Rusty Wier songwriting contest, 1/15/12
Brett Dillon, host
Pix by Mary Jane Farmer
Round one of the 2nd Rusty Wier Songwriting Contest, (week 2) Sunday, Jan. 15, was a full four-hours of solid songs, presented three at a time by 16 songwriters. Each played solo, using acoustic guitars. Host Brett Dillon (KHYI on-air personality and organizer) brought each contestant out with individual and honestly-felt fanfare, making them appear to feel at home on the Love & War in Texas (Plano) outdoor stage. It could have helped, too, that last year’s winners, Chris Schlotzhauer and Michael Prysock, each did an introductory song to kick it off.
The list of prizes is growing, it seems, with each week., and last year’s winners commented that last year’s win gave them a chance to get some recording done. That’s with Bent Leaf Studios in Denison, who is again offering studio recording time. Maybe later I can get a full list of the prizes to mention here.
Perhaps the most popular song heard was Dave Thomas’ “Wal-Martians,” a song about the array of characters he’s people-watched at the popular nationwide discount chain stores. Brought a standing ovation from the crowd. The mixture of songs varied from, as Brad Purdom called his, “sappy love songs” to true-life tunes of life’s experiences, to hard country to soft country, to one from Lauren Walley who honored a fallen firefighter friend in music, to a cajun-sound from Randy Gartman about the alligators in the swamp, and quite a few in between.
Dillon announced the 20 who are moving into the next round: DANNY ZAGOTTA, WHITNEY O’NEIL, TOWN WALSH, DAVE THOMAS, BRAD PURDOM, BYRON DOWD, AUBREY LYNN ENGLAND, COLE RISNER, JAMES DUNNING, GUTHRIE KENNARD, TYLER ROGERS, JASON ROYALL, JAKE BAYS, NICK FLINT, SCOTT SEAN WHITE, CC CROSS, SAILLE BRANCH, MATT NIX, MARK SHELTON, RANDY HOPPER, and JASON HORNE.
The contest is being held at 4 p.m. each Sunday until there is a final winner. There’s no charge, and don’t worry about the cold weather — the outdoor patio is completely enclosed and now L&W has added overhead heaters. It’s toasty, and dry, and comfy.
Sammy Sadler & Doug Stone coming to Sherman
Story by Mary Jane Farmer, from press releases, Courtesy photographs
Enthusiastic audiences greeted country hit makers Doug Stone and Sammy Sadler across the U.S. during their Real Country Music Tour 2011, a country music double feature starring the two chart-topping artists. Because the response was so great, the two country artists are continuing their tour. It will hit Sherman this Friday (Jan. 20), then dance around Oklahoma through January and return to Texas, although farther south in February.
To get tickets for this unique concert, go Online to trcmt.comor call 800-808-1185.
Friday night, Stone and Sadler are bringing their full bands, their style, and their impactful music styles to the Kidd Key Auditorium in Sherman.
Stone, you recall, took such hits, including videos, of his songs including his first release “Better Off In A Pine Box,” to the top in the 1990s. Sadler, though born out of state, is one of those who got to Texas as soon as he could. His family moved to Bonham, and that’s where he’s called and continues to call home, even though his work is based in Nashville.
Doug Stone
“It is a great honor to tour with my good friend Doug Stone, one of the great stylists in country music,” Sadler says. “We decided to put the Real Country Music Tour together to give fans a great evening of the real stuff, true country music.”
Doug Stone has long been a staple in the country music arena having fashioned eight No. 1 hits and 15 Top-10 singles in the 1990s. His debut self-titled release earned platinum certification and the record’s d a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. The record’s first single (they called them ‘releases’ then) “Better Off In A Pine Box” spent 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at No. 4. The single was also nominated for a Grammy for “Best Country Song.”
The fourth and final single from the album, “In A Different Light,” landed Stone his first No. 1 hit both in the U.S. and Canada. Stone’s sophomore release, “I Thought It Was You,” also earned a platinum certification, and the following two releases. “From The Heart” and “More Love” went certified gold. Rounding out his creative talents, Stone made his acting debut in the 1995 film “Gordy” in which he starred as Luke McAllister, a struggling musician. Several songs from “More Love” were featured in the film.
Sammy Sadler’s history in the music business is compelling enough to have been featured on television shows including “I Survived,” “Dateline with Stone Phillips,” “Nancy Grace,” “Cold Case,” and “A&E Unsolved Mysteries.” By the age of 22, Sadler was signed to Evergreen Records, had charted six times and was nominated for Top 5 Indie Male Vocalist. Well on the path to stardom, Sadler became a part of Nashville history — referred to as the Murder on Music Row — when he was shot and left for dead after having dinner with friend Kevin Hughes, who was also shot in the attack and did not survive. The shooting was part of a plan to cover up unethical business dealings by CashBox Magazine where Hughes was employed. Sadler overcame his injuries and returned to the career he loves.
Sammy Sadler
In 2010, he released his first national album “Heart Shaped Like Texas” (I told you he’s a Texan!) A collection of topnotch songs that are genuine Sadler. The first single “I’ll Always Have Denver” features Steve Wariner who wrote the song with Bill Anderson.
“I survived the ‘Murder On Music Row’ back in Nashville in 1989,” Sadler says, “and Doug has survived a heart attack, stroke and plane crash. God has truly had His hand on both of our lives. We are thankful to be here and still be doing what we love.”
Tour dates have been announced through February.
Check out www.trcmt.com or www.sammysadler.com for information and tour dates as they are added.
Lone Star Underground, Swampadelic
Gus Samuelson
Swampadelic by any other name could be Swamp-a-Honky-Tonk, and there could be a few more, judging from the versatility of their new music. The band played Thursday night (Jan. 12) in the second Lone Star Underground Series at Love & War in Texas (Plano) since the series moved to Thursday nights. Just a note: This next Thursday will be a skip for the popular series which features, as Big Gus calls it, another side of Texas music!
Big Gus Samuelson, who leads the group with his original songs, vocals, and lead guitar, and fiddler/back-up vocalist Ric Denker have been together in a previous incarnation called “Shootin’ Doubles,” then moved more into the blues side of music, that being Gus’ first love. The evolvement continued over time until it has reached the current five-piece group known as Swampadelic.This, in addition to Gus and Ric, includes Chad Allen Ford on drums, Greg Waits on trombone, and Bill Sallee on double bass, which he said goes by many other names, such as doghouse, stand-up, and such — in other words, acoustic.
Big band sounds, Louisiana/old school mix of blues, zydeco, jazz, boot-scootin’ dance hall licks — it all parades from one song to the next, and the result is a toe-tappping, happy, goose-bump inducing night of music.
When Swampadelic shares the Feb. 10 Loose Wheels (Denison) stage with Marcia Ball and her Louisiana blues sounding band, Gus said they will be including their sixth musician, who will bring another horn to the group, giving it even more dimension and fullness.
Lone Star Underground, Jeremy Lynn Woodall Band
Wow! I had heard just how good Jeremy Lynn Woodall and his band are, and so expected a great show. What I got was a musical treat beyond any expectation — a combination of great songs and arrangements with musicians who had as much fun as their audience.
Jeremy is a songwriter, and he’s one who formerly played lead guitar for Billy Joe Shaver. But, now, he’s a songwriter who plays lead guitar, but does it second chair, behind lead guitarist David Doran. On drums, creating a show of his own, is Chris Kelly, and bass player Matt Davis is full of action himself.
Now, Jeremy being a songwriter, the band belts out quite a few of his original songs. They also belt out some others’ covers, but the uniqueness in this is that the band does what is always suggested by the “experts,” and that is to make the covers their own. Every song the band performs is uniquely theirs!
Rusty Wier songwriting contest, finalists named
Story and pix by Mary Jane Farmer
Well, after weeks of tryouts, the field of songwriters has been narrowed down to the top 30, and that’s from about 100 folks, in the 2nd Annual Rusty Wier songwriting contest. It’s been held at Love & War in Texas, Plano, and coordinated by KHYI on-air personality Brett Dillon.
Moving on, and the Sundays they will be vying, are: (and this is subject to change)
Sunday, Jan. 8, 4 p.m. — Travis Parker, Whitney O’Neil, Randy Hopper, sy Simons, Jason Royall, C.C. Cross, Tyler Rogers, Guthrie Kennard, Byron Dowd, Nick Flint, Town Walsh, Saille Branch, Mark Shelton, Matt Nix, and Jake Bays.
Sunday, Jan. 15, 4 p.m. — Dave Thomas, Preston Cole, Lauren Walley, Brad Purdom, James Dunning, Aubrey Lynn England, Scott Sean White, Wade Kilgore, Jason Horne, Tildom Gillum, Cole Risner, Grady Yates, Matt Dunn,Danny Zagotta, Jeff Hopson, Kevin Clark, and Tyler Withrow.
This Wednesday saw 19 contestants take the pavillion stage, each being given time for two songs. The link here is for one picture for each of them.
