MUSIC: Tim McGraw polishes Southern Voice for tour
Tim McGraw has been hearing Southern voices all his life, and now he’s saluting them with his latest CD, Southern Voice, released in October. It’s his first st…
Stories by Jack Hill
-
![]()
-
![]()
Sykes and songster pals to gather in Hot Springs
Memphis singer-songwriter Keith Sykes has become fond of visiting Hot Springs, whether the horses are running at Oaklawn or not. So he has combined his affecti…
-
![]()
MUSIC: Christian rock’s $10 megatour arriving at Verizon
Of all the varied musical tours that have attempted to establish an annual following, none have been around as long as Winter Jam, a shifting lineup of Christi…
-
![]()
THEATER: Glorious! is about one of opera’s all-time grates
Time was, back before reality TV changed things, performers were expected to be talented when it came to singing, acting, dancing and so on.
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Strait, McEntire thrill NLR crowd
Watching George Strait sing carries the same kind of sweet vibe as seeing John Wayne act when he was in his prime. Those among the 15,597 who saw Strait on Sat…
-
![]()
REVIEW: Strait draws 16,000 at Verizon Arena
George Strait put on a show Saturday night at Verizon Arena in North Little Rock that wowed a fired-up crowd that was three short of 16,000.
-
![]()
MUSIC: Strait tunes up Twang ’twixt McEntire and Womack
Every now and then, George Strait gets off his horse, ambles over to his truck, goes off to meet with his fellow musicians and then he and his Ace in the Hole …
-
![]()
MUSIC: Canadian rockers bring one night’s showcase
Three Days Grace should not be confused with 3 Doors Down or Matchbox Twenty or other rock group names that include numbers. Three Days Grace, a Canadian outfi…
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Willie shows no pain in Hot Springs show
There were no signs that Willie Nelson was feeling any pain as he performed in concert Sunday night at the Summit Arena in the Spa City, despite recent reports…
-
![]()
MUSIC: Willie Nelson again reaches for the Summit
Willie Nelson isn’t lost. Nor is he looking for the road to retirement and relaxation.
-
![]()
LECTURE/MUSIC: All the way from Amsterdam, John Sinclair
Not everyone who got arrested for a drug offense in the late 1960s got “immortalized” by former Beatle John Lennon in a song.
-
![]()
THEATER: Family conflict, lies, sex: ItÏs a Williams drama
Tennessee Williams wrote many a play that focused on family dynamics, especially in Southern settings. Carrying a nickname taken from Arkansas’ border state to…
-
![]()
MUSIC: Delta bluesman Davis to sing Friday at tavern, pool hall
Polio slowed CeDell Davis early in life, as did the injuries he suffered in a stampede inside a club while he played the blues. The broken legs he sustained wh…
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Energetic Christian rockers give set that thrills, inspires
If there were ever a Super Bowl between the hardest rocking of all Christian rockers, it would surely come down to Third Day and Casting Crowns, a couple of ba…
-
![]()
THEATER: Technicolor Dreamcoat returns to dazzle at Rep
It sounds like a timeless soap opera plotline: The favorite son in a family of 12 boys gets a special gift from the father. The gift, a colorful coat, enrages …
-
![]()
‘Strange’ guitarist Gilewitz quits Skype for live shows
Some musicians communicate with their audience through their instrumental skills and their song lyrics. Not Richard Gilewitz, who instead relies on a combinati…
-
![]()
Shocked a traveler again in Arkansas
It’s not entirely a coincidence that singer-songwriter Michelle Shocked is booked for a show in Hot Springs during the city’s 18th annual Documentary Film Fest…
-
![]()
Stiff upper lips to get tickled in murder mystery at Murry’s
If Agatha Christie had dipped her pen into the comedy genre, the result could have been Murdered to Death, which opens this week at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. T…
-
![]()
THEATER: The Second City returns to improvise at the Rep
In its 50 years as the nation’s premier improvisational comedy troupe, Chicago’s Second City has helped launch the careers of Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, John Bel…
-
![]()
Taking the plunge
Blue sky with no clouds, Hot afternoons can get you down and make you sweaty, Midsummer sun bake, I know exactly what we should do and I think you're ready, Go…
-
![]()
A pig in the pool is worth ...
Even finding a pig in your pool is not enough to dissuade a homeowner from its enjoyment, central Arkansans recently learned.
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW Keith Urban's skill, charisma enthrall crowd at NLR arena
It's obvious that Keith Urban loves his work. That's no myth, urban or rural.
-
![]()
Urban mythology
Keith Urban is such a family man these days that he named his current jaunt around the country the Escape Together World Tour.
