Still on the Hill — Thursday, January 31 at 7:00 — #Live at the Lyric!

Still on the Hill
Returns to the
Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks!
Thursday, January 31 at 7:00PM

Still on the Hill will fill the Lyric once again with their beautiful melodies and lyrics. If you’ve never heard them before, don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy their stories, and if you have heard them before, then you already know: this concert is another must-see…especially since this is a free community concert at the Lyric Theater, 7:00 on January 31! Not only is the concert itself free, but they will be giving away CDs to the first 100 families through the door. (Doors open at 6:00.)

Kelly & Donna Mulhollan of Still on the Hill are award winning ‘story telling-song writers’. Different from most singer-songwriters, these “Ambassadors of the Ozarks” embellish their songs with a host of unique instruments made right here in the hills that we call home. Many of these were hand-made by old-timers and have amazing stories that come with them!

A free community concert at the Lyric Theater at 7:00 on Thursday, January, by Still on the Hill, who they will also be giving away CDs to the first 100 families through the door. (Doors open at 6:00.)

 

Sanctuary Benefit Concert — Saturday, October 13 at 3:00–8:00pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Benefit Concert for Sanctuary
featuring THREE great area bands:
The Hedley Lamar Band,
Earth Bone,
& White Fox Kill!
sponsored by
 Light Up Harrison, the OAC, and the Bands!
Saturday, October 13 3:00PM–8:00PM

 

White Fox Kill

Three bands that have consistently kept crowds coming back for more have banded together to support victims of domestic abuse by helping Sanctuary provide food and shelter. Sponsored by Light Up Harrison, which is committed not only to the lighting of the Square and streets of Harrison for the Christmas season, but to keep aglow the light of our area’s residents’ love for those in need, these excellent bands will perform to raise cash and food donations on Saturday, October 13, from 3:00–8:00.

The Ozark Arts Council is delighted to host The Hedley Lamar Band, Earth Bone, and White Fox Kill, who have graciously chosen to play for us at this fundraising event, through which

The Hedley Lamar Band

Sanctuary will be able to continue in its mission of providing for those escaping abuse and Light Up Harrison will continue to show the world that our area takes seriously our duty to recognize and enhance all that is good, noble, and beautiful. The OAC remains committed to the contention that great art most often comes from great passion—which is, literally, great suffering, whether from agony or from ecstasy—so that the Arts help us to heal and to thrive, to turn victimization to survival and survival to triumph.

 

Midnight Rider performed by Earth Bone

The doors of the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks—Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater—will open at 2:00 for a performance stretching from 3:00 to 8:00  on Saturday, October 13. Adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout this concert, and there will be short (5–10 minute) intermissions between bands, as well. Tickets are available in advance for $2.50 and two food items* or for $5; at the door, they will be $5 and two food items.

Thieves in the Dark performed by White Fox Kill

The Benefit Concert for Sanctuary, sponsored by Light Up Harrison, will begin at 3:00 on Saturday, October 13, and run from 3:00–8:00. The doors of Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater will open at 2:00 and adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout the evening.  Tickets are available in advance online, at (870) 391-3504, or 9–4 weekdays at the OAC office (door to the left of the theater) for $2.50 and two food items or $5.00*; at the door, they will be $5 plus two food items.

*Please just bring the food items with you and don’t try to send them through our ticketing page; last time, someone tried to send a jar of strawberry preserves and it really gummed up our server.

LaGrange performed by The Hedley Lamar Band

tickets

Smokey & The Mirror — Saturday October 6 at 7pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Chemistry + Talent + Energy =
Husband & Wife Americana Duo
Building Community Through Excellence
as Crooked Creek presents
Smokey & The Mirror!

Saturday, October 6 at 7:00PM

 

“Bryan and Bernice Hembree (Smokey & The Mirror) are making some of the best folk music today. The songs remind me of a time when Guy Clark was unknown and Ray Wylie Hubbard was still a folkie. Smart, cool and never pretentious.”

