Guy Clark

Last year, the Fayetteville Roots Festival had an evening, a venue and a few bands.

It has certainly grown up this year.

The event now spans three days, beginning today (Aug. 26) and continuing through Sunday (Aug. 28). It features about a dozen bands and has a new emphasis on sustainable food.

Among the groups that are performing here are 3 Penny Acre, Chatham County Line, Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion and more. The headliner is songwriter Guy Clark, who I interviewed for a story published today in What’s Up! [Note: The story is subscriber-only content.]

Performances take place at venues such as Kingfish, Walton Arts Center, Greenhouse Grille and more. We’ve included a schedule below (which you can find by clicking the ‘read the rest of this entry’ link at the bottom of this story) to help you sort it all out.

Ticket prices vary, and packages are available. Passes are available through the Walton Arts Center or through the festival website.

We’ll see you there.

Today (Aug. 26)

Garner Farm (by $99 festival pass only)

7-7:45 p.m. — Jack Wilson

7:50-8:40 p.m. — The Honey Dewdrops

Chatham County Line. Photo by Kirk Johnson.

8:50-9:50 p.m. — Chatham County Line

Saturday (Aug. 27)

Fayetteville Farmers’ Market (free)

9-9:35 a.m. — Claire Holley

9:40-10:15 a.m. — Hunter Paye

10:15-11 a.m. — Johann Wagner

11-11:45 am.  — Shannon Wurst Band

11:45 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. — Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion

Walton Arts Center ($35-$60)

2-6 p.m. — Four unique stages will feature music simultaneously. Among those performing are locals such as Still on the Hill, Trout Fishing in America and Effron White and Emily Kaitz and national acts such as Ryan Spearman, Mark Bilyeu and Rebecca Loebe.

6:30-7 p.m. — 3 Penny Acre

7:15-7:55 p.m. — Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion

8:05-8:50 p.m. — Chatham County Line

Mark Bilyeu

9:15-10:25 p.m. — Guy Clark

Kingfish ($10)

11 p.m. to 2 a.m. — Festival afterparty with Sarah Hughes, Charliehorse and Mark Bilyeu

Sunday (Aug. 28)

Greenhouse Grille (free, but reservations are suggested)

9 a.m. to 2 p.m. — Songwriters in the Round event with multiple artists sharing the stage. Among those scheduled to participate are Carter Sampson, Jack Wilson, David Glaser, KC Clifford and more.

Fayetteville Public Library (free)

2-4 p.m. — A moderated panel discussion and performance discussing on the topic “The Fayetteville Sound.” Participants include Bryan Hembree, Adam Cox, Shannon Wurst and Chase Missy.

Greenhouse Grille ($20)

6-7:15 p.m. — 3 Penny Acre

7:25-8:40 p.m. — Da Costa, Rose and Elliot

8:50-10 p.m. — Cletus Got Shot

The trailer for “Sundown Town.”

Perhaps you’ve heard about the show “Sundown Town,” a world premiere production currently being staged by local professional theater company TheatreSquared.

The show takes place in a fictionalized ‘Sundown Town,’ a very real kind of turn-of-the-century place that didn’t allow black visitors after dark. It’s a powerful, moving, well-acted production.

The show continues through this weekend (Feb. 17-20) at the Nadine Baum Studios in Fayetteville.

And while you may have heard about the show itself, what about the music? The tunes, sad, traditional folk offerings such as “Ain’t No Grave” and “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” are performed live during the show by the band 3 Penny Acre.

What’s Up! editor Becca Martin talked to the band about their role in the musical, and you can read her story that published last week. You’ll have to be a subscriber to do that, though.

Feel free to join our discussion about racism at http://www.nwaonline.com/sundown.

You can also see some clips of 3 Penny Acre performing music from “Sundown Town,” courtesy of KXUA DJ and Americana music afficianado Daniel Gold. Find one of those clips below, and the others on YouTube.

Or, you can see them performed live at special finale concert Sunday night. The show featuring 3 Penny Acre will take place on the set of “Sundown Town.” The show begins at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15, and you can get them through the Walton Arts Center box office or by calling 443-5600.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Steel Wheels fly through the song “Red Wing.” They perform in Fayetteville tonight.

Local folk/Americana band 3 Penny Acre, who created the Fayetteville Roots Festival last year, will be hosting the event again next August.