-
![]()
ART Gallery Walk steps into 20th year as Hot Springs art extravaganza
For 20 years, the art galleries of Hot Springs have welcomed art lovers and the merely curious for open houses on the first Friday of each month. From 5 to 9 p…
-
![]()
John Charles Ward
When John Ward was a student at what was then Ouachita Baptist College, it took everything he could do to continue to be enrolled each semester, but Ouachita -…
-
![]()
THEATRE: Dora actress is an alumna of acclaimed Fame school
Thanks to the Fame high school and Dora the Explorer, Susan Oliveras is having a firsthand taste of what it's like to be famous.
-
![]()
THEATER: Family dynamics bring out tension in Murry's Squabbles
In the good ol' summertime, people often are more likely to find themselves with a short fuse - even more prone to squabbling, perhaps.
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Ill Helm takes drums as band powers show
Native son Levon Helm returned home for concerts Saturday night in Little Rock and two days earlier in Fayetteville. It's no exaggeration to say Helm was speec…
-
![]()
Midnight ramblers
Levon Helm and the Levon Helm Band 8 p.m. Thursday, Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Haggard shines on stage in spite of health hurdles
Still sporting the finest voice in country music, despite having had surgery for lung cancer last November, Merle Haggard gave less than a normal show Sunday n…
-
![]()
MUSIC: Haggard, after surgery, back with less lung, more fiddlin'
Merle Haggard reckons he is one lucky guy.
-
![]()
THEATER Rep is revved up about Tommy
When The Who released the band's ambitious concept album, Tommy, 40 years ago, it was described as a "rock opera."
-
![]()
Singing duo now writers with Chicken book, CD
Chances are unlikely that anyone will ever catch a trout in the Arkansas River. But you can find Trout Fishing in America down by the river during Riverfest, a…
-
![]()
Strong finishers
There are the ladies who do lunch. Then there are those who walk and run, and may also do lunch, before or after the walking or running.
-
![]()
Fairley has designs on fruitful IV Party
Contrary to one man's mental image, the party people at the third annual IV Party will not be trailing those IV poles with feeding tubes as they mix and mingle.
-
![]()
MUSIC REVIEW: Mraz puts on show for the ages
There were 3,914 people on hand Tuesday night in Alltel Arena to see Jason Mraz, but I might have been the only one who didn't know how great a showman he is. …
-
![]()
REVIEW: Mraz quite the showman at Alltel Arena
There were 3,914 people on hand Tuesday night in Alltel Arena to see Jason Mraz, but I might have been the only one who didn't know how great a showman he is.
-
![]()
Rocket man Jason Mraz returns to state with a few years' growth
In 2002, singer-songwriter Jason Mraz provided a clue to his career trajectory when he titled his debut CD Waiting for My Rocket to Come.
-
![]()
THEATER REVIEW: Rep's Elephant Man fills big stage at Wildwood with in-depth acting
With a cast that includes such Arkansas Repertory Theatre favorites as Steve Wilkerson from the past and Joe Graves from the present, chances were pretty good …
-
![]()
FLASHBACKS: Elephant Man ponders soul, human mercy
Don't look for a man with a big pumpkin on his head in The Rep's new show, The Elephant Man.
-
![]()
MUSIC: Even young will want earplugs
When I say Dinosaur Jr. was a loud band in the 1980s, I mean loud!
-
![]()
MUSIC: Bill Morrissey returns to sing stories
Singer-songwriter-guitarist Bill Morrissey, long absent from central Arkansas, will return for a show Saturday night. Morrissey first sampled the Little Rock e…
-
![]()
SAU alumnus Tracy Lawrence to sing at 100-year celebration
Country singer Tracy Lawrence has done plenty for his old Arkansas hometown of Foreman. Now he's adding Magnolia to his list, by presenting a concert Wednesday…
-
![]()
MUSIC: Pickin' strings, winnin' bets
Memphis singer-songwriter Keith Sykes does more than write songs and sing them. He also enjoys horse racing and Hot Springs, so most every year, he ambles into…
-
![]()
THEATER: Truth! has world premiere Friday
The 50th anniversary of the school integration crisis at Little Rock Central High School was celebrated in 2007, and most likely another event will be held in …
-
![]()
Tomlin's roots, heart in church
Chris Tomlin has moved from the somewhat insular world of contemporary Christian music to the big-time arena-rock circuit, thanks to a sound that fits nicely a…
-
![]()
'Good guy' MVP to fight for WWE at Alltel
Wrestling fans have their own set of initials to keep straight. There's WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), TNA (Total Nonstop Action), DSW (Deep South Wrestl…
-
![]()
5th Vapors music fest set for 6-day Hot Springs run
March brings daylight saving time, spring flowers and the Valley of the Vapors Independent Music Festival in Hot Springs. In its first four years, the festival…
-
![]()
THEATER REVIEW: The Foreigner provides plenty of laughs at the Arkansas Rep
The laughs are so plentiful in The Foreigner that those who have seen it before will be tempted to pretend they haven't. And those who haven't seen it may have…
-
![]()
Foreigner to travel once more to Rep
A theater keeps records on what productions have proved popular with patrons in the past and what continue to be the most requested for encore performances.
