Newcomer Tenille Townes hails from Grand Prairie, Canada. After years of playing writers rounds in Nashville including the famed Bluebird Cafe, she has finally made her music available digitally today. The Living Room Worktapes are four songs that culminate to paint the perfect picture of what this young artist is truly capable of. In addition to releasing her music today, Townes announced on social media that she has signed a record deal with Sony Music/Columbia Nashville.
The lyrics on this project are so well written, so thought out that it is apparent these ideas have been working their way through her life and just had to be expressed through song. Vulnerable stories coupled with Townes’ uncanny vocal ability to be strong and sweet, tender and powerful.
Teaming up with heavy hitters such as Luke Laird and Barry Dean for “Somebody’s Daughter” the story is about a woman struggling with the reality of homelessness.
“Bet she was somebody’s best friend / laughing back when she was somebody’s sister / counting change at the lemonade stand, probably somebody’s high school first kiss / dancing in the gym where the kids all talk about someday plans / now this light will turn green and I’ll hand her a couple dollars / and I’ll wonder if she got lost or they forgot her shes somebody’s daughter”
Another stand out is “Jersey on the Wall”, a slow ballad, burning with questions for God or a higher power including the reason for someone dying so young.
“If I ever get to heaven, you know I’ve got a long list of questions / like ‘How do you make a snowflake?’ / ‘Are you angry when the earth quakes?’, / ‘How does the sky change in a minute?’ /’How do you keep this big rock spinning?’ / ‘Why can’t you stop a car from crashing’ / forgive me I’m just asking”
Proving that a simple guitar and an exquisite voice can transport the listener, with very little production needed. Take a listen below to Living Room Worktapes below and follow Tenille Townes on social media here: Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Tencov.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-04-13 15:25:582018-04-13 15:33:55NYCS First Impression: Tenille Townes Living Room Worktapes
New York Country Swag teamed up with the new Opry City Stage in Times Square to bring you our first installment of The Country Round-Up.
In this first episode, we chat about country news, views, and all things country music in the New York metro area and beyond, including a special FaceTime chat with Jimmie Allen, recap of our Babes, Booze & Brunch event, and clips from our Swag Sessions with Aaron Watson and Ashley Campbell.
Take a look at The Country Round-Up here and let us know what you think in the comments!
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– Team NYCountry Swag
https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/CountryRoundUpCover.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-04-13 11:28:472018-05-22 15:13:13NYCountry Swag & Opry City Stage Present: The Country Round-Up
This Sunday night, live from Vegas the Academy of Country Music Awards are set to take place, bringing incredible performances from Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, Florida Georgia Line, and many more. On this #TBT let’s take a look back at some of our favorite collaboration performances and moments from the prestigious award show.
At last year’s ACM Awards, Florida Georiga Line sang their most recent single “God, Your Mama and Me” with help from boy band Backstreet Boys then they all did the iconic dance to “Everybody” together, making a memorable moment for all watching.
Ethan Miller Getty Images
Back in 2014, Hilary, Charles, and Dave of Lady Antebellum collaborated with Stevie Nicks to sing the title track from their 2013 album Golden. The addition of Nicks’ voice to their already incredible harmonies made for quite the performance.
Getty Images
Power vocalist Carrie Underwood took the stage to perform with rock icon Steven Tyler. They sang her single in 2001, “Undo It” then finished their performance with “Walk This Way”. This moment was a definite highlight of the 2011 ACM Awards.
Ethan Miller Getty Images
One of our all-time favorite duets, Reba McEntire and Kelly Clarkson are reviving this 2007 collaboration this Sunday night at the ACMs. Back in 2007, they performed a heartfelt, emotional rendition of Clarkson’s “Because of You”. Which song do you think they will sing together this year?
Photo Credit: Mark J. Terrill
Brad Paisley joined by John Mayer performed “Beat This Summer” at the 49th Annual ACM Awards back in 2013. The duo went head to head shredding on their electric guitars, wowing the viewers.
Getty Images for ACM
Which collaborations would you love to see on Sunday night? Tweet us @NYCountry Swag and let us know! Be sure to follow along as our team LIVE Tweets the show Sunday at 8 PM ET.
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This morning Carrie Underwood joined iHeartRadio to premiere her brand new single “Cry Pretty”. The song was written by Underwood along with the songwriting team, the Love Junkies, Liz Rose, Hilary Lindsey and Lori McKenna, also responsible for Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush”. The ballad is heavy, but uplifting, proving that although you can fake smile and smile through a lie, crying is very real and it is hard to look beautiful when letting those emotions out.
