This week, a special road trip episode. OHR visits Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series featuring Eureka Springs post-folk Americana trio The Gary Lawrence Show, recorded live at Butterfield Stage in Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers.

Rogers, Arkansas’ Railyard Live Concert Series began in 2021. Held on the city’s Butterfield Stage next to Railyard Park in historic downtown Rogers, it features live concerts every weekend throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall. All of the Railyard Live events are either free to the public or at very low cost of admission. The concert series features a wide array of musical styles and interests designed to appeal to the diverse population of Rogers and invite them to experience the newly revitalized Railyard Entertainment District. The Ozark Folk Center State Park and the City of Rogers, Arkansas partnered to bring Ozark Highlands Radio to capture a little slice of this modern Ozark culture.

The Gary Lawrence Show is a three-piece band from Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Like Eureka Springs itself, the trio brews an unlikely collection of influences into an uniquely fresh sound. Blending elements of ska, funk and indie-rock with Americana and true-folk themes, The Gary Lawrence Show is truly an Ozark original. Along with his acoustic guitar and colorful vocals, Gary is joined by Dylan Caldwell on bass and “Benji" on percussion. For this performance, Sophia Clark of the band Eureka Strings joins in on vocals.

In this week’s “From the Vault” segment, OHR producer Jeff Glover offers a 1984 archival recording of Ozark original Elliott Hancock performing the traditional train wreck ballad “The Fate of Chris Lively and Wife” from the Ozark Folk Center State Park archives.

In this week’s guest host segment, renowned traditional folk musician, writer, and step dancer Aubrey Atwater explores the origin and meaning of the traditional folk song “The Old Woman and the Pig.”