Dan + Shay released their third studio album today on Warner Music Nashville, the self-titled project highlights the duo’s undeniable ability to use their outstanding harmonies to convey messages of love and sincerity. “Our first two albums helped us build an incredible, and super-loyal, fan base, so we knew it was our responsibility to them to put out the best music we could on this record,” Dan + Shay explains in a recent press release. “Most importantly, we wanted to deliver a project that would satisfy the people who got us where we are in the first place.”
The record evokes powerful images, an especially high point on the record is their duet with Kelly Clarkson “Keeping Score”, an ode to letting the small things go and just appreciating life. With both members getting married since their last album release, Obsessed in 2016, it is apparent that the affection from their wives has truly given the boys a new kind of love to sing about.
Either Dan Smyers or Shay Mooney had a hand in writing all but one track, they poured their hearts into this record, showcasing their songwriting skills as well as their vocal ability to deliver the music. Additionally, Smyers co-produced the project with Scott Hendricks.
The debut single from the project “Tequila” is currently sitting in the top 3 spot on the charts and was an instant hit for the duo, with fans singing the chorus back to them almost immediately after its release.
Dan + Shay will be hitting the area on Rascal Flatts 2018 Back to Us Tour where they will be joined by Carly Pearce on July 6th at Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater. For tickets click here.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSCov.jpg288480Christina Boschhttps://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-06-22 16:54:222018-06-22 16:56:24NYCS First Impression: Dan + Shay Release Self-Titled Album
The Rockwood Music Hall is an intimate venue, perfect for any artist’s very first show in New York City. Kentucky native Dillon Carmichael performed songs from his forthcoming debut album, due out later this summer to fans last night, bringing a little bit of Burgin, Kentucky to the Big Apple. “I ain’t ever seen TV’s that big, it’s like being in the future up here,” Carmichael tells us when he introduces himself before the show. “It’s been awesome, Y’all got a pretty cool place here, I even had a slice of pizza, best pizza I’ve ever had,” he laughed. We had the opportunity to chat over the phone last month for his Swag Spotlight Feature, where he explained he had never been to New York before.
His forty-five-minute, full band, showcase gave listeners a sneak peek into his debut album, filled with traditional country grit and a blend of soulful bluesy tones. The album which was produced by Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Anderson East) features songs about growing up in a small town and loving the greats like Waylon and Haggard. He even performed a cover of the 1979 Jennings classic “Only Daddy That’ll Walk The Line”.
He performed his current single “It’s Simple” towards the end of the evening, then closing out a night of country soul music with the title track to the album “Hell on an Angel” he explained that he is a huge Lynrd Skynrd fan and that he felt him in the room when they wrote that song that day. “This is my “Freebird”,” he said before playing the track to end his set.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DCcov2.jpg288480Christina Boschhttps://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-06-19 13:03:262018-06-19 13:51:40Dillon Carmichael Plays His First NYC Show
JoJamie Hahr, Vice President of Marketing for BBR Music Group is our June Woman of the Month. She is a sparkling light in this world, always encouraging women to be true to themselves and proving that the hustle and always working hard pays off.
Growing up in a tiny town outside of Orlando, Hahr recalls music always being a part of her life in one aspect or another. She sang in chorus all throughout school, even singing in a band in high school, and somehow knew that she would end up working in the industry in some capacity. “I never thought I was going to be an artist, but I just knew I loved music. I was really just a huge country music fan, we weren’t allowed to change the station in my dad’s truck, it was always country,” she tells us.
Graduating high school early with college credits in tow, Hahr attended the University of Central Florida, jumping right into her major courses which included public relations and advertising. She started interning for a country music radio station in Orlando, K92 FM and learning that side of the business. “I didn’t realize at first there was a business behind the music. I just knew I was a fan and I loved the music and the artists,” Hahr says. “So from there I interned and went to school, I worked part-time at the radio station, 30 hours a week, and then worked two other jobs just to pay all of my bills and get through school.” Her hustle and determination were evident early on, proving she was going to do whatever it took to make her dreams come true.
