On the Shoulders of Giants by Shawn James
The music scene in northwest Arkansas was alive and well — and certainly busy — in 2016.
Thanks to the research from Art Amiss’s Music Director Eric Jensen, we’re able to publish a working collection of all the music released from artists in the region.
From 90 artists in NWA came more than 170 music albums, EPs or singles. A total of 41 full-length albums were released by artists in the region.
Most of these were from bands that regularly play the area, such as Shawn James, Willi Carlisle, Vintage Pistol, Lost John, Nature & Madness, Ten High, Bob For Apples, Nite Pup, The Chads, Prahnas, Melody Pond, The Lark and the Loon, The Silvershakers and PZA.
2016 brought a couple things to our attention. For starters, there’s an active underground hip-hop scene in Springdale and Fayetteville.
Ambient artists are numerous enough in Arkansas that an “Ambient Arkansas” compilation featuring artists from all over the state was released this year, and many from NWA also had their own separate releases this year.
Fayetteville’s own Let’s Talk Figures label put out a slew of bizarre, funny and eclectic albums from their lineup of local bands and artists from around the world. It’s probably safe to say they likely produce the most unique music in the state.
There’s undoubtedly music from local artists we’ve missed, but please know it is not intentional. Our apologies if you were missed. If you know of a music release we missed, please tell us below in the comments section with a link to the music.
Here’s what Northwest Arkansas sounded like in 2016.
2016 Northwest Arkansas Music Releases compiled by Eric Jensen
(If an artist has more than one, the most recent release [if date known] is listed first.)
Release Name^Format(s)^Type
Arkansas
Various Artists^Ambient Arkansas CD^digital^DVD compilation (bands and solo artists from all over Arkansas on this compilation)
Eureka Springs
Testube^Soul: 20 Year Anniversary Edition (re-release) digital album
The Lark And The Loon^Roost Recordings Vol 1^digital EP
The Lark And The Loon^Songbirds and Fog^CD, digital, vinyl album
Chucky Waggs and the Company of Raggs^Junkyard Charlie^CD, digital album
Too Nice to Mean Much by Willi Carlisle
Fayetteville
The Airplanes^Block Street Bop^digital single
Matthew Alan^Fire^digital EP
Kevin Baker^Mood Music for the Apathetic^digital album
Barren^Void^CD, digital album
BiK FliQQr^Plague Rats^digital single
Bob For Apples^Self-Entitled^digital album
Rochelle Bradshaw & Hypnotion^Works Must Be Done^digital single
Brother Moses^Legends CD^digital, vinyl EP
Jonas Bonus^Stoner Shit^digital single
Jonas Bonus^Domestic Goddess^digital album
Willi Carlisle^Too Nice to Mean Much^digital EP
Austin Cash^Man Ray and Me^digital single
Austin Cash^Untitled Lush Workers Demo #1^digital single
Austin Cash^Our Ears Are Now in Excellent Condition^digital single
The Chads^Preview^digital EP
Charnal^Rebirth^digital EP
Cloudwave^This Side of Midnight^digital single
J Daimyo (= JR Ewing)^The Divine Comedy^digital EP
(and several more single tracks on his two Soundcloud pages)
Diamond State^Better Off This Way^digital single
Divine LowLife^Until The Day Breaks & The Shadows Flee Away…^digital album
Divine LowLife^The LowLife’s Melodies^digital album
Divine LowLife^The Divine Tape^digital mixtape
(and several more single tracks on his Soundcloud page)
Doctor Nod^Wha???^Little Ride^digital single
Doctor Nod^Top Tips cassette^digital album
Wha??? b/w Little Ride by Dr. Nod
Doctor Nod^Lost Tapes^digital EP
