Long Island’s The Fest Kicks Off The 4th of July

The Fest

The perfect way to kick off the 4th of July holiday is seeing some of your favorite rising country acts after tailgating in the parking lot.  The Fest which takes place each year at Bald Hill Amphitheater on the east end of Long Island is known for showcasing rising talent and for being one big party.  If you arrived early you would see tents, corn hole games and a whole lot of American pride.  Men and women alike were decked out in the American Flag, some with their faces painted, drinking beer and celebrating their freedom. With three seating options, the lawn section was filling up quickly as Emily Brooke took the stage to open the festivities.

Fans gathered close to the stage in the pit to see the duo from Texas and London, Brown & Gray, who sang each song from their brand new debut EP Salt in the Coffee. Kaci and Sam announced that their next single is “Home” before playing the first track from the EP, which highlights their perfect harmonies. They closed their set with their first single to country radio, the perfect summertime hit “Top Down” and mashed it up with Tom Petty’s “American Girl”, the perfecting ending to a set that fans were excited to see.

The Fest

Next up in the lineup was Mitchell Tenpenny, an artist New York Country Swag has been following since last year when we hosted a Swag Session with him in Times Square.  Tenpenny who’s gritty vocal and catchy lyrics have earned him a current spot on country radio attracted a ton of fans to watch his 40-minute set.  Along with singing songs from his debut EP, he covered Billy Currington’s “Good Directions” and sang the song he wrote that Granger Smith cut, “If The Boot Fits” which he said completely changed his life. Closing out he played three of his biggest hits so far, “Alcohol You Later” which fans knew and sang along to, his current radio single “Drunk Me” and “Bitches” which he said is for all of the assholes, liars and cheaters that we all have dealt with in the past.  With obvious charisma, we are so excited to watch Tenpenny’s career soar.

The Fest

The next New York Country Swag favorite to take the stage was Russell Dickerson, bringing his high energy set, which we know well from our early Country Night events with Russell, to Long Island.  The sun just started to set as Dickerson performed songs from his debut album for a packed crowd including “Would You Love Me”, “Every Little Thing” and “FLOAT”. Taking time to slow things down just a bit, Dickerson paused to recognize the reason we were all there celebrating.  “Thank you to all of the men and women overseas, we send our love and support to our troops and our service men and women of this country, it’s why we get to celebrate the 4th of July,” he exclaimed.  Immediately following you could hear “USA” chants throughout the entire open venue, proving country fans are absolutely proud of their country. He closed his 50-minute set with his current single “Blue Tacoma” and then, of course, his very first number one, the love song he wrote for his wife Kailey, “Yours”.

The Fest

The Fest concluded with country superstar Dustin Lynch who took the stage around 9:30 PM, ready to close out the night of incredible acts and patriotism.  Kicking things off with “Hell of a Night”, he also performed songs from his latest album including “I’d Be Jealous Too” and “Love Me Or Leave Me Alone”.  During his first ever single “Cowboys and Angels” he changed the words to include “Long Island girls and guys like me” pausing to recall his 2012 single that got him started in this business and brought him to Long Island for the very first time, changing his life.  “I wrote that song about my grandma and my grandad who have been married 63 years this summer and to see y’all sing and dance to this song is unbelievable,” he told the crowd. His most recent number one single, “Small Town Boy” was the perfect way to end a night of celebrating America and the country music that we all love leaving fans already excited for next years The Fest.

For more country music in New York, make sure you are following us on Instagram, @NYCountrySwag.

 

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Spinn

Spinn

The ladies of Spinn, twins Stephanie and Cheryl Lynn Spinner have been interested in music since they were in the second grade, learning to play piano and both participating in the church choir.  Growing up in New Jersey, they recall in a recent interview with New York Country Swag that there was always music playing in the house, but it was a rare occasion when their parents would agree on the genre.  Their father although he grew up in New York City, loved country music while their mother loved rock n roll.   “In the house, we would have Bruce Springsteen and Heart then Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton and they always battled, music was always playing, but they couldn’t stand each other’s music it was kind of funny,” they explained. They took their first family trip to Nashville when the girls were twelve years old, attending a show at The Ryman, which only solidified their love for the genre.

