NORTH STAR — Isaac Buschur from North Star competed against local artists for the J.D. Legends “Country Concert ‘24 Get The Gig” contest.
Ten semi-finalists competed May 29 for a spot in the finals that followed. These performances were audience based votes for who they would like to see perform at this year’s Country Concert. Buschur expressed his excitement for the experience, as he met some fierce competitors.
“The experience was absolutely incredible,” Buschur said. “The venue (JD Legends) was fantastic and the other competitors were extremely talented. I met a lot of great people that I will continue to stay in contact with.”
Buschur grew up in a North Star and he grew up with the arts.
“If you ask my family, they’d tell you that my parents put me in guitar lessons as a kid because they thought it’d break me out of my shell,” Buschur said. “It didn’t take long before the music just clicked with me and I haven’t looked back.”
He began singing in the school choirs, Encore, and in high school was part of the musicals. One of his most notable roles was Gaston in the Versailles High School production of Beauty and The Beast. After graduation, he started an acoustic duo group with his best friend called White Russian before his solo career branched off to more success with Isaac Buschur Acoustic after his duo partner joined the United States Marine Corps.
“The best part of performing is entertaining. I love to entertain. I get my energy off of the crowd, and they get their energy off of my performance. It’s just really, really awesome,” Buschur said.
After receiving the news he had got the gig, Buschur invited his duo partner on stage to join him for the Encore where they had the crown screaming along to “Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)” by Big & Rich. Buschur said that when he is on stage, he tries to provide a lot of entertainment, crowd interaction, and good music -both covers and originals. Anyone who goes to his shows can expect to see him perform and enjoy what he’s doing.
Though he has been performing for years, Buschur was still shocked when the announcers called his name.
“The competition was fierce, and I felt like a small fish in a big pond. To hear my name was nothing I expected,” Buschur said.
He said Country Concert is kind of the “gold standard” for any local musician in our area.
“I’m married, I have a full time job, so I don’t really have the opportunity to just drop everything and move to Nashville to try to make it,” Buschur said. “This provided the perfect opportunity for me to chase my dreams while still being able to remain financially responsible and provide for my family.”
Buschur works full time as an ER nurse at Dayton Children’s, which is where he spends most of his time. He is beyond excited for the opportunities that will come from playing at country concert, as he will play on both the Coors Light Homegrown and Dr Pepper VIP Stages on July 11 at Country Concert.
“I’m really most excited to meet people and make even more connections in the music industry,” Buschur said. “The cherry on top is that I can tell people that I shared a venue with artists like Cody Johnson, Big & Rich, and Hardy, even if it is a smaller stage.”
Buschur is grateful for the experiences the contest brought him, and thankful to the judges and fans. He said that without them, he would not be where he is today. “They made it happen.”
Buschur has other performances coming up besides the newly added Country Concert ‘24 performance. He will be playing at Caddy’s in Minster on June 16th from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m., Duckfoots in Montezuma on June 19th from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m., Countryfest on June 22nd from 8 p.m. – 11 p.m., the Winery at Versailles on July 5th from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., Duckfoots on July 6th from 2 p.m. – 6 p.m., and The Korner Kafe in Maria Stein on July 7th from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m.
To contact Greenville Daily Advocate Reporter Meladi Brewer, email [email protected].
