Music
Full concert from TajMo’
- TajMo' (aka The Taj Mahal & Keb' Mo' Band) Live at Festival de Jazz de San Javier in Murcia, Spain on July 14, 2017 was an all-time great blues concert. WATCH THE FULL CONCERT HERE!
Leslie Odom Jr.’s message about believing in the efficacy of elections
- Hamilton Tony® winner Leslie Odom Jr. has partnered with bipartisan election advocacy organization RepresentUs to release a new music video performance of Hamilton's "Wait For It," encouraging citizens to believe in the efficacy of elections and to wait for their officiated results. VIEW THE VIDEO HERE.
- The video was released on Election Day 2020 in an election cycle that has been marked by record amounts of voting by mail, which could delay states' final results for as much as a week.
- Odom Jr. won a 2016 Tony Award for his performance as Aaron Burr in the original cast of Hamilton. He has since been seen on the big screen in Murder on the Orient Express and Harriet, and voiced Owen Tillerman in the musical AppleTV+ series Central Park.
Roots music from the APQ
- American Patchwork Quartet (APQ) is on a mission to reclaim the immigrant soul of American Roots Music. Highly acclaimed artists Falu Shah (vocals), Clay Ross (guitar/vocals), Clarence Penn (drums), and Yasushi Nakamura (bass) showcase the dynamic diversity of contemporary culture by reimagining timeless songs from America's past. VIEW THEIR HAUNTING VERSION OF "WAYFARING STRANGER" HERE.
Documentary about American trumpeter Herb Alpert
- "HERB ALPERT IS...," a documentary about the life of the musician, A&M RECORDS co-founder and latter-day philanthropist, painter and sculptor will premiere on OCTOBER 1st via a global FACEBOOK LIVE Event. The film features rare footage from ALPERT's remarkable life as told from the perspective of colleagues like Sting, Questlove, Quincy Jones, Richard Carpenter, Bill Moyers and others. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.
Verzuz Battle brings music superstars together
- Launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland in March, Verzuz has become a popular series as people shelter in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the early months of quarantine, various rappers, singers, producers and songwriters squared off remotely and cycled through multiple rounds of playing their hits, deep cuts and fan favorites. No winner is officially crowned during the telecast, although the thousands of viewers who tune in often crown their own winner on social media in the days following. WATCH VERZUZ VIDEOS HERE and READ ABOUT VERZUZ HERE.
A movement to break down boundaries & overcome distances between people
- Playing For Change is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music. The idea for this project came from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Playing For Change was born in 2002 as a shared vision between co-founders, Mark Johnson and Whitney Kroenke, to hit the streets of America with a mobile recording studio and cameras in search of inspiration and the heartbeat of the people. This musical journey resulted in the award-winning documentary, “A Cinematic Discovery of Street Music.” LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MOVEMENT HERE and LISTEN & WATCH ON YOUTUBE HERE.
Twenty weeks of FREE online programming from The Kennedy Center
- Over the next 20 weeks, Arts Across America will feature more than 200 diverse, visionary artists who play leadership roles in their communities, exemplify unique regional artistic styles, and are using their medium as a tool for advocacy and social justice. In collaboration with arts organizations from coast to coast, The Kennedy Center presents 20 weeks of free, online programming available on Facebook Live, YouTube, and www.kennedy-center.org, five days a week at 3pm (CST). LEARN MORE HERE.
Multi-genre local guitarist Ben Harris
- Ben Harris is a local professional guitarist specializing in jazz, blues, rock and folk styles. Enjoy some of his music HERE ON FACEBOOK and HERE ON YOUTUBE.
Local favorites Smokey & The Mirror
- Smokey & The Mirror is husband-and-wife duo Bryan and Bernice Hembree. Based out of Fayetteville, Arkansas, Smokey & The Mirror have toured nationally/internationally over the past decade. The band has supported tours for Old Crow Medicine Show, The Wood Brothers, I’m With Her, Elephant Revival, John Fullbright, and many of their musical heroes. The Hembrees work tirelessly on many musical and creative pursuits and are committed to others’ music as much as their own. They believe that the future of music is not winning the “me first” battle, but rather building community. They are founders and co-creators of the Fayetteville Roots Festival which is making meal care packages for the music community available for curbside pickup at the ROOTS HQ every week, working to bridge the gap for folks in the music community in need. CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE HERE and their YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE – LEARN ABOUT ROOTS MEALS FOR MUSICIANS HERE.
