NYCountry Swag Takes on Taste of Country Festival

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Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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.

Taste of Country Festival

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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NYCS First Impression: Brown and Gray ‘Salt in the Coffee’

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Brown and Gray

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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NYCS First Impression: Dierks Bentley ‘The Mountain’

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Dierks Bentley The Mountain

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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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Dillon Carmichael

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Dillon Carmichael

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 Opry City Stage Album Release Show

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Michael Ray Live at Opry City Stage

Photo Credit: Heather Lucas (@theheatherlucas)

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.

Michael Ray Live at Opry City Stage

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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Luke Bryan and Sam Hunt Break Records + NYCountry Swag Tailgate…

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A busload of NYCountry Swag Fans Head to Luke Bryan + Sam Hunt at MetLife Stadium

A busload of NYCountry Swag Fans Head to Luke Bryan + Sam Hunt at MetLife Stadium

The humidity and sun beating down didn’t stop Luke Bryan’s fans from packing out Metlife Stadium this past Saturday.  New York Country Swag headed to the New Jersey venue by the busload, bringing 50 fans from Rockaway Beach to tailgate and get to experience the record-breaking concert “What Makes You Country” event.  The lineup included four absolute powerhouse country artists: Morgan Wallen, Jon Pardi, Sam Hunt and finally headliner, Luke Bryan.

As the fans filed in from their tailgates, Morgan Wallen performed his huge single “Up Down” and Jon Pardi sang songs off his critically acclaimed album California Sunrise including “Heartache on the Dancefloor” and “Dirt on my Boots”.

Next up, Sam Hunt took the stage opening with his latest “Downtown’s Dead” then played all of the songs from his album Montevallo. He also took time to slow things down, grabbing a guitar and playing some old school country music acoustically. He closed his hour long set with “Body Like A Backroad”, to which every single person in the audience was singing along.

 

 

Finally, as the sun set, Luke Bryan took the stage with a pyrotechnic show as well as fireworks, opening his set with “Country Girl (Shake It For Me).  Bryan entertained for nearly two hours, at one point even rolling a giant cooler onto the stage and throwing Miller Lite beers out to the crowd.  It was the largest stadium crowd he has ever played for and his energy and vocal ability thrilled New York and New Jersey fans, singing songs from all of his albums that have gotten him to where he is today, a total superstar.

As if the spectacle wasn’t enough, he closed with “Rain is a Good Thing” before coming back for a two song encore. As the final song came to a close, like magic the skies opened up and rain droplets covered the crowds as they cheered and walked to their cars or buses on a total high.

 

 

Catch the What Makes You Country tour as it makes its way across the country.  For tickets and more info click here.

 

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NYCS Swag Spotlight: Craig Campbell

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Craig Campbell

Photo Credit: Kelly Marie Photography

Blending traditional country with a modern twist, Craig Campbell is our next Swag Spotlight.  Growing up in Lyons, Georgia, he was a country music fan from a very young age, even winning a singing contest when he was fifteen years old.  “That’s when I realized I really loved being on stage, and so fast forward a few years I graduated high school, I worked a few years as a correctional officer then I put a band together and we played nationally at bars and honkey tonks,” he tells us. His influences that have shaped his sound include 90’s country, Travis Tritt, Clint Black, Tracy Lawrence, and Brooks and Dunn which is what his brother would always play in the car on their way to school.  “I think the early 90s was the best era of country music,” he laughs.

After playing in a band for two and a half years, Campbell decided to make the move to Nashville to further pursue his career, singing demos for other songwriters, playing on lower Broadway and even playing piano for artists on tour including Luke Bryan. Fast forward to last summer, Campbell was invited to be an opener on Luke Bryan’s tour.  “It was great, being able to say I was in his band and then to fast forward and then get to open his shows, it was pretty cool and being able to go out on that big tour with one of my buddies was even more special,” he tells us.  “I watched every show and learned that the bottom line is when people pay to come see you play, they just want to have a good time and no matter what it takes, it’s up to the artist to be an entertainer and make it happen and I took it to heart.”

