Arkansas Times

ARKANSAS’S SOURCE FOR NEWS, POLITICS AND ENTERTAINMENT ■ MAY 25, 2011

www.arktimes.com

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BY THE

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BY JOHN TARPLEY PAGE 10

THE INSIDER UA trustee’s UA deal

n Mike Akin of Monticello, a member of the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees, has gone into for-profit business with the University of Arkansas at Monticello, an institution that he helps supervise. B. Alan Sugg, president of the University of Arkansas System, said that Akin’s agreement with UAM didn’t violate UA policy governing conflicts of interest by trustees, because Akin revealed the potential conflict and didn’t vote when the Board approved the agreement.

This is not Akin’s first time to do business with a state agency while serving as a member of a related board. In 2000, while he was a member of the Arkansas Economic Development Commission, he accepted financial incentives from the state Department of Economic Development in exchange for his Monticello furniture manufacturing plant taking over a Dumas plant whose previous owner had shut it down.

That arrangement was criticized both because of Akin’s membership on the AEDC, which advises the Department of Economic Development, and because Akin’s Monticello plant was already operating in Arkansas. DED grants are generally intended to bring new industry to the state. After Akin Industries took over the Dumas plant, production employees there were given a 7.5 percent pay cut.

Akin is no longer a member of the AEDC. He was appointed to a 10-year term on the UA Board of Trustees by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee in 2003.

In January this year, the UA Board approved an agreement between UAM and Grand Manor LLC, in which Akin is a principal. Grand Manor is leasing about six acres from UAM on which it plans to build a private retirement complex. The project apparently would be similar to one at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. The UCA complex has lost almost $700,000 since it opened in 2003, and come under criticism from legislators.

Grand Manor is leasing the property for 50 years. It’s making an initial payment of $100,000 to UAM, and then will pay $10,000 a year or one percent of gross revenue. UAM Chancellor Jack Lassiter said construction was expected to begin in late summer or early fall. Akin did not respond to a call from the Times.

The UA Board’s policy on trustee conflict of interest does not prohibit conflict.

It merely says that a trustee must disclose any conflict and “abstain from voting on or influencing transactions where a conflict of interest exists.” The policy also includes protection for trustees with conflicts of interest: “A conflict of interest transaction is not voidable or the basis for imposing liability on the trustee if either of the following is true: (1) The transaction was fair to the University at the time it was entered into; (2) The material facts of the transaction and the trustee’s interest were disclosed or known to the Board and the Board authorized, approved or ratified the transaction.”

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Smart talk

Contents

8 A vision for

Watch ol’ ‘Bandit’ run n The Little Rock Film Festival will close this year with a special, outdoor showing of the 1970’s mustaches-and-fast-cars epic “Smokey and the Bandit” at Riverfest Amphitheatre, with the film’s writer/director Hal Needham in attendance. Needham, a former stuntman who directed other motorhead classics like “Cannonball Run” and “Hooper,” was born in Mem- COMING TO THE PARK: Tricked-out phis, but mostly “Smokey and the Bandit” Trans Am. raised in Arkansas.

The screening, sponsored by the LRFF and Movies in the Park, starts at dusk on Sunday, June 5. Admission is free.

Also scheduled to appear that night: What might be the world’s most film-accurate recreation of the black 1977 Pontiac Trans Am from the original “Smokey and the Bandit” movie.

Owned by North Little Rock businessman and movie memorabilia collector Mark Osborne — who also owns a page from the talent contract for “Bandit” signed by Burt Reynolds, and an early version of Needham’s script in which the Bandit drives a Ford Mustang — the Trans Am features a rare t-top option, an even-rarer factory CB radio, the gold firebird on the hood, a Georgia flag plate on the front and a whip antenna, exactly like the car from the film. We’re almost positive he’s got an 8-track of Jerry Reed’s “East Bound and Down” hanging around somewhere, too. Gonna be a fun night.

Calling on history n There’s history haunting Boyle Park, Little Rock City Hall, Ditch Bayou Battlefield in Chicot County and other locales, so who you gonna call? Try 501-203-3015, the state Historic Preservation Program’s number for cell-phone tours of historic sites. (You can also go to www.arkansaspreservation. com/tours-events-workshops/audio-tours, but that seems a little more time-consuming.)

Tour site numbers are posted at the sites and on the web; you’ll need them to access the information by phone. Boyle

a downtown reborn Two young developers aim for an ambitious mixed-use building project on Capitol Avenue. — By Leslie Newell Peacock

10 The only Riverfest

WINNER AT CANNES: Jeff Nichols, for “Take Shelter.”

Gimme ‘Shelter’ n Little Rock-born director Jeff Nichols’ second film, “Take Shelter,” was a hit at Sundance, and now it’s making waves overseas as well. It just won two of the top prizes at the legendary Cannes Film Festival’s 50th annual Critic’s Week in France.

The film — about a Midwestern father (played by Michael Shannon) whose fear of an apocalyptic and possibly supernatural storm drives him to renovate a disused bomb shelter — won the prize for best feature film, and the Semaine de la Critique prize for best screenplay. It’s Nichols’ sophomore effort, following up his 2007, made-in-Arkansas indie film about feuding brothers, “Shotgun Stories.” Shannon also starred in that film.

“Take Shelter” was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics, their independent film division, back in January. With Cannes’ golden feathers in Nichols’ cap, it will likely see fairly wide distribution. Look for soon it at a theater near you.

Park is 21, City Hall is 61 and Ditch Bayou is 17. Besides the above sites, you can hear recordings on the history of First Lutheran Church (41), Robert E. Lee School (51), Fourche Bayou Battlefield (11) in Little Rock; Crestview Park (31) and the Park Hill Fire Station and Water Company (71) in North Little Rock; Cane Hill Battlefield (10) in Washington County; Elkins’ Ferry (12) and Prairie D’Ane Battlefields (13) in Nevada County; Poison Spring Battlefield (14) in Ouachita County; Fort Southerland (18) in Camden, Marks’ Mills Battlefield (15) in Cleveland County and Jenkins’ Ferry Battlefield (16) in Grant County.

More tours will be added in upcoming months.

Words n “Jail inmates filled sandbag after sandbag to protect one of the many cities threatened by the swelling Mississippi River in the South as the river broke more 1930s flood records and crept higher Thursday. ... Up and down the Big Muddy, farmers braced for a repeat of the desperate strategy employed earlier this week, when Army engineers blew up a levee and sacrificed vast stretches of farmland to protect populated areas upstream.”

They keep trying, but not even the corporate media can rewrite American history and American geography. The river known as the Big Muddy is the Missouri, not the Mississippi. n “Kutcher said, ‘I can’t replace Charlie Sheen but I’m going to work my ass off to 4 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

guide you’ll need

Nelly, Charlie Daniels and The Barenaked Ladies headline the annual festival.

— By John Tarpley

30 Still fighting

the good fight

The Foo Fighters impress mightily at Verizon Arena. — By Gerard Matthews

DEPARTMENTS

3 The Insider

4 Smart Talk

5 The Observer

6 Letters

7 Orval 8-20 News

22 Opinion

25 Arts & Entertainment

45 Dining

53 Crossword/ Tom Tomorrow

54 Lancaster

VOLUME 37, NUMBER 38

Doug S mith doug@arktimes.com

entertain the h*** out of people!’ ” When I started in the newspaper business, mainstream papers would have used both a** and h*** in that quotation, if they didn’t delete the words entirely. As the language grew more casual and permissive, editors sometimes allowed “hell” to appear in print — “Under Gingrich, experts said, the House of Representatives went straight to hell” — but a** remained a**, if the editor knew his a** from a hole in the ground.

Now, if the above quotation is typical,

the pendulum has swung in a different direction. “Hell” has become “h***” again and “a**” has emerged, like a butterfly, as “ass.” I’m d***** if I know what to make of these changes. It may be that the language has loosened up to the point that nobody knows the rules on what’s permissible and what isn’t, maybe even to the point that there are no rules, or at least none that are widely followed. I know people who advocate the “anything goes” philosophy.

I’m still of the “some things don’t” school, depending on the audience, but reaching a consensus on what those things are has become harder than ever.

Even if consensus emerges, people are free to ignore it. I expect that quite a few will not sanction ass in their own speech and writing.

ARKANSAS TIMES (ISSN 0164-6273) is published each week by Arkansas Times Limited Partnership, 201 East Markham Street, 200 Heritage Center West, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72203, phone (501) 375-2985. Periodical postage paid at Little Rock, Arkansas, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ARKANSAS TIMES, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR, 72203. Subscription prices are $42 for one year, $78 for two years. Subscriptions outside Arkansas are $49 for one year, $88 for two years. Foreign (including Canadian) subscriptions are $168 a year. For subscriber service call (501) 375-2985.

Current single-copy price is 75¢, free in Pulaski County. Single issues are available by mail at $2.50 each, postage paid. Payment must accompany all single-copy orders. Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the contents without the written consent of the publishers is prohibited. Manuscripts and artwork will not be returned or acknowledged unless sufficient return postage and a self-addressed stamped envelope are included. All materials are handled with due care; however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for care and safe return of unsolicited materials. All letters sent to ARKANSAS TIMES will be treated as intended for publication and are subject to ARKANSAS TIMES’ unrestricted right to edit or to comment editorially.

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FOR INFORMATION OR SUBSCRIPTIONS CALL 501-375-2985

Going to the dentist would have to be one of The Observer’s biggest phobias. We have what’s known in more scientific circles as dentophobia or odontophobia. And if you believe the Internet, 75 percent of Americans do too, in some form or fashion. That’s one reason we’ve been walking around with a chipped molar for about a year now. It doesn’t hurt; it’s just a bit of a nuisance. Definitely not worth having someone shove their latexcovered fists in our mouths and undergo shots, drilling, filling and whatever that suction-thing is, in our opinion.

Dental work is expensive too, and we have an equally persistent fear of spending money. What would you call that? Cheapophobia? Thriftophobia? Too: Journalism ain’t exactly the path to wealth and riches.

When we heard that the Arkansas State Dental Association and the Arkansas Mission of Mercy were putting on a free clinic in Little Rock over the weekend, our reluctance to spend money beat out our fear of dental work and we decided it was time to get that tooth filled after all.

The free clinic was open Friday and Saturday. Doors opened at 6 a.m. both days and on Saturday morning a line stretched a full block away from the Statehouse Convention Center doors. Those at the front must have arrived at 4:30 a.m.

Dentists who volunteered their time treated over 1,875 patients over two days and gave away over $1 million in free dental work, performing everything from X-rays and extractions to fillings and teeth-cleanings.

Most of the people that came were probably middle-to-low income. Let’s just say there weren’t a lot of Beamers parked in the lots nearby. Some brought their kids, their elderly parents, but most just brought themselves, thankful for a free clinic on a day they didn’t have to work, spending one of their only days of brief respite standing in line to get something they desperately needed but could not afford.

A woman sitting next to The Observer had four teeth pulled the day before and came back on Saturday to get fillings for three others. A man who had already been through the line came back to tell his mother, through cotton-ball stuffed cheeks, he had just had four teeth pulled and received two fillings. These weren’t folks who simply forgot to brush their teeth a couple of times. Some had not, for whatever reason, seen a dentist in years or

maybe even decades.

One thing that struck The Observer as we looked around was how a number of people gathered at the convention center that Saturday — no matter how dirty their work boots — dressed up for the occasion, wearing nice jeans or khaki pants with shirt tails tucked in. They figured the least they could do was dress up the best they could.

Over

the

weekend, The

Observer got cajoled into being the designated driver for our cousin J and our friend, S. We used to fancy a night on the town back in our youth, but these days we’re happier to do our drinkin’ at home, thanks. The Observer rarely darkens the door of a bar anymore, except when it’s to do a clandestine, Deep Throat-style meeting with a double-secret source, so Saturday night was a rare foray into the wild for us.

We visited four bars stone sober on Saturday night, with our Miss Daisys getting progressively more potted as we went along. The most depressing was a club on the freeway near Jacksonville, where everybody seemed to be 24 years old, the music sounded like someone beating a hippopotamus to death with a drum kit, and all the shots were served in little plastic cups like Robitussin. Back in The Observer’s day, kids, whiskey was served in containers made of a hard, transparent substance created by melting sand. Look it up on Wikipedia.

We ended up the night at our cuz’s favorite watering hole, Jimmy Doyle’s Country Club out on I-40. It’s straight out of “Urban Cowboy,” with a clientele pushing the same vintage — a big, open hall full of a scuffed dance floor and neon. It’s either in serious need of a remodel, or perfect just the way it is, depending on your tolerance for dive-bar patina. While The Observer didn’t expect much, it turned out to be considerably better than we’d hoped.

The band was great (the guitar player — a bearded man-mountain who looked like Bigfoot in a mortician’s suit — pulled off the best cover of “Blue Spanish Eyes” we’ve ever heard, including the high notes), the dance floor was usually full, the drinks were cheap, and there was a pronounced lack of pretension on the part of all involved.

All that, and the whiskey came in glass. www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 5

Letters arktimes@arktimes.com

mans, I would be looking over my shoulder. I believe that what goes around comes around.

Peggy Wolfe Heber Springs

Flaw in church defense

Budget balancing

The flaw in the ‘Blame Woodstock Defense’ [and the ‘Twinkie Defense’] : From the New York Times, an article headlined “Church Report Cites Social Tumult in Priest Scandals: “A five-year study commissioned by the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops to provide a definitive answer to what caused the church’s sexual abuse crisis has concluded that ….priests who were poorly prepared and monitored, and were under stress, landed amid the social and sexual turmoil of the 1960s and ’70s.”

Perhaps the first half partially explains child molestation. The second does not. There is no overwhelming evidence that child molestation occurred in the last four decades among public school teachers, Protestant ministers, Jewish rabbis, boys and girls club coaches, etc. ... as there is overwhelming evidence among RC priests. ...

Robert Johnston Little Rock

We hear every day that individual families have to balance their budgets so why can’t the federal government? It is a valid analogy but it doesn’t go far enough. The position of the right seems to be that a family shouldn’t buy a Cadillac when it is over its head in debt. That is a part of the budget problem, but only a part. The cuts that the most extreme are advocating are

The silent streets Where have all the children gone?

Long ago, in better times, before the world went mad, the city streets and sidewalks rang to the sweet sounds of children’s noise and laughter. Now those streets and sidewalks lie still and silent.

In those distant, halcyon days children played long and hard in the fresh open air.

An old-fashioned childhood could be very dangerous, but, surely, that is the essence of youthful adventure and infinitely better than wasting away in front of a computer screen playing mindless video games and generally drowning in a sea of useless technology.

Technology was intended to enrich lives, but, instead, it has stolen their childhood away. Why, for just those few precious years, can’t children be allowed to be children instead of being pressured overnight into adulthood?

William G. Carlyle Little Rock

Desecration I wonder if, as my son commented, there is a group of animals roaming around in human form, desecrating houses of God. Do they think He doesn’t see this?

One of the churches here in Heber Springs is hit each spring by plant thieves.

When they put in new plants or shrubs, someone sneaks in under cover of darkness and helps themselves.

I saw the pain on Rev. Hezekiah Stewart’s face when his church, for the second time, had its copper plumbing taken. If I were these low-life, sorry excuses for hu6 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

more akin to the parents in a family keeping all the money to take a trip to Europe, because they are earned it and they need the rest, while the children are taken out of school because there isn’t enough money left to buy them shoes or lunches; or the parents, while in Europe, canceling the medical insurance for the children because they are healthy and are not likely to need it.

The result is the children that never leave home because they are unable to support themselves, or the family goes down the tube anyway as a result of the catastrophic cost of an uninsured illness or accident. Some cuts in spending are smart,

some are just stupid.

Most Americans agree we must dramatically reduce the money we spend, but to cut investment in the future is shortsighted and foolish. If we want to leave our children and grandchildren a debt-free future we need to make sure that it is a future with possibilities as well. What good is a debt-free society where opportunities are reserved for only those few at the top?

They used to call that feudalism.

Pamela Kell Little Rock

Use chicken litter I would like to see the poultry producers in this state properly compost some of their chicken manure and market it to users, large and small.

There is a huge and growing need for organic fertility by urban and market gardeners. Selling them compost would bring profits to the industry.

To make the animals’ waste decomposable may require modifying the growing system so that fewer additives are needed and all are biodegradable. Even if the cost is somewhat greater, the meat might taste better, really be better and easily command a much higher price.

Arkansas calls itself the Natural State, but it is not. It is actually a place poisoned and polluted by agribusiness and the energy industry. Just reducing the pollution from one major source and supplying organic horticulture with good fertilizer would dramatically improve our state’s image.

Polly D. Davis Scott

End public unions The debate now raging in Wisconsin is purely and simply about political power, not merely cutting state government budgets. The public employee unions recognize that this is their Armageddon and are reacting accordingly.

Taxpayers, voters and some elected officials have finally caught on and are demanding an end to the incestuous relationship between public employee unions and the Democratic Party. Simply put, tax dollars pay public employees, who then make mandatory union “contributions,” which the unions then give to the Democratic Party.

Public employers are not exploitative, capitalist profiteers, but rather all of us: the voting public and our elected officials. There are historical, economic and moral reasons for the development of private employment unions. While their days may have passed and their numbers are dwindling, no one is arguing that they should be abolished. However, public employee unions now exist primarily to benefit the unions and the Democratic Party and should not be allowed.

Michael J. Emerson Little Rock

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THE WEEK THAT WAS M AY 1 8 - 2 4 IT WAS A GOOD WEEK FOR…

CLOSE READING. State Rep. Justin Harris (R-West Fork) wrote a column in the Washington County Observer criticizing President Obama for speaking in the first person too often in his announcement of the death of Osama bin Laden. Readers quickly fired back, noting that President Obama used the word “we” 38 times and the word “I” or an equivalent pronoun 10 times in his speech. In his column, Harris employed more than double that amount — 21 first-person singular pronouns.

STUDENTS’ RIGHTS. Under pressure from the Arkansas ACLU, eStem Public Charter School agreed to change its filter to prevent blockage of the likes of support websites for gay youths. The Little Rock School District has said it is working on the issue, but has not yet made changes.

The Arkansas Reporter

Phone: 501-375-2985­ Fax: 501-375-3623 Arkansas Times Online home page: http://www.arktimes.com E-mail: arktimes@arktimes.com ■

■­

■

VISION OF THE FUTURE: Architect’s rendering of what the corner of Center and Capitol will look like in 2012.

IT WAS A BAD WEEK FOR…

PULASKI COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Federal Judge Brian Miller ruled that it was time to end state payments to aid desegregation in the North Little Rock, Pulaski and Little Rock school districts, which leaves in question the $70 million the state has budgeted for the districts for next year and potentially imperils the existence of local magnet schools.

MICHAEL NELLUMS and TIM CLARK. The Mills High School principal and Little Rock School Board member and the former Pulaski County School Board President, respectively, engineered a scheme to secretly videotape Pulaski County School Board member Gwen Williams in a manner in which she appeared to be accepting a bribe, according to a report released

by Pulaski Prosecutor Larry Jegley.

At press time, Nellums had been suspended by the Pulaski County School District with pay. Both indicated they wouldn’t resign school board seats.

REP. MARK BIVIANO. The Tea Party Republican from Searcy blamed Democrat-Gazette coverage scrutinizing his role in a hit-and-run accident in early April outside of the Capital Hotel on a Democratic “vendetta” because he opposed health care reform.

The city of CLINTON. Barrels that had been filled with chemicals used in the fracking process to find natural gas were discovered in the creek that supplies the city water supply.

8 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

DEVELOPERS: Jason Meier and Myles Roberson in front of the old Sterling Store.

Raising Capitol Young investors’ plan would bring new life to Sterling Store downtown.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

n Two Little Rock men in their 20s look at the long-abandoned Sterling Store at Capitol Avenue and Center Street downtown, pigeon-droppings and all, and see a restaurant and urban market, a coffee shop with a window on the street, a fitness center on the ground floor.

Where older entrepreneurs might be jaded about the prospects for success on 200 block of Capitol, Myles Roberson, 26, and Jason Meier, 28, incorporated as Panoptic LLC, are all confidence. They’re raising $11 million to renovate the nearly 37,000 square foot building and an annex as the Sterling Center, which will also include high tech business office space on the second floor and a public events room on the third. They say they are well on their way to their goal; they close on the building in mid-June.

Roberson initially looked at the prop-

erty as a place to house technology enterprise on the second and third floors that would design video game software.

Meier then took a look at the building.

“I was blown away ... there’s opportunity out the rear here” he said.

Opportunity there?

Meier says Panoptic has already generated interest by a high-profile retailer for the third floor, and that there are “highly interested parties” looking at the tech business space on the second floor.

