Luke Bryan. All photos by KEVIN KINDER, NWA Media. All eyes were on Luke Bryan last night as he headlined the Friday night (June 7) edition of the ongoing Thunder on the Mountain country music festival last night in Franklin County. And that’s a quite literal assessment — not only did he draw a crowd double of any other performer this far into the weekend, he put on the kind of spectacle that earned him the Academy of Country Music’s most recent Entertainer of the Year award
View PostWakarusa in photos
Wakarusa was a muddy, wild mess. Over the course of the four day festival, which took place from May 30 through June 2 at Mulberry Mountain in rural Franklin County, I took about 800 photos. Here are some of the best of them. [Show as slideshow]
View Post county, franklin, franklin-county, mountain, mulberry mountain, music-news, nwa music news, over-the-course, wakarusaSoon in tunes: Aaron Watson, April 11 at Longhorn Saloon

Aaron Watson Texas country musician Aaron Watson, touring behind his new album “Real Good Time,” will perform on Thursday night (April 11) at the Long Horn Saloon in Fort Smith. “Real Good Time” cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard Country Chart upon its release.
View Post aaron, aaron watson, april, billboard, billboard county chart, county, cracked-the-top, music industry news, thursdayThunder on the Mountain announces stage schedule

Click here to view the embedded video. Here, Luke Bryan sings “Buzzkill.” I have to imagine the country artist, who performs this summer at the Thunder on the Mountain festival, is feeling pretty high right now though after winning the Academy of County Music’s Entertainer of the Year Award on Sunday (April 8). Part of the fun (and worry) is seeing how packed certain days are going to be at music festivals. There’s usually a blend of joy — seeing so many great acts in proximity to one another — and dread — at learning two of your favorite artists will perform at the exact same time.
View Post bands, big and rich, buzzkill, county, entertainer, nwa music news, toby keith, yearThe weekend in music, with a Queen tribute show and more

Gary Mullen of Gary Mullen and the Works, the band that will present “One Night of Queen” at the Walton Arts Center. The British rock band Queen no longer tours, of course. Lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991, and the group had stopped touring about five years before
View Post bizar's farewell, contemporary, county, fresco cafe and pub, girls, oreo blue, smoke and barrel tavern, walton, walton-artsA ‘Thunder’ous throwdown
While national headliners get the bulk of the attention at music festivals, a few of our local festivals provide great opportunities for local acts, too. That’s certainly been the case at Wakarusa, with the Wakarusa Winter Classic sending a victor from the Battle of the Bands concert to one of the festival’s many stages. And now, after the introduction of the Thunder on the Mountain country music festival on the same event grounds just south of Arkansas 23 in Franklin County, comes word of a similar event
View Post backroad-anthem, bands, county, derangers, kelly road band, wakarusa, wakarusa-winter, winterThe year in review, music wise

Miranda Lambert’s August concert at the Arkansas Music Pavilion was the best-attended show in the nearly decade-long history of the venue. FILE PHOTO. It’s that time of year again. It’s the end of the year
View Post arkansas, arkansas-music, county, file, friday, miranda-lambert, music-wise, northwest arkansas mall, nwa music news, pavilion, yearBringing the Leftovers to Harvest Fest

Leftover Salmon isn’t sitting around rotting, like you might expect something by that name to do. Rather, the band is vibrant, energized, and as mandolin player Drew Emmitt says, perhaps better than they ever were. Yes, about 25 years after forming, the Colorado bluegrass jammers are still going strong, something Emmitt credits to the spark provided by new banjo player Andy Thorn
View Post arkansas, county, drew emmitt, festival, group, harvest festival, industry, leftover salmon, music industry news, story, thorn, yonder's harvest festivalThe AMP stays put (for now)

Click here to view the embedded video. Brantley Gilbert, who is self-admittedly “Hell on Wheels,” is one of the four acts remaining for the Arkansas Music Pavilion’s current season.
View Post arkansas music pavilion, arkansas-music, avett brothers, brantley gilbert, country, county, music industry news, venueThe musical offerings for Bikes, Blues & BBQ

Click here to view the embedded video. The Rev.
View Post arkansas, bikes, blues, concert, county, mountain, music industry news, nwa music news, stadium- 1
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