[Listen] Carly Pearce Releases New Single “Closer To You”

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Closer to You

Big Machine Label Group recording artist Carly Pearce, has had an incredibly successful year following the release of her 2017 debut album Every Little Thing. She is now ready to begin the next chapter of her life and career, with the release of the lead single from her upcoming sophomore studio album, entitled “Closer To You.”

Pearce teased fans all week long via her social media accounts with multiple video clips. The rising country star began with three separate short clips spelling out “Closer To You” over the course of three days. She then posted an eight-second video of the single’s melody with clips from the road and in the recording studio. “There’s a diamond sky that’s waiting for us just outside of town / With the moon hanging for me and you baby / We can cut the headlights out when there ain’t no else around / Kill the space in between, slide across that leather seat,” she sings acapella as she puts on mascara in the fifth clip. Finally, on Wednesday (Oct. 31), Pearce officially announced the single’s release date, along with unveiling its cover art.

Penned by Gordie Sampson, Hillary Lindsey, and Troy Verges, this upbeat love song exemplifies the feeling of being so eminently in love with someone, you yearn to be as close to them as possible. Pearce sings in the chorus,  “Kill the space in between / Slide across that leather seat / Heart to heart / Face to face / You know all I wanna do / Is get closer, closer, closer to you” Watch the lyric video below.

Pearce is offering a  “Closer To You” package exclusive to her website with a brand new t-shirt and digital download of the single which is now available here. You can catch Pearce performing at the 2018 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airing live on NBC from 9 am- 12 pm on November 22nd.

“Closer To You” is now available everywhere you stream or buy music.  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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New Music Friday – The Playlist 11/2

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It’s the best day of the week… New Music Friday! Today we have the highly anticipated album from Pistol Annies, Interstate Gospel. Filled with sass, vulnerability and as always, incredible stories check out our First Impression of the album here. In addition, we see a new album from country crooner, Carter Winter with the release of Temptation. Many new singles to note this week including brand new tracks from Tim McGraw, Carly Pearce, Kip Moore, Chris Bandi, Cale Dodds, Brandon Ratcliff, Lacy Cavalier, Lauren Davidson 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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NYCS First Impression: Carter Winter ‘Temptation’

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Carter Winter Temptation

We had the pleasure of working with country up and comer, Carter Winter back in 2016 on a few different occasions including when the singer-songwriter performed acoustically at Printers Alley in NYC to celebrate NYCountry Swag’s first birthday. Since then, the artist has garnered success and recognition with his debut album The Whiskey in Me, and most recently was signed by Average Joes Entertainment and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Publishing.

Winter, who has been touring for the better part of the last few years and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down, as he just released his follow-up album entitled Temptation. The record is a cohesive collection of seven songs, all co-written by the singer, and produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Chad Carlson. Showcasing his country roots and infusing rock elements, according to the singer the album was “two years in the making”.

Winter shared his feelings about his new record deal and album on Twitter stating “You sign a record deal and all of the sudden you’re rich & famous & everything is given to you right? No. Wrong. It’s starting at the bottom again, humbled, on a bigger playing field. It’s extending my family and my team to help the music reach as many people as it possibly can..” Temptation personifies Winter’s humbleness and growth as a musician.

The first song off the record and title track, “Temptation,” solidifies the singer’s bad-boy edge, similar to former label-mate Brantley Gilbert’s vibe. The track focuses on its hard-driving melody, as well as, its story-line about giving into lust with a person the singer meets at the bar. Its catchy lyrics could possibly make it be mistaken as a Cole Swindell song. Winter premiered a music video for the jam, just before his album dropped.

