Concert Reviews Archives

LANco Plays New Album, “Hallelujah Nights” to a Packed Out Gramercy Theatre…

January 18, 2018/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

LANco took the stage last night at The Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan and played cuts off their debut album which is available everywhere tomorrow. “The album is called Hallelujah Nights, just like nights like tonight that you spend with your friends and family.” Brandon Lancaster, the lead singer of the band told the packed house. He explained to the crowd how this week was a historic one for them as a band, getting to play shows in New York City and releasing their very first full-length album. We were first introduced to LANco back in 2016 when they opened for Brothers Osborne, now they are headlining their very own show.

They played songs off their album including “Pick You Up” and the title track, “Hallelujah Nights” as well as covers of Alabama’s classic,”Dixieland Delight” and John Michael Montgomery’s “Sold”. “A full room like this in New York City is a dream come true for us,” Lancaster said before singing “Long Live Tonight” which was featured on their EP released back in 2016. Taking a moment to ask the crowd to split, Lancaster then jumped into the audience holding a giant drum and interacted with his biggest NYC fans.

The album features 11 tracks that tell the story of young and small town living, chronically the way the band members grew up. The title track encompasses the feel-good notion that the band wanted to ensure when fans were listening to the record, just being able to look around and enjoy all that life has given you.

“These are the hallelujah nights / These are the best days of our life / The ones we won’t get back / The ones that go too fast / The ones that make you feel like heaven might be right next to ya / Throw your hands up, hallelujah / These hallelujah nights”

“We wanted the album to reflect our worldview,” Lancaster told the Tennessean in a recent interview. “The album explores a lot of different times in your life, whether it’s finding love or losing love or being broke. But knowing that all of those things are things you can rally around and celebrate the fact that you’re going through these different stages in life. That’s a connection we have with our fans is they are all going through the same things.”

The band ended 2017 by celebrating their first no. 1 single, “Greatest Love Story” which they used to close out the night, all of the audience swayed along and sang every word.

Days before the show, New York Country Swag hosted a special ticket giveaway contest for our followers. We gave two lucky winners a pair of tickets to the show. Upon arriving at the venue, our contest winners were surprised with a special meet & greet. Congrats to our winners & thank you for supporting New York Country Swag! Make sure you’re following us on Instagram for contests, ticket giveaway & more!

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Country Christmas Showdown Featuring NY/NJ Local Artists

December 22, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Some of New York and New Jersey’s greatest local country artists came together last night at Maxwell’s Tavern for Country Christmas Showdown. Radio personality Matt Burrill of Magic 98.3 hosted the event introducing each of the artists before their set.

The lineup included an acoustic, songwriter round featuring Tommy Cole, Ben O’Connor and Keith Eric with Fred Fencke. Each of the men took turns telling stories about their original songs and playing them for the packed crowd of fans.

Next up was Carolyn Miller, October Rose and Jessica Rose who each took the stage separately to spread Christmas cheer and showcase their newest original songs.

Headliners Spinn and Lauren Davidson kept the party going then Tommy Cole joined Davidson on stage for the crowd pleaser “Baby It’s Cold Outside”.

Closing out the night all of the performers came together to perform “Christmas (Baby Come Home)”. The group of performers are truly a group of friends who support each other and came together to celebrate the holidays in the best way.

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Ryan Kinder Grooves at His First NYC Show at Mercury Lounge

December 13, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Ryan Kinder, Warner Music Nashville recording artist played his first official full band show in New York City Tuesday night. Kinder took the stage at Mercury Lounge in lower Manhattan to perform his music for a full room of fans.

His 60-minute set included a rockin’ song called “Alabama”, a heavenly cover of Al Green’s “Love and Happiness” and of course his latest single “Still Believe in Crazy Love” which Kinder then led the crowd in a full-blown sing-a-long of the last chorus. For fans who have been following his career, he played his debut single from 2014, “Kiss Me When I’m Down” which quotes New York in the lyrics. (“And now I’m flying high / Just crossed over the New York lights / Where are you tonight? / Am I too late to make this right? / Will you hold me, touch me / Say that you forgive me / Save me when I hit the ground / Will you kiss me when I’m down?”)