“We look at ourselves as a natural progression,” Meier said, a “bridge to Main Street” in a line of businesses that include the Bank of the Ozarks at 325 W. Capitol and Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods at 303 W. Capitol. There’s a substantial gap in the bridge east of the Sterling Building, however; the only draw for foot traffic is a sushi restaurant

and a chicken wings eatery, which stand out from empty storefronts surrounding them.

Roberson, from the Roberson Jewelers family, is the visionary, Meier said.

Meier, who’s the numbers man, is an accountant and consultant with a background in tech firms. He’s done the market research on the area.

“There are 42,000 people within a square mile of our building,” Meier said.

Panoptic projects that, based on a percentage of that customer base, that the project will have made sales of more than $40 million in restaurant, rent and other income over the first five years.

Meier said he and Roberson have consulted with downtown developers Rett Tucker and Jimmy Moses, brokers in the sale of the property to them for $615,000.

Meier said the Sterling Center should be a boon to downtown residential development; without it, he said, “It’s like you’re having a party with no food.”

Thinking about food in the Sterling Center are ZaZa’s John Beachboard and Scott McGehee, and Donnie Ferneau, according to Meier and Roberson. Jody Hardin, of Argenta Market, has expressed interest in an urban grocery, Meier said.

Rush Harding, of Crews and Associates, is advising on financing. Meier and Roberson are tempting investors with state and federal rehabilitation tax credits, and federal New Markets Tax Credits. John Greer of Witsell Evans Rasco is the project architect.

The building, designed by Charles Thompson and built in 1918 as a speculative office building, was operated as a Sterling Store by the Dave Grundfest family until it closed. The Downtown Little Rock Partnership has applied for historic district designation that would include the Sterling Center. The area has Capitol Avenue on the north, East Sixth Street on the south, Main Street on the east and Center Street on the west.

Partnership head Sharon Priest called the project “very exciting.”

“It will breathe some life into that part of Capitol Avenue. It will certainly help a building that has been an eyesore.”

Meier and Roberson are planning on a May 2012 opening. There is still an opportunity to invest, Meier said. They’re offering units of $100,000; there are 30 left.

He doesn’t believe he and his partner are being overly optimistic. He said he believes the market is prime; “we believe we’re on the front of the curve for the downtown area.”

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www.arktimes.com • may 25, 2011 9

RIVERFEST 2011

PANIC ATTACK: Jam-circuit all-stars Widespread Panic play a three-plus hour set of roots rock this Friday night.

ROLLING ON THE RIVER Riverfest 2011 returns with the music, food and events you’ve come to expect.

And a few changes you didn’t. BY JOHN TARPLEY

I

t’s no secret that Riverfest is greeted each year by a gallery of disparagers, detractors and nay-sayers at large. Any undertaking so enormous and, by nature, imperfect will always attract its share of criticism. Greatest hits include “the music line-up is below par,” “it’s too expensive” and “it’s overcrowded.” But, as it goes with every year, the scoffing from the peanut gallery always gets drowned out by the sound of a quarter of a million people taking to the river for a good time.

This year’s music offering sticks to the “familiar, if not necessarily your favorite” strategy. Pleasing 250,000 people’s ears is a tough charge. Even tougher: staying in budget. Riverfest’s music budget runs from $600,000 to $650,000; a bright-lights name like Dave Matthews Band or Kings of Leon would single-handedly consume at least half of that. And there would still be whiners. Jam-band fans are in for a treat with noodling greats Widespread Panic filling Friday night with three hours-plus of Southern fried, Grateful rock; modern rockers can look forward to a double-header from Blue October and Papa Roach on Saturday; hair-metal fans will surely be breaking out the Aqua-Net for Poison’s Friday night set, and Sunday night “is your chance to do the Hump” when Digital Underground brings its GFunk hip-hop to the river before superstar St. Louis rapper Nelly closes out the festival.

For such a roster of acts, festival passes remain as remarkably low as always. At the gate, a three-day admission will run $30, roughly what you’d have to pay to see any of the headliners elsewhere. Sunday, the festival

10 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

offers a one-day pass for $20 and, for the deal-hunter, Riverfest is offering a limited number of half-price tickets at area Walgreens, bringing the cost for a full festival pass down to an unarguable $15.

But while the state fair/town carnival/music festival hybrid is sticking to the strategy of live music, junk food and family events at a low cost for another year, festival director DeAnna Korte tells us 2011’s Riverfest isn’t without its share of alterations.

The change that will affect you the most: gone are the buttons, easy to counterfeit and effortless to pass off to other people, not to mention easy to lose and always threatening to pierce you in the chest. This year, Riverfesters will be outfitted with vinyl wristbands to be worn (or, preferably, “rocked”) for the duration of the festival.

Also gone: a third stage. The Triple-S stage, which was under the Broadway bridge last year, has been phased out. But don’t think you’re only getting twothirds of the music you’d expect. Instead, the Bud Lite Stage (at the Clinton Presidential Center) and the Miller Lite Stage (at the Riverfest Amphitheatre) will have more big-name acts bunched together each evening.

Another noticeable change on the festival map has the former Arkansas Music Tent re-branded as the Stickyz Music Tent. The stage, still beside the Main Street bridge, will be overseen by the music venue of the same name. Its line-up will retain a local focus before handing the mic over to a nightly, out-of-town top bill. Friday sees Will Hoge, a Nashville singer/songwriter, headline.

On Saturday, the Justin Timberlake-signed rap-rock act

FreeSol tops the bill. Sunday offers the Ozarks-based bluegrass of Big Smith.

Riverfest has also taken a cue from larger music festivals by offering VIP treatment; a $500 package offers two weekend passes to the festival, access to the VIP pavilions, complimentary beer and wine and a nightly dinner.

Not changing, however, is the festival’s focus on events, attractions and family activities that don’t involve booming rock music. The Riverfest “Rock ’n’ Stroll” Fun Run and Walk returns for a second year, offering a family-friendly 5K on Saturday morning. The always-popular Super Retriever Series also sets up shop behind the DoubleTree Hotel for another year to showcase some of the nation’s best gravity-defying canines during its three-day competition. As always, hounds abound with Ed Jakubowski and his Frisbee dogs doing their thing at the Clinton Presidential park, as well.

Festival-goers can also check out all sorts of human beings flying through the air, too. The “extreme trampoline stunt team” Flippenout, the BMX trick riders of the United Freestyle Stunt Bike Team, the Kenya Safari Acrobats and the Beale Street Flippers will be on hand to keep people looking skyward.

Incredibly, it looks like the weather is going to cooperate for the entirety of the festival, too! As of press time, the weather soothsayers are predicting high ’70s and low ’80s with low to no chance of rain.

Count us in.

Continued on page 12

DON’T FORGET!

Janet Troutman Ward, Pulaski County Assessor, reminds you to ASSESS BY MAY 31st to avoid penalty at www.pulaskicountyassessor.net or by phone at 340-6181.

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RIVERFEST 2011

RIVERFEST

“Last Resort.” (When the aliens come and ask about nu-metal, that’s the one you’re going to want to play.) Over the following years, Papa Roach squeezed the angry guitar wall and caterwauling vocals dry. Since, the band has been busy mining sleaze-rock and L.A. goth-glam in singles like “Hollywood Whore” and “I Almost Told You That I Loved You.” The mood may have changed, but there’s still no shortage of rap-metal wannabes still aping that “Last Resort” sound. Not just inspiring young guns in the rock realm, we’re pretty certain that Papa Roach’s iconography — bladeedge typography and blown out color scheme — is single-handedly responsible for every single Tapout shirt ever.

Continued from page 10

FRIDAY, MAY 27

WIDESPREAD PANIC

7:30 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

For every beard hair that wound out of Jerry Garcia’s round face, there’s a band trying to re-capture a bit of Grateful success. With the exception of Phish and, if you insist, Dave Matthews Band, no band has brought Southern-fried, purple-hazed noodle-rock to the masses with as much success as Widespread Panic. Since 1983, the band has been the focal point for legions of fans who, as is the jam tradition, chronicle every note of every concert. Seeing as how these guys are consummate road warriors, that’s a lot of tape. And Friday night, expect the reels to roll long: Riverfest organizers have given Panic three-plus hours to bring the long-winding choogle to the river.

POISON

9:30 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

Few L.A. bands have ever come close to reaching the heights of drug-, groupieand hair spray-fuelled excesses of Poison.

The late ’80s saw the androgynous cockrockers become one of the biggest bands in the world, going multi-platinum time after time again thanks to their cartoonish sleaze, mom-baiting antics and ridiculously catchy string of singles like “Nothin’ but a Good Time,” “Unskinny Bop” and the crowned king of the ’80s power ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” While the “dumber we do it, the sweeter it sounds” plan was a huge success in the studio, Poison was notorious for the live show: confetti, pyro, costumes and flashers galore.

Say what you will about Bret Michaels, but you can’t argue that the guy is a dedicated entertainer. Since reinventing himself as a reality TV star on “Celebrity Apprentice” and his VH1 dating show “Rock of Love,” Michaels spent chunks of 2010 in the hospital, finding himself in critical condition after suffering a debilitating brain hemorrhage. Now he’s rehabilitating on the road and celebrating Poison’s 25th anniversary.

BARENAKED LADIES POISON CONTROL: Bret Michaels and the rest of his group of androgynous marauders celebrate Poison’s 25th anniversary this year. erator, Blue October has been active for 16 years, gigging around its native Houston and enjoying regional success for the bulk of its career. However, in 2006, the band’s breakthrough piece of self-loathing, “Hate Me,” put the post-grunge outfit on the Modern Rock Charts and on heavy rotation on VH1. (Sample lyric: “I have to block out thoughts of you so I don’t lose my head/They crawl in like a cockroach leaving babies in my bed.” Eek.) Frontman and principal songwriter Justin Furstenfeld isn’t faking the fret, though: The mohawked rocker with the smeared raccoon makeup has been in and out of his share of mental hospitals. Also in and out of book tours: He joined “Twilight” scribe

Stephenie Meyer on a joint book/concert tour in 2008. Earlier this month, Blue October released “Ugly Side,” a live acoustic album. This August, the band plans to release “Any Man in America,” its ninth album to get, well, down to.

PAPA ROACH

7:30 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

It’s only appropriate that Papa Roach just won’t die. One of the big names from the late-’90s/early-’00s rap-rock and numetal boom, the band found itself in the spotlight with “Infest,” the group’s triple Platinum album, and its standout single,

9:30 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

This show marks the first time that the irreverent Canadian pop act of Barenaked Ladies has played Arkansas: a shocker, considering that the band has never been shy about taking its loose banter-and-comedy-spiced show on the road. The band hit it big in 1998 with “One Week,” the ’90sdefining bit of half-sung, half-rapped irreverence that unleashed “Chickety China, the Chinese Chicken” on an unsuspecting public. Barenaked Ladies stayed tacked onto radio playlists with “It’s All Been Done” and “Pinch Me,” two more pieces of trademark harmonic pop. Festival-goers too young to have seen the band’s heyday will probably recognize the band as “those guys who did the theme song for ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ ” Riverfesters even younger than that may recognize them as

SATURDAY, MAY 28

BLUE OCTOBER

6 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

One of the bigger bands to be christened by the Angst Rock Band Name Gen12 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

LIVE NUDE GIRLS: Barenaked Ladies, the Canadian pop act, plays its first show in Arkansas.

RIVERFEST 2011

PAT GREEN

6 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

There are parts of Arkansas where a bad word about Pat Green is liable to get your butt stomped. We can’t imagine the welcoming committee that would greet a naysayer in Green’s native Texas.

People love Pat Green. Fiercely. He may not be a Lone Star deity like Robert Earl Keen or Willie Nelson, but you’ve got to hand it to Green for excelling at channeling that Pure Country brew and mixing it down with a healthy splash of newcountry arena pop. Maybe that’s why he’s spent the better part of the last decade toeing the line between national success and regional superstardom. But with legions of dedicated fans and, surely, a lifetime of ripped up bar tabs at Billy Bob’s Texas, don’t expect Green to change his formula any time soon.

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DAVID NAIL

7:45 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

Alright, we’re chalking up a gimme for David Nail and calling this show a homecoming of sorts. After all, the country up-and-comer grew up in Kennett, Mo., just a quick jog away from the state line, and spent his college years at A-State, where, appropriately enough, he saw his first concert, a Garth Brooks show in 1992. Nail’s debut album, “I’m About to Come Alive,” and subsequent singles drive right down the middle of the popcountry road that Brooks paved. In Nail’s world, everything’s hazy with nostalgia and the stories are sung with a squeezed brow. Fortunately, his good looks make his Harlequin-ready music easier to swallow.

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND 9:30 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

The round, 6-foot-4 giant is a country music icon, synonymous with country fiddle and known for his music’s outspoken Dixie stance and hyper-patriotic twang. But did you know that Charlie Daniels spent the late-’60s providing bass for Bob Dylan (including on an unbelievable, widely-bootlegged session with George Harrison) and touring with Continued on page 17 www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 13

RIVERFEST 2011

RIVERFEST FAST FACTS

HOURS: 6-11 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday; 1-11 p.m. Sunday.

ADMISSION: A limited supply of half-price ($15) tickets, good for all three days, are available at select Walgreens stores throughout the state. Three day passes are also available online (at RiverfestArkansas.com) for $25. Gate admission, also good for all three days, is $30 on Friday and Saturday. Sunday, the festival offers a $20 one-day pass. Cash only. Children six and under are admitted free with a paying adult. The festival also offers a VIP package for $500, which includes two weekend passes, access to the VIP pavilions, reserved seating in the Miller Lite Amphitheatre, a nightly dinner and complimentary Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coca-Cola and Post Wine beverages.

PARKING/PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Parking will be available for varying fees in and around the festival. The Little Rock Riverfest shuttle departs from the east side of War Memorial Stadium on Markham and Van Buren Streets and will drop off on LaHarpe Avenue behind the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Building. The North Little Rock Riverfest Shuttle departs from the North Little Rock High School’s north parking lot and will drop off at 3rd and Kumpuris Streets at the Clinton Presidental Center. Both shuttles offer return service. Round-trip fare is $3 or $2 if you bring a non-perishable food item for the Arkansas Foodbank Network.

14 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

RIVERFEST 2011

Wheelchair access is available on most shuttles and curbside throughout both Little Rock and North Little Rock.

FOOD AND BEVERAGE: Purchases require RiverMoney, which can be purchased with cash only at the BankcorpSouth RiverBanks located throughout the festival. RiverMoney is non-refundable and must be used for all Riverfest purchases except some souvenir items, some artwork and River Market purchases.

ALCOHOL: ID stations are set up throughout the park to issue wristbands to anyone 21 and older with a valid driver’s license or military ID. Riverfest reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.

WHAT TO LEAVE AT HOME: Coolers, outside beverages and food, audio recording equipment with an external microphone, cameras with detachable lenses, video recorders, skateboards, bicycles, rollerskates, rollerblades, cane umbrellas and any and all weapons.

Unless specifically trained to assist the disabled, pets

are not allowed into the festival.

FIRST AID: Riverfest offers two first-aid stations, one located near the Riverfest Amphitheatre and the other in Clinton Presidential Park.

RIVERFEST RECYCLES: Riverfest’s recycling program is back for a third year, encouraging festival-goers to collect recyclable plastic bottles and aluminum cans.

Festival-goers can participate by returning collection bags (available at the festival kiosks throughout the grounds) for a chance to win prizes, including Riverfest merchandise.

FOOD DRIVE: Riverfest has teamed up with the Arkansas Foodbank Network to collect non-perishable foods throughout the weekend. Everyone who brings a food donation to one of the seven food collection points will receive free Yarnell’s yogurt. The festival also offers $1 off shuttle rides in exchange for donations at the Little Rock and North Little Rock shuttle points. www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 15

RIVERFEST 2011

RIVERFEST SCHEDULE MILLER LITE STAGE (RIVERFEST AMPHITHEATRE) FRIDAY, MAY 27 6:15 p.m. Jerry Joseph 7:30 p.m. Widespread Panic SATURDAY, MAY 28 1:30 p.m. Prosevere 3 p.m.

Sea Nanners 4:30 p.m. Randall Shreve

& The Sideshow 6 p.m.

Blue October 7:30 p.m. Papa Roach 9:30 p.m. Barenaked Ladies SUNDAY, MAY 29 1:30 p.m. Monkhouse 3 p.m.

Hardaway &

the Commoners 4:30 p.m. Epiphany

featuring Gina Gee 6 p.m.

Lord T & Eloise 7:45 p.m. Digital Underground 9 p.m.

Osborne Family Fireworks 9:45 p.m. Nelly

BUD LIGHT STAGE (CLINTON CENTER PARK) FRIDAY, MAY 27 6 p.m.

Four on the Floor 8 p.m.

Kingsdown 9:30 p.m. Poison SATURDAY, MAY 28 Noon Trey Hawkins Band 1:30 p.m. Greg Gardner

& VooDoo Cowboy 3 p.m.

Carter’s Chord 4:30 p.m. Zach Williams

& The Reformation 6 p.m.

Pat Green 7:45 p.m. David Nail 9:30 p.m. Charlie Daniels Band SUNDAY, MAY 29 1:30 p.m. Matt Stell & The Crashers 3 p.m.

Johnny Cooper 4:30 p.m. Ponderosa 6 p.m.

Ingram Hill 7:30 p.m. Mike Posner 9 p.m.

Osborne Family Fireworks 9:30 p.m. REO Speedwagon

STICKYZ MUSIC TENT FRIDAY, MAY 27 6:30 p.m. Elise Davis 8 p.m.

The Romany Rye 9:30 p.m. Will Hoge SATURDAY, MAY 28 2 p.m.

Brown Soul Shoes 3:30 p.m. Dirty White Boys 5 p.m.

Lucious Spiller Band 6:30 p.m. Ugly Lion 8 p.m.

Lubriphonic 9:30 p.m. Free Sol SUNDAY, MAY 29 2 p.m.

Catskill Kids 3:30 p.m. Adam Faucett 5 p.m.

Grace Askew 6:30 p.m. Tyrannosaurus Chicken 8 p.m.

Kopecky Family Band 9 p.m.

Osborne Family Fireworks 9:45 p.m. Big Smith

YARNELL’S FAMILY STAGE FRIDAY, MAY 27 6:30 p.m. Ms. Karen’s

School of Dance 7:20 p.m. Jesse White Tumblers 7:50 p.m. Sharon’s School of Dance SATURDAY, MAY 28 Noon Little Rock School of Dance 12:40 p.m. I Can! Dance 1:20 p.m. Jesse White Tumblers 2 p.m.

M.A.R.T.Y. 2:40 p.m. North Little Rock

Parks & Recreation 3:20 p.m. Farrah Fitzhugh 4:15 p.m. Jesse White Tumblers 5 p.m.

M.A.R.T.Y. 5:40 p.m. Kyla Horton 6:30 p.m. River City Gymnastics 7:15 p.m. Jesse White Tumblers 7:45 p.m. Farrah Fitzhugh SUNDAY, MAY 29 2 p.m.

Jesse White Tumblers 2:40 p.m. Clogging Thunder 3:20 p.m. Luke Schildknecht 4 p.m.

Anderson’s

Taekwondo Center 4:40 p.m. Jesse White Tumblers 5:20 p.m. Arkansas Baton Twirlers 6 p.m.