Eye for a LiE^Ashes To Ground^digital single
Eye for a LiE^Chit Chatter^digital single
Eye for a LiE^Always^digital single
FACEBOOK USER^Statuses Vol. II 2011-2015^digital album
Farmer and the Markets^Merry Christmas^digital album
The Gebharts^Borador^digital single
The Gebharts^Pomeranian Queen (No Longer Mine)^digital single
The Gebharts^Schizofriendia digital EP
Gem Fusion^Do The Things You DO (Demo) digital single
Gravedancer^Gravedancer^CD-digital^EP
Holographic Crew^Digital Safari digital album
Terminus^Safe Travels, See You Never^CD/digital
Hybrid Harbor^The Morning^digital EP
Joseph Israel^Paradise^digital album
Joseph Israel^People Need Hope^digital single
Shawn James^On the Shoulders of Giants^CD, digital, vinyl album
JrSOAPbox^i love rock and roll^digital single
JrSOAPbox^through the trouble^digital single
JrSOAPbox^What you Know^digital single
JrSOAPbox^jones^digital single
(and several more single tracks on their Reverbnation page)
KeNo^Handle bars^digital single
KeNo^Dream^digital single
KeNo^Abundance (feat. Zilla)^digital single
This Is A Pipe Dream by Ten High
Let’s Talk Figures (Record Label): Various Artists, LTF Holiday Spread 2016^digital compilation
(many Northwest Arkansas bands on this compilation)
Lost John^Lost John^digital album
Lost John^Lost John LIVE^digital EP
LRG PZA^Anxiety Quest Online^digital album
Manchild^Bottom Text^digital single
RD Mauzy^Self Help (The Covers EP)^digital EP
Melody Pond^Avalanche^digital single
Melody Pond^Falling^digital single
Melody Pond^What I Mean^digital single
Melody Pond^People Pleasing^digital single
Mic Adams^Do That There (Cam Taylor House Remix)^digital single
Mic Adams^Get It On (feat. Big Piph)^digital single
Mic Adams^Legacy^digital album
Molten Mama^Love My Sex^digital single
Shane Morris & [Q]^The Ascent^digital album
M.S.R. (Nathan Riggs, Courtney Tucker)^Savagely at Nothing^digital EP
Nature & Madness^Where Will We Go^digital album
Nite Pup^Three-toed Outward Migration^digital single
Nite Pup^The Idea is like Grass^digital album
NUGSTUFR^Tell Me That (feat. Thorneus)^digital single
NUGSTUFR^Darknet^digital EP
NUGSTUFR^Pablo^digital single
Okhotsk^The Swan^digital single
Okhotsk^1^digital album
Okhotsk^Faraway Radio Stations^digital single
Old Ties (Allison Williams & Willi Goehring)^Old Ties^digital album
The OneUps^Part Seven^CD, digital album
The OneUps & Mariachi Entertainment System^Vega (Street Fighter II)^digital single
Part Seven by The OneUps
The Ozark Travelers^Not a Bit of Bridge^digital album
Piss Shivers^Piss Shivers^cassette, digital EP
Prahnas^Toy Key 7: Short On Comfort^digital EP
Prahnas^Songs Ryan Won’t Like^digital album
Prahnas^Selected Pre-Prahnas Recordings 2004/2008^digital album
Prahnas^Toy Key Six: Ultra Chorus Boring Formula^digital album
The Purples & Mountain Shore^New Normal: Tensions^digital album
The Purples & Mountain Shore^Harmonitalk 2000^digital single
The Purples^Eternal Horizons digital album
The Purples^Experiments^digital album
The Purples^At Home Cat trilogy^digital EP
PZA^Pizza Rolls, Royce Rolls, Roycle Rolls^digital album
PZA^SHINE OF SATURN^digital album
PZA^WATER & EARTH^digital album
PZA^iBOOKS^digital album
PZA^IS A HACK^digital album
PZA^SLEEPY^digital album
(and several more releases on his and the Let’s Talk Figures Bandcamp pages)
Preview by The Chads
Quartz Prawl^CHANCE ACCELERATOR^digital single
Quartz Prawl^no dragons, just ready to gloop^digital EP
Quartz Prawl^horsies^digital EP
Recess x Cobrayama^Channel Drift^digital EP
Recess^Love U, Need U^digital single
Recess^The Brothel Gospel^digital EP
