THE MAGPIES
10 p.m., White Water Tavern. $5.
Of
all the out-of-state bands who’ve found a home in Little Rock at White
Water Tavern, few if any have been embraced like the Magpies. Formerly
known as Roger Hoover and the Whiskeyhounds, the Cleveland-based
four-piece specializes in what it calls “indiefolkrockrevivalism,” a
rowdy blend of big guitars, bluesy organ and lead singer Hoover’s
hollerin’. Or preaching, as it were. Saturday finds the band exploring
essential barroom themes — death, heartbreak, redemption, drunkenness —
not just in songs that’ll be familiar to the faithful, but in new ones,
too. The official release party for the band’s latest, “Strangers,”
doesn’t come until late September, but because White Water serves as a
sort of home away from home for the band, they’re anxious to put it in
friendly hands. So look for plenty of that material — comprised of
songs Hoover wrote before teaming up with the Magpies — to get a
full-tilt live workout.