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Rusty Wier, 2005

The second group of eight singers and songwriters competing to go into the 5^th Annual Rusty Wier competition Sunday (Feb. 16) brought their best to the Love & War in Texas (Plano) stage — actually on the Rusty Wier pavilion — Sunday, and had the crowd eating out of their guitar-string-calloused hands.

Playing song-swap style in groups of twos were Andrew Delaney, Matt Grigsby, James Dunning, Ty Young, Matt Johnston, Mike Schikora, Josh Halverson, and Joe Austin. These eight artists were not competing only against each other, but against those who performed the previous Sunday. Each performer presented three original songs and one Rusty Wier cover song in this round, and will do so again in the finals next Sunday.

Several people acted as judges, one of them being Rusty Wier’s love for the time before his death, Trisha Aker. At close of competition, organizer Brett Dillon tallied up all the scores and announced the names of the eight moving into the finals (and listed below.)

Dillon, when he first took the stage to open the day’s event up, commented, “This is more of a camaraderie than a competition.” Musicians have been saying that all through the event, too. And proof of it comes in the form of those musicians who returned again this week to root their musical buddies on. At one time, there were at least 10 there who either had been eliminated or who remain in the contest, giving their support to all the others.

The primary Scene In Town award for these two past Sundays has to go to Trisha Aker. Let’s

Trisha Aker

call it the “Gorilla Glue Award” for the way she holds it together as musician after musician sings the variety of songs that Rusty himself wrote. More than once, Trisha reached for a tissue to blot away the moisture spilling from her eyes. And whether the Sunday renditions were exact arrangements of the way that Rusty did them himself, or whether they were made more personal by the particular performers, she was enthusiastic about each and every one. As an example, two people sang Rusty’s “Running With The Wrong Crowd.” They came out as different as the musicians themselves were, and yet the amazing woman appreciated and enjoyed both the same.

Tho all eight were outstanding in their unique styles, Ty Young earned the “Best Crowd Response Award” for his last song, a cover of one of Rusty’s tunes. However, it might be that a second “Best Crowd Response Award” may have to be created… because when Matt Johnston and Mike Schikora teamed up for their song-swap, they definitively earned that same award. So, two awards or one?

This next Sunday (Feb. 22) is the final night in this year’s Rusty Wier singer/songwriter challenge. It will begin earlier, at 2 p.m., and still at sponsors Love & War in Texas, which is at the NE corner of Plano Parkway and U.S. 75.

Those in this final round are David Byboth, Saille Branch, James Dunning, Josh Halverson, Matt Johnston, Mike Schikora, Mick Tinsley, and Town Walsh.

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Brett and Diana

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It’s into the semi-finals now, this 5^th yearly Rusty Wier singer/songwriter contest, and in this round, each of the 16 still remaining contestants must sing one song that Rusty himself wrote, along with three of their own originals. And they are working in song-swap style, two performers each.

Sunday, Feb. 8, had Raquel Nguyen, Byron Dowd, David Byboth, Matt Nix, Saille Branch, Bryan Adam Joyner, Mick Tinsley, and Town Walsh on the Love & War in Texas (Plano) outdoor patio stage… which is also called the Rusty Wier patio. And BTW, L&W are the hosts and sponsors each year of this contest.

Brett Dillon, KHYI on-air personality, coordinates the events, and Roger Russell, himself a songwriter with the Dallas Songwriters Association, runs sound this year. There are several judges, and one of them is Trisha Aker, who was the love of Rusty Wier’s life for a long time before his death in 2009.

OK, it has to be noted here… Trisha did tear up a couple of times at the singers’ choices for Rusty songs, and other times she laughed and enjoyed them. Bryan Adam Joyner could have earned the award for making her laugh the most, when he chose and sang “I Heard You Been Laying My Old Lady.” But, not gonna give him that award.

Instead, (and I hope you are laughing here, Bryan) Joyner gets the Best Guitar Strap award… ask him about that the next time you see him (Hint: Shiner vs Budweiser; another

Saille Branch and Nick Flint

Hint: Shiner Rising Star 2013).

Here’s the Rusty Wier songs that others chose to perform: Raquel — “Sally Mae”; Byron Dowd — “So Be It”; David Byboth — “I Got You”; Matt Nix — “Coby’s Song”; Saille Branch “The Devil Lives In Dallas”; Mick Tinsley, along with Joe Austin accompanying him — “Cowboy That Loves To Sing The Blues”; and Town Walsh — “Daytime Drinking.”

Another Scene In Town award goes to Byron Dowd, who gets the “Singing Through the Sniffles” award… sick with bad allergies, but still gave a dynamite performance on all the songs. There’s been a lot of that going on lately at other concerts, and one has to admire someone who chooses to keep on keepin’ on…

S.I.T. is giving the “Since I didn’t advance, I’ll be here to support those who did”

award go to Greg Hargrove, Alex Lease, Nick Flint, and maybe some I didn’t see, for obvious reasons. They really best represent what this contest is about — an appreciation for the talents of everybody in it.

Next Sunday, Feb. 15, will be the second half of this semi-finals round. It starts at 4 p.m. at Love & War in Plano, which is at the NE corner of Plano Parkway and U.S. 75. No cover charge for any of these contest events.

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Brett Dillon

Round Two of this year’s Rusty Wier singer/songwriter challenge closed up Sunday (Jan. 23) with the final eight of 24 musicians vying to make it into Round 3, the semi-finals.

Those participating Sunday were Mike Schikora, Ty Young, Nick Flint, Matt Grisby, David Byboth, Josh Halverson, Matt Johnson, and Chad Purdom. Each presented four original songs, paired up in groups of two for song-swap purposes.

Contest organizer Brett Dillon kept the pace moving along at a good, yet relaxed, clip, His pairings of performers was complimentary, too, as each one played off his co-contestant’s energy and talent.

These eight musicians were not just competing against one another — they are competing against all 24 in the round, with the total scores being compared to see which 12 will move into Round 3. Dillon will make that announcement soon.

Scene In Town is making three awards this week. (1) is for Mike Schikora and Ty Young for having the best western hats on stage. (Check their pix). Now, Nick Flint has a great hat, too, almost Lyndon B. Johnson style, but it rested on his knee while playing. OK, let’s give Flint the honorary Great Hat Reward. (2) is for David Byboth, the award for best enunciation of every word in every song. The great folk singer Tom Paxton said, a while back, that there’s no reason to write lyrics for songs if you don’t sing them where people can understand them. So, the Tom Paxton award goes to Byboth, who also said, appreciatingly, “This contest is bad to the bone this year.” (3) The Susie Homemaker Award goes to Ginger Romero Ekstein, for bringing a huge bowl of fresh-baked cookies.

The contest will take a break this upcoming Sunday, (Feb. 1) because of that day also being Super Bowl Sunday.

Round 3, the semi-finals, will begin Sunday, Feb. 8, at 4 p.m. All these are at the contest sponsor Love & War in Texas, Plano’s location, which is at the NE corner of U.S. 75 and Plano Parkway. No cover charge for these contests.

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