The beauty and lore of the Ozarks inspire the Arkansas-based folk duo Still on the Hill, who will appear here at the Regional Arts Center for a free concert April 13.
Starting at 7:30 p.m. in the RAC's Cabe Hall, Still on the Hill will perform songs from "Still a River," their latest album, which chronicles one of the natural state's great natural wonders, the Buffalo River.
Based in Fayetteville, the Arkansas Governor's Folklife Award-winning Still on the Hill have, in more than two decades together, criss-crossed the nation and played in Europe, but in recent years they've focused on their region and the Ozarks.
"We've become storytellers of our region, so we're actually at the moment recording our fourth album of Ozark stories," said Kelly Mulhollan. He and his wife, Donna, explore many of the Buffalo River landmarks in their songs, places like Bee Bluff, Tyler Bend and Granny Henderson's cabin.
It's these songs that they'll bring to Texarkana to perform. They've worked with the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council here before, having taught in the schools through the ArtsSmart program. They'd love to see former students in the audience.
Kelly is a fifth generation Arkansan, having also grown up with the songs of Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan.
"Part of the reason I personally do this is I have deep roots in Arkansas," Kelly said. For him, it's a way of reconnecting to those roots, which involved meeting the "oldtimers" and turning their interesting stories into song.
Donna's dad would perform Bob Wills and Hank Williams ditties on the guitar, which led to her learning how to play the fiddle as a youngster. In a homogenized world, she says, people yearn to hear stories about their roots.
"It's about the people, the places and the history of the river," Donna said about Still on the Hill songs. They recorded a previous album in this series, "Once a River," in 2015; that CD concerned itself with the White River and Beaver Lake Watershed.
A grant from the National Park Service makes this and other Still on a Hill concerts possible. As well, the first 100 people who attend will receive a free copy of the CD "Still a River." Grants have enabled this series of CDs, and along the way they've won an audience for this music.
"What we found is that it resonates deeply with people," Kelly said.
The Buffalo, stretching more than 150 miles with most of those under the stewardship of the National Park Service, was the first river ever designated to be a National River. It's a treasure of the Ozarks and attracts many visitors to its bluffs, vistas and pools.
"The Buffalo River is not just important here in the Ozarks it's the river of our whole country. It's a national river and a National Park," said Donna, noting their show about the Buffalo is family-friendly and suitable for all ages.
The show runs about an hour and 15 minutes, she said, and the Mulhollans will bring an array of a dozen interesting instruments to play and show the audience, ranging from a mandolin to a musical saw and dulcimer.
"It's a very colorful show with lots of different textures," Kelly said, adding that the music honors that which makes Arkansas and the Ozarks so unique.
"I think what it does is it celebrates what makes Arkansas different from everywhere else," he said.
(Admission: free. The Regional Arts Center is located at 321 W. 4th St. More info: TRAHC.org or 903-792-8681.)