2008 PIGTRAIL Rally Music Lineup!

Phil McGarrah & Runnin' on Empty
The sound of country singer-songwriter Phil McGarrah and his Runnin’ On Empty Band is original, traditional and oh so much more! McGarrah’s natural born knack for writing songs has been called "phenomenal" and compared with the songwriting abilities of Hank Williams and Willie Nelson and has been called a modern day Harlen Howard. "I write songs about everything including my friends, so, if you're my friend you are free game!" McGarrah grew up in a one-room log cabin in the Spring Valley and Clifty area of Northwest Arkansas. "I started playing the guitar when I was about 5 years old. I watched my brother, cousins, and uncles play at church. I saw where they put their fingers on the strings and it was all history from there." Wrote his first song at 8 years old, "Night Time In Old Kentucky" In an effort to establish his own sound, McGarrah has recorded all original material on two past CDs and is preparing a third featuring duets with his musical heroes. Phil is an ALL American Boy!

Charliehorse
Hailing mostly from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Charliehorse is pretty good little honky tonk outfit blending elements of bluegrass, southern rock, New Orleans funk and country. A true Ozarks outfit to be sure. The history of the Charlie Horse band is short and sweet but the boys that make it up have definitely walked many miles to "get to the gig" you might say. They got their start the same way that many bands do, the chance meeting of soon to be friends who wanted to play some great tunes for their friends and get free drinks while they did it. Longtime Fayetteville friends Cody Russell (Boston Mtn Boys) and Stacy Liles (Jupiter Hollow, Eckobase) had been doing their share of front porch and campfire rehearsals around town and it was during that time that they made the acquaintance of Ben Wardlaw from Mac County in SW Missouri. He had just moved back to town from the west with a great voice and a head full of songs so the 3 started learning each others tunes and playing shows around town. They had started to build a sound from well worn roots tradition while eyeballing a more "eclectic electric" sound off in the distance. With that idea in mind they found veteran drummer David Bright (Randy Rouch/Mothership/Egotrip) to drive that "honka-delic" country sound that they were looking for. David had just returned from spending some years in New Orleans, making his rounds on the Crescent City gig scene. While living in New Orleans, Dave had befriended and played music with guitarist/vocalist Brad Helms, eventually inviting him up to check out the scene around Fayetteville. He dug it. In 2005, after hurricane Katrina, Brad decided to move to Fayetteville and found that there was a place in the band for him. So with its current roster in place, the band has been meet with great success and appreciation in the Ozarks. They have headlined shows at the legendary Chester's™ Place in Fayetteville and played to the region in Ft. Smith, Little Rock, Eureka Springs, and Springfield.

Big Bad Bubba
In November of 1993 James Biggs (guitar) and Darren Ray (bass and vocals) formed the rock band Big Bad Bubba. They soon teamed with a local drummer and quickly began performing throughout Arkansas and the surrounding states. Big Bad Bubba has shared the stage with such acts as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company, The Doobie Brothers, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, Tesla, Foghat, Molly Hatchet and many others. Gaining a tremendous amount of experience and establishing a wide fan base of all ages, Big Bad Bubba has performed an average of one hundred and twenty shows per year for the past decade. Big Bad Bubba's accomplishments have not gone unnoticed by their Northwest Arkansas fans and peers. Listed below are the Ozark Music Awards presented to Big Bad Bubba.

Ozark Music Awards

1999 Best Rock Band
2000 Best Rock Band
2003 Best Rock Band
2003 Album Of The Year - Unleashed
2004 Hall Of Fame Rock Band

Solomon's Vine
Honky Tonk? No. Maybe Twangy Country Western? No, try again. This isn't your grandpa's old fashion country. Welcome to the new era of Red Dirt Rock. Whiskey courses through their veins and smoke fills their lungs from years of bar gigs. Locally tested and proven, this quintet is ready to conquer the roads. Start off with a dash of country, add a touch of southern rock, sprinkle in some moonshine and grit, mix it all up with southern hospitality and you have a strong concoction of Solomon's Vine. These wild eyed southern boys entertain crowds with raw energy and pure emotion. You best come out expecting a good time of dancin' and drinkin' the night away. From the likes of Cross Canadian Ragweed, David Allan Coe, Shooter Jennings, Gov't Mule, Willie Nelson, and even Led Zeppelin, SV plays a wide variety of songs mixed in with their own originals.

With the release of their first full length album titled Heartbreak Radio, the boys are experiencing new success. Treading new waters in the music industry, Solomon's Vine is fast expanding its fan base. Spreading like wildfire, they're quickly burning the ears of new listeners everywhere with their music. Be on the lookout for them to come shake up your town!