Tegan Marie

Tegan Marie Chats Before her Opry City Stage Debut

Tegan Marie Opry

At just fourteen years old, Tegan Marie has the poise and confidence of a veteran in this business.  She made her way to New York City last week to show off her new songs and her high energy personality.  Before taking the stage as the first artist to play The Studio at Opry City Stage in Times Square,  the singer sat down with New York Country Swag to talk about her journey so far.

“I started singing when I was 3 years old.  I stole the karaoke machine from my dad and I haven’t put down a microphone since,” she tells us.  Remembering family cookouts in her hometown of Flint, Michigan where traditional country music like Johnny Cash was frequently played.  She was signed to Sweety High, an all-girls media company when she was twelve years old and her rise to fame included covers of current country songs on YouTube. Her cover of Florida Georgia Line’s, “H.O.L.Y” (below) has racked up over 17 million views on Facebook.

Now, Tegan is writing her own music and releasing it one song at a time, starting with her latest single “Keep It Lit”.  She recalls walking into a songwriting session in Nashville with Rune Westberg and Jason and Nelly Reeves of High Dive Heart and saying “Alright guys, let’s keep it lit”.  After laughing, they realized that the word “lit” is very popular with Tegan’s generation and that there was a song idea there.  The lively song has a great melody and is definitely memorable.

As if playing the Today Show with Hoda and Kathie Lee and Opry City Stage wasn’t enough excitement for one day, right before she took the stage she found out that the video for  “Keep It Lit” had reached over one million views.

Her sold-out show at Opry City Stage featured a 60-minute high energy set filled with pop covers (Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic”, The Chainsmokers “Don’t Let Me Down”), country covers (The Band Perry’s “Done” and Florida Georgia Line’s “H.O.L.Y.) as well as a ton of original music. Fans ages ranged from 5 and 6-year-old girls which she called to stand in the front of the stage to their parents who also enjoyed watching the pint-size performer entertain. “I’m so honored to be playing the Opry City Stage, it’s a dream come true,” she exclaimed before playing an original song called “Roots”.

Tegan Marie Opry

She spent time explaining each of the songs and the story behind writing them, letting her fans in on her process.  “This song is about chasing your dreams and chasing those city lights and how ironic is it that we are here in the most beautiful city and I am definitely chasing my dreams,” she said before singing “City Lights”.  Closing her set by putting her own spin on John Mellencamp’s “Pink Houses” and then spending time meeting and signing autographs for every person in attendance. Looking forward into 2018, Tegan is excited to release new music and performing more since it is her favorite thing to do.

Be sure to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

 

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Jameson Rodgers

Swag Spotlight: Jameson Rodgers

Jameson Rodgers

Jameson Rodgers is our next Swag Spotlight and definitely an artist to watch this year.  Releasing his latest 5 song EP earlier this month, Rodgers’ sound is unique and rugged. Growing up in Mississippi,  he can recall listening to old recordings of his grandfather’s band. The Delta Playboys. Just before turning ten years old, Rodgers went to the Pyramid in Memphis to see Garth Brooks perform.  He clearly remembers watching him on stage, smashing the guitar and thinking that it was the coolest thing he had ever seen. Besides influences like Garth Brooks and country music, Rodgers always loved the music they would play in between innings at his baseball games including John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, and Tom Petty.

With music in his blood but baseball on his mind, he pursued a career in baseball all through high school and ended up at Southern Mississippi, where he eventually started writing songs. Playing those songs with his roommates at local bars or around a fire, he was hooked. After graduating, Rodgers headed to Nashville. “I didn’t know a soul, so I just started writing with whoever I could. I went to open mic nights and played, wrote a bunch of bad songs, then finally wrote a few good ones that landed me a publishing deal in 2014,” he tells us.

His latest self-titled EP features five tracks, three of which Rodgers co-wrote. The songs are a culmination of music he has loved over the past few years. He explains that his songwriting process varies daily, but he loves to be the “idea guy” and bring the idea of a song to the table. Listen to the full EP below.

