All Out June & A Wild and Crazy Music Week

All Out June

The NWA Center for Equality is celebrating diversity in NWA with the month-long All Out June celebration. June is Pride month, which celebrates the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The signature event of All Out June, sponsored by NWA Pride, will be the Pride Parade at 10 a.m. Saturday on Dickson Street. Parade Grand Marshall will be 10-year-old West Fork student Will Phillips who stood up for gay rights by refusing to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance because all people are not treated equally, since gay Americans can’t marry in most states, including Arkansas. Following the parade there will be a Block Party at Rogue on Dickson Street with live music by Spencer Hastings, Jorian Oxygen, a surprise guest band, live DJ and karaoke.

Other Pride events this weekend are a CD release party by Big Bad Gina at 8 p.m. Friday at Teatro Scarpino. A White Party at 8 p.m. Saturday at Gaylord’s on Mountain Street in Fayetteville with live DJ, (wear all white). A Pride service at 11 a.m. followed by a potluck and dance with music by Big Bad Gina at Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 901 W. Cleveland Ave. in Fayetteville. A screening of the film “You Don’t Know Dick,” an award-winning documentary about Transmen and a talk by Raymond Sweet at 7 p.m. Sunday at the OMNI Center, 3274 N. Lee Ave. in Fayetteville.

For more information, go to http://alloutjune.com.

A Wild and Crazy Music Week

American Aquarium

This week is so packed with interesting music that the fireworks may pop before the holiday. Here’s a quick rundown on what powerhouses are headed to our little corner of the world.

The Fort Smith Riverfront Blues Festival at Riverfront Park in downtown Fort Smith is going to be a hot ticket this Friday and Saturday. Tickets are just $10 a day and the lineup is stellar. Headlining Friday night is Vermont’s Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (Rolling Stone’s best new band of 2010). Headlining Saturday night is Delbert McClinton. For a schedule and list of other performers, check out 8 Days a Week on page 5.

Friday night the sweet kicking sounds of the Kopecky Family Band, a seven-piece neo-classical indie band from Nashville, can be heard at the cool pub, Smoke & Barrel on Dickson Street. The band will release a new EP “The Disaster” in August. The single “Lucky” has been chosen by Roxy Clothing and Accessories as one of their summer campaign songs. The band is garnering quite a buzz after their performance at SXSW. Paste magazine compared them to Arcade Fire. The performance is a benefit for Spay Arkansas. So get out for a good time and doing good.

Saturday night the indefatigable Peter Read of Nightflying will be in town celebrating an anniversary show at George’s. The hot summer night will be even hotter thanks to The Cate Brothers, A Good Fight, Tiffany Christopher and Raleigh, N.C.’s alt-country outfit American Aquarium. AA released their album “Small Town Hymns” just last month and we hear they’re not to miss.

Sunday night you can workup a fever at Teatro Scarpino with the Cajun band Les Malfecteurs (translation: The Outlaws) from Arnaudville, La. It has been awhile since a good Cajun band has come through town, so grab it while you can.

And, thank you Ozark Blues Society. On Wednesday night, the organization is hosting a free show with two fabulous blues guitarists, Mato Nanji of the South Dakota band Indigenous and NWA’s own Kory Montgomery. The event is an appreciation night for OBS members and volunteers, but everyone is invited. OBS does some great work in NWA in bringing music to the schools and supporting the blues in general.

Next Thursday night Mike Rayborn who cuts it up on guitar and in the humor department will be at the Walton Arts Center. He’ll be embarking on an odyssey of masterful guitar and uproarious comedy bringing to the stage titles like “Bob Marley sings Garth Brooks,” “Led Zeppelin sings Dr. Seuss” and “Bruce Springsteen sings Green Acres.” Enjoy some good air-conditioned fun.