With all the recent snow days they had, a few friends from the University of Arkansas put together their take on the Katy Perry song “Firework.” It is, to say the least, different than the original.

You’ll notice some Fayetteville landmarks along the way, and you’ll notice a few guys who aren’t wearing shirts.

The video, during which the group lip-syncs to the song, was acknowledged and endorsed by Perry herself, according to the Huffington Post.

As of Monday afternoon, more than 300,000 people had watched it. Watch it here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Robert Schwartzman of Rooney. All photos by Kevin Kinder, NWA Media

There is always an encore. Or, almost always.

There wasn’t one at a Monday night concert at the Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus featuring Rooney, and that should tell you something.

For an night in late April, it was unseasonable cool for any outdoor event that didn’t involve a bonfire, the kind of night that made you wish you had a blanket tucked away in the trunk of your car.

Rooney may have brought some California with them in their pop rock tunes, but they did little to heat up the night.

They didn’t do anything wrong, of course, or particularly poorly. But they didn’t transcend the evening, either, and by the time the band had played their last promised song, the crowd was running for the exits. I’m not sure if they band was willing to play that encore, but the crowd didn’t give them any chance.

In a set that last just more than an hour, the group tore through a set of pop rock numbers that drew from early records and a forthcoming disc, “Eureka,” alike.

But the band knew which songs to play when, kicking off the evening with an early hit “Blueside” and closing it with what are arguably their two biggest hits: “Shakin’” and “When Did Your Heart Go Missing.”

By the time the last chord had finished ringing on that song, the crowd was already waving goodbye.

Taylor Locke of Rooney

It’s hard to place fault. The band was solid, especially guitarist Taylor Locke, who blistered through several tastefully short solos.

But the band also never reached critical mass, something that was going to be hard to accomplish considering that only 500 or so braved the cold and the UA’s finals week to see the free show.

Instead, they sang their songs, the crowd cheered for the few songs they knew and then tore off for someplace warm.

A note about the openers: Goose, a local band, served as the opening act. They sounded a lot like O.A.R. in having a shimmering acoustic guitar sounds with a loose reggae beat. The band didn’t cover O.A.R., but they did cover a lot of other groups, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and John Mayer among them.

Rooney setlist: 1) Blueside; 2) If It Were Up To Me; 3) Don’t Come Around Again; 4) I Don’t Want To Lose You; 5) Daisy Duke; 6) I Can’t Get Enough; 7) You Got Me Paralyzed; 8) Are You Afraid?; 9) Losing All Control; 10) Not Sure of the Title; 11) Sorry Sorry; 12) Suckceed; 13) I Should Have Been After You; 14) When Did Your Heart Go Missing?; 15) Shakin’

However, we’re told the distribution would start about 10:30 a.m. — which was about 30 minutes ago. So, if you’re a University of Arkansas student, you should be able to get a ticket for Bentley’s show in Barnhill Arena now if you have a student ID and show up at the Union Ballroom. Until tickets are gone, of course.

Pollstar.com has some insight on Bentley regarding his upcoming album, although it appears as if his official tour in support of his upcoming bluegrass-based “Up on the Ridge” will began after his appearance in Fayetteville.

Still, maybe he’ll play a song or two? Read more about that project here.

Tickets are scheduled to go on sale to the general public at 10 a.m. tomorrow (March 17) through Ticketmaster.

How about some sun-drenched pop rock? Rooney is (apparently) bringing some to the University of Arkansas in late April.

It’s been cold and snow and icy recently.

So, what better way to keep warm than to think nice warm thoughts? How about some springtime thoughts, even?

Here’s a little warmer weather info: According to music Web site Last.fm, California pop rockers (and television show background music favorites) Rooney are coming to the University of Arkansas campus on April 26, a Monday.

Details are few, but the show would seem to fall in line with the once-per-semester University Programs sponsored shows that take place at the Chi Omega Greek Theater and are free.

We will provide updates if the show is confirmed or if other details emerge.

Bobby Watson performs a tune. Watson will play in Fayetteville on Saturday (July 11).

Technically, Bobby Watson does not have an actual doctorate degree in jazz music. After going through three decades as a renowned alto saxophonist, though, he certainly can qualify for a few honorary degrees.

These days, Watson’s day job consists of directing the jazz department at the University of Missouri — Kansas City. He still, though, makes a point of traveling on a regular basis to different gigs across the globe. On Saturday (July 11), Watson’s travels will bring him to the Arkansas Union Theater at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville for an 8 p.m. show as a part of the KUAF Summer Jazz Series.

Watson, who will perform in a quartet, recently took time to chat with the Northwest Arkansas Times about topics such as how he came to move back to his homeland after living in New York City for 25 years and how he became involved with Art Blakey’s prestigious Jazz Messengers. That story can be viewed here.

Tickets for the show are $20/public and $15/North Arkansas Jazz Society members. They are available at the jazz society’s Web site. Students can get in free with an ID.

Associated Press photo of T.I., shortly after his sentencing on March 27.

When T.I. came to Fayetteville in February to perform at the University of Arkansas, he was awaiting sentencing for federal weapons charges.

And now it looks like the rap star is returning to the Natural State — this time behind bars.

The Associated Press reports today that T.I., whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., will serve his one year and a day sentence, which was handed down March 27, at the low-security unit of the Forrest City Federal Correctional Complex. Though the incident that led to his arrest and conviction occurred in Atlanta, it’s not uncommon for inmates guilty of federal crimes to be imprisoned in a different state.

If T.I. ever decides he needs a little religion while in the slammer, he may be in luck. Forrest City is the birthplace of soul singing legend Al Green ( “Let’s Stay Together” and “I’m Still in Love With You”), who became a preacher in the 1970s and now has a church in Memphis, Tenn., about 40 miles east of the prison where T.I. will stay.

Coincidentally, Forrest City was also home to the late country singer Charlie Rich. His big hit song? “Behind Closed Doors.”

Guster plays one of its biggest hits, “Demons,” in a setting much smaller than where the band will play April 21 at the Chi Omega Greek Theater on the UA campus — at no cost to concertgoers.

Talk about great timing.

On Tuesday (April 21), the environmentally aware Campus Consciousness Tour starring Guster will stop by the Chi Omega Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus one day before Earth Day.

Presented by the UA’s University Programs committee, the show, which will start at 8 p.m. with opening act Sweet Wild Orange, will be free and open the public.

In a recent interview with the Northwest Arkansas Times, Guster guitar player and co-vocalist Adam Gardner encouraged fans to show up right when the venue opened — at 7 p.m. — to explore the tour’s traveling eco-village featuring exhibits on alternative forms of energy and transportation and samples of eco-friendly products. Along with his wife, Gardner founded Reverb, the organization that started the tour four years ago as a means of promoting sustainability practices at concerts.

Gardner also took time to talk about his college days at Tufts University near Boston, which led to the formation of his band in the early ’90s, and his group’s latest studio album. The article can be found here.

Dana Falconberry

A product of Michigan, Dana Falconberry always had a passion for dance. But while attending Hendrix College, Falconberry began to play guitar, too, learning Beatles songs and composing tracks of her own. Drawn to the bustling music scene there, she moved to Austin, Texas, in 2005. The singer-songwriter continues to perform there and across the region, and on Wednesday will appear at RZ’s Coffeehouse in the Arkansas Union on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Falconberry is touring in support of her latest album, “oh skies of grey,” and attracting attention in the process, with the Austin Chronicle noting her “achingly intimate narratives” and “brazen, bluesy power.” The show begins at 8 p.m. and is free.