– Greg Johnson, The Blue Door

Crooked Creek Concert Association presents Fayetteville Roots Festival  founders, Smokey & The Mirror, who will perform at the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks, Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater, on October 6 at 7:00PM. Tickets are available in advance for $10; at the door, they will be $15. 

Smokey & The Mirror is husband/wife duo Bryan and Bernice Hembree. Based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Smokey & The Mirror has toured nationally and internationally over the past decade. The band has supported tours for Old Crow Medicine Show, The Wood Brothers, I’m With Her, Elephant Revival, John Fullbright, and many of their musical heroes. They tour most often as a duo, but also play many shows as a four-piece band. Whatever the configuration, the interplay of their two unique voices coupled with engaging, accessible songs form the foundation of Smokey & The Mirror.

The Hembrees work tirelessly on many musical and creative pursuits.  They are committed to others’ music as much as their own.  They have found that the most satisfying path to longevity in music is to put others’ art in the spotlight or to inspire others’ to find their voice.  They believe that the future of music is not winning the “me first” battle, but rather building community. To this end, they are founders and co-creators of the Fayetteville Roots Festival and also spent a year (2017) with Austin-based international songwriting collaborative, House of Songs, to pilot House of Songs Ozarks in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Crooked Creek Concert Association presents Fayetteville Roots Festival  founders, Smokey & The Mirror, who will perform at the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks, Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater, on October 6 at 7:00PMTickets are available in advance for $10; at the door, they will be $15. 

The thing I love most about this band and the evening with them is not only the powerfully beautiful voice of bass player, Bernice Hembree, or the well-written songs of Bryan Hembree, sung with his rustic, true American voice – it’s the energy they bring on stage and to the audience! You can tell when they are performing; they truly treasure what they do. They feed off each other to the point it’s sometimes hard to tell where the guitar stops and the bass starts!”  – 

– Chris Roberts, Red Arm Music

 tickets

Comedy with Sam Adams — Friday, December 7, 2018 at 7:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Way Smoother than the Beer…It’s Time for Comedy with Sam Adams!
Friday, December 7 at 7:00PM

Join us on December 7 at 7:00pm, for sports writer, TV personality, author, motivational speaker, Pop-a-Shot record-setter, and…oh, yeah, massively funny standup comic!…Sam Adams!

Smooth. Clever. Hilarious. These words are used often to describe Sam Adams on stage. His energetic, comically-insightful act is 100 percent profanity-free and filled with observations about every-day encounters. Sam is a headline performer, and also has shared stages with national-touring comedians and music recording artists.

In 2009 Sam entered the Great American Comedy Festival held annually in Johnny Carson’s childhood hometown of Norfolk, Nebraska. Sam left the festival as its most unique winner still to this date. Entered in the festival initially as an amateur, Sam won that competition. Later he was asked to compete with the professionals after one of the entrants fell ill. In a field of experienced comedians with national comedy club tours and late-night TV show appearances on their resumes, Sam took second place. It was an impetus for him to pursue a professional career in stand-up comedy.

Sam’s book is a great read that moves from ‘sports’ to ‘more’.

Sam has been described by many in the entertainment field as a Renaissance Man. In addition to performing comedy on stage, Sam also is booked as a Keynote Speaker for his motivational “Laughter Is Good Business” presentation, where he brings comedy and business to an intersection by showing ‘How To Spell Success With The Letter P.’ Sam also has served as Master of Ceremonies for numerous high-profile events and has appeared in several TV commercial ads seen nationally.

Sam’s an author, too, with a book titled If You Don’t Believe Me: Lessons Learned from Listening To The Greats. In the book, Pro Football Hall of Famer John Elway offered the following tribute: “Through the ups and downs of an NFL career, I developed great trust, respect and appreciation for him. Blending an uncanny ability to mix humor with keen insight and knowledge, Sam is a one-of-a-kind storyteller.”

