MAy Festival Of the Arts 2009 Teaser!

May Festival of the Arts 2009 – Arts of the World

This year's theme for May Festival of the Arts is Arts of the World and celebrates art from around the world in all forms from visual to music to performance art!

Be sure to check out the Spring Art and Yard Art throughout town.

Spring Art will be displayed at specially selected springs around town. For more information please email eurekaspringseventsoffice@gmail.com

Yard Art will be on display in yards all over town. For more information please e-mail eurekaspringseventsoffice@gmail.com

*FREE Music in Basin Spring Park every Friday Noon until 6:00pm, Saturday Noon until 6:00pm and Sunday Noon until 4. Monday May 25^th FREE music in Basin Spring Park Noon until 6:00pm

*FREE Dance in the Park After Dark on Friday Night May 1^st with Opal Fly and the Faery Pranksters.

*FREE Dance in the Park After Dark on Friday Night May 15^th Band to be announced

*ARTRageous Parade on Saturday May 2^nd Starting at the Crescent Hotel and winding all the way through Downtown passing Basin Spring Park. Parade Starts at 2pm

*ART Car Parade on Saturday May 23^rd Starting at the Crescent Hotel and winding all the way through Downtown passing Basin Spring Park. Parade Starts at 2pm

*Concert at the City Auditorium Friday Night May 8^th with International Touring Group Del Castillo(http://www.delcastillomusic.com) starting at 6pm Opening act to be announced Tickets $25 and can be purchaced online at http://www.theaud.org or by calling 888.855.7823

*Sunday May 10^th is Mother's Day and John Two-Hawks is performing his annual Mother's Day show in the City Auditorium. Mothers get in FREE Everyone else $10 More information and Tickets are available at http://www.johntwohawks.com

*Performance at the City Auditorium Saturday Night May 23^rd with The UFO's(http://www.theufos.com) Doors open around 6:00pm with opening act The Virtual Insanity Players- VIP's Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased by calling 888.855.7823

*May 15^th through 17^th is Kids Weekend with tons for the kids to do including Sidewalk Chalk Art, Clowns, Interactive Arts and Crafts, Hands On Fun and Much more!

*May 22^nd through 25^th enjoy the FREE performances of our friend Bobby Maverick – Magician and Escape Artist! He will be performing various times throughout the weekend in Basin Spring Park.

*May 28^th through 31^st is Blues Weekend Plenty of Blues everywhere you go in town!

Dance In The Park After Dark Tonight

Join us for the Last Dance in The Park After Dark of the Season, 7:00pm, Friday October 17, 2008. From the Lone Star state two of Austin's favorites bands The Derral Gleason Trio and Guy Forsyth will bring the season to a close.

....Derral's diversity is illustrated by a musical history which has seen his bands touring nationally and internationally with the POLICE, INXS, Iggy Pop, and the Divinyls... to solo-acoustic openings with Jerry Jeff Walker and Reverend Horton Heat. Check out their latest CD release "Abby's Bane Sessions" at

http://www.myspace.com/derralgleasonmusic

http://www.unlockaustin.com/Band/Derral%20Gleason%20Trio

Guy Forsyth features, Guy Forsyth on Guitar/Harp/Saw, Will Landin on Bass/Tuba and
Rob Hooper on Drums/Cajon. Their CD's include Voices Inside, Love Songs For & Against, Unrepentant Schizophrenic Americana, and their latest Calico Girl.

"A collection of songs as diverse in style as they are in mood: insights on love, fear, the perils of unchecked consumerism, war, the government, spirituality, psychotropic drug abuse and the apocalypse shot through Guy's typically eclectic prism of blues, folk, jazz, reggae, funk and rock and roll."

Sample the Guy Forsyth Band at

http://www.guyforsyth.com/

http://www.myspace.com/guyforsythband

Save The Last Dance for........

Join us for the Last Dance in The Park of the Season, Friday October 17, 2008 at 7:00pm.

From the Lone Star state two of Austin's favorites bands The Derral Gleason Trio and Guy Forsyth will bring the season to a close.

....Derral's diversity is illustrated by a musical history which has seen his bands touring nationally and internationally with the POLICE, INXS, Iggy Pop, and the Divinyls... to solo-acoustic openings with Jerry Jeff Walker and Reverend Horton Heat. Check out their latest release is 'Abby's Bane Sessions' .at http://www.myspace.com/..derralgleasonmusic http://..www.unlockaustin.com/Band/..Derral%20Gleason%20Trio

Guy Forsyth features, Guy Forsyth - Guitar/Harp/Saw, Will Landin - Bass/Tuba and
Rob Hooper - Drums/Cajon.

