Blog Archives

Dan + Shay Make Their Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Debut

January 9, 2019/in Blog /by Erica Zisman

Photo via The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon YouTube

Super-duo Dan + Shay have had quite the year, and it seems that there are more and more things to look forward to from the singer-songwriters in 2019. From having the number 1 song on the country charts four weeks in a row, “Speechless,” to an upcoming headlining tour in the works to being nominated for two Grammy Awards, Dan + Shay are not showing any signs of slowing down. Last night, Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney took their talent to late night television to make their debut on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ performing their smash hit, “Speechless.”

With their self-titled record in hand, Fallon gave Smyers and Mooney a warm welcome to the stage. “Performing their number one single, “Speechless” from their self-titled album, please welcome Dan and Shay.” Just following the introduction, Shay’s lead vocals, as well as, Dan’s background vocals and guitar-skills were on full display. Both artists appeared more comfortable on stage than ever before and delivered the perfect vocals to the dreamy backdrop and heart-melting love-song. Check out the full performance below.

To echo Fallon’s final sentiment to the singers, “So good! Dan and Shay everybody! Speechless! “Speechless” is out now. Congrats on the Grammy nominee.” Smyers and Mooney are primed for yet another big year.

Next up, the platinum-certified duo, embark on their sold-out, self-titled headlining tour this Spring. Kicking off the first leg, accompanied by Morgan Evans in New Orleans on February 28th. ‘Dan + Shay The Tour’ hits New York City on March 7th. The second leg of the tour will begin at the end of March, featuring Chris Lane as an opener. For more information and a full list of tour dates, head to danandshay.com.

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Florida Georgia Line Announce Major Summer Tour

January 9, 2019/in Blog /by Christina Bosch

Florida Georgia Line, “Can’t Say I Ain’t Country” Tour

This morning the boys of Florida Georgia Line announced their major summer ‘Can’t Say I Ain’t Country’ Tour. As they gear up to release their fourth studio album of the same name, the duo will also hit the road to promote the brand new music. To find out everything we know so far about the new album, click here.

The tour will kick off in Rogers, Arkansas on June 13th and will continue throughout the summer. Along for the ride is Dan + Shay, Morgan Wallen, Canaan Smith, and HARDY. Head to billboard.com for the exclusive and tour dates. New Yorkers can look forward to catching the show at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater on Saturday, July 20th. Tickets will go on sale to fan club members beginning at 10AM ET on Jan. 14, Citi Cardholders on Jan. 15 at 10AM ET and the general public via Ticketmaster.com, LiveNation.com, and IMS.com on Jan. 18 at 10AM ET.

Make sure you’re following @NYCOUNTRYSWAG on Instagram, so you don’t miss any upcoming announcements, ticket giveaways and more.

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Morgan Wallen Releases Dreamy Video for “Chasin’ You”

January 8, 2019/in Blog /by Shanna Vitaliano

Morgan Wallen keeps on keepin’ on with his latest release of the video to his song “Chasin’ You.” The singer-songwriter has been all over the charts as of late, after scoring a number one with his collaboration with Florida Georiga Line for “Up Down”, his latest single “Whiskey Glasses” has reached the Top 40 and is steadily climbing.

“Chasin’ You” is on Wallen’s debut album If I Know Me that was released back in April of last year and is another huge fan favorite written by Wallen himself, Jamie Moore, and Craig Wiseman.

The video for “Chasin’ You” was directed by Jason Clough and was filmed in black and white while he is driving in a convertible down a Nashville road with a serene forest setting. The scenic winding highway is the perfect setting for him to sing of a girl that he has been chasing.

As he drives, Wallen sings the chorus “Chasing you like a shot of whiskey / Burning going down, burning going down / Chasin’ you like those goodbye taillights / Heading west to anywhere out of this no where town / Chasing that freedom, chasing that feeling that got gone too soon / Chasing that you and me, I only see in my rearview / Yeah, I’m laying every night holding someone new / Still chasing you, still chasing you.”

Check out the video here to find out if Wallen ever ends up finding the girl.

