Summer Songs: Music series tuning up everywhere across NWA

Summer Songs: Music series tuning up everywhere across NWA
MONICA HOOPER
mhooper@nwaonline.com

It’s time to upgrade your outdoor concert gear — just leave your glass containers at home! From spring to summer to fall, there’s music indoors and out warming up Northwest Arkansas.

The big kid on the block, the Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers has an equally big slate of shows planned, starting April 22 with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats. The AMP recently added Santana on July 12 and Halsey on May 25, and other headliners include Jimmy Buffett, Steely Dan, CHEER Live, Backstreet Boys, Chicago, Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys), Fitz and the Tantrums, James Taylor, Josh Groban, Halestorm, Keith Urban, The Black Keys and the Outlaw Music Festival featuring Willie Nelson & Family, Brothers Osborne, Steve Earle & The Dukes and Allison Russell. Tickets and more information on seating available at www.amptickets.com.

But the summer series at the AMP is just the beginning of the fun. Another half dozen summer traditions are gearing up, including the Mountain Street Stage series indoors in the new Event Center at the Fayetteville Public Library and outdoor concerts at Turnbow Park in downtown Springdale and the Railyard Live in downtown Rogers.

Mountain Street Stage

The Mountain Street Stage series returns to the Fayetteville Public Library with concerts on Sundays at 2 p.m. in the Event Center on the newly renovated side of the library campus. The series is free and open to all, including kids and families. Attendance will be capped at 200, but events will also be available for viewing and replay via the FPL Livestream page at vimeo.com/faylib.

June 5 — The Sons of Otis Malone

June 12 — Tacie & the Sunshine Band

June 26 — Adam Ostrar

July 3 — Jude Brothers

July 10 — Daniel Bennett Group

July 17 — Honey Collective

July 24 — Western Swing Rules

July 31 — Will Johnson

LIVE! at Turnbow

The free concerts start at 6:30 p.m. at Walter Turnbow Park, 106 W. Emma Avenue in downtown Springdale. The park is in the Downtown Outdoor Dining District, so audience members can listen to live, outdoor music while they enjoy a bite to eat or drink. While there is some seating available, guests are encouraged to bring their camp chairs and blankets for seating on the grass. Pets and picnics with nonalcoholic drinks are welcome; alcoholic drinks are available at restaurants in the dining district. The series is hosted by Downtown Springdale Alliance. For more information, visit www.downtownspringdale.org/live-at-turnbow-concerts.

April 28 — Modeling

May 26 — Jeff Horton Band

June 30 — TBA (Jill Dabbs of the Downtown Springdale Alliance assures us that it’s the “best of Arkansas bluegrass!”)

July 28 — Jukebox Confession

Aug. 25 — House of Songs Presents

Sept. 29 — Big Piph

Oct. 27 — City Sessions Presents

Levitt Amp Music Series

Levitt Amp Music Series kicks off 10 weeks of free music at Riverfront Park at 121 Riverfront Drive in downtown Fort Smith. Camp chairs, picnic baskets and pets are welcome. The park is open all day, but music starts setting up around 6 p.m. The series is hosted by the Mortimer & Mimi Levitt Foundation, which seeks to “inject new life into underused public spaces.” For more information on this concert series visit www.646downtown.com/levitt-amp-music-series.

May 12 — Chris Cameron & Trey Johnson

May 19 — Conjunto Sinley

May 26 — Anittacq MH Smith

June 2 — Hudost

June 9 — Dawson Hollow

June 16 — New Breed Brass Band

June 23 — Michael Fields Jr.

June 30 — The Claudettes

July 7 — Gangstagrass

July 14 — Chantae Cann

Railyard Live

Rogers will be alive with the sound of music every Friday and Saturday night from May to September at Butterfield Stage as the Railyard Live series returns. Guests may choose to bring their own chairs and blankets for the lawn or can reserve tables. Lo-Intervention by Onyx will have food and beverages for sale and other food trucks will join through out the series. Guests are allowed to bring in picnic baskets, coolers, and the like, but no glass containers and no outside alcohol other than Entertainment District beverages are allowed in the space.

Railyard Live kicks off May 5 with a Cinco De Mayo Fiesta. May shows will also include Cate Brothers, Smokey & The Mirror, Arkansauce with Rachel Ammons and Western Youth and more. The Pig Gig Arkansas Cancer Benefit in honor of Jay Alexander featuring L.A.X., Blue Americana and Eric Miller will be in June as well as tributes to Prince and Freddie Mercury, Boom Kinetic and more. A Gar Hole Records showcase is planned for July along with other shows. Rochelle Bradshaw & Hypnotion, Benjamin Del Shreve and others will perform in August with BAANG and Jasper Logan kicking off the September shows. Trout Fishing in America will close the series on Sept. 24. More information is at railyardlive.com.