Off the record, Sam has nearly 25 years of experience as a newspaper sports journalist. His work, as a staff writer and columnist, has appeared in The Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News and The Charlotte Observer. In 2003 Sam received the Print Journalist of the Year award from his peers in Colorado. He also is credited with television appearances on ESPN, Fox Sports, CBS and NFL Network, and has covered championship events at all levels — most notably four Super Bowls, two Olympiads, two NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours, one Stanley Cup Finals and one World Series. In 2014 Denver’s NBC affiliate KUSA-9NEWS added Sam as a regular contributor to its sports programming, with weekly appearances on the station’s Sports A to Z and Broncos Game Day Live shows.

There were two stars on the night…….Host Sam Adams….not the beer guy…..who was hysterical in a PG way that reminded us of Bill Cosby. They should have let him do the whole two hours. The other big winner was the funnel cake fries which were sweet and delicious and served in a big basket. Sam Adams, in my opinion, is a spectacular talent waiting to be discovered on a national stage. If you see him on the list of performers, you should go. — Review of Comedy Works of Denver

Sam has appeared with the likes of Daniel Tosh, Mike Epps, Jake Johannsen, Wendy Liebman, Greg Warren, and Frank Caliendo, as well as opening for musicians and bands like The Guess Who, Three Dog Night, Al Jarreau, Air Supply, Al Stewart, and Starship. A world class entertainer—and a classy guy in general—the Ozark Arts Council is thankful for the sponsorship of Jeff Crocket Properties that allows us to bring Sam Adams to the Lyric stage for the affordable price of just $15 per ticket.

Comedian Sam Adams #LiveAtTheLyric Friday, December 7, 2018 at 7:00. Tickets available on our ticketing page or by calling (870) 391-3504; $15 in advance, $18 at the door.

OAC Ticketing Link

Multi-level Guitar Workshop with Laurence Juber — Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 2:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Two-Time Grammy Winner Laurence Juber to Hold Guitar Workshop!
Saturday, September 22 at @:00PM

Guitarists, join us on September 22 at 2:00pm, for a special class from two-time Grammy winner, Laurence Juber!

Laurence JuberNowhere else in Arkansas can you get this opportunity to study under guitar virtuoso Laurence Juber. LJ will hold a two hour class in the afternoon before his 7:00pm concert at Harrison’s “Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks,” the historic 1929 Lyric Theater! The price for this class is $50—but, if you have a ticket to the concert at the Lyric on Saturday evening (or to Friday’s concert at Sunrise Guitars adjoining venue Sunrise Stage in Fayetteville), you only pay $40!

James White (local guitarist and vocalist and columnist for the Harrison Daily Times) writes, “Although some people refer to ‘Up Close with LJ’ as a master class, he thinks of it as a workshop. He says it’s multi-level and addresses a range of fundamental concepts, some advanced musical information and general guitaristic ‘tune-ups.’ There is a component he calls ‘guitarology,’ in which he explores differing finger style patterns that go back to the beginning of the instrument.

LJ has released 17 critically acclaimed solo albums which feature his celebrated arrangements of popular tunes and genre-crossing compositions. In Fall 2010, he released the highly anticipated LJ Plays the Beatles Vol. 2. He was voted “Guitarist of the Year” by the readers of Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and named one of the top acoustic guitar players of all time by Acoustic Guitar Magazine—and he is on its cover again for the October, 2018 issue, as he releases his new album, which traces the roots of fingerstyle guitar. From classical to the Beatles and Hendrix, LJ is a master of it all, and is coming to share his insights with you!

To sign up for “Up Close with LJ,” simply go to our ticketing page! Enroll now, as space is limited!

OAC Ticketing Link

Battle of the Bands — Saturday August 4 at 7:00pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Summer 2018 Battle of the Bands
featuring FOUR local bands and a tribute to
 The Beatles!
Saturday, August 4 at 7:00PM

 

Sound Pilot

 Four great area bands, playing the songs that keep crowds all over Northwest and Central Arkansas and Southern Missouri coming back for more, plus what they’ll be judged on in this show: their covering of a Beatles tune, whether in the original setting or in their own style! Who will most compellingly make a Fab Four song their own and take this Summer’s bragging rights—and the cash prize?