But for those who can’t wait, they’ve decided to put on another event that takes place tonight (Jan. 6) at Greenhouse Grille.

The show is being called the Winter Root. It features the Hobknobbers, 3 Penny Acre and Virginia-based band Steel Wheels and will take place beginning at 6 p.m. Admission is $10; reservations are suggested and should be made by calling 444-8909.

Paul Thorn is the one on the left. On the right? We're not sure, either.

Before he was an acclaimed songwriter, Paul Thorn was a professional boxer. He released his first album in 1997 and continues making Americana recordings, most recently, the 2010 release “Pimps and Preachers.” Thorn performs Saturday (Oct. 9) at Second Street Live in Fort Smith. Admission to the 7:30 p.m. performance is $35.

Also in Fort Smith this weekend are Grace Potter and The Nocturals, who are touring in support of their very good self-titled release from earlier this year. The group performs at 8 p.m. tonight (Oct. 8) at Neumeier’s Rib Room.

Looking for other options?

3 Penny Acre is the featured band at Jammin’ Java in Fayetteville on Saturday, so you can check them out if you’re enjoying the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market.

Cletus Got Shot, fresh off a tour of Europe, is back in the states and will return to their de facto home, the Smoke & Barrel Tavern, for a show tonight.

Looking for even more options? Try the list to the right.

What will you be seeing this weekend?

The Honey Dewdrops

We told you a little earlier about the Fayetteville Roots Festival, which comes to Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville on Sunday (Aug. 29).

So, maybe it’s time we told you about one of the bands. We asked a few questions of The Honey Dewdrops, and they were kind enough to answer them despite being quite busy on a tour through Colorado.

The Honey Dewdrops, the husband and wife duo of Kagey Parrish and Laura Wortman, perform at 8 p.m. Sunday.

Here’s what we wanted to know and what they had to say:

Kevin Kinder: “Tell me a little bit about your upcoming record, “These Old Roots.”

The Honey Dewdrops: Our new record is based around traditional or roots themes and sounds with nine original songs and one traditional. We write our own songs and we’re influenced by old country and Southern Appalachian mountain music — with this cd we take what we love about those styles (true stories, earthy instrumental work, harmony singing) and make something new. We recorded the songs live (no overdubs, punch ins, etc.) because we love the energy and in the moment sound you get listening to live recordings. It’s also nice to just play and sing the songs, that’s what we love to do.

KK: When will it be it released?

THD: It’s out now and will be for sale at Fayetteville Roots.

KK: Does it follow in the path of “If The Sun Will Shine,” [the band’s previous album] or does it take another direction?

THD: It follows “If the Sun Will Shine” in that it’s the two of us singing and playing songs we wrote. We feel like the duets are a great way to make music and we’re invested in exploring how that works, this is another duet cd. The sound of “These Old Roots” takes a slightly different direction because we focused on writing songs that take traditional sounds in a new or contemporary direction. Our goal was to take the older influences and write some new songs from the southern mountains. We weren’t going for bluegrass or old-time sound specifically. We’re interested in the energy and emotion from the old songs and how we can translate that today.

KK: Considering that you recorded the songs around a single microphone with no dubbing, does it feel authentic to your live sound?

THD: Yes, what we sound like live is what we sound like on recordings.

KK: Where have you found songwriting inspiration for this album?

THD: Think we already answered this one a little above. Inspiration came from older American folk music. Most of that involved playing string instruments and singing and came before bluegrass. The energy and emotion in those songs have been a big influence. To us the stories and emotions feel true and appealing. That music’s look at life seems to us to be just that, nothing more, and that is very powerful.

KK: Tell me what winning “A Prairie Home Companion”’s 2008 talent show has meant for your career.

THD: We sent our songs to the contest on a whim. We’d been teaching full-time and playing as a hobby for several years. Both of us grew up listening to the show and heard the announcement about the contest and decided we had nothing to lose. At the time, we’d only recorded two or three songs and that’s what they listened to on our Myspace page.

The experience was really good for us. We’d never performed in front of so many people. Getting to do such a serious and professional show opened up a wide world of possibilities including quitting our jobs and playing music full-time. After the show, folks asked us for CDs (which we didn’t have then) and we got a swarm of emails from listeners telling us how much they enjoyed our sound. It was a real boost of confidence and we like to say that our appearance on ‘APHC’ made us take ourselves much more seriously. We recorded our first record and quit our jobs a year later.