His smooth vocals along with his undeniable guitar playing make Kinder a definite one to watch for the new year. His sound is unique, taking the best parts of country music songwriting and sonically mashing that with John Mayer, rootsy vibes. Kinder was also joined on stage by two incredible background vocalists, Kristen Rogers and Stephcynie who enhanced each song with sass and powerful harmonies.

When we sat down with Kinder in September, he told us that his debut full-length album is definitely in the works. “We don’t have a date. I’m taking my time on it because I want to get it right,” he explained. Looking forward to the new year and new music, be sure to follow Kinder on social media, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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Luke Bryan ‘What Makes You Country’ NYC Album Release Week

December 8, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews, First Impression /by Christina Bosch

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pandora)

Luke Bryan is no stranger to success when releasing music, whether the track makes you move your body or moves your soul, his singles climb the charts and he sells out arenas. His last album, Kill the Lights was the first in history to have six singles reach No. 1 on the Country Billboard charts and his “Huntin’, Fishin’ And Lovin’ Every Day” tour has packed arenas all over the country this past year. His newest album, What Makes You Country, which is available everywhere today brings Bryan back to his roots. Blending his own unique brand of country music which combines pop-country with traditional lyrics. For his 6th studio album, Bryan gave fans more of what he knows they love, songs that will translate well in his live shows as well as radio-friendly hits.

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pandora)

To celebrate the release of the album, Bryan took NYC by storm this past week. First up, New York Country Swag headed to The Altman Building to catch Pandora’s Up Close With Luke Bryan presented by FedEx Wednesday night. The line of fans wrapped around the long city block, hoping that they would make the first come-first serve cut into the venue. Once inside, fans were treated to free Luke Bryan t-shirts, a photo booth backdrop and a close spot in front of the stage. Although this was an album release party, fans were excited to hear plenty of Bryan’s hits from his ten-year career including, “That’s My Kind of Night”, “Play It Again” “Fast” and of course closing with a high octane version of “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”.

(Photo by New York CountrySwag.com)

Thursday, Bryan stopped by NASH FM 94.7’s Stage 17 studio to perform more singles off his forthcoming album including “Hooked On It” and the title track. The performance and interview, curated by Mike Allan, assistant program director for NASH FM 94.7 was broadcasted live across the country. DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy chatted with Bryan about writing the new songs and asked him to describe what he thinks “Makes You Country?” “An overall way that you view life, the way that you approach life with humility and honor and compassion and faith and belief.” the singer explained. A small group of audience members and winners from NASH FM were treated to stripped down, acoustic versions of the songs and the intimate setting was the perfect place for Bryan to be his goofy self, joking about his shirt being too tight and popping a button off. He ended his visit by taking pictures with his biggest fans.

Although all 15 tracks work well together to create a cohesive country record, a few highlights on the album include “Land of a Million Songs” a true testament to the struggles that Nashville songwriters go through to create your favorite music. Another stand out is “Sunrise, Sunburn, Sunset” which was written by Ryan Hurd, Chase McGill and Zach Crowell. Hurd took to Instagram hours before the album was released to express his gratitude to everyone involved, especially for his fiance Maren Morris, for who he says the song was written about.

The final track on the record, “Win Life” was written by husband and wife songwriters Nicolle Gaylon and Rodney Clawson along with Ross Copperman. It fits right into Bryan’s wheelhouse, as a dad, a country superstar, and a husband just trying to do his best with the time he is given.

(Photo by New York CountrySwag.com)

For Bryan’s biggest appearance during his album release week in NYC, he took the stage at the brand new Opry City Stage in the heart of Times Square for his live performance on Good Morning America. Joined by Robin Roberts and GMA’s leading meteorologist, Ginger Zee, Bryan performed his latest single “Light It Up”, as well as another track off What Makes You Country, “Most People are Good” and other hits for the select few in the studio audience. Finally, Bryan’s fans across the country were able to hear some of the songs live and head to their favorite outlet to purchase the full album.

