Sugar and the Raw, one of the best original party bands in the region, unveils its debut CD “Translucent” in a show at Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom on Friday, April 29.
Sugar and the Raw, a finalist two years ago in the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, put eight songs of tumultuous rock and soul on their debut for the local independent Max Recordings label. The local group blends a setup of guitar, bass and drums with a strong horn section/shaker and tambourine crew, and SATR makes for as good a listening act as they do playing on the stage in front of a buzzing crowd.
Friday’s show starts at 9 p.m. with the Applescruffs opening. Admission is $8, which includes a free CD.
Two-time Grammy -Award-winning band Ozomatli is working in a date at Sticky Fingerz on Thursday, April 28, on its way to the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis this weekend.
The Los Angeles-based hip-hop, salsa funk and rock band is the perfect “getting ready for summer” music — get it on mestizo-style, with party-hearty lyrics tempered with Latino social activism mostly in Spanish, but with a vibe that even the gringos can appreciate. They’ll be going on tour next month with Los Lonely Boys, also performing in Memphis. Admission is $12. The show starts at 8 p.m. (doors at 7 p.m.) with the Fundamentals from St. Louis, who we caught last week as the opening act for the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.
Hardcore rockers Dillinger Escape Plan, a New Jersey-based hardcore fivesome that’s a favorite among the locals here, will be at Vino’s Brewpub on Friday, April 29, along with Heads Will Roll and The Number 12 Looks Like You. The all-ages show starts at 7:30 p.m., admission is $15.
Mother Jackson, a Southern rock band with a bit of a ’70s sound, plays at Midtown Billiards late night Friday, April 29. One of the members of the Athens, Ga.-based quartet is guitarist Richard Mikulka, who is the son of Moe Tucker of the Velvet Underground. The band’s latest, not-so-nicely named album is “Suck On This.” Music starts around 1 a.m. and lasts until around 4 a.m. Memberships are $7, and members pay $3 to get in.
Here’s a quick glance at some of the other big club shows over the next few days: The Odds, winners of this year’s Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase, get a headline gig at Cajun’s Wharf on Saturday. The five-man group blends pop, rock, blues rock, percussive jam and even some glam-like vocals for a unique sound. Cover charge is $5 and the show starts at about 9 p.m. … The Boswells, a veteran local band with an R.E.M./Toad the Wet Sprocket vibe, plays at Cornerstone Deli and Pub in North Little Rock on Friday, April 29. The cover is $5 … Blues guitarist extraordinaire Wes Jeans does shows Friday and Saturday nights at Legends Sports Bar on Rodney Parham Road … Local rockers the Poeboy Society are the Friday headliners at Sticky Fingerz starting at 10 p.m. … Local guitarist-singer Jeff Coleman and his roots-rocking band are causing a stir regionally; check them out at the White Water Tavern on Saturday at 10 p.m. The cover is $5.

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