The Ozark Arts Council is delighted to host these wonderful musicians who have graciously chosen to play for us at this fundraising event, through which we are hoping to begin our restoration of the Lyric Theater’s original balcony restrooms, which have been out of service since the 1970s. Thanks to some fantastic sponsors, the bands are competing for a cash prize, as well as area bragging rights, and we’re expecting a dynamite show!

The Hedley Lamar Band

The doors of the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks—Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater—will open at 6:00 for a 7:00 performance on Saturday, August 4. Adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout this concert, and there will be short (5–10 minute) intermissions between bands, as well. Tickets are available in advance for $10; at the door, they will be $15.

Midnight Rider performed by Earth Bone

 

As you can see from the videos posted here, our bands have very different styles, often showing blues and folk roots with an edge both in their covers and new compositions that shows a personal ‘backstory’ that can make even the same song relate in completely different ways.

Featured bands include The Hedley Lamar Band, LeadFoot 65, Sound Pilot, and Earth Bone, all of whom you’ve heard and loved for several years, and, thanks to our sponsors, you get to hear and love them again but all in one place. Many thanks to Milam Refrigeration, TLD Construction, GFI Inc., Anderson Electric & Plumbing, Quality Construction & Remodeling, Harrison Mini Storage, Elite Plumbing & Construction, The Arnold Team at Weichert Realtors, and Mitchell Electric for sponsoring the grand prize for our Battle!

The Outlaw performed by Leadfoot 65

 

The Summer 2018 Battle of the Bands will begin at 7:00 on Saturday, August 4. The doors of Harrison’s historic Lyric Theater will open at 6:00 and adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout the evening. Tickets are available in advance online or at (870) 391-3504 for $10; at the door, they will be $15.

 

tickets

Two-Time Grammy Winner Laurence Juber Returns! — Saturday, September 22, 2018 at 7:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Two-Time Grammy Winner Laurence Juber Returns to The Lyric!
Saturday, September 22 at 7:00PM

Join us on September 22 at 7:00pm, for universally acknowledged master of the guitar, Laurence Juber!

Breaking News! LJ to teach multi-level guitar workshop #OnlyAtTheLyric! Follow this link to page for workshop info and signup!

Laurence JuberThis two-time Grammy-winner (once with Sir Paul McCartney’s “Wings” and once as a solo artist) thrilled the Lyric audience in 2015, and is returning to continue to dazzle us with his wit, which is as evident in his playing as his absolute mastery of his instrument—not only in its standard implementation, but through a variety of tunings that allow him to express far more than one normally associates with the playing of a single acoustic guitar.

As an award-winning fingerstyle acoustic guitarist also known for his electric work as lead guitarist in Wings, LJ has a large following among guitar fans and Beatles/classic rock fans. His shows feature his original compositions along with amazing covers of Beatles and classic rock songs like “Layla” and “Little Wingwhere he literally plays every melody of the song on just one guitar!

Seriously, How Good Is He?

Well, let’s put it this way…when C.F. Martin & Co. make a series of signature guitars named after you, you’re a bit beyond “pretty good.”

Pete Townsend of The Who simply exclaims, “A master!”

As a studio musician, LJ can be heard on recordings from artists as diverse as Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks to Seal to Barry Manilow, plus he is featured on the soundtracks to hundreds of TV shows such as Home Improvement and movies including the academy award-winning Dirty Dancing, Good Will Hunting, and Pocahontas.

You like video games? LJ co-composed the soundtrack of the award-winning video game Diablo III.

You watch the news? LJ crafted the score to the NBC Dateline documentary Children Of The Harvest. His music is also featured in the Ken Burns’ documentary The Tenth Inning.

In other words: You’ve Heard Him Even if You Haven’t Heard of Him!

