Live@5 Returns to In-Person Shows April 2 with Dave Sadler
/Monthly Concert Series Has Been Online-Only During Pandemic
Dave Sadler is set to perform at April’s Live@5 concert at ASC. (Photo Courtesy of Dave Sadler)
Live music at ASC is back! Visitors are invited to the first in-person Live@5 show in more than a year, with Dave Sadler performing at 5-7 p.m. Friday, April 2, 2021, on The Arts & Science Center’s patio.
The event is sponsored by M.K. Distributors.
Admission is $5 for ASC members and $10 for nonmembers. Beer and wine — as well as nonalcoholic beverages — will be available as part of M.K.’s generous sponsorship.
With the global outbreak of the coronavirus, ASC’s long-running monthly concert series shifted to streaming on Facebook in April 2020. Now that Arkansas’s COVID-19 cases have dropped and the lower numbers remaining steady, ASC is resuming much of its in-person programming but with health precautions still in place.
The return of warmer weather is also allowing concerts to be held outside. Although usually held inside on ASC’s Catherine M. Bellamy Theater stage, this month’s Live@5 will be on ASC’s patio. Outdoor concert and event space will also be available soon at ASC’s new facility The ARTSpace on Main, in its ART Yard.
Attendees are required to wear masks for entry but they will be allowed to remove them while they are seated and enjoying a beverage. They must mask up again when they leave their seats. Due to limited space and social distancing, attendance is limited to 40 people.
Local favorite Dave Sadler is an appropriate choice for ASC’s return to live shows. A longtime Live@5 performer, this year marks Sadler’s eighth year to play in the monthly concert series.
Sadler plays a mix of blues, jazz, rock, and funk. He has recorded several albums and single releases for independent label BluezArt Records.
He performs frequently with The Port City Blues Society Players, part of a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that supports the Delta Blues in southeast Arkansas. They play every Tuesday for Blues Night at Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff.
Sadler played with The Port City Blues Society Players during October 2020’s Live@5 streaming concert. He’s looking forward to performing for an in-person Live@5 audience again.
“Playing without a live audience is just not the same,” Sadler said. “I am very much looking forward to that. I enjoy visiting with the people who regularly attend the Live@5 events.”
COVID-19 mostly prevented live performances, he said. “Over the past year, I have spent a good deal of time working on recording projects instead of performances. Only just recently have I been able to return to limited live playing.”
Pine Bluff’s Dave Sadler performs around the state regularly and with the Port City Blues Society Players. (Photo Courtesy of Dave Sadler)
Sadler has played music since he was 11 years old, when he bought a $12 guitar from Doc's Pawn Shop in Pine Bluff. From there, he played with various groups of musicians for fun and church, he said.
“Around the year 2000, I began playing with The Purple Doors, which inspired me to focus on playing more,” Sadler said. “I became involved in several groups and personal recording projects and began playing solo jazz, blues, and rock for various events.”
In addition to his musical performances, Sadler has a unique tie to The Arts & Science Center.
By day, he is vice president of Nelson Architectural Group in Pine Bluff. The firm designed ASC’s main building, which opened in 1994.
“I have had the privilege to be a part of a number of significant construction projects in the community, The Arts and Science Center for Southeast Arkansas being one of them,” Sadler said. “I love being a part of projects that add to the quality of life here.”
Sadler’s community engagement goes back to his music as well.
He was part of a recent charity recording project called "Socially Distant Blues, Volume One.” The five-song album was produced by the Port City Blues Society Players, and was recorded with several musicians at different studios in southeast and central Arkansas. All proceeds from sales, downloads, and streams benefit several local and national charities. It is available on Spotify, Amazon, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and all other major online locations, he said. More information on the project is available on the Port City Blues Society’s website.
For more information about and music from Sadler, visit his website davesadlermusic.com.
Visit the Live@5 webpage to see the rest of the 2021 lineup. The next show is May 7 with Jaymes Brass.
