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12 Arkansas Bands You Should Listen To Now
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Don’t Stop Please
Hometown: Conway
Members: Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Rober...Don’t Stop Please
Hometown: Conway
Members: Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Robert Gaiser, Will King, Anna Horton
Current Release: Brandy Swampland (2011)
The onstage presence of Don’t Stop Please is truly something to behold. With six members, all of them multi-instrumentalists, their performance area can get a little crowded. Their shows often resemble a circus act as they juggle instruments and change positions, often in the same song. But this is no novelty act. No musical terrain is off limits for Don’t Stop Please, whose music fits nicely into jazz, rock, funk, folk and/or bluegrass. Add that to the stellar songwriting and Anna Horton’s gorgeous Fiona Apple-esque vocals in tandem with frontman Joel Ludford’s own singing voice, and you’ve got it all.
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Don't Stop Please to Perform Free Concert at AETN
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Don’t Stop Please to perform free concert at AETN
Posted on 15 Jun 2012
Conway band Don’t Sto...Don’t Stop Please to perform free concert at AETN
Posted on 15 Jun 2012
Conway band Don’t Stop Please will perform a free concert in the Arkansas Educational Television Network studios Tuesday, June 26, at 7 p.m. for an upcoming episode of "AETN Presents: On the Front Row."
The public is invited to this free concert, which will be taped for broadcast at a later date. Anyone interested in being part of the audience is asked to R.S.V.P. at aetn.org/rsvp and arrive at the studio by 6:30 p.m. on June 26. AETN is located at 350 South Donaghey in Conway.
Don't Stop Please is Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Anna Horton, Joel Ludford, Robert Gaiser and Will King, all multi-instrumentalists. Their music is a combination of jazz, rock, funk, folk and bluegrass featuring guitar, bass, upright bass, banjo, cello, saxophone, drums, trumpet, trombone, harmonica, a washboard and other instruments.
"AETN Presents" features a variety of arts and cultural subjects. Previously included in the series have been the Arkansas Acoustic Festival; performances by the Cate Brothers, Wayland Holyfield and friends, Trout Fishing in America, Dale Hawkins, Shannon Boshears Band, The Salty Dogs and Epiphany; and "On the Same Page" with authors Buzz Bissinger, Billy Collins, John T. Edge and Kenneth L. Smith.
The Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) is Arkansas's statewide public television network that enhances lives by providing lifelong learning opportunities for people from all walks of life. AETN delivers local, award-winning productions and classic, trusted PBS programs aimed at sharing Arkansas and the world with viewers. AETN depends on the generosity of Arkansans and the State of Arkansas to continue offering quality programming. For more information, visit www.aetn.org, or follow the AETN blog at www.aetn.org/engage. AETN is broadcast on KETS (Little Rock), KEMV (Mountain View), KETG (Arkadelphia), KAFT (Fayetteville), KTEJ (Jonesboro), and KETZ (El Dorado).
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Conway band's Crowded Car
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Conway band’s Crowded Car
Submitted
Don't Stop Please of Conway
JUL
31
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The ad...Conway band’s Crowded Car
Submitted
Don't Stop Please of Conway
JUL
31
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Comments
The adventurous, mischievous new EP from Don’t Stop Please.
By Shea Stewart
“Crowded Car,” the title track from Conway’s Don’t Stop Please’s newest EP, kicks off with a jazzy, late-night sway. The choppy rhythm of guitar. The mournful exhale of saxophone. And the request, “Throw back your golden hair and show me your smile.”
The nearly eight-minute long tune then slowly unfurls. Grunts of horn. A white-hot guitar lead that fizzles. The steady tick-tick-tick of drumstick on cymbal.
One imagines this music as a film scene. We see this character at the back of a jazz lounge. The air is smoke-filled and the hazy scene red-lit by a neon sign. The character says, “I prayed for storms to come and/Then you were called/When I came you weren’t scared at all,” as he slowly swirls his middle finger around the edge of his glass.
By its four-minute mark, “Crowded Car” is thundering along — a bold blast of male-female vocals, and cascading saxophone and guitar shepherded by bass and rolling drums. The ruckus fades, returns and then fades again. The song ends with the warning: “And don’t you get into that crowded car/Stay here with me right where you are.” The last stanza of the tune is broken, with each word separated from the word before and after it with a pause. Then the boozy, post-midnight atmospheric track ends.
This is the music of Don’t Stop Please, a Conway outfit known for layering their rock ‘n’ folk with heavy sweeps of jazz, lounge and space-y cosmic sounds.
Don’t Stop Please first formed in 2009, and has released a few songs before finalizing their current lineup — Nick Caffrey, Robert Gaiser, Anna Horton, Will King, William Krzeszinski and Joel Ludford — in 2011 and releasing the three-track Brandy Swandlamp. The six-track Crowded Car, recorded off and on between touring stints, picks up where that EP left off and then adds a lot more to the band’s sound.
What the music of Don’t Stop Please is, is not boring. The group shares the adventurous spirit of “pop” acts such as Talking Heads, and listeners hear snippets of Paul Simon’s Graceland in Crowded Car.
Although it’s only six tracks, the EP runs for more than 36 minutes — four of the tracks run for more than six minutes — but the tunes don’t feel long because the music frequently swerves into new directions. Structures of tunes appear and then drop off. The songs of Crowded Car overstep their boundaries, treating listeners to new musical adventures, and the band explores sounds beyond the restraints of modern pop music.
