Texarkana Entertainment Blog

I had the good fortune to catch a couple neat local events recently.

First, I decided to give myself a birthday treat and see “Young Frankenstein” at the Perot Theatre. The March 9 show, part of TRAHC’s Perot Theatre series, was a nonstop laugh riot with great comedic timing, fine physical humor and songs that left the audience howling in delight. Compared to other family-friendly fare that often appears at the Perot, this show was edgier in tone, language and ribald content (though not outlandishly so). It was nice to have true adult-friendly comedy up there on the Perot stage, and the musical was one of the best I’ve seen at the historic downtown venue. Judging by the audience reaction, “Young Frankenstein” was a hit here in Texarkana.

I also saw piano pop singer-songwriter Jayme Dawicki perform at Hopkins Icehouse earlier this week. Hopkins has worked hard to bring an eclectic lineup of musicians to the stage, and this Midwestern performer added something different to our local live music lineup when she belted out her engaging, tuneful songs. An excellent musician on the keyboards, Dawicki is a former Miss Wisconsin to boot and crafts thoughtful, positive songs. For those who like singers like Tori Amos, she’s well worth a listen. Hopefully, she’ll come through Texarkana again someday. She was on her way to SXSW this week.

- Aaron Brand

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The Perot Theatre is drawing some big names these days. Tomorrow, one of country music’s greats, George Jones, comes to town for a concert. We had a chance to catch up with him through an email interview, and he told us it’s the fans who keep him going. “My fans are what keep me working. I love to look out over an audience of young and not-so-young fans and see them singing along to every single song,” Jones, seen in a submitted promo photo below, told us. Just recently, another legend, this time in the realm of folk music, was announced as a soon-to-be-performer at the Perot. That’s Gordon Lightfoot, who will be there Jan. 26. Before that, it’s a true icon in Texas music, the great Willie Nelson at the Perot on Jan. 8. It’s heartening to see big acts coming to the Perot, a worthy venue, in addition to TRAHC’s great lineup for the Perot Theatre series.

- Aaron Brand

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Officials with the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council announced the 2011-2012 Perot Theatre Series last night at a membership party. After a disappointing turnout for ticket sales this past season, TRAHC is hoping to ramp up sales for its upcoming show series at the venerable, ever-elegant Perot.

They’ve gone for musicals, acrobats, the ballet and Elvis for the new season. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s on tap for the year:

Oct. 11 (Tuesday) – The National Acrobats of the People’s Republic of China

Dec. 8 (Thursday) – “Miracle on 34th Street”

Jan. 21 (Saturday) – “Elvis Lives”

Jan. 30 (Monday) – Moscow Festival Ballet’s “Cinderella”

March 3 (Saturday) – “Clifford the Big Red Dog”

March 9 (Friday) – “Young Frankenstein”

April 14 (Saturday) – Ed Asner as “FDR”

Chinese acrobats in a cirque-style show. A Christmas miracle musical with a charming, heartfelt story. A three-Elvis extravaganza with the King through the decades. A timeless, classic story set to ballet. A TRAHC family musical starring a lovable red pooch. The stage version of a popular Mel Brooks-directed screwball comedy. And a great veteran of the stage and screen (who will be giving a master class to local theater students). Oh, and local band Jawbone will be playing a TRAHC benefit show in August at the Perot Theatre.

What do you think?

- Aaron Brand

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Catching up here on some odds and ends, some this and that.

1) For any writer, a chance for word play and silly puns is welcome, and so on that note let’s talk about the PurpleHull Pea Festival coming up in Emerson, Ark., this weekend. Writing about this festival, which is so unique, is always fun, in part because the self-described “Pea-R” man for the festival is so enthusiastic about the job. The festival is also a real slice of life for Southwest Arkansas. The main festival day is this Saturday, and if you have a tiller you’re invited to bring it with for the Million Tiller Parade. As that “Pea-R” man himself, Bill Dailey, observed, they were even one million tillers short one year. Hopefully, tiller time will be living larger this year. There’s also a pea shelling competition (that wows in the spectators), a cornbread and peas cook-off (which is increasing in popularity), tractors and the actual rotary tiller race (kids division too). More info: PurpleHull.com.

