Self-professed “groovethusiast” Scott Stevens will be the latest performer to grace the Farmers and Merchants Bank Stage as part of the Baxter Healthcare Summer Concert Series.
Stevens is scheduled to take the stage Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. at Hickory Park in downtown Mountain Home. Gates will open at 6 p.m., with DJ Peace providing music beginning at 6:30 p.m. and opening act Canaan Cox performing at 7 p.m.
The event is free to the public and sponsored by Baxter Healthcare and the City of Mountain Home Advertising and Promotion Commission. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs Saturday night.
Stevens has been writing and performing songs for years, dating back to his earliest days singing in church and then as a fixture on the college-bar circuit while attending the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Combining his twin loves for rock and country music, he blends rhythm, soul and lyrics into a singular package.
Stevens’ works include the heartfelt tribute to his late grandfather “Missing You,” the upbeat “I Feel Good,” “Outer Space” and his latest single, “Country Soul Survivor.”
“These songs are quintessentially me — fun and sometimes intensely authentic,” Stevens said. “I think there’s a space for that right now in the zeitgeist.”
On songs like “Gambling Man” he showcases his love for classic rockers like the Rolling Stones or the Doobie Brothers. On songs like “New Boots” and “Speak of the Devil,” Stevens’ soft spot for country innovators like Keith Urban and Eric Church is on full display.
““For me there’s no place for any thoughts of compromise. There’s no thoughts of anything else than just, ‘I want to make great music.’ That’s it. I want to make music and genre is secondary,” Stevens said. “People that don’t think they like country music need to listen to this. And for the people that don’t think it’s country music, well, I say, ‘Every hat is a cowboy hat if you’re a real cowboy.'”
The music of Canaan Cox, Stevens’ opening act Saturday night, has the energy of pop music, a strong foundation in contemporary country lyrics and a dash of R&B flare. This unique blend of genres is best showcased in “Lie,” Cox’s debut single that dropped in the fall of 2017. “Lie” became the most added song of 2017 for Music Row’s Top 50 chart, and his self-titled EP was featured on iTunes Country.
Saturday night’s concert will also include food and craft vendors being managed by the Mountain Home Rotary Club. For more information on being a vendor, email Mountain HomeRotary@mail.com.
Summer Concert Series organizers ask that attendees keep at least 6 feet of social distancing from one another or between family groups. Social distancing should also be maintained anywhere lines would form, like in front of food vendors.
Organizers also ask that participants pick up after themselves and help keep Hickory Park clean.
For more information on the Summer Concert Series, please visit the City of Mountain Home’s Facebook page at facebook.com/citymountainhome.