And though the tunes jump from sound to sound, they are often rooted in some version of a late-night, dazing jazz ‘n’ roll and folk rhythm. Heavy on the trombone, trumpet and saxophone. Heavy on the keyboards and bluesy guitar. Full of textures and musical weaves.
The beauty of Crowded Car is its musical scope. Each band member is a multi-instrumentalist. There’s Gaiser playing guitar, bass and keyboards. Horton sings on four of the six songs, and also offers saxophone and even ukulele. King is the drummer on four tracks and also provides guitar and vocals. Krzeszinski sings on the first four tunes of Crowded Car, and adds keyboards, bass, guitar and even banjo. Ludford is a vocalist on every tune save one, and also plays guitar, keyboards, drums and trumpet. Crowded Car is quite the witches brew of sounds, but somehow, it all comes together.
“Window Song,” with its a cappella opening, probably comes closest to Graceland, and with Horton on the lead vocal, the track throws in trombone, shaker and ukulele in creating free-form rock. “Jimmy Wright,” with wah-wah psychedelic guitar and electric piano, is a dirty blast of righteous funk blues gospel.
“Dropping Coins” is a jazz rock monster that morphs into supercharged rock before investigating an extraterrestrial, avant-garde sound, and “Tired & Lonely” is not interested in a four-minute, verse-chorus-verse-chorus destination. It starts as gospel lounge rock before locking into an electric guitar death march, and then returns to its beginnings.
And the last track of the EP? Well, it’s titled “My Booty Is So Luxurious.” It’s a horn-and-funk groove tune but with synthesizers generating a computerized rhythm. And then there are the lyrics. Horton tells you: “I don’t got aspirations, but I sure got ass.” It’s a song showing Don’t Stop Please’s mischievous side.
Back in May, Paste, the digital magazine, arrived at a list of the “12 Arkansas Bands You Should Listen to Now.” For good reason, the list included Don’t Stop Please. The band constructs walls and breaks them with their music, creating something that is challenging, gorgeous, strange and tuneful. It’s a fractured, exciting take on music.
HEAR THE MUSIC
Don’t Stop Please is holding an EP release party for Crowded Car at Stickyz on Friday with the music starting at 9 p.m. There’s a $6 cover for the 18-and-up show. Opening the show will be The 1 oz. Jig with their Fayetteville-based soul-infused funk music.
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Don't Stop Please wins Showcase round two
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How to describe Conway's Don't Stop Please? "Cosmic folk" occurred to me early on in the band's winn...How to describe Conway's Don't Stop Please? "Cosmic folk" occurred to me early on in the band's winning set last night, when the six piece did a a shuffling Southern ditty built on two guitars, a stand-up bass, keys, a saxophone and drums that occasionally drifted off into weird directions. In the spirit of that great Robert Palmer band The Insect Trust (but influenced by different drugs). Or The Damn Bullets with more going on. But then just about everyone switched instruments and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Anna Horton sang a smoky, Latin-tinged lounge number. While playing a ukulele. Later, after everyone had switched instruments a couple times, and we'd seen a trombone, banjo and harmonica make appearances, DSP did the whitest proto-rap funk song perhaps ever performed. The hook was "My ass is luxurious." And at one point, Horton asked, "Where my lazy sluts at?"
Yeah, it was unfocused. But perhaps not surprisingly for a group called Don't Stop Please, the band isn't used to playing 30 minute sets, singer/guitarist Joel Ludford told me after the set. So maybe they felt like they needed to move across the wide spectrum of their abilities quickly. It certainly showcased their crisp musicianship and charisma. And it worked with with the judges.
Sammy Williams: Cover multiple genres, all extremely well.
Cheyenne Matthews: "Where my lazy sluts at?!" Well, it's cool they aren't biased."
Clay Fitzpartick: "Great hair! They are extremely confident. Talented kids."
Epiphany: "Screaming in time, head banging on a stand-up bass, pinwheels, plus a megaphone. Good times."
Isaac Alexander: "Genuinely surprised by this band. Great musicianship. And fun to watch and listen to. Each song was a new thought/movement. Looked like a lot of fun. I'd like to be in this band for awhile."
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Don't Stop Please returns to Eureka
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Conway-based Don't Stop Please, one of the Central Arkansas music scene's best-kept secrets and a fa...Conway-based Don't Stop Please, one of the Central Arkansas music scene's best-kept secrets and a fan favorite, brings the DSP experience back to Eureka Springs this weekend in what I predict will be the best (original) live music show in town this weekend. The group performs Saturday night at Squid and Whale Pub and Sunday afternoon at New Delhi Cafe.
This six-member experimental jazz-Americana band with roots founded in rock and folk influences has been rapidly rising through the ranks of musical acts in The Natural State and winning over audiences with every new venue they play.
This band has been quickly making a name for itself by constantly raising the bar, show after show, and was a standout in the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase this past spring, winning its semifinal round and impressing judges (and a skeptical me) at the finals competition. Here's a link to a video of them competing in the first round of the Showcase: http://youtu.be/Jh7L_GClQCY.
With smooth jazz sounds, euphoric vocal harmonies, and amazingly tight rhythmic changes, Don't Stop Please produces a high-energy psychedelic showcase of original sound and presence that exceeds expectations of even the most demanding music enthusiasts.
Their music and stage presence is guaranteed to keep your toes tapping and your butts shaking and will have you begging: Don't Stop Please!
Saturday's show begins around 8 p.m. at Squid and Whale, 10 Center St., Eureka Springs, 479-253-7147.
