Hey everybody! It's nearly 1 a.m. Thursday and I just got back from the Rivertown Showdown at The Loft. Justin Belew, a worship pastor at Golden Acres Baptist Church in Phenix City, won the third installment of the singer-songwriter competition.
Belew (pictured above) was an all-around entertaining guy, getting an especially enthusiastic audience response from his song lamenting the loss of Pluto's official planet status.
Thirteen finalists performed Wednesday night. At stake? A prize package worth $1,500.
Even indicted attorney Mark Shelnutt, pictured here, appeared in the contest. He made no comment about the charges against him. His first original song, "The Song That Never Ends," was about the good times he had in college. His second, "Precious Child," was inspired by a friend going through a rough time.
The Rivertown Showdown is designed largely to draw attention to Columbus' prominence on the regional and national music scene. The competition attracts not only local artists, but also traveling musicians. Katie Pearlman, pictured here, flew from New York to compete in Wednesday's show.
Read more about the Rivertown Showdown here.
