Festival Review- Peacemaker: A Hot Time in Arkansas
Temperatures at or above 100 degrees at the end of July are not unheard of in Fort Smith, but this year was not the best time for it to settle in. The annual Peacemaker Festival welcomes thousands of music fans to the banks of the Arkansas River at a beautiful park just below the Garrison Street Bridge. This was my 3rd time at the festival and I have always found it to be among the best of its size. The music lineup is always imaginative representing several genres and welcoming diverse fan bases. The VIP setup is ideal, offering an unobstructed area directly in front of the stage with a designated area for chairs, as well as upgraded restroom facilities, exclusive bar, and a chance to catch the artists at the backstage gate.
One of the issues the festival has had to deal with over its now nine year history was a large number of General Admission fans queuing early to be among the first at the GA rail - at the back of the VIP area - closest to the stage. Then, after the gates opened and the initial rush was over, those fans had to sit in the sun and wait for the first performance, sometimes hours away. Peacemaker has found a brilliant solution, I just wish they had announced it sooner!
On Friday morning, the first day of the festival, Peacemaker posted a brief video on their social media platforms showing the new Dove Stage and its location at the rear of the General Admission area. The Dove Stage was introduced with a schedule release showing several artists playing there early in the afternoon - but no further details regarding its location or size was released. The most significant addition, however, was the large tented area in front of the smaller stage. This accommodated the early arrivers and gave them respite from the unrelenting sun. It was still plenty hot but at least it provided plentiful shade. Its location was also good for the fans in the GA area to still easily hear the music from the main stage and the excellent video production on large monitors flanking the stage gave fans all around the festival site feeling like they had their own spot up front on the rail. Promoting this new feature might have helped salvage some walk-up attendance that was unaware of the new amenities and scared away by the heat.
During the presentation of the “Dove Award,” Peacemaker Director Trent Goins hinted that a date change for the festival may be under consideration and October was specifically mentioned. I believe the addition of the new Dove Stage and shaded area may keep the festival from having to move from its traditional late July date. Increased promotion and attention to programming on this new stage could open up younger attendees for earlier in the day. The Weathered Souls set closing out Day 1 was a perfect example of the vibe that could launch this new addition to an already great festival.
A few notes about the music:
Full Disclosure: I did not make it to the Marcus King set as my fun-bucket was full. Nor did I get to see all acts on the Dove Stage although I had seen Reid Haughton and Palmer Anthony earlier this year.
Class Act: is there any band that carries themselves like Shane Smith and the Saints? They are a solid, professional outfit that works hard and has fun on stage. You can’t help but get caught up in their show.
Emerging Artists: the Festival committee selects an up and coming artist to spotlight before their Peacemaker appearance and has them record music at a studio in Fort Smith.
Joe Stamm Band spent a week at Sol Studios back in March recording the just-released five-song “Fort Smith” EP from his “Emerging Artist” session. The Heartland rocker from Illinois has been leading his band for ten years and just released “Wild Man,” his third full-length record. They continue to tour extensively throughout the Midwest promoting two new records.
Tanner Usrey just played his third consecutive year at Peacemaker. The Texan recorded the Sol Sessions EP as part of his “Emerging Artist” status three years ago. A track from that record made its way to the Yellowstone soundtrack in Season 4. Just days after his Peacemaker appearance this year, Usrey made his debut at the Grand Old Opry. His latest single spent time at the top of Texas Radio charts and he continues to tour relentlessly, sharing several tour dates with Koe Wetzel, and then Paul Cauthen.
Shout Bamalama: three artists from Alabama were part of the Peacemaker lineup. The Red Clay Strays (from Mobile) drove to Fort Worth after their Peacemaker appearance in a bus without A/C (for two weeks and counting) and headlined Billy Bob’s the next night. Then they announced the “Way Too Long” Tour, their biggest headlining tour to date playing in 28 different cities beginning in late September. Muscadine Bloodline (also from Mobile) has just released Teenage Dixie calling the new album their best work yet. The new songs are lots of fun live and Charlie & Gary seem like they’re having more fun than ever. They joined Eric Church on a few of his shows this year and recently finished recording their fourth record. No question things keep looking up for Taylor Hunnicutt (from Demopolis). While they continue to put finishing touches on the new release, she and guitar-singing husband Josh continue to play great live shows with their band. She closed out the Dove Stage on Day 2 then joined The Lowdown Drifters on the main stage for their duet “Fire in Her Eyes.” That was the highlight of the weekend for me.
Band That Most Looks Like Where They’re From: Speaking of The Lowdown Drifters…even though it's their adopted hometown, can you find a more fitting representation of Fort Worth than this bunch? You couldn’t ask for a better cast of characters. They have a lot of fun on stage.
Best Band in Country: 49 Winchester is where Mike and the Moonpies were just a couple years ago. How they’ve remained a secret this long is criminal.
Best Surprise: JR Carroll is creating a solo career out of the shadow of his “real” job of playing keys in Zach Bryan’s band. He’s an Okie trying to reconcile the troubled relationship with his preacher father in song. He was sincere and earnest in his storytelling with a band featuring an excellent violinist (she was no mere “fiddler player”) and a drummer named Teegarden from Tulsa; you can’t go wrong there!
Panhandler: Slade Coulter is still growing his young musical career that began in Lubbock while he was a student at Texas Tech continuing a long line of great songwriters before him including Pat Green and Wade Bowen. He released his first EP in 2020 and has been taken under a management wing by another Lubbock luminary, Dalton Domino. Coulter has a solid batch of songs and a rock-leaning sound. Looking forward to more from him.
The 9th annual Peacemaker Festival will be remembered by many musicians and fans who were there as the hottest show they can ever remember. Several artists made that remark from the stage over the two days of century-mark temps on the banks of the Arkansas River. The heat made many consider what the festival would be like later in the year. The addition of the Dove Stage and, more importantly, the large shaded area with it give the festival more options to consider as they program their 10th annual event.
Find out more about Peacemaker Fest at the links below:
*Cover Image courtesy of Peacemaker Festival