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UCA Unplugged to Spotlight Local Band
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SPECIAL TO THE LOG CABIN
The UCA Division of Student Services and UCA Student Activities Board are ...SPECIAL TO THE LOG CABIN
The UCA Division of Student Services and UCA Student Activities Board are sponsoring the 18th Annual UCA Unplugged concert, from 7-11 p.m., Friday in the Student Center Ballroom.
Doors open at 6:30.
The featured act will be Don’t Stop Please, a highly popular group from Conway. The Fountain, UCA’s daily newspaper writes, “Don’t Stop Please is a six-piece band that combines high energy with a radical variety of instruments to create a sound all their own.
“The music is a hybrid mix of cosmic folk, jazz funk, and good old rock ‘n’ roll. The group has been making music together since the beginning of 2011, but a few of the members have been playing together since high school.” Members of the band include Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Anna Horton, Joel Ludford, Robert Gaiser, and Will King. Their music and instrumentation are incredibly diverse as they make use of guitar, bass, upright bass, synthesizer, banjo, cello, saxophone, drums, trumpet, trombone, harmonica, and an assortment of other instruments. The band was recently recorded by AETN Presents: On The Front Row
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Band on the Run
Don't Stop Please runs through the rain in Fayetteville
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A Collaborative Effort
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Don't Stop Please has towed their band wagon across the natural state of Arkansas, through Ozark sum...Don't Stop Please has towed their band wagon across the natural state of Arkansas, through Ozark summers without AC. They have jammed out in the cavernous crawls of Izard County. They have been gifted arrowheads of Arkansas' natives for bringing their music up into the hills. They have sat up picking away in cackling midnights with characters named Limbo and Rhythm... but after all has been done, they kick their boots off here in Conway, Arkansas.
"Don't Stop Please"
Some say this is the name of the locally-grown band started by Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, and Willie Krzeszinski. i say, "don't stop, please!" is just what the crowd is always yelling by the end of their shows- and rightfully so.
Their music jumps genre lines like a school girl skips rope in perfect time. Will King plucks along on the banjo, hopping through the rhythm as if picking his way through a swamp. Robert Gaiser starts the shakers up. Nick hums in an easy rising on the horns. Then Joel takes us away on guitar. Alongside Anna Horton, the band sings together in radiant chorus. Willie slaps the keys in the back.
Don't Stop Please is one of the most active folk/jazz/rock/pop fusion bands in Arkansas. They have played at least two shows a month for nearly a year, on top of running a jazz trio between Nick, Joel, and Anna, called Handmade Moments. They love to play shows and bring their music to the people, but they also have a passion for creation. Some might say they are comparable to Scooby-Doo's gang: meddling kids solving the mystery of great collaborative music.
The mystery began in high school band for most of them, though they've only started incorporating traditional band instruments like the trombone and sax this year. The beginnings of Don't Stop Please can be traced back to a high school jam session with Joel, Nick and Willie.
"We played this awful kenny Wayne Sheppard song together that we thought was really cool at the time," Willie said.
Nick sung "Blue on Black!"
The three continued to play rock together through a few member changes. They eventually acquired Will King for guitar and harmonica, Robert Gaiser on synth and piano, and Anna Horton on vocals and sax. With all the new talent and creative input, the band reworked their focus from rock to creative pop collaboration.
Nick said "It's the best formation of the band, ever."
Not only does the combined band and choir experience lead to good story telling (like Joel eating ice cream off the ground at band camp), but it allows the band the ability to freely shape the musical construction of each song.
"The funny thing about the whole formal band education thing is that when we started playing as tis rock band it was like, that shit really just didn't even matter." Willie said. "You Know? Nick played trombone, Joel played Tuba. But [our band] played guitar and electric basses and rock and rolled real hard. it wasn't until this ear when we realized we can play those. And then Anna joined the band and she could play a saw and Joel had a sax. it came back to open a lot of doors for us."
"I hadn't played sax in years," Anna said.
"Even tough there is really good music made with just string instruments, keyboards, drums and vocals," Joel added, "I think there are much more interesting things to be done. I don't think that we're ever satisfied with how many different sounds we can use."
Anyone who sees a DSP show can't help but notice the carnival of musical style and variety that his band puts forth. Trumpets, trombones, and tambourines. Lap steel, electric bass and everyone takes a turn on drums. ivory keys, cello and Anna's ukulele. Will's harmonica, Joel's classical guitar, a whole little bit of banjo and wash board too. Robert is working up to join the rest in vocal harmony and soon they'll add a tuba to the mix of horns.
Willie said, "If we had an unlimited budget, we would constantly have new things."
Some have called them band kids gone wild. So wild in fact, that you can't really place their music in a genre. Their Facebook page describes their music as "folk/rock/jazz/pop."
"It's not so much genre specific, as it is that the music has a pop sensibility about it though it's not necessarily restrained to pop music" Willie said.
"Most of us write songs. What we do is we take the song idea and then we say, 'well what does this song need?' or 'what can we put in here that would sound cool?' Basically we build each song to have instruments for the song rather than the instruments that we play."
"That makes it sound really romantic" said Nick, "but it never really works like that. That's honestly the process in truth. But our writing process is so convoluted, we get into a lot of frustration with each other, arguments too."
"In the end it creates a better result." Willie adds.
"Multiple song writers are a big part of that too," Nick said. Stylistically you can't beat the variety that you get from having multiple people write."
"We're trying to make music that sounds as if it's put together with this one unified goal," Joel said. "It all doesn't come from one person, it all comes from a group mind."
"Yeah, very collaborative," said Anna. "But, at the same time, it's still one sound."