Making the move to Nashville when she was twenty-three years old, with six years of marketing and promotions already under her belt, she worked for WSIX Big 98 running their promotions department. Jimmy Harnen, the Executive Vice President of Big Machine Label Group and President of Big Machine Records, became an important mentor to Hahr early on in her career giving her some crucial advice. “I had decided I wanted to work at a record label and I wanted to be a regional promotion rep, so he told me in your spare time, you need to think about what you would do if you were a regional for a specific label, come up with ideas as if you were already in the job and then send them to the labels,” she tells us. The fear of rejection and being told her ideas were not good enough did not stop her from sending a new idea for each major label every Friday for eight months. This eventually landed her a job as a promotion coordinator for MCA Records.
Working hard, networking, and making connections through the industry ultimately helped her reach her goal of working alongside artists and fans at Broken Bow Records as their Vice President of Marketing. Today, she manages marketing for the four imprints that are under Broken Bow Music Group including Red Bow Records, Broken Bow Records, Stoney Creek Records, and Wheelhouse Records. With twenty-four artists on those rosters, her days are filled with meetings and she travels quite a bit with the artists helping to promote their brand and their new music. The labels are home to stars such as Jason Aldean, Dustin Lynch, Granger Smith, Chase Rice, Jimmie Allen, Lindsey Ell and more.
One of the most cherished parts of her job is watching an artists’ rise to fame, being there with them and their fans from the ground up. “I have become great friends with some of the loyal fans that have come out to all of our shows and knowing that the music has changed their lives,” she tells us. “I think something I love most about my job is I might be the closest a fan will get to an artist, maybe they’ll never get to meet an artist, I just love interacting with the fans, because if it wasn’t for the fans, I wouldn’t have a job. I wouldn’t get to do what I get to do.”
Photo Courtesy of @JoJamie on Instagram
Becoming close with the fans is an important part of the job for many reasons, learning to see what makes them tick, what they want to see and hear from an artist helps to make the job of marketing run smoother. When we discuss what a day in the life of JoJamie Hahr looks like she explains she splits her career into two aspects, being on the road or being in the office. Being on the road with an artist could mean taking them on a radio tour, or working an album release week. “I think it’s funny when people think our job is glamorous, that is not a word I would ever use to describe our job, I would say fun, inspiring, cool, but glamorous it is not,” she laughs. You can often find her relishing in her trips to New York City, a town that she loves almost as much as Nashville. When she is in the office, her door is almost never closed, working closely with the work-family she has at BBR to help the artists’ dreams come true. This year alone, her label will have sixteen brand new records being released, something that she will have a hand in every creative aspect of.
JoJamie Hahr with Shazam’s Debra Herman and NYCountry Swag’s Christina Bosch & Stephanie Wagner
When we discuss any lessons that she might have for young people just getting their start in this industry she imparts three exceptional pieces of advice. 1. Be Fearless. Don’t be afraid to be shot down, ignored or told you aren’t good enough, because those things will happen, but you must push passed the failure. 2. Outwork Everyone In The Room. Always be the person who is willing to stay late, you make yourself valuable with how hard you work. “If you want to be in this business you better love, sleep, eat and breathe it because there is no downtime, it’s constant,” she explains. 3. Be Yourself. Being authentic and putting yourself out there is so important. “It’s very hard in this business to feel like you can’t be yourself, because you are going to be judged harshly. I have found through my career especially with social media, people are going to love you or not and it’s okay if they don’t, they don’t have to like you, but the people that love you are going to stick around and they will love you for who you are.” Being able to express yourself and find a tribe of people that accept you for you is something Hahr cherishes in her life.
“I encourage girls growing up in this business to be able to express themselves however they want because what really matters is how hard you work, how kind you are to people, how honest you are and not about what you are wearing or how you portray yourself.”
Follow JoJamie’s adventures on her Instagram account, @JoJamie.
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Trent Harmon was catapulted into the spotlight after auditioning and winning the final season of American Idol on Fox. His charm, incredible skill to connect to songs, and ability to be a true storyteller are what gave him an edge over other finalists. Now, two years later he has honed his songwriting craft and with the guidance of a major label, Big Machine, has released his debut album, You Got ‘Em All.
Looking back at his childhood, Harmon tells New York Country Swag about growing up in rural Mississippi. “I wanted to be an artist, I wanted to do music, quite honestly, it’s a cliche story, but nobody from my neck of the woods really makes it out of that neck of the woods,” he says. “I was twelve when I bought my first guitar at a pawn shop. It took me several years before I could play it. Then, I started writing songs, too”
Harmon’s parents owned a small steakhouse near their home and growing up working there was a part of everyday life. When he realized his talents were better served entertaining the customers rather than cleaning up after them, he started singing and taking requests. “I didn’t realize it then, but I was getting my chops as a performer, those were my first gigs. I quit waiting and cleaning tables, I started playing songs and played for a crowd,” he recalls. Almost all of the songs that were requested were from the country music genre, but Harmon wasn’t only a fan of country music, he listened to southern rock and was a huge fan of Elvis Presley.
After playing gigs in Memphis, Nashville and Little Rock, he had all but exhausted his options during a six or seven year period. Running out of money, he decided to take a chance and audition for American Idol. During the toughest week of the contestants journey, Hollywood Week, Harmon suffered through mono to impress the judges and went on to win the entire competition.
He explains that although the industry sometimes regards the winners of national singing competitions as making it easy, he explained that he had to fight through those ceilings to get where he is now. “Idol showcased one of the main reasons I started doing this, I do consider it a job, it’s how I pay my bills, I take it very seriously,” he tells us. “There might be a weird stigma that you do win Idol and ‘Are they really a musician or are they a reality TV person.’ He took time off after his big win to really focus on writing music, writing a song a day for two years and deciding what he wanted to say with his music.
The title track from his debut album was written in less than an hour, Harmon tells us. After calling his girlfriend and giving her the great news that his label was ready to release his first single to radio, she gave him the news that she would be moving to Thailand to follow her dream of teaching. After that devastating phone call, he sat down in a co-write with Justin Ebach and Jordan Minton. He almost canceled that day but decided to keep the session, and luckily poured out his heart into one of his most personal songs yet. “It was a good day to not cancel,” he laughs, “Let that be the title of your piece.”
Back in February, New York Country Swag caught Harmon when he performed at the Big Machine Luncheon during Country Radio Seminar where he performed “You Got ‘Em All” for radio executives and people who work in the music industry. “I had one job that day and that was to solidify myself a slot for the next year as a relevant up-and-coming artist in the country format,” he recalls. He did just that, singing the next single from his forthcoming album and the full room of people, who are not easily impressed, stood up and cheered when he finished. “When they stood up and I got the standing ovation and everyone clapped, that was one of those moments, that was arguably as big for me as winning the show that night, it was a different kind of win. It’s validation that you are doing something right. It was the right song, the right time, and the right people to hear it at that moment.” He tells us, “It was like all of the stars aligned.”
Focusing his energy and songwriting into his debut album, Harmon explains that you never know as an artist if you will get a chance to put out a second album, so he wanted to fill the first full-length with songs and stories dedicated to the people who have helped him get where he is today. “I made a list of the people who were instrumental in getting me to this point and I tried to write a song to each of those people and if it was good enough it made the album,” Harmon tells us. It is a compilation of gratitude to his family, friends, and fans who have lifted him to this point in his career.
Heading out on tour this summer with Rascal Flatts and Dan + Shay, Harmon is looking forward to seeing a bunch of his fans who are nicknamed “The Harmonies” as well as making new fans. For his full tour schedule head to www.trentharmon.com and be sure to continue to follow his journey on social media Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Dierks Bentley released his latest album, The Mountain last Friday so naturally, he came to NYC to help promote the new music. Stopping at Good Morning America, Nash FM 94.7 Studios, Pandora, Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and many other outlets.
Photo courtesy of Nash FM 94.7 Facebook
The New York Country Swag Team headed first to his Nash FM 94.7 Stage 17 show yesterday, (Wednesday, June 13th) where Bentley chatted with Nash DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy about the new music. He was pridefully rocking an FDNY t-shirt during his set. He performed his 17th number one chart-topper “Woman, Amen” as well as his next single “Burning Man” which features Brothers Osborne on the album version. He couldn’t leave the studios without singing his biggest hits, “Drunk on a Plane” and “I Hold On”.
