What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/954894
N early two-and-a-half years ago, guitarist John Henry and a few of his friends recorded an album. But when Henry and percussionist Brennan Johnson started finding success and a busy schedule with The Squarshers, as bassist Tom Andersen and banjo player Adams Collins did with their group Arkansauce, John Henry & Friends and the album they recorded was set on the shelf. Now, the band is getting back together for a release show at George's Majestic Lounge to finally share with the world the album that is so personal to Henry. "I was feeling creatively stifled. I didn't feel like I was writing that many songs [and that] the songs I was writing were maybe not as good," Henry says. "Artistically, I was just going through this slump. And whether it's valid or not, I came to believe it was because I needed to release this album that had not yet been released." So far, that decision to revisit an older project has proven to be a good one for Henry. Many of the songs on the album were written around the time Henry learned his mother was incredibly ill, and then as he was dealing with her eventual passing. Though not all the songs delve into that difficult material — there's a "fun, silly" tune about a real instance when Henry's wife was at work and he devoured a whole pan of cornbread she made — revisiting the emotional state he was in when he wrote the tunes has been "nostalgically cathartic" for Henry. "Processing those things in retrospect is an interesting thing to do. And it's one of those things I think everyone has to go through; I don't think [there's anyone who] doesn't have a grieving process," Henry shares. "I would hope even if just one person is able to see that these emotions and feelings they might be having that are really tough to deal with, at the very, very least, they're not alone and they're not the only person that has gone through this and there's someone out there to talk to. Maybe that's why I've been so open about the whole thing is that I really believe very strongly that any number of emotional and chaotic and imposing things can happen to someone and that it's OK to express how they feel about that. And in fact, not just OK, I think it's important." — JOCELYN MURPHY JMURPHY@NWADG.COM 10 WHAT'S UP! MARCH 18-24, 2018 FAQ John Henry & Friends album release with guest Chucky Waggs WHEN — 8:30 p.m. March 22 WHERE — George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville COST — $7 INFO — georgesmajesti- clounge.com, facebook.com/ JohnHenryFriends Nostalgically Cathartic Group pulls album off the shelf for new release Courtesy Photo Members of local string jamgrass/Americana bands The Squarshers and Arkansauce team up as John Henry & Friends for an album release show March 22 at George's. 'Puppet Slam' First of its kind in NWA LARA JO HIGHTOWER NWA Democrat-Gazette T he Art Experience in Fayetteville, a nonprofit art therapy organization, hopes they will be starting a new tradition when they host a "Puppet Slam" at 7 p.m. March 24. The organization is already well- known for its forays into puppetry — they have been producing the family- friendly event Puppets in the Park at area parks in Fayetteville for 10 years. "Puppet Slams are gaining in popularity across the country, but I don't think we've ever had one in Northwest Arkansas," says the organization's executive director Susan Hartman. "Last year, at Puppets in the Park, I was thinking about how we could engage more adults in puppetry and someone came up with the idea of starting a puppet slam. It piqued my interest because of my love of story slams. This is an opportunity for professional puppeteers, learning puppeteers, wanna-be puppeteers, closeted puppeteers — anyone interested in puppetry, or anyone interested in telling a story through performance, using puppets — this is a chance for them to convey what's in their mind or heart, any kind of message, funny or profound." Hartman is quick to say that prior experience with puppetry is not required — The Art Experience is hoping to introduce new performers to the art. "They can use any kind of puppetry," she says. "Shadow, finger, hand — get a sock, draw a mouth on the sock, come and read poetry!" Hartman says the event is purposefully scheduled in late March to coincide with World Puppetry Day, and hopes that the event will become a twice-yearly performance. The $10 ticket cost helps support the organization's Puppets in the Park, although Hartman says she's hopeful that, eventually, they will be able to pay performers. "Whether they're amateur or professional, we believe in paying artists for their talent, skill and craft," she says. "Once [the Puppet Slam] gets going, I think we'll draw performers from the Little Rock, Tulsa and Springfield area," says The Art Experience's executive director Susan Hartman. "I don't think there are too many opportunities in our region for this kind of thing." FAQ 'Puppet Slam,' presented by The Art Experience WHEN — 7-9:30 p.m., March 24 WHERE — The Fenix Gallery, 16 W. Center, Fayetteville COST — $10 at the door INFO — 442-0557 Courtesy Photo FAYETTEVILLE