Don't Stop please has been letting loose that one infectious sound all over Conway. They've played gigs for the ArtsFest in Toad Suck Square, where their large set spread across the entire Kris Allen Stage. They've filled their coffee mugs at the Green House, where they introduced several new songs this past October. Just before that they aired on the local station KUCA 91.3 for a pre-show broadcast. Though their roots are still dug into Conway, They've broadened their reach throughout Arkansas.
The maroon van they call "Vandura" as hauled their collaborations across Arkansas this summer. There was no air conditioning in the van. Everyone's personal smells were spun up in a collaborative odor, or as Anna phrased it, "We had a unified scent."
Eureka Springs has called them up for several gigs including the Fat Tire Festival. On the first day of october, Don't Stop Please played the Old Lunenburg Music Festival.
The band was shown around Izzard County's beauty and each of them were gifted arrow heads. They even had time to record a jam session in a cave.
Earlier this May, Don't Stop Please recorded a demo, which can be found on their website or their facebook page. They are proud to announce that their collaborative funk is on schedule to take form in a professional studio album.
They will be recording in December and playing live less frequently, so catch them while you can this season. And if you see them around town, be sure to say, "Don't Stop, Please!"
We have a feeling that they don't plan to anytime soon.
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Don't Stop Please returns to Eureka; Saturday a good night for a road trip
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Don't Stop Please returns to Eureka; Saturday a good night for a road trip
Conway-based Don't Sto...
Don't Stop Please returns to Eureka; Saturday a good night for a road trip
Conway-based Don't Stop Please, one of the Central Arkansas music scene's best-kept secrets and a fan favorite, brings the DSP experience back to Eureka Springs this weekend in what I predict will be the best (original) live music show in town this weekend. The group performs Saturday night at Squid and Whale Pub and Sunday afternoon at New Delhi Cafe.
This six-member experimental jazz-Americana band with roots founded in rock and folk influences has been rapidly rising through the ranks of musical acts in The Natural State and winning over audiences with every new venue they play.
This band has been quickly making a name for itself by constantly raising the bar, show after show, and was a standout in the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase this past spring, winning its semifinal round and impressing judges (and a skeptical me) at the finals competition. Here's a link to a video of them competing in the first round of the Showcase: http://youtu.be/Jh7L_GClQCY.
With smooth jazz sounds, euphoric vocal harmonies, and amazingly tight rhythmic changes, Don't Stop Please produces a high-energy psychedelic showcase of original sound and presence that exceeds expectations of even the most demanding music enthusiasts. And, the band includes a local -- at least one member, the lead singer, hails from Berryville.
Their music and stage presence is guaranteed to keep your toes tapping and your butts shaking and will have you begging: Don't Stop Please!
Saturday's show begins around 8 p.m. at Squid and Whale, 10 Center St., Eureka Springs, 479-253-7147.
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Don’t Stop Going To White Water on Tuesdays — At Least Not Tonight!
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Indie folk-pop band Don’t Stop Please debuts at White Water Tavern tonight in a performance with the...Indie folk-pop band Don’t Stop Please debuts at White Water Tavern tonight in a performance with their Conway counterparts Gone Was Here. Show starts at 10 pm.
Don’t Stop Please is one of the most talked-about groups to come out of Conway in a long, long time — maybe ever. The group uses so many instruments you’ll have a hard time keeping up, but my favorites (on their recordings I’ve heard anyway) are the banjo, upright bass, cello and brass (trombone, according to a Revel Magazine review on Reverbnation).
Their songs are upbeat, sassy and folksy all at once, and bring to mind the Avett Brothers and Mumford and Sons (just less polished, though, as is to be expected). This is definitely a must-see show, and since it’s donations at the door, you have no excuse not to go. If you still have doubts, scroll down to the music player at the bottom of this post and listen to a few of their songs.
Gone Was Here is a Conway trio that says they like to mesh jazz, funk, rock, country and blues (hell, why not throw metal and R&B in there too!? LOL), and don’t be surprised if they go off into a big jam, according to their Facebook page. Their songs on MySpace sound pretty damn good, making me believe they’ve spent a fair amount of time watching live music in Memphis. Yes, these boys can play some blues. And they can jam. I’ll venture to say they’ve seen a few Phish shows in their young lives…
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henry and the great salt lake by don’t stop please
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Don’t Stop Please are some friends of mine, but they are also Marc Smirnoff’s (editor of The Oxford ...Don’t Stop Please are some friends of mine, but they are also Marc Smirnoff’s (editor of The Oxford American) neighbors. Marc happens to be fond of them and their music and had them up to Petit Jean to play Friday night for his Summit.
Don’t Stop Please are a ragtag seven-piece made up of talented kids who are clearly aching to do something with what they learned in high school jazz band, and their music is very much something that ought to be experienced live if possible, since they (and few others, ever) have yet to learn how to record that elusive energy that only surfaces when a group of people play music together that they really love and share it with a crowd.
All that being said, you’ll give this song a few good listens and it’ll start kicking around in your head.
“they told jokes to fill the silence / a moment where they both could live”
download their new EP, Brandy Swandlamp at their Bandcamp - name your price.
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Don't stop the music, please
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Members of Don’t Stop Please play a set Saturday at Simon Park during Let’s Rock Conway Green, an aw...Members of Don’t Stop Please play a set Saturday at Simon Park during Let’s Rock Conway Green, an awareness event hosted by the University of Central Arkansas’s student environmental organization, Environmental Alliance. COURTNEY SPRADLIN PHOTO
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Bringing Music to the Masses
An article by Taylor Gladwin about the band shortly before Anna Horton joined in.
