Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/217530
Spotlight Shines on Songwriters by STEPHANIE CRIDER Plenty of people give lip service to the idea of supporting the arts and investing in the community. Some of them follow through and really make a difference, and some just go all out and decide to open their venue, their wallets and their hearts to local artists. That is exactly what Josh and Tonia Collins, owners of Huske Hardware House and the TapHouse at Huske have done with Huske Unplugged Singer Songwriter Night. On Dec. 4, don't miss the finals of the fourth season of Huske Unplugged finalists compete on Dec. 4 Huske Unplugged. It promises to be a at Huske Hardware House. memorable evening for everyone. When Greg Biltz, host of Huske Unplugged, walked in off the street in the spring of 2011 and pitched his idea to Josh he was confident his concept would work. He wanted to provide songwriters with a venue to be heard; a place to share their works and to grow as artists. Josh and Tonia didn't have to say yes. Business was brisk and there was no reason to take on a project like this. But they did — and they provided all of the prizes to the winners each week. Since then, every spring and fall on Wednesday nights, songwriters gather to showcase their original works to a panel of judges. There are several weeks of preliminaries followed by two weeks of semifinals and one night of fierce competition between the artists for some serious cash and prizes. Last season more than $20,000 in cash and prizes were awarded to the winners, including $3,000 in cash and a lease on a car donated by Reed Lallier Chevrolet, a day's worth of recording at Manifold Recording and a scholarship worth $15,000 to PCG Nashville, an artist development agency. While this is an amazing opportunity for the artists, it's a boon for the community as well. It is a chance to support the arts. Songwriters and musicians bring an extra layer of complexity to the arts scene and having an audience is the best way to let them know they are valuable to the vibrant one-of-a-kind culture of Fayetteville. And, it is free. The variety found at Huske Unplugged can't be beat. In fact, more than 100 musicians have come to perform at the event in the past two years. Musicians of most every skill level, genre and experience level have graced the Huske Unplugged stage at some point. For some, it was enough to say they had performed their own work in public. Others have gone on to pursue careers as professional musicians performing at larger venues, winning awards at state-level competitions, taking Nashville by storm and producing videos and albums. Finalists scheduled to perform are Chris Hurst, Mitra Maraj, Hollie Schulz, Mitch Clark, Heather Barbour, Lukas Lamb, Casey Cotton, Joe Gaddis, Courtney Sapp, Beat Your Boots and Katie Johnson. There is no telling what is in store for the next batch of Huske Unplugged winners, but on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m., it might not hurt to be at Huske Hardeware House to check out the local talent and enjoy one-of-akind entertainment. STEPHANIE CRIDER, Editor. COM- NOVEMBER 28 • THANKSGIVING FEAST at Legend's Pub. Call 867-2364 for more information. DECEMBER 6 •LEGEND'S PUB 17TH ANNIVERSARY PARTY at Legend's Pub. Call 867-2364 for more information. DECEMBER 7 • 31ST ANNUAL WINGMEN MC TOY RUN at Cape Fear Harley-Davidson. Registration 11 a.m., ride 2 p.m. Bring a new unwrapped toy or cash donation. Live music, food available. Benefits Fayetteville Urban Ministries. Call 689-6901 for more information. DECEMBER 14 • CLIFFORD SELLER'S MEMORIAL RUN at Legend's Pub. Call 867-2364 for more information. DECEMBER 31 •NEW YEAR'S EVE BASH at Legend's Pub. Call 867-2364 for more information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www.patriotguard. org for more information about the group. November 28, 2013 Thanksgiving Feast December 6 17th Anniversary Party! Call for more information MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. Focus on the Family 20 Countdown Magazine Adventures in Odyssey Contest & Request Line: 910-764-1073 4 8 2 N . M C P h E R S O N C h U RC h R D . Keeping the Main Thing ... the Main Thing. AT YOUR NEXT hOLIDAY BASh visit us online www.christian107.com hAND-PULLED PORK BBQ, ST. LOUIS-STYLE RIBS, CAROLINA hICKORY SMOKED BEEF BRISKET, BEER CAN ChICKEN, WINGS, OUR FAMOUS SIDES CALL MAC'S FOR FAST AND FUN CATERING OPTIONS 910-354-2590 MacSpeedShop.com 22 UCW NOV. 27 - DEC. 3, 2013 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM