Coming Home

Creatives establish new base in Ozarks

Photo courtesy Jeremy Scott Visiting musicians check out the Bentonville house during the early stages of its new life as The House of Songs Ozarks.
Photo courtesy Jeremy Scott Visiting musicians check out the Bentonville house during the early stages of its new life as The House of Songs Ozarks.

A songwriting conference in New Orleans is where it all started for Troy Campbell. Prepping for his turn to take the stage in a crowded, noisy room -- an "industry event" -- he saw backs literally turned to the performers as audience members drank and chatted. Campbell recalls his frustration.

"Oh great, I came all the way from Austin to this situation one more time," he complained to himself.

FAQ

House of Songs Ozarks

Open House

WHEN — 4-6 p.m. Saturday

WHERE — 508 S.E. C St. in Bentonville

COST — Free

INFO — therootsfest.org, facebook.com/thehou…

BONUS — Campbell and The House of Songs Ozarks will present events in the coming months with documentary films on the program, performances with the visiting songwriters and whatever else manifests through the collaborations. Keep an eye here and on their Facebook page for details.

Caught off guard by the muttered response of the Danish musician tuning behind him -- "Well, what're you gonna do?" -- Campbell recounts the moment the two musicians decided to stay and "kick the audience's butt" by giving an entertaining performance, playing their hearts out.

"I suddenly realized I had a friend, and that an audience couldn't beat me if I had one person to play for," Campbell enthuses.

That Danish musician just happened to be Poul Krebs -- one of Denmark's No. 1 selling artists, "the people's poet" -- and the songwriter who invited Campbell to the little Danish island of Samso for a writing retreat with 12 of what Krebs considered to be the best songwriters in the world.

Fast forward to 2008 when Campbell is approached by a group from the Danish Music Society wanting to invest in the creative sector and coming to him for ideas. Campbell conceives the concept of The House of Songs on the spot -- bringing songwriters together to build relationships and collaborations internationally through music. Nine years after the birth of that idea, eight years after its official founding, The House of Songs "ecosystem" -- as Campbell considers it -- incorporates 14 countries, several movies, Grammy nominations, hit songs and around 1,000 songwriters.

"The whole thing came down to me not ignoring someone who was behind me and being interested, and it created this crazy thing that's known in all these countries, and now we're in Arkansas, which I would have never predicted," Campbell says.

The House of Songs Ozarks -- headquartered in a charming, two-story, blue house two blocks from the Benton County Fairgrounds in Bentonville -- will host its soft opening this weekend in conjunction with the Fayetteville Roots Festival. The public is invited to come by and tour the house, meet Campbell and attend a free show with Roots artists Liza Anne, Sean McConnell and Adam Cox -- if you snagged a free ticket, that is. The show is sold out.

"It's a way to get the public to understand, and also get the local songwriters to understand, we're not here to take; we're here to learn," Campbell says. By bringing international songwriters to the house for residencies, the program aims to pair them with local artists and writers to challenge, but also inspire everyone involved.

"You get to hear not only their stories of where they're from, but also their experience of collaborating, and going on a walk with someone on the trails and talking about their perceptions of America or Arkansas. For me, that just creates a story. I really want people to feel welcome, and I think they rise when you create a nurturing environment."

The soft opening on Saturday and the partnership with the Roots Festival and Bryan and Bernice Hembree (Smokey and the Mirror) are only the beginning, Campbell promises. His enthusiasm for the untapped stories that exist in the diverse cultures of the region opens the door for abundant partnerships and collaborations -- but even more, he says, for bringing these visiting artists to the region and having them return to their home states and countries saying, "I had no idea" about the community and the energy and the talent level of places like the Ozarks.

"Our purpose [is] we don't need to bring a 'Texas house' or even a 'Danish house' there -- this will be a house of Arkansas," Campbell says. "So from the way it feels to who's running it will be culturally sensitive, and it will be about outreach; it'll be about community; it'll be about bringing the international community in and doing curation and partnering. It's going to challenge everyone, but mostly what it does is it creates unique friendships with shared audiences."

NAN What's Up on 08/25/2017

Upcoming Events