Fireball 6, the sixth edition of Revolution Music Room’s wild and crazy New Year’s Eve party, will feature the hugely popular The Venus Mission this year.

Tickets to Fireball 6: The ’80s Party featuring The Venus Mission & Friends are $15 in advance and are available online now here. The party starts at 9 pm and doors open at 8 pm on New Year’s Eve.

The Venus Mission — dubbed “the hottest band between Memphis and the Sun” — features heavenly female singers, stellar musicians and irresistible dance hits, taking fans on a rocket ride through the best party music of the last 40 years.

The group plays everything from R&B to disco to Top 40, with a particular emphasis on the hits of the ’80s. With soaring vocals and spandex-tight moves, The Venus Mission is a blast whether you’re watching, dancing, or singing along. The band also is expected to perform some of its sassy original pop songs, which you can hear on their CD Body Rockin’.

Based in Memphis, The Venus Mission has performed throughout the Mid-South, and has played more than 500 shows since 2002, gaining thousands of fans throughout the region with their fun dance music and upbeat, high-energy stage show.

The Memphis Commercial-Appeal calls them “one of the premier party bands in the Mid-South,” and the Arkansas Times has said The Venus Mission is “the most popular touring act to come regularly to Little Rock.”

For more information about Revolution Music Room or tickets to shows, call 501-823-0090 or visit www.revroom.com.

Lucero’s punk rock roots can be heard throughout their alt-country/rock sound, while their Southern roots give them the twang that they have come to be known by. The band, based in Memphis, was founded in 1998 and for the past decade they’ve played 150 to 200 shows a year across the United States and Canada. They have released six full-length albums. Check out a video of one of their 2008 shows here:

The members of Lucero are Roy Berry (drums), John C. Stubblefield (bass), Brian Venable (guitar), and Ben Nichols (guitar and vocals), Rick Steff (piano, organ, accordion), and occasionally Todd Beene (pedal steel).

In late 2008, the band announced they had signed a 4-album deal with Universal Music Group. Their first after that deal, and their latest full-length album, 1372 Overton Park, was released in late 2009 and was the first Lucero album to feature a horns section; it received high marks from critics across the country.

The Onion gave 1372 Overton Park a grade of A-, saying this about the album:

“Back when Lucero played warehouses and released scrappy attic recordings on hand-packaged LPs, the Memphis band felt like an epiphany. Granted, Lucero wasn’t the first group to smash punk zeal into country-rock tradition, but it was the best at the time, and did so on wholly punk- rock terms. Ten years on, the group has released 1372 Overton Park, its major-label debut. Not only is it a sonic leap for Lucero, it’s another epiphany: Having long outgrown the warehouse, leader Ben Nichols and crew have embraced their legendary Memphis forebears by adding a robust horn section (courtesy of Memphis soul legend Jim Spake) and an epic sweep on par with Lucero’s closest cousin, Drive-By Truckers. … With young contenders like The Gaslight Anthem hot on their heels, the members of Lucero have shown that they can still stretch, grow, and move forward — even while keeping a reverent eye on the rearview mirror.”

Frontman Nichols also is known for co-starring in MTV’s “$5 Cover” program, a Craig Brewer-produced quasi-fictionalized series about the Memphis music scene that started in May 2009. A performance of Lucero’s song “San Francisco” at the Young Avenue Deli in Memphis is featured in the trailer for the series.

Opening will be LaVere, an Americana singer, songwriter, upright bass player and actress based in Memphis. She has released three albums on Memphis label Archer Records, and has multiple acting credits in major motion pictures.

In early 2006, LaVere released her debut album This World Is Not My Home to instant national acclaim. She was joined on her album by many accomplished artists, including notorious southern bluesman Jimbo Mathus, formerly of the Squirrel Nut Zippers. The Los Angeles Daily News raved at the time, “Something like this doesn’t come along every day.” LaVere has also begun a nascent acting career that began with her cameo as Rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson in the Johnny Cash bio film “Walk The Line” and continued with featured role in Craig Brewer’s “Black Snake Moan.”

In 2007, LaVere went into the studio with acclaimed producer, bluesman and Arkansas native Jim Dickinson to record her second album, Anchors & Anvils. Dickinson has previously produced albums for Ry Cooder, Aretha Franklin, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan (in a 40-year relationship that has extended from Blonde on Blonde to Time Out Of Mind), and Dickinson’s sons’ seminal North Mississippi Allstars. The resulting album rose to No. 6 on the Americana Music Charts and earned LaVere a nomination for the Americana Music Association Awards’ Best New Or Emerging Artist.

In addition to her critical recognition, she has toured the United States from coast to coast, receiving rave reviews for her genuine and powerful performances. She played a series of dates with The Swell Season, had a breakout performance at Austin City Limits Festival, and shared the stage at the Americana Music Conference with Lyle Lovett, Todd Snider, and others.

Tickets for Wednesday night’s show are $21 in advance online, available here, or $26 at the door (until it sells out, and it likely will). Show starts at 8:30 and it’s open to ages 18 & up.

You might have seen the stickers all around town when Zoogma was previously booked in Arkansas or when they were on the bill at this summer’s Wakarusa Music Festival, and wondered the same thing: “What the F*** is Zoogma?”

Zoogma is a rare musical treat that combines the diversity and precision of a DJ with the excitement and immediacy of a five-piece jam-rock band. The group and their exciting musical combination will headline Revolution Music Room’s recurring Zodiac Dance Party on Friday, Dec. 2 starting at 9 pm.

The show is open to ages 18 & up and tickets are $10 at the door. The first 50 people to arrive who were born under the Sagittarius Zodiac sign get in free, with proper ID.

Known for their energetic performances and awesome light show, Zoogma consistently dishes out heavyweight, beat-driven dance parties across the country. Their sets combine live improvisation with carefully crafted beats and melodic textures and light routines.

