Travel

The Road to Arkansas
(The Adventures of Trixie and Titi - part 4)

I'm still not entirely how the bars work in this town. It seems that the bars aren't bars - but are "private" clubs. You buy a membership (which we found to be about $5.00 on average) which grants you access. These clubs seem to set their own hours - many closing at 3, 4 or 5 AM. If there are public bars, we didn't find any.

The first trip to Ft. Smith brought us to City Limits. This place is as country as country gets. We're talking cowboy hats, boots and wranglers. Yep boys and girls - we have officially entered line dancing country. (Titi was the only person in the place with tennis shoes on.) Ms. Ruby was our tour guide for the evening and she assured us there would be a lot of people. She was right. The dance floor quickly filled with two-stepping couples. We spent countless catty hours poking fun at the folks on the dance floor. We also provided some laughter to others as we hit the dance floor because we weren't resorting to the soulless line dancing that seems so popular here. But it was all in good fun - and we had a great time.

Gail, our awesome cocktail waitress, told us that Trader Price - the band playing later that evening - was well worth waiting for. She was right. They hit the stage at about 9pm, and played a wide variety of country favorites, classic rockers and original material for the next 5 hours. They covered songs from Roy Orbison (they once toured with Orbison for 5 years), Merle Haggard, Brooks and Dunn, George Straight, John Cougar Mellencamp, The Eagles, John Anderson, ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynard, The Romanitcs, etc. Each energy charged set lasted for about 40-45 minutes. My biggest complaint would have to be the music that was played during the breaks. There was no consistancy (C'mon - how do you go from AC/DC to some dance remix mid-song. Talk about screwing with a preson's dance grrove.), the Electric Slide was played too much - and the sound was off. I must note that Ruth did an amazing job of keeping Trader Price sounding great. you go girl!

Trader Price is very typical of bands that I like - amazing harmonies, tight musical chops and variety. The band took turns singing lead, and their voices blended into a cool harmonic groove. This was espcially evident in their cover of The Eagles' "Seven Bridges Road" - my favorite for the evening. They have a new single, "Texas Girl" that they're promoting. A catchy little song. But my favorite of theirs was "The Line Forms to the Right". That song alone was reason enough to buy their CD - which I did during the second break. When they launched into their "Just Enough Rope" I knew I'd be fighting my hubby for the CD. He's the country fan of the household.

It was another great night out. Great live music, a fun crowd, a laid back place, cheap drinks, and a kick-ass cocktail waitress (thanks Gail!). This definitely out-did my expectations for entertainment in Arkansas. We were so impressed by how friendly everyone was - we headed back before leaving town. This time for karaoke. Unfortunately we got there a bit later in the evening - but I was still able to fit in a couple songs. Much to the dismay to our party I'm sure. :)

If you're going to be in or near Ft. Smith, get your membership to City Limits and have fun. Call to see what's on the schedule: 501-424-1270. For more information on Trader Price, visit their web site: www.trader-price.com WHile there - pick up a copy of their CD. you don't have to be a country fan (although I'm sure it helps). If you're a fan of bands like The Eagles or Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young you'll enjoy what Trader Price has to offer.

continued....

Send this page to a friend

Return to Main Travel Page

Sign up for your password to the 'Members' Only' Area
Become a GirlPosse.com Member to access "Members Only" contests, The Crypt, special offers, promotions, receive e-mail updates and more!