Stories by Jack Hill
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MUSIC REVIEW: The Chicks astound at Simmons Arena
The Chicks ditched that historic/geographic part of their original name in 2020, four years after their previous concert at Simmons Bank Arena, and it seems to…
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Kenny Chesney shines, tips old straw hat in Simmons Bank Arena concert
The only thing that connects Kenny Chesney to country music is his old straw hat.
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LIVE MUSIC IN ARKANSAS: Amie & the Slingerz keep rockin’ with shows in Spa City, Conway
Amie & the Slingerz is made up of Amie Bishop, Darin Williams, Dan Schoultz, and Matt Stone. On Friday night you can catch their show at The Big Chill in Hot S…
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Duo bests Talking Heads, Al Green schools Bee Gees
Rare are the cover songs that perhaps shine as brightly — if not more so — than the original versions. Consider, then, this trio of cosmically connected exampl…
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Spa City JazzFest extends to six days
Just a year shy of its silver anniversary, the 24th annual Hot Springs JazzFest is stretching its musical wings, with activities spread over a six-day period, …
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Millennial revue
Summer arrives early this year, at least at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, where alumni of the Summer Musical Theatre Intensive (SMTI) program have gathered t…
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Hurray for Riff Raff cheers collective spirit
New Orleans proudly counts a lot of "riff raff" among its populace, and some of them are not reluctant to cheer about it -- and, in fact, to even name a band H…
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Newman follows own path
Randy Newman doesn't spend all of his time composing and singing songs destined for Pixar and Disney movies.
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'Guitar Masters' set 3 shows in central Arkansas, Conway
Acoustic guitarists Peter Janson of Boston and Steve Davison of Little Rock will bring their eight-date, Mid-South "Main Act: American Guitar Masters" tour to …
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Crow’s red-dirt roots true
Not everyone linked to the “red dirt band” musical trend in Texas and Oklahoma can lay claim to having that much familiarity with actual dirt, red or otherwise…
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Adding girl singer made Sleeper Agent a success
The career of alternative rock band Sleeper Agent awakened when a teenager joined the band, taking over the lead singer job and bringing a female perspective.
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Aycock has Tulsa sound in genes, kindred spirits in LR
Just because he lives in Tulsa doesn’t mean Jesse Aycock hasn’t become tuned in to the central Arkansas music scene.
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Railers quit their day jobs, decide to go for life in band
Reckless Kelly is a band that needs no introduction, having logged many a central Arkansas show for a decade or more. The band will visit again this weekend wh…
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One-man band sets blues debut in state
The voice of Lincoln Durham is somewhat striking, unlike that of most small-town Texans, resembling more such legendary country bluesmen as Son House and Missi…
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Okkervil to flood the Rev
Okkervil River flows out of Austin, Texas, from time to time, and fans of the indie rock band take delight in the literary melodies and off-kilter songs of the…
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Canada departs for Little Rock show
Cody Canada departed one band, named his next one The Departed and will arrive Wednesday at the Revolution Room in Little Rock for a show.
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Bell takes her time, does things her way
Aspiring musicians realize that dues must be paid on the way up the career ladder, and singer-songwriter Emily Bell is no exception, despite what appears to be…
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Earl & Them: Half of Cates and 3 really good players
The Cate Brothers Band has eased off the throttle, but you can’t say the same for Earl Cate, the guitarist half of the Cate brothers. (Keyboardist Ernie, the o…
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Fleetwood Mac rocks flawlessly
Anyone attending the Fleetwood Mac concert Friday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock could have easily guessed what the band’s climactic song was dest…
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Casting Crowns leave day jobs for a weekend
For Casting Crowns, concert performances and tours are part-time jobs.