Live on the Green Concert Series at The Momentary in Bentonville will return this year. Spokeswoman K. Angel Horne with The Momentary says that the free music series will open around the second weekend of July with “semi-regular dates” until October. The lineup “will be a mix of rising local stars, hometown favorites, regional talent, national gems and special international music guests.” Food trucks will be available, and galleries will be open. More information at themomentary.org/music.

The line up for the Gulley Park Concert Series has not be released yet, but the dates will be June 9, June 16, June 23, June 30, July 7 and July 14. Lounge chairs, blankets and even four-legged furry friends are welcome during this family-friendly music series. All shows are on Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Gulley Park gazebo in Fayetteville. Food trucks available. Keep an eye on the Fayetteville Parks and Recreation website for announcements: www.fayetteville-ar.gov/515/Gulley-Park-Summer-Concert-Series. Gulley Park is located at 1850 E. Township St..

The second annual Roots Presents Patio Stage @WoodStone Pizza Uptown, 3619 Mall Ave. in Fayetteville, will return at 7 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month from May to October. Keep up with Fayetteville Roots at www.fayettevilleroots.org.

Just a stone’s throw from Eureka Springs, Black Oak Mountain Amphitheater at 1728 Missouri H in Lampe, Mo., is warming up its summer music season. On the roster are The Kentucky Headhunters, Skid Row, Warrant, TI, Jon Pardi, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias and more. For more information, visit blackoakamp.com.

FYI

Music Festivals

But wait, there’s more!

Stars and Sauce

April 29-30 at The Farm in Eureka Springs. A music and stargazing event with high-powered telescopes provided by Explore Scientific and onsite camping, it features Arkansauce, Ben Miller Band, Opal Agafia, Chucky Waggs & The Company of Raggs, Country Jesus, 1 Oz Jig, The Dirty Strings, Skye Pollard, Big Still River, Front Porch, Charlie Mellinger, Alyssa Galvan and Jenna & Friends. More information at www.starsandsauce.com.

Home Sweet Home

April 29-30, in homes all around Bentonville. The 40 shows will feature 24 hometown artists and eight national artists, including Joshua James, Sawyer⁣, Ira Wolf, Anjimile, Bantug, Mini Trees, Peter Mulvey, My Politic⁣, Pura Coco, Cameron Johnson, Luke Sheafer, Jon Dooly, Will Gunselman, BAANG, Dandelion Heart, Shaun Munday, Brad Byrd, Ashtyn Barbaree, Church Street, Josh Noren⁣, Jamie Lou Connolly, Jasper Logan, Tiffany Lee, Melody Pond, Dylan Earl, Sarah Loethen, Kalyn Fay, Kevin Kiehn, Eddie Canyon, Benjamin Del Shreve, Andrew McLaughlin and Sons of Otis Malone⁣. More information www.citysessions.org/homesweethome

Fresh Grass

May 20-21 at the Momentary, performers will include Emmylou Harris and the Red Dirt Boys, Amos Lee, Margo Price, Sam Bush, The Jerry Douglas Band, Amythyst Kiah, Hayes Carll, Balsam Range, Bombino, Alison Brown, Arkansauce, Red Baraat, Lost Bayou Ramblers, Willi Carlisle, Son Rompe Pera, Ozark High Ballers, The Gravel Yard, and more. Festival programming also includes FreshScores, a silent film original live music with Alison Brown, Lost Bayou Ramblers, and Mamie Minch; special performances by The House of Songs and The Black Legacy Project. Tickets at themomentary.org/calendar/freshgrass-bentonville/#tickets.

Roots on the Avenue

June 17-19, downtown Ssquare at East Avenue in Fayetteville. The festival includes performances by Iris Dement, Anna Egge, Leyla McCall, Black Opry Revue and Bonny Light Horseman. Chef-curated food and craft bar selections will be available. The Fayetteville Roots festival is scheduled Aug. 25-27. More information and tickets for both festivals at fayettevilleroots.org.

Opal Agafia’s Ozark Mountain Soul Fest

June 30-July 2, The Farm in Eureka Springs. Featuring Opal Agafia, Jon Stickley Trio, Aaron Kamm and the One Drops, The HillBenders, Mountain Sprout, The Burney Sisters, Chucky Waggs, Rachel Ammons, Pretend Friend, Red Oak Ruse, Patti Steel and DimeTrip. Tickets at stubs.net/tickets/4595/ozark-mountain-soul-festival.

Peacemaker Festival

July 29-30, Harry E. Kelley River Park in Fort Smith. Music will be provided by Zach Bryan, Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real, Charley Crockett, The Steel Woods, Pecos & The Rooftops, Tanner Usrey, Them Dirty Roses, Jacob Stelly, Graycie York, Ella Langley and more. Tickets and more information at peacemakerfest.com.

Hillberry Music Festival

Hillberry Music Festival will be Sept. 29-Oct. 2 at The Farm in Eureka Springs. Details to come. www.hillberryfestival.com.

If you don’t see your series listed here, send that lineup and info to Monica Hooper, music editor, at mhooper@nwaonline.com.

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