Art + Nature: Stone fishes his river of songs for Artosphere visit

"Music and songs are always flowing through my world in some kind of organic way," Jayme Stone begins. Including, it feels, the way he speaks over the phone. It's a dulcet and lyrical experience to hear Stone talk about his craft.

"And a recording is exactly that -- it's a chronicle of a particular time, like a snapshot of the music that's compelling in the air at a given moment," he continues.

Thus, the well is endless, he says of the tunes he can pull from during his Artosphere return. Stone has become something of a festival favorite for the Walton Arts Center's art and nature festival, the 2021 edition of which continues through May 23. Previous visits have come in the wake of album releases -- 2013's "The Other Side of the Air" and 2015's "Lomax Project," for sure. There may be another visit in there, but all the travel tends to blur together over the years. One thing Stone definitely remembers, though, is eating at Hugo's in Fayetteville "like 100 times."

"So we just sort of keep going back into that deep river and fishing out new songs, and making them speak to our time in a way that's kind of the whole thrust of the project in the first place," he muses.

To make up for Stone's lost Artosphere and West Street Live performances last year, he performs twice in this year's festival -- during the popular Trail Mix event and at a May 20 show at WAC, Jayme Stone's "Folklife" (technically also billed as a West Street Live show). That translates to two completely opposing mindsets as Stone prepares for two distinct sets.

"What's different is that you don't have intimacy and the arc of a set for a night of music, which is something that I think about a lot," he says of the Trail Mix concert. "I really think about a performance being like a theater piece, in the way that we'll have acts -- it's like a show in two acts. I really consider the set list, and when I talk about the songs and tell stories, and the way that that kind of gets people's imagination revved up to take in a song."

The effect he's going for, Stone reveals, is a spellbinding experience through the entire set. The way the songs weave together, the silence -- or not silence -- between moments, all contribute to the flow. It also impacts the interplay between Stone and his fellow musicians on stage and the audience contributing to the arc.

That's the kind of experience viewers at Stone's May 20 performance can anticipate. Those who catch him at the Tyson Plaza during Trail Mix, though? Who can say? In the unpredictable outdoor environment, people coming and going, it's all about the individual songs.

"It's just a matter of really being inside of each song as it's happening," Stone confirms. "Because sometimes, someone's just going to come and experience one song. So it's almost like you want to make it holographic, like everything is in that one song. It can be as dynamic and engaging as possible so if that's the only thing someone sees, it's like a complete experience unto itself."

Stone is joined on this trip by Carolyn Hunter (guitar/vocals), Enion Tiller (fiddle/vocals) and Joy Adams (cello/vocals) for a quartet with a "rootsy" disposition. Stone is known for his banjo playing and world-wise roots albums, so after his 2020 release "AWake" explored the wilds of experimental pop, Stone says he is looking forward to seeing some of his new material stripped back to his sonic roots.

"I'm actually excited to see those sort of electric songs land in this acoustic ensemble again," he shares. Then, musing on his ever-evolving sound, he adds, "My writing, it sort of started in that more indie pop realm of 'AWake,' but it's definitely leaning more in a kind of songwriter-ly direction. So, I hope that my writing gets better and better, the songs and stories and emotions get clearer, and transmit more easily."

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Artosphere Continues

The Artosphere Art + Nature Festival continues through May 23. A blend of ticketed and free performances, the festival's signature event Trail Mix and even a little mystery remain in the Artosphere lineup.

Artosphere Schedule

May 16

"Art Heist"

Performances begin every half hour during dedicated window. This is the final day of "Art Heist" performance at the Rogers Historical Museum before the walking theater experience moves to Bentonville for its last weekend. Guests will meet experts and interrogate suspects in this interactive piece as they try to solve the true life crime of who stole more than $500 million of art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in 1990. The case remains unsolved and the museum's real $10 million reward is still being offered to whoever can help to solve the crime. $25-$30

May 16

Artosphere Film Series

• 2 p.m. -- "Mia and the Migoo"

A stunning animated film created from 500,000 hand-painted frames, "Mia and the Migoo" is about a young girl's search for her father in a tropical paradise. On her journey, Mia is aided by ancient creatures called Migoo who protect the sacred Tree of Life now threatened by the construction of a gigantic hotel resort. PG.

• 7 p.m. -- "Welcome to the Space Show"

Five young children rescue an injured dog who turns out to be an alien that then whisks the children off on an amazing adventure through space. Not Rated.

May 18

Dover Quartet: Live from Walton Arts Center

• 7 p.m. -- Baum Walker Hall at the Walton Arts Center. Sold Out.

KUAF, 91.3FM, will also air Dover's performance live.

May 19

"Strings Attached" screening

• 7 p.m. -- Walton Arts Center. Free with reservation

New documentary on the four superb musicians who have become one of the world's most in-demand ensembles as the Dover Quartet.

May 20

Jayme Stone's "Folklife"

• 7:30 p.m. -- Walton Arts Center. $32-$52

May 20-23

"Art Heist"

Performances begin every half hour during dedicated window. 21c Hotel, Bentonville. Final weekend. $25-$30.

May 21

Trail Mix

• 5-7 p.m. -- Downtown Fayetteville and the Frisco Trail System. Free.

Festival favorites Jayme Stone and the Bike Zoo return to Trail Mix, along with local artists Block Street Hot Club, NWA Ballet Theatre, Imir, Melody Pond, Papa Rap, and Smokey and the Mirror.