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Old Lunenburg Music Festival
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Newspaper article from Stone Co. about a music festival we played to raise money to restore their co...Newspaper article from Stone Co. about a music festival we played to raise money to restore their community center.
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'Don't Stop Please' Offers Unique Music
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‘Don’t Stop Please’ offers unique music
March 29, 2012 by Molly Walter
I hold in my hands a bri...‘Don’t Stop Please’ offers unique music
March 29, 2012 by Molly Walter
I hold in my hands a bright, shining new LP from a band that almost no one in Hays has heard of besides Jacob Morgan. In fact, they only have 1,187 likes on Facebook, Morgan and I being two of them. They are – cue drumroll – Don’t Stop Please.
No, no, I’m not politely telling you not to stop – that’s the name of the band. Don’t Stop Please is a folk/rock/jazz/pop band based out of Conway, Ark., consisting of six members – Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Robert Gaiser, Will King and Anna Horton.
They describe themselves as a band “all about getting you out of your lemonade-stained lawn chair, your dog-hair-laden love seat or your secret, back-of-the-office lazyboy recliner, and onto the dance floor, baby!
“Smells like Momma’s in the kitchen with her trusty rock and roll cookbook, when all of a sudden Pa gets back from the folk farm with some fresh, funky carrots and some jazz-uh-sparagus, all of which is bein’ thrown into the crock pot and heated up!”
I probably couldn’t agree more. They’re unique, to say the least.
Their LP starts off with “Luca,” six minutes of beautiful vocals, harmonizing and jazz-like instrumentals. Since it’s the first song I heard of theirs and the song that caused me to fall in love with them, I may be biased saying it is the highlight of the LP.
I watched them play “Luca” live on YouTube, and the energy and rhythm conveys pure passion for their music. I immediately went to their website to see if they were playing anywhere near anytime soon. To my dismay, I missed them in Kansas City.
The following song, “Henry and the Great Salt Like,” is just as beautiful as “Luca.” The way the vocals blend with the shakers and strings is so chill. I fall in love with every piano key played, and the banjo brings a smile to my face.
Don’t Stop Please edges a little on the sounds of The Decemberists or The Shins, but they do set themselves apart with the last track of their LP, “My Booty Is So Luxurious.”
Yes, yes, that is, in fact, the name of a song. And the song is about just that, luxurious booties. This is the song that places Don’t Stop Please on the map. It’s like pseudo-rap with a folk-jazz flare. I hate when popular rappers sing about luxurious booties, but when Don’t Stop Please does it, I love it. I couldn’t help but laugh.
Don’t Stop Please has definitely gained one more fan – me. And if you were smart, they’d gain two – you and me. I wouldn’t be surprised if after you listen to a few of their songs, you’ll be saying, “Don’t stop, please.”
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Don't Stop Please
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Don't Stop Please -- this talented sextet will ring in St. Paddy's Day in Eureka Springs.
Don't S...Don't Stop Please -- this talented sextet will ring in St. Paddy's Day in Eureka Springs.
Don't Stop Please
Don't Stop Please is a six-piece band from Conway, Ark., that will be playing in Eureka Springs twice this St. Patrick's Day weekend. On Saturday, March 17, they play at the Pied Piper Beer Garden after the parade until six, and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. they will be at New Delhi. Their mix of folk-rock, jazz and funk create an engaging live act and the sextet rotates as needed to play guitars, drums, keyboards, cello, upright bass, ukulele, banjo, trumpet, saxphone and trombone.
Their set is mostly originals ranging from blues-rock to soul to sultry ballads. They are touring in support of their new EP, which will be released this Thursday.
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Conway's Hottest New Band
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Maybe you've heard about Conway's very own up-and-coming band. Perhaps you've seen them play around ...Maybe you've heard about Conway's very own up-and-coming band. Perhaps you've seen them play around town at ZaZa in The Village, Michelangelo's rooftop, or Simon Park. If you haven't heard of them yet, allow me to introduce you to the band with music that keeps on giving - Don't Stop Please.
Don't Stop Please is a six-piece band that combines high energy with a radical variety of instruments to create a sound all their own. The music is a hybrid mix of cosmic folk, jazz funk, and good old rock 'n' roll. The group has been making music together since the beginning of 2011, but a few of the members have been playing together since high school.
Don't Stop Please
Don't Stop Please is Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Anna Horton, Joel Ludford, Robert Gaiser, and Will King. At each show, the band members switch instruments between songs, giving a new definition to the game of musical chairs. Everyone plays just about everything. One minute they are holding a drumstick and the next they're holding a cello.
The band makes its music with the guitar, bass, upright bass, banjo, cello, saxophone, drums, trumpet, trombone, harmonica, and a multitude of shakers and abstract sound makers, including a washboard and synthesizer.
The band has established a presence in Conway as well as Little Rock. They've played at Stickyz, Creegan's Irish Pub, Reno's Argenta Cafe, and White Water Tavern. They also make frequent trips to Eureka Springs and have gained a loyal fan base in northern Arkansas.
Don't Stop Please hit its most recent high note when it made it to the finals of the Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase and played alongside other finalists at the Rev Room in Little Rock.
"Don't Stop Please is one of the most talked-about groups to come out of Conway in a long, long time - maybe ever," according to do501.com.
Their next big show is Friday on Michelangelo's rooftop. They will be teaming up with Arkansas bands Tyrannosaurus Chicken and Mountain Sprout. Tickets are $10 and available at Starstruck Video in Conway and Mr. Eddie's Headies in Little Rock.
