Wednesday at Love & War

Mid-week perfection, aka Humpday Happiness

By Mary Jane Farmer

Photos

PLANO —  Wednesday (Oct. 20, 2010) at Love & War in Plano was the perfect preface for Thursday night’s Shiner Rising Star finals, except the crowd was a wee bit smaller. Hosted by musician James Hinds, the stage was a continual showcase for some of the best musicians North Texas has to offer, and capped off by Nashville singer/songwriter Craig Campbell, on radio tour with his fiddler, Shawn Bailey, promoting his latest CD release, “Family Man.”

Scott Sean White said he met James in 2009, when Waking Norman played Love & War. He said he heard this voice over on his right side, singing, and introduced himself to James. They’ve been musical co-harts ever since. Wednesday, James called Scott and asked him to be a part of Wednesday night’s showcase.

Hinds has written a GREAT song called “The Name Song, Scott said. Hines was the singer in Cowboys’ house band for a while and for the last couple years has been laying low and writing good country songs. He leans towards haunting melodies and broken hearts, White said.
Scott plays keyboards and is quickly learning the guitar, since his first public attempt a few months ago when sharing another stage with another keyboard player, his comfort level on the six strings is advancing with every performance. Scott spends a bit of time in Nashville each month, co-writing and hawking his music. So far, and I know it’s probably only an nth amount of the songs Scott has written, every song I’ve heard him write is a potential hit.

Helene Cronin took the stage with the guitar she used when performing “Lucky Me” for video. Helene said she was in an airport — I think she said Nashville — and met up with a soldier. They talked and she got a grasp of how lucky she was to be going home, and it was due to the efforts of that soldier. The video on YouTube has two versions, one made with stock photographs and the other, made later, with photographs given her by soldiers who have been in the Middle East turmoil.

“Lucky Me”

Will Wails owned the stage with his single acoustic guitar, his voice rich in country tradition.

Shawn Bailey, James Hinds said, used to play with Hinds, and then has also played with Mark Chesnutt and Big & Rich. He’s in Craig’s band now. If you haven’t heard this band and this country artist, check his Web site, www.craigcampbell.tv, for a free download. Shawn was quite a good singer in his own right.

There’s always a lot of music going on around the town on Wednesday nights, and when making your plans, be sure to check out Love & War’s gig schedule. The outdoor patio is perfect this time of the year, sans rain.

Love & War

Category: *- Features, Love & War in Texas