Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Local band competes for Riverfest spot

A local group is vying for an opportunity to perform at Riverfest - a Little Rock music event that attracts major talent and hundreds of viewers.

Trey Johnson, Garron Helms and Chad Morris - performing alternative music under the name Pail - is among five bands looking for the opportunity to play that forum.

Johnson is the bands guitarist, lead singer and songwriter. Helms plays bass and Morris is on the drums.

Johnson and Helms are both from Prescott. The band began more than a decade ago, though the name was originally, Pale. Johnson said that name came from the first song he wrote.

The first word in that song was pale, Johnson said.

But the band found themselves the target of a lawsuit over the name and were faced with the difficult task of changing it. Because they were already developing a fan base, they decided that changing the spelling of the name would be the least disruptive option.

They came up with Pail. In the words of Johnson, its simple.

Pail, he said. Like a bucket.

Pail has played clubs and festivals over their years together and Johnson said the music is an alternative, similar to modern country.

The group has created their first album, complete with songs written by Johnson.

Johnson said he heard that promoters were looking for a local group to play at Riverfest. He said he decided - on a whim - to send in the CD. He didnt tell the other band members and said he had actually forgotten about making the submission.

Then band members began getting congratulations from those who discovered the local group had made the final five. Johnson said it took some explanations before he remembered that hed sent in the CD.

The next step in the competition process is an online contest. The band with the most votes wins the spot at Riverfest.

Johnson said the group had received tons of support since preparing for the contest.

To vote, visit www.katv.com and search for battle of the bands. To learn more about the group or for information about their CD, visit www.myspace.com and type in the search words Pail and Arkansas.

Riverfest is slated for May 25-27. The event is in its 30th year and is held in the historic Riverfront Market District of Little Rock, just off Interstate 30. For more information, visit www.riverfestarkansas.com.