RISON – GRAMMY and Academy of Country Music-nominated, multi-platinum artist David Nail will headline this year’s Rison in the Fall Festival, Saturday, Oct. 7, organizer Douglas Boultinghouse has announced.
The Rison Shine-hosted event, which is free to attend, will take place in Downtown Rison featuring vendors, food trucks, activities and live music.
“We are so excited to welcome David Nail to Rison,” said Boultinghouse. “We’ve been working with his team for several months now putting this together and it’s going to be a lot of fun for our town.”
Boultinghouse said this year is building off of a successful run of top-billed performances from Julie Roberts, Erin Enderlin and Twitty & Lynn since 2019.
Nail is expected to take the newly-named Rise Up Rison stage at 8 p.m.
Prior to his performance, Arkansas-based country-rock band Midnight South and delta blues trio Chad Marshall Band will take the stage. The Cleveland County Community Theater will also host a talent showcase.
David Nail
Hailing from Kennett, Missouri, just across the Arkansas line, Nail is well-respected up and down Music Row, having topped the charts twice with the No. 1 songs “Let It Rain” and “Whatever She’s Got,” plus entering the top 10 with the hit “Red Light.”
Some might even call him a “tour de force” as his songs pull no punches in evoking the demons with which he has wrestled through much of his life.
The singer/songwriter’s early releases, “I’m About To Come Alive,” “The Sound Of A Million Dreams,” “I’m A Fire” and “Fighter,” ignited his reputation as an innovator and creative risk-taker yet left Nail feeling restless.
This led to the departure of the only record company home he’d ever known, MCA Nashville, where he’d formed friendships that endure even now.
Through dealing with his own journey of mental illness and the feeling of needing to “rebel against what people expect you to be,” Nail began making his most “organic” work to date, David Nail & The Well Ravens, with Jason Hall and Andrew Petroff.
That project liberated Nail and propelled him into his next adventure. Writing solo for the next few months led to his debut solo independent EP “Oh, Mother,” a reflective piece of work.
Of the title track, Rolling Stone noted that “the song creeps in like a sunrise — quiet, restrained cello and keys are the only underpinning for Nail’s powerful vocals at first. But then it slowly builds to something more massive and majestic.” That release was followed by Bootheel 2020 and Bootheel 2021, projects dedicated to the singer/songwriter’s hometown in the “bootheel” of Missouri.
Nail plans on releasing more music, some of which he will perform at Rison in the Fall, leaving behind any self-imposed restrictions.
“My philosophy has always been, I just hope to have a good enough year that I can have a next year while staying as true to myself as I possibly can,” Nail said.
Fans can expect the hit songs they know and love, plus new songs including the just-released “Best of Me.”
Visit DavidNail.com
Midnight South
Midnight South is an American country band, that utilizes shades of rock and roll, pop, and old-time music.
Formed organically in Central Arkansas, band members Matt Sammons, Sam Williams, Darin Davis, Jeremy Castaldo and J.L. Jones are proud to bring their listeners the sounds of the Natural State.
The band has performed as support for Dylan Scott, Randy Houser, Easton Corbin, Frank Foster, Chapel Hart and more, now adding David Nail to that list.
Heavily influenced by iconic country artists of the 1990s through the 2010s, like Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Keith Urban, Zac Brown Band, and Midland, as well as more traditional country artists such as Merle Haggard, and Arkansas’ own, Johnny Cash, the group harkens back to previous eras of country music, all while providing a fresh take on a familiar sound.
Original music is available on all streaming platforms now.
Visit MidnightSouth.com
Chad Marshall Band
The Chad Marshall Band is skilled at conjuring the spirit of blues legends.
Chad Marshall is an Arkansas Electric Blues Rock guitar artist that was trained by Arkansas Delta Blues Master ‘Saint’ Thomas Jenkins to perform originals and covers with exquisite expertise. He has developed a deep soul stirring style that audiences love to dance to.
Carl Bass on drums and C. Roscoe Willis on bass bring together this professional and experienced power trio.
The Arkansas-tied trio has performed all over the state, including the Port City Blues Society in Pine Bluff, and throughout the delta region in Mississippi and Louisiana.
Visit the Chad Marshall Band on Facebook.
Talent Showcase
The Cleveland County Community Theater is organizing a talent showcase of local and regional talents.
Sign-up information and performance details will be announced in the coming weeks.
Festival Activities
The Rison Paws for a Cause dog pageant is expected to return for its fourth year.
“The Paws rescue group is working on categories and entry forms this summer and will have those ready to go soon,” Boultinghouse said.
The annual dog pageant serves as a fund, and awareness, raiser for the local animal rescue. Last year’s pageant resulted in the adoption of multiple dogs.
Boultinghouse said other activities are being planned, including the Rison in the Fall 5K and Joe Cook Memorial Horseshoe Tournament.
Details regarding these activities will be released later this summer.
Vendors and Food Trucks
“Last year we had a record number of vendors with around 40 vendors and seven food trucks,” said Boultinghouse. “We would love to match that again this year.”
Space is limited within Main and Third Streets, so vendors are encouraged to sign up now.
Registration forms can be found online here and the Rison in the Fall Facebook page. Fees are $50 for vendors, and $200 for food trucks.
For more information, call (870) 510-2433.
Sponsors
Rison Shine Community Development, Inc., would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for contributing to the festival.
“The generous support of our sponsors is what allows us to put on this festival, but more importantly, it is what makes it free for the community to attend,” Boultinghouse said. “We could not do this without them.”
This year’s festival is sponsored by Donnie and Charlotte King, Best Dressed Chicken/International Poultry Breeders, Stella-Jones, FBT Bank, Gateway Bank, Rison Serenity Wellness Spa, Rison Pharmacy, Access Medical Clinic, Trotter Ford, Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, ShopWise, Buie Funeral Home, Connect Bank, SEARK, Mark and Debi Attwood, Tanglewood Landing, Holt Builder’s Supply, C&L Electric, Mainline Health Systems, Douglas B Design, Real Estate Solutions, Southern Roots Salon, My Berry Patch, Main Street Cafe, R&L Hardware, Anytime Smoothie, Pizza Pro of Rison, Triple Cross BBQ & More, El Girasol Mexican Restaurant, Miller’s Auto, Green House Cottages, Cleveland County Auto Parts, Wilson Bros. Lumber Co., River Ridge Equipment, Tri-W Logging, Cleveland County Herald, Double M Firearms, Blake King Plumbing, Pretty-n-Pink by Morgan King, Rally Networks, 4M Equipment, Woodlawn Grocery, Chief’s Lumber Co., Twisted Mule Mercantile.