Blog Archives

Jessie James Decker Surprises Fans with New Single “Boots”

September 28, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Danielle Tornatore

Jessie James Decker, Boots

After taking some time away from country music to concentrate on her clothing line, hair care line and book, along with taking care of her new baby boy, Jessie James Decker surprised fans with a brand new single, “Boots.”

Earlier this week, Decker subtly teased fans by posting a seven second clip to instagram of her shoot with JustFab for their upcoming collaborative clothing line, captioned, “JJD x @justfabonline …. get ready (ps yes this is a new song. Out soon)” Just hours before the song’s release, Decker officially announced “Boots” by posting a thirty second clip of the single with it’s cover art and caption, “Tonight. new music droppin #boots (this is my new song it’s featured in my new @justfabonline commercial!!!)”

Co-written by Tofer Brown, “Boots” is an upbeat, fun and sassy anthem version of the idiom “walk a mile in their shoes.” Before judging someone, you must understand their experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. Decker put her own womanly, country twist on it and sings in the chorus:

“Come on, tonight / I’m daring you to walk a mile in my boots / Bring it on, just try / I bet you couldn’t even strap ‘em up on right / You got your little friends / I hear ‘em talkin’ / But talking ain’t the same as walking a mile in my boots so come on”

In addition to the single, Decker wrote a new book titled “Just Jessie”, due out on October 2nd. It is a self-written guide to love, life, family and food. To celebrate the book’s release, the singer-songwriter will be going on a four-city book signing tour which will stop in Brooklyn at The BookMark Shoppe on October 3rd at 7pm. You can pre-order the book here.

“Boots” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music.

Listen to the new song below on our new music playlist and check out more new tracks here. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

Visit jessiejamesdecker.com and follow her on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to keep up with Jessie James Decker!

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Rascal Flatts Drop New Single “Back To Life”

September 28, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Danielle Tornatore

Rascal Flatts, Back To Life

Platinum-selling country trio, Rascal Flatts, have debuted a brand new single titled “Back To Life.” It is the first of new music from Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Don Rooney since their 2017 album, Back to Us, which released in May of last year.

Earlier this week, the band began to tease fans on their socials by posting a four-second silent clip with the caption “Coming soon.”

Two days later, the group shared the photo seen below containing the lyrics: “taking my hand / pulling me up / when I’m going under” and captioned “New music coming at ya FRIDAY!”

Rascal Flatts New Music Tease via Instagram

Ultimately, the trio officially announced the single by sharing the fall-esque cover art with the caption “Can’t wait to share NEW MUSIC with you all! Tomorrow… #BackToLife”

Fans who attended the band’s Red Rocks Amphitheater stop of their ‘Back To Us’ Tour earlier this month in Denver, Colorado were the first to hear the single in full. Well-known country radio DJ, Bobby Bones also gave his listeners a sneak peak of the record on Thursday, September 27th, hours before it’s release.

Penned by Carly Barlowe, Fred Wilhelm, Niko Moon and platinum-selling country duo Dan & Shay’s, Shay Mooney, “Back To Life” is a heartfelt, slow-tempo love song that evokes the power and passion of love you can have for your significant other. The group sings in the chorus,

“She puts that beat in my chest / Pounds like a drum, shakes me like thunder / Taking my hand, pulling me up when I’m going under / My dreams come alive when I wake up and look in her eyes / She brings me back to life”

“Back To Life” is now available everywhere you buy or stream music.

Listen to the new song below on our new music playlist and check out more new tracks here. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

The band will wrap up the remaining dates of their ‘Back To Us’ Tour in the next few weeks, along with two performances at the Grand Ole Opry. Visit rascalflatts.com and follow the trio on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for show information, updates and future announcements.

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Remember When Lil Wayne Performed at the CMA Awards?

September 28, 2018/in #TBT, Blog /by Stephanie Wagner

Lil Wayne alongside Kid Rock at the 2008 Country Music Awards

Lil Wayne alongside Kid Rock at the 2008 CMA Awards (Getty/Wire)

Hip-hop and rap fans woke up thrilled to find that superstar, Lil Wayne’s long anticipated album, Carter V had been released after years of lawsuits, legal issues and missed release dates.

