Enjoy getting Lost in the Attik Saturday at Jack’s
For Texarkana native Jed Harrelson, a Saturday night Fat Jack’s Oyster and Sports Bar show will exhibit why, for him, getting Lost in the Attik is a good thing.
For Harrelson, a budding musician and college student in Fayetteville, Ark., that’s the name of his band, but also where he lives: the attic in a home that also serves as the jam space for him and his fellow musicians.
He and Lost in the Attik have been making a name for themselves in that college town, appearing at local venues George’s Majestic Lounge and Kingfish, plus an appearance on the TV show “Good Day NWA.” The attention has been consistently escalating, he said.
“We’re getting more and more people wanting us to come play and we’ve already booked quite a few shows for the rest of the summer and even into the fall,” Harrelson said. “It’s picking up.”
And for the first time, Harrelson gets to bring his band in for a hometown show at Jack’s. It kicks off at 9 p.m. Saturday. It’s a chance for them to share unique music with a Texarkana audience.
“We like to call it maybe a Southern soul R&B type of sound,” said Harrelson, who’s lead singer, guitarist and songwriter for the young band. They’re still figuring it out, what they’d like to call it.
They find their inspiration where he lives, hence the name. And about their jam room, he says, “We get lost up there a lot.” That said, they’re purposeful enough that they aim to move to Austin, Texas, after he graduates in December.
At first, they drew the typical college crowd to their shows, but that’s expanded to include unfamiliar faces and an older crowd, too.
“Which I’d say is a pretty good thing,” Harrelson says
about growing the Lost in the Attik fan base, noting the Fayetteville music scene is getting bigger and livelier all the time as new businesses incorporate live music. That’s good, particularly for smaller bands, he believes.
His grandfather Hershel Flanagan introduced him to music, serving as an inspiration for young Jed. “I grew up listening to him play guitar for our family, play and sing, which I always really admired,” Harrelson said. Grandpa saw he was really into it, so he taught Harrelson a thing or two.
“From there, I took it upon myself just to take it and run with it, basically,” Harrelson said. “Started learning how to play, started writing music and from there I’ve never really stopped. It just kept going up and up and up.”
He saw that his grandpa’s music made people happy, and that looked like a good thing to be a part of, he said. “I wanted a little piece of that,” he said. He likes connecting at that level with people.
“Seeing somebody really enjoy a song, it’s hard to beat because music physically does something to you,” Harrelson said.
To that end, Harrelson and crew enjoy playing live, which Texarkana folks will get to experience Saturday night.
“When I play live I try to really put my all into it, not just singing or playing, but try to physically express myself while I’m playing,” Harrelson said. It allows him a rare chance to unleash while up on stage.
“This is exactly what I want to be doing,” he says.
And how does it feel to bring his band home to create that on stage? Lost in the Attik has played some big shows so far this summer, but this one he’s anticipated for months. Family and friends who don’t get a chance to see him in Fayetteville will be able to see the show.
“I’ve had a lot of fun at Fat Jack’s before, so allowing me to bring my people down here to meet my other people and just to do what we love, you can’t beat that,” Harrelson said.