FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Music is a staple in bringing communities together, especially in Northwest Arkansas. Dickson Street in Fayetteville is a perfect example of a place where music lovers come together, but one of its beloved music venues has faced significant changes over recent months.
"This summer was the slowest ever in probably the history of Dickson Street," said Mark Boochie who has worked as the sound engineer at Smoke & Barrel for the last 13 years. "We had really trouble, you know, financially."
Smoke & Barrel was a live music venue on Dickson Street best known for hosting punk or alternative bands over the last decade.
"The bands were what kept us going," Boochie said. "That was our best way to make money and keep the place going."
In November, the venue sold to new owners who intended to begin hiring local EDM DJs in place of live bands. Unfortunately, that didn't last long.
Smoke & Barrel's new owners told 5NEWS they were unable to secure a new lease, leading to the venue permanently closing.
"For lack of a better term, it broke our hearts," Boochie said. "We're all survivors though."
The closure of Smoke & Barrel highlights the ongoing shifts in the local music scene. On Dec. 12, Creative Arkansas Community Hub and Exchange (CACHE) released a census focused on the needs of the Northwest Arkansas music industry.
While Smoke & Barrel's story marks a bittersweet chapter Preston Poindexter with CACHE sees a bright future for the area's music landscape.
"We are far in a way out performing any other area that has similar populations, similar talent sizes, and similar genres being provided," Poindexter said. "A lot of venues that we found typically only do about 50 to 60 music based events a year, and that's just with local talent. But, on average, Northwest Arkansas venues are actually doing 93 shows a year."
Despite the challenges, Boochie and his coworkers are optimistic about the future
"[We're] currently trying to get another place at Waystone Pizza going," Boochies said. "We're trying to purchase the PA system from here and get that going so the bands have somewhere to go because Northwest Arkansas has more bands in it right now than it ever has."
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