By MJF
Larry Joe Taylor
Shiner Sundays at Love & War bring out the best in everyone, whether musician or music fan. Sunday’s (April 6, 2014) was no different. Darryl Lee Rush and Larry Joe Taylor played on stage, encouraged and appreciated by their numerous fans. And those fans who came for Darryl Lee stayed for Larry Joe, and vice versa, thus new fans for everyone.
Shiner Sundays begin at 4 p.m. each Sunday, (Skipping Easter when the restaurant realizes that’s much more of a family holiday) at the Love & War location in Plano, NE corner of U.S. Hwy 75 and Plano Parkway. For those who can’t make it there, the two-hour show is also heard on KHYI, 95.3.
Darryl Lee Rush and his band were the first Shiner Rising Star winners, 10 years ago, and the only one completely together, intact, since that red letter day they won the KHYI contest. Darryl Lee plays acoustic guitar, sings, and writes songs; Andy Mayer plays drums; Larry McPherson is on electric bass; and Scott Oldner is on lead guitar, harmonica, and sometimes vocals. Everyone waits to hear Darryl Lee say it… “I’m Darryl Lee Rush and I’m just proud to be here,” and then the band kicks off in a style that uniquely their own. And they have fun doing it. Guess what that translates to — Yeppers, the crowd has fun, too!
Larry Joe Taylor brought his band to the afternoon event from a gig hundreds of miles away, and then drove back to their respective homes in Stephenville, Austin, and points southward later Sunday. Dave
Darryl Lee Rush
Perez, of the Tejas Brothers, with his accordion and harmonica, joined the band, giving added dimension and intensity to the C&W (that’s Coastal & Western) that Larry Joe is so well known for. Dave and Larry Joe have done quite a bit of co-writing, switching roles occasionally, and introduced one song that Perez wrote the English wording on and Taylor took the Spanish parts, and it worked! Accomplished artists like that can make it work.
Keep Larry Joe Taylor’s upcoming Texas Music Festival in mind, if you haven’t already bought tickets. It is April 21-26, held at Melody Mountain Ranch in Stephenville.
Amazing closing song was Rusty Wier’s “Don’t It Make You Wanna Dance.” Unfortunately, only one person got up and danced, although the rendition roused host Brett Dillon to join those onstage in singing the classic song.
Sunday, April 13’s Shiner Sunday brings the rockabilly Two Tons of Steel and a newer band, Band of Brothers to L&W.
For Larry Joe Taylor pix, click here