The 23-track record is everything lifelong fans of the rap king have been waiting for, but the 14th song on the album, “Hittas” adds a reference to be noted in the country music world. The single opens with David Letterman asking Wayne, “Is it true you performed with Willie Nelson at the Country Music Awards?” before going into the song.

The question brings us back to 2008 where rapper Lil Wayne joined then rock artist, Kid Rock on stage in a surprise appearance at the Country Music Association Awards. Hitting the Nashville stage decked In a Tennessee Titans football jersey, the rapper strummed a guitar while Kid Rock performed his hit single “All Summer Long”.

Months later, in an interview with Genius, Lil Wayne shared that he didn’t actually know how to play the guitar, but lucky for him country legend Willie Nelson was nearby. The icon taught Wayne the most important chords just moments before the curtains went up. Check out Wayne’s hilarious story of his encounter with Nelson in the video below.

The CMA Awards – one of the biggest nights in country music – have not always been all about country artists. In the past there have been several not-so-country stars who having gotten there share of the stage during this prestigious night, including acts like Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Justin Timberlake, Meghan Trainor, Pink, Niall Horan, and more.

With the 2018 CMA Awards just a little over a month away, we wonder what surprise artists will we see make an appearance this year?

Don’t miss The 52nd Annual CMA Awards hosted by Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood on Wednesday, November 14 at 8|7c on ABC. We’ll be live-tweeting the show! Follow Us & join in on the conversation, @NYCountrySwag.

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Kane Brown Experiments with New “Short Skirt Weather”

September 28, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Erica Zisman

Kane Brown, Experiment

Kane Brown has been teasing fans with audio clips and fun videos of tracks off his highly anticipated sophomore album, Experiment via his social media channels for months now. Last week, the hitmaker released, Homesick. Today, he dropped another new track, “Short Skirt Weather,” and it’s sure to get fans even more excited for the forthcoming album.

The song is a fun, upbeat, and cheeky track with tons of the entertainer’s personality mixed in. Although the singer loves to push boundaries, introducing different genres into his music, this song is definitely a country anthem. The infectious melody makes it hard to not want to dance and sing along to the lyrics.

“All those girls are jealous cause they know all the fellas are watching her put on a show / Every time they see her – they all just want to be her / Making country boys’ hearts explode / Oh my baby’s made for short skirt weather / Yeah she makes me wish Summer would just go on forever / From them yellow polka dots, blue jeans and leather / Oh my baby’s made for short skirt weather.”

The lyrics, co-written by the singer, tell the story of a boy smitten by a confident girl in her Summer attire, mini skirts. Primed for Summer tailgates and beach days, the track will definitely remind listeners of sunshine and fun times regardless of the season. “Short Skirt Weather” is available everywhere you can buy or stream music.

So far, each of the songs released off Experiment have explored a different side of the singer-songwriter’s personality and musical ability, clearly showing how he is evolving as an artist. The record is slated to be released across all platforms on November 9th. Check back then for our ‘First Impression Review’ of the album.

Listen to the new song below on our new music playlist and check out more new tracks here. Be sure to give the playlist a follow for your weekly new country music fix.

The singer also surprised New York fans with a special one-night-only concert in collaboration with Budweiser at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden on November 7th. Find tickets for the show here.

Brown’s official headlining tour, ‘Live Forever Tour’ with special guests including Granger Smith with Raelynn, Danielle Bradbery, and Jimmie Allen on select dates, kicks off January 2019 in his home state of Georgia. Keep checking our calendars for any New York Dates that may be added.

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New Music Friday – The Playlist 9/28

September 28, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Stephanie Wagner

Today, Kane Brown released a new single “Short Skirt Weather” from his forthcoming album, Experiment due out this November. Pistol Annies announce new album, Interstate Gospel and release three new tracks. Logan Mize released an EP full of acoustic versions of his top songs. New music from Rascal Flatts, Jessie James Decker and more. Check out our Spotify New Country Music Playlist below and be sure to follow for updates each and every Friday:

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Pistol Annies Make Triumphant Return to Country Music

September 27, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Danielle Tornatore

Pistol Annies, Interstate Gospel

Country music’s all-girl supergroup, Pistol Annies, have announced the release of their third studio album, Interstate Gospel. Due out on November 2nd, the album will consist of fourteen brand new songs co-written by all three members. The trio released the title-track along with two of the fourteen songs, in honor of the album announcement and pre-order: “Interstate Gospel,” “Best Years of My Life” and “Got My Name Changed Back.”