Grab What Makes You Country on iTunes and head to our Instagram for more from the album release week.

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– Team NYCountry Swag

Long Island Packs Stereo Garden For Secret Holiday Show

December 5, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Each year MyCountry 96.1, a country radio station out on Long Island puts on a secret show. The artists remain a secret until they hit the stage which is an exciting way to attract their listeners and fans. The opening act, Brown and Gray took the stage as the venue filled up. They played their latest Christmas song, “It’s Not Christmas (’til you come around)” along with their debut single “Top Down” which has been spinning on the radio station for the past few months. For more about the duo check out our Live Swag Sessions.

A quiet hush came over the crowd as MYCountry’s DJ’s Phathead and Jay Letterman took the stage to announce the next secret act to take the stage. Already having an incredible year, adding another accomplishment on Monday, having her single “Hide the Wine” go most added to radio, Carly Pearce was announced. Pearce sang songs off of her debut album, Every Little Thing including “Color”, “Careless” and of course her first single which hit the top of the charts “Every Little Thing”.

As the DJ’s took the stage again, the surprise was a little anti-climatic when high pitched screamed interrupted their introduction because one of country’s biggest rising stars, Brett Young walked onto the stage. Young who’s voice is smooth and unique in this genre performed songs off his debut album including his number one hit “In Case You Didn’t Know” and his debut single “Sleep Without You”. He also sang a haunting version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. He spent time thanking country radio, specifically MyCountry 96.1 for not only playing his music but for helping him achieve so many accolades over the past year.

The final act to play the secret holiday show was LoCash, the duo who enjoyed their first number one single “I Know Somebody” earlier this year. They sang their radio hits as well as a cover of a song they wrote that Keith Urban cut “You’re Gonna Fly” and a venue-wide sing-a-long of Garth Brooks’ classic “Friends in Low Places”.

Listeners of the station stayed well into the weeknight to dance and sing to their favorite artists all thanks to MyCountry 96.1. For more on the radio station click here.

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Dustin Lynch Plays for Sold Out Crowd at Playstation Theater

December 4, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Broken Bow recording artist Dustin Lynch brought his Ride or Die Tour to NYC this weekend with opening acts Mitchell Tenpenny and Ryan Hurd. Fans who waited on line to enter the venue rushed the stage once the doors were open and filled the space from the first song till the last.

Warming up the crowd, Mitchell Tenpenny sang songs off of his debut EP, Linden Ave including “Bitches” and “Truck I Drove in High School”. You can catch an exclusive performance of those songs from our Swag Sessions with the rising singer-songwriter here.

Next up was Ryan Hurd, who sang “City Girl”, “Love in a Bar” and even his own version of a song he wrote for Lady Antebellum, “You Look Good”.

Lynch, who recently released his third full-length album, Current Mood, took the stage combined old hits and new ones, opening with “Here We Come” and going right into “Hell of a Night”. His 75-minute set gave his die-hard fans every one of his radio singles as well as album cuts and an energetic live show that they will be talking about for a while. “Thank you all for this,” he said. “All that matters in life right now is the present moment. Tonight’s about singing and dancing. Can we do that New York City?” and the crowd which was filled with a mix of young and old and men and women responded by giving the artist exactly what he asked for.

Lynch proving his staying power in this genre, flawlessly transitioned from his first single, the tender “Cowboys and Angels” into his brand new single “I’d Be Jealous Too” and the audience sang along to every word.

A highlight of the night was when he paid homage to the huge country acts who gave him a chance to open for them in the past. He did a medley of Brad Paisley’s “Mud on the Tires”, Keith Urban’s “Somebody Like You”, Luke Bryan’s “Play It Again” and Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y”.

He closed out the night with his most recent number one smash, “Seein’ Red”. Check out the remaining tour dates below.

