Compassion Works For All, a nonprofit founded by Anna Cox, a Buddhist and retired psychotherapist in Little Rock, and run now by executive director Cory Jones, will stream a free virtual concert from 8 to 11 p.m. today to support its mission to transform the lives of "those in real and imagined prisons."
The concert, "Compassion ROCKS For All," will feature Big Piph, MomAndPop, Kevin Gordon, Joe & the Feels, Greg Spradlin, Genine Perez, Jason Weinheimer, Isaac Alexander, Brad Williams, The Rodney Block Collective, Steve Howell & the Mighty Men, Claire Holley, Lenny Bryan, Doug Duffey, The Funkanites and Marquis Hunt.
To see the concert, register at compassionworksforall.org, and while you're there read more about the good work of the organization. Donations are encouraged and there will be posters, T-shirts and mugs available. It will be available on Zoom and Facebook Live.
LIVE MUSIC
Christine DeMeo will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Jay Yates will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the WXYZ Bar in the Aloft Little Rock West boutique hotel, 716 Rahling Road. Admission is free.
HOT SPRINGS
Bailey Blackshear will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Trough Bar and Grill, 833 Central Ave., Hot Springs. Admission is free.
STAY TUNED
Arkansas country singer Justin Moore has a new single, "We Didn't Have Much," from his sixth studio album, due next year. A news release from Moore's publicist says the single "takes a look at the simple pleasures that make life great — something many have had to cling to during these difficult times."
Watch the lyric video here: arkansasonline.com/1203justin/.
◼️ Evanescence, the rock band founded in Little Rock by Amy Lee and Ben Moody, will perform a livestream concert, "A Live Session From Rock Falcon Studio," at 3 p.m. Saturday. The band will perform songs from its forthcoming album, "The Bitter Truth." Tickets, $12.50, are available at EvanescenceLive.com
◼️ Dawes, a rock band featuring brothers Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith, along with Wylie Gelber and Lee Pardini, will perform songs from the band's first album, North Hills, at 8 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $14.99, available from noonchorus.com, Facebook or Google.
◼️ Bob Weir, Michael Franti and Jack Johnson will perform at 8 p.m. Wednesday for the 50th anniversary virtual benefit of California's Slide Ranch, which was one of the favorite nonprofits of Weir's band, the Grateful Dead. The organization's mission is to "connect kids to nature." For more information on the "pay what you can" event, see slideranch.org
Also, Michael Franti's film, "Stay Human," will be screened at 6 p.m. Saturday, accompanied by a "Q&A" and acoustic set. See his Facebook page for more information.
◼️ The McCrary Sisters' 10th annual "A Very McCrary Christmas Show" will stream at 7 p.m. today on Facebook, with tickets available for a suggested donation of $20 on Paypal or Venmo, or on a "pay what you can" donation basis. For more information, see mccrarysisters.com
Proceeds will go to the Music Health Alliance, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and families in need of assistance.
Guests will include The War and Treaty, Buddy Miller, Wendy Moten and others.
The McCrary Sisters (Ann, Deborah, Regina and Alfreda) are the daughters of the late Rev. Samuel McCrary — one of the original members of the legendary gospel quartet The Fairfield Four.
◼️ "Guitar Man," a film about the rise of blues guitarist Joe Bonamassa, will be available for viewing on Amazon Prime Video, starting Tuesday, for $9.99.
◼️ "Fireside Pride," which will take place from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, will feature performances by Ani DiFranco & Zoe Boekbinder, Leyla McCalla, Mary Gauthier & Jaimee Harris, AJ Lee & Blue Summit, Stephanie Anne Johnson and a holiday singalong by Nate Lee. Look for it on Facebook or YouTube.
◼️ Patty Griffin will perform a livestream concert on Facebook at the Continental Club in Austin, Texas, from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday.
◼️ Molly Tuttle will perform a livestream concert at The Basement Nashville at 7 p.m. today on Facebook.