Based in Oxford, Mississippi, Zoogma could be called a fusion of electronica, rock, jazz, world beat and hip-hop. Their blend of genres results in a musical experience that appeals to a wide range of audiences who appreciate their refreshingly originally dance music.

A review by HonestTune.com of Zoogma’s Wakarusa late-night set this summer had this to say:

“One band featured in this year’s look at the “bottom 50″ on the Waka lineup was the explosive and unforgettable Zoogma. Those who let their curiosity lead them to the Outpost tent were met with two phenomenal sets by this five-piece electro rock fusion act. Both sets by this band packed the tent full of equally old and new fans that raged every second thoroughly. Leaving the first set, conversation started in the crowd debating if this was “the new STS9?” The answer remains unclear, as Zoogma seems to be perched to be that and much more.”

LostInSound.org recently wrote this about the band:

“Zoogma is a rising gem amongst what is sometimes considered a diluted “jamtronica” scene, but after listening to their music, you will come to find that they have one of the freshest and most mature sounds on the circuit today. Whether you are looking for rock, dubstep, four on the floor dance beats, or just plain ridiculous musicianship, Zoogma will give it to you, and they will give it to you good.”

For more information or a look at Rev Room’s restaurant menu, visit www.revroom.com.

**To hear some of Zoogma’s music, and the music of other bands coming to Rev Room and its sister venue, Stickyz, in the coming weeks, check out the Love Live Music channel on Last.fm here. It’s free — and we can all stand some great new music in our lives!

With such varied influences as the Rolling Stones, Rob Thomas and Garth Brooks, Texas country star Casey Donahew has come a long way since starting out playing in tiny venues on Texas bar circuit. And on Wednesday Nov. 30, he and his band come to Revolution Music Room to headline a show there.

With a live show that’s been compared to a Springsteen-like event with a high energy level and an extra-long set, Donahew became known for shows that often featured playful country-rock covers of popular hip-hop hits like “Ice Ice Baby” or 50 Cent’s “In da Club.”

Pam Minick from Texas’ famed club Billy Bob’s eventually took notice, and when she hired Donahew for a headlining spot, the enormous Texas country college-age crowd followed.

His hard work and seven years of steady gigging around Texas and the South paid off a couple of years ago when a self-released Casey Donahew Band album hit the Top 30 on the Billboard Country Albums chart in 2009, and he’s been a rising star on the national country scene ever since.

Donahew — who still keeps it real as a team roper when he’s back home, and loves to watch his favorite country singer Pat Green — has now topped the Texas music charts several times, released four albums independently to critical acclaim, and forged a path all his own through the music scene without the aid or muscle of a major record label or power-suit management company.

His latest CD, “Double Wide Dream,” is pretty much right in the wheelhouse of Casey’s previous three: The songs contemplate all the highs and lows of real life, from the heartaches to the belly laughs and everything in between, and the album is packed full of that unbridled, can-do indie spirit that has rocket-powered his entire career right from the start.

From the straight-shooting, hilarity of the leadoff single, “Double Wide Dream,” a redneck’s declaration of love for his hot mess of a wife, to the heartfelt twist of “Give You A Ring,” and the hotter-than-a-jalapeno, Texas-tinged smoker, “One Star Flag,” the tunes on this new CD cover a broad range of material and emotions and showcase a maturity that can only be achieved through lots of living, loving, and losing — things Casey has apparently done his fair share of.

Casey Donahew Band’s show at Rev Room starts at 9 pm with openers Matt Stell & The Crashers of LIttle Rock. The show is open to ages 18 & up, and tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. They are on sale now online here.

**To hear Casey Donahew Band’s music and the music of other bands coming to Rev Room and its sister venue, Stickyz Rock ‘N’ Roll Chicken Shack, in the coming weeks, check out the Love Live Music channel on Last.fm here. It’s free — and we can all stand some great new music in our lives!

Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, an incredible and critically acclaimed alt-country/Southern rock band from Muscle Shoals, Alabama, will headline a show at Revolution Music Room on Saturday Nov 26.
Isbell and The 400 Unit earlier this year released their second album and Isbell’s third since leaving the Drive-By Truckers, entitled Here We Rest.

The record has received high praise in reviews all over the country for its country-soul sounds, its rock-n-roll riffs and thoughtful, provocative songwriting.

Creative Loafing Atlanta, which gave Here We Rest 5 stars, says:

“A highly respected songwriter by both critics and fans, Isbell takes his craft to the upper echelon with this fine release.”

Spin magazine, which rated the release with 8 out of 10 stars, wrote:

“Isbell’s third solo album is earthy and unpretentiously eclectic — bluesy shuffles, gospel tinges — and you almost expect Bonnie Raitt’s voice to waft in.”

A seasoned musician who played on the latest albums by Justin Townes Earle, Middle Brother, Abby Owens and Coy Bowles, Isbell is visibly broadened his ideas about how to present his own music, adding more rambunctious rock guitar here and more quiet soul there.

Expect Isbell and The 400 Unit to put on a heckuva a live show at Rev Room on Thanksgiving weekend; their known for being an awesome band, and the Houston Press named them the best of SXSW festival after their show there last year.

Opening for Isbell and crew will be Little Rock’s own very talented Adam Faucett & The Tall Grass; the show is open to ages 18 & up, it starts at 9 pm and tickets are $12 in advance (available here) or $14 at the door.

For more information or to see the restaurant menu for Rev Room, visit http://revroom.com.

To hear some of Isbell and The 400 Unit’s music and the songs of other artists coming soon to Rev Room and its sister live music venue, Stickyz Rock ‘N’ Roll Chicken Shack, check out the Love Live Music Internet Radio Station at Last.fm here.