Dec. 7 — Stockton, Calif. @ Bob Hope Theatre
Dec. 8 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Novo
Dec. 10 — Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Cosmopolitan
Dec. 17 — Grand Rapids, Mich. @ 20 Monroe Live

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Frankie Ballard & The Wildcat Band Perform at Brooklyn Bowl

November 16, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

Brooklyn Bowl, a bowling alley, and venue hosted Frankie Ballard last night. Ballard sang songs off of both of his albums, Sunshine and Whiskey and El Rio and played crowd favorite covers from his heroes. Opening his set with his smash hit “Young and Crazy” then going right into “Little Bit of Both” off his latest record the Michigan native toggles between old and new music. His latest 11 song EP fuses country with rock and roll, soul and blues together, taking fans on a musical journey of the artist’s life.

Ballard, who’s perfectly coiffed hair and leather jacket fit in with his old school vibes asked the crowd if they were ready for a little Johnny Cash before covering “Big River” and then did his own mashup of Elvis’ “Hound Dog” and “Heartbreak Hotel”, complete with the signature hip swings.

Entertaining the crowd during his 75-minute set, Ballard slowed things down to chat with the audience, “I always dreamed of playing in the big city so tonight, on a Wednesday night to come on this stage and see all of your beautiful faces means the world to me.” Ballard closed out the night with his smash hit “Sunshine & Whiskey” and his cover of Bob Segers’ “You’ll Accomp’ny Me”.

For the full list of tour dates click here.

Our favorite part of the show?
Spotting this fan rocking our Red Line Snapback in the audience!
Grab yours here.

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Lee Ann Womack Entertains in Brooklyn

November 9, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

After releasing a brand new album last month, Lee Ann Womack took the stage at Rough Trade NYC to play some of her classic hits as well as plenty of new album cuts. The singer from East Texas has been singing traditional country music for 20 years. Her timeless voice and her undeniable stage presence makes her one of the best in the business. Her ninth studio album The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone, blends country with soul and even gospel vibes.

Taking the stage in Brooklyn, Womack and her full band performed some of her early hits including her first number one, “The Fool” and “A Little Past Little Rock”. “We’re gonna turn this place into a honky tonk Y’all” she said before singing “You’re Still on My Mind” the classic George Jones hit. The CMA Award winner filled her set with songs off her new record as well including the title track, “The Lonely, the Lonesome & the Gone”, “Hollywood” and “Wicked”.

The venue sang along to the hits and remained silent but attentive during the darker, ominous moments. “Thank you for loving real country music” she exclaimed, and the entire audience erupted into applause. For the most inspirational moment of the night, Womack sang her smash hit “I Hope You Dance” before her encore which included an ethereal version of “Lord I Hope This Day is Good”.

She will continue to promote her new music on tour well into the new year, check out all additional tour dates here and grab her latest album on iTunes here.

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

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Interview & Review: Chris Lane and Morgan Wallen on the Take Back Home Tour

November 3, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews, Interviews /by Christina Bosch

The grand opening of Stereo Garden (formerly The Emporium) in Patchogue, NY took place last night with The Take Back Home Tour featuring Morgan Wallen and Chris Lane. Long Island country fans showed up early to grab drinks and a bite to eat at the newly renovated venue. As one of the largest music venues on Long Island, Stereo Garden’s decor and overall feel is inviting, encouraging fans to come early and stay late to enjoy the atmosphere, the beer garden, and the dance floor. Prior to his set, Wallen took time to chat with New York Country Swag about his latest single, tour antics with Florida Georgia Line and Nelly and when we can expect his debut album.

As the fans filed in, trio, Levon, took the stage to warm up the crowd before opening act Morgan Wallen. Lane and Wallen just wrapped up touring with Florida Georgia Line, an experience they both told us in interviews was incredible. Wallen also just released his latest single “Up Down” with the duo which has almost 3 million streams on Spotify. The singer sang tracks off his debut EP, including the title track and his first single “The Way I Talk”. Mashing up songs from different genres he covered Linkin Park’s “In the End”, The Eagles, “Life in the Fast Lane” and Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love a Bad Name”, which had the entire audience engaged and singing along.