Ally Michelle 6:40 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 7:20 p.m. Luke Schildknecht

MARKET ROW ARTISTS AND MERCHANTS

INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE STAGE

KIDZONE STAGE

Central Area Tom Gusewelle (caricature artist), M&R Concessions (sand art)

SATURDAY, MAY 28 Noon Reflejos Mexicanos 12:45 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 1:30 p.m. Mabelvale African Drum

& Groove Ensemble 2:15 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 3:00 p.m. Reflejos Mexicanos 3:45 p.m. O’Donovan’s School

of Irish Dance 4:30 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 5:15 p.m. Mirana 6:30 p.m. Manataka Drum Society

with William Worden 7:15 p.m. Arkansas All-Star Cloggers 8:00 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats

FRIDAY, MAY 27 6:30 p.m. The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 7:30 p.m. Monster Shop Bumpin’ 8:15 p.m. Sugar Free All-Stars

Junction Bridge A Spice Above, bottle cap necklaces, Sweet & Sour USA, Rock City Outfitters (tees), Neumbe Afrocrafts (African crafts) Behind River Market Pavilions Native Crafts (Native American arts and crafts), Nuke Doggie (airbrush tattoos), Rhinestone Cowgirl (hats and sunglasses), Tindal Artistry (caricatures) Behind Museum Center Rhinestone Rebel (clothing), Native Arts (clothing), Native South West (music), Gone Country (hats), Nahziryah Monastic Community (jewelry), Heifer Dog (airbrush tattoos), MJ Specialty Retail (bracelets), T&K Metal Works (metal art), MAA (sunglasses), On the Avenue (New York Times subscriptions), Grizzly Mountain Saw Works (wood carving) Clinton Avenue Helen’s Asian Treasures (arts and crafts), Delso Wood Carvings (hummingbird feeders), Thai Died (tie-dyed clothing), Elbee’s Garlic Seasoning, Key West Island Sun Wear (sundresses), Arkansas State of Mind (tees), Henna Designs (henna tattoos), World Optical Products (cleaning products), Landers Harley-Davidson (clothing and accessories), Scentsy (candles), The Ring Guys (personalized rings), Sue Vue (handmade animals), Balloon Stuff (hot air balloon merchandise), Sue Croft Candles and More, Festival Hammocks, Easy Hang Chairs, O’Dorsey Inc. (hairclips)

16 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

SUNDAY, MAY 29 1:30 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 2:15 p.m. Manataka Drum Society

with William Worden 3:00 p.m. Mexican Folklore Ballet 4:15 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 5:00 p.m. Mexican Folklore Ballet 7:45 p.m. Kenya Safari Acrobats 9:00 p.m. Osborne Family

Fireworks Show

SATURDAY, MAY 28 11:30 p.m. The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 12:30 p.m. Sugar Free All-Stars 1:30 p.m. Wayne Francis,

ventriloquist 2:30 p.m. Monster Shop Bumpin’ 3:30 p.m. Sugar Free All-Stars 4:30 p.m. The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 5:30 p.m. Monster Shop Bumpin’ 6:30 p.m. Wayne Francis,

ventriloquist 7:30 p.m. The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 8 p.m.

Sugar Free All-Stars SUNDAY, MAY 29 1:15 p.m. The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 2 p.m.

Monster Shop Bumpin’ 3 p.m.

Sugar Free All-Stars 4 p.m.

Wayne Francis,

ventriloquist 5 p.m.

The Kazoobie Kazoo Show 6:15 p.m. Sugar Free All-Stars 7 p.m.

Monster Shop Bumpin’ 8 p.m.

Trout Fishing in America 9 p.m.

Osborne Family Fireworks 9:30 p.m. Trout Fishing in America

RIVERFEST 2011

RIVERFEST

DIGITAL UNDERGROUND

Continued from page 13

7:45 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

Leonard Cohen? The man has props all over the board. But his legacy is firmly cemented in his sturdy, country pride anthems like “In America,” “The South’s Gonna Do It Again” and the Grammywinning “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which welded Appalachian folk tales, Southern rock and German opera into one of the best crossover singles in the history of the country charts. The always-outspoken Daniels has never shied away from making political observations and he’s showing no sign of speaking more quietly in his old age. His new single, “Let ’Em Win or Bring ’Em Home,” begins as an ode to young soldiers before launching off a bilious (and deserved) reproach of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Expect to hear it greeted with massive applause this Saturday.

Even for casual fans of hip-hop, Riverfest bagging the “Freaks of the Industry” for this year’s festival is epic. In the early-’90s explosion of L.A.-centric East Coast rap, Digital Underground provided an irreverent wit and G-Funk mutating hiphop to offset the politically charged, status quo-shocking tone of the day. The group’s conceptual debut album “Sex Packets” is essential listening, manic and lewd with classics like “Doowutchyalike” and, of course, the Edward G. Humphrey — better known as Humpty Hump — moment in the sun, “The Humpty Dance.” Little Rock, this could be your only “chance to do the hump.” Don’t mess it up.

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Where: The Peabody Hotel, Salon A and B, 3 Statehouse Plaza, Downtown Little Rock When: June 3rd, 2011 Event from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Cocktail reception, Dinner (optional) and live band to follow.

SUNDAY, MAY 29

MIKE POSNER

7:30 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

Marky Mark begat Justin Timberlake, who then begat Robin Thicke, who then begat Mike Posner. A Bonnaroo and Warped Tour Veteran, Mike Posner is the latest contestant in the white-boy pop-rap/synth-soul fame game, crafting college party anthems made for the frat house and straight out of the frat house.

In fact, the bulk of his debut album, “31 Minutes to Takeoff,” was culled from home recordings he made while attending Duke. Sure, the guy is going to take his share of licks, but he’s just now 23 and has already collaborated with rap giants like Lil Wayne and Bun B, as well as buzzy emcees Wale and Big Sean.

REO SPEEDWAGON

9:30 p.m., Miller Lite Stage (Riverfest Amphitheatre)

It’s not a summer festival until the requisite Dad rockers whisk the crowds back to the golden days of mediumwave radio, tight jeans and feathered hair. Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, REO Speedwagon’s M.O.R. take on arena rock shot the Illinois working-banddone-good to the near-apex of tour circuit fame, not to mention the charts. The 1980 album that contains “Keep On Loving You” and “Take It on the Run,” “HiInfidelity,” has sold 10 million copies.

Sure, the cheese has aged in the last 30 years, but when a band can craft a hook that’s still sticky, sweet and unshakable generations later, it’s hard to argue with its successes.

Please RSVP to David Blankenship at dablanke@cisco.com by 5/31/11 if you plan to attend.

THANKS TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS

E.I., E.I., UH-OH: Nelly, the superstar Southern club rapper, closes out Riverfest this Sunday night.

THANKS TO OUR CHAPTER SPONSORS

NELLY

9:45 p.m., Bud Light Stage (Clinton Center)

Sure, we can debate whether or not Nelly is still relevant in 2011. His last handful of singles slipped out of earshot as soon as they appeared, maybe because the St. Louis rapper has focused on his omnipresent clothing line, Apple Bottom Jeans, and his other business ventures instead of the music.

We could debate it. Or we could talk about any how, 11 years later, you can resuscitate a dying party in a flash by throwing on, well, just about any of Nelly’s first singles.

“Country Grammar (Hot Shit),” “E.I.,” “Hot in Herre,” “Pimp Juice”: Believe you me, they all work. He’s made a career out of reconstituting schoolyard rhymes, rural twang and club-ready production into a tonguetwisting, juking style of rap that managed to capture the mood of the strange, genretwisting thing known as Southern club rap with ass-shaking ease.

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Editorial n We’ve suspected the Tea Partyers of consuming stronger beverages off-camera, and Rep. Mark Biviano of Searcy, a T.P. darling, lends support to our belief, if unintentionally. It was not tea that was served at a social event Biviano attended just before he was involved in a traffic accident in downtown Little Rock. (Whether he caused the accident, as the other party says, has not been officially determined, in part because Biviano skipped out before any police arrived. But his insurance company is paying for damage to the other vehicle. Do the math.) Biviano had been at what was billed as a “Bourbon and Bacon” affair, during which these products were celebrated and, as we understand it, ingested. He left the Capitol Hotel, got into his pickup and, according to a woman who was driving down Markham Street, pulled away from the curb and rammed into her car. Biviano says she struck him, although she’s not the one who fled the scene. Biviano also says he gave her a business card before driving off. She says he provided no information, but she wrote down the number of his “Arkansas legislator” license plate. Her husband later determined who the plate belonged to and called Biviano. No charges were filed by the police, though their original report called the incident a “hit and run.”

Who knows what officers might have found had Biviano not been so eager to avoid them? But whatever happened that night, Biviano sounded like a man well under the influence of something when he gave an interview to his local newspaper days after the incident had been reported. He said that allegations he wrongfully left the scene were part of a political vendetta against him by unnamed Democratic leaders because of his opposition to health-care reform. President Obama has not responded to Biviano’s remarks, but Governor Beebe said through a spokesman that the governor was not part of an anti-Biviano vendetta and hadn’t even known of Biviano’s accident until he read about it in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, more than a month after it happened. “The ability to connect a minor car accident to a health-care debate requires a mind for conspiracy that we do not possess,” the spokesman said.

It’s possible that both a mind for conspiracy and a taste for bourbon are required. The driver of the other car said she was no vendettist either, and was in fact a Republican. We’re reminded that another Republican lawmaker, Sen. Bruce Holland of Greenwood, is awaiting trial on charges of fleeing a deputy sheriff at speeds in excess of 100 miles an hour. Evidently, Republican legislators and law enforcement don’t mix.

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18 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

AL ROKER

Tea party, our foot

DEVASTATING: NBC weatherman Al Roker tweeted this aerial photo of Joplin, Mo., on Tuesday. A tornado swept through Joplin on Sunday killing at least 118 people, making it the deadliest single tornado since 1953, according to the National Weather Service. People can text the word “REDCROSS” to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the American Red Cross’ relief efforts.

Blackboard jungle n There was a lot of local school news last week, all bad.

First, federal Judge Brian Miller shocked everyone by ordering an end to most state desegregation aid to Pulaski County school districts, currently about $70 million a year.

It was an off-the-wall decision. He had said he wasn’t going to take up money yet in deciding whether North Little Rock and Pulaski County had achieved desegregation goals. (He said they had not.)

But he decided, without a hearing, that the money hadn’t done any good and he called a halt to it.

That the desegregation effort has failed is conventional wisdom, if not wholly wise. A big testing gap still remains between black and white students (here and everywhere). The judge showed no interest, however, in whether things would have been worse without the money or in student gains that have been made over the years. He said it was time to use the stick instead of the carrot on the school districts.

The judge didn’t seem to realize that school districts are children, too — 50,000 of them. The judge’s ruling could mean the immediate end of magnet schools, which enroll more than 3,600 students, and of interdistrict transfer programs that serve another 1,900. (For now, the transfer program is preserved, but the judge said the districts should demonstrate why it shouldn’t be stopped, too.)

The three Pulaski districts have managed to maintain biracial attendance all these years through the magnet and transfer programs — school choice to use the popular slogan. The judge would summarily end them or severely punish some other schools, despite signed teacher contracts and student assignments made for next year. Quite a stick.

Did the judge do any homework? Or was he just overcome by personal feelings? A black man, he took great offense at testimony seemingly tailored to his race. I don’t blame him, but the case was about school kids, not Brian Miller.

Max Brantley max@arktimes.com

School starts in three months. An emergency appeal has been filed. Legislators, notably some whiteflight area lawmakers, are salivating to get hold of the money. They care less than Judge Miller about what happens to 5,500 children who attend successful, desegregated Pulaski schools.

Less sweeping in impact was a report issued late Friday by Pulaski Prosecutor Larry Jegley on an investigation of a mysterious video that turned up last year purporting to show Pulaski County School Board member Gwen Williams accepting $100, ostensibly for her influence on a school sidewalk project (a project that turned out to be non-existent).

Williams solicited no money, took no bribe and committed no crime, Jegley said. Through statements of participants, subpoenaed phone records and other information developed by the sheriff’s office, Jegley concluded that Williams had been targeted in a concocted video sting by then-Pulaski County School Board President Tim Clark and Michael Nellums, principal of the district’s Mills High School and also a Little Rock School Board member. Williams was a key vote at the time in a labor dispute in the district, a dispute in which Clark and Nellums were foes of the teachers’ union. Jegley didn’t attempt to identify a motive for the “juvenile” plot, which employed a friend of Nellums and a private eye. But he said it was “shameful,” a “terrible distraction of law enforcement resources and of a beleaguered school district which has been struggling to improve.”

Jegley nailed it. Those involved should resign from positions of authority and employment with the districts they have dishonored.

BRIAN CHILSON

Dillon Is ‘My Dreamland’ n HARBIN — Across my first days in this gritty city in northeast China, I have been thinking a fair amount about the myth and the reality of America. In this industrial place of just under 10 million people booming with public works like a subway opening within months and private development in the form of high-rise apartments and office buildings sprouting everywhere, the myth of America shows itself consistently.

Two great texts of the American selfmade man, “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin” and Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” are the most commonly seen English-language books for sale in the city’s largest bookstore. Elsewhere in the store, rows of instabiographies in Chinese are dedicated to the lives of America’s famed business leaders like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs and Donald Trump while another work targeted to women shows America’s secretary of state on the cover and is titled “To Be a Career Superwoman Like Hillary.”

It was all summed up yesterday in my conversation with an eager English studies student at the university where I am guest lecturing. When asked if he had ever been to the United States, he replied earnestly,

Jay Barth “No, but it is my dreamland.”

America has been and continues to be a “dreamland,” but we all know that the reality of America has always been more complicated than the myth. Works of fiction bring the texture of America to life and, in the past decade, television has been perhaps the most effective instrument in telling America’s story. Other dramatic series of recent years — Mad Men, The Sopranos, and The Wire (on which I’m catching up during my stay in China) — are arguably better crafted from start-to-finish than Friday Night Lights, now in the concluding episodes of its final season.

However, it is the series centered around the life of a successful west Texas high school football coach, his family, and the town obsessed with all things Dillon Panther football that has subtly but consistently portrayed the issues of race, class, gender, religion, and the conflicts between individualism and community that make America

Have older folks gone Republican? n One thing we very recently knew about American politics was that senior voters favored Democrats.

That was because the Democratic Party gave birth to the elderly safety net — Social Security, Medicare — and thus was more trusted to be vigilant about preserving it.

Now maybe we can forget that.

Older folks are now Republican, or at least they were in November.

That’s according to the first rollout of polling data conducted by a new and wellfunded partnership of two University of Arkansas institutes that are intending to become the major depository of political information about the South.

They are the Diane Blair Center for Southern Politics and Society and the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. They dispatched a pollster to do a national survey of 3,406 respondents in November and to include in that an over-sampling of Southerners to try to glean special understanding of the South.

Nationwide, after weightings to bring representation of other areas up to the level

John Brummett jbrummett@arkansasnews.com

of the South’s raw numbers, the poll produced these findings: Respondents under 65 leaned to the Democrats, 43-33, but those over 65, who vote more regularly than the youngsters, leaned to the Republicans by 48-39. Senior white respondents in the South were lopsided — 63 percent Republican and 23 percent Democratic.

Dr. Todd Shields, political science professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, said the November poll covered a lot of territory, but that he wanted to compile, analyze and release the findings on these apparent elderly shifts first. They were the most notable, indeed surprising, he said.

A later rollout will suggest that the tea party movement is perhaps more heavily a

complicated — and fascinating.

On occasion, the show’s storyline is driven by conflicts involving these forces in American life. For instance, racial division shows itself in the series’ first season through the team’s star’s conflict with an older white assistant coach and gender politics are front and center as the schools’ “rally girls” provide services of all sorts to the players in exchange for a bit of prestige.

But, more often than driving the action, these complexities of American life create a backdrop for the story and subtly shape the most legitimate long-term relationship ever on prime time (that between Coach Eric Taylor and school counselor/principal Tami Taylor) and the lives of some of the best characters ever on TV (the show is particularly praiseworthy for avoiding the tendency to caricature young persons).

When Coach Taylor is forced from his job at Dillon High (think Benton) to take over a moribund program at a heavily AfricanAmerican East Dillon High (think McClellan) midway through the series, his eyes are opened to the distinctive challenges facing isolated black communities as well as the difficulty in crossing racial barriers.

Even rarer for American television, FNL sympathetically shows a mostly working class community faced with the norm of financial tension (stresses enhanced when one—or, as in several cases, both—parents absent themselves physically or emotionally) and the tendency to take risks for the hope of a better economic life that don’t always pay off. Indeed, the

only consistent villain in the show is “new money” Joe McCoy who throws around his power as his quarterback son throws around his Escalade.

As shown most clearly when they come together to support their teams, the communities of Dillon and East Dillon provide social glue and are sources of tremendous strength for individuals facing challenges.

Those same communities, however, have the power to punish individuals who challenge their norms (as Tami does on several occasions) or subtly apply peer pressure to their youth. For good or ill, as daughter Julie describes beautifully in her college interview, Americans are not “self-made”; they are indelibly shaped by their communities as she was by Dillon.

Those around the world who mythologize America are more likely to see Las Vegas than Dillon when they envision their “dreamland,” but it is in that fictional place where we see the reality of American dreams coming true as kids work hard to get into college and start a life that promises to be better than their parents, where white and black kids are assisted in their transformation by a “molder of men” (Tami’s description of Coach Taylor that would sound sappy if it weren’t true), and adults like the consummate booster Buddy Garrity who have made major mistakes getting do-overs. It is that America, complicated as it is, that is my dreamland.

backlash against Barack Obama and immigration than a clear indication of a lasting Republican shift.

That will be pretty interesting, too. But it doesn’t measure up to this indication that the Democrats have lost the AARP crowd.

Several factors are in play. One is that young people swarmed to the Republicans in the Reagan era and are now simply carrying that conversion into their retired years.

Another is that Southern white people — the older ones, especially, and for whatever reason — tend to reject Obama.

Yet another is that economic uncertainty tends to harm or frighten the elderly disproportionately, either because of their fixed incomes or because losses in investment earnings can erode the value of their precious life savings.

But, in perhaps the most significant and volatile factor, seniors had been scared last year by Republican charges that the new Obama health care reform law would help pay for itself by making cuts in Medicare that would reduce availability and levels of health care for seniors.

These findings help explain why Republicans were determined to exempt today’s seniors from the rather radical Medicare changes recently proposed, and rather abruptly abandoned, by U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.

Republicans hammered that their semiprivatization of Medicare would apply only to persons now younger than 55.

There are indications that elderly voters don’t much consider such distinctions whenever major and frightful changes are proposed in Medicare.

It may be that these findings from November, so pronounced at the time as reflected in the mid-term Republican blowout, may have been altered, or softened, a bit.

Still, a more general and telling trend remains: Democrats can no longer bank on the elderly, especially the white Southern version.

Democrats have lost a good number of seniors and some of the rest are now newly apt to go either way, apparently, depending on which party is perceived as posing the greatest threat to Medicare.

That is why “entitlement reform” or “cuts in Medicare” to reduce the federal deficit will always be daunting, nigh unto impossible, no matter who is doing the proposing.

We like government health care more than we know.

Jay Barth is a professor of politics at Hendrix College. Ernest Dumas is on vacation.

John Brummett is a columnist and reporter for Stephens Media’s Arkansas News Bureau. www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 19

arts entertainment

This week in

Wanda Jackson to Rev Room PAGE 22

and

Foo Fighters rock Verizon PAGE 30

TO-DO LIST 22

CALENDAR 24

CARTER’S CHORD: The sisters in this pop-country trio perform Saturday afternoon on the Riverfest Amphitheatre.

ROUNDERS A torrent of lesser-known bands from Arkansas and beyond round out this year’s Riverfest line-up. BY JOHN TARPLEY

S

ure, acts like Widespread Panic and Nelly are bringing the bulk of this weekend’s crowd, but Riverfest is rounded out by a flood of other acts from Arkansas and beyond. So many, in fact, that we’ve got to just jump right in and start introducing them.

Let’s boogie.

FRIDAY, MAY 27 BUD LIGHT STAGE (CLINTON CENTER)

Jerry Joseph, front man for Jerry Joseph and the Jackmormons and long-time member of Widespread Panic offshoot act Stockholm Syndrome, hops on the Bud Light Stage at 6:15 p.m. to open for his jam-heavy buddies. He’s a long-time 20 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

associate of the band, and Widespread Panic covers several Jerry Joseph originals — notably “Climb to Safety,” “Chainsaw City” and “North” — regularly. Expect to hear highlights from his 2010 album with the Jackmormons, “Badlandia.” (Think Dinosaur Jr. in hemp shorts.)

MILLER LITE STAGE (RIVERFEST AMPHITHEATRE)

Four on the Floor have spent the last few years gathering up a dedicated following around these parts thanks to the group’s high-octane bar-metal sound and its latest album, “Forbidden Fruit.” Expect the local four-piece to offer up wailing guitar solos, epic ’80s drums and a liberal dose of “aww yeaaaaahs” at 6 p.m. Energetic rockers Kingsdown keep the music com-

MOVIES 32

DINING 35

PIPH OFF: Epiphany, one of Arkansas’s best emcees, joins Gina Gee on Saturday afternoon at the Clinton Center. ing at 8 p.m., offering up a high-energy (as in running around and getting hype as shit) twist on heavy pop-rock that should sate the crowd before Poison arrives.

STICKYZ MUSIC TENT

At 6:30 p.m., long-time local performer Elise Davis takes to the tent for a set of Dixie-tinged pop that, surely, will include “Trouble,” the single we named the best local song of 2010. Following suit at 8 p.m.: The Romany Rye, Californian Luke MacMaster’s musical project, rounded out by the group of Arkansans formerly known as The Natives. The melodic folk act has been the source of much blog buzz over the last few months, making a reputation at SXSW and, most recently, earning a spot as a finalist to appear on the cover of “Rolling Stone.” Will Hoge, a Nashville singer/ songwriter, headlines the night at 9:30 p.m. with his gritty, backwoods folk-pop.