 
After recently selling out the Lyric Theatre in Oxford, MS, a 1250 person room, Rodgers is in an exciting place in his musical career.  Looking ahead to the new year, Rodgers looks forward to promoting new music and getting out on the road. “I think we’ve gotten every step except the record deal. so that is the biggest target in sight. We are going to try like heck to get that,” he explained.  Be sure to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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Woman of the Month: Kailey Dickerson

In our latest series, we’re bringing you stories from women who are chasing their dreams and building a life that they love with New York Country Swag’s, “Woman of the Month.”

Each month, we will highlight a different female pursuing her passions. Introducing you to women who are taking risks, working relentlessly and turning their dreams into reality. These are empowering women who serve as role models and should be celebrated.

Our February NYCS Woman of the Month is: Kailey Dickerson

Kailey Dickerson

Photo: Facebook via Kailey Dickerson

Kailey Dickerson, wife of country singer-songwriter, Russell Dickerson, took time out of her busy schedule to chat with New York Country Swag about her journey. Growing up in Wisconsin, the only girl in a family of five older brothers, Dickerson learned the importance of family very early.  She became an aunt when she was only eight years old and proudly explains that she now has twelve nieces and nephews, a constantly growing family. All through school, Dickerson played soccer and tennis and grew up dancing and performing in musicals, which led her to Nashville’s Belmont University where she eventually met her future husband, Russell.

Kailey Dickerson

Photo: Facebook via Kailey Dickerson

While at Belmont, Dickerson realized pretty quickly that she did not want to pursue a career in performing, but rather found a love for photography. She shot album covers and music videos, and began to follow this new direction. “I didn’t like being the performer, but I liked helping people feel better about themselves by taking pictures and hearing people be like ‘I didn’t know I could look like that in a picture,'” she tells us.   Teaching herself photoshop and how to edit videos, she credits the “fake it til you make it” method worked best for her.

“Careerwise I’ve never been the girl that’s like, ‘this is exactly what I’m going to do and this is how I’m going to do it.’  It’s always kind of happened piece by piece,” she explains.  One of her dreams was to shoot mission photography, so for two to three years she traveled the world taking pictures for all different organizations.

Launching her own photography business, Kaileyography, Dickerson shot for blogs like The Vogue Trip by Hayley Hubbard, wife of Florida Georgia Line’s, Tyler Hubbard. As well as Womanista by Cassie Kelley, wife of Lady Antebellum’s, Charles Kelley. Later, Dickerson traveled to Uganda with Thomas Rhett and his wife, Lauren, to take pictures of the adoption process of their beautiful baby girl, Willa Gray.

 

Willa Gray

Photo: Kailey Dickerson for People Magazine

The importance of family and her faith has always been something Dickerson kept at the forefront of her life, knowing that God would provide for her and Russell no matter what the circumstance. “Once we got married you couldn’t really tell where he ended and where I began and it was so seamless and how it had to be to make it work, because we were independent for so long. We don’t come from tons of money where our families can help and we just had to do it ourselves and we did.”

After shopping around for record labels for Russell, the couple eventually decided to release his first single, “Yours”, independently.  They shot a music video for the song with Kailey behind the camera, while God put on quite a show for them. As the video rolls, Russell walks in the rain while incredible lightning strikes behind him, creating a spectacular effect in the now famous “$6 Video”.

Dickerson traveled with her husband as his career began to skyrocket to the top. Playing several roles, fans could find Kailey working the merch table, taking pictures and videos at his shows and even driving the bus from city to city. “We would all take turns. I liked my early morning shift when the sun starts coming up. I would get my Starbucks and just start driving,” she laughs.

Kailey Dickerson

Photo: Instagram via Kailey Dickerson

Over the past two and a half years, she stayed by Russell’s side while he played over one hundred touring dates, keeping them together and their marriage strong.  As “Yours” hit the radio charts ultimately topping the charts last week and spending now two weeks at number one, Dickerson is just grateful for the incredible blessings they have achieved together.

When she is not traveling the country with Russell, she loves being home on her couch watching Gilmore Girls. She also credits everything The Bachelor/The Bachelorette as her guilty pleasure along with coffee and wine. Recently she has started writing as a creative outlet. “It is kind of removed and has nothing to do with Russell, so it’s my own little corner space. I’m in the process of writing a book. I flip flop between a book and a blog,” she explains. “I haven’t landed on where that will be yet, it’s more of the dating relationships thing that I love so much, kind of like ‘Coffee with Kailey’ turned into paper.”