2) We’ve written about composer and Texarkana native Clint Needham before, particularly the exciting composition he was commissioned to write for the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra. Needham was also commissioned to write a new piece for the 2011 Mizzzou New Music Summer Festival, specifically for the musicians in the ensemble Alarm Will Sound. The festival runs July 11 through July 16 in Columbia, Mo. Congrats to the busy and productive Needham!

3) Randy Sam’s Outreach Shelter will benefit from an acoustic guitar concert benefit show this Saturday, 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Cabe Center of First United Methodist Church. It’s a $5 donation to see the show. Scheduled to perform are Mark Meadows, Paul Capps and other guests.

4) Tomorrow, Thursday, brings the annual TRAHC announcement of the upcoming Perot Theatre series season lineup. TRAHC will announce what shows are coming to the Perot during its membership party, starting at 6 p.m. in the Regional Arts Center. I’m looking forward to it.

- Aaron Brand

Youngsters compete in the kid's division of the World Cup PurpleHull Pea Shelling Competition in this photo courtesy of Bill Dailey.

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Anyone walking into the Perot Theatre this morning may have thought they stepped into the thick forests of western Uganda.

The calls of monkeys, slithers of snakes and sounds other African critters were recreated through the singing of Samite, his mesmerizing kalimba and his percussionist’s rhythmic drumming. Samite got nearly 1,400 kids to wiggle in their seats, stand up and dance, bebop and bob their heads, and sing something approximating “Whoooaaa whoa whoa!!”

“Can I hear some monkey sounds?” Samite asked of the local students. They obliged with gusto.

A former political refugee who grew up in Uganda, fled to Kenya, and came to the United States in the 1980s, Samite helped establish Musicians for World Harmony. A talented photographer who shared his photographs of mountain gorillas, he mentioned his tough past but also discussed the power of the musician to make people happy or sad. And though his drummer is from Senegal and their home country’s primary languages are different, Samite and his drummer connect precisely through what kids experienced today.

“We’re able to communicate through music,” Samite said. Important lessons from someone who said he started learning music at the same age as the kids who were listening to today’s performance. Many of his songs come to him in dreams and it can take him four months to learn them.

Samite encouraged the kids to tell their parents about Saturday night’s show at the Perot Theatre. (Samite plays at 7:30 p.m. as part of TRAHC’s Perot Theare series.)

“Let’s make your parents dance,” he said.

- Aaron Brand

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Last night’s Celtic Crossroads show at downtown Texarkana’s historic Perot Theatre was thoroughly enjoyable and at times rousing with its mix of both traditional Irish music and tunes with a bit of a twist. Celtic Crossroads just arrived in the U.S. and made Texarkana the first stop on their “World Fusion” tour of North America.

Taking the idea of the crossroads beyond the traditional Irish meeting place, these young musicians also performed compelling numbers with a jazzier, folkier and bluegrassier vibe to them. While much of the traditional material was nearly ethereal in its beauty, the fiddle was furious and the banjo was rolling. Particularly lovely was Amy McAllister’s work on Irish harp and her spellbinding rendition of the U2 song “With or Without You.” Also extra impressive was Diarmaid Hurley’s work with the bodhrán, a traditional Irish drum worked with both hands. Great traditions reimagined by young, smart musicians. Kudos to the Crossroads crew and to TRAHC for bringing them to town.

- Aaron Brand

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It’s not every day I get to call Uganda for a story. I daresay the Gazette may have never dialed that Uganda country code until last week to reach a source for a story (though of course I can’t quite be sure of this). However, through a pretty nice arrangement, we were able to do just that (relatively cheaply, I might add) to reach the amazing musician Samite Mulondo, who is a Uganda native whose mesmerizing work with voice, kalimba, flute and other instruments recalls the heart of his home country.