Wallen has already sold out his first show of the year and will be touring through the end of March with special guests Hardy, Lainey Wilson, and Lacy Cavalier. He will be making a stop in New York City on February 21st at Irving Plaza. Check out the rest of the tour dates below:

Jan. 10 — Birmingham, Ala.
Jan. 11 — Knoxville, Tenn.
Jan. 12 — Atlanta, Ga.
Jan. 17 — Overland Park, Kan.
Jan. 18 — Lincoln, Neb.
Jan. 19 — Denver, Colo.
Jan. 24 — Columbia, S.C.
Jan. 25 — Athens, Ga.
Jan. 26 — Madison, Wisc.
Jan. 31 — Nashville, Tenn.
Feb. 2 — Springfield, Ill.
Feb. 7 — Oxford, Miss.
Feb. 9 — Starkville, Miss.
Feb. 16 — Lexington, Ky.
Feb. 21 — New York City
Feb. 22 — Boston, Mass.
Feb. 23 — Asbury Park, N.J.
March 1 — Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
March 7 — Lancaster, Pa.
March 8 — Clifton Park, N.Y.
March 23 — Los Angeles, Calif.
March 27 — San Diego, Calif.
March 28 — Phoenix, Ariz.
March 29 — Las Vegas, Nev.
March 30 — Salt Lake City, Utah

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Mitchell Tenpenny Performs “Drunk Me” on His ‘Today Show’ Debut

January 8, 2019/in Blog /by Erica Zisman

Photo Courtesy of www.today.com

We have championed rising country star, Mitchell Tenpenny’s success for over a year now. Back in 2017, we hosted a Live Swag Session with the artist, who at the time didn’t even have a record deal. Flash forward, just one year later, and the singer-songwriter sold out his NYC headlining show, dropped his debut album Telling All My Secrets, and hit the number one spot on the country charts with his smash hit “Drunk Me.” Continuing the momentum into 2019, Tenpenny performed his single on NBC’s TODAY, this morning, as part of the Citi Concert Series, marking his first time on the show.

He was introduced by the co-anchors by saying, “Country singer-songwriter, Mitchell Tenpenny is poised for a big year. He ended 2018 by releasing his major label debut album and he’s not slowing down,” Tenpenny took some time to chat with the hosts, before delivering an epic performance of “Drunk Me.” When asked how he’s feeling about his journey thus far, the powerhouse singer explained, “We’re still living the dream. We have to pinch ourselves sometimes. This is crazy, we’re here in NYC with y’all.” Right after the sentiment, one of the hosts gave Tenpenny another “pinch me moment,” as he handed him his plaque that signified that “Drunk Me” went platinum.

Tenpenny, clearly blown-away, stated he was “speechless,” but still was able to deliver a cool rendition of the song with a four-piece band to back him. Donning, a ball-cap and a guitar, the singer belted the lyrics, adding some unique twists and having some fun throughout the entirety of the performance. Check out the clip below to watch!

The New York Country Swag 2019 Artist to Watch wraps up his album-release shows this week. Tenpenny heads to Luke Bryan’s ‘Crash my Playa’ country music festival in Mexico at the end of the month, just before beginning his opening-gig on Old Dominion ‘Make It Sweet Tour,’ at the end of February. Make sure to keep up with the breakthrough artist via his social media.

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Who Is Brandon Ratcliff? The Story Behind His Journey to Country Music

January 7, 2019/in Blog, Swag Spotlight /by Christina Bosch

Who is Brandon Ratcliff? The singer-songwriter joined us to chat about his journey to country music. Get to know the rising star here…

The Beginning:

Our very first Swag Spotlight of 2019 is also one of our Artists to Watch this year, Brandon Ratcliff. As a young man, grew up surrounded by the music industry as the son of Suzanne Cox of the legendary band, The Cox Family. His hometown, Cotton Valley, Louisiana proved to be the perfect small town to grow up. “One of the big cornerstones of my childhood was my mom teaching me to be a true fan of great music in the car rides on the way to school, her being the DJ, she showed me and my younger brother so much great music everything from Merle Haggard to Ricky Skaggs, Stevie Wonder, Hall and Oates and Fleetwood Mac, I had a love for music, art, and songwriting from a young age,” he tells us in a recent interview. Although his very first dream was to be a professional basketball player, after discovering artists and songwriters like John Mayer and Eric Church struck a chord for him and he decided to pursue songwriting himself.

