FreshGrass | Bentonville 2024: Old Friends and New Favorites

Although the FreshGrass Festival is still relatively new to Bentonville, Arkansas — its fourth edition took place last weekend — many of the performers are old friends of the FreshGrass Foundation (No Depression’s nonprofit publisher). Singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan, who has played every FreshGrass in North Adams, Massachusetts, played Arkansas for the first time, and banjo icon Alison Brown, who has performed at every festival in both locations, brought her perpetual cool to a sweltering Saturday. Other returning favorites included Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, who played their second consecutive FreshGrass | Bentonville, as did high-energy local bluegrassers Arkansauce. Along with bands like Trampled by Turtles and headliner Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit, FreshGrass | Bentonville felt close to a family reunion.

But part of what makes this event so special is its surprising, yet tasteful curation. Some of the most interesting music over the weekend hailed from South and Central America, as artists like Meridian Brothers and Aurelio Martinez brought tastes of cumbia, salsa, calypso, marimba, and Spanish-language social justice to the two-day event. Their sounds and stories were the perfect soundtrack to host museum The Momentary’s neon installation: “You belong here.”

Staff from No Depression and the FreshGrass Foundation were on hand to cover the festival and contributed their highlights below.

Friday

Aoife O’Donovan, Hawktail, and the University of Arkansas Children’s Choir
With a commission from the FreshGrass Foundation, Aoife O’Donovan created the music that now appears on her album, All My Friends (ND story). With her second live performance of the work at FreshGrass (the first was at FreshGrass | North Adams 2023), O’Donovan — along with the roots virtuosos in Hawktail and locals from the University of Arkansas Children’s Choir — brought the music to life on a gorgeous Friday night in Bentonville. — Adam Kirr, Chief Operating Officer, FreshGrass Foundation

Ruthie Foster

Blues artist and musical interpreter Ruthie Foster is always a joy to see. She brought good humor and great songs to FreshGrass. We’ve been fortunate enough to work with her on the print side of things and online (read a review of her 2022 album Healing Time and check out more in the Spring 2022 issue, “General Admission”), and I’m always grateful for the chance to see folks we cover perform live, especially on the No Depression stage. — Hilary Saunders, Managing Editor, No Depression

Aurelio Martinez

I had no idea who Aurelio Martinez was before this year’s FreshGrass Festival, only that Martinez was introduced as a Honduran singer-songwriter and cultural ambassador of Garifuna (Afro-Indigenous) music. Turns out that in addition to being a gifted singer-songwriter, Martinez served in the National Congress of Honduras before returning to a career in music. His set on the No Depression stage was engaging, entertaining, and informative and I can’t wait to learn, and listen, more. — Hilary Saunders

Saturday

S.G. Goodman

Western Kentucky native S.G. Goodman made roots music heavy on the Main Stage. Fronting a four-piece band, the singer-songwriter took songs from her two studio albums — 2020’s Old Time Feeling and 2022’s Teeth Marks — and even a snippet of a cover of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” and turned them into squalls of riffs and feedback. It was empowering to see her completely own the Main Stage. — Hilary Saunders

Alison Brown

Seeing Alison Brown in the Tulip Barn last year was totally fantastic, as one would expect, so getting a chance to see her on the Main Stage this year was such a treat. Her band is not only masterfully composed, but also their sound was made for the outdoors! Her beautiful rendition of The Beatles’ “Here Comes The Sun” added a whole other layer of lovely to the first rainless FreshGrass Festival in Bentonville. — Matty Jackmauh, Development and Community Engagement Assistant, FreshGrass Foundation

Valerie June

Valerie June’s 2013 LP Pushing Against a Stone absolutely rocked my world and my perception of contemporary roots music. I saw her for the first time at Pickathon right around that time and it’s always a pleasure to see her perform. Wearing a ruffly orange dress, pink shades, and white cowboy boots, June commanded the Main Stage, even channeling Sister Rosetta Tharpe when she busted out the white Gibson SG to rock out. — Hilary Saunders

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

It’s been quite a year for Jason Isbell on several fronts, but his performance at FreshGrass | Bentonville 2024 was a two-hour clinic in roots-rock. Playing to a packed lawn on The Momentary’s green, Isbell played crowd favorites, advocated for abortion rights, integrated influences from The Allman Brothers and The Cure, and left it all out on the stage to close out Saturday night. —  Adam Kirr

Below is a gallery of photos by Hilary Saunders from FreshGrass | Bentonville 2024. Click any image to enlarge and view as a slideshow.