Nathan Riggs^Coat Drive Live 10/17 featuring Gaute Granli^digital live show
Nathan Riggs^Considered, Live^digital live show
Nathan Riggs^Live at Backspace 7/15/16^digital live show
(and several more releases on the Lisa Tapes Bandcamp page)
Rocket Coma^Dangerfield^digital album
Rocket Coma^This n That^digital single
Rocket Coma^Feel The Bern^digital single
Route 358^Alone Tonight^digital EP
Saint God^Home is Where You Heartache^digital EP
The Silvershakers^Barely Scrapin’ By^CD, digital album
Sister FOX^GODDESS^digital album
Still On The Hill^Still A River: Story Songs of the Buffalo River CD^digital album
Sugarcane^The Smell of Cold Glass^digital EP
SW/MM/NG^Phantom Feel^digital single
Take The Space^Strange Pheromones^digital single
Ten High^This is a Pipe Dream^digital EP
Troutt^allthetime^digital single
Troutt^In/0^digital single
Troutt^SoPrk^3 digital single
(and several more single tracks on his Soundcloud page)
Trumann Rail Boys^Trumann Rail Boys^digital EP
Vintage Pistol^The Second Amendment^digital EP
White Mansion^Mildew^digital album
White Mansion^Lady In Red^digital single
The Second Amendment by Vintage Pistol
Witchsister^Time Out^digital album
Woody & Sunshine^Lapse^digital single
Woody & Sunshine^Felix And Robin^digital single
Young Spielberg^Branson^digital single
Young Spielberg^Chongjin^digital single
Young Spielberg^Instrumental #3/ digital single
Fort Smith
Auspicious^Revamp^digital EP
Holy Smokes!^SCORCHED^digital EP
Holy Smokes!^Unfortunate Circumstances and How Things^digital single
Got That Way (interlude 2)^White Gold/ digital
Local Eyes^For What It’s Worth^CD, EP
Othello^Reflections^CD, digital EP
Othello^Toxic Medication^digital single
Silent Waits^The Archer Revival^digital single
Lowell
Bottlerocket^Bottlerocket CD^digital EP
Rogers
Resident^Steps^digital single
Time Out by Witchsister
Springdale
Jonny Enigma^RR^digital single
Jonny Enigma^Have It or Half It^digital single
Jonny Enigma^Solitude^digital single
Jonny Enigma^Sacred^digital single
(and several more single tracks on his Soundcloud and Reverbnation pages)
DJ Knite X^Private Eye^digital single
DJ Knite X^Luvsic Part 4. Demo^digital single
DJ Knite X^Ecruteak City Demo^digital single
DJ Knite X^Evening Interlude Demo^digital single
Thunderman^Fork In The Road (Instrumental Tape)^digital album
Siloam Springs
The Iridium Complex^Thoughtform^digital, CD
Paperweight^Easy Out^digital EP
Paperweight^Sleep^digital single
Valley Springs
Organelle Spy^Nod Off^digital album
Organelle Spy^Aquatica^digital album
Organelle Spy^Fashion Center (translated from Japanese)^digital album
Organelle Spy^Organelle Spy^digital album
Organelle Spy^Mythos^digital album
Organelle Spy^Rainbow Metal^digital digital album
(and five more releases on the Bandcamp page)
Van Buren
Mythorgeth^Rope Burn^digital EP
Paper Music^Other Music^digital EP
Paper Music^Music For Film Trailers^digital EP
Paper Music^Music for Documentary Projects^digital album
Paper Music^Music for Film Projects^digital album
Paper Music^Music for Commercial Projects^digital album (and several more single tracks on his Soundcloud page)
~
Eric Jensen is the Music Director for Art Amiss, a Fayetteville-based nonprofit that has been supporting and promoting the arts in Arkansas since 2004. The organization promotes Arkansas music through direct grants and the production of eclectic and genre specific music compilations. Stream and download all of their music compilations here: http://arkansas-music.bandcamp.com and visit them on Facebook at facebook.com/artamissnwa.