SATURDAY, MAY 28 BUD LIGHT STAGE (CLINTON CENTER)

Modern rockers Prosevere bring their

tight, melodic pop-metal from Memphis to the opening day afternoon at 1:30 p.m. A local crew of Times favorites, Sea Nanners follow the act at 3 p.m. The buzz-heavy act offers up wiry, jittery Americana, re-imagined for the indie set. The band released its debut 7-inch single, “Queen of the Brodeo,” earlier this week. Fayetteville’s Randall Shreve and The Sideshow hit the stage at 4:30 p.m., offering up boisterous burlesque-pop that recalls Rufus Wainwright, The Cure and The Decemberists.

MILLER LITE STAGE (RIVERFEST AMPHITHEATRE)

The Trey Hawkins Band from the southeastern chunk of the state mixes radioready country twang with a rootsy sound from the Red Dirt songbook. It kicks off Saturday’s music offerings at noon. Texarkana’s Greg Garner & VooDoo Cowboy hoist the hard-drinking, woman-chasing torch set by the Outlaws. Over the past few years, the band has provided support for country luminaries like Dwight Yoakam and David Allan Coe. This marks the second time it’s played before Pat Green.

Continued on page 26

www.arktimes.com • MAY 11, 2011 9

■ to-dolist

BY JOHN TARPLEY

W E D N E S D AY 5 / 2 5

‘ALWAYS ...

PATSY CLINE’

6 p.m., Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. $31.

n Its flood damage repaired, Murry’s is back, running and opening its newest production, “Always ... Patsy Cline.”

The everlasting bio-musical follows the sudden friendship between the iconic but doomed country music star and Louise Seger, the Houston housewife and fan who became a pen-pal and unexpected confidante to Cline. Local actress Sarah Haman, who was the Patsy Cline understudy for The Rep’s celebrated 2009 revival of the play, tackles the titular role yet again for this production. But Candyce Hinkle — most recently seen as landlady Mrs. Floyd in the Coens’ reboot of “True Grit” — may be the main attraction, since she’s played the role of Louise in productions since the mid-’90s. “Always …

Patsy Cline” runs through June 26, with evening performances every Tuesday through Sunday and matinees on Sunday and Wednesday.

THE VERVE PIPE

10 p.m., Juanita’s. $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.

n If you’re hunting down the formula for radio-friendly, mid-’90s grungepop, it’s time to revisit The Verve Pipe.

The Michigan rockers didn’t invent the formula, they didn’t hone it and, as far as I can tell, they certainly didn’t try to improve on it. But they sure as hell followed it to the millimeter and profited.

Soul patches, bleached hair, stark black and white music videos, super-size brooding: all there. (From 2011, things sure seem easier back in that post“My So-Called Life”/pre-“Dawson’s Creek” rock world.) The band worked that angle so skillfully that, well, years later it’s a viable option for a Wednesday night. And seeing how modern rock hasn’t really progressed much in the last 15 years, I guess you might say that The Verve Pipe still sounds fresh. One thing’s for sure, though: “The Freshmen” is still untouchable.

WANDA JACKSON

8 p.m., Revolution. $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.

n Rick Rubin earned his applause over the last decade by dusting off and resurrecting Johnny Cash (and, to a lesser extent, Neil Diamond). And lately, Jack White, another sonic eccentric, has 22 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

‘LET’S HAVE A PARTY’: Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, comes to Revolution this Wednesday night to support her Jack White-produced comeback album, “The Party Ain’t Over.” tried to recreate a little Rubin-esque magic, finding potential muses in the ladies of his own record collection. In 2004, he created unlikely chemistry with Loretta Lynn on “Vanlear Rose,” a modern classic by anyone’s estimation.

Now he’s resuscitated another member of music royalty, the Queen of Rockabilly herself, Wanda Jackson, with her return to national attention in this year’s “The Party Ain’t Over.” The album tries (and — spoiler alert — succeeds in) reframing the taboo-breaking trailblazer for the 2010s. Fortunately, with Jack White behind the board, 2011 sounds a lot like 1959, plus or minus a few welcomed, blaring horn sections from the Mark Ronson playbook. (Speaking of, Wild Wanda sounds outstanding on the album’s cover of Amy Winehouse’s “You Know That I’m No Good.”)

Amazingly, Jackson still sounds better than a dance-hall full of her imitators; those hiccup-style vocals are needed now more than ever and her signature purr/growl can still make a young man slobber. Regardless, here’s your chance to see a literal living legend (and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer) back at the top of her game. Also, it’s probably the only time this year you’ll see youngster knuckleheads and the blue hair brigade shimmy together. Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs, the British garage rockers and Rockabilly disciples, open the night with their first Little Rock show in a year.

FRIDAY 5/27

CORY BRANAN

10 p.m., White Water Tavern.

n Along with Jon Snodgrass, Austin Lucas, our boy Ben Nichols and countless other loosely-affiliated White Water Tavern regulars, Cory Branan and that whole alt-country happening has spent years molding a New Americana sound. A lot of people, in Little Rock especially, love it.

It makes some people irate. But after you sift out all of the opinions and attitudes toward the genre, you’ve gotta admit that Cory Branan can flesh out one hell of a song. The animated Memphian takes cues from John Prine’s quick wit and punk/ metal at large’s fiery guitar-picking. He nipped at widespread success years ago, even appearing on Letterman with his signature song, “Miss Ferguson,” and, recently, his “Tall Green Grass” has found its way into set-lists from (no laughing) Dashboard Confessional. But here, he’s just a dude at the bar with a penchant for getting drunk enough to climb up on that very bar for his encore.

CEDELL DAVIS

8 p.m., Maxine’s – Hot Springs. $5 adv., $7 d.o.s.

n Here’s a promise: If CeDell Davis is playing here, we’re going to write about it. Here’s the man in a nutshell: Born in

Helena, polio bombed his right hand when he was just a kid; he worked around it by learning to play left-handed slide with a butter knife, which sounded incredible and muddy. Davis spent his 20s playing Delta juke-joints with fellow Helena bluesman Robert Nighthawk. During one of those shows, the boys in blue busted the party, causing a stampede of people to run over Davis and break his legs at the age of 30, leaving him in a wheelchair since.

Another Arkansan, Robert Palmer, the Hemingway of music criticism, reinvigorated interest in the bluesman in the early ’80s with his essential book “Deep Blues” and, in 1993, produced Davis’ heralded return to the album shelves with “Feel Like Doin’ Something Wrong.” Admittedly, Mr. CeDell has had a rough 83 years. No one’s going to confuse him for a spring chicken, but his devil-may-care blues groan can still wow any listener with an appreciation for the surviving sonic relic.

SATURDAY 5/28

EASTON CORBIN

8 p.m., Timberwood Amphitheater, Magic Springs. $5-$10.

n All right, it’s time to put it out there: Easton Corbin is one of the few good guys making country radio better. Like Brad Paisley and George Strait before him, the native Floridian isn’t mired in trying to recreate the traditional country of decades

past and, even though his eponymous debut is catchy and pop-radio ready, all sounds indicate that he’s not interested in aiming for bubblegum country superstardom. Last year saw Corbin explode, slowly. Billboard named him the Top New Country Artist of the year while his debut single, “A Little More Country Than That,” was building steady momentum, eventually reaching the top spot of the country charts a year after its premiere.

Country music fans already know the name. Folks who steer clear of the sound: You’re missing out.

ARKANSAS DELTA FAMILY GOSPEL FEST YOUNG GUN: Up and coming country star Easton Corbin opens up this year’s concert series at Magic Springs.

11 a.m., Cherry Street Pavilion, Helena-West Helena. Free.

n While Riverfest is bustling away, Helena-West Helena is inviting people to its historic downtown for the 11th annual Arkansas Delta Family Gospel Fest.

The free festival, courtesy of the Delta Cultural Center, is an all-day affair with a long line-up of choirs and gospel soul shouters, including Memphis’ Rev. John Wilkins, the acoustic bluesman with a pedigree (his father, Robert Wilkins, recorded the original “Prodigal Son,” later recorded by the Rolling Stones for “Beggars Banquet”); The Lee Boys, a funky “sacred steel” (think Robert Randolph) gospel group; and The Holmes Brothers, the near-legendary blues/R&B outfit.

The day closes out with headliner Mavis Staples, the iconic R&B singer, Staple Sister, and just about the best song re-interpreter living. Last year saw her finally win a Grammy for – whodathunkit – Best Americana Album with her Jeff Tweedy collaboration, “You Are Not Alone.”

KEVIN GORDON

9:30 p.m., White Water Tavern. $6.

STAPLE SISTER: Mavis Staples headlines this year’s Arkansas Delta Family Gospel Fest in Helena-West Helena.

n While so many new alt-country upstarts have been busy mining genre cliches and dredging up the same old tired twangst, Kevin Gordon has been busy trying to perfect a craft. The Nashville singer/songwriter and graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop inspires a certain awe from sharp-eared purists and musical heavies, to boot. His songs have been recorded

by Keith Richards (“Deuce and a Quarter”), Levon Helm and Irma Thomas; his track “Watching the Sun Go Down” was featured prominently on “True Blood,” and the 2005 album it was plucked from, the bleak, bracing “o Come Look at the Burning,” is as masterfully crafted a piece of 21st century Americana as you’ll find.

This show marks a rare full band show for Gordon, who brings along a gang of Arkies for the ride, including Joe McMaham, a Dove-winning guitarist from Hot Springs, and bassist Ron Eoff, Fayettevillian and long-time member of The Cate Brothers.

■ inbrief

THURSDAY 5/26

n Local songwriters Justin Carr and Nathan Moore co-headline the night at The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $5. Big time metalcore act and Ozzfest vets All That Remains headline The Edge 100.3’s night of heavy rock at Juanita’s.

The Massachusetts band gets support from JudgeMental and Sychosys, 8:30 p.m., $17 adv., $22 d.o.s. The regular “Posh” party returns to Revolution for a special “Free Lil Boosie” night featuring music from Boosie collaborator Lil Phat, locals Young Taz, Lilman and Don Kee as well as Derrty DJ Deja Blu spinning in the booth, 9 p.m. And in North Little Rock, the summer Riverflicks series starts up another year with a dusktime screening of “Twilight: Eclipse,” the most recent installment in the teeny-bopper vampire saga, 7 p.m., free. Friends and family of Luke Hunsicker, the local artist and musician who died of brain cancer last year, host a showcase of his art to benefit a scholarship fund created in his name at THEA in North Little Rock, 6 p.m., $10.

FRIDAY 5/27

n The monthly Cool Shoes dance party celebrates its third anniversary at Downtown Music Hall with DJs Wolf-E-Wolf, Sleek, Rysk and Cameron Holifield, 9 p.m., $10. The hill music deconstructionists of Mockingbird Hillbilly Band take to The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. Dunbar Community Gardens hosts another afternoon concert for their “Music in the Garden” series, this time featuring Joshua of Velvet Kente, 5:30 p.m., $5. Weakness For Blondes gets jam-y at Stickyz, 9:30 p.m., $6 early admission. Midtown hosts an unofficial after party for Riverfest’s Widespread Panic gig, featuring music from FreeVerse, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. Revolution offers a hideaway from the downtown throngs, offering up music from The Gettys, 9 p.m., $5.

SATURDAY 5/28

n Somehow, Tyrannosaurus Chicken gets better and better every time we see them; expect the duo to outdo themselves yet again at Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. Downtown Music Hall gets especially heavy with a show from Warbeast, 7:30 p.m., $7. Vino’s, on the other hand, gets relatively chill with local favorite Mat Mahar and Musicians Showcase finalists This Holy House, 10 p.m., $5. And in Conway, the Faulkner County Film Society takes to the Faulkner County Library for a double-header of movies from David O. Russell: the Persian Gulf War dark comedy “Three Kings” screens at 7 p.m., followed by recent Best Picture nominee “The Fighter.” www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 23

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afterdark

All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

RIDING DIRTY: Fayetteville gets weird Friday night when bass visionary Les Claypool and his celebrated band, Primus, bring their Zappa-laced, wickedly irreverent style of heavy avant-garde pop to the Arkansas Music Pavilion, 7:30 p.m., $27.

THURSDAY, MAY 26 MUSIC

All That Remains. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $17 adv., $22 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

The Band Perry, Sunny Sweeney. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 7:30 p.m., $17-$77. 4201 N. Shiloh Drive, Fayetteville. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

“V.I.P. Thursdays” with DJs SilkySlim and Derrty Deja Blu. Sway, 8 p.m., $3. 412 Louisiana.

501-907-2582.

“Hip-Hop Night.” Vino’s, Every other Thursday, 8 p.m., $5. 923 W. Seventh St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through May 26, 7 p.m.; May 31, 7 p.m. 500 President

Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Justin Carr, Nathan Moore. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., $5. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Karaoke. Zack’s Place, 8 p.m. 1400 S. University Ave. 501-664-6444. www.zacks-place.com.

Mayday by Midnight. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www. markhamst.com.

Mr. Happy (headliner), Crash Meadows (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Ol’ Puddin’haid. Thirst n’ Howl, 7:30 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-nhowl.com.

Paul Banks and the Carousels, Picardy III.

COMEDY

LECTURES

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: “The Spence Brothers in 1861.” Mark Christ discusses the experience of two Arkadelphia brothers who enlisted in the Confederate service, based on their letters from the period. Old State House Museum, noon 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

The Musical Comedy “Always Patsy Cline”!

“Sweet Dreams Again”-USA Today Now – June 26

The story of legendary country singer Patsy Cline’s friendship with fan Louise Seger, inspired by letters signed “Love always...

Patsy Cline.”

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. San Antonio Missions.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 7:10 p.m.; May 27, 6 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

24 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

FILM

Riverflicks: “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.” North Shore Riverwalk, 7 p.m., free. Riverwalk Drive, NLR. www.northlittlerock.org.

MUSIC

MUSIC

Ron White. Walton Arts Center, 7 p.m.; May 26, 7 and 9:30 p.m., $46-$76. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-443-5600.

Sparkman. The Loony Bin, 8 p.m.; May 27, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; May 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy. com.

COMEDY

Ron White. Walton Arts Center, 7 and 9:30 p.m., $46-$76. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-4435600.

FRIDAY, MAY 27

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Ben & Doug. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com.

Intimate Stranger. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, through May 26, 7 p.m.; May 31, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lance Daniels. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Monkhouse. Benefit for Miss Beverly’s House (MissBeverlysHouse.com). White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG. The Verve Pipe. Juanita’s, 10 p.m., $12 adv., $15 d.o.s. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas. com.

Wanda Jackson, Holly Golightly & the Brokeoffs. Revolution, 8 p.m., $15 adv., $20 d.o.s.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom. com.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m. 9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

“Posh.” The “Free Boosie” concert with Lil Phat, Young Taz, Lilman. Revolution, 9 p.m. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Steve Bates. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, May 26-27, 8 p.m.

301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens. com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG. Tony Furtado. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $10. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Big John Miller (headliner), Chris Henry (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m.

2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf. com.

Bigstack. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Billy Jones. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

CeDell Davis and Brethren, Frazier & Suter.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 d.o.s. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Cool Shoes: “Third Anniversary Party.” With DJs Wolf-E-Wolf, Sleek, Rysk, Cameron Holifield.

Downtown Music Hall, 9 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol.

501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Cory Branan. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Downstroke. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, May 27-29, 10 p.m. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

FreeVerse, Runaway Planet. Midtown Billiards, May 28, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

The Gettys. Revolution, 9 p.m., $5 early admission.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom. com.

John Calvin Brewer Band. Oaklawn, through May 28, 8 p.m. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-6234411. www.oaklawn.com.

Mockingbird Hillbilly Band. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

“Music in the Garden” with Joshua (of Velvet Kente). Dunbar Community Garden, 5:30 p.m., $5.

1800 S. Chester.

Primus, Mike Dillon’s GoGo Jungle. Arkansas Music Pavilion, 7:30 p.m., $27. 4201 N. Shiloh Drive, Fayetteville. www.arkansasmusicpavilion.com.

Riverfest 2011 with Nelly, Digital Underground, Charlie Daniels Band and more. May 27-29, $30.

Riverfront Park, riverfestarkansas.com Shannon McClung. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd. com/stores/littlerock.

Stereo Sound, Jeremy Hall, Christine Demeo, Federated Crush. Juanita’s, 8:30 p.m., $5. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Steve Bates. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. Weakness For Blondes. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9:30 p.m., $6 early admission. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

White Collar Criminals. Markham Street Grill And Pub, 9 p.m. 11321 W. Markham St. 501-224-2010. www.markhamst.com.

COMEDY

Colonel Glenn & University • murrysdinnerplayhouse.com • 562-3131

Sparkman. The Loony Bin, May 27, 8 and 10:30 p.m.; May 28, 8 and 10:30 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham

Continued on page 26

ROUNDERS Continued from page 20

The Cowboys saddle up at 1:30 p.m. The three sisters of Carter’s Chord, an upand-coming group from Nashville, have a single on the Hot Country Songs charts and a bona fide pedigree, with the girls’ parents as members of Waylon Jennings’ road band in the 1970s. The vocal group does its thing at 3 p.m. Rounding out the cast of area openers at 4:30 p.m.: Zach Williams and the Reformation. Locals may remember the group from this year’s Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase. The world-traveled act has taken its swaggering, Southern soul to Spain, France and Japan, spreading the sound popularized by the Black Crowes and the Stones at their twang-iest.

STICKYZ MUSIC TENT

Saturday kicks off at 2 p.m. with music from Brown Soul Shoes, the popular local band known for its blue-eyed covers of soul classics from Hall & Oates to Gnarles Barkley. At 3:30 p.m., the Dirty White Boys get weird with party rock covers of, well, party anthems. Mama said knock them out. A regular on local stages, Lu-

CALENDAR

Continued from page 24 Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/ SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. Riverfest. Little Rock’s annual festival of music, arts and crafts, children’s activities. Riverfront Park, May 27, 6-11 p.m.; May 28, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.; May 29, 1-11 p.m., $30 three-day pass; $20 Sunday only; children 6 and under free. 400 President Clinton Avenue.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. San Antonio Missions.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 6 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

SATURDAY, MAY 28 MUSIC

Blues and Old School Cruise. Arkansas Queen, 10 p.m., $25. 100 Riverfront Park Drive, NLR. 501-3725777. www.arkansasqueen.com.

Chilly Rose Band. Midtown Billiards, May 29, 12:30 a.m., $8 non-members. 1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www.beerknurd.com/ stores/littlerock.

Covershot (headliner), The Crumbs (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Delta Family Gospel Fest. Featuring live music from Mavis Staples, The Holmes Brothers, Tim Rogers & the Fellas and more. Visit DeltaCulturalCenter.com for more information. 11 a.m. Cherry and Main Streets, Helena.

Downstroke. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, through May 29, 10 p.m. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-2247665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Easton Corbin. Magic Springs,Timberwood Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m., $5-$10. 1701 E. Grand Ave., Hot Springs.

“Inferno” with DJs SilkySlim, Deja Blu, Greyhound. Sway, 10 p.m. 412 Louisiana. 501-9072582.

Irish Red. Fox And Hound, 10 p.m., $5. 2800 26 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

cious Spiller brings his blues-soul sound to the tent at 5 p.m. Dallas reggae act Ugly Lion gets lifted at 6:30 p.m., Chicago’s Lubriphonic offers up horn-heavy funk and blues at 8 p.m. and, at 9:30 p.m., Free Sol, the Justin Timberlake-discovered and Interscope-signed hip-hop/rock act, closes the night.

SUNDAY, MAY 29 BUD LIGHT STAGE (CLINTON CENTER)

The self-described (and tongue in cheek) “church for pagans,” Monkhouse offers up a “holy ghost rock and roll revival” full of rootsy, gospel-inspired ramblers with a bit of rhythm, a bit of blues and a bit of Sunday-appropriate uplift. The band will take the stage at 1:30 p.m. Fayetteville’s Hardaway and the Commoners blend jazz and funk from a six-backing band and hip-hop vox from front man Hardaway. Expect horns, wah-wah guitar, rhymes and a live turntablist at 3 p.m. One of our favorite local rappers, Epiphany, continues his plans for Little Rock dominance at 4:30 p.m. when he joins local soul diva Gina Gee for a set of smooth, heady Lakewood Village, NLR. 501-753-8300. www.foxandhound.com/locations/north-little-rock.aspx.

John Calvin Brewer Band. Oaklawn, 8 p.m. 2705 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-4411. www. oaklawn.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Kevin Gordon Band. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m.

2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern. com.

Kyle & Corey. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www.cregeens.com.

Mojo Depot. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar. com.

Riverfest 2011 with Nelly, Digital Underground, Charlie Daniels Band and more. See May 27.

