The Arrow Bar's friendly spirit may have migrated to its new 110 E. 36th St. location, but expect the same fun celebration of eclectic indie music at this year's Arrow Fest II.
Held Saturday from 3 p.m. until close, Arrow Fest II features an array of local and regional talent, ranging in styles. Acts scheduled to perform include Sylo, Skull Archer, Ultrariot, Old Flames, Merrows, Feral Daughters, Narrow Dinero, WhetheR, Not Dead Yet and Jase Bryant.
Joey Mills (Merrows) and Darin Lavender (Old Flames) are among those organizing this second rendition of the showcase for homegrown talent. For one thing, they have more room at the new space, which used to house the club Stages. Last year's Arrow Fest pulled in around 200 attendees.
"Everyone won't be so crammed in there," Mills said about the new digs.
What made it so successful last year? "Diversity of music," said Lavender. "We're doing the same thing this year. We're going to have folk, singer-songwriter, rock, heavy rock, punk rock." Big city bands from elsewhere will join the lineup again: Little Rock, Shreveport and now Dallas.
Texarkana's Sylo often plays in big cities like those. "Sylo, they're a staple of Texarkana," Mills said. Old concert posters in their jam room, he observes, show they've played with some big names through the years.
He describes Skull Archer as thrash punk. They hail from the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will venture beyond those environs for the first time to play Arrow Fest II. According to a post on their Facebook page, they'll bring "fast riffs and hard crunches that will pound skull inwards." Sounds about right for an Arrow show.
"And then Ultrariot is straight-up, in-your-face punk rock," Mills said. Add a horn section to that, too. "With a little bit of ska," Lavender said.
Feral Daughters, which consist of popular group Jaguar Shark members, hail from Shreveport. "Just an honest punk rock band. They're making a name for themselves and we're happy to have them," Lavender said.
As for Old Flames, he says the band has been finishing an album, having it mixed and mastered. Merrows, says Mills, are still "drunk punk" for the good times and beer spilling.
WhetheR, who will replace a band that had to cancel, also hail from Ratchet City, like Feral Daughters. "They're a two-piece doom band and all instrumental. It'll be interesting," Lavender said.
Mills describes Narrow Dinero, who played Arrow Fest last year, as good old pop punk. "Melodic pop punk," Lavender adds.
A new act on the local scene, Not Dead Yet, feature a harmonica player and a guitarist/lead singer. And with Jase Bryant, Arrow Fest II opens with one of the hardest working and most versatile local musicians in town.
The first 20 people who pay admission will do so for $5 instead of the full $10. They'll also get a free drink. A food truck will be at the venue, which has an extended stage and an outdoor patio now. They have VIP golf cart service for parking in case people park far away, along with more seating and a new sound system.
(Admission: $10. More info: 870-772-1171.)