Bentley with NYCountry Swag Founder, Stephanie Wagner
Next up, we caught Bentley at his Pandora Up Close performance which took place at the beautiful Capitale in downtown Manhattan. The theme of Bentley’s album, The Mountain was prevalent throughout the space, his backdrop the outline of a mountain with tiny lights representing a night sky. He opened his hour-long set with an oldie but a goodie from his debut album, “What Was I Thinking” right after exclaiming to the crowd “What was I thinking? I was thinking that New York City has the best fans!”
Throughout the night he mixed new songs from his album including “Woman, Amen”, “Burning Man” and “Living” with hits that have gotten him to this point in his career like “Up On the Ridge” and “Somewhere on a Beach”. “We haven’t done this song in many, many years but we wanted to keep you guys on your toes tonight, I hope you remember it,” he told the audience before singing “Come A Little Closer” from his 2005 album Modern Day Drifter.
Bentley referenced several times how excited he is to bring his Mountain High Tour to Madison Square Garden this fall. “We’re playing the biggest honky-tonk in the world, MSG, that is right at the top of my bucket list, bigger than any dream I could ever dream.” For tickets to the September 8th show, head to www.dierks.com/tour “This song is for you guys, I certainly want to specifically thank all of our firefighters and police officers as well,” Bentley told the crowd before singing his emotional and uplifting hit “Riser”.
Before playing his final song of the night, Pandora hosts surprised Bentley on stage with a plaque that indicated he had reached over three billion spins on Pandora. Putting him in a class with the Rolling Stones, Snoop Dog, Lady Gaga and one of Bentley’s all-time heroes in country music, Alan Jackson. Bentley was honored and humbled by the surprise. He closed out the high energy set with “Drunk on a Plane”, leaving the packed room of fans in awe of his stage presence and commitment to making incredible music. Grab your copy ofThe Mountain here.
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For the second year in a row, New York Country Swag headed to Hunter Mountain to set up shop and cover the Taste of Country Music Festival. The weekend takes place on a mountain, with a huge stage at the base and fans packed onto its grassy hills to listen to their favorite country artists.
The lineup for the 2018 festival included huge stars like Florida Georgia Line, Dustin Lynch, Lee Ann Rimes, Justin Moore, Eric Church and Sam Hunt. This was the biggest year for the festival, having sold out the general admission tickets, fans were thrilled to be heading back for their favorite weekend.
The team headed to Hunter Moutain early on Thursday morning to set up our vending booth to sell items from our store as well as brand new merchandise that festival goers had the opportunity to shop first before it hits the site next week. Our signature line features hats, tank tops, t-shirts and sweatshirts that all help to cohesively explain our brand, clothing, and accessories that country music fans will love. In addition to our country music inspired items, our Hero Collection was expanded this summer with the addition of tank tops and t-shirts all showcasing the red and the blue line American flag. This turned out to be a huge seller at the festival, initiating awesome banter between those that support our firefighters and those that support our police department.
Fans also had the opportunity to take a boomerang photo in front of our step-and-repeat at our photobooth station set up within our vending booth. With props featuring their favorite country artists as well as cowboy hats and even a blow-up horse, this turned out to be a fantastic fun addition to our setup this year. Guests can view their photos boomerangs here and more photos here. We also included a giveaway which entered our shoppers into a raffle to win a signed Eric Church Jack Daniels guitar. The winner was announced right before Sam Hunt hit the stage and the lucky winner collected her prize before the festival ended.
Our managing editor, Christina also interviewed some of the festivals biggest names at our tent including Jimmie Allen and Rodney Atkins. They both talked about new music which they played during their respective sets. Allen and Atkins both revealed that their albums will be available later this fall.
We also had the opportunity to interview Dustin Lynch and find out what 3 essential camping items he would bring if he was attending Taste of Country Music Festival as a fan. Jimmie Allen took time to hang out with some of our shoppers and take pictures with each of them after his set.