Subdue. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/ CBG. Tyrannosaurus Chicken, Graham Lindsey.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

COMEDY

Sparkman. The Loony Bin, 8 and 10:30 p.m. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

Arkansas Farmers Market. Locally grown produce. Certified Farmers Market, 7 a.m.-noon 6th and Main, NLR. Falun Gong meditation. Allsopp Park, 9 a.m., free.

Cantrell & Cedar Hill Roads.

Farmer’s Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 31: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

Hillcrest Farmers Market. Pulaski Heights Baptist Church, 7 a.m. 2200 Kavanaugh Blvd.

Mount Ida “Good Ole Days” Festival. Antique car and motorcycle show, arts and crafts, rock climbing wall and live music from John Talley, Steve Johnson, The Cook Mountain Boys, The Ouachita River Ramblers. Mount Ida, 9 a.m. downtown, Mount Ida. Riverfest. See May 27.

FILM

Faulkner County Film Society: David O. Russell. “Three Kings” (1999) and “The Fighter” (2010). Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

hip-hop and soul with, surely, a few excerpts from his latest mixtape, “Respect, Part 3: The Wait,” approved by both the Times and the trend-setters at The Source.

And, at 6 p.m., Memphis “aristocrunk” act Lord T & Eloise trade in cornrows for powdered barrister wigs and mix southern Crunk and baroque music into a decidedly weird, strangely appealing cocktail.

MILLER LITE STAGE (RIVERFEST AMPHITHEATRE)

Matt Stell and the Crashers are one of Arkansas’s premiere Red Dirt country acts, opening for names like Stoney LaRue, Wade Bowen and Reckless Kelly. The band brings its woodshed-styled down-home rock ’n’ roll to the river at 1:30 p.m. Another Southern rocker, Johnny Cooper, follows up at 3 p.m. A consummate roadman, the mop-topped 22-yearold brings his soul-laced style of blues rock to clubs with a ferocious regularity.

The guy plays 200 shows a year. Hailing from Georgia, Ponderosa specializes in a swaggering campfire rock that’s ethereal, beery, and, on occasion, really gorgeous.

Fans of My Morning Jacket: You’re on alert for 4:30 p.m. And at 6 p.m., the ever-

LECTURES

“Get on the Bus: 50 Years of Riding for Freedom.” A panel discussion to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Riders. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 3 p.m. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Corpus Christi Hooks.

Dickey-Stephens Park, May 28, 4 p.m.; May 29, 5:30 p.m.; May 30, 2 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 29 MUSIC

Downstroke. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www. westendsmokehouse.net.

Fire & Brimstone. Hilton Garden Inn, 11 a.m. 4100 Glover Lane, NLR. Karaoke. Shorty Small’s, 6-9 p.m. 1475 Hogan Lane, Conway. 501-764-0604. www.shortysmalls.com.

“Margarita Sunday.” With Tawanna Campbell, Jeron, Dell Smith, Cliff Aaron and Joel Crutcher.

Juanita’s, 9 p.m. 1300 S. Main St. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Riverfest 2011 with Nelly, Digital Underground, Charlie Daniels Band and more. See May 27.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

EVENTS

Fireworks Dinner Cruise. Arkansas Queen, 6:30 p.m., $45. 100 Riverfront Park Drive, NLR. 501-3725777. www.arkansasqueen.com.

Maddie’s Memorial Day Maritime Bash.

Fireworks, live music, magic and a picnic dinner.

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, 7 p.m., $25 (tax deductible). 120 Riverfront Park Drive, NLR. 501-3718320. www.aimm.museum/.

Riverfest. See May 27.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Corpus Christi Hooks.

Dickey-Stephens Park, May 29, 5:30 p.m.; May 30, 2 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-6641555. www.travs.com.

MONDAY, MAY 30 MUSIC

Cerebral Ballzy. ACAC, 9 p.m. 608 Main St.

popular Memphians of Ingram Hill take the stage for an hour of easy pop-rock stylings aimed right towards the college-girl heartstrings.

STICKYZ MUSIC TENT

An up-and-coming crew of local favorites, Catskill Kids brings its melodic, hearton-sleeve indie-pop to the tent at 2 p.m.

Adam Faucett, the acclaimed local soul/ folk shouter behind one of the best albums of the year from anywhere, “More Like a Temple,” provides what we’ll call the best music going on at the festival that afternoon, period, at 3:30 p.m. Memphis’ Grace Askew brings her breathy Memphis folk to Riverfest at 5 p.m. Make plans to be here at 6:30 p.m. to see Tyrannosaurus Chicken, the winner of this year’s Musicians Showcase and, as regular readers know, an incredible band we rave about as much as possible.

Here’s one we were happy to find out about: the Kopecky Family Band. The Nashville six-piece offers up orchestral, woodsy harmonies, replete with violin and cello, for the tent at 8 p.m. And closing out this year’s tent action: Big Smith, the super-sized Springfield, Mo., band of traditional bluegrass asskickers.

501-244-2974. acacarkansas.wordpress.com.

Dillinger Escape Plan. George’s Majestic Lounge, 7 p.m., $16. 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-4424226.

Karaoke. Thirst n’ Howl, 8:30 p.m. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

SPORTS

Arkansas Travelers vs. Corpus Christi Hooks.

Dickey-Stephens Park, 2 p.m., $6-$12. 400 W Broadway St., NLR. 501-664-1555. www.travs.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 31 MUSIC

Bobby Joe Ebola & the Children MacNuggits, R.I.O.T.S., King Emeritus. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Brian Martin. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Brugh Foster. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Jim Dickerson. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

Karaoke Night. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Karaoke Tuesday. Prost, 8 p.m., free. 120 Ottenheimer. 501-244-9550.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

Charity Bingo Tuesday. ACAC, 6:30 p.m. 608 Main St. 501-244-2974. acacarkansas.wordpress.com.

Farmer’s Market. River Market Pavilions, through Oct. 31: 7 a.m. 400 President Clinton Ave. 375-2552. www.rivermarket.info.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1 MUSIC

Acoustic Open Mic with Kat Hood. The

Continued on page 28

HeLeNA

aRKansas Cherry Street Pavilion

Both FestiVAls

11th AnnuAl ArkAnsAs DeltA Fa m i ly G o s p e l F e s t M AY 2 8 , 2 0 1 1 WItH - Mavis Staples, The Holmes Brothers, Tim Rogers & the Fellas.

PluS - The Lee Boys, Gloryland Pastor’s Choir with Pastor Cedric Hayes, Rev. John Wilkins, The Dixie Wonders, The Fantastic Jordan Wonders, and Voices of Joy.

free

admission

sixth AnnuAl Mother’s Best Music Fest S a t u r d ay, J u n e 4 WItH - Bobby Rush, Lonnie Shields, Joe Pitts, Earnest Roy

PluS - James Morgan, Spoonfed Blues, Big Red & The Soulbenders, New Delta Jukes, The Live Wire Band!

Co-sponsored by Helena Regional Medical Center

This festival is produced in part through a grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council.

141 cherry st., Helena, aR. 870-338-4350 or 800-358-0972 Delta Cultural Center is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

deltaculturalcenter.com · facebook.com/deltaculturalcenter

www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 27

CALENDAR

Continued from page 26 Afterthought, 8 p.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-6631196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Bolly Open Mic Hype Night with Osyrus Bolly and DJ Messiah. All American Wings, 9 p.m. 215 W. Capitol Ave. 501-376-4000. allamericanwings.com.

Karaoke at Khalil’s. Khalil’s Pub, 7 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub. com.

Karaoke. Hibernia Irish Tavern, 9 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501-246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

Karaoke with Big John Miller. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Steve Bates. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free.

111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel. com/CBG.

FILM

Little Rock Film Festival 2011. The annual festival returns for a week of film, workshops, parties, visiting filmmakers, galas and more. For more information, visit littlerockfilmfesetival.org.

LECTURES

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture, “The Rights and Rank to Which We Are Entitled”: A Retrospective on Statehood. Dr. Thomas A. DeBlack will look back on the people and events associated with the statehood movement in Arkansas. Old State House Museum, noon, free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501-324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER “Always Patsy Cline.” A revue of the legendary country singer’s greatest hits as told through her correspondence with fan Louise Seger. For tickets or more information, call 562-3131 or visit murrysdinnerplayhouse.com. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through June 8: Tue.-Sat., 6 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m., $23-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-562-3131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Beauty and the Beast.” Disney’s classic re-telling of the classic fairy tale. Robinson Center Music Hall, Thu., May 26, 1 and 7:30 p.m. Markham and Broadway. www.littlerockmeetings.com/conv-centers/robinson.

“Til Beth Do Us Part.” For tickets or more information on the Community Theater of Little Rock, call 410-2283 or visit ctlr-act.org. The Public Theatre, through May 29: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m., $14 general. 616 Center St. 501-374-7529. www.thepublictheatre.com.

GALLERIES, MUSEUMS NEW EXHIBITS, EVENTS

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St.: Sale of art by Luke Hunsicker, fund-raiser to create scholarship in the late artist’s name, 6-9 p.m. May 26, $10; Bre and David Harris, Brett Anderson, sculpture; Guy Bell, paintings. 379-9512. n Jacksonville JACKSONVILLE MUSEUM OF MILITARY HISTORY, 100 Veterans Circle: “Heritage Day,”

28 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

military vehicles, movie, live music by Crystal Gray, the Bluegrass Bombers, 9 a.m. 4:30 p.m. May 28, free admission; exhibits on D-Day; F-105, Vietnam era plane (“The Thud”); the Civil War Battle of Reed’s Bridge, Arkansas Ordnance Plant (AOP) and other military history. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. $3 adults; $2 seniors, military; $1 students. 501241-1943. n Eureka Springs 83 SPRING STREET GALLERY: Betsy Stafford, jewelry, noon-9 p.m. May 28, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. May 29. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 479-253-8310.

EUREKA THYME, 19 Spring St.: Ken and Sandy Starbird, ceramics and fabrics, 1-4 p.m. and 6-9 p.m. receptions May 28. 479-363-9600.

FIRE OM EARTH RETREAT CENTER, 872 Mill Hollow Road: “The Artistry of Gourds,” workshop by Stone Akin, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 27, $48, preregister at 479-363-9402; “Ocarina/ Whistle Flute Making Workshop,” workshop by Craig Hirsch, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 28, $50; “Drum Making,” workshop by Lorna Trigg Hirsch, 10 a.m.4 p.m. May 28-29, $260, public welcome to watch. fireomearth.com.

OUT ON MAIN GALLERY, 1 Basin Spring Ave.: Karin Boudet Ford, ceramics, 2-9 p.m. May 28.

479-253-8449.

SPARKY’S ROADHOUSE CAFE, 147 E. Van Buren: Carol Saari, paintings, reception 5-7 p.m.

May 26, show through May. 479-253-6001.

THE GRAND TAVERNE, 37 N. Main St.: Edward Robison, photographs, reception 6-9 p.m. May 27.

479-253-6756.

ONGOING EXHIBITIONS

ACAC, 608 Main St.: Work by the Local Catz Group, Bethanie Stellman, Mesk, x3mex, chapin, Jason Harrington, alien 15, Josh Henderson, Michael Schaeffer, Joanna Tilley, Dap Star, Lisa Krannichfeld and Robert Messenger, through May. 1-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., noon-6 p.m. Sat.-Sun. 398-9474.

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: “A Couple of Ways of Doing Something,” daguerreotype photographs by Chuck Close, poems by Bob Holman, through July 26; “The Impressionists and Their Influence,” paintings and works on paper from the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, private collections and the Arts Center Foundation collection, through June 26, $10 adults, $8 seniors, $6 youth, members free; “Michael Peterson: Evolution/Revolution,” wood sculpture, through July 3; “Currents in Contemporary Art,” “Masterworks,” “Paul Signac Watercolors and Drawings,” ongoing. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 11 a.m.5 p.m. Sun. 372-4000.

ARKANSAS STUDIES INSTITUTE, 401 President Clinton Ave.: Arkansas Art Educators’ “State Youth Art Show 2011,” through July 30, main gallery; “Norwood Creech: Selected Works from the Northeastern Arkansas Delta,” through June 18, Mezzanine Gallery; “Book Arts,” handmade books and journals, through May 28, Atrium Gallery. 9 a.m.6 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 320-5791.

BOSWELL-MOUROT FINE ART, 5815 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work by Elena Petroukhina, Astrid Sohn and J. River Caton. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Sat. 664-0030.

CANTRELL GALLERY, 8206 Cantrell Road: “Lee Nora Parlor’s Painted Photo Album,” oils inspired by photos in the artist’s grandmother’s album, through May 28. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat. 224-1335.

CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 509 Scott St.: “Arkansas Pastel Society Member Spring Show,” work by Shirley Anderson, S. Caruthers, Gertrude Casciano, Lois Davis, Marlene Gremillion, Sheilah Halderman, Mary Nancy Henry, Susan Hurst, Melanie Johnston, Sister Maria Liebeck, Jo Magee, Diana Shearon, Cathy Span, Mary Ann Stafford, Debbie Strobel, Teresa Widdifield and Caryl Joy Young. 3752342.

CHROMA GALLERY, 5707 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Work

by Robert Reep and other Arkansas artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 664-0880.

COX CREATIVE CENTER, 120 River Market Ave.: “Blank,” printmaking exhibition by UALR students; “Little Rock Is Working,” photography contest.

GALLERY 26, 2601 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Amber Uptigrove, Sulac, new work through July 9. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 664-8996.

GREG THOMPSON FINE ART, 429 Main St., NLR: “Best of the South,” paintings by Carroll Cloar, William Dunlap, Glennray Tutor and others. 664-2787.

HEARNE FINE ART, 1001 Wright Ave.: Portraits in eight media by Arkansas artists, including Rex Deloney, Aj Smith, Bisa Butler, Edward Wade, Stephen Cefalo, Larry Hampton, LaToya Hobbs, Loni Harshaw, Marjorie Williams-Smith, Le Ron McAdoo, Bryan Massey Sr., Caroline Brown and Jacoby Warlick, through June 7. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Thu., 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fri., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sat. 372-6822.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Reflections,” paintings by Dan Thornhill and students Joyce Hasse and London Farrar; also jewelry by Coco Cohen, through mid-June. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

L&L BECK GALLERY, 5705 Kavanaugh Blvd.: “The Wild Ones,” oils and carvings of animals by Louis Beck, through May. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 660-4006.

LAMAN LIBRARY, 2801 Orange St., NLR: “Our Lives, Our Stories: America’s Greatest Generation,” oral histories, through May 25. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mon.Thu., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fri.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. 771-1995.

LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative. 501-265-0422.

M2GALLERY, 11525 Cantrell Road (Pleasant Ridge Town Center): “Westland: The Life and Art of Tim West,” artwork by West, photographs by Diana Michelle Hausam, with documentary filming. 2256257.

RED DOOR GALLERY, 3715 JFK, NLR: Buddy Whitlock, featured artist, also work by Lola Abellan, Mary Allison, Georges Artaud, Theresa Cates, Caroline’s Closet, Kelly Edwards, Jane Hankins, James Hayes, Amy Hill-Imler, Morris Howard, Jim Johnson, Annette Kagy, Capt. Robert Lumpp, Joe Martin, Pat Matthews and others.10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat. 753-5227.

REFLECTIONS GALLERY AND FINE FRAMING, 11220 Rodney Parham Road: Work by local and national artists. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. 227-5659.

SHOWROOM, 2313 Cantrell Road: Work by area artists, including Sandy Hubler. 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 372-7373.

STATE CAPITOL: “Arkansans in the Korean War,” 32 photographs, lower-level foyer. 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat.-Sun. STEPHANO’S FINE ART, 5501 Kavanaugh Blvd.:

Work by Stephano, Patrick Cunningham, Liz Kemp, Jeff Waddle, B.J. Aguiar, Kelley Wise, Steve Thomas, Jeannie Clifton. 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Tue.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 563-4218.

TERRY HOUSE, 7th and Rock Sts.: “Arkansas League of Artists Spring Members Show,” through May. 372-4000.

THEA FOUNDATION, 401 Main St.: Bre and David Harris, Brett Anderson, sculpture; Guy Bell, paintings.

379-9512.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS AT LITTLE ROCK: “Works from the UALR Permanent Collection,” Galleries I and II, through June 24. 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mon.-Fri. 569-8977. n Hot Springs BLUE MOON GALLERY, 718 Central Ave.: “Mr. Frito Lay Explains Color Theory,” paintings by Tom Richard, through May. 501-318-2787.

GALLERY 726, 726 Central Ave.: Watercolors

by Gary Weeter, through May; also work by Shirley Anderson, Barbara Seibel, Sue Shields, Caryl Joy Young, Priscilla Cunningham, Trey McCarley, Pati Trippel, Janis Gill Ward and others. 501-915-8912.

FINE ARTS CENTER, 626 Central Ave.: “Civil War — Songs and Correspondences Visualized,” art inspired by Civil War artifacts, through May 28. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon., Wed.-Sat. 501-624-0489.

ONGOING MUSEUM EXHIBITS

ARKANSAS INLAND MARITIME MUSEUM, NLR: Tours of the USS Razorback submarine. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 1-6 p.m. Sun. 371-8320.

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL MUSEUM VISITOR CENTER, Bates and Park: Exhibits on the 1957 desegregation of Central and the civil rights movement. 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. 374-1957.

CLINTON PRESIDENTIAL CENTER, 1200 President Clinton Ave.: Exhibits about policies and White House life during the Clinton administration. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $7 adults; $5 college students, seniors, retired military; $3 ages 6-17. 370-8000.

HISTORIC ARKANSAS MUSEUM, 200 E. Third St.: “Mid-Southern Watercolorists 41st Annual Exhibition,” through Aug. 13, Trinity Gallery; “Reel to Real: ‘Gone with the Wind’ and the Civil War in Arkansas,” artifacts from the Shaw-Tumblin collection, including costumes and screen tests, along with artifacts from the HAM collection, including slave narratives, uniforms and more; through April 30, 2012; “Empty Spaces,” digital media by Jasmine Greer, through June 5. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m. Sun. $2.50 adults, $1.50, $1 children for tours of grounds. 324-9351.

MacARTHUR MUSEUM OF ARKANSAS MILITARY HISTORY, MacArthur Park: “In Search of Pancho Villa,” artifacts from soldiers of the period, medals and original sketches of the Mexican Punitive Expedition, the United States retaliatory action in 1916 against the Mexican general who attacked a small border town in New Mexico, through May; exhibits on Arkansas’s military history. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sat., 1-4 p.m. Sun. 376-4602.

MOSAIC TEMPLARS CULTURAL CENTER, Ninth and Broadway: “Southern Journeys: African American Artists of the South,” works by 55 African-American artists, through Aug. 11; exhibits on African-Americans in Arkansas, including one on the Ninth Street business district, the Mosaic Templars business and more. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. 683–3593.

■ media Digging through the archives Facebook page reunites former Arkansas reporters.

First thursday each month shop ’til 8pm and enjoy dining in one of the many area restaurants.

BY GERARD MATTHEWS

n Looking back can be painful, sometimes.

Do you ever cringe at the sight of old photos of yourself, wondering why you combed your hair a certain way or what in God’s name made you think neon Hammer pants were the right look for you at one point in your life?

We’ve all been there. Everybody’s made the questionable fashion choice, taken the occasional bad photo. Now imagine if you were a television reporter and not only did those glimpses of your past turn up in dusty photo albums, but were documented on video tape — live, vivid, moving video tape that someone was now sifting through and posting to the world’s most ubiquitous social network.

Dave Grim would be your nightmare.

Grim started the Arkansas Television Archives Facebook page; a repository of television news packages from years past, grainy photos of now-retired news hounds, old promotional clips and the occasional blooper.

Grim is a radio man who worked at stations in Arkadelphia before starting the first online sports radio station in Arkansas, NEARSports.com, in 2005. Since then he has done sports television work and provides color commentary for the occasional Internet radio broadcast on YourPrimeTimeSports.com.

“I grew up in this market watching those television stations throughout the period of time that’s represented on the Facebook page: the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s,” Grim says.

“This is something that no one else is doing.

All the people that are on TV in Little Rock go their separate ways and I just thought, ‘Let’s bring this stuff back. We can get them to show up and tell us where they are now.’

A lot of them are still around. A lot are gone.

Some of them are even dead.”

Doug Krile worked for KARK, Ch. 4, from 1986 to 1997 before moving over to Equity Broadcasting. He’s now the executive director of the Arkansas Broadcaster’s Association. He follows Grim’s Facebook page and has turned up in a couple of clips.