Their CD's include Voices Inside, Love Songs For & Against, Unrepentant Schizophrenic Americana, and their latest Calico Girl.
'A collection of songs as diverse in style as they are in mood: insights on love, fear, the perils of unchecked consumerism, war, the government, spirituality, psychotropic drug abuse and the apocalypse shot through Guy's typically eclectic prism of blues, folk, jazz, reggae, funk and rock and roll.'

Sample the Guy Forsyth Band at http://www.guyforsyth.com/, http://www.myspace.com/..guyforsythband

See you there.

Dance In The Park After Dark

TONIGHT at 6:30 we have a VERY special Dance in the Park after Dark scheduled. Friday Night, September 19th Super CD Release Extravaganza! Featuring Trout Fishing in America and Rev. Payton's Big Damn Band.

Trout Fishing in America. is the long-standing musical partnership of Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet. The name, taken from an early Richard Brautigan novel, and seems almost as intriguing as a picture of this musical duo – Ezra on guitar stands six feet nine inches while Keith on bass stands five feet five and one-half inches. With the release of their twelfth CD, Merry Fishes to All, Trout Fishing earned their second Grammy nomination. Trout Fishing In America sees the future as the brightest part of their successful career. . . http://www.troutmusic.com/

Rev Peyton's first introduction to music was via his father's record collection of blues-oriented rock, including Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young and Bob Dylan. At 12, Rev Peyton's father gave him a Kay brand guitar. Shortly after, younger brother Jayme Peyton started playing the drums and, with a bass player, formed a band called Drive-Thru and played parties. A friend pointed out the blues sound of Rev Peyton's guitar playing, sending Peyton off on an exploration of the blues of BB King, Muddy Waters and Muddy Water's cousin Bukka White. The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band has been featured on Sirius Satellite Radio, has played multiple showcases at the South by Southwest music conference, has been the musical guest on NPR's Wad'Ya Know?. Their music is featured in the award-winning film Mississippi Cold Case by Canadian documentarian David Ridgen. Their song "Your Cousin's On Cops" lead to a gig as the house band on a Jerry Springer Pay-Per-View special. http://www.bigdamnband.com/

This is a FREE show, you aren't going to want to miss!!

Big Damn Fish in Eureka Springs!!!

In less than two weeks in Basin Spring Park we have a VERY special Dance in the Park After Dark scheduled. Friday Night, September 19th Super CD Release Extravaganza! Reverend Payton's Big Damn Band AND Trout Fishing in America! The show starts at 6:30 and is FREE to all ages!

You don't want to miss this concert!

Links:

http://www.troutmusic.com/

http://www.bigdamnband.com/

Another Awesome Party In Basin Springs Park!!!

This was a gorgeous week end to be in Basin Park. Friday night Sam & the Stylees rocked the park with their awesome Reggae beat. Check out their myspace at myspace/Sam&TheStylees.
Saturday local favorites Mountain Sprout and Cletus Got Shot played along with Jimmy Wells, Paul Boatwright, and Jason Davis.

The HillBenders last night!

Well, the HillBenders played Basin Spring Park last night for our last minute Dance in the Park After Dark series. They sure put on one Hill of a show! These guys are coming back for the Eureka Springs Bluegrass Festival. If you missed them last night you should definately make it out to see them when they are back.

It was pretty warm last night and it looks like it is going to be a nice hot week next week. If you decide to brave the heat this weekend be sure to stop by Basin Spring Park for some really great live music.

Dance the Night Away July 18th

Come Dance the Night away at our 3rd Dance in the Park After Dark with Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks!!

The show starts at 8pm in Basin Spring Park on July 18th (weather permitting) and is FREE to all-ages.

New York Magazine
"...Melody's painfully acute observations on modern life--like a Kurt Weill for the Tarantino age."

David Fricke, Rolling Stone
"...supper-club class and fine surrealist humor. One song retells the Creation story with Frank Sinatra as God; another celebrates the liberation of Switzerland. Deeply weird, utterly fab..."

LJM - Esquire Magazine

Kurt Loder, Esquire
"...the music is angular and sardonic in a Kurt Weill mode...but Melody's lyrical conceptions are original. He dreams of marching on Switzerland and curing the natives of their smug complacency ("Happy nations have no history/Let's go give 'em some"). He sings of his weariness with modern reality ("I can't remember the reason I woke up this morning/Maybe awake is what's left at the end of a dream"). In "The Dance Lesson," he trains a knowing eye on the eternal spectacle of a young man and woman falling head over heels in love, for reasons they're unlikely to fully comprehend: 'Blame it on the moon/Blame it on the mystery/Blame it on the mom and dad who wrote your sordid history.'