Another standout track on the album, “Skylines,” fits effortlessly into the country hits that are on the radio right now. “Skylines” is Winter’s interpretation of a small-town, country girl, wanting to leave home for the lights and skylines of a big city, without forgetting her roots. The slow-jam has hints of Sam Hunt’s signature charm, and will surely resonate with Hunt fans. Winter showcases his moody, bad-boy vibe, yet again, in “I Got Me.” The killer guitar riffs and powerful lyrics tell the story of a man taking back his independence, after the end of a seemingly toxic relationship. “Thought I needed you to feel alive / but you only loved me when I was down / I know how you treat me when i’m not around / So I did what I had to / Went what I went through / To find out I don’t need you / Cause I got me / Yeah I got my own back / I’m going to bleed for where I want to be out / I don’t need you to be okay with that / Yeah cause I got / I got me.”

Switching gears from some of the more guitar-heavy, power-punching songs, the recording artist commits to showing his softer side with “Another Lie.” Winter admits on the heartbreaking track that he’s “no saint,” as he tries to navigate his feelings about a disintegrating relationship. “Another Lie” is one of the most poignant and honest songs on the singer’s record.

Temptation is now available everywhere you stream or buy 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.

Winter heads to Brooklyn’s Knitting Factory on November 10th, where he is sure to play songs off the new record. Find tickets for the show here. For additional tour information, visit carterwinter.com. Make sure to follow the singer on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to keep up with his journey.

 

 

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NYCS First Impression: Pistol Annies ‘Interstate Gospel’

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Pistol Annies Interstate Gospel

Pistol Annies, Interstate Gospel

After five years and a handful of solo projects, the Pistol Annies are back with their third LP, Interstate Gospel, the follow-up to 2013’s Annie Up. If there was any concern about the trio having lost its luster during its hiatus, those fears are allayed immediately with this new release. On Interstate Gospel, the women do what they do best: turn clever lyrics into phenomenal country songs, delivered with honesty, vulnerability, and straight-up storytelling genius.

With Miranda Lambert (“Lonestar Annie”) at the helm, the Annies don’t stray too far from Lambert’s classic sound, but Angaleena Presley (“Holler Annie”) and Ashley Monroe (“Hippie Annie”), help to dirty it up in all of the best ways. While Lambert sometimes caters to the masses on her solo projects (think “Something Bad” or “Little Red Wagon”), she’s at her best as the lead Annie, bringing the twang that’s often missing from the current country climate. On Interstate Gospel, the ballads are overwhelmingly honest and vulnerable, the harmonies are powerful, and there’s a clever snappiness to the lyrics that are unmatched.

On “Sugar Daddy,” the women celebrate a man with money, who’s got “diamonds in his watch, a boat on his dock…chrome on his bike, bourbon on ice.” The lyrics and phrasing here are masterful, discussing the sugar daddy, while then cleverly offering a turn of phrase with “Give me some sugar, daddy.” In that same vein is “Got My Name Changed Back,” written by Monroe and Presley, which is quite simply an ode to the merits of divorce. The track shows Lambert’s sassy site, as she laments, “I don’t want to be a Mrs. on paper no more, got my name changed back.” The instrumentation here perfectly compliments the lyrics, and this song is bound to be the anthem of divorcees for the rest of time.

Although we’re now years removed from Lambert’s divorce from a certain The Voice coach, it’s hard not to wonder which of these songs may have been written during that time. Obviously, “Got My Name Changed Back,” fits that theme, as does “Masterpiece,” a vulnerable track that laments a failed relationship in the public eye.,”Baby, we were just a masterpiece, up there on the wall for the world to see,” the lyrics reveal, and it’s clear what the song is the story of. That’s not to say it’ s a bad thing, as this track is one of Lambert’s all-time finest (think “Tin Man” or “Over You”), proving why she’s been country’s reigning queen for the better part of the last decade.

“Best Years of My Life” and “When I Was His Wife” tell similar tales of marriage gone wrong, while “Stop Drop and Roll One” shows the three women trading lead vocals. The album’s title track does the same, with the trio mixing religious stories (“Even Moses was a basketcase“) to tell the story of how the road is saving them. “This Interstate Gospel is saving my soul,” they sing. “These church signs, they light up these roads that I roam, they’re leading me closer to calling me home.”

While a Pistol Annies project may never get the attention of a solo Lambert release, Interstate Gospel is the album that the genre has so desperately needed. While female artists and girl groups struggle to get the airplay they deserve, the Annies have put out one of mainstream country’s strongest and most honest releases in years. Together, the trio combines their diverse voices, experiences, and styles into traditional country storytelling and the result is truly a masterpiece. While much of the album deals with marriage gone wrong, Interstate Gospel tells of a different kind of musical marriage between three incredible women that has gone incredibly right.

Interstate Gospel track listing:

“Interstate Prelude”
“Stop Drop and Roll One”
“Best Years of My Life”
“5 Acres of Turnips”
“When I Was His Wife”
“Cheyenne”
“Got My Name Changed Back”
“Sugar Daddy”
“Leavers Lullaby”
“Milkman”
“Commissary”
“Masterpiece”
“Interstate Gospel”
“This Too Shall Pass”

Interstate Gospel is now available everywhere you stream or buy 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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Country Artists Among Star Studded Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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As tradition has it, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will once again be making its way through New York City. Airing live on Thanksgiving Day, November 22nd from 9 am – 12 pm on NBC.

This year, be on the lookout for country stars, Martina McBride who recently released her brand new Christmas album, It’s The Holiday Season, Sugarland, Kane Brown who just release his sophomore album, The Experiment, Carly Pearce, and Tegan Marie.  All of these country stars will be among the star-studded lineup taking part of the festivities.

Other artists to be featured in the 92nd annual parade are John Legend, Diana Ross, Rita Ora,
Pentatonix, Bazzi, and many more. Make sure you tune in, it’s an event you definitely don’t want
to miss and for all of the information about the parade head to https://www.macys.com/social/parade/.

 

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Royal South Makes Their TV Debut on ‘Good Day’

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Royal South

Sarabeth and her bandmates joined New York Country Swag earlier this year to perform a Live Swag Session, now they are officially ‘Royal South’ and making their television debut.  Glenn, Sarabeth, and Vickie took the stage to perform and chat with the hosts of Good Day on Fox this morning.  Co-anchors Rosanna Scotto and Lori Stokes introduce the band as a “country, harmony, powerhouse trio straight out of Nashville”.  Watch the full performance and interview here.

They asked them before their performance where the name Royal South came from and lead singer Sarabeth replied: “We wanted something that was actually talking about where we are all from, it’s hard to name a band, I know it sounds like it might be easy but it took us a year,” she explained.  “Vickie and I are both from the south in the U.S, I am from Texas and she’s from Kentucky and then Glenn is from England, so we thought, ‘Royal South’.”  She then goes on to explain that each of the members of Royal South had careers prior to coming together as a band.  They also discussed how their producer, Paul Worley who has worked with The Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum pitched them the single and they loved it.

After the short chat, the trio sang their debut single “Cry Cry”, showing off their pitch-perfect harmonies and incredible skills on the bass and the guitar. The uplifting anthem was the perfect way for viewers to start off their morning. Be sure to also check out our Swag Session from earlier in the year with the trio below.

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The Ladies of Runaway June Make Their Morning TV Debut on TODAY

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Ladies Runaway June TODAY

Photo Courtesy of Today.com

Earlier this morning, ACM nominated New Vocal Group of the Year, Runaway June, made their morning-television debut on NBC’s Today Show. They took the stage during the 10 am hour with co-anchors, Kathie Lee and Hoda, performing their latest single, “Buy My Own Drinks,” off their recently released self-titled EP.  Watch the full interview and performance here.

Before performing their catchy girl-power anthem, Kathie Lee and Hoda, came to the stage with special guest Martina McBride to introduce and talk to the lovely ladies, Naomi Cooke, Hannah Mulholland, and Jennifer Wayne. When chatting to the group, Kathie Lee mentioned, “They’re the first all-female trio in over a decade to earn two top 40 hits!” With Hoda continuing by saying, “We’re so excited y’all are here with us, you guys are opening for Carrie Underwood when she goes on tour after the baby, along with Maddie and Tae…Are you pinching yourself?” The trio replying, “Yes, every moment, it’s bananas, it’s crazy!” Making the moment even cooler was having McBride standing beside them, a woman who has paved the way in this genre.

After the quick interview, the time came for the powerhouse group of ladies to take the stage, singing an anthem we all needed. The ladies brought energy to their performance, showing off their incredible talent with such confidence. The trio harmonized beautifully, as they sang their lyrics, captivating their audience at home all while leaving them empowered. At the end of the song, Kathie Lee, Hoda, and McBride came back on stage cheering the girls on and saying, “We love them!” New Yorkers, can catch Runaway June on the ‘The Cry Pretty Tour 360’ with Carrie Underwood and Maddie and Tae at the iconic Madison Square Garden on October 2nd, 2019.

 

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NYCS 2018 Artist to Watch Where Are They Now: Ryan Griffin

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Here at New York Country Swag, we pride ourselves on being tastemakers, finding and championing new and up-and-coming artists and introducing our followers to the best of the best of the rising acts. Back in January of this year we named the 10 artists below in our “Artists to Watch in 2018” and we are proud to say, we know rising talent before they make it big. Someone to add to your watch list is Ryan Griffin.

Ryan Griffin

Photo Credit to Dove Shore

Griffin has had an interesting start to his career as a singer/songwriter, as an intern at Broken Bow Records. Now that might not be that surprising but what it was at the time BBR had a new singer on their list named Jason Aldean who needed someone to go on the road with him. Griffin being free, soon became Aldean’s tour manager. While being on the road was great he wanted to be a songwriter himself. Since then he has scored songs on many records and his most popular was Kelsea Ballerini’s “Dibs” that hit number one. Since then Griffin been recording his debut album in bits and pieces.

This last year Griffin’s work has finally paid off. He was named one of Nashville Lifestyles Most Beautiful People of 2018 which highlights athletes, attorneys, singers, songwriters, doctors and more around Nashville. On top of that Griffin just signed into a joint publishing and development deal with songwriter/producer busbee and Warner Music Nashville partnering with Altadena, officially launching his own singing career. This partnership wasted no time in jumping right in as the rising artist is now currently in the studio working on new music with the producer, which is slated for release next year. Griffin also released three new songs earlier this year that have been highlighted on Spotify playlists, gaining attention from new fans, and he was selected to be a SiriusXM “On The Horizon” artist.

“Good Company”, “Play It By Heart” and “Best Cold Beer” combine Country, R&B, and Pop making each one suitable to any listener. “Play It By Heart” documents an affectionate side of Griffin, “Good Company” turns it up with slow guitar strums, irresistible vocals and a beat that makes you want to dance, and “Best Cold Beer” is a new take on a waste of money at the bars.

Griffin mentioned at his show at The Listening Room in August that in the past that he has always enjoyed the process of creating music. With this new album, he is trying to be intentional with the music that he puts forth, perfecting his sound and honing in on his songwriting.  Indeed, “Best Cold Beer,” “Good Company” and “Play It By Heart” are insights of who he is: fun, soft, emotional, and a touch of hipster. To make sure you stay up to date with Ryan Griffin, you can follow his social and add him on Spotify to be the first to listen to any new music he puts out.

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Runaway June Performs On Halloween at Nash FM 94.7’s Stage 17

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Runaway June Nash FM

Photo Via NASH FM 94.7 Facebook

It was a happy-and hilarious-Halloween last night (October 31) as Runway June took the Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 at Nash FM 94.7 dressed in costume as another country trio: Midland. The Nash FM 94.7 team was also in the holiday spirit with Jesse Addy, a Dalmatian, and Katie Neal, Cruella De Ville, introducing the first all-female trio in over a decade to have a top 25 hit (“Lipstick”).

Donning mustaches and hats reminiscent of Midland, Naomi Cooke as Jess, Hannah Mulholland as Cam and Jennifer Wayne as Mark took to the stage in front of an intimate group of fans. After the first song, Naomi and Jennifer shed their faux mustaches which were interfering with being able to sing. Hannah, however, stuck with hers, saying “it feels horrible, but I’m going to commit to the mustache” with a laugh.

Runaway June Nash FM

Photo Via NASH FM 94.7 Facebook

Next, Naomi told the group “you might know this one” as they went into a cover of Keith Urban’s “Love Somebody Like You”. Following the song, she explained the trio was “In four states in one day” the prior day, using that to introduce their latest hit on country radio “Wild West”. Fun fact: Jennifer is the granddaughter of Hollywood Western legend John Wayne. Fans were treated to an amazing live rendition of the bluegrass-tinged single, which earned them an ACM 2018 nomination for new vocal duo or group of the year.

As the trio launched into their hit freedom anthem “Buy My Own Drinks”, Naomi took notice of the one fan, a woman named Tracey, that had been dancing solo from the start of the show, bringing her up on stage. Tracey later told us she first heard the group/song three weeks ago while visiting her daughter in New Hampshire and it struck a chord with her as her husband passed away six years ago. After that, the ladies launched into their take on Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You” which was co-written by Jennifer. Finally, the trio performed a lively, sing-along worthy version of “Lipstick”, the perfect close to a spirited night. Watch the full live video below.

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Battle of the Bones Charity Event in Nashville Feat. Rascal Flatts & more

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Battle of the bones

Photo Via @Tylerrich on Instagram

On October 30th, The BIG 98 held the 6th annual Battle Of The Bones at The Wildhorse Saloon to kick off Halloween. Tyler Rich, Danielle Bradbery, Eli Young Band, and Rascal Flatts performed in their Halloween costumes to get the party started.

Battle of the bones

Photo Via @Daniellebradbery on Instagram

 

Rich & his band started off the show dressed up as characters from the movie Top Gun and performed the hit from the soundtrack “Danger Zone.” He also sang a new song called “Leave Her Wild,” and a few tracks from his EP including “11:11,” Adrenaline,” and his chart-climbing single “The Difference.” Bradbery & her band came out dressed as the from Netflix’s ‘Stranger Things’. She came out in a pink-short sleeved dress as the character “Eleven.” The set included her first single “Heart Of Dixie” to her chart-climbing track duet with Thomas Rhett “Goodbye Summer.”

Battle of the bones

Photo Via @Eliyoungband on Instagram

Eli Young Band mentioned they didn’t know they had to dress up, so they took a pre-show trip to Walmart and ended on stage in costume as doctors. They sang some of their hits “Even If It Breaks Your Heart” and “Crazy Girl,” to get the crowd going and also their new single “Love Ain’t.”  The headliner, Rascal Flatts came out dressed up all different costumes. The band was dressed as the aliens from Toy Story, Joe Don Rooney was dressed in an ancient Egyptian costume, Jay DeMarcus dressed simply as a ninja, and Gary Levox in S.W.A.T. costume. They had the crowd singing along to all of their hits from “What Hurts The Most” to “Life Is A Highway.”

The annual Battle of the Bones event was in support of the T.J. Martell Foundation, which is the music industry’s largest foundation that funds cancer research. The foundation was established by Tony Martell’s making a promise to his dying son. T.J. Martell, a high school student battling leukemia. He asked his father to raise a million dollars so that no one else would have to experience what he had gone through. The proceeds of the show will benefit the FTL Sarcoma Fund. If you’d like to learn more or find out how you can help or donate, click here.

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