The Turning Point:

In 2014 he moved to Nashville and focused on honing his songwriting craft. “I was really focused on writing songs and because that was to me, my favorite part about it, I was a song person, I always wanted to write great music,” Ratcliff explains. He tells us that he found his tribe of songwriters and after meeting Pete Good and AJ Babcock it just clicked. “Once you meet your team, it really is the most empowering feeling when you are doing what you love with that group of guys.”

Back in October, Ratcliff released his debut single “Rules of Breaking Up” which already has garnered over a million streams on Spotify. When discussing the writing process he tells us it was born out of a conversation with A.J Babcock, busbee, and Pete Good. “We all know the rules when you break up but the lyrics were specifically about the one relationship that makes you want to break all of those rules,” he says. An interesting anecdote is Ratcliff doesn’t think of the song as a breakup song but instead, one for someone you deeply care about. “It was a little bit of a love song, it was born out of a place of almost writing what it would be like to lose someone that important, it was more of an introspective,” he explains. “You love someone so much, if I broke up with you, I wouldn’t be able to follow those rules.” The beauty of songwriting and something that he loves about the process is the way that people can interpret songs differently.

Today:

To close out 2018, Ratcliff announced that he would be opening on the Miss Me More Tour with Brett Young and Kelsea Ballerini. The two artists will bring their diverse fan base to the nationwide tour and the rising artist is so humbled and excited to get to play his music for them. Looking forward into the new year besides the tour, he is can’t wait to release the music he has been writing and recording for the past two years. For tour dates and more info head to https://www.brandonratcliff.com/ and be sure to be following Brandon Ratcliff on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Swag Sessions: Featuring Farewell Angelina

January 7, 2019/in Blog, Swag Live, Swag Sessions /by Stephanie Wagner

The ladies of Farewell Angelina are our first Swag Session of 2019! They performed two songs for us at the Boogie Room at Mondrian Terrace inside of the Mondrian Park Avenue Hotel including their latest release “Women and Wine”.

During the Q&A after his performance, the ladies sat with NYCountry Swag’s Managing Editor, Christina to chat about coming together as a band, the decision to name the band Farewell Angelina and their 2019 plans!

Watch the full Swag Session above and take a listen to Farewell Angelina’s music here. For more music from artists we’ve featured during our LIVE Swag Sessions, check out our Sessions Playlist below and give it a follow for updates.

Keep up with Farewell Angelina on social media – Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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Riley Green Makes His National Television Debut on TODAY!

January 7, 2019/in Blog /by Nicole Sellati

Earlier this morning, country music’s rising star and one of our 2019 Artists to Watch, Riley Green made his national television debut on NBC’s Today Show. He took the stage during the 10 AM hour with co-anchors, Hoda Kotb and Jenna B. Hagar, performing his debut single, “There Was This Girl” off his EP In A Truck Right Now.

Before performing his infectious chart-climbing single, Hoda and Jenna came to the stage to introduce and talk to the singer-songwriter. When chatting with Green, Hoda mentioned, “First of all can we just say this is your national television debut and we are honored and Riley, when your career goes through the roof, please let’s remember we were all here together on this day!” With Hoda continuing by saying, “How does this ascent feel? I mean all of a sudden people are saying your name and singing your songs.” Green replying, “I don’t think I really fathom it too much you know, it was really fortunate I was able to play the Grand Ole Opry for the first time this year and so my grandparents think I’m famous now but I mean playing the Today Show I feel like I’m kind of starting to believe it a little bit, it’s a pretty big deal.”

After the quick interview, it was the moment country music fans were waiting for. Green kicked off the year, giving viewers at home an upbeat and energized performance to remember. For viewers who did not know who Riley Green was before, they sure do now. Throughout the performance, Green’s infectious smile didn’t leave his face. At the end of the song, the studio erupted in cheers, while Hoda and Jenna came back on stage clapping and cheering, “Yes Yes Yes,” excitedly calling his performance outstanding, making it a moment to never forget. Check out our own live performance with Riley Green from our Swag Session below.

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Aaron Watson Releases Fun New Single “Kiss That Girl Goodbye”

January 5, 2019/in Blog, New Music /by Danielle Tornatore

Independent country artist Aaron Watson is kicking off the new year with a brand new feel-good, boot-stomping song entitled “Kiss That Girl Goodbye.” It is the lead single and one of twenty songs the vocalist wrote for his upcoming studio album Red Bandana, which is slated for release later this year.