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Friday To-Do: Don't Stop Please at Dickey-Stephens Park
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DON'T STOP PLEASE
After the game. Dickey-Stephens Park. $6-$12.
These Central Arkansas up-and-co...DON'T STOP PLEASE
After the game. Dickey-Stephens Park. $6-$12.
These Central Arkansas up-and-comers have probably gigged around as much or more than any of their peers. There's no better way to get good than by playing all the time, and Don't Stop Please has certainly been putting in the hours, including making it to the final round of this year's Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.
The six-piece traffics in a folksy kind of indie rock that reminds me quite a bit of the Philadelphia retro-pop experts Dr. Dog, whose Beatles/The Band amalgamation has proven to be influential. DSP's everything-including-the-kitchen-sink approach to instrumentation lends an eclectic air to the proceedings, but it doesn't bog down the songs, which shuffle and shamble along charmingly. For example, a stray trombone line adds a woozy punctuation to "Long List of Numbers," rather than feeling like an unnecessary flourish.
This show kicks off the Post Game Concert Series at Dickey-Stephens Park (hey — DSP at DSP!), which continues with Texan roots-rockers Band of Heathens on June 15.
After the jump, check out "Henry and the Great Salt Lake" from Don't Stop Please.
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Anna Horton -- Don't Stop Please
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See Anna Horton and her band Don't Stop Please at Pied Piper Saturday or at New Delhi Sunday
Anna H...See Anna Horton and her band Don't Stop Please at Pied Piper Saturday or at New Delhi Sunday
Anna Horton has a voice as smooth and sweet as soft serve ice cream on a hot day. She hails from Berryville and her band will be playing twice in Eureka Springs this weekend. On Saturday in the Pied Piper Beer Garden she will entertain green beer drinking revelers celebrating St. Practice Day (half-way to St. Paddy).
Sunday she will play at New Delhi at 3:30 p.m., watch Eureka go by while you sit in the open air at New Delhi and listen to her blues/jazz sound.
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Don't Stop Please Performs
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Regardless of what the posters may say, Don’t Stop Please will be playing at 7 p.m. today in the Stu...Regardless of what the posters may say, Don’t Stop Please will be playing at 7 p.m. today in the Student Center Ballroom as part of UCA Unplugged.
The Conway-based band consists of Joel Ludford, Nick Caffrey, William Krzeszinski, Robert Gaiser, Will King and Anna Horton. Five members of the six-piece band are current or former UCA students.
The band used an unconventional advertising tactic with their posters, which have gotten students talking. Horton, who graduated last December with a degree in psychology, said that the band members designed them simply as a joke. She said they thought they would get people’s attention and that it would be fun to see who came to the show anyway.
The folk/rock/jazz band’s unique sound comes from a multitude of instruments including guitar, banjo, saxophone, washboard and several more. The band members also switch instruments throughout each show.
In addition to playing shows all around Arkansas, Don’t Stop Please has played out-of-state shows in Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas. They have played at several well-known local venues such as George’s in Fayetteville and the Rev Room and Stickyz in downtown Little Rock.
Horton said that the show tonight will be different than a typical Don’t Stop Please show.
“You’ll get to hear some of our mellow songs,” she said. “It’s going to be a really intimate show, which is really nice because not a lot of people get to experience that.”
Horton said that when the band finishes recording their newest album, which is due out next spring, they hope to tour the country.
The show tonight is presented by the Student Activities Board. Admission is $2 with a current UCA student ID and $6 for faculty, staff and the general public. The band will also play at Stickyz on Dec. 15. You can buy their newest E.P., “Crowded Car,” on Bandcamp or iTunes, and you can listen to some of their music for free on the band’s website and Spotify.
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Ready to go far, Don't Stop Please gains speed
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LITTLE ROCK — When it comes to band names, Don’t Stop Please is one of those monikers that seem to c...LITTLE ROCK — When it comes to band names, Don’t Stop Please is one of those monikers that seem to cry out for punctuation. But don’t expect any periods, commas, question marks or exclamation points, as Don’t Stop Please is happy with its name and invites its fans to interpret the name as they so desire. Punctuation need not apply.
“We didn’t really name the band,” says band member Anna Horton, the sole female among five males. “There was a long list of suggested names, and this was drawn, blindfolded.”
Horton’s band mates are Nick Caffrey on bass, trombone and keyboards; Robert Gaiser on guitar, bass and keyboards; Joel Ludford on vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums and trumpet; Will King on drums, guitar and vocals; and William Krzeszinski on vocals, keyboards, banjo, guitar and bass. King is from Fort Smith and the other four men are from Conway, friends who grew up together. Horton, who does vocals and plays percussion, saxophone and ukulele, is a Berryville native.
“I met the guys through some mutual friends,” Horton says. “All but one of us were students at the University of Central Arkansas. All six of us come from different backgrounds, and it’s so hard to put us into one genre, although our shared influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Talking Heads, Radiohead, Bjork and The Dirty Projectors.
“This is all we do now; we’re a small business. We book shows and that’s how we pay our bills.”
Formed in 2009, the band, whose sound is a mix of folk, rock, jazz and soul, is serious about its goals, having become a registered LLC corporation. Horton — whose degree from UCA was in psychology, with a minor in Spanish — takes care of the booking and management, although she is hoping to eventually pass the jobs off to someone, assuming the band finds someone deemed suitable and trustworthy.
During performances, band members frequently swap instruments between songs, as well as lead vocals, much as one of their role models, The Band, once did.
