SEPT 1 Southern Pines Today

Page 5 September Edition Southern Pines Today
Pines”, Kids at Christmas and numerous
events for friends in need.
Growing up on McKenzies Mill
Road in West End, NC they captured
the artist name, “McKenzies
Mill”.
McKenzies Mill is also proud to
announce that they will be introduced
in September at the Carolina
Music Awards contest, which
will select the Carolina Artists of
the Year Award.
They will be entering the new single
“Middle Of Nowhere” with the
Radio Station 93.9, “Carolina
Country” in Myrtle Beach, SC this
years’ sponsor.
Ryan and Justin Harris of the
country duo, McKenzies Mill will
be performing a benefit concert
at the 2nd Annual “Pours In the
Pines’ event on Saturday, September
9th from 2-6 pm at the
Weymouth Center, benefitting the
Duskin Stephens Foundation and
the Southern Pines Womens Rugby
Team.
After the concert head over to
O’Donnells Pub where the band
will have an after party show.
Make plans early, to attend the
party at O’Donnell’s Pub.
Nashville has become home base
for the band for the past 11 years
after performing their first concert
at O’Donnell’s Pub in Southern
Pines.
Ryan and Justin will be returning
to Southern Pines where they began
their professional careers after
being on the road performing
recent concerts in Milwaukee, WI,
Roanoke, VA and Seven Lakes.
The “Pours In The Pines” event
with these artists headlining the
show will help the Duskins & Stephens
Foundation, which supports
families of Special Forces
soldiers.
The foundation was recently begun
by teammates of Mike Duskin
and Riley Stephens whom were
killed in action in Wardak Province,
Afghanistan in 2012.
The foundation hosts multiple annual
events that support the families
of fallen members of Special
Operations Forces and the educational
needs of children of Special
Operations Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen
and Marines.
The band which has toured nationally,
loves to get back home,
support community charitable
causes and to appreciate and embrace
their small town “roots” of
Moore County.
They still maintain a presence in
the community by hosting charitable
events as “Pours In The
Photo Courtesy Elizabeth Garner
They are very excited to be finalists
with the “Unsigned Only”
competiion, produced by the
prestigious team of International
Songwriting Competition, (ISC)
where Ryan and Justin have an
astonishing two, out of the fourteen
country music songs in final
contention.
These two songs were co-written
by the Ryan and Justin. The final
round will be judged by music celebrities
and industry insiders.
Artists must not have any major
record label affiliation and the
grand prize winner will be awarded
$20,000, will receive one-onone
mentoring by an elite group
of record company executives.
They will also receive a multitude
of othe prizes. Some of the musical
artists that will be judges include
Montgomery Gentry, Delbert
McClinton, David Crowder, Lucero
as well as editors and writers from
national music publications.
The winners will be announced
in early September. Both of their
incredible new songs that are in
the finals, “Middle Of Nowhere”
and “Willie” as well as the single
release “Just Kickin’ It” can be
purchased online with i-Tunes.
The winners of the 2017 contest
will be tabulated and voted via
Facebook.
Ryan and Justin still find time to
write new songs and just finished
producing two new singles with a
very well known country music
producer on the national scene,
Derek Wells and his father Kent
Wells.
Kent is a veteran Nashville musician
and Grammy nominated producer.
They recently cut two new songs
at the state of the art world class
studios with Kent’s production
team in Nashville.
Kent has produced numerous
gold and platinum projects as well
as various #1 Billboard hits.
Wrangler jeans have been endorsed
by the Dale Earnhardt
family, “King” George Strait, Jason
Aldean and now you can add
the McKenzies Mill Band, Ryan
and Justin Harris as Wrangler endorsed
Country Music Artists.
POURS IN THE PINES
September 9th
2 - 6 pm
By: Rick Levinger