What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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8 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 17-23, 2021 FEATURE Governor's Arts Awards Northwest Arkansans honored in three categories BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette T he 2021 Governor's Arts Award is not the first one for lifetime achievement Trout Fishing in America has received. And Northwest Arkansas musicians Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet hope it's not the last. "They tried to make us stop twice before, but we just kept going," Grimwood jokes of lifetime achievement awards. "I don't know quite what 'lifetime achievement' means. It is nice to be recognized. I feel honored by the whole thing. You can do what you do and just be invisible, but it's nice to have somebody point it out." The awards, issued annually by the Arkansas Arts Council, "recognize Arkansans who have made significant contributions to maintaining, growing and enhancing the arts in our state," according to Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. "These artists and art supporters are part of the cultural heritage of Arkansas and are fundamental components of our creative economy and quality of life." Idlet and Grimwood, who have been playing music together for 42-35 years — depending on how you do the math — were nominated by Delynne West, a music specialist at Springhill Elementary in Bryant. "When I found out about the awards, they were the first people to cross my mind for lifetime achievement," she says. "They have impacted families over the world with their music because it appeals to all ages. "From my perspective as a teacher and a musician, they truly support others to find their creative outlet, whether through songwriting, singing and dancing during a concert, or working with artists in their studio," West says. "I can't imagine there are two more generous entertainers in the industry." West says she was introduced to Trout's music in the early 1990s — about the time they moved their families to Northwest Arkansas from Houston — and met them after a concert at Little Rock's Riverfest in 1998 or 1999. "At that Riverfest concert, they mentioned how one of their songs had been written by children in a songwriting workshop," she remembers. "Afterwards I asked how I could get the ball rolling to have them come to my school. They gave me contact information, and it took me a few years to gain funding. In 2004 I was finally able to make it happen through a grant from an anonymous donor. Since then I have applied for several grants to keep the songwriting workshops going, as well as securing funding through my school PTO and a wonderfully supportive principal. "One of the reasons I have been able to receive grants is due to the cross-curricular aspect of the workshop," West goes on. "I realized that first year that they weren't only helping my students find their voices through music, but words as well. They encourage songwriting participants to write about what they know and use descriptive words to convey their message. During the workshops we generally finish a verse or two and the chorus. In the following lessons we finish up the story and talk about what kind of musical form would best suit the story. We record the vocals as a class and end up with a finished product. I love how the students will discuss the creative process, and they really feel like they own their work when it's complete." Idlet and Grimwood both love seeing something started in a kids' workshop grow up to be a full- fledged song — as is "Alien In My Nose" in their regular catalog. But kids were not their first audience. Grimwood was a classically trained bassist with the Houston Symphony, and Idlet was a garage- band rocker when they started playing together in a group called St. Elmo's Fire. That evolved into Trout Fishing in America on an extended visit to California, where they made their musical living on street corners and named their duo based on the Richard Brautigan novel. It was having children that led to children's music — and now it's grandchildren and aging and current events, like the covid-19 pandemic. Grimwood and Idlet were performing in Pennsylvania in March 2020, "and we were concerned about covid at that point," Idlet says. "We got to the venue, and everybody wanted to hug us, shake our hands, take pictures with us. At that point, we were polite. These portraits of Keith Grimwood (left) and Ezra Idlet, the duo that has been playing music as Trout Fishing in America for most of 45 years, were created by Idlet's sister, Susan Idlet, whom he calls "a very talented artist." TFIA was presented with the 2021 Governor's Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement. (Courtesy Images/Susan Idlet @susanidletart on Instagram and Facebook)