“We’re big admirers of The Band and Levon Helm,” Horton says. “We mainly do our own songs, but among the few covers that we do are ‘Ophelia’ and ‘Up on Cripple Creek,’ two songs by The Band. Plus we sometimes do Neil Young’s ‘Vampire Blues’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Down Home Girl.’
Earlier this year, Don’t Stop Please was featured in digital magazine Paste on a list, “12 Arkansas Bands You Should Listen to Now” just before the band released a sixsong EP, Crowded Car, consisting of original songs and produced by Jack Gaiser, the father of band member Robert Gaiser. The elder Gaiser is a professor of physics at UCA, a luthier and the owner of an analog recording machine, which came in handy during the making of the EP. There was an earlier threesong EP, Brandy Swandlamp, released in 2011. In November, the band was shown in an episode of AETN Presents, on which new songs “Backyard Dogs,” “Missed Echo” and “Luca” were performed, along with “Tired & Lonely,” a song from Crowded Car.
The band is at work on a full-length album of 11 original songs, which will be selftitled and released in February, Horton says.
“We’re all 21st-century kids, and since nowadays it’s possible to create studioquality albums in your own home, that’s what we hope to do, to control what we make, and produce it ourselves,” Horton says. “We all want to positively affect the world with our music, creating something sustainable and beautiful.”
The six musicians are also involved in spinoff bands, Horton says. She, Ludford and Caffrey play as a threepiece jazz trio, while Gaiser, King and Krzeszinski play as Comfortable Brother, a rock ’n’ roll band.
The band is planning to move from Conway to Fayetteville next year.
“We’re going to have that as our home base because it’s a really great town,” Horton says, “where music is really appreciated and there’s lots of other musicians we can interact with. With the release of the new album, we plan to really get serious about touring, with shows in California and Chicago and wherever else we can get to.”
Moving to Northwest Arkansas and touring beyond Arkansas’ border states will mean fewer shows in central Arkansas, Horton admits, but notes that the band will play in Hot Springs at Maxine’s on Jan. 5.
“We’ll probably only play in Little Rock every two or three months after we move,” she says. “We hope our fans will get on our e-mail list and keep up with us that way.”
More information is available at dontstopplease.com.
Don’t Stop Please
Opening act: Stiff Necked Fools 9 p.m. Saturday, Stickyz Rock ’n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 107 River Market Ave., Little Rock Tickets: $6
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Seriously, Don't Stop Please
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To fully understand and appreciate how great — or not great — a band is, you have to see it live. Li...To fully understand and appreciate how great — or not great — a band is, you have to see it live. Live music tells all. It exhibits the band’s talent, energy and charisma — or like I said, lack of it. Fortunately, Don’t Stop Please was overflowing with all three last night.
Gellas Diner and L.b. Brewing Co. opened a new Irish Red beer last night for New Beer’s Eve, and accompanying the premier was Don’t Stop Please. Technically, it was their own premier since it was their first time playing in Hays.
I was fortunate to be introduced to this band by a friend who had seen them in Kansas City last year. I fell in love right away. No matter how cliche it sounds, Don’t Stop Please really is a breath of fresh air. Austin wrote about the Harlem Shake just a few days ago and how bad popular music is right now. On the other side of the spectrum, though, there’s plenty of great music, and Don’t Stop Please is toward the top of the list.
When Emily Howe, senior, and I found out Don’t Stop Please was coming to Hays, we both about about peed our pants. Emily’s seen them before, but last night was my first time. And it was so worth it. School night, schmool night.
I was unbelievably impressed with their talent. The band rotated instruments, and after five or so songs, they had made a complete circle and ended up where they started. It was incredible. At one moment, Anna Horton was on vocals, and the next, she was on percussion.
The wide variety of instruments was also impressive. It wasn’t your normal bass, electric, acoustic and drums. They’ve got a trombone, a sax, a trumpet, a banjo and more. Basically, they’ve got it all. Again, so impressed.
Rarely have I ever been to a mainstream show where the bad was as good live as it was on CD. That’s definitely what’s lacking in the music industry — real talent without autotune. You find your bands that are better live than on CD at small venues like Gellas. And that is definitely Don’t Stop Please — better live than on CD.
I hope you were lucky enough to stumble upon Don’t Stop Please last night. I know if they’re ever close to Hays again, I’ll be first in line for the show.
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Unkown Mortal Orchestra & Don't Stop Please to Perform in Utah Tonight
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Originally from New Zealand, singer, guitarist and songwriter Ruban Nielson is the leader of psyched...Originally from New Zealand, singer, guitarist and songwriter Ruban Nielson is the leader of psychedelic rock band Unknown Mortal Orchestra. He is joined by bassist Jake Portrait and drummer Riley Geare. The trio released its second album, "II," in February on the respected Jagjaguwar label, home of Bon Iver and Dinosaur Jr. New Zealand and the States are much different, said Nielson in an email interview. "It’s very small and isolated," he said of New Zealand. "The States are like a big open space to me. One thing that people don’t really know about Americans is how warm they are. Warmer than New Zealanders in a lot of ways." Nielson said he finds Portland, where the band calls home, "such a comfortable place for me. The pace, climate and natural beauty remind me of New Zealand in some ways, but there’s a whole other element of music, bars, restaurants and strip clubs that isn’t really found anywhere else." UMO’s success has surprised Nielson. "It exceeded my expectations from the very start," he said. "We’re just working really hard and having a lot of fun and riding a wave of good luck. … I’m really proud of what we do live. Some nights I feel like the best band in the world." Foxygen and Wampire are also on the bill.
