Trey & Dave up there at Jack’s on Thursday night; they’re two of the best things about the regional music scene, to my ears. Tonight they’re at Lee’s Catfish. And Trey will also perform with the Droppers on July 16, a week from tomorrow, at Timothy’s Grill.

Other live acts this weekend include Tragikly White tonight at Shooters Sports Bar (for a “beach party”) and Hopkins Icehouse on Saturday with Synergistic. Then next Wednesday check out North Carolina metal band Burnstitch at The Blues Iguana.

Down the road apiece, it’s a Pocket Park show downtown on Saturday, July 16. It’s all-ages and $5 for four bands: Ballet Brutality, Beararms, Us and the Ship, Buffalo Child. Apart from Bossier/Shreverpot-based Ballet Brutality, that’s a lineup of young, Texarkana indie bands. Get out and support some local kids if you can; I’m sure they’ll appreciate the audience. Ballet Brutality describes themselves as “metal/classical/experimental,” and I’m giving their song “Mrs. Pacman’s Lobotomy” a listen right now as I type. I believe those descriptors apply indeed.

Mystery Machine plays its only summer show up at Hopkins Icehouse that same day. And White Trash Wannabees play The Wooden Indian in Atlanta, Texas, also the same day.  Then The Road Map brings Scorpion Child, Tha Mutha Load and Giganto up to the stage July 21; that should be a fierce show to rock you.

Friday, July 22, brings two different but very interesting acts to town: Oklahoma’s very own Stoney LaRue, who plays that night at Shooters Sports Bar, and, over at Fat Jack’s, Dim Lit Daylight coming in once again from Austin, Texas.

Music City Texas Theater follows up the T-Bone Walker Blues Fest with a fingerpickin’ guitar master and acclaimed acoustic country musician, Doyle Dykes, on July 23. If you’ve never heard his version of “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” track it down. It’s a gem.

- Aaron Brand

Doyle Dykes plays Music City Texas Theater on July 23.

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Live music, the weekend and some nice (and hot) weather. Sounds great to me. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the live tune troubadours touring and rolling through Texarkana during the next few days.

Fat Jack’s Oyster & Sports Bar has 1 Nite Stand performing Friday night with Kinghat playing Saturday night. Also on Saturday night at Shooters Sports Bar is Richard Stuart & The One Night Stand. (Pretty sure that’s a different “one night stand” than our locals.)  Downtown T-Town venue Hopkins Icehouse has Kiley Bland of East Texas pop punk band Junior back in town for another Friday night show. Then on Saturday it’s Synergistic gracing the Hopkins stage.

Eddie Matthews and friends will perform at Lee’s Catfish for Friday evening. Windy & Rich perform at the Cedar Shake for Saturday night. The Oaklawn Opry’s Saturday night lineup includes Steve Shofner, Dwayne Johnson, Terry England and Raymond Welborn, while the Maytag Opry has its house crew The Maytag Opry Band for Friday night.

Various live acts will be at Club Primetime on Friday night for an event billed as the “Out of School Summer Jam.”

The Big Easy is starting up some dubstep DJ music tonight for Thursdays.

Friday night at the Perot Theatre there’s a Shake, Rattle & Roll live concert and block party. It’s a benefit show for Alzheimer’s Alliance.

Oh, and the Oak Ridge Boys are in town Saturday to play a few songs … see tomorrow’s Accent page for that story.

That’s just some of the live music coming up. Check Best Bets each Friday in the Gazette for a rundown of live music, and if you have an event to tell us about send an e-mail to accent@texarkanagazette.com.

- Aaron Brand

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Friday night’s big headliner at Shooters Sports Bar is none other than Arkansas country musician Justin Moore (he is from itty bitty Poyen), who has a new song out (“If Heaven Wasn’t so Far Away”) and an album due to arrive later this year.

Hopkins Icehouse has Josh McGee of Nacogdoches, Texas, playing his folk and roots-inspired tunes Friday night, then Dean Agus on Saturday night. For Fat Tuesday next week, celebrate letting loose for Mardi Gras with those terrific troubadours Dave Almond and Trey Johnson.

Trey Johnson plays with the Droppers Saturday night at Timothy’s Grill. Friday night at Skyward Jazz Lounge there’s a BYOB, old school house party for the 25 and up set. Just a few door down on Sunday night it’s live blues and R&B at The Big Easy.

Fat Jack’s has L.A. Outlaw Friday night and Synergistic Saturday night. For Fat Tuesday it’s Strangelove playing those ’80s hits.

Marissa Dodge and George Buckner play at the Blues Iguana Friday night starting at 8 p.m. Later this month (March 25, to be exact), that downtown venue hosts Jasper McAdams, Nude Beach and locals Mark Meadows and his band Ida Myrtis.

The Wooden Indian has the glam outfit Butt Roxx on Saturday night. The Inside plays at The Road Map the same night for a Mardi Gras gig.

Dave’s Skatepark has an all-ages show coming up on Friday, March 18, headed up by a band (Arabrot) who come here all the way from Oslo, Norway. On their Facebook page, they list their genre as “hard noiserock.” Interesting. They’ll be joined by Wizard Rifle from Portland, OR, and our very own Giganto.

Check Best Bets on Fridays to see what’s happening in music.

Music: local and alive.

Got some live music to recommend? Let us know here.

- Aaron Brand

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It’s always refreshing to see someone deal directly with an issue that appears to be sensitive and perhaps taboo. That’s not always the case in my line of work, particularly with subjects who are self-conscious about image control. Believe me, I run into a lot of that, too much in fact.

I had wanted to interview Nashville, Ark.-based musician Greg Gardner for a while now—first of all, because he’s received a heap of praise as a musician and singer. He’s been a favorite fixture in local music for many years, and we sat down to chat recently at Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar prior to a Friday night Greg Gardner and Voodoo Cowboy show. When it came to discussing his incarceration and drug addiction, Gardner was refreshingly honest and direct about it, and as a journalist I appreciated it. We featured him and his band in a Sunday Accent story, which you can see here: Dream’s still alive for this Voodoo Cowboy.

- Aaron Brand

Staff photo by Eric J. Shelton.

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A Friday night benefit show at Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar from 8 p.m. to midnight right here in T-Town helps the Animal Care & Adoption Center of Texarkana. It’s a good chance to have some fun and do right for some lovable critters in need. On tap for the evening’s entertainment is live music from Texarkana band Synergistic. Those guys will be joined by Jon Taylor, billed as a master comedy hypnotist, and comedian Brent Reed. They have quite a long list of door prizes lined up for the evening, and they’ll be given out all night long.

- Aaron Brand

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