Underwood has been out of the spotlight since taking a fall outside her Nashville home last fall, making her triumphant return with this epic anthem on Sunday night’s ACM Awards on CBS. Be sure to be following @NYCountry Swag on Twitter as we LIVE Tweet the award show and let us know in the comments what you think about Underwood’s latest single.
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Jensen Sussman may not be a name that country music fans may know right away however her company, Sweet Talk PR, is a boutique firm specializing in entertainment and music media relations for many of country music’s biggest names such as Florida Georiga Line, Kelsea Ballerini, Dustin Lynch and more. As our April Woman of the Month, we highlight the journey Sussman took to get to where she is now as a boss of her own successful public relations company in Nashville.
Sussman moved to New York City after graduating college with a major degree in dance and a minor in biology. She wanted to have no regrets and to pursue a career in dance in the Big Apple. “I didn’t want to fast forward and be in my 50’s and look back and never have lived my dream of being a dancer,” she explains. “I did the whole starving artist thing where I was teaching dance for a ballet school in New Jersey, auditioning and working retail, taking every part-time job I could to make ends meet.” During her time hustling to live out her first dream, she landed a job working for Urban Outfitters in the women’s accessories section and fell in love with the makeup lines Hard Candy, Urban Decay and Tony and Tina.
Loving makeup, she took a job working for Bloomingdales corporate office for Tony and Tina and that is where she got her very first taste for the public relations/creative development world. There she learned how to pitch, write press releases and work with a team of creatives on new products for the line. Realizing how much she had learned from Bloomingdales, she went on to work for a PR agency full time, Trachtenberg & Co. which repped everything from luxury brands to beauty brands and she perfected her craft, learning and truly becoming a publicist.
After a health scare forced her to move home to Nashville to be closer to the support of her family, she decided to plant some roots instead of moving right back to New York City. Her father, who had worked in the music business, introduced her to Little Big Town at a holiday party and they just happened to be looking for a tour publicist. Although the music industry was a change from the makeup and beauty world, Sussman gladly took the opportunity and learned all she could from their national publicist Jenny Bohler. “Jenny ended up being my mentor and really taught me everything about country music, working music and everything about Nashville. I wouldn’t be where I am without her.” she humbly explained.
After freelancing for some time, then working for Sony Music Nashville followed by Warner Music Group, Sussman started her own company, Sweet Talk PR. One of her connections reached out to her about helping to launch an unsigned duo that was ready to release their first single to iTunes. That duo just happened to be Brian Kelley and Tyler Hubbard also known as Florida Georgia Line. “FGL changed my life and the next thing I knew we started working, we launched “Cruise” and I had a company, a staff, and an amazing roster. All of the stars aligned and everything fell into place.” The debut single from the duo stayed in the number one spot on the Hot Country Songs chart for 24 weeks and sold over 7 million copies in the U.S.
We discussed if starting her own company and having such a resounding success with her first client was scary at first, she explained “I don’t think so, I’ve always been that person that sees a challenge and goes after it. I think that sometimes I just jump and don’t necessarily look which is a good thing, because you don’t have fear, but when I’m soaring I’m like ‘Wait, stop? What’s happening?” she laughs. “I tend to just jump and not have much fear about that.” Now six years later, Sweet Talk PR is home to megastars including, Florida Georiga Line, their latest restaurant/bar in downtown Nashville, FGL House, Kelsea Ballerini, Jerrod Nieman and Dustin Lynch. The company also supports rising stars such as Chris Lane, Morgan Wallen, Dylan Scott and Tegan Marie.
She tells us that one of the things she loves so much about her industry and publicity, in general, is how every day can be different. “One day you can be on set covering a TV taping, if you have an artist that is on a late night TV show, your day can be bouncing around press interviews that you have to set up, or you can spend the day at a tour stop if it is a huge headlining show,” she explains. “It can also be sitting in your office all day not leaving your desk and sending out a thousand press releases or pitches to set up a campaign to launch a single, tour or album.”
Photo Credit: Delany Royer
Sussman has a team of strong women who work to make her clients happy and successful and help her company run smoothly “For me it’s really important to surround yourself with amazing people and to create the opportunities for other women and encourage each other because we are all rising through this together, whether its male or female, we are all in this business because we love music. As long as we put our heads down and work hard and deliver on whatever our role is in this industry, that is what will keep us motivated and keep us going.” She credits her family and friends as well for being a great support system and tells us that they have helped her navigate working in this industry.
“I always say PR finds you, it takes a very special type of person and work ethic to be able to do this job,” she tells us. Explaining that while people who work in the music industry do have incredible jobs, it is not always pretty and it is very hard work. “We are so fortunate we get to do amazing things with our careers but there is the side that you have to roll up your sleeves and work, there are those days where it’s twenty-hour days, and you are up until 2 am writing a press release. I love what I am doing so much, we are so fortunate but it’s a lot of hard work and there is a lot of ups and down through that process.”