“I enjoy the fact that I’ll see comments from people that I’ve known and worked with and it’s good to see them enjoy it too,” Krile says. “We’ve all got old pictures. I’ve got some old ones of when I was starting out and had hair practically down to my shoulders. Some times you like to go back and remember those things. And it’s fun to laugh at yourself.”

The television news business is a small

SHOP ‘N’ SIP

THOSE WERE THE DAYS: AETN’s Steve Barnes in 1974. one. Reporters and anchors, photographers and producers come and go, taking jobs in other markets across the country. The site has become more than just a collection of clips.

“Oh, everybody and their cousin that has been in the business — not just in Central Arkansas, but Northwest Arkansas, South Arkansas, the Louisiana markets — it’s bringing them from all different directions whether they work here now or worked here back when. They’re all signing up to talk about these old videos, share old pictures and talk with each other. It’s been like a reunion online.”

Grim has culled old videos from YouTube and his personal collection. He’s also open to submissions. He gets excited at the thought of going through old commercials.

“If there are folks out there that recorded stuff when VCRs first came out, and they didn’t fast forward through the commercials, send it to me! I would love to go through that stuff,” he says.

(If you’ve got anything along those lines, contact Grim at dave.grim@yahoo.com).

What started out as a simple Facebook page could turn into something bigger. Grim says he’d like to continue collecting videos and other artifacts and, one day, help start an Arkansas Broadcasting Museum.

According to Krile, the broadcaster’s association has already talked about starting something similar. Arkansas State University also has plans in the works.

“ASU has space available and they were already working on some kind of exhibit to honor rockabilly and the other genres of music that came out of the Delta and were a big part of the history of music in Arkansas,” Krile says. “That idea kind of grew into the idea of a broadcast museum.”

Nothing concrete has been planned yet.

In the meantime, Grim plans to continue uploading videos and creating a community online.

“There’s a bunch of people on there that I grew up watching and now I’m talking to them through this,” he says. “It’s great.”

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2616 Kavanaugh • 661-1167 M-F 10-6, SAT 10-5 www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 29

BRIAN CHILSON

World No Tobacco Day • May 31st Smoke-free Cars….It’s the Law in Arkansas!

ONE FOR THE AGES: Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters put on one of the best rock shows Little Rock has ever seen.

■ musicreview Foo Fighters

May 18, Verizon Arena

n How much rock is too much rock? It’s an interesting question and the answer probably depends on a lot of variables.

Last week’s balls-to-the-wall, all-out rock spectacle featuring Biffy Clyro, Motorhead and the headlining Foo Fighters – one of the most epic rock concerts to grace the stage at Verizon in recent memory – bordered on too much.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late for Clyro, but just in time for Motorhead. The Brit-based band came out swinging, opening up with the hard-charging trifecta of “Iron Fist,” “Stay Clean” and “Get Back in Line.” Lemmy Kilmster’s driving basslines bludgeoned the crowd underneath scalding guitar leads. The band closed the set with “Overkill,” just after Lemmy said his goodbyes, raised his fist and proudly shouted – lest anyone leave confused – “We are Motorhead. And we play rock and fucking roll!”

Kilmster’s band plays about as hard and fast as you possibly can without crossing over into true metal, all the while maintaining a soul that most thrash bands lack. The only problem with its set was that it wasn’t long enough. I’ve never been so sad to see an opening band leave the stage.

The Foo Fighters started off with “Bridge Burning” and “Rope,” the first two cuts off their newest album, followed by 2007’s “The Pretender,” before launching into a blistering version of their nowclassic “My Hero.” Dave Grohl demanded the crowd’s participation, as if he had to ask.

30 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

At just under 6,000, the turnout wasn’t what you might have expected for one of the world’s biggest rock bands, but every person seemed to be screaming their lungs out, responding to Grohl’s every word, taunt, joke and headbang.

The volume and energy coming from that stage was like nothing I’ve ever seen before and the band somehow sustained it throughout. Grohl and company ripped through every song; even slower tunes like “Learn to Fly” turned into string thrashing, tom-pounding jams that produced a wall of sound.

Grohl said they were going to play forever, embracing and even poking a little fun at the band’s super rock stardom, saying it was going to take awhile to get through all the band’s “fucking hits.”

One of the highlights came when Lemmy strolled to the stage to join the band on “Probot.” Kilmster was wearing what looked like jeggings tucked into tall, black motorcycle boots and sporting a bulge the size of a Spalding football.

The Fighters played everything you’d expect and even some you didn’t (like covers of Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out” and Queen’s “Tie Your Mother Down”) for an exhausting nearly three-hours-long set. The band broke only for one encore and a three-song set of acoustic tunes featuring only Grohl.

After a rocking version of “Everlong” to close the set out, I left hoarse from the screaming, sore from the jumping up and down and feeling as though I’d exercised some sort of rock demon that had carved out a crawl space somewhere deep inside.

Four hours of straight, pure rock and roll will do that to you.

Was it too much? Almost. Was it one of the greatest rock shows Little Rock’s ever seen? Without a doubt.

— Gerard Matthews

www.arktimes.com • may 25, 2011 31

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‘THE HANGOVER PART II’: Zach Galifianakis, Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms (from left) return for the sequel to the wildly successful 2009 comedy. This time around, the Wolf Pack winds up retracing their steps in Thailand after a calm brunch for soon-to-be-married Stu (Ed Helms) turns into another black-out night.

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movielistings All theater listings run Friday to Thursday unless otherwise noted.

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32 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

NEW MOVIES The Beaver (PG-13) – A down and out executive and family man tackles his debilitating depression with the help of a beaver hand puppet. With Mel Gibson. Directed by Jodie Foster. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 6:45, 9:15.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (PG-13) – Morgan Spurlock examines the omnipresence of branding and advertising, all the while trying to persuade big-name brands to sponsor his expose.

Market Street: 1:45, 4:15, 7:00, 9:15.

The Hangover Part II (R) – The Wolf Pack ends up blacking out and having to retrace the night before again. This time in Asia. With Zach Galifianakis and Ed Helms. Breckenridge: 10:40, 11:00, 1:00, 1:50, 4:00, 4:50, 7;15, 7:45, 9:50, 10:20. Chenal 9: 11:00, 1:30, 4:15, 7:00, 9:45. Rave: 9:30, 10:45, 11:15, 11:45, 12:15, 1:30, 2:00, 2:30, 3:00, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15, 5:45, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00, 8:30, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45, 11:15. Riverdale 10: 11:40, 2:15, 4:50, 7:05, 9:55.

Kung-Fu Panda (PG) – Po (Jack Black) is living it up as The Dragon Warrior, but a mysterious villain threatens to ruin his plans. Breckenridge: 11:15, 1:45, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30 (2D); 10:45, 1:10, 4:10, 7:00, 9:30 (3D). Chenal 9: 10:15, 1:15, 4:00, 7:10, 9:35 (2D); 10:45, 1:45, 4:30, 7:45, 10:00 (3D). Rave: 10:35, 11:10, 11:40, 2:10, 4:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:10, 9:40 (2D); 9:25, 12:10, 1:40, 2:40, 5:10, 6:40, 7:40, 10:10, 11:40 (3D). Riverdale 10: 11:05, 1:00, 3:05, 5:05, 7:05, 9:15.

Winter in Wartime (PG-13) – A 14-year-old in Nazi-occupied Holland comes to the aid of a wounded British paratrooper. Directed by Martin Koolhoven. Market Street: 1:45, 4:00, 7:00, 9:15.

RETURNING THIS WEEK Arthur (PG-13) – A drunken playboy in heavy-duty arrested development has to choose between an enormous inheritance and the woman he falls for.

With Russell Brand and Greta Gerwig. Movies 10: 2:50, 5:15, 7:35, 10:05.

Battle: Los Angeles (PG-13) – When Earth is brutally attacked by extraterrestrial forces, a platoon of Marines must defend Los Angeles, the final stronghold on the planet. With Aaron Eckhart, NeYo. Movies 10: 4:10, 7:00.

Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son (PG13) —FBI agent Malcolm Turner (Martin Lawrence)

reassumes his deep-cover alter-ego Big Momma to go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school.

Movies 10: 5:05, 7:30, 10:00.

Bridesmaids (R) — After her best friend gets engaged, a broke, lovelorn maid of honor has to fake her way through crazy bridesmaid rituals. With Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph. Breckenridge: 1:05, 4:25, 7:35, 10:25. Chenal 9: 10:10, 1:10, 4:10, 7:15, 10:10. Rave: 10:50, 1:00, 1:55, 5:05, 7:05, 8:05, 11:10. Riverdale 10: 11:10, 1:50, 4:35, 7:30, 10:05.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules (PG) – “Wimpy” Greg and his bullying older brother Rodrick have to deal with their parents’ efforts to make a brotherly bond. With Zachary Gordon. Movies 10: 4:55, 7:15, 9:35.

Fast Five (PG-13) – The fifth installation of the “Fast and the Furious” series sees the crew in Rio, stuck between a drug lord and a tenacious federal agent.

With Vin Diesel and Paul Walker. Breckenridge: 10:35, 1:30, 4:35, 7:20, 10:10. Chenal 9: 10:05, 1:05, 4:05, 7:05, 10:05. Rave: 10:15, 1:25, 4:35, 7:45, 10:50. Riverdale 10: 11:20, 2:05, 4:50, 7:35, 10:15.

Gnomeo and Juliet (G) – Romeo and Juliet with gnomes. Voiced by James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine. Movies 10: 5:35, 7:40, 9:55.

I Am (NR) – Four short films about identity and dignity in the modern Indian world. With Juhi Chawla and Manisha Koirala. Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00.

I Am Number Four (PG-13) – A teen-age fugitive with special powers is on the run from agents trying to kill him. With Alex Smith and Timothy Olyphant.

Movies 10: 5:10, 7:40, 10:10.

Jumping the Broom (PG-13) – Two AfricanAmerican families from different socioeconomic backgrounds spend a wedding weekend together in Martha’s Vineyard. With Angela Bassett and Laz Alonzo. Breckenridge: 10:55, 1:20, 4:05, 7:10, 10:00.

Rave: 2:35, 5:25, 8:10, 11:00. Riverdale 10: 11:45, 2:10, 4:40, 7:20, 9:50.

Kill the Irishman (R) — The story of Irish thug Danny Greene, who worked with the mob in Cleveland during the 1970s. Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:15, 9:15.

Madea’s Big Happy Family (PG-13) – This is the fifth Madea movie and the 10th flick Tyler Perry’s made in five years. Five. Years. Directed, written by and starring Tyler Perry. Riverdale 10: 11:00, 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8:00, 10:15.

Mars Needs Moms (PG) – A kid finds out how much he needs his supposedly annoying mom

after she’s abducted by aliens to mother their kids.

Voiced by Joan Cusack, Seth Green. Movies 10: 7:10, 9:25.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13) — Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) crosses paths with Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who forces him onboard her ship to find the Fountain of Youth. Breckenridge: 10:35, 1:40, 4:45, 7:50 (2D); 1:15, 4:20, 7:25, 10:30 (3D). Chenal 9: 12:30, 3:45, 7:00, 10:10 (2D); 10:00, 1:00, 4:15, 7:30, 10:30 (3D). Rave: 10:00, 12:20, 1:15, 3:30, 4:30, 6:50, 7:50, 10:05, 11:05 (2D); 9:25, 10:30, 11:00, 12:30, 1:45, 2:15, 4:00, 5:00, 5:30, 7:20, 8:20, 8:50, 10:35, 11:35 (3D). Riverdale 10: 12:00, 3:00, 5:50, 9:00.

Priest (PG-13) – A legendary warrior-priest breaks his religious vows in order to save his niece from a pack of vampires. With Paul Bettany and Cam Gigandet. Breckenridge: 1:25, 6:50. Rave: 7:00, 9:30 (3D).

Rango (PG) – A quixotic chameleon has to succeed at being the daredevil he thinks he is after winding up in an old West town. Movies 10: 9:45.

Red Riding Hood (PG-13) – In a medieval village that’s haunted by a werewolf, a girl falls for an outcast orphan even though her parents arranged her to marry a wealthy young man. With Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman. Movies 10: 7:05, 9:30.

Rio (G) – A domesticated macaw from suburban Minnesota takes to Rio de Janeiro to find the freewheeling bird of his dreams. Voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway. Breckenridge: 11:15, 1:35, 4:40, 7:40, 10:05. Chenal 9: 10:20, 12:45, 3:50, 7:20, 9:40. Rave: 9:40, 10:20, 1:20, 3:55.

Something Borrowed (PG-13) – A perpetually single urbanite falls in love with her best friend’s new fiance. With Kate Hudson and John Krasinski.

Breckenridge: 4:15, 9:35. Rave: 9:35 a.m.

Thor (PG-13) – The comic book hero comes to life as the cocky warrior gets banished to Earth and has to defend humans from impending doom.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh. Breckenridge: 1:25, 4:30, 7:05, 10:15. Chenal 9: 10:30, 1:20, 4:40, 7:25, 10:15. Rave: 10:05, 4:00, 10:00 (2D); 11:20, 2:20, 5:35, 8:35, 11:30 (3D). Riverdale 10: 11:50, 2:20, 4:45, 7:10, 9:35.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 9457400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 3128900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango.com.

‘PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4’: Johnny Depp stars.

■ moviereview Pirates of the billion-dollar franchise Johnny Depp returns for a fourth ‘Pirates.’ n Part of the charm of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, which seems determined to march on into eternity, is that its protagonist, Capt. Jack Sparrow, has always seemed not so much like a true buccaneer himself, but rather a little boy playing pirate with what he can crib from his big sister’s closet (including the eyeshadow). He’s not particularly vicious, nor given to conquests of the flesh, and his skin and overall hygiene are metrosexually immaculate. He, like we viewers, seems to be in on the cosmic joke of the whole enterprise, and yet, like us, the vortex of the pirate life sucks him in, too.

The fourth installment — this one sans Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly, among some other jettisoned regulars — is more flouncy pirate antics interspersed with moments of intense action, mostly of the Mermaids Attack! variety. If you liked the first three of these movies, you’ll probably dig “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,” even with the cast rotation and with a new director (Rob Marshall, famous for helming “Chicago”) in place of Gore Verbinski. For better or worse, it’s mostly more of the same, savvy?

This go-round we find the crowns of Spain and England launching simultaneous expeditions to find the Fountain of Youth. The English are determined to enlist Sparrow, who has in his possession a map like a rolled-up placemat that will lead to the famed bubbler of immortality.

Sparrow, though, takes one look at the captain the Brits have lined up — a peglegged Geoffrey Rush, back as Barbossa — and decides he’ll have no part in it. He eludes the redcoats long enough to fall in with Angelica (Penelope Cruz), who Shanghais him to guide her crew to the fountain, in order to thwart a curse upon

her father, the nefarious Blackbeard (Ian McShane, marvelously).

Now Blackbeard! Here’s one inkhearted bastard! Huddles in his quarters all hours until a mutiny boils up, then quells it with black magic and homicidal cruelty! While Sparrow flirts with Angelica and generally acts as though he’ll live forever, Blackbeard knows he’ll be dead within days unless he drinks from the fountain, and he’s willing to torch, shoot, murder, manipulate and generally pirate his way there. The process requires a victim (in that the fountain may only transfer years of life from one person to another), two silver chalices and a fresh mermaid tear. And therein we find one of the only visceral delights of “On Stranger Tides,” namely that the mermaids are seductive, bloodthirsty and relentless — calendar models crossed with sharks attacking in formation. When your trick-or-treaters this fall show up shuffling in fish tails and baring fangs, you’ll know which Disney franchise to thank.

The movie is fun enough in places that it may remind you fondly of that first “Pirates,” way back in 2003, when no one knew this would be a $3 billion ticket factory and counting. The rapturous brass and galley-boom percussion of the score still conjure on ocean onrushing; Depp still delivers every line with a wink in his voice; the script burbles with bits of effervescent wordplay; and the makeup still makes everyone except Sparrow look as though they’ve been soaked in saltwater and hung on a mast to ripen miserably. The ingredients are all here for a rollicking picture show. If it seems like less than the sum of its parts, it’s probably only because you’ve tasted this recipe thrice before.

— Sam Eifling

GO TO

www.arktimes.com/johnnycash or visit us on Facebook for complete details.

BUS TRANSPORTATION BY LITTLE ROCK TOURS www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 33

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34 may 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

n A New Orleans-style bistro specializing in Cajun cuisine is coming to downtown Little Rock. The Roux Cafe will open sometime in July at 801 Markham St., according to owner Lee Miller. Fried catfish, fried crawfish, fried shrimp, jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish pies and boiled crawfish will all be on the menu. The restaurant will offer a full bar, Miller said, and specialize in a Bourbon Street standby — daiquiris.

A Little Rock native who said he developed a taste for Cajun food while in college at Dillard University in New Orleans, Miller doesn’t have restaurant experience — after working in Congressman Vic Snyder’s office, he worked in the secretary of state’s business and commercial service office, which inspired him to open his own business, he said — but he said local restaurateurs Fred Cashaw and Matt Lile have been serving as his mentors. Miller also said he’d hired two chefs, one of whom is from New Orleans.

The Roux will be open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner with a full bar. In the second floor of the building, Miller plans to occasionally host concerts, including touring brass bands.

Restaurant capsules Every effort is made to keep this listing of some of the state’s more notable restaurants current, but we urge readers to call ahead to check on changes on days of operation, hours and special offerings. What follows, because of space limitations, is a partial listing of restaurants reviewed by our staff. Information herein reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously.

We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

Restaurants are listed in alphabetical order by city; Little Rock-area restaurants are divided by food category. Other review symbols are:

B Breakfast

L Lunch

D Dinner

$ Inexpensive (under $8/person)

$$ Moderate ($8-$20/person)

$$$ Expensive (over $20/person)

CC Accepts credit cards

LITTLE ROCK/ N. LITTLE ROCK AMERICAN ADAMS CATFISH CATERING Catering company with carry-out restaurant in Little Rock and carry-out trailers in Russellville and Perryville. 215 N. Cross St. All CC. $-$$.

501-374-4265. LD Tue.-Sat. ALLEY OOPS The restaurant at Creekwood Plaza (near the Kanis-Bowman intersection) is a neighborhood feedbag for major medical institutions with the likes of plate lunches, burgers and homemade desserts. Remarkable Chess Pie. 11900 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-9400.

LD Mon.-Sat. B-SIDE The little breakfast place in the former party room of Lilly’s DimSum Then Some turns tradition on its ear, offering French toast wrapped in bacon on a stick, a must-have dish called “biscuit mountain” and beignets with lemon curd. Top notch cheese grits, too. 11121 Rodney Parham Road. Full

■ dining Not sold on Seoul Heights Korean restaurant doesn’t impress. n Dong Lee has owned two esteemed sushi-focused restaurants in Little Rock — Hanaroo and Eastern Flames — and has a history in the business in Texas. So it is a little surprising that after being open a few weeks, Seoul, his latest venture, is not yet fully ready for prime time.

Housed in the modest-sized building on Kavanaugh in the Heights that was home for years to Satellite Cafe, Seoul was busy but not overflowing on our first weekdayevening visit.

Still, waitresses had that “oh, no,” deerin-the-headlights look as they over-apologized for delays in taking orders, getting drinks to the table and bringing appetizers and entrees. They over-apologized that they didn’t yet have menus with pictures and explanations of dishes.

Other surprises for a restaurant owned by a veteran: There appears to be no Seoul web presence yet — so there was no chance to peruse the menu before arriving — and no paper menus have been printed to allow easy spreading of the word to office mates, friends and family.

But the bigger disappointment was in the food. Admittedly we are not Korean food veterans, though we have eaten Thai, Vietnamese and plenty of Americanized Chinese. And that will be the case with many who visit Seoul. Therefore we eschewed the soft tofu stews that come with either mushroom, beef, chicken and seafood, and among the signature “bibimbap” dishes we chose beef over eel.

Bibimbap dishes come in piping-hot, thick metal bowls that hold their heat long after their contents have been consumed.

Rice is the base, with a sauteed vegetable topping and shredded meat — beef, eel, chicken or seafood. And there is a veggie option, too.

Our issues with the beef bibimbap were threefold: 1) the dish continues to cook in that hot bowl; in this case it meant the once-fluffy rice melded to the bowl in a thick layer — nearly charred and very dried out; 2) there might have been one ounce of shredded beef on the dish; we didn’t need or expect a 24-ounce T-bone, but the ratio of meat to other ingredients was skimpy and offered little taste balance; and 3) it was

bland, in serious need of zing.

At lunch, the dish costs $11, not a good bargain for what you get; at dinner it’s $15 and includes an accompanying plate with small portions of kimchi, the fermented vegetable dish, usually cabbage; potatoes that had been cooked with soy sauce, some sweetening agent and likely onion and/or garlic; and a shredded white radish concoction, all of which are tasty and offer nice counterbalances to the bibimbap.