The duo went to college originally in pursuit of a music business degree, to learn the ins and outs of the industry, then one of their professors told them they were crazy for not pursuing their career as singers instead.  “Having taken those classes in the music business, it helped us understand and guide our career and the failures were more rational, we understand that it is a business and things don’t always go the way you think they are going to,” they tell us.  “It’s not a no forever, it’s just a no for right now.”  They started to play shows when they were in college, eventually leading them to stages in New York like Rockwood Music Hall. They can recall when Nash FM 94.7 hit the New York City airwaves and how that was a game changer for them.  “Nash FM changed our lives, now with the resurgence of country music and finally having a station, it changed everything,” they explain.  The duo went on to compete in Nash’s regional Nash Next competition, beating out 750 other bands or artists and coming in first place.  This then allowed them the opportunity to head to Nashville, compete in their competition then hit the road with all of the finalists. “It was so much fun, the entire thing start to finish,” they explained. “We signed up to push fan engagement since we were about to release a music video. We had people voting, we got to do the live show, we won and it was the craziest thing in the entire world to be able to represent New York City and have that be your stamp “country duo from New York City”.”

Since then the duo has opened for LANco, Kalie Shorr, Drew Baldridge and Trent Harmon and in each instance they take everything in like sponges, absorbing every aspect of the artists’ live show. “We watch everyone and we try to take away what the best things they do at their meet and greets, how they interact on stage. For us, it is a blessing to be able to play in front of their fans and we enjoy bringing our fans to see incredible artists,” they tell us.

Spinn’s latest single, “Crazy For You” was written on a whim at 5:30 in the morning, Stephanie explains.  “I had an epiphany and the first three lines of the chorus just popped in my head, I was feeling so lazy, I did not want to get out of my bed but I laid in my bed and sang it into my phone.”  After some rearranging and writing the rest of the song together, Cheryl and Stephanie had their next song.  “It’s about balance, it’s about the people in your life who balance us out, we are chaotic and all over the place but those people are so important to us and we think finding the balance between the chaos and enjoying the simple things is a really big part of life and keeping us moving forward and on track and something we are focusing on right now,” they tell us.

We discussed their decision to pursue their career in New York instead of moving to Nashville and they explained that their families are here and that they are able to express a different narrative growing up here. “We love country music, but our experience and our journey in life is different than someone who grew up in the south, or anywhere else in the country,” they say.  “Our families and friends are here and they are the ones that shape us and support, our roots are something we hold very dear to us.”  They talk about the family of country music artists that are all making their dreams come true from the North East including Lauren Davidson, Carolyn Miller, and Tommy Cole. “We love Nashville, but this is home for us and for us to be able to experience what we can here, its something we have fought so hard to be able to do what we do here,” they explain.

Looking forward, Spinn is excited to release another EP this fall and plan a tour that will hit the northeast.  Be sure to be following the ladies of Spinn on their social media channels, Instagram,  Twitter,  and Facebook, for all announcements and upcoming releases.

 

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Morgan Evans

Morgan Evans 10 in 10 New York City Tour Stop

Morgan Evans

 

Ten nights, ten cities, one incredible artist.  Australian native, Morgan Evans has spent the past week touring the country, playing ten shows in ten nights and night number eight just happened to be New York City. Having played shows so far in California, Colorado, Kansas, Illinois, Texas, and Georgia, Evans teamed up with Southwest Airlines to jet set to each location to promote his current single “Kiss Somebody”.

New York Country Swag has been following Evans since last year when he first played Opry Circle in the City, his infectious charisma hasn’t changed one bit as his American following has grown immensely over the past year. Signed to a record deal with Warner Music Nashville and gearing up to release his debut EP later this fall, Evans is primed and ready to bring the success he found in Austraila over to the states.

He opened his set with a single that was only released two weeks ago to digital outlets, however, the sold-out New York City crowd knew every single word to “Day Drunk”. “You guys are officially singing this song the loudest I’ve heard yet,” he stopped to tell the audience. Having moved to the United States just a few short years ago after traveling back and forth, Evans has since then met the love of his life, Kelsea Ballerini, got married and signed a record deal with a major Nashville record label.  His life has changed drastically and he wrote a love song to not only his wife Kelsea but also to America called “American” as well as “Life Changes” which he then mashed with Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” and The Beatles huge hit “Hey Jude”.