The supergroup is composed of country superstar Miranda Lambert, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley. The band made their debut performance in April of 2011, on the CBS special Academy of Country Music’s Girls’ Night Out: Superstar Women of Country.

The platinum-selling group began to tease their return to country music by mailing postcards directly to their fans, each with different song titles from Interstate Gospel. They also took to the band’s twitter, posting a photo of the postcards with the caption: “Thursday. We’ve got news. Stay tuned… PS: we just gotta say..y’all are smart. And if you haven’t taken a look back through the hashtag #PistolAnniesAreBack, you should.”

Last Wednesday night, Lambert reunited the trio as apart of her two-night artist-in-residence performance at the CMA Theater in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Rather than performing her solo work, she and the group only performed Pistol Annies songs, including the three new tracks as well as some old material from Hell On Heels and Annie Up.

Lambert was the Country Music Hall of Fame’s fifteenth artist-in-residence. The museum’s artist-in-residence program honors musical artists who can be credited with contributing a large and significant body of work to the canon of American popular music and is invited to use the museum’s performance venues to create unique musical experiences.

Pistol Annies had one more surprise in store for their dedicated fans this morning. Not one, but three intimate concert events. The group will play at the iconic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on October 25th then will follow with a show at Town Hall in New York City on November 2nd and conclude the round of shows at Novo in Los Angeles on November 7th.

Pre-sale tickets for these shows will go on sale Tuesday, October 2nd through the band’s fan club while general sale will begin on Friday, October 5th.

Interstate Gospel is available for pre-order now with the immediate download of three tracks. Visit pistolannies.com and follow Pistol Annies on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates.

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Opry City Stage Closes It’s Doors…

September 27, 2018/in Blog /by Stephanie Wagner

It is with great sadness that we share the announcement that Opry City Stage, New York City’s first 4-level country music honky tonk, has shut it’s doors.

Opry City Stage, the first spin-off of Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, opened a few short months ago in December 2017. Upon entering the magnificent venue, guests were immediately transported to a place that seemed far outside of the New York City norm. Greeted by cowboy hat wearing staff and immediately having the opportunity to shop the venue’s general store, guests could head upstairs to the full service 2-floor restaurant which featured live music, dining and a bar, or continue to the 4th floor, “The Studio” where private and intimate events were held.

Although New York is statistically one of the largest markets for country music and what we believe is very underserved, it seems that the Times Square venue was just not completely prepared for the fast paced reality of New York City.

It was announced today that the parent company, Ryman Hospitality Properties, is temporarily suspending operations at the New York City location as the company evaluates the venue’s market positioning, concept and operating strategy.

Colin Reed, chairman and chief executive officer of Ryman Hospitality Properties issued the following statement:

“As we have shared over the past several months, our Opry City Stage venue has taken longer to ramp up its operations than we initially anticipated and has unfortunately underperformed our revenue expectations this year. We have decided that suspending operations at Opry City Stage while we evaluate the venue’s ground floor experience and operations is the appropriate course of action.

I would like to thank both our New York City-based employees as well as the artists who have performed at Opry City Stage for bringing an authentic slice of Southern culture to life in Times Square. We look forward to sharing more details in the months ahead.”

Message shared on oprycitystage.com

Disheartened to hear the news, our team at NYCountry Swag sends our best to the Opry City Stage family and hopes that we can see a re-grand opening in the forthcoming months. Hopefully it’s not a good-bye, just a see ya later!

While we wait for more news, we are taking a look back on some of our favorite memories from Opry City Stage…

NYCountry Swag Founder, Stephanie Wagner & Managing Editor, Christina Bosch

NYCS Founder, Stephanie Wagner & Managing Editor, Christina Bosch

The History – Back in October 2017, Stephanie & Christina of NYCountry Swag took a trip down to Nashville where the Opry team treated us to a special tour of the incredible venue and it’s rich history. Sharing the story of the Grand Ole Opry, exploring the memorabilia and catching the live show helped us to capture a better idea of what to expect in New York City. When it came time to check out the NYC location, we were amazed at how much thought and detail went into everything from the design of the space to the menu, truly bringing an authentic taste of Nashville to New York. Check out more from our Nashville trip here.