Our dinner companion had two of the same thoughts about her salmon dish — three ounces or so of fish seemed skimpy, and teamed with sauteed vegetables and rice, it wasn’t flavorful enough.

A return trip for lunch yielded somewhat better results. First, at 11:50 a.m. only three tables were occupied, so the waiters were much calmer. Second, we went for two of the Korean platters, which team an entree with two scoops of soft white rice not doomed to a sizzling death in a bibimbap bowl, and two small, crunchy, tasty, decidedly non-greasy vegetable spring rolls.

We’re not sure whether the kielbasatype sausage featured in the sausage and chicken dish is something Koreans eat, but it worked well with the accompanying small hunks of chicken breast sauteed in a sweet, savory thin barbecue-type sauce.

And our companion enjoyed his chickenand-vegetable platter, though he said it

bar, All CC. $$. 501-554-0914. B Wed.-Fri.; BR Sat.-Sun. BOBBY’S COUNTRY COOKIN’ One of the better plate lunch spots in the area, with some of the best fried chicken and pot roast around, a changing daily casserole and wonderful homemade pies. 301 N. Shackleford Road, Suite E1. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-9500. L Mon.-Fri. BOGIE’S BAR AND GRILL The former Bennigan’s retains a similar theme: a menu filled with burgers, salads and giant desserts, plus a few steak, fish and chicken main courses.

There are big screen TVs for sports fans and lots to drink, more reason to return than the food. 120 W. Pershing Blvd.

NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-812-0019. D daily.

BUFFALO GRILL A great crispy-off-the-griddle cheese-

burger and hand-cut fries star at this family-friendly stop.

1611 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-2969535. LD daily. 400 N. Bowman Road. Full bar, Beer, All CC. $$. 501-224-0012. LD daily.

CHEERS IN THE HEIGHTS Good burgers and sandwiches, vegetarian offerings and salads at lunch and fish specials, and good steaks in the evening. 2010 N. Van Buren.

Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5937. LD Mon.-Sat. 1901 Club Manor Drive. Maumelle. Full bar, All CC. 501-851-6200.

LD daily, BR Sun. CORNERSTONE PUB & GRILL A sandwich, pizza and beer joint in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta district.

314 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1782.

BRIAN CHILSON

what’scookin’

WITH AN EGG ON TOP: Seoul’s Beef bibimap bowl.

Seoul

5923 Kavanaugh Blvd.

501-227-7222 Quick Bite

The uninitiated will find several things outside their culinary comfort zone — an eel dish and a collection of soft tofu stews, for example — but there also are plenty of familiar meats and vegetables cooked in interesting ways.

Hours

11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Other info

Beer and wine. All CC accepted.

could have used more spice.

Nine sushi boxes, each $9, are offered at lunch. Each comes with a different roll, as well as seaweed salad, a small egg omelet, crabstick tempura and rice. Because we knew the sushi at Hanaroo and Eastern Flames to be top-quality, we didn’t spend one of our four opportunities at Seoul on sushi. We would be surprised if many flock there simply for the sushi, given that Sushi Cafe, considered by many aficionados the best in town, is just a block or so away.

Service glitches and other auxiliary matters are likely to be taken care of fairly soon, but it’s not yet clear whether the quality and selection of menu choices will inspire many diners to climb aboard the Seoul train.

DAVE AND RAY’S DOWNTOWN DINER Breakfast buffet daily featuring biscuits and gravy, home fries, sausage and made-to-order omelets. Lunch buffet with four choices of meats and eight veggies. All-you-can-eat catfish on weekend nights. 824 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol. $. 501-372-8816.

BL daily.

E’S BISTRO Despite the name, think tearoom rather than bistro — there’s no wine, for one thing, and there is tea. But there’s nothing tearoomy about the portions here. Try the heaping grilled salmon BLT on a buttery croissant. 3812 JFK Boulevard. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-771-6900.

LYNN’S CHICAGO FOODS Outpost for Chicago specialties

Continued on page 37

www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 35

Live Music

OFF IN IT’S LIKE BEING DROPPED

Dugan’s Pub

NEW ORLEANS Runner-Up Best Steak and Best Over-All

Bienvenue!

Eat. Enjoy. Experience.

LITTLE ROCK’S mOST awaRd wInnIng RESTauRanT 400 N. Bowman Road 501-224-3377 1619 Rebsamen Road 501-663-9734

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36 may 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

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BENNETT’S

302 MAIN STREET • LITTLE ROCK

501.372.2944

MON.-SAT. 9-5 www.bennettsmilitary.com

Restaurant capsules

BARBECUE CROSS EYED PIG BBQ COMPANY Traditional barbecue favorites smoked well such as pork ribs, beef brisket and smoked chicken. Miss Mary’s famous potato salad is full of bacon and other goodness. Smoked items such as ham and turkeys available seasonally. 1701 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-265-0000. L Mon.-Sat., D Tue.-Fri. 6015 Chenonceau Blvd. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-227-7427. LD daily.

FATBOY’S KILLER BAR-B-Q This Landmark neighborhood strip center restaurant in the far southern reaches of Pulaski County features tender ribs and pork by a contest pitmaster. Skip the regular sauce and risk the hot variety, it’s far better. 3405 Atwood Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$. 501-888-4998. LD Tue.-Sat. HB’S BAR B.Q. Great slabs of meat with fiery barbecue sauce, but ribs are served on Tuesday only. Other days, try the tasty pork sandwich on an onion roll. 6010 Lancaster.

No alcohol, No CC. $-$$. 501-565-1930. L Mon.-Fri. SIMS BAR-B-QUE Great spare ribs, sandwiches, beef, half and whole chicken and an addictive vinegar-mustard-brown sugar sauce unique for this part of the country.

2415 Broadway. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-6868. LD Mon.-Sat. 1307 John Barrow Road. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-224-2057. LD Mon.-Sat. 7601 Geyer Springs Road.

Beer, All CC. $$. 501-562-8844. LD Mon.-Sat.

Edited by Will Shortz

ASIAN BENIHANA - THE JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE Enjoy the cooking show, make sure you get a little filet with your meal, and do plenty of dunking in that fabulous ginger sauce.

2 Riverfront Place. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-8081. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

CHI’S DIMSUM & BISTRO A huge menu spans the Chinese provinces and offers a few twists on the usual local offerings, plus there’s authentic Hong Kong dim sum available. 6 Shackleford Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-221-7737. LD daily. 17200 Chenal Parkway. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-821-8000.

HUNAN ORIENTAL CUISINE Old favorites such as orange beef or chicken and Hunan green beans are still prepared with care in very nice surroundings out west.

11600 Pleasant Ridge Drive. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-223-9966. LD daily.

IGIBON JAPANESE FOOD HOUSE It’s a complex place, where the food is almost always good and the ambiance and service never fail to please. The Bento box with tempura shrimp and California rolls and other delights stand out. 11121 N. Rodney Parham Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-217-8888. LD Mon.-Sat. VAN LANG CUISINE Terrific Vietnamese cuisine, particularly the way the pork dishes and the assortment of rolls are presented. Great prices, too. Massive menu, but it’s user-friendly for locals with full English descriptions and numbers for easy ordering.

3600 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-570-7700. LD daily.

■ CROSSWORD

like Vienna hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches. Plus, other familiar fare — burgers and fried catfish, chicken nuggets and wings. 6501 Geyer Springs. No alcohol, All CC. $. 501-568-2646. LD Mon.-Sat. MADDIE’S If you like your catfish breaded Cajun-style, your grits rich with garlic and cream and your oysters fried up in perfect puffs, this Cajun eatery on Rebsamen Park Road is the place for you. 1615 Rebsamen Park Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-660-4040. LD Tue.-Sat. MR. BELL’S SOUL FOOD Rose City soul food spot owned by Leon and Loreta Bell serves typical meat-and-two options: smothered pork chops, pigs feet, yams, greens. The desserts are delectable; the dinner menu includes an all-you-can eat choice (as long as advance payment is made and no doggy bags are expected).

4506 Lynch Drive. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-945-9000. LD Sun.-Fri. (closes at 6 p.m. Sun. and 7 p.m. Mon.-Fri.).

SAY MCINTOSH RESTAURANT Longtime political activist and restaurateur Robert “Say” McIntosh serves up big plates of soul food, plus burgers, barbecue and his famous sweet potato pie. 2801 W. 7th Street. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-6646656. LD Mon.-Sat. L Sun. SPECTATORS GRILL AND PUB Burgers, soups, salads and other beer food, plus live music on weekends. 1012 W. 34th St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-791-0990.

SPORTS PAGE Perhaps the largest, juiciest, most flavorful burger in town. Grilled turkey and hot cheese on sourdough gets praise, too. Now with lunch specials. 414 Louisiana St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-372-9316. L Mon.-Fri.

No. 0420

Continued from page 39

Across 1 President whose first name means “one who is blessed” 6 Young newts 10 Show shock 14 Eve or Elizabeth 15 It may be manicured 16 First name at Woodstock 17 Lee at Appomattox, e.g.?

19 Opening sound of an MGM film 20 Correct ending?

21 Like a wicker basket 22 ___ one 23 The Old ___ 24 Portly college figures?

26 Rob Roy, e.g.

28 ___ mot 29 Like hot fudge 32 Other, in Oaxaca 35 Place to store coal, perhaps

ANSWER C O R O T

O P E R A R D O A L D E

H A D A N I D E A

T A E B O

E N R O N

D J E D

O R G G O O R R A T I N G

39 Dieterʼs fare … or a hint to 17-, 24-, 49- and 62Across and 10and 26-Down 42 Job for a snake 43 Belief systems 44 Half a 1980s TV duo 45 Org. with a peerreviewed weekly journal 47 ___ of Man 49 Salutation in an Anaheim baseball fanʼs letter?

54 Allowing liquor 57 Express indirectly 58 Chichén Itzá attraction 60 N.Y.C.ʼs Columbus, e.g.

61 “A Dollʼs House” heroine 62 Cowgirl Evansʼs hot temper?

64 007ʼs school 65 ___ mike (coffeehouse event)

66 Old Dodges 67 Make rhapsodic 68 Like some checks: Abbr.

69 Slow on the uptake

Down 1 Place for a palm 2 “Well done!”

3 Thrown in 4 Gig fraction 5 From scratch 6 Lifts, stateside 7 Ending with way or sea 8 Country sound 9 “Weekend Update” show, for short 10 Where to get discount flowers?

11 Something in the air 12 Massacred 13 New York and New Orleans 18 Court plea, TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE informally S R A V E I M O F 22 Kerfuffle T A X I S A I R E 25 Like black piano R A N I T E C M O N keys A R D O R B O I N G 26 Go out with the I E R M O R O C C O star of “The T S E T C Wizard of Oz”?

S L A P H A P P Y 27 Dancer Charisse I S E R E

N T E G A N T A V I N G U A S T Y O U I E M I L N I T E

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E R E D A I S A R E S O S A P A R T O N L A H N G R A T E U N D E R P A S S E

29 Big name in S.U.V.ʼs

30 Safflower ___

31 Maker of Good Grips kitchen tools 33 Pro ___

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Puzzle by Michael Farabaugh

34 Having elastic properties 36 Cook Co.ʼs home 37 My ___, Vietnam 38 Lofty tribute 40 Composer ___ Carlo Menotti 41 “On the Road” narrator ___ Paradise

53 Originator of the formula eix = cos x + i sin x 48 ID theft targets 54 Typically red toy 49 Eats on a 55 Makes smooth tablecloth, say 56 Hardly windy 50 Overdo it, in a 59 Make smooth way 62 Bespectacled 51 Place for a chip dwarf shot 63 Alumnaʼs bio 52 Smuckerʼs flavor word 46 New Jerseyʼs Cape ___

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Todayʼs puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC KHALIL’S PUB Widely varied menu with European, Mexican and American influences.

Go for the Bierocks, rolls filled with onions and beef. 110 S. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-224-0224. LD daily. BR Sun. STAR OF INDIA The best Indian restaurant in the region, with a unique buffet at lunch and some fabulous dishes at night (spicy curried dishes, tandoori chicken, lamb and veal, vegetarian). 301 N. Shackleford. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-227-9900. LD daily.

ITALIAN DAMGOODE PIES A somewhat different Italian/pizza place, largely because of a spicy garlic white sauce that’s offered as an alternative to the traditional red sauce. Good bread, too. 2701 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily.

6706 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 10720 Rodney Parham Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-664-2239. LD daily. 37 East Center St. Fayetteville. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 479-444-7437. LD daily.

GUSANO’S They make the tomatoey Chicago-style deep-dish pizza the way it’s done in the Windy City. It takes a little longer to come out of the oven, but it’s worth the wait.

313 President Clinton Ave. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-374-1441. LD daily. 2915 Dave Ward Drive. Conway. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-329-1100. LD daily.

NYPD PIZZA Plenty of tasty choices in the obvious New York police-like setting, but it’s fun. Only the pizza is cheesy. Even the personal pizzas come in impressive combinations, and baked ziti, salads are more also are available. Cheap slice specials at lunch. 6015 Chenonceau Boulevard, Suite 1. Beer, Wine, No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-868-3911. LD daily.

PALIO’S Not quite artisan-grade, but far better than the monster chains and at a similar price point. With an appealingly thin, crunchy crust. 3 Rahling Circle. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. LD daily.

MEXICAN CASA MANANA Great guacamole and garlic beans, superlative chips and salsa (red and green) and a broad selection of fresh seafood, plus a deck out back. 6820 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-280-9888. BLD daily 18321 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-868-8822. BLD daily 400 President Clinton Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-327-6637. L Mon.-Sat. CASA MEXICANA Familiar Tex-Mex style items all shine, in ample portions, and the steak-centered dishes are uniformly excellent. 6929 JFK Blvd. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-835-7876. LD daily. www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 37

www.arktimes.com • MAY 11, 2011 9

Adore pull-over top with necklace detailing on front and Miracle Jeans “Loose ten pounds instantly” jeans from PINKY PUNKY; Gerard Yosca bangles from VESTA’S; Vaneli natural woven wedges with ankle strap from SOLEMATES. MAY 25, 2011

FRENCH CONNECTION SPRING TRENDS MAKE A BIG IMPRESSION AT THE ARTS CENTER Penny Loves Kenny black and neutral linen pumps with gold hardware.

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PHOTOGRAPHY BY KELLEY COOPER MODEL SONYA JEAN PHILLIPS

W

e’re all aware of trends, either through osmosis or by consuming fashion fodder, but sometimes one wonders just how certain looks— say, ankle socks with sandals?—would play out in our small city. (And, no, we don’t mean white cotton socks with Birkenstocks or plastic Adidas slides.) What follows are a few styles we like and think will work here, considering our climate and cultural milieu. On exhibit: jumpsuits, rompers, florals and casual capris.

More styles on page 42

hearsay ➥ Not a drag. The 8th Annual Conway Pride Parade and Festival takes place Sunday, June 5. Line up begins at 1 p.m. at the PINK HOUSE, 1605 Robinson Ave., with a 2 p.m. procession to Simon Park (Toad Suck Square).

Upon arrival, there will be a deejay, entertainers, drag queens and kings, pretty much all drag royalty, singers and food and merchandise vendors. ➥ Misty water colored memories ... CANTRELL GALLERY will host an opening reception for the 20th Annual Mid-Southern Watercolorists Open Membership Exhibit, Sunday, June 5, from 2-4 p.m. Many of the featured artists will be present at the reception. Refreshments will be served and admission is free and open to the public. ➥ Dog days. CARE FOR ANIMALS Hosts the 12th Annual Paws on the Pavement 5K Run, 1-Mile Run/Walk and Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 4, 2011, at Murray Park in Little Rock. Activities for both pet and owner include a dog costume contest, carnival and fashion show, miniature therapy horses, face painting, psychic reading by Carol Pate, dog agility demonstrations and microchipping. ➥ When Iris Eyes are Smiling. See the Iris Fall 2011 Event at BARBARA JEAN, May 26-27. Also, St. John Fall 2011 Preview, May 25-26, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ➥ Show time. INSIDE EFFECTS on Shackleford has now opened their impressive new showroom. When they say “All you need under one roof,” they’re not just whistling Dixie. They offer a range of products—for floors, countertops, kitchens, baths and walls—and services.

They’re a general contractor, designer, fabricator and installer all in one.

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Bird by Bird T

his month we experienced a CUE first when we had to reschedule a photo shoot—due to molting. As these pictures show, however, the birds are now in fine fettle and ready to represent their beloved independent bookstore, Wordsworth Books.

Jacob Cockcroft (whose surname sounds suspiciously avian) initiated this finch project about two years ago and delights in them— feathered or not. “We’ve always thought having a store animal would be a nice touch. Finches seemed like the right choice because they are pleasant to hear, fun to watch, and low maintenance relative to other pets. . . . I enjoy taking care of them because I’ve always been curious about having birds for pets,” he says. He admits to having a cat at home (but the finches don’t know that). Here Cockcroft shares some insight into the lives of these sweetly tweeting birds.

CUE: What do they enjoy doing?

Jacob Cockcroft: Without question,

what they enjoy more than anything is bathing. We slip a dish of water in the cage, and they all leap in at once and bathe together. It’s pretty cute to watch.

When they see me coming with the water dish, they chirp excitedly. They’re very social (hence “Society finch”), and often you’ll find all of them together on a single perch, preening one another.

CUE: Do they have different personalities?

JC: They don’t have individual personalities. The males will sing and puff out their feathers and dance around for the females, but that’s the only way to differentiate males from females. In the morning they are active, and in the afternoon they are quiet and sleepy. They won’t let you touch them, but they don’t mind people, as long as you don’t try to grab them (as kids often will). They’re extremely fast (almost like hummingbirds) and will fly away if you do so.

CUE: Do you feel attached to them?

Finches Top 5 Favorite Books Bird by Bird

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The melodious finches of Wordsworth Books JC: Because they lack individual personalities and can’t be touched, its hard to get as attached to them as one might with more intelligent or “tactile” pets (cats, dogs, parrots, etc.), but they are such sweet, delicate, beautiful animals that one can’t help but feel like a parent to them.

CUE: Do they seem to like each other’s company?

JC: When we first got them, we bought two covered nests in the cage for them to sleep in, but they would all just pile into one. I was originally under the assumption that they required a nest to sleep comfortably, but that’s not true.

What they will do if they have access to nests is, of course, lay eggs. Which they did, and we found ourselves with four babies. Society finches are good parents. In fact, breeders even use them as “surrogate” parents for other species of finches because Society finches will raise any other species of finch as their own. So they can be quite prolific. (We

have since removed the nests until we decide to sell finches as well as books.)

We eventually gave the young ones away because we didn’t want to crowd too many in a cage together, so now we’re back down to six.

CUE: How have customers responded?

JC: Customer reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. We now get lots of children whose first inclination is to go see the birds. We didn’t expect them to be as big of a draw as they have turned out to be. Everyone comments on how lovely they are. I’d advise anyone interested in birds to do lots of research before owning them. Some varieties are more delicate than others, but society finches are one of the easiest kinds to care for. They are quite messy and will fling seed outside of the cage, so you have to vacuum daily to keep the floor clean, but otherwise they pretty much take care of themselves. They will live for ten years or more with proper care.

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JUN E

Food, Music, Entertainment and everything else that’s wed 1-sun 5

The 5th Annual Little Rock Film Festival opens with a VIP Red Carpet Reception at 6 p.m. followed by a screening of The Last Ride at the Argenta Community Theater in North Little Rock.

Screenings and special events continue through June 5 at Riverdale Cinema, the Clinton Presidential Center Great Hall and the Argenta Community Theater. The festival concludes with the Arkansas Times’ Closing Night Gala and Awards Ceremony at 6 p.m. at the Clinton Presidential Center Great Hall. View a complete list of films and events and purchase festival passes online at www.littlerockfilmfestival.org.

sat 4

The 6th Annual Mother’s Best Music Fest celebrates a variety of styles, including blues, country, rock and rockabilly. A highlight of this year’s event is Bobby Rush. Bring the whole family to the Cherry Street Pavilion in Helena-West Helena to hear the best music in the Delta. For more information, call the Delta Cultural Center at 870-338-4350 or visit www.deltaculturalcenter.com.

thur 2

Hillcrest’s Shop & Sip means local shops, restaurants, galleries and other venues are open after hours until 9 p.m. with special discounts as live music, nibbles and drinks. The event takes place every first Thursday of the month.

thur 2-sun 5

Eureka Springs Blues Weekend

welcomes Coco Montoya, Elvin Bishop, Tinsley Ellis, Little Joe McLerran, Rosie Ledet, G-Funk, Patrick Sweeney, Sad Daddy and many more.