The weekend was filled with meeting so many of our followers and making new friends that rocked our gear at the festival. Between the great music and the perfect weather, Taste of Country Music Festival 2018 was a huge success. We are already looking for next years event, for more information and tickets head to www.tasteofcountryfestival.com Our team wants to thank everyone who stopped by to say hello, purchased an item from our booth or just was friendly to us this weekend. We had the best time and look forward to seeing all of our followers at more events this summer.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TOCCOV.jpg288480Christina Boschhttps://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-06-12 18:23:072018-06-12 18:56:25NYCountry Swag Takes on Taste of Country Festival
Brand new duo Kaci Brown and Sam Gray, also known as Brown and Gray have released their debut EP Salt In The Coffee. The EP is a compilation featuring five new songs including their smash breakout hit “Top Down”. We first caught up with Brown and Gray in December when “Top Down” had just hit the radio waves. The duo has already played across the country as a part of Sirius XM’s Highway Finds Tour as well as playing at Stagecoach.
Sam hails from the east coast of England, while Kaci is a Texas native, combine the skills and craft they honed before becoming a duo. They take turns taking the lead on vocals but always harmonize beautifully. The EP features “Good Night” which showcases a catchy, EDM backbeat, perfect for driving with the windows down or late night in the bar. While “Home” and “This Is The Stuff” is more country and traditional and “Outta My System” has a reggae vibe, the duo is proving their versatility.
Brown and Gray are performing on Long Island this summer as a part of My Country 96.1’s The Fest including Russell Dickerson and Dustin Lynch. For tickets click here, and be sure to follow Brown and Gray on their socials, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Check out Salt In The Coffee below.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/BGcov.jpg288480Christina Boschhttps://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-06-11 17:37:242018-06-11 17:37:24NYCS First Impression: Brown and Gray ‘Salt in the Coffee’
Reflective, emotive and moving, Dierks Bentley’s latest release, available everywhere today The Mountain is a transition for the singer-songwriter. For every song like “5-1-5-0”, “Drunk on a Plane” and “Am I The Only One” which are primed and appropriate for his drinking days and his live show, Bentley has “Riser” and “I Hold On” which show his depth and love for meaningful lyrics. The new album showcases mostly slower songs, but powerful none the less.
The record was written and recorded in Telluride, Colorado bringing to life the beauty of nature and self-reflection, heartache, loss, and love. “Telluride just makes you want to reach for your guitar,” Bentley says in a recent press release about his experience writing in Colorado. “We’d wake up every morning, grab a coffee, take the gondola up, watch the sun come up over the mountains, and by 8:30 we were writing. We just wrote non-stop.”
The first single from the project “Woman, Amen” was released right after the new year, which Bentley explains is a tribute to his wife. During his live show on the Mountain High Tour, during the song, black and white photos of women of all different races and ages dance across the backdrop, ending with a beautiful photo of Cassidy, his wife.
Fans who have seen his newest live show can now appreciate the esthetic after listening to The Mountain in full. Beautiful songs that are accompanied by visions of our incredible country, our earth and all of the people who share it. Specifically “Son of the Sun”, “Stranger to Myself” and “Burning Man” which features tour mates Brothers Osborne are self-reflective, a true testament to the man that Bentley has matured into. “Nothing On But the Stars” is a seductive, breakup song while the album closes with “How I’m Going Out” which discusses leaving a legacy on this music industry.
The Mountain showcases a matured sound, features ethereal production and Bentley’s smooth vocals. Take a listen below and grab your copy on iTunes here.
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You can say that Dillon Carmichael didn’t really choose a life in the music industry, that it chose him. During our recent phone conversation, Carmichael explained that music just always was there, in his house, in his community. His mother traveled around Kentucky with a band as their lead singer, his father loved to write songs and both of his uncles are some names in the country music genre that you might have heard of. Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry and 90’s country crooner John Michael Montgomery. Music was played at family gatherings, what was done on the weekends and Carmichael always found himself at parties growing up with a guitar in his hands.
Growing up, blues, rock, and country were what he listened to, his very first concert being Lynyrd Skynyrd when he was in the 7th grade. “Playing in bars and stuff around Kentucky, that’s what everyone played, that’s what people wanted to two-step two and waltz around the dance floor to, that’s just the way it was around that area, it was a cultural thing,” he says of the music he was accustomed to hearing as a child.