Two levels packed with fans, Chris Lane performed songs off his latest album Girl Problems including the title track, “Circles” and of course “For Her”. “Thank you for spending your hard earned money to be with us tonight,” he said in between songs. “I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart”. Lane’s 75-minute set is high energy, features great sing-along covers like Tim McGraw’s “I Like It, I Love It”, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” and even NSync’s “Bye Bye Bye” (complete with a band choreographed dance to the 90’s smash pop song).

Slowing things down, Lane invited a fan who he noticed was singing every single word to his songs onto the stage to be serenaded. He sang an album cut, “All About You” which made for a definite highlight of the night. Taking the time to thank each of the members of his band and his team, including his merch guy (who came on stage rocking a very tiny, female, Chris Lane tank top) there wasn’t a dull moment to be found. Closing out the night he sang his very first number one single, “Fix”. Lane proved that being on tour with mega-stars Florida Georgia Line has taught him how to bring a dynamic show to his fans across the country. The Take Back Home Tour continues through December, check out the full list of dates below.

Nov. 3 – Atlantic City, NJ
Nov. 4 – Uncasville, CT
Nov. 9 – Columbia, MO
Nov. 10 – Minneapolis, MN
Nov. 16 – Baton Rouge, LA
Nov. 17 – Tallahassee, FL
Nov. 25 – Indianapolis, IN
Nov. 30 – Lexington, KY
December 1 – Kansas City, MO
Dec. 2 – Rogers, AR
Dec. 7 – Columbus, OH
Dec. 8 – Rootstown, OH
Dec. 9 – Rosemont, IL
Dec. 15 – Wichita, KS

New York Country Swag’s, Stephanie Wagner & Christina Bosch with Morgan Wallen & Chris Lane

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Walker Hayes Entertains at American Beauty & Brings Out a Special Guest

October 31, 2017/in Blog, Concert Reviews /by Christina Bosch

With his 10-track album, Boom slated for release in just over a month, Walker Hayes the talented country artist played to a packed NYC venue last night. The Alabama native and father of six gives a unique spin to the country genre, combining spoken word and song. While some artists in the genre are lacing their latest hits with pop or R&B, Hayes infuses his clever lyrics with hip-hop to create something new.

Although this wasn’t his first show in the big apple, Hayes was grateful to be back again, this time with a full band. He played songs off his 8tracks Vol. 1 including “Beautiful”, “Dollar Store” and his breakout radio hit “You Broke Up With Me”, as well as “Beckett”, “Break the Internet” and “Your Girlfriend Does” off of his second installment of his 8tracks.

Two highlights of the night included with Hayes took a moment to slow things down and tell a story about life before his newly found fame. Explaining that before his record deal with Monument Records, he was working the morning shift at Costco, his car was falling apart and he didn’t have the money to fix it. Using his daughter’s thumbtacks to hold up the material of the roof and wondering if he should continue to pursue his dreams of a music career, he wrote “Lela’s Stars”.

Several times throughout the night, Hayes thanked the audience for being there, for knowing his lyrics and for singing them back to him. As a surprise to the fans, Nicolle Galyon, number one hit songwriter joined Hayes on stage to sing the chorus of the song they wrote together “Halloween”. The duet was fitting considering the show took place one night before the beloved holiday.

The 60-minute set allowed fans to dig deeper into what Hayes’ brings to the table as an artist and a songwriter. He is genuine and his lyrics reflect the good and bad parts of his life thus far. Pre-order Boom on iTunes here and automatically get “Beautiful”, “Halloween” and “You Broke Up With Me”.

Walker Hayes in New York City with New York Country Swag Managing Editor, Christina Bosch (Left) and New York Country Swag Founder, Stephanie Wagner (Right)

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– Team NYCountry Swag