 

One of the most unique and interesting parts of Evans’ show is the fact that he has the ability to play all of the instruments needed for each of his songs.  With the help of a pedal loop which allows him to record each individual part of the song he then plays them all together while he sings.  It is fascinating to watch and to start each song the crowd was attentive watching his talent shine through.  He sang “I Do” which was released just days after his wedding, pointing out that in the audience right up front was a couple who got engaged before he sang that song in Nashville a few months back.

His set wouldn’t be complete without “Kiss Somebody” which Evans’ explained, “As of last week, officially, crazily, became a top 1o single” thanking John Foxx and his team at Nash FM 94.7 for playing the tune. The smile on his face watching the sold-out crowd sing every word back to him was priceless and the perfect way to end a great night of amazing music from the newcomer.

For exclusive videos from Morgan Evans’ 10 in 10 Tour in NYC head to our Instagram.

 

Morgan Evans

 

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Craig Campbell Plays His First NYC Show at Opry City Stage

After his Swag Session with New York Country Swag, Craig Campbell headed to Opry City Stage in the heart of Times Square to perform his first New York City show for fans.  The 75-minute set took place in The Studio, the fourth floor of the Opry City Stage venue and Campbell sang songs from his previous albums as well as tracks from his latest EP, which was released earlier this month.  Included in his set were “My Little Cowboy” which he wrote when he found out that he was going to be a father, as well as “Family Man”.  “This song may have single-handedly gotten me my record deal,” he said before singing the heartfelt track from his debut 2011 album.

“I’m going to play you some of my favorite country songs of all time,” he said before performing a medley of “Two Dozen Roses” by Shenandoah, “Killing Time” by Clint Black, “Brand New Man” by Brooks and Dunn and “Here’s a Quarter” by Travis Tritt.  “Those are just some of the reasons why I fell in love with country music,” he said after the intimate audience cheered for him.

“I’m excited to be here tonight to play you these new songs,” he said referring to “Me Missing You”, “Mas Tequila” and “Kids in the South” which all are featured on his new EP. These songs have been written over the course of Campbell’s past three years, getting ready to release the best possible music for his fans. With a little bit of everything, each song highlights another side of the singer and his ability to spin real-life stories into song.

Continuing to showcase his talent and versatility he stepped up to the piano to play John Legend’s “All Of Me” and even stated that since his daughter wouldn’t stop singing this song around the house, he had no other choice, but to learn to play it, leading him into the Disney phenomenon “Let It Go” from Frozen.  Putting his own twists on classic tunes, his vocal ability was showcased throughout the night.

Being sure to thank his entire team from Broken Bow Records and BMG, many who were in the crowd, he was humbled by the success and love he felt from the room.  Closing the night with his latest single “See You Try”, “Outskirts of Heaven”, “Keep Them Kisses Coming'” and the hilarious play on words “Fish”, Campbell entertained and proved that listening to his new music was the perfect way for New Yorkers to spend a Wednesday night.

 

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Swag Sessions: Featuring Craig Campbell

 

Making the rounds in New York City, Craig Campbell is promoting his latest EP all around town.  The singer stopped by Refinery Rooftop for a NY Country Swag Session to play his latest drinking song “Mas Tequila” as well as his current radio single “See You Try”.  After playing the tunes, Campbell told our Managing Editor, Christina all about hearing “See You Try” for the first time and his album release week which included his 6th annual charity cornhole tournament and took place during CMA Fest in Nashville.

Watch the full video below and for more on Craig Campbell check out his Swag Spotlight.

 

Craig Campbell

NYCountry Swag Founder, Stephanie Wagner with Craig Campbell and NYCS Managing Editor, Christina Bosch at Refinery Rooftop, NYC

 

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Artist Interview: Dustin Lynch Chats at TOCFest 2018

 

Right before taking the stage at Taste of Country Music Festival, Dustin Lynch took a few minutes to chat with New York Country Swag about what fans can expect from his set as well as 3 essentials he would need if he were the one camping on the mountain.

For a full recap from the festival click here.