When Carmichael was only 17 years old after playing the same bar every Thursday night, a publisher came to hear him sing and offered him a publishing deal on the spot. Leaving his small hometown of Burgin, Kentucky and the comforts of knowing everyone, he moved to Nashville to pursue his music career even further. He explained how in Kentucky he would write all of his songs by himself then moving to Nashville he was introduced to co-writing.
“Writing changed a lot when I moved to Nashville, writing is 360 degrees in my opinion, of this whole music thing,” he tells us. “You learn who you are as a guitar player, as a singer, you learn who you are as a person because you learn what you want to say in your songs.” He tells us that cowriting for him has allowed him to open up to people who he might not know very well, telling them personal stories for writing purposes. “Especially for the songs I write, they are very honest, to the point, straightforward and don’t be afraid to tell the world what you are thinking, it helps to be transparent,” Carmichael says.
You can take the boy out of Kentucky and the small town but you certainly can not take the Kentucky out of the boy. His single “It’s Simple” which is the first from his forthcoming full-length album is about growing up simply, not taking things too seriously and always realizing what is important. The track was produced by Dave Cobb who has worked with Anderson East, Chris Stapleton and many more artists in Nashville.
“We got on the subject and It’s Simple, our human nature is to sometimes complicated things, it’s nice for me to have a song on my record and in my life like this song has become, as a reminder myself, I can complicate things but this recording almost says to me this is simple, take your own advice,” he says of the lyric. “My favorite line is ‘Home is that place in your heart’, no matter where I go, where this journey takes me, it’s a reminder that home is that place in your heart, no matter where I spend my time or live, but that place in my heart is Burgin, Kentucky.”
Gearing up to release his debut full-length album Hell On An Angel due out this August, Carmichael is hitting the road opening for Lee Brice as well as Montgomery Gentry. He will also make his NYC debut on June 18th at Rockwood Music Hall, for tickets click here. He told us that when he is able to open for these established artists he is like a sponge, taking in everything they do from the side stage, having conversations and learning as much as he can. He is looking forward to supporting the music and playing it live for fans across the country.
Be sure to be following Dillon Carmichael on his social media platforms including Instagram,Facebook, and Twitter.
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Michael Ray included New York City’s Opry City Stage in one of the many stops he made during his album release week. From the Grand Ole Opry Stage to Good Morning America and even Ellen, one of his final stops was NYC to play for fans at The Studio at Opry City Stage.
After being introduced by NASH Fm 94.7 DJs Katie Neal and Jesse Addy, Ray opened with “Fan Girl” from the new record as well as his debut number one breakout hit “Kiss You in the Morning”. He then told the crowd about his brand new album and explained he would be playing each song for them. Amos which was released this past Friday is an ode to Ray’s grandfather and his conviction when singing each song off the record truly comes to life when hearing the songs live.
Photo Credit: Heather Lucas (@theheatherlucas)
“We’re going off of your energy here tonight New York City, we’ve been rolling since 3:45 AM”, he explained, referencing his early call time for Good Morning America. The crowd didn’t disappoint, they were singing along to the songs that were just released as if they had heard them hundreds of times. In between songs on the album Ray also covered Dwight Yoakam’s “Fast As You” as well as David Lee Murphy’s “Dust On The Bottle” after asking if there were any 90’s country fans in the audience tonight.
The intimate room of fans were excited to see such a high energy performance and get to hear each song from Amos live. “Thanks to NASH FM 94.7 this next song is sitting at number 13 on the charts. We just played this song on Ellen a few hours ago, this is the first single off the album, here’s “Get To You”, he said before playing his current radio single. He closed with “Think a Little Less”, another hit from his debut self-titled album. Take a listen to Amos and head to our Instagram for exclusive videos from the show.
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https://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/MICHAELRay_Cover.jpg288480Christina Boschhttps://countryswag.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/logo-new-cs-white.pngChristina Bosch2018-06-05 13:16:382018-06-05 13:41:32Michael Ray Opry City Stage Album Release Show
