Formed after the devastating earthquake of 2010, multi-generational Haitian music group Lakou Mizik will share their roots revival music with Northwest Arkansas 7 p.m. April 13 at the Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The free show is presented by the UA Center for Multicultural & Diversity Education.
Lakou Mizik is made up of musicians of all ages. According to the group's biography, "the idea for the band was hatched in 2010 on a hot November night in Port-au-Prince. Haiti was still reeling from the earthquake, a cholera epidemic was raging, and a political crisis filled the streets with enough tire-burning ferocity to close the international airport. Steve Valcourt, a guitarist and singer whose father is one of the country's iconic musicians, singer Jonas Attis and American producer Zach Niles met in Valcourt's muggy basement studio and agreed that Haiti's music and culture could serve as an antidote to the flood of negativity." The result was a "a powerhouse collective of singers, rara horn players, drummers, guitarists and even an accordionist."
"We are fortunate that Lakou Mizik is back in the U.S. I don't believe they have been able to come back since Folk Alliance due to the pandemic," explains Bryan Hembree, director of arts & culture for the Center for Multicultural & Diversity Education. "They are visiting the University of Arkansas in between playing Big Ears Festival in Knoxville just a few weeks ago and just before they are slated to play the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. This will be their first visit to Fayetteville and first time playing in Arkansas."
The group has released two albums and has gone on international tours garnering praise from The New York Times which said songs from Lakou Mizik's first album, Wa Di Yo, "draw on the rhythms and incantations of voodoo, the trumpeting of rara carnival music and hearty call-and-response vocal harmonies on their way to galloping, exultant dance grooves." Their first album was listed as one of the best world music releases of the past five years by Songlines magazine.
For more information on Lakou Mizik visit lakoumizik.com. To reserve a spot for Lakou Mizik's Fayetteville show visit https://bit.ly/37k10LA.
Does your band have news? Reach out to [email protected].
FAYETTEVILLE
• Tower of Power performs at 7 p.m. April 10; Mingus Big Band plays at 7 p.m. April 29 at the Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. waltonartscenter.org.
• James "Daddy" Miller plays at 6 p.m. April 13; Awayne performs at 7 p.m. April 14; and The Cole Birmingham Band starts at 8 p.m. April 15 at Six-Twelve Coffeehouse, 3980 W. Wedington Drive. 856-6382; facebook.com/sixtwelvecoffeehouseandbar.
• Happy Hour with Earl & Them starts at 6 p.m. ($8) and then Lucero and Myron Elkins perform at 8:30 p.m. April 15 ($28-$30); The Great Divide plays at 8:30 p.m. April 16; Waxahatchee and Madi Diaz play at 8:30 April 18 ($25); Chris Renzena and Antoine Bradford play at 8:30 p.m. April 19; Happy Hour with Full House happens at 6 p.m. ($8) then Paul Cauthen plays a sold-out show with Taylor McCall at 8:30 p.m. April 22 at George's Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St. 527-6618; georgesmajesticlounge.com.
• River Tramps perform at 8 p.m. April 15; Dirty Seconds perform at 8 p.m. April 16; and TownHouseFire with Ted Hamming & the Campaign and Keyven Dunn play at 8 p.m. April 30; The Rap Rock Show featuring The Dryline, Sam Price, MaeDae, Reno Mix and Bobby Williams and others starts at 8 p.m. May 7 at Nomad's Trailside, 1863 N. Pluto Drive. facebook.com/nomadstrailside.
• Rainbow Kitten Surprise plays a sold-out show April 11; Cherub plays at 7:30 p.m. April 14 ($22.50 and up); Samantha Fish takes the stage April 21 ($20 and up); The Revivialists with special guest Maggie Rose perform at 7:30 p.m. April 22 ($49.50); Rival Sons play at 7:30 p.m. April 29 ($27.50); and Wheeler Walker Jr. performs at 7:30 p.m. April 30 ($25) at JJ's Live, 3615 N. Steele Blvd. jjslive.com.