LJ has released 17 critically acclaimed solo albums which feature his celebrated arrangements of popular tunes and genre-crossing compositions. In Fall 2010, he released the highly anticipated LJ Plays the Beatles Vol. 2. He was voted “Guitarist of the Year” by the readers of Fingerstyle Guitar Magazine and named one of the top acoustic guitar players of all time by Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

A dynamic, entertaining performer and an accomplished clinician, LJ brings his passion for the guitar to venues around the world, creating a multi-faceted performance that belies the use of only one instrument. In Spring 2013 Laurence Juber released Under an Indigo Sky on Solid Air Records with a special limited edition vinyl for Record Store Day, and has just released LJ Can’t Stop Playing the Beatles.

At the heart of LJ’s sound and style breathes a near-flawless technique where a fiercely emotional underbelly, alternate tunings, and keen sense of melody and rhythm coalesce into something uniquely his own……you don’t have to be a solo-happy guitar worshipper to appreciate his talents.
– Inland Empire Weekly

OAC Ticketing Link

Piano Magic with Scott Carrell — Sunday June 24 at 2pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

How about Some Musical Sleight of Hand?
The Magic of the Piano with Scott Carrell!
Sunday, June 24 at 2:00PM

We were very honored that he included Oklahoma State University on his tour schedule. While the audience was dazzled by his technical brilliance, they were also drawn in by his thoughtful musical interpretation. He was so engaging and knowledgeable as he talked to the audience; students and community members alike felt as though they came away having learned a great deal. It was also a real treat to have the opportunity to hear him perform his own wonderful composition.

– Ms. Heather Lanners, Assistant Professor of Piano
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK

Showcasing well-known masterpieces as well as less familiar works deserving greater recognition, pianist Scott Carrell is known for his virtuosic flair, expressive playing and informative comments. From Romantic fireworks to graceful classics, he gives audiences the “highest level of classical music entertainment and education.” Now he brings that virtuosity and desire to give all he has received also to every audience member the historic Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square. June 24 at 2:00PM is the time for the event and tickets are available in advance for $7.50; at the door, they will be $10. 

A native of Texas, Carrell has performed numerous recitals as soloist and as collaborator, including concerto appearances with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, the Pine Bluff Symphony Orchestra, the Southwestern University Orchestra, the Plainview Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Worth Civic Orchestra, the Little Rock Wind Symphony, the New York Classical Players, and twice with the Harding University/Community Orchestra.

An active chamber musician, he co-founded the Searcy Chamber Music Series and has performed on many of its concerts.  He has also performed in recital and small ensembles in Florence, Italy, and Mainz, Germany and was the guest artist for the 2011 Robert Herrin Piano Festival at Texarkana College.  In 2014, Carrell was invited to Guangzhou, China, to perform a concert, to give lectures, and to teach piano students in masterclasses. Most recently, he was the featured artist for the 2017 Scott Joplin Festival at Northwest Missouri State University, giving a recital, lecture, and masterclass.

In 2005 his compact disc Crossings was released, including the world premiere recording of the title work, an original composition based on a painting by an Arkansas artist.  The disc Ragtime Memories was released in 2007.  Other premieres of original works include a Suite for Brass Quintet (2011), Dance for Oboe and Piano (2011), and Conversation for double-reed trio (2015).

Carrell has spent much of his career exploring the music of French composers, with an emphasis on finding unknown masterpieces deserving recognition.  This work has resulted in several concerts of French music and in the release in 2016 of the disc Piano Works of Noël Gallon, featuring world premiere recordings of music by a Paris Conservatory professor.

Receiving degrees from Southwestern University, the University of Illinois, and the D.M.A. from the University of North Texas, Carrell studied with internationally-known artists Drusilla Huffmaster, Ian Hobson, and Vladimir Viardo and participated in masterclasses with Abbey Simon, Gail Delente, and Dominique Merlet.  The French Piano Institute awarded him a prize for the best performance of a work by Henri Dutilleux at the 1996 FPI Festival in Paris, France.  He was also honored with the Distinguished Teacher Award from Harding University for the 2003-2004 and 2012-2013 academic years.

An active member of the Arkansas State Music Teachers Association, he has presented sessions at both regional and state conferences and serves as a division coordinator of MTNA. Currently teaching piano, piano-related courses, and music theory at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, Carrell is in demand as a soloist, collaborative artist, teacher, and adjudicator.