Shows will be held at 1905 Basin Park Hotel, Basin Spring Park, the Auditorium and venues across town.

For ticket prices and a complete schedule of events, visit www.eurekaspringsblues.com.

fri 10

The Peabody’s “Cocktail Compass” RiverTop Party presents Tyrannosaurus Chicken, earFear and One Night Stand from 8 p.m. until midnight. $5 cover. Enjoy drink specials with the Cocktail Compass iPhone App. Must be 21 and older. Purchase a $40 VIP Season Pass for access to every Peabody RiverTop Party this summer, every Friday night through July 22. Visit www.rivertopparty.com for more information.

The 39 Steps premieres at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre. Mix an Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps. The show runs through June 26.

For show times and tickets, visit www.therep.org or call 501-378-0405.

2nd Friday Art Night in the heart of downtown Little Rock. River Market shops, restaurants, museums and galleries stay open until 8 p.m. Take the free trolley.

sat 11

sat 11-sun 12

B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in Indianola, Mississippi, beginning at 9 a.m. There

featuring a premiere statewide 3-on-3 basketball tournament on the grounds of the Clinton

Hoop Jams is a two-day event

The annual B.B. King Homecoming Concert takes place at the

will be an open-air market and kids zone that morning. This year’s concert starts at 2 p.m. and includes performances by Willie Clayton, Mike “Muleman” Massey, Jake and the Pearl Street Jumpers and the king of blues himself B.B. King. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the gate. Visit www.bbkingmuseum.org to order tickets today.

Presidential Center in Little Rock. It will be a fun and family-friendly event. Teams must pay registration fees. The event is free for spectators. For more information, visit www.hoopjamslr.com.

Don’t miss Happy Hour in the Heights from 5-8 p.m. Local restaurants, shops and galleries offer discounts and free samples of food and drinks. This event takes place every third Thursday of the month.

This season the Conway-based Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre will present the Bard’s Othello and As You Like It as well as Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Aseop’s The Tortoise and the Hare. Performances will run June 16 through July 3 and will include shows at Reynolds Performance Hall on the UCA campus, the Village at Hendrix and Argenta Community Theatre in North Little Rock. Visit www.arkshakes.com for ticket prices and show times.

Arkansas Times Pub Crawl in Little Rock and North Little Rock is being held in conjunction with the Arkansas Times Drink Guide in the June 15 issue. Check it out, and visit www.arktimes.com for details.

fri 17

Argenta Art Walk takes place from 5-8 p.m. as dozens of local artists display and sell their work along Main Street in North Little Rock. Participating venues include Argenta Studios, Argenta Bead Company, The Creative Space, Crush Wine Bar, Greg Thompson Fine Art, Galaxy Furniture & Gallery, Ketz Gallery, Laman Library, THEA Foundation and Starving Artist Café. For more information, visit www.argentaartwalk.com.

tue 14

Market Street Cinema screens Escape from

New York as part of their classic movie series, every second Tuesday of the month. All shows start at 7 p.m. Admission is only $5. Cold beer and wine are available at the concession stand. Call 501312-8900 for details or visit www. marketstreetcinema.net.

Arkansas Travelers Games

thur 16

thur 16

F UN!

JUNE 8-11 Arkansas Travelers vs. NWA Naturals At Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock

JUNE 12-15

THROUGH sun 26

Always Patsy Cline is now showing at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. The critically acclaimed musical includes more than 20 of Cline’s songs, including “Sweet Dreams,” “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”

Visit www.murrysdinnerplayhouse.com for show times and prices. Call 501-562-3131 for reservations.

Arkansas Travelers vs. SRR Cardinals At Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock

JUNE 24-27 Arkansas Travelers vs. NWA Naturals At Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock For game times, visit www.facebook.com/ ArkansasTravelers.

EGGSHELLS KITCHEN CO.

BRIAN CHILSON

BRIAN CHILSON

NATIVES GUIDE

KREBS BROTHERS

Kitchen supply stores

W

hether you’re an experienced cook or not, visiting a kitchen store can be therapeutic. They’re cheerful, colorful and their staples like soup pots and pie plates conjure the smells and memories of home. These days they’re also stocked with scores of gadgets you never knew you needed — egg thermometers, julienne peelers, vacuum food sealers — that are terrifically fun to browse.

The stores below all cater to professional gourmets and home cooks alike.

You’ll sometimes find better deals or a broader selection of budget brands at Target or Dillard’s, but not always with the same customer service, from people who actually know how to cook.

Eggshells Kitchen Co. This Heightsbased store carries name-brand gourmet cookware, bakeware, knives and gadgets, with an emphasis on Arkansasmade products (like Microplane cheese graters, Bentley patio glasses made in Perryville and gorgeous butcher blocks made from Arkansas wood). Look for the store’s Razorback tailgate party display with Razorback-stamped meat branding irons, a steel jalapeno pepper grill and Razorback cake molds and cookie cutters. Eggshells generally puts on two cooking classes a month taught 44 MAY 25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES

by local chefs in a kitchen located in the back of the store, where it also offers cooking-themed kids birthday parties.

5501 Kavanaugh Blvd. 664-6900. eggshellskitchencompany.com. Gift registry available. CC accepted. 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Kitchen Co. Known as Sauce Co. when it was located in the Heights, Kitchen Co. moved to the Pleasant Ridge Town Center in 2008 to compliment the Fresh Market grocery store crowd. The store’s quality and brand of merchandise is competitive with Williams Sonoma, but Kitchen Co. offers more depth in the variety of certain gourmet gadgets like julienne, serrated and ceramic peelers and colorful oversized metal fish spatulas for the grill. It also carries a large collection of Le Creuset cookware, in a multitude of colors. Despite its name change, Kitchen Co. retained its favorite sauces and spice rubs, like the tub of “Rub for Love” salmon rub, a sweet, spicy combination of brown sugar and paprika. One downside: We’ve found service at the store unhelpful, bordering on unfriendly. The store offers cooking classes throughout the week, on wine pairing and French cooking to New Orleans picnics. Pleasant Ridge Town Center, 11525 Cantrell Road. 663-3338. kitchenco.net. Gift registry available. CC accepted. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mon.-Sat.

Krebs Brothers Restaurant Supply. As tempting as they may sound, 85-ounce silver scoops, two-foot tall potato mashers, industrial deep fryers or commercial “Sonic”-style ice machines probably won’t work for home cooks.

But Krebs, the almost 80-year-old supply store on which local restaurants have long relied, has plenty for home use, too. The store carries brands like Chantal, Emile—Henry and Kuhn Rikon and has enough experience to steer customers from a high-priced department store brand to a more reasonably priced equivalent. Crafters love Krebs for its meticulous containers and measuring devices. The thrifty sort goes in on cases of heavy-duty pint glasses to split among friends. 4310 Landers Road, North Little Rock. 687-1331. krebsbros.com. Gift registry available.

CC accepted. 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sat. Williams Sonoma. This gourmet chain is where we go to gawk at shiny stainless steel saucepots, sparkling Ruffoni Convivium Hammered Copper Cookware and glass-encased state-of-the-art knives. Steel Grill Outdoor Cookware dominates the front of the store during summertime with fine-mesh covered vegetable and fish skillets and “slider” hamburger presses. Williams Sonoma uses real food to demonstrate its

products, like strawberry slicers and apple and pineapple corers. Mom and dad bakers will find an especially festive selection of kid-friendly cookware, like Whoopie Pie baking tins and cookie sandwich pans, BEABA brand baby food makers and cookbooks for babies and toddlers. The store offers registries for brides, birthdays and housewarmings. Every Sunday at 1 p.m., it hosts classes on techniques, like knife skills and poultry basics. Several times of month, it hosts cooking classes; visit the website or call for a schedule. Midtowne Shopping Center, 201 N. University Ave. 663-3019. williams-sonoma. com. CC Accepted. 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Mon.-Sat., 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Sun. T.J. Maxx. The overstock of kitchen stores. You never know what it will have on the shelves as the store gets new discounted stock every week. Still, it’s a good place to find ordinary-togourmet name brands like Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, and even Kuhn Rikon items at half price, from bakeware and cast iron skillets to bamboo cutting boards and mushroom slicers. You may even spot a Viking Cookware saucepan if you’re lucky. 9100 N Rodney Parham Road. 225-6240; McCain Plaza, 4132 E. McCain. 945-5520. tjmaxx.com. CC accepted. 9:30-9:30 Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sun.

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www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 45

Not news n The top news story one day last week was that a Florida huckster was not running for president.

That didn’t seem right to me. I come from the old school which holds that it’s news when something happens but it’s not when something doesn’t.

It would’ve been big news, for example, if the Second Coming or the Rapture or whatever-the-hell had occurred last Saturday as predicted. But it didn’t so it wasn’t.

It might’ve qualified as news if the Florida huckster — a foolish man who’s building himself a big house on the sand as a kind of up-yours gesture to his Lord and Savior (see Matthew 7:26) — had said he was running for president. But that would’ve been small news, not big news.

Certainly not banner news, above the fold.

It would’ve been news of about the same size as when Ron Paul said he was running for president again. About the same size news as when Pat Robertson said he was running — Bro. Pat and the Flordia huckster having much in common, come to think of it, in outlook, scope, depth, and such as that. Especially the depth part.

But since the “news” was that the Florida huckster wasn’t running, rather than that he was, it amounted to no more than the near-identical Trump announcement just a day or two earlier or later.

Bob L ancaster Both of these characters, Trump and Huck, are on TV, and in need of some ratings Geritol. At the end of his dalliance with the presidential idea, Trump only wanted to go back to playing his miserable, ridiculous self, while Huck slank back to his own minimalist set to swap hot licks with Ted Nugent pretending they were making pussies purr. That’s what Nugent said anyway. Or “sang.”

I don’t know much about puddy-tats and what it takes to get them palpitating, but I suspect the surest formula doesn’t prescribe two old twilight necks, the grimy one yelling vulgar peckerwood boasts while the nerdy one with the pulpit cooties hate-crimes Terpsichore on hog guitar. Just a hunch.

It was totally ignored by the media for some reason — probably a dark, conspiratorial reason — but that same day Huck said he wasn’t running for president, there were some other people who, if they’d been asked, would’ve said they weren’t running for president, either.

Darrell Teeter, for example. According to one of his old jingles, Teeter is a cheater who’ll cheat you more for less. Occasionally over 15 years Esquire magazine used to run a picture of a smiling Richard Nixon, with the caption: Would you buy a used car from this man? I always thought, Maybe I would, but probably not. But I did buy a car from Teeter the Cheater — a new car, too — and one reason was the kind of sneaky, self-joshing candor in that jingle.

That’s a quality you want in a car dealer and in a presidential candidate, but you seldom see it in the latter. The quality the presidential candidate covets is not candor, not clarity, but deniability. To be able to deny as fervently tomorrow what he averred today, and to do so without losing face. You saw a classic case of the syndrome over the weekend with Newt Gingrich explaining how it would be a lie to quote him accurately today on something that he wouldn’t deny that he’d said yesterday.

Or something to that effect, but incomprehensible.

The point being that IMHO it’s more newsworthy when a person declines to run for president who’s candid, and doesn’t mind being clever at the expense of his own pomposity — a person like Teeter the Cheater — than when it’s done by one of these professional attention chasers who don’t know what to do with it when they’ve bagged some.

Gary Weir declining to run for presi-

C

dent would be more newsworthy than them. Particularly if he turned the question back on the questioners — and I think he’d do this — asking them if, as president, he’d have to walk to school or carry his lunch.

Or Jim Bob Duggar. Here’s you some real news : How would he find the time to run for president? — this man who just by the force of his example inspired Viagra to revise upward from four hours to 40 years the amount of time passing before a tumescence becomes a matter of concern rather than pride, more of a problem then a means to an end.

But this isn’t about only celebrities.

Newsworthier to me personally than that Mr. Huckabee isn’t running for president would be that my neighbor Mr. Wilson isn’t. That because, based on what I’ve seen over a fairly long period, Mr. Wilson would make a better president because he’s a better man. (I mean that as a compliment, though I can see how the term “damning with faint praise” would come into consideration here.)

The same could be said of my neighbor Mr. Bone. Or Mr. Freeman. Or Mr. Nattin. Or their spice. Or any of those nice folks taking their evening walks on the street yonder. None of them running for president, as far as I know — exactly the same as Mr. Huckabee. Except classier, of course. They don’t go around with their hand out. And also unlike him, I’d bet anything they’re not just playing possum.

S

LASSIFIED LASSIFIED

SEE THE ARKANSAS BLOG FOR LATE-BREAKING NEWS & EVENTS www.arktimes.com

ADVERTISING SALES

The Arkansas Times has one position open in Advertising Sales. If you have sales experience and enjoy the exciting and crazy world of advertising then we d like to talk to you. In addition to our popular weekly issue, we also publish our “over the top” website and blogs. Annually we have special focus issues that cover everything from education, careers and dining. What does all this translates to? A high income potential for a hard working advertising executive. We have fun, but we work hard. If you have a dynamic energetic personality - we d like to talk to you. Please send your resume and cover letter to Phyllis Britton (phyllis@arktimes.com ) EOE

ADVERTISING SALES

THE SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF THE ARKANSAS TIMES HAS ONE POSITION OPEN IN ADVERTISING SALES. SALES EXPERIENCE REQUIRED. MUST BE WILLING TO WORK HARD AND ENJOY CALLING ON A VARIETY OF CLIENTS. YOU MUST BE A SELF-STARTER AND BE ABLE TO WORK INDEPENDENTLY. A KNOWLEDGE OF THE TOURISM INDUSTRY AND A LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS IS A PLUS. IF THIS SOUNDS LIKE YOU THEN WE NEED TO TALK! PLEASE SEND RESUME AND SALARY REQUIREMENTS TODAY TO MICHELLE MILLER (MICHELLE@ARKTIMES.COM. EOE MAY 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES 46MAY 25,25, 2011 • ARKANSAS TIMES 46

FIELD WORKERS-5 temp positions; approx 8 months; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparation, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $8.97; Job to begin on 7/1/11 through 2/28/12.

3 months experience required in job offered. All work tools provided. Housing will be provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; Transportation and subsistence expenses to worksite will be provided by employer upon completion of 50% of work contract or earlier if appropriate; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered

by Huey Dugas & Sons, Inc. located in St. Martinville, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at 337-201-6015 or call their nearest SWA office at 501682-7719 using job #382395. $$$HELP WANTED$$$ Extra Income! Assembling CD cases from Home! No Experience Necessary! Call our Live Operators Now! 1-800-405-7619 EXT 2450 h t t p : / / w w w. e a s y w o r k - g r e a t p a y. com (AAN CAN) EARN $75 - $200 HOUR. Media Makeup Artist Training. Ads, TV, Film, Fashion. One week class. Stable job in weak economy.

Details at http://www.

AwardMakeUpSchool.com 310364-06650 (0 AAN CAN)

Employment

FIELD WORKERS-10 temporary positions; approx 7 months; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparation, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $8.97; Job to begin on 6/20/11 through 1/20/12. 3 months experience required in job offered.

All work tools provided. Housing will be provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; Transportation and subsistence expenses to worksite will be provided by employer upon completion of 50% of work contract or earlier if appropriate; _ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Monte Vallot’s Farm located in Abbeville, LA. Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at 337-893-0744 or call their nearest SWA office at 501-6827719 using job #LA382883 FIELD WORKERS-5 temp positions; approx 8 months; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparation, planting and maintenance of the crop before, during and after the harvesting season. $8.97; Job to begin on 5/16/11 through 1/15/12. 3 months experience required in job offered.

All work tools provided. Housing will be provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; Transportation and subsistence expenses to worksite will be provided by employer upon completion of 50% of work contract or earlier if appropriate;_ guaranteed of contract. Employment offered by Triple K & M Farms, Inc. located in Thibodaux, LA . Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at 985-466-3270 or call their nearest SWA office at 501-6827719 using job #LA379852 \sa200

Miscellaneous

FIELD WORKERS-5 temp positions; 7 months; job to begin 7/1/11 and end on 1/31/12; Duties: to operate tractors during the preparation and maintenance of the fields for the harvesting season and during the harvesting season. $8.97 per hour; 3 months experience in job offeredrequired. All work tools provided. Housing and transportation provided to workers who can not reasonably return to their permanent residence at the end of the work day; Transportation and subsistence expenses to worksite will be provided by employer upon completion of 50% of work contract or earlier if appropriate; _ hours guaranteed in a work day during contract.

Employment offered by K & M Cane located in Bunkie, LA Qualified applicants may call employer for interview at 337-945-9120 or call their nearest SWA office at 501-682-7719 using job #LA383865.

Business Opportunities FOR SALE: Dairy barn and 3 rental properties on Hwy 165. call for info: 955-2580 or 612-5258

Miscellaneous HOMELESS WILLY- the childrens’ story of a loveable dog who finds a home by Lanny & Derlyne Gibson. Only $4.95 at Amazon.com

WITH OVER 2.3 million Women, AshleyMadison.com is the #1 Discreet Dating service for Married Women looking to have a Discreet Affair. Sign-up for FREE at AshleyMadison.com. Featured on: Howard Stern, Sports Illustrated & MAXIM. (AAN CAN)

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40 Pills +4 Free on $99.00. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Only $2.70/pill. Buy The Blue Pill Now! 1-888-797-9022 (AAN CAN)

Adoption & Services PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions 866-413-6293 (Void in Illinois) (AAN CAN) PREGNANT? CONSIDERING ADOPTION? Talk with caring agency specializing in matching Birthmothers with Families nationwide. LIVING EXPENSES PAID. Call 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift Adoptions 866-413-6293 (Void in Illinois) (AAN CAN)

Apartments for Rent RIVER MARKET area, available now, furnished condo, penthouse floor, $900 month. Call 501-912-5706\

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Couch for sale. Beautiful stainresistant ultra suede sectional, 4 piece.

Purchased at Cantoni in Dallas for $3,200. Barely used, asking $1,500.

Call 501-607-3100 can send pictures upon request.

Green Friendly Junk & Rubbish Removal

MENTION THIS AD AND GET ADDITIONAL PRINTS FREE

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Looks into Past, Present, Future Specialized Reading in Tarot Card-Metal Object-Shakra call & consult for an appointment 20 years public experience All major credit cards accepted Newest LocatioN DowNtowN LittLe rock river market

Free moth proofing with dry cleaning service this month. Protect your fine sweaters and wool NOW!

Dressing Up Is Easy Fully lined cotton dress

by Angie. Great spring print easy transition to summer

The To-do lisT Apricot Girls! boutique & party studio

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➤➤➤ The comprehensive list of everything worth doing this weekend from Times entertainment editor, Lindsey Millar. Whether it’s live music, dance, theater or an exhibit, Lindsey steers you to the best. The To-Do List email newsletter arrives in your in-box every Wednesday afternoon with an eye toward planning for your weekend. The To-Do List is a sure bet for your active life!

➤➤➤ The comprehensive list of everything worth doing this weekend from Times entertainment editor, Lindsey Millar. Whether it’s live music, dance, theater or an exhibit, Lindsey steers you to the best. The To-Do List email newsletter RIVERMARKET BAR & GRILL arrives in your in-box every Wednesday afternoon with an eye toward planning for your weekend. The To-Do List is a sure bet for your active life!

CLUBS, CONCERTS & MORE @ arktimes.com

TO-DO FROM ROCK CANDY

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Merri Jane

This is Merri Jane, she is so named because she was rescued from abandonment on a street called Merrivale, where she lived on the street for weeks, looking for love and acceptance in all the wrong places. She loves to play and is very smart and learned to go through the doggie door in a matter of minutes. So now she readily goes outside to relieve herself, what a plus.

The Vet believes she is a Border Collie/Corgie. She is heartworm negative,has had her vaccinations, weighs 25 lbs., and is 6 to 8 months old.She will be spayed and micro-chipped this month. She has a problem with her pelvis, apparently when she was younger she was hit by a car, and her pelvis was broken. She has healed since then, and apparently has no pain. She does favor the side that she was hit on and sometimes just lifts her right leg when running. Since the injury is old the Vet said there is nothing to be done to correct it, she is healthy otherwise and anxious to please.

If you feel she is the right companion for you and want to give a deserving animal a home, or if you would like to foster Merri Jane, please contact: Diana belle.of.sale@gmail.com

Out Of the WOOds

“Your Personal Cleaner” 501-223-5700 • 7616 T St. at Cantrell

Animal Rescue Of Arkansas P.O. Box 7365 Little Rock, AR 72217 WWW.OOtWResCue.ORG

Happy Hour Genius.

Download our free happy hour app.

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SMILES & CORN DOGS AT THE ARKANSAS STATE FAIR

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www.arktimes.com • MAY 25, 2011 47