Local Music News

The City of Fayetteville is ending its "Movies in the Parks" series with "The Coal Miner's Daughter" screening near the Splash Pad at Walker Park tonight, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. The event will feature music from the film performed live by Smokey & The Mirror before the movie. Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams invited Bernice and Bryan Hembree of Smokey & The Mirror to talk about what "Coal Miner's Daughter" means to them.

The Starlight JazzClub season at Walton Arts Center begins Saturday, Sept. 7, with the Sean Mason Quartet performing in the Starr Theater. Mason’s jazz mixes old and new. Saturday night audiences will likely hear original music and interpretations of standards going back a century. Last week, Robert Ginsburg, host of Shades of Jazz on KUAF, talked with Sean Mason about the upcoming performance.

For the second year in a row, NPR member stations across Arkansas have collaborated to highlight some of the best submissions from the Natural State with a concert in Little Rock on Oct. 5. Ozarks at Large's Sophia Nourani spoke with Grace Zafasi, membership director for Little Rock Public Radio, about the significance of the Tiny Desk Contest 2024 Arkansas Showcase.

The Ozark Folk Festival is returning to Eureka Springs for its 77th year next month. Ozarks at Large’s Sophia Nourani spoke with Nancy Paddock, producer and coordinator of the festival, about what attendees can expect to see at this historic three-day musical showcase.

Elder's Nicholas DiSalvo discusses the band's latest vinyl release with BBC Live, as well as his solo musical project, delving, with Sophia Nourani.

The world further discovers Florence Price and new recordings of the Little Rock-born composer's music continue to be released. Soprano Melissa Givens has been singing, studying and admiring Price’s music for years. She’ll discuss and perform Price next month at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Fayetteville as the next guest in the Tippy McMichael Lecture Series. Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams spoke to Givens about the event and the music.

Saturday night, one of the biggest names in electronic music and DJing, deadmau5, will be at The Momentary Green in Bentonville. Opening for deadmau5 will be northwest Arkansas-based DJ SH33P. He earned the opening slot through a selection process of both deadmau5 and local fans. Last Friday, the morning after he found out he had earned the gig, he came to the Carver Center for Public Radio.

Next month’s Funk Festival will be held at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville. From 3-8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, bands like Funk Factory and Rodney Block Collective will bring the funk to raise money for Arkansas Support Network. It’s ASN’s inaugural Funk Festival, and Ozarks at Large's Kyle Kellams asked Terri Pegue about the event and the organization.

KUAF Public Radio and Fayetteville Public Television have joined together to create a multimedia series of "Live Sessions". These sessions both film and record songs and conversations with local and traveling musicians. Today’s excerpt features Deadbird, an Arkansas punk band.

Luke sits down with Vaughn of the local collective HopOut to discuss their upcoming show, Dog Days, at George's Majestic Lounge on August 31st.