• UA Jazz presents Latin Jazz Masters at 7:30 p.m. April 19 at the Black Box Theatre, 2 E. Center St. digjazz.com/events.
• State House Electric plays at 6 p.m. April 17 at Mojo's Fayetteville East, 2630 E. Citizens Drive. www.mojospintsandpies.com
• Fayetteville Roots will host The Steel Wheels at the Fayetteville Public Library Event Center at 7:30 p.m. April 24 ($25). fayettevilleroots.org/rootshq.
FORT SMITH
• Tennessee Jet performs at 8 p.m. April 16 ($15); Drake White plays with Kasey Tyndall at 7 p.m. April 21 ($20-$95); Jake Hoot plays at 8 p.m. April 29 ($12-$15); Huster Brother Band performs at 8:30 p.m. April 30 ($8-$10); and Lainey Wilson plays at 7 p.m. May 5 ($15-20) at The Majestic, 817 Garrison Ave. 551-2424; majesticfortsmith.com.
•Easton Corbin plays at 7 p.m. April 15 ($20-$49); Forgotten Space happens at 7 p.m. April 22; Liverpool Legends perform at 8 p.m. April 23; Charles Wesley Godwin plays at 8 p.m. April 28; and Black Stone Cherry performs at 7 p.m. April 30 at Temple Live, 200 N. 11th St. 222-6186; fortsmith.templelive.com.
• Keg Stand Comedy Tour hosted by Sam Price and featuring Conrad Lenzmeier, Kyle Gilbert, Andy Davis and Stef Bright happens at 7 p.m. April 12 ($5) and then Comedy Night featuring Raj Suresh starts at 7 p.m. April 18 at Fort Smith Brewing Company, 7500 Fort Chaffee Blvd. www.facebook.com/rivervalleycomics
• Dominic Bryan Roy plays at 8 p.m. April 15; Mud Lung, Stash Hag, Ghost Hollow and Heldtight perform at 8 p.m. April 22 at Hero's, 1002 Garrison Ave. https://www.facebook.com/DiveInHeros/events
SPRINGDALE
• Seth Dees and Mark Viola do their set at 7:30 p.m. April 14 at Black Apple Hard Cider, 321 E. Emma Ave. Free. 751-0337; facebook.com/blackapplehardcider.
LOWELL
• Scott White performs at 6:30 p.m. April 15 and April 16 ($15); Dusty Slay has two sold-out shows April 22-23 and a third performance at 9:30 p.m. April 23 has a sell-out alert. Tickets are $25. The Grove, 808 S. Bloomington. grovecomedy.com.
BENTONVILLE
• Cody Nielson plays at 7 p.m. April 16 at Bike Rack Brewing Co., 801 S.E. Eighth St., https://www.facebook.com/bikerackbrewing
• Diamon Empire Band performs at 7 p.m. April 19 at Meteor Guitar Gallery, 128 W. Central Ave. 268-1500, meteorguitargallery.com.
EUREKA SPRINGS
• Foggy Memory Boys play at 7 p.m. April 15; Patti Steel Trio performs at 7 p.m. April 16; Alyssa Galvan plays at 7 p.m. April 22; Brick Fields performs at 7 p.m. April 23; 96 Miles plays at 7 p.m. April 29; The Damn Neighbors perform at 7 p.m. April 30; and The Wild Turkeys perform at 7 p.m. May 6 at Wanderoo Lodge & Bar, 216 W. Van Buren. 363-6755; facebook.com/wanderoolodge.
WEST SILOAM SPRINGS
• Mark Albertson warms up the stage for Vince Neil at 9 p.m. April 14 at Seven in Cherokee Casino. cherokeecasino.com/west-siloam-springs/entertainment.
Send info about your upcoming concerts and events to Monica Hooper, music editor, at [email protected].