Bluebird Cafe Songwriters Night Opry City Stage

Photo Credit: Jim Belmont

The Bluebird Cafe Songwriters Series – Over the past few months, every other Friday night, guests could head to Opry City Stage for a special Bluebird Cafe Songwriters Series Night. The Bluebird Cafe is an iconic Nashville staple and bringing that to the New York City venue was an important factor in truly capturing the Nashville experience. Guests had the opportunity to catch a glimpse of writers and stories behind some of their favorite songs, something very unique for New York where fans are generally subjected to the heavily produced shows and almost never treated to a stripped down show. Read more about the special songwriter style show here.

Photo Credit: Nash FM 94.7 via Facebook Page

Carrie Underwood’s Album Release Party – Reigning Queen of country, Carrie Underwood, celebrated the release of her record-breaking 7th studio album, Cry Pretty with fans at Opry City Stage. The eventful day included an intimate performance by Underwood, a Q+A with NASH FM 94.7 DJ Katie Neal, and an unforgettable experience for many country fans. The lunchtime party was simply just a taste of ‘what could have been’ for Opry City Stage. Check out more from the exclusive show here.

Photo Credit: Opry City Stage via Instagram

Front & Center: Brett Young & Carly Pearce – Getting some live action in the heart of Times Square, country music artists Brett Young and Carly Pearce each performed a set for a special double episode taping of the PBS Special, “Front & Center”. NYCountry Swag was fortunately heavily involved in promoting the sold out show which gathered 360+ fans for the Monday night taping. Check out our recap of the event here.

The Country Round-Up LIVE! – Back in March/April, the NYCountry Swag team worked with Opry City Stage’s production team to bring our Weekly Round-Up E-Newsletter to life in this special episode which highlights country music happenings, events and a special glimpse into Opry City Stage. Check it out in the video above.

Live Swag Sessions – Over the past year, NYCountry Swag has hosted over twenty Live Swag Sessions from different locations in New York City. With this, we invite some of our favorite country artists to join us for a Facebook/Instagram LIVE performance where the entertainer performs two acoustic songs and then chats with our hosts. Working with Opry City Stage, we coordinated Live Swag Sessions with Aaron Watson and Ashley Campbell.

Nash NEXT Competition at Opry City Stage

The Local Talent – In it’s short time, Opry City Stage quickly became a great connection for local country music talent. Hosting live shows every day from early in the morning to late at night, whenever a country music fix was needed, New Yorkers could always count on heading to Opry City Stage. Local favorites like Lauren Davidson, Jessica Rose, Bobby McGrath and more had the opportunity to connect with fans and share their music with the country music community in New York City and beyond.

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NYCountry Swag looks forward to continuing to serve the New York country music community by bringing you the latest in country music news, reviews and events. Make sure you are subscribed to our Weekly Round-Up for upcoming announcements, ticket giveaways, meet & greet contests and more. Subscribe Below:

{WIN} iHeartCountry LIVE with Jake Owen Sweepstakes

September 27, 2018/in Blog, Contests /by Team Country Swag

iHeartRadio and Marathon have teamed up to bring you their “Turn Miles into Music Sweepstakes” and if you’re a country music fan, you’ll be excited to hear about their exclusive iHeartCountry LIVE with Jake Owen Sweepstakes happening RIGHT NOW!

Owen’s latest single “Down To The Honkytonk”, is all about having a rowdy good time and hangin’ with friends. Owen is bringing the party to New York City and you can win your way in, VIP style. After all, who says you have to be in the south to go to a honky tonk?

During this intimate performance, which will take place at the iHeartRadio Theater (32 6th Ave, New York, NY 10013), Owen gets up close with a small group of his biggest fans and thanks to iHeartRadio and Marathon, you and a guest can not only be in the room to witness a magical night, but meet the country superstar as well!

Be one of only 200 fans at this exclusive and private event. The ‘Turn Miles into Music Sweepstakes’ includes roundtrip airfare, ground transportation to and from the event and two-night hotel accommodations as well as two tickets to iHeartCountry LIVE with Jake Owen… a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Marathon helps you make the most out of every mile you drive. So give your miles more meaning.

Click here to enter, by logging in with Facebook, Google or your iHeartRadio account. This promotion runs through September 30th and a winner will be chosen and notified by iHeartRadio.