We are proud to name Kailey as our February Woman of the Month and look forward to bringing you more inspiring stories, celebrating women who are pursing their passions and empowering others.

Follow Kailey’s adventures on Instagram here. For more about Kailey’s other half, husband – Russell Dickerson, follow him on Instagram here and listen to his debut album, Yours, here.

 

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– Team NYCountry Swag

 

 

CRS

NYCountry Swag Team Heading to Nashville for CRS Week

CRS

 

Next Week, the New York Country Swag team heads to Nashville to take part in Country Radio Seminar (CRS).  CRS is an annual three-day convention where country music and the radio industry gather to exchange ideas, set trends, introduce brands, launch artists and make decisions that affect every aspect of the genre’s future.   The seminar includes new music from rising artists as well as some of the most established artists in the business.

This year Dierks Bentley, CRS 2018 Artist Humanitarian of the Year will be a featured speaker as well as a Q&A session with Brad Paisley during the “Art and the Artist Conversation”.   The Amazon Music & CRS Monday Night Showcase will feature Jimmie Allen, Jordan Davis, and Jason Aldean.

Just announced, the UMG Lunch, taking place at The Ryman, will feature Luke Bryan, Dierks Bentley, Keith Urban, Chris Stapleton, Little Big Town, Vince Gill, Kip Moore, Maddie & Tae, Brothers Osborne, Darius Rucker Jon Pardi and more.

The New Faces Show which takes place Wednesday night to close out the seminar will include Lauren Alaina, Midland, Carly Pearce, Luke Combs and Michael Ray. The show is sponsored by the Academy of Country Music and St. Jude Children’s Hospital and will include performances by each of the five artists.

Be sure to follow us on all of our social channels to see exclusive content from the seminar (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.)

NYCS Nashville

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Luke Bryan Major Tour Announcement

Luke Bryan Getty Images

(Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Pandora)

 

Luke Bryan‘s “What Makes You Country” Tour just went from Large to EXTRA LARGE. The superstar is adding stadium dates to his already major tour.  Joining him for the run on select dates will be Sam Hunt, Carly Pearce, Jon Pardi, Morgan Wallen & DJ Rock.

The announcement came during a Nashville press conference in which Luke broke the exciting news alongside his future tour-mates. In addition to the exciting news, Bryan performed his latest single, “What Makes You Country”.  Jon Pardi & Sam Hunt also treated the crowd to a performance.

We can look forward to the show hitting our area on Saturday, June 2nd for Luke Bryan’s first-ever MetLife Stadium stop! For more dates visit LukeBryan.com.

Make sure to join our Weekly Round-Up to stay up-to-date on tour announcements, giveaways and more.

 

 

 

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Morgan Evans Lee Brice

“Under the Covers” NYC Songwriter Night ft. Lee Brice & Morgan Evans with Victoria Shaw…

Victoria Shaw

Award-winning singer-songwriter, Victoria Shaw hosted her “Under the Covers” concert series last night at Birdland, bringing a little bit of Nashville to New York City.  The venue was the perfect setting for a night full of stories behind the songs, as candles flickered on the tables and fans of music nestled into their seats.

Shaw took the stage and kicked off the night by singing Lady Antebellum’s 2008 single, “I Was Here”, a song she co-wrote with Hilary Scott. After a rousing applause, Shaw introduced her two guests, rising star Morgan Evans and award-winning singer-songwriter Lee Brice. The three took turns singing the songs they have written and recorded, all the while bantering back and forth with each other.

Lee Brice/Morgan Evans

Shaw sang a medley of hits she wrote for Garth Brooks including, “Baby Let’s Lay Down and Dance” and one of Brooks’ most critically acclaimed songs, “The River”.  She closed out the night with a meaningful version of “Never Alone” a song that was recorded by both Sara Evans and Lady Antebellum and written with Sarah Buxton and Gary Burr.

Newcomer, Morgan Evans performed his first single to hit country radio, “Kiss Somebody” as well as a song he had written for his now wife, Kelsea Ballerini when they were only just dating, “I Do”. He also got the crowd clapping along to “Day Drunk” and a rowdy version of a song he wrote, “We Will Never Be This Young Again”.

