THURSDAY 8/23
The next Potluck & Poison Ivy storytelling series features live music from Josh Stoffer and stories from Rhonda Owen, Gay Lee and brave audience members, the Joint Theater and Coffeehouse, 7 p.m., $35. The Progressive Arkansas Women’s PAC hosts “Dames, Dems & Drinks” at the Albert Pike Masonic Center, 6 p.m., $75. Arkansas Symphony Orchestra musicians team up with University of Central Arkansas faculty members for “An Evening with Spanish Music,” a fundraiser for the group’s performance in Granada, Spain, later this month, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church of Jacksonville, donations. Johnny Beehner, one of the last comedians to appear on The Late Show with David Letterman, takes his act to The Loony Bin, 7:30 p.m. Thu.-Sat., 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $8-$12. The MacArthur Museum of Military History hosts Arkie Pub Trivia at Stone’s Throw Brewing, 6:30 p.m., free. The Gold Show Drag Show kicks off at Maxine’s in Hot Springs, 9 p.m., $5. Chuck Pack entertains at Cajun’s Wharf for happy hour, 5:30 p.m., free; Darrell Claypool & Illusion Allstars follow, 9 p.m., $5. Arkansas State University in Jonesboro opens the exhibition “Body Parts” in the Bradbury Museum with a reception, 5 p.m.
FRIDAY 8/24
Early aughts country radio royalty Rascal Flatts holds court at the Murphy Arts District Amphitheater in El Dorado, 7 p.m., $52-$63. Quapaw Native American Graves Protection Repatriation Act Program Director Carrie Wilson will speak at Curran Hall for the Quapaw Quarter Association’s “Preservation Conversations” series, 6 p.m., free. Revered local vocalist and educator I.J. Routen sits in with the Clyde Pound Trio at the Ohio Club in Hot Springs, 7 p.m. Elsewhere in Hot Springs, Aaron Owens performs at Oaklawn Racing & Gaming’s Silks Bar & Grill, 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., free. Believe it or … well, believe it! Tragikly White is a quarter-century old, and the dance cover band plays a free show at the Rev Room in celebration/fan appreciation, 10 p.m. Over at Stickyz, Modern Measure blends pulsating visuals and throbbing synth instrumentation in its hybrid live-electronic show, 9 p.m., $10-$13. No Convictions, Two-Piece and Eyes Up share a heavy music bill at Vino’s, 8 p.m., $12. Howard & Skye duet at Hibernia Irish Tavern, 7:30 p.m. Voodoo Fix plays the late night set at West End Smokehouse, 10 p.m. Fri.-Sat., $7. Adam Tilly plays a free set for happy hour at Cajun’s, 5:30 p.m., Mister Lucky follows on the main stage, 9 p.m., $5. Tampa Bay sibling rockers The Ries Brothers land at Kings Live Music in Conway, with Caleb Patton, 8:30 p.m., $5. The Akeem Kemp Band takes the stage at Markham Street Grill & Pub, 8:30 p.m. The William F. Laman Library hosts a reception for the Arkansas Society of Printmakers show, 6 p.m.
SATURDAY 8/25
The Big Dam Horns shake the rafters at the White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. Meanwhile, tress-blessed blues rockers Greasy Tree turn it up at Four Quarter Bar, 10 p.m., $7. Jody Seabody and The Whirls share a lively bill at Maxine’s with local dream rockers Landrest and rapper Kyle Hubbard, 9 p.m., $5. Southern rockers DeFrance play for the home state crowd at TC’s Midtown Grill in Conway, 9 p.m. Smooth jazz saxophonist Grady Nichols plays at the Hotel Hot Springs & Spa to raise funds for the Lupus Foundation of Arkansas, 7:15 p.m., $35-$40. Acapella Rising (formerly the Diamond State Men’s Chorus) joins the Crossroads Quartet for two shows at UA Pulaski Technical College’s Center for the Humanities and Arts, 2 p.m., $20, and 7 p.m., $25, see acapellarising.com for tickets. Songwriter Jeff Bates takes the stage at Jimmy Doyle’s Country Club, with the Luke Williams Band, 8 p.m., $20-$30. The Hollow Jets, The Streakers and Good Monday get loud at Vino’s, 8 p.m., $8. Trey Johnson & The Droppers keep the dance floor full at Cajun’s, 9 p.m., $5. Suave frontman Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces take the stage at Kings Live Music in Conway, with Joey Fanstar, 8:30 p.m., $5. In Fayetteville, the Couch Jackets send their hallucinogenic rock into the rafters at Smoke & Barrel Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. Jet 420 fires up a set at Thirst N’ Howl Bar and Grill, 8:30 p.m.
SUNDAY 8/26
YouTube sensation turned pop darling/producer Charlie Puth gives a concert at the Walmart AMP in Rogers, with Hailee Steinfeld, 7:30 p.m., $32-$80.
MONDAY 8/27
Comedian Steven Farmer lands at Stone’s Throw Brewing on his tour of breweries across America, 7 p.m., $15. Dig out your best beret and sonnets: Dive Bar Poets kicks off with poems from RJ Looney, Zachary Crow and others at White Water, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY 8/29
Songwriter Will Stewart stares down his native Birmingham with tunes from “County Seat,” aided by an expatriate perspective and pedal steel, 8 p.m., Four Quarter Bar. $5.