 I really do not know how I can follow up to LC’s latest blog about Yazoo Shakes, but I’ll give it my best shot. I literally laughed for ten minutes because everything he said was true. Well, almost everything was true. Technically I’ve never started two true bar fights, but instead have been in several verbal ones (Note: this is not really the place to go in to details, but if you know me, I’ll be more than happy to divulge the craziness that ensued Tuesday/Wednesday night at White Water).
So, now that I’ve cleared up that, I can get down to business. Without a doubt, I love when American Aquarium comes through and I know I’m being repetitive when I say that, but I would not be saying that if it weren’t true. They are some of the most down to earth, genial guys I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. So, as I said above, they played a headlining show at White Water on Tuesday night. The crowd was literally cut in half due to the horrible sounds coming from the band that directly preceded them. However, this little fact did not shake them. The five guys went up and put on one fine show. They were loud, raucous, and most of all happy to be up on the stage that they have grown ever so familiar with. They played all the crowd favorites and got myself Travis Hill, and a couple of our friends to lean in and sing along to a lot of their songs. I love the feeling of being that close to performers and that’s one of the magical things about a band playing at WWT. It’s as if the audience that crowds the stage becomes a part of the band and vice versa. I think the word I’m reaching for here is intimate. It’s one of the best adjectives I can think of for this particular venue and I’m sure most people would agree.
Somewhere near the middle of their set, BJ, the lead singer, announced that Matt White booked them for the next night. They were happy to give up their day off to spend it with dedicated fans that they knew would come out the next evening as well. They announced that Magic Hassle would open, but alas, one half of that duo came down with something, and decided to cancel last minute. That was all right though, because it just made the evening even more fun. American Aquarium took the stage again and promptly announced that it would be an evening of requests and it was going to be super laid back which the show was. The thing that touched me the most was that some of the band members would single out fans by name and ask what they wanted to hear. I was asked, and I requested “Lonely Ain’t Easy.” I should have just said play all of their EP, Bones. It’s by far my favorite of their CDs and I just really like the raw feel to it. They ended up playing about half of it, and that made my night. They also played several songs that BJ does not normally play because as he said, he doesn’t like singing about that one specific ex. However, he was a stand up guy and played the songs that were requested therefore forming an even stronger bond with the few fans that came back. After the show, pretty much every one of the five guys apologized for their poor performance, but really, they weren’t that bad. I guess I just don’t have the ear to pick out all of the mess-ups they claimed to have made. Nonetheless, it was awesome of them to admit they had had flaws instead of claiming to be the best ever, even though the audience didn’t care.
I know this is starting to seem like a novel, because when I get going I really get going. I promise I’ll wrap it up really soon. After the show, the guys invited some of the few stragglers that were still at the bar over to the house they were staying at. Several people went over, and I’ll just say that it reminded me of some of my college days. Mountain Dew cans are more useful than one might think, even though that wasn’t for me. Drunken men playing guitars, no matter how bad they claim to be, are better than they think. Most of all though, I really got to sit down and talk with people and it was a great night overall. I feel as the more I hang out with them, the closer I can come to calling them extended family. That’s how amazing these men are and that’s how good of an impression they have made on me. I can only hope they’ll be back sooner rather than later, and I highly look forward to their new CD and their next visit to the place that they lovingly call their home away from home.
-L
 Though too few people are actually aware of this, one of the great things about living in Little Rock is its access to live music. Not the over-hyped sold-out arena style, but the small venue, up close and personal performance where you can actually sense the emotion of the artist. With the obvious exception of Green Day’s alter-ego, Foxboro Hot Tubs, playing at Juanita’s, you’re not going to see the biggest acts at the several places here that offer up live music on a regular basis. But what you will find is an incredible array of talent, real talent, from those just breaking onto the scene, to the ones who are really ascending to musical success. It is becoming a weekly event now, to go to a concert without much advance knowledge of a group, only to be blown away by what you see and hear. And let me say, Friday night’s set at the White Water Tavern was certainly no exception.
What started as a decision on a rather slow Friday night to go and check out The Good Time Ramblers, a very talented local alt-country group, resulted in, from beginning to end, an unbelievable evening of entertainment. It all began with a band from Raleigh, NC, the American Aquariums, whose lead singer, BJ Barham could be described as a cross between two rough voiced balladeers, Ryan Bingham and Ben Nichols of Lucero. The music was strong, well-performed (even without female violinist Sarah Mann), and had the small but growing audience on their feet. The band had performed at White Water a couple of times before, and the affection of the group for the bar matched that of the listeners for the band.
Nathan Singleton and his Sideshow Tragedy, whom we thought would be playing last, followed with a performance with so much verve and energy that words will not fairly describe it. The Austin-based band rocked the place with what might be called their own brand of punk-laced Texas rock, but don’t try and pigeonhole this band – their musical tastes are quite diverse. Singleton is an incredible guitar player, whose Dobro looked like it had logged a lot of Texas highway miles. Even the broken string (“luckily it was the high E, so it didn’t affect me much”) couldn’t slow the virtuoso, whose youthful appearance belies his road-warrior years. And the inappropriately named Sideshow Tragedy was anything but -- bassist Justin Thompson, active and rambunctious, was just as much an integral part of the show, and it was all held together by the strong, rhythmic beat of Singleton’s long-time musical accompanist, drummer Jeremy Harrell. In this set, the audience appeared almost stunned, as though they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Only the fact that the band was returning to Austin after 2 weeks of touring prevented a trip to see them again the following night. And once more, homage was paid to Matt White and White Water, as Singleton seemed very sincere in his praise of the venue as his favorite place to play, anywhere.
Wrap all this with the Good Time Ramblers, giving you an hour and a half of self-styled “delta rock” music, including a number of covers very popular with the crowd, and you’ve had yourself a hell of a night. And oh, there was a cover charge by the way – a whopping five bucks.
So what makes a particular place so musician praiseworthy? That can be debated of course, but include the fact that the artists are accessible, that they can relate to the audience, and the audience back to them. That those attending are a diverse group, and free to be themselves. That the venue (this one in particular) bears little or no presumption – come as you are – any style, any age, any personality – just have a good time and join in the fun. There are not a lot of places like this anymore. Give me the White Water Tavern over Alltel Arena any day.
-C
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