Two incredible nights of music are planned for George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville.
Gar Hole Records, an artist-first record label started during the pandemic by local musicians Kurt DeLashmet and Nick Shoulders, will showcase music by artists on the label and friends.
There will also be jam sessions and a DJ set by Dollar Country of Lawrence, Kan., who has a radio show that spotlights rare country 45s.
The Friday night showcase will feature Gar Hole artists Austin Cash and Jess Harp along with friends of the label Willi Carlisle and Dylan Earl.
"It's a diverse musical lineup for that night," says DeLashmet. "Austin Cash does this really beautiful solo guitar. That style of music is referred to as American primitive. ... very technical and rich nature-inspired folk music. No words."
Fellow Gar Hole artist Jess Harp, on the other hand, makes music that appeals more to indie and alternative rock fans.
"Jess does more of what we call 'boot gaze.' Just like kind of shoegazey, Americana," explains DeLashmet. "There's just a really strong folk influence on this particular style of songwriting." Both of the Gar Hole Records artists will be joined by Dylan Earl, a local musician whose style is deeply rooted in 1990s country music.
"My mom was a huge proponent in that," Earl says. "Mom's a huge Merle Haggard fan and Keith Whitley fan and all that, so you know when we'd be getting dropped off at school -- we had this old '89 Econoline -- Mom would have all the tapes going every morning." He adds that he was really into Travis Tritt, Billy Ray Cyrus, Willie Nelson, and of course, Randy Travis, to whom he bears a musical resemblance. "I would I credit my mama for all that, I suppose."
Then rounding out the Friday night event is Fayetteville's own Americana/folk gentle giant Willi Carlisle.
"Willi has always been a good friend of ours," DeLashmet says. "He had a great record that came out this year, which came out on a friend of ours' label, Free Dirt. They're based in Washington, D.C."
"It's going to be kind of the first time to really have the whole Gar Hole family all in one place, which will be a lot of fun," adds Earl.
Saturday will be all the Louisiana folks with Fayetteville-based Jude Brothers opening the show. Brothers is also a part-time staffer for Gar Hole Records who works in release campaigns for the musicians and as a staff writer on top of making their own music.
"We're super excited to finally get some Jude Brothers music out to the world early next year," DeLashmet adds.
Brothers plays tunes on an acoustic guitar and a harp with a singing range reminiscent of early Joni Mitchell. Following Brothers' set will be Daiquiri Queens.
"They're a Lafayette-based Cajun party band," DeLashmet says, adding that he and Nick Shoulders are big fans of their music. "Chris Aker is going to be here. We put out Chris' third record at the end of last year. Chris is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard."
Also playing are The Lostines, who produce music that is like stepping through a portal to another time for just a moment. Their sound is heavily influenced by classic country and '50s doo-wop, but with a firm footing in the present.
When asked if they are old souls, Camille Wind Weatherford of The Lostines laughs.
"Hopefully! Our souls have old tastes at least," she says of her band with Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler.
"We're so excited," says Weatherford about their first Arkansas show. "I've heard Nicky-Bob talk about the glory of Arkansas. So I'm very, very excited about it," she says about Nick Shoulders with whom The Lostines will go on tour with this winter. "The Gar Hole-iday show that we do will be the kickoff to the tour."
Looking to her first Fayetteville show, she says: "I'm just so excited honestly to see all the other bands play. There's going to be some really amazing acts. ... It's still really exciting every time we play a show because it feels new again."
The Lostines recently recorded two songs for a split release with Nick Shoulders called "Heart of Night," which features Shoulders' high-lonesome style cover of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and an electric version of his song, "Rise When the Rooster Crows."
"Heart of Night" has two songs by The Lostines, "Last Night," and "A Tear," for which the group just released a video. The split album was set to come out Dec. 2, but is running behind due to a lag in vinyl production.
The Lostines have also finished recording a new album set to come out in the spring on Gar Hole Records.
"That will be our first time putting music out in about six years, and it'll be our first full-length album too. So we're pretty excited about it," Weatherford says.
"The Lostines live act is killer. So I've heard and seen in videos," DeLashmet jokes. "This will be my first time to see them. I'm super excited. And then Nick Shoulders with full band playing a lot of new stuff off of his forthcoming third full-length record, which we'll have coming out sometime middle of next year.
"There's never been a time where everybody's fit under the same roof," DeLashmet says. "I think it's an amazing privilege to be able to put an event together like this."
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FAQ
Gar Hole-idays Winter Showcase
WHAT -- Two nights of music by Gar Hole Records artists and friends featuring Dylan Earl, Austin Cash, Jess Harp, Willi Carlisle, Jude Brothers, Daiquiri Queens, Chris Acker, The Lostines and Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdads with special jam sessions and DJ sets by Dollar Country.
WHEN -- 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 & 10
WHERE -- George's Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville
COST -- $40 for a two-day pass; $20 Dec. 9 only; $25 Dec. 10 only
INFO -- georgesmajesticlounge.com; garholerecords.com
BONUS -- A Gar Hole-iday HQ Hangout with Two Runner, Creekbed Carter and Auralai will be from 2-5 p.m. Dec. 10 at 546 W. Center St. in Fayetteville. Suggested donation of $5-$20 at the door.
Dylan Earl (left) and Willi Carlisle will perform on Dec. 9 during a winter showcase by Gar Hole Records of Fayetteville. Also playing for the Friday night show will be Jess Harp and Austin Cash. (File photo)
Nick Shoulders and Okay Crawdad will perform during the Gar Hole-iday Winter Showcase at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville. Nick Shoulders and Kurt DeLashmet started the label, Gar Hole Records, during the pandemic. Since then the label has grown to include The Lostines, Chris Acker, Jess Harp, Austin Cash and Jude Brothers. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Monica Hooper)
Local country musician and friend of Gar Hole Records, Dylan Earl, will perform during a Gar Hole Records showcase Dec. 9-10 at George’s Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville. The two-night event will feature performances by Willi Carlisle, Nick Shoulders and Okay Crawdad, Chris Acker, The Lostines, Daiquiri Queens, Jess Harp, Austin Cash and Jude Brothers. (Courtesy Photo)
Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler (left) and Camille Wind Weatherford of The Lostines will perform on Dec. 10 at George's Majestic Lounge during a two-night showcase by Gar Hole Records artists and friends. Also playing on Saturday will be Nick Shoulders and Okay Crawdad, Chris Acker, Daiquiri Queens and Jude Brothers. (Courtesy Photo)More News
NoneFAQ
Gar Hole-idays Winter Showcase
WHAT — Two nights of music by Gar Hole Records artists and friends featuring Dylan Earl, Austin Cash, Jess Harp, Willi Carlisle, Jude Brothers, Daiquiri Queens, Chris Acker, The Lostines and Nick Shoulders and the Okay Crawdads with special jam sessions and DJ sets by Dollar Country.
WHEN — 8:30 p.m. Dec. 9 & 10
WHERE — George’s Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St. in Fayetteville
COST — $40 for a two-day pass; $20 Dec. 9 only; $25 Dec. 10 only
INFO — georgesmajesticlounge.com; garholerecords.com
BONUS — A Gar Hole-iday HQ Hangout with Two Runner, Creekbed Carter and Auralai will be from 2-5 p.m. Dec. 10 at 546 W. Center St. in Fayetteville. Suggested donation of $5-$20 at the door.