Arkansauce calls forth melodies of the Ozark Mountains’ rolling hills and raging rivers with their
distinct blend of newgrass. This progressive string quartet features Tom Andersen on bass, guitarist Zac
Archuleta, Ethan Bush on mandolin, and Adams Collins on banjo. Their music features improvisational
string leads matched with complex melodies, intriguing rhythms, and deep thumping bass grooves. Each
member sings lead and harmony parts as well as contributes to the lyrics, which offer authentic,
intelligent songwriting with hard-hitting hooks.
Music Mecca’s Spencer Nachman calls them a “fiery, finger-picking string band… What is apparent at any
Arkansauce show is their positivity and desire to uplift the audience’s spirit, no matter the circumstance.”
They are a band inspired not only from their home state of Arkansas, but also throughout their travels.
“We are a band that spends most of our time in the back of a van hurtling toward long nights, good times,
and a destiny unknown,” says Ethan. “Our inspiration is gathered by events unfolding in our own
adventures in real time. These days, the desire to create, inspire, and redefine within our scene seems to
be the main driving force behind our music. From a young age we were huge fans of live music and were
introduced to a lot of great music by our families.”
Arkansauce independently released their 5th album, OK to Wonder, on April 21, 2023. With 11
original tracks—ranging from upbeat and stimulating to contemplative and encouraging—the collection
is filled with songs of revelry, wonder, insight, and whimsy.
The album was met to critical acclaim with reviews in Bluegrass Today (“a truly inspired effort”),
Ameriana Highways (“this is high-octane stuff, meticulously rendered & with lots of spirit”), Americana
UK (“that’s a bluegrass line-up right there – but this isn’t your grandpappy’s bluegrass”), and Blog Critics;
premieres by The Bluegrass SItuation and Glide Magazine. Songs from the album are in two official
Spotify Playlists: “Indie Bluegrass” and “Fast Grass” and have received airplay on SiriusXM Bluegrass
Junction.
They’ve also interviewed and performed a few of the new tunes in studio in their homestate with
Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Little Rock’s THV11.
The band was founded in 2011 after Zac and Ethan, who had grown up across the street from one another
in Johnson County, Arkansas, moved to Fayetteville. Tom and Adams were slowly introduced to them
through the tight-knit Fayetteville music community. During a fateful gig at a Riverstomp Music Festival
in 2014, the band was down a couple of members, and Adams and Tom filled in on the fly—magic was
made on the stage that night, and the lineup was forever changed.
Having played shows from California to Connecticut over the last several years in addition to two tours in
Europe, the band is no stranger to the road. They supported Yonder Mountain String Band for a leg of
their summer tour in 2019, played mainstage spots on festivals with bands (including but not limited to)
Greensky Bluegrass, Railroad Earth, The Del McCoury Band, Billy Strings, Leftover Salmon, Tauk, The
Wood Brothers, and shared the stage with the legendary Sam Bush as a guest.
Arkansauce has a hearty tour schedule lined up for this year including hometime release shows in
Oklahoma and Arkansas for (including the Backwoods at Mulberry Mountain Festival). They have Spring
shows in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Missouri, Louisiana, and around the Front Range of
Colorado. Further Festivals include Sustain Art & Music Festival (IN), FreshGrass Bentonville (AR),,
Weekend at The Cave (IL), Rhythms on the Rio (CO), Lovegrass Music Fest (KS), FreshGrass North
Adams (MA), and Annapolis Baygrass Festival (MD), with more shows yet to be announced!
“This is high-octane stuff, meticulously rendered & with lots of spirit…
The ensemble vocals add authenticity to the bluegrass fire. Everything is well-played & optimistic… Their
compositions have clarity & distinction… they have a whirling, lively groove. The lyrics aren’t cliched &
the words are held down by the gravity of the tight melodies… The late Jerry Garcia (The Grateful Dead)
who played with Old and In the Way with David Grisman, Vassar Clements & Pete Rowan would feel at
home with these boys.” —Americana Highways, Jon Apice
“The music sounds both classic and contemporary at the same time, allowing for a sound that’s
immediately engaging and easily assured. That unabashed affability comes across in the effortless
expression of ‘How Time Flies’, the sprightly sound of ‘Up On the Shelf,’ the comforting caress of ‘I’ll Be
Yours,’ and the consistently amiable attitude conveyed through a host of instrumentals interspersed
throughout this decidedly solid set of songs. Arkansauce makes a point to put their nimble picking and
plucking front and center, helping to assure a good-natured feeling that pervades the album overall.”