Pianist Scott Carrell will appear at the historic Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square. June 24 at 2:00PMTickets are available in advance for $7.50; at the door, they will be $10. 

tickets

White Fox Kill: Album Release Show! — Saturday June 23 at 7:30pm — #LiveAtTheLyric!

“Wild West Fairytale Rock Music”
It’s an Album Release Show
with White Fox Kill!
Saturday, June 23 at 7:30PM

“I wasn’t exactly sure what I was gonna be hearing when I walked into AJ’s for my first White Fox Kill show; (my wife calls me a music snob). They settled into their first song and I knew this was gonna be somethin’ special. Wow….They absolutely Killed it!!!!!…Ozarks Original…..Must See Band. Support your Local Music People, you’re lucky to have these guys in the area!!!!”

–  Brett McDaniel, Facebook review

The Ozark Arts Council is delighted to host the album release show for alternative rock band White Fox Kill. The doors of the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks—Harrison, Arkansas’s historic Lyric Theater—will open at 6:30 for a 7:30 performance on Saturday, June 23. Adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout this album release party. Tickets are available in advance for $10; at the door, they will be $15. 

From “the southern wild jungles of Arkansas” comes a new breed of Alternative Rock that has resonated with fans across a broad spectrum of genres: White Fox Kill is exactly the sort of band that those who know Americana and want more of a rock edge would expect to hear at the Lyric!

With influences that range from Johnny Cash to Eminem, from the psychedelic, proto-progressive rock sounds of Pink Floyd to the blue-collar rock of Bruce Springsteen and back to the blues underpinnings of rock giants Led Zeppelin, White Fox Kill has no problem weaving together both lyrical and musical images that are both pleasing and challenging. Considering that they are fans of some of the greatest roots music lyricists of the past century—Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt—and have an expressiveness akin to some of today’s top artists (from Kings of Leon to Lana Del Rey), their willingness to mix styles to get their point across is the very picture of being an Arkansawyer in the modern world: they build on the best of the past and extract the best from today, as well. The influences of Nirvana and The Pixies come through, as well, in the band’s willingness to mix hard and soft, all to present their ‘jungles of Arkansas’ take on their subject matter.

White Fox Kill has been honing their craft on the road and in the studio, releasing several songs (complete with on screen lyrics) via YouTube the past couple of years. Recently, they were able to complete their first album, with Scott Hoffmann in charge of production. He says that they went for a “raw, puckish” sound that lets the composition of the music shine forth as both simple and complex, allowing the hearer to fix on the lyrics that are, he says, “reminiscent of Lennon, Dylan, Cobain, and Townes [Van Zandt].”

White Fox Kill will perform at the Roots Music Palace of the Ozarks at 7:30 on Saturday, June 23. The doors will open at 6:30, and adult beverages and general concessions will be available throughout the show. Tickets are available in advance online or at (870) 391-3504 for $10; at the door, they will be $15. For more WFK videos, check out their YouTube channel;

 

tickets

2nd Annual Summer Lip Sync Showdown! — Benefit for Ozark Rape Crisis Center — Saturday, June 1 at 7pm, but Come at 6:00! — #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

Summer Lip Sync Showdown II!
in support of
Ozark Rape Crisis Center

Saturday, June 1 at 7:00PM
Doors open at 6:00PM to view silent auction items
and to grab refreshments and get to your seat!

Check out this video on how you can get involved & support victims of sexual violence in our community.

The Ozark Rape Crisis Center provides 24-Hour Crisis Intervention and Advocacy services for victims of sexual violence, as well as violence prevention education for the general public in Boone, Carroll, Johnson, Marion, Newton, Pope and Searcy Counties in Arkansas.

All services are confidential and free of charge. Call ORCC’s Hotline at 1.800.818.1189 for assistance. Visit their website and Facebook page or email ORCC for more information about the services they provide.

Come support ORCC through this fun event and help put an end to sexual violence!

To sign up for the Lip Sync Showdown, please call 870.741.4141.

 

OAC Ticketing Link