Lee Brice I Don't Dance

Lee Brice, who has also written songs for plenty of talented country artists, sang songs off his new album including “Songs in the Kitchen” and “Boy” which was written by Nicolle Gaylon and Jon Nite.  Brice told the audience, “This song is perfect, and I love to be able to say that, because I didn’t write it,” before singing his latest single “Boy” which he dedicated to his two sons Takoda and Ryker. For his last song, Brice chose to sing “I Don’t Dance” the first song that was a major hit that he had written.  He explained how happy he was that his wife was there to hear him sing it and she watched lovingly from the bar.

At one point in the evening, Shaw asked legendary songwriter and producer Mark Hudson to come up and sing a song. After telling some hilarious stories, he sat down to detail his writing session with Aerosmith and the Grammy awarding-winning song that was written that day, “Livin’ On the Edge”.

Overall, bringing a little bit of a  Nashville songwriting round to New York City had the audience howling, wishing the night wouldn’t end. All three performers stayed to chat and take pictures with the crowd after the show.  For more information on Birdland and the events they host head to birdlandjazz.com and make sure to follow us on instagram and check out our IG Stories as we post snippets from these fun NYC shows.

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Nash FM Midland

Nash FM Stage 17: Midland

Midland NYC Nash FM

Kicking off their epic Grammy weekend, Nash FM Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 hosted two-time nominees, Midland.  The band made up of Mark, Cameron and Jess took the stage in their signature outfits to play songs from their debut album On The Rocks.

“We’re going to put you right in the middle of a west Texas honky tonk,” the lead singer says before they kicked off their set with “Check Cashin’ Country”. The trio sang “Burn Out” as well as their current single, “Make A Little” and talked about what an honor it is to be nominated for not one, but two Grammy awards.  “We take great pride in being able to write, record, and perform our songs live and to be recognized and validated by our heroes, it’s really surreal.”

Midland Nash FM Mark Wystrach

Commenting on their “ten-year-overnight success” story, they proudly played their debut single and first number one song, “Drinkin’ Problem” to close out the set. “Follow your heart, put one boot in front of the other and some pretty amazing things can end up happening,” Mark said about their determination in this business.

NYCountry Swag with Midland

Listen to Midland’s debut album On The Rocks below. Be sure to Like Hackensack Meridian Health Stage 17 on Facebook to get a notification everytime they go live and listen to Nash FM 94.7 daily for. your chance to win a seat at these intimate shows.

 

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Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
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– Team NYCountry Swag

 

 

 

 

Lauren Alaina Nash FM

Nash FM Stage 17: Lauren Alaina

Lauren Alaina Nash FM

Lauren Alaina dropped by Nash FM’s Hackensack Merdian Stage 17 to perform a few of her songs and chat about her biggest news announced earlier this month.  Throwing it back to one of her very first singles, Alaina kicked off the intimate set with, “Georgia Peaches”.  Following up with cuts from her latest album, including her current single “Doin’ Fine”, and “Next Boyfriend”, Alaina had the entire room’s undivided attention.

“I’ve had this dream since I was three years old and it is all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she told the live studio audience before singing “Three”, a song that Alaina says is her favorite song shes ever penned.  Amongst the struggles that young artists have to endure while trying to make their way in this business, the song mainly focuses on missing home, events, family and friends, while chasing the dream.

Lauren Alaina Nash FM

A highlight of her set was when she asked a young boy to join her on stage for “Next Boyfriend” and although at first, he said he didn’t really dance, he showed us his moves grooving next to the country star.  Discussing her journey in this industry as well as some very big news, Alaina took time to chat with Nash FM DJ Katie Neal about touring with Jason Aldean. The epic tour stops at Madison Square Garden on August 11th. Alaina explained how excited she was to play the iconic stage with her band for the first time.

