Thursday Turntable: Bonnie Montgomery

Live music was high on the agenda during my recent visit with my sister in Arkansas. Ever the excellent tour guide, she scoured local venues for blues acts during my trip. However, when she discovered opera-trained, country western musician Bonnie Montgomery we kissed the blues goodbye and headed for Little Rock.

Little Rock implements progressive projects like the Innovation Hub - where young creatives and entrepreneurs meet to develop collaborative ideas. Confidence in kids yields positive results!
Credit: Transform Tomorrow

Bonnie performed at Forequarter, a recently opened bar in the Argenta neighborhood. It’s actually a private club, which enables Forequarter to stay open late and allow indoor smoking. Patrons purchase a membership, making us card-carrying members of a Little Rock club! The vibe is divey, but the formidable list of local brews, a satisfying menu, and friendly staff knock the unassuming space up a notch. While the band set up on the stage in the window we snacked on trolley wheels, house-smoked pork deep fried and cut into circles, referencing the Central Arkansas transit.

little-rock-trolley
Trolley wheels roll through Little Rock

Bonnie is a charismatic performer with an incredible range and expressive songwriting. She won me over with “Nashville” a toe-tapping, honky-tonking Music City kiss-off. Her ballad, “Black County,” invokes traditional country to touch on the themes of leaving home and dashed expectations that are familiar to so many of us. “This is our Spaghetti Western,” Bonnie joked before a moody fiddle kicked off “Take Me or Leave Me,” a darker track that follows an outlaw on the run.

We were fortunate to see the Austin-based, Arkansas native play in her home state. Outside of her work in country music, Bonnie is also known as the composer of a folk opera based on the youth of Bill Clinton. I’ll be keeping an eye on Bonnie’s tour dates for the chance to see her up north and keeping a bit of Ozark folk in my step.

Forequarter
415 Main Street
North Little Rock, AR 72114

Jessica Mlinaric founded Urban Explorer in 2010 to inspire curious travelers by highlighting history, culture, and hidden gems in Chicago and beyond. She is the author of 'Secret Chicago' and 'Chicago Scavenger.' Jessica has visited 20+ countries and 30+ U.S. states. She has more than 16 years of experience as a marketing strategist and works as a freelance writer and photographer.

2 Comments

  1. What a fantastic write up! Argenta is a magical place to experience great local food and music.

Comments are closed.