Campbell has had success over the years by releasing songs to country radio and is gearing up to release his next EP this Friday, June 8th.  The EP will feature two versions of the heartfelt “Outskirts of Heaven” as well as his latest single, the flirtatious “See You Try”.  After his record label played the song which was written by James McNair, Bart Butler, Jordan Schmidt, and Tyler Hubbard of Florida Georgia Line, Campbell knew it was a great song and wanted to quickly record it before any other artists had a chance to get their hands on it.

As if releasing his new EP this week isn’t exciting enough, Campbell is hosting the 6th Annual Craig Campbell Celebrity Cornhole Challenge in Nashville during CMAFest. The annual event has raised over $300,000 for FIGHT CRC (Fight Colorectal Cancer), a nonprofit organization working to increase awareness, education, and research on colorectal cancer – the second-leading cause of cancer deaths among adults in the U.S.  The cause is close to Campbell’s heart who lost his father to the disease when he was just eleven years old.

The all-star lineup for the challenge this year includes Russell Dickerson, Lindsay Ell, Walker Hayes, Brett Kissell, Nascar driver Scott Lagasse Jr, LOCASH’s Chris Lucas and Preston Brust, Jerrod Niemann, Taylor Phillips, Dee Jay Silver, Tegan Marie, The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Johnston and Kelby Ray and Brett Young.  “It all started when I got my own platform if you will, I wanted to do something I guess looking around there were a lot of free shows to raise money, golf tournaments, and fishing tournaments and nobody was doing a corn hole tournament and everyone loves cornhole and it is a game that everybody can play so I felt like doing this tournament to raise money for colon cancer was perfect,” he tells us about the decision to co-host the event.  Each artist will be teamed up with a fan who won an online auction to attend the event, all of the proceeds benefitting FIGHT CRC.

For more information about the event or to learn more about Craig Campbell, head to his website here. Be sure to follow Craig on all of his social platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Russell Dickerson Sells Out New Jersey Venue

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Russell Dickerson New Jersey

Located right near the beach in New Jersey, House of Independents is a venue that isn’t well known for their country nights.  Russell Dickerson was only the third country act to play at this particular venue and boy did the fans show the owners of the venue what country music fans can do, selling out the venue and packing both floors.  Before heading out on tour with Darius Rucker and Lady Antebellum for the summer, Dickerson is making a few stops around the east coast this weekend and the New York Country Swag team wouldn’t miss an opportunity to see a full band, full set show.

Our Swag Spotlight from last month Abby Anderson was the supporting act for last night’s show, performing to a room full of Russell Dickerson fans and definitely introducing her unique sound to a new fan base. She sang her current debut single “Make Him Wait” and the crowd erupted in cheers at the conclusion.

After a quick set change, Dickerson took the stage, his high energy set included songs from his debut album including “Float”, “All Falls Down”, “twentysomething” and “Every Little Thing”. “Did anybody come to dance tonight, or get a little funky?” Dickerson said to the crowd before performing “Would You Love Me” which was co-written by Hannah Ellis, our Babes, Booze & Brunch performer from earlier this year.

He closed the night with three of his biggest hits thus far including a mash-up of “MGNO” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” where he ran through the crowd just to kiss his beautiful wife Kailey who was watching from the soundboard.  He then performed his next single, “Blue Tacoma” and although it just hit radio stations, the entire crowd sang along. Head to our Instagram to see an exclusive clip of the crowd belting out the last chorus. “I appreciate you guys from the bottom of my heart, this song has completely changed my life,” Dickerson said before playing his breakout hit “Yours” to end the night.

After recalling when he played to very small crowds in New Jersey before his album was released, he was humbled and expressed his gratitude for all of his fans that have been there since the start of his career.  Now with a number one song, Dickerson is heading out on a huge tour this summer, sure to garner plenty new fans across the country.  Grab your tickets to any of Russell Dickerson’s upcoming shows here.