She finished her set with her very first number one single, “Road Less Traveled” and was sure to thank country radio and Nash FM for playing it and making her dreams a reality. “I wanted to write a song to make people feel good and to make them forget about their insecurities,” she told the crowd.  For ticket sale information and more tour dates head to www.LaurenAlainaofficial.com

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Lauren Davidson

Swag Spotlight: Lauren Davidson

Lauren Davidson

Highlighting the first of our local New York country artists, our Swag Spotlight this week is Lauren Davidson.  Growing up in Freehold, NJ (where Bruce Springsteen is from), Davidson was always surrounded by music.  Her father was a singer-songwriter and frequently played piano and guitar around the house. He would sing her to sleep as a child, she recalls.  Country music, however, was not an early influence that Davidson remembers.  “Growing up we listened to a lot of Billy Joel, Carol King, Elton John, Fleetwood Mac (I’m a huge fan of them and Stevie Nicks) and a lot of singer-songwriter music which I think has really influenced my songwriting style as well,” she explains. That all changed after being cast in a show at Hershey Park her last year in college.  Having spent her time performing on stage in theater productions all through high school and college, this country music review she was cast in would be a change for her.

“The production company was from Nashville and the first day of rehearsal instead of being all theatrical and learning your show they sat us in a circle and played a country music playlist and gave us the history of country music and ever since then I loved country music,” Davidson explains.  Thinking back, she can remember the exact moment when she fell in love with the genre.  “The last song that they played was Dolly Parton’s original version of ‘I Will Always Love You’ and I will never forget the entire cast sitting there in tears. We were all just so moved by the emotion of the song,” she tells us. “The original intention and arrangement made me connect to songwriters and that Nashville scene.”

After college, she moved to New York City, connected with musicians, and decided it was time to start writing her own music and performing. “It’s not necessarily the traditional southern roots and dirt roads, but my music tells my story,” she says of her lyrics.  She writes from an honest place, realizing how the country music genre is changing and how all different genres are now blending, pushing boundaries, and are still being considered under the country music umbrella. “The fans are so accepting and loyal, it is such a great community to be a part of,” she tells us.

A huge decision for Davidson when choosing to pursue country music was whether to stay in New York or to move to Nashville.  She has always dreamed of living in Manhattan. Being in New York allows her to live that dream and be a big fish in a small pond.  “I have a lot of opportunities here that I wouldn’t necessarily have if I was in Nashville and I get to open for a lot of artists that come through town and meet a lot of people,” she says on her decision.

In the past, she has opened for artists such as LoCash, Justin Moore and Craig Campbell. Next month, Davidson has an opening slot for Tyler Farr’s New Jersey stop at Starland Ballroom. “It is like having a master class in performing or storytelling or whatever the experience is. It is really great to see some of these artists so close up and then be able to connect with their fans.  It is one of my favorite things,” she says.  Specifically, Davidson has opened for several artists that have played for our New York Country Swag including Russell Dickerson, Brandon Ray, and Mo Pitney.

She tries to get down to Nashville as often as she can to take meetings, play shows around town and arrange cowrites but for now New York is her home.  The country scene is growing by the day in New York, Davidson explains she has seen an immense difference since Nash FM 94.7 came to the metro area.

Looking to the future and the new year, she hopes to play shows in new places and definitely get into the studio to record more of her music releasing a new single in March.  Be sure to follow Lauren on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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– Team NYCountry Swag

Classic Country Grammy Moments

This weekend the Grammy Awards, deemed “Music’s Biggest Night” will take place live from New York’s famed arena, Madison Square Garden. With the event just days away, let’s take a look back at some incredible Grammy moments featuring some of our favorite country artists…

Known for their spectacular collaborations, this duet featuring Lady Gaga and Kristian Bush and Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland singing “You and I” is definitely a moment to remember.

 

 

Maren Morris, after a great year, took home the award for Best Solo Country Performance at the 2016 Grammys. Morris is nominated again this year for the same category for “I Could Use A Love Song”. Ironically, Thomas Rhett is the presenter here and is also nominated for his own Grammy for Best Country Album, Life Changes.

 

Another classic collaboration, Kelsea Ballerini and Lukas Graham mashed up their songs about never growing up, “Seven Years Old” and “Peter Pan” at least year’s award show.

 

Let’s not forget 2007’s Best New Artist, Carrie Underwood. Taking home the award, Underwood proudly exclaims, “I love Country Music, first of all!” A grateful Underwood thanks God first and foremost, then her parents and then anyone who had a hand in making her album.

 

Catch The Grammys Live on CBS this Sunday night January 28th at 8 PM ET.
Follow Us on Twitter while we live tweet the show! 

 

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Thanks for supporting Country Music in NYC!

Click Here to learn more about NYCountry Swag
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– Team NYCountry Swag