Dustin Staggs

NWA Democrat-Gazette

The Peacemaker Festival, a Fort Smith music tradition, is celebrating its 10th anniversary Oct. 11 and 12. Known as a festival by music lovers for music lovers, it combines country, rock, blues, red dirt and Americana performances at the Riverfront Amphitheater on the bank of the Arkansas River.

To celebrate the milestone, Trent Goins, co-founder of the festival and a Fort Smith native, said they are doing an all-out celebration.

“I think our first year our total budget for everything was about $100,000,” Goins said. “Today, our budget all in for sound, production, talent and everything is about three quarters of a million. So it has definitely grown over the last 10 years, no doubt about it.”

This year’s roster demonstrates Peacemaker’s dedication to curating a diverse range of genres in the realm of country and bringing performers from various backgrounds together.

The event will feature performances by 12 bands. To name a few and described by their Apple Music bios, there will be 49 Winchester, an Americana ensemble that combines red dirt troubadour country with traditional folk, drawing on their Appalachian background; Morgan Wade, whose sound is evocative of Tom Petty’s laid-backness, drawing on pop-country and Americana influences; and Jason Boland and the Stragglers, key members of Oklahoma’s red dirt music scene, who merge classic country with folk sensibilities.

Goins has been the festival’s talent buyer for the past five years and said he’s personally dedicated to providing the greatest lineup possible.

“Everybody has different musical interests,” Goins said. “That’s the cool thing about Peacemaker; we get the opportunity to bring bands together that aren’t typically on bills together. Like very rarely are you going to find a bill that has Morgan Wade and all the way down to Casper McWade.”

For the Joe Stamm Band, this is their second time returning as a band to the festival. Joe Stamm, the lead singer of the band, actually appeared solo to perform an acoustic set before the headliners three years ago.

“The festival and the people (who) put the festival on kind of have almost a small town community vibe to it,” Stamm said. “The artists are certainly treated with dignity and respect, and it’s just a warm environment.”

After naming the Joe Stamm Band as their Emerging Artist of the Year for 2023, Peacemaker Records and Sol Studios in Fort Smith collaborated with the band to produce a group of songs for a surprise EP last year. Stamm himself said that when it came time to name the record, it just felt appropriate to name it after the town that helped create it.

What further distinguishes Peacemaker is its emphasis on treating artists well and making sure they are having just as good of a time as the audience. Goins credits this mentality to his mentor and festival co-founder Bill Neumeier, who died in 2018.

“He taught me something very invaluable that (it) doesn’t matter the size of the crowd,” Goins said. “If you treat the artist with respect and the artist has a great time, they will want to come back.”

Tickets to the Peacemaker Festival range from $69.50 to $2,750, depending on the package concert-goers would like to receive. Like all the years before, the festival will be family friendly and have food trucks on site.

The weekend will wrap up with an after-party at the Majestic on Oct. 12 at 11:30 p.m., featuring Cameron Whitcomb and the Texas-based band The Black Cherries. Goins hinted that he thinks people might recognize some familiar faces in the band.

“We’ve got an incredible lineup this year from Friday night to Saturday night,” Goins said. “I probably say it every year, because I probably feel that way, but I truly think this is one of our best lineups.”

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FAQ

Peacemaker Festival

WHEN — Oct. 11-12

WHERE — Riverfront Amphitheater, 121 Riverfront Drive, Fort Smith

COST — $69.50-$2,750

INFO — peacemakerfest.com