When • Tuesday, 9 p.m.
Where • Urban Lounge, 241 S. 500 East, Salt Lake City
Tickets • $10 in advance, $12 day of, at 24Tix
Don’t Stop Please, an Arkansas-based dance-pop band, will stop in Salt Lake City for a one-night show. Then it will travel to Boise for the Treefort Music Festival. It’s the group’s first performance in Utah, said multi-instrumentalist Anna Horton, who has driven across the state to get to Burning Man, the annual event in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada. Born in Eureka Springs, Horton said people from all over the world come to her hometown to drink and soak in the springs, which are said to have a healing power. Don’t Stop Please is based nearby in Conway, in the Ozark mountains. Despite stereotypes about Arkansas, "There are normal people there," said Horton. After this tour, the ensemble will finish recording its first full-length album for release later this year. The band doesn’t plan on visiting Black Rock Desert any time soon. "Guitars and amps don’t take too well to the desert," Horton said.
When • Tuesday, 9 p.m.
Where • Bar Deluxe, 666 S. State St., Salt Lake City
Tickets • $5 at door
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Don't Stop Please Embark on Donner Pass Explorer Tour
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Don’t Stop Please embark on Donner Pass Explorer Tour
By Taylor Gladwin
When Don’t Stop Please d...Don’t Stop Please embark on Donner Pass Explorer Tour
By Taylor Gladwin
When Don’t Stop Please decided on a name for their 6-piece experimental rock band, perhaps they had multiple reasons for picking a name that can be construed into so many different meanings. Fans shout out “don’t stop please!” at the beginning and end of their shows, and throughout the entire body of the performance for that matter. Don’t Stop Please will be making fans across the country yell out when they leave on Sunday, March 10th for their first national tour.
The musicians have dubbed the tour The Donner Pass Explorer Tour. The title is another example of their interesting name choices, based on “humor and practicality, and our demeanor,” Krzeszinski said, sarcastically.
The band is making their way to Boise, Idaho for Treefort Music Festival. Treefort Music Fest is a four-day indie music festival that’s playing a helping hand in putting Boise on the map for music culture. This is only the festival’s second year in existence. Don’t Stop Please will be performing at the English pub, Tom Grainey’s on Friday, March 22nd.
“I’m excited about bringing Arkansas vibes to folks that are from other places,” Ludford said. “We’re unique to our environment. We’re definitely an Arkansas band and we get to bring that to a new place.”
Anna Horton, Robert Gaiser, William Krzeszinski, Joel Ludford, Will King, and Nick Caffrey, of DSP, will hit the road on Sunday and drive to Tulsa, Oklahoma for the first official show of the tour. The band has spent the past two months planning The Donner Pass Explorer Tour and is putting their multidimensional name “Don’t Stop Please” to the test with sixteen shows in twenty days. Don’t Stop Please went on two regional tours in 2012, the first one in Kansas. After getting a little experience under their belt, the band went on tour again in July, playing shows in Kansas again, and adding Oklahoma and Missouri.
“This tour’s the longest, about three weeks and 4,000 miles. That’s a big deal. We’ve never toured that long before,” Horton said.
King added, “We’ve grown a lot more as a group. We’ve tuned in on our sound. There’s less fear of ‘what are we doing?’ Confidence in the music and the way we perform backs up the whole experience. The mindset isn’t ‘this is work’ it’s ‘this is a trip.”
That kind of thinking creates a mindset that allows them to grow through work while enjoying work at the same time. In other developing news, Don’t Stop Please will be releasing their third studio album in the fall. This is the third album the Pleasers have put out, but it’s their debut LP (long play) album with a thought-out concept. What exactly that concept is, we will have to wait and see, or, follow them on tour.
“This tour will give people a sneak peak of what will be on the next album,” Ludford said.
TOUR DATES:
Sun 3/10 – Tulsa, OK @ Woodys Corner Bar
Mon 3/11 – Tahlequah, OK @ Iguana Cafee-Tahlequah
Wed 3/13 – Wichita, KS @ Barleycorn’s
Thurs 3/14 – Hays, KS @ Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co.
Fri 3/15 – Boulder House show (info soon)
Sat 3/16 – Denver, CO House show (info soon)
Sun 3/17 – Denver, CO @ Quixote’s True Blue
Mon 3/18 – Laramie, WY @ Coal Creek Coffee
Tues 3/19 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
Thurs 3/21 – Idaho Falls, ID @ The Wax House
Fri 3/22 – Boise, ID @ Tom Grainey’s*
Tues 3/26 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Jives Coffee Lounge
Wed 3/27 – Denver, CO @ Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Thurs 3/28 – Tulsa, OK @ Soundpony Bar
Fri 3/29 – Fort Smith, AR @ Webby D’s
Mon 4/1 Conway, AR @ King’s Piano Bar
*Tree Fort Music Festival
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Don't Stop Please
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The onstage presence of Don’t Stop Please is truly something to behold.
With six members, all of ...The onstage presence of Don’t Stop Please is truly something to behold.
With six members, all of them multi-instrumentalists, their performance area can get a little crowded. Their shows often resemble a circus act as they juggle instruments and change positions, often in the same song. But this is no novelty act. No musical terrain is off limits for Don’t Stop Please, whose music fits nicely into jazz, rock, funk, folk and/or bluegrass. Add that to the stellar songwriting and Anna Horton’s gorgeous Fiona Apple-esque vocals in tandem with frontman Joel Ludford’s own singing voice, and you’ve got it all.
-Wyndham Wyeth, Paste Magazine
supersonic
