GoodFolk gets down

Art
Portraits of Courage
A special event to commemorate the sixth anniversary of the Iraq War will be the one to put on your calendar. The OMNI Center for Peace, Justice & Ecology is hosting the Sunday night event at GoodFolk, which will feature a compelling collection of portraits by Greg Moore and music by Emily Kaitz, Darlene and 3 Penny Acre. Poetry slam master Doug Shields will emcee.
Moore, of Fayetteville, has painted 12 portraits of Iraq War resistors that will be offered at silent auction. Moore became familiar with the resistors through stories and photographs that he found online. The event begins at 7 p.m. and there is a $5 cover. GoodFolk is at 229 N. Block Ave. in downtown Fayetteville.

Music
Need to Know, Need to Go
South by Southwest is a good thing for NWA. It brings bands on their way to or from SXSW to our little town. Rolling in for a Saturday night show at George’s is Heatbox. Think a rocked-up Bobby McFerrin with looping and beatboxing. The Minneapolis-based Heatbox will share the stage with Minneapolis rockers Roster McCabe and favorites Speakeasy.
On Monday night, another band coming from SXSW, Philadelphia’s experimental rockers Hermit Thrushes, will be at the Smoke and Barrel.
Wowie. What’s the perfect spring treat? Brave Combo playing Happy Hour at George’s from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. If you’ve never been to a Brave Combo show, get yourself there and become a convert. The Grammy-winning polka rock band just put out a new album, so expect some new stuff.
World music fans will be thrilled to know that reggae star Joseph Israel will be at George’s on Sunday night.
Jazz fans will also have a fine option this weekend when the Jazz Mafia (Richard Bruton, Jack Martin, Pat Pathoumthong, Jim Greeson and Brandon Johnson) play Teatro Scarpino on Saturday night.
GoodFolk is swinging into spring with two not-to-miss shows. On Saturday night the extremely talented Marley’s Ghost that plays everything from bluegrass and sea chanties to Mardi Gras funk will take the stage in the Block Avenue house.
And on Wednesday night, GoodFolk will play host to The Refugees. This trio is a powerhouse of talent featuring Grammy nominee Cindy Bullens (vocals, mandolin, harmonica, percussion, guitar), the heralded Deborah Holland (vocals, guitar, accordion) and Wendy Waldman (vocals, guitar) who penned the Vanessa Williams hit “Save the Best for Last.”
Individually this trio has logged more than three decades in the music industry, but they combined their talent just two years ago. They’ve been getting rave reviews and are booked at rooms like Nashville’s Bluebird Café and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
All three are successful songwriters. Here’s a bit of history.
Bullens broke into the music biz in the ’70s as a backup singer for Elton John. Listen for her on “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.” Her songs have been recorded by the likes of the Dixie Chicks and Irma Thomas.
Holland was the lead singer and songwriter for Animal Logic, the trio that was rounded out by Stewart Copeland (yes, of the Police) and jazz artist Stanley Clarke. Holland currently scores music and writes songs for film and TV.
Waldman’ songs have been recorded by tons of stars including Alison Krauss, John Cowan, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Linda Rondstadt, Aaron Neville, Percy Sledge, Cher, Edgar Winter and the Ozark Mountain Daredevils who recorded Waldman’s “Fishin’ in the Dark” and “Heart of the Country.”
For tickets call 521-1812.

Performance
Cirque Eloize’s Nebbia
The next best thing to Cirque du Soleil is Cirque Éloize. And, the two Canadian companies do have some common threads. Cirque Eloize will be returning to Northwest Arkansas and the Walton Arts Center next week to present Nebbia, the third installment ofits trilogy of the sky. Nebbia, which is “fog” in Italian, explores the world of dreams and imaginary things. Cirque Eloize melds theater with circus arts that includes hand-to-hand, trapeze, aerial-strap, hoop, trampoline and the star, a suspended metal contraption in which the acrobats perform aerially. Performance are at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and Mar. 26 and March 29 and at 8 p.m. March 27 and March 28 and at 2 p.m. March 28 and March 29. Tickets are $20 to $48.