Samite makes music that evokes the forests, animals and spirit of the African continent and Uganda, a nation that’s seen more than its fair share of political turmoil (this is where Ida Amin’s reign of terror arose in the 1970s). Samite was a political refugee who fled his native country to Kenya, later arriving here in the United States during the 1980s. Since then he’s made a name for himself for both his humanitarian work through Musicians for World Harmony and his beautiful music. Samite’s compositions compel listeners to get up and dance, moving to the power of their rhythms.

Samite comes to Texarkana to perform at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 29 at the historic Perot Theatre. His performance is part of the Perot Theatre series from the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council. Check Friday’s Gazette for our interview with Samite, who had some powerful things to say about sharing music.

- Aaron Brand

The musician Samite sings and plays the kalimba in this promo photo by Sheryl Sinkow.

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Shortly before Christmas, I spoke with Celtic Crossroads producer Kevin Crosby in Ireland about the young group’s approach to traditional Irish music. They’ll head to Texarkana to perform on Jan. 13 at the Perot Theatre as part of the 2010-2011 Perot series from TRAHC. (Side note: Listening to their music definitely put me in a warm wintertime holiday mood.)

Though young in years (they average about 23 or 24 years of age, Crosby says), these vivacious and multi-talented men and women have a sense of the rich traditions Irish musicians established over the centuries. The “crossroads,” said Crosby, refers to the place between towns where the Irish heritage was celebrated and shared in the past. Listening to their music, it’s apparent elements of other musical traditions (bluegrass, for example) seep into that rich Irish musical history that informs their performances. They promise to bring us a lively show. Their Texarkana performance actually kicks off the Celtic Crossroads World Fusion Tour, which sees them traveling North America for four months. See them below in a promo photo and then in person live on the Perot stage. They’ll also be conducting an educational performance for local students the same day, discussing the more than 30 instruments with which they work their musicians’ magic. More info and tickets: TRAHC.org.

- Aaron Brand

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Too many things this month have kept me from logging on here to nail down my thoughts, though I’ve clicked on the page to make sure it’s still here. It is and so I am. So, I’m going to be catching up in the next couple days. Here’s a start.

A couple items:

1) Tonight and tomorrow, Friday night, at 7 p.m. at Eagle Hall in TAMU-T’s new University Center at the Bringle Lake campus, the university drama program and English club present a radio play, something a little different for Texarkana. It’s billed as a Halloween radio play and titled “Three Skeleton Key.” The public is invited to come listen. Admission: $5 for regular admission, $3 for students, faculty and staff. The plot, as described in the flyer: “Three lighthouse keepers battle for their lives against an army of rampaging, revolting, and ravenous rats!”

2) TRAHC’s next Perot Theatre series show is “Drumline Live,” a high-energy marching band extravaganza. Soul, Motown, hip-hop, jazz, swing, R&B—this show is a dynamic musical menagerie of bigtime marching band beats. The show (from the creators of the movie “Drumline”) is rooted in marching band traditions established at historically black colleges and universities. Looks like an exciting show to experience this upcoming Monday, 7:30 p.m., at the Perot Theatre. A drum-off competition starts around 6 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. before the show. Tickets: call the Perot Theatre Box Office at 903-792-4992. (See below for a submitted photo of the show, courtesy of Columbia Artists Management Inc.)

3) Did you know Texarkana has an upstart roller derby team? They’re the Vicious Vixens and just formed. It’s true. Looking into it.

- Aaron Brand

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I had the good fortune to interview the musician and entertainer Benise recently about his upcoming show, “The Spanish Guitar,” at the Perot Theatre. He comes to town Saturday, Oct. 23, to start this year’s TRAHC Perot Theatre series. For someone who’s traveled all over the world to exotic destinations like Venice, Paris, Dubai, and Spain, he was a pretty down-to-earth guy. He started out his career as a street musician in Los Angeles, after all. He says fans of the Gipsy Kings and other types of Latin music will enjoy his show. In the submitted photo below, he’s seen with his dancers, the Gitanas. We preview his upcoming Perot song and dance extravaganza in today’s Accent section: Multimedia musical journey.

- Aaron Brand

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