"Melody is hardly a run-of-the-mill romantic ("What the called love, let's call lingerie," he croons), but he does place faith in the transcendent powers of art and imagination, wondering, at one point, "If dreamers felt at home/Would there be a sky to roam/Would there be a tale to tell?" ...this debut effort has literary depth and a warm, inventive sound that should keep all ears cocked for a follow-up."

Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks!

Friday night July 18th is our next Dance in the Park After Dark. How much does it cost?? FREE! FREE! FREE! This is an all ages show and brining your children is definitely encouraged! Come to basin Spring Park from 8:00pm to 10:00pm and dance till you drop! But don't worry we'll have water for $1 a bottle!

This months feature band is "Little Jack Melody and his Young Turks." . Any questions? Give us a call at 479.253.2586 or toll free 888.855.7823

Here is a little more about the band:

"Bandwagons are just too narrow for this band; I'm not planning to jump on anything anytime soon," claims Little Jack Melody. Incorporating elements of swing, European cabaret, tango, samba, polka, waltz, theater, and black humor, among others, Little Jack's musical world is truly indescribable, at least succinctly. With a cataclysmic ensemble of jazz-rooted musicians and a body of songs celebrating everything from co-dependency to Frank Sinatra as Creator, the slouching ennui of the century's end to Freud's apocryphal last words, the megalomania of the Me Generation to a eulogy for Jack Kerouac, Melody is a true original.

Appropriating his nom du plume from an arcane Beat Generation footnote of a character, ("sounded like a name with treble clefs and capped teeth," muses Little Jack), Melody's band of Young Turks originally included such seldom-seens as tuba and harmonium. In 1997, "phase two" began with tuba being replaced by upright bass, and piano and Hammond pushing the harmonium into the back seat. "I think some people refused to take us seriously with harmonium and tuba," laments Little Jack. "Sort of a nascent rubber chickenism that sometimes pulled focus from the music."

Melody's inspirations have included, at various moments, Brecht/Weill, Nino Rota, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Stephen Sondheim, Carla Bley, circuses, Edward Hopper, Raymond Carver and Hubert Selby Jr., and especially "...the cabaret phenomena in Europe in the 20's and 30's... the possibilities of song-as-commentary, whether political, social, or cultural."

my charmed life, Little Jack Melody's third CD, was released by Carpe Diem Records in August, '97. It has attracted favorable press and airplay on triple A and college radio across the country. On the Blank Generation, Melody's debut, received glowing notices from such publications as Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, Esquire, and Musician, and was a Jackpot! pick in CMJ; Melody was also interviewed by Noah Adams for a feature on National Public Radio's All Things Considered. World of Fireworks, the band's second CD, was unleashed in mid-'94. A live album, Noise and Smoke, was recorded in August of '98; it will be released in August of '99.

The present line-up of Young Turks is Jeff Novack, upright bass, drummer Bill Shupp, Brad Williams on piano and harmonium, and saxophonist Jeff Fort; all are current members or veterans of the renowned University of North Texas lab bands. "These Turks are tremendous players and genuine helluvaguys. They keep raising the bar on me- it's intimidating."

The band continues to tour, with travels ranging from Michigan to Florida in '98. In October of '98, Melody contributed music to 2 theatrical productions: in Los Angeles, Louis Broome's Texarkana Waltz (Circle X Theater Company), and in Dallas, Our Endeavors Theater Company's The Ultra-Happy, Super-Sad, Mega-Variety Revue.

In September of '96, Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks went to Seattle to perform Melody's score for the world premiere of love is a place, a theatrical piece based on the life and work of e.e. cummings, written by The Firesign Theatre's David Ossman. Melody's other forays into musical theater include Ft. Worth's Hip Pocket Theatre's Every Man His Own Football, Hubcaps Afire Over Hollywood, Nightmare Alley, starring Tyrone Power, the un-produced Helmet of Justice, and Alabama Songs (Workhouse Theater, New York.)

Past laurels include the Dallas Observer award for "Best Avant-Garde/Experimental" ('94, '95), showcase performances at SXSW, New Music Seminar, CMJ Music Marathon, and festival dates including Seattle's Bumbershoot, Toronto's Harbourfront, Birmingham's City Stages, Nashville's Summer Lights, and Atlanta's Midtown Music Festival, among others.


You can check them out on their website: http://littlejackmelody.com