CORBETT: Exposed as musician.

Some only know him in the roles that he’s played on television or in the movies. Yes, John Corbett is an actor by trade –- we’re fans of his cool quirky DJ role in “Northern Exposure,” not to mention his stint as one of Carrie Bradshaw’s boyfriends on “Sex and the City.”

But there is also a side to Corbett that is just now being exposed: musician.

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He leads the down-to-earth country-rock quartet dubbed the John Corbett Band, which will appear Sunday, April 23, at Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom.

This stop is in support of his recently released self-titled debut album. Of course, there is always a sense of skepticism when actors try their hand in the music biz (Corey Feldman comes to mind); but there is an honesty and integrity in the execution of songs. His album, for example, includes pedigreed musicians such as Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, and Corbett has opened for Buck Owens, Charlie Daniels, Josh Turner and Asleep at the Wheel, among others.

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His songs are doing quite well — “Bottle of Whiskey” and “Good To Go” just might have some of those skeptics changing their tune.

Admission for the 7:30 p.m. show is $10.

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Fayetteville-based Vore released its new CD, “Maleficus,” a couple of months back, and we attentively listened to the dramatic compositions and found ourselves in a semi-dream/nightmarish state of death metal. The excerpts within are not songs, they’re technical compositions: deep, dark, morbid and brutal, evoking Satanic images of griffins, dragons, severed limbs and an uprising of the denizens of the abyss. It would basically scare the hell out of the uninitiated.

After hearing the album, we’re surprised they are as yet unsigned, seeing how other Arkansas bands such as Rwake have been signed to Relapse Records. As a side note, newest member Jeremy Partin (a Little Rock resident) was formerly with the now defunct Fallen Empire, but has been with Vore for several years now. He also does a metal-music column, “Hell-a-metal,” under the sobriquet “Skullcrusher” for the Little Rock Free Press. Not to highlight Partin only; vocals (where that sound comes from, only Beezlebub knows) are shared by Page Townsley and John Voekler, with head-thumping drums by Remy Cameron.

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Vore will play Vino’s Brewpub on Friday, April 21. Also appearing: Epoch of Unlight and Nongrata. Showtime is 8:30 p.m. and admission is $5.

On Saturday, April 22, they’ll be back home playing the Dart Room in Fayetteville.

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Monoxide Project, with former members of Bitter End, has gotten it together to release a CD, which it will debut at Juanita’s on Thursday, April 20. Admission is $8, and the show starts at 9 p.m. with various special guests expected, including the Gettys and Reverend Appleby. Admission for 18 and up is $8.

Further Down, the hard rock band from Jonesboro, has been busy touring the state and getting some recognition (and some sponsorship by local radio). FD will be at Cornerstone on Saturday, April 22, with Stranger Than Fiction. Admission is $5 for the 10 p.m. show.

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Catch Runaway Planet here before the progressive bluegrass quartet revolves to another part of the universe: The group is at White Water Tavern on Friday, April 21. Admission for the 10 p.m. show is $5. On Saturday, April 22, White Water will have Chris Denny — the local younger, light-skinned version of Blind Willie McTell, Skip James and Leadbelly. He’ll join local singer-songwriter Sara Thomas. They’ll start at 9:30 p.m. ($5).

Blues news:

For some of you who will be attending the Blues on the River festival on Saturday, April 22, and want more: John Lee Hooker Jr. will be at Sticky Fingerz Saturday night. The son of the legendary original Hooker, he’s been on Hooker Sr.’s albums, including at age 18 “Live at Soledad Prison.” He covers his father with “Boom, Boom, Boom,” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” and also has his own material. Originals that we like from his latest album, the W.C. Handy Award-winning (and Grammy nominated) album “Blues With a Vengeance,” include “Blues Ain’t Nothin’ But a Pimp,” inspired by a some words of wisdom from the elder Hooker to his son.

Hooker Jr. fuses the Delta-blues form that he learned growing up with the R&B and soul he was exposed to growing up in Detroit City, Mich. Charlotte Taylor and Gypsy Rain will open at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $8.

All this makes us want to hear other offspring of famous blues cats, such as Shirley King (daughter of B.B.) or Bill Morganfield (son of Muddy Waters).

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Two-man Texas-based blues band Trainreck will be stripped down and dirty for a casual Thursday, April 20, date at the Press Box. It’s that live Mississippi hill country/boogie blues that this reporter has a taste for, in the style of Hound Dog Taylor, T-Model Ford and Blind Willie Johnson. The duo includes K.W. Williams (an ordained minister), who supplies slide, diddley bow, harp and anguished vocals, and Washboard Jackson, who comes from a rock and punk background and supplies everything else, from broken-down drum set to a washboard strapped to his chest.

Admission is $5. They’ll start around 9:30 p.m.

Not for members only: We see that the Bada Bing, south of town on 145th Street, will be bringing in Bobby Blue Bland on April 30. We pity the fool that doesn’t go to that show. Tickets are $20.

Who the heck is Lucky Rudy Poo? We don’t know, but the name cracks us up. He (or they) will be at White Water Tavern on Tuesday, April 25, for a free show that starts at 10 p.m.

Dierks Bentley and Cross Canadian Ragweed will perform on Monday, April 24, at the Farris Center on the UCA campus in Conway. General admission for the public is $25; UCA student tickets are $15. Tickets can be purchased at the Reynolds Center box office Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., or online at www.uca.edu/tickets. Call 501-450-3265 for more information.

Also in Conway: On Thursday, April 27, Lucero will be at the Soundstage. Opening at 9 p.m. will be the Glass. Admission is $12 (or $10 in advance) for all ages.

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