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NYCS First Impression: Michael Ray Releases ‘Amos’

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Michael Ray Amos

Michael Ray’s sophomore album,  Amos, was named after his beloved grandfather who inspired his love for music.  The record features eleven tracks that encompass Ray’s love for country music while still remaining current with the trends in the genre. “To say I’m excited that Amos is officially out would be an understatement,” Ray explains in a recent press release. “This album means so much to me personally because of the namesake and to finally be able to share these songs with fans is such a great feeling. Before the album was even out our fans were singing the words to so many of the new songs. It’s incredible to see them share their personal stories of what each new song means after hearing it live. Watching our fans living and loving these songs is what it’s all about.”

After reaching the top of the charts with “Think A Little Less” and “Kiss You in the Morning” from his debut self-titled album, Ray took time to focus on what his sophomore album should sound like, channeling the passion that his grandfather instilled in him for a great lyric and conviction in country music.  Amos features flirty love songs such as “Fan Girl”, “You’re On” and “One That Got Away” while also telling a more serious story in “Her World or Mine” and “I’m Gonna Miss You”.

His most poignant moment is the album closer, “Drink One For Me”, which is a tribute to our military.  “Drink one for me on Friday night /  Throw ’em back and laugh and tip the band I like / drink one for me and remember why I’m doing what I’m doing when you raise ’em high / while I’m where I need to be, drink one for me”  The midtempo will touch the hearts of Americans all over the country.

Ray offers a cohesive, well-rounded album with songs that slows down in all the right spots but also will be a great soundtrack for your summer.  Take a listen to Amos and let us know what your favorite song is in the comments.

Don’t miss Michael Ray this Monday, June 4th in New York City at Opry City Stage. We’ve got your chance to win tickets and meet + greets. Head to our Instagram here to enter to win.

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NASH FM 94.7 Presents Chris Janson at Opry City Stage

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Chris Janson Opry City Stage Nash FM

Wednesday night (May 30) the newest inductee to the Grand Ole Opry, Chris Janson made his Opry City Stage debut for an intimate performance for NASH FM 94.7 winners.  Janson took the stage after being introduced by NASH FM DJ Jesse Addy to tell stories about his songwriting, his latest album Everybody and to play some of his biggest hits to date.

“I write all of my own songs. I only write and record my own songs no matter what and I am so thankful that it has paid off, thanks to NASH FM especially, it’s paid off,” Janson says at one point during his performance, as he discussed with the audience the origins of his songs “Everybody” and the song he wrote with Preston and Lucas from LOCASH, that they then cut and was a top ten hit, “I Love This Life”.

He also played his breakout hit, and first number one song “Buy Me A Boat” and the title track to his latest album, “Everybody” along with his own version of a song that Tim McGraw recorded called “That’s How I’ll Always Be”.  The intimate setting on the fourth floor of Opry City Stage always allows artists to feel like they can share stories about their music instead of just playing them.  Janson admitted that he was first and foremost a huge punk rock fan growing up, wanting to rebel against his small-town life growing up in Perryville, Missouri.  He explained that he was a fan of The Ramones, Weezer, and Sublime and he knew that the New York City crowd would understand his love for those bands.  He mashed into his set “Undone” by Weezer and The Ramones, “I Wanna Be Sedated”.

Chris Janson Opry City Stage Nash FM

 

“All I can say is thank you, Jesus, and thank you NASH FM 94.7” he laughed as he explained how incredible it was to have a song of his go number one, right before singing his second number one, “Fix a Drink” then in true New York City fashion, sat down at the piano and played the unmistakeable chords on his harmonica to Billy Joel’s “Piano Man”, which had entire crowd swaying and singing along. As his set came to a close,  he performed his current single, “Drunk Girl”  as he told the crowd that he has four children, two daughters, and two sons and he hopes in the future that his daughters are taken care of like hte girl in the song but more importantly that his sons are good men and listen to the lyrics of the heartfelt song.

Ending the night with an upbeat, Janson version of “Folsom Prison Blues”, Chris Janson proved why he is not only the youngest living member of The Grand Ole Opry but also one of the best entertainers in country music.  Head to our Instagram for exclusive stories and videos from the show.

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