Wesley Joe Malone, 2017 Rusty Wier challenge winner

Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer — Click here to view all the photos from this round, and feel free to download any (no charge).

Round 3 of the 2019 Rusty Wier singer/songwriter challenge kicked off with incredible music from the first six of the 12 remaining musicians — Parker Twomey, Byron Dowd, Reid Perry, Kevin Edwards, Zach Pohl, and Justin Cashion.

Love & War in Texas in Plano hosts and sponsors this contest each year. They have added an opening gig at one of this upcoming season’s Shiner Sunday concerts as another prize the winner can claim. The winner also will get a 3-song EP, from recording to finished product, from WarRoom Studios of Princeton, and a feature article in an upcoming issue of Buddy Magazine.

In this round, and again in the final round, March 17, each person performs three originals and cover a Rusty Wier song.

And everyone was treated to a surprise concert from the 2017 winner, Wesley Joe Malone, who was actually there to root his Paris, Texas, buddy, Justin Cashion on, and ended up borrowing Justin’s guitar for his songs.

This coming Sunday, March 10, is Round 3 Week 2, with Larry Martin, Dave Thomas, James Lann, Stacey Shope, Jared Thomas, and Harley Dale Brown.

And six of these 12 will go into the finals.

No cover charge for these concerts.

Oh, yeah — It was hot-dang cold on the patio with temperatures dipping down to 30 degrees. New Plano laws won’t let the venue use its propane heat any longer, but they kept every overhead heater in the place turned on. Those helped a lot! Musicians on stage took advantage, between their songs, to warm their guitar-pickin’ fingers on the space heater placed on stage for them.

Brett Dillon, Larry Martin, and Jared Thomas in a hat exchange.

Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer. Click here to view and download any photos, no charge. Just click on the bottom right arrow to download.

Love & War in Texas’ 2019 Rusty Wier singer/songwriter challenge finished up its Round 2 with pizzazz that only Texas songwriters can accomplish and that Texas music fans can 100 percent appreciate.

March 24 marked that third and final week of Round 2, with James Lann, Harley Dale Brown, Saille Branch, Nick Flint, Jared Thomas, and Larry Martin sharing four of their original songs, song-swap style. They were not just competing against one another, but also against all those in Weeks 1 and 2 of this round, with all their total scores from the six music-expert judges combined and listed in order from highest score to determine which of these 18 musicians would move into the semi-finals.

All musicians enter and move through this contest each year with a “let’s win” attitude, or more of a “let’s be friends” frame of mind. Some have entered it every year since its inception in 2011.

The ultimate winner receives a 3-song EP recorded, mixed and mastered at WarHorse Studios in Princeton and a feature article in a future issue of Buddy Magazine.

“Will The Circle Be Unbroken?”

Story and photos by Mary Jane Farmer. There are more photos, Click here to upload photos desired at a good resolution. No charge whatsoever.

Round Two, Week Two of this 2019 Rusty Weir singer/songwriter contest has come and gone, leaving in its wake lots of good music, smiles, and memories.

Kevin Edwards

The contest is held at and sponsored by Love & War in Texas, with KHYI on-air personality Brett Dillon coordinating it this year, and each previous year’s, details since its inception in 2011. Each singer/songwriter is rated on lyrics, musicianship, fan base, and the Rusty factor. Rusty Wier was well known for his love not only for music, but for each and every person listening to his music, and that quite often translated into considerable and direct

Stacey Shope

interaction with the crowds.

This Round 2 Week 2 Sunday, February 17, had Stacy Shope song-swapping with Town Walsh, followed by Kevin Edwards, Parker Twomey, and Zach Pohl in a 3-man song-swap. Each delivered four original songs. The sixth person to have performed, Harley Dale Brown, will be in the contest this coming Sunday instead, as he had a bout of the crud that has struck so many people this past Sunday.

Town Walsh

Another sickie this week was Aubrey Lynn, who is both a musician and a contest judge. She and her guitar-pickin’ husband, Dustin Hendricks, usually add a few songs after the competition portion is over. So, in their stead, Dillon talked the contestants and all other musicians — and

Zach Pohl

there were many — in the crowd to join each other on stage for a rendition of “Will The Circle Be Unbroken.” Rousing rendition it was, with everyone singing along on the chorus, but no one really knowing the verses after the first one. Someone was heard on stage laughing and saying,  “We need someone to save us up here.” Afterward, Nick Flint sang a couple of his songs.

These five songwriters were not just vying against each other, but against the other 13 still playing in this round.

Parker Twomey

Next Sunday, February 24, will have Harley Dale Brown, James Lann, Saille Branch, Nick Flint, Jared Thomas, Larry Martin, and Mitchell Ferguson on the Love & War in Texas stage, also in songswap style.These start at 4 pm, and there’s no cover charge to attend.

After this following Sunday, all the songwriters’ scores will be tallied up to determine who will move into Round 3, aka The Semi-Finals.

And just another announcement, but worthy of mention — Shiner Sunday 4 pm concerts at Love & War in Texas begin on April 28. Who is playing that date is only described now as a “biggie” and promises to be just that — a biggie…