Train to Birmingham: Peacemaker Festival

With high temperatures hovering just below the century mark on the last weekend of July, the banks of the Arkansas River in Fort Smith was certainly not the most comfortable place to spend a weekend outdoors with live music, but a diverse lineup and solid production made it worthwhile.

Peacemaker turned seven this year and the festival has overcome some huge obstacles the past two summers. In 2019, the Arkansas flooded the festival site just weeks before the event but the river receded and the show went on even though they had to find a replacement headliner for the Turnpike Troubadours who had just gone on permanent hiatus. Of course, last year’s pandemic shut down most festivals but Peacemaker held on even with some last-minute lineup changes and literal last-second changes from the state health department to stand as one of the few two-day outdoor festivals in the country. This year it was the heat that tried to ruin the party, but this is one tough festival.

The action got started the night before the actual festival with a free concert in downtown Fort Smith at the Majestic featuring Tanner Usrey and Lucero, the two artists playing the opening day of the event on Friday. Turned out to be a great move with both bands putting on great shows with extra time to play outside the festival constraints and avoiding the heat of the day. Coming out of north Texas, Tanner Usrey brings a powerful voice and a rock n roll attitude to the stage. His Medicine Man EP was released in 2019 and has gone far in identifying his sound. Inventive covers (including Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and Turnpike’s “The Mercury”) mixed in with his originals provided an entertaining set. For the past 20 years, Memphis-based Lucero has been burning up the roads of the southeast and gaining fans with each new release. Frontman Ben Nichols was raised in Little Rock and certainly seemed pleased to be back in Arkansas for the weekend, making several references to the possibility of visiting his mother and showing off his Arkansas flag tattoo. Lucero opened up the catalog and went deeper for some of the more intimate songs they don’t get to perform on the larger stages. It was one of the best sets I’ve ever seen from the band.

When the festival gates opened about an hour before the music began on Friday afternoon, thousands scrambled to find what shade they could before the sun finally set behind the Oklahoma hills across the Arkansas River behind the stage. Tanner Usrey opened the festival and you could tell the heat was going to be uncomfortable for him. They put on a fine performance but I was happy to have seen them the night before. Turns out this was the last show for one of Tanner’s guitarists and it was a touching moment at the end of the set to see the two brothers of the road saying their goodbyes.  

Giovannie and the Hired Guns took no prisoners from the crowd as they not so much hit the stage but attacked it. This band from central Texas was not going to let the heat bother them and they proceeded to shred their way through a high-energy set. Frontman Giovannie Yanez has led this outfit since 2015 and has released one EP with the crowd favorite “Rooster Tattoo” and a new single, “Ramon Ayala,” debuted at the festival. This is a rock n roll band with a lot of swagger and the chops to back it up.

Ben Nichols of Lucero

By the time Lucero hit the stage the afternoon heat was in full effect and the crowd in the sunshine was simply miserable while everyone else was still positioning themselves for some shade. Not the ideal conditions for a fun rock show but the band did their best. Again, I was so thankful I had caught the show the night before.

Muscadine Bloodline comes from my home state of Alabama and I’ve had the opportunity to see the duo of Charlie Muncaster and Gary Stanton several times as they’ve continued to climb the ladder of success. This was a prime spot for them positioned just before the headliner. Too bad it was ruined by a horrendous sound mix. Their opening song, the rocker “Shut Your Mouth,” was completely unintelligible because of overmodulation and it was deep into the set before the sound settled down. Muncaster seemed unhappy with the monitors throughout the show but did his best to work through the problems. By time the band’s big hit, “Porch Swing Angel,” came up, the damage had been done… to the band’s performance and my hearing,  

At last year’s Peacemaker Festival, Paul Cauthen had the slot just before headliner Koe Wetzel. This year it was up to the “Big Velvet” to close the first night of the show and he did it with style. The persona that Cauthen has created reminds me of the “Bocephus” image that Hank Williams, Jr built a career upon. The show is built around what that character wants to say and do with all focus front and center.  Cauthen’s sole purpose is to entertain the crowd and that is exactly what he’s going to do. He brought the funk, he played acoustic guitar, rocked a little, gave us some country music and put on a helluva show. The Peacemaker crowd loved it.

As if a Friday high temp of 96° wasn’t enough, Saturday was hotter with an eventual high of 99°. Gates opened an hour earlier but the music didn’t start any sooner, so the General Admission folks got to spend even more time in the relentless sunshine. It was the same story as Friday regarding the search for shade.

You’re not going to find a much happier success story than the one Cody Hibbard is living.  In 2019, he was working as a pipeliner in the Texas oilfields. He barely knew three chords on a guitar and had never played publicly. Two years later, he has already released a successful EP featuring some tunes he wrote and has signed a deal with Red 11, one of the most successful talent managers in Red Dirt & Texas Country music. He opened the second day of the festival and was genuinely happy to be in the middle of everything. 

Kylie Frey

There are simply not enough women on festival lineups and Peacemaker is as guilty as any for limiting their appearances. Kylie Frey paid homage to her Louisiana home with a rousing cover of George Strait’s “Adalida.” Her “One Night in Tulsa” is a fantastic country song and she nailed it on this night.

I was surprised at the number of fans I talked with who were unfamiliar with The Band of Heathens other than “Hurricane,” and maybe a couple other tunes. The Austin outfit fronted by Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist has been together for 15 years making some memorable music behind relentless touring and are one of the best live bands on the road today. They made believers in Fort Smith that sweltering afternoon as the band tore through a solid set list of their greatest tunes including “Medicine Man,” “Sugar Queen,” “Jackson Station,” “LA County Blues,” and one of the most blistering versions ever of “Look at Miss Ohio."

Kolby Cooper

Those same fans were just as surprised that I was unfamiliar with Kolby Cooper. That’s why we do these festival things, to learn more about new artists. The young East Texan is literally just a few years out of high school and has just released his first EP as a signed artist and is headlining shows across the country. He brings a fresh rock attitude and a genuine joy of playing and being on stage that was a pleasure to watch.

As another day of relentless sunshine finally gave way, it was time for #CoJoNation to be heard. Cody Johnson fans are quite loyal following their hero and are one of the main reasons the singer has been able to find major success doing things his way. He has their support in everything he does and he shows his genuine appreciation at every show. Not that you’re going to experience anything “new” at a CoJo show. There will be the straight-up cowboy songs, fist-pumping outlaw songs, marriage proposals on bended knee during “Diamond in Her Pocket,” little kids with signs getting pushed to the front for a special birthday greeting, and the salute to first responders and military personnel. Cody Johnson continues to do country music by his own book and his legions of fans won’t have it any other way.

You can’t ask for a much better run festival than Peacemaker. The producers have the volunteer support from the community and the knowledge of what makes things work in their unique location. Their artist lineup is diverse, eclectic, and cutting edge. The location in a city park on the banks of the Arkansas River is functional and scenic. This has become one of my favorite music festivals in the country.