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Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
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Tenille Townes Releases Emotional “Somebody’s Daughter” Music Video

September 26, 2018/in Blog, New Music /by Erica Zisman

Country music newcomer, Tenille Townes continues to shine a light on important societal issues through her music. We first introduced you to Townes back in April, when we reviewed her Living Room Worktapes EP, and again, in May, as a NYCS Swag Spotlight artist.

The Sony Music/Columbia Nashville recording artist hones her songwriting skills and expresses her vulnerability and honesty through each of the four songs. The newly released music video for her beautiful song, and one of NYCountry Swag’s August song picks, “Somebody’s Daughter,” continues to depict the powerful lyrics and the overall message of the track – recognizing homelessness as an epidemic, but also empowering people to look at individuals, who are homeless as human beings.

The music video showcases the singer-songwriter playing guitar, as she belts the lyrics; however, the visuals focus on a little girl and her father, joyfully playing with one another, and the little girl all grown up, struggling with being homeless.

Townes captioned the video sharing, “This message is so important to me. My hope is for people to feel empowered to recognize those around us. We’ve all got a story and there’s a lot we can learn from a kid at a lemonade stand.”

One of the more powerful visuals comes at the end of the video, when the singer crosses paths with the homeless woman at a lemonade stand, run by a young male child. The visuals end with a commanding sentiment, “Everybody has a story.”

Check out the touching music video below.

Next up for the artist, who just wrapped up The Bandwagon Tour with Miranda Lambert and Little Big Town, is an overseas tour in October as part of the CMA Songwriters Series. Her full-length debut album is slated to be released in 2019.

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Walker Hayes Challenges Little Big Town, Lindsay Ell & Kelsea Ballerini

September 25, 2018/in Blog /by Erica Zisman

Walker Hayes, #90sCountryChallenge

Singer-songwriter Walker Hayes’ newly released single, “90’s Country” is quickly becoming a fan favorite. In our exclusive interview with Hayes, we learned how therapeutic the writing process was for the singer, as well as, the creative and unique techniques used in crafting the perfect lyrics. The track encompasses twenty-two 90’s country songs, giving listeners a fresh take on some classic hits.

To showcase how special the song is, the entertainer introduced his Instagram followers to a new and fun challenge, #90sCountryChallenge, with hopes to incite country music stars and fans alike to join in. Hayes kicked off the challenge with his rendition of “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” by Sammy Kershaw, encouraging fans to participate by tagging a friend to cover their favorite country song from the 90s.

Lindsay Ell Responds to Walker Hayes #90sCountryChallenge

The singer-songwriter nominated fellow country musicians, Little Big Town, Lindsay Ell, and Kelsea Ballerini. So far, Ell has accepted the challenge, covering what she deemed her “favorite country song from the 90s,” Deana Carter’s “Strawberry Wine.” Doused in a black and white filter, fans can see the songstress’ amazing cover on her Instagram. Ell tagged fellow country music females, Cassadee Pope, Maren Morris, and Raelynn, challenging the women to participate in the challenge.

[[UPDATE: (Saturday, 9.29.18)] – Little Big Town has responded to Hayes’ challenge posting a flawless cover of Shenandoah’s “Ghost in This House” on their Instagram. In the post captioned, “Back At Ya @WalkerHayes #90sCountryChallenge…” The group tagged Ashley Monroe, Kelleigh Bannen and Madison Ryann Ward, challenging the artists to get involved. So far, both Lindsay Ell and Little Big Town have responded to Walker Hayes’ original challenge post. With only one artist remaining, Kelsea Ballerini. ]

Little Big Town Responds to Walker Hayes #90sCountryChallenge

Many fans have took it upon themselves to cover their own favorite 90s country song, in honor of Hayes’ single. Here at NYCountry Swag, we encourage you to check out the singer’s Instagram and tag some of your favorite artists in the challenge, maybe even participate yourself!

Next up for the singer, he will return to New York City for his headlining show at Mercury Lounge on October 9th, just before joining Old Dominion overseas in Europe for the ‘Happy Endings’ Fall Tour. Find tickets for Hayes’ NYC show here.

Don’t Miss our LIVE Swag Session with Walker Hayes from New York City’s Refinery Rooftop. Check it out in the video below…

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Thank You for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Subscribe to our Weekly Round-Up here
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