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CeDell Davis concert marks Pine anniversary
CeDell Davis is a survivor — a survivor of polio, a stroke, being trampled by bar patrons during a fight, plus years of the hardscrabble life that bluesmen end…
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Sister Sparrow & Dirty Birds to land at Stickyz
Arleigh Kincheloe and her band, Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds, could say they found their love of music while still in the nest. At least it was the case fo…
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Hays got Buffett to chart NLR course
Those who occupy or seek elective office routinely promise to snare industries and bring jobs to their eager constituents, but few are the politicos who promis…
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Swift plays to packed house in NLR
For a 21-year-old, Taylor Swift knows a lot about showmanship. She brought her Speak Now Tour to Verizon Arena in North Little Rock Tuesday night and had a pac…
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Festival features hours of Johnny Cash
A huge photo of the late Johnny Cash towered over the performers who assembled Thursday night at Arkansas State University’s Convocation Center for the first J…
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Throwdown is like Willie’s picnic on the road
Willie Nelson’s picnics in Texas became legendary in the 1970s, so it was probably just a matter of time before someone came up with a plan to take the shows o…
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Foo Fighters and pals ready to rock Verizon
Music Foo Fighters Opening acts: Motorhead, Biffy Clyro 7 p.m. Wednesday, Verizon Arena, East Broadway and Interstate 30, North Little Rock $49.50, $37.50, $25…
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MUSIC REVIEW: Seger ever the showman
Some of us expected it sooner, maybe to open the show, but it was not to be. Rather, Bob Seger held it back until the first song of his encore selections, when…
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David Byron Bogard
The biblical saying “Judge not, lest ye be judged” has a new meaning these days for former Judge David Bogard. He’s now on the other side of the judging, at le…
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Rep packages greatest hits, fresh faces
Luckily for lovers of the arts, not all young people are off studying the sciences and mathematics. So it would seem after seeing "Review the Revue," the lates…
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MUSIC: Surging Sugarland returns, this time as headliner
It took a few years of paying their dues, but Sugarland has found its way to the top, where the living is sweeter.
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Big gig sweet for Idol finisher
Finishing third on the famed American Idol competition is not a bad outcome the way Casey James sees it, especially since he had never watched the show before …
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MUSIC: Annual Winter Jam arrives with new Christian music set
Spring is coming, which brings us to the annual visit by Winter Jam, Christian music’s largest tour.
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MUSIC: Surging Sugarland returns, this time as headliner
It took a few years of paying their dues, but Sugarland has found its way to the top, where the living is sweeter.
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Big gig sweet for Idol finisher
Finishing third on the famed American Idol competition is not a bad outcome the way Casey James sees it, especially since he had never watched the show before …
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THEATER ‘Smitty’ casts return for Revue
To celebrate five years of youthful summer singing and dancing workshops, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre is taking a winter pause for a look back at some of th…
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REVIEW: Raisin in the Sun still a powerful play
There was a whole lot of fine acting in the Arkansas Repertory Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun, which opened Friday night to a large, enthusiastic au…
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MUSIC REVIEW Country Paisley rocks arena with wit, wow
It’s easy to understand how Brad Paisley recently won the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award after seeing him in concert Friday night at…
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REVIEW: Paisley pulls in 9,600-plus to NLR
That Brad Paisley could have been a rock star, judging from the sounds he laid down Friday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock. Paisley, however, chose…
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Prophet rides wave of raves to his first show in Arkansas
It’s not often you can watch a prophet at work, especially on a Monday night. Well, make that a Prophet, Chuck Prophet, to be exact, an esteemed singer-songwri…
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B.B. rules
Blues fans know just as well as students of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
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A politician, a preacher and Vino’s back room
It sounds like the start of a well-worn joke: A congressman meets a Methodist minister in a beer hall. ... But that was the case with Vic Snyder and Betsy Sing…
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REVIEW: Evita kicks off 35th season at Rep
To start off its 35th season, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre brought back Evita, a play that needs no introduction, along with a director, Cliff Fannin Baker, …
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ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: TobyMac, Chris Tomlin bringing tour to Verizon
Fans of contemporary Christian music, the exuberant, rockin’ kind, have had various opportunities through the years to see and hear TobyMac and Chris Tomlin, b…
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MUSIC: Sexton returns with friends
After twice packing Sticky Fingerz as a solo act, singer-songwriter-guitarist Martin Sexton is returning Sunday with a band. Sexton began his tour April 15 and…
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THEATER REVIEW: Frost/Nixon adds color to dark political period
Watergate was a place, a time and a crime that marked the beginning, for many Americans, of their season of discontent with their government and politicians.
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THEATER: The Rep’s Frost/Nixon: 2 bulls doing the tango?
As solemn radio announcers used to say, “Return with us now to the days of.... ” And here we would be tempted to change the wording to “people not shouting at …
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MUSIC REVIEW: Cheers for McGraw, but not for his stories
Country singer Tim Mc-Graw had nearly 11,000 fans in the palm of his hand Friday night at Verizon Arena, but he almost lost them when he dared to bring up the …
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McGraw hears cheers, jeers
Country singer Tim McGraw had more than 10,000 fans in the palm of his hand Friday night at Verizon Arena, but then he had to bring up football. He was trying …