ROONEY
8:30 p.m., Juanita’s. $12 adv., $15 d.o.s.
Unabashedly derivative, hugely poppy and ooh-so dreamy, Rooney
returns to Little Rock for the second time this year. Here’s betting
that the audience looks quite a bit different. The L.A. quintet’s
February show found
them opening for tween sensations the Jonas Brothers. Despite an
earlier tour with Kelly Clarkson and pretty transparent aspirations to
break into mainstream pop radio, Rooney’s likely to draw more young
indie-rockers than anyone else on Wednesday. Led by Robert Schwartzman
(brother of Jason, son of Talia Shire, nephew of Nic Cage, et al), the
band draws influences from sunny California throwbacks like the Beach
Boys and British revivalists like ELO and Superdrag. Currently on the
Calling the World Tour, in support of 2007’s album of the same name,
the group has said that at this tour’s conclusion, they’ll go into the
studio to record a new album. Maybe we’ll get sneak peeks. Brooklyn’s Locksley, who mine similar Brit-pop territory, opens, with High Places.