Austin Wahlert at the Rust Belt -- October 12.
Thursday, October 12, 7 p.m.
The Rust Belt, 533 12th Avenue, East Moline IL
Performing a special free concert for all veterans, first responders, and their families, country singer/songwriter Austin Wahlert headlines an October 12 engagement at East Moline venue The Rust Belt, his recording I Will Win described by Real American Cowboy Magazine as a “ballsy album with songs that challenge your realities and make you swell inside, some even make you re-commit to things that you’ve left behind.”
A singer/songwriter originally from northern Colorado, Wahlert grew up on a family ranch amidst the world of rodeo, participating as a collegiate and professional bull rider who found music along the way. Attending Odessa College in West Texas on a bull-riding scholarship, Wahlert subsequently found success in the small bars and honky-tonks of Texas, his grandfather Robert Gulvas having taught him to play guitar. Gulvas served in the Korean War, where he also entertained the troops playing USO concerts. Inspired by his grandfather at the age of 16, Wahlert began writing his own songs, and as his next few years of tragedy, love, and excitement developed, the nascent country artist wrote about life as it happened. From losing his grandfather to Parkinson’s to marrying his wife Justine and having their first child Raegan, Wahlert found that he had a lot to write about.
With his recordings including the well-received Dirt Road Blues and I Will Win, Wahlert continues to hone his songwriting craft, paying close attention to the intonation in every word. Although he is still touring the Midwest and other parts of the country, the rising star has also turned his focus to the national stage, working as a songwriter in Nashville, Tennessee. Over a relatively short period of time, Wahlert has garnered respect among a who's-who of Music Row songwriters and industry executives, and Wahlert’s dedication to perfecting his songwriting and singing skills has garnered him a nomination for Songwriter of the Year at the Rocky Mountain Country Music Awards for his song “Jesus and Babies," recognition that Wahlert told the Greeley Tribute is "so humbling and not something I would ever take lightly."
Austin Wahlert performs his free concert for veterans, first responders, and their families on October 12, his 7 p.m. concert also features a set by Liza Jo, and more information on the night is available by visiting TheRustBeltQC.com.
