The success of Lipscomb alum band has paved the way for new arts festival on campus

The Arcadian Wild has earned an impressive list of accomplishments since their formation in 2013. From charting on the Billboard Bluegrass Chart multiple times to playing at The Ryman Auditorium, the band has created quite the name for itself. 

Issac Horn, guitarist, and Lincoln Mick, mandolinist, first met at Lipscomb University where they bonded over a shared interest of Americana music. In 2020, they introduced Bailey Warren, fiddler, into the band full time. The Arcadian Wild now makes indie folk music but draws inspiration from other genres like country to pop and everything in between. 

Horn and Mick return to their roots to headline CEA’s Wild Bison Music and Arts Festival. The Arcadian Wild will be hosting the event on Lipscomb’s campus on Sat. March 23rd. 

The idea for the festival was planted two years ago when Rusty Harmon, adjunct music industry studies professor and president of Vere Music, signed The Arcadian Wild to his record label. “When we were preparing for the marketing at the release of their record, we wanted to find out where they were from and if they had an affiliation with anybody locally,” says Harmon. “When I found out they were graduates of Lipscomb we started discussing that… we started thinking about what type of event we could do that could be a yearly event for the band and associate the university.” 

Harmon says that the idea came naturally after they found out how much The Arcadian Wild loved the university and how much Lipscomb cared for them. He says that his idea was to create a festival on campus that would highlight the band’s time here and also shine a light on the university. 

“One of the things I really like about Lipscomb is the community that is around the music,” says Harmon. “We all know it because we’re around them everyday but for some of the other students that don’t necessarily get to go out see bands play or artists perform, this is a great way for them to come and see the variety of musicians that are on campus.”

The idea for the festival evolved into much more than music. Students will have the opportunity to walk around and see different showcases from the CEA throughout the day. “[This is] something that can highlight the university, have the students involved in activities and just have a wonderful day of being out in beautiful weather and enjoying the campus and being around their friends and listening to all this great music,” adds Harmon. 

Harmon says that he is most excited for the students to have something like this on campus. He hopes that with enough support from the student body, The Wild Bison Fest can become a yearly event. “I’m excited just to see how much the student body gets behind this event and the realization that this could be something kinda like Singarama,” says Harmon. “My goal is that people will realize that this is something that can happen year after year after year and we can be apart of it from the beginning and we can help it grow.”

Grace Russell, senior commercial music songwriting major from Mandeville, LA and co-lead of Hello Darling, says that she is excited to share the stage with peers and other musicians from the community. “Lipscomb has shaped us and helped us achieve our goals in so many different ways, and we’re honored to be part of a festival that highlights the much needed community that music provides,” she adds. 

The festival will be taking place on campus on Sat. March 23rd. This free event will feature performances from Lipscomb students, alumni and other musicians not directly affiliated with Lipscomb. 

There will also be opportunities to experience the work of film, fashion, dance and theater students as well as highlighting other departments in the CEA.  

Featured image courtesy of the Wild Bison Music & Arts Festival’s Instagram. The Arcadian Wild history courtesy of the band’s website.