◼️ Drew Holcomb & the Neighbors, who are based in our neighboring state of Tennessee, are offering "A Digital Neighborly Christmas," which they performed live a year ago at the Germantown Performing Arts Center near Memphis. The show can be viewed for $9.99. Visit drewholcomb.com for more information.
◼️ Singer-songwriter Kelsey Waldon, a native of Monkey's Eyebrow, Ky., has released "They'll Never Keep Us Down," an album of covers featuring "Sam Stone," by her mentor, John Prine, along with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Ohio." She also chose a playlist, "Women of the Rural Blues," for the annual music issue of the Oxford American.
◼️ Backline, the music industry's mental health and wellness resource, has partnered with Meditation Studio by Muse and Wanderlust to provide free subscriptions and curated content for the music industry. The subscriptions provide free, unlimited access to Wanderlust and Meditation Studio's expansive databases of wellness collections for 6-12 months, respectively, with future discounts available for both. For more information, see https://backline.care/.
READ ON ...
The James Burton Foundation, founded in 2007 and based in Burton's hometown, Shreveport, "recently delivered guitars and equipment to the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System Volunteer Services," according to a news release.
"The guitars will be used to further musical study and facilitate healing for the veterans at CAVHS suffering from PTSD and other illnesses. The Burtons became aware of the need at CAVHS through their long-time friend Belinda Meacham Jones, United States Daughters of 1812 VAVS Deputy assigned to CAVHS." The foundation has given thousands of guitars to schools and children's and veterans hospitals.
No doubt the news would have pleased the late "Discount" Jack Garner, the founder of Little Rock's Discount Records, an obvious fan of guitar playing and a volunteer who helped veterans at Fort Roots veterans facility in North Little Rock.
Burton, a legendary rock guitarist, first drew attention backing up Rick (at the time he was Ricky) Nelson on a TV series, then drew even more raves when he was part of bands that backed Elvis Presley, Gram Parsons, The Monkees, Merle Haggard, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Norah Jones, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Keith Richards, Elvis Costello and a lengthy list of others. You can look Burton up, and like me, perhaps fantasize about someplace like the Ron Robinson Theater or the CHARTS Theater at Pulaski Tech in North Little Rock bringing Burton to town from faraway Shreveport for one of those "An Evening With ..." sort of shows. Maybe if and when life ever returns to semi-normalcy?
◼️ As might be expected, not all musicians are on board with current virus restrictions, as we now note that a couple of well-known dissenters are chiming in: Van Morrison and Eric Clapton. The two veteran singer-songwriters are experiencing a backlash over their new anti-lockdown song, "Stand and Deliver." It's Morrison's fourth "protest" song, following on the heels of "Born to Be Free," "As I Walked Out" and "No More Lockdown."
The new song is aimed at raising money to support musicians who are struggling financially because of the pandemic, with all proceeds from the song going to Morrison's Lockdown Financial Hardship Fund.
And the backlash has those who don't agree with Van the Man and Eric recalling that the two United Kingdom natives have their own histories of controversial comments. Novelist Hari Kunzru brought up Clapton's infamous racist tirade at a concert in 1976, at which he called non-white attendees various racial slurs and repeatedly shouted "Keep Britain white."
"Last time Clapton weighed in on politics they had to start Rock Against Racism," Kunzru tweeted, referring to the musicians' movement triggered in 1976 because of Clapton's remarks.
◼️ Singer-songwriters Jason Isbell and his wife, Amanda Shires, no shrinking violets themselves, decided to have a say: "There was a time in the past when our dear Van Morrison had such beautiful music, such beautiful songs, that everyone paid attention to him. Now that time has passed, and I fear that our dear Van Morrison is still desirous of the attention that he once received. So now he likes to say things, like the government asking you to not give everyone the covid-19 virus is akin to slavery. I disagree with that statement very much."
Isbell also jokingly put on a mask and commented: "I don't know that this'll protect me from the virus, but I'd like for it to protect me from Van."