Ozark music coming to park
Posted on Wednesday, August 6, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/hl/Lifestyles/25259/
For the fourth and final
time this summer,
Siloam Springs’ Second Saturday Music will host a free-for-all concert at the local Twin Springs Park Gazebo on Saturday at 7: 30 p. m. Greenwillis, a musical trio of Mountain Home-based Arkansas natives that specialize in traditional Ozark style and folk music, will perform for attendees this week. “ The band used to be called ‘ Out of the Blue ’ until they changed it, ” said event organizer and musician, Bill Lisk. “ Greenwillis is the name of an old fiddle tune. ” The dynamic musical threesome is made up of high school senior, Rachel Linn, who serves as lead vocalist and plays the mandolin and By Jessica Weekley Staff Writer jessicaw @ nwanews. com fiddle, her brother, University of Arkansas in Fayetteville sophomore Derek Linn who also sings and plays guitar and Lukas Pool who recently got accepted to the prestigious Berkley School of Music in Boston.
Pool joins his bandmates with harmony vocals and the banjo.
“ We invited them to play one of our Second Saturday concerts last June and everybody just loved them, ” said Lisk. “ We had over 100 people show up and it was a very nice night. ”
Pool is also an advanced picker in both the three-finger and claw-hammer banjo styles and is nationally recognized for his exceptional skills, Lisk said.
“ They’re a great group and really nice kids, ” Lisk said. “ Rachel has a voice like an angel, she has a really sweet sound. ”
Her vocal talents have, in fact, been compared to the stylings of country music sensations Emmylou Harris and Alison Kraus, Lisk said.
The band, which has been together for nearly three years, has seen a lot of road together as they have traveled across Arkansas and neighboring states to concerts and musical festivals.
They were invited to perform at the Arkansas Literary Festival, the Old State House in Little Rock, Ozark Folk Center State Park, and at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri among other places.
Greenwillis released their debut album, “ Far Gone From Me” in February 2005 and a second album, “ Know Where You Stand” in May 2006. Less than a year ago, the band’s most recent album, “ Talking in Silence ” became available.
“ Not too long ago they were invited to play at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas which is a pretty big deal and an honor, ” Lisk said. “ It’s one of the most well known festivals in the country. ”
Concert goers are invited to bring a lawnchair or blanket to settle on the park’s lawn.
While there is no admission for the concert, donations are accepted and appreciated.
Refreshments will be available via Friends of the Siloam Springs Library.
“ We’ve known Greenwillis for a long time and, since Lukas will be leaving for school in the fall and they will be going their separate ways we thought it would be fun to invite them here, to Siloam Springs, for one final hoorah, ” Lisk said. “ Saturday is actually Derek’s 21 st birthday too so it will be a special night and a special show. ”
In the event of inclement weather, the concert may be relocated to the Sager Creek Arts Center at 301 East Twin Springs Rd., across the street from the park.
With unpredictable weather as of late, two of this year’s four concerts were hosted inside the local arts center because of rain.
“ This year was the best year ever for Second Saturday Concerts, ” Lisk said. “ We couldn’t have done it without all of the help and support that we received. ”
This month’s show is sponsored by the Siloam Springs Parks and Recreation Department and the locally owned and operated, Whitmore Music.
For additional information, call Lisk at 524-4551.