KK: We’re having our first Fayetteville Roots Festival this weekend, and clearly, roots and Americana have been finding new fans recently. What do you think is responsible for for the genre’s upswing?

THD: We all saw a real turn of things after the movie “Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?” because of the soundtrack. It’s just been progressing since. There’s also been an increase in these types of festivals where the center of attention is really ON the music and not the scene. The purity and honesty of this genre can reach everyone in a way — the more publicity Americana music receives, the more people it reaches.

KK: What was it about this style of music that attracted you to it?

THD: The old songs we’ve been listening to for years are interesting, dark, genuine — coming from a time when this type of music was an expression of a hard life being lived. We’re big fans of songs that look at the human condition and conflict and this type of playing and singing is rooted in those things.

KK: You mention this trip to Fayetteville will be a return trip for you. When was the last time you were here and what was the gig?

THD: During the radio show, we got to know Pat Villines and Mattie Speece (the second-place finishers) really well and they are from NW Arkansas. We had a lot in common and really wanted to do a few gigs together. That summer, we traveled to Arkansas and played several shows with them including Mike Shirkey’s GoodFolk Productions in Fayetteville. It is still one of our favorite shows that we’ve played. We also made a stop through last year for a house concert hosted by 3 Penny Acre.

KK: Are you familiar with any of the other talent on the Fayetteville Roots Festival roster? Have you played with any of them before?

THD: With all the traveling we do, names of musicians are always popping up in conversations or at the venues we play. Everyone in this genre makes a very similar circuit because of the types of venues. We’re really close with the 3 Penny Acre folks and have known Shannon Wurst for just as long. We’ve also met several of the acts at the International Folk Alliance Conference held in Memphis every February. We haven’t shared the stage with any of the others but certainly know who they are and love their music. Bryan Hembree has put together an excellent line-up of talent and we’re really looking forward to hearing the other bands as well as playing at this inaugural festival.

Nora Jane Struthers

Roots Music is hard to define. It’s part folk, part jazz, part blues, maybe country or a whole lot more. Perhaps the easiest way to describe it, says Bryan Hembree of 3 Penny Acre, is just to know it has its own roots in American styles of music.

It’s mainly acoustic and making strides across the country. It’s also the type of music that will come to the Greenhouse Grille on Sunday (Aug. 29) for the first Fayetteville Roots Festival.

The one-day festival is the product of 3 Penny Acre, a local roots band that has played throughout the country and gained like-sounding friends along their travels.

The festival begins at 10:30 a.m. for a free preview session before taking a quick break and returning at 5 p.m.

Here’s the full schedule:

10:30 a.m. to noon — Songwriters in the Round with Effron White, David Glaser and Charlie Roth. Free.

12:30-2 p.m. — Songwriters in the Round with Shannon Wurst, Johann Wagner and Ryan Spearman. Free.

5 p.m. — Doors open for paid portion of festival

5:30-6:15 p.m. — Doug and Telisha Williams

6:20-7:05 p.m. — Nora Jane Struthers

7:10-7:55 p.m. — Raina Rose, Anthony Da Costa and John Elliot

8-8:45 p.m. — The Honey Dewdrops

8:50-9:35 p.m. — 3 Penny Acre

9:40-10 p.m. — Grand finale jam

Check back with TunedIn later to read a question-and-answer session with The Honey Dewdrops, one of the bands performing at the festival.

Tickets to the festival are $22 for one or $40 for two. They can be purchased on the festival website or at the venue.

The music of four different artists will be released this weekend. And, coincidentally, someone could attend all four release parties if they so desired. So, here’s where (and how) to see it all:

Strange Heroes

Strange Heroes

WHEN — 7-10 p.m. today (June 18)

WHERE — George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville

COST — $5

INFO — www.strangeheroes.com

The Fayetteville folk/dance group releases will release their third album and first in several years. The new release is called “From the Musk to the Moon.”

Nancy Cooper Maier

Nancy Cooper Maier

WHEN — 7 p.m. Saturday (June 19)

WHERE — First United Presbyterian Church in Fayetteville

COST — Free

Friends of the late songwriter Nancy Cooper Maier will offer songs from her album for children, “Every Little Thing.” Performing are artists such as John Two-Hawks and the Everyone Can Sing Community Choir, which Maier founded and directed. Proceeds raised from CD sales will be donated to charity.