The self-penned, uptempo tune has Watson preaching about leaving a previous relationship in the past and moving onto better things. He sings in the chorus, “That boy can kiss that girl goodbye / Just like a red-eyed flight / Two tail lights in the night / You’re gonna spread your wings and fly / That boy can kiss that girl goodbye / Just like a westbound train / You’re drinking cheap champagne / You got no more tears to cry / And you’re long gone like a whisper in the wind / That boy can kiss that girl goodbye”

In a recent press release, Watson shared the writing process behind the sure to be hit, “I wanted to come out of the gates with a fast, fun, boot-stomper that sounds great on radio and gets the fans dancing. I actually wrote it late one night after meeting a girl at my show who was in tears after being stood up on a date. My little girl Jolee Kate loves it and says it has GIRL POWER! Thanks to all of you for supporting me, my music, and my family.”

The Texas native will head out on the first leg of his 2019 headlining tour this month which will through the spring and hit New York City on March 2nd at Terminal 5. The show includes sets from Watson, Eli Young Band, Pat Green, and Kyle Park, and tickets are available here. Visit https://www.aaronwatson.com for a full list of dates and additional information.

“Kiss That Girl Goodbye” is now available everywhere you stream or purchase music. Take a listen below.

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[Listen] Adam Doleac Releases “Famous” and “Puzzle of Us”

January 5, 2019/in Blog, New Music /by Shanna Vitaliano

One of our 2018 Artist to Watch alum, Adam Doleac gave country music fans a real treat by releasing two singles to kick off the new year. Followers were lucky enough to get a sneak peek of the songs before they were released last night on his Instagram. It’s no surprise Doleac continues to establish himself and make a name in country music as “Famous” and “Puzzle of Us” are catchy, heartfelt songs that will undoubtedly be fan favorites.

“Famous” is showcasing the undeniable feeling about someone who you are utterly amazed by. With lyrics like “Girl, you look famous, like South Beach or Vegas,” Doleac is putting his love interest on a pedestal. The lyrics can make anyone fall in love with this easily relatable song which was co-written with Bobby Hamrick and Andy Skib.

“Puzzle Of Us” was inspired by a man Doleac met in a bar who had an entire sleeve tattooed on his arm with one piece missing. As he explained on his Instagram post, he asked why the piece was missing, and the man said: “Give me three minutes and I’ll show you.” When a woman came back and sat down, she had a tattoo right where he didn’t have his, it was her only tattoo. Needless to say, they completed each other through tattoos and Doleac and his co-writer Anthony Smith turned that story into a sentimental love song.

Doleac is proving he is here to stay and these two singles are just a snippet of what is to come from him. Be sure to check out both of these songs below and stay up to date on tour announcements and new music at https://www.adamdoleac.com.

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Ryan Hurd Drops New Song “Michigan for the Winter”

January 4, 2019/in Blog, New Music /by Danielle Tornatore

RCA recording artist, Ryan Hurd has released his first new song of the year entitled “Michigan for the Winter.” The mid-tempo ballad, penned by Hurd, Aaron Eshuis and Neil Mason of The Cadillac Three, illustrates the story of the singer-songwriter heading to his home state of Michigan to ward off a bad breakup without entirely giving up hope. He sings in the chorus, “But, just in case you wanna change your mind / I’m lettin’ you know where you can find me / 46th Street, that first right turn / Down a dirt road watching that wood stove burn / I’m either waiting out your memory / Or for you don’t wanna come back to me / Whichever comes first until it don’t hurt no more / I’ll be up North / I’m going to Michigan for the winter”

The track is currently featured on Spotify’s ‘New Boots’ playlist, while his previous single “To A T” is being featured on the ‘Hot Country’ playlist. Hurd will head out on his four-date sold-out headlining tour this month, which will stop in New York City on January 25th at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets are sold-out but check back with NYCountry Swag for a full show review, as well as live videos on our Instagram Story.

“Michigan for the Winter” is now available everywhere you stream or purchase music. Take a listen below and check out more new recently released music here on our ‘New Country Music’ playlist. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

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