—Bluegrass Today, Lee Zimmerman
“Keeping with Arkansuace’s mission statement to create, inspire, & redefine what it means to be a 21st
Century bluegrass act. Each musical breakdown feels like a verse in and of itself, as the instruments find
themselves in a shining moment over intriguing rhythms and thumping bass grooves.”
—Music Mecca, Adison Nadler
“That’s a bluegrass line-up right there – but this isn’t your grandpappy’s bluegrass.”
—AmericanaUK, Jonathan Aird
“Hot bluegrass ramblers” —The Roanoke Times
“Snappy bluegrass cut” [“My Home in Arkansas”] —Americana Music Association
“[The songs] bear the hallmarks of quintessential Arkansauce tunes: They’re fun to sing along with and
give each member of the band time to flex his considerable picking skills.” WATCH Arkansauce interview
about OK to Wonder & perform 3 songs: “Up on the Shelf,” “My Home in Arkansas,” and “Coldiron.”
—Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Monica Hooper
LISTEN to The Mandolins and Beer Podcast interview with Ethan Bush about songwriting, practicing,
the studio, touring and more.
MORE ABOUT ‘OK TO WONDER’
Fiery finger-picking String band, Arkansauce, independently released their 5th album, OK to Wonder,
on April 21, 2023. The album’s 1st single, “Up on the Shelf,” was premiered by Glide Magazine who
says, “Strong lyricism, warm harmonies, and impressive solos abound throughout this track.” Ethan
describes it as, “a rowdy song about a wild night out that gradually became a much more in depth picture
of the ups and downs of a relationship; I aimed to maintain the spirit of the original concept, while trying
to depict the stress that partnerships may bring through an honest and unique lens.” After the song’s
release, “Up on the Shelf” was almost immediately placed into Spotify’s “Indie Bluegrass” Playlist and
has received airplay on SiriusXM Bluegrass Junction.
Uptempo bluegrass number “My Home in Arkansas,” the album’s 2nd single, was premiered by The
Bluegrass Situation, called a “snappy bluegrass cut” by the Americana Music Association in their
weekly newsletter, is on Spotify’s “Fast Grass” Playlist, and is listed in The Alternate Root Magazine’s
Top Ten Songs of the Week. Andersen says, “The song came to me after a Bill Monroe bender. It’s a
straight-forward bluegrass song about the road and the yearnings for home—with a few twists and turns
on the arrangement, as any road worth traveling would have.”
“First Night of the Tour” sings the result of the band learning the “rules of the road” through trial and
error on their first few tours. The stimulating “Coldiron” was inspired by a close friend of the band who
uprooted himself at an early age to move to a remote, old family property where he didn’t know a soul and
ambitiously forged a bountiful and fulfilling life.
A song of reflection and reminiscing, the title lyrics can be heard in the Hartford-esque “How Time
Flies.” My oh my how time flies… Is this the way I wanted things to be… I simply cannot decide… Who in the hell is
behind those eyes… I guess it’s okay to wonder until the day I die… Hold on to what you got for now and let time
take care of the rest.” The song is meant to help us find some peace in the space between trying to chase
down our dreams and deciding to alter our path.
“I’ll Be Yours” gives encouragement to the underdogs of the world while the empathetic and anthemic
“Early Bird” shines and welcomes you to join in. Zac says, “Written during the heat of the pandemic after
my father-in-law, a truck driver whose CB handle was ‘Early Bird,’ passed away from covid. Everything
seemed so dark that I wanted to write a song about light and hope with a lot of harmonies and uplifting
melodies. My dad actually passed away a few months after, and it ended up being a song for myself in a
way.”