Cletus Got Shot

Cletus Got Shot

WHEN — 8 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — Smoke & Barrel Tavern in Fayetteville

COST — Free

INFO — cletusgotshot.bandcamp.com

The punk-grass band will offer their second album, “Unamerican,” at their regular Fayetteville playground: Smoke & Barrel Tavern. The mostly acoustic group recorded the album this winter. The album will also be offered to the public at cletusgotshot.bandcamp.com after the release party for name-your-own-price downloads.

3 Penny Acre

3 Penny Acre

WHEN — 7 p.m. Sunday (June 20)

WHERE — Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville

COST — $10 in advance and $12 day-of-show; available at the venue or at www.wix.com/3pennyacre/3pennyacre

INFO — www.3pennyacre.com

The award-winning trio 3 Penny Acre will release their second album “Highway 71″ on Sunday at Greenhouse Grill. The album is full of story songs from the acoustic-driven folk/bluegrass group.

Songwriter Johnathan Byrd, who won one of the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk awards, will be in town for a show tonight (March 24) at the Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville.

The performer has earned numerous accolades for his folky, American style of music.

Northwest Arkansas residents might be familiar with a couple of his songs, “River Run Dry” and “Young Slaver,” both of which are often covered by local folk act 3 Penny Acre.

Byrd’s performance takes place at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10, and reservations should be made by calling 444-8909.

Shannon Wurst

Shannon Wurst knows she had a good thing going in 3 Penny Acre.

Their sound was pure, fun and, as she says, representative of the Ozarks.

But she also knows her dream: to be a solo artist. So the Alma native, who has also had brief careers as a whitewater rafting guide and a dog musher, is going it alone.

On the heels of her amicable departure for the Northwest Arkansas folk band, Wurst will release her second solo album, “What’s More Honest Than A Song?” at a show tonight (March 5) at the Smoke & Barrel Tavern in Fayetteville.

Wurst will also use tonight’s show as the starting point for a tour that will take her to the West Coast, East Coast and everywhere in between. Her tour is with a group titled the Swamp Family Band, composed of a group of songwriters who will take turns backing each other’s songs while on the road.

Wurst classifies her sophomore effort as a more honest effort in than her first album, 2007′s “Sunday Pie,” in that she wrote most of the songs featured on the new album.

It’s also a green effort — all of the album packaging is made from recyclable material and Wurst has even included a few flower seeds to plant for everyone who buys the record.

Tonight’s show is expected to begin about 10 p.m.

Before you go, take a listen to a couple of Wurst’s new tracks. The first is a reworked version of a 3 Penny Acre track that supplies the album title, “White Walls,” about a friend’s recovery from alcoholism.

The second is the song “Ivory Bill,” which Wurst wrote for the Arkansas Heritage Commission and performed at schools across the state.

“White Walls”:

White Walls

“Ivory Bill”:

Ivory Bill

3 Penny Acre

We know that good things come to an end.

And one did on Friday night at GoodFolk Productions in Fayetteville, where local folk act 3 Penny Acre played their last set together as a quartet as guitarist/vocalist/banjo player Shannon Wurst has announced her intentions to pursue a solo career on a full-time basis.

It was just two years ago that the group came together, and I was at the first concert.

As playing 100 or so gigs per year will do to a band, the group that was onstage Friday night was a much improved version of their former self. Their interplay was crisp, their harmonies rich and their presence commanding.

The night included a set by Wurst as a solo artist and then a set by 3 Penny Acre as a trio, including members Bayard Blain on mandolin and guitar, Bryan Hembree on guitar and Bernice Hembree on upright bass, seemingly to prepare everyone for the inevitable split.

The four then converged for a combined set that culminated in hugs and bittersweet tributes.

Wurst’s solo tracks will be part of the album “What’s More Honest Than A Song,” which she intends to release later this month.

The songs played by 3 Penny Acre as a trio come courtesy of the album “Highway 71,” which is expected to be released in May.

The bulk of the songs played during their combined set were primarily from the band’s self-titled 2009 album.

This is a band of infinite charm and a knack for writing a story songs of depth and poignancy. That certainly won’t end as they go separate ways, but, considering some of the accolades the band has earned together, there is some uncertainty about the future.

Good things often do come to an end. Let’s hope that other good things can come from those ends.