By Lorelai Wilson

The musically inclined student population at the University of Arkansas has taken up an ambitious side to their pursuits through music production. There seems to not only be garage bands anymore, but full fledged original songs making their way to streaming platforms created by young and hungry musicians. 

University Programs, a student-run committee at the university recently held an event entitled “Let’s Talk Music”, featuring seven music panelists, ranging from band members to producers to music journalists. Among these speakers was Milcah Hulen-Posnak, key member of local band The Misdemeanors and founder of The NWA Collective, a youth oriented record label. The event featured a play through of one of The Misdemeanors most favorited tracks, “Colorado.” 

“This song says a lot about who all of us are,” Hulen-Posnak said. 

The song describes a deep connection between friends and the complex emotions that go along with college relocations. A hard hitting chorus starts with “120 miles an hour, that’s how fast I’ll drive to you,” the punk inspired ballad was the band’s first produced and released song. 

She went on to describe the functions of The NWA Collective, a female-fronted record label built to support artists under the age of 21. The collective aims to connect people through music and lend a helping hand to production, as overwhelming as it can be. It provides a structure to get started and older musicians serving as mentors to help advise on how to start the process of production. 

In addition to Hulen-Posnak, another creator featured at the panel was Peter Crites. After a few conversations on how music shapes identity, Crites played a few original songs on guitar at the panel, showcasing both his performative and song-writing abilities. As a local producer and songwriter, he spoke to the identity found in music and how it can bring communities together.

 “It gives everyone something to talk about,” Crites said.

His guitar ballads were impressive and built without lyrics, showing how much more music can bring people together. He hopes to eventually put out music on streaming platforms but has experienced the difficulty of self-produced music.

“Recording music is hard when you’re doing it yourself,” Crites said.

In addition to The NWA Collective, a few panelists touched on Hill Records, the student run record label at the university. 

“We love to help aspiring artists. We are aspiring artists,” Vanessa Segovia, vice president of outreach for Hill Records, said.

This seemed to be the recurring theme of the panel, and of the music scene at Arkansas.

These effects have reached even the freshman population, through people like Travis Bing, the drummer for local band Texas Drivers. Texas Drivers’ last show was anti-valentines themed, taking place at Nomad’s Trailside on Feb. 15. The band headlined and premiered their first two original songs as the grand finale. With their first few original songs written and performed, Bing said they want to do some kind of EP soon, so that people can really listen to their music.

There are a myriad of recording opportunities in NWA, especially with the communities popping up in support of younger musicians. Texas Drivers has been playing shows in coordination with local bands in the area for over a year, and the urge to produce original music is growing with their influence.

The Fayetteville Public Library offers rentable studios and equipment, which is exciting for young creators, Bing said. 

In addition to resources available at the Adohi Creative Community, and the Fayetteville Public Library, The NWA Collective is another path Texas Drivers is exploring. The NWA Collective has opened up auditions to join their Earth Day themed show, and Texas Drivers are eager to get a show slot. The NWA collective is partnering with Zero Hour Arkansas, a youth-led climate activism group to put on this Earth Day themed show. 

The Earth Day show is set to take place in late April and will feature a number of local musicians. This is one of many opportunities to be created by The NWA Collective, and has touched local musicians across the area. 

There is a great deal of activity in the UA Music Community, from themed events, to recording opportunities, to supportive communities built to make lasting relationships and art. Texas Drivers are eager to start recording, The NWA Collective is working to foster a youth centered music community, and locals such as Peter Crites and Vanessa Segovia are on the production side ready to make it happen.