Thursday, August 21, 2008

The Current-Dec. 2007 Feature Story 2

George’s Majestic Lounge Keeps It Hot Through The Holidays

By Regan Henson

The planet turns away from the sun as the days grow shorter, leaves fall from increasingly naked trees, their limbs reaching skyward like skeletal fingers in the throes of death, struggling against the painful, cruel and inevitable onslaught of winter. Okay, maybe it’s not that bad, especially when you consider the incredible slate of artists coming to George’s Majestic Lounge this month. Head east, young man (and gals), just a hop, skip, and road trip from the heart of Currentland to the cool atmosphere of Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Since 1927, George’s has offered almost nightly servings of superb live music, and December kicks off in style with a true outlaw legend as the Old Five and Dimer himself, Billy Joe Shaver, brings his brand of Texas flavor for a song swap featuring guests, Randy Rogers and Chris Knight on Sunday the 2nd.

For you youngsters out there, Billy Joe Shaver is the hall of fame songwriter behind Waylon Jennings’ classic Honky Tonk Heroes LP, who has also had songs covered by artists ranging from Elvis Presley to Kris Kristofferson, and has performed with artists such as Big and Rich and the inimitable Kinky Friedman. As if that isn’t enough to get your attention, Shaver can also be heard singing the theme song on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim series, Squidbillies. His latest album, Everybody’s Brother, has garnered critical praise with the single, “Get Thee Behind Me, Satan,” receiving airplay on country radio.

Joining the 68-year old Shaver is fellow Texan, Randy Rogers, who younger fans will recognize from the single, “Kiss Me In The Dark,” which spent several weeks on CMT’s top 20 video countdown, and Kentucky born singer-songwriter Chris Knight, who has written for the likes of Montgomery Gentry and Randy Travis.

Come back the following weekend for a couple of bands that offer wholly different takes on live music, Particle, the electronica infused jam band on Saturday the 8th and Indigenous, the Native American blues band on Sunday the 9th.

Particle ain’t yer daddy’s jam band. Formed in Los Angeles in 2000, these boys have managed to build a faithful and enthusiastic following while making the lineup from Guns N Roses seem like the poster boys for band stability. Band members might come and go, but their ability to induce concertgoers to sweat-soaked gyrations remains. College kids shouldn’t have all the fun, so come join the Particle People and see what all the fuss is about.

Maybe you’ve never heard of Indigenous. Maybe the only thing coming out of your stereo speakers is Rush Limbaugh. Or Britney Spears. Or some other crap. Well, here’s your chance to not suck. Or to stop sucking. At the very least, here’s your chance to suck a little less, something we all should aspire to. Mato Nanji has been called a lot of things, from the next Jimi Hendrix to the next Eric Clapton to the next Stevie Ray Vaughn. Notice a trend? Those three guys are at or near the top of any greatest guitarist who ever lived list you’re gonna find. Mato Nanji has been compared to all of them. Mato Nanji is the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for Indigenous. Fresh from receiving the Aboriginal People’s Choice Music Award (APCMA) for Best Blues Album for Chasing the Sun, Indigenous will be returning to George’s to show us all just why they won the award. There. Now you know something about Indigenous, and, therefore, suck a little less.

Get set for another Texas singer-songwriter when Pat Green plays on Thursday the 13th. Given his early career popularity among college crowds, this one’s sure to be a tough ticket since George’s is just blocks away from the beautiful University of Arkansas campus, but for you fellas who don’t mind the idea of being stuffed nut to butt with hot little Razorback coeds, it would be wise to circle this date on your calendars and make it out to see Green as he supports his latest album, Cannonball.

As the year draws to a close, George’s kicks it up a notch or two with another jam band, Speakeasy, on Saturday the 29th. This is the type of band that is definitely best experienced live, and they’ve been wowing crowds across the Midwest over the last seven years with their high-energy progressive rock sound. Opening the show will be the reggae/jam band, Jah Roots.

But just because the year is ending, that doesn’t mean the fun is, and George’s New Years Eve Party featuring Big Smith is the place to be to ring in 2008. How does one describe Big Smith? Picture the house band from Deliverance with better dental hygiene. These boys have evolved over the years from being simply five cousins playing hillbilly music on acoustic instruments to now being six cousins playing hillbilly music on mostly acoustic and sometimes even electric instruments. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the good time the audience is guaranteed at a Big Smith show. That oughta warm your bones as winter comes roaring in.

For ticket information and show times you can call George’s Majestic Lounge at 479.527.6618 or go online at www.georgesmajesticlounge.com.

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