EVERYONE ASKED ABOUT YOU
Wednesday 12/28. White Water Tavern. 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
For years, the meta narrative of the Little Rock music scene was that we punched above our weight with an unparalleled talent-to-population ratio. But with few exceptions, our brilliance was largely unheralded beyond our borders. Because of bad luck. Because folks couldn’t break through the ties that bind (family, work, drinking beer weekly at Vino’s and White Water Tavern). I don’t know if that’s true anymore — lots of Little Rock folks have lately found national success at least in a niche way — or ever was. But if you subscribe to the “we were amazing and people should recognize” theory, the revival of Everyone Asked About You represents a tantalizing possibility: a redo. Formed just after the Towncraft era, in the late ’90s, the emo band featured several folks you’ve probably heard of: Lee Buford (drums) of The Body, Collins Kilgore (guitar) of The American Princes and restaurateur John Beachboard (keys). Hannah Vogan (vocals) and Chris Sheppard (guitar) round out the lineup. The Promise Ring and The Rentals are touchstones. I wasn’t around during the band’s heyday, but various folks on the scene report that, while Everyone Asked About You had a following, it wasn’t exactly massive. The group put out a handful of 7-inches and recorded an album that wasn’t released. That was it. Then in 2012 a Minnesota label, 25 Diamonds, did a small pressing of the album. It and the 7-inches fetched outrageous prices on Discogs. Evidence of a Japanese cover band popped up on YouTube. Then this year Numero Group, perhaps the preeminent miner of forgotten musical gems, started reissuing the band. You can even buy Everyone Asked About You T-shirts on the label’s website. These shows, including one catered to folks who like to go to bed early, come ahead of the band playing Numero’s 20th anniversary show in L.A. in February with the likes of Unwound and Karate.
