Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arkansauce
Fayetteville Formed — Five years ago Members — Adams Collins, Ethan Bush, Zac Archuleta and Tom Andersen Roots Shows — 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Aug. 23 & 24 at George’s Majestic Lounge
Q. Within roots music, how would you describe the music you play? And what defines it as roots music to you?
Collins: We have been called bluegrass, jam grass and new grass, but we usually just stick with string band as we don’t exclusively fit within any of those categories. None of us grew up in a bluegrass family, and all discovered this genre of music later in life. We all came from different musical backgrounds, which has helped shape our sound as we are drawing from many different influences. I reckon we fit into roots music because of our instrumentation. We are all acoustic, including guitar, mandolin, banjo and upright bass. We dabble with some effects at our live show, but mostly stay true to the acoustic tradition. Also, I feel that much of our songwriting is specific to the experience of growing up and living in Arkansas.
Q. Is this your first Roots Fest experience? What makes festivals fun for you as a performer?
A. I feel honored to have been participating in Roots Fest as a musician since 2012, performing with Cutty Rye, Dana Louise and the Glorious Birds, and Arkansauce. Arkansauce played our first Roots Fest set at Maxine’s in 2016 and have participated every year since. It is one of my favorite weekends of the year as I get to hang out with all my favorite people in Fayetteville while being surrounded by incredible food and music.
Q. Would you call the current state of roots music a revival? And why do you think it’s so incredibly popular right now?
A. I’m not sure if I’m enough in tune with the history of roots popularity to speculate on calling it a revival. I can say that for me, the culture of roots music is often about communities and relationships. What I love about Arkansauce music is that it brings people together to celebrate life and fun. I think we all are looking for a reprieve from the things that are currently dividing us, and what better way to do that than music and food!
Q. What’s your latest album or do you have one coming soon?
A. We have three studio albums and are excited to be releasing our fourth this fall. It will be called “Maybe
Someday.”
Q. When will you be playing again in NWA?
A. Arkansauce’s next local performance will be at Crystal Bridges on Sept. 27 for Art Night Out.
Jesse Dean & Co.
Northwest Arkansas Formed — Three years ago
Roots Show — 6-9 p.m. Aug. 23 at George’s
Q. Within roots music, how would you describe the music you play? And what defines it as roots music to you?
Dean: It’s hard to describe the music I play because it comes from so many different genres of music. I like to play simple and straightforward tunes. Whether covering someone else’s or writing my own. My music comes from my heart, soul and from everything and everyone around me. These are my roots.
Q. Is this your first Roots Fest experience? What makes festivals fun for you as a performer?
A. Yes, this is my first year to play during Roots Fest, and I’m excited to see all the different kinds of people who love this kind of music.
Q. Would you call the current state of roots music a revival? And why do you think it’s so incredibly popular right now?
A. I’m not sure if revival is the
proper word, but I will say, what is good, is good.
Q. What’s your latest album or do you have one coming soon?
A. I hope to begin recording on my next one this fall. My most recent collection is titled “Arkansas Amplifier.”
Q. When will you be playing again in NWA?
A. Oct. 4 for happy hour at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.
The Mighty Pines
St. Louis Formed — About three and a half years ago
Roots Show — 8:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Aug. 22 at George’s
Q. Within roots music, how would you describe the music you play? And what defines it as roots music to you?
A. Our music is a total fusion of roots sounds. We are heavily influenced by bluegrass, country, folk and blues, but we can’t be described by just one of those genres.
Q. Is this your first Roots Fest experience? What makes festivals fun for you as a performer?
A. It is! Festivals are just amazing because there is such an atmosphere of discovery already set in place by the fans. People are open to new music; they know they’re going to see something new.
Q. Would you call the current state of roots music a revival? And why do you think it’s so incredibly popular right now?
A. I don’t know if I’d call it a revival anymore. I think that if you look at the decades, roots music has always been there, and successfully so. Even in the ’80s, you had Bruce Springsteen’s “Nebraska” and Paul Simon’s “Graceland,” which are very rootsy albums (although “Graceland” is a roots-fusion sound). In the ’70s, The Eagles and The Grateful Dead were putting banjos on their records. What keeps roots music so popular are bands that create a fusion of sounds — Nickel Creek or The Avett Brothers are some examples from the two decades — that introduce people to the sounds of banjos, mandolins and fiddles and end up bringing a lot of people down the roots music rabbit hole.
Q. What’s your latest album or do you have one coming soon?
A. We have a new album in the works, and we’re working with producer Steve Berlin of Los Lobos. We’re really excited.
Q. When will you be playing again in NWA?
A. We’ll be back in September for Bikes, Blues & BBQ!