KGNU Presents The River Arkansas

Nine years and five studio albums later The River Arkansas have hit their flow state.
Their recent four-song EP, Green Bridge, released in May 2023, encapsulates this spectacle. It was written, recorded, and produced by River Arkansas frontman Mike Clark in a reconstructed shed he fashioned into a music studio. The recordings manage to capture Clark’s natural ability to extend a friendly hand with tender delivery of lyrical encouragement sprinkled with notes of amusing humor.

It may be low hanging fruit to compare The River Arkansas’s music to a river, but a band that delivers indie Americana and honky-tonk swing that erupts like turbulent rapids, curves into country calmness, and crashes smooth blues-rock upon the shore is deserving of the name sharing that sort of kindred power.

A batch of Colorado’s finest musicians whose abilities shine throughout the golden hour that is Green Bridge. The four piece each skillfully showcases their craft while seamlessly bonding together as a band. Bolder Beat noted that, “Together, they give off a heartfelt and wholesome sound which resonates with the Colorado lifestyle of mountain life meets the pavement.”

Mike Clark (singer, songwriter) and Macon Terry (bass) formed The River Arkansas in 2014 after an impromptu studio session led to the release of their first album, Golden Light. The band picked up Robin Chestnut (drums) and Rachel Sliker (violin) for a month-long west coast tour that solidified the band’s friendship and led to their sophomore album, You Animal. The band has evolved from a more tender sound to heavier soulful country and blues rock with 3-piece harmonies and stripped guitar and violin solos. With the release of Green Bridge, The River Arkansas demonstrates just how much they’ve mastered the steady flow of their sound.