Digital performances from Ravinia music festival
- Get ready for Ravinia's 20-minute weekly variety show, RaviniaTV, on Ravinia’s YouTube channel and Facebook page every Friday at 7pm (CST). The series kicks off July 3 with jazz legend Ramsey Lewis performing from his living room, as well as one of the most successful rock bands of all time, Chicago, sharing world-premiere performances of songs recorded from a concert last year. LEARN MORE HERE.
John Prine's last recorded song
- On Friday, June 12, 2020, John Prine's label released his last recorded song. Read the brief NPR article and watch Prine play "I Remember Everything" on NPR's New Music. WATCH IT HERE.
Live at the Five & Dime series presented by The Walmart Museum
- The online home of The Walmart Museum's concert series, Live at the Five & Dime spotlights local artists in short performances you can watch when you need an "arts break!" Local favorites Ben Harris, the Manguare Trio and Hogtown Hot Club all make appearances on the series, along with University of Arkansas professors Er-Gene Kahng, Jake Hertzog, and Theresa Delaplain as well as the NWA Jazz All-Stars Youth Ensemble and a chorus of Walmart associates. CHECK OUT THE CONCERT SERIES HERE.
Music Moves celebrates Black Music Month
- Local nonprofit Music Moves is celebrating Black Music Month with a lineup of native talent. Each weekend in June, Music Moves will be presenting a series of free online concerts via its website and social media pages in honor of Black musicianship. Artists from all over the state of Arkansas will be performing in recognition of the extraordinary contribution of African Americans to music of all genres. LEARN MORE HERE.
VoiceJam's YouTube Playlist
- Walton Arts Center created VoiceJam to bring people together from all around the world over their love of a cappella music. While we can't gather physically, we can still gather virtually and enjoy some performances from competitors from the past several years. Check out our VoiceJam YouTube Playlist here!
Broadway Direct playlist on Spotify
- Spotify user and Broadway lover? broadwaydirect channel on Spotify has many different playlists, ranging from Broadway Songs for Girl Power to #TGIF Tunes to Broadway Songs to blast during your workout, to belt out in the shower or to help you relax. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN.
Folk music from Folk Alliance International
- Folk Alliance International (FAI) has created a database to list the folk community’s upcoming live-stream concerts in lieu of in-person shows. FAI's mission is to serve, strengthen, and engage the global folk music community through preservation, presentation and promotion. CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CURRENT LIST OF SHOWS.
Tiny Desk Concerts from NPR
- NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts are intimate video performances recorded live at the desk of "All Songs Considered" host, Bob Boilen (or sometimes, at other desks!). These concerts are sometimes the inspiration behind our concerts at Walton Arts Center! WATCH HERE.
Aida Cuevas's YouTube Channel
- Dubbed "The Queen of Mariachi", Aida Cuevas is one of the most important performers in traditional Mexican music and, in 2018, she became the first female singer in the mariachi genre to win a Grammy Award. VISIT HER YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE to browse her collection of music.
Mariachi Herencia De Mexico's YouTube Channel
- This dynamic, Latin Grammy nominated ensemble of young Mexican American musicians from the barrios of Chicago has released three highly acclaimed studio albums so far. They’ve toured throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and have performed alongside major artists like Lila Downs and Aida Cuevas. CHECK OUT THEIR YOUTUBE CHANNEL or, for just a taste, one of our favorites: Herencia De La Tierra Mía.
Kandace Springs performs at The Kate on PBS
- Live music lovers, check out The Kate, streaming on PBS.org. It's a series featuring bold performers with something to say. Selected under a hypothetical litmus test that asks “would Katharine Hepburn have found them audacious enough to invite them for a cocktail?”, The Kate presents artists with true cred who take to the stage with personal stories, hilarious moments, honest and creative expressions of art, and of course, impossibly good music. A recent episode features Kandace Springs who, with her all-female band, performs songs from her 2020 album "The Women Who Raised Me." WATCH KANDACE HERE!
Rosanne Cash on The Kate
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Rosanne Cash has moved through phases in her life — daughter of country music royalty; young poet; Grammy-winning country star — to her current position as one of the country’s preeminent singer-songwriters. On The Kate, a national public television performance series produced by Connecticut Public Television, Cash is accompanied by her producer/partner/husband, the much-respected guitar player John Leventhal. With words as her paints and her voice as the brush, Cash delivers a sonic portrait of the American South and “characters” from the Cash family as she performs songs from her and John’s album, The River and the Thread. WATCH ROSANNE HERE.