 

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Artist Interview: Rodney Atkins Reveals New Album Details

“These are some of the most authentic, country fans anywhere you go.” Rodney Atkins says during our interview about playing shows in New York. He also revealed some tidbits about his brand new album due out later this Fall.  Watch the full video above and for more from our weekend at Taste of Country Music Festival, click here.

 

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Swag Sessions: Featuring Lauren Davidson

The warm weather is back (finally!), so we filmed our next Swag Session right in the middle of Times Square with local New York City/New Jersey country artist Lauren Davidson.  Davidson played “I’ll Drink To That” then premiered a brand new single which was released this Friday, June 22nd under Skyfall Sony. Watch the full Swag Session below and to learn more about Lauren Davidson in our Swag Spotlight Feature with her here.

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Mason Ramsey Performs at Nash FM 94.7 Stage 17

Some may call it an overnight success, but after going viral on the internet for yodeling in Walmart, 11-year old Mason Ramsey has had quite a few exciting months.  He stopped by Nash FM 94.7’s Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 last week to charm the studio audience and DJ Jesse Addy with his quick wit, adorable smile and exceptional singing voice.

Mason Ramsey Nash FM

Ramsey, dressed in jeans, boots a slick button-down shirt and of course his giant cowboy hat took the stage and talked with Jesse Addy before playing his two singles “Lovesick Blues” and “Famous”.  In typical 11-year old fashion, he was playing basketball out in the hallway and when Addy asked if he won he replied: “Well, I kept on dunking”.  His innocent nature and a tip of the hat in gratitude after each song, he left the audience smiling and feeling great.  Check out the full Facebook Live below.

 

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Haley Mae Campbell

NYCS Swag Spotlight: Haley Mae Campbell

Haley Mae Campbell

Photo Credit: R. Katheryn Photography

Although born in Long Island, NY singer-songwriter Haley Mae Campbell moved to South Carolina when she was just a few months old and explains in a recent phone conversation that she didn’t listen to country music until she was in her teen years. Starting her career in a non-singing role as Abu the Monkey in Aladdin when she was only 10 years old, Campbell was bitten by the performance bug. Her parents bought her a guitar when she was 13-years-old and she explains it all spiraled from there.

“I remember I heard this song, ‘Somewhere With You’ by Kenny Chesney and I just thought that was the most amazing song I’ve ever heard,” she recalls. Growing up, she listened to a variety of genres thanks to her dad, who was the family DJ, including The B-52’s, The Who, and a bunch of 80’s rock.  She was also exposed to rockabilly early on, The Old 97’s being one of her favorite bands from a young age, she explains that she recently was on the bill on an outlaw country cruise where they were the headliner. “It was a childhood dream come true because I grew up idolizing them, because my parents did, so it was a pretty full circle moment to hang out with them as an artist.”

After graduating high school a year early and convincing her parents that she was going to pursue her music career, Campbell made the move to Nashville last August. At just 19-years-old she has already made amazing connections in the industry and has had incredible opportunities.  Back in Charleston at the local radio station, she opened for artists such as Sheryl Crow, Brothers Osborne, Dan + Shay, Chris Janson, and Lauren Alaina, watching them and being able to learn from them.  “It’s not only about being talented or original but at the end of the day, you have to be great to work with to be successful and stay grounded and appreciate the people that are around you,” she tells us of what she has taken away from those opening slots.

Her latest release, Lovers Lottery is a good representation of the music she has been inspired to create since her move to Nashville. Four of the songs are solo writes while she tried something different on two of them, co-writing.  “It was scary at first, but now I love it. It’s kind of like going on a blind date when you are writing with someone new for the first time, it can be very awkward or it can be the best thing ever so you just have to take your chances most of the time,” she says.  The band that plays her live gigs with her are also the musicians on the new project, giving the EP a very natural and authentic vibe.  “I really felt like it was the best representation of the songs and the way we play them live which was my goal.  I really think it shows people who I am as an artist.”

“I think it’s just persistence, I am very determined and when I really, really want something I’ll do anything to get it,” Campbell says.  It’s a matter of being strong and positive and building those relationships and eventually, I was able to get those opportunities along the way.”  Follow Haley Mae Campbell on her social media channels including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

 

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