There’s little hope of gathering together physically in sweaty accord under the banner of the heavy music scene in Arkansas, so the micro-festival that’s been championing those sounds over the course of several years is going digital. The Arkansas Times’ entertainment blog, Rock Candy, is partnering with Mutants of the Monster in 2020 to broadcast performances from the likes of The Body, Redbait, Reserving Dirtnaps, Dorthia Cottrell (of Windhand), Suplecs, -16-, Hull and more, with featured spots from actor and Arkansas native Ashlie Atkinson (“BlacKkKlansman,” “Mr. Robot”), producer Michael Alago, music journalist Laina Dawes and “Little Punk People” host Elliott Fullam.
The festival will take place over three nights on the Arkansas Times’ YouTube channel, Aug. 28-30. There are no tickets/paywalls for the event. Instead, set aside some funds to support the performing bands, and for Intransitive’s Brayla Stone microgrants and El Zocalo Immigrant Resource Center, two organizations for which Mutants of the Monster 2020 is raising funds and awareness. Stay tuned for more lineup announcements.