This past Saturday, New York Country Swag teamed up with Swerve Fitness in Midtown Manhattan to host a country-music-themed spin class. Swerve classes are unlike other cycle classes in that each bike is positioned in a team setting, blue, green or red and lights above the bikes go off during the class defining your teammates. Combining teamwork and technology, Swerve allows riders to become a part of a team and work towards a specific goal that is displayed on the boards in the front of the room. You feel accountable and motivated to spin to the best of your ability and that aspect makes the classes unique and fun.
During our country ride, riders spun along to Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” feat. Nelly, Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like A Woman” and Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)”. Our followers enjoyed the fitness class with their favorite music. Thanks to our friends at Swerve for working with us to create such a fun class and a great way to kick off our morning! Stay tuned for more fun events from New York Country Swag.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Swerve_Cover.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-04-10 12:51:252018-05-22 15:16:12NYCountry Swag Partners with Swerve for a Country-Music-Themed Fitness Class…
A Tennesee native, this week’s Swag Spotlight shines on Brinley Addington. Growing up east of Nashville in Kingsport, TN Addington was surrounded by his parent’s musical influences. His mother loved Alison Krauss & Union Station while his father preferred Ricky Skaggs, James Taylor, and Jim Croce. One of the first concerts he attended just happened to be Alan Jackson and Randy Travis, starting his love for traditional country music early.
After a life-changing trip to Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry when he was just three years old, Addington tells us in a recent phone conversation that he can clearly remember being in that famous room. “I remember the feeling, the story my parents tell me is that that day I was really cranky being a 3-year-old on a trip, whining and crying, but then when we got to the Opry and the curtain went up and I was just silent,” he recalls. “It’s just a special place. I love going and it is kind of the mark for me.”
From then on he would stand on the coffee table, pretending to be performing on the stage at the Opry. As he got older he formed his own influences which included Tracy Lawrence, Joe Diffie, Tim McGraw, George Strait, and Garth Brooks. Songwriting started early, Addington recalls freeform writing in English class and a poetry assignment. “I always enjoyed making things rhyme. The thing I love about country is lyrics and what they said, the thing that drew me to songs first were the lyrics I always paid attention to that,” he explains to us. Towards the end of high school, he learned to play guitar and realized that he wasn’t just writing down rhymes, but he started writing songs. Now looking back at his journey into songwriting he is grateful for the guidance he learned so early on. “I love songwriting, it’s a great outlet and I am very lucky that this is what I get to do every day,” he says.
His first cut came last year when Tyler Farr recorded “I Should Go To Church Sometime” as his next single. Written by Addington along with Michael Hardy and Sarah Turner he recalls how the song completely changed his life. Turner brought the idea to the write that day and as soon as she said it a light flip switched in Addington’s head. “There is a lot of truth in it, if you grew up in church which I did, when you get older you maybe don’t go as much as you should and there is guilt surrounding that,” he tells us. It’s not meant to make people feel guilty it’s just recognizing the thought that bad things go on in the world and it’s about stopping and reflecting and thinking ‘I need to pay more attention’.” It was the first cut for all three of the songwriters and they got to experience that milestone together.
Addington’s debut single and the first off his new EP was released last Friday and is titled, “No Thanks”. The track was written by Addington’s friends, Ryan Beaver, Michael Tyler and Will Weatherly. When discussing the concept for his new EP with Beaver, he heard the demo and flipped out over it and loved it. “I kept listening to it over and over and we got down to recording again and I asked if I could record it. They were gracious enough to let me,” he tells us. He loves how it is a fun and lighthearted song all about his favorite kinds of bars. “I’m really not into fancy places. I like going to hole in the walls with neon signs and Miller Lite and it works good for me,” he laughs. “I would rather have a great time in a dive bar and any song that name drops Travis Tritt and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in the same song, I feel like that’s just something I had to be a part of.”
“No Thanks” is the first sneak peek listeners will hear of the forthcoming EP, slated for release later this month. Addington wrote three of the five songs and they are all fun songs, great for a live show. Instead of doing a typical industry showcase to introduce the new music, his team decided to host the EP release at one of the first places he played when he first moved to town, Nashville Crossroads on Broadway.
As for his plans for the rest of the year, he can’t wait to play the new music for his fans and get back on the road. Be sure to follow Brinley on his social media platforms Facebook,Twitter, and Instagram.
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When an artist writes and records an album, they do so in a certain order so the listener can appreciate their thought process and their journey. That is exactly the experience that Kelsea Ballerini wanted to give her sold-out crowd in New York City last night. Ballerini played her entire 2017 sophomore album, Unapologetically in order, explaining throughout the night the story behind the songs and each section of the record, heartbreak, self-discovery, and finding true love.
Throughout her winter tour, Ballerini has had Walker Hayes play a 45-minute set to warm up the crowd. Nash FM DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy had a big surprise for the singer, asking him to join them on stage so that they could present him with his very first ever certified platinum record for “You Broke Up With Me”. Hayes gasped and held his hands over his mouth in disbelief when they made the announcement and graciously accepted the plaque. Watching that special moment was the perfect way to kick off his set.
Photo Credit: Catherine Powell
Hayes performed songs off of his debut album, Boom such as “Break the Internet”, “Dollar Store”, “Beautiful” and “Halloween”. He paused to explain to the fans how grateful he was for that moment. “I’m humbled, I’ve never had a platinum record,” he said. “The reason that this song went platinum is because of the people like you who love music and who are open minded, because my music definitely doesn’t fit into a box”. Singing his next single, “Craig” he explained that the song was a simple thank you to someone who helped him out during a rough time in his life and that he feels it is an absolute miracle that the song is going to country radio in a few short weeks. He closed with a song he wrote as a tribute to his favorite country artist, Kenny Chesney, “Shut Up Kenny”.
Ballerini’s set included a giant video heart that changed colors and displayed videos that corresponded with each song. She opened the show with the first song on Unapologetically, “Graveyard” and continued through the entire project. One thing became clear extremely early on in the night, Ballerini’s fans are unlike those who just listen to the radio and know the words to the singles. For an album that has only been released for five short months, it was remarkable to hear the entire room in unison not only singing “Legends” but every single word of every single song that she performed. The way she interacts with her fans, even in a packed room like last night, she lovingly let them feel the appreciation she has for each and every one of them.
“I played the next song at the Grand Ole Opry,” she began. “I can’t explain there was just a magic in it and we knew we had to put it on the album and today I heard it on NASH FM 94.7 for the very first time,” she told us before singing her next country radio single, “I Hate Love Songs”. After finishing “Legends” which closes out her latest album, she thanked the crowd for changing her life with these next songs. The night wouldn’t be complete without “Peter Pan”, “Dibs” and “Yeah Boy”. “I wanted to end each night of this tour how everything started, just me and my guitar.” She explained before performing an acoustic version of her debut single and first number one, “Love Me Like You Mean It”. If the night wasn’t filled with magic already, Ballerini held up the microphone for the last chorus and the audience drowned out the singer with their singing.
The tour heads to New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom tonight for another sold-out show. Below are the remaining stops and click here for tickets.
April 6 – Sayreville, N.J. @ Starland Ballroom April 7 – Richmond, Va. @ The National April 19 – Portland, Ore. @ Crystal Ballroom April 20 – Spokane, Wash. @ The Knitting Factory April 21 – Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox SoDo April 25 – Santa Barbara, Calif. @ Arlington Theatre April 27 – Indio, Calif. @ Stagecoach Festival
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Kelsea_Cover-1.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-04-06 17:02:392018-04-10 16:20:06Kelsea Ballerini and Walker Hayes Sold Out Show at Playstation Theater
Walker Hayes is no stranger to playing in New York City. In the past, he has opened for Dan and Shay and sold out his own headlining show at American Beauty. Just hours before he joined Kelsea Ballerini to open her Unapologetically Tour at Playstation Theatre, Hayes joined New York Country Swag at Refinery Rooftop to play his debut radio single “You Broke Up With Me” and “Beautiful”. We also talked about his touring schedule, the new radio single “Craig”, swapped Dad Jokes and even found out his favorite cereals.
Country music took late night television by storm last night, Chris Lane and Tori Kelly performed their captivating love song “Take Back Home Girl” on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon. Lane started the song solo, singing the opening verse and chorus while Kelly’s angelic harmonies complimented the pop-country crossover song. The camera then pans to the steps of the audience where Kelly stands to sing the second verse, then joins Lane on the main stage for the remainder of the song.
Ashley McBryde also graced America’s late night TV last night on Jimmy Kimmel Live singing the debut single “A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega” from her latest album Girl Going Nowhere. McBryde looked incredible in a silver bomber jacket with a band t-shirt underneath and her smile at the very opening chords of the song lit up the entire room. A third of the way through the song the band stops playing, McBryde drops her hand from the guitar, the band gets quiet as she sings acapella to start the final chorus and as the band comes back in to finish, they rock together for the rest of the song.
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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!
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– Team NYCountry Swag
https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/TV.jpg288480Christina Boschhttp://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-04-03 12:24:232018-04-03 12:24:23